#i love pinion they are so cute

[grollow]

May I ask about Pinion, perhaps? Name got me curious

Pinion :>

They're my vessel OC! They kinda debuted in a side story of Living Dead and will actually be making an appearance in the real fic. They have a cracked mask because they got hurt by a mawlek~ They kinda got adopted by the Troupe in that fic due to having no where else to really go.

(artist: oro)

They are very curious and a little on the reckless side and spend most of their time following around anyone who looks interesting to them (which is everyone, they're nosy). They are Very Scared of Tall People, which is unfortunate as they are very small.

(artist: liirah)

Some day I'll probably write a "Pinion gets into trouble" ficlet. In Living Dead, they got their name from grown-up-Grimmchild, because they're always trying to fly -- bird flight feathers inspiration. :>

They're one of my favorites and my Twitter profile picture because they're really cute (and really easily made grumpy).

(artist: @suminoze)

I'm sort of in love with their cloak. The original design was not supposed to be Grimm Troupe associated but Living Dead turned into a "Where I dump all my Original Characters for Hollow Knight" fic and well. They got put in.

[fiddletwix]

My Poke-Pinions #58 and 59 - The Guard Dog Line

My Poke-Pinions #58 and 59 – The Guard Dog Line

Growlithe Name: Growlithe and Arcanine are two of my absolute favorite Pokemon ever. I love dogs, Fire Pokemon are my favorite Type – they’re the perfect combination. Growlithe’s name is a combination of “growl” and…..”lithe” Wow, thanks a bunch, Bulbapedia. That was really helpful. I didn’t know what “lithe” meant, so I googled it, and it means “thin, supple and graceful.” Uhm….I…

[fatuismooches]

Your brain for Star Rail!Dottore omg...

I always think he would've been like Ruan Mei, only more extreme... he's will be pathless at first but if he's under genius society then he'd follow nous...Meta/game play wise he'd be 5 star Ice Nihility or Erudition DPS who focus on break and freeze team (So his good team would have Ruan mei on it because they're both my fav).

Also, since Star Rail doesn't have designated weapons, creative liberties could be taken, no?? (Ratio did use a chalk and a book as weapons, so there's many possibilities for him. Hmmm, Dottore fighting with syringes, or chainsaw, or surgery knife would be nice lololol

His lightcone could be of like Boothill's but instead it's just the creations his segments on a lab (does he still need segments in this universe?we'll never know) and his splash art would be so cool if it were lab centric since most star rail splash art focuses more on scenery.

His phone case....it would be plain boring black-grey-blue color that probablyhave blood splatter on it...and his expression when looking at phone could've be like welt. His texts would consist of talking about how expensive it is the equipment to do experiments these days, or asking the trailblazer to hear his new experiments or just him complaining. And when he visits the astral express, he'd be curious about Pom-Pom and the machinery of the astral express.

If Dottore were ever be a genius society member and got invited to simulated universe collab he would get his own Occurrence and Curio (There's this one curio in divergent universe, a new endgame mode which was a syringe that cause you to go auto for the rest of the game and i thought it was funny lol) I think Dottore's Occurrence would be "The Wise Doctor" and it would give you options something along the lines : You are approached by a figure, a charming doctor who need a volunteer for his bext experiment "Are you willing to help this doctor's experiment" And the choices are :

1. Give in and help the doctor (Your party lose 50% of their HP and given one blessing of 2 star rarity)

2. Refuse the doctor (You will lose 99% of your HP and gain a negative curio)

His curio will either be his mask or the wise doctor's pinion with effects, including: Whenever you enter a domain (up to 3 domains), you lose 10% of your HP. After the curio is destroyed, you will lose 1 Blessing of 3 star rarity. (I THINK his curios will mostly have negative effects, lol)

This is a different section if he's with fragile!reader:

1. Dottore definitely would make an appearance in their lightcone and splash art, maybe them running in the field of flowers whilst dottore follow close behind??? Or maybe them dancing with dottore...that would be cute...

2. Since there's phones and all I really agree with what you said dottore does not care for his phone!! It's reader who teaches him how to use camera and messaging apps and teases how he's a genius but have a hard time keeping up with phone technologies lol

3. If they're playable, meta wise they will have harmony path, wind or ice...their kit would go well with Dottore maybe increasing weakness break efficiency or atk% (kinda like Ruan Mei lol) I would want to make their kit to focus on frozen enemies only but that would make them niche in meta ?? AND THEIR EIDOLONS....oof I imagine if they still have their sickness here it would be them in their comatose state while looking very troubled (like a nightmare) :( but in this happy universe they're just smilling peacefully!!

4. Would see them as the type to be traveling around the cosmos. They love collecting trinkets and gifts from their visit!! Also, they would be a big fan of Robin, me thinks... dragging Dottore to her concerts or just blasting her song in his lab.

5. They would!! Love!! Pom Pom!!! They would much want to take Pom Pom home.

Overall, they're just happy in this universe living their lives to their where they don't have to suffer :((

I have been having the biggest star rail dottore brain rot ever!!! I hope you don't mind me writing it out here!!

(x) YES. He would definitely be more extreme than Ruan Mei (who is also one of my top favs, her and Reader would be besties because I said so! I'm sure Trailblazer would make some catcakes of you and Dottore, which you happily take off their hands. Dottore is unsure of how to feel with the two things constantly stacked on each other and staring at him...)

I also love how unique HSR weapons are - it could quite literally be ANYTHING. I've always imagined Dottore using syringes, for his skill, he'd switch the size, fluid, and quantity of it for an enhanced attack, the mysterious liquid inside anyone's guess. I'm not sure if he could have segments in HSR, just because he was only able to create the segments thanks to having a very good test subject (Scaramouche) so he would need to somehow have an equally good experimentation partner in this universe. If he did though, it'd be amazing - he'd get so much done by sending his other selves to different planets...

His lightcone would be similar to Natasha's - a doctor helping their patient, except in his case, the "doctor" will be doing the opposite. His blood-red eyes would pair well with the blood stains on his hands. For a soft route, Dottore falling asleep on his desk and Reader placing a blanket over him. For an angsty route, Reader being injured and he has to hold your dying body. (Poor Pom-Pom... they'd hide behind a crew member the whole time, in fear Dottore might snatch them up for some experimenting... Even more, they would NOT be amused with you trying to constantly pet them.) And yes! I feel like besides his negative curios, they would be high risk, high reward - you're going to have to prove yourself to him if you want his help!

If you want to be soft, Reader's lightcone would be them flustered as another pair of hands (Dottore) place a carefully woven flower crown on their head. If you want to be angsty, it would be them sickly laying in a bed as Dottore scrambles to do anything to keep them stable. Reader and Dottore's E6 would be like Hanya's and Xueyi's - they hold hands with each other! Except they would be more intimate with each other, they would bring each other's hands closer to their lips for a small kiss. Or perhaps they would have a hand over each other's hearts.

You steal Dottore's phone often. You have like... a dozen games installed on his phone, and although his phone is always on Do Not Disturb, sometimes he scrolls through and just sees tons of notifications from random apps... he texts you as to what the hell you did with his phone and you just beg him to log on and do your dailies. He leaves you on read.

You would love traveling about too. (Kind of like Himeko - she was unable to fulfill her wishes in HI3 but now she can!!) You bring back so many items that you have to use Dottore's storage rooms to fit them all (he's not amused.) You probably even got a Warp Trotter as a pet somehow... OMG AND YOU'RE SO RIGHT ABOUT ROBIN... you have her playlist blasting during research time and he's just... not amused once again!! Reader falls back dramatically into Dottore's arms once they meet her...

I love the pookies dearly...

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 98 (THE LIVE SHOW!!!)

BRENNAN?!!! Hi! Mah boy! We're feeling so great, Bennan! Even those of us who AIN't in LA ... yes, we are excited. There's AUSSIES here? You mad bastards, that is COMMITMENT ... and he has NNOUNCEMENTS!!! Okay, then ... yeah, please don't jinx us, Brandan, we DO NOT want a live TPK right now ... oh the cosplays ... THE COSPLAYS!!! :3 Oooooh ... SOCKS?!!! Sweet ... ROLE!!! ROLE!!! YOU!!! YOU!!! DO THIS!!! DO THIS!!!

Oh, here they come ... ASHTON LIVES!!! Holy fuck, Travis! And the booty! Orym! LAUDNA!!! IMOGEN!!! My god Laura you're so CUTE!!! Nice suit, Rob! Awwww ... so Fearne! And then there's Matt ... so chill and casual ... I mean he COULD have cosplayed Essek at least ...

NordVPN? Oh dear gods ... what's it gonna be, then? oh, it's ALL the girls? Nice ... we're imaginary? Interesting ... yeah, we pretty. Yup! Happy Pride to YOU TOO ... boogie? Oh dear gods no ... a ZUNE? So early 2000s ... oh boy ... yeah, this is getting surreal now ... oh, now Marisha's getting in on the act ... of course she is ... I love how she's doing Laudna's Bane dance ... XD

LIVE recap this time ... okay ... ah yeah, the purple Hot Boi gets a cheer AS HE SHOULD ... oh, the howling ... that's so cute ... NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! NOT DORIAN!!!

No, that's not it, no, he DIDN'T do that, Cyrus WASN'T his fault ... wait, so ... that WASN'T an attempt to taunt him, then? What WAS that?

FIRST ROLL!!! OKay ... 24? Of course it is. How is it Liam ALWAYS rolls so well? It's almost uncanny, is he a halfling FOR REAL?

Laura: "Mmmmm ... I'm gonna make a mistake and ..." O.O Oh shit ... "... cast Detect Thoughts." Holy fuck, Imogen ...

A Wisdom save? Of course ... here we go, then ... PLEASE roll decent, Laura ... A NAT1?!!! Holy fuck ... O.O again ...

CRAP!!! That fucking Ruidian storm again ... her mother? Oh hell no, there's NO WAY she'd EVER say THAT to Imogen ... yeah, she doesn't believe that FOR A FUCKING SECOND ... seriously, Imogen don't trust ANYTHING this fake ass bitch has to say ... yeah, that's my girl ... "destroy the Pinion"? Hmmmmmm ...

CHetney: "You talked to your mom? That's what the demon showed YOU?!!! I'm going to hell." Ashton: "Probably pretty soon!"

Oh yeah ... Tevan is SEXY ... "Roleplay?" Oh boy ... REALLY, Laudna?

Gods yeah. Fearne really DIDN'T think this shit through, did she? Oh, she's so adorable in her cluelessness, I love it ... and now Dorian's trying to help "lawyer" her way out fo this ... XD

Tevan: "When it's done, I'll be waiting." Oh boy ... so she's, like ... BETROTHED now? Really? O.O

Which way to go? Yeah ... decisions decisions ... oh, split up? Really? Don't you know the Gold Rule?

To the left, then ... hmmmm ... oh ... that's not, like, OMINOUS or anything ...

Laura: "We're gonna DIE at the Greek!"

Matt: "Iogen sends her little balls into the room." Uh huh ...

Perception check! What do you smell, Chet? 17 ... okay, then ... a silver door? SILVER? Yeah, that's rather pointed ...

Burgandy scalemail? Interesting ... is that loot? Or is Taliesin right? "Chemical goop" ... Matt questions his good friend's past in knwogin what THAT smells like ... as he should ... O.O

Oh, it's a CLOAK? Interesting ... oh yeah, that's definitely loot ... IN THE BAG!!!

Orym hears something move VERY SUBTLY close by ... of course he does ...

"Read the Runes" ... Laudna uses Eyes of the Runekeeper ...

Travis really is rolling BALLS tonight ...

So what IS that breathing behind the door ... somebody's anxious and ready to run, apparently ... but they're definitely NOT a demon, interesting ...

Dorian just does "Shave & a Haircut" on the door ... and somebody finishes it? ALSO Interesing ...

A guest? Oh cool ... SAM RIEGEL?!!! Sam's back? SAM'S BACK!!! He's back! Oh my fucking GODS!!! Cute jacket, Sam! It'sd very loud ... not to mention the fucking HAIR ... Liam: "I do hope this doesn't awaken something within me ..." Yeah, you and the rest of us ...

He's a MINOTAUR?!!! Wow ... oh yeah, our boy's FINALLY playing to his ACTUAL height ... oh man ... he's had his throat cut? FUCK!!!

No, I don't think THIS is Dominox, somehow ...

His deception roll is a 4 ... so EIGHTEEN? Holy shit ... Divine Sense? Whoa ... okay, so is he a cleric or a paladin? Wait ... this guy KNOWS who Tevan is? Hmmmm ...

Who's his god, then?

Yeah, they already KNOW all this, new guy ... Ashton gives him a health potion ... so he's able to regain 4 HEALTH POINTS because Tal rolls balls ... XD

Dorian's Cure Wounds works a lot better ... 24 points back! Okay ... he Lays Hands on himself to cure himself the rest of the way ... Yeah, that's JUST as dierty sounding as you THINK it is ...

He's flirting with Fearne already ... oh boy ...

Oh, he infiltrated the Vanguard? With some friends? Oh, the rest of them died? Oof ... yeah, Dominox has been BUSY ...

While they talk Ashton gets a little needle from the evil demon ... 14 WITH advantage ... great ... oh no ... NO NO NO NO ... don't do this to him, PLEASE ... no, not FCG ... Matt Mercer you evil fucking bastard ...

Go off, Rock Boy ... you are SO awesome for this ...

Braius Doomseed ... oh, cute character art ... oh, the PLatinum Dragon? DID HE? Chetney Insight Checks ... wow, that is QUITE the fakeout cockblock, Riegel ... I mean who does he REALLY serve?

Something tells me Tevan's more invested in this "relationship" than Fearne is ... XD

Oh he is DEFINITELY the servant of some DARK GOD indeed ... yeah, Dorian's right, he's gonna fit RIGHT IN here ...

"Herald champion" ... oh yeah, definitely a paladin, then ...

Dorian's already trying to "mentor" him ... this is adorable ...

Oh, that is DEFINITELY the ancient Aeorian engine in question, isn't it? PURPLE CRYSTAL!!! Yup, that's definitely it ... the Pinion of Service, yes ...

Robbie: "I've literally never done this ... Insight check?"

Yeah, I DO NOT like the way those chains are moving AT ALL. That is just a nightmare waiting to happen ...

And now Braius is starting to flirt with ASHTON ... yup ...

The door was already open? Oh yeah ... that's great ...

Oh, Ludinus went TOWARDS the engine room? So he might already be ahead of them in this ... great ...

OF COURSE Ashton just wants to BREAK IT ...

A small girl? Oh great ... Travis is ALREADY noping out ...

Ah ... so she's a really CREEPY little girl ... yup, that's Dominox ... Imogen: "She's kind of cute." Laudna: "Yes! She's fun scary!" Orym: "But what's the ratio of that?"

Laudna really is tempted to just ADOPT this freakish little Japanese horror movie icon, isn't she?

Braius casts Bless on the group ... in a really cheesy way ...

Laudna: "We should've had him when we tried to do the porn." Dorian: "Some things are better off missed."

Fearne casts Locate Creature on Ludinus ...okay! Ah shit ... it's REPELLED? Oof ... bad sign ...

Chetney and Tevan are going into the chamber with their weapons at the ready ... okay, then ... Fearne and Ashton follow ... then Orym and Essek ... now Dorian's fluttering above for cover ...

This really doesn't feel like a smart place for a fight, people ... oh, and now they're clearly locked in ... Chet wolfs out ... MIrror Image for Laudna ...

Did Dorian just quote Hasbin Hotel? :3

Persuade the Grand Demon? Marisha rolls a Dirty 20 ... okay then ...

Matt makes Travis nope out again ... yeah ...

Fuck, Ashley ... INSANELY good roll there ...

Important door alert! Yeah ... oh, she doesn't like THAT at all ... oh, and now she's ATTACKING?!!! Fuck ... OUCH!!! That's nasty ... wait ... 21 FAILS?!!! Holy fuck ... NO!!! Chetney's been caught!

Wait ... Braius is climbing straight up for the Pinion? Hmmm ... this is going to be interesting ...

No, she's really NOT single ... O.O whoa ... Imogen WHAT?!!! Careful there ...

The TRUE form of Dominox ... oh yeah, no, REALLY don't set THAT SHIT free ... that's just HORRIBLE ...

Imogen casts Telekinesis to try and grab the crystal ... Laura: "Oh, there are so many dice in front of me!" Liam: "Who did that?" And he's FREE!!! Nice ... but now he has to follow through ... yeah, that didn't go well at alll, did it?

And now we got a massive demon thing in the middle of the room INSTEAD of the little girl from the Ring ...

CAREFUL, Orym ... crap, he's been rumbled ...

A|nimate Object ON THE DOOR?!!! That's SERIOUSLY bold, Laudna ... Robbie: "It's Doorie! Brother!" XD

Laura has to roll for repurcussions ... what did she get? How bad is it?

Roll Initiative! When we get back from the break ... O.O

BATTLEMAP!!! Sweet fuck that is an EPIC creation ... and it's moving an everything ... FUCK ME that bastard is TERRIFYING ... Robbie: "I always knew I'd die by furry!"

Time to roll Initiative, then ... cue Marish'a Wizzkids plug!

Sam: "I missed this!" The audience loses it ...

Tevan goes first ... oh, he's going RIGHT for the kill ... Divine Smite! 68 points of Radiant damage? Holy fuck ...

Orym holds his action for JUST IN CASE ...

A FUCKING LAIR ACTION?!!! Now EVERYBODY has to rolls dexterity? Fucking chains ... Oof ... Laudna, Ashton, Imogen and Fearne are now grappled with chains, but Braius' Aura of Protection saves Dorian, Orym, Essek AND Braius himself ...

Holy fuck Dominox is an EVIL fucker with this brutal attacks ... suddenly it's starting to look like a TPK may actual be genuinely IN THE CARDS for the night after all ...

Wait ... Dominox is SUCKED INTO A VOID by Ashton? Where the fuck did it just go? Oh, he drops the demon ON THE CRYSTAL ... which just BOUNCES IT RIGHT OFF some invisible forcefield ... right onto Fearne? Oof ...

Travis (chuckling): "A Grand Demon just fell on your ass!"

Dorian casts Shatter at the centre Spire ... 18 points of Thunder damage! Nice! Whoa ... this that ALREADY spring the crystal free? Holy shit, Flyboy! Bardic Inspiration!

TWO Legendary Actions? Holy shit ... he tries to BANISH Tevan but LAUDNA COUNTERSPELLS!!! Wow ... Perception Check to make sure she CAN ... 14 ... YES!!! It works! Fucking badass, Dead Girl!

Braius is the Herald of ASMODEUS?!!! They group go apeshit as their suspicions are confirmed! Poison Pen? Interesting ... so THWWACK with that massive flail thing ... oh, it's IMMUNE to poison damage? Balls ... so only 22 points of damage ... okay ... second strike WITH Inspiration ... Divine Smite means another 23 points! POW!!!

PAINT IT BLACK, RIEGEL!!!

The door is now Animate! NIce one, Laudna! The room beyond is now OPEN!!! In she goes with Orym in tow! Oh, there's somebody inside ... fuck, is it Ludinus? Perception check! 17 BOLLOCKS!!!

Laudna (screaming: "LET HIM OUT!!!" Tevan: "You will do NO SUCH THING!"

Form of Dread!

Fearne is free, at least ... she Wildshapes into a little mint-green wombat? Wow ... interesting choice ... she bolts to the crystal and stuffs it into her marsupial pouch ... bloody hell ... and when Dominox tries to swipe at her Matts CRIT FAILS THE HIT!!! Awesome ...

Chetney charges at Dominox ... Misty Step! He retrieves the crystal from Fearne and stuffs it in the Bag of Holding ... wow ... this is bizarre ... Dominox is now REALLY PISSED at Chetney and makes the post terifying threat possibel at him and the wolf starts to BRICK HIMSELF ...

Essek unleashes a Lightning Bolt right into Dominox ... 38 points of Lightning damage ... but it's HALVED due to resistance? Okay then ...

Ashton shifts into black and white as he charges and drops into the ground, books it towards the open door but attempts to destroy the engine on the way ... 19 hits! Phew ... 21 points of damage cracks it BADLY ...

Travis: "Does Dominox have an opinion?" LIam (as Dominox): "I'm big on crypto!"

Ahston makes another heavy slam into the engine ... another 16 points of damage! it's getting VERY messed up ...

Imogen gets as close as she can to Chetney and uses Telekinesis to pick him up and YEET HIM towards the door ... he barrels RIGHT THROUGH IT ...

Ludinus (almost REIGNED): "My goodness ..."

Yeah ... Ludinus almost CASUALLY baps him away from him with a Shield spell.

Oh fuck ... the tether yanks Domiox away and INTO Braius? Oof ...

Tevan attacks Dominox twice ... Smite away, Hot Boi! 22 damage from the first, then 36 for the second! Nice! And NOW the monster is FINALLY starting to look messed up ...

Orym chugs down his Speed potion and STREAKS back towards to Dominox to attack him ... 20 damage for a GOADING attack which he FAILS to resist ... second hit lands 9, then he hastes but the next THREE miss ... Action Surge! 19 points of damage and he trips it ... and then he Crit Fails ... oh shit ... so he skims away and BRAINS HIMSELF on the wall ... ricochets back and comes right back with another attack and SLICES AWAY at him again ...

Now Wee Man is just spinning like a dizzy top ...

OF COURSE Dominox IMMEDIATELY attacks him right back ... oh fuck ... 46 points of slashing damage ON THE FIRST HIT?!!! Dear fucking GODS ... MInd Feast? Sweet fuck ... this one's aimed at Ashton ... and he fails to resist ... 14 points of Psychic damage ... and he's drawn right towards him and HEALED?!!! Son of a BITCH!!!

Ludinus FUCKING Da'Leth swoops into the room right behind Dominox and casts Gate ... O.O ... wait, he's genuinely trying to HELP right now? Is this for real?

Dorian's turn ... oh, Robbie can't BELIEVE it's now up to HIM ... so he psyches Dorian up and casts Otto's Irresistable Dance on Dominox at SIXTH FUCKING LEVEL?!!! And Braius uses Sorrowful Fate to CHANGE DOMINOX'S SAVE so it's a FOURTEEN, which is a FAIL!!! Holy shit ... it FORGETS to use Legendary Resistance, so the Grand Demon starts to BOOGIE ... Matt has SO MUCH FUN describing what happens ... and even starts BOPPING HIMSELF ... I am IN AWE of the moment ... LOL

Braius turns his focus to Ludinus and casts Moonbeam at him ... oh my gods and Sam DOESN'T EVEN KNOW what that does ... O.O ... Dominox saves, but Braius still inflicts five points of Radiant damage ... so he Bonus Actions Hammering Horns to PUSH Dominox ten feet back ... which he ALSO fails to save against ... holy FUCK Samuel, HOW OP'd is your new character? Now the demon is IN HELL just inside the portal ...

Laudna tries to work out if this is THE Ludinus or just SNOWdinus ... no idea ... okay, she tries something COMPLETELY untested on him now ... she conjures up the spirit of Vess Dorogna as Spirit of Death to attack him ... only for him to Counterspell ... so she just Counterspells RIGHT BACK?!!! Holy shit ... so she succeeds in her plan ... HOLY SHIT ... so now, FOREVER he is permanently HAUNTED by this vengeful ghost? HOLY SHIT, Dead Girl! You're so awesome!

Fearne casts Polymorph on Ludinus ... SWEET FUCKING FUCK!!! This is BEAUTIFUL ... 25 on his save? BALLS ... that was almost SO awesome ...

Chetney turns back and turns Invisible, then holds his turn ...

Essek casts Gravity Fissure on the remaining spires, shatters them so they pierce into the portal and IMPALE Dominox ... damage is halved bu that's STILL 20 piercing! Holy fuck ...

Ashton takes a passing swipe at the engine ... 22 points of damage ... oh shit ... it just slowed to s stop! He takes one more swing ... 23 points and it is SHATTERED!!! Nice ...

Imogen runs as close as she can to the gate, tries to grab holdo of Ludinus with Telekinesis ... and he FAILS to save, but instead uses his Legendary Resistance to wipe it off instead! Asshole ... so she Lightning Bolts him at 7th Level instead ... most of the damage is deflected, but she still deals 12 points ... it's something, at least ...

Tevan charges in to attack Dominox, misses his first hit but catches the second ... oh, and it's the KILL hit? The live audience goes NUTS ... Matt: "How do I wanna do this?" He carves the demon in two and it just ASHES ...

Orym runs up the wall and then uses Grasping Vine to swing himself up behind Ludinus ... Pushing attack! 18 damage and he fails his save so Ludinus is SHOVED towards the gate! Ludinus drops the gate so Orym just attacks him hard with his sword instead ... come on, Wee Man! Kill this bitch!

Ludinus flies into the tunnel just past Chetney, then turns back to face them all ...

Wow ... fanboy Braius actually GETS HIS AUTOGRAPH from Tevan ... nice ...

Here we go ... cue arrogant self-important monologue from the supreme douchebag ...

Wait ... Imogen's goint to FOLLOW HIM?!!! Well OF COURSE Laudna's gonna follow her ... looks like they're ALL going, then ... I hope this isn't a problem ...

And now Braius is flirting with ORYM ... Orym: "Bro, you're HUGE." Braius: "It's okay." Wow ...

Heading deeper in, then ...

The Occultus Thalamus, then ... here we go ...

Here comes ANOTHER overblown monologue from Ludius, then ... he really does LOVE the sound of his own voice, doesn't he? At least we're getting some information while he's at it ...

Blah de-blah de-blah-de-blah ...

Okay, FINALLY something's happening ... hmmm ... "the memories of Aeor"? And now he's ACTIVATING this thing ... oh shit ... is this a BAD THING? Are we too late?

What the fuck ... BRENNAN LEE MULLIGAN IS TAKING OVER FROM MATT?!!! For real?

Brennan: "Light!" Yup ... here we go indeed ...

So ... are we setting up another Exandria Unlimited flashback game? "Is it Thursday yet?" Oh shit, yeah, I think we might be ... sweet ...

What an AMAZING way to end this most interesting Live Show ...

Oh ... so we gotta wait until SECOND WEEKEND in July for more? Makes sense after a LIVE show, I suppose ... I was already half prepared for the wait, really ...

[inkykeiji]

Those prompts are so cute. 28 with sd-natsuo!Touya -🦒

prompt: time for [blank] series: sugar daddy natsuo warnings: touya is his usual abhorrent, despicable self, toxic relationships, noncon touching, female reader, use of the pet name princess, daddy kink words: 1.1k

i know right!!! i really love them!! thank u so much for requesting sd!nat touya giraffe bb!! <3

Time for… has become one of your least favourite combinations of words. You’ve learned to fear what comes next, the beginning of that sentence always sending splinters of ice shooting through your veins, leaving behind an unsettling chill of dread.  

Because time for is one of Touya’s favourite phrases. 

And nothing good ever follows.

“Oi, wake up,” rough hands curl around your shoulders to shake you from your slumber, dirty fingernails digging into your bare skin. “It’s time for school.” 

“Leave me alone,” you grumble, attempting to wiggle out of his grasp, his grip only tightening in response, callouses decorating his palms sanding against your flesh. “I’m not going anywhere if it’s with you.” 

“Hey now,” he begins, and you can hear the shit-eating grin in his voice, the barely restrained amusement fizzing with anticipation in his tone. “Daddy’s rules, not mine.” 

“I don’t care.” 

This is the fourth morning in a row that you’ve been woken up by someone other than Natsuo, who has apparently been needed at the hospital all fucking week. For the first three days of Daddy’s on-call shifts, Shouto had been there to wake you, to dress you, to feed you and bring you to school and take you back home, with his gentle voice and tender hands and murmured out praises, floating on the tails soft laughs, sandwiched between private smiles and twinkling eyes. 

But it was only a matter of time until it wouldn’t be Shouto.

As it always is when it comes to Touya. 

He’s inescapable, looming in the background of your mind, the everlasting threat of him tinging every interaction, every experience, everything.

“I don’t care if you don’t care, you brat, Daddy says so. And what Daddy says goes, whether you like it or not, whether it’s from my lips or Shouto’s.”

Yeah, sure, except whenever the order is coming from Touya’s lips it is always, without a doubt, tainted—dipped in his own opinions, coated in his own special brand of venom and malice and deranged glee, and it always overrules whatever Daddy actually said. 

“Screw you,” you spit, trying to wrench yourself from his hands, to turn over and roll away from him, face scrunched with the force of your squeezed shut eyes.

But Touya is faster, Touya is smarter, Touya is larger. 

And that means Touya is better. 

He’s on you in a flash, nothing more than a blur of sapphire and ink, yanking you flat on your back, trapped between him and the mattress. Jagged hips squirm between your soft thighs, bones carving into flesh and pinioning your body to the bed, coarse palms collecting your wrists and cuffing them, pinned high above your head. 

“Screw you, huh?” his breath wafts across your face, spicy nicotine stinging your eyes. “That’s cute. Though I know you’d like to supplement that with a dirtier word,” he leans forward, presses his forehead to yours, noses brushing. “And I am just begging you to do it.” 

It bubbles up on your tongue, a caustic curse that erodes your teeth as it tries to escape.

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! 

Fury thrashes in your chest, and Touya raises an eyebrow, smirk stretching into a full grin. Your molars mash together, jaw flexing with the action, and you swallow thickly, a desperate attempt to keep those two little words from escaping, letters scraping the walls of your throat as you force them down, leaving a burning ache in their wake. 

You know what game he’s playing. You know how to play it, too.

And you refuse to give him the satisfaction of winning.

Fuck you, you fucker. 

“I’m not going to school with you,” you say instead, the words ground out through clenched teeth. “You’ll have to drag me by my hair.”

“That can be arranged,” Touya says simply, and he looks like he’s genuinely considering the prospect, weighing the pros and cons to determine if it’s truly worth it, when his phone begins to buzz.

He transfers your wrists to one hand, putting pressure on the joints as he leans to the side and fishes the device from his pocket, bones grating together between his palm. 

Your resounding yelp does nothing, doesn’t even seem to phase him at all as he answers the phone, wedged precariously between his shoulder and his ear. Sharp hipbones dig into the flesh of your inner thighs as Touya shoves his hips down harder, an attempt to garner more leverage and steady his arched upper body. 

“Hi, Natsu, what’s up?” 

“Daddy!” you gasp, the word rushing from your mouth in an involuntary gush, Touya throwing you a look of warning. 

“I wish I could say everything’s fine, but I’m having a bit of trouble with your princess.”

And, really, he does sound regretful; you’d mistake him to be genuine had you not been able to see the sharp glint in his eyes, the malicious smile slapped across his face. 

“No, unfortunately she’s being quite uncooperative this morning; no, I don’t think Shouto had any issues,” sapphire eyes glance toward your face, and he winks. 

You glare back at him, steadily holding his stare. Blue flames blaze, licking around his pinprick pupils, and your eyes water a little, beginning to burn. 

It hurts, like gazing directly into the roiling center of a bright inferno, but you will not look away, proud and stubborn as your glassy eyes, now shielded with a thin film of reflexive tears, bore into his. 

Squirming beneath him, you shove your hips into his, a feeble attempt to throw him off your body, and he grunts a little, gruff sound bleeding into a vicious chuckle. 

“No, I’m fine,” he says to Natsuo on the other line, voice just a hint huskier than normal. “Of course,” he becomes a little more serious, features flattening out a bit, eyes glazing over as they focus past your face, suddenly concentrated. “Hey, listen, don’t even worry about it, alright? Nii-san will handle it...Promise. Love you, too.”

And then he’s hanging up, tossing his phone on the mattress beside you, device bouncing a little upon impact. Touya’s eyes refocus, knocked back into kilter as his attention hones in on you again, gaze sharp, crisp, distinct. 

“Daddy isn’t very pleased with your behaviour,” he tells you, mocking pet name dripping off his tongue. “You’re such a stupid little thing, y’know that?” 

His laugh vibrates against your chest, his free hand beginning to creep up your bare thigh, fingers sinking into tissue and dimpling skin as they knead higher and higher and higher, slipping beneath the lace-trimmed silk of your skimpy nightgown. 

“You think you can just act like a disrespectful little bitch with me and get away with it?” his tongue licks at your parted lips, tip tracing the bottom one before dipping inside your mouth to lick at your teeth and gums and you recoil, face screwing up in a soured wince. “It’s time for retribution, baby.”  

[wormlette]

Soooooo glad i’m not the only mickbell enjoyer; the family dynamic makes me insane 😭

THANK YOU SAAAAME!!!! Like we see Daya critiquing their relationship and assuming Kuro is being used but Kabru (who is the best at understanding peoples' relationships and motivations!) is the one who recognizes "you're both really overprotective of each other, aren't you?" Like. They've both been through the worst in life and seen the absolute lowest of people and yet they have each other and love each other so fiercely they only want to be a comfort to each other. Mik is so scared of Kuro leaving her. Mik also started paying Kuro in food when HE HAD NOTHING... they started adventuring together... they're brothers!! Mik just has no idea how to have a healthy sibling relationship!!!! I completely understand why it seems like a lot of people see "he's underpaying the cute dog that was a SLAVE" and are turned off by her but there's SO MUCH MORE GOING ON THERE THAN DAYA SEES. IN MY O PINION

[akaashism]

Favorite Kagehina fics?

It would take me all day to answer this if I decided to comb through my 400+ kagehina bookmarks on ao3 😭 BUT I will list down my favourite fics that I've read recently!!

1. Pinion by @karmahope : This is the most recent fic I've read and I kinda screamed with joy when I saw that this fic was completed, because now I could finally read it! I already had high expectations from the story but it truly surpassed even those!! Just everything I could want in a fic, I love it soooo much 😭❤️

2. That's What I Want by @littlegnoblin : This one is still in progress but it's my dream fic, and it's been a big favourite before Sarah even started writing it down 🫶🏼 and she's doing the idea so much justice, I adore everything about it muahhhhh 💞 I can't wait for the rest of the chapters!

3. At the End of the Sun by @pearlsephoni : Another work in progress, but Pearl is doing such a great job of it so far!! I'm generally not inclined to read AUs but I was quickly sucked into this one, and now I'm hooked <3 I can't wait to see how the plot will unravel, I know it's going to be amazing!

4. Remember the Monarchs by crinklefries: This was written for the Kagehina Exchange 2022 and is probably my favourite fic from it. It deals with the very niche topic of canon kagehina approaching retirement, and everything is BEAUTIFULLY done. This fic left me breathless and it will always stay with me 😭❤️

5. tipsy live by kero (tofuflower): Another fave from the Kagehina Exchange!! The characterization is soooooo good in this, and I was hanging on to every word. Super interesting, had a hint of mystery and of course, kagehina being sickeningly cute and making me scream into my pillow.

Thank you so much for the ask!!

[phoenixfangs]

Your turn for Positive O’Pinions game :3c

‘03 vs fmab Deadly Sins Homunculi

aa6

Annnnnnnnnd Annabelle Lee

DAMN asking for my pinions and i didnt even reblog the ask game prompt!! pepper is a real one

03 homunculi vs fmab homunculi: i LOOOOOOOVE the homunculi in 03. lust and sloth and wrath are such faves, there is just something so tasty about them being created the way they are and the characters having to confront their decisions and the Results of those decisions in a sort of monkeys paw kind of way. envy is Also a fave but he is sort of separate from the other 3 since from my recollection (i will have to rewatch both anime again soon) hes pretty similar in both, whereas the other three are Entirely or Almost Basically different characters altogether

which also ill say something nice about fmab homunculi, it made me enjoy some Other homunculi more than i did in 03. pride and greed are very fun and interesting in fmab, pride especially because i love fucked up and evil children :)

aa6: everyone was right that the last case of aa6 spanks hard. i wasnt expecting to give much of a shit about dhurke or his relationship with apollo for apollos 2849572nd backstory, BUT i was pleasantly surprised by how much i liked dhurke, and how much i liked seeing him and apollo get lost in a cave!! everything else was good too i just particularly liked the cave bit, and the extra CG that came with it hehe

annabelle lee: firstly READ NEVERMORE ON WEBTOON IF U WANT EDGAR ALLEN POE LESBIANS AND TOXIC YURI okay anyway

(theres more than just that its sort of a boarding school mystery, investigating/discovering things about the afterlife, the boarding school, and how the characters died, with a gothic lens—to me the setup is pretty pedestrian BUT annabelle lee and lenore are what u stay for)

ANYWAY. i loooooooove annabelle lee how do i even get into it ☺️ i love that shes not a perfect kind person, like shes a manipulator and a fraud and i think she has a bit of a mean and sadistic streak, but its like. when ur a woman in her position during her time period, how else do u get by? can u really blame her? i mean probably but i wont. leave my girl alone she did all that but shes sooooo cute so i forgive her. and i love that she shares that sort of rebellious quality with lenore, they really are so similar but like. Not. lmao. and im glad that we get to see her flaws and watch every time lenore calls her on her bullshit, and we see that shes just as much a terrified girl as she is the master manipulator queen. when the blonde woman portrays herself/is perceived as cold and ruthless but is actually very sensitive on the inside 👌👌👌👌 u all know how i feel about this

[mankillercalledbunny]

OKAY SO. THERE'S CONTEXT HERE

Basically I have a magical realism/urban fantasy New York world that I write and play D&D in sometimes (called MRNYC for short), and with all of the various planes e.g. the feywild, the nine hells, the astral sea, etc you get some inevitable crossover and there's gotta be people to keep an eye on the borders between worlds, guide those as come through, deal with incidents and nefarious actors as necessary. These people are called Wardens and they're somewhere between Witchers, bounty hunters, and magical border patrol.

I also have a fondness for thematic/punny names.

The new OCs are a set of Wardens (designs partially inspired by an Urban Fantasy COD AU I saw and couldn't get out of my head):

a dragon/human hybrid with one wing named Indra Naaga (Indian)

A harpy names Ikaros Pinion, also called Karo or Pin (African-American)

A werewolf named Serifos Alexandros, also called Ser or Alex (Greek/Mexican, ft wolf form)

A demon/shade hybrid named Acrisius Wraith, usually called Wraith (white ginger)

Indra is something of a leader/dad figure despite being at most 35 to the others' 25-28, and despite being missing one wing remains an exceptionally competent motherfucker and a very good leader. Ser and Wraith are dating and Wraith is the only one allowed to call Serifos 'Seri', they're very cute.

Wraith is the only one who's ex-military, and he thinks his scars make him almost as scary as his weird shadow/undead powers. Serifos consistently tells him that he is, in fact, adorable, despite being a 6+ foot tall tank of a man as well as an angsty emo bastard. And look at him:

Seri is right, of course.

Ser and Karo are the goofy jokester best friends, Wraith is a spooky emo fuck but an absolute softy for his boyfriend, Indra is team Dad and makes sure they're all taking care of themselves. Wraith has an unfortunate tendency to collect all the shadows in a room and make it gradually darker when he's upset or not paying attention and has to be reminded to not do that. Karo is, of course, their eyes in the sky, and also usually the fastest at getting lunch because he can avoid the traffic. If they need an undercover or a tracker, Serifos is their man. Or wolf, as it were. Wraith is their night man, melting into the blackness and moving unnoticed between the shadows. Indra is their guide and leader.

Wraith is currently the one taking up the most mental real estate, but they're all cute as FUCK and I love them.

Brain desperately wants to yell about my newest adapted OCs and it's killing me

[wri0thesley]

I had… never considered hybrid reader but omggggggggjmhh…. esp bunny reader, god, I love that for them. cute prey animal constantly in heat???? asfgddfh bg ggggg. all I can think about now is miss yae miko and her little rabbit hybrid shrine maiden. oh to be (depending of the occasion) a beloved pet or designated prey. or both. sometimes a fox just needs to chase her pet a little. never with the intent to harm, truly! This chase ends a bit differently from a wild encounter. but instincts are instincts…

cw: hybrid reader, fem reader (no pronouns, although 'fellow shrine maidens' are referred to), not sfw. pred/prey dynamics, biting, mentions of breeding and fertility. hrnrnrr miss miko.

"Don't squirm so, little one." The voice is right by your ear; a low, musical purr that sets all of your instincts aflame. Even though the part of you that is a nervous little prey animal wants to continue to squirm against her grip, the part of you that is in desperate need relaxes as you feel hands slide up the curve of your body, brushing your hips and the indent of your waist and your chest. "You have absolutely no idea what it does to me."

You're pinned under her; she's straddling one of your legs, high on your thigh, with the weight of her breasts pressing against your back as she leans over you and keeps you pinioned beneath her. You can feel her breath, hot, fanning over the nape of your neck. She leans in and sinks her fangs down into the part where your neck and shoulder meet, and all at once you go meek and limp in her grasp as she grinds herself against your thigh.

"Good little rabbit," Miko says, her voice breathy. You can feel the hint of dampness against your bare skin, where your own clothes have been displaced in the fight - Miko incredibly turned on by her own prey drive and having so successfully won against you. Her tongue lathes and soothes the bite mark; the mark that says 'I have won, and you are mine'. You can hear the rhythmic thump of her tails against the grassy floor.

(You are lucky. Few people get to see even one of Miko's tails, let alone feel their soft, silky fur brushing against them).

"L-Lady Yae," you whimper, as one of her hands curls over your hair to tug teasingly at your ear. "I-- mmff--"

"You're so cute," Miko says, a soft laugh in the back of her throat. "My cute little pet bunny, yes?" The puffball of your tail flickers against her, and she laughs again. The sound goes straight to the place between your legs - and so does the brush of her lips, the grind of her sex against your bare leg as she uses you more like a tool for making friction to get off on than anything else. You're warm all over, your body prickling with need as it reminds you thus; you are in heat, you are fertile, you are breedable, and the fox that currently has you in her elegant claws has claimed you before and will do it again. "Mmm, you really want me, don't you?"

"Please," you breathe out, your voice soft and ragged. You squirm again, trying to get some measure of friction between your thighs for yourself - but Miko's knee is in the way. A soft whine escapes through your nose. "Need-- need you, Lady Yae--"

Another nip to your skin. A soft growl - you imagine her lip curled, the flash of fang, and you feel light-headed all over again. You're grateful that Miko chased you so far away from the shrine this time - last time, one of the other shrine maidens had found you both locked in congress (you whining and whimpering, fingers curling over Miko's soft, silky ears, as she lapped at you like she wanted to devour you whole) under a cherry blossom tree that even the public could have discovered you underneath. And though nobody would say anything to Guuji Yae, who is a force unto herself . . . it hadn't stopped you from being embarrassed and flustered and even shyer when any of the other workers had come across you with a sly smirk on their faces.

"The favourite," they say, with their polite smiles. "They and Guuji Yae have a special relationship."

"Oh, I know, little bunny rabbit," Miko says - and she moves her knee higher, presses it firmly against the space between your legs. "Have a little patience for me." A roll of her hips - a low, pleased groan emanating from her lovely mouth, her slick soaking through to your bare skin. "It's your turn next."

[actualbird]

may i raise: artem mr 99% win rate senior attorney at 28 or whatever wing, driven to full blown laughter in the nxx headquarters. the reason: some dumb joke luke says that just so happens to cater to artem's Oddly Specific Sense of Humor

I LOVE THIS ASK SO MUCH BECAUSE I LOVE HUMOR. and humor theory, humor studies, linguistics of humor, senses of humor, just, oh man, you hit something here, anon. im kind of sorry for what this answer is going to be because i have thoughts and by god am i going to tell you all of them

i like to think a weird little thing happens, among the NXX Investigation Team: marius wants to know what exactly can make the other members of the team lose their fucking marbles.

mc was his first target and she was very easy to crack. she likes videos of animals doing cute yet silly things and was brought to wheezing laughter at a video of a golden retriever valiantly trying so hard to catch food in his mouth but missing every single time. with further prodding, marius also finds out shes into memes and jokes from medias shes familiar with.

vyn was next and he took a bit of thinking, from marius. marius needed to get vyn right on the first try because he's sure that if he fails once, vyn will give him THE most smarmy unimpressed expression ever and marius will have to be physically held back from punching him in the face. so he thinks about vyn's personality and background, thinks about maybe psychology jokes, but then marius comes to a conclusion that he believes enough to hazard a try. one day, when he and vyn are waiting in the nxx meeting room, marius sends him a tweet. with bated breath, he watches vyn notice it, open it, and then emit just the softest little "hehehe"

which, from vyn, is honestly as boisterous as his laughter is ever going to get.

the cause of the laughter? that video of a dude being pushed from a platform into the dark abyss, his scream echoing, from the Perfectly Cut Screams twitter.

because vyn is like, insane.

marius decides to leave artem for last (because duhhh marius has barely seen artem smile, is he even capable of laughter?? artem is going to be marius' Boss Level, he goes last) so next on the laugh train is luke.

but luke has figured out that marius is on a mission and luke, an arrogant shithead in his own way, refuses to let marius break him.

marius wants to STRANGLE LUKE. marius has sent him memes of olde, memes of new, comedy sketches, tiktok compilations, vine compilations, and luke does not laugh. marius is damn sure he would have, at some of those things, but luke is Refusing To Laugh and marius is so close to challenging him to like, a duel (shut up, he doesnt know okay, hes frustrated and he doesnt know how to express that like a normal person, get off his back) or something.

marius gets so desperate that he even resorts to what he thinks is the most groan-worthy form of humor: puns

very specific puns, because today marius is testing his theory that maybe luke's nerditude will betray him. puns about engineering and natural science, theyre all TERRIBLE but marius continues because he WILL WIN, GODDAMNIT and

theyre outside of the courthouse, waiting for mc to finish up (she just had a trial and she was awesome, as per usual, queen shit) so marius, vyn, luke, and artem are idling outside, and while waiting. marius is telling puns to luke. aggressively.

"you can give up, you know," luke smiles sweetly. "no shame in that."

"fuck you, next pun," marius scowls. "a raven has 17 primary wing feathers. these feathers are called pinions. and the crow only has 16 of those feathers. so the difference between a crow and a raven is..." marius winces. "...only a matter of a pinion."

"okay," luke says, and marius wants to punch him sooooo baaaad. "not only does that pun suck but it's also just. objectively wrong. both crows and ravens only have 10 primaries---"

"shut the hell up, birdbrain."

"---among those 10 primaries there a few that are longer and more distinct than the others, kind of looking like fingers, so to speak. crows have 5 evident finger feathers---"

"oh my god"

"---wheareas ravens only have 4. so i guess with some editing, the joke could still work. a more sound version though would be to compare crows and song sparrows, which do have the correct difference in primaries and---"

marius is about to flick luke in the forehead, but hes stopped by the strangest sound.

the sound of somebody having an asthma attack but like, through a kazoo or something.

marius, luke, and vyn turn to where artem is and he is, inexplicably, losing his shit. he continues to lose his shit actually for like 30 whole more seconds before he calms down enough to look up at everybody who is in turn looking at him like he's grown a second head.

"what?" artem says, puzzled.

"why the fuck were you laughing?" marius asks.

"because it was...funny," artem says as if this is obvious when it is NOT and then everybody in that moment realizes

that what makes artem laugh seems to be the act of over explaining jokes itself.

(and before anybody sends a follow up ask, marius' favorite joke is bofa.

artem scrunches his eyebrows. "what is bofa?"

marius grins, absolutely fucking DELIGHTED.)

[heckling-hydrena]

Thoughts on the new genes? Especially W i n g a r m s

angler is awesome perfect wonderful etc etc it's just a very inoffensive and fun gene.

pinions is an odd choice for gaolers but I think it's cute! especially the big fuckin' ears. <3 though, like I've seen other people say, I do wish the accent colors were a bit more off the shits, since most of the colors it look kinda bland, but you can't win 'em all.

and GLIDERS holy fuck. what are the implications here???? why did the banescales gain more tools for wreaking havoc. I love it it's so fucking weird. looks a bit awkward on m pose banes but EVERYTHING looks awkward on m pose banes that's just how they roll. if I knew anything about anatomy I'd probably be crying but I don't so who cares.

[nafeary]

Cuddles and Snuggles with the Ikevamp Suitors

Anon asked:

Hello 👋, can I have some really short and maybe flowery scenarios of the Ikevamp suitors cuddling? Just some cute little paragraph (that can turn smutty but doesn’t have to be) I really really like your style of writing, you see. Thank you!!!!

Heya! I love love love requests like these, they really make my day. Considering I didn’t want to give everything the same plot, I figured I’d just allow my creative freedom to run rampage.

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much, but school is keeping me pretty busy (a week of holidays are coming up tho hehehehe). This has been sitting in my WIPs for an eternity, and I finished the last five bois today (it’s Sunday/Monday midnight by the time I’m scheduling this YEET).

I hope you’ll all manage to find some comfort in this, and I hope you’ll all enjoy (and remember to drink water~)

Also, I don’t care what Cybird says; Theo is 186cm and I do not take criticism on this.

Warnings: implied sexual intercourse (only for Leo tho), otherwise only toothrottingly sweet fluff... maybe angst, too. Blame Aki)

Napoleon Bonaparte

『laying siege to your heart』

Laughter prompted your body to tremor in delight upon seeing the form of your lover snuggling his blanket, spilling into the room in coaction with the afternoon rays streaming in buoyant ribbons. Napoleon lethargically peeked past his lashes, grinning as he grasped your hand to pull you into his awaiting arms.

Your head fit perfectly underneath his chin, your bodies an amalgamation of puzzle pieces enjoying their reunion. You allowed a few teasing quips to spill from your lips, regretting to have done so tout de suite as your body writhed beneath his butterfly kisses tickling your nape. The most darling sounding giggles encompasses your ears, eliciting some of your own as you tried your best to escape his tight embrace.

Eventually, he stilled, burying his face into the crook of your neck, and holding you for what felt like an entire eternity—no ounce of egomania weighed upon you, the fierceness of it brought forth by his sheer adoration for yourself. And even if he were to lay siege for an eternity, you couldn’t see yourself caring if you were pledged with no disparate treatment.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

『moonlight tryst』

If there was one thing you’ve come to cherish, it would be the time of the moon, when it reigned the sky in its eerie glory. You’ve never been able to see the stars’ purity, constellations clearer than ever before. Perchance, the appreciation stemmed from the company the firmament would gift you with, when the other half of your bed was frozen and weeping alongside you in abandonment. Yet, as you mused your loneliness, approaching echoes of heels hitting the tiled floor incited your gaze to leave the stars, instead turning to embrace the sight of your lover coming to join you to your tryst.

Stars melted into fervid streams of gems, pouring upon Wolf’s skin, hair, and eyes, aiding his appearance to leave you blinded beneath its ethereal irradiance. You picked up a ribbon le Comte had gifted you long ago, jesting the embroidered amethysts would gracefully accompany the composer’s own set of eyes; but the juxtaposition left you disenchanted at the blunt and transparent crystals, opting to tie his alabaster strands with it, shivering slightly as you parted a curtain over his nape.

He enfolded your hands with his, hastily trying to get it off. However, his lips were quickly claimed by his muse, pouring every emotion and feeling you could gather into it. You were glad for the minuscule distraction, even more so as his arms fell limp, succumbing to your passion—nay, not without teasing remarks, leaving your pounding heart at the wolf’s mercy, and carrying your cries into the night in concordance with the owls’ song.

Leonardo da Vinci

『the gift of light』

At times, your relationship felt like stumbling through an obsidian forest, the only object not the plunged into abyssal realms a map to show you the right path. The map knew everything, could achieve anything, would create the unimaginable, while you were left impotently relying one its guidance.

Leonardo was aware of these clouds obscuring your emotions, hindering your felicity, and he was unsure whether he should act upon it. Perchance, it would leave you in deeper misery, but he’d take the chance to undress the light in your eyes.

You essentially knew that that was what a relationship with Leonardo da Vinci would result in; after all, no one could possibly match his genius. Natheless, the string pinioning your souls was stubborn, and it would be near impossible for anything to deter you from this love.

As you straddled him, panting in exhaustion with sweat glistening like deep sea pearls across your bodies, he slid his hands past your ears, tugging on the ribbon keeping your hair up. They ran past your bare shoulders, a cascade of bougainvillea shadowing the outside world from seeing your lover’s flushed expression. With his hands still resting on your cheeks, he pulled you toward himself, capturing your lips with raw ardour. A gossamer simper slumbered onto his face just as the sun announced the arrival of dayspring, enkindling the forest in the light of dawn.

Arthur Conan Doyle

『cosy and secluded dancing』

A myriad of candles appeared to dance within the salon, frolicking in the gentle zephyrs through the opened window. The lovers exuded the impression of pure serenity, swaying in each other’s clutches in synchronisation with the flames.

A saxophone urged your feet to tap along the tiled floor, the beat accompanying the agute anecdotes Arthur shared with you. A simper blossomed on your face as the topic of them always managed to include yourself in some way or another; you’d taken notice of this the further you relationship wrote itself. And just like his words filled the paper with ease under the influence of his fountain of delight, so did the words pertaining to your mutual ardour.

As you allowed your lips to meet his nose, perplexity pulled your brows into a furrow—how anyone could just accept all the malicious comments of “mongrel”, “bastard”, and other vile slurs without retaliating in defense was beyond you, especially when a simple action like yours dissolved him into a fumbling mess, his footing faltering to and fro akin to the rustling branches outside. It was nothing but a mystery, but he was your mystery. And you had more than enough time to solve him, buoyantly filling the paper with breathings of your love along the way.

Vincent Van Gogh

『picnic in a flower meadow』

There was nothing but warmth—the ground, the breeze, the sun’s ever so gentle embrace on this bright autumn’s day, creating an atmosphere of absolute serenity.

However, the sun wasn’t the only one to embrace you. You felt your lover’s breathing gently caressing your face, his heartbeat beneath your head the sole sound next to the sunflowers’ ever so tranquil rustling.

Another breeze ruffled his flaxen tufts of hair, eliciting the tiniest of giggles as they brushed against his nose. As his hands rose up to brush your hair, he gifted to with the most brilliant grin, the epitome of an angel walking amongst mortals.

It made you nuzzle closer into his chest, inhaling the wonted scent of paint and dried sunflowers. Opting to enjoy these last moments of your picnic with the artist, your eyes fluttered close to the most ethereal sight on earth.

Theodorus Van Gogh

『unfeigned aftermath of a fight』

Ire was not strange to him, acquaintances till death, for sure. Nevertheless, these kind of manners didn’t appeal to him, but charading as the scapegoat for his brother’s wealth has made him into the devil’s advocate—and old habits hardly perish.

His hands caught the last few droplets of despair running down your chin, stroking your own pair of hands as he held you from behind. A few moments prior, he had shown you his quiet, oftentimes guarded, ardour, carrying these words to your ear. It left you nearly broken, the brush having stumbled across the artwork, red marks littering the void. But as fast as the shade spread, so did the greens and blues, the yellows and whites; if someone knew how to fix these mistakes, it was Theo himself.

In favour of his height, he straightened to place his chin atop your head, allowing you to lean into him. You couldn’t even remember what miscellaneous things you’d been fighting about, rendering your throats hoarse and your hearts wound; alas, as perilous as his clamours were, he never failed to apologise, whispering adorations as sweet as the saccharine treats he enjoyed.

Truly, as painful as some words could be, he always committed to proving you his worth. He just didn’t realize that that was irrelevant; after all, your devotion for him ran deeper than any slash could ever reach.

Dazai Osamu

『tranquil lazing in the garden』

Amidst the most delicate petals and the green leaves, the pond’s reflection of two twirling birds was similar to the lovers leaning against an oak, intertwined branches unable to release their hold.

You were situated between his legs, his broad chest acting as your pillow of comfort. It was a serene kind of purity, the meadow’s song—flora and fauna uniting to create a serenade of peace—coaxing your pair into a state free of despair and ire. That is, until he let his lips flutter down your exposed neck, prompting you to grip the flesh of his thighs a bit tighter.

The butterfly kisses didn’t appear to end anytime soon, not that you payed it much negative mind. A simper danced across both of your faces as a butterfly, with gossamer wings fluttering gently, landed on your lover’s finger, drawing a titter to resound throughout the garden.

He beheld your reach for the lepidopteran creature, the flaxen colours scintillant in your orbs. Perchance this little guy was an omen of genuine ebullience. However, certainty belay onto his thoughts, knowing that you were nothing but a sign of fortune, even to someone as tainted as himself.

Isaac Newton

『snuggles to chase away self doubt』

Unrelentingly, you pushed chocolate into his calloused hands, pledging that the tryto-something—“it’s tryptophan, darling”—would surely lift his solemn mood, clouds of doubt and pressure weighing upon him. He’d been used to the wallowing forlorn, solus; he’d been used to secluding himself apart from any comfort helping hands could give.

But now, now he’d been exposed to a star, more lucent than the North Star could ever dream to be, which shared its balmy rays with him, never imploring for anything in return.

As the slightly bitter treat melted in his mouth, he pulled the almost oneiric appearance of his sweetheart closer to him, your foreheads colliding together to display the sanguine shade of his fiery cheeks. Both of you chortled at his endearing ardency, finding yourself neglecting the light mound rising from the top of your head as you beheld his cherry blossom orbs.

He wasn’t a man of many words, his thoughts the stars he couldn’t fathom into constellations; and while all he could manage were the faintest pleas of gratitude, you knew that that was his crisp layer masking the dispatch of genuineness. Underneath, he was just as sweet and fulfilling as the fruit he so hastily denied. These obstinate and vexing thoughts pulled at the corners of his mouth, but you were swift in your endeavor to diminish them, letting your fingers glissade like zephyrs through the wild locks of salmon and ever so gently massaging him with their tips.

Jean d’Arc

『eskimo kisses and pep talks』

Jean oftentimes felt as if the world was weighing upon his lungs, threatening to suffocate him from the inside out. With his wings clipped and feet bound, all be could was sing in fear and cry for help, knowing he was undeserving of such feat. And yet, you were holding him closer than he’d ever been held before, kissing every scar, every painful remainder of his past, with the force of what could only be described as love.

He’d call himself vile names, thinking nothing much of it, and you’d never grasped what he meant. Moronic? His gentleness spoke of wisdom that many men could only dream of owning. Appalling? You would incessantly reassure him that his arms were your favorite place to while in, and that you wanted to feel his pulse through your veins. Ugly? His eyes met the moon and became almost prismatic as he claimed so, releasing that inhumanly beautiful hue of disenthralled, limitless amethysts, his skin reflecting the pale alabaster rays. How could a person so stunning and breathtaking be ugly? A person so kind and selfless?

Jean scoffed at your sentiment; withal, he allowed himself to succumb to his selfishness, brushing your nose with his own in an anguished assay to express his gratitude. You responded with a glee, succumbing to his endearing affection. He could only yearn for you to be able to withstand the barrel of infinity that he was bound to curse you with.

William Shakespeare

『interruptions ft puck』

You rose to the canorous breathing of your lover, nay, soulmate; that much was apparent judging by the euphoria encompassing your entire being at the sole mention of his name. It perplexed you how you were able to manage waking up to this empyrean sight without your heart granting the artist its last applause.

From his flushed checks, to his bare chest exposed to your own, to his lean arms reaching around yourself to tangle his fingers within your mane, more delicate and loving than the activities of the previous night required—you knew you were borne under a lucky star, whose only affiliation could possibly be be playwright claiming you his, cradling you with nothing but the zephyrs of a quiet twilight downpour.

You noticed a few candles he’d lit, most likely while you still rested, and they carried scents of raspberry sorbet, wafting around you in refreshing sprites. They were made my William himself, akin to the abundance of objects you’d sentimentally ramble about; and yet, he’d obstinately organise the most trivial things, no matter the obstacle of time and place.

Warmth engulfed your heart, your mind and being at how utterly cherished you were within his arms, and a few tears threatened their exeunt, but you suppressed your expression to the best of your ability, not wanting to worry him ignominiously. The fortunate appearance of your favourite character from the playwright’s own little story supported your despair de trop—even if he might not have intended to.

The little bunny hopped onto your lover’s head, staring down at you as if to mark his own territory. However, this attempt only prompted laughter to spill from your lips, and it amplified as William plucked Puck from his hair, placing him in midst of your tangled limps.

Comte de Saint-Germain

『napping in front of his fireplace』

The fireplace was ablaze, each scarlet flame radiating heat as the fumes frolicked in delight. With your legs angled to your lover’s lap and your fingers clutching his dress shirt, you were curled into the man’s side, the sofa cushioning your assay to sleep.

Your eyes fluttered open when you felt the snug quilt slide over your shoulders, meeting brilliant gold whose owner was busy with shielding you from the frigid cold. His hand released the fabric, instead opting to ever so carefully grasp your chin, as if frightened you were a withering rose.

Words of adoring troths danced on your lips, assuring him that you weren’t fragile, that he mustn’t fret upon your disappearance. He could only place a kiss between your brows, aware that silence weighed more than words ever could; his mirth was apparent as he pulled you closer to him, wanting nothing but to transcend time and space for his other half.

Sebastian

『oreos, milk, and ice cream』

There were certain difficulties when your heart belonged to two people, but even more so when it belonged to multiple places—or periods. Nevertheless, being employed to a time-traveling and immortal boss had its certain advantages.

You knew he longed for these items as much as you did, yet only organised them as you uttered these fantasies in a sleepy stupor. Enthusiasm spurring the atmosphere, you scooped the icy vanilla custard into crystalline bowls, improvident about the dampness coating your fingers. Before the fallen spoon could hit the ground, your lover caught it, trapping your back against his chest as he placed it back onto the counter.

His reverberating laughter prompted your own, enjoying the sensation of the flush body enbosoming your own. Arms winding across your chest, further strengthening the protective cocoon, a feather brushed your neck as he kissed with the ilk of cotton fields. You couldn’t halt the goosebumps from waltzing to the rhythm of his teasing, rather opting to stuff an Oreo past his appealing lips.

Tag list: @juminly @kisara-16 @sweetlittlemouse @thesirenwashere @nad-zeta @delicateikemenmemes

[devil-latte]

I’ll confess that for some reason or another I have had trouble really getting into VTM Night Road, so I never finished it. Today I decided to boot the game up and continue my file featuring my nonbinary Gangrel Pinion, a melancholy loner who would prefer to be left alone to study or work on their car but who is hopelessly in love with Julian, in spite of what’s good for them. 

Anyway, even as a Gangrel, I’d resisted learning animalism up to this point, having a familiar didn’t really seem to fit Pinion, and I was feeling really aimless when roleplaying them. But I gave them a point of Animalism, at which point they find dying wolf and nurse them back to health as their familus. I named her Desta, which means joy (according to Behind the Name because I’m *that* kind of writer, with BTN pinned to my bookmarks bar.)  I thought this bit was cute.

“A wolf [exclamation point!]” :3 (I did make her female though). But then we get this.

PetSmart! I got my big scary ghoul wolf a cute collar and kibble! I’m gonna read on how to train her like the big nerd my Gangrel is. I gave her a bath and groomed her soft fur. Pinion is going to be the best pet parent! I swear I’ll do right by you Desta! T_T

This is honestly how I feel in this moment. 

[moonboohoo]

——HIS HONEY GIRL 

pairings: akaashi keiji x fem!reader 

summary: honey girl, honey girl. akaashi writes a poem for his crush. 

genre/tags: fluff 

word count: 881 words

EVERY GIRL IS A BLESSING ㅡ they are graceful angels created by heaven, a beautiful blithe spirit that brings happiness to mama earth and her children. girls are like angels, but i would rather call them honey girls. the top of their heads blooming sunflowers, cherry red lips tug into a smile when they whisper soft candy words that smell like sweet nectar in a flower field, even sweeter than a honey mango tree in the summer days.

asherah asks the stars, the planets, and mama earth to create cute little potions for honey girls. they drink it AND THEY SEE DIFFERENT FLOWERS BLOOMING ON THEIR HONEY SKIN. some of them have peony and periwinkle on their hands and legs with soft milky white skin and flower eyes, some of them have sun-kissed skin and bones, amaryllis and tulips on their hands and legs, and pretty nebulas scattered across their nose and high on their cheeks, some of them have moon eyes, their fingers and thighs swelled in honey bee love, cheeks like soft marshmallow that could swallow pretty flowers and grow inside their lungs.

asherah calls them sunshine girl, moon girl, flower girl, cloud girl, and star girl, because she says they are like chalk and cheese, have nothing in common as they have different personalities and body frames - but still, i would rather call them honey girls. it's true that girls are beautiful and unique in their own way, but they are still honey girls. a girl's voice is like maple syrup (they are soothing and sweet!), a girl's heart is like cotton candy (they are soft-hearted!), a girl has honey and milk under her tongue (whisper sweet words of love!), and a girl's laugh is like honeycombs (it makes me melt and see stars!), dripping off in my ears and my entire existence, feeding my soul. it doesn't matter whether they are girls from the pastel galaxies or the earth, because they are still honey girls in nature.

HONEY GIRLS ARE LIKE A GIFT TO US ㅡ they throw their wands away and spread their pinions to the roseate clouds, saying goodbye to little stars and going down to earth. honey girls want to protect mama earth and her children, they spread twinkle tears all over the world to shower them with affection. honey girls are precious, honey girls are adorable, and honey girls deserved to be loved.

i have finally found my baby honey girl sitting on a bench and stared up at the obsidian night sky, one cherry cola on her left hand, right hand holding her favourite club chicken sandwich, moon eyes on the left and star eyes on the right. it doesn't matter if she's a moonstar girl, cuz' i see her as my cute little honey girl that makes my heart spiral into stellar oblivion - i want to take my honey girl on summer dates, buying her honey milk tea and honey lip balm until her eyes and lips are dripping caramel honey so she can taste herself using her own fingertips, then honey girl and i can dance in the rain while listening to indie songs, and i can take her to a ferris wheel and see her blushed when i put a honey star bracelet on her wrist.

but, alas, my baby honey girl seems to love the sky more than me. honey girl keeps looking at the stars and the moon in the sky - her eyes lit up when mama moon is smiling at her, and honey girl feels like her entire soul sucked out of her body, as her soul flies up to the night sky and landed on a star, and gives mama moon a kiss. her body is still here, but her soul lives above the clouds and fogs - i wish i can tear the night sky away using my own teeth so i, too, can fly up to the sky and drag you to the ground (please don't leave me alone!). oh, honey girl, i can see your heart eyes when you are looking at me, you dare say you don't fancy me? i can build a heaven for you and me, i can paint a galaxy of flowers, the stars, and your favourite moon on the ceiling - this is your home, honey girl, i would spoon-feed you my heart juice and shower you with love just like mama moon.

                                                       ______

Akaashi Keiji was twirling his pen in his hands while he sat on a blue plastic chair, his eyes were still staring at the girl. The library was quiet, some of them were doing their assignments, the others were studying for their finals, and here's Akaashi Keiji, writing a poem for his crush. He scratched his head lightly, and suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind - he scribbled a few words on his paper and folded it up, putting it inside his bag.

Keiji sighed and looked at his crush again. One day, he would definitely confess to her.

THE LAST PARAGRAPH: Venus and Mars are a love tragedy, but you and I are meant to be.

[thekisforkeats]

A Song of Praise Upon Your Lips (Let all the Broken Pieces Shine, Chapter Two)

Info: The Magnus Archives, D&D AU. JonMartin in this chapter, more ships to be added. Rated T. Post-Canon. Jon is amab nb and uses they/them, Martin is a trans guy.

CWs: Darkness, falling, spiders, manipulation, webs, implied body horror, character death (mentioned), alternate realities, character injury, fire.

Summary: In which Martin thwarts the Web's plan for good and all (or so one hopes) through the power of poetry. (The poem is the first and last stanzas of Kahlil Gibran's "On Love," from The Prophet, published 1923.)

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Previous Chapter

They are falling through endless darkness. Martin holds Jon close to him and wonders how much longer this will take. Will he be in this darkness forever? Would it be so bad if he was?

“Time to let go,” a voice whispers. Feminine, soft, almost motherly, but threaded through with something like malice. “He is lost to you. Time to come back to me, my little spiderling.”

“No,” Martin whispers into the darkness. “No, I won’t let go. One way or another, together. That’s what we said.”

He can hear irritation in the voice. “Where he goes, you cannot follow. Where you belong, he cannot exist. You made your choices long ago. You cannot undo them now.”

“I’m not letting you take him from me!” Martin shouts it this time, and tightens his hold on Jon’s body. “I don’t care if I die, I’m not letting go!”

“Silly, stubborn spiderling. You are mine. You have served my purpose, all these years, and served it well. Do you truly think it was any coincidence you came to be by the Archivist’s side? The Whispered One, that you called Beholding… the power that should have gone to the Lone Wolf, that you called Forsaken… they may have tried to claim you, but you have always been mine, little spiderling, however much you twist and turn and try to deny the truth of what you are.”

Martin can see the speaker in his mind, even if his eyes are shut: from the waist up, a woman with ebony skin and white hair, but from the waist down… a spider. It’s impossible, he knows it’s impossible, because she’s from a game. And yet, still, he knows her name, and he speaks it into the void:

“Lolth?!”

A soft chuckle. “Yes, spiderling. I am the one that set you in that world, set you on the path to meet the Archivist. I am the one who ensured you would connect with the power of the Spider there, a power that is mine even if she did not know that fact until she has finally come falling down through the void between realms. She will add to my power, and she will become me and I will become her, and together we will usurp the other gods that would keep us trapped. We will spread our Web across every realm and every sphere.”

The woman seems to hold out a hand to Martin. “Come, spiderling. It is time to come home to me. I am your true mother, and I will love you better than your mortal mother ever did.”

“No,” Martin whispers again, horrified. This can’t be real. This is a horrific dream. Lolth is a fictional being that he has always been alternately repulsed by and fascinated with. She is a deity from a roleplaying game that he had stopped playing years ago, though largely for lack of anyone who would play with him.

And yet, it makes a horrendously cruel sort of sense. The Mother of Puppets has always reminded him of Lolth, a little bit. He thinks of Annabelle Cane and her desire to fill Martin with spiders. He thinks of his own tendencies to manipulate, his own love of spiders, of webs, even of fiber arts, of tying things in knots to keep them where he wants them to be. Of the way he spoke to the tape recorders the same way he spoke to the spiders he ran into--as pets, almost. As sweet, cute things to be loved.

He has known, for a long time, that if the Lonely had not claimed him the Web might have. He’s had dreams of turning into a spider, dreams he woke from screaming. Even if he likes spiders, he doesn’t want to become one. Sometimes he thinks he went to Peter as much to escape the fate he saw in his dreams as anything else he’s told himself.

A part of him wants to take the offered hand. To let go of Jon, and move forward to his own destiny.

But they made a promise. One way or another, together. It makes the decision easy.

Martin swallows. “No,” he says more firmly, opening his eyes. Lolth is there, only a dim outline in the darkness, but he can see her, vaguely. “I will not go with you. I’ve made my choice, I saw my Domain, and it wasn’t full of spiders.”

Anger flashes in Lolth’s dark eyes. “Foolish boy. Do you think I can’t make you come with me?”

“I think…” Martin pulls Jon closer to him. “I think you can, sure, but I also think…” He gathers himself, takes a deep breath, then presses on, “I think if it were that easy, you’d have done it already instead of trying to make me come willingly.” He’s thinking faster than he ever has in his life. There were no powers of good in their world, no Hope or Courage or Love to balance the Fears. But if this truly is Lolth, and not just his brain giving form to the Web, then maybe there’s a chance. Maybe there are good powers to draw on, out here in the dark between realities.

Maybe, if he tries hard enough, he can get one of them to listen.

“I never would have served the Eye, or the Lonely, or the Web, if I’d had another choice,” Martin spits into the void. “I would serve Beauty. I would serve Truth. I would serve Love.” He swallows, glares at the darkness, at the form he can just barely make out as his eyes adjust. “And you know that, don’t you? Wherever we’re going… those things have power, and you want me to come to you before I get beyond your reach.”

Lolth scoffs. “You would leave me, and go back to the Protector? He will not take you back, not in that form.”

Martin grinds his teeth. “I don’t care who, or… what it is I serve, I just know that it isn’t you,” he growls.

Martin feels a warmth building in him, a heat, a flame. It’s lighting up the darkness, letting him see Jon’s lifeless body and the tapes both. It lets him see Lolth, hovering out there in the void, lets him see that the tapes are connected to her. If he lets go, she’ll get Jon. That’s what this is about, he realizes. Whether or not she wants him, she definitely wants Jon, and Martin is keeping her from her prize.

“You don’t care about me,” he whispers. “You just want Jon’s body, to fuel whatever ritual you’re trying to do.”

Lolth almost smirks. “I would prefer to have you both, but I will settle for the Archivist alone. We made him, my sister and I, which means that I made him, because she is becoming me even as we speak. You have resisted me in the past, but the Archivist…? He is already mine. Has always been mine. Will always be mine.”

Martin glares at the spider-woman. “I’m not going anywhere Jon doesn’t go, and since I’m not letting you have him… I guess you don’t get either of us.”

“And how, exactly, do you intend to stop me, spiderling?”

There’s a tug on the tapes, and Martin screams as Jon is half-wrenched out of his arms. He clings, desperately, grabbing at the tapes, screaming louder as they cut into his hands. “No! No! Please, not now, I can’t lose him now!”

“Too late, spiderling.” Lolth’s smile is cruel. “It was always too late.”

He has to do something. He has to stop this. The heat and warmth and light within him needs somewhere to go, but it can’t just come out through his hands. He needs words, that’s who he is, who he’s always been. But what words? What words would help here?

It’s not Keats that comes to him, because it’s never Keats that comes to him in the moments of pain and terror--Keats is for joy, and longing, and elegiac melancholy in the rain. It’s Kahlil Gibran, whose words sustained him through Jon’s coma and his mother’s death and working for Peter Lukas. A poem about love, about divine love. He speaks the words into the void like a prayer, because whatever he’s doing is as much a prayer and a wish as anything else.

When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.

As he speaks, the fire grows. Not the cold fire of the Desolation but something warm and kind and loving. It fills him with joy, so that despite the nature of the words (For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning) his fear is banished and his terror soothed. His grip on the tapes surrounding Jon strengthens, and he begins to haul his lover back to him, away from the spider-woman.

Something like fear flickers in the goddess’ eyes. She says something, a negation, a denial, but Martin cannot hear her, because he is shouting now, stanza after stanza, the words and the prayer fueling the light and warmth within. He clutches Jon to his chest and grips the tape tightly.

He is intending to rip the tape binding Jon, to break the Web and free them both, but as he thinks of doing this, the flame within bursts out through his hand and burns through the tape surrounding Jon. The fire leaves both him and his lover untouched, but it consumes the tape. Martin can see the flame shooting off in every direction, unraveling the Web that Lolth had so carefully woven.

“No!” The goddess’ scream is so loud that Martin almost covers his ears, but that would mean letting go of Jon and that’s not happening. “No! I will not let you undo my work!” She lunges forward at them, to grab them both, or maybe just to try one last time to wrench Jon from Martin’s grasp.

Martin is surrounded by flame now, and he has a vague sense that his hair, long-since touched white by the Lonely, has abruptly shifted back to red and might actually just literally be fire right now. He holds out his hand, focusing not on Lolth but on the space around them. He has to keep them safe from her. He has reached the last stanza of the poem.

Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

The darkness around them alights, a sphere of flame that surrounds and protects Martin and Jon both. Lolth hits the fire as she lunges, and screams again. Then she fades back into the blackness.

“She cannot protect you for long, spiderling,” Lolth hisses. “I will come for you. I will always come for you.”

And then she’s gone, and they’re falling, falling, falling. Endlessly and forever, falling into the void.

The fire around them fades, and they’re in the dark again. Martin thinks that maybe he used the last of his energy, but even if all he did was to stop the Web’s plan… maybe that’s enough, in the end.

He’s fading, his consciousness dimming. He’s barely aware of Jon’s body in his arms. He takes a moment to hold Jon close and kiss the dark skin of his lover’s brow, cold despite the flame that had surrounded them not long before.

“I love you, Jon,” Martin whispers, “and I’m never, ever letting you go. Never again.”

And then everything fades into blackness. If this is death, he thinks, it’s not so bad.

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