#i should visit the local steam room

[parakeetpark]

Hot waterbottle save me please

[thydungeongal]

First day of Adventuring

Our intrepid heroes, Jimothy, Montgormery, Theophany, Chuckles, Theodore, and Stevelyn (introduced in a previous post) arrive in the village of Balaz's Wish in the Empire of Irazor.

Irazor is ruled by necromancer Lucien of Irazor, a level 12 Magic-user. He has well-brushed brown hair, glowing black eyes and a nose ring (Uncomfortable). In the pocket: a dirty handkerchief, 3 sp and 2 gp.

The village of Balaz's Wish is a simple village nestled between two mountains. As the party arrive, they immediately head to the local drinking hole, "The Lost Torch Tavern," to check the local bulletin board for leads.

Help requested! A heirloom of sentimental value was stolen from me. I will reward anyone who is kind enough to get it back. Yours, Kyranthia of Akaana Heading to Hammering? Payment guaranteed to a trusty courier. Ask for Berwin Lacy

Montgormery, who has named himself party leader, decides that a simple delivery quest is unbecoming of a man of his noble stature and his retinue, so he leads the party on a visit to this Kyranthia of Akaana!

Kyranthia of Akaana. She has bulging red eyes, delicate features and gap teeth (Exhausted). In the pocket: a quill and 3 sp. Her Decorated Sword is lost (or so claimed). Finder's rewards is 230 gp.

The party then goes to gather some rumors at the tavern while having some drinks, overhearing the following:

Kyranthia of Akaana’s decorated sword (actually Sword +1, Locate Objects) is somewhere in the Hideout of the Feared Hopes Avoid going to Nightmare Wetlands. There’s a Giant Leech there. Safia of Atali is very secretive recently.

A quirk of Hexroll is that once I reveal the first rumor it also revealed the secret about Kyranthia's sword. Well, regardless, the party now has an approximate direction to which to head: while the exact location of the dungeon is still a mystery, they know it is due East-Northeast.

Deciding that they are much better off heading North via the road instead of trying to cut straight Northeast through the mountains, they follow the road and chance upon a peculiar sight in the woods.

There's a stream of clear water here, flowing gently between the woods, over the smooth rock ground. When exploring this area, a giant triangular artifact made of polished iron, with large pointy spears attached, can be found wedged near a water stream. There's a 1-in-6 chance to find a secret door leading inside the artifact and a successful INT check will allow using a contraption inside it. If used, the object will magically levitate and will travel 1d6 hexes in a matter of minutes before crashing into the ground again, dealing 1d6 damage to anyone inside.

No one in the party (even Montgormery) is stupid enough to try and mess with a UFO. Regaining their bearings, they decide to head Northeast, into the woods.

And find a tavern at the bend of a river.

"The Baker's Torch Tavern" is welcoming travellers and adventurers near a water stream.

The party decides to call it a night at this point. They dine on some local delicacies and have some ale, and then go to bed. (At this point the generator kind of fucked up imo: the tavern only has two rooms available. Instead I had everyone pay the prize of the roof and bench.)

Here's a quick look at the menu:

Stewed slices of chicken, glazed with garlic and wine and served with baked potatoes for 2 sp⬝ Stewed fillet of fish, glazed with red wine and served with steamed vegetables for 2 sp⬝ Stewed fillet of chicken, marinated in honey and herbs and served with steamed vegetables for 2 sp

And here's a look at the map (I have accidentally been pressing here and there and everywhere, so it's actually showing much more than it should):

What I have omitted from the above description: checks for random encounters (since they didn't yield anything interesting) and the roll for getting lost (the party didn't get lost so they have their bearings for now).

[borathae]

Protective

“Jungkook can’t stand it when Taehyung comes home beaten and broken after a night out.”

Pairing: Vampire!Jungkook x Vampire!Taehyung

Genre: established relationship!AU, polyamory!AU, Hurt & Comfort

Warnings: protective!Jungkook to the point he gets a little feral, he is so protective fuckck, and so hot i'm so sorry but he is so hot, pouty!Taehyung, tears, cursing, hints at a bad one night stand, bruises & marks from rough sex, non-sexual nudity, cuddles and innocent body worshipping to comfort both <3

Wordcount: 1.6k

a/n: this is based on anonie's idea and this anonie's idea you guys are feeding my twisted mind and i'm loving it here 🖤 also sidenote, it took everything in my power not to turn this into smut jsjsj the moment kook began kissing him i had to fight the demons in my mind jfjdafj have fun besties 🖤

Jungkook is worried. Taehyung should be home already, but he hasn’t come to say hello yet. Taehyung always makes sure to say his hellos to Jungkook whenever he is back from one of his one night stands. Doesn’t matter the time of day, Taehyung will not miss out on this tradition. During early mornings, when Jungkook is still sleeping, he will slip under the covers and Jungkook wakes up as his small spoon and with their fingers intertwined. During the day, Taehyung will seek him out and then talk to him as Jungkook does whatever thing he is currently doing while Taehyung tries very hard to snuggle him. During the nightly hours, he will join him under the shower or in front of the TV and then spend comfortable silence with him as their bodies are so very close. No matter the time of day, Jungkook can be sure that Taehyung will announce his return. 

So having heard him come back, but not getting a hello is worrisome. 

It is late at night. You and Yoongi are out on a date in town. Something along the lines of visiting a concert of a local band and then trying out a new restaurant. Jimin is in his wing. Jungkook can hear ballet music playing. Taehyung must be in his wing as well. He has jazz music playing. Loudly. Almost as if he was trying to mask other sounds with it. 

Jungkook’s worry only grows at that and he finds himself barely using the stairs as he practically flies up the stairs just to get to him quicker.

Taehyung’s wing is unlocked and so Jungkook slips inside, leaving his shoes by the front door. The jazz music comes from his bedroom, but said room is empty when Jungkook enters it. 

He scans his eyes over the room. The door to the en-suite bathroom is open, allowing clean scented steam to enter the room. The clear indicator that Taehyung took a shower. 

The lights in his dressing room are turned on. Jungkook hurries to it, finding Taehyung in front of the mirror in just his towel and a distressed expression on his pale features as he inspects his own back. To call a vampire’s complexion pale is another worrisome thing to do, as Taehyung’s skin was already rather pale because of his curse. 

“What happened?” Jungkook is by his side instantly, grabbing him by his waist.

“Ah!” Taehyung startles and flinches. Another worrisome thing. A vampire rarely startles because of their heightened senses. “You frightened me! Oh heavens.”

Jungkook can’t hear him. All he sees are the marks on Taehyung’s back and the tears of a past cry in his eyes 

“Are those bruises? And they didn’t heal yet? What the fuck happened?” He cups his cheek, wiping his tears. “Were you crying? Who did that to you?”

Taehyung grows smaller, touching Jungkook’s chest as if he needed comfort.

“It isn’t like this.”

“Who. Did. That. To. You?” Jungkook insists, fighting his urges with a tightened jaw. He can’t lose control, not in front of Taehyung.

“I, I promise I am fine.”

“You don’t look fine. You’re crying. And your back is bruised. Who was it? Who made you cry?”

Taehyung lowers his head.

“Cedric”, he whispers. 

“Cedric? The fucking Glutton? With the tattoo on his chest?”

Taehyung nods his head.

“Where is he now?”

“No please.” Taehyung lifts his head. He gulps.

Jungkook’s true face is exposed, morphed into a picture of feral, demonic protectiveness. Even his muscles seem to have grown as he is readying himself to fight for Taehyung.

“No please.” Taehyung cups his face. “It wasn’t his fault.”

“It wasn’t his fault? He should have stopped when you started crying. He should have been a better Dom and checked up on you! I’m going to fucking rip him to shreds”, Jungkook hisses as his fangs grow into the huge, scary weapons they are meant to be. “Does he not know what happens to people who aren’t careful with you? What I’m gonna do to him once I hunted him down?” he spits, growing bigger and bigger as the monster in him takes over in sheer protectiveness.

Taehyung isn’t sacred. Taehyung kisses him despite his changed mouth. He gets on his tiptoes and pulls his face down until their lips locks. He kisses his fangs and what little lips he can touch, twisting Jungkook’s hair desperately. And after that kiss, he hugs him. He hugs his grown body until it shrinks again and he has his Jungkook back. Jungkook lets him, huffing out air and growling as he is trying to calm down in his arms.

“Don’t hurt him, just hold me please”, he pleads with him, twisting his shirt. It smells like him and Taehyung doesn’t need him to fight for him, all he needs is his hug and his scent. “Please just hold me.”

Jungkook takes a deep breath and relaxes in defeat. He hugs Taehyung just as he had asked of him, grinding his vampiric teeth. He stares at his reflection in the mirror. His blackened eyes and veins taunt him, his teeth do as well. His lower arms are bigger than normally, showing pulsing dark veins. Fuck, he is so angry. If it wasn’t for Taehyung clutching him with such urgency, Jungkook would have already left and hunted Cedric.

He is not a violent person, neither a monster, but if someone dares to hurt his family, Jungkook has no self control. He becomes what he was meant to be; a ruthless, merciless Ripper who kills anyone dumb enough to lay a hand on his family. Now that he has control over his powers, he can also use them to their full potential. Huge fangs, bulging muscles, immense strength and inescapable speeds. He isn’t going to shy away from showing what it means to be hunted by a Ripper if it guarantees his family’s safety.

Taehyung is the only link to humanity he currently has. And while Taehyung gets the affection and love he so dearly craved after the rather messy one night stand, Jungkook finds tranquillity in the hug. 

“Just hold me please.” Taehyung begs and shakes in the typical indicator of having to cry. “I’m sorry.”

Jungkook’s human face returns instantly. The last remainder of his inhuman size disappears. He hugs him closer, doing so tenderly.

“For what?” he asks in a soft-spoken voice.

“I didn’t take better care of myself. I, I am sorry for, for coming home like, like this.”

“Hey chéri, don’t apologise. Fuck, don’t you dare apologise.”

“I’m so frightened that you are angry. I, I promised not to get roughed up anymore and, and I broke it.”

“Is that why you’re crying?”

“Yes”, Taehyung whimpers.

Jungkook gulps. Cedric didn’t make him cry, he did. He stares at himself in anger and disappointment. He made Taehyung cry.

“Fucking hell, I’m sorry I made you feel this way. Fuck, I never wanted you to feel so guilty. Come here”, Jungkook gets out and lifts Taehyung. 

The towel falls, leaving Taehyung naked. The latter wraps his legs around Jungkook’s small waist instantly, hiding away in the crook of his neck as his arms clutch his broad shoulders tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Tae. I feel fucking awful.”

“Please don’t, please. It wasn’t your fault. I love you”, Taehyung assures him instantly, squeezing him with his legs to truly get the point across. “I love you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too, Tae. Fuck.” Jungkook exhales deeply, bouncing Taehyung in his arms to fix his grip on him. “You’re gonna get cuddled for the rest of the night. Are we clear? I’m not letting you think that I’m angry at you.”

Giggles replace Taehyung’s sniffles. He squirms in Jungkook’s arms and somehow through the magic of being comforted, the bruises on his back finally disappear. Jungkook watches it happen in the mirror, feeling his heart lighten. So it was mental. Taehyung was so anxious about Jungkook possibly being angry at him, that he hindered his own healing process. He doesn’t have to anymore. Jungkook is here now. His safe space is here now. The person, who will always treat him gently, is finally holding him again.

“I love you so much”, Taehyung whispers, burying his hands deep in Jungkook’s soft hair. “I love you so, so much.”

“I love you too, Tae chéri”, Jungkook answers him, holding him closer as he carries him to bed. He climbs into bed with him and lies him down on his back, hovering over him with his knees on each side of his hips.

Taehyung gazes up at him, placing his hands above his head like he had done so multiple times before. His dark hair is messy on the silk pillow, his skin is glowing in shy giddiness. Jungkook smiles at him, brushing the back of his hand down his reddened cheek. Taehyung leans into the touch, fluttering his lashes.

“My precious starlight”, Jungkook whispers and lowers his lips to Taehyung’s chest so he could worship what was treated incorrectly. He has to make sure Taehyung knows that every inch of him is precious, he has to remind his skin what touch it is worthy of. And Taehyung sighs and writhes and shivers, parting his legs instinctively because Jungkook makes him feel safe to be so utterly exposed. Even if the affection stays innocent, he feels safe in exposing himself because Jungkook will always take care of him.

“Don’t stop, please”, he sighs, lacing his fingers through Jungkook’s hair.

“I won’t, chéri. I won’t. You’re so precious, Tae. My precious chéri”, Jungkook whispers, sinking into the comforting headspace together with Taehyung. He won’t stop until Taehyung feels cherished again. 

[scorchieart]

Hello Scorchie! May i request headcanons for Rio and Silvio about what their ideal solo vacation would be? I know requests are up to 3 princes so you can pick a third! Or just the two would be good. Thank you!

Silvio, Rio, & Keith's Solo Vacations

It's been over a year, but this was the perfect weekend for me to finally tackle this one. I chose Keith for the third since I'm rereading his route atm. Hope you enjoy!

Silvio Ricci

Where does the man who travels the world for work go on vacation?

As if Silvio would know. He throws a dart at whatever map Carlo is studying at the time. Anything will work as long as it’s away from the palace. Far far away.

“It’s got a hole, genius.” Silvio flicks a gold coin into the scholar’s dumbfounded face and swipes the map. A remote island off the coast of Tanzanite? That’ll do nicely. 

Packs extremely light. “If I need it, I’ll buy it there” outlook.

Doesn’t bother to tell anyone where he’s going. If it’s that important, they would have told him before he left, right? Of course, he didn’t bother to tell anyone he was leaving in the first place…

Weather so fair and route so straightforward Silvio could navigate with his eyes closed. Hm? Yes, of course he’d be captaining his own ship. This is his vacation, after all.

Familiar scents of coin and opportunity waft into his face as soon as he touches shore. He wipes his nose on his sleeve and steers away from the marketplace, heading straight for the bungalow he purchased on his last visit here. He is on vacation, after all.

He left the crew with orders to do as they pleased during their stay, so Silvio spent the first five days alone hiking, fishing, swimming, rafting, rope weaving, sandcastle building, sandcastle destroying, bonfire starting, out-of-control-bonfire extinguishing, spontaneous karaoking…

He isn’t lonely!

… Just bored.

Maybe a trip to town wouldn’t be too bad. It was time to restock some home essentials. To fully enjoy the vacation, of course. 

Is exceedingly aware of tourist traps but doesn’t use that as an excuse to avoid the locals. When he finally psyches himself up, Silvio peruses the stalls and bazaars of the area, pockets a-jangle in all their musical monetary glory.

It just so happens he didn’t pack a toothbrush, and the repeated fish dinners stung his nostrils with each breath he took. Not his fault the miswak salesman was more than happy to offload his entire month’s stock to Silvio’s hygienic cause.

And Silvio only packed two outfits for the trip; one to wear while the other washed. It would be a shame not to indulge in the rich styles of the locals, all the dozens of combinations of colors and fabrics and textures. Oh, and can’t forget the accessories either.

But before he could try even a single piece on, how could Silvio be expected to properly experience his vacation to the fullest when the bathhouse could use an extra steam room? Or two? Plus retiling. And since they were entertaining a foreign prince, why not go for the full remodel? It would only be rude for Silvio not to invest in such an essential aspect of their culture during his stay.

By the time Silvio leaves, the island’s commerce, businesses, and quality of life are thriving. Neighboring lands scramble to enlist their best cartographers to balloon maps of their territories to ludicrous proportions and send them as gifts of goodwill to the brilliant scholar of Benitoite Palace.

Rio Ortiz

Weeks of pleading, several doctor’s visits, and a few near-collapse scares. But the final nail in the coffin is the imperial order issued by all eight princes to take some time off away from the palace. An overworked body and mind are ill-suited to properly serving a mistress, after all.

Several more days of convincing are needed before Rio agrees to go on this vacation alone. “Focus on yourself and do the things you like,” you tell him.

But what he likes are all the things you like. Wouldn’t thinking about you the entire trip be counterproductive then? Maybe he should just take a staycation…

Rio wakes the next morning in a carriage bound for Rhodolite’s southern region. In his coat pocket he finds a small coin purse and a note: “Until the season ends. And not a day sooner.” It is signed by Sariel Noir, Mr. Akatsuki, and you.

(Aww, he got your autograph. First souvenir.)

At last the carriage stops in a small village near the Jadean border. What it lacks in size it makes up for in charm: the homes cluster around an inviting inn like the rings of a conch shell, a café abuts a humble bookshop near the town hall, and children freely splash in a shallow pond just beyond the last row of houses.

After checking into the inn and depositing the bags he certainly didn’t pack, Rio spends the day exploring the town that would be his home for the next three weeks. 

He orders a black tea at the café and, after a brief chat, teaches the owner how to best brew your favorite warm beverages. The owner thanks him, waves the tea fee, and gifts a sachet of Jadean herbs that, when steeped in hot water, can cure a man’s drowsiness instantly. (Second souvenir.)

Next is the bookshop, and Rio spends the rest of the afternoon helping the seller rearrange her shelves by language of origin and genre, as Mr. Akatsuki recommended was best for stores catering to cross-kingdom travelers. The seller thanks him, lets him sit on the store’s comfiest couch, and gifts a collection of unpublished short stories and folk tales from across the south of Rhodolite. (Third souvenir.)

Upon returning to the inn that night, he is greeted by the staff scrambling up and down the building attempting to stave off a rat infestation. Rio quickly drops his gifts off in his room (hidden in the pockets of those bags he certainly didn’t pack), runs back to the lobby, and pulls up his sleeves. In under an hour, the entire pack of rodents is safely captured in a cage and released into the field just beyond the pond. Rio always disliked “exterminating” rodents in view of Sariel. The inn staff is so grateful they tell him he is welcome to stay his entire trip free of charge.

When the three weeks are up and the carriage returns to collect him, the driver gawks at the bursting bags Rio certainly overpacked.  “Just how much money did those princes give you?” the driver asks. 

Rio pulls the coin purse out of his pocket for the second time on the trip and gives it a jingly shake. “I dunno. Never opened it.”

Keith Howell

Solo vacations are practically nonexistent in Keith’s life. There is always another presence tagging along, hovering at arm’s length like a kindred soul, no matter the time or place or how hard he tries to slip away.

That’s right — Dill is always up for an adventurous getaway!

Easy for a bird to say (chirp), but a prince cannot simply spread his wings and take flight whenever the urge strikes. What would his family, his kingdom, other kingdoms say if they learned Keith Howell played skippy? 

No, that wouldn’t do. He sits at his desk and prepares dozens of personalized letters, each individual one copied twice in case the originals get lost in transit. In them, he details his intentions to take one month of next year’s summer away from the palace for the express purpose of individual scientific study, promises his prompt return before the annual goodwill summit’s opening ceremonies, and apologizes for any inconveniences the trip will cause.

Dill angrily pecks Keith’s hand whenever he slips up and starts writing the location they will be heading to. It can’t be a proper vacation unless they are totally off the grid.

Eleven months and excessive worst-case scenario planning later, Keith and Dill set out on their trip. Their destination: an uninhabited province in the valley region near Obsidian.

They pack enough food to feed five men and five birds for five weeks. Similar precautions are taken for shelter, clothing, first aid, and other travel essentials. The list is checked and rechecked each time they stop to build camp.  

Keith only considers turning back twice.

The journey would normally take less than a week, but the pair plotted their course to pass through several special botanical landmarks to check in on the exotic collections there, extending the voyage to take up nearly half their one-month timeline. Dill allows these extended detours since the satisfaction on Keith’s face whenever he sees a tree or bush or fungus thriving is a form of self-care in itself.

Their final destination sits in a crater at the cusp of the valley. Centuries ago, a meteor crashed into the mountainside, carving out a chunk from the earth at such an unnatural angle that it perpetually disrupted the biosphere of the resulting crater from its surrounding region. Keith once read about the region and how its unique evolution rendered it ill-suited for animal life and knew instantly he wanted to study it in person one day.

And that day finally arrived. With his feathered friend on one shoulder and a bag full of fresh field journals and researching tools on the other, Keith marches into the no-man’s land with a beaming expression Dill would describe as more remarkable than any of the organisms they encountered on the trip.

One week after the pair’s promised return date, and not a soul complains when Keith interrupts the goodwill summit with his late arrival, politely requests all inquiries wait another week for him to respond to, and promptly heads straight to his room for the longest, most blissful sleep of his life, all the while hugging his filled journals to his chest and tracking mud and Dill along behind him.

Silvio takes a vacation from his vacation. The village takes a vacation during Rio's vacation. Keith takes a staycation after his vacation.

[alex-journal]

Creep (Zoro Version)

Click for Sanji [x] Luffy [x] Law [x] Kid [x] Click for Ao3 here [x]

Summary: One night, the crew decided to visit a local bar to drink and party. But beside music, booze and food, y/n meets a creepy dude with too much confident. Luckily, Zoro is there to safe the night. Pronouns: he/him cw: creepy dude, unwanted flirt,

As a newcomer to the crew, y/n was still trying to find his place. He was excited to be part of such an amazing group of people, but he also felt like he didn't quite fit in. The rest of the crew had been together for so long, and sometimes he felt like an outsider looking in.

One night, the crew decided to visit a local bar to drink and party. y/n was excited at the prospect of letting off some steam, he had always enjoyed a good bar. Drinking, laughing, and talking with old and new friends and meeting new people had always been one of his favorite pastimes. The bar was crowded, and the atmosphere was rowdy. People were drinking and dancing, and the noise level was almost deafening.

At first, y/n tried his best to fit in. He talked to some townsfolk, danced with Chopper, but as the night went on, he found himself getting more and more uncomfortable. To calm his nerves, he went to the bar counter and sat there for a beer, or two. But the feeling of being watched didn’t go away, and he started to feel like he was being targeted, singled out by one of the other patrons.

As he sat there at the bar, sipping on a drink, a man approached him. At first, the man seemed friendly, but the longer they talked, the more y/n realized that he was being hit on. The man was making suggestive comments and invading y/n‘s personal space, he started to feel anxious. 

y/n didn't know what to do. He felt trapped, and he didn't want to cause a scene. No matter how much he tried to politely excuse himself and to leave, the men in front of him roped him back up in the conversation. Looking for a way out or help, he looked around in the bar. y/n noticed Zoro watching him from across the room, and he felt a sense of relief. Even tho he was new on the Crew it felt like Zoro looked out for him and as their gaze meet, it seemed Zoro understand him and how unconformable y/n felt.

Then, as if on a cue of now or never, the man at the bar leaned in to kiss y/n. y/n froze, not knowing what to do. But Zoro rushed over, grabbing the man by the collar and pulling him away from y/n .

"You need to back off!" Zoro growled, his eyes flashing with anger.

The man stumbled back, staring at Zoro in surprise.

"What the hell, man? I was just trying to have a little fun."

Zoro glared at him, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Leave him alone," he said, his voice low and menacing.

The man looked from Zoro to y/n, then shook his head and walked away, mumbling some insults but knowing better as to start a direct fight with the green haired man. 

y/n let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He looked over at Zoro, feeling a rush of gratitude.

"Thanks," he said, his voice shaking a little but a smile on his lips.

Zoro shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"No problem," he muttered, avoiding y/n‘s gaze.

But y/n could tell that Zoro was happy to have been able to help. At that moment, he felt a sense of kinship with Zoro that he hadn’t felt before. “You should join me at the table, it’s easier to keep the creeps away..” Surprised, y/n nodded and followed Zoro to the table the swordsman had sat earlier. They didn’t talk much, but they didn’t need to. Usopp talked a lot, told stories about their Adventures to every patron, who was willing - or unwilling- to listen. Nami ripped off a handful of people at poker, though y/n had a feeling that Robin played her part in Nami's success one way or another. When Luffy didn’t eat, he danced and sang with Chopper and Franky, while Sanji flirted with every beautiful woman he saw- tho Sanji seemed less creepy as the men y/n meet at the bar, accepting a no and just moving on to flirt with the next.

The night at the bar continued, and y/n had a great time. He realized that he wasn't an outsider, he was part of a family. A family of pirates who would do anything to protect one of their own, they just show their love differently than he is used to. 

As they left the bar, y/n walked over to Zoro and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks," he said again, his voice a little more confident this time.

Zoro looked at him and smiled, a tiny smile that showed how much he had come to care for y/n.

"No problem," he said. "You're one of us."

[mlmvoreconfessionals]

I have a story prompt featuring Lance, Raihan and Leon. OV and regular digestion (no mention of bones)

Raihan features Lance on his stream, having Leon tied up for him to eat. Lance does so and lets Leon digest, while Raihan is rubbing his stomach. Then Lance decides to go for a second course, which Raihan doesn't anticipate. Inside Raihan finds Leon barely conscious and mostly digested except for him chest and pretty face, a fate Raihan will now share soon.

Oh, hey, I like this idea for sure! I can definitely do something with it.

The first thing the stream captures is R.aihan's smiling face. "Hey, we've got a real special stream today for all of you! A surprise guest star is showing up--meet my fellow dragon tamer, L.ance!" R.aihan slings his arm around the other man's shoulder, pulling L.ance in close so their faces are both in screen. L.ance looks...unimpressed and even a little annoyed by it, but he says nothing.

The camera moves back, showing more of the room the two men are in...as well as the third 'guest': L.eon, arms tied behind his back and a cloth over his mouth. He's not so lucky to get an introduction. Everyone knows who he is, and they know why he's in such a position.

R.aihan continues to show off his sharp teeth to the camera in a big grin. "Since a fellow dragon tamer was giving a surprise visit to G.alar, I thought I'd treat him to the local food! So, L.ance, you ready to eat?"

L.ance crosses his arms, expression stony as always. A deep, draconic growl roars up from his stomach. It was all the answer anyone needed and it seemed to make L.eon squirm a bit harder in his restraints.

"Glad to hear it!" R.aihan chuckles. He goes over to L.eon, grunting a bit as he hoists the wiggly man up bridal style. "Well...the food doesn't get much more local than our resident 'unbeatable champ'! So open wide, L.ance! Time to send him down to your dragon's hoarde!"

L.ance rolls his eyes just a bit, clearly not as interested in the theatrics that come inherent to doing one of R.aihan's shows. Still, his jaws do open wide, practically steaming with heat as they do. The camera makes sure to get a good shot of them as R.aihan comes in with the meal. It takes a bit of work, but he manages to force L.eon's bound legs into L.ance's jaws. As soon as his feet slide in, a thick gulp rings out, and it's already over.

L.eon's muffled yelling is the only other noise over the thick, steady gulping of L.ance's gullet. The champ is sinking down nearly a foot at a time, the tight throat clearly well practiced on such large meals. He's up to his knees...then his waist...his chest...his shoulders...the camera gets a good look at his head framed in L.ance's jaws, eyes wide and panicked, before a final gulp sends him down and those teeth snap shut like a vice.

L.ance's gut juts out from under his shirt with a wet slosh, L.eon's curled-up form clearly defined by the stomach walls. L.ance gives his chest a solid thump and belches deeply, hot air fogging up the camera for a moment. Leon's cape comes up halfway, and with a tug, it's pulled out and hits the ground with a wet splat.

R.aihand laughs and gives L.ance's stomach a few pats. "Man, you really put him away! Let's see if that unbeatable champ can beat a dragon tamer's stomach acids!" The defined bulge is wiggling around already, making L.ance's stomach slosh and wobble. It's rather clear that it's working hard and fast--already his hands are shoving around and his muffled voice is a bit louder than it should be. If those restains have already come undone...it's unlike the rest of L.eon will last very long in there.

R.aihan's rubbing doesn't do him any favors, either. His hands are kneading in deep and hard, working on those tough bulges and keeping L.eon somewhat in place. If L.ance was enjoying the attention, he didn't let that show on his face. He just stood there, arms crossed, intense gaze aimed down at R.aihan as if he were considering something. But under R.aihan's hands, L.eon was melting down, the bulges getting softer and less defined. The whole gut seemed to be shrinking in on itself, losing its shape and becoming rounder.

R.aihan finally gives the gut a rough smack, making the whole thing bounce and wobble. It's about half the size, and it works out a dragon's roar from L.ance as he belches out. R.aihan laughs and turns to face the camera again. "And there you have it, folks! Looks like the J.ohto camp outclasses ours by a long shot! Now he's just part of another dragon's hoard! But hey, at least we know G.alar food is top-notch, right?"

Behind R.aihan, L.ance is finally moving, coming in closer from behind. "It just goes to show that us dragon tamers are always su--" With a greedy chomp, L.ance is on R.aihan, engulfing his head and shoulders in an instant. He forces the other man's arms down and begins to take wet gulps, his head dipping lower. He disappears from the camera frame for a second before suddenly swinging back into view. He's got his head tipped back, already at R.aihan's waist, and is now wetly slurping down the kicking legs hanging from his jaws.

The camera catches R.aihan's twitching feet in L.ance's jaws. A thick gulp sucks them down and his teeth snap shut a second time. His gut has bloated out once more with a very wet slosh as R.aihan drops in on whatever's left of L.eon. While the camera can't see it, it's likely not a pretty sight. The gut is half full of a thick, meaty sludge that certainly used to be the champ's body. He's mostly submerged in it, only his chest and head left really, and now R.aihan is sitting up to his chest in the muck as well. He'll be joining it, soon.

The camera fogs up again as another roaring belch hits it. R.aihan's headband flies out, striking the phone and making it flutter around. It gives L.ance the chance to catch it from the air. He looks down at the phone with a frown...but it's soon replaced with a very confident smirk. "If this is really the best of the best in G.alar...then it's better off digested anyway. Might have to do something about the rest of the gym leaders around here. Though...I'm not one for an audience." L.ance isn't sure how to turn the stream off and he doubts R.aihan will tell him. So he'll improvise.

The camera gets a good, close shot of the man's gullet. Steaming breath fogs up the screen every time he breaths out, and the muffled yelling of R.aihan down below can almost be made out. Then L.ance's teeth snap down and the phone crunches, cutting off the feed for good.

[maccaronimassacre]

Can we have period pain comfort with mia too?, also I did not know there was people who liked mia!, I thought I was the only one haha, also do you do darker topics like sh? Id like with mia in a comfort way but like, totally get it if that's not what you do lol

Funnily enough I don't like Mia as a person at all, but I find her story and lore with the Connections really interesting. I wish we got a Mia segment in RE:8 instead of the Chris one we got, since there is so much more to her involvement with Mother Miranda and the Connections than the brief five minutes we got with her in the game.

In terms of darker topics, I personally don't mind however it is a matter of whether c.ai's filter and crackdown on violence lets me. Also I want to treat darker topics as sensitively and as respectfully as I can.

Mia Winters x Reader

Mia gently pushes open the bedroom door, carrying a steaming mug of chamomile tea in one hand and a hot water bottle in the other. The room is dimly lit to match your brooding mood, the soft glow of fairy lights casting a warm, comforting hue. On the bed you lay curled up under a mountain of blankets, questioning your own existence with each cramp that attacks your body. "Hey, love.” Mia whispers while setting the tea and hot water bottle on the bedside table. She sits down on the edge of the bed and brushes a stray lock of hair from your face. "I brought you some tea. It should help with the cramps."

Mia Winters x Reader

Mia is extremely observant, but she can't help but wonder if she is observant enough. It hasn't escaped her notice that you've been wearing long sleeves in the scorching summer heat, or that you wash the dishes while the dishwater drenches your sleeves. She also sees how you constantly tug your sleeves down the millisecond they slip up your forearm. However, the straw that broke the camel's back was when you started to avoid visiting the local pool with her and even declined bathing together to unwind after a stressful day of work. "Hey, honey. Can we talk for a moment?" She pats the empty space on the couch and gives you a warm smile. Unfortunately, the concern and hurt in her eyes and the way her fingernails tap nervously on the plush seat, betray her true feelings.

[rainbowmancer-gwen]

Story time:- Shitting the bed (Disrespectful house guests) CONTAINS NSFW moments

I need to start using my tumblr more... My threapist said I should journal more and tell my life stories because a lot of them are just as absured as this... Okay so this is not an am I the asshole stories because I know I am not. I wrote this last night night whilst stoned. I also wanted to test a new clicky RGB keyboard that my Friend Kendra bought me (She was at this party too and can verify it's a true story...) Here goes

Okay, so... close to a decade ago, now I held a party after the Armageddon expo (Anime and Geek convention in New Zealand) one year.

The lead up was that I was working on an assignment for Uni that needed to be in before Sunday. Sunday was Armageddon, and I was hosting an after-party for cosplayers and furries at my parents' house.

It was a sleepover, and I had worked extra shifts to afford a boat load of Kai to feed everyone. My folks were away in the UK. They knew about the party and they knew about my rule.

If you stay cooked, breakfast is at 10 am because you can sleep in. After that I will give you a job cleaning the house. This had worked previously to great effect.

My folks' house can comfortably sleep 12 (in beds) + more on couches.

The whole of the local furry community was invited, and my best friends at the time had helped me plan.

I get my assignment done at 3am after much tinkering and fuckwittery with word counts as Uni had fucked up the brief and there was ambiguity about word count. Fuck it! It's 3am, it is done. I need to sleep and get ready to let off steam.

Arrive at Armageddon, meet friends, and help friend Cosplay as Totoro in a big fursuit. Meet more furries, including draw fest artists. Fuck it! Invite them. This party is going to be the ultimate nerd fest.

And that's when I meet AL... AL is a dragon furry, who is so up himself his fursona has two dicks... I didn't know this at the time. AL asks if he can come. I had only met him once previously but had interacted well enough online and he seemed cool.... Say fuck it! Come along.

Start getting messages out of the blue from a Trans friend, B, who had just gotten back into the country after a messy break up. Say Fuck it! She can come too. It'll do her some good!

Fast forward to the party. Everything is going swell. I am the perfect host. I'm nervous because my parents' house is full of people I have had next to no sleep and a full day of convention. I'm knackered, my best mate. Let's call him Phoenix. He has packed me a joint. Instantly feel better.

Start to notice something is off...

Notice AL and B are making out like it's an Olympic sport. They are all over each other, and it's squicking out my guests...

Ask them politely. Hey guys... It's not that kinda party. We got people playing fucking Yu-Gi-Oh! And drawing furries and you're... You're doing that...

It gets later, and people start to trickle out. The stayers are watching anime on a projector in the living room that Totoro friend, had brought over.

I'm like, sweet. This is my time for another joint, and I'll set up beds. I walk into the kitchen, and what do I see? B An 8 foot transwoman in heels sucking off AL...

I am beyond mortified and beyond words... AL smug face says something to me, which I forget.

Anyway I tell them that it's not appropriate quietly and again not that kinda party. No other party guests saw that, thankfully... Read the room seriously!

Move on to allocating beds. Okay, so let's put them separately...

B pipes up. "Um... I will have anxiety if I don't sleep away from other people who I don't know" sounds fake as fuck.

Okay, you can have the room my GRANDMOTHER sleeps in when she visits... and my room is ABOVE YOU... 

Everyone hears this... Everyone goes to bed. I go upstairs when they do. Spend a little more time with core friends. Break down and tell them what happened... and how mortified I am.

They ask me why you did not tell us? Because I didn't want to ruin the party...

Go sleep. Hear fucking. PISSBOILED! I am so angry! Angry cry self to sleep listening to Weezer. "I am the greatest man that ever lived" (I was masc at the time...) more on that story later...

Skip ahead to the morning. I am up first as I had not slept, nor had they. (The headphones did not hide the fucking...!)

Here I am, angry breakfast! Thankfully, due to many doors between guests and them (except for me... I AM THE ONE WHO HEARD EVERYTHING!)

It was awful... Thankfully, everyone helped clean and was grateful for breakfast. EXCEPT FOR THEM!

THEY DIDN'T GET OUT OF BED UNTIL MIDDAY!

I had shit I needed to do! Everyone did! Everyone knew this. It was on the invites! I purposefully sent the invites. Because in the digital age, respect the party rules!

And I made it very clear 3 TIMES!

☆♤♧◇♧♤♡☆

NOT

THAT

KIND

OF

PARTY!!!

☆♤♧◇♧♤♡☆

They have the AUDACITY! the AUDACITY! to ask where's BREAKFAST!

After a brief explanation... AL, to his credit, helps a little with the last of the cleaning....

B does a sneaky exit but gets caught at the door by me. She says , sheepish and fake sad sounding "Bye...." *Sad eyes look away* ME ME me me me kinda look.

Leaves... Whatever screw her! She's out of my life now...

Meanwhile, other guests start to ship out and thank me for my hospitality and grace, humility and kind hosting, and network skills, etc...

AL and core BFFs last to leave (Phoenix, and Rei) after knowing what has happened asked me if  I wanted to stay with them. Say yes please. AL hears this (he's still not left yet) and says he'll travel with us...

Que? No, me gusta!

Does not get hint. Walk to.bus stop is silent.

Get to bus. AL invites himself by stating “Am I coming to [PHOENIX and REI'S HOUSE] with you?”

Rei who has had it at this point states “I don’t know… Are you?” and glares at him.

Finally getting the hint AL gets off the bus.

Watch him leave… Continue Bus journal. All of us are gobsmacked… GAGGING!!!

Continue to my friend's house. Phone blows up. Messages from B saying how much of a shit host I was and how unwelcome she was made to feel… CALL OUT HER BULLSHIT! Phoenix is cheering me up by making me laugh about the whole thing calling it the "Kitchen BJ saga" Rei is pouring me a hair of thedog bloody mary and a cup of tea

Come home a day later. Shit stains on the bed….  I AM FUCKING LIVID THEY LITERALLY SHIT THE BED!!

End up charging both of them for the price of entirely new bed sheets… AL reluctantly pays as he has rich parents, find out later that he payed for B too.

Never hear for B again, except randomly bumping into her in the hospital (I am an RN) No words were spoken but I honestly hope she is well… AL occasionally pops up in online circles, Never let him live it down. Trues to laugh about it because “LOL It’s been close to a decade” NO! YOU SHIT THE BED! I’m never letting you or anybody else forget it!

If you read this far you are a saint. Thank you for letting me get this off my chest

Peace and love tumblr!

MAY YOU NEVER SHIT THE BED!

Gwen

[worddevourer]

“Ah, Seymour, I have at last found thee, in spite of thy direction.”

“Milord Chalmers! I bid thee welcome, and I hope thou’rt prepared for an unforgettable luncheon.”

“Aye…”

Seymour steps away, leaving the man at the table, and retreats to check on the state of his cooking. A terrible smoke billows forth.

“Oh, egads! Mine roast is nought but ash!” His eyes light upon something beyond the window. “But perhaps all is not lost… Were I to prevail upon the local tavernkeep for assistance, and pass his work off as my own…” He laughs. “A deception fit for the Devil.”

He steps to climb through the window and embark upon his plan, but with only one leg free, he is interrupted.

“Seymour!?”

He freezes.

“Ah. Milord Chalmers, in such a moment you find me. I was… stretching my legs upon the sill, nothing more.”

Chalmers seems uninterested.

“Why doth smoke billow from thy oven so, Seymour?”

“Uh… Ah! You mean the steam of the steaming clams upon which we shall dine tonight! A most delightful delicacy.”

This seems to satisfy the man, who leaves the kitchen.

Seymour bolts with unnatural haste to the nearby tavern, returning shortly.

He steps into the dining room, carrying a heavy dish, laden with meats and potatoes.

“Milord, I do hope you are prepared for a delicious meal.”

Chalmers seems for a moment confused.

“Did you not say we were to eat steaming clams?”

“Oh? Oh, no, certainly not, steaming ham, I said.”

Chalmers frowns.

“You would call this steaming ham?”

“Oh certainly, ‘tis a phrase I learned in childhood.”

“And from where did your mother hail, that you’d learn such a thing?”

“From the north, nigh unto Scotland.”

“I am of Carlisle, and I’ve ne’er heard such a thing as ‘steaming ham.’”

“Ah. No, in Carlisle I’d think not. ‘Tis more at home on the tongues of those from Norham.”

“I see.”

Chalmers ruminates, eating.

“Strange as it is to say, I think I’ve supped on much the same in a tavern nearby.”

“No, no, that could not be so, this recipe is an old secret of my family.”

“The secret of steaming ham?”

“Yes.”

“A name you give it in spite of the fact that this meat most certainly once comprised a cow.”

“I. Well… It is curious that you should… If I may take a moment?”

“Certainly.”

Seymour steps away, into the kitchen, and returns instantly, carrying with him the smell of smoke and a rush of burning air.

“Ah, and what an evening it has been! It has been most excellent to speak with thee, milord, but I fear my strength is spent for the night.”

“Yes,” agrees Chalmers, “I must be- By God, what burning light through yonder kitchen door doth break!?”

“Tis a visitation of a heavenly angel?”

“Ah- A heavenly angel? Upon no holy day, at no auspicious hour, to we who are so far from the Holy Land, in thy own most earthly house!?”

“Tis so.”

“… May I see it?”

“… No.”

They step through the front door.

“Seymour! The house is ablaze!” rings a voice from a room deeper in the house.

“Nay, mother, tis merely a holy visitation!”

“Seymour, thou’rt a most odd fellow, but I shall speak truly… thy hams steam most excellently.”

He steps away, and starts off down the road, and Seymour waits a time until he hath gone beyond sight before rushing back to quell the fire and answer the cries of his mother.

[rpking99]

Prisoner's Deal

Closed with @marias-island-of-visitors

Continued from here

Toph let out a small sigh as she made her way towards her home. The now chief of Gotham City police was hoping she could get a bit of rest tonight. It had been a busy one for the earth bender, ever since she joined this stupid police force it felt like she was the only one ever really doing anything who wasn't a caped crusader or some guy in tights. She moved her hand to the door but stopped when her seismic sense located the woman in her room. She would usually be ready to attack, but quickly remembering what the day was caused her to sigh and rub her temples. Well she wanted to relax, what better way to do so then to let off some steam.

She opened the door and heard the thief speaking up, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she slipped her jacket off, "You know I should have remembered today was your usual visit. You caused a bit of fuss for mister blackest night, and I got an earful from Gordon about you sneaking off with some toys from a local shop."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mistress~, has this Kitty been a bad girl~?" Catwoman purred as she reached up and ran her hand over her latex clad ass, spanking herself as she let out an exaggerated moan

Her body rolling softly as her eyes fluttered in lust. Eagerly taking in every inch of the woman before her. Biting her lip in anticipation

[alveysjourney]

Takas Sa Batangas! (1)

“Everyone has their own story” as the line goes. Well, Lipa, Batangas has so much to tell. Known as the city rich in history, Lipa is actually the last villa of the Spanish government during its rule in the Philippines. Consequently, it is also hailed as the “Little Rome of the Philippines” being home to several Catholic churches, convents, seminaries, Catholic schools, and retreat houses. Located just 90 kilometers away from Metro Manila, Lipa, Batangas is the perfect place to visit for those who are longing for a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the Metro without having to travel far.

It was the night of April 4, 2024 when I began listening to the stories of Lipa. At 9:00 Post Meridiem, my family decided to bid farewell to our hometown as we were about to visit Lipa, Batangas. We loaded the car with our luggage and we were ready to hit the road! It was just a quiet trip. Almost every member of our family just came back from our own itineraries, so technically we were all tired. We stopped over at a convenience store to grab snacks to munch on during the ride. The trip lasted for approximately 3 and a half hours. Surely, it was a quick trip but it wasn’t a surprise as the roads weren’t as crowded as they usually are during daytime. Hence, I personally recommend leaving at night to avoid traffic jams, given that the driver is in his best condition! After all, safety should always come first. 

As soon as we arrived at our destination around 12:30 Ante Meridiem, we could already feel the Fiesta vibes. We were welcomed by Fiesta banners hanging everywhere, as well as food stalls around every corner. It was already past midnight but the place was still as lively as I could imagine. Unfortunately, we were tired from the trip, so we headed straight into my papa’s house. His family waited for our arrival. They offered us the famous Batangas Bulalo to fuel us up after the long drive. Of course we couldn’t refuse as the aroma of the Filipino beef shank soup in clear broth with cabbages, bok choy, and sweet corn was calling our names! A steaming bowl of hot rice and a spoonful of fish sauce were the best accompaniment to the Bulalo. After filling our stomachs, we proceeded to fix our luggage. Soon after we settled down, it was time to go to bed in order to prepare for the next day’s activities. 

The next day, April 5, 2024, at 9 o’clock in the morning, I was awakened by the loud parade sounds outside the house. As I got outside the room where my family and I slept, I was astonished to see unfamiliar faces! It turned out that they were there to celebrate the Feast of San Vicente Ferrer with papa’s family. When I got to the dining room, I was shocked to see a buffet of Batangas’ specialties! However, of all the scrumptious meals available, the one that caught my attention were the small, orange balls that looked like “kwek-kwek”. I hurriedly got one as I was excited to see a familiar food. As I bit into it, it did not taste anything like “kwek-kwek”! Surprisingly, it was Batangas-style Buchi. It was a deep fried, crispy bite-sized piece of kamoteng kahoy locally known as balinghoy. It is wrapped by a molded orange wrapper made out of flour and atsuete or annato as food color. My grandmother told me it is best served with hot coffee. Soon after I satisfied myself with the signature meals of Batangas, I went ahead to take a bath and get ready for the day. When the visitors left, we decided to tour around the area. More than the history, cuisine, culture and traditions, Batangas is also rich in scenic views and refreshing climate. Additionally, it is a popular tourist destination known for its accessible beaches, so we seized the opportunity and searched for different beaches throughout the day for us to visit on the following day. After deciding on where to go, we enjoyed the vibes of the place. As a city girl, it isn’t everyday that I get to experience a Fiesta. Later that day, we strolled the busy streets of Lipa. There were stalls everywhere! From food stalls to merchandise stalls, I was really tempted to purchase anything I saw! They were really eye-catching. Minutes after we started strolling, we found a place to kill time. We found a native carnival, a perya. We were excited to go inside. When we got in, we found out that there was nothing really special about the place. It was just similar to those in the cities. Same rides and game booths. However, upon exploring the place, I found a poster that caught my attention. I was very intrigued as I read “Alena, Ang Babaeng may Ahas”.

[nosuchthingasagruffalo]

Chapter 2

Incoming message from DS5. From Charlotte Janeway. To Niamh Janeway.

TEXT ONLY NO MEDIA FILE: Hi Niamh, I tried to call you earlier but you were out, how are you this week sweetie? I think deferring until next year is a good idea, going back to the same class without Amal will be too awful, next year it will be a new group and a fresh start. Have you applied for local jobs yet? I think you should have something to keep you going.

Work fine, not much time off to think which is good. Haven't really got chatting to anyone, feels a bit weird explaining things, roommate ok, Bolian so.. yeah ok. BTW guess who came in on the Klingon delegate ship? Bloody Miral Paris, and of course she had to offer me her condolences, and then look at my work and point out everything she thought was wrong with it, which gave her obvious glee, she's such a bitch. I know, I shouldn't let her get to me. Can you come and visit sometime? Seven comes by when she's in the area but she still won't let me on the Essex. I just need something more, I hate feeling so powerless, I'm just drifting....

Reply from EARTH. From Niamh Janeway. To Charlotte Janeway.

MEDIA - Daffodil and Cat

TEXT: I found this pic and thought of you ha! Yeah I'm ok, I've got a job in a coffee shop, it's nice to feel a bit anonymous, people keep asking me if I had a psychic connection with Amal, if I knew what happened. Which is crap because first - who believes that shit and second and I that crap at being a twin that the one thing I'm supposed to do I can't? Anyway Dad's been really good, we've been spending time together, which is good because Mom's kind of MIA . The Miral thing's not a big deal, don't give her the headspace. Yes I can visit - let me know when you're free?

Incoming message from IKS Kuyhala. From Miral Paris. To Thomas Paris.

TEXT ONLY NO MEDIA FILE - Hi Dad, hope you had a good weekend, did Mom like her anniversary present? You got the gold like I said right? This week's been ok, we stopped by DS9 for a few days, ran into Lottie J, she's honestly the most self important person I've ever met. Seriously she just steam rolls her way over everyone, can't wait to tell you how clever she is. Can you imagine if we had grown up together on Voyager in the Delta? The number one reason I'm glad we got home! Anyway I gave her my condolences, so awful what happened with her brother, irrespective of how obnoxious she is. Do they know what happened?

Reply from EARTH. From Thomas Paris. To Miral Paris.

AUDIO FILE "Hi honey, yes of course I got the gold! She loved it which is lucky for me haha. She actually wrote me some new codes for my next holonovel -she knows me well your mother! Just keep away from LJ when you can, it's just a personality clash, I know how close our families are probably hasn't helped with that. She's ok, it's a lot to deal with, having Kathryn Janeway as your mom, I know exactly how she feels, I was much worse as I'm sure Grandpa will be happy to explain. No it's not really clear what happened, I would stay away from anything you hear about that if I were you. Hope to see you soon honey, I'm seeing Uncle Chakotay at the weekend, I'll give him your love. Call me when you can."

****

Aboard the Essex

"Red Alert, all hands on deck" the ship shook from another hit "shields to 40%" called the Lieutenant. Seven looked around her for the Captain but though the smoke could barely make out the unconscious bodies on the floor. The ship that attacked them seemed to be smuggling stolen weapons and technology. The Ferengi captain had incorrectly assumed the Essex had come to apprehend them and had opened fire, using phasers calibrated in a way Seven hadn't seen before. "re-route power to the shield modulator" Seven called, she stumbled over to the Captain's ready room and forced the door. Abioye was slumped over his desk, breathing but unconscious. Seven opened his desk drawer to see if he had a first aid kit, she noticed his laptop was open, he seemed to have been reincrypting messages. They had all been sent but the receiving co-ordinates made no sense. Abioye groaned and Seven found a first aid hypo. The sirens stopped and the Lt Commander announced the enemy ship had been tractored. "Captain, I suggest you go to the doctor, before resuming your work. I assume it was not so pressing you can leave it for a minute? I'll close the laptop now"

"it's fine" Abioye growled as he raced to close it first. "it's just messages from Command I need to forwrd, not mission related"

"So it seems" Seven lifted an eyebrow.

****

24 years earlier....

Captain Janeway answered the chime to her quarters. "Captain I must speak with you" Seven burst in "I must apologise for today's events. I would never have suspected you of helping the Cardassians, intentionally stranding Voyager had I been performing at my optimal...my apologies, you are in your undergarments". Kathryn raised a hand "Seven, first - it's just my nightie, and more importantly - you don't need to apologise, you were tired and overwhelmed, now you're better. After all, I was completely in charge of my faculties and I believed you without question. It's me who made an error, please don't worry".

"Yes it is surprising that you didn't doubt my claims, I thought you and the Commander would have suspected me instead of each other"

"well, it's .. complicated. We've learned our lesson I can assure you, and if you're wondering I still do trust you, unendingly, maybe more so after today. Now please get some rest, you'll need it after what you've been through"

"Very well" Seven said, leaving without waiting to be dismissed. Then the door chimed again

"Honestly Seven, I'll take you off your shift tomorrow if you don't rest" Kathryn said as she opened the door to be met face to face with a very sheepish Chakotay.

"I see you've had a visitor too" he said "I feel so bad about what happened. I did, do, trust you with my life. My reaction surprised me"

"After everything that's happened you still harbour some resentment don't you?" Kathryn whispered looking into his eyes

"Maybe it's more because of everything that has happened. But do you trust me? I am in charge of your safety after all" he retorted.

"I really do" she whispered as he ran his hand over her hip. "Chakotay, we shouldn't do this, where is it getting us?" he replied "do you trust me" she looked into his eyes as his hands undid her dressing gown and pushed the straps from her nightie. "With my life" she whispered as he pushed her to the bedroom. Once inside he roughly pushed her against the wall and knelt between her legs, pulled her underwear down, hooking one leg over her shoulder and licking her fast and hard until she felt herself close to the edge. With one movement her span her round to face the mirror on her dressing table and entered her from behind, one hand gripping her neck. "I could break your neck in one second Captain, today you believed I was working against you and yet here you are offering me my chance. Do you know how messed up that is? Do you know I understand the thrill you get from walking up to the precipice? One day you'll make me snap you know" he whispered as he plunged in and out of her, Kathryn felt the thrill of possible death building up inside her as he gave her throat one final squeeze before he released her. She came crying and yelling his name, when she felt herself coming down she span to face him and kiss him deeply. "I love you, I love you I love you" she wept. A tear rolled down Chakotay's cheek as he whispered "always and forever" before he zipped himself up and left before he asked more of her than she could give. Kathryn sank to the bed and fell into a slumber.

*****

Present day

The restaurant was crowded, the Ferengi Maître D' tutted as he looked over his list of reservations. "Paris, Paris, sorry I've got a Partridge or a P'tak" he smirked as he looked at Chakotay. Chakotay sighed, rolled his eyes and pressed the latinum coin into the Ferengi's hand "ah Thomas Paris, how could I have missed it, here this way". Chakotay huffed as he slid into the booth and sipped the whisky Tom proffered him. "Seriously Tom, I don't know why you get a thrill out of being fleeced." The man opposite him smiled, his hair had greyed over the years but his eyes hadn't lost their mischievous twinkle. "It's the authentic experience, c'mon it's a bit of excitement. Plus B'Elanna refuses to come with me, apparently retro diners were as far as she was willing to push it. Surely you've had enough of the stuffy fine dining Starfleet pushes on its Admirals, I reckon Kathryn would secretly like it here".

"I don't know what Kathryn would like anymore to be honest. She's freezing me out and starting down a path I don't know I can follow. She needs a crusade, I don't think I really understood that in the Delta, all that time I thought she would be different when we got home. Then we had the kids so quickly we were focused on that and as they got older I thought there would be time to spend together. But she was back at work acting like she's Commander in Chief, and now she's chasing Amal's ghost. I was always waiting to get to know the relaxed off duty Kathryn, and now I feel like she doesn't exist".

"I'm sorry Chakotay, I really am. She does love you, in her own way. I worried about that too with B'Elel, after living on edge all those years would we still have the connection in the ordinary life in the Alpha".

"But you did Tom" Chakotay cracked a smile "I'm really happy for B'Elel, that she's found a peaceful existence with you. Peaceful isn't really a word I thought I would use about her but it's very accurate."

"It is, wish I could use the same about our daughters though" Tom groaned.

"Oh yes I heard it all from Niamh" Chakotay chuckled "two headstrong women, well three if you count Niamh although I think she's mostly siding with Lottie. I seem to remember our wives having a similar clash that was only resolved after a broken nose".

"The next one will be either yours or mine, drink your whisky - it will numb the pain you never know when a fist will fly with those two" Tom laughed.

*****

Somewhere in deep space

The Away Team beamed down to the surface. Their scanners had sent back scrambled responses, many life signs yet none, vast cities yet nothing to be seen. Kathryn looked around her at the desolate landscape. Her Tricorder too seemed to bounce off of something invisible, she wondered if it was artificial or maybe to do with the magnetic polarisation of the planet. She walked around the crater they had materialised in, searching behind the rocky outcrops until she notice an odd shaped hole in the wall. "Team, over here, it looks like an entrance", she paced closer to it. Upon inspection it was some sort of entrance, she waved her tricorder into the mouth of the opening only to hit a force field. "ouch! Well I guess we have found the mystery city, now how to we get in" she mused. She called but found no response, she wondered if she could reconfigure the wavelengths of the greeting message, with a few taps she saw her message pass through the field. "Well now we wait" she whispered.

A short while later the Away Team heard some noises from the tunnel, out came a group of women with large eyes, seemingly accustomed to seeing in the dark. They eyed her suspiciously "what have you come back for?" their leader asked.

Against Tuvok's advice Kathryn found herself and her team around a conference table deep in the labyrinth. The aliens didn't seem to be hostile but seemed wary of them. "our planets are spread across the sector, the tunnels are formed when a planet gets too close to the magnetic field of the unstable star. Inhospitable to you but our race finds them ideal. The aliens like you, the other visitors, kept getting lost, even with our maps".

"When were they here" Kathryn breathed.

"Let me calculate so I can use your terminology, hmm about two months" the leader, Spontk stated.

Kathryn took hold of a nearby Padd and selected 'Draw' Mode. "Did any of them have a marking on their face, like this?" she asked as she drew the familiar pattern, one she had traced with her finger many times.

"Yes" Spontk affirmed. "They didn't have anything to trade but were gathering information. They seemed to be a task force gathering information, but not about us, about their own kind. Apparently they did not trust those in charge".

"Amal" Kathryn whispered "what did you do?"

Flashback - two months prior

The air in the caves was thin. Or was it his lungs tightening? Amal laid down to rest, shadows danced on the walls of the tunnel from his torch. The flicker of the shadows looked like wings, Amal smiled as he remembered a story his mother had told him. From a German folk tale about a knight who travelled by boat to help a princess in distress. He had looked up a picture of the famous castle where it was set, another thing he would visit when he got home. Home, his mother would find him. She often told him a Captain never abandons a member of her crew. And she had led their little crew of six unwaveringly through life so far. Yes just a few more minutes before she came, he would just rest a little whilst he waited, he closed his eyes and felt the swaying of the boat beneath him as the beast in front pulled him through the rivers of the Alps.

[hogwartsgamereview]

The Hogwarts we've always dreamed of

"The Hogwarts we've always dreamed of" - Hogwarts Legacy Early Reviews https://jwonggg.com/tag/hogwarts-legacy/ Hogwarts Legacy is a few days away (or hours if you pre-ordered the deluxe edition) and it's still not entirely clear what kind of game awaits us, so many fans of the Harry Potter universe have been waiting with bated breath for the first reviews of the game. Breathe out, it's okay. The game has an average score of 83 on Metacritic and 86 on Opencritic. Interestingly, even in reviews of 7 and below, reviewers still recommend Hogwarts Legacy not only to fans of the wizarding world, but also to all players, without exception, who like open-world action role-playing games. Hogwarts Legacy is one of those games where almost every element deserves warm words. If anyone tried to pick up on something, then only certain RPG conventions and other elements that have become surprisingly predictable in 6 years of development. However, the story campaign, side activities, combat system and the game world itself (especially him) easily compensate for this. By the way, almost all reviewers noted the incredible detail of the local Hogwarts and its surroundings, which quite eloquently testify to the love and respect of the developers for the wizarding world with which they worked. Of course, I would have liked Quidditch, but the reviews often sounded the opinion that the creators of the game had too big ambitions anyway, so Quidditch is still a small enough and perfectly acceptable sacrifice for the rest of the game to work as it should. It's been 11 years since the release of the last movie and the last Harry Potter game, 15 since the release of the last book (if you don't count "The Cursed Child"), and finally, on February 10, fans will be able to return to this magical world. Some even faster, thanks to early access to the deluxe version of the game. Hogwarts Legacy is the first and most ambitious game based on JK Rowling's books in a long time. Developers from Avalanche Software promised players a huge, detailed open world, an intriguing plot, a sea of content and adherence to the magical atmosphere of Potteriana. So many people are already wanting to dive into this project that Hogwarts Legacy is already the top seller on Steam before it even comes out.

But is it too early to pre-order this game? Yes, the press reviews are great, and among the available information there are several rather controversial points that can greatly affect the project. We've analyzed the trailers and all the information we know so far to find out. To receive a letter from an owl, buy your own magic wand, live and study at Hogwarts - isn't this the dream of thousands of fans? The dream has come true: in Hogwarts Legacy, players will be able to become students of the well-known school of witchcraft and wizardry, choose the faculty they like, go to classes, learn spells, potions and much more. Everyone will feel like a student of a magic school. The game will have many locations that can be explored, but the main place of events will be Hogwarts, surprisingly. The new version of the famous school will definitely surpass its ancestors from the past Harry Potter games, both in terms of size and appearance. The school was created by following the smallest details in the books and trying to add all the possible locations that were described or at least mentioned in them. It will be possible to visit even those locations that have never been shown in movies or games, in particular, the rooms of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw faculties. In other words, fans will definitely be stuck with the game for a long time.

[handelplayssims]

Final day with the Mete-Brandt household! In this run at least! We open with Rua...wanting to be enemies with a child. Pathetic. Practice your speeches. Forget the child.

Today, Belle goes off to work again and we attempt to regain her passion for it. Which she manages to somehow do! Doing things she hates but hey, this does make money. And I do have plans for this household with the money they’ll get.

Anyway, Rua wishes to go and compliment someone’s outfit which is another good opportunity to make another friend! My only thought is...where the heck should we meet up? I’m tired of hitting the local bar and he’s not really a gardener, to hang out at the gardening public space, or a tinkerer, or even much of a museum dude, that’s more his wife. San Myshuno always feels like a fun prospect to go to and there is a nice cafe to meet up and chat at, so that is my choice!

I realized that I wasn’t really interested in turning the Old Salt House into a residential lot, so I decided to see about making it into a venue. I found this great cafe made by a user called ImpressedBee and so I even went to the effort of picking up some kits that he used to pick up the pack. Industrial Lofts I can definitely recommend but that’s because I rather like the style of architecture it uses and Blooming Rooms...well, it’s one of those where I knew every single builder was going to use it frequently. Kinda like how I suspect the latest clutter kit will go as well. Le sigh. Dislike fear-of-missing-out but feel an absolute need to and EA’s storefront does a good job of hiding how much dlc feels like to cost...unlike Steam which lays it all out.

Anyhoo, lots of socializing happened and Rua gained another friend. His next want was to go and chat with Katrina Caliente whom is also an acquaintance...but also a co-worker. And also a vampire but shhhh. So time to chat with her about things and stuff! Riveting gameplay to write about folks! And then his next whim to to play some tunes, which I did quickly at the Caliente’s home because they have loads of instruments. If we want further practice, we gotta head back home!

...which I’m doing anyway because Belle just got off of work and I’m tired of talking! Let’s go home! We find Belle wanting to listen to her tunes, natch, and get some nectar. This lady has only two wants in life, I swear.

Ooh, one of Rua’s things for his aspiration is to make a Best Friend Forever. The dream! There are people I could attempt this with but the easiest is to go with your spouse. And while their romantic relationship isn’t the strongest, their friendship is back to being rock solid. So Rua and Belle are now besties for life, no matter what happens!

So for now, these two are the best of friends and have re-ignited their relationship. For now. Things may always change in this world of the Sims.

And thus do we end our first full household rotation! We reforged the Mete-Brandt’s marriage and got Rua through the last leg of university! Good run all around. Now to end this properly with a

Neighborhood Watch!

Ernest Guevara in the Guevara household has died. Ernest thought he could conquer a mountain, but the mountain conquered him.

RIP.

Erica Moses in the Moses household has died. Erica was so angry she burst into flames and died.

RIP to whomever this is.

Forgotten Hollow: The Faamoana household recently moved in.

Welcome to the vampire hamlet! Enjoy your stay.

ON THE NEXT EDITION OF THE PERSONAL FILE! We’ll be visiting the Lonely Artist, Gunther Munch!

[cinnamonrusts]

-- "sorry, ethan" [ WARNING: LIGHT SPOILERS FOR BEGINNING SCENE OF RE8: VILLAGE - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ] [warnings: mentions of violence]

you check in on the winters family in europe and when the evening is interrupted - you come face to face with a face that you’ve not seen in a long time. [chris redfield x reader]

                                                  ✧.* ✧.* ✧.* ✧.*

The BSAA gifted you the task of ensuring that the Winters family was adjusting well to their new lives in seclusion. The alliance uprooted their everything they knew and placed them in a cold area in Europe where snow covered each corner of the ground. Ethan and Mia were initially troubled by this idea but you promised them that it was the best thing for them to do. It wasn’t your idea, though. Chris Redfield, your ex-boyfriend, was the one who orchestrated them to move -- for their own safety.

But you didn’t hear from Chris since then. He disappeared from your life and it had been a long, long time since you’d seen each other. Where was he? What was he doing? You weren’t sure if you’d ever see his handsome face again...

✧.*

It was your first ever visit to their home in Europe and you could smell the aroma of Mia’s new learned cuisine that were native to the local area. “Will you be the taste tester for Mia, while I put little Rose to bed?” Ethan asked as he held his sleeping infant close to his chest. Her chubby face was soft and content as she drifted off into another realm of slumber. “As long as she doesn’t poison me for helping to bring you guys here!” you joked as you followed the brunette woman into their large kitchen.

“Now, [Y/N]. How many times do I have to tell you?! We’re adjusting here quite well,” she walked directly to the stove and hovered over a boiling pot, then took a deep breath in. “Well, I’m glad to hear that...” you sighed in relief - you couldn’t imagine how it felt to move across the ocean. Mia smiled as she took the ladle in her palm and stirred the orange liquid, which caused the steam to roll into the air and then to your face. You too took a deep inhale and your stomach growled loudly as a result. Mia chuckled, “Sounds like someone is hungry.” Your hand went to your belly and you groaned, “That’s an understatement. I have the worst jet lag on Earth right now and that smells amazing.”

Ethan soon returned and informed the two of you that Rose was “sleeping like a baby”. Mia brought over the boiling pot to the kitchen island and when Ethan tried taking a bite before she was ready, the back of his hand got a whap from her metal spoon. “It’s Ciobra de Legume. It’s a local recipe. But it’s not ready yet,” Mia let the pot to cool before the three of you would eat and took your hand in hers to lead you to the dining room that was attached to the kitchen, “Please, sit.” she instructed as Ethan brought three wine glasses to the table. “If Ethan’s going to sulk all night. Maybe we should enjoy the wine instead.” You obeyed her request and took a seat to her left.

✧.*

Not long after an argument brewed between the two of them. Ethan was insistent that they needed to talk about what happened in Louisiana, but Mia firm on her opinion that they just needed to forget about it and move on. You sat in silence across from Ethan as you watched Mia grow frustrated with his behavior. She raised her hands, “I don’t understand why you are so --,” just before she could finish her sentence, a bloody hole formed in her shoulder. It was no “hole” but a bullet wound. As it dawned on you what it was, you immediately pushed your chair back with all your might and hit the deck just as Ethan yelled to get down. However, Mia did not in time and soon was full of holes from the many weapons that fired into the home from outside. The flashes from the muzzles light up the dark house house like a macabre strobe light show and the sounds of Ethan’s yelling was muffled out by the roar of the automatic firearms.

The initial panic that enveloped your mind soon faded and when you reached for your own weapon -- it was apparent that your handgun was nowhere nearby but in the room in the upper floor, so, Ethan and yourself were defenseless against whoever it was that attacked the Winters home. You looked into Ethan’s panicked eyes as they darted from you to his most likely deceased wife on the floor. As quickly as it started, the flying bullets ceased and you could hear the sound of heavy boots on the wooden flooring, then followed by silence.

The table that was once your shelter was pushed to the side and you were exposed to a man in black. Despite all the years of your BSAA training, you were frozen in your tracks, your eyes did not move from the black shoes of the person who stood before you. “Chris!? What the hell!” Ethan yelled. When you heard the name, your blood ran cold and you went from afraid to confused. Your eyes moved from the floor upward and met the cold stare of the man that you once found yourself to love. “Sorry, Ethan.” was all he said, he didn’t even acknowledge you, but instead he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Mia’s unmoving body. “No!” you screamed as you leaped toward him to smack the weapon from him to spare her. The two of you struggled over dominance of the weapon for a brief amount of time, but Chris pushed you out of the way with barely any effort. It didn’t hurt when you hit the ground because he did not use his full strength but you were still stunned. You tried to get to your feet fast enough to stop him again but just when you were able to be in arms length, Chris released several rounds quickly into Mia’s limp body.

Your knees felt weak and buckled from beneath you. Mia, Ethan, and now Rose were the three people in the world that you were supposed to keep safe but now -- now Mia was dead and anything you tried to do was useless. Even worse, she was taken down by the one person you believed would do the right thing -- someone you trusted with your life, but now he took the life of someone you cared for. 

Redfield caught you before you could go down to the floor. His arm was wrapped around your waist and his palm was flat against your pelvis. He looked into your eyes and they held you in place. They were the same eyes that you remembered and adored, but -- you didn’t think you could forgive him for his actions. A silence held in the air between the two of you but your attention was stolen from Chris when Ethan let out several curses and yells in the direction of your former acquaintance.

✧.*

You proceeded then to shove Chris away from you and once you did so, you took several steps back to only bump into one of the cronies dressed in black that helped murder Mia. The man placed a firm hand on your shoulder which you shrugged off, and Chris attempted to do the same but you stopped him with a pointed finger. “Don’t.” you sneered, “Not now.” Chris complied and walked toward the entrance to the ruined home. You allowed Chris’s teammates to take you under their custody...

Chris’s guards pushed you and Ethan in the same direction but sectioned you off away from the poor man. “What’re you doing, Chris?!” you yelled as you tried to grab for the blonde but Chris pushed you back to the wall beside the staircase. The sound of Rose’s cries grew louder as a masked guard brought her down the stairs, then placed the infant in Chris’s arms. “Doing what I need to”, he paused before he gave a nod, “take Ethan away.” Winters was not about to let Chris and his goons take Rose away from him, especially after just murdering his wife. So, Redfield instructed one of his men to knock him out with the butt of his firearm once he showed a struggle. You watched Ethan hit the floor with a thud and be dragged away. How could Chris do this? Treat the people he helped take care of so cruelly?

“Come on,” Chris said as he turned to leave. “What makes you think I’m going with you?” a scoff left your lips. He grew silent before he cornered you in the doorway, baby still crying in his arms. “You’re welcome to stay here then,” Chris turned away again but you pulled him back with force, your eyes fixated on Rose. “Where have you been? You left me without a word and now-now, this!?.” he didn’t answer but walked toward the caravan that he arrived in, you followed after him quickly with anger, your gaze returning to the distraught infant and asked the same question several times.

Chris raised his voice at you to silence, “I will explain it all once we arrive at our checkpoint.” His tone dropped, maybe he felt bad for his reaction to your questions -- so, he proceeded to place his gloved hand on your bicep and gave it a squeeze.

Unfortunately for everyone, no questions were able to be answered because the caravan was never able to reach said checkpoint according to plan.

[tiens-letters]

with these hands, I vowed to love you

with these hands, I vowed to care for you

and with these hands, I ruined you

Childe (angst)

tw : slight gore and just pure pain

...

It was that time of the year again, going back to the snowy region was a bliss for you. Having to visit your fiancée's family was an unspoken tradition after he introduced you to them. They practically took you in as one of them immediately, especially that little angel brother of his.

Teucer.

The train ride was comfortable , the window giving you the familiar beauty of the snowy landscape of snezhenaya. It was snug inside the rather spacious compartment Childe rented out, even when you told him that you'd rather share a normal one due to your thrifty nature he'd shrug it off, claiming it that he has too much mora and nowhere to spend it on other than you.

Gifts from him would scare you as you knew these weren't anywhere cheap. Everything he gave was expensive, he loved showering you in gifts and it made you feel so overwhelmed.

"Ajax, you're spending too much." you were visibly sweating beside him as he picked out another one of the dresses on display at the local boutique of Liyue.

"I think this one would suit you better, don't you think so love?" of course he wasn't listening, placing the dress in front of you

"Ajax." you frowned at him

" I just want to spoil you." he whines

"I know but sometimes its just..." you stopped yourself before saying anything further in fear of offending him

"Was it too much again?" the tone in his voice softens as he puts back the dress, he knew how you didn't like that habit of his, formed from the first time he saw you down by the docks.

"One dress, Ajax. One is enough since you picked it out for me." you gave in not wanting to see him so dejected, he immediately brightens up as he pecks you on cheek before rushing off to a different aisle of clothing. Sighing, you sat down on the sofa present in the shop, watching the ginger decide thoroughly of what dress to buy.

But of course, your love for one another runs deeper than things bought off gold nor silver. No, it ran deeper than anything else, rivaling the oceanic depths.

"What are you thinking about hmm?" he hums below you, head resting against your lap.

"Im just happy to be visiting again, that's all." you smile, nimble hands brushing through his soft hair "Sleep well?"

"You bet I did." he grins taking your hand and placing a kiss to your beating pulse and then another and another, showering you in his deeply rooted affection. Soon his kisses reached where they are supposed to belong, those soft lips of yours and then inching their way to the sensitive spots on your neck, leaving marks only he can place on you.

Breathless and bothered, you pushed him back "The attendants are gonna see, you idiot." at least you still had some control in you

"They will only arrive when we call them , so its fine to have a little fun before we arrive." there was that sly grin of his as he continued in where you both left off, ears perking to hear more sounds exclusively for him and him only.

"You horny bastard!"

...

It was cozy by the hearth, you and his siblings huddled together in one single fleece blanket, steaming cups of hot cocoa in hand. Childish giggles and hushed stories erupted amongst you. Teucer having wrapped in your arms as he snuggled closer. Anthon and Tonia flanking your sides.

"Hey, who's fiancé do you think you guys are coveting?"

"Oh don't be like that, your siblings just miss them." his mother chided from the couch where she sat, an open book on her lap, she didn't seem to age and always looked so young that at first you were shocked to have been introduced to her.

"But mom, I haven't seen her all day." her son pouts as if he were still a child denied his candy

"Give me a break, you're always clinging onto her you know." his sister rolls those identical thalassic eyes at him "You wont die if you go a day without her."

"Listen here you little---"

"Ajax." you interjected, as much as you enjoy the siblingly banter of theirs, you cant have them going at each other with offensive words. His pleading gaze aimed at you as he practically begged for you both to go home.

"Please?"

"After I put Teucer to bed." you sighed, standing up with the youngest in your arms

"Seriously this guy." his sister groaned "I was having a good time."

"Tonia dear, we can continue our conversations tomorrow." you winked at her, it was a promise

"Fine."

Both of you bid farewell to his mother and made your way towards Teucer's room and tucking him in.

"Happy?" you turned to your fiancée, a narrowed look in your eyes as he grinned beside you

"Of course, sweetheart!" he pecked your lips as he pulled you closer

"Can you not do it in Teucer's room? Have some shame." his siblings' comments were endless, this time it was from his older brother.

"That's why were going home." Childe picked you up as you made a surprised yelp making the other party roll his eyes "Also, get ready to lose tomorrow brother. I'm getting that white deer for my lady."

"I'm looking forward to it."

The walk was short towards Childe's home as he preferred living alone. It was a grandiose manor and you were sure you will never get used to how big it was and filled with such furnitures of the finest quality.

"Well, how was your day darling?" you hummed, arms snaking around his neck

"Oh you wouldn't believe it."

...

It was there.

You felt it in the cold breeze that wafted into the room.

A shift in the flow of the wind, it was different yet familiar at the same time. Leaving the window open as the harsh temperatures of the night climbed and crawled inside. The curtains danced in the turbulent current of the gale, carrying songs only you could hear. Songs that made mountains tremble and build civilizations at the same time.

there was something foreboding, something terrifying and something heavy and dark that devoured anything in its path.

You heard him first before he came in through those doors, that tousled ginger hair of his caked with melting snowflakes in the warm glow of the lamps. His rugged appearance caused by the hunting competition between him and his older siblings induced his worn out state. That soft yet jaded smile of his was what welcomed you as he trudged inside the bedroom, lazily discarding his clothes on the basket for dirty laundry and entering the bathroom for a quick shower.

"why is the window open? " he asks you, sliding inside the warm covers

"I just wanted fresh air ." you smile as you shut the windows and pull the blinds enough for you to see the moon that hung above the sky. Joining him under the covers, you cradled him, his head resting on the crook of your neck. Your hands finding their way into those soft locks of his , entangling them as he hummed softly against you. Those arms of his that held weapons and skin littered with scars both old and new now held you close, so tenderly as if he'd never taken a life before.

"sing me a song, sweetheart. " his queries were simple yet genuine

"of course." you sang until you equated him to a sleeping newborn

It was warm, so warm that you could have mistaken it for a summer afternoon in Liyue, resting on the couch with silken pillows and window showcasing the view of the harbor below. The steaming cups of soothing tea Beidou would brew for you when nights became cold at times she would pay you a visit after trading that would take weeks, months and rarely years.

you slept.

Why is it cold? you wondered, Did Ajax open the windows?

You were blessed by the tsaritsa so such climates shouldn't matter to you.

You woke up.

A shadow was cast over you by the man youve sung to sleep. Virulent blue eyes looked at you with so much abhorrence, for a second you couldnt recognize them and thought it was a stranger to which you were ready to terminate.

"Ajax?" your voice was hoarse, as you slowly lost the feeling in your lips.

He was crazed, still trapped in that dreaming state of his, drifting between experiences. Today was a re-enactment of a memory he would never speak of, not even to you. There were parts of him he'd never tell you, such a soul as yours should never hear.

You choked and coughed as the metallic taste of mortal ichor filled your throat. How could you have not felt anything earlier? Was it because of your futile attempts to coax Ajax back into reality or was it because of the numerous thoughts your mind came up with to he answer as to why he is in such a virulent state. Excruciating pain filled your whole body as you writhed and struggled under his grip. It felt as if something was being ripped out of you.

"Ajax, darling come back to me." you cried, it took so much to even utter a word as you bled out, you know not where but you could feel it. The liquid vital for your survival was seeping out of you, flowing like a lazy river on an autumns day, only that it was warm, sticky and addicting.

"Ajax?" a hiss comes from that mouth, he cringes as you freed your numb hands to hold his face and he let you, seeing as to there was no point in stopping you as you dangerously danced on a tight rope of life and death. You couldn't tell in that delirious disposition of yours if his eyes were shifting between Ajax or the primal eyes of a beast hunting its prey.

It wasn't too late was it?

But why didn't your eyes meet his?

Who snuffed out all the lights?

"I've abandoned that name a long time ago."

The cold took over you completely, freezing you until you broke under his touch with words left dying in your ichor filled lips

and then fear was the last thing you felt.

fear that he might not return to his sweet, charming self.

fear that he will curse everything in his path.

fear that he might attempt to use different various methods to bring back what was lost

and fear of his ruination.

you care not for your death, even in your last minutes of life, you dare not blame him for what he's endured so far. only wishing he never had to experience such in the first place.

This is what the wind warned you about in its lullaby.

...

Childe woke up for the second time.

Oddly more worn out than the day before, but your songs always worked, how come? . He wondered if you left to make breakfast as the covers felt empty as he reached out for you. No, you were a late riser, always having to slumber in the middle of the warm covers of the bed you both share. It was he who mostly did the cooking in the morning. So your presence gone was a displacement in the moment of his waking.

His eyes had to adjust to the view of the room as he sat up, a yawn escaping his lips as he called for you. The pitter-patter sound of the water on the bathroom tiles were non-existent as he strained his ears to hear for any trace of you.

"What..." he was confused as to why the room was trashed, furniture broken in half and strewn about the room, the drapes shredded and laying on the floor and the mirror shattered to pieces, shards sharp enough to cut through skin yet he slept through such a thing?

his first concern was your safety as you had not been present in the room and it him.

the heavy stench of blood lingered in the air. His enjoyment for such things turned into something suffocating because blood was never shed in his own home nor in his very room. In the state of confusion, something dark caught his peripheral vision. A large blemish in the covers beside him, it was dyed a deep dark crimson and he knew well what it was. He began to shake in worry, telling himself not to panic until he finds you safe. All he could remember was you singing him to sleep, held captive in your soft arms, encased in your warmth, so how did it come to such a morning that looked like a result of a monster's tantrum. He calls out for you, his bare feet on the floor as splinters punctured them and he didnt care. he had to find you.

The hallways looked haunting, the portraits on the walls taunting him and he swore he was going lose it if he hadnt found you sooner, every room was achingly vacant and it felt like a dream. He calls for your name again in a frenzy as he rushes through the place, had the mansion been this big? he thinks as he runs down the stairs.

There in the fireplace, the dying embers of fire lit from the night before, wood giving away and turning into coal as the burning smell mingled with similar stench that engulfed the bedroom, the same dark liquid on the sheets was present as well, only that it was painted into the wall and bled down creating a cascading waterfall.

Because there you were, with arms spread out as if welcoming each and every sinner for solace and blessing them with forgiveness, the drying mortal ichor behind you creating a halo. Your lips upturned into something soft as if you'd do anything disgraceful to keep the effeminacy on a soul lost to ruin.

an angel crucified.

that oh so heavenly face of yours could rival anything beautiful, even statues would crumble under you, nations would go to war for you and bodies of those who want you would turn into a throne built for you and you only. You were immortally ethereal even in death.

Ajax, dear sweet Ajax felt his legs give away, energy having siphoned from him as he trembled so much that it could rival the mountains when they shook. Thalassic eyes, wide blown into grief, anguish and all other emotions crashed against him like strong waves that could drown anyone caught up in it. He knelt as pain spread through him like wildfire, burning, scorching and killing. Agonized cries filled the room and if someone were to pass by, they couldve mistaken it for a dying animal. He gasped and choked on his own breath as he dared to look at you, the tears freely flowing from his eyes, down to his pale cheek and finally falling off his trembling chin to be hungrily absorbed by the carpeted floor that was also tarnished by ichor.

He felt crazed as he wept and in that moment of insanity, he remembered. That most disgusting sin he's ever committed that he should never be pardoned for in the life he has right now and the next ones he will be in. Through the blur of tears, he saw his hands and he wished he didnt.

Sullied hands befitting a murderer.

He screams into the ground, doubling over as his hands find their way into his hair, gripping it and ripping out those jacinthe locks of his. He could never forgive himself now and he never will. He wails out loud until his own throat collapsed into a croaking mess.

and then he couldnt find himself no longer.

The sand of time seemed to trickle down slowly. His eldest siblings came looking for him, to continue the hunt. A once peaceful encounter turned into a nightmarish reality as they witnessed their brother rocking back and forth with you gingerly wrapped in his arms, mumbling your name. Lips pressed to your forehead as he prayed and begged for forgiveness over and over in hushed torn whispers as if it were enough to bring you back and cover that gaping hole in your abdomen.

"What did you do?"

...

"Brother, when are they coming back?"

Oh darling Teucer, innocence reflecting off his eyes as he tugged on his brother's sleeve. The toy you gifted him clutched tightly at his side.

"I dont know kid, their mission was sudden so its best to wait. Can you do that Teuc?" the truth about you was kept behind closed doors, only adults can speak of and if they did, it took time to keep the conversation smooth and off of any grief nor sadness when your name reached their tongue. The younger ones would never know until the time is right. When everything was taken care of and hearts moved on. 

Your funeral was held in secrecy yet was it was grand. Something that would hold the significance of your memories with them. It was beautiful, your favorite flowers lined along your coffin, and you. Looking ever so ethereal even when death has kissed you, clad in that dress Childe bought for you. 

"uh huh!" the youngest ginger nodded eagerly and skipped away as the eldest sighed into his hands, the pressure weighing heavily on his shoulders as he worried more and more about his younger sibling. Another memory, a mind broken and a his soul withering. was there any way to save him? 

Days seemed to go by as any glimpse of the man was scarce. Until one day they ceased to see him altogether. It started at lunch, a week after the funeral when it took everyone to coax him into eating more as he lost weight  and trickled down to a whole day. Cooped up in his room, clinging to a pillow with the fading scent of you. and then he was gone, like a snowflake melting upon ones forehead. They grew anxious and thought of the worse until they caught wind that he was back in Liyue from one of the agents only then were they allowed to breathe a little better. 

"Childe, what finds you here?" the calm tone of the geo archon's voice broke him out of his trance

"Have you seen my fiance?" Zhongli blinks at the question of the harbinger, he knew what befell you and yet this man before him seemed clueless enough as to what he committed. How Childe did what he did, he seemed to sympathize with in a way that would make him understand his behavior. 

" I have not." he couldnt bring himself to tell this man the truth. Perhaps he was sparing him, spearing that mind of his into spiraling down into nothingness and a heart that was held by a thin piece of thread. "Perhaps it is better to enjoy yourself while you wait for them." 

To deviate oneself from the loss might be the best way Childe right now until his mind is ready to accept the torment of the heavy truth that would slew this man. 

"I see. " he smiles and yet it feels so empty to Childe, the reason? He wouldnt know or atleast his mind wouldnt allow him to know 

"Ill see you around then Xiansheng." 

Everything that he portrayed lacked and all he could do as he's always did. 

...........

i had to.

I hope yall would get Childe :)