#having to learn all the rules of poker and wearing a suit all the time

[dykedvonte]

The new Vegas Tribes having to learn to read, write, do math, and every casino game on earth along with customer service etiquette in the span of like a month or else this gambling Walt Disney Knockoff they’ve never met is going to gun them down with big fuck machines they’ve seen for the first time in their life. Not to mention they have to learn how to tie a tie:

[representshinjuku]

Three Hearts as One (三心同体）

“One way to the champ

There’s no way out

One way to the champ

There’s a reason to fight”

[All]

We’re going to the next level

And that’s the reason why we can’t lose this battle

You can’t shake our unity, 

We stand three hearts as one

[Samatoki]

Now turn tail and run, you Shibuya dogs

This headshot’s your warning

Lawlessness is my rule

Running around the playground really suits you  

Some used-up tool’s gonna pick a fight with me? 

Forget it, I’ll take you out

I don’t give a shit what your reasons are

I’m just doing what I’ve gotta do–hunting you

Raising ‘Hama’s banner of revolt, 

Three hearts as one

[Dice]

Always pinching up our brows? 

Nah, we’ll hit straight through your hyped-up pride

Hiding nervous sweat under my poker face

I see right through you, I’m calling doubt on you fakes

[Gentaro]

Intimidation poured into your flowery lyrics

But your fear flickers clear through the facade

In one of my novels, you’d remain unnamed

Destined to die as such

[Dice]

A little bird like you better

Give it a nice long cry from inside your cage

[Gentaro]

You little rabbit of fables

What awaits you is ah, a tragic fate

[Dice]

Hama’s gettin’ some safety scissors 

[Gentaro]

You no longer need your mad trigger

[Gentaro & Dice]

Dice and Gentaro, writing your last rites

Fling Posse rising to the top

Shibuya is greatest

We stand three hearts as one

[Jyuto]

You’re a writer who only knows fiction

Wet your bed and lie in it

This won’t end in just your arrest

Counting down to your destruction 

[Rio] 

Back to square one; this is my unshakable foundation

A gambler throwing a tantrum over the counter

Gets crushed by this verse

[Jyuto]

You plan to deceive me with lies?

Come crying teary-eyed begging for money?

[Rio] 

If you kneel begging for forgiveness

I’ll let you taste my wonderful dishes again

[Jyuto]

Your face is an eyesore

[Rio] 

I’m tired of your pretending

[Jyuto & Rio] 

Don’t talk so cheaply of bonds

Yokohama is a monolith

MAD TRIGGER CREW, Shibuya goes down to 

Three hearts as one

[Ramuda]

So scawy, scawy, you three of a kind

You’re real funny so keep up the jokes!

If you pick a fight halfheartedly then

In return should I crush your everything?

Yakuza, cop, soldier, ‘Hama’s garbage

You’re so annoying, I can’t share the stage with you

Gonna knock you on your back and open the path

Get outta the way, weaklings

C’mon and wave Fling Posse’s flag, 

Three hearts as one

[All]

One way to the champ

We’ll seize glory with our disses

“We gotta go”

Towards the top

“No way out”

It’s kill or be killed until one of us falls

“We gotta go”

Or else this all means nothing

“Right here, right now”

To the next; Cutting deep, fighting head on

Burning with passion through our words

(Rhyming like nobody else has)

To the next; The strength of our bonds will carry us through (one way)

There’s a reason to fight; we’ll settle things three hearts as one

(Walking a road nobody else has)

Can’t stop ‘til we die!

[Rio] 

The bullet wound, the heart to shoot

You’re naive to the pain of both

Though you’re blind in this abyss

It’s time to grovel in the mud, Posse

[Dice]

Gotta say thanks for feeding me but

Until this battle’s over I’ll have to pass

Playin’ around like a military maniac

Time for you to withdraw from the front lines

[Jyuto]

If you’re in the red, then you turn it to black

That’s nothing but simple winner’s logic

You’re a disgusting public enemy

Shall I erase you from society?

[Gentaro]

What is a lie and what is real?

An officer of the law wearing masks of good and evil

Without time to mourn–

Shall I ring the bell that tolls the end

[Samatoki]

Don’t come at me like you’ve learned something, stupid

Shut your damn mouth and choke on your empty words

Breakin’ down your pretty words and fake justice

I’ll show you your last vision

[Ramuda]

Yeah, witnessing threats at the scene of the crime

This means I’ve gotta give you a pat-down exam

Your lawlessness is on parade

Can’t let you run free anymore, stupid

[Samatoki]

Get outta my sight Ramuda, you damn brat

I’m never gonna forgive you

Your damn manipulations ain’t gonna shake ‘Hama

I’m gonna be the one settling things here

[Ramuda]

Huh? Who gave you the right to talk, Samatoki?

Your superficial anger’s a real eyesore!

If you mess with Shibuya, you get eliminated

You can’t invade our sanctuary

[MAD TRIGGER CREW]

Shout out with thundering anger–Rise up, rise up

[Fling Posse]

Together in the same boat–Open it up, open it up

[MAD TRIGGER CREW]

We’ll take it all, Mad Trigger Crew

[Fling Posse]

We won’t give way, we’re Fling Posse

[All]

Crush the enemy before you and forge ahead one way

Our bonds are greater than any sum

Break all; Hypnosis Mic

There’s a reason to fight here and now, 

A conflict of interest

One way to the champ

We’ll seize glory with our disses

“We gotta go”

Towards the top

“No way out”

It’s kill or be killed until one of us falls

“We gotta go”

Or else this all means nothing

“Right here, right now”

To the next; Cutting deep, fighting head on

Burning with passion through our words

(Rhyming like nobody else has)

To the next; The strength of our bonds will carry us through (one way)

Sorry but we’re not backing down; we’re betting all our will and pride

There’s a reason to fight, 

We’ll settle things three hearts as one

(Walking a road nobody else has)

Can’t stop ‘til we die!

We’re going to the next level

And that’s the reason why we can’t lose this battle

Rhyming like nobody else has

[MAD TRIGGER CREW]

We’ll take it all, Mad Trigger Crew

[Fling Posse] 

We won’t give way, we’re Fling Posse

[All]

“One way to the champ”

Walking a road nobody else has

You can’t shake our unity, 

We stand three hearts as one

[reyesmarconi]

A compendium of childhood + youth related headcanons.

The last conversation he had with his father was two days before Ysmael Reyes disappeared. It was an argument.

Marcelo started smoking at age 17 around the time of his father’s “passing.” The habit exponentially grew when his mother followed his father, until he decided to quit. It’s been around three years since then, and now he only reaches out for a smoke when in moments of great anxiety or stress. Quitting wasn’t really about health, since he doesn’t have to worry about it much, but about the smell. At some point it stopped being a source of comfort and became a source of bitterness. He prefers it if long-term lovers don’t smoke at all – if he were a normal person, he’d be able to concede them smoking out of his sight, but the smell clings to the clothes and clings to the skin in a way his feline nose cannot simply overlook.

His mother first informed him of his father’s death in the Narrows Botanical Garden, in Brooklyn, when he was seventeen. Now he goes there whenever he needs to wear off his façade and really reflect on his life’s latest turns.

He could make a career out of playing poker if he set his mind to it. He started playing it by the time he was six, learned the rules at seven, and got decently good by twelve. His deck shuffling is on par with a casino dealer’s.  

He went to church every Sunday when he was young, and the habit dissipated as he reached his twenties. Nowadays, it’s rare, but when he goes, he tends to dress up. If you catch him in a suit or formalwear on an otherwise ordinary Sunday, chances are he was at church.

The silver cross necklace he’s seen often wearing belonged to his father, and before then it belonged to his paternal grandfather. It’s a family heirloom, and it served a purpose beyond the obvious: it was a protective keepsake meant to keep both vampires and werewolves at bay. When it isn’t around his neck, it hangs from a sole nail by his dresser or sits on his nightstand. He also has an evil eye bracelet he wears for a similar protective purpose, given by his aunt Berenice.

He was a hell of a lot more temperamental in his youth, a common occurrence with puma cubs due to an inability to control their aggressive instincts or measure their own strength. Marcelo never took shit from anyone for anything in his life, and he efficiently taught that lesson to anyone that needed to learn it, usually by means of a broken nose, a black eye, and once, a set of cracked ribs. Such disposition mellowed out over the years, and people are usually unable to recall a time they’ve seen Marcelo actually angry about anything.

He also, under no circumstances, tolerates his picture being taken when he’s in his puma shape. It makes him feel like a circus freak, or a rare exhibit pet. A couple contemporary relatives on his mother’s side learned this the hard way when they tried to take a few pictures with him. He ended up shifting only to crush the camera between his maws. He was fourteen at the time.  

The prince nickname actually goes way back. The maternal side of his family and, by extension, their ilk, has the tendency to refer to him as the “renegade prince” (principe rinnegato, príncipe renegado) semi-affectionately, semi-teasingly, for openly refusing to follow his father’s steps and for overall staying out of the family business. It doesn’t annoy him, per se, but it does put a wry smile on his face when he hears it.

[ivy-lulu]

Ikevamp suitors and Chess

So, this has been sitting in my drafts for months because I was too nervous to post it as I've never written headcanons before. I've literally shoved it in queue somewhere so I don't even know when its gonna post. I hope they're ok. Also, this is a pretty long post so I'm gonna put it under the cut.

I started thinking about which suitors would be the best at a game of chess (because I lost...) so I decided to make a post about it.

Warnings: None (except my terrible attempt at humour, you have been warned)

SCORE/10 shows how likely you'd be to win

The 'has won before the game's even started' gang

Arthur - Not much to say about this one. Canonically, Arthur is almost unbeatable at any board game, card game, even games that have been created on the spot (RIP Isaac). So it's obvious he'd take up the first spot on the 'I've got this' team. -1000/10 (it'll only end in tears)

Comte - He's been alive a long time so naturally he'd have spent some of that time mastering this sort of thing. In his 'bad boy' phase the game keeps mentioning, I imagine he was probably a lot like Arthur, even on the gambling front; he probably plays a great hand in poker with that mask he always has on. But on another note, there's even that one 5* card with Leo where the commentary is them playing chess. 0/10 (he'll win and he'll be wearing that smile the entire time) And, that leads me on to...

Leonardo - Last member of the 'you never stood a chance' crew. He is, as the game puts it, a master of all trades, he definitely knows his way around a chess board. He literally has books on military tactics lying around his room so it's safe to say he probably knows what he's doing. He's going at the bottom of this group though because he'd probably let you win just because he loves you, just don't mention him going easy on you because he will show you how he actually plays... 1/10 (if you ask really nicely he'll let you win)

The 'you might be good, but they'll be better' gang

Napoleon - He was the Emperor, what do you expect. He's only in this group because, unlike in war, all of your players are on the board, its much harder to hide any dirty tricks that he might have played on his opponents in his human life. But, unless you are exceptionally good, there's still only a small chance your gonna win this, and he's not one to take pity so he wouldn't go easy on you, if anything winning is something he'd just be able to tease you about later. 2/10 (a bad idea)

Isaac - Logic is his strong suit, so he would be very good at this sort of thing. He'd carefully consider his actions to determine the best possible move so would probably excel at something like chess. His only downfall might be that he could overthink things, especially if his opponent is playing mind games with him, e.g Arthur. 3.5/10 (you could just tease him during the game and he'd lose his focus, but you'd have to live with the fact you cheated to win)

Sebastian - Now hear me out. With the amount of meticulous planning and organisation it takes to keep the mansion running smoothly, he would probably be very good at thinking ahead of his opponent, setting traps and the like. Also with his slight *cough* obsession *cough* with Napoleon, he has probably studied his fair share of military strategy which could come in really handy. 4/10 (if you manage to win, he's not even a sore loser so a pretty safe bet)

The 'can be beaten but you better bring your game' gang

Shakespeare - I mean, if you've played even one route in Ikevamp, you know that he's pretty good at keeping a low profile, whilst causing absolute chaos. You'd think you're doing absolutely fine, in fact you might even think you're winning, but before you can even tell what's happened, the tables have turned and you're down to only a handful of pieces on the board. If you're good at spotting these sort of tricks though, you stand a pretty good chance because its his main strategy. 5/10 (keep your eyes on the game and you'll be good)

Dazai - Dazai, like Arthur, is probably very good at playing mind games, which would give him an edge over his opponent. It would seem like he's playing randomly and you'd have no idea what is a trick and what isn't, but he knows. As long as you can hold your own and keep your head screwed on, you'll have a chance of winning. 5.5/10 (you might win, but at the cost of your sanity)

Theo - This is a tricky one. He probably hasn't played much, probably just played with a client once whilst discussing a deal and decided he should learn a little more in case the situation arises again. I'm putting Theo here because I think he is just a bit more logical than some of the others. 6/10 (if you're an average player, it'll be pretty even)

The 'your best bet at winning' gang

Mozart - He knows what the pieces do, but he doesn't know how to play, if you catch my drift. He spends so much time dedicated to his music he probably hasn't had much practice at it. I still think he'd be decent though because he is organised, perhaps in a similar, but not quite as extreme way as Sebastian. If you consider yourself average at chess, you'd probably be pretty evenly matched with Mozart too. 7.5/10 (if you win, he will sulk about it for the rest of the day)

Jean - He is much better at physical challenges than mental ones like this. He probably doesn't even know the rules but he's a quick learner and you could easily teach him. In fact once he does get a bit of practice in, he might actually be decent at the game, just don't try challenging him to any physical duels and you'll be okay. 8.5/10 (it's only because he doesn't know the rules)

Vincent - He's probably played once before but never really got into it. Vincent would probably be your best bet at winning, purely because he just doesn't know how to play, and would probably only be interested in learning if you wanted him to. He's also a literal angel so he'd probably let you win. 10/10 (you will win, but will you ever actually feel proud about it?)

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it!

[jayz4dayz]

Kakegurui character headcanons that are canon in my eyes (Part 2)

Yumeko: 

Doesn’t take hard drugs but can if so desired

Excels in all her courses, but school work bores her

Cottage core lesbian vibes tbh

But is actually bisexual... So cottage core bisexual? Is that a thing??

Actually drinks coffee because she likes the taste

Wears cherry scented perfume 

Loves surprises 

Is a Gryffindor, but everyone assumes she is a Hufflepuff  

Looks like a cinnamon roll but can actually kill you

Listens to Girl In Red 

Very physically affectionate and loves cuddles

Is fluent in Japanese, English, and French

Her favorite animal is a snake. You cannot convince me otherwise

She owns a pet king snake and named it: エース (Ace) 

Extraverted

Prefers to wear dresses but will not decline wearing a suit

Often mistaken for athletic, but starts panting when climbing up the stairs

Enjoys reading to pass time when she isn’t gambling 

Learned to play and mastered poker at like nine years old

Favorite card game is Indian blackjack 

Favorite color is either maroon or gold

Gets cold easily

Often reads Yuri manga

Does not kill the spider in the relationship, but instead captures it in a cup and sets it free outside 

Is great with kids

Weapon of choice is a katana

ENFP-A personality type 

A horrible driver and cannot drive her friends places without almost crashing the car

Forced to learn how to play the piano as a child

Not a morning person, but doesn’t let it show

Gets her “gambling freak” on even when playing something simple like uno

Mary:

Will take hard drugs if they are offered for free

Excellent in all school courses (she wasn’t offered a scholarship for her good looks after all)

Hated gambling at first, but soon became addicted to it like everyone else at Hyakkaou 

Quite athletically inclined, but chooses not to do sports

Is a tsundere around everyone except for Ririka 

Is a lesbian

Has a whole ass harem (this is actually canon)

Wears Chapstick or occasionally lip gloss 

If you simp for her, say it with me... Daddy issues

One hundred percent would be that girl at a bar to fight a guy sexually harassing herself or someone else 

I’ve heard people say she’s a Gryffindor, but I gotta be honest with you, she’s a Slytherin. Sorry, I make the rules. 

Looks like a cinnamon roll, is actually a cinnamon roll that can kill you

Favorite food is melon bread 

Listens to Megan Thee Stallion 

Half American Half Japanese 

She is actually naturally blonde

Can speak English and Japanese, but prefers Japanese 

Drinks tea or juice instead of coffee 

Practices future arguments with people in the shower

Is okay with children unless they’re being brats

Favorite animal is a lion 

Weapon of choice is a baseball bat

Watches American cartoons and has no interest in anime

Fairly good at video games

Does not like being touched (unless by someone she loves)

Insecure about her height and bust size

Is indifferent about wearing a dress, but likes wearing a suit

Has mild OCD and hates when people touch or move around her stuff

Only asks people if they listen to Girl In Red to see if they’re gay, but doesn’t really listen to them that much

Actively listens to Billie Eilish 

Can play the bass guitar 

ENFJ-A personality type

Wears Doc Martens outside of school 

Probably growled or hissed at kids in preschool

Itsuki:

Has definitely done hard drugs and would do it again

Pays students/housepets to do her school work and homework

For some reason, strikes me as someone who drinks Starbucks refreshers and will refuse to drink anything else in the morning 

Is terrible at gambling hence why she constantly cheats

 Has a new set of nail polish for each week 

Two-faced towards everyone except her close friends

A closeted bisexual. No I will not take criticism on that

Has a thing for milfs 

Indulges in both Yuri and Yaoi manga

Favorite combination is sweet and salty

This bitch absolutely puts pineapple on her pizza. “It’s exotic!” 

Lactose intolerant?? Don’t ask why because I don’t have an answer, she just seems like she would and hides it by trying to act bougie for purchasing almond/coconut milk instead of regular milk. Still consumes dairy anyway

Has an Instagram account with 1000+ followers

Smells like a bath and body works and would probably work there too if she wasn’t rich and needed a job

Actually has shitty vision but wears contacts so she doesn’t look “nerdy”

Is a Hufflepuff 

Weapon of choice is either her nails or pepper spray tbh

I’m not saying she’s a bimbo... however-

Probably has attended at least twelve Ariana Grande concerts

First car would be something extra like a pink Lexus or Mercedes Benz 

Develops a very close friendship with Mary, Yumeko, and Ryota 

Canonly short 

Hates the rain and the cold

Can’t play any instruments but claims her voice is her instrument 

Can’t reach the top shelf :(

ESFP-A personality type 

Will most definitely have an affair with Miroslava Honebami at some point

Hates insects 

Idk why, but I can see her still sleeping with a night light

Guilty pleasure is going to the spa 

Has likely traveled all around the world

Favorite color is pink or green 

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2021 | Day 19: Enemies to Lovers

Pile Of Quarters | @vampamber

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1,752 Main Tags/Warnings: ABO, alpha Cas, omega Dean, high school AU Summary: Somebody keeps beating Dean's high score on his favorite video game at the arcade, and he will have none of that. So when the chance to have a showdown with this CAS person comes along, of course he's gonna jump at it. He just wasn't expecting the alpha to be so nice. Or so hot.

A Bag of Richards | @ms-josephine

Rating: Mature Word Count: 4,241 Main Tags/Warnings: Human AU, Enemies to lovers, Misunderstandings, Prank wars Summary: A misunderstanding leads to an all-out prank war between Castiel and his new neighbor, Dean.

Build It Up! | @verobatto

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5,062 Main Tags/Warnings: Architect AU, Architect!Dean, Architect!Castiel, rivalry, rivals to lovers, light angst, happy ending. Summary: Architect Dean Winchester has just one goal in his life: win contracts and defeat his biggest rival, Castiel Novak. Bad thing is, Novak is the one always winning the heated competitions. Dean hates Novak with all his heart. If only that bastard wasn't so handsome ...

Dance Real Close | @maleyah-givemetomorrow

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5,920 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Christmas, Yule, First Kiss, First Time, Enemies to Lovers, Flirting Dean, Sassy Castiel, Fluff and Smut, Soft Boys Summary: For the umpteenth time tonight, Castiel swallows and clenches his teeth, hard enough that he might just need a dentist appointment once this horrendous evening comes to its inevitable end and he has what he came for. Good thing the company has excellent health care. He forces his gaze into a faux-thousand yard stare, a wilful attempt to get lost among the many twinkling lights and ornaments. Just off of the shoulder of the man who is his current, last and most annoying obstacle. Dean Winchester. Dressed to the nines in a suit of snowflake white, he fits in at this high-end Yule Ball as if he hasn’t done anything else in his life. Top of his class and generation, ten years Castiel’s junior, much too skilled for his own good at nigh anything from close combat to subterfuge to extraction, his competition, who is, for some unfathomable reason, flirting with Castiel on the mission.

When Duty Calls | @verobatto

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 6,654 Main Tags/Warnings: Sci Fi AU, Commander Dean Winchester, Angel/Alien Castiel, strangers to friends to lovers, space ship, working on a mission together, top!Dean/Bottom!Castiel Summary: Angels devastated Earth 30 years ago and Dean lost his mother in that battle. Now, when his father the Ambassador John Winchester dies, Dean is assigned to a very important mission to restore the Earth. Bad thing is, Angels want to redeem themselves by providing the technology to revive the planet and by doing that, they pretend to be part of the Federation. Dean accepts, despite of his hate for them, and he meets the Angel Castiel, a Commander Scientific that will work with him in one of the labs stations placed on Earth.

Vampire Hunter! Starring Castiel Krushnic | @friendofcarlotta

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 13,612 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - TV show, Actor Castiel, Production Assistant Dean Winchester, First Kiss, Enemies to Lovers, Vampires, Canon-Typical Violence, Mild Gore, Inspired by Fright Night, Garth Ships It Summary: Straight out of college, Dean gets hired to work on his favorite TV show, "Fright Night." It's a dream come true until the network orders an overhaul to boost ratings, giving the show a new name (“Vampire Hunter!”) and a new star: a grumpy bastard named Castiel, who seems determined to make Dean’s life miserable. Dean just wants to hate Castiel's guts in peace, but then an offsite shoot gets them both trapped in a creepy mansion with a very real, very angry vampire. Can they overcome their differences long enough to kill the monster?

Cheers | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 23,685 Main Tags/Warnings: inspired by the movie: the proposal, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Misunderstandings, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Homophobia, Homophobic John Winchester, Dean Winchester Wears Panties, First Time,First Kiss, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Soft!Dean, Cas blackmails Dean into the relationship at first, Past Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Minor Anna Milton/Dean Winchester Summary: Dean hates his boss, after they attempted to date but failed miserably. But when Castiel suddenly has to go back to Russia because his visa expired, Dean finds himself in a very awkward situation, because Castiel blackmails him to marry him. To make it worse someone from the immigration department is already hot on their trail and they have to show off their fake relationship at the ninetieth birthday of Dean’s grandma.

Elevator Music | Aketch-22 (AO3)

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 25,017 Main Tags/Warnings: Top!Cas/Bottom!Dean, Dom/Sub Overtones, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Lawyer Castiel Summary: Sam is about to become name partner at the law firm he's worked at for years. He invites Dean to the celebration, but Dean gets trapped in the elevator with Sam's pompous, dickbag, too-good looking coworker Castiel. Stuck for hours with someone he hates and a boatload of alcohol, what could possibly go wrong?

Let Your Heart Hold Fast (WIP) | @destiel-pirate-in-middleearth

Rating: Mature Word Count: 35,857 Main Tags/Warnings: Roomates/housemates, enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, angst and hurt/comfort, college au, mutual pining, happy ending. Summary: Castiel is a simple guy with a simple plan who enters college after a lot of hard work. He's looking forward to the new beginning and endless opportunities. After surviving the worst through high school, Castiel has a good feeling about college and thinks he is gonna do fine, but, then, his life takes an uneasy turn, which leads him into meeting Dean, who doesn't remember him and has evolved into a very flirty, obnoxious man. Castiel hates Dean. For almost a month, Castiel does a great job at avoiding Dean on the college campus. Everything is going fine until the day they have their first encounter, which is close to a nightmare because, apparently, Dean decides to shove an apple frigging pie on Castiel's face, which isn’t even the single worst thing he did to him that day. Or The one where Dean and Castiel hate each other and are forced to live together.

Angels of the Sea | @envydean

Rating: Mature Word Count: 53,616 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Minor Character Deaths, a little violence, non graphic scenes of corporal punishment, sexual scene of mature nature, Hurt/Comfort, Stowaways, Angst, Happy Ending, BAMF!Cas, Pirate!Cas, Stowaway!Dean, Tattoos, Magical Elements, Fluff, Enemies to Lovers Summary: The Archangel – a pirate ship run by young Captain Castiel Novak – is unknowingly boarded by two stowaways. Sam and Dean just needed to get away from their father’s killers and are found stashed away in the storage room of the ship. Raphael is adamant they are killed but Castiel’s heart is too big to dispose of them both. Lives spared, they join the crew, Dean taking up navigation and Sam to the galley and an adventure using Dean’s amulet to find a mysteriously hidden island begins.

Unmasked | @ellis-park

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 69,348 Main Tags/Warnings: Superhero AU, enemies to lovers, secret identities, graphic depictions of violence Summary: Years ago, the infamous vigilante Halo disappeared from the public eye. The new Halo, Castiel Novak, is struggling to pick up the pieces of his own life and his mentor’s tarnished legacy as a new rival, Hellfire, arrives on the scene. It would help if Cas weren’t so distracted by pushy reporter Dean Smith, who reminds him of everything he’s lost — and the life he could have if he’d let go of the mask.

angel in black | @dothwrites

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 95,325 Main Tags/Warnings: Canon-Divergent, Enemies to Lovers, Bounty Hunter!Cas, Hunter!Dean, Canon-Typical Violence, Demonic Possession, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: Bounty hunter Castiel Novak has simple rules for how he conducts his business. Get in, get out, deliver the fugitive, and do it all with the least amount of effort possible. Never become emotionally involved. When he takes on the job of hunting down Sam and Dean Winchester in order to bring them to justice, his rules start shifting. Threatened by supernatural forces as well as his attraction to Dean, Castiel soon has to decide what he’s willing to stand for…and what he’s willing to die for.

Wicked Game | @expectingtofly

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 104,077 Main Tags/Warnings: Western AU, Canon-Typical Violence, DubCon, Top Cas/Bottom Dean, Angst, Pining, Hurt/Comfort Summary: The year is 1889 and for the past year and a half, Dean has traveled alone from town to town, drinking to ignore his guilt and gambling to make a living. Today, he’s especially down on his luck. He’s broke, was just thrown out of a saloon for cheating at poker, and has now been woken by a blue-eyed man trying to rob him. When he learns that the thief, Castiel, is just as broke as he is, they strike a tenuous deal to help each other rob a stagecoach, share the spoils, and split up. Turns out splitting up is the most difficult task. While Castiel is cold and cruel, Dean refuses to back down from a fight. The two are at odds more often than not, but their relationship only grows more complicated the longer they travel together. They may have more in common than they thought.

[silma-words]

Another prompt for Adrian and MC...

Number 5 / "say please"

not sure how you want to take this one, but I thought the smut could be next level... have fun! 😂

N/A: Omg I cannot thank you enough for this prompt @mssukeyna! This was so much fun, and a great prompt to push me a little out of my comfort zone! I literally woke up 2h earlier every day so that I could write more before work ;) I hope you’ll like it!

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Choices: Bloodbound

Pairing: Adrian Raines x MC (Ellie)

Rating: Explicit (NSFW, 18+)

Genre: Smut.Smut.Smut

AU Chronology: Bloodbound AU (after book 1 – the events of book 2 never happened) – ‘Inevitable - Arc I: Before we part’ (Masterlist)

Summary: “We are travelling for business, Ellie, we’ll have to behave like professionals”, he had warned her, although he did not look so convinced about it himself….

Inspired by the following nsfw-prompts: #5. for sex in public / “say please”

Words: 4200

**Disclaimer: Characters and background plot are the property of Pixelberry.**

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Down to business (Part I?)

Getting to travel was one of the perks Ellie enjoyed the most about her job as the CEO’s personal assistant. She never really had any opportunity to get out of her small town before she moved to NYC, and had always been of a curious nature. This job was a dream come true on that matter. But some trips were better than others. The ones that revolved around business negotiations, although exciting in their own ways, were not her favourites. By far, the ones she preferred were the ones that were meant for networking, for Adrian to maintain his relationships with previous business partners. There had not been many of those since she had started working at Raines Corp. but she loved those very much. These business trips revolved mostly around socializing. And socializing was one of her strengths.

But the reason she liked these trips the most was not because of the fancy dinner parties, the pricey hotels, or the designer dresses she got to wear to play the part. No. What she liked the most were the times she could have to herself in between social events, to explore around and satiate her curiosity about ‘the rest of the world’, and the times when she could get Adrian all to herself. He was more relaxed during these trips. More light hearted. More playful. As well as more tuned to her cues than when they were travelling for more serious business. And that, she loved to play around with. A lot.

Adrian was always doing his best to keep up the façade of the boss-assistant interactions between them when they were in public. And she completely understood why. Truly. But that was also so tempting for her to do her best to weave her way through that invisible barrier he was tentatively setting between them.

She would brush his fingers when he would hand her a drink. Sneak a hand up his thigh under the table at dinner. Fiddle with her long strands of hair to attract his attention to her neckline. Oh, his poker face was good. Spot on. Decades of practice truly paying off. But whenever she played her cards well, she could see that façade slowly crumble down. His cheeks slightly changing colour as she would whisper sweet - well maybe not so sweet - nothings to his ear. His Adam’s apple moving slightly at the sight of her legs shifting as she would change position on her seat, her skin exposed through the slit of her dress. His speech suddenly stammering slightly as she would slowly caress the inside of his calf with her foot, whenever she had been sitting across from him at dinner and had felt bold enough to risk reaching blindly under the cover of the table cloth.

She always made sure to keep her face composed so that the other guests would not notice how Adrian’s reactions were directly connected to her. But she would also cast him a challenging look as soon as the moment had passed, to make it perfectly clear that the game was on. And never once had she received back any kind of response that would indicate that Adrian was not on board with this. He might play the game by pretending that this behaviour was totally unprofessional, but they both knew that Adrian had never been anyone who cared much about the rules.

This time, their ‘socialising trip’ had led them further from home than ever before. Ellie was finally given the chance to fly out of the country and get a glimpse at Europe, with their first stops leaving her in awe at the wonders of the Italian countryside where they had stayed for five days to catch up with a couple of Adrian’s old ‘friends’ who had chosen to retire there. She did enjoy the socializing parts way more than she had anticipated: who would have dared to complain about the exquisite cuisine, the tours of the vineyards, the breath-taking views over lakes and mountains, and the luxurious guestrooms they could discreetly retreat to when the schmoozing was getting boring and the yearning had become too much.

The last part of their ten-days trip had also reached beyond of her expectations: she had always dreamt of discovering France, and although their journey would not grant her her secret wish of seeing Paris, she found out that the luxurious hills and valleys of the South-West of France were as equally magnificent as what she had seen so far over the last few days. There was so much history around, old medieval castles and ancient caves that she wished she could explore, that her curiosity and excitement seemed to be only matched by Adrian’s nerdy enthusiasm. European history was not necessarily his strongest suit, but he did know quite a few things about it, and gladly shared with her his knowledge about the places they travelled through. His expertise on French wines was definitely spot on though. And kind of sexy too.

Their guest was – unsurprisingly – a wealthy investor who had inherited a prosperous estate from his great-grandfather who was, originally, the business partner Adrian had been trading with at the beginning of the twentieth-century. Pretending to be his own descendant was apparently something Adrian was quite used to. Even though their current host – Emile – was pretty obnoxious.

They dined, visited local investors, attended a couple of art exhibitions grand opening nights. And indulged on wine, local delicacies, and smouldering gazes in between polite handshakes and casual conversations. Ellie’s French was not really up to the challenge when other guests could not speak English, but luckily Adrian was doing quite well in that department – another sexy trait to add to that very long list that Ellie kept filling up in her head.

That night, their host had been planning a special treat for his guests – Adrian and Ellie among a larger group of about thirty: a tour of his private ‘art collection’, followed by a fancy garden-party on his estate. Ellie had been looking forward to it, until the tour had started and she had realised that most of these ‘pieces of art’ were actually ancient remains that Emile had bought from lucky ‘discoverers’ around the world and snatched from the hands of archaeologists and museums to fill up his own little private gallery. As the tour was going on, she kept grumbling by Adrian’s side, drawing the attention of a few other guests that were marvelling at these stolen relics and obviously did not care much about how these had been acquired. As the group proceeded to move on to the next room, Adrian discreetly motioned her to move aside and slow her pace, grinning at her once they had managed to place themselves at the tail of the touring group.

“I know this is grating you, but this is quite a common thing these days – there is no point sulking about it now while there is not much we can do about it”.

“You’re the one to talk, ‘Mr-I-glare-at-that-old-British-dude-for-buying-an-original-John Trumbull-canvas-to-decorate-his-guestroom’!”, she retorted challengingly. “These objects are as important to historians as those Revolutionary War paintings you keep talking about. They shouldn’t be kept in here only to be displayed once a year to a bunch of rich morons who care more about how much he paid for it than about what these objects were”.

“I know, I know…” Adrian admitted with a sight, raising his hands in surrender. “But as I said, there is not much we can do about it now. Let try to survive through this tour and enjoy the night.”

Rolling her eyes, Ellie let out an annoyed sight and finally nodded, her tensed shoulders still betraying her frustration.

The tour proceeded, Adrian and Ellie sharing eye rolls and annoyed looks every time Emile would brag about the price of a unique item. They always kept behind when they could, making a point of looking at some of the glass panels in detail to at least try to learn a little something out of this display of wealth. But that revealed to be a nearly impossible endeavour. There was barely any labels or information attached to these objects whatsoever. Nothing there to keep them distracted from that never ending tour. Well. Apart from each other.

It started with just the tingle of his breath in her neck as he was hovering above her to look at an old grease-lamp from some ancient cave. And then continued as she would casually hook her arm through his while staring at the antic statue of a Roman god. And a brush of his fingers down her spine as he stood behind her pretending to listen to Emile’s dull blabber. Her hand sneaking along the side of his thigh as they followed the group around. The light pressure of his hand on her lower back as he led her to move past him into yet another room.

Pretending to pay attention to their host was increasingly difficult. Preventing their faces from betraying their very unprofessional thoughts even more so.

“I know I have said this before but…”, Adrian whispered in her ear, a playful smile forming on his lips, “I love that little tempter of yours… it makes me feel… a lot of things”.

He could hear Ellie’s heartbeat race in her chest at his words, even though she was keeping her eyes trained on the display panel before them, doing her best to keep her composure while the predatory tone in his voice was making her knees tremble slightly. The other guests were buzzing around them, pointing at glass display cases here and architectural features there, oblivious to the heat surrounding the two secret lovers as if the bubble Adrian and Ellie had formed around them had turned them into two of those trinkets exposed around the room that nobody was truly paying attention to.

Trying to break through the thick air that had been lingering between them, Ellie shifted on her heels to follow the flock of people that were regrouping to move along, casting a knowing smile at Adrian, and holding his gaze for a few seconds before walking away.

But before she could turn left into the next corridor, she felt his arm wrap around her middle, only to swiftly whoosh her aside to a secluded corner of the room, out of sight from the rest of the group thanks to one of the strong pillars that supported the roof of the exhibition room. A gasp escaped her lips as he sprung her around, pressing her back against the cold marble as he eagerly captured her lips in a searing kiss, his hands pressed against her neck, and his torso edging closer to her chest as she was gradually yielding to his powerful embrace.

Trailing her fingers up his neck until they reached his hair, she eventually gave a gentle tug so that she could make a break for air, their lips just a few inches apart as she teased, breathless: “I thought we had to keep our public appearances strictly professional, Mr Raines?”

She felt his grin against her mouth more than she could see it. “Well, what we are doing now is purely professional, Miss Reed. If there was anyone left around to see us, I’d just explain how I was telling all about...” he paused to nibble at her lower lip for a few seconds, “... about the sturdiness of these eighteenth-century pillars...”.

“Eighteenth century, han?” she giggled against his lips, her voice catching in her throat to form a silent moan as Adrian’s mouth began to trail down her chin to follow her jawline.

Her mind struggling between the will to keep her eyes open to check that no one was in sight, and the tantalizing swirls of his tongue against the skin beneath her ear, the shivers that were running down her spine quickly sorted that battle for her. She let her eyelids drop and her head fall back to rest against the stone behind her, focusing only on Adrian’s touch and on the way his hands had now started to drift from her neck to her shoulders, inching lower and lower as his mouth tasted the salt of the skin down her neck and along her collarbone.

Her hands unconsciously travelling from his hair to his back, they suddenly grabbed his shoulders a little tighter to press him closer as she felt him reach for the fabric of her dress to bunch the black silk over her hips. It took all of her will to remain silent when Adrian wedged his knee between her legs, her lips tightening in a thin line to repress a whimper as his fingers trailed down one of her thigh to her knee so he could lift her leg up against his hip, pressing himself forward to conquer the empty space between them.

She could feel his grin against her windpipes when her hips started to grind against his of their own accord, the tight grip of his fingers against her rear sending waves of heat down to where their bodies met.

“I think one of us should keep an eye on that corridor, in case anyone is sent out to look for us” he whispered against her skin, before lifting his gaze back to her, his golden eyes glimmering with mischief. “Would that be a mission you’d be happy to take on, Miss Reed?”

“Of course” she manages to answer, her voice croaking from anticipation.

“Good.” he grins. “Then, you’ll have to face the other way…”

She barely had time to register what he meant before she felt the heat of his body replace the cold marble that had been pressing against her back. She instinctively reached forward to place her palms on the pillar as Adrian resumed his pressing touches eagerly, one arm wrapped around her chest to keep her close, and the other finding its way between her thighs.  

She could peek at the corridor ahead of them from where they stood, most of their bodies hidden by the imposing column that seemed to edge closer and closer to her as Adrian’s touch became more insistent. But being able to see ahead did not mean that she was actually looking. Even if she had wanted to fulfil her ‘mission’, the pressure of his left palm against her thigh and the hand that slipped under the fabric of her cleavage made it near impossible to focus on the task. The soft bites and kisses her neck were subjected to were not helping either.

Not being able to see or touch him was like torture, his quiet groans vibrating from his chest to her ribs, and his arousal pressing firmly against her back like a wicked promise that was for now beyond reach. Her back arched involuntarily when a firm hand grabbed her breast, his warm breath beneath her ear betraying his grin as the fingers on her thigh started to wander towards the edge of her underwear, playing with the seam of the lace before sneaking underneath with a deliberate slowness that had her whimper behind her tightened lips.

The light graze of his fingertips against her swollen nerves was all that was needed to weaken all muscles in her body, making both of them dangerously tumble forward as her arms gave in, removing the only leverage she had against Adrian’s pressure in her back, which had been keeping her so far from being flushed against the cold marble with no room to escape the sweet torment of his heated caresses.

Even though her eyes were now shut, she knew that Adrian was watching closely her features when she let her head fall back to rest in his shoulder, her brain going into overdrive when his touch became more pressing, kneading her breast and drawing lazy circles against her centre relentlessly. It was not long before she lost the last bit of control she had left over her own body, her lips parting slightly to let a moan escape, quickly muffled by Adrian’s mouth covering hers in an attempt to preserve the silence around them.

That might have worked perfectly, if only he had been able to kiss her with more restraint. Instead, his tongue had quickly found its way through her parted lips, brushing hers in patterns mirroring the movement of his fingertips between her legs, swallowing her whines as if he could taste her own pleasure through the ragged sounds that he was drawing out of her.

She was itching to touch him. One of her hands had left the cold surface of the pillar to find its way to his head and tangle in his hair, her entire body squirming against his to seek the friction that she was craving for. She knew he was trying to make her lose her mind. And it was working. She could feel his fingers slide gradually further down against her core, dipping into the wetness of her folds before retreating back, drawing growl after growl each time.

She could tell Adrian was relishing this by the way the corners of his mouth curled against hers. It was only when he suddenly pulled away from her swollen lips that she finally opened her eyes again, the lust and wickedness of his gaze sending a shiver all the way down to her toes. He had stopped moving, simply holding her petite form against his chest as tight as deemed possible, his golden eyes anchored to hers with an unmistakable gleam of challenge and promise.

“Adrian…” she mumbled feebly, desperately trying to grind against him but unable to resist his hold on her.

He smiled, remaining silent for a few seconds, before finally breaking the stillness with a low, husky voice, in a tone that was somehow both inviting and commanding: “Say please”.

There was no hesitation in her response, no control, her rasped voice echoing around the room as she begged, breathless: “Adrian, pleeeaaase…”

Thankfully, he did not make her say it again, barely waiting a few seconds before plugging a finger into her dampened slit, followed nearly immediately by a second, resuming his circular patterns over her swollen clit with the pad of his thumb. Withdrawing and dipping back into her with maddening slowness, she could feel her muscles clench around his fingers and her knees start to quiver as the pleasure was slowly building in.

Her dilated pupils could not tear away from his golden eyes, silently begging for more as he increased his pace, his hips grinding voraciously against her back, his mouth inches from hers as if resisting the urge to kiss her so that he could revel in the sweet music of her feverish whines echoing around them.

“Adrian… this is… so…” she tried to mutter between her gasps.

Adrian’s eyes flashed with a voracious gleam as he purred against her lips with a proud smirk, “so… good?”.

Her lips pursed weakly to form a teasing grin. “So… unprofessional”.

His smirk only widened further at her words, his hands suddenly moving away from her burning skin to grip her hips, making her head jerk up from his shoulder in surprise. She was about to complain when he swiftly swirled her body around and crashed his lips onto hers, pushing her back against the pillar, the contrast between the cold marble and the heat of her skin making her jump a little in his grasp.

It was not long before Adrian’s hands had found their way back beneath her dress, his fingers reaching hurriedly for the hem of her thong as his mouth started to descend from her mouth to her chin, roaming over her neck and her collarbone, until he sunk to his knees before her, skipping the parts of her that were covered by fabric to head straight for the space right below her navel. Dragging her underwear down her legs, he only broke the contact between his warm lips and her skin so that he could guide the lace over her heels, quickly shoving the fabric in his pocket before capturing her pulsing nub between his lips, not wasting any minute before expertly starting to explore her aching core, nibbling and suckling with an unmatched dedication.

Her hands were roaming all over his head, tangling her fingers in his hair and pushing her hips forward to demand more, her lower lip caught between her teeth to repress the urge to cry out with every stroke of his tongue, or every time the deft fingers that were slithering up and down her inner thigh came close enough to tease her entrance before retreating back wickedly. As much as part of her wanted to pull him back up to his feet and beg him to take her now, the other part could not even fathom the idea of making him stop his godly work between her legs.

There was no more coherent thought going through her fogged brain. Fragmentary visions of heated memories and unspoken fantasies were flashing before her eyes, mingling with the rousing sight of Adrian down on his knees before her, tasting her fervently in every way that she had ever dreamt of being tasted.

When she felt the intoxicating warmth of his mouth suddenly leave her centre, her mind unconsciously thanked him for ending this sweet torture, expecting the yearning in her core to be satiated soon enough when she would finally get to feel him inside her.

But that sweet release never came.

It took her a few seconds to realise that Adrian had jerked back up to his feet and hurriedly pulled down the fabric of her dress, unceremoniously grabbing Ellie’s waist to move her away from their hiding spot, releasing his grip once she was standing beside him in front of one of the display cases, their back turned away from the corridor.

She had to grip the edge of the display case to keep herself steady, her knees still trembling from Adrian’s handywork just a few seconds before, her eyes opening and closing at a maddening pace to try to clear her clouded brain and regain her senses. It was only when she heard the distinct sound of a pair of heels echoing towards them that she finally understood.

“Monsieur Raines?”, they heard a woman’s voice call out at a distance.

Adrian’s cheeks were flushed, and his hair completely tousled, but he made a quick work of fixing it as well as fixing his shirt with a smirk, mastering the art of regaining his composure in a flick of an eye, like the annoyingly perfect businessman that he was. Ellie fumbled around in an attempt to do the same, fully aware that she would never be able to be as efficient as Adrian, especially in the state of desperate yearning that he had just put her through. She was still panting, her heart thumping in her chest, pupils dilated and cheeks hot from so much blood rushing to her face, both from arousal and from the embarrassment that she knew was about to come.

Ellie jumped a little when the woman’s voice finally reached the room they were in: “Ah, Monsieur Raines! Je vous ai trouvé! Le buffet va commencer, si vous voulez bien rejoindre les autres invités dans le jardin?”.

Ellie had no clue what the woman had just said, and was in no shape to turn around and let the woman see the state of her. She was so grateful that Adrian knew exactly what to say and how to behave casually to buy her a few more minutes to sort out the mess he had made of her… although hearing him speak French was not helping much getting her arousal under control, as he politely answered the woman: “Merci, nous vous rejoignons dans quelques instants.”.

Ellie sighted with relief when she heard the woman’s footsteps retreat, turning around to face him, glaring at him with her best attempt at a reproachful scowl.

“That was….” she started, before being interrupted by Adrian’s mouth on hers, as he pressed a soft kiss on her swollen lips, before pulling away slowly with a grin.

“… unprofessional?” he teased, earning a falsely unamused eye-roll in return.

“We better get going, the party is starting, and all of the other guests are gathered in the gardens now” he announced, translating what the woman had said, but not releasing Ellie from his embrace just yet.

“I am in no state for socialising now” she admitted with a grimace, although she could not fight the teasing grin that was starting to form on her face. “I will never be able to focus properly after this… all I will be thinking about is sorting out this… hum, unfinished business…”

Adrian’s hold tightened a little more around her waist at her words, his eyes still gleaming with mischief and never leaving hers when he stepped slowly away, grabbing her hand to start dragging them both away from the room.

His voice was husky and full of promise when he casually answered with a teasing smile: “Well… unfortunately, we’ll have to play along a little bit longer I’m afraid… but I will certainly be looking forward all evening to the second part of this… unfinished business…”.

~~~

N/A: If anyone else is as eager as Adrian to see how ‘Part II’ of their little ‘public indiscretions’ is going to play out, let me know, and I’d be happy to oblige 😉 This prompt has inspired me way too much, thank you so much for the ask @mssukeyna 😉

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Tagging @adriansbiss , @itsjustwinter , @shanzay44 , @purvishraick, @thefrenchiemama

@choicesficwriterscreations

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

Logan’s Gay and Remy’s in a Suit

Summary: Just read the title Content: Gays, so much gays, nb!remy, nb!logan (he uses he/him pronouns but he’s still an enby suckers), mentions of dying of gay, logan thinking that flirting = bullying because he’s a useless gay Pairing: Romo losleep Notes: I’m so sleep-deprived I should be sleeping but i HAD to write this so. have it. inspired by this art by @strawberryjellystuff

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    Logan was a smart person. He knew a good deal of things. He knew the distance from the earth to the sun, to the moon, and to Mars. He knew the average amount of bones in the human body at any given interval of life. He knew the names of every capital of every city in north and south america.

    He also knew that he was very, very gay. This fact alone wasn’t too shocking or even that impressive. Logan had known he was gay since he was fifteen. It hadn’t been hard to figure out.

    It was the ‘very, very’ that was important. As a rule, Logan rarely felt the need to enhance his words with ‘very.’ He made his points, he made them clearly, and he made them exactly as he wanted them. There was no reason for him to use ‘very.’

    Then he met Remy.

    And Remy… woo boy. Remy.

    Remy made Logan feel it extremely necessary to add ‘very, very’ to his normally adequate descriptor of ‘gay.’ That was because Remy was very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very pretty. And there was only a little bit of the author’s bias showing through in that statement. It was mostly cold, hard fact. You know because LOGAN’S thinking it and he thinks in pretty much only fact.

    So Logan was gay, Remy was (objectively) the prettiest person to exist, and Logan was trying his hardest to stop his writer from taking away his braincells and turning him into a proper gay disaster.

    Except he and Remy worked at the same university. In the same department. During most of the same hours.

    Logan was having a hell of a time holding onto those braincells.

    However, while it had taken time, Logan had adjusted. Survival of the fittest, and all- if Logan wasn’t able to adapt to constantly being around someone so pretty it was outlawed in several made-up countries and a few real ones, then Logan wasn’t fit enough to survive. So he had adapted and he had done so flawlessly.

    Better put, he had suffered several weeks learning how to adjust to the fact that Remy’s naturally perfect looks were only increased by xyr leather jacket and sunglasses, the fact that xy knew how to smirk like xy owned the world (impossible, Logan had considered before, considering Remy was clearly the world, and one could not own oneself), and the fact that Remy was a bully.

    That was the only word Logan had for Remy’s actions towards him, anyways- after all, there was no way Remy had missed the way Logan’s cheeks seemed to literally light on fire every time xy smiled at him, or the little giggle Logan had never properly learned to fight down every time Remy called him a petname (a wholly ridiculous response considering Remy called lots of people petnames- sure, xy only ever seemed to call Logan ‘darling’ or ‘sweetheart’ or ‘light of my world and stars of my universe’ but that didn’t mean anything), or the way Logan stumbled over his every word when attempting to return an offhanded compliment that Remy likely had paid him by accident while thinking of… coffee. Remy did like xyr coffee, after all.

    But Remy’s bullying aside, Logan HAD adapted. He was able to look at Remy with minimal flushing, he had become the master of avoiding conversation topics designed to trap him (though Remy was becoming creative with xyr compliment-trap setups… Logan would have to start adapting faster than Remy if he hoped to survive the semester), and he knew the fastest exits out of every room and building in the entire university, ensuring that- if ever needed- he could literally flee Remy. He was surviving in his new, Remy-included environment.

    And then the author Jelly Remy decided to adapt as well.

    It had been a normal day of work up until then- Logan was working on checking over papers and going through his lesson plan a few more times, making sure he had everything ready for the school day. Upon realizing his coffee had run low, he got up, stretching as he began to move towards the staff lounge, seeking a refill.

    There was only one other teacher there at the moment, which Logan figured made sense- most of the astronomy professors had early morning classes, Logan being one of only two who didn’t. He had gotten out of it by luck- the other had insomnia and wasn’t normally at school in the mornings.

    Logan barely glanced at xyr, however, wanting to get his coffee before he had to deal with being flustered at seven in the morning. He was fairly certain it wouldn’t be that bad of a fluster, anyways- he was at least partially prepared this time, and he was about to have coffee on his side, and it looked like Remy had traded xyr normal leather-jacket look for a suit of some kind, and Remy had probably had a rough night if xy were in early so xyr flusters wouldn’t be top of xyr game, and-

    Logan stopped. Blinked. Processed. Processed again.

    A… suit?

    Logan turned to look at Remy and immediately regretted the decision. Because those braincells he had mentioned earlier? Gone. Stolen. Removed from existence. In theory, the author’s got them stored up somewhere but… eh, their location’s not important. Not like Logan could use them even if he found them.

    Because Remy was in a suit- a blue suit with delicate, lovely white flower designs traced over the chest and around xyr wrists, complimented by a lovely purple tie Logan had never seen Remy wear before- mostly because Remy didn’t normally wear ties. Or suits. Why was Remy wearing a suit?

    To kill me Logan decided barely a second later when Remy caught him staring and smirked at him in a way that was most decidedly an act of bullying.

    “Good morning, sunlight and starshine.” Remy said, further proving that xy was a bully and that xy was bullying Logan right then and there, a conclusion Logan came too as he clamped a hand over his mouth and focused on not making any sound even slightly akin to a giggle. “How are you on this morning that’s nowhere near as fine as you?”

    Logan, smartly, didn’t respond. Speaking would ultimately result in him stuttering, mumbling, and tripping over his words, which would make Remy smirk more, which would make Logan blush more, which would create a horrible cycle that would only end when either Remy left or Logan died. So, by not responding, the cycle never started and therefore could not end in Logan’s death.

    In choosing to do nothing else but stare at Remy without saying a word, however, Logan apparently had responded, in a way- Remy’s smirk still grew and Logan still ended up blushed harder.

    “Oh, darling, don’t tell me I’ve made you speechless.” Remy teased, moving from xyr spot against the wall to stand in front of Logan, tilting xyr head to the side. “No, wait, do tell me. I do love to hear your voice.”

    Logan remained silent. Remy couldn’t go on forever with no new material… right?

    “Or, hey, maybe it’s not me.” Remy went on, unconcerned with Logan’s silence. “Maybe you’re just tired. That’s why you were acting perfectly fine until you saw me, after all. Just tired. Is that right? Or should I keep guessing?”

    Realizing that silence was getting him nowhere and nothing (besides more flustered), Logan decided to simply attempt to move on with his day. Maybe ignoring Remy would make xyr go away.

    Logan had just barely turned to once more resume his walk to the coffee pot when he was forced to stop once more, this time not by Remy’s looks but by the fact that Remy had a hand and the ability to grab Logan’s wrist with it.

    A very annoying ability for sure, given it not only prevented Logan from continuing with his brilliant plan of ‘if you just ignore xyr eventually xy’ll go away’, but also increased his blush and got him looking at Remy again which was increasing his blush even more. By now, Logan was fairly sure his entire face was red, which was completely unfair given that blue was much more his colour.

    “Come on, sweetheart, don’t be like that.” Remy said, voice now both confident and sweet, which wasn’t helping Logan’s goal to Just Stop Blushing Already at all. “If you really have had a long night, I don’t mean to tease.”

    “N-no, I’m fine.” Logan said, which was a lie, because he wasn’t fine at all, he was doing terribly, but he was also doing a million times better than usual, which also wasn’t fine but it was in a completely different direction than terribly. So, either way, his statement was a lie. “Just uh… a long morning.”

    Logan realized that was the wrong answer the moment Remy’s softer smile once more became a smirk. “I take it back, then. I very much mean to tease.”

    “Ah-” Logan cleared his throat, trying to find a way to backtrack, “I do have, uh, a couple of papers to take care of, so-”

    “And you don’t have class for at least another hour.” Remy pointed out for him, still holding onto his wrist and giving no indication that xy’d be letting go of it anytime soon. “You’ve got the time to spare for a bit of conversation with your favorite colleague.”

    “You presume to be my favorite?” Logan managed to say without tripping over any of his words.

    Remy’s smirk just turned knowing. “I don’t have to be a poker player to spot your tells, babe. Unless, of course, you have another reason for constantly blushing around me.”

    “You possibly have a higher-than-average body temperature that causes all the objects and people within your near vicinity to heat up as well, therefore prompting a blush in those organisms that have the ability to blush.” Logan offered, well aware everything he was saying was bullshit meant only as a poor attempt to save himself.

    Unsurprisingly, Remy saw right through him. “Nah, hun, I don’t think it’s that. You can try again, if you want, but if you’d let me take a crack at it-”

    “Please do not.” Logan interrupted rather hurriedly, which only fueled Remy’s amusement. “I am simply… tired. And busy. So, ah, if you’ll excuse me, I really should be getting back to my work-”

    “Alright, beautiful, I know when I’m wanted.” Remy said, politely half-ignoring as Logan looked away and pretended to cough into his arm as he let out a small giggle. “One question before you go?”

    “I really should be-”

    “Are you free tonight?”

    That shut Logan up. “I- what?”

    “Are you free tonight?” Remy repeated, only smiling at Logan’s confusion. “I know this really lovely place downtown, I promise you you’ll love it, though not nearly as much as I love you-”

    “I- what?!” Logan said, more panickedly this time. Tonight? Restaurant? Love you?

    Remy titled xyr head to the side, looking puzzled. “I don’t know how to make this any clearer for you, love.”

    “I- ah- you- are you- are you asking me out on- on a date?” Logan demanded, not caring much for how many times he had to restart his sentence but having no solution for that particular problem.

    “...I would’ve hoped that was fairly obvious, yes.” Remy answered, shaking xyr head a bit as they continued to watch Logan with amused confusion. “This isn’t a surprise to you, is it?”

    “Well- I- uh- it’s just-”

    Remy laughed. “Oh, darling, I hate to laugh at you, but- Lo, hun, I’ve been flirting with you for weeks now. This can’t be that shocking.”

    “You’ve been flirting with me?!” Logan responded. “When?!”

    “I- Logan, I’ve been calling you the most ridiculous of petnames, complimenting you every time you so much as blink, repeatedly breaking into your classroom to force you to eat lunch with me, interrupting your classes to tease you- what do you think I’ve been doing?”

    “Bullying me!”

    “I was- I’m sorry, say that again?”

    “Bullying me!” Logan repeated as asked, moving his coffee cup into the hand that Remy was holding hostage so that he could run his fingers through his hair, feeling frazzled. “You kept- you kept doing things to make me blush and- and lose focus- and- and giggle, for gods’ sakes- what else could you have been doing?!”

    To Logan’s surprise, instead of defending xyrself, Remy just laughed as xyr face broke out in the widest grin Logan had seen xyr wearing all morning. “You absolute dork.” Xy said, though xyr tone was only endearing. “You really are a disaster gay, huh?”

    “...Just a little.” Logan said weakly, before forcing himself to amend, “Maybe a lot.”

    “A lot sounds more accurate, yeah.” Remy agreed, still laughing a bit. “Bullying you- oh, you really are too cute, sugar.”

    Logan resisted the urge to run to exit number fifty-nine and escape the blush that, at this point, was likely hot enough to permanently burn his skin. “You’re still being a bully.”

    “Oh, probably.” Remy admitted before xyr grin was once again replaced by a smirk Logan had both memorized and yet also knew he would never get used to. “But am I being too much of a bully that you won’t go out on a date with me?”

    “I- uh- I-” Logan ducked his head. He couldn’t accept Remy’s offer, he really couldn’t, it would almost guarantee his death, and he had worked so hard to become immune to Remy’s killer charm (pun not intended and not appreciated).

    But at the same time… Logan wasn’t sure he had the willpower to refuse.

    So, predictably, he settled for a quick little nod that said everything Remy needed to hear without Logan having to stutter his way through a single word.

    Remy’s grin turned dazzling. “Perfect!” Xy exclaimed, quickly pressing a kiss to Logan’s cheek before he could even begin to react. “I’ll pick you up after all our classes are out, okay?”

    “O-okay.” Logan said numbly, free hand raising to rest over the spot where Remy had kissed him, feeling half-trapped in a dream.

    “Perfect!” Remy repeated, still grinning as xy let go of Logan’s hand, heading towards the door, bursting with energy and clearly on xyr way to continue planning the exacts of Logan’s demise.

Before xy could fully get out of the room, however, Logan managed to get his voice back about him and call out, “Wait!”

Remy immediately stopped, turning back to look at Logan. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“I- uh-” Logan gestured vaguely at Remy, “Your suit. You- You never wear suits. Why today…?”

At that, Remy’s grin just widened to a degree Logan wasn’t entirely sure should be humanly possible. “For our date, of course!” Xy answered, raising xyr sunglasses just so that xy could wink at Logan. “I had a feeling you’d say yes.”

And with that, Remy left, leaving Logan to stand in the middle of the staff lounge, empty coffee mug still in one hand, the other still resting on his cheek and over the spot where Remy had kissed him, feeling dazed in the best sort of way possible.

He was still standing there when another one of the teachers wandered in, shooting him a strange look. “Are you alright, Logan?”

“Not at all.” Logan answered truthfully.

He was much, much better than alright.

[rhysismydaddy]

A High Stakes Game (Rowaelin)

This is me forcing myself to write something besides ACOTAR. (It’s still SJM but leave me alone). Lemme just preface this by saying I don’t know jack about poker, so everything in here is either from Wikihow or pulled out of my ass. 

IK I said this was coming out yesterday, but I have a good excuse: I was reading From Blood and Ash (8.9/10 recommend... ending is super obvious but still so good)

I DIDN’T EDIT THIS AND I’M NOT SORRY (maybe a lil)

Masterlist

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Aelin Galathynius, professional criminal and longtime plotter of idiotic, amazing schemes that threatened the sanity of her closest friends, sat down at the poker table and smiled. 

“Ready to lose some more money, Whitehorn?”

The man across from her scowled, making her smile grow. Irritating him was perhaps the only feeling better than kicking his ass at cards.

“It was only pocket change, don’t get cocky.” He tilted his head and smirked. “Plus, it sure as hell won’t be happening again. I think I’ve finally figured you out, Galathynius.”

Aelin rolled her eyes, trying to look unbothered. 

His version of “pocket change” was twenty grand. And if she won that much tonight, she’d finally have enough cash to pay back Arobyn and get the hell out of his reach. 

But that wasn’t what had her shaken. 

It was the fact that in all her time playing cards and hustling men who couldn’t look past her cleavage, she’d never faced an opponent like Rowan Whitehorn. He watched her every move, made a note of all her expressions, and generally caused her to have to work ten times harder.

He was a pain in her ass, basically. 

Had been ever since he’d shown up a month ago, looking like a dangerous, sexy villain in a gangster movie. Aelin would admit that at first, his looks had distracted her. 

Until he swiped two thousand dollars worth of chips away from her. 

Bastard.

Now that she knew better, she didn’t let the silver hair, piercing green eyes, or alluring ink of his tattoo distract her. She treated him like a real adversary, was cautious with her chips, and never, ever let him get under her skin. 

So when he said he had her figured out... she didn’t exactly doubt him. And considering she’d had to pull out every single tip and trick she’d ever learned to beat him last Friday, he probably wouldn’t fall for any one of them again tonight. 

Even if he was having a beautifully hard time focusing for once. His bright eyes kept darting over to her, sweeping over her bare shoulders, deep V of her dress, and bright red lipstick.

He always looked, but unlike the other men sitting around the table, he never said a word about it. 

Interesting. 

“Concentrate, Rowan,” she chided with a grin, leaning back to take a peak at her cards. “I’d hate for this to be too easy.”

Two aces, two kings, one five. Not bad, but it could be beat. She needed another ace or king to even be in the running. 

“You’re so annoying,” Rowan growled back, sharp face not revealing a thing as he looked down at his cards. “Two thousand.”

Aelin called, keeping her face blank and uninterested. She’d brought ten grand with her tonight, and if this went poorly, it’d take her at least two more weeks to win it back. 

“I’ll take one,” she told the dealer, sliding the five over. 

The other players at the table--a three-hundred pound Russian named Vlad and a shifty, skinny guy that never said a word--made their plays. 

“Two for me,” Rowan said, leaning back and sipping from his drink. 

Aelin’s mind turned with possibilities, going through the list of cards they’d already seen tonight. Her bet was that he was shooting for a flush and needed two cards of hearts to pull it off. 

The trick to counting cards, ladies, gentlemen, and criminals, is discretion. She’d never been caught and banned from any of the games in town because she never walked away with more than thirty grand. Small wins to some of the whales, but she didn’t want too much attention on her. 

She peaked at the card she’d gotten and forced herself to look disappointed as she saw the ace. 

Full house. 

“I’ll raise to three,” she said, sliding a small pile of chips into the center.

Fat Putin called, Slender Man dropped out. 

Rowan’s eyes narrowed as the bet came around to him. “Let’s go four.”

Aelin’s stomach dropped out. That was a nine grand bet on a single hand, and hers wasn’t even that great. If she bet and lost, she’d only have a thousand bucks for tonight. But if she didn’t, she’d lose the five grand she’d put down. 

Another reason she was a winner at the table: she trusted her gut. 

“I’ll call.”

The Russian gruffed something she couldn’t understand and dropped out. It was just her and Whitehorn now. 

He looked down at his cards, then studied her face in a way that made her grit her teeth. Aelin propped an elbow on the table and narrowed her eyes, and he smiled, tattoo gleaming in the light. 

His eyes swept across her face, then lower. Usually, when someone at the game looked at her like that, she made it a point to take their entire nest. But for some reason, she just returned the favor. 

As was the last three times she’d played against him, he was wearing an expensively cut, jet black suit, which made the ink of his tattoo pop and his hair look like ice. His lips were in that permanent scowl of his, even though there was no anger in his eyes. 

It really was a shame someone so handsome was so damn infuriating. 

“I’ll raise to ten,” he said, shooting a meaningful glance at her nest. He wanted her to go all in on a full house? Before the flop?

She heard herself respond before her brain caught up. “Call.”

Jesus, A. Calm down. 

Since they were the only two players at the table, the dealer nodded and flipped three cards up. Aelin felt like she might throw up as she saw that nothing in there would help her. 

“Check,” she said, passing the bet to Rowan. 

He gave her a smile that probably looked innocent to anyone else. “Fifteen.”

“You know I don’t have it,” she lied, following her number one rule to never withdraw any more than she had planned. 

Rowan shrugged, leaning forward to brace both arms against the table. “Bet something other than money, then.”

Alarm bells, and a strange amount of intrigue, started flaring in her head. 

“Like what?” she asked, coating her voice in confidence. 

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette, taking his time lighting it. After exhaling a thick fog of smoke, he looked her over and smirked. “One night with you.”

Every head in the place turned their way. 

Up till now, this hadn’t been that interesting of a game. 

Even though she could hardly breathe, Aelin said, “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, but I am.” He laughed softly. “You win, you finally have enough to pay Arobyn Hammel back. You lose, you come upstairs.”

Her brain couldn’t make sense of what he’d just said. He knew about Arobyn? Her debt? 

“How do you-”

“I told you I figured you out.”

Oh, fuck. This was bad. 

Or maybe not.

She couldn’t decide. 

He was really going to trade sex for a poker game?

It wasn’t like she wasn’t ridiculously attracted to him. She definitely was. And she knew she probably would’ve slept with him if they’d met outside a hotel casino. But this felt... different than just having sex with him. 

On the other hand, she could be done. Her hand was good, and depending on the next card flipped, it could get better. If another ace turned up, she’d have four of a kind. 

And she’d be done. Debts paid, nothing holding her here. It was risky, but too tempting to shoot down.

“Deal.”

Rowan smiled, shaking his head softly, and gestured to the dealer who ignored how illegal this transaction was and reached to turn the last card over. 

An ace.

Holy hell.

Aelin smiled and flipped her cards over. “Four of a kind.”

Which could only be beat by a straight flush or a-

“Royal flush.” 

A gasp went through the crowd that had gathered around them as he flipped his hand over, and Aelin honestly thought she might pass out. 

He’d won. 

She forced herself to roll her eyes and smile. “Congratulations.”

On the bright side, you didn’t lose ten grand. 

Just some of your dignity. 

At the leering stares of every man in the room, she amended her thought. 

Okay, all your dignity. 

Rowan snuffed his cigarette out and stood, the group of people looking between him and Aelin with unabashed curiosity on their faces. 

Even though he’d won, his face didn’t hold a single emotion as he walked over to her side of the table and extended a hand. “Let’s go.”

She bit her lip, trying to think what her odds would be of making a break for the door. She’d never be able to get through the crowd, though, let alone outrun him in all his long-legged glory.

So she grabbed his hand and let him pull her through the shocked, laughing, gaping group of people towards the elevator. 

Once inside, she stood silent, not knowing exactly what to say. 

He led her down a hallway and into a hotel room, then turned to her. 

And stared.

She just stared back. 

She was about to tell him that if he honestly expected her to sleep with him over a poker game that he go fuck himself when he shocked the hell out of her. 

“Want to watch a movie?”

“Um, what?”

“We’re watching a movie.” He flopped down on the bed and grabbed the remote. “Sit down, Aelin.”

She stood standing. Rowan just sighed, kicked off his shoes, and messed with the remote. 

When an actual movie--a very manly war movie, mind you--started playing, she realized he was serious and sat next to him on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

Her mind couldn’t stop reeling, though.

He’d been ready to give her fifteen grand for a night with her, and he didn’t even expect to collect if he won? 

She eyed him curiously. He looked relaxed, harsh face not scowling for once. The light from the movie made his hair almost glow in the dark, and even though people were shooting and yelling and dying, he looked happy. 

Aelin slid down a bit, continuing to stare at him until he turned to look at her, too. 

Green eyes, soft lips, sharp jawline. 

“You really don’t expect me to sleep with you?”

“I mean, you’re probably going to fall asleep at some point...” he joked, but shook his head and sighed. “No, Aelin. Despite what you apparently think, I prefer women who actually want to have sex with me.”

Her mind and body were reeling with questions and answers. Why had he bet that, then? Was this some seduction technique she’d never heard of; acting like you didn’t want sex when you did?

Hell if it wasn’t working.

She bit her lip, unable to not smile at the annoyed look on his face. “I never said I don’t want to, stupid.”

A spark shot through his eyes, and there was a soft smile on his face as he ran a calloused thumb across her cheek. “That was a really good deal for you, then,” he mused with a chuckle.

“You’re such a bast-”

He closed the distance between them, lips still smiling as they met hers. After three weeks of wondering what he’d taste like, Aelin finally had her answer. 

She didn’t quite know how to describe it other than addictive as hell. 

She slid her tongue in his mouth, and his hands moved down her waist to pull her on top of him. 

“I can’t believe you put up fifteen grand to get me up here,” she murmured, sliding her hands into his hair. 

“I knew I couldn’t lose.” Rowan smiled. “And I really, really wanted to see your face when you lost. You considered running, didn’t you?”

“Shut up,” she laughed, leaning down to kiss him again. 

His hands found the zipper on the back of her dress, and she pulled it over her head unceremoniously. 

His eyes looked like emeralds as he took in everything about her in that serious, methodical way of his. “You’re beautiful.”

Her hands were on his chest, struggling with the buttons of his shirt. “I’m trying to see if you are, too, but your shirt’s putting up a fight.”

Rowan rolled his eyes, pushing away her hands and making quick work of the fabric. 

Smooth muscle, tinted with the lines of ink that ran down his neck, chest, and toned waist. “I like your tattoo.”

He shifted underneath her to lie down fully, then gripped her thighs and pulled her up his chest. “Sit on it, then.” (AN: I LITERALLY SPEWED WRITING THIS)

Aelin laughed but sure as hell didn’t fight as he lifted her up, settling on his tan shoulders. 

And she sure as hell didn’t argue as he tugged her underwear to the side. 

With his teeth. 

He pressed a kiss to her skin, and she grabbed the headboard to keep herself still. His hands gripped her hips, guiding her in a circle, and his tongue ran up her core. 

She looked down, saw his tattoo half-obscured by her thigh, and almost came at the sight alone. One of her hands drifted to run through his hair, stark against the tan of her skin.

A moan escaped her, and he smiled against her skin. 

His mouth kept moving under her, and soon even his hands on her hips couldn’t keep her still. She pressed a hand over her mouth to keep quiet, mindful they probably had neighbors. 

But when his teeth grazed her, tongue diving deep, she let out a long groan as release found her. 

His eyes peeked up at her, and she could tell he was quite happy with himself. 

“Oh, shut up,” she muttered.

Laughter bubbled out of him against her thigh, then he gripped her waist, lifted her, and fucking threw her on the end of the bed. Before she could react, he was braced over her, their mouths fused together. 

Aelin could taste herself on his lips, and it messed with her mind in the best way. Her hands found their way between them to undo his belt and button, then she finally had him in her hands.

Rowan braced himself on his elbows, a serious, very concentrated look on his face as she stroked him and kissed his neck, right over that damned tattoo.

She ran her thumb over the tip, and he jerked involuntarily. Then growled at her and knocked her hands to the side.

His hips pressed into her, and Aelin’s back arched as he pushed into her with a muffled grunt.

Hell, even the sounds this man made turned her on.

Settled against her, he paused to give her a few moments, and she stared at the ceiling, mind and body adjusting to the full feeling coursing through her.

A hand gripped her chin, and her eyes met his. She nodded. 

He started to move, and that, coupled with the piercing eye contact, was almost too much for her. But she still wanted more.

He was still gripping her chin; Aelin took his wrist and moved it to her throat. 

“Fuck, Aelin,” he murmured, picking up the pace. His hand contracted lightly and all the blood rushed through her like lightening. 

She moaned, and his lips came down to hers to mask the sound. 

It was hopeless, though, because her body was reacting to Rowan’s like it had never with anyone else. His tongue was in her mouth as he swirled his hips, and she whimpered onto his mouth. 

She only got louder as things progressed, especially as he moved his mouth to her ear, nibbling on it and pulling it with his teeth. One hand still at her neck, he used the other to lift her hip, going deeper. 

Aelin opened her eyes, thrilled to see the strain on his face and know he was just as affected by this. 

He sucked on her neck, and she moaned his name. 

“You drive me fucking crazy,” he muttered in between kisses, and she smiled. 

Then saw stars as he squeezed her throat again. 

Her body went rigid and loose at the same time as she climaxed, contracting around Rowan and yanking him over the edge with her. He kept slowly moving, both of them riding out the high. 

Then he stilled and lowered himself down, his weight pressing her down, their skin melded together. 

“Holy shit,” she breathed, hands coming to play with his hair as he rested his head on her chest. 

He made a happy, contented sound deep in his throat, and her heart almost exploded in her chest. Big baby. 

Aelin wrapped her legs and arms around him, cocooning him with her body. 

Even though she hadn’t won any money tonight and would have to work for a few weeks to pay off her debts, she wasn’t even worried about it. 

In fact, there weren’t any thoughts in her head except of the man on top of her.

And one burning question. 

She pulled his hair, forcing him to meet her eyes, and asked, “So, was it worth fifteen grand?”

He gave her that rare, genuine smile that made her breath halter. Then came to kiss her again and mutter, “I don’t know. I might need another go to tell for sure.”

Aelin rolled her eyes, all too happy to oblige him. 

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Thanks for reading. Some Malorian next? Who knows. 

@aesthetics-11 @b00kworm @bamchickawowow @hizqueen4life @savemesoon8 @musicmaam @sleeping-and-books @a-bit-of-a-cactus

[lollie2479]

Falling for the enemy - Part 1

Reggie Kray x reader

Summary : You were with the Richardsons but you fell for Reggie Kray. You need to chose between your family or the handsome gangster that has your heart. 

Warning : Swearing, violence and mention of blood.

A/n : I recently watched Legend and I love Reggie so much. It wasn’t supposed to be in different parts but I had too much to write so I decided to create a longer story divided in different parts. I already started writing the second part. Hope you like it! 

I’ve been absent lately being too busy with school, work and everything but I missed writing so here I am. I might start writing more often so send requests.

Part 2 Part 3

——————————————————————————————————

Your father was a member of the Richardsons so ever since you were a child, these men were your family. When your father died, Charlie took you under his wing and raised you like you were his own daughter. He taught you how to fight and how to shoot. He needed to make sure that you were able to defend yourself in any situation. Pretty soon, you became the best and nobody could beat you. 

“Don’t worry pretty girl, I won’t hurt you.’’ The blonde man said chuckling while his eyes kept staring at your breasts. You walked slowly towards him, a grin on your face. His eyes locked with yours and before he could say anything else, your fist collided with his jaw sending him to the floor. You smiled and got down on one knee next to him. Your mouth was close to his ear and you whispered to him. “Don’t ever call me pretty girl again.’’ You heard clapping coming from behind you which made you turn around. Charlie was standing there with admiration in his eyes. You were his secret weapon, nobody knew about your existence. You were his best one and he made sure to keep you for himself. “Look at you, he smiled coming closer to you, you are still unbeatable.’’ Before you could respond, one of the members of the gang barged into the room with a bloody face. ‘‘Who did this?’’ Charlie asked already knowing the answer to his question. The man spat the blood he had in his mouth. He only said one word : Kray. 

The next morning, Charlie called a meeting to talk about what they should to about the twin brothers. They were a gang on the other side of the river and since the beginning of time, the Richardsons and the Krays fought each other to get London all to themselves. You never met them but you heard a lot of things about them from the other members. You knew that they ruled the East End where they owned many clubs and that you didn’t want to be on their bad side because they were violent. “We need to do something boss.’’ A man said out loud which brought your attention back to the meeting. Another one spoke up. “Yeah, we need to go to their club and get revenge.’’ You were standing in the corner listening to everything that was happening in front of you. “Maybe it’s time that Y/n gets involve and shows them who the Richardsons are.’’ Charlie immediately turned around, his eyes landing on you. You gave him a small smile and nodded your head. He knew you were ready but he didn’t want to use his best asset just yet because if it didn’t work, he would have revealed you for nothing and you were his best chance at winning against the Krays. He took a puff of his cigarette before throwing it onto the floor and stepping on it. You could read in his face that he didn’t know what to do so you decided not to say anything and to let him decide of your fate. He chose not to send you yet and instead he sent his men which was a bad choice because everyday of the following week they would come back all beaten and bloody. “Don’t you think it’s time? They won’t survive if you keep sending them and soon enough, we’re going to lose.’’ He brought his cigarette close to his mouth. “Don’t you think that I fucking know that Y/n’’ he said while taking a long puff. You stood up angry. You were never going to win if he kept you hidden behind these walls. “Then why don’t you let me take care of it. You always say that you are keeping me as a last resort, well right now, I don’t think that you have any other choice.’’ He took another puff of his cigarette before letting out a small “Fine’’ under his breath. 

You spent the next three days working on a plan. You knew how to get close to the twins since they had no idea that you even existed but you had to find a place where you could meet them without being suspicious. You had your men following them so you could get as much informations about where they would be and what they were doing. You learned that they would be at their casino, Esmeralda’s Barn, on Friday night so you decided that it was your best option. It would be easier for you to blend in and get as close as possible to the Krays. 

It was finally the night of the casino and you were excited to go out even if it was only for business. You put on a red dress that showed some cleavage and that hugged your curves in all the right places. It had a slit on the left that ended in the middle of your thigh making your leg and your shoes visible. You wore red heels that matched your dress and the lipstick you applied to your lips. You tied your hair into a low bun and put on some earrings. You were proud of your appearance. You made sure that everything was in place before going downstairs where everybody was waiting for you. When you got there, you could hear whistling coming from the back. They all had their eyes glued on your figure. Charlie approached you and placed his hand on your back. “You look ravishing Y/n. Now, go on and make us proud.’’ You kissed his cheek and took the arm of the gangster that was driving you to the event.

 When you arrived, he opened your door and gave you a hand to help you step out of the vehicle. You locked your arm around his and made your way inside. “Where are they?’’ The man accompanying you locked his eyes on Reggie Kray and you followed his glare. Your eyes fell on the handsome man that was sitting at a poker table. You had seen pictures of Reg before but they were bad ones that didn’t show his beauty. He was playing with the coins he had in front of him while his other hand went to his slick hair trying to smooth it out perfectly. He was wearing a black suit, a bow tie and a white shirt that was tucked in his pants. His attire fitted his muscular body perfectly. “So, what’s the plan?’’ You turned rapidly towards the man that held your arm close to his. “I,hum, think that,hum,I’’, you lost your words completely when your eyes found Reggie once again. You turned around so you could stop staring at him and focus on the plan. “I’m gonna get close to Reggie and try to gain his trust. During that time, try to find Ron.’’ He nodded and the both of you went into separate directions. He was heading for the bar while you were making your ways towards Reggie Kray. You walked slowly so that he would notice you and he did. His blue eyes fell on you and you could feel your heart beating faster as they watched every move your body made while you were walking. He watched the way your hips swayed at every step you took and how the dress hugged your curves. How the slit would open making your leg apparent. How the hair falling from your bun would bounce and so would your breast. He watched every single detail of you and his eyes kept following you until you were sitting across from him at the table. Even then, Reggie didn’t look away. His stare created a fire inside your chest and you wanted throw yourself at him but you couldn’t. “Don’t think we had the pleasure to meet, right?’’ He lifted his brow trying to figure out if he had seen you somewhere before but he knew that he wouldn’t forget someone as beautiful as you. You smiled flirtatiously at him “Y/n’’. He smirked ‘’Reggie.’’ Your eyes dropped to the coins in front of you but you could still feel his eyes on you. When you lifted your head up, he gave you a wink which gave you goosebumps. You stayed and played until you knew that he would follow you if you went anywhere else. “It was nice playing with you all.’’ You smiled while locking eyes with Reggie and stood up. You turned around and started walking towards another table when you felt someone behind you. You turned around quickly which caused Reggie to bump into you. You lost your balance and were ready to fall on the ground but he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him and preventing your fall. You tried to get yourself steady by placing one hand on his chest and the other one on the shoulder of the arm he still had wrapped around you. He took his free hand and removed the strand of hair that was falling from your bun into your face, gently placing it behind your ear. Your eyes were locked with his and everything around you disappeared. His face was getting closer to yours and it started to be harder to breathe. His nose was now touching yours and before you two could kiss, someone called out for Reggie. His head dropped and a growl escaped his beautiful lips. He turned around facing the man that was standing behind him. “Don’t you fucking see that I’m entertaining the lady.’’ The unknown man looked embarrassed but he had to let the boss know about something important. “It better be fast mate. I have other things to take care of’’ he said looking at you. Reggie turned around, placing his hand on your hips. “Don’t go far because I intend to finish what we started, alright?’’ You lifted yourself on your toes and kissed his cheek. “Promise, I’ll stay close.’’ He chuckled softly before turning around and leaving you alone. 

You tried to find your accomplice in the packed room but there were too many people blocking your view so you decided to walk towards the bar, hoping he was still there. You didn’t find him but instead you found the other half to your handsome twin, Ronnie, staring at you. He looked like Reggie but you could still see the difference between them. Ronnie wore glasses and the way his suit fell on his body wasn’t the same as his brother. His face seemed larger and harder. You knew by looking at him that you shouldn’t get on his bad side because it could get ugly real fast. You sat next to him on a stool and waved at the bartender to bring you a beer. When he laid the cold beverage in front of you, you heard chuckles coming from the man sitting next to you. “How does a pretty lady right like yourself right takes such a manly drink.’’ You rolled your eyes at his comment before taking a sip. The liquid went down you throat and you smiled. You were raised by men around boys only so you often found yourself liking manly things one of them being beer. “I just love it what can I say.’’ You shrugged raising your shoulders before taking another sip. The corner of his lips raised a little in what appeared to be a smile but his face turned hard once again. “What’s your name?’’ he asked scanning your face, trying to find if he had seen you somewhere before but like his twin, he couldn’t find anything. You took another sip. “Don’t think we met, I’m Y/n’’ you told him slightly smiling. “Ronnie.’’ He brought his cigar close to his lips before taking a long breath and slowly releasing the smoke he held in his mouth. “What brings you here?’’ he asked his eyes not leaving your sight. You took yet another sip of your delicious drink. “I heard a lot about this place and thought I shall try it and see for myself.’’ He nodded at your answer. “What to do you think so far?’’ You smiled. “I love it.’’ He raised his glass in front of you and you slightly knocked the two glasses with each other. He liked the answers you had for him. 

Before he could ask you anything else, the door opened violently and Charlie's men barged in. You froze and tried avoiding eye contact with any one of them not wanting your identity to be revealed. You were just starting to get close to the Kray brothers and you had a lot more digging to do before going back to your gang. Ronnie grabbed your wrist with his large hand that swallowed it completely and pulled you close to him bringing you back to reality. Normally, he didn’t like woman and he hated them even more if they were after his brother but something was different with you and he couldn’t figure out why but he liked you. He approached his lips to your ear. “You see the door back there yeah?’’ You looked around trying to find it in all the chaos. When your eyes landed on it, you brought your head close to Ronnie once again and nodded. “It leads to the kitchen and the backstore. On your right, you’ll find another door. You take it yeah and you’re outside. Understood?’’ You nodded once again. “Thank you.’’ He released your wrist and you started making your way towards the door, avoiding anyone that was in your way. You pushed it and sneaked your body into the kitchen. You went to the right as quick as possible so that nobody could see you leaving. You pushed the other door and you were met with the cold air of the night. You brought your arms close to you so that you could try to get yourself warm. Your eyes were searching for a familiar face outside and they landed on Charlie. You ran to him. “What is your fucking problem!? I was handling it!’’ You slapped his cheek in anger. He sent you a death glare. “Yeah, by wanting to fuck them? That’s what you call handling it, Y/n, yeah, that’s not really it.’’ You gasped. What had he heard? You had to pretend that it was for the mission and not because your heart was screaming Reggie’s name. “If i want to get as close as possible to them, I have to do it that way. Otherwise, they won’t trust me and I won’t learn anything to bring them down.’’ He sighed, believing you. “Get into the car, I’m driving you home.’’ You opened the door and sat in the back. The ride was silent which was nice because you didn’t feel like talking. Reggie made his way in your thoughts and you couldn’t think about anything else. You couldn’t let yourself fall for the enemy, you had to fight the urge to be close to him but even with your best efforts, you couldn’t get yourself to forget about him. What the fuck were you going to do...?            

[yakocchi]

The Bewitching Full Moon // Count

smh they’re never gonna release points-based event cards ever again are they guess I gotta make my own 5-min headers

This event is another one of those “His POV” events. I guess the reception on those has been very positive (which, good, bc I like them too) so they’re pushing them out more and more. They’ve also been pushing the envelope on these ooh lala so sexi ma gah stories with these scandalous avatars. yea sexy ok w/e but are they fashionable? idk abt that one chief... and according to the twitter surveys the community has been comparatively lukewarm too. I mean if they’re gonna make event avatars harder to get why are they getting uglier man

also holy crap the resulting doc for this thing got really long i hope tumblr doesn’t destroy me copypasta

edit: here comes me “slept on it” day after edit, fixed formatting issues and grammar errors that stuck out. if it made it even worse imma cry-

Spoilers under the cut! Please credit if you take any of it, thenk u (･ω･*) image-heavy!

Under the full moon, which shimmered with an ominous violet light - a single stagecoach wheeled through the city. (I wonder how many times it has been where I’ve left the manse like this with her.) I sneak a glance to my side, and gaze at Kara’s dress-clad form. (Dress, shoes, gloves, necklace, hair ornaments...) (I give you every single object, article to wear - and with that you are dyed in my color.) (I experienced that joy even before, but...) Now that we have become lovers, that joy is becoming more and more difficult to come by. (Whenever I look at you, there is this emotion - one that is difficult to put into words - that surges within me.) (Frankly, I try my best to simply suppress it.) (...Well, there is particularly something that is too much to entirely subdue.) I recall that sweet sensation of the very moment where I get to strip off the dress I give her– While deep in my thoughts, a smile cracks my features.

count: the joy from dressing her up is becoming rarer me: ? o whys that count: bc the horny supersedes it me: sir

[Kara]: “Count?” (Oops- if she learned of the things like the carnal passions I bear, she would surely grow disillusioned with me.) [Count]: “It’s nothing. You are just so stunning that a smile eased onto my face.” [Kara]: “D-Don’t play around, please…” As if to hide her face, she lightly puts her hands on her cheeks. She takes small breaths, apparently to temper her heart, before looking up again.

[Kara]: “Um… Tonight’s banquet is opening quite late, isn’t it?” The typical banquet opens its curtains at approximately sunset, where the usual routine is to have dinner together before taking pleasure in dancing and chitchat. However, the time now is already past 10. (Will this be your first time going to this type of evening gathering?) [Count]: “There are nobles who grow tired of the same old pattern of the typical party.” [Count]: “So occasionally, evening parties with fascinating themes appear.” [Kara]: “Fascinating themes’?” [Count]: “Costume parties, calling on an acrobat…” [Count]: “Which reminds me of this one gathering where all the lights of the mansion were to be off. It was quite the fascinating party, yes.” [Count]: “Well, now I’m wondering what tonight’s party will be like.” [Kara]: “Hehe, I’m looking forward to it.” (Whenever you so innocently accept the circumstances at hand like this– because it’s you, I get worried. But...)

With a hand I quietly turn her waist towards me, and bring my lips to her ear. [Count]: “I don’t mind if you enjoy yourself, but I would like if you could firmly avoid being careless.” [Count]: “As in these kinds of parties, the dangers lie hidden.” [Kara]: “What do you mean by ‘dangers’…?” She quietly stares at me, visibly failing to catch the meaning behind my words. [Count]: “In a space separated from everyday life, reason easily crumbles away.” [Count]: “And when instinct conquers reason, the floor changes into a hunting ground for love.” I smoothly stroke her back and hug her waist. [Kara]: “Coun-…“ [Count]: “I do not have even the slightest intention to present my adorable lover to such wolves.”

[Count]: “Because you only belong to me, after all.” [Kara]: “—Nn,” I wrap my arm around her body that had slightly jumped, and as if to engrave my touch I press my lips against hers. [Count]: “…So that you will absolutely not separate from me. Understood?” [Kara]: “…Under, stood…” [Count]: “—Good girl.” I narrow my eyes in satisfaction at her answer, and intertwine our hands against my knee.

(Back before we became lovers, I feel that I still had my wits about me.) (So it was quite unexpected of me to become brimming with emotion like this from simply spending time after time together.) (But, tonight… it has become more difficult than usual to tie down…) I shift my gaze to the window, and the moon that floats in the sky above radiates this violet. (—It couldn’t be… Well.)

When we step inside the noble’s mansion, a different world stretched before us. The saloon was colored a brilliant red, and several tables had been arranged in a line where aristocrats entertained themselves with card games and roulette.

[Count]: “So you’re surprised by the casino.” [Kara]: “Wow… I’ve seen Arthur and the others play these sort of games, but this is the first time I’ve ever set foot in a place like this.” [Kara]: “So there can even be things like casinos in the parties of nobles, huh?” [Count]: “In the beginning, gambling was an activity popular within the elite. So it has been as much as a long time for me too.”

“get it cuz im old as fuuuu”

Her eyes swelled of fresh expectations as she looks around the saloon. (We came here to enjoy ourselves, so yes, I would like you to have fun. To be honest, I would rather not teach you how to play the more dubious games, but…) (If it’s just something like cards, there shouldn’t be a problem.) While I survey the surroundings, right in the direction of the bar counter a voice calls out to me.

[Baron]: “Ah, the Count. It has been a while.” [Baroness]: “After this we’re playing a bit of poker, but would you like to join us?” I turn my eyes to see a baron who I was acquainted with and his wife beckoning me over. [Count]: “Kara, would you like to try?” [Kara]: “I only know the very basic rules, but I’ll try.” [Count]: “I’ll teach you, then.”

[Count]: “…And with that, I have shown you more or less the fundamental rules– but is there anything else that you may be confused about?” [Kara]: “I think I’ll be okay from here…!” [Count]: “Then, let’s put it into practice.” [Kara]: “Please go easy on me.” [Baron]: “Well, young miss, when it comes to winning or losing there’s no such thing as leniency.” [Baroness]: “Oh, you! You shouldn’t scare such an adorable little lady like that.” During our pleasant chatter, the cards are dealt before the four of us and we each check our individual hands. (A King, another King, a Three, a Seven, and a Jack… With only these, I can form One Pair with my Kings. A rather mediocre hand.) (Or, I could discard the other three cards and aim for a Three of a Kind?) (Well then. And Kara…?) While maintaining a poker face, I slide a glance and— [Kara]: “…” Within the tension her cheeks were slightly flushed red, and her mouth was shaped into a faint smile. (It appears that good cards have come to her.) (…But I probably should have also taught her the techniques of forming a poker face.) Though subtly smiling bitterly, I pleasantly watched my beloved to whom I shall compete with in her first poker game – She was fixated on the five cards in her hand before suddenly lifting her eyes. The moment our eyes met…—

(Huh…?) Almost in slow motion, my fingers move… [Count]: “—kgh,”

My fingers pick out the two Kings from my hand and throw them into the muck without a moment's hesitation. (Why, am I acting like…) (For a moment, it was almost as if someone had taken over my body—) Akin to a marionette, my actions had disregarded my own will. In my centuries of living, it was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that. (Just what on Earth was…) 

[Baroness]: “My, it’s rare for the Count to lose his poker face like that.” [Count]: “Perhaps it’s also all just an act?” [Baron]: “As you’d expect from the Count, you can’t underestimate him.” While playfully exchanging banter, my consciousness was once more preoccupied with some thorough reflection. What rose from my mind was the suspicious moon that had risen in the sky. (—The “purple moon”.) Much like tonight - once every several centuries, there is a night where moon gives off a violet light. (That moonlight sharpens the vampiric senses, and additionally…) (On the night of the shining purple moon, vampires cannot oppose their loved ones.) As for my loved ones, it is undeniably Kara. (In other words, tonight my body is – controlled by Kara.)

If this is the case, then it would explain the cryptic behavior from just a minute ago. (If I cannot go against her wishes…) (Right when I met her eyes, it is highly probable that she had wished to beat me.) I turn over the new cards that were dealt to me in exchange for my discarded ones. (An Eight, and a King.) (If I hadn’t thrown away those Kings, I would have formed a Three of a Kind...)

[Count]: “…It appears I’m out of luck.” I line up my random assortment of cards by suit and place them down on the table. [Baroness]: “Hehe, I have One Pair.” [Baron]: “I also have One Pair.” [Kara]: “I have a Three of a Kind.” She breaks into a cheerful smile and reveals her hand. [Count]: “It seems that Lady Luck is smiling upon you.” [Kara]: “Hehe… it seems like it.” From that carefree smile, a sweet feeling spreads within the depths of my heart.  (The real thrill of poker is supposed to be the psychological warfare, but) (When you are so innocently delighted I seem to forget all about that.) (This is not entirely the way I would have wanted it, but I got to see something lovely.)

And so, as the game continued— …In the end, I was unable to outplay her. [Baron]: “It surprised me to see the Count so clumsy at poker.” [Baron]: “Are you up for another round?” [Count]: “Please forgive me, but I cannot afford to display such an unsightly side of myself in front of my beloved anymore.” [Baroness]: “Miss Kara, I had fun with you tonight.” [Kara]: “Me too. Thank you for inviting me to play.” We leave the table, and I call on a waiter dressed in black to halt for me. [Count]: “May I have two glasses of champagne?” Receiving the pair of flutes, I hold out one of them to Kara. [Count]: “For your victory.”

[Count]: “So, for the occasion, shall we have a toast somewhere?” [Kara]: “Yes, of course… Um, where are we going?” [Count]: “How about someplace like the balcony?” [Count]: “With your first poker victory, it is a special night.” [Count]: “I want to have a quiet toast between just the two of us.” [Kara]: “O-Okay…”

Between the two of them, the honey-colored champagne sways in the glasses as if to mark the beginning of a sweet night…

Clinking our glasses, the champagne bubbles rise to the surface. [Count]: “Congratulations. Even to the end, I just couldn’t beat you.”

or rather “Congratulations - For I couldn’t win (over you) even at the end.” but that sounds kind of shady hm

[Kara]: “Thank you, but I definitely just got lucky there.” [Kara]: “I guess there really is such a thing as beginner’s luck, huh.” [Count]: “You say that, but you still seem rather happy about it?” I set my glass down and stroke her grinning cheeks with my fingertips to poke fun at them. [Count]: “Are you really that pleased about besting me?” [Kara]: “This is the first time I’ve ever won against the Count with something, so naturally I’m happy about it…”

lol i know they mean by “winning” in the general sense but i like to think they’ve played several types of games together and he just never lets her win

(You are truly not wearing a poker face of any kind right now.) (Even when you do try to hide it, it’s clearly apparent when you are thinking about something else.) [Count]: “But that’s not all, is it?” (I know that you wanted to beat me because the light of the purple moon had affected my body to do so.) (You so deeply wanted, from the bottom of your heart, to win - so I want to know the real reason behind it.) [Count]: “Come, truthfully confess to me.” [Kara]: “I can’t let anything slip past you, it seems…”

She’s at a bit of a loss for words before slowly looking up at me to possibly gauge my expression. [Kara]: “The truth is… back from when you kissed me in the carriage, I had been thinking about it.” [Count]: “That you wanted to beat me in something?” [Kara]: “Yes. At the time, while I was trying my hardest to calm my heartbeat…” [Kara]: “You, however, maintained your composed, collected face, right?” [Kara]: “That moment today wasn’t the only time it’s been like that; ever since we’ve become lovers, it has happened so many times that it’s impossible to count…” She tightly bites her lip. [Kara]: “I just can’t compete with someone like you.” [Kara]: “But then I thought with something like poker, I could perhaps win with luck on my side.”

[Kara]: “Since I’ve always been the one being toyed with…” [Kara]: “Tonight, I thought… that I wanted to see the Count’s– see Abel’s, restless face…”

At that moment, I realized the consequences I had wrought from my prying – but it was already too late. The instant she shot through me with those eyes blurred with shyness, I could hear the sound of my reason shattering into pieces…

[Count]: “kgh—” (—I cannot fight it.) (Kara, I want to… No, I need – to take you.)

So I changed this entirely bc there’s no English equivalent. The original line can be literally translated as “Kara, I want to take you… no, take you.” What he does is change the pronoun he uses for “you” (kimi → omae) to signal the change in the level of intimacy. With most people (mansion residents, people in general) the Count uses “kimi”. Though with those who know him at a closer level, like Leonardo and Vlad, he uses “omae”. (Mostly) men are only really supposed to use “omae” with people they’re close to or it comes off as rude. This is significant with the Count and MC’s relationship because he begins to refer to her as “omae” when they’re alone together (and thus wants to make a point about how personal it is) once they reciprocate their feelings in Chapter… 24(?). The writers are more than aware of this, because all of the Count’s His POV stories in his route are titled 「君○○」 “kimi ____” but the His POV titles for the Endings use “omae”.

[Kara]: “—gh, Abel…” When I strongly embrace her, from the corner of my eye I catch sight of the moon in its sheen of purple light. Paired with this boiling sensation in my blood, I once again realize the meaning of my existence. [Count]: “…As you desire, I shall become just a man for you.” [Kara]: “A, bel…? —Mn, nn…” I steal her lips, as if to take away all of her warmth. (Just simple touches are not enough.) I draw her head closer and entangle our tongues to steal those lips even deeper. (What’s this - it’s sweet… from the scent, the touch, and the taste…) However, my hunger was not sated even by this kiss. (More - I want to taste you, more…) I pull her waist towards me and capture her tongue that had attempted to escape in a fluster. Dominated by instinct, like a starved beast I devour her lips.

(…Seeking her in this way, in an unknown place where someone could come, what in God’s name is wrong with me?) The remains of my reason murmur from the edge of my mind. But, contrary to those feelings, there was a certain kind of a pleasure intoxicating my heart. (The sense of my reason being thrown aside… is this sweet, hm…?) My fingertips, in their longing for her, slowly ride up the hem of her dress.

sir this is a community balcony i’m gonna need you to take yourself out

[Kara]: “Ngh… A, bel…”

[Count]: “Whether to accept or refuse me, is up to you.”

PREMIUM ENDING

The “purple moon” sharpens the vampire’s senses, and additionally– a vampire’s body that basks in its moonlight shall be dominated by their loved ones. [Kara]: “Since I’m always the only one being toyed with…” [Kara]: “Tonight, I thought… that I wanted to see the Count’s– see Abel’s, restless face…” —A loved one’s wishes, for tonight, can be granted under this moon that emits this mysterious light. My fingertips, in their longing for her, slowly ride up the hem of her dress. [Kara]: “Ngh… A, bel…” [Count]: “Whether to accept or refuse me, is up to you.”

Releasing her lips from our deep kiss, I securely hug her from behind and place her hands against the balcony. [Kara]: “Abel, what are…?” The eyes that look over the shoulder quiver in confusion. (Right now, as instinct overwhelms me... I want to take you.) [Count]: “Show me that disheveled form of yours some more.” A hand glides upwards to approach her chest, and wraps around her breast through the silk of the fabric. [Kara]: “Nnn… Abel,” [Count]: “It’s all right. I shall hide you in a way that no else can see.” [Count]: “Even for myself, I do not intend to show that sweet expression of yours to other men.” [Kara]: “That’s not the…” Her eyes were widened, and moistened with shame. [Count]: “And just who was the one who said that they wanted to see my restless face?” [Kara]: “That’s...” The adorable figure of my beloved, trapped with lowered eyes, also makes a bewitching pleasure sharply simmer within me. (If I happened to look into a mirror right now… Without a doubt, I would see that the face I’m wearing is far from that of a gentleman.) [Count]: “I know that you also want to learn of these indecent pleasures, hm?” [Kara]: “I…—nn,” To cut off her words, I rub the peaks of her breasts against the silk with the pads of my fingers. [Kara]: “ah- Mn…” [Count]: “To the point where I can find that out immediately— harden them for me.” [Count]: “Not wanting to know this pleasure... you don’t seem that way at all, or am I mistaken?” (Because of the purple moon, I cannot go against her wishes tonight.) (If she truly didn’t want this, I wouldn’t be able to even lay a finger on her.) (Since I am able to touch her, this means—)

[Count]: “…You truly, want me to forcibly take you, don’t you?” Burying my face onto her nape I move my fingers to agitate her, her body trembling within me. Desperately biting her lip, she stifles her sweet voice. (Whatever it is that you are thinking, I will quite distinctly know what it is.) (Because the one controlling me, is you yourself…) I rub her with my fingers again, and she twists her back with a shudder. [Kara]: “Hah, ah…” [Count]: “It seems that you are feeling it more than usual.” [Count]: “To seek a thrill like this, what a bad girl you are.”

[Count]: “But, if you don’t keep that voice down, you will be heard, no?” [Kara]: “Ha, ah- But… I can’t… hold o-…” [Count]: “There’s no other choice, then.” The corners of my lips raise into an elegant smile before I lift her chin. [Count]: “I’ll stifle it for you.” [Kara]: “Mn, uhn…” Continuing to lovingly caress her breast in one hand I press my lips to hers, providing even more heat. A voice laced with temptation spills out from her wetted lips. [Kara]: “A…bel… if you do, any more than this, I…” [Count]: “Then if I do any more than this, what will happen?” [Kara]: “Don’t bully me…” Her lovely voice cries out between the light brushes of our lips, and my chest sweetly tightens from the sound. (This appetite will not be satisfied until I make her wholly mine.) [Count]: “Do you take me for a man who only teases and leaves you unfulfilled?”

[Count]: “I shall stain your entire body with pleasure.”

…In a certain room. I slip off my coats, vest, tie, and finally shirt to reveal my bare skin…While I fling them onto the sofa one by one, I lead Kara in the direction of the bed. (The part where I drive her to the corner like this… is exceptional tonight.)

[Kara]: “Ah…” Hitting the edge of the bed, she casts her eyes down as there is nowhere else to go. [Count]: “…Got you.” I capture her beloved body into my arm’s embrace, and slowly push her down onto the bed. [Count]: “In here, you can be as loud as you like.” [Kara]: “But… is it okay to use this room as you please…?” [Count]: “When we arrived tonight we had talked about the themes of evening parties, correct?” I move my hand from stroking her blooming cheeks to press a fingertip against her lips. [Count]: “For those who wish to indulge in something rather risqué for the night, they prepare rooms like this.” [Count]: “So I shall receive this room for use with my humble gratitude.” I unravel the ribbon on the back, and the silk dress almost seemed to glide off her shoulder as it fell down.

(I do like to beautifully dress you up – but stripping you down with my own two hands also sends my heart racing.) [Kara]: “gh…” I seize her hands that were about to cover her chest and pin them to the sheets. [Count]: “Without hiding anything, show yourself to me.” Her exposed skin became shamefully dyed with the hue of roses before my very eyes. This color, teeming with vitality, made my vampiric instincts ache painfully.

[Kara]: “n-no… It’s embarrassing…” [Count]: “Then, if I stop looking… I shall have a taste instead.” I meet her breasts and crawl the tip of my tongue along the peak. [Kara]: “Ah, aah… Abel… Mn,” She pushes against my chest in light resistance. But before long her resistance had ceased, and gradually changed to that of her disheveled sighs and sweet gasps. [Count]: “It seems that you’ve become quite honest with yourself.” [Kara]: “To be loved like this – I have no choice but to be honest, right…?” [Kara]: “As tonight will be the only time I’ll get to know of your ferocious emotions…”

My mind is suddenly drawn to her wording. (Does she know about the purple moon…?) But I cannot imagine that she would know about something like a rare phenomenon that occurs only once every several centuries. I stare at her as if to look into her heart, and our eyes meet.

[Kara]: “More… Please, lose yourself to me, more…” (If she does know about the purple moon, and thus is purposefully provoking me, then…) [Count]: “What a naughty girl. Do you want to ruin my composure that badly?” [Kara]: “Yes…” The Count’s body is completely, sweetly steeped in her words, and as if it were alcohol his reason gradually dissolved. (Right now, even the words that I always shower her with will not come out.) For his heart was dominated only by the instinct of a vampire, and only by the instinct to love her as a man. [Count]: “I want to cast away my morality and reason, and just love you.”

FIN

this guy…………is a lot. i thought maybe everyone would be like this for the event but no, leo only gets weird bc essentially his mc was dumb enough to try to pick up broken shards of glass with her bare hands (im not trying to shame her… but i am) and then it’s not really isaac’s fault when he already has the worst bloodthirst out of all of them so sir step into the paddy wagon, the horni police will question u shortly

anyway tl;dr the sweet ending has the mc reveal to him early that she knew what the purple moon does to vampires in terms of the heightened vampire senses and crud but not the obedience to loved ones so he tells her blah blah romanceu talk but he still wants to bone and so they go home to do it instead. 

Make sure to purchase the Epilogue when you have the chance! It’s good stuff ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So, thanks for reading! (`･ω･´) Sorry if it’s hard to parse through. there’s a reason why editing is a job people get paid for orz

[vake-hunter]

Heart’s Desire Lore Post

[All of my Ambition lore can be found in this google doc]

The Marvelous

This is protocol: when a player wins, they depart. A new candidate is found, or occasionally, like your delecterious self, presents themselves." Pages lets out a long faux-melancholy sigh. "The rest of us must keep playing, of course. Victory is the only escape."

“When a winner expresses their heart's desire, we – that is the Masters – gather, and turn all our ingenuities and resourcements to its fulfilment. If it is possible, we shall grant it. We have never failed yet. After all, we have moved cities in pursuit of desire. I fear to be immodest, but our capabilities are significant."

The Deck is, at first, very normal. Until, as Pages says, “the unfortunate business of expense, deadly journeys, etcetera, can begin."

"They must be consecrated, naturalously, in the Kingdom of the Is-Not.”

Discuss the venue. Where is the best place to hold the Honour? “"The venue must be somewhere that all the players can agree on.” The answer to everyone's needs is Arbor.

The standard set of Cats, Rats, Bats and Hats. Then there are the trumps: the trinity of face cards which tops each suit: the Jacks, smiling and stern, the Queens, sober and wild, the Kings, magisterial and melancholy. Each face is unique to its suit, a Tiger for a Jack of Cats, a Master for a King of Bats.

First played in the Third City

The cards are a recent convention. It changes with the fashion of the cities.

Seven players, always. Every five or ten years – the date depends on certain astrological conjunctions, written in the roof. 

Rules

Each hand you pay an initial ante (7 coins) and are dealt a hand of cards. You then chose to call (pay the current bet), raise (double the current bet) or fold (lose your current stake, and the hand, but bet no more coins).

Each game is played in a series of hands, during which you stake some of your First City Coins. Hands are compared, with different combinations of cards have different values. At the end of each hand, the winner takes the loser's stake. When one player's coins are gone, they lose the game. In its essence, it is not dissimilar to poker – a fact which the Custodian claims is no coincidence.

Gradually, you learn about the legal combinations of cards. How First Fall beats Second, but both are trumped by the Perfidy of Sisters. About the complex interactions between the Parliament of Rats, the Tragedy Procedure, and the Four Crowns.

On the faintest and most coyly-worded of tablets, you study the forbidden hand: the Thing in the Well, which is mentioned nowhere else, and which loses to all other hands but one.

Then you move on to the esoteric rules that govern as yet undiscovered combinations. The Conspiracies: the matching of key cards to increase their value – or decrease the value of an opponent's hand. You learn to avoid the Treachery of Seven, which renders aces lower than sevens. You struggle to understand the Footsteps of Salt, a rule which has never been interpreted the same way twice.

The Thing in the Well wins only against All Manner of Things.

 If you run out of coins, you can stake something else. If your opponent accepts, you may play one more hand. All or nothing. They call it the Chance.

rules forbid excessive drunkenness unless the Debauchery of Fourth is in play

Mr Pages

Pages fucking HATES the monkey. 

Literally moves into your house, drinks all your wine and calls you a bitch.

Really likes Roquefort Cheese. This is important Lore.

Inquire after Mr Pages' own heart's desire: Normally, it would be unwilling to divulge information of a personal nature. But under the influence of uncanny musics, the Masters sometimes let something slip. 

Mr Pages, in your drawing room, waltzes clumsily to the aerological sympthony. You watch, carefully, as it performs some soaring dance of heavens long since abandoned. Beneath its robes, shapes stir and bulge, as if trying to break through the cloth. Are those wings?

"Home," it says, it's voice slurred, "I want to see the stars again."

Mr Pages' approach is brutally successful, and First City coins teeter in stacks at its elbow. It raises aggressively, pushing rivals into situations where they stake more than they should. Then it folds, leaving others locked in bidding wars they daren't lose. Then, when it has a strong hand, Pages pursues it relentlessly, driving up the pot and turning routs into slaughters. Its victories are infrequent, but Pages only cares about comparative success. All it cares about is staying one coin ahead.

Beats the Monkey but offers him a Chance if he has something to bet. The Monkey bets you. Pages instantly accepts. And loses to the monkey. 

Now hang on a minute— you protest, but Pages raises a talon. "Quiet please! It is inapproprisiderate for the stake to speak. The Chance has been offered and accepted. One more round; all or nothing."

Cards are drawn, discarded, drawn again. The Monkey does not stand on ceremony now; there is no showmanship. It calmly puts down a straightforward Ascension of Cats: the three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine. Pages stares. It contorts beneath its robes. "I offer a Chance of my own!" it screeches, in panic. The Monkey shakes its head, but Pages persists. "Name a price! A flask of Hesperidean Cider! A vial of my own blood! The very robe from my back!"

The Monkey hesitates. It is obviously tempted. To disrobe a Master, to expose its true nature here, before Londoners... But no. The Monkey keeps its eyes on the prize. It picks its nose, dismissively. Thwarted, Pages emits a strangled noise, and jerks spasmodically to its feet. "Impuderagous!" it squeaks, and hurls its cards across the room before sweeping from the Helmsman.

Publishes a bunch of poems about how much monkeys suck.

Confirmed crime is Truth-Strangling.

The Manager

Ask about the Manager's heart's desire: The Manager offers a hungry phantom of a smile. "Cities are odd beasts, don't you find? One can never tell where one begins."

"My needs are simplicity itself. I want a bright diamond. I will make it my heart and grow from there into something strange and wild. Like my beloved. I will carry the seed of a new city. Perhaps I could be of sandstone and gold. That would look very splendid, don't you think?"

The Manager's style is infuriatingly languid. He considers his hand minutely before every bid. When he raises, he counts his coins with plodding deliberation before committing them. And then, half the time, he reveals he has nothing better than a Remorse of Sisters or a Roser's Retreat! Except, apparently, when someone thinks they have him figured out and calls his bluff, only to walk right into a Peace of Hell or an Black Glass Mirror. The Manager likes to keep his opponents guessing.

Uses Nightmares against his opponents.

You can choose to win one of his Brass Buttons or the Topsy King’s Mind when you beat him. 

A Bright Brass Button: You won it from the Manager of Royal Beth during a game of the Marvellous. It is a key to a secret back door allowing you to leave his hotel. And it is very, very shiny. [Weapon; Watchful +3, Bizarre +2, Glasswork +1]

Your Monkey

The Monkey appears to be asleep, but you are certain it is a ruse. You think it's trying to put the other players off their game. It snores loudly when Virginia is deciding whether to raise. It chatters its teeth as the Bishop rearranges his cards, upsetting his train of thought. And whenever Mr Pages lays down a card, the Monkey noisily breaks wind.

 The Monkey is guilty against Hell and the Chain (only ascension is permitted)

The Monkey used to be Gregory Beechwood, and previously won the Marvelous. His desire had been to become an ape because he believed aps were better than humans. He now regrets it. A lot.

His current Heart’s Desire is to end the Marvelous forever.

Beechwood's argument was that man once existed in a state of grace: its present form a devolution. That pristine state was to be found in the form of the ape. One of the players of the Marvellous just so happens to be a monkey – your Monkey, to be precise.

The Monkey gives you a wink, then darts a glance at Pages' now useless mountain of remaining coins. Was that the play? To tempt Pages into giving up his stake advantage? To even the odds by risking everything on a single hand? With you as the prize? Well, it could have bl__dy asked!

Wins against Pages, but not before hesitating when Pages offers its own robes for a Chance of its own. 

Your final opponent is your own monkey.

Virginia

She is very, very mad at you.

Ask about Virginia's own heart's desire: An old desire, renewed. Virginia gives you the thinnest smile you have ever seen. "Sanctuary," she says, in a voice as soft as bare feet on snow. She looks away, indicating the end of the discussion.

Virginia sets a strategy early and holds to it come hell or high water. She trusts to the deck, discarding reliable cards in the hope of a high-scoring combination. But the cards aren't her friend tonight. The best she can manage is a Brace of Hats, then a String of Rats. But every now and again, it pays off. When it looks like she's within inches of constructing a Great Chain, Mr Pages folds hurriedly. A few rounds later a six-card Mirrorcatch wins back her losses. If her fortunes change, her approach might bear fruit.

Loses to your Monkey. 

Kills you so you can meet the Boatman. Is like really excited to do it. "I've been waiting for this...." Virginia arrives at your lodgings promptly. She passes a cursory glance over the instruments of death you've neatly laid out for her (to furnish your own demise.) "Thank you, my dear," she says, "But I shan't be needing those." She advances on you, wearing her sharpest smile. Mercifully, you do not remember the rest.

The Bishop

Ask about the Bishop's own heart's desire: The Bishop smiles, though he is no longer looking at you, instead off into some middle distance. "South," he says at last, his voice low as though thickened with honeyed wine. "To be forgiven. To be welcomed. To end all these darkened days of wandering. To taste sweet fruit upon my tongue and walk in pastures gold. I would lie down upon that splendid glade like cloth of emerald and feel my cares mist away, like dew on a cold morning. And I would not walk there alone. I would open the gates, and lay a path so that others could follow, those who knew the signs." Thin tears streak his face.

The Bishop's style is cautious. He prefers reliable hands, and rarely raises. He watches his pile of coins hawkishly, as though they might abandon the table of their own volition. Still, after a few rounds you think you have discerned a pattern: every three or four rounds he finds his courage, and plays to the end regardless of his hand.

Loses to you or the Manager depending on how you faired in the Honor.

Topsy King

Doesn’t seem to remember why he plays. Staked his mind against the Manager to stay in the game and lost. The Manager now keeps his mind.

He favours esoteric combinations and rare exceptions. He invokes the Treachery of Sevens, the Heart-Catcher's Promise, and the Embarrassment of Swans. He constructs elaborate Conspiracies from low-numbered cards, and disposes of kings and queens like a guillotine. He is having a good night, winning a steady trickle of coins from the other players. But his weak point is the Manager, who always seems to know what the Topsy King is holding.

Loses to you or the Manager depending on how you faired in the Honor.

You have won back the Topsy King's mind. You should return it to him. Even if it is sometimes a lizard.

You restored it to him. He will never be as he was, but nor is he entirely what he became. Some of the time he is the Topsy King; sometimes he is Tristram

The Thief-Oath of Tristram Bagley: You restored some of his lost mind, and the Topsy King will forever be in your debt. He will always owe you a favour, and you will always have a friend in a high place. [Affiliation; Shadowy +1, Dreaded +1, Bizarre +1, Mithridacy +1, Visiting Tristram Bagley +1]

October

Previous Winner.

The Calendar Council is composed of twelve members: each opposes the purview of one of the Masters.

"October achieved her goal and vacated the Council. But she remains one of twelve – a successor has not been chosen. She must mean to, however, so we must assume she is somewhere that the Masters cannot reach but the Council can. Which suggests – ah. Yesterday's Clerestory."

"I asked for my dreams to come true, and the Masters arranged certain accommodations with the powers of the Is-Not."

"The Masters didn't know who I really was, of course. I spent years constructing a false identity in order to join the Marvellous. Virginia saw through it, but did not expose me. Not that I'd have let her." October smiles bright as a falling star. "Afterwards, I used my reward to cast one of the Masters in a prison of its own failures." October sighs wistfully, "I understand that most of them have had second thoughts about the game since then."

Won and killed Mirrors. 

The Boatman

A previous Winner

At last, he answers in his creaking voice. "A replacement. I grow weary." His voice echoes in the hollowness of his skull. "My desire was granted, but difficult to arrange. An appropriate substitute did not exist; therefore one had to be born." The Boatman punts the craft further into the centre of the river.

"They should be of age now. And yet." The Boatman's gaze is briefly reflected in the water, dark empty sockets lost in the darkness. "Perhaps there has been a complication." His voice cracks, a splinter of melancholic menace.

His Amused Lordship

A previous Winner.

His Lordship tells you of his heart's desire. "Damn fool game. I only played to rescue a damn fool friend. Well, friend undersells it rather a lot. She wouldn't be pleased to hear me describe her so. They have such terrible foul language on Mutton Island." His Lordship smiles wistfully. "She was on a dark path, a seeker of that which shouldn't be sought. I played the game to win her back."

Won and freed Mrs Plenty from Seeking.

Mr Hearts

Created the Marvelous in the Third City because the Masters were bored. Lord of Blood in the Third City

Is fat!!! Bulky!! Big!!

Flies you to the top of the tower!!

Has red eyes. 

Final Match

Takes place deep in the Bazaar. Literally in the Bazaar’s heart. 

The Masters all gather and hang from the ceiling to watch. 

Visions of different outcomes assault both of you with the beat of the heart.

Visions of Power: You feel the slow stretching in your bones. Your organs, persistently rearranging themselves into superior configurations. You cast off your robes to stretch your new arched wings, wide enough to break the sky.

The Bazaar opens all of its seven doors to you: the other Masters welcome you to a spire of your own. In the innermost chambers, you let fall your robe and allow your magnificent wings to spread—

Visions of Love: Adoring eyes locked with yours. The heat of a fierce embrace, beating heart to beating heart. Two lives, completed by each other. A love that inspires and consumes.

You play with a poet's ardour and mastery of form. The cards want you to win; they adore you. A rare Adoration of Days; a timely Anchorite of Norwich. Your opponent, meanwhile, is struck by these visions more powerfully than those of yesterday. Tears glisten on his hairy cheeks. His paws shake. He still plays a string of lucky, desperate hands, but you're able to win back some of your coins before the day is through.

Visions of Time: You see yourself defying time (the greatest of thieves), and living hale and healthy into a new age of the world. An endless future, to make of which what you want. And not just time for you, but for others, too. The theft of the sixth city deferred. London's lifespan is prolonged, gleaming like the Neath's darkest jewel.

The heart shows you a New Empire, its dawn-ships conquering territories across the zee. It shows you the Sixth City – a colony of the Fifth – suspended in chains from the Neath's ceiling. You see yourself, centuries hence, on a throne of roses in the Eighth City after the Treachery of Arbor; and then you leading the leagues of Hell against the Ninth— In each vision, you dedicate a handful of years to planning your next move in the Marvellous.

Visions of Escape:  Escape from London, escape from the Neath. You see the glow of a rising sun across the length of a horizon; feel the playful touch of wind in your hair; smell the scent of fresh-fallen snow, sharp and crisp; hear the relentless chatter of birds, clear in a blue sky.

You lose, but invoke your Chance, staking something. Either your profession, your destiny or a single penny. (if you don't have a penny you can borrow one from Hearts.) 

You win, then. But Beechwood, your monkey, wishes to stake his own Chance.

Accept his Chance: He stakes all that is left of himself. The remainder of his humanity. And then places a losing hand on purpose. He turns feral and runs off, unable to deal with being trapped in the game as a monkey any longer. 

Decline his Chance: Beechwood has drawn away. You can see him wringing his paws together, compulsively. His eyes are haunted. He knows that – in a few years' time, when the false-stars align – he must play the Marvellous again.

Your Desire

Mr Hearts speech: "Colleagues, we are gathered (save for Mr Pages, who is excluded for reasons of a conflict of interest) to fulfil our sacred duty. This creature–" here, it gestures at you, "–has proven victorious in the Marvellous and earned their heart's desire!"

There is polite, scattered applause.

You take the time to look around. The walls are adorned with calendars – some of them follow earthly dating systems, others do not – and maps. The workbenches are covered with indecipherable apparatus. A set of heavy red books stands on a shelf. You can make out the black-lettered title of the nearest: 'The Tragedy Procedures Vol. VII.'

"Here," Mr Hearts tells you, "is where we perform our greatest works. This is where we ascertained how to purchase London, and how to accomplish the small request Her Majesty required in exchange. Thus far, no request has been beyond us. Now, if you would do us the honour, tell us your heart's desire. We shall do all in our power to grant it."

Power: You want to be one of them, a Master of the Bazaar – terrible, glorious, magnificent.

Another argument follows, this one not about whether but about how. There is some debate as to your bailiwick and whether this can be a purely titular bestowal. It cannot. Spices and Hearts begin to mix steaming concoctions at one of the workbenches. Mr Veils measures you for a robe.

In the end, Hearts approaches you. "It is decided. You will be Mr Cards." 

Love: There is a long silence. "The problem, oh perspicacious, indeed brilliant, victor of our game," Spices says in its sibilant whisper, "is that despite our very best efforts – and I do not wish to disparage our dear Mr Fires in saying this – we cannot manufacture love." Fires only grunts.

"Does it have to be true love?" Wines interjects, thoughtfully. "There are approximations that, as far as we can tell, are indistinguishable in all meaningful ways—"

"We are not all convinced," Hearts cuts in, "That true love even exists. Certainly, we have yet to isolate it. But! Happily, we can offer something better: adoration. Celebration! The whole city, united in recognition of your evident magnificence. Fame, and of course, glory."

Choose something else. Choose something that is not love.

The Masters have no idea what love really is.

Adoration: To be known by all. To be admired. To be worshipped! In every mind of the city will live a shining image of you, perfect, pristine, and permanent. A collective sigh of relief from the Masters. Adulation, adoration, envy – all these can be readily manufactured.

Time: Long life – not just for you, but London, too. Eventually, the Masters will require a Sixth City. But London is your home, and you would want to defer that day as long as possible. 

"This means London, in its entirety, is technically yours. We shall not," it says, raising a claw to the other Masters, "seek the Sixth until all reasonable hope for the Fifth is lost. These are our terms: this your prize."

How long have you bought for the city? Years? Decades? Centuries? More than it had, certainly. You look around at its familiar, grimy streets; the poignant, flickering glow of its gaslamps; the people hurrying by to jobs and appointments, oblivious to the fact that you have saved them from a fate that has befallen four other cities. Perhaps London itself is your heart's desire. And a reckoning has been postponed.

Escape: You want to walk on the Surface again. You want nothing less than the sun, the sea, and the stars – the real stars!

Eventually, between them, they reach a proposal. Mr Hearts presents it to you. "There are certain laws that are, unfortunately, beyond us. The capriciousness of sunlight is one. Were you to return to the Surface there is every chance the sunlight might kill you, and there is nothing we could do to prevent it. However, there are places where the sun is only an occasional visitor."

Mr Fires unrolls a map of the Surface, and stabs a claw into the top of it. "We will build you a home. Here. The sun is absent there nearly half a year at a time. The location looks to be somewhere in the arctic circle. Habitable, but hardly clement. 

Your Defeat

Yes, you can let the monkey win.

The Marvellous is over. In fact, if Beechwood is true to his word, it is over forever.

The Monkey asks you to come with him to get his reward.

 A pair of Masters carries you and the Monkey – Hearts for him and Iron for you. Membranous wings rip through their robes, and with a beat you are lifted aloft, borne to the highest chamber in the Bazaar.

You tell them the Monkey’s desire is to end the Marvelous for good. Hearts is very upset but Stones argues that after the ‘Mirrors Incident’ it should have been ended. 

"It would be a shame," purrs Spices. "The Marvellous has been terribly diverting, and the days are so very long." Sympathetic murmurs from the other Masters.

"Enough, Our truest currency, colleagues, is our word." Mr Wines is speaking, now. "This is entirely in the rules as you established them, Mr Hearts. It's hardly the monkey's fault."

"I must strongly object!" splutters Hearts.

'NOTED.' reads another note from Mr Iron. 'AND IGNORED.'

Item Rewards

Marvellous Monkey: A monkey, once called Gregory Beechwood, who achieved his heart's desire, regretted it, and (with your aid) brought about an end to the Masters' preferred entertainment, though it cost him everything. [Companion; Watchful +5, Persuasive +5, A Player of Chess +1, Dangerous -1]

The Robe of Mr Cards: The robe is huge and concealing, and glistens like wormskin. It contains an ingenious framework, which grants its wearer the profile and stature of a Master of the Bazaar. 'Mr Cards,' of course, is you. Every month you call at the Ormolu Door of the Bazaar, and are taken inside to undergo various painful but improving procedures. Already you have grown a few inches, though your posture suffers. Your ears are lengthening. And one day – one bold, magnificent day – those nubs on your shoulder blades will be wings. [Clothes; Persuasive +11, Dreaded +2, Artisan of the Red Science +1]

Newly-Cast Crown of the City of London: Fresh-forged from authentic starlight (carried from the High Wilderness in the Bazaar's vaults) this magnificent crown denotes your position as Regent of London. It heavily implies that you are in the line of succession, and gleams like the promise of power. It has been made to your exact size, for it will only ever adorn your head. The Masters have promised you that. [Hat; Persuasive +13, Respectable +2, Mithridacy +1]

A Leasehold on All of London: This is the very contract by which Her Majesty agreed to sell London to the Masters. It is a labyrinth of legal complexity and metaphysical demarcation – partly written in English, partly in Latin, and partly in the Correspondence. As a result, it is best stored in a fireproof steel tube. The text has been meticulously amended in order to extend the 'guaranteed period' in which 'it is prohibited for the previously-specified parties to arrange the replacement, abdication, or discontinuation of London' in favour of 'any other metropolis of comparable significance and succulence.' The exact duration of the extension is not specified: as with all the best legal precedent, it makes much hay of the word 'reasonable' – 'for a reasonable period,' 'to a reasonable observer,' and so on. No doubt some lucky court will be expected to work out the details at a future point. A final, recent clause specifies that the owner of this leasehold (that's you) is entitled to a monthly stipend of revivifying peach brandy to 'further and ensure that party's longevity and rude health.' [Home Comfort; Shadowy +10, Respectable +2, A Player of Chess +1]

A Palatial Holiday Home in the Arctic Circle: A Surface mansion of your own, dappled in genuine moonlight. It enjoys commanding views of dense pine forests, and basks in the infinite hues of the Aurora Borealis. The mansion is only accessible via a secret funicular connecting to the Travertine Spiral. When the sun is absent, for several months of the year, you can travel there and breathe fresh air, and hear birds, and walk in real, new-fallen snow. [Home Comfort; Watchful +10, Bizarre +2, Mithridacy +1]

The Marvellous: This deck – consecrated at the Root of Need – was used in the ancient and treacherous game known as the Marvellous. Player after player was broken upon it. But since you forsook your heart's desire, proving you were not subject to your own wants, the cards have been obedient. Now, they anticipate your needs, and seem eager to please. When you play with them it's as if they're speaking to you. Via their oblique language of numbers, faces and combinations, they hint of broader, grander games played behind the skin of the world. [Weapon; Persuasive +13, Bizarre +2, A Player of Chess +1]

[writers-revolt528]

A HPHM Story: D&D Part 1

No spoilers

Alan Morrissey sits at a table full of gleeful and excited Hogwarts students at the Hogs Head Inn. Laid out upon the large table is a game of muggle D&D, the student's game is undisturbed as their table is tucked away in a corner of the room, with only candlelight to awaken the story they have immersed themselves in. Eminence Addison was Alan's character, nicknamed Addy, she was a 5'4" half elf rogue with short brown hair and hazel eyes, she had sticky fingers, always stealing anything that could be of any use to her or her good friend Juliette, that was Rowan's character, Juliette was an Aasimar fighter, a 5' 10" beauty with light brown skin dawned with flowing long white hair, and awakened with pure white pupiless eyes, she was nice to everyone in the party, but she could be assertive and sometimes terrifying watching as she grilled a captured enemy for she wore standard chainmail armor with an ornate silver basket hilted sword resting on her belt, ready to be used at any time, she was brilliant. Tonks played a shifter (surprised, no one was) named Kassandra no one was truly sure what she actually looked like, where she came from, or how old she was, but she was a greatly appreciated sorcerer. Liz played a human ranger going by the name Ozzy, the party had met Ozzy at a hunting club where he was originally an NPC, but the group liked him so much, that they asked Liz to play him, why Liz? because in this setup there were three Dungeon Masters instead of one, Ben, Penny, and Merula. The reson behind this was to put different ideas forward in the campaign, originally it was just Ben, but Penny heard about it from Tonks, so she approached Ben about throwing in some ideas. He liked her ideas, so he invited her to be the second DM, Merula came into play, because she couldn't let her girlfriend: Penny have all the fun. So it gave the party an interesting story with the collaboration of three people. The DM's also asked for NPC ideas from their friends, and Ozzy was created by Liz, that's why they asked her to learn the rules and play him. Ozzy's origin story is he was a hunter for hire, trapping, catching, and sometimes selling animals that people would want off their property or nuisances that were killing people like the wolves of Sunton Village, but more on that later.

The Party, deep into a campaign waits for DM Ben's next sentence, " you open the door and it is revealed to you that you are in an underground speakeasy, the room is lively, and lit by low hanging chandeliers made of metal rimmed wooden carriage wheels, most likely stolen from the streets above, there is a bar, and a group of people playing poker, they look like trouble, there is a tiefling singer wearing a red satin dress that sparkles like the moon does over the flowing rivers above. What do you do? Addy walks through the crowd over to the bar, and orders a drink, "that will be one gold coin" the bartender says, Addy slaps down five gold coins " keep them coming" she says. Juliette sits down at a table taking a chance to relax, listening to the singer's alluring song. Kassandra joins the poker game, and Ozzy joins Addy at the bar. He orders cheap beer, not understanding why his friend would order such expensive drinks.

The night continues and time passes, at some point people start arguing, and patrons start looking their way, including Ozzy, he finds that Kassandra and the poker goons are yelling at eachother, he rushes over and asks what's wrong, one of the goons says that Kassandra has been cheating somehow, to which she denies it, Ozzy says " why don't we all relax and talk about this instead of throwing accusations at eachother", a guy tries to attack Ozzy with a knife but trips on nothing and falls on it, "you see that, I am a wizard, if I can kill that guy without lifting a finger, imagine what I can do if I did" Ozzy said sternly, the poker goons back off and Kassandra walks off with her winnings, (one hundred gold coins). On their return to the bar, Kassandra whispers to Ozzy, " I changed into one of the waiters and when I was giving them drinks I looked at their cards, then I changed back had them deal me in" Ozzy smiled and chuckled, Kassandra smiled and laughed too. After the moment passed the two notice the five empty glasses on the bar where Addy was sitting, but no Addy, "oh shit" Kassandra says. Juliette watches as the tifeling finishes her song, and starts another, Addy stumbles over to her friend's table and crashes down into a chair, "h-hi Juli" Addy says groggily, "hi Addy" her friend says calmly, "s-so you you come here often" Addy smiles drunkely, "you're funny" Juliette says sweetly. Addy sets her head down, her short brown hair barely touching the table top, "yeah" she says before falling asleep. Just in time for one of the walls to be blown in, bricks and dust fly in every direction, guards enter through the hole and start yelling and arresting people.

Backstory: the party is here because they got a job from a private collector who had somethings stolen from his collection three tiger eye stones with ocean blue centers, they recovered one off the corpse of a corrupt politician in his suit pocket he had a letter which was signed by an anonymous writer, he was going to meet him at the abandoned brewery in Shotsy City. Shotsy City prohibits the brewing, selling, and consumption of alcohol the city officials were tired of seeing drunks lining the streets, so they stopped all alcohol production which pissed a lot of people off, hence the speakeasy, funny with a name that has the word "shot" in it... Juliette did a History Check.

Juliette grabs Addy who is still asleep and takes her to Kassandra "take her, please" Juliette says panicked, Kassandra takes Addy and disappears into the chaos, Juliette and Ozzy stand their ground in order to help people flee, by distracting the guards...

The story was broken by the inn's bartender saying "alright guys I'm closing up, see you next Sunday." The group packs up and leaves, the moon lit night sky looks over Hogsmeade. The DM's talk about schoolwork a couple steps ahead of everyone, Liz and Tonks talk about their theories on where the story might go, but Alan and Rowan were the last ones out the door, carrying their items in small satchel bags. "I had fun tonight, you?" Alan asked, " it was fun" Rowan said softly as he pushed his horn rimmed glasses against his face, Alan smiled weakly, " when Addison sobers up, she is going to steal so much alcohol," " that'll be cool" Rowan said with blank emotion . Alan lost track of his thoughts, "good night Rowan" Alan said quickly, Rowan said nothing even though they were both wearing blue and gold house scarves. Alan sprinted ahead up towards the DM group, Rowan stood there confused, "good night?"

[dingyuxi]

I was tagged by @cuddlybitch​; tysm hannah ❤︎ 

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? wait but I have three...one is a dark wood, the other is silver and the last is blue and white

2. Name a food you never eat. I hate eggs. In all shapes and forms (unless it’s literally baked into something which at that point it’s not an egg)

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold. 

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Watching Live On.

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? Heath bars! I love toffee. 

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? No...unless you count this really minor league (honestly it’s probably not even considered a league) baseball game. I think they were the Rockcats? lmaooo I honestly don’t even know how I ended up there.

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? I was helping my brother set up his bluetooth speaker, I think I asked him if it was charged.

8. What is your favourite ice cream? Ohh this is a tough one. It really depends on my mood. For basic flavors...strawberry and vanilla. I also like green tea and mint. 

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Green tea with lemon and honey.

10. Do you like your wallet? I mean it’s fine? It’s useable. Could be cuter lol.

11. What is the last thing you ate? A brownie-peanut butter cookie bar. 

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nah. I wish I had money to buy new clothes. But also I have no where to go in them...

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? I don’t really watch sports. But recently I went down the youtube rabbit hole of dog sporting events. I watched many agility competitions....and then we transitioned to dog dock diving. Don’t ask.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Kettle corn!

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My friend Jillian.

16. Ever been camping? Yep! Tent and all. It was on like an official camping ground tho so there were bathroom facilities and such. It wasn’t actually just in the woods in the middle of nowhere. 

17. Do you take vitamins? My doctor said I should take vitamin D (not because I was deficient but just because that’s something people should do)...I did not listen.

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? No.

19. Do you have a tan? Whatever limited summer tan I got has mostly faded. But let’s be real it only became a tan after I first burned. I’m pretty pale, probably because I rarely see the light of day oops.

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? This is so? Why isn’t it like Italian vs. chinese? I’m gonna go chinese because there’s so much more to choose from to suit my specific mood.

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? No. I mean if I'm in a restaurant and they give me a glass I'll drink from a straw. But if it’s a can or bottle or I'm just pouring it into my own cup then no. Although we have a collection of metal straws at my house and I use those occasionally when I’m drinking something that I had to mix. 

22. What color socks do you usually wear? Generally white. 

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? LOL. I’d like to meet someone who never does. But I'm not a speed demon. I simply follow the flow of traffic. And that usually means 10-15mph over the speed limit on the high way. On inner roads its more 5-10mph over.

24. What terrifies you? All bugs need to stay a great distance away from me. I will shriek like a banshee and jump 10 feet in the air if they startle me. I kid you not. 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? My desk. And it’s messy array of papers, notebooks and folders strewn across it. I really should organize it...

26. What chore do you hate most? Cleaning the bathroom YES. But that’s not really a daily thing. If we’re talking daily I hate doing the dishes.

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? I’m sorry but it’s just this beach blonde surfer dude. Or kangaroos. There’s no in between.

28. What’s your favorite soda? I like Sprite and Root Beer. 

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thrus stress me. I feel too pressured. I’d rather go in. Also I’m the type to examine the menu carefully before ordering anything. And the drive thru menus are never comprehensive, or they’re shown at the very last minute. 

30. What’s your favorite number? 7

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? My brother

32. Favorite meat? Beef.

33. Last song you listened to?  “Trying My Best” — Anson Seabra according to spotify

34. Last book you read? I was trying to read Kingdom of Sea and Stone but I got so bored I stopped. 

35. Favorite day of the week? Friday or Saturday.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? I mean...I'm sure I could if I really think about it. Definitely won’t sound fluent. 

37. How do you like your coffee? Definitely not black. I’m more of a latte, cappuccino type of coffee drinker. Or iced coffee with condensed milk. 

38. Favorite pair of shoes? I’m not really super attached to any one pair. I’ve mostly been wearing my grey keds as of late. But I will start transitioning to ankle boots soon for the fall season.

39. Time you normally get up? If I have no classes or other engagements, 10:30-11am. What can I say? I’m a night owl. 

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets! There’s no way I’m waking up at the crack of dawn to watch a sunrise. Honestly it’s more likely that I’ve stayed up so late that I see the sunrise and then go to bed. 

41. How many blankets on your bed? Two. A fluffy blanket and a comforter. 

42. Describe your kitchen plates They’re your basic white corelle plates with this green and red floral pattern or a grey-blue floral pattern around the edge. 

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment Uhh It’s clean? The dishes are all in the dishwasher (to dry), the pots are all put away in the cabinets. It’s also 1am right now though, so everything has been put away for the night already.

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? No, I definitely haven’t tried enough to know. I want to try flavored soju and mixed drinks with it. I’ve had this sweet sake once and that was good. It didn’t even really taste like alcohol. 

45. Do you play cards? I like learning new card games, even if I don’t play often. But this also means I forget the rules because I don’t play regularly. I used to remember actual poker rules but when I play with my fam it’s an abridged version. 

46. What color is your car? White.

47. Can you change a tire? LMAO that would be a call to my dad or triple A stat

48. Your favorite state or province? I like the northeastern states. Maybe I'm biased since I live there. 

49. Favorite job you’ve had? I had a job as barista and that was fun. Plus I always got to have fun with my crew mates. 

tagging @hwanginyeop, @thingskateknows, @kdramaxoxo, @junghaesin, @moonlightsdream, @liveasbutterflies, @jingyans, @therukurals (only if you want to!)

[thebardish]

Maelstrom

Multiple industrial domes connected into a vast array of lights that shine brightly against the black water. There lies a large skeleton, with a gaping maw positioned just above the biggest of the domes. This dome has a web of reinforced struts, and two large circular fans pumping in oxygen rich water, and pumping out the depleted water. This is Dome 6, the deepest, most secure, and most expensive of all the Atlantis Domes. This is where you are needed now.

The Interlude:

The party spends some time reeling from their adventure through the forest. They rest up and give their artifacts to HIM, who responds by giving them what they ask. Cal asks for a shield, Thara wants to upgrade her fire poker, and Jovis wants his cloak upgraded. Thara and Cal also go their own ways and find professors to learn more. Cal takes a few music classes from a Kenku named Taka, whereas Thara asks an Earth Genasi named Roshan to look into the visions about her parents. They each get a message from Jovis inviting them all to dinner, and they all accept. After dinner they each get another message, this one an invitation to a gala in Atlantis. This gala is to recognize them as guests of honor because of what they did to save Eden from perdition and certain death. 

The night before the gala they each have a vision. The visuals of which are all the same, the color has been stripped from Samuel's body, and when the council speaks his voice is also missing. Their collective voice says “Change is coming to a once perfect Academy, Change is on the horizon, and Change to a perfect world only brings suffering.” and then each person hears something different. Jovis hears a deep masculine voice saying to him; “Jovis, do you want your mothers to leave you? Do you want them to go back and find their old lives and leave each other? What would happen to you? You’d be left alone. Join me and I can make sure your mothers never leave this place, and you’ll be with them forever. All you have to do is listen to me. When the time is right I need you to prove your allegiance to me, and to your family. There will be a time, and you’ll know it by the glint in his eyes. You need to kill him where he stands, right then and there.” Cal hears the voice of Costasiella, and she whispers into his ear “Something is wrong, you can feel it. Something about the map was off wasn’t it? I’ve had this map for longer than I’d like to admit, but without all three I couldn’t see the whole picture. Samuel trusted me with this and I’m not sure why.” Thara hears her parent, “My dearest Thara, my powers are slowly growing as you break down the walls. I can now speak to you in the little brother of death, sleep. Please be careful, not everyone wishes you safety, and even if they say they do, they may not mean it.”

The Storm:

The party meets HIM in the GREG along with a rough-looking Goliath man who introduces himself as Wicker. Thara and Cal have seen him around the lighthouse, but haven’t had much interaction other than knowing he means well. Jovis is quite startled by this man, but follows him anyway. They are taken to the lighthouse that overlooks the lake, right next to the pier. Wicker pulls a string from the side of the lighthouse and from the depths a small boat bounces to the surface. They climb aboard and take up their arms at the guns. Wicker is the captain and the three party members are gunners. Each gun looks like a harpoon gun but they shoot concentrated light beams which stun the wildlife instead of killing them. Wicker drives the boat out to the middle of the lake and immediately turns the wheel all the way to create this whirlpool that sends them straight down. The first level they encounter a group of Merfolk who shoot light beams, and they disband them quite easily. Their next problem is when the boat gets tangled in some seaweed so Wicker pushes a bright red button and extends each gunner station. Now the ones on each side are out about fifty feet and the one on the bow shoots upwards twenty-five feet. Now the gunners can shoot the strands of seaweed and have a better mobility. They come to a group of sharks that Cal speaks to and they turn around, but not before one lunges and Thara pokes his eye out. Their last problem comes in the form of a group of Koa-Toa pirates. Cal and Thara fight them and Jovis shoots them from his perch. 

The Gala:

The boat comes to a stop right outside Dome 6. Inside is set up for the party. They meet a Leonin named Thomas. He takes the party to a series of dressing rooms where they change into their gala outfits. In the dressing rooms there are boxes to store their weapons and other clothes. Thomas flirts around with Wicker. They all come out of the dressing rooms wearing their gala outfits and without their normal weapons. Cal wears a suit with dark green pants and vest, a light green shirt, dark purple overcoat with a gold tie with the emblem of his monarchy. Thara chose a long flowy dress with gold cuffs and accents. Jovis has light purple pants and shirt and a sage green vest with a gold bow-tie. They dance around and meet all the people of importance. Thomas points them in the direction of the one in charge of all of this, an androgynous person by the name of Hapi. They tell the party how thankful they are for how the party saved Eden. Jovis and them dance a couple of times and Jovis uses this time to ask Hapi about the voices in his head. Hapi gives some information about Hathor and tells Jovis that Hathor is in fact a god in his head. Cal sees someone he knows on the dance floor to find Shelby, who was invited here because of her family of detectives, and she bumps into a dark blue Triton named Keros. Cal and Keros hit it off and promise to meet up after a bit to talk more. Thara makes her way to the bar, where Tomas hands her a drink, and tells Wilfred, a drunk satyr, that he has to find better things to do at these parties than just drink. Thara and Jovis go and request a song from DJ Zesty Beats.

The Murder:

The power gets cut to the dome and when they turn back on Keros is dead in the middle of the dance floor and both fans have stopped working. There’s a note with a riddle on it, and as they are solving it they decide to reanimate Keros to ask him a few questions. The riddle was “My full powers come when my maker is dead; I await a heavy hat to put on my head, what am I?” and when someone finally said the answer, which was Heir, another note appeared on the back. “There's such a thing as a false royal. Someone who wishes to muck up what was already set in motion. - For every hour the fake breathes, an innocent of the same race will perish until he is the only one left. Then they shall meet the same fate. Find me if you can, for I am in this very room, all you need to do is look.” The party spends some time separating the party goers, and they eventually look around the dressing room to bring a drunk Wilfred out, but not before another Triton goes down. Also in the dressing room is a staircase going up to the fan room, where Cal finds a tied up figure and he’s able to see a ceramic trident wedged between two of the fan blades. Jovis stays in the room and unwraps an almost naked DJ Zesty Beats. A third Triton dies and at that point the party confronts the DJ Zesty Beats downstairs.

At that point the lights go out once more and WIlfred stands up and reveals himself to be the killer. DJ Zesty Beats was a Charmed Thomas, and the Tomas that the party met was a disguised Prince Zelzes. Zelzes throws down a bright blue trident with a purple bag tied to the end, and tells WIlfred “I don’t care about the item, I just want Cal. If he comes with me, we can leave and you can do whatever you want.” At this point Jovis follows the directions from the voice in his head and kills Prince Zelzes where he stands, burning a hole straight through his chest. Wilfred takes this opportunity to Mage Hand the bag and flee. Hapi sees this happen and pulls a robe identical to the one Wicker pulled and from below the dome a smaller boat appears. Before they jump into it, they grab Jovis’ arm and they look directly at Hathor, and tell her to tell Jovis why she chose him. Cal drives, Thara mans the sails, and Jovis is the gunner. 

The Chase:

The party hops into the boat and chases after WIlfred, at the same time the giant skeleton begins to churn and lifts itself up and out of the dirt, its eyes now a bright white. It follows both of the boats through sharp spikes as well as swarms of jellyfish. Wilfred eventually leaves his boat and Cal catches him and throws him into a corner. Jovis opens the bag and lets out four glowing white orbs that manifest into four Tritons. Keros and the other two, as well as Prince Zelzes. The three Tritons bow and their spirits dissipate, but Zelzes stays, and he tells Cal, “My rage was my entire life, and it changed me so. You have freed me from a life under our fathers rule, and for that I am grateful.” Cal looks to him and tells him a traditional Triton death saying, “May you rest among the waves.” to which Zelzes replies, “After every storm there is a calm sea. Be wary my brother, for I know your quest and you will need help. You will find some by the name of Pip in the place where the sun doesn’t set. That is all.” And he too fades off into nothingness. At this point the boat is nearing the surface and they breach and catch some serious air, before slamming back down and the skeleton beaching itself and as its eyes fade, the vision starts. Same as the moss, the party finds themselves surrounded by a bubble of water, and swimming around them are two figures. A small Grung figure and a humanoid one. They are swimming side-by-side and laughing, very obviously close friends. The Grung places a small bag on a pedestal within the ribcage of the giant skeleton, and then the water splashes down around them, Cal ties up Wilfred, and they dock near Wicker’s house. He looks disgruntled, and immediately goes to call Thomas, and ushers them and just tells them to go to Cantaloupe, he will know what to do.

[mz-elysium]

City of Fallen Angels • POV Character Intros

[image description: four bubbles on a navy blue background; first bubble is a pair of clasped hands; second bubble is a man’s face, showing dark hair and a blue eye in shadow; third bubble is the name Matthew Monroe above the symbol of Clan Ventrue, a crossed sword and scepter; the fourth bubble is a broken and tarnished silver crown (end description)]

MATTHEW MONROE // 158 • 9th Gen VENTRUE

↳  THE CAPTAIN

embraced › December 31, 1873 | San Francisco

sire › Alastair Fowler (d.1944)

appearance › solemn long face, heavy and sharp blue eyes, dark hair; ordinary to athletic build; designer jeans, fitted suit jacket, dress shirt

traits › relentless, honourable, crafty, stoic, power-hungry

Among the Anarchs, Monroe is an alien breed. Clever with an iron code of honour, only his clan’s baggage prevent him from ruling the city. Even so, he attracts fellow outsiders as allies and his ability to play political games. He wears power well, though tends towards ruthless with his enemies, leaving his young adopted childer and his once-ghoul Hawthorne to act as his dwindling conscience.

TROPES

friends-to-enemies, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, manipulative bastard, anti-hero, don’t make him angry

FACTS

adores music, owning a nightclub/record label and produces music, as his one and only concession to “fun”

can play chess well, like all Ventrue, but hates the game

spent his human years in the military

[image description: four bubbles on a crimson background; first bubble is a Black woman touching a classical sculpture; second bubble is a Black woman with dark skin, curly black hair, and a brilliant smile; third bubble is the name Zari Adeyemi above the symbol of Clan Toreador, a thorned rose; the fourth bubble is a hand of poker cards, the King of Spades highlighted (end description)]

ZARI ADEYEMI // 58 • 12th Gen TOREADOR

↳  THE BLACK ROSE

embraced › March 13, 1973 | Santa Monica, Los Angeles

sire › Toby Amble (d.1973) | foster sire › Ashley Swan 

appearance › round wide face, bouncing shiny black curls; very tall and slender; chunky off-the-shoulder sweaters, pre-ripped jeans, high priced sneakers

traits › avoidance, emotionally closed, decadent, witty, intelligent, resourceful

Zari learned under Ashley Swan to become indispensable to protect herself. At this, none would argue her success. Despite her youth, she has become a first-rate vampire and invaluable with her zine. Her work has always been a solace during strife, a distraction and oasis. Unable to face emotional turmoil, she runs — but she finds she is always there, waiting for her.

TROPES

secret admirer, deep cover agent, second love, lovable alpha bitch

FACTS

has two children, Aisha and Noel, who were 6 and 3 when she was turned

runs an indie zine called The Fifth Estate, one of the most popular newspapers

has a secret passion for gardening

[image description: four bubbles on a dusky purple background; first bubble is a woman’s mouth covered with blood; second bubble is the ocean shore at night; third bubble is the name Charlie Bradley above the symbol of Clan Malkavian, a broken mirror; the fourth bubble is layers of a denim jacket, flannel, and white t-shirt (end description)]

CHARLIE BRADLEY // 20 • 12th Gen MALKAVIAN

↳  THE MOONCHILDE

embraced › October 2, 2003 | Griffith Park, Los Angeles

sire › Rhys Wilson

appearance › frizzy-curly brown hair, haunted hazel eyes; skinny build; denim jacket covered with pins and buttons, flannel, holey t-shirts, jeans, sneakers

traits › enduring, honest, impulsive, empathetic

Monroe’s most recent charge, she struggles with her newfound life. She died a virgin. Gradually, she finds a way to feed, to make peace with herself and her sire, and she learns to live. The Cobweb, a vampiric psychosis, plagues her every night with hallucinations — both as prophecy and terrifying nonsense. As a new adult, Charlie struggles to define herself and find a place in a world that is suddenly a lot darker and more terrifying than she first thought.

TROPES

lesbian jock, first kiss, stages of monster grief, nerd herd, reluctant psychotic

FACTS

wanted to be a journalist, telling others’ stories

used to surf, swim, camp, and hike — and still does… at night

still waiting to turn into a bat

[image description: four bubbles on a green background; first bubble is a a man in a leather jacket hugged from behind by another man; second bubble is an Asian man with shaggy long hair; third bubble is the name Jack Shen above the symbol of Clan Gangrel, a howling wolf; the fourth bubble is a human hand scratching through floorboards like claws (end description)]

JACK SHEN // 73 • 11th Gen GANGREL

↳  THE LONE WOLF

embraced › July 13, 1955 | Downtown, Los Angeles

sire › Skelter

appearance › laughing dark eyes, shaggy black mullet; dirty blue jeans, a black leather jacket found in a thrift store decades ago

traits › determinedly cheerful, romantic, simple, insightful

Jack doesn’t know much, but he knows what he wants and what he won’t stand for. That’s always been enough. He’s left behind friends, gangs, mentors, and every time treasures what time they’ve been able to have. Life is all about friends: making them, keeping them, having their backs and letting them have yours. An interest in magic and keeping his longtime lover and human mage Ryuko from accidentally killing himself has proved a fulltime job. 

TROPES

like an old married couple, low intelligence/max wisdom, always lawful good, beware the nice one

FACTS

turns into a bat and wolf, as well as a crow and black California cougar (ie. puma)

can speak three languages (Cantonese, English, Japanese) and read five (French, Latin)

uses Animalism to help volunteer at an animal shelter

Thanks to @wordsofpaintandsmoke​ for inspiring me with her post format.

[image description: a photoshopped header including a weathered angel statue on the right and a network of shimmering red lines that might be a city roads on the left. Titled “The City of Fallen Angels by Elysium” in gold. Additional red letters say, “Check my pinned post for more.” (end description)]