#hollow moon: galaxy

[we-the-witch]

[closed starter for @blooddrinkingbartender]

Galaxy wasn't the one to go to bars often, especially not when they had so little money. But the stress of trying to make ends meet was starting to get even to her and the abandoned train yard was cold and lonely, especially during the evening. She had made a smaller fire in the stove before leaving, to let Laila have something to keep her warm, but that did little to help the woman.

At least the bar she was in kept the cold out. It was warm enough to make her take off the old leather jacket and even older woolen sweater she came in with. She knew how to make a drink last, so even the one glass she bought with the little money they had was enough.

But she talked to nobody all evening, when otherwise she would have attempted to find a companion for the night. She simply didn't have the energy or mental capacity to, opting to simply stay at the bar quietly and make sure nobody drugged her drink or rob her of the little she had.

She was lost in thought of nothing in peculiar for a long time, being pulled out from that train only by the absence of sound of other customers. That's when she looked around to find the bar empty, and a glance at the clock revealed how late it was

"Ah- Goodness gracious, I 'ave lost track of time- I dinae' mean to hold ya so late" she apologized before she even saw the bartender that served her drink, which she still had about half of. Even though she came in very late, she had been around for a much longer time than just one drink would hold.

[trainwreckrenegade]

[sciencebecameouraddiction]

title: deserted by fate

author: sciencebecameouraddiction

fandom: arcane

rating: PG

length of fic: LONG. it’s long. but lots of flash back scenes and building of the relationship.

genre: angst / romance / fluff at the end

pairing: jayce x reader x viktor

summary: fate never favored a trio. fates favorite was always a duo. and she knew who fate would favor. she hated being right.

note: not beta read. proof read so many times the words blurred together and i deleted an entire section that i couldn’t get back and had to rewrite. over all though, it should be good!

tag list: @night-fall-moon

there was once three. a trio. two partners and their assistant.

three friends.

three…

three……

three………

but one was always forgotten.

—————————

the silence as war died down left an eerie rattling inside the ears of those who had survived. as they looked around to see the wreckage, some who were still marked with the iridescent galaxy that the Machine Herald had left on them, others, not a physical reminder in sight on their bodies. they didn’t need one though, as piltover sat in ruins. the blood of those who died stained the marble steps. colorful dye still stained the air from jinx and the firelights entrance. but she, the third, the spare, the left behind, stood in the middle of it, unsure whether to cry, scream or run to the scene in front of her.

where the machine herald- no- where viktor and jayce were immortalized in a blinding brilliant metal, jayce knelt with his hammer in his grasp and viktor’s hand perched along jayce’s forehead.

the tears, she realized, fell on their own. leaked out of her eyes and fell past her face but she felt none of that. numb completely as she stared at the hollow husks of the two men in front of her.

her mind repeating…

three…

three……

three………

there was to be three of them.

three creators and inventors of hextech. three researchers. three friends…

they told her that…

three… lovers…

there were three… supposed to be three…

she supposed though that destiny had always lended its hand to favor the duo over the trio.

—————————

“you know…” jayce trailed off as he sat next to viktor and pulled her legs over his lap. “many times in books, the trio never makes it. fate always favors a duo.” he said it with that joking grin, tempting fate. daring it to try to make good on its word. viktor had the decency to look at jayce disbelieving.

“why would you say that? tempt anything that would ever want to pull us apart?” he questioned, looking between jayce and her. jayce shrugged, looking sheepish.

“because they never could. we’re tied together. you guys go, i go.” he shrugged again. she looked at both of them and then down at the ground.

“fate would favor you both.” she whispered. their eyes widened.

“never say that miláček.” viktor ground out turning to her, side eying jayce as a ‘look what you’ve done’.

“yeah, i wasn’t serious, darling.” jayce said, bring her closer to him and viktor. “we’re in this together and we’ll always be.”

—————————

“we’re in this together…”

“we’ll always be…”

together…

together……

together………

—————————

she should have known that was a warning flag. the conversation they had. and they weren’t together. not now. she was right. fate had favored them, in some twisted sense of humor, divine intervention or not, fate had carved out a spot where both jayce and viktor could be together leaving her behind.

she was the one to pick up the pieces… she always had been, why would this be any different?

—————————

“viktor, please! it’s dangerous! you can’t be serious!” she yelled, her anxious anger causing her voice to bellow. his eyes sliced her down as he looked her way, the glare he had for her held nothing but contempt as she tried to stop him.

“while you may have your life ahead of you, i am on borrowed time miláček.” he rose his chin looking down at her as she had put her self between him and the hexcore. “now move out of my way. i will only ask once.”

the tears were hot as they streamed down her face and shook her head. his eyes widening at her disobedience. he took a step forward but before anything could happen, jayce walked in.

“what is happening?” he asked, setting his supplies down and slowly walking over to both of them. before viktor could open his mouth she was quick to explain.

“he was trying to add more of his blood to the hexcore. he’s already done it a few times and i refuse to let him do it again. why can’t you see it’s changing you viktor? you’re not the same. please!” she begged him, no longer looking at jayce but pleading with viktor to see reason.

eyes widening, jayce moved to step in front of her. “viktor, you can’t do that. we don’t know how it will react.”

“we’ll never know if we don’t try.” viktor ground out.

“not on you.” jayce said softly. “you’re too precious for us to loose.” this stopped viktor as it was almost like flicking on a light behind his eyes. he blinked and looked at jayce and then her.

“i-i am so sorry. oh… miláček… i am so so sorry…” he started to come forward, and stopped when she took a step back reactively. his eyes widened.

“darling, please. i’m sorry.” he begged, and she could never refuse him. neither her nor jayce could…

that had been the third time that viktor had tried to add more of his biology with the hexcore.

—————————

three…

three……

three………

three times… three people…

—————————

her feet felt cemented on the marble, watching the sun play off the statues of her lovers, standing in the blood of who knew how many. her first step felt like she was chained by stones under water, attempting to walk. her second was easier, but felt like getting your foot out of quicksand. the third felt easiest and carried the most momentum as she stumbled to them, running, her body finally falling, kneeling between them and resting on jayce’s back. three shallow breaths was all she was allowed before her sobs came in full force as she clutched the hand viktor had by his side and her arm wrapped around jayce’s neck,sobbing into what would be his left shoulder.

“you-you-you

you promised…

you promised……

you promised……… me.”

her cries bellowed out around the square below, drawing disgusted glances and pitying onlookers as they saw the hextech geniuses assistant, the third partner, the sole survivor… cry out in anguish. despair. heartbreak.

“i always told you fate favored you.” she whispered, sitting there with them until their figures were carted away. with instructions from her for them to be put in the lab that they worked in, which was somehow still standing.

—————————

being in the very same lab that both… viktor and jayce had spent so much time in, herself included, felt sickening. the lack of their presence ate at her, leaving her hollow and mauled in the tide of grief. everything was as it was. nothing had moved. it was as if it was a museum. a museum of them. their chairs at the farthest point of the room. jayce’s rolling chair and viktor’s rolling stool he used often. for a moment, the lab seemed to be lighter, golden light filtering in as jayce and viktor were huddled around a notebook, talking about some equation. their heads both whip to her and smiles grow on their faces, and when she blinks, the lab is darker, filled with the blue light of the setting sun and they are no where to be found.

she walked to the couch across the lab, her fingers grazing the fabric, as she picked it up and wrapped it around herself. it smelled like them…

“guys, please, stop! it’s cold!” she pouted as jayce held the blanket too high for her to reach, viktor doing nothing but egging it on.

“just jump up and get it, my love! you can do it!” his laugh ringing through the lab.

she pulled the blanket tighter, it wasn’t cold in the lab but she was cold. no, it wasn’t cold. her body felt like it was missing an integral part to function, and now that it had been stripped away she couldn’t rebalance. walking over to viktor’s desk she looked over all the plans that were still in tact, his desk almost exactly how he left it. hot tears welling in her eyes again as she saw his favorite mug, the one jayce got for him, sitting off to the right, long cold and molded over with his favorite tea still inside. her fingers brushed against the handle.

viktor took a sip of his tea as she watched standing next to him.

“can i try that?” she asked.

“sure.” he waved his hand at her. she took a sip and almost spit out the drink. “why is there alcohol in that damned tea?”

he turned to her and smiled, holding up a small bottle.

“you spiked it before i drank it?” her tone incredulous.

“can’t hold your liquor.” he asked as she glared at him. he got up still chuckling and grabbed the cup from her hand. “come. i’ll show you how to make the tea and we can try this cup together.” he motioned for her to follow him and she did.

she always followed him. would have followed both of them to the ends of the earth if they had let her. her jaw clenching as she tried to hold back more tears as she picked up on of his many notebooks. seeing a not that was stuck in there. she pulled it out realizing it was a small note she had given to him. it was just a little something she would do is leave notes on their desks as both viktor and jayce would always light up reading them. she opened viktor’s journal realizing it was his personal one, not looking at the entries but seeing that he had kept every single one of her notes. even taking some of the doodles she would make on their schematics and taping them in. she clutched the book to her chest and walked over to jayce’s desk.

looking at the photo of him and his mom was overwhelming and she set the photo down so she didn’t have to see it. didn’t want to be faced with the reality that more people were mourning these two as it felt like that could sweep her under the current and she was barely treading water currently. looking through his notes as well she saw underneath a few sheets of equations, the pen she got him. she grabbed it, smiling as tears came back. she had gotten this pen for him for some holiday and he had used it so much that the first refill in the pen ran out. he had no idea there were other refills.

“noooooo…” jayce whined as the sound of manic scribbling was heard. “no. no. no no no no no. what the-“

“language.” viktor stopped him, not looking up. a heavy sigh heaved from jayce as his head hit the desk.

“what’s wrong?” her voice rang out from the couch.

“the one you got me? it’s out of ink! and i can’t use it anymore!” jayce looked up, almost pouting.

“then get another one?” viktor said, turning to look at jayce like he lost his mind.

“no! this is the special pen. it was part of the gift you gave me last week! it’s special!” he says looking at her. her mouth trying to fight the smile and consequently the laugh that was threatening to bubble up. she quietly got up, went to her desk and pulled out a white box. holding it out to jayce at his desk she nodded at the box and he took it. viktor watching the whole interaction with an amused glint in his eyes.

“what is this?” jayce asked looking between them both.

“just open it, ya big baby.” she said, chuckling. he smiled at the comment and opened it, his eyes widening. thousands of refills were in the box for the pen. “i was going to give this to you later but i didn’t think you’d run that refill out of ink in a week.” she admitted. his eyes lit up as he quickly replaced the refill to the pen, without her even needing to demonstrate. he tested it on paper and when it started writing again, jayce looked at her like she hung the moon.

“thank you.” he whispered and pulled her to him, his head resting her stomach for a moment, inhaling and then lifting up and nodding to himself, trying to give the pen refill box back.

“just keep it.” she said as she fluffed his hair and walked by viktor doing the same, earning a disgruntled noise from viktor. “i fear that you’ll need them often.” jayce nodded and put them in the drawer on the right.

“when do i get a special pen that i can use?” viktor’s voice asked as he looked at her now settled back in on the couch.

“how about i get you one for your birthday?” she asked and he nodded, seemingly happy with that answer as he turned back again and got to work. her making a mental note to get another one of those pens the next day.

as she opened that same drawer, the refill box was there, open and had five left. she chuckled and held jayce’s pen in his hand. the realization hitting her, viktor wasn’t going to be here to celebrate his next birthday. she walked to her desk and took out the box, holding the complimentary pen. jayce’s was golden, similar to viktor’s eyes and also the gold in house talis colors. viktor’s pen was a deep emerald, similar to zaun’s colors, with the metal being a deeper golden color. holding their notebooks and pens in her hands felt haunting. neither would be here for their birthday’s… her birthday… the pain rose in the chest as she collapsed near her desk. her body shaking as she moved over to jayce and viktor’s side. near their desks. trying to be close to them. but how can you be close with a ghost?

———————

many whispers, glares and disgusted looks were weathered as she joined the crowd of those gathering to place names of loved ones written on parchment in the basket to be burned. she pulled her hood up further hoping to blend in as the feeling of everyone’s eyes on her was uncomfortable and magnified the hurt even more.

“i can’t believe you’re here.” a man said looking at her. she looked up at him, her eyes glazed over, darkness under her eyes from not sleeping.

“your fucking partners killed my wife… my son.” he yelled as he started towards her. enforcers restrained him.

one walks over to her, “do you know this man?” he asks her. she shakes her head. he gives her a second glance. “take the stairs up there, people are gathering there, smaller crowd.” he says before he leaves. the tears in her eyes threaten to fall as she looks up to the sky, silently thanking her partners, taking it as them intervening.

walking up the stairs feels similar to the day of the fighting. when she saw them. each step feels heavy. each step is a battle itself.

finally reaching the baskets she takes her slips of paper, jayce and viktors name written on three different slips of paper and places them together in three separate baskets. just in case someone saw them and decided to not let them be burned. a fourth stayed with her, in her pocket. she turns to leave and is stopped as ximena, jayce’s mother stands behind her. their eyes widen and ximena looks her over. the cloak she wears is black, with gold clasps. but that isn’t what draws jayce’s mother’s attention. it’s the pin on the cloak, a hammer, the talis house crest. jayce’s talis house crest.

“ximena, i-“ before anything else is said, she brings her into a hug, the feeling of loss settling in her chest like a weight at the acknowledgment of her presence from jayce’s mom.

“you have been so brave.” she whispers. at that her eyes fill with tears as she sobs into ximena’s shoulder. she smells like jayce did and it makes her sob harder.

“i miss him so much. so much. i miss them both, ximena.” she cries as ximena’s hands draw her head up and she looks at her, nodding.

“i know. i know you do. i do too.” she shows her paper she brought for the ceremony.

written in ximena’s handwriting is jayce and viktor’s name. the way she’s written them it reads viktor and jayce talis. which somehow makes her cry more at ximena’s paper, at the thought of marriage and a future that could no longer be a reality. until she sees her own name at the top. the note reads her name, viktor and jayce talis. looking up at ximena questioningly, ximena smiles knowingly.

“a part of you died that day too. i mourn that as well, my dear.” she nods, tears slipping from her eyes. the same eyes that used to look at her with love. jayce’s eyes. they always joked he had his momma’s eyes because he was a momma’s boy. now, it just hurt to see. to remember. she looked down at the ground. “and he was going to marry you both, i know he was.” ximena smiles sadly, as tears leak from her eyes, informing her thinking it a kindness. it only tears deeper at the hole they left in her. but that’s not ximena’s fault.

“i’m going up to the roof to watch everything.” announcing her leave.

“just be careful, mija.” ximena murmurs as she nods again and leaves.

—————————

watching the papers fly through the air like stars ascending to the sky was cathartic for some she imagined. that’s what jayce and viktor were, two stars, burning so bright and brilliant that she had no choice but to be attracted to their light. or maybe they were the sun and the moon, so opposite but complimentary and she was just one of the many stars in the sky that admired them. they being so magnetic that they brought her into their orbit, destroying her as they exploded, for celestial bodies that burn so bright only have so much time until they do explode and take everything with them.

a lighter in hand, she takes out the piece of paper she held onto, looking at how both her and ximena both put jayce and viktor talis. she grabs a pen from her pocket, her own pen, which became a force of habit to keep on her working with inventors and hesitated before writing her own name down and burning the slip. watching it rise with the rest. ximena was right. a part of her died that day too.

—————————

the issue when an inventor goes off on a genocidal killing spree of the majority of humanity is it is very difficult to ensure that who they were before is not erased from memory. exactly what the piltover council moved to do, as its first order of business, once the halls were cleaned, the marble treated of the blood stains, the pillars resurrected and the dead buried. exactly why she walked to the council chambers with purpose and the speed of if hell hounds were on her ankles.

the erasure would happen over her dead body. she opened the door and was unnoticed as heard the council speaking.

“the council moves to strike viktor, hextech inventor and former academy’s dean’s assistant from any involvement with hextech. all credit will be solely to jayce talis of house talis. those in favor?” a voice floated through. she knew not who it was as she never paid much attention to the council. that was jayce and his doing. wanting to create a spectacle and make connections. one of the many things he was good at, even though deep down he hated it.

“i object.” her voice echoed as she walked into the room. the council turned towards her, many widening their eyes as they realized who she was. the room was empty except for the council members. intruding on a private meeting was something new.

“this is a closed council meeting. you should not be here.” the one at the head of the table threw out. her eye twitched, at his tone and his dismissal of her.

“and you should not be discussing mine and my partners project without me present councilor.” she said as she stepped up to where jayce’s seat was at the table and stood off the left. “there are members of the founding team for hextech still alive.”

“you were their assistant. you contributed nothing to the project.”

nothing…

nothing……

nothing……….

—————————

“you can’t let them get under your skin baby.” jayce murmured as she glared up at him.

“no, you never mention me and you hardly mention viktor when talking about hextech anymore. we have contributed as much as you have. how dare you try and erase us. what happened to partners?” she asked, thinly concealed venom in her voice.

“you know that’s not true. there are just times where-“ jayce didn’t finish his sentence.

“where councilor medarda has encouraged you to not say anything about us because viktor is from zaun and i am a poor piltoverian? i heard her talking to you three weeks ago jayce.” he had the decency to look ashamed.

“if you’re not going to include me, at the very least, ensure viktor is up there with your name. or will that ruin the “man of progress” image you’ve so carefully crafted?” snarling his title at him, she walked off, not letting him say anything else. she entered into the lab, sitting down and thankfully viktor was too absorbed in his notes to talk to her or observe she was upset. stewing was interrupted from a knock on the door hours later. expecting it to be jayce she opened the door not looking at who was there but when two finely dressed men came in and sat two very expensive looking boxes down and handed both her and viktor an envelope, then left, had you feeling dumbfounded.

“what is this?” viktor asked, his accent heavy with the lack of speaking for the past 4 hours.

“i don’t know.” was whispered from her as she walked toward the box and opened it. inside was the most gorgeous blue dress, looking as though it was made of the starry night sky itself. viktor, who had followed you gasped at seeing it. looking at her then the dress.

“that will be very beautiful on you. but where are you going?” he asked.

“where are we going?” she corrected pointing to his box, as his eyes widened. each of them slowly approaching his box like it would explode. he opened it, finding a suit and tie, matching her dress completely.

“what is going on?” viktor murmured as she looked down at the envelope in hand. she opened it, eyes scanning over the document.

“viktor, i think we’ve been invited to the inventors inaugural ball tonight.” her eyes not leaving the page.

“what?” his tone shocked and in disbelief until he saw his invitation as well. “jayce was to go to this tonight, why would we be invited?”

she shrugged, and flipped over the envelope. holding it up to viktor so he can see what was written on the back.

“NO CHOICE!” was written in all capitals and underlined three times, on both invitations. both knowing this must be important.

“we have an hour to get ready vik.” she looked at him and he sighed, resigned to his fate, knowing that there would not be a request of him if not absolutely important.

“best hop to it? don’t you always say?” pointing to the back where the washroom was. she smiled at his attempted imitation of her as they both started to get ready for the night.

——————///

a car picks both up, and thankfully both her and viktor are ready just in time for it do so. she fixes viktors tie in the car, admiring how the gold and blue in his suit compliments his eyes so well.

“you look so handsome.” whispered between the stillness that had settled into the back of the car. his hand reached up, cupping her cheek, his thumb trailing her lower lip.

“if i am handsome, then you are ethereal, miláček.” her responding smile was enough to convince him to kiss her. stopping outside the event plaza, both viktor and her exit the car, her helping viktor out, merely holding out a hand to ensure he was steady, which he reluctantly takes after side eyeing her. he never liked help, but she wasn’t taking the chance that he fall since the car parked so close to the sidewalk. then taking his left arm as you both slowly ascended inside. showing the invitations and then entering to the main ballroom, both looked around.

“i thought jayce would be here.” viktor said as he took two flutes of champagne off a tray passing by. handing one to her as she sipped it, humming.

“so did i…” her eyes squinting as she looked around, waiting for what felt like the other shoe to drop. it didn’t take long as mel medarda took the stage, introducing jayce. viktor looked and politely clapped, confusion evident on his face to his partner standing next to him. silence coming from her as she glared daggers straight at jayce. connecting the dots that this was an apology event. rolling her eyes, she downed the champagne and grabbed another one as they walked by. viktor glanced at her.

“what’s wrong?” he asked, as she sighed sipping her new flute.

“i’ll tell you later. we need to listen to the man of progress speak. i’m sure it’s important.” her smart ass getting the best of her as viktor side eyed her and then directed his eyes toward jayce.

jayce scanned the crowd, somewhat relaxing when he saw both his partners there.

“tonight, is a night of celebration, innovation and looking forward to progress!” he exclaimed, people cheering at that.

“we have been able to pave the way for faster travel, ease of trading leading to increased commerce opportunities for businesses in piltover all with the first hextech invention, the hexgates.” more cheers accompanied this as well as clapping. gripping onto viktors arm, she sighed.

“i have been honored to be referred to as the man of progress, but i do feel that it is not accurate.” there were now murmurs in the crowd at jayce’s words.

“as you see, there is not just one man of progress, there are two men of progress and one woman of progress.” gasps across the crowd flow. viktor looks at her and she up at him, confusion swimming in both your eyes.

“none of this would be possible with out my partners in hextech.” his hand reaching out as he read off both her and viktors names. claps and cheers coming from the crowd, slightly reserved as it was known in the inner circles who you both were. where you both came from. “we look forward to working harder than ever to bring you our next great invention, hextech travel. revolutionizing the way we can travel to different places, not just in piltover but in all of runeterra!” cheers erupt again. jayce waves and smiles as he gets off the stage and shakes a few hands, heading towards both his partners. both her and viktor look at him as he approaches you both, a bit sheepishly.

“mind if we talk outside?” jayce asks before either of them can speak, both she and viktor nodding and following him out.

“you were right.” his words directed at her.

“i mean, she normally is, but what is going on jayce?” viktor asks, as jayce sighs.

“we talked earlier today and i realized that i had been selfish. it is not just me working in hextech, it is both of you as well. you both should be credited with these inventions just as much as i am.” viktor frowned.

“i do not want to be in the spotlight.”

“you don’t have to be. i’ll keep making the speeches, talking to people, making deals from time to time. but from now on, people will know there are three founders of hextech.” jayce looked at both of his partners and she smiled up at him.

“you’ve not been selfish. i don’t think that’s the word. maybe, egotistical, inflated, big headed…” she trailed off a teasing smile on her face as viktor chuckled.

“thank you, jayce. i assume that you were the ones who got us these fancy outfits too?” viktor asked, after handing his cane to her to hold while fixing the lapel on jayce’s coat.

“had to make sure my partners matched with me.” jayce said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

the smile on her face threatened to split it. not happy for her own cause but ensuring viktor would forever be memorialized in connection with hextech.

“thank you, jayce.” she said, reaching up and kissing his cheek.

“thank you. i don’t know what i would do without you. without either of you.” jayce says looking at viktor as well.

—————————

“as jayce talis had stated, hextech was founded by three people, myself, jayce and viktor. erasing anyone from these works does a great disservice to their memory, legacy and the accuracy of our history.” she explained.

“‘a great disservice to their memory?’” one council member asks, disbelieving. “viktor, became a crazed man, creating himself into the machine herald and almost killed us all. people are scared. there must be something done!” this was met with a murmur of agreement.

“he almost killed us all!” another exclaims, upset and angry.

“you misunderstand me. i’m not asking for his flags to be flown around or even have a banner created of him for hextech. what i am saying is that on the schematics, the trademarks, the history of how the hexgates opened piltover, changed the trajectory of our city for good and created many new forms of technology infusing magic and science, that his name is not stricken from that. that his name is mentioned. he is explained. and at the end of the day our history explains why a child who had been part of chemical warfare between zaun and piltover, who came to piltover attempting to have a better life, eventually fell victim to the very disease he had contracted due to the chemicals piltover put in the air in zaun, but still tried to save others from his same fate.” the councils eyes widened. i turn to my left, seeing sevika present as the new council member for the undercity, recognizing her from a few run ins in the past when traveling down to the undercity for parts.

“this disease plagued zaun for years, is that not right?” you asked her.

“the gray? yeah. made people sick, making them dependent on shimmer, causing an endless loop of addiction. not to mention the limbs you can loose from it all too.” her gruff voice rang through the chamber.

council members looked at others across the table, next to them…

“i vote in favor of keeping all three names for the hextech founders accurate, for history, tradmarks and any correspondence. any marketing will just be focused on hextech itself. all those in favor?” sevika spoke, looking at her i slightly nod my head in thanks, my shoulders tight as i see across the table, one by one the council votes yes to the proposed idea, except three. majority rule though.

“you got what you want…. happy now?” a gruff voice of a new council member asked above all the chatter.

“very much so.” she said, ensuring everything was taken care i are of, before leaving.

—————————

the metal statues… if you could even call them that, are set up in a garden near the lab. making sure it had lilies, roses and poppy’s in there. three flowers and so much fauna, for the founders of hextech. at the center was jayce and viktor. she sat in the garden for hours on end, working on different things, talking to them or even just sleeping. finding that if she was sleeping and touching at least one of them, the nightmares weren’t so unbearable. she still wore the sleep deprived eye bags around like they were the new latest fashion.

after readjusting the plans for hextech, placing in safeguards and ensuring that the plans could be executed, she began to build a larger team. a team of great academy scientists, in engineering, biology, medicine…

with a collaborative foundation, the scientists with her at the helm drove forth 15 years of unprecedented and revolutionary progress. creating safe water ways for zaun and air with no pollution. creating hextech travel for all of runeterra. medical devices to help those needing mobility aides, in addition to cures to diseases that were listed as incurable.

she visited the garden the day they had found the cure to the disease the gray had created in the zaunite residents of the undercity.

“i’ve been working on hextech so much i’ve forgotten to visit. i’m sorry.” she whispers, setting down sunflowers for both men. “reminds me of you both.” her laugh is humorless and flat sounding.

“but i have some news. our team was able to do it. we found a cure for your disease viktor. those who are still afflicted with it will be able to be treated for it. they won’t have to suffer anymore.” she smiled and then looked up at viktors face, the machine heralds face. her hand reached up, caressing his cheek. “i’m just so sorry i couldn’t find it while you were alive. i wish i had. how our lives could have been different…”

“it’s so sad, because it’s been so long, vik.” she looked from his face and then back up to what his face was when he died. “it’s so hard to remember what you looked like. this wasn’t who you were. and you hated photos. thank god jayce sketched you. but it’s still not enough. and i fight so hard to make sure you are remembered.”

sitting down at his feet next to jayce, she sighed. “that both of you are.” she slumped over, looking at the ground. “i went to a wedding the other day. one of our scientists got married to their partners. one’s an architect, the other owns the bakery down the street. they remind me so much of us. it was so hard to be there, if i’m honest, because my mind wouldn’t quiet the ‘what ifs’.” the tears felt foreign to her as they slipped silently down her cheeks. she hadn’t cried since that day. the very day she-

“we would have worn house talis colors don’t worry. viktor would have looked dashing in them. gold always complimented your eyes so well vik. and the colors always seemed to just fit you jayce.” her hands fiddled with her own garment… crafted with house talis colors and zaunite colors, representing the partners who still laid claim to her life. she sighed again.

“i got back from the doctor the other day. my test results came back. i have three months to wrap everything up before the reaper catches up to me. ironic that it’s three months. the irony is not lost on me.” she chuckled humorously.

“i’ll be appointing leads for the research, people who can develop hextech since i’ll be six feet under. i think they can handle it though. they’ve made incredible strides.” she looked over at jayce, then up at viktor.

“i hope you’re both not so lost that i can’t find you or see you in the after life. i curse you both to be tied to me forever.” she jokingly laughed and got up, dusting off her pants.

“bye for now, my loves.”

—————————

fate was listening. it always is listening. will always listen.

—————————

“please… just take me to the garden.” she begged. looking up at the scientist who led the medical team and became a friend to her as she battled her illness. the hesitancy written on their face.

“damn it, i am dying. there’s no way around it. but at least let me be with them.” she whispers, their medical scientist’s eyes shine with understanding as they pick up her frail body and rush her to the garden. once there, they set her down gently at viktor’s feet.

“hi.” she whispers as her lungs seize. blood coating her hand as she just wipes it on her pant. the medical scientist tries to hand her water but she waves it away. “i think it’s time.” she holds viktors hand, a little cold but the same fingers she remembered nonetheless, and wrap her arm around jayce’s neck. “i hope i’ve made you proud. “ breathing heavy and labored. “i can’t wait to see you again.” her body relaxes more into her position, as she slumps over a bit, taking her final breath. her limbs turn to jello with her muscles relaxed and some how her arm stays around jayce and her hand in viktors, some how not falling, like they were holding her up.

____________. epilogue

the bright white of the fluorescent lights blinded her as she opened the shop up for the holidays. the darkness of 5 AM still cast the street in an eerie glow and made the shop light up like a honing beacon. she quickly turned on her holiday decorations and fairy lights. she blinked a few times and opened the front door so customers could start pouring in. filling the bakery case, then making herself a coffee she had already served 5 people. the day was a busy one, with so many customers blurring together and now thankfully almost ending.

“that’ll be $11.82.” she stated as her barista began making the order. closing the till she began helping the next customers, “welcome to hex and brew, what could we tempt you into?” she spews the greeting like she does every day. hearing two men talking doesn’t throw her off but it’s the accent of the one man. czech almost, soft but confident.

“you always get that damned gingerbread drink. why can’t you get something like crème brûlée?”

“well, because i like cinnamon and the sweet.” a sigh is heaved.

“we’ll get one gingerbread latte monstrosity and a black drip coffee. both large.” the voice now directed at her as she nodded.

“name for the order?” she asked, her throat dry for some reason and her body anxious, still writing the description of the drinks on the cups, not having looked up yet. writing off the feelings as her anxiety peaking during a rush.

“jayce is fine.” the other man responds and her hand freezes mid word, right in the middle of the words “black drip” on the second cup and finally looks up at them. her eyes meeting with the tallest-jayce- first. she shouldn’t have known who was who. she did though, as confusion, then shock and wonder settle. turning she looks at his partner.

his partner…

his partner……

her partner………

partners…

golden eyes meeting hers as the same emotions span across them as they did jayce’s. tears welling as his hands reached for hers, almost dropping everything he was holding. his hands were soft and warm, so unlike before. unlike the statue in her garden seemingly a lifetime ago. jayce’s hand reached up to cup her cheek. another lifetime of memories and love fill each of your thoughts.

“is it really you?” jayce asked

“miláček?” viktor questioned.

she breaks their connection, as their eyes widen and she quickly walks around the counter to them. “i couldn’t bare for anything else to separate us any longer.” she explained with a sad smile and a shrug, grabbing both their hands and pulling them into the back of the cafe where she had a cozy lounge break room for her and her team. “man the register?” she asked her friend behind the counter who nodded confused and started taking the next orders. once inside the break room, she shut the door, standing near it and not crossing over to the men on the other side. she closed her eyes as their presence agitated and reopened the gnarled wound that was in her chest from their absence. she always wondered why she felt this longing for someone, for people who were just like them. why none of the dates she went on never worked out. she had been waiting for them. the tears fell, ugly and fast. “of course it’s me…” her inhale is shuddering. “is it really you?” she asks, finally looking up at them, her eyes widening as both viktor and jayce’s faces are wet with tears. jayce makes the first move to her, he always made the first move, wrapping her in his abnormally large body. his warmth enveloping her, with the slight spiced scent that was just him. she cried harder.

“it’s me. it’s us. i promise.” jayce whispered. viktor came over, slithering his arm between jayce’s middle and hers. his other arm wrapping around her shoulder, pulling her against him too. clean musk fills the air as she turns a bit and takes her right arm wrapping it around viktors still small body.

“it’s us. it’s me. i-i am so sorry.” viktor whispers. she had never seen him cry before, but one time, in what felt like a lifetime ago talking about rio.

“viktor…” she trails off as his head is buried in her neck and they stay there, time holding no meaning to any of them. there would be a lot to talk about later, but for now, right now, they found each other again. that was enough.

this time, fate didn’t forget. this time, fate was forgiving. this time… fate favored the trio.

[novantinuum]

[Updated 1/6/25]

I've written a kinda ridiculous amount of content for this fandom at this point, so this post is intended as a fun way to organize all that content on this blog. I'll update this post periodically as I share more works.

Most of my works are gen fic- with a heavy focus on character study and "bridging the gaps" of canon with lil bonus scenes of what I feel certain characters might've been up to in between episodes. However, I do on occasion enjoy exploring a few different relationship dynamics... and actual ratings for my stories vary.

Ratings and pairings will be listed on this masterpost, as well as any particularly vital content warnings. For more thorough content warnings, please reference the tags on the linked AO3 listings.

~~~

Multichapter AUs:

Crack The Paragon Series

Series Summary:

In the wake of an ill-fated discovery, Steven vies to pick up all the pieces. The Gems are in turmoil: Pearl can’t speak the truth, Garnet chose to separate, and Amethyst's confidence has hit rock bottom. Somehow, his mom is Pink Diamond. But what exactly does that mean for him? Why did his mom really choose to fake-shatter herself and obscure her identity? With the very foundation of his home life shifting around him, can Steven ever hope to find answers on his own? Or will his growing obsession with seeking this truth ultimately crack his world all over again? Canon divergent as of season 3 episode 20, Bismuth.

Stories:

Crack the Paragon- 70,705 words, 14/41 chapters. Rated T. Light Steven/Connie.

In another world, he doesn't have his mother's sword or shield to hide behind when Bismuth lands her strike. The bubble pops. Steven falls apart.

Content warning: Major character injury.

Everything Is Different Now- 1,014 words. Rated G.

After her unfortunate exile, Bismuth returns to her forge to work, and to reflect on her mistakes.

Seeing Pink- 2,475 words. Rated G.

Following a video call with Connie, Steven reacts to the discovery that... his eyes aren’t always human anymore.

Misalignment- 16,680 words, 20/? chapters. Rated T.

His family’s not present the third time he runs away... They never see the creature he becomes. Early corruption AU.

Content warning: Minor body horror.

Hollowed Moon- 8,046 words, 14/? chapters. Rated T.

Stevonnie doesn't crash the Star Skipper onto that jungle moon. Instead, they crash on a craggy fragment of rock suspended thousands of miles away from its associated colony, long forgotten. On that lonely hunk of rock is a domed garden. And standing in that garden, just as lifeless seeming as the rest of it, is a pink Gem.

~~~

Other AU/Non-Canon Works:

For the purpose of organization, this section contains two fics that have since had elements of it debunked by Steven Universe: Future. However, said fics were written to be "canon compliant" at the time of posting... thus, on AO3, they still are listed within my "canon compliant" series.

Shattering Atlas- 4,274 words. Rated T.

A boy can only carry an entire galaxy upon his back for so long before the weight of it all finally becomes too much. (Written about the Corrupted Steven Theory, long before SUF's airing.)

Content warning: Depression, body horror.

The Price of Freedom- 791 words. Rated T.

Even while sightless, even when she only exists as thin fingers of light rapidly spreading outwards from her gem, Rose can sense that something is deeply, dreadfully wrong. Written for Whumptober 2020, Day 1: Waking up restrained.

Bi the Way...- 2,886 words. Rated T. Steven/Connie.

Connie has a question, and also something to say.

(Originally written to be canon compliant after the movie, debunked by Steven and Connie not officially getting together until the end of Steven Universe: Future.)

Errands- 3,034 words. Rated T.

Steven has an endless stream of items on his to-do list, so many that he often forgets to properly take care of himself in between. Sneaking off into the woods on the daily to vent out his repressed emotions is merely one of them.

(Originally written to fit between Snow Day and Little Graduation, but the back half of Steven Universe: Future strongly suggested that Steven did not visit Jasper in between the events of Little Homeschool and Fragments, thus I consider it debunked.)

A Blissful Crossroads- 1,742 words. Rated T. Stevencest.

“No, no, please— Steven, it’s not ‘nothing,’ I’m curious, now.” Tone bursting with genuine warmth, he plants a singular hand on his shoulder, trying to coax him to open up again. “I genuinely want to know.” And stars, is the sheer, uncharacteristic vulnerability glistening within his dear friend’s warm brown irises when next he opens his mouth almost enough to scramble the very code of his core-most being. “You sure about that, Flower Boy?” _ A holiday gift fic inspired by the story "Drift Together," in which Steven and his Gem- Floret- are split at birth and live entirely separate lives before ultimately reuniting in high school.

tether me close and promise you'll linger- 2,139 words. Rated T. Steven/Connie.

“Happy New Year, sweetheart,” she whispers, her breath tickling against his beard. And in response, his brow creases inwards so sharply that it’s all but impossible to ignore the building tension behind his eyes, the stressful specter of a migraine yet to come. “Stars… it’s that time already—?” - A holiday gift fic inspired by characters in the AU comic “Walk the Line.”

~~~

Canon Compliant Works:

This part of the list contains almost everything within my "Brandishing the Star: A Crystal Gem's Guide to the Universe" fic series on AO3. Fics are listed chronologically.

Tipping Point- 1,104 words. Rated G.

Garnet helps remind Rose of what she's fighting for.

New Star- 1,321 words. Rated G.

Organic life is a fragile, fickle thing. This much is true. What's also true is how the death and resurrection of a humble lion was enough to make Rose Quartz re-conceptualize everything.

On the Origin of Hybrids- 1,684 words. Rated G.

The question— incomplete, and yet bursting with long-held curiosity— emerges from thin air while he’s about to tuck Steven into bed in the back of the van one night. In retrospect, no parenting book could’ve ever prepared him for this one.

His Shield- 334 words. Rated G.

Greg attempts to comfort his son during a thunderstorm.

Donut Debrief- 1,578 words. Rated G.

And like a burst of sunshine emerging from between the murky grey clouds, the young boy swings the door open wide, face alight with a level of enthusiasm that before, she didn’t even think was humanly possible on an overcast Monday morning. Two days after their disastrous island adventure, Sadie and Steven talk about regrets, making amends, and discover something they have in common with each other.

Autumn Bliss- 546 words. Rated G. Light Steven/Connie.

Is there any better way to spend a crisp autumn day than playing around in piles of leaves? Written for Connvember, day 1.

Alienation- 1,151 words. Rated G.

“But... I’m human,” he whispers to himself, the words tasting more like a desperate plea for belief on his tongue. “Or at least, part human. Right?” - An awkward interaction with his dad and Connie leads Steven to realize that he's now too Gem to all the humans in his life.

Ramen Soup For the Soul- 263 words. Rated G.

Steven and Connie noisily slurp some soup at the dinner table.

Creative Outlet- 837 words. Rated G.

“Log date, 7 14 9. “Today, the hybrid creature Steven attempted to further secure my loyalty by introducing me to a concept he calls... ‘music.’

Taste of Ordinary- 12,756 words. 2/3 chapters. Rated G. Light Steven/Connie.

"Connie, can we talk?" When a much needed moonlight conversation with his best friend turns into an attempted (and failed) "spring break" from all his responsibilities as a half-Gem, Steven must finally come to terms with the full truth of his heritage and all six thousand years of its consequences. Takes place between The Question and Made of Honor.

Outer Strife- 4,282 words. Rated T.

Connie clenches her fists at her sides, envisioning a world where she still feels the safe, comforting weight of Rose’s sword strapped upon her back. But instead, it’s the Crystal Gems’ darkest, most forlorn hour... and she’s absolutely useless to them. Is there anything she can do to aid them in this struggle, anything at all? (Or: the beach fight in Reunited, but from Connie's POV.)

Content warning: Panic attacks

Ballroom Etiquette- 2,809 words. Rated G.

As much as it pains him to admit it amidst all the boring protocol, Pearl is absolutely right. There’s no room for imperfection at a Homeworld Ball. In which Steven is publicly introduced to the Gems of Homeworld as Pink Diamond, and he experiences the first true stage fright of his life.

Finally Free- 1,653 words. Rated G.

Lapis genuinely doesn’t know how many hours (Days? Months? Years?) have passed when light finally graces her eyes once again.

Vulnerable- 730 words. Rated G.

Three words. Three little words, and the intergalactic conflict he‘d been training his whole childhood to defend against was over. But the hurt... he's not sure the hurt will ever go away.

Fifteen- 1,607 words. Rated G.

Every year, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Pearl runs away.

Cycles- 1,216 words. Rated G.

Amidst their danger-fraught mission to retrieve Pyrope and Demantoid's prisms, Pearl and Steven take a much needed break.

Freedom to Dance- 382 words. Rated G.

Stevonnie celebrates the first anniversary of Era 3 with their friends and reflects on how Homeworld has already changed.

Stardust- 618 words. Rated G.

White Diamond is testing out new terms of endearment. But no matter White’s intention with this little nickname, Steven doesn’t want it.

Contact- 16,002 words. 4/4 chapters. Rated T.

The first (and with any luck, only) time it happens, he’s almost 16.

Content warning: Major character injury.

Disconnected- 993 words. Rated T.

“What’s going on—?” he croaks to absolutely no one (weakened, vulnerable, alone, pathetic—), a jolt of fresh panic surging through his entire system. He’s never seen a gem flicker before. He has no idea what this means.

The Shatter Wish- 1,045 words. Rated T.

You’re 16 years and 2 months old (give or take a few days) when you finally realize you want to die. - (Steven's POV, second person)

Content warning: Depression, suicidal ideation.

Second Skin- 9,272 words. 12/12 chapters. Rated T.

Steven can’t help but dread the undefined cocktail of emotions that trigger this newest power... 12 shorts, each delving into Steven’s developing opinions and feelings about his “pink mode” in SUF.

Content warning: Light self harm, panic attacks

The Brother on the Other Side- 2,978 words. Rated T.

Lars has no idea what he was expecting the moment Steven texted him in the middle of the night to ask if he could come over, but being immediately tackled in an intense vice-grip of a hug the second he opened the door probably wasn’t it.

White Noise- 1,766 words. Rated T.

In which Steven opens up to Peridot a little about his anxieties surrounding his recent “pink episodes.” Peridot thinks she can help him determine the root cause of this problem, but Steven— marooned amidst age-old insecurities and his fears of hurting those he loves— still isn’t convinced he wants anyone’s help.

Content warning: Panic attacks

Like Clockwork- 509 words. Rated T.

Connie's got mountains of studying to do. (It's not just an excuse to avoid reminders of old traumas, of course it's not! Everything's fine.)

Fight the Future- 3,604 words. Rated T.

She’s poofed, he repeats to himself like a dying man’s mantra. She’s poofed. She’s stuck in the rubble, but she’s only poofed. She’s fine, and I’m fine, a-and— Above the scars of Steven's wreckage, thunder claps like mighty titans colliding in the heavens. (Or: what happens in the moments after Steven and Jasper's rematch.)

Oceans- 5,358 words. 6/6 chapters. Rated T.

Her fingers clutch onto the folds of his blanket with a protective fervor, but they’re still trembling. Stars, they’re trembling. Wordlessly, he understands. His are too. - A series of shorts detailing what might've happened in the moments after I Am My Monster, told from six different points of view.

Memoir of the Marks Unseen- 6,786 words. Rated T. Light Steven/Connie.

Steven’s messy self-corruption has scarred him in a manner that transcends the mere physical. Battling through suffocating waves of self-loathing and relapse, the path towards healing and acceptance is set to be his most challenging venture yet… but in a unexpected twist of fate, he eventually comes to find a cathartic solace in the tangible marks left behind.

Content warning: Depression, light body horror.

Intake- 6,427 words. 2/2 chapters. Rated T.

Steven fills out an important form.

Content warning: Depression, suicidal ideation.

Fear of Falling Apart- 1,961 words. Rated T.

Maybe it’s a bit selfish to wish for conflict in a time of relative peace, but right now Connie would give anything to face an opponent she could physically fight. A battle she could win. Because the fact of the matter is, no matter how stubbornly she might try, there’s no way she can fight off Steven’s inner demons for him. - In which Connie receives a panicked midnight phone call, and rushes to Beach City with Lion to try and help.

Content warning: Light body horror.

Ticklish- 2,675 words. Rated T. Steven/Connie.

In which Connie’s subconscious, innocent touch helps Steven realize just how nice the sensation of gentle fingertips gliding across the surface of one’s gem can be.

No Escape From the Weather- 5,756 words. Rated T.

Amidst an unusually stormy late summer’s day, Steven finally amasses the courage to confide in his dad about one of his greatest traumas.

Content warning: Panic attacks

Just a Little Something- 1,486 words. Rated T. Steven/Connie.

Steven surprises Connie with a handmade gift. Written for Glow Week 2024, for the prompt "Casual or Surprise."

(Our) Shadows Before the Dawn- 957 words. Rated T. Steven/Connie.

It's their nights that are the most difficult.

Content warning: Panic attacks

Advocate- 5,472 words. Rated T.

There’s more to this story, Lars can feel it brimming in his very bones. He can feel it squirming around in the tangled coils of his guts, a primal, virulent rot that threatens to consume him from the inside out. Something is off with Steven, something is distinctly wrong. And oh, does he hate being right. - When an unexpected visitor tumbles through the magic portal in his hair long after hours, breathless and bright pink, Lars must amass the courage to weather one of the most difficult conversations of his life.

Content warning: Depression, mentioned suicide attempt, panic attacks.

Tides of Renewal- 2,559 words. Rated T.

Now twenty years old and living on the other side of the country, Steven spends his morning relaxing on the beach, musing about his past, and having a chat with his dad.

Nightlight- 1,364 words. Rated T. Steven/Connie.

“So, wait— what you’re saying is that you want me… to glow for you—?” - In which a drowsy, throwaway comment inspires Steven to— fueled by Connie’s implicit trust and encouragement— test the very limits of his self-restraint.

~~~

OC Works:

This subsection is the home for any fics I post in my post-canon OC-centric series, "Echoes of Chalcedony." It follows the story of a young half-Gem named Jean Maverick and their journey towards learning about the Gem side of their heritage.

First Impressions- 11,026 words. 3/4 chapters. Rated T.

A young human-Gem hybrid- a soul yet unknown to the rest of the Crystal Gems- takes their first brave steps towards greeting their heritage firsthand.

~~~

NSFW Works:

Fics in this section will be posted on my NSFW AO3 alt, Astraliies. I personally consider some of them "canon" to my own extended fic universe, but they will not be sorted as official entries in my "Brandishing the Star" series due to rating.

It Takes Two- 2,865 words. Rated M. Steven/Connie.

It’s possible. The timing lines up. What Connie fears is one hundred percent possible. The problem is, a potential pregnancy this early into their relationship was absolutely not in their plans.

Content warning: Contains frank discussion of underage sex. Connie is 17.

knowing, loving, being- 21,450 words. 3/4 chapters. Rated E. Stevencest, Steven/Connie.

A uniquely charged encounter in Rose’s Room forces Steven to contend with matters of attraction and desire he never could have predicted for himself. To what extreme is he willing to journey in fulfilling these burgeoning fantasies? And in what ways will such an experience forever transform him? (One thing’s for sure, though… once Connie’s brought into the loop, the most intimate dynamics of their marriage will never be the same.)

Content warning: Selfcest, explicit sexual content

Love Handles- 7,178 words. Rated E. Steven/Connie.

In which a stray, innocuous comment from Connie pushes Steven to dedicate the bulk of his free time to ‘getting into shape.’ But when new stressors rise to challenge him, he begins to struggle to maintain this leaner, more muscular form for her. Not only that, but is this even the kind of body he desires for himself in the first place?

Content warning: Explicit sexual content, feeding kink

[sahrii]

¡! orbiting pluto ❞

osamu miya x fem!reader

m.list

prologue !

❛ i’ve been big and small and big and small and big and small again, but still nobody wants me, still nobody wants me ❜ - nobody by mitski

between the galaxies and the stars, 

         she was a mix of the moon and an orbit

                  she was everything yet nothing at the same time

                                          she was the moon

because she wasn’t as perfect

as she was thought to be

she was broken with flaws

                but no one could see that

        because she shined so beautifully

that her flaws became imperfect perfections 

                                 ethereally glowing in the unlit sky

                       but she was also an orbit

for she was never standing still enough

         for anyone to truly stay

and she was tired of chasing

     stars that promised her galaxies

but left her with hollow skies

⋆⭒˚｡��

                and between the galaxies and the stars

         he was pluto,

slowly drifting away

           from the reach of the sun

                        yet never fully gone

                  because he collides with an orbit

     that shows him what it’s like

to matter in the shadow of burning stars

     and luminous planets

and together

they create a galaxy 

      where the stars of their love burn. ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

ﾟ｡⋆☾ extra !

“oh, you’re back,” greeted her akaashi, hands wrapped around a cup of coffee that had steam swimming atop it. 

“yeah,” she mumbled as she leaned down to take her shoes off.

“how was the date?”

“shit, like always,” 

“oh, well—”

“it’s okay akaashi, you say the same thing every single time. I know I’ll eventually find someone,” she chuckled. And he felt that it was a tad bit forced but he didn’t say anything as he nodded, lips pulled together into a thin.

“where are the others?” she questioned as she walked to the fridge, fingers reaching out for a cold bottle of water.

“Tsukishima is in his room studying and kuroo, Hinata and bokuto are out to get some snacks. They wanted a movie night when you got back.”

“oh, I’m not feeling it tonight. Maybe some other day, I’ll go sleep now.” She mumbled as she retreated into her room and closed the door before he could even reply.

[notes] i tried to like to show you the dynamic here, she’s pretty tired of going on dates and not finding what she’s looking for, he’s tired of being overshadowed by his brother and together they should be able to be like quite literally puzzle pieces that complete each other in a sense. the last bit is just the aftermath of the date i mentioned in the intros.

taglist ! [taglist is open, ask or comment to be added !]

@cherrysurf @wakeupmaddie @kawoala @tanuki-tanuki enjoy <3

[astroboots]

Cherry Lips

Summary: Steven really likes your lipstick.

Content: Inappropriate use of lipstick, messy blowjobs because like L'oreal, Steven is worth it.

Word Count: 2.4k

Author's notes: Inspired by this beautiful piece of artwork by @guruan-is-not-here

ASTROBOOT’S MASTERLIST | MOON KNIGHT MASTERLIST

The lipstick you're planning on wearing tonight is a striking shade of red. The shocking brightness of a stop traffic light. The bursting richness of pomegranates. Eye catching, alarming and dreamy all at once. It's your favourite and they stopped manufacturing it a while back.

Since you can't up and buy it anymore, you only pull it on special occasions. The last time you've worn it was at a close friend's wedding. You're not going to any churches or galas tonight, just the local cinema, which isn't an extraordinary occasion that justifies pulling out the old favourite shade. But it doesn't have to be the location that's special. Sometimes, what matters is the company you're with. And who is more special to you than Steven?

You're standing in front of the mirror that hangs over your hallway. On an ordinary day, when you're standing here on your own, the tiny hall can already feel a bit cramped, considering the size of your micro-studio of a London flat. Today though?

Today, the way that Steven is standing behind you, almost plastered to your back, you can barely maneouvre your hand far enough to apply the lipstick without jabbing your elbow into his eyesocket.

"Steven, shouldn't you be getting ready too?" you say, in a gentle attempt to goad him into moving into the main space of your flat. But Steven stays unmoving.

He can't hear you.

Mouth dropped open, jaw slack, he's staring at your mirrored reflection with wide-eyed attention.

You turn around and tilt your head in his direction to try to catch his attention. But even though he's staring right at you, he remains frozen. Trapped in some spell, his eyes are vacant. You have to repeat his name for a second and third time and even then the only physical reaction you get from him is a hard swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing in the hollow of his throat. 

At this pace, you're going to have to break out the smelling salts to snap him out of it. 

"Steven, everything alright?"

"Red," he murmurs, and you squeeze your eyebrows in confusion at his lack of coherence. 

"Your lipstick..." he sounds almost dazed. "It's very... red–very pretty! It's very pretty I mean, it looks amazing on you."

You follow the line of his eyes and the way he's staring at your lips. His tongue darts out to swipe across his own bottom one, leaving it glistening in the dim light of your hallway. 

Steven is looking at you, like you hung each individual star in the galaxy and created every constellation discovered by NASA. 

You can't help but smile as lean up and press your red lips against his. Your hand cups the back of his neck and you pull him down closer until you hear that breathless little gasp you love so much escape between his lips. Until that soft noise melts into a deep moan that you can practically taste on your tongue. 

It tastes like hunger. 

It's wonderful to feel so deeply wanted by someone. 

You pull away, leaning back and Steven looks like he's been knocked senseless. Eyes shiny like glass. Kiss swollen lips made more prominent from the red of your lipsticks smudged on him. He's drawing up his hand, thumb brushing against the red. 

Whipping around, you realise that he's staring at himself in the mirror. He looks enamoured with it, the smears of red that are on him like a mark seared into his skin of where you've touched him. 

It becomes something of a thing between you two. 

Before every date night, you'll apply a thick layer of red lipstick on your mouth, the kind that will smear at the slightest touch. 

Then you watch in amusement as Steven spends the whole of the evening trying to act discreet (and failing) as his eyes will unfailingly find themselves flickering back to your lips. 

You'll watch as he tries to steady himself at a dining table at the small intimate and cozy restaurant sat across from you, hand gripping on top of his knee as you lift your glass and leaves a clear imprint of your lips on the glass. 

Hear the small little gasp that escapes from his throat when you lean close to his ear to ask him what he's ordering. 

Feel the whole bodyshiver of his as you press your lips to his cheek sometime between dessert and the bill. 

Sometimes you even wear it on your lunchdates between work shifts when you know he's having a rough day. Because Steven likes the attention and you like to give it to him. Love the way that fascinating blush blossoms across his chest, travelling up his throat and adorns his cheeks as you pull him into an unoccupied bathroom of your favourite cafe and you leave soft kisses like stamps on a love letter on his skin. Ink of red, pressed into his chest and collarbone and the corner of his mouth. 

He doesn't wash it off after either. Wants it to linger for as long as it possibly can. It's why you start to leave the lip stains where his clothes will cover them. Can't have Steven looking like a crime scene when he gets back to work at the museum. 

You'll wear it when he comes to pick you home from work. Watch the way his whole body is thrumming with excitement on the tube ride back to his flat. Eyes never leaving your lips.

Those are your favourite special occassions. When you get to leave your mark on him uninterrupted in the dim lighting of his home in privacy. When you get to take your time to peel off his tie like a beautifully wrapped Christmas present adorned with a silk bow and glossy wrapping paper.

You'l leave kisses on the softness of his stomach that has his hips hitching upwards. The insides of his thighs, that will has his legs shaking and trembling and gasping.

Tonight, you have him seated on his armchair,  trousers pulled down to his ankles, while you're down on your knees, caged in by his thick thighs. 

You press your lips to his soft skin, feeling him tense and rigid above you. Knees trembling next to you, and you pull back to admire your work, the perfect imprint of your lips on his golden skin. 

"Love, love -- I, please..." 

He's a shivering mess. Soft curls plastered to his forehead, white teeth biting into his full bottom lip as he watches you through half-lidded eyes. 

So fucking pretty this one.

You press another kiss, this time on the inside of his thigh and you smile to yourself as his hips hitch up, chasing after your mouth with a choked gasp.

"Please, what, Steven?"

Flicking your eyes to his face, Steven is struggling to verbalise much of anything right now. Maybe you're not being very nice, because you know exactly what he wants.

He's hard. You can see the hardened outline of his excitement straining the front of his jeans. If you leave him hanging much longer, you swear that the seams are going to split open.

"Yo--your mouth, I--I--" he manages to finally stutter out. "Please, please."

God, he even begs pretty. For all that you would love to tease him more, have him tremble, begging and crying underneath you until tears are running down that gorgeous face, you find that it's impossible to deny Steven.

Your hand comes to the rivet of his jeans, popping it open and before you even have the chance to ask him to lift so you can pull them down, Steven's hips are bouncing off the chair so fast and so hard you nearly tumble backwards on your arse from the force of it. Luckily you recover fast enough, steadying your balance with both your hands on his hips. Then you pull the restricting garment down his thighs, far enough that you can free his cock from the barrier of his boxers.

His cock springs up and bobs and nearly slaps your cheek with the momentum, and he's already repeatedly murmuring embarrassed apologies as he forces himself to sit back down into the chair. "Sorry, sorry! Did I--Did I hit you?"

The concern in his voice makes you want to snort with laughter. But whatever laughter you had in your throat dies as you see him. All brain capacity is rerouted to the sight of his cock standing up in full attention between his legs. Eager and twitching, in a deep ruddy dark pink. The tip of his cock practically glistens under the dim light as precome oozes down the length. It makes your tongue salivate. Makes you want to take him into your mouth and try to swallow as much of him as your gag reflex will allow.

Before your brain fully finishes that thought, you lean down, parting your lips and do. Everything inside you aches and burns as you taste him. He's so fucking thick, heavy and absolutely perfect as the weight of his cock throbs on your tongue.

But you'd be lying if you said it wasn't a struggle to fit all of him, can wrap your lips down halfway before you feel your throat protesting, lungs burning, and tears prickling the corner of your eyes.

Underneath you, Steven is having a hard time keeping still. Hips stuttering into your mouth as you try to adjust and swallow around him. He's trembling so hard he's vibrating against you.

"Oh god, oh god, love, I--I-- fuuuck," the last word comes out as a broken moan as he he slides up and deeper into your mouth. Not a shred of restraint or control left in him. You're sputtering, your own saliva escaping from your lips that are wrapped tightly around him and dribbling down your chin, making an absolute mess of both of you.

And god, it's intoxicating to have him this way, you think it'd be worth the asphyxiation and lack of oxygen to your brain and whatever semi-permanent damage it would cause to your brain functions to just keep going, if it mean you can prolong this perfect moment.

The air around you thins, your chest feels tight and despite your hesitance and your desire to keep going, you pull off, gasping for air as the hard girth of him no longer blocks your airways.

You swallow down oxygen, as fast and deep as your lungs will allow, as you try to catch your breath, feeling more than a little bit lightheaded as you do so. Your chin is sticky, and as you bring the back of your hand to wipe it off, there's a residue of spit, precome and bright red smeared all over.

Fuck, your lipstick.

You grumble as you stare at your hand, you instinctively want to wipe it off on your clothes, but if you do, it'll never come out no matter how much Vanish stain remover you rub into it.

"Sorry, sorry," Steven's voice comes to you from somewhere above, and you tilt your head up to him. Hands hovering nervously as he's reaching over the side table for a wad of tissue. "I made a mess of you, didn't I?" he continues. Then he's leaning over, his hand gently cupping your jaw to tilt you up so he can clean you up.

You're almost giggling at how genuinely sorry he sounds, even as his cock, as hard as ever, is nestled between his thighs, twitching and jerking as if to protest the temporary lack of attention.

Steven's eyes follow yours, ducking his head until you're both staring at his cock. Smeared with the red stains and imprints of your lips on him.

An absolute fucking mess.

Leaning up on your knees, you grab the tissues from Steven and move towards him to repay the favour, but he stops you.

"Leave it," he says abruptly. No stuttering this time. No longer the sweet apologetic tone he held before. It sends a thrill across your nerves to hear him like this. Curt, demanding... greedy.

Tilting your head up, you observe him. The darkened eyes blown wide as he stares down at the red smears you've left on his cock. He looks enthralled by it. It's that same look as that evening by the hallway. Dazed like you've cast some witches' spell on him.

It makes your heart squeeze tight in your chest as you watch him. Emotions swelling and expanding until it even blots out the throbbing heat between your legs.

God you want to indulge him. Give him everything.

"Steven, get my lipstick from my bag."

He blinks up at you, until you're jutting your chin in the direction of your purse behind him. Even in his daze, obedient as he always is, Steven scrambles quickly to comply and starts rifling through your handbag before he finally finds the prize and hands the shiny tube to you with shaky fingers.

You smile to yourself as you pull of the cap and twist the tube. Before Steven, you'd barely used an inch of it, having been so careful to savour it and make it last. Now the lipstick is down to its last gasping breath depleted almost all the way down to the base, and with what you have in mind, it's going to completely run out by this evening.

Bringing it to your bottom lip, you look up at Steven who's watching you attentively, as you drag it slowly and decadently across your lip. An unnecessarily thick layer, as you see his mouth drop open.

Worth it, you think to yourself. Definitely worth it for that look on his face alone.

You pull the cap back on, then set it down on the floor next to you, as you scoot closer to Steven, pressing your lips to the base of his cock and watch the length of of it twitch and jump at your touch.

Then you lean back to observe your work. The perfect imprint of your lips marked in a striking shade of red. The red signal of a stop sign at a traffic crossing, except you have no intention of stopping.

Your lips part, wrapping your mouth around the flushed tip of Steven's cock as he throws his head back with a torn gasp, hands cupping the back of your head as he pulls you down deeper on him. Your face tingling with the warmth of his hand on you, as you try to swallow him down deeper.

You must be smearing the perfect imprint of lipstick all over the length of his cock. But that's okay. It just means you have to do it all over again. And that's okay too.

After all, you only use this lipstick on special occasions and who is more special to you than Steven.

Dedications and credit:

Wrote this in honour of @guruan-is-not-here gorgeous, beautiful and insanely horny thot sketches-- in particular the one where she had covered Steven with lipstick stains and my brain just did that funny thing where it imploded and turned into this fic. You can find more of her artwork here and her SFW account at @guruan where you'll be treated to some of the most beautiful Moon Knight fandom you'll see. Also do drop by her ko-fi. A single art piece can take hours and days and weeks for artists to do, and this amazingly talented genius is sharing her work with us all for free!

As always, this is also dedicated to @thirstworldproblemss because she had to listen to my insanity, but also also ALSO!!! This insane clown has written the most horny-beautiful-angst-smutty goodness fic of what happens when Marc sees those very same lipstick stains and I may or may not have written this for the sole purpose so that you good people can see the mindblowing excellence that is that fic. ILUUUUUUU TWP.

a/n: to be notified of new writing updates follow astroboots-writes and turn on notifs.

[crosshairs-dumb-pimp-gf]

From the World of Disgrace

Ga'hah Guide Book : Part I

An introduction:

Ga'hah is a small planet near the outer rim. Being tidal locked, the planet doesn't experience a day/night cycle, instead, it is divided into a light half and a dark half. A massive mountain range marks the equator line between these two extremes. 

Ga'hah has three moons. The main moon, Horula, dwarves the other two which orbit around it. Time on Ga'hah is usually told by the positioning of the two smaller moons around Horula. The small blue moon is named Erolis, and the orange is called Carino. The moons markedly are not named according to usual Ga'haiian structure, suggesting the names' origin being more rooted in nature and elements rather than gods and legends. 

The storm Meha’klei, is a different matter, drawing its name from a mother god that spat life of Ga'hah into existence in the form of rain. The system is a permanent storm spot hovering over the Eastern spread of the equator range. Though the storm itself is violent, its outer bands lend beauty to the landscapes carved from the violent downpour. 

The Meha'klei of legend is wife to Be'llahl, the god who gave birth to culture and pleasure. He is the main deity of Ga'hah and the source of their self indulgent views and way of life. The creed is to do things simply because it brings you happiness in some way. You won't find a Ga’haiian praying to their deity to save them or to bless their crops, those are important matters you need for survival. That's not what the cult of Be'llahl is about. They'll pray that a meal is delicious, that a sexual encounter is satisfying, that they might get a day off to do absolutely nothing. 

Though the cult preaches pleasure above all things, it's not without its limits. To take away another's pleasure on purpose is a cruelty. As with any belief, people will twist the virtues to suit themselves, but the rule of mutual benefit is generally believed and accepted. It is in fact heralded as the true challenge of the pleasure faith, to find the balance where everyone is enjoying themselves. 

Polycules were  the standard for Ga'haiian relationships, breaking into new clans with each generation instead of couples. However, over a thousand years of trade with other planets has shifted the culture slightly to a more conformed view of pairings. The practice of monogamy does not always blend well with Ga'haiian sensibilities. 

The Ga'haiian people are stratified between the poor colonies of the Southern dark side and the elitist rich Northern city state of Sohn.

Sohn was built surrounding the Trimecca farms, giant, hollow pyramids that filter the harsh light from the sun to perfectly grow a dense variety of crops in the controlled environment. Though revolutionary, the farms block the stronger rays of sun from reaching the mountain valley’s, destroying the ecology over thousands of years. The resources created by the agricultural wonders give Sohn a monopoly over the flow of food and materials on Ga’hah. 

Sohn has been influenced by the galaxy at large, adopting both Republic and Separatists ideas in order to appear more influential and accepted while still maintaining a sense of superiority.

Speaking of which, the Sohnese have a cast system not practiced in the general populace of Ga'hah based on blood purity. Pure blooded nobles will have blue markings under their eyes. Humans with partial Ga'haiian will be marked in red. Part Ga'haiian hybrids will be marked in Yellow.

Ga'haiians are a genetic variant of humans. The common visage of a Ga'haiin is dramatically tall, a female generally being 6' - 6'5" and males 6'5" -7'5", tanned, with pure white hair. Their pigmentation is adaptive as a result of the extreme light/dark nature of the environment. The olive tone will lighten to almost white after a few days with out direct sun, and darken to a rich golden tan in only a few hours of UV exposure. Each individual has an upper and lower limit to how light or dark their skin will get.

When a Ga'haiian has a child with someone with out the genome variant it causes a few genetic glitches. Part Ga'haiians will be shorter, with splotches of black in their hair. This hair color pattern is known as "Ga'haiian Calico" and is harshly judged in Sohn City.

Blue Sohnese will usually only bare children with other pure blooded Ga'haiians, though some child bearing marriages to outsiders have occured- usually for influence off planet. The resulting half-blooded noble children will either be marked red, to be a secondary partner to a blue, or as a yellow, strictly a servitude position in a blue household.

There has never been a Ga'haiian jedi, and force users are not common on the planet. The ways of the Jedi are antithetical to Ga'haiian culture, who believe that attachment is what makes life worth living and anything and everything is worth being attached to. A Ga'haiian's opinion of a Jedi will range from thinking them foolish to hostile superiority. A family approached by the Jedi counsel would be horrified by their proposal, seeing it as an offer to emotionally castrate their child. If a Jedi were to hail from the "Pleasure Planet," they would have to turn their back completely on the culture of their home world.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+

Ga'hah and Ga'haiian's are open for use in other fan works.

If there's any questions or you'd like a bit of this expanded I'll do a part 2.

[ataraxiaspainting]

Fly Me to the Moon.

Yan Jingliu x F Reader.

Synopsis: “You looked at me like I was made of stardust, and told me that even the moon above us could not compare to the brightness in my eyes.”

Warnings: Yandere themes, violence, and unhealthy relationships.

Word Count: 1k.

i’m so sorry if i’m wrong about xianzhou landscapes lol…

*~*~*~*

The Xianzhou Luofu’s eclipses are as rare as someone who can walk on water.

Moons come and go across the Flagships’ skies as they make their way throughout the galaxy, and so do the suns. They all change from pink to red to gray, and none of them stay for long. Unlike what the Abundance teaches its creations, life has its way of teaching that nothing lasts forever. Permanence is but a fantasy and only those who are blind fools seek out such a blasphemous dream.

But if it is a blind fool you must be to see her whole for the first time, you will gladly be one.

You met just a fragment of her oh so long ago, under the very covered sun that was oh so rare. You dared not to look away from her as she moved towards you like clockwork, her sword dragging across flowered ground. The moon was white, and so were the blossoms. So was her hair, which looked like a bundle of shooting stars. She didn’t smile, but she didn’t frown either. An expression as neutral as water.

She had a black blindfold over her eyes that had the sign of a crescent moon.

To you, she was brighter than the eclipse above.

You two moved together in a circle, a cautious waltz, but also an enticed one. Curiosity.

“You are a Cloud Knight, aren’t you?” She asked. The grip on her blade’s handle loosened just slightly. “I can tell by the spear you hold.”

You nodded, and a chuckle quieter than the gentlest wind escaped her lips.

You took a step backward as she took one forward. It was not out of fear but at the very least well-meant care—a dance crafted from years of training under daylight and starlight.

…

Now, hundreds of moons later, you take a step backward as she now takes three forward. Fear controls you like a puppet as you point your spear, which has by this point been remodeled and repaired from many battles with the Abominations of the Abundance. Daylight and starlight become one with the same snow-white eclipse in the sky.

She is smiling. Her sword no longer glides along sprouted soil, but a stone path painted with the blood of your fellow soldiers. Her blindfold is off, her eyes the very image of a hollow, depraved husk. Mara.

She does not chuckle when your hands shake, but rather she loudly laughs.

It is the farthest thing from gentle.

…

Jingliu has many presences, but none of them last for very long. Some stay for a week at most without issue, but those are rare and so far distanced from one another. She lets you leave, most days, to go buy tea from the market or to go sit down and feed the birds or to let you practice aiming your weapon at the training dummy she placed outside your living quarters. 

When she first brought you here, she told you that you are free to duel her whenever you wish. Win, she said, and you can leave whenever you wish too.

The only thing is you can never manage to even touch her.

The uncharted areas around the cottage she acquired for both of you are dark, and the only places where there is light are the ones that have straight and narrow paths, paths to the few places Jingliu allows you to go unsupervised. Or is the definition of unsupervised in Jingliu’s world is to have you watched from a few kilometers back?

You cannot tell. Nor do you want to know the answer, because you know the truth will stomp on your hope like it was a lowly insect.

You also don’t walk alone at night for reasons like those. You cannot see anything, only hear and think.

You cannot see Jingliu if she is watching you from behind.

Even though she swears on her honor that she does not follow you closely.

You can hear Jingliu’s breathing though, how desperate she can sound, or how calm she can sound. It all depends on what moon shines through the brightest.

…

Meals with Jingliu are always the same.

No matter what her mood is at that particular moment, she always stares at you from across the table.

Sometimes her hair is well-kept, on days when she is happier and more active in her self-care. Sometimes she bats her eyes at you. Sometimes she seems to stare past you, to the unlit fireplace or the vase of flowers near the entrance door. Her stares can turn into glares in an instant, or her glares can turn into loving gazes. You wish most days that she wouldn’t be so distant, but you don’t want her to be suffocating with her affection either.

You just want the best of both worlds. An eclipse.

“How is it?”

Your attention is abruptly captured. Her gaze appears slightly less serene yet intensifies, while yours remains filled with doubt. Your hand ceases the motion of guiding the fork towards your mouth, descending listlessly onto the table.

“Is something the matter, [First]?” Genuine confusion on both of your parts.

“...N-No.” As you lower your gaze and gently shut your eyelids, your whole body quivers uncontrollably, leaving you powerless over its movements. “It’s good.”

“Are you sure?” Your gaze evades her as if being controlled by a small prey animal’s instinct. Your heart races, as if on the verge of a sudden collapse. “You can tell me if something is wrong with the food.”

Your fingers interlock with such force that you fear they might leave imprints on your skin.

“No, no… it’s good, really.”

She tilts her head. “You aren’t eating, though.” You hear the sound of a chair being dragged, a sure sign that she is standing up. “You can be truthful with me, dearest. I won’t be upset.”

Gazing out the window, you offer no response. The sound of her sigh reaches your ears, yet your focus lies elsewhere. A single leaf gracefully twirls upon the surface of the nearby pond, without a care in the world. You hope it will not drown.

[iced-cofi]

I kinda just wanna write game reviews here sometimes. *Ahem*

It's pretty damn rare that you find a piece of media like this throughout the course of your life.

One that elegantly, carefully, and lovingly traverses infinite despair in an infinitely more hopeful way. One that shows you that no true problem can be solved in a single day. One that teaches of the compassion in our hearts, for those around us and the world we all live in.

And, for me, one that teaches that in the face of despair, fear, and sadness, beauty can also be found, and that no matter how pointless it can seem, fighting, trying, and persistence is how we can push through the end of the world. And now matter how all encompassing it may seem, the end is never truly the end. It's just a new beginning.

I am, of course, referring to...

Before I continue, I must clarify, as I did in my ACT review, this will feature spoilers, and moreso than almost any other game I've played, you simply must play this blind if you can.

Ok, a brief, completely spoiler free review. *Ahem again*

Outer Wilds is a beautiful, relaxing yet occasionally stressful first person space exploration game, in which the only currency you collect through the game is knowledge. The solar system is your own journey through the puzzle box the devs made. The music is beautiful and touching, the visuals are distinct yet simple, and the story is like nothing else. The only genuine 10/10 I can give. It's brilliant.

Ok, I will now put a funny picture, this is your opportunity to leave spoiler free.

3

2

1

Ok now time for the real gamers to chat.

This game. This fucking game. It reaches deep to the innermost part of my mind and soul and shows me a more accurate depiction of the human experience than any other game, and it don't even got humans.

It is the absolute definition of existential optimism, and I think it's refreshing, and borderline spiritual.

And this fact is helped because the way you get to the end is entirely up to you. Every single person who plays this game will play it differently. Everyone follows what they find amazing and interesting, and everyone finds what they think is, and they fly and crash and die and laugh and love every moment they spend in this dark, enrapturing galaxy.

The combination of nostalgic foresty landscapes, crumbling planets, shoddy craftsmanship, and banjo laden melancholy music make for a uniquely sentimental game, which allows you to connect with what theyve done.

I mean fuck some of the coolest ideas for planets and worlds I've ever seen.

Brittle Hollow and it's crumbling deadly surface, and infinitely heavy black hole at the center

Dark Bramble, always enshrouded in fog and mystery, endlessly repeating dangerous, vine coated voids filled with the most terrifying creatures in the known universe

The Hourglass Twins, the most clearly time based astral body of all, as two planets pirouette through the sky, trading impossible amounts of sand due to a shift in gravity

And of course, the Quantum Moon, a blend of all other planets with an ethereal, eternally shifting vibe layered thickly on top.

It's brilliant, and scary, and add layers and layers to your story.

And the characters and all so clearly defined, with interests and dreams and hopes. Reibeck hates space but is obsessed with the Nomai technology and history, so he can't help but explore. Feldspar and his sporadic attitude and wealth of courage allowing him to explore anywhere, as long as it's got beasties. And of course, the one, the only, the best o Outer Wilds character, Gabbro!

This chill as mother fucker got trapped in the same time loope as you, and is simply to chill and content to give a single fucking shit, while still helping where he can with advice and knowledge. It's awesome, and he also teaches you how to speed up your death with meditation, so that's... Cool.

And of fucking course I gotta talk about the music.

It's hypnotic. It permeates your body and makes you happy and sad and lonely and any other thing you can imagine, while still fitting the game, and any individual story moment. It's brilliant.

Like, listen to this shit.

And what about this???

And how about this, which is from the dlc, which i will write about in another review when I'm not exhausted!!

I gotta say, this isn't a review in the way I'd like it to be, cause I'm tired, but fuck me play this game it's amazing and the music and visuals and every piece is just... Oh my God.

I hope you enjoyed reading this delirious mish mash of words I wanted to say about a game I really love.

No joke, 10/10

Would crash into the sun again.

Thanks!!

[cadaverre]

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ the swords are drawn, they really are

JUNO ☆ they/them (i dont mind she/her) ☆ minor (xv) ☆ bisexual ☆ cancer sun, libra moon, sag rising ☆ intp-t ☆ aus ☆ either a celestial god or a pebble ☆ anxious mess ☆ i change my theme way too much ☆ sparkling water > regular water ☆ in love with piercings and wants all of them ☆ professional procrastinator ☆ a humanities/arts/music girl in a science/maths world ☆ dont know much abt society but i know i hate capitalism ☆ wouldnt survive a day without spotify ☆ free palestine!! ☆

LOVES ⭑.ᐟ - literature, the arts, queer culture, astronomy + astrology, witchcraft, feminism (no terfs allowed!!!!), cold drinks, miniskirts, doc martens, dark red, nail polish, mascara, lipgloss, brie (always dreaming of cheese), pinterest, spotify, my headphones, the ocean, my grandparents house, spring+winter, fiddling around on the guitar, fantasising about being a famous musician, finding new music, snow, going to concerts, psychology, web weaving, learning languages (currently learning spanish and i want to learn latin!)

BOOKS ⭑.ᐟ - osemanverse, the hunger games, books by rhiannon wilde, tim te maro's subterranean heartsick blues, all the best liars, books by octavia butler (specifically parable of the sower and parable of the talents), the last true poets of the sea, acotar, the weight of the stars, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, the picture of dorian grey, house of hollow, howls moving castle, harry potter (mainly marauders, FUCK JKR), i kissed shara wheeler, red white and royal blue, song of achilles, wings of fire, the secret history, crime and punishment

MOVIES + SHOWS ⭑.ᐟ - juno, dont look up, little women (2019), scream (i like most of them but 1996 is my fav by far), ladybird, barbie (2023), some of the mcu (thor and guardians of the galaxy <33), spiderverse (itsv is my love), gilmore girls, stranger things, loki, heartstopper, arcane, scott pilgrim takes off + scott pilgrim vs the world, mean girls (i love both hehe), dr who, percy jackson (the show, i um havent read the books), gossip girls, do revenge, my little pony, the bear, hannibal, we are lady parts, bottoms

MUSIC ⭑.ᐟ - boygenius + solos, taylor swift, glaive, brakence, paramore, ricky jamaraz, melanie martinez, lana del rey, ashnikko, girl in red, billie eilish, doja cat, big thief, adrianne lenker, ethel cain, mitski, remi wolf, cigarettes after sex, ericdoa, tv girl, clairo, the neighbourhood, bon iver, deftones, maneskin, courtney barnett, poppy, the smiths, american football, susannah joffe, renee rapp, mcr, the front bottoms, pierce the veil, gracie abrams, feeble little horse, esha tewari, radiohead, chappell roan, charli xcx

ALBUMS ⭑.ᐟ - the record, 1989 tv, around the fur, riot, three cheers for sweet revenge, all we know is falling, hypochondriac, girl with fish, doa, things with wings, punk2, songs, masterpiece, guts, lust for life, dykttatuob, punisher, stranger in the alps, i care so much that i dont care at all, collide with the sky, manic, badlands, folklore, trafoamp, k-12, crybaby, portals, this is why, ttpd + the anthology, hit me hard and soft, the bends, brat, the secret of us, home video

TALK TO ME ⭑.ᐟ - asks and dms are open for chatting/venting/whatever, i might take a while to respond ☆ i rarely follow people without an intro post/descriptive bio (with name, age group and pronouns especially) ☆ discord is astraeasparrow ☆ i dont currently have any trigger warnings tagged but just send me an ask/dm if you want me to tag something specific!! ☆dni: people who are: rude, racist, homophobic, transphobic, zionist, terfs, sexist, ableist, antisemitic

TAGS ⭑.ᐟ

#juno.txt -> ramblings, original posts

#asks -> asks ive answered

#ask bait -> send me asks!

#tag games -> tag games ive participated in

#beautiful mutuals -> interactions with my beautiful mutuals !

#spotify -> my music obsession

#junocore -> posts that are so incredibly mecore

#🩻 -> posts abt/for my fav

(im working on a better taglist with my moots tags)

SOCIALS ⭑.ᐟ pinterest ☆spotify ☆ carrd ☆ pronoun page ☆ letterboxd ☆ stats.fm

SIDEBLOGS ⭑.ᐟ @likeasugarcubeinateacup (notes app poetry) -- @sirenliight (short poetry + aesthetics) -- a close friends blog (you can ask for the url, i might say no) (im not that active on them though)

NOTES/UPDATES ⭑.ᐟ

☆ prev urls — astraeasparrow -> gu1lty-as-sin -> glcive

☆ last updated: july 10th 2024

☆ dividers by @plutism

thats all!! stay hydrated and have a wonderful day/night everyone <3

[mysticstarlightduck]

Seven Deadly Sins

Thanks for the tag, @the-golden-comet (here)!

I'll go with the cast of Supernova Initiative and What Lurks In The Hollow for this one!

Rules: which of your OCs would you assign to which of the seven deadly sins and why?

GREED

Jasper Astrophell (Supernova Initiative)

Jasper's the son of an intergalactic billionaire arms dealer, and is someone who not only was raised with the world on a silver platter but who was very much sheltered from their galaxy's true realities. He loved going to parties, buying the finest flying cars and spaceships, going on dates, etc - standard "rich spoiled playboy" stuff. But he also takes after his father's sense of business and is a brilliant inventor, being also incredibly intelligent when it comes to making brand deals and is pretty much a space opera version of the Wolf of Wall Street whenever he gets involved in the company's dealings.

Savvanah Hahn (What Lurks In The Hollow)

Savvy embodies the sin of "greed" in a non-monetary sense - she's not really interested in money and honestly hates people who waste it. She embodies greed because she is a very intense person who wants to have control over the spheres of her life she can control - because she feels that, if she loses that control, bad things could happen to her and those she loves. She is also very serious when it comes to "her stuff" be it her turf, her & her boyfriend's favorite arcade machine, or her seat at a concert, and is not at all afraid to get into brawls to "keep her territory" in a very troublemaker teen way.

WRATH

Vesper Foxx (Supernova Initiative)

Vesper's life ever since the day she lost everything as a child, was dictated by rage. Rage at the destruction of her homeland by foreigner invaders, rage at having to hopelessly watch her brother be tortured to death, rage at escaping and being too young to have her revenge just yet at the time. She left her younger sister and cousin behind to pursue revenge because no matter how much she tried and tried and tried to move on, that primal anger born of trauma would never leave her. She would never have peace unless her brother's killers suffered the same fate as he had. No matter how many lives she reaped on her wrathful path to achieve it. Full alien girl John Wick.

Liam Steele (What Lurks In The Hollow)

A troubled youth, Liam has a reputation for being an incredibly defiant, almost antisocial, teenager who gets into fights for the most trivial things. He's seen as a bully by kids who do not know him well and as a nuisance by any authority figures around him. But that's not what he really is - he's not a bully, he only gets into fights with people who provoke him or who try to hurt others (a.k.a. he beats up the ACTUAL bullies), and just has a short patience because no one other than Savvy ever tried to understand him, so he never bothered letting down his guard. Since he thought being vulnerable would only get him hurt, he embraced the "tough teen who listens to rock and spends the day at the arcade or skulking around town" facade to be left in peace.

GLUTTONY

Jack Tithus (Supernova Initiative)

Jack dictates his life in the pursuit of having more than what he had when he and his siblings were just street urchins on their crime-ridden birth moon. Even though so much time has passed and he's now a rich and renowned intergalactic thief, the wound of all the shame and toil they went through still haunts him. He wants all the fun, food, clothes, and adventures because deep down, he wants to prove to himself that he's more than what everyone once called a "filthy street rat." He's obsessive about being free to do whatever he wants and his incessant pursuit for more, and more, and MORE, is what drove him to continue the path of a thief in the first place - he's hungry for the opportunities he never had in the past, restless to never stop indulging himself in freedom and always keep having more and more adventures, because he fears that if he does stop, he'll prove his enemies right.

Christine Nespor (What Lurks In The Hollow)

A former wanderer who found solace in the solitude of the small town of Vinethorn Grove, Christine is a creative soul who, stifled by the toxic expectations of her shitty family, left her life behind to indulge her soul in who she really wants to be. She is hungry for adventure, for the freedom to express herself and feed her soul in beautiful sights, to see nature, see unique places, and generally indulge herself in being alive. To her, life is a wonderful buffet, and those who know how to make the most of it, are the happiest! She knows how to find the silver lining in any situation, even if others cannot.

LUST:

Kye Thalax (Supernova Initiative)

I considered putting him in the "Wrath" category, but then I realized that Kye - despite wanting bloody revenge for the death of his father and the pain they suffered in the past - is far too calculated and cold to be considered wrathful. He is bitter, but his emotions rarely get the better of him. Kye is known to take a deceitful and cunning approach to taking down his enemies, sometimes even resorting to seduction to destroy them. He uses those people's vices against them - if someone he wants to kill drinks too much, he poisons their drink; if they gamble, he poisons their cards; if they just want to have sex, he seduces them and poisons them in the safety of their chambers; if the person is obsessed with killing, he poisons the hilt of their weapons so the one who dies is the killer and not the would-be-victims.

Mrs. Draycott (What Lurks In The Hollow)

OKAY SO THE ONLY ANTAGONIST ON THIS LIST LET'S GO lmao.. Mrs. Draycott is a middle-aged woman, somewhere in her very late forties or early fifties, who is considered a very "upstanding citizen" in the small town of Vinethorn Grove. She's an active member of the local community and often uses her reputation to get what she wants. Mrs. Draycott (her name is Adelaide btw) is the embodiment of a Karen and takes a creepy liking to Dylan Millihan after he and his sister Amy move into town. A "lonely" widow drawn to his youthful (23M) looks and who all too soon becomes very stalkerish towards him- often paying them unwanted visits saying she "just wanted to drop by", or stopping by Dylan's jobs, or just generally following them around town, hoping he "becomes smitten with her too". At first, the siblings just tried to politely ignore her, but as she became more insistent and annoying, Dylan eventually snaps at her at a community event and tells her to leave him alone. Feeling spurned, Mrs. Draycott then showed her full aggressive personality and became a true Karen, trying to make the siblings' lives a living hell and turning the already wary townsfolk against them.

PRIDE:

Artemis Zreeth (Supernova Initiative)

Artemis is a very prideful and cocky young man. One of his fatal flaws is that he is often too stubborn to realize he is in the wrong and wants to do things his own way even if they eventually go wrong. A lot of why he clashes with Kye when they have to work together is that Artemis refused to consider Kye genuinely wanted to make amends and redeem their friendship.

Dylan Millihan (What Lurks In The Hollow)

Dylan has a strong personality and generally pushes people away rather than be friendly. He's also someone who isn't very approachable and generally wants to do his own thing, live his life and hates people who try to pry into his personal business. He is very bitter about the fact he had to give up his budding medical career - he was halfway through medical college when their toxic grandmother died leaving behind only MASSIVE GAMBLING DEBTS and regret - and some percentage of that resentment comes from the fact he hates the fact he was never able to fulfill his potential and got stuck as someone who in his point of view was only "half-good" - his self-esteem is kind of shitty, if you can't tell lol, and he hides it behind a layer of a harsh pride.

ENVY

Aleks Keldora (Supernova Initiative)

Not necessarily envy but Aleks suffers from severe social anxiety and thinks he's "never going to be good enough" so he's "better off pretending to be somebody" else like a social chameleon.

Erin Niemand (What Lurks In The Hollow)

Erin's a loner who holds some considerable resentment towards kids who are able to be popular - which she isn't able to do - and deep down also feels "lesser" than the kids who have full families, since her mother abandoned the family - which made Erin develop some serious trust and self-esteem issues.

SLOTH

Meridian Shardd (Supernova Initiative)

Not on purpose - but they can be overwhelmed by being given too many tasks and may panic and not do anything instead, or will be halfway through a task and get distracted by something else and ditch the task to do that something else instead.

Indigo "Indie" Lauriel (What Lurks In The Hollow)

She's a laidback hipster girl who rarely takes things seriously and has some serious procrastinating issues, and can be generally pretty lazy.

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid @thecomfywriter

@thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @amaiguri

@differentnighttale, @leahnardo-da-veggie

@cherrychiplip

[we-the-witch]

To distract herself from the abomination that is alcoholic soup, she decided to make some food herself. "Sarmale with sour cream and mămăligă. Yes, those are grape vine leaves and yes they can be eaten with the rest of the meal. Didn't have any meat left, so I made it with just rice and a few vegetables. Mămăliga is made out of corn."

[kazkat-draws-the-days]

got a little too insane about my woy oc and somehow ended up planning an entire au (well idk if it counts as an au, because its just an imagining of season 3) and started worldbuilding dominator's home planet and thinking about a potential backstory for her

ramblings and explanations under the cut for anyone interested

so after the finale when dominator's stuff got all blown up and whatnot, so in s3 shes trying to rebuild and enact her revenge ofc (the whole amount of stuff i have planned for the au is a lot more complicated but it does also feature Emperor Peepers!)

most ppl say she came from a dif galaxy but i like to think she actually is just from a real small planet on the outskirts and that she had social issues her whole life bc of her general love of destruction.

I think volcania 5 would have a big focus on the themes of warmth and rebirth part of lava instead of the whole destruction thing, to dom's dismay haha

thinking about dom's backstory, on principal of who she is, and what she means for wander's themes and arcs, i dont want to give her a tragic backstory, but more so one where if she acted even somewhat differently it would not have happened

i think from a very young age she was shit at socials, and bullied other kids bc she liked the feeling of power that came with it, so she never really had any friends. and i dont want it to be all "no one gave her a chance to be a friend 🥺 " kinda thing. nah she was given CHANCE AFTER CHANCE. but that combined with her need for control not a lot of people actually enjoyed being around her. To make matters worse Volcania generally raises children communally, so there was no family per se to love her unconditionally

Okay onto the worldbuilding for volcania 5!

The ipvo ring is an artificial ring and is used for intraplanatery travel (like an interstate) Ipvo stands for intra planetary Volcania. Bc there are many planets who have ip rings and for ease of reference they are labled for the respective planet

Also theres a whole thing with lava manipulation technology being banned for being too powerful (the bottom right is mostly focused on that)

Basically my idea was that shortly before their space age, lava manipulation was discovered, and subsequently used to establish a dictatorship. It was violent and terrible, but they gained a lot of tech knowledge that let them gain space travel

Eventually though the dictatorship is overthrown and lava manipulation is banned for being too powerful (kinda viewed how nuclear devices are viewed irl, they got a lot of potential harm even if stuff like nuclear power would be nice) This is taught in schools and stuff but dominator is ofc like "YOOO THATS TIGHT, HOW DO I GET MY HANDS ON THAT"

Eventually she hollows out the volcanium core of volcania to make a basic vers of her ship and then makes a bigass bomb she puts into the hollow core

The moons survive tho, so after the finale she slinks off to zon to rebuild!

thats basically it for now bc i dont want to write a whole essay in here haha! But if anyone is interested I will talk about more stuff like the general ideas and arcs that i've thought about for this au (admittedly beyond dominator and my oc 1ou, i have probably only thought about peepers in a lot of detail)

[c-billbaby]

Floating in the debris field of a shattered moon the Money Maker looked for all the galaxy like a derelict wreck, perhaps the victim of one of the endless wars that had burned the Inner Sphere to ash over and over for centuries. The hull of the Union class dropship was carbon scored and pockmarked with impact craters, the obvious victim of hard fighting and long exposure to the trials and travails of space travel. In the darkness exposed wires sometimes sparked against each other sending bright flashes of light into the void.

It was these flashes in the night which drew attention to the old war machine. It was easy to assume it had gone decades or more undetected amidst the heavy metal deposits of the scattered remnants of the moon until a shorting wire lit out like an electric lighthouse to the eternal denizen of the Inner Sphere.

Scavengers.

The spotlights of the Volcano lit the darkness white and cast the Money Maker into stark contrasts of chipped paint, shadow, and ruin. The much larger Outpost class dropship was the opposite of the ruined Union. Blazing fresh orange paint covered every surface and the emblem of Clan Hell’s Horses, a stallion’s head with flaming mane, proudly looked down upon the wreckage ahead as with tiny busta of its thrusters it maneuvered through the maze of stone around it.

It was truly a machine of war, bristling with weapons, its bays designed for BattleMechs and Combat Vehicles stripped bare in preparation for the meal of technology it was about to tear from the bloated carcass of the Money Maker. Its spotlights continued to caress the slowly spinning ruin until they came upon a protrusion from the armored shell that stood cancerous upon its surface.

Lashed down with ferro fibrous cable it clung to the surface of the Money Maker black and gleaming like a spider in its web. What at first seemed to be monstrous hollow eyes inbedded in a metal carapace soon revealed themselves to me the muzzles of massive cannons. The Fenris BattleMech powered upb fusion engine thrumming to life as the twin heavy gauss rifles in its chest rose, adjusted, then fired with deadly accuracy.

A pair of quarter ton tungsten slugs slammed into the cargo loading doors of the Volcano at hypersonic speed and tore it completely from the hinges. Technicians, engineers, and crew were ripped into the void, their screams both surprised and silent. From the far, dark side of the Money Maker a half dozen shadows crawled across its skin, then lit in flame and fire as the battle armor’s jump jets sent them racing towards the breach.

Across the radio channels came the cry of the Money Maker’s mistress, Gemma Orlais in her suit of power armor leading the charge. “Let ‘er have it lads! But don't break me new ship!” Then space was alight with energy blasts, missiles, and explosive shells streaking from the supposed wreckage into the pristine clan machine.

[illuminatedquill]

Prologue Summary: Thrawn has been defeated. The Imperial Remnant has fled in full retreat, disappearing into the Unknown Regions. All across the galaxy, citizens of the New Republic celebrate - free, at last, from the Empire's long shadow. But as the galaxy looks forward to a new era of peace and prosperity, not all are able to share in the celebrations. Mandalore, once again, finds itself on the brink of civil war. A new, violent faction of Mandalorians - vowing to punish the traitors who led Mandalore to ruin - has risen, sowing fear and anger wherever they strike. With the violence reaching a fever pitch, a clandestine meeting takes place in the dark ruins of the once great Mandalorian capital city of Sundari . . . one that has ominous consequences for the hard-won peace enjoyed by the New Republic. And as the future of Mandalore lies at stake, Bo-Katan Kryze makes a desperate call to the planet Lothal, hoping to reach the only two people she trusts to help prevent another war that will destroy any chance of a brighter tomorrow for her people . . .

Overture: RUIN

Ruins of Sundari, Night

Walking through the ruins of Sundari, Kaizer reflected, was a perfect illustration of the current state of Mandalorian society. He had been present during the Night of a Thousand Tears and, like countless others of his kind, believed that to be the true end of Mandalore.

Thankfully, he had been proven wrong. The planet - and its people - survived, as they always do. But it had come at a great cost. Countless wars throughout Mandalore's history, waged with outsiders and with each other, had left the planet barren. Rock and steel and ancient traditions are all that had survived until now.

Some saw it as a victory; proof that Mandalorians could survive anything the galaxy threw their way.

Kaizer knew different. It was the death of a thousand cuts. His people were starving; everything they subsisted on was imported. Crime, disease, and a general air of hopelessness pervaded the population. They had no economy to speak of; nothing to trade with other nearby planets, except for their services as mercenaries or bounty hunters.

The New Republic offered little help. They were too far from the Central Core, and they were still cleaning up the mess from Thrawn's campaign of conquest. At least, that was the official excuse.

Bo-Katan Kryze, newly installed in her position of Mand'alor, was desperately trying to find help where she could. But she was running out of time.

Yes, he reflected darkly, Mandalore survived. But survival cost more every time - and at some point, the cost would be too high to justify. There wouldn't be anything - or anyone - left to pay that price.

His steps echoed in the hollowed-out subsection of the city's underside. There were no city lights to guide his way, but the natural light from the stars and moon above were enough for him to see his way. The larger rubble and debris had been moved aside for somewhat safe passage; thin pools of murky water covered the exposed ground. Small insects and reptiles scattered in his wake as he made his way to the meeting spot.

Finally, ducking through a narrow opening between two chunks of large rock, he arrived in a secret alcove that appeared to be the remains of an archive. He gazed around at the shelves, holding countless data pads; all ruined, he was sure, by the wear and tear of time over the years.

He sighed. The valuable history and knowledge of his people lost so senselessly.

Would it end someday? The cycle of violence that plagued Mandalorians?

Kaizer clenched his fists. I will end it, he thought. I know the way to save us all.

I will do it for you, Melody. I will make it right. As you asked.

"You're late," came a voice in the dark.

He turned to find a cloaked figure, their robes shimmering crimson in the dim lighting. Kaizer barely made out a face: a hooked nose and a cruel twist of a mouth, along with amber eyes that glinted with a dark intelligence. Humanoid, male, and middle-aged.

Kaizer eyed the man apprehensively, weighing his response. He still had no name for this man or any other distinguishing information on his purpose or why he was here. He had appeared months ago, offering him the resources to kick-start his plan - a plan that would have taken years to get off the ground. Now everything was in place, mere months after his first initial appearance.

Their goals were aligned, was all that the man offered about himself. Suspiciously so, Kaizer thought at the time.

"Planning a coup happens to be a time-consuming activity," Kaizer replied.

"Indeed," said the man. "But my master asks for a progress report. He grows impatient."

"Your master," Kaizer repeated. "You've never said why he's so interested in helping our cause."

"As I've said before: our goals are aligned. Bo-Katan must not remain in power. New leadership would be beneficial to Mandalore's future in the years to come."

Kaizer studied him. "You're that scared of her?"

"Not so much her, but who she has chosen as her successor."

Kaizer arched an eyebrow. "You've heard the rumors regarding Countess Wren, I see."

"As have you," stated the man, a touch of impatience entering his voice. "I would hope you have a plan to counter Bo-Katan. Sabine Wren is a problem, one that must be handled swiftly."

He leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed. "We do have a plan. Sacha is ready. She has long prepared for her role in the events to come."

"Yes, your young ward . . ." The older man sounded doubtful.

"Is there a problem?" asked Kaizer sharply.

"The prophecy. Is she aware of it?"

"Of course she is. Her whole life is based around it."

"So is Sabine Wren's," countered the other man.

"Only she is not aware of it," replied Kaizer. "That gives us the advantage. The Countess remains in the dark without that knowledge. My sources tell me that Bo-Katan has not informed her about any of it."

The cloaked man went quiet for a moment. Then, he said, "I worry about your ward's lineage. It could affect her loyalties."

Kaizer gritted his teeth. "Sacha is loyal to me. To the cause. I have no doubt of that."

"She is a Wren. They are known traitors."

"Rebels," corrected Kaizer. "They fought for Mandalore. Even misguided as they were. And Sacha is only half-Wren, on her father's side."

The other man snorted disdainfully. "Your continued affection towards Clan Wren baffles me considering your own lineage, Kaizer. Your own clan - "

" - Deserved what happened to them," retorted Kaizer. "I don't need to be reminded of my own history, old man. Sacha and I will see the plan through. Bo-Katan will fall, and Countess Wren will never take the throne. I stake my honor on it."

"And what of my master's gift? Should your plan fail, are you willing to use it?"

Kaizer paused, feeling sick at the thought.

The Endfire. Kyr Tracyn.

"Better Mandalore be turned to dust, then let it fall into the hands of Sabine Wren in the future," urged the cloaked man. "She will bring your people to ruin. My master has seen it. You have seen it. That is why you agreed to accept our gift."

Kaizer chose his next words carefully. "It is to be used as a last resort, only."

The other man settled into dissatisfied silence but said nothing further. Kaizer took that as his cue to leave.

"I wonder what your father would think of you now, Kaizer Saxon," said the cloaked man to his back.

Kaizer slowly turned around, his blood freezing at the mention of his surname. It had been many years since he had last heard it uttered out loud. He had long ago chosen to walk away from it.

He shrugged. "He's dead, old man. And you will be too if you mention him again in my company."

A flash of a malicious grin underneath the cloaked hood. "You are so much like him, my dear boy. Not just in looks - your heart, as well."

Kaizer's eye twitched. His fingers rested on the butt of his blaster, holstered on his side, tapping away gently.

After a few tense moments, he finally restrained the impulse to murder the other man and stalked away into the ruined city.

Minutes passed and the cloaked figure stepped out and made for his own exit, taking short, cautious steps through the ruins.

When both men were long gone, Koska Reeves - personal guard to Lady Bo-Katan - stepped out of her hiding spot nearby. Checking her comm-link to ensure that their conversation had been recorded in its entirety, thanks to a data-recorder cleverly hidden in a shelf within the ruined archive, she then sent a quick message to her lady.

"Lady Kryze," said Koska. "You heard everything?"

"Yes," came the reply. "Are you safe? Did they see you?"

"I'm safe for the moment. They never saw me, my Lady."

"Good work," said Bo-Katan, her voice full of pride. "Come to my private suite immediately. We have much to discuss. The Elders are already here."

"At once," responded Koska. She paused. "Permission to speak informally, my lady?"

"Granted, Koska."

She let out a deep breath. "This is real kriffing bad, Bo."

"Understatement of the century," came Bo-Katan's dry reply. "We are knee deep in bantha poo-doo, I admit."

Koska thought back to what was said in the clandestine meeting. "Is it true?" she whispered. "There was another survivor of Clan Wren?"

There was a long pause - so long, Koska thought the signal had died. Finally, Bo-Katan said quietly, "Yes. Very few knew about it outside of the family."

"Even Sabine?" asked Koska.

"No. She was the exception. Her mother made sure she never knew."

"Why?" she asked. "Why wouldn't she want her to know?"

"Ursa had her reasons," said Bo-Katan. "But the main thing, as always with her, was that she was protecting Sabine."

Koska only knew Ursa Wren by reputation and from the stories told by Bo-Katan. The idea of a family member keeping the existence of one of their own a secret from another . . . she couldn't fathom it. How would that secret serve to protect Sabine?

"How - how does Sacha exist?" asked Koska. "And how did the son of Gar Saxon come to find her?"

"That's a long story, Koska. I'll explain it more when you return."

She nodded to herself and prepared her jetpack for take-off. The dark, ruined city around her suddenly felt malevolently alive - and it also felt like it was watching her.

But, one last question remained. "Bo?"

"Yes, Koska?"

"Are you going to call them?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," said Bo-Katan. "We need their help."

Koska thought for a second. "Everything will change once Sabine knows the truth," she said solemnly. "And this prophecy, too . . . she'll hate you, Bo. She might not be on Mandalore's side, once this is all over."

A deep sigh emitted from the comm-link. "I'll take that chance. But you don't know her like I do, Koska. I know her heart. I know who she gets it from. She'll make the right choice."

Koska didn't have anything to say in return. The words from Bo-Katan were hardly comforting. But it was all she had.

The future of Mandalore rested upon Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger's shoulders from here on out. Their choices in the days to come would decide everything.

Koska shook herself mentally. There was still work to be done, and Bo-Katan would need her.

A Mandalorian and a Jedi, she thought, dark amusement flickering through her. They'll definitely cause problems, for sure. I just hope it's for the other side and not us.

She sighed. It was going to be a busy couple days ahead, full of violence and history shaping events.

Koska Reeves activated her jetpack and flew into the long, dark night.

TO BE CONTINUED IN:

THE FIRST VERSE OF A SONG OF STARBIRDS AND WOLVES

RECKONING

[daggerzine]

MY FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2024!

MY FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2024 (in no particular order)

Chime School- The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel (Slumberland)

Mary Timony- Untame the Tiger (Merge)

Weak Signal- fine (12XU)

Dummy- Free Energy (Trouble in Mind)

The Softies- The Bed I Made (Father Daughter)

The Tyde- Season 5 (Spiritual Pajamas)

Best Bets- The Hollow Husk of Feeling (Meritorio)

Jessica Pratt- Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)

Ducks Ltd- Harms Way (Carpark)

Peter Perrett- The Cleansing (Domino)

The Sharp Pins- Radio DDR (self released)

Lightheaded- Combustible Gems (Slumberland)

Beachwood Sparks- Across the River of Stars (Curation)

The Reds, Pinks and Purples- Unwishing Well (Slumberland)

The Infinites- Archetypes (Meritorio)

The Lemon Twigs- A Dream is All We Know (Captured Tracks)

Redd Kross- S/T (in the Red)

Yea-Ming and the Rumors- I Can't Have it All (Dandy Boy)

Humdrum- Every Heaven (Slumberland)

Jim Nothing- Grey Eyes Grey Lynn (Meritorio)

WAIT HERE'S 20 MORE!

Lovejoy- ..and it's love! (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets)

Class - A Healthy Alternative (Feel It Records)

Bloodstains- S/T (self released)

The Hard Quartet- S/T (Matador)

Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band- Loophole (Modern Sky)

The Resonars- Electricity Plus (self released)

Mythical Motors- Seven is Circular (self released)

Sad Eyed Beatniks- Ten Brocades (Meritorio)

Club 8- A Year with Club 8 (self released)

Torrey- S/T (Slumberland)

Pale Lights- Waverly Place Jigsaw)

The BVs- Taking Pictures of Taking Pictures (Shelflife)

Deep Tunnel Project- S/T (Comedy Minus One)

Mt.Misery- Love In Mind (Prefect)

Winged Wheel- Big Hotel (12XU)

Lunchbox- Pop and Circumstance (Slumberland)

Tears Run Rings- Everything in the End (Shelflife)

Nada Surf- Moon Mirror (New West)

Savak- Flavors of Paradise (Ernest Jenning)

Kevin Robertson- The Call of the Sea (Futureman)

AAAAAAND....HERE'S 10 MORE!

Steve Wynn- Make It Right (Fire)

Pernice Brothers- Who Will You Believe (New West)

Laughing- Because It's Better (Celluloid Lunch)

Outer World- Who Does the Music Love? (HHBTM)

Rachel Love-  Lyra (The Cat Collects)

Wussy- Cincinnati Ohio (Shake It)

The Armoires- Octoberland (Big Stir Records)

Boyracer- Seaside Riot (Emotional Response

Being Dead- Eels (Bayonet)

Quivers- Oyster Cuts (Merge)

I ALSO REALLY LIKED RECORDS BY:  2nd Grade, Mo Dotti, Water Damage, The Folk Implosion, The Umbrellas, Laughing, Lupe Citta, Feeling Figures, Flowertown, Trust Fund, Chimers, Smashing Times, Ned Collette, Kim Deal, Metz, Sleveens, Cathedral Ceilings, Soup Activists, Bill Ryder-Jones, Neutrals, Pete Astor, Buffalo Tom, GospelBeach, The Shop Window, Lions of the Interstate,  The Caraway, Extra Arms, J. Robbins,  The Grain Hoppers, The Yellow Melodies, Mark Bacino, The Proctors, Penny Arcade, Magic Fig, Seasonal Falls, The Reflectors, Chanel Beads, etc. 

MY 15 FAVORITE REISSUES/COLLECTIONS OF 2O24

The Saints- I'm Stranded box set (In the Red)

Galaxie 500- Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 (20/20/20)

Shop Assistants- S/T (Chrysalis)

Birdie- Some Dusty (Slumberland)

The Rain Parade- Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (Label 51)

The Ladybug Transistor- Albermarle Sound (Merge)

Love Child-Never Meant To Be (1988-1993) (12XU)

Velocity Girl- Ultracopacetic (Sub Pop)

East Village- Drop Out (Heavenly)

A Girl Called Eddy- S/T (Last Night From Glasgow)

David Kilgour- A Feather in the Engine (Merge)

Linda Smith- Nothin Else Matters (Captured Tracks)

The Fluid- Clear Black Paper (Sub Pop)

Drop 19's- Delaware (Wharf Cat)

High Llamas- Hawaii (Drag City)

MY 5 FAVORITE EPS OF 2024!

R.E. Seraphin- Fool's Mate (Safe Suburban Home/ Take a Turn) 

Finnogun's Wake- Stay Young (What's Your Rupture)

Cori Elba- Full Stop (self released)

Slack Times- Gone Things (Meritorio)

Surfing Pointers- S/T (BirthDIY)