#how far we've come :pensive: :pensive: :pensive:

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

New Year Blues | Yandere Shoto Todoroki

The glow of the extended break was beginning to fade. The city's typical hustle and bustle has returned with an air of dread. The employees of various companies begrudgingly returned to their grave-like posts. The only one unaffected seemed to be a little girl on a cashmere carpet happily engaging in a reenactment of a successfully violent coup 'de tat. Her hair was in an intricate set of braids beautifully highlighting the few and far between pearly white strands. A slither of color from her father's hair. It was one of the only telling signs that they were related at all. That and the shape of her nose. Otherwise she'd been told she was like her other parent.

That brought a kind of comfort to Shoto. A comfort only a divorced Father could understand. The ache he fostered when met with those familiar eyes. Or the mannerisms he could spot a mile away.

Any other divorcee would have to be fighting their own mixed emotions of disdain, regret, and pain but not Shoto. No, because Shoto was different than most if not everyone. Shoto wouldn't give up.

"Papa, will you play with me?"

"Sorry, Snowbell, I'm waiting for someone special."

The girl sighed as she collected her scattered toys," If it's who I think it is, I should start packing up."

"You do not have to, I have all the time to wait."

"Maybe you do but they don't."

That caught his attention, "They don't?"

From his position on his armchair he brought a tentative fist to his mouth; concealing a hidden expression as his daughter explained.

"Yeah, the guys we've been hanging out with sometimes. The ones with the long black hair and the redhead with the creepy smile."

His daughter's nonchalant response fed wood to the flame Shoto had started. Like burning ethanol it was silent and unseen; quickly preparing to singe the remains of his distastes. He took a drag out of a sleek container, barely inhaling the crystallized dust from within. He hides a clearing sniff with a cough into his hand. Placing the container back in his suit pocket, he coughed into the fist of his hand as he smoothed over the small lump in his suit's chest pocket. The potential energy coursing through his veins made for an easy comfort. The crystalline chemical bubbling within his blood made enduring the pain that much easier with the thoughts of his latest power.

Shoto Todoroki was no average divorced Father, he was also one of the selected owners of the latest leap in human technology. With a simple sniff, the latest creation allowed those with quirks to strengthen their abilities while adding more. It wasn't approved and will never be by most governments but that just meant more freedom for those in the market for them.

And all the time in the world to do as he pleased.

"Papa you have to use the girl voice!"

He chuckled, "But I don't have one."

She pouted. "Yes, you do!

They went back and forth, successfully distracting them both from the impending arrival they both had been celebrating. Only remembering the ring of the grand bell on the home's double door's ringing throughout the home.

"Still in your PJs....don't tell me your father conveniently let you play with your gifts again…at the exact time I’ve come to pick you up?"

"But he played with me this time."

A pensive glare was shot past the little girl's head at the man gathering dolls on the floor. Rolling of eyes returned to their soft and endearing gaze on the little girl.

Scooped into loving arms and endless kisses Yuki could only return in half. She barely registered the ghost of a smile on her Father's face as he put back her dolls all wrong. She'd have to spend ten extra minutes reorganizing them. How unfortunate.

"Hope you had a Merry Christmas, (Y/n)."

Scoffing it didn't take long for Yuki's other parent to cross the threshold, to help the little girl pack. Shoto hovered nearby, picking at the nerves he once was married to in his own childish game of keep-away.

"Happy Hannukah to you too, slug."

It was endearing in its special way. The opposite greetings and the derogatory nickname. In a moment of peace, Shoto was told it was because some slugs were a myriad of patterns and colors like his hair. He was also told that they could be poisonous. What he remembers most though-is that (Y/n) hates slugs.

"My chef fixed more than enough food for me. You know how often I'm out, would you mind taking some of it off my hands?"

An innocent question. Was met with a sneer and a judgmental look down and up his person.

As if they didn't already know him from top to bottom. 

"We'll be fine. We have plenty of snacks at home."

After a lengthy trip up the marble stairs, once again the divorced couple were folding their daughter's clothes side by side. Shoto stole a glance or two at the face of his former partner. Biting back the urge to compliment such an enticing side profile, he took a more tactical approach.

"I heard you've been entertaining some...new company."

"If this is your way of getting me to talk to you I suggest you pick something else."

"I'm serious," he took the folded pants out of their clutches placing them in the small suitcase below. "tell me."

A spiteful glare and his silent urging lowered a wall closed to him more often now. Watching with joy and resentment as a genuine smile appeared.

"I've been making some new and interesting friends lately."

"Friends?"

"Yes. Back in the day you know I wasn't allowed many other than yours."

The jab hurt him more than he expected. Reminded of all the arguments centered around this exact topic. He hid it well behind his apathetic gaze hiding the flutter in his movements.

"But now that I'm able to make them I...actually have more fun during the off-days."

"That's good."

He refuses to let it show how much it irks him that the beauty of that beloved smile wasn't caused by him. He thought it better to change the subject but Yuki had decided to join with her own two-sense.

"It's real good. Especially since they show me new tricks all the time."

"New Tricks?"

"Yeah," she added her improperly folded socks into the bag. ", Lumi is always teaching me cool things and giving me gifts."

"Yuki..."

The warning was clear in their tone but Shoto pressed.

"What kind of gifts?"

"The kind that cut people real good!"

"Yuki, what'd I say about describing cooking utensils that way?"

"Not to say it like that but Nark says it was cute."

Shoto held back a groan, "Nark?"

Before anyone else could speak Yuki had abandoned the task of folding to jump over the suitcase and onto the bed. Successfully stomping all over the unfolded clothes, clumsily trudging towards her Father with a smile on her face.

"Mister Shalnark is a master at video games!"

The way her face lit up made Shoto grit his teeth as he listened to her rattling off all the achievements this other man had.

"He has the coolest setup! He's got a 5K 18-inch rounded screen! With a light-up keyboard that matches the beat of whatever song you want to play!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah and he's always lets me play during the movie nights and-"

"Yuki!"

The scolding had Yuki bashfully looking down. Shoto was curious if he'd have been able to hear any more than that. As instructed Yuki was told to get down from the bed and help pack the rest of her suitcase.

Sooner than he would have liked Yuki was safely strapped in her car seat dozing into a nap while Shoto barely assisted with the remaining luggage.

"Now we're leaving," (Y/n) heaved a large Teddy bear in the back of their trunk, "finally."

With a final huff, they returned to the driver's side of the door, where Shoto was waiting. He had a small gift bag in his hand and a polite smile on his face.

"While I'm sure you're busy to get back to your-" He rolled his eyes at the name. "-friends. I have a gift for you."

(Y/n) gave a blank stare that had Shoto hurriedly handing the gift bag over.

"Think of it as a Happy New Year’s gift."

"Wow, it’s....keys for a new snowmobile. Yay."

"Keep looking. There's more."

More unraveling of gift wrapping tissue revealed a slip of paper holding more weight than an average civilian's salary without being more than a feather.

"An all-expenses-paid trip to the 'Elite Lodging within the Wintergreen Domesphere’....that's a great gift–"

That brought a smile to Shoto's face which immediately dropped the second he got the look. The look he's gotten far too often since his separation.

"For your partner but I'm not...not anymore."

(Y/n) dropped the key and the ticket back into the bag. With a pitying smile, they pushed the bag back into his chest waiting for him to gingerly cradle it in his hands. Refusing to watch him sulk (Y/n) turned back to their car opened the door and got their seat belt on. With their hands on the steering wheel, they sent a worried glance at him through the window.

His head was hanging low, his two-toned fringe bangs covering his eyes and the pained expression that was on his face. What (Y/n) could see was how Shoto’s ungloved hands held the gift bag.

Holding wasn't the right word. More like squeezing. Fearing the violent warning of small clear ice gleaming against the bag (Y/n) turned off the property promptly.

Hoping what they saw was a figment of their imagination.

_______

Not all employees dreaded their return to the workplace. Some are basking in the afterglow of the holiday season. Fulfilled with the love of their family and friends and constantly reminded of their latest gifts it may be hard for some to put anything less than a smile on their face.

“Hiya Boss!” Said an excited minion, with black hair, and brown almond eyes. Waving in tandem with their glowing smile it felt natural during this time. 

FWOOSH.

For what felt natural at a moment of happiness was a crime in the eyes of an angered Todoroki Shoto. Even the few screams and sounds of rushing steps in the direction of the blazing employee weren’t enough to rouse the raging villain. 

On a warpath, he did the gentleman’s stomp – a directed speed walk–forcing his employees to guess his foul mood from the distant fire he was leaving behind. 

The slam of the door alerted his other partners of the raging villain, varying many different reactions. 

“So my guess is they turned you down?”

One such reaction was from his brother, who covered a dry laugh as he rubbed a hand against his beard. His feet were on the long, oval-shaped table taking the place in front of him; whereas others had files of paperwork instead. Blistered hands were behind his head sporting another shade of dye than last month. If Todoroki was in a better mood he’d have insulted him on it but he feared what crossed his mind was plenty more violent.

“Do you need to be here? This is an important meeting.”

His brother sighed, ���Yeah, who else is going to stop you from burning up your branch leaders?”

Todoroki let his piercing glare shift to the attending employees, who refused to look anywhere but him suddenly finding the the wooden taint of the table incredibly interesting. The smirk from his brother made him groan, adjusting his tie before speaking. 

“All of you. Dismissed until next Week. Same time.”

As soon as he finished speaking the branch leaders hurriedly shot from their seats and ran to the exit of the conference room. Leaving nothing but an abandoned plate of bagels and a few pens Todoroki was alone once again. 

“Hey, are you going to sit here and sulk all day? That was all you had to do today, right?”

Alone with his brother. 

“It was.”

“Then you should go! Do something that will get the edge off.”

Todoroki made an exasperated face, making his brother sigh again. Bouncing from his seat the now-green-haired brother took Todoroki under his arm shaking him as he poked his finger into his chest.

“Like maybe cutting down those new ‘friends’ that have been bothering you!”

Todoroki removed the arm from around his shoulder, walking across the room towards the exit. Smoothly dodging the hand that reached for the back of his jacket. 

“I can’t it’s too obvious. They told me they wouldn’t speak to me again if I did that too.”

“Hmm.” His brother held his chin, stroking his beard as he thought. Todoroki shook his head, reaching for the door stopping when his brother snapped his fingers. 

“Hey! Why don’t you take it out on those ‘extras’ that have been watching them lately?”

Todoroki hesitated. “But I was planning on saving that for when it escalated…”

His brother waved his hand and blew an indignant puff of air past his lips. 

“Please, they would just be suspicious that way too. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself! The New Year can’t start with you being so glum!” 

Todoroki returned his gaze to the door handle he’d been holding for a while. He released his grip, revealing the misshapen handle that matched the shape of his fist. It brought a smile to his face.

“Thank you, Natsuo. I think I’ll do that.”

“No problem little brother have a good New Year.”

[swagmagussupreme]

@whiterose-fans-blog White Rose in Bloom, Day 3: Business life.

cw for drugs (weed lol it was the first kinda off-kilter thing my brain conjured for a business one of them would own)

Word count: 1521

“Could I check your ID real quick?”

Weiss jumped. “S-sorry, I've just�� never done this before,” she admitted, reaching meekly into her purse. She also hadn't seen silver-colored eyes before, and that fact coupled with her unfamiliarity reduced her to a state she was wholly unused to: idiocy. Producing her ID, she asked, “A-and the card?”

The clerk, a college girl (from the Beacon Academy sweater) with red-highlighted black hair and a sweet face, smiled politely. “Yes please. And just so you know, we can only accept cash. There's an ATM in the corner.”

Weiss handed the two plastic cards over, shaking her head. “No thanks, I have cash.”

The girl gave the cards a mostly cursorial inspection before handing them back to Weiss. “Weiss, huh? Pretty name. Foreign?”

Weiss took her cards and blinked. “Uh… yes. Sure.” Did this girl not recognize the surname?

“Oh sweet,” the girl commented, holding out her hand. “My name's Ruby, I can help you out with anything you need. You said this is your first time?”

Weiss floundered, her mouth parting wordlessly before she accepted the handshake. “Yes. Thank you. I… could use some help.”

Ruby gave her hand a firm squeeze, one big shake, then separated to splay her hands over the glass-front counters beneath her. “Well, we've got all kinds'a stuff for all kinds’a needs. Whatcha need?”

“Well… I need…. I need to relax,” Weiss said, shuffling on her feet. “One of my… less couth coworkers said I need to ‘get slonked until I go blind,’ which I… well, this is as far as I got with deciphering that,” in a murmur, she added, “Can't believe it's not a sex thing.”

The clerk snorted. “You must be some kind of cartographer if you managed to decrypt that much on your own with no experience.”

“You mean a crypt-ographer?"

She snorted again, longer, more fervent, giving way to a goofy chuckle that seemed to rumble out of her throat. “Oh shoot, I'm uh… look, this is kinda…” her face reddened, cheeks splotching. “I'm slonked blind here, okay? So I guess ya picked the right place.”

Weiss reeled, then leaned in to stare into Ruby’s eyes. She confirmed the girl’s statement. “But you work here.”

“Well yeah!” the clerk dismissed, waving her hand. “I own the place!”

The shock of a girl this young owning her own business was severe against Weiss, who feebly grasped at some kind of counterpoint. “But… but… your own supply…”

The clerk— owner, somehow— leaned over the counter with a grin, her bulky canvas jacket wafting out a scent of heavy herbs and something sweet. She crossed her arms beneath herself confidently. “How else would I know my stuff’s any good?”

Weiss wavered. Ruby’s eyes were silver, which accentuated the redness of her sclera, which in turn further accentuated her shining irises. It was a devastating feedback loop, like staring into the sun. “Uh…”

Ruby whirled back around with a swoosh of her jacket and the heft clomp of a boot. She dramatically shimmied along the glass counter, pointing to the products inside. “You said relax, right?” she asked, sending a smile up at Weiss that made her gulp at its sincerity. “Generally speaking, these’ll relax ya. Like, a lot. A lot, a lot.” Her face scrunched up pensively. “Uh, maybe too much. First-timer, right?”

“Yes?” 

Ruby nodded, beckoning Weiss to follow her a bit further down the counter-space. Weiss stared at the contents there, flowery and exposed and named weirdly, and felt like she was committing a crime just by seeing. She looked over her shoulder, which Ruby caught. “It's okay,” she promised, her voice rough at its lower register. “No one’s coming to arrest you, dude.”

“W-why isn't there anyone else here?” Weiss found herself asking, feeling pathetic at her own voice.

“It's, like…” Ruby checked the analog clock on the wall, then seemed to grow genuinely confused. “Uh… twelve! It's twelve-fifteen on a Tuesday. Everyone’s at work or school.”

Weiss eyed her suspiciously. “Did… did you just struggle to read a clock?”

“Anyway!” Ruby diverted, ducking behind the counter to gesture at the contents from the other side. The glass did nothing to hide her growing blush of embarrassment. “These are all hybrids, so you won't get tipped too much in either direction, but these—” she motioned to a group of spindly green-and-purple bunches sealed in tubes. Some had bright orange sprigs sticking out from the green, some looked… frosty, and some had both qualities. Ruby pointed to them in succession. “These are the chill ones. ‘My Friend Sappho’ is a relaxing strain, great if you wanna crash on the couch and watch something stupid while still being able to get back up. ‘Mouthfeel’ is super fun, very giggly, conks out the body so you can chill in your own brain-soup. ‘Smart-shoes’ is really move-y, like it feels good to move, kinda has the opposite effect as ‘Mouthfeel,’ so your thoughts all get tucked away and you can just be in your bod. And ‘Moving Day’ here—”

“These all seem… targeted,” Weiss said tentatively, half-cringing at herself.

Thankfully, Ruby didn't seem to take offense. Instead, she barked out a laugh, and said with undisguised smugness: “Well, yeah. You saw the sign. You saw the flag.” Ruby rose back up to the counter and leaned over it, smirking. “You did your research, Weiss."

The girl who thought she was either being threatened or openly flirted with, flushed red at the sound of her name coming out that way. She had done her research, enough to pick The Crescent Bud— which was a godawful name— over all the other places in her area because its sign had a subtitle, ‘World’s Gayest Dispensary’, which she took to for… reasons. She coughed. Her voice came out tightly. “Yes. I did do… that. Research. This place had good prices. And reviews.”

The smirk showed no sign of faltering from Ruby’s lips, but she pointed into the counter without any further interrogation. “Anyway, ‘Moving Day’ is wonderful,” Ruby drawled, with an affect that slightly terrified Weiss. “It's super pretty. I mean, just look at it.”

Weiss looked at the transparent canister of buds, purple-green and frosted, abundant with little bits of orange. In her peripheral vision, she noted that Ruby was very much not looking at them. 

“It goes down really smooth,” Ruby continued. “Very fruity tones. It takes a moment to kick in, but once you've chilled out and you're ready for it, it gets you."

Weiss gulped. “Ah. That sounds… nice.”

“It's really nice. Captivating, even.”

Weiss stared at the sealed tube, her skin feeling tight. She did not look at Ruby.

When Ruby spoke again, her voice was a lot quieter, but a lot closer. “I've got a sofa and a TV in the back room. Could close up for lunch; going into this kinda thing can really suck if ya do it alone. I'll even roll you a free sample, my treat.”

Weiss’ neck felt like wood as she turned to Ruby, stiff and creaking and entirely unsure, but those lambent eyes were soft, and her smirk had tamed into an inviting grin.

No. A million times, no. Weiss was a department head. She couldn't let herself get lured into some stoner's backroom just because Coco said she needed to chill! This was stupid. This was wrong. She was better than this. She didn't need drugs to have fun, to relax, she was a grown woman! Weiss opened her mouth for a hundred protestations, a million damnations, a trillion justifications that roiled up her throat and—

Ruby passed the little cigarette-thing directly into Weiss’ lips, which would've made Weiss detonate if she wasn't already high as shit. 

“Subtle,” Weiss snarked, feeling emboldened by the lightness in her head. “Really subtle.”

Ruby settled back on the couch, remnants of pungent smoke trickling past her lips. “Dude, it’s ‘Moving Day’. You think I was trying to be subtle?”

Weiss took a cautious drag— Ruby had freaked out after her first hit had apparently been huge— and shifted her legs, adjusting herself so her knees and her shoulders brushed against Ruby’she. She passed it back. “I'm glad you weren't.”

Ruby took it blindly and let it dangle between her lips, her eyes fixated on whatever streaming platform she had. “Uh… shitty vampire movie or stupid docuseries that's vaguely racist in a funny way?”

Weiss didn't really parse the question. Her eyes were zoned out on Ruby’s mouth, on the streaming dance of smoke rising from the cigarette. “One of those, sure.”

Ruby didn't notice her staring. Or she did. Weiss couldn't tell, nor did she care to, because she was slonked halfway to blindness and it felt glorious. Worries and anxieties, usually invasive, couldn't penetrate the fog of her mind. She felt loose, her body felt stupid, but her brain felt mostly normal. It was like her corporeal form was little more than a meat-jacuzzi for her brain. 

Weiss jolted when the TV awoke with sound, which graciously caused Ruby to look over, grin, and throw an arm over Weiss’ shoulders. 

Coco had been right.

[true-blue-sonic]

Good morning/afternoon/evening! :D

🧡+Espilver for the ask game!

I really love your writing! It's so yummy if you know what I mean hehe, especially the espilver fanfics/oneshots! I must say you are one of my favorite authors :D

That is very kind of you, thank you for the compliments!💕💕

🧡 kissing in bed / lazy kiss / cuddling

"Do you think we're ever going to need a bigger bed?"

Pensively Silver studies the bed he and Espio have found themselves in- or rather, Espio's bed, really. Sure, when Silver had decided to stay in the past for good, the chameleon gallantly offered that the hedgehog was welcome to sleep in it. Together with him, as Silver would find out that very night; it had made a great day only better. But a lot of time has passed since then, and where the two of them had previously fitted perfectly snugly on the same mattress while laying on their backs as fluff and scales brushed together...

Sparks of cyan tugging Espio a bit closer so he doesn't topple right to the ground, what with how precariously he's teetering right at the edge of the bed, Silver hums. "You know, because of this."

Espio for his part merely raises an eyebrow as if he didn't nearly eat carpet two seconds ago. "Why? The two of us fit quite nicely, don't we?" follows, a gesture past their bodies following. Their bodies that are absolutely a bit taller and larger than when they met, and thus Silver pointedly prods Espio on his horn.

"You said I got broader shoulders. And I definitely got taller, too."

"I have not missed that," Espio, still the tallest between the two of them but secretly fearing to lose that spot, Silver heard from Vector once, nods sagely. "There is just one problem, love. Even if we need it... we can't pay for it."

"...Hm. Okay, good point." With how the Chaotix seem cursed to experience financial woes any other day, Silver can easily piece together that a whole new bed is perhaps not a main priority right now. That means they need to adapt until then; nothing he isn't used to, luckily. But... Scooting backwards as far as he can the hedgehog grimaces as his spines hits the wall far too quickly. Espio can lay down like this, if the both of them are on their sides-

Which allows for opportunities, Silver realises as his grimace flips right into a little grin. Promptly he scrambles around so he faces the wall instead, demanding psychokinesis tugging Espio right against the curve of his body. "But this will solve that, no?"

Espio knocks against him, a huff of breath sinking into Silver's mane as the chameleon flounders. "Silver-! Well, possibly," the response comes, followed by a bemoaning "However, I always sleep on my back, so we do need to find something for that."

Contently huffing as Espio's arm wraps itself around Silver's body the hedgehog nods. "I can sleep on your stomach tonight, then."

"Tenshi," the bemoaning-er response follows, "you also got heavier."

"So did you," Silver wastes no time in retorting, ears flicking madly. Not his fault that he's getting bigger and stronger by the day! But from what little he can crane his head around to glare at Espio he can easily glean the more amused little look on his beloved's face, a peck pressed between the two large quills on his head.

"Perhaps we can create something ourselves, with old furniture. We've got time to spare, after all. And then we can sleep in spacious comfort once more."

"First cuddles," Silver smugly orders, because he's found quite the comfy position like this, and he's not going to let Espio go until he's got his share of affection for rescuing the other's very life just now and also payment for these horrible teases. Luckily they can still fit on the bed in this way...

But if they do not anymore one day, he's really going to demand Espio get them more space to sleep in, Silver promises to himself.

Anything to safeguard these cuddles.

[enniewritesathing]

memory management (preliminary)

⏮️Previous || (📚Previous Stories) || Beginning ▶️

Charles: "Tonight's the night."

Daniel: "Hm."

Charles: "I'll be candid for just a moment. There were times I thought I wouldn't get this far, but it pays to have patience even if there is none." (He adds a small chuckle.) "...and of course, there's the question of a little persuasion."

(Daniel doesn't respond, and lets the low hiss of the ventilator be his answer.)

Charles: "I'm curious, Daniel. You've been quieter these past few days. More... pensive than usual. Did anything happen between you and Jordan?"

(Daniel blinks as the question snaps him out of thought.) "What? No, we're fine. Charles, I'm gonna be blunt; I have a bad feeling about tonight."

Charles: "A 'bad' feeling? What do mean by that? Speak your mind."

(Daniel takes a deep breath and sighs. This is going to be the only time he'll have an opportunity like this.) "I have a bad feeling; if we do this, John will die."

(He feels Charles' cold stare.) "I'll explain. He's been showing signs of strain for a while, a couple of months, a year at the most, but they're there. We know that his healing ability can be passive but I believe it's being broken down. Slowly, like a leak."

Charles: "Go on."

"Putting him on this regimen is accelerating it. He may be fine now but his heart is not going to be able to handle the trial. If, if, he survives, I don't think he'll live long after."

Charles: "Really? And what are you basing this off of? One of your 'hunches'?"

Daniel: "I've never been wrong when I get them."

(Charles eyes narrow. Of all the things to say... but he did allow him to speak. He'll entertain.) "You're doubting me."

Daniel: "What I'm saying is we have to call this off. We've done enough to try and help John and we haven't gotten anywhere near the goal. The data that we have right now is already invaluable and we should be looking at that instead."

(He shakes his head.) "Say we press on anyway? And then what?"

(Daniel jabs a finger at Charles.) "Everything will land on you when the trial goes sideways. He dies, Charles, and then what? How will you explain yourself to his loved ones?"

(Charles stares down the barrel of Daniel's finger and rolls his eyes with a scoff.) "Please cut the theatrics out; it is not your strong suit. You can keep the honorable act while you're at it."

"May I remind you that you are in this as much as the rest of us; you've been here the whole time. If you were actually honest with your feelings of morality, then you should have excused yourself well before now, Daniel."

(Daniel falters and Charles heaves a long sigh as he shifts his attention.)

"Have a little faith! You must remember we're trying to give Johnathan total control; he knows the costs and risks involved. The poor boy truly wants this."

(Charles regards John as he strokes his hair. Goodness, it's soft.)

"You're underestimating him. He's very strong and he's grown into a fine young man. Everything that we've done, every possible solution may have garnered less than ideal results, Johnathan has surpassed my expectations in every way. Even if there is damage, it's nothing he can't handle; he will heal in due time."

Daniel: "The only reason why John's alive is because he's a werewolf."

Charles: "Perhaps you are right. He is quite stubborn as well."

(He laughs to himself.) "Ah, that wolf. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that murderous look in his beautiful eyes. First chance he has, he will kill us. We've all heard his declaration. He is a threat to us, to all of us."

(A gleeful smile spreads cross his thin lips.) "All the more reason to get this dog under control! If we don't stop him, who will? We don't want him to be running wild, now do we? We have to put him in his place!"

(Daniel flinches. Something rises from his stomach and before he knew it, words he's held back comes out of his mouth.)

"You're mad, Charles! I know what you're doing now... you're running out of options and this is your last ditch effort! If you fail tonight, the werewolf wins and you can't fuckin' stand that possibility!"

"You have tortured him and John for years but not once, not fucking once, has he ever bend to you! This isn't going to work, Charles; deep down you know this. Your pride is blinding you! He dies, you fail. He lives, you fail and you'll have nothing to show. Just like you're a failed va--"

(Charles straightens up. His voice is cold and flat.) "I suggest you choose your next words very carefully. No; I won't tolerate what you said."

"Don't you ȩ̪͛v̘ͤ͝e̡͎͗r͙̓̀ speak like that to me again. I will determine the outcome of this trial. I will succeed. Do I make myself clear?"

(Daniel stares at a lost of words. Did the room temperature drop for a moment?)

Charles: "I will not repeat myself."

Daniel: "Yes, sir."

(Charles takes a meaningful look at John before turning away from him.)

"Understand, Daniel, that I will not stop until I get what I want. This is for the sake of Johnathan and I will exhaust all options available to make sure he is cured from his devilish affliction. Until then, he is mine."

"If you know what's good for you, don't get in my way. Is that clear?"

Daniel: (mutters) "...crystal."

(Charles takes a cleansing breath, smoothing out himself out. As he begins to walk away, his demeanor shifts to something that resembling pleasant.) "Good! Prep Johnathan for transport and report to the lab. You have two hours."

(Daniel didn't move for a while. Whatever Charles did, he didn't want to see that again; he wasn't expecting the mask he wore to slip like that. No doubt that the cost will be astronomically high, if he could even quantify it, for everyone involved. He hates that Charles was right.

He looks down at John and almost feels sorry for him. He is clueless about what's in store for the night ahead of him.

Daniel can't shake that bad feeling. He's always right when it came to that.)

// Next ⏭️

[welcome-to-jay]

Ranking Every Single One of Sissel Ghost Trick's Talking Sprites Because I Crazy (There Will Be Spoilers!)

Let's start off with Base Sissel. One of the coolest protagonist designs in gaming. Not too busy but the striking colors make it instantly memorable. The red suit + black shirt is sliiiick, plus the shades which are crucial to his character. This is a 10/10 design.

Now we have a smiling Sissel. Even his grin is just as sharp and angular as the rest of him. That is definitely a Cool Guy Smirk™. I'll give this one a modest 6/10.

This is a Sissel sprite we don't see that often, as far as I know. He's shocked, but not That shocked. With all the crazy shit that happens in his game, its no wonder we don't see this Kinda Shocked expression more often. However, with this sprite we see a key feature of Sissel's Shades, they can emote! Here they widen in surprise. 7/10 for a Surprised Sissel.

Probably one of the best "I dunno" gestures I've ever seen. Sissel is so cool he only shrugs with one hand. That open palm also conveys a kinda "well, how about this?" gesture. I don't have much more to say abut this sprite because its strength lies in its casual simplicity. 10/10

He's thinkin'. There's not much more to it. I really wonder if, between this game and Ace Attorney, the Capcom artists are tired of drawing thinking poses. That being said though, this is a classic pose, nothing out there about it. But that's okay, because Sissel isn't supposed to be an "out there" character. He has a bunch of quirky detective friends for that. 6/10.

Sissel is looking really emotional here! Emotional with which emotion exactly? Well that's one of the great things about having eyes and eyebrows (or maybe he just doesn't have eyebrows?) covered by shades! Because that part of his face is obscured, this aggressive stance could portray anger, surprise, or a secret third thing! Either way, you know it's a tense moment when Sissel loses his cool like this. 8/10.

I mean, come on. This one just speaks for itself. Bro is dumbfounded, flabbergasted, stupified and *looks at thesaurus.com* ...in a dither? Okay? Anyway, there's a lot to love about this sprite. His shades are doing the thing again where they widen in reaction so Sissel's surprise. His face is portrayed facing more to the side than usual to accentuate that goofy look on his face. 10/10 sprite.

Again, I have to wonder if Capcom artists are tired of drawing people sweating. Anyway, this is another sprite that's used during tense moments (other than at the beginning of the game, when Sissel gets really sweaty trying to get his bearings) so you can really feel how Sissel is feeling. It's hard to keep your cool when you're constantly being put in Situations, especially when those Situations involve Puzzles. 5/10, I don't like seeing Sissel sweaty.

Spoilers under the cut!

Pensive Sissel 😔This is technically another thinking sprite, but a much more introspective one, and I think it really works with Sissel's character. You have to remember that he spends the entire game dead, so he doesn't really owe anyone anything. But he still helps people out anyway, out of the kindness of his heart and a little guidance from a desk lamp. And he does manage to save a lot of people, not just with his actions but with his words. Ah, but I guess that's more about his personality than this sprite huh? Anyway, an introspective Sissel is a blessed thing. 9/10, because this sprite reminds me of some of the best parts of this game.

Hold on a mo', this isn't our Sissel! That's right, there's another Sissel walking around killing people while our Sissel is dead as a rat in a torpedo. And right after your brain explodes after that reveal, the game whips out this sprite! It's Sissel, but he's menacing! He's sinister! It's such a sharp turn from the other expressions we've seen from Sissel that it's hard not to get taken back. It hammers in that lingering feeling that whoever Sissel is and whoever this guy is... just can't be one and the same. Now both Sissel and the player have to come to terms with that fact while the game still keeps you nose-deep in mysteries. 10/10 obviously.

And that's it! Our favorite Sissy has to take a little nap now. He's a little tuckered out after being appraised by me for an entire post, I tend to have that effect on people. I really wish he would put his ass away though...

Anyway, thanks so much for reading all the way through this post! It was meant half as a writing exercise but mostly as a chance to talk about a character I really like from a game I'm really passionate about! Play Ghost Trick! You won't regret it!

[cherry-bomb-ships]

Still going thru makin' the lil thing I'm making abt the PPG movie, but I wanted to show one of my FAVORITE small details which is when Mojo and the girls are at the Townsville zoo looking at one of the monkey exhibits, and when the girls look over to him he has this very... very pensive uncomfortable look. And I love it. SO MUCH 🥺💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

First of all I love him he's cute here. Second, this is the VERY FIRST TIME IN THE FILM SO FAR that he shows a GENUINE emotion. He has been gaslighting the poor girls since he first caught sight of them, and we've only seen hints at his true intentions thru evil grins that the girls don't see, but this is the first time he CANNOT hide how he feels, or at the least, it takes him a second to move past it and continue on with his plan. He IS uncomfortable seeing other primates in captivity, almost as a spectacle, knowing that that was basically him like a few days ago. The aspect of Mojo wanting to take over the world for the sake of (non-human) primates always felt like another lie to me, he's WAYYYYY too self-centered to come off as some kinda Ape Moses freeing his kind from subjugation, I feel like he still saw the other apes as just another tool in his plot to rule the world.

But THIS PART suggests that there was a bit of truth to that! Like yeah maybe he DID do it as a liberation thing, but the natural progession in his mind was that he'd still rule them cuz they'd be thankful or something. But of course the one issue with Mojo's plans is he NEVER thinks through what might go wrong, because what could possibly go wrong in a plan he thought of, he's soooo fuckin smart after all 💀💀💀 That aside the bottom line is I RLY FUCKIN LOVE THIS PART I LOVE HOW HE SHOWED A GENUINE EMOTION FOR A SECOND 💖 EVEN HIS FACADE ISN'T IRONCLAD EHEHEHEHE

[thelostexperiment]

27. for Collin

Usually, Collin was the one who set surprises for everyone, for better or worse. But he wasn't expecting the store-bought tiramisu cake with a #5-shaped candle on top to be placed on his desk as he was reviewing his company's profit margin.

“Surprise!” Susan cheered with her hands giving a jazzy wave as his attention shot towards her. "Happy fifth anniversary, Mr. C!”

Collin blinked confused for a moment. "Fifth anniversary...? Of what?”

His assistant pulled back and her arms gestured to their surroundings. "The company, Ruppells' Poultry."

"OH! Five years already? I didn't even notice... I...", he trailed off as he ruminated on what they've done over the half-decade.

Five years ago Ruppells' Poultry was just an idea he came up with once he stumbled upon the foreverglade fountain in the lost library and found out its water's youth restoring and aging properties. The original reason for the business was just to cultivate a stable revenue for him and Susan while he reshaped his identity, both intrinsically and physically thanks to the de-ageing powers of the fountain water. Now that he looks back on it after all the work, planning and resources that brought them this far it's hard to believe it's only been five years, so much has changed.

His gaze went back to the cake, pensively looking at the transparent reflection of himself in the clear plastic dome protecting the confection. While he was reflecting on how far he'd come since the Lost Library Susan spoke up again as she slid some papers in front of him. “An', more good news— I got the new stock report an' we're actually in the top of the food industry! Ain't that cool? I mean we're actually number two but pretty close, right? At least when it comes to meat products, I mean, we're no Scrooge McDuck but—”

Collin quietly read through the new documents with a deadpan stare of surreality as his assistant rambled on, slowly but surely a small smile started to form as his emotions caught up with the occasion. Pride was swelling in his chest as he reread the document glanced up at the cake and reread it again, his energy bubble as his knee started to shake under the desk. Out of his expansive vocabulary only one word escaped his throat in a horse little whisper— "wow..."

"Right?" The duck woman enthused back, "Ah, Mr. C, I'm just so happy for you. Congrats, really."

Collin rocked forward in his chair, now with a big gaping grin while his eyes swapped between the paper and the cake. His assistant's hype was finally rubbing off on him.

This has to be his proudest moment yet.

"Wow. I've actually gotten us this far—" He said in amazement before, pausing for a little ego check and looked up at his assistant, "I mean we've gotten us this far, of course."

Susan humbly waved him off, "Aw Sir, you're the one doing all the big business stuff I'm just the secretary."

"You're still a great help, Ms. Spruce, to me and this company." He reassured her, standing up, moving around his desk towards her and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Susan."

She couldn't resist hugging him for that which he reciprocated.

[quaddmgd]

CONSIDER YOUR ASS COVERED

"We've come so far, haven't we?" Crystal remarked, looking in the distance. "Seems unreal." Thalia, after looking in the same direction for an extended period of time, worried, turned to her, only to see her subtly smiling. Suddenly, she looked back, extending her smile, asking "Are you ready to finish this?"

Thalia never demonstrated fear during her nomad days. While Crystal knew that there must be more behind that facade, she couldn't help but see her as a bit of a role model for that. Whether she was scared to do something or not, wasn't important. In the end she always did it with bravery written all over her face.

While her friend has softened a bit during their forced separation, only now Crystal felt like she really understands what must be going on in her mind. She died, and then she got reborn. She lost the most important person in her life since leaving her hometown, then she rejoined her.

Thalia always was a pensive person, but Crystal knew that she must've been thinking about her entire life for quite some time now. Whatever made her leave Nevada, made her live on her own, make mistakes and live with them with no shoulder to cry on, only to find Crystal and her family. Then she lost them, just like she almost lost her life. Now, being here, starting to doubt why she's working for a person her old self would never want to work for, having Crystal back, getting her new friends as a bonus; torn between being happy that she's almost there, in a place she would want to spend the rest of her life in, and being scared of losing all of that, feeling guilty for asking Her for help.

How viable is her vision of "happily ever after" anyway? And is she willing to risk, not only her own life, but everything Crystal has managed to build for herself and her significant other?

Maybe the tables have turned… maybe it's time for Crystal to be Thalia's role model.

"We'll make it. Focus on the mission and it'll be over in no time. I got your back, Sully. I always will."

[catsafarithewriter]

A/N: PART 17 of the Bedlam au!

X

After the dragon cave incident, Haru keeps her visits short, and learns to read the numbness before it spreads too far.

It makes joining the Bureau on cases difficult, and then improbable, and then impossible. The paralysation creeps on quicker each time, as if her immunity against the other world is wearing thin, and eventually she has to concede that she is more a hazard than a help.

Sometimes when she visits, the Bureau is empty – "chasing down another lead" the note on the desk says – and other times they sit side-by-side, searching through more of the Bureau's many books for a possible cure. The Bureau becomes a second home, in a way even her local one never quite achieved.

She comes to know where all the cupboards lead, to know all Muta's hiding spots (behind the copy of War and Peace, and underneath the snowglobe on the mantelpiece), to even understand Baron's strange filing system.

It becomes an effort, even, to remind herself that this is the Other Bureau, because somewhere along the way it has just become her Bureau.

Another fruitless search comes to an end (this time delving through the Other Bureau's previous cases) and Haru drops her head back against the Other Baron's shoulder. "You'd think with how easily I found my way here, there'd be more incidences where we met people from other parallel worlds."

"Your case was unique; the Sanctuary used its magic to create a doorway, but it would be beyond the power of most individuals." The Other Baron pauses; Haru can feel the steady rise and fall of his chest. "Of course, there is always another explanation."

"Hm?"

"Perhaps the reason we've never encountered another person from a parallel world is because it's impossible for them to survive here. Perhaps there is no solution."

Haru leans abruptly away, staring balefully at the Other Baron. "You told me you wouldn't give up."

"I'm not. I just..." His fingers intertwine with hers. "I just have to consider every possibility. We're running out of time before it becomes an impossibility for you to even enter our world."

She wants to deny it, wants to pretend it isn't so, but that's all her refusal would be – pretend.

The gramophone, which has been softly playing music through their research, finishes one song and softly begins the next. With the first few notes, Haru immediately recognises it. It's one she's played many times over the years, one that perhaps she played too many times in the week following her dismissal from the Bureau.

And by the way the Other Baron pauses, she guesses the Cat Kingdom likes this song in multiple universes.

"You too?" he asks softly

Haru blushes. "It's silly. The first time I fell for him, it was only a schoolgirl's crush, and yet I can't help thinking of this as our song. I suppose it's because this song was the moment I fell, whereas the second time..." The second time ended with a far uglier rejection. "The second time there wasn't really a single, standalone moment, you know? It just kinda crept up on me until suddenly, boom, I realised I was in love."

"Did you ever tell him that?"

"Yeah, and you know how it ended–"

"No, I mean this song," the Other Baron says. "Did you ever tell him what it meant to you?"

Haru smiles wanly. "No, and after my last encounter with him, I doubt it would have done much except make him self-conscious. Instead, I just did what any lovesick fool would do and listen to it on repeat far too often."

The Other Baron doesn't chorus her self-deprecating laugh, but sits pensive. "And I suppose you're going to tell me that you never danced to this song again?"

"No. Why would we? It's not like it had any major impression on him–"

In a moment, he has risen to his feet and swept Haru up to hers. His hands find with ease the hold for a waltz. "Then what say you to our remedying that?"

Haru blushes again, but this time is accompanied by a roguish grin. "Fine. But I should warn you I haven't waltzed since the Cat Kingdom. I'll probably be even worse than last time."

The Other Baron grins back, equally roguish, and pulls her into the beginning of a vaguely-familiar dance. "Perhaps you simply haven't found the right partner yet."

Haru wrinkles her nose. "I don't think that's actually how it works? I'm fairly certain things like practice and knowing your partner come into it somewhere."

"I know you."

"You knew a Haru who had probably danced more than once in the last decade," she returns and, entirely accidentally but still perfectly proving her point, she steps on his foot. "See?"

"That's because you're thinking too hard about it," the Other Baron says. "Just relax, and let the music guide you."

"Also fairly sure that's not how it works either."

He leans in and Haru's heart traitorously beats in double-time. "Just trust me."

With a request like that, how can she refuse?

She exhales, and she stops recounting her meagre waltzing knowledge, she stops tracking her steps, she stops trying – and suddenly, she is dancing. As if pulled by invisible strings, her feet seem to know the moves, and she effortlessly moves in tandem with the Other Baron. She throws back her head and laughs as she spins away from her partner, feet finding sure ground.

"See?" the Other Baron purrs as he draws her back in. "All it takes is the right partner."

She tilts her head back, ready to shoot a reply – and then falters as she catches sight of the beetle-black buttons.

She realises she has half been expecting (or hoping?) to see green. The guilt is short-lived, for her left leg seizes up with another bout of paralysation, and the Other Baron has to catch her before she falls. He cradles her in his arms as they both sink to the floor. The last few notes of Katzen Blut fade away.

"We'll find a way," he promises. "We'll find a way."

[lovelyfanatical]

I Get a Sugar Rush Whenever I'm With You - Chapter 9.2

Greetings, fellow Drukkari stans! You're getting this mini-chapter while I'm on vacation, so I'm writing to you across space and time! 🤪 If you've fallen behind and need to catch up, you can find all previous installments on my Table of Contents here. Druig and Makkari have cleared the air and Druig is resolved to forget about his feelings, but can he? Find out now in the next mini-chapter of Drukkari in the Great British Bake Off!

The showstopper was proving to be a bit of a disaster. Druig hadn't really thought he'd make it to patisserie week, and with all his fretting over Makkari, he hadn't practiced his bakes for this week that much. So, while the other bakers were busy perfecting their delicate gateaus, Druig was quite sure his was lopsided, and no amount of edible gold would be able to hide it. He was proven correct when Arishem pointed it out during judging. He also found the chocolate rather plain, adding insult to injury.

As with everything else, Druig pushed it aside for now, but this proved rather difficult when interview time rolled around. Considering how the challenge had gone, Darcy had Makkari ready and waiting to conduct his interview. Little did she know that it wouldn't help much this time. Druig did his best to act normal, but he could practically feel himself clamming up more and more with every question. Overall, it still wasn't his worst interview, but Makkari could sense something was off.

Despite this, Makkari didn't pry. Not yet, at least. On the one hand, Druig was grateful. After all, it saved him the anxiety of telling her what was wrong. On the other hand, it made for a pretty awkward lunch. They and Kingo were the first ones to the table. While they swapped bakes and delivered their usual praise, the unsaid words hung in the air between them, making them lapse into plenty of uneasy silences. Even Kingo could feel it, and for once, he didn't comment on it. This was the state Phastos and Gil found them in.

"Rough day, huh?" Gil said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"You could say that," Druig answered.

"Well, we've still got two challenges left. Things could still change," Phastos added. It was still basic, but he was picking up signs and including them where he could.

Very true, Phastos, Makkari concurred, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, at least you'll be back next week either way," Kingo chimed in.

"I suppose that's true," Druig muttered pensively. "Thank you all for trying to cheer me up, but I'd rather not think too hard about it right now."

"We can do that," Gil replied confidently. "Since we're changing the subject, should I tell you guys about my date with Thena?"

Tell us everything!  Makkari signed frantically, a smile springing to her face. Druig couldn't help but smile himself at the sight, even if he could still feel his heart sinking from that morning. With a deep breath, he tried to let the feeling dissipate as he listened to Gilgamesh go into detail about where he and Thena went, what kind of coffee she drank, and how they spent hours talking about anything and everything. And for a little while, Druig did start to forget why he was feeling this way.

-

Lunch was a nice reprieve, but once they were back in the tent, the pressure returned, along with all the things Druig had been avoiding thinking about. He'd been trying to just concentrate on the technical challenge, but with only four of them left, his eyes began to wander to Makkari's station. She was quite focused on the task at hand, making dough for her palmiers. After staring at her a moment too long, Druig averted his gaze, mentally admonishing himself. He was so preoccupied that he ended up overbaking his own palmiers, and with no time left to try again, he had no choice but the present them for judgment. No teeth were chipped, thankfully, but Druig could tell he'd earned last place this week.

Considering how well everyone else had done so far, Druig was coming to the realization that something disastrous would have to befall one of the other bakers if he was to make it to the final next week. He didn't wish that on any of them, least of all Makkari. He'd made it this far, which was much farther than he ever expected. Even so, it was not an easy pill to swallow. Druig was still grappling with this as he waited for his next interview. Another figure took the seat next to him, breaking him out of his reverie.

"So, how are you feeling about… everything?" Phastos asked.

"I should probably save some of it for the interview," Druig began, "but to answer your question, not great."

"Right, of course. Stupid question," Phastos mumbled. "Alright, I'm not great at comforting people outside of my husband and child, so I'm just going to ask what I actually wanted to ask. Just know that you do not need to answer if you don't want to."

"Okay, then?"

Taking a deep breath, Phastos let loose his question: "What's the deal with you and Makkari this week? Did you break up or something?"

If Druig was drinking something, he would've choked on it. As he was not, he merely let out an undignified noise that sounded somewhere between a snort and gasp.

"I guess I hit the nail on the head," Phastos observed triumphantly.

"Not quite. Makkari and I aren't dating."

"Oh," Phastos said, triumph replaced with confusion. "Then what have I been watching the past few weeks?"

Druig merely raised an eyebrow at this, which spurred the other man to keep going.

"Alright, then did you have a fight or something?"

"No, we just… had a misunderstanding, but we cleared that up, so everything is fine," Druig explained carefully.

"Ah, that explains why you're so busy watching her that you burned your palmiers."

"I didn't burn them, just overbaked them."

"Whatever. My point is, and again, you don't have to answer if you don't want to-"

"You say that, but you keep asking."

"And you keep answering. My point is that I can tell something's bothering you, and I know we're not exactly close, but if you want to talk about it… I promise I won't tell anyone here. Just my husband, who's been asking me about all the bakers. Also, I'd rather not have a repeat of lunch tonight at dinner."

Druig watched him out of the corner of his eye. Phastos seemed sincere enough as he awaited his response. Druig sighed loudly before giving him an answer.

"Okay, the short version is we accidentally slept in the same bed and were both a bit embarrassed. She wants to forget about the whole thing, but I don't know if I can do that."

"Oh." Phastos lapsed into silence as he mulled this over, but it didn't last long. "And you don't want to forget because you like her."

"Hit the nail on the head that time," Druig conceded.

"Well, you should probably respect her wishes, which it seems you're already doing. But clearly, it's still eating at you, so this isn't going to be sustainable. Sounds like you need to talk to her."

"You got all that from our conversation just now?"

"That and Ben's hypotheses, which I didn't put much stock in before since he was only getting his info from me, but even from my impartial observations, he could tell that you liked her," Phastos explained. "Look, I'm not one to play matchmaker or love guru or whatever, but I really don't want to deal with more awkward group meals, so for my sake, consider telling her how you feel? Unless you think that will end up making things even more awkward. You know her better than me. Just use your best judgment, I guess."

Phastos had rushed through his last few sentences as he saw Darcy approaching. As he got up to go to his interview, Druig added, "Thanks, Phastos."

The other man gave him an emphatic nod before following Darcy.

-

It was fun to write a bit more Phastos! Hopefully he's not too OOC. Let me know how I did!

Part 32

[doctorsimcraft]

He gave a small nod as he took a sip, "Not bad." He agreed with a short pensive gaze away. "What's wrong?" She pouted, taking his chin in her hand lifting his eyes to meet her. "Nothing, just amazed at how far we've come is all." He scoffed with a pleased smile.

[tarnishedxknight]

"Before sunrise, she's your daughter."

(( @disillusionedjudge for Caelen! I was thinking in their Balfonheim au? so we can have a wholesome family thread for 'em sdfghdf))

@disillusionedjudge | { Awwww yes! They do deserve some wholesome family time, omg, we've been so mean to them so far haha. }

The sun had not yet risen, but Caelen had already been awake for a little while. Even so long after leaving Dalmasca, his body was still conditioned to rise just before the sun did. He hadn't moved, however, choosing to simply lay in bed and listen to Gylfie breathing next to him. He was so thankful for everything he had now even if nothing was ever really certain or safe in this troubled world of theirs. For now, though, at least... he could be happy here with his family.

He heard Myra start to whimper in the next room of their modest little abode, and Caelen hoped she would just go back to sleep, as she sometimes did. Not this morning, it seemed. As she began to cry outright, he heard Gylfie speak and a grin slowly blossomed across his face. Caelen chuckled softly and sat up, pausing to lay his hand on Gylfie's shoulder as she lay turned away from him. He bent to leave a kiss there as well. "Understood, my love," he whispered with a smile.

The blankets were tossed aside and he sprung into action, making his way to Myra's room. He found the small girl standing on wobbly legs in her crib, pudgy little hands gripping the side. "Ah!" she exclaimed, tears running down her ruddy cheeks, as she reached out one of those hands to Caelen. There was a child's indignation written all over her face, as if how dare she be ignored in this fashion!

"Ohh... what is the matter, little one?" he asked, going to peer at her.

Myra held up her arms for uppies, clearly wanting attention.

Caelen smiled and obliged her, unable to disappoint his daughter. Bending down, he lifted her out of the crib and into his hold. He held her with one arm, supporting her on his hip, as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his other hand. "It is early yet, Merry," he said. "Your Mama still needs a little more sleep. Can you be a good girl and wait?"

Myra watched her father speak and suddenly started thinking about how much she liked him. He was the greatest Dada in the world! It didn't matter than he was her only Dada. She smiled at him, a bit of cheekiness in it.

"There's my beautiful girl," he said, kissing her cheek.

Myra giggled and tilted her head to touch her ear to her shoulder, as if his kiss had tickled her.

"Aren't you still tired too? Come now, lay your head down. I bet you are..." Caelen coaxed.

Myra did as he asked and laid her head down on his shoulder. Her tiny thumb found her mouth and as he slowly paced with her, back and forth, she began to blink lazily. With her other hand, she played with some of his long hair.

Caelen paced with her for some time, until he saw a golden light begin to seep in through the small window in Myra's room. Still bouncing her gently in his hold, he stopped by the window to watch the sunrise, as well as it could be see between the buildings of the port city of Balfonheim. It filled him with a pensive sort of happiness, for he missed Dalmasca so very much.

Myra had turned her little face towards the sun as well. It was bright, pretty, and warm, and she didn't know why but she needed to look at it. It wasn't morning without it, after all. Her hand stopped playing with Caelen's hair and instead she held it out, one tiny finger pointing out the window.

"Mm... the sun is rising," he said softly. "Do you like the sun, Merry?"

Myra nodded, her thumb still on her mouth as she watched the golden light become more intense.

Caelen smiled knowingly at the young child's instinctive reaction. "As well you should," he said to her sweetly. "It is in your blood to."

[reginrokkr]

Pain and sorrow resonates within the isolated camp in a land that should not have been outside the borders of what this honorable knighthood calls home. Dáinsleif cannot claim to be privy of everything concerning the Scwhanenritter, as he has discovered recently that sensible information was withheld from him despite his relevant standing within the Khaenri'ahn army— so he cannot tell for sure why they were sent to Sumerian grounds. Nevertheless, he is cognizant of a grimmer circumstance that doesn't affect the military alone. Those who are not considered of pure blood are subjected to matters that those whose roots remain in the golden kingdom do not desire to do.

Needless to say, Dáinsleif doesn't relate to this philosophy nor to many others that were present in Khaenri'ah. And if the marshal elected him to be part of this team instead of the captain of the Black Serpent Knights, he would've graciously taken it as every position was for the reign's safety. But these people... why does it seem like they have suffered what they shouldn't have?

Twilight Sword advances, reaching a hand to touch fleetingly Yìng Xīng's shoulder to call for calmness from his silence. A brief shake of his head causes starlight tresses to wave as he comes to a stop before all these upset knights. ◜You misunderstand me. I do not come here to pity you nor I believe myself to be above any of you, but to communicate that your service as knights of Khaenri'ah... is over with the fall of the kingdom.◞

Albescent lashes flutter close amidst an ocean of gasps and hushed whispers. ◜Khaenri'ah... Khaenri'ah has fallen, you say?◞ ◜If that is true... what should we do now?◞ The leader of the knights steps closer to Dáinsleif, and so he opens his eyes anew. ◜Currently we live in a world plunged into darkness with no home. Circumstances are dire and against us, I know, but...◞ ◜We spent long enough in these lands to make this place our home, Captain.◞ The leader intercedes, and Twilight can't help but blink in surprise at him as the other looks towards the devastated grounds beyond the limits of the camp.

◜As one of our men said, ever since the Sumerian people realized that all these monsters and Field Tillers come from Khaenri'ah... they began to fault us. So ever since that grave incident that caused a dent in our numbers, we've been fighting to show them that we have the right to live among them, too. It is everything we know.◞ The man looks at Dáinsleif, and he looks back at him. ◜In the past few days, we received visitors that lacked the shape of humans addressing to us in Khaenri'ahn speech, asking us to join forces with them to rebuild a new home. But their conditions and their objectives for the future... they couldn't stray farther from the reason our ancestors decided to abandon their faith and seek Khaenri'ah's peace, far from the gods. Tell us, Dáinsleif— Twilight Sword. What should we do next?◞

Crystalline blues narrow in a momentary pensive stance at the man's words, at the experiences all of them shared in a moment of despair where they have all lost their purpose. In the end, all of them are the same. And yet, Dáinsleif cannot help but feel a bout of positivity that he lacks for himself. ◜I believe that you have already found your answer.◞ He turns on his heels to look at the others, now fallen into silence— so crystal clear that they need something, anything to spark a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long it is until seizing the luminous source. ◜All of us Khaenri'ahns are sinners to one degree or another, but that doesn't mean that the deeds of all of us can compare to those whom sought the aide of dark arts for ulterior motives hidden to many that only wanted refuge from an unjust world.◞

◜But now... all we have left is this unjust world to live in, that is currently crumbling under our feet. So for those who have yet to come to the surface so they have someplace to live, and for us who have lost our home and have nowhere to go... we must reclaim the right to live in this world. For that to happen, we must protect it from that which seeks to destroy it first.◞ His gaze falls upon Yìng Xīng, then it migrates to the leader and to the rest, each of them. ◜We may no longer have a kingdom to fight for, but we possess fighting skills that we can still put to use.◞ Celestial azures move to the automatons at their disposal thereafter. ◜And an unmatched technology that can help us.◞

If there is something Blade has learned in his short presence in Teyvat thus far, it's that he needn't know everything in order to make correct assessments. From his observations of this camp coupled with his own expertise on matters of military both as a knight himself and an engineer of Aurumatons as the Master of Artisanship, he can tell easily that these soldiers are running out of resources. The sites they sleep in look very poor, and even medical care seems to be out of the necessary tools to treat them.

In all his acute perception, he can also see the stares soldiers give them— or rather, Dáinsleif in particular. Some of them look at him in awe as if he were a miracle, others not so much, peeking at him and whispering to one another.

He has a bad feeling about this.

"So it is true... I was right in fearing the worst." The man laments the news Dáinsleif brings him, eyes closed in a moment of loss of composure as a result of everything these soldiers must've gone through in a foreign land. A few minutes later, Rèn senses the knights gathering around them, and so he stills himself, unsure of what to expect in view of the apparent mix opinions they have about the blond. "I mean it when I say that you are like a miracle for making your way here, honorable captain. In these trying times of all moments, when we're at our—"

"Do you think that just because you're the captain of those snobs we need your help?" Just as he thought, there are those who are opposed to the idea that a knight of a different faction of the military system would tread their territory. "You can keep your pity to yourself and go back where you came from. We Schwanenritter can deal with our own problems!"

"Don't you dare look down on us!" One of them emboldens himself to approach Dáinsleif as he speaks. "We who lack pure blood were sent far from our homes like garbage to perform missions that none of you from your privileged seats wanted! What makes you think that we will accept help from you?! If that's even what you plan to do." Before he has the opportunity to get too close to not think that this will escalate into something physical, Blade gets in between and the soldiers bumps on his chest. "Watch it." He snarls, chin high as he looks down on him with cold silver eyes that almost burn gold and crimson. The man, intimidated, looks at him with fear in his eyes. "Unless you want to add one more problem to your list."

Another one of them walks away from the crowd, albeit more conservative in her approach. "We had to stay here just to not break the orders and sit down while Sumerians treated us like pests as soon as they realised that those monsters came from Khaenri'ah." She rests a hand over her chest, seemingly affected. "We couldn't leave and we were repudiated by the people here. And to make matters worse..." Tears start streaming down her eyes. "We had to see with our own eyes our Khaenri'ahn people run towards us, only to turn into Hilichurls. Do you even understand how rough we had it here, without any guidance?!"

Regardless of whether they see in Dáinsleif a ray of hope or the opposite, there is something that is abundantly clear to Blade: all of them are in some capacity plunged into despair. With no home to return to and rejected by locals who live where they have been deployed for who knows how long... they all lack purpose, just as Dáinsleif has no matter if he was in a more privileged position than they were. Rèn looks at the blond, torn if he should intervene or let him deal with this on his own— for it hadn't been more than a couple of hours at most since he saw him breaking down just before him, his wounds still fresh and open.

The only comforting thought that crosses his mind is the notion that he made it over 500 years into the future, which means that one way or another he made it out of this situation— whatever that outcome was.

[elkenbulwark]

@kiimkaline , @illithidtouched cont.

The beach is littered with corpses - duergar and deep gnomes alike lie unmoving, some long dead and some fresh. She can't bring herself to move. The battle itself had been grueling enough, but finding those bodies - the bodies of her kin... She looks up at Birvor from the deep gnome she is cradling in her lap. "They didn't deserve this, Biv. We can't just leave 'em..." She blinks away tears and closes the eyes of the poor soul. They can't fix this but they can avenge them. They have avenged them, or at least begun to. But there are undoubtedly more. "We've got time to give 'em a peaceful sendoff, right? Give 'em dignity?"

There was a moment where he'd lost interest in hounding after Ren when the other joined Vez by the water's edge that he took the brief respite to glance over and see how Kim was keeping up.

Oh...

That was the only thought he could muster when he noticed her crouched by the body of one who looked...too similar to her own kind. The slavers from earlier certainly didn't make it any secret that they'd disposed of many a deep gnome for crimes as egregious as sneezing in the wrong direction. Such was cruelty he'd come to know growing up walking on eggshells with big, stompy feet- but never to this degree of barbarism.

Frowning until the tips of his tusks dug pensively into his lip, he wandered over with some hesitance in each step that seemed far less stompy than when he made a beeline for Ren or Vez during the height of their antics. "..." Didn't deserve it, huh? Did anybody deserve anything, he wondered? Good or bad... they were all just waiting their turn in line for the ax to fall, that was - if the tadpoles didn't eat them from the inside-out first.

Hands on his hips, he shakes his head and pleads with her- eyes softened to a much more sensible degree. "...'pends on the send off. I can dig a hole. Or there's a bonfire back 'hind us. I-...dunno what it would take for things to be set proper here, but I'll do what I can. So long as it bucks you back up. What needsa be done?"

[daily-rubbersoul-redux]

top ten ocs i wish never fell into obscurity, number-

[thecameronchronicles]

Relinquishment

TW: Dark!Rafe!. Smut. Language. Forceful sex.

SUMMARY: A specific question in regards to your virtues sends Rafe into action when he can’t take the thought of it being anyone else to rectify that situation…

WORD COUNT: 2200

*Requested*

Relinquishment

He seemed different today. The usual arrogance was exchanged for pensive silence, which was beyond odd considering his usual flickering gaze. It was almost as if he had been trying to remember something. But the eyes that you knew well as your best friend belonged behind them, had now been consumed by something dangerous. Something possessive. Something you were unaware had you within its pinnacle. 

"Do you think about it?" Rafe suddenly appeared as you closed the door to your bedroom closet, believing he had remained downstairs after you had said goodbye to your mutual friends. 

"Jesus, Rafe! What the hell!" But the compassion one would usually offer after frightening someone was lost on him. His focus was steadfast and in a way that was done with impatience. 

"Do you?" You knew exactly the answer he was vying for as it had been the reason you retired to your room to begin with. 

Topper and Rafe had been discussing virginity-more specifically, their lack thereof. The thing was, Rafe was too. He had talked a big game in faux headboard banging conquests, but you knew the truth because he had confided it into you. It was a secret that kept you close, but his pride had gotten the better of him and made him egg on Topper as they teased your 'unpopped cherry'. Topper having even gone so far as to 'offer his services' had left you fuming as you had Rafe secret at the edge of your tongue. But you weren't the type to hold a grudge. Not when the friendship as a whole acted as more of a benefit than a conundrum. And yet, Kelce's remark of 'you should just let Rafe take it', had been what Rafe was in reference to. 

You loved Rafe. Just not in that way. You had seen too many of his emotional outbursts to consider him a candidate for what you would need in a partner. You needed stability and reliability, perhaps two of the only things Rafe didn't possess in opposition to his many qualities. But it was enough to keep the line divided between friends and lovers, which is what increased the uncomfortable nature of his presence as he was invested in your thoughts on the matter. 

"I think our friends are idiots." You tried to lessen the tension, even changing the subject by moving across the space and pulling the remote to view as if to invite him to watch something. But his eyes were still fixed,"What?" 

"Have you ever thought about it with us?" 

"No." You spoke honestly as his jaw clenched but his eyes fell in sadness. 

"You have?" He shrugged, trying to act as if his mind wasn't riddled with visions of you. The positions in which he fantasized, the faces you would make once he was inside of you, and the way you would say his name when he was the first to make you come. It was maddening and a borderline obsession that was beginning to spill over in his ability to remain indifferent. 

"I mean...yeah..." The way his eyes stalled on your body was overwhelming. You had watched him drool over plenty of other girls, including some of your friends, but never you. At least not this openly. A few glances shifting away when you would look at him or comments corrected to appear strictly platonic had now made you question the intent beneath them. 

"Rafe..." You addressed him as he began to walk towards you, the stock of his frame making it impossible to move around him without being immediately apprehended. 

"You haven't thought about how it would be between us?" You spoke his name in warning once more, moving closer to your bed, as he continued with interruptions over your rejection. 

"Then let me tell you what I've thought of every fucking day since we've been friends." He was now standing immediately in front of you, fingers raised to his temples as he spoke in dramatic passion. 

"I've thought of being so sweet with you that you'd fall in love with me by the time I would make you come. I've thought about fingering and eating you out in public in front of Kelce and Top and everyone else who looks at you too fucking long for my liking..." 

You swallowed hard at the thought as your eyes shifted to the door. 

"And I've also thought about pulling your hair back so far until I can see your eyes roll back as I rode you too hard you ached for days..." The way his words affected you left you manic for stability in breathing. Your eyes wouldn't leave his, however, even as you considered pushing towards your escape, as you worried if you did then he would pounce. 

"And every time I've thought about it, I stopped myself because you hadn't been with anybody...But since I haven't either..." 

"I was waiting." 

"For what?" He scoffed. "You've had boyfriends before...You have had offers...and looks...and you've waited for...?" He waited for you to answer as you hesitated. 

"For-for it to be special.. with someone special..." 

"Well you might not love me...and there might not be music or any of that shit, but...I'll make it memorable for you...THAT is a promise and I-" You used the downcast of his eyes as a means to try and leave, as he quickly collected you with a hundred chuckle leaving his lips. 

"You think after confessing all that to you, I'm gonna let someone else have the chance to do it?!" 

"Rafe, please! Not like this!" 

"You'll thank me when it's over...you might even love me..." He turned you towards the bed, a grip to the back of your neck directing you towards it, before he used his other arm to hold you against him. 

"God, your body has always driven me crazy...fuck..." He ran his touch over your hips and down your shorts, licking his lips at the sinful thoughts racing through his mind until they weren't able to be silenced. 

"Rafe!" You begged as you tried to grip his wrist to stop him, but this only led him to chuckle as he was successful in accessing your panties. 

"You don't want this?" You asked as you shook your head. 

"Then why are you so fucking wet?!" You squeezed your eyes together tightly as you convinced yourself that it was temporary insanity. 

"Do you have ANY idea what it does to me to know that I'm the only one that's gonna be in this pussy?" You winced at his words, so dirty from lips usually so beautiful. 

"Please!" You winced as he palmed against your clit, testing which techniques he had overheard from Topper and his other friends, until finding one that turned your desperation to desire. But this plea in repetition would be the only result. 

"This is gonna happen, sweetheart. And the more you fight it will just make it worse for you." 

"If you do this-" You were turned against him. 

"What? You'll hate me?" He chuckled. "It'll be worth it if I get to wear your cream around my cock as a trophy, baby...Now shut the fuck up and lay down." 

"Rafe-" He took your jaw within his grip, forcing your cheeks to be hollow before he forced you into a kiss. It was dry and rough but still made you temporarily drawn to him as you hated yourself for it. For this, you'd bite his bottom lip until it drew blood, only forcing the excitement to broaden behind his eyes. 

"I was gonna try and be sweet with you, sven...eat you out until you came and everything...but since you wanna be a little bitch, we're doing this for me-" He took your hips, flipping you onto your stomach and forcing your shorts from your waist. 

"Goddamnit..." He groaned at the sight of your panties, the imagery in reality far exceeding what he had imagined long before. 

"When I done, I'm taking these with me, yeah?" He smirked into your shoulder before spitting on his cock, not issuing even a look of warning, before thrusting into you. The cruel penetration had been done in one swift motion as he had bottomed out the pain having made you cry in a silent plea as he shook behind you. 

"Even better than I thought...." He spoke to himself before retracting as you gripped the bed hard enough until your knuckles became worn with ivory coloring. 

"Oh shit...you need to relax!" He snapped. 

"I'm gonna come too soon if you don't-and then I'll just fuck you again, so calm the hell down!" He patronized, before leading himself into a pace. Your pleas and winces were left completely ignored as the pain brought tears to your eyes. Not only had he stolen your virtue, but had done so without proper preparation, which left you feeling him raw to the touch. You swear you could make out the veins as they slid in and out of you, the virtue fading somewhere in the motions. 

"Always knew you'd be a good fuck, but shit!" Your body was forced against his by the grip on your neck and that around your hip to keep you in to him. 

But then that pressure began to alter into something else. Something much more pleasurable and something you wanted to hate but couldn't. With the pain of his force, you clung to anything that came in contrast to it, which showed in the way he was now able to glide easily to and from you. 

"You feeling good now baby? See I told you I'd make it feel good, didn't I?" You only focused on your pleasure, not who it had come from. But it wasn't enough for him. Not when he had to wait this long. Because of this, he reached to the top of your head before fitting a grip and using it to ride into you. 

"Pussy loves my cock, don't it? Clenching and shaking and shit...goddamn that's so good isn't it?" He asked as you could only groan on the pleasure you wanted to hate. 

"Wanna scream at me? Wanna hate me? Go ahead...but you're cunt's telling me she loves me..." He laughed. "She's spilling all your secrets...and you, God, you're drowning my cock-" 

"Rafe!" 

"Oh shit, you're close..." You trembled as he led his touch to your clit. A few fumbles later and he had a steady tempo that added to his thrusts. 

The fulfillment of his cock, the roughness of each thrust, the grip through your hair, and the dirty words at your back were too much for you as you allowed yourself to be lost in the pleasure. Even if undeserving for him, you relaxed enough to where he could enjoy the moment as well. 

"Tell me you're gonna come. Tell me whose cock is gonna make you too fucking sore to walk-come on..." 

"Rafe-" He slapped your ass as you gasped, returning his fingers to your clit in the process. 

"I know my fucking name! I wanna hear you fucking come! Tell me or I swear to God, I'll use your ass to make me come!" 

"I'm coming!" You belted in purr desperation as he allowed you to control your high as he ran through you in continued thrusts and circling fingers. But even when you slowed to showcase your release, he wasn't done. His motions returned, this time without a care to even hold you close. Instead, he used you to make himself come. But in his tries, you would try to break free as your body felt that second release he had unintentionally built within you. 

"Don't-" He threatened as you tried to bury yourself into the sheets. 

"Rafe....oh God...oh my fucking God! Stop! Please!" And to this, he took one final swat to your ass before leaving over your ear. 

“I don’t care if it’s in pain or pleasure baby, you’re still gonna scream for me when you come…”

And his words were true. He couldn't care less. It showed in the cruelty of his thrusts and dirty words reprimanding having not done this sooner. 

"You're gonna make me come! Oh shit! Clench that pussy-come on!" He demanded as your body unintentionally obeyed. 

"Fuck yes!" Ge cursed through clenched teeth before awkward jolts brought him spilling into you as he withdrew as your pulsating walls were too much to his sensitive cock. 

"Rafe-" 

"Now no matter whose been there will know I got you first..." He leaned down and pulled your face to him. 

"But I can whenever the fuck I want..." He pressed a kiss to your lips before leaving as if nothing had happened, as if your best best hadn't just taken your virginity as you had taken his…

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @my-baexht-ls @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era