#i had another idea i was planning on doing too if i couldn't wrangle this one into submission so i'll keep that one on the backburner.......

[twiafom]

the world next door

hijack anniversary.............2! cannot believe we are 2 years deep into old friends senior hijack sanctuary. love forever to the wonderful friends i have met in this little corner of the weirdonet, you are a beloved part of my heart 🫶

IN PARTICULAR this goes out to @emerialyncodevenice because i swear i have done 12 different versions of this for your bday present AND FINALLY HAVE IT PERFECT. here is universe hopping art gallery au I LOVE YOU BESTIE‼️

[co-sharkie]

I just saw ur post abt Scott, and I would like to request a fluffy fic or drabble, with Scott and reader hanging out at a bar with the rest of them after a chase, and reader manages to get scott to dance with her!! Thank you SMM!!

Yes!! Thank you sm for the request! <3

Dance With Me

Scott (Twisters) x F! Reader

Scott leaned against the bar with a drink in his hands as he watched the mass of people dancing. Tables and chair were pushed to the sides of the bar to leave a large open space where people were flinging their bodies around to a rhythm he couldn't catch onto.

Javi had the idea of stopping by a bar after a night of chases. Scott was planning to stay at the motel and not party, but Javi and his damn puppy eyes convinced him other wise. About an hour after Storm Par settled at the bar, the Tornado Wrangles came busting through the doors.

Almost everyone in the bar was ecstatic to see them and Scott quickly learned that they were regulars around here during tornado season.

Scott's eyes focused on one of the Tornado Wranglers he's had a few pleasant run-ins with. She was dancing with Lily, another one of the wrangles. Her body swayed with the beat of the country song playing. Her cowboy hat added an extra flare to her outfit.

He didn't talk with her much but she was not one of the wrangles who gave him issues. She kept the camera off of him and his team when she recorded and always gave them a smile. They ran into each other a few times at gas stations and had a quick chat about whatever crossed their minds at that moment. Scott never expected it to turn into a high-school crush.

Scott watched as Lily dragged her over to the bar to grab drinks. They ended up sitting on some stools that were close to him. After Lily left with an arm full of drinks for the Wrangler's table, Scott decided to approach the woman.

"Having fun?" He asked. He was a bit tipsy and he could tell she was too by the way she moved. Scott stood next to her and leaned his arm against the counter.

She smiled seeing him, a big dopey grin. "Yeah, you ever dance before?"

Scott shook his head. "No, I don't dance. But it looks like you sure do." They both laughed. Her at the idea of Scott seeing her flail around in a bar, and Scott because her laugh was infectious.

"You wanna come dance with me?" She set her drink down and turned towards him. He was close enough to feel her knee brush against his thigh when she turned.

Scott smiled and tilted his head. "I told you I don't know how to dance. Are you going to teach me?"

She leaned over to grab Scott's drink from his hand and slid it over towards hers. "I'll teach you how to dance!"

She took her hat off and plopped it on Scott's head. She giggled at his surprised expression. "Yeah, I think you'll catch on quick. Already look good in the hat."

Scott sheepishly smiled and helped her hop off of her stool. She dragged him into the crowd of people. "Just follow my lead!" She called out to him over the sounds of people and the music.

The song changed to a fast-paced rhythm. Her body and her feet moved quickly with the song and Scott couldn't keep up. He was always three steps behind her. She could tell he was getting frustrated with it.

Scott was watching their feet move against each other before he felt the tug on his arm. "C'mon, let's go over here." She pulled him to a corner of the bar with no one present. "Maybe it'll be easier to learn when there aren't people crashing into you."

She guided him step-by-step on a dance and he was finally getting the hang of it. Her hands never left his while they danced and soon Scott was able to keep up with her. "There ya go, city boy!"

Scott laughed at her enthusiasm. "It's more complicated than it looks." He admitted. It wasn't until he looked up from the ground that he met her sparkling eyes staring right back at him.

She had a soft smile on her face and her eyes were locked with his. Their hands still connected and their bodies closer than ever before. "It gets easier the more you practice. You should know that." She winked at him and Scott felt like he was going to melt into the floor from her charm.

"Think you could help me practice?" His voice was quiet but just loud enough for her to hear. "It wouldn't be a bad idea for me to know how to dance while I'm in Oklahoma."

"Yeah, I'll practice with you. Could teach you some more dances, too." Scott smiled and his hands moved from hers to rest on her hips. She moved closer to him. "Gotta wear the hat, though. Can't dance without it."

"I'll wear it." He chuckled. Scott had no problems wearing the hat as long as he got to be close to her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and their bodies swayed back and forth together. Scott didn't even realize a slow song had started, nor did he realized she brought him right into another dance.

[ghostmoon1]

Dusted Rivalries - Chapter Three

Chapter Two | Master List | Chapter Four

Call of Duty Fic - Task Force 141 - Cowboy AU

Summary: You end up going with the boys to round up the cows after they escaped from their paddock, but it certainly doesn't go to plan.

Paring: You'll find out soon :3

Words: 2,468

Warnings: Swearing, Slight description of death (nothing major).

A/N: I'm pretty happy with this chapter guys :3 Also just a reminder, my taglist for this fic is OPEN! And chapters will be getting posted every Saturday AEST, no specific time. Happy reading!

Johnny practically leaps up as John announces the cows have escaped, jogging over to grab his cowboy hat covered in dust and dirt. He had a grin plastered onto his face, excited to go out and ride again.

You sit up slightly from the couch, resting your hands onto your lap. John was already walking across the room, pulling his boots on by the door. The idea of going out and doing something like this, something that you never got the chance too back on your dads ranch excited you. 

“Can I come?” the words slipped out of your mouth before you realised what you were saying. Going out on horses to round their cattle up, when you’ve never even done that before? What, were you insane? Possibly.

Johnny almost trips over, his eyes doubling back to study you. Like he didn't believe you could. “Yer sure lass? You were so hungover this mornin’-”

John's eyebrows furrowed, watching you intently as you say your next words. His arms were crossed over his large chest, the hairs on his arms showing from under his rolled up sleeves, revealing his forearms.

“I feel better now. Surely I can help, the more the better right?”

John huffs softly, his eyes flickering to meet with Johnny’s. They were both thinking about it, silently having a conversation with him. They both look up as Simon enters the room, giving each other a silent greeting before Simon’s focus lands on you.

His eyes were cold, deep brown, like a forest and you felt like you could get lost in it. He was watching- no. Studying you. Just the feeling of his eyes on you sent shivers down your spine. You didn't back down though, you stared right back, which only earned a grunt in return.

“Can you even ride?” he asks gruffly, taking another step into the room. You really couldn't tell what he was thinking, that damn bandana in front of his face made it impossible to understand how he really felt about you. But his cold eyes made you feel uneasy.

“Yes I can,” you reply, your voice laced with determination, trying to prove that you weren't scared of him. You were never going to be scared of him. You wanted to prove your worth.

He grunts and makes his way across the room, seemingly ignoring you as he pulls his boots on. “Give her a horse, Price. We'll see how she rides.”

A smile spreads across your lips, grinning in the taste of your sweet victory. Simon leaves before the others, although Johnny also has a grin on his face. As he walks back past you, you feel his strong calloused hand pat you on the back. “Let’s see how yer do, aye lass?”

With an enthusiastic nod, you leap off the couch to follow them, grabbing your boots and hat.  You wanted to prove to them that you didn’t take after your father, your life wasn't the uptight one it was made out to be. You wanted to be out here, kicking up the dust with your boots and wrangling cattle, living on the edge with everything you do having a spark of danger.

This was your life now, and you wanted to keep it that way.

The sun was throwing daggers at your eyes, making you uncomfortable squint the whole walk to the stables. Dirt and gravel crunched over your boots, sending a small trail of dust into the air. The boys walked ahead of you, along with someone else you hadn’t met yet. You heard his name to be Kyle. 

If you were honest to yourself he was one of the prettiest men you’d ever seen, he was lean but muscular at the same time. Your ogling was quickly broken off as he turned his head to face you, giving you a charming smile.

“So you ride?” he asks, his smile genuine and kind eyes studying your expression.

“Yeah, I ride my dad’s horses and train in dressage and showjumping”

“Ah, so all that fancy stuff?” he huffs, widening his eyes slightly as he studies your form.

“Well, it means I can ride, doesn't it?” you say, laughing slightly as he grins further.

“Aye, lass it does!” Johnny chimes in, stepping back to walk with you. 

The stable comes into view over the dusty hills, dry grass waving in the breeze. The wooden planks looked as if they were close to rotting, old and worn down. It had been through a lot of loving. John stepped forward to open the doors, a slight squeak to the hinges. Inside, the stalls came into view, a few heads poking out with their ears perked forward in interest. A few of the horses nicker, happy to see the men again.

“You can take Kate’s horse… he needs a good exercise,” John explains, patting one of the stalls. The horse's head pokes out, giving him a small nicker and throwing its head up and down. 

He had a beautiful bay coat, slightly scruffy and covered in straw from rolling around in the stall. His ears were perked up, listening to you and the men, his eyes bright and curious. He was a bit chubby, having not been properly ridden for a while, as John explained. He was their friend's horse, Kate’s.

“What’s his name?” you ask, giving the gelding a scratch on the nose.

“Charlie. Beautiful quarter horse, ain't he?” John answers, scratching his fingers along the top of the horse's nose.

You nod, stepping into the stall with the horse and steering away from his hooves as he kicked the straw in excitement. He was very chubby, his gut sticking out a bit more than it should. 

“He needs some good exercise… Maybe you can give that to him while you're here? Kate hasn’t been over in a while to keep him running around. We never get time to ourselves either. Whenever he’s on the pasture he stands in one spot all day and stuffs his gob. Lazy shit,” John explains, raising a brow at the horse like he could almost understand him. 

Charlie snorts at him, gaining a small giggle from you. It was like he was arguing back.

“Alright. Get tacked up we don’t have a lot of time to get these cows back before they escape onto roads,” Simon grumbles, coming out of nowhere almost as he reaches for a bridle. You watch as he makes his way to a beautiful pure white horse, a grey. It’s mane was barely even a cream colour like you’d usually see, it was like snow.

“Beautiful horse, ain’t she?” Johnny says with a grin as he watches Simon with the horse, patting it and sliding the bridle over its head. “Told him he should name ‘er Ghost, he refused to name ‘er that ‘cause of our previous job…”

Before you could ask what their jobs were, Simon shoots you both a vicious glare. He obviously wasn't in the mood to talk this morning. 

Eventually, you get Charlie’s tack onto him after a bit of a fight. You now have a nasty nip on your hand, that’s sure to look horrible later. His tummy didn't make it easy to get the tack on, having to adjust it so it wouldn't snap him in two. 

Maybe some lunging later would do him well… and a diet.

John, Kyle and Johnny gather up their own horses and lead them out to the front of the stable before mounting. 

“Alright, cows have escaped into the north fields, gonna need to catch them before they get too close to the neighbours,” John says, spitting out the word ‘neighbours’ like it was acid. Why, you don't know. Not yet at least. 

Everyone else nods, clicking their tongues to get their horses into a walk. You mount Charlie, earning a snort and a small kick of his front hoof. “Easy boy… He’ll listen, give him a tap on the side and he’ll do as you please. He’s just a little rusty,” Johnny says as he walks up next to you on his horse. His horses' muscles rippled under its shiny black coat, flicking its tail with a small snort.

Listening to his advice, with a soft tap of your boot against his side and a click of the tongue he starts walking along with the rest of them. The soft clop of hooves echoed into your ears, providing a soothing sound as you all made your way out to the paddocks. As soon as Simon’s horses’ hooves hit the soft grass, he flicked the reins and galloped off, leading as the rest of the boys followed in pursuit. With a flick of the reins and another soft tap, you and Charlie were also off and galloping with the rest of them.

His muscles rippled underneath the tack and your leg with each stride, hooves hitting the ground and sending up dirt as you made your way across the paddock. The wind brushed at your face, your hair flicking up behind you and waving through the breeze. 

The reins in your hands felt natural, holding on firmly but yet, they felt so loose, sitting there in their own special place. Where they belong. Where you belong.

Charlie breathed with every stride, his ears perked forward as he galloped. Enjoying the freedom that galloping gave him. The dry grass brushed against your boots, swaying in the breeze, welcoming you all into the field in a peaceful manner. The rolling fields flew past you at the high speeds you were going, the far paddocks coming into  view. As you got closer, you could make out the faint shapes of cows heads poking through the long grass.

You take your eyes off the path for a moment, flicking your gaze over each of the boys. John was riding a beautiful dun horse, black mane that transitioned to cream at the tips, holding onto the reins in one hand with the other sitting behind him, leaning into the gallop slightly. Simon, who was right next to him on his ghost horse, standing out like snow against the darkened and dusty landscape, scarred from droughts.

You soon reach the paddocks with the escapee’s, who were happily making their way through the paddock while chewing on grass, smug looks on their faces. Like they were silently saying ‘Ha! We got out. Get fucked!’. If cows could speak and they said that, that really made you feel like a steak.

“Alright! Get rounding up, we want these bastards back by dawn!” Simon’s voice booms over the field so everyone could hear him. And after that, they were off once again, racing towards the cattle, shouting to get them to move. 

“Move yer fat twats!” Johnny yells, obviously having a bit too much fun. They used practised movements, caging the cows in and making them walk back, some mooing in protest. But if anything, they were too focused on eating to care, taking mouthfuls of grass as they followed. 

You jump in with Charlie wherever you could, jumping into gaps to stop cows from escaping and leading them on. The adrenaline was pumping through your veins, making you more alert that you felt before, your hands gripping the reins with excitement.

“The calf is escaping!” Johns voice suddenly cuts through the excitement, making everyone's head snap towards the escaping calf.

Here was your chance.

“I got it!” You yell, flicking the reins and positioning yourself on the saddle to sit comfortably for a gallop again. Your chance to prove yourself, you weren't some uptight equestrian, you were a cowgirl. 

Charlie lets out a snort as his muscles ripple underneath you again, hooves hitting the ground with force as he raced towards the calf, letting out a small whinny of excitement.

You watched as the calf got closer, before tugging on the reins lightly to get him to gallop around the calf, to get it to head back to the herd.

Charlie didn’t seem to like that much. 

Without warning, he comes to a halt, rearing up on his back legs and throwing his front legs up. You yelp, trying desperately to hold onto the reins for dear life, tightening your grip on him with your legs. 

Shit.

The others watch, but everything becomes a blur. Johnny might’ve yelled your name, you weren't sure. You could hear the blood rushing as more adrenaline kicked in. Were you going to die? If you come off and he steps on you, it could end in horrible injury. 

Or death.

Shit.

You close your eyes, you don't want to witness your own doom. The images flashed through your head. Dead, limp corpse in the grass, a hoof through the head. Could a horse do that? You were hoping they couldn't. That wouldn't be a pretty sight for the boys.

Shit.

Charlie lets out a horrible sound, a scream. It makes you wince, gasping as your legs give out, unable to hold on for dear life to his sides. Everything starts to fall. No. That was you.

You let out a scream as you come off, trying to put an arm out to catch yourself. A burning pain shoots through that arm, a burning knife hitting your bones, causing you to let out another blood curdling scream of pain. Your back hits the ground, even with the grass trying to soften your fall it feels like you just hit rock. 

Thankfully, when Charlie comes back down his front hooves were not near you, but the thought of it possibly being on top of you made you flinch. You lay on the ground, pain throbbing through your arm like you’ve been shot. Not that you have, it just felt like it.

Everything was a mix between pain and confusion until you felt an arm on your shoulder, large calloused hands gripping tightly.

“Darlin? You're alright… shhhh shh you're okay I got you,” John murmurs, holding you up off the ground. He carefully holds your arm close to your body, pulling you up gently so you lay on his lap. “Tsk… looks like a broken arm darlin.”

You whimper in pain as a headache sets in; you must've hit your head on the fall and now it felt like your skull was being crushed. He cradles you gently in his arms, trying his hardest not to move your arm too much. He spoke to the others, but the pain was turning everything into a blur, voices coming out as mumbles. Until one voice, a different one stood out to the rest, causing John’s features to turn into something that you could only call pure hatred.

“Well, looks like you boys hurt the sweet girl…Not surprised. Such a shame you hurt all the pretty ones.”

[harbingerscry]

Another?

My Graves brain rot is festering. That's it. That's the message.

This contains NSFW content.

It is rare you get to have a break or some quality alone time. Being a parent to two rowdy ten-year-olds and an NP at a local doctor's office keeps you busy like no other, especially since your husband is often busy with his own job. So imagine your unbridled surprise when you get home one Friday afternoon and the house is eerily quiet. You even check your watch to make sure you didn't accidentally leave work early or something (which was impossible). You're almost tempted to call Phillip but you already know he's home by his black truck parked in the driveway. "Honey?" You finally call out into the silence as you take your shoes off in the entryway. "Yep?" Phillip's voice echoed from the dining room. "Where are Abigail and James?" You begin your quiet march to the dining room, but not getting a response makes your pace quicken.

One look at the dining room made any words waiting on your tongue melt back into your throat. Your favorite flowers were sitting in the centerpiece vase that had been empty for weeks, plates were made and set out, and the aroma was enough to make your mouth water after a day of limited snacking between appointments and a lunch spent researching. Standing right beside it all was your grinning husband dressed casually in a button-up and jeans, hands confidently resting on his hips. "Welcome home baby, and to answer your question they're at my folks." You were stunned, not because this was an uncommon occurrence but because it was almost always planned ahead of time. The look on your face slowly gives way to unrestrained affection, matching Phillip's as you walk forward and gently wrap your arms around his waist. "This is one of the best welcome homes I've had in a while." You place a gentle kiss on his lips but it's his hands that keep you there as he holds your face in his hands, guiding and deepening the kiss at the pace he wants. You do eventually have to give his hip a gentle tap and pull away, if you continue like this there won't be any food left at all. "Let me go put my bag and papers away baby…" You swear you've never seen a grown man pout faster, it made you laugh as you wrangled yourself free from his grabbing hands and made your way to the bedroom to put stuff away.

"Phillip…I love you but this is suspicious." He had been incessant about showing you a gift he had apparently brought home earlier today while everyone was gone. You had an idea of what it could be, especially since you noticed a brand-new swimsuit laid on your dresser. All he could do was roll his eyes from behind you, his hand holding your arm as he herded you to the back patio. "I love you too sweetheart, now hush." He let go of you to slide open the back door, you could hear him scuffling about but it took about a minute before he cleared his throat. "Alright, open your eyes." You had to blink a few times to get your eyes fully focused but the sight was just as romantic as the dining room. The patio was lit up by the string lights you loved and flower petals covered the ground. You stepped out to get a good look at everything and it was then that you spotted the star of the show. "You did not get a hot tub." "I sure did sweet cheeks." Oh God, you were going to have a hell of a time keeping your kids away from it. Before you could protest Phillip was grabbing you and picking you up by the waist, throwing you over his shoulder and causing an undignified squeak to escape your lips. "Phillip!" He was already using the hand not holding your legs down to tug at your pants and underwear. "Gotta get you undressed if we wanna hop in."

You couldn't deny how much you were loving the warm water and jets. As soon as he helped you in it was like your muscles immediately released their tension from weeks of stress. You couldn't help but sink further into the warm water, leaving only your shoulders exposed to the cool night air as you watched your husband undress with practiced ease. He didn't even bother to hide the smirk on his lips when your eyes immediately trailed his toned body, the smirk even seemed to grow as your eyes noticed his half-hard cock. All too happy to stroke his ego further, you licked your lips in barely disguised hunger before a faux pout overtook your features. "I'm awfully lonely in here." Phillip chuckled as he finally climbed into the hot tub, seating himself across from you intentionally. "Guess I could remedy that." You knew this game, you were going to have to close the gap between you two if you wanted more. Lucky for him, you were a sweet partner, always eager to please. It wasn't a moment after he sat down that you were climbing onto his lap, pressing your warm, wet chest against his while your hands instinctually found themselves softly massaging the nape of his neck. The man instantly let out a groan of approval as he squeezed at your hips in return. "So good for me sweet pea." You pressed your lips to his cheek with a hum. That wasn't nearly enough for him though. His hand was quick to hold the back of your neck as he pressed his lips to yours in a hungry kiss, lips and tongue working in tandem to open your mouth with practiced ease. It felt like heaven when he took control like this, it was addicting in ways you weren't sure you could ever describe. He always had control, you both knew that, but in moments like this, it felt like he was pulling the submission from you slowly instead of demanding it with an iron grip. You loved both ways, but something about this seemed even more intoxicating at the moment.

Surprisingly it wasn't you who pulled away first, but Phillip. His eyes were full of hunger, but there was something in them, the fragment of a question. "Everything okay baby?" Your hands moved up to cup his jaw, thumbs tracing the expanse of his cheeks. "Everything's fine darlin', just gotta question." "What is it?" Your forehead leaned forward to rest against his in a soft display of affection before leaning back so he could answer. "Can we have another?" You knew what he was asking, but just to be sure. "Another what baby?" "Another baby." The hunger never left his eyes as he looked into your own, but it was now twinged with anxiety you rarely saw in him. It was a sudden question, however, you knew it would have come eventually. Your own eyes softened as you gave him a reassuring smile. "If you want that, I think we can work something out." Those must have been magic words because he was on you in a second, pressing kisses to the column of your throat all the way to your lips. It was almost like you'd ripped away all his inhibitions with that one sentence. He made it his mission to fuck every drop of his cum inside you that entire weekend. By the end of it, you were in such a pitiful state Philip had to go get the kids by himself. The first thing they asked was where you were and all Phillip could do was try to hide his shit-eating grin as he told them you were sick and getting some well-deserved rest in bed. Also, that brand-new hot tub needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

[potetosaradas]

Oooooh, I'm curious, if Prime wiped out all Diane's but killed his Diane first when Beth was 5 or so then when did he decide to erase them? Obviously he couldn't have done it when she was a kid cause then there'd be no one to take care of all the Beth's so he had to do it after she moved out as an adult, anywhere from 18-35, that's a long time to wait after dropping the bomb though, if he did that to spite Rick and keep him from getting a new Diane, why do you think he waited so long?

Hey Anon, thanks for asking lol

I’m gonna preface this ask with a disclaimer that i am usually wrong about EVERYTHING so don’t quote me on this.

I have one crazy (entirely unfounded) theory on why there’s a gap. (This post is going to be entirely incoherent and streamed directly from my brain to fingers so i apologise)

So i’ve been thinking about this too, about the gap of time. First of all, i think its interesting that Beth has never once mentioned Diane, and also Morty refers to his grandma as Rick’s wife (there’s a big detachment there) so Diane must have been gone for a long long time. I agree that Diane must have died or been deleted some time after Beth became an adult. (Also its not said HOW dianes were killed, ie if there was a body left behind or not.. either way traumatic? Possibly reasons why beth drinks???)

So why would Prime wait that long? Well, I think we should be asking ourselves, why would Prime meet Diane, settle down and have a family with her? Part of me wants to say its because he wanted to understand Rick better- to see what Rick rejected him for. But actually, crazy thought, but WHAT IF, Prime was gathering data on Diane as the first test subject for the Omega Device. I’m not sure but wrangling with infinity doesn’t seem like something you can do in a week, even for a genius. I think he was studying Diane, and Diane’s effects on Ricks. Almost all Ricks meet a Diane. Surely, this must be of some interest to Prime. Why would Ricks settle down with Diane? What is so special about her? She must be deleted lol

Related unrelated, we know that Prime stuck around well into Beth’s teen years (i think 15 years old?) don’t forget it’s canon that he made toys for her too. I don’t want to say he ever hated Beth, she’s a part of him after all. He probably hated the idea of family/attachments though, but I don’t think he ever hated Beth as a person. Also we know that Prime was a heavy drinker. I think Prime took Rick breaking up with him harder than he thought he would. I’m not gonna say he stuck around for Beth, but I know for sure that he was deeply unhappy, negligent but he stuck around. I think it was during that time he was planning and plotting the creation of the Omega Device and Diane was going to be his first test subject.

Also id like to add that Prime was not immune to Diane. (INSERT GARFIELD MEME) whatever his reasons were, he decided to marry Diane and start a family with her. Why would he do that???????????? To an extent, whether Prime will admit it or not, he was affected by Diane too. (He also made bots with her likeness on it, possibly to torment Rick but also??? Hello???) perhaps, just like he did with Slo Mobius, he was trying to prove something to himself (and other Ricks) by deleting Diane out of existence.

Also I’d like to add, I mentioned this in one of my fics, but Rick never once showed an interest in finding a Diane. After his Diane died, he went straight for Prime* lol i believe that Rick was never truly about family life (possibly Prime knew this and wanted him to see reason, ironic that he was the one who started a family tho) but Rick went straight for space, met birdperson and STILL KEPT HUNTING PRIME. He could have so easily found another Diane (Prime did), but he didn’t.

*its interesting to me because as reluctant as Rick was to join Prime, now that his family was out of the picture, he could go look for Prime and be fully immersed in thoughts about Prime guilt free lol

[undead-potatoes]

So! Tell me about Aurora! Did they have a life before the Urge came calling? How has their journey been through the game? Are they romancing anybody or do they have any other significant bonds?

I hope you don't mind, but I decided to split this into two posts. You asked about her journey through the game, and suddenly I had written 1400 words that didn't fit with the rest. So uuh yeah, here's the first and the last question at least!

I'm still a little unsure about her life before the Urge. There's the few "canon" things we're given through bits of dialogue (like murdering their parents as a child), but I honestly don't tend to get too caught up in canon if I want to do something different.

She had a lot of nightmares as a child (thanks dad), and it made her a very skittish and nervous child. In combination with minor Urges which made her say and sometimes do off-putting shit, I imagine she wasn't exactly a social butterfly. Like once she probably bit someone when the Urge overtook her, but bc they were baby urges and she was like 6-years-old it didn't really do much but alienate her.

But I think she was otherwise a good kid, doing her best and loved by her adoptive parents, even if they probably worried about her a lot.

I kinda like the idea of her being slightly older, someone who briefly escaped her heritage due to Bhaal's death before he returned in full, and the Urge became too strong to ignore. To have the Urge hovering around in the background her entire life, but always being able to repress it, until she suddenly couldn't.

Idk there's just something to the tragedy of being so close to escaping your predestined fate, when in reality it was always going to end like that, on way or another. You never truly escaped anything, you simply just delayed the inevitable.

She could still have murdered her family, still living with her adoptive parents and possible siblings, or maybe she had her own family by then. Either way, Bhaal would have wanted them out of the way.

The Urge building and building, sending her flip-flopping between moments of bloodlust and lucidity filled with fear, until the Urge took her away completely.

(Would the Urge even work like that for any of this? Who cares, just gonna do as Larian does, my city now).

TL;DR: I don't even know, it's still stewing in there.

- - -

Though I've watched like every Durge related video on YouTube, I haven't actually played very far in Aurora's playthrough, mostly bc I'm waiting for Larian to stop breaking the game with every new patch 🙈

Meaning I haven't actually had a lot of time with her interacting with the companions and gotten a good feel for where they're at.

Wyll and Shadowheart are possible candidates for some at least surface level boding. Like Wyll's whole "self sacrifice for the good of others" thing, and with Shadowheart they both have been brainwashed and forced into cruelty in service of an evil god.

And Karlach bc I love her and I said so.

Maybe some more interesting dynamics will pop up once I really get in there with her 🤔 (Larian fix your shit already, I want to plaaay)

There's also Jay who's already wrangling every other companion and their problems, so I'm sure he'll have some fingers in her pies too eventually (it's what he does, after all).

-

The only solid relationship to have formed in my head as of yet is her romance, and bc I'm as original as a pair of earbuds from AliExpress, she eventually starts a thing with Astarion.

He initially sees her as an easy target, a shy and possibly meek person quite literally removed from the others at camp (a deliberate choice on her part), but it doesn't go quite as he had planned.

I've written a whole post about it that's hanging out in my drafts, but tl;dr: he tries to bite her, but she wakes and angrily sends him away. She later comes to him one night, panicked after the Murder At Camp™, and he (begrudgingly) agrees to help her with the body. This begins this weird partnership where they keep each other's secret, and she lets him drink from her as thanks for helping her.

Their relationship is a bit rocky at first, like they don't hate each other or anything, but there's a fair share of bickering and such. She can be a bit blunt, and is too impatient and exhausted from the urge to deal with his very obvious mind games, tiredly telling him "stop trying to seduce me, you already have what you came for".

When he offers to sleep with her at the party, she thinks "why not". They're already putting each other at risk, so might as well have some fun with it. He might have tried to bed her sooner if she hadn't been so blunt and unapproachable, but it did also give him some time to rethink his strategy. Based on finds with the freecam during his party sex scene, he has set up a lil spot on a blanket, with wine and maybe some food, in an attempt to seem more genuine, which admittedly she does find a little cute.

Ultimately it's all the bits in between, the quiet moments after feeding or sex that gives them an excuse to talk, and they realize they enjoy each other's company a lot more than they first thought. She vibes with him a lot more when he's being genuine, something she sees more of when he's fed and generally less guarded.

She've kept her distance from the others bc of the urge, in fear of either harming someone, or being discovered through the tadpoles somehow. It puts her on edge constantly, but Astarion already knows, and she knows he doesn't judge her for it, so she's more at ease too.

Aurora can become ride or die pretty fast, especially in combination with other intense personality traits (hello devotion), and I think maybe Astarion picks up on that and thinks he can use that to his advantage. At least until he too accidentally catches feelings and becomes pretty ride or die himself lmao. Great job idiot.

Which is also when her more self sacrificing nature goes from something that could be to his advantage, to something that actively upsets him. Stop it! Stop sacrificing yourself for others who probably don't even deserve it! Stop putting yourself in situations that could take you away from me for no good reason.

They're note super lovey-dovey either. Like sure there's romance and tenderness there, but there's also some clash of personalities ("stop being an asshole" "stop trying to be such a bloody hero"). Nothing too bad but there's definitively something for them to work on.

This became the Aurora and Astarion post, sorry about that (not really). I hope to have some better answers to these in the future, my brain is still cooking (unfortunately it's a slowcooker).

[madeofspite-and-memes]

and was it pretty whilst it burned

tw: violence, betrayal (sorry its longer than i meant it to be)

Villan wasn't one to hide. they weren't sly or cunning, they prefered open, honest fights, to air their greivances whilst shouting passionatly about idealism or whatever. villan prefered to be brash, abrasive and destructive.

hero was cunning and sly. half of everything they said was a lie. they lied and tricked, decieved and manipulated to get what they needed to win. eventually people caught on, that you couldn't trust a word they said, people were more skeptical, but hero caught on too, using their skeptisism to get what they wanted. no one out-witted hero. eventually people accepted it, hero always won, always saved the day, who cared if you couldn't trust a word out their mouth? you could trust them to do the right thing.

villan found hero facinating. at first they assumed they had a crush on their conniving nemesis, but really it was awe, how did that powerless slip of a person bend the city to their will? how did they defeat their every plan? and that the hero gained all these resourses - just to use them on the villan!

...okay maybe it was a crush.

the villan couldn't help it, they tried everything not to fall for the heros manipulation, but they were so very convincing. one time the hero convinced villan that they had gone absolutley bathsit crazy, that they had a nuke aimed at the city and was willing to kill everyone just to ensure the villans death if they didn't surrender! of course it had all been lies, crazy desperate lies. but fuck, they were so convincing. the next time, when hero said they had four army hericopters filled to the brim with armed men ready to attack, the villan hadn't believed them, yet lo and behold the armed battalion that hero had somehow convinced the military to moblize, just to make them stand down. how on earth do you fight that insanity!

how on earth do you not fall for that insanity?

villan had tried to find their elusive hero, but no. nothing. hero fought with their hair - if they had any - pinned back under a hood, a full face mask sewn onto their shirt so it couldn't be ripped of in a battle, and they even had contact lenses. CONTACT LENSES. their eyes shone unnatural golden every time they faced one another. villan had considered that they were in fact natural just unique, but no, one time a contact fell out, but hero had pulled the hood over their face and vanished before they could see the real colour. so they had tried tracking whoever brought the contacts, because really not many people can be in the market for golden eyes. yet upon investigation it became clear that someone was stealing them out of the warehouse.

so that left villan to scour the few interveiws hero had been wrangled into- masked of course. but those were all lies to. counting all their stories they had; dead parents, shitty parents, no idea what happened to their parents, wonderful parents hidden safely halfway across the world, adoptive parents and the same went for everything else. so many lies that even if the truth was in their somewhere, they could never discern it.

until one night they got a wonderful surprise.

it had been a shitty day, their latest plan was stupid, their lair was a mess and they had run out of food two days ago but had forgotten to get more. so when three aggressive knocks assaulted their door in turn it was all they could do not to groan. they were not prepared for the beautiful sight at the door.

three men in dark suits carrying a limp hero between them. the heros head was lolling, knocked out or drugged they assumed. the three men had swiftly informed them that they worked for the government and was offering their nemesis as a peace offering. villan had signed a piece of paper that the men had called a peace treaty but villan didn't care for sticking to it so all it really was was a piece of paper. the hero had then been deposited in their arms and the men had left.

villan carried hero to their sofa and set about cutting away the mask. hero somewhat came to during the process but not enough to put up a fight. once villan cut away the layers and unpinned their hair - they had hair - they took a moment to study hero.

they were beautiful. dark curls curtained the most lovely face they had ever seen. bruised and slightly bloodied, but beautiful nontheless.

the villan had spent the next hours waiting for the hero to awaken and perfecting their "come join me" speech. they were determined that the hero wasnt the only one who could be convincing.

they watched the heros warm brown eyes flutter open, slowly at first, then quickly as alarm set it.

"what the fuck?" they cried as they saw their mask cut to shreds on the table infront of them. their head flew side to side in panic until they saw villan. villan felt a sharp pang at how terrified they looked, hopefully the hero would believe that they didn't want to hurt them.

"its your turn to listen to me now hero. im offering you..."

"shut up"

"excuse me? your my captive you can't..."

"shut up. your not convincing." hero sounded exhausted.

"you haven't even heard me out!" villan shrieked.

"you won't convince me, i've already convinced myself"

"convinced yourself?? convinced yourself of what?" villan watched heros exhausted expression contort in anger.

"i have saved every life in this city from you countless times. i have lied and manipulated and tricked into being allowed to save lives. i have given years of my life to protecting them from you. and you know what they did to me. i walked in this morning, and before i could even get a word in they were on me. beating me, kicking me, restraining me. they wore noise cancelling headphones so i couldn't even beg them to stop. couldn't even ask what was going on." hero broke of for a moment, breathing hard, villan reached out to comfort them instinctively, hero flinched and brushed them of, "you know this, you can see my face, me, they beat me black and blue, they betrayed me, they handed me to you, you, no doubt thinking id face torture or death or something. i saved their lives just for them to sacrafice mine. so no you don't need to convince me to join you. i'm convinced. i guess they actually convinced me more than anything." heros laugh was a hollow joyless thing that left villan horrified. hero, their hero, looked so small and broken. they were small and broken.

"i'm going to kill them, for what they did to you, would you like to join me?" villan stood, holding out their hand to hero.

a small smile lit up heros face as they took the villans hand, "i wanna burn it all to the ground".

and it was so pretty whilst it burned.

[glamphantasm]

vibes kinda wrangled into words - quick, not edited at all. i couldn't resist once the idea took hold.

When Simeon noticed something was wrong – truly wrong, he was alone in his room, eyes closed, reaching out as he did often; to feel only emptiness, no welcoming sensation. No comfort, only cold – a sense of a barricade he wasn’t meant to cross.

The angel knew grace was no longer his by right long ago. When he had stolen from the Celestial Realm, the Ring of Light – but it had been for a good cause, he had protested to Michael. He had taken the artifact to save the one who’s thread held the three realms together – any other way would have ended in naught but destruction. Surely that outweighed the simple act of theft? Contrition – perhaps a punishment, but… this? He would laugh. If it was funny. It could have been, once. The warmth of divinity that had once suffused him, an almost imperceptible gleam, had faded. Again. Now, no matter how closely he examined his skin – under candles, incandescent, or magical light, there was nothing. Not so much as a loose speck of glitter, his skin still smooth, still flawless, but somehow different. Simeon stared momentarily at the sharp, gleaming darts trimming the hem of his cloak, the vestments near a mockery now as he feels an odd gravity in the deepest parts of his being. A thought crosses his mind – he pushes it aside, and the next one as well. No good could come from that. Had he doubted too much? Had he become too comfortable, too welcome in what should have been the realm of the enemy? Does it matter? The thought is intrusive, and makes Simeon shudder. He closes his eyes as he sits on the edge of his bed, gathering the courage – he’s not sure if he’s grateful or terrified that he is the only one in Purgatory Hall at this moment. He murmurs a blessing, soft, not meant to be heard. He knew it wouldn’t be anyway. He’d known punishments before, but… this? He had lost ranks before. He had made mistakes, but.. they were just mistakes. He had repented. He had made amends. Why him? He’d never dared to - As quickly as the thought forms, it dissipates. Best not to trod that path, not to pull that particular thread. He couldn’t possibly have… The patience of the divine is less than eternal. Simeon reaches to his nightstand, fingers trembling as he sends a message to the only other one who may be available - who may possibly be able to understand.

When Lucifer first noticed, it could have been a shadow, a smudge of dust on the angel’s wing, surely it wasn’t darkened. It troubled him, he would later swear (if only to himself) that he’d meant to mention it; though the thought fled nearly as soon as another dispute between the others had erupted. That is to say – nearly instantly.

“What did it feel like to Fall?” He wished he had been more surprised when the simple text appeared, heralding the end of his planned calm day. Instead, an oily bubble of guilt grew and popped in his chest, sudden anxiety running ice to his fingertips. He could have said something. He’d meant to say something. Would it have been enough? Pride removes his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly, hoping to stem off the burn that prickled between his eyes. He slides an inlaid bookmark into the tome he had been perusing, and takes a long sip of the drink near at hand. His reply is equally simple: “Do nothing foolish. I am on my way.”

Hours away, in a train station far too luxurious to belong in such an deserted of the realm, the prince shares a glance with his butler. A look passes between them, something almost amused – too quick to be sure. Barbatos simply nods. A welcome to the realm’s newest permanent resident will be prepared upon their return.

wanting to write A Thing. L45 has awakened a sleeper cell in my brain that is screaming for a specific scene i know we'll never see (because... well, you know.) problem: it is All Vibes™️- nothing coherent.

[ffxiv-angora]

Day 22: Fluster

Featuring @caspianking 's Li'xala because I couldn't not write about them for this prompt lmfao

This also is the prelude to this screenshot set.

Originally Angora had planned to visit the Lion tribe at some point if she ended up on a job up north. Y’know, just to pop in and say hello! Maybe see a friend or two. Definitely not to see one person in particular. It seemed that fate would have her visit sooner rather than later. She didn’t hesitate for a moment to offer her aid once word reached her that the Lions would be going to war with another tribe. And not just any tribe. It was Caspian’s birth tribe. She wasn’t about to miss out on the chance to crack some skulls while also supporting her friends and their family.

So here she was...in her tent. Pacing in circles. She’d made a habit of bringing gifts to Li’xala each time she was in the area. It was usually just some herbs or a book that he usually wouldn’t have access to. Totally innocent gifts for a friend who really doesn’t get out much. But then she found out what that sort of thing meant to the Lions. Angora desperately did not want to overstep or send the wrong message. Li’xala never seemed to turn down the gifts. So was it okay??

“Gods above,” Angora groans, scrubbing her face with a wet rag from the basin inside her tent. Why were tribal customs so complicated? Clearly, the fault lies with Yera and Caspian since they put these ideas in her head in the first place. That had to be it. She turns to dig in the saddlebags she’d brought along with her. Inside was yet another gift. There’d been just enough time to grab it on her way north. Perhaps...she’d give it to him later. After all the fighting was done. Surely gifts were the last thing he wanted to be bothered with right now.

War had been officially declared earlier in the day when the Lynx leader showed his face at the tribe gates. The whole village was buzzing with excitement. But...Angora also couldn’t help but notice a heavy air of tension. This was likely the first time the younger Lions will have to take the life of another. Such is the way of war.

Yet another custom she’d learned about was how the Lions would braid each other’s hair before battle. Some kind of good luck charm. Friends and family could add a braid to your hair along with small charms and tokens. Braiding was not a skill Angora possessed. She somehow managed one for her own hair each day but that was about the most she could do. The styles that the Lions favored were much more intricate. So she’d need help from...someone.

Yera was far too busy trying to wrangle her children. Angora would honestly be lucky if she could track down the older woman to add a single braid. That left one other choice that she knew would do a decent job. Li’xala had done her hair for her before. What’s one more time? Though this all depended on the healer even having a moment to assist her. There was only one way to find out.

Angora sighs, slinging a small bag over her shoulder before pushing her way out of her tent. Little did she know that she wouldn’t need to search far. She hardly got a few steps away from her tent before she ran face-first into someone.

“O-Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. [Sorry! I didn’t see-]”

“...Mån tjej?”

Angora blinks. Then looks up and blinks again. Both her and Li’xala just stand in stunned silence for a moment before he speaks up.

“Braids. [I assumed you might need help. So I came to assist.]” The healer’s brow quirks ever so slightly when the only answer he gets is silence and a dumbfounded look from Angora. She finally coughs, gives him a quick nod, and tried her best to not give him an awkward smile. It mostly works.

“Right! Yes. The braids. [I would greatly appreciate the help.] I-I assumed you might be busy but I was actually on my way to look for you. You’ve done it before and Yera is far too busy so I figured you-” she cuts off her rambling when Li’xala motions to a clear patch of grass not too far from where they stood.

“Go sit. Will help.”

“I-...Okay. Sure. Got it.” Angora turns on a dime, ducking her head while marching her way to the designated spot. She could feel an icy blue eye watching her and could hear Yera cackling in the distance. It was pointedly ignored. Li’xala didn’t seem to notice...or was also choosing not to acknowledge it.

Gods help her.