#i'm trying to write another not-flares one but we'll see

[writerinthewoods05]

Shadows and Snow Angels

Azriel x Reader, Azriel x child OCs

Chapter 2 - My scars won't heal

Normally when your mate Azriel comes home from the camps and asks you not to get mad it's because he brought home another wounded animal, not a baby boy...

Word count: 1.5k

💔 💘

Series warnings: past emotional abuse, past physical abuse, past emotional trauma, non explicit thoughts of suicide, depression, parental doubt, child abandonment, past child abandonment, brief talk of past pregnancy. no details mentioned, mention of non explicit SA, we die like men. Every chapter will be individually tagged.

If you don't like what your reading click off!

Author's note: ok, so I kinda his a manic a episode and now I'm writing the second chapter literally the minute I posted the first. We'll see how long it will take me to finish this one but if y'all are lucky, maybe we'll get 2 chapters in one day!

Author's note 2: lucky streak gone but at least it'll be on time. I'm gonna try to post a new chapter every Friday, but we'll see how it goes, life's kinda crazy rn.

Chapter warnings: brief talk of child abuse, Azzie is a traumatized baby, this chapter is actually more fluff than angst but still, we die like men.

Rhys opened the door, only in his pajamas with his hair sticking up in random places. It must have been a long night. Nyx just turned two a couple months ago and he was having a horrible time sleeping through the night. Rhys and Feyre took shift but everyone knew that Rhys was the one that usually stayed up with him.

"hey I'm sorry, I know it's late, or well early, but we officially have an emergency." You said while Rhys just glanced between the two of you, it took him a good second to realize that there was suddenly an extra little one with you both. Azriels shadows darted past Rhys's feet to go check if the house was safe.

"yeah come on in, I'll go get Feyre." Rhys stepped aside and let you both in before jogging tiredly up the stairs to get his mate. You quietly sat down on the couch to re adjust the little hat Elain made for Astrid, fixing it to sit on her delicate head better. You chuckled as Rhys's appearance. Who knew that out of get trapped in hell for 50 years, enduring another war and having a baby, it was the baby that finally got him. "Poor high lord."

Azriel was still standing but he seemed to be enjoying bouncing Rhain in his arms, rocking him side to side as his shadows created a Shadowy mobile above them. He chuckled softly at your comment, glance in his brothers direction before looking back to the little boy in his arms. They were practically making heart eyes at eachother, if it wasn't so late at night you might have asked Feyre to paint it.

The way Azriel interacted with children was honestly what drew him to you in the first place and the ease in the way he can calm them makes your heart melt every time. Your mate was always so still and calm so seeing him bouncing and sway your daughter and the same way he does with Rhain now, made your heart soar higher than the stars above.

You were still smiling at your mate when you heard rushed footsteps flying down the stairs. You didn't have to look up to know that Feyre was running to come see the little one. The Shadows flared defensively but calmed at the sight of their high lady.

"OK, WHERE TH-" you shushed her quickly before she woke up all three kids in the house. She was still in her night gown and her hair was tied back messily. "Sorry, where the hell did this little cutie come from!..."

You chuckled as Feyre took Rhain from your mate. He looked skeptical and basically hovered over his sister in-law as she cuddled the baby. The Shadows however, seemed content to huddle around you and Astrid on the couch, completely ignoring their masters anxious behavior.

"Az, would you calm down, she's not gonna drop him." You say barely containing your laughter. He was actually just as overprotective as the day you brought your daughter home. It was adorable.

"Oh my gods! What's his name?!" Feyre squealed quietly and came to settle on the couch next to you. Rhain was babbling softly and grabbed Feyre's finger in his small hand.

"Rhain. His name is Rhain." Azriel said, still standing next to feyre, he's hands twitching at his side, wanting to take Rhain back from her. You shook your head at his antics, he's had this baby in his care for like 2 hours and he's already acting like Mother hen.

"I'm sorry, I know it late and I know that Nyx id having issues sleeping but we don't have anything that will fit him and I decided that this officially classified as an emergency."

"No, don't worry about it at all! Not at all, no! Not at all!" She said less to you as she cooed down at your little boy before actually lifter her gaze to you and responding. "Yeah, absolutely this is an emergency. Come on I'm sure I could spare some jumpers for him, Cauldron knows that Rhys is gonna buy him more anyway."

Feyre stood and tried to walk away with the Rhian still wrapped I her arms but a wall of shadows came to block her from walking away just long enough for Azriel to take him back. Feyre just rolled her eyes and lead you upstairs, muttering jokingly to herself about Azriel being overprotective.

2 hours later you all were back at your own home, azriel settling the baby's down for bed. You had added a temporary separator in the crib just for tonight, you'll have to make a trip to the Palace quarters tomorrow for another one. Your mate had just finished building your daughter's nursery and now you're either gonna have to rearrange everything or finds another room in your home for a second nursery... Wonderful...

Once they were both swaddled, wings and all, they were out like a light before he could flip the switch. You were sitting in bed trying to read and relax but you mind was reeling from the days events. Your mind wandered to Rhain. He was so small, he still had that fresh baby smell. You had tried to explain the smell to Mor one time but she thought you were crazy, must be a mom thing. He was underweight and dehydrated from what you could tell, the poor thing could barely suckle the bottle you had fed him earlier. You were lost in thought, book discarded laying open in your lap, as Azriel came into the room, his footsteps as silently as ever.

"So how much trouble am I in?" Your head snapped up at his voice. 4 years... 4 years you had been together and he still manages to sneak up on you, you'd think you would be better at spotted him now but no. You looked up at him, you eyes locked on him as you pulled yourself from the whirlwind of questions and worries you had gotten lost in. He was leaning forward against the bed frame at the foot of the bed. His Shadows fluttered and flitted out into the room randomly as per usual when it was time for bed. It was interesting, most people thought Azriels Shadows were just extensions of him but in reality, most of them had personalities and curiosity, it was kinda cute to watch them.

"come here..." You opened your arms for him and waited as he quickly shrugged off his leathers and siphons, a few of the Shadows helping him by catching his siphons and placing them on the dresser silently. He sank onto he stomach and into your arms with a sigh. He nuzzled his face into your chest as his wings relaxed and sprawled across the massive bed.

"I'm not upset with you. I mean I would have loved a heads up that we were gonna adopt an infant today but I know that the circumstances were anything but ideal. Trust me I would have been PISSED if I found out you didn't bring him home. You are the most compassionate and empathetic person I've ever known. Thats one of the reasons I love you so much." You smile as you feel every muscle in his body melt under your hands, your fingers working out the knots from his back. He let out a breathy moan when you gently pressed your fingers into the onyx skin at the base of his wings.

"he needed me, and you. Besides your a good mama, if anyone could give him the love he needs it's you..." He lifted himself slightly to settle on top of you better, he's arms wrapping around your waist and his thighs spreading yours a bit more. You took a second to bask in the moment, your fingers tangling and brushing through his hair, a couple of shadows coming to rest on the pillow next to you. You thanked the mother for moments like this. For the times when you both could just hold each other and feel just as loved and seen as if you had spent the night making the house shake.

"Thank you... for understanding, for not being upset. You have every right to be..." azriel mumbled, his voice laced with emotion. He was right, you did have a right to be mad but you weren't. How could you ever be upset with him for being the most loving male in Prythian?! You hugged him tighter and kissed his forehead.

"Do you wanna talk about it? Whatever your thinking about?" You smoothed a hand over his back to try and comfort him. Even though you had been mated for a few years there were still secrets and things he refused to tell you, especially about his excuse of a childhood. You knew the basics, a general idea of how he was treated but he never went into details. You liked to think he wouldn't tell you because he knew you would find his half brothers and rip them to shreds, although You knew in reality it was most likely just to painful to actively try to remember.

"yeah I do, but not tonight. I... we can talk about it tomorrow, I don't want to ruin the night..." He said choosing his words carfully. Azriel easily sat up and flipped you both so you to rest against his side and pulled the covers over you both, the Shadows that had been occupying the pillow previously jumped away I'm a misty puff. You didn't press. You knew he would tell you when he was ready to open up. It made sense, that he past would rear it's ugly head after he brought Rhain home. You left a small kiss on his chest before snuggling into him and letting yourself drift off into your thoughts, the shadows descending over you both is calm wave urging you both into sleep.

Thank you so much for reading and as always I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! If you wanna be added to the tag list please comments or DM me to be added!

Taglist

@romantasyreader28 @tele86 @mulansaucey @jennnsthings @6v6babycheese @mich0731 @starlightandsouls @ohemgeewhat @littlelunatica @icey--stars @paleidiot @jir67 @celestialamore @rcarbo1 @quiet-because-it-is-a-secret @queenoffeysand @suppppp97

[bloody-teared-angel]

The Sins are underused and plain just wasted

TW: Talk about SA, r*pe and a*use

And it hurts so bad yk?

First fumble is that we'll probably never get all 7 Deadly Sins in the same room (Lucifer in HH the rest in HB) - which already puts a damper on a lot of things.

Bee being disgusted by Mammon was already talked about but I'm going to bring it up again. Bee being disgusted with Mammon is not only hypocritical but downright stupid. Bee should be high on serotonin (since she feeds off of vibes) since Mammon was overindulging on unhealthy food - with her being the Sin of Gluttony and all.

These two should have been besties, I rest my case.

(Before I go on, there are no 'good' Sins. None. All Seven Sins go hand in hand one Sin usually leading up to the other)

Missed opportunity with Satan being an actual ruler of Hell before being dethroned. It would add some depth and complexity to the worldbuilding/characters. It would paint Lucifer in a bad light, sure (and would solidify his Sin of Pride) Satan's wrath in being dethroned, having to Rule only one ring instead of entirety of Hell, then Lucifer dips and Satan has to shoulder more work. (Brilliant)

(I'm not taking anything what Miss Medrano says on twitter, if it's not said in the story, it's not cannon)

Asmodeus is a wasted opportunity - his ties to Angels/Heaven - Azazel/Remiel - or Lilith/Adam - being a Nephilim (probably the only surviving one) in lore, Asmodeus was born by 'angels' seed and daughter of a man' in other Adam, The First Man was a*used and SAd by Lilith for over hundred years which resulted in Asmodeus.

Then there's the whole deal with Sarah, her murdered husbands out of jealousy, then him getting banished by Archangel Raphael - what I'm trying to say that Asmodeus' lore is rich and full of potential, which was not utilized - and could explain quite a bit about his characterization on HB and why consent is important for him.

Lucifer is not off the hook either, for he wronged both Adam and Eve (also depending on lore) started war in Heaven because of his PRIDE, caused fall of over quarter(?) of Heaven (as high as Dominion) and fathered Cain - which was another SA (if memory serves correctly) - reducing his to this 'innocent hopeless depressed dreamer' is not only doing a disservice to his character but to Eve and Adam too, along with their children.

Envy - here I'm going to get technical, so you can ignore my ramblings here - Leviathan was one of the Beasts created by God (depends on the lore and also can't look into my notes now) who got defeated by Jophiel and from a piece of their flesh was born Livyatan - the Sin of Envy - and Hellmouth - depends, in some, Leviathan was still the serpent, in the Sea of Envy in Hell. Envy and Pride go hand in hand (both Pride and Envy caused Lucifer's fall)

I think Mammon flirting with Envy would work in a setting where Bee and Mammon are besties, then Mammon starts giving attention to Bee, irking Leviathan and making their Envy flare up

Sloth - laziness and apathy, said person not wanting to work, resourcess being wasted - I think during the court proceedings, Belphegor should not have voted or if prompted enough, be completely apathetic towards everyone in the room - this is the shortest since....I don't have my notes and run on memory alone

(Also, everything depends on lore, what part of religion it is taken from - in some Lucifer and Samael are the same person in some not, Lucifer and Satan are the same and in some not - and so on and so forth)

I hope this makes sense and can see where I was going with this.

Edit: None of the Sins are Fallen Angels, not even King Paimon - not even the rest of Goetia since all of them are siblings all fathered by King Paimon and I do believe with this writing decision in order to vilify Heaven as much as possible, Miss Medrano keeps writing herself into corners

[mxxnlightwriting]

Writemas Day 2

Thanks to @agirlandherquill for hosting this challenge!

Tari's Note: Oh, I had so much fun writing this yesterday, and I'm doing it again today because now my brain has ideas™ and I must write them down (I've missed this feeling). This one is technically a continuation from Day 1, but it's a different POV so you don't need to read Day 1 to enjoy this one (I'm trying to keep them all connected). Also, please excuse any typos! I’ll be writing these directly here so they’ll have minimal editing. Thanks for understanding.

Writemas Day 1

Prompt: The smell of a bakery Synopsis: Rae's day goes from bad to worse when she realises everyone in her town already knows her ex is back in the old cabin. Genre/age group: adult contemporary (I’ll turning this into a sapphic romance just so you know) Warnings: Swearing (once) Word Count: 0.7k

Rae dug into her third slice of blueberry pie of the day, ignoring the worried glances her brother and best friend threw her way. She was grateful none of them asked her what had gotten into her because if one of them asked, she'd probably combust right on the spot.

Just thinking about it made her nostrils flare. Fourteen years. Fourteen years of no messages, no phone calls, no contact. After fourteen years, she should've been over this, no? She should be a well-adjusted woman in society, not someone who apparently couldn't function at the sight of her first love.

You're so embarrassing, Rae, she thought as she shoved some more pie inside her mouth. She leaned back on the leather booth, crossing her arms over her chest, taking in the slow movement of her brother's bakery. Most people stopped by to get a final order or to take some of the remaining pies for dinner.

She inhaled the sweet scent of baked goods and tried to relax in the only place in this town that didn't remind her of Emily. At the thought of her, she massaged her temples, trying to get the image of her at the door out of her head.

"Everything alright?" Ginny asked. She had her curly hair in a low ponytail, her golden skin flushed from the heat of the bakery. "Do you need another slice?"

Before she could answer, the bakery's bell rang as Mrs Mueller stepped inside at a fast pace, her eyes wide.

"Henry!" she yelled as she walked towards the counter, out of breath. "Where's Rae?"

"He's in the kitchen, Henrietta," Ginny said, looking at the woman over her shoulder. "And Rae's here."

Some of the panic faded from the old woman's features and she joined Rae in the booth, her eyes glancing at the empty plate and then at her.

"So you already know," Mrs Mueller said, nodding to herself. She patted Rae's hand, hers cold from the weather outside. "You have nothing to worry about. I'll talk with my book club friends and we'll find a way to send her away. Now that her grandfather's dead, they'll probably sell the property anyway!"

"Henrietta!" Ginny said as if she was reprimanding a small child. "Don't speak ill of the dead!"

"I'm not speaking ill of the dead! I'm speaking ill of Emily. That girl is trouble."

Tell me about it, Rae thought. Whenever Emily was around, trouble was soon to follow.

"Just let her be," Rae eventually said, trying to seem casual about the whole thing. "And I doubt they'll sell the property."

She stood from her chair and grabbed the plate from the table, disappearing into the kitchen area, where her brother sang under his breath to the radio as he finished cleaning the counters.

"What did Henrietta want?" he asked, lifting his eyes to look at his sister. "Was this about the furniture in the driveway? I told her you'd take care of it."

"I took care of it." Rae dropped her plate and fork in the industrial sink. She gripped its surface and pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to speak the words out loud. She couldn't. "Emily's back."

Saying her name out loud was like someone punching her in the gut. Seeing her in person was ten times worse.

"Oh," was all Henry said for a while. "And Henrietta was here to tell you that, is it?" Rae nodded, feeling her brother's gaze on her. "But you already knew because she was the one responsible for the furniture in the driveway. Wasn't it?"

Rae looked at her brother. He nodded in understanding when their eyes met.

"I told her it was nice to see her again which was obviously a fucking lie." Rae let out a bitter laugh. "And now Mrs Mueller is set on telling her book club friends her master plan to drive Emily away from town."

"And do you want that?" he asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Rae leaned on the sink and hugged herself, keeping her eyes on her brother as she said, "What I want doesn't matter, Henry."

"Right," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Keep lying to yourself, sis. You won't get closure that way, though. And we both know you're in dire need of it."

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© mxxnlightwriting 2024 All Rights Reserved. Copying, reposting, translating and/or modifications of my work are strictly prohibited.

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Hi! I'm glad your request are open again! I'm living for your work!

Can you do an enemies to lovers , where they can't be left alone without fighting, but uthred teamed them up to do scouting or something so they are forced to be together, and then they have some hate sex after arguing xD and he gets really cocky after

Full creative control I'll love it no matter what

Thank you ❤️❤️

Note: ahhh thank you so much for your kind words!! I enjoyed writing this one! hope you will enjoy reading it :)

Warnings: smut 18+! some insults, some dominance, a lot of bickering.

pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: see request!

Word count: 4,4k

Masterlist

'I want you to shut up too, so shut up, Sihtric!'

****************

'Can you stop that?'

'I'm not even doing anything.'

'I can hear you!' you snarled.

'Oh, am I not allowed to breathe anymore?' Sihtric snapped.

'Preferably not, no. But if you really have to, then do it quietly!'

'Of course, I am sorry, princess,' Sihtric mocked, 'my earnest apologies, my lady, if my presence is too loud for your liking because I have to fill my lungs with air.'

'Will you shut up? You're going to scare off the animals, and then we'll have no food tonight.'

'The only thing that will scare the animals off is the sight of you,' he huffed.

You glared at him, eyes full with rage and he returned the same look.

'Another word and I will throw you in the fire tonight!'

'Gladly! Then I will be released from you!' Sihtric spat and got up.

'Where are you going? We haven't caught anything yet!'

'I'd rather starve than spend another moment with you!'

'Yeah, well, me too!'

You and Sihtric never got along. It had been months and it only seemed to get worse. Everyone was sick and tired of it. And because of that, Uhtred was to send you and Sihtric away to scout the Northern border for any activity.

'What? Why?' Sihtric frowned.

'Absolutely not,' you said curtly, 'I will not spend another second by his side.'

'You will do as I say!' Uhtred snarled, 'you will leave at first light tomorrow.'

'Yes, lord.' Sihtric muttered.

'Yes, lord,' you mocked Sihtric, who gave you a threatening look.

***************

You watched the pain the arse, who others knew as Sihtric, saddling up his horse as you already sat mounted upon your own, ready to leave. It was an early morning in the middle of summer. Tiny droplets of sweat already trickled down your back in the morning sun as you studied the man who made your blood boil. His dark hair was braided on top as well as on the sides and, in the back, he had a nice collection of curls that anyone would be jealous of. Sihtric had bathed in the river shortly before he found you, but his impressive biceps were already glistening with sweat in the early rays of light. If you didn't hate him so much, you would think he was attractive.

'If you take much longer we will have to fetch new horses.'

'Why?' Sihtric reluctantly took the bait.

'Because these horses will have died of old age!'

'Can't you just die of old age?' he snapped.

'Oh, I'd rather be doing that right now, believe me.'

Sihtric finally climbed up on his horse and immediately stormed off in a gallop, leaving you behind. You rolled your eyes and followed, at your own pace.

************

'Was that really necessary?' you huffed, dismounting your horse after trying to catch up for hours.

Sihtric simply raised an eyebrow, looking back at you over his shoulder. He had stopped at a river to rest and was crouched down next to the flowing water. The horses needed a break and so did the two of you. It was noon and the sun was way too hot to continue the journey for now.

'We should stay here a little while,' Sihtric said after splashing the cool water in his face.

'We should.'

Sihtric frowned at you. 'Did the princess just agree with me?'

You replied by flaring your nostrils and clenched your jaw, to which Sihtric smirked. It rarely happened that you had no snappy remark to return to him.

Sihtric moved to sit under a tree, in the shade. To kill some time, he took out his knife and sharpened the blade with a whetstone, knowing the sound would eventually agitate you, because he knows you hate it when he sharpens a blade slowly, instead of fast, like you do. He kept an eye on you as you laid on your back in the same shade, a few paces away from him, with your eyes closed. After a short moment of dragging the stone slowly over the blade, he saw your left eye twitch slightly with each following stroke he made. And this amused him. With a proud smirk he continued, watching the anger build up in you slowly, but noticeable enough. Until you suddenly groaned and sat up.

'Can you stop that?'

'No.'

You tried to not explode and took a few deep breaths.

'Then do my blade as well, if you wish to be annoying!' you unsheathed your own dagger and threw it in front of his feet.

'Of course, princess. I am your loyal servant, I will do as you ask,' he said insincerely and watched you, still amused. You huffed and closed your eyes again to lay back down.

'Why do you always call me princess?' you asked after a while.

Sihtric looked up from his knife and scoffed at you. 

'Because you think you're better than everyone else.'

'I do not!'

'If you say so, princess,' Sihtric mumbled. 

He smirked when he saw he had angered you once again. If you weren't such a loudmouth, Sihtric would have been smitten by you. But he simply couldn't stand your attitude. Yet, he couldn't keep his eyes off you when he started to sharpen your dagger.

'Why are you always getting on my nerves?' you hissed. You could just not let things go and you knew Sihtric was deliberately dragging the whetstone at a slow pace.

'Why are you always rude to me?' Sihtric asked in return, his voice calm.

'Because you annoy me,' you tried to be calm too.

'And you annoy me.'

'Good!

'Great!' Sihtric snarled, 'here, sharpen your own blade!'

He got up, threw your dagger in front of your own feet and walked past you, to his horse. He decided it was time to continue the journey.

'I will sharpen it myself, because with your pace it will be done when I have already died of old age, along with the horses!' you spat as you grabbed your knife.

***************

'Witch,' Sihtric mumbled as he rode his horse next to you.

'Rat,' you muttered.

'Saxon.'

'Dane.'

'Turd.'

'Pagan!'

Sihtric looked you up and down, his eyebrow raised as he sniffed, 'you're also a pagan.'

'Yes,' you ignored his hard stare at you, 'but you are a filthy pagan.'

'And you are a clean pagan?' he frowned, a small smile curled on his lips.

'Princess pagan,' you said cockily, and you also couldn't hide the faintest hint of a smile when you looked at him. 

The rest of the journey continued in silence, until night fell.

************

You had found an abandoned church near the, quiet, border and without saying a word you both figured it was a good place to camp. The church was half burned down, with no roof, and used to be part of a small village, which had entirely burned down several summers ago.

You went to hunt for food while Sihtric made a fire. You quickly came back with two hares and Sihtric was surprised by how fast you had managed to catch those, and you told him it was because he wasn't there to scare the animals off with his insanely loud breathing.

'I assume they never saw your face,' Sihtric said, referring to his insult about the sight of you yesterday. You rolled your eyes. 

You prepared the meat and cooked it above the fire. A few hours later you were both well fed and started to set up your small camp to sleep. Sihtric was setting up his tent while he kept hearing you curse and sigh behind him. He watched as you looked through everything you had taken. You had walked back and forth to your horse several times before he finally asked what your problem was.

'I…it seems I forgot my tent.'

Sihtric frowned. His expression quickly made place for a chuckle, which grew into a wide grin, and soon he was shamelessly laughing at you.

'It's not funny!' you hissed, 'the mosquitoes will eat me alive!'

'That solves my problem,' Sihtric shrugged.

You huffed and sat down near the fire, arms crossed, while Sihtric got inside his tent and took off his armour and tunic, sleeping in only his breeches, warm and snug under his furs. A few hours passed and you started to shiver. Summer nights were always chilly up North, and you cursed yourself for forgetting to pack your tent. Sihtric already had a few hours of sleep until he was woken up by the sound of your violent sneeze, which he deemed ridiculously loud. He put his tunic back on and stepped out of his tent, walking past you, out into the darkness.

'Where are you going?'

'Piss,' he sniffed, annoyed he was awake again and that you were still there.

A short moment later he came back and noticed you were trembling. He couldn't stand you near him, but he also couldn't stand the sound of your chattering teeth. Sihtric exhaled loudly, making his annoyance clear to you before he spoke.

'We can share my tent, princess.'

'No.'

'Fine by me.'

'Good!' you said, too proud to share a tent with that bastard son. 

But soon you felt a raindrop. Which quickly turned into more raindrops. And before you knew it, it was pouring down from the sky. Sihtric had listened to the rain with a sly smile, knowing you'd come begging soon.

Drenched by rain, and with embarrassment, you stepped inside Sihtric's tent. He looked up at you with his sly smile, hands behind his head, his muscular torso exposed while a fur covered everything below his waist. For a moment you wondered if he was fully naked and you grimaced, wanting to turn around and step outside again, but then you remembered you'd be sick as a dog by morning if you would sleep in the rain.

'Can I help you, princess?' Sihtric said cheekily, his head tilted slightly to the side.

'Can I sleep here?' you mumbled.

'What's that, princess?' Sihtric had heard you loud and clear.

You clenched your jaw and fought an insult.

'Can I sleep here?' you tried to ask as nicely as you could, 'please?'

'I didn't quite catch that last word, my lady.'

You wanted to refuse his earlier offer again. You wanted to poke his mismatched eyes out of his skull and you wanted to cut out his tongue. But you also wanted to be warm.

'Please,' you feigned a smile. Sihtric smiled satisfied and moved slightly to the left, making space for you on his right.

'Thank you,' you murmured as you wanted to grab a fur.

'Surely you are not thinking of soaking my furs with your wet clothes,' he said sternly.

'I will not sleep naked.'

'You will not sleep in wet clothes. You will make us both sick!'

You knew he was right, and your clothes had to dry as well. You had no other choice than to take everything off and you quickly covered yourself with one of his warm furs.

'Don't even think about looking at me,' you hissed when you saw how Sihtric was watching you with dark eyes.

'I don't even want to look at you,' he lied.

'I don't want to look at you either,' you also lied.

'I want you to shut up and go to sleep.'

'I want you to shut up too, so shut up, Sihtric!' you said, heated, as you laid down next to him and pulled another fur over your bare body.

'And I want you to stop pulling furs away from me!' Sihtric snarled as he harshly pulled back the fur you had just pulled off him, which you quickly grabbed onto, staring into his eyes. You were both filled with rage.

'I want you to stop talking to me.'

'Will that be all, princess?' Sihtric taunted as you both refused to let go of that one fur. There were more than enough furs, but you both would simply not give up this one. May the gods know why.

'Any more demands or wishes, princess?' Sihtric continued to rile you up.

'Yes,' you nearly growled, 'if you could just fuck me now we can get it over with!'

'Yeah?' Sihtric smiled, furiously.

'Yeah!' 

'I will ravage you,' he said in a low voice.

'You couldn't possibly ravage me,' you dared him.

'I will fuck you till you cry.'

'Cry? Of what? Happiness when you're finally done?' you feigned a yawn.

'You will cry because you will beg me for mercy,' Sihtric said as he stared intensely into your eyes.

'I do not beg.'

'You will beg for me.'

'I. Do. Not. Beg.' you said again, but slower.

'You will get on your knees for me,' Sihtric said, his voice low and soft as he brought his face closer to yours while you both still held onto the same fur, neither refusing to let go. 

'Fine,' you snarled, 'if that will make you shut up!' 

You got up on your knees for him, and Sihtric quickly jerked all furs off you, licking his lips as his eyes had access to your entire naked body. You huffed at him and tugged the fur off him that had kept him covered, finding out that he was, indeed, fully naked. And your eyes darkened when you saw the size of his already hard cock.

'Turn around for me,' Sihtric breathed heavily, and you did as you were told.

'Hm,' he hummed with a smile as he watched you. 

You moaned softly at the touch of his warm, rough hands, massaging your cold, wet and naked ass. Sihtric explored you slowly with his touch. Until he suddenly spanked you, hard.

'Gods!' you screamed out and gasped.

'That is for your attitude,' Sihtric snapped, and then he smacked your ass again with his flat hand, making you cry out all the same.

'That is for the way you speak to me!'

And once more, Sihtric spanked you hard, making your skin burn up. 

'And that is for all the times you got on my nerves!' 

Before you could make a cheeky remark, or throw an insult, Sihtric shoved you down onto his warm furs. He moved his naked body on top of yours while you faced the floor.

'I want to cut out your tongue for talking so much,' you said with ragged breath.

'You don't like it when I talk, princess?' Sihtric asked, teasing your wet entrance with the tip of his hard cock.

'Hm,' you hummed and closed your eyes at the feeling, pushing your hips up against him, grinding your drenched slit over the length of his long cock.

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed too now, with a satisfied smile as he watched you. You were in desperate need of his cock, and he knew it.

'You like that, princess?' he asked darkly.

'Yes,' you sighed, rocking your hips against his.

'I should stuff your mouth with my cock,' Sihtric chuckled, 'that will teach you how to behave.'

'I will never behave for you!' you spat.

Sihtric grabbed your hips firmly, instantly bruising you with his strength. And after he teased you a little more, he pushed deep inside you with a low, soft moan.

'Nice and tight, princess,' Sihtric exhaled sharply through his teeth as he watched his length slide all the way inside you.

'Did you just compliment me?' you grinned, loving the way he was stretching you up right now. Sihtric answered you with another hard slap on your ass cheek.

You bit down on your fist and grabbed into the furs beneath you as he fucked you hard, deep, and fast. Tears rolled down your flustered, smiling cheeks before you knew it, enjoying the way he completely ravaged you right now, like no man had ever done before.

You moaned, hard and loud. And each thrust was heard by the sound of his skin snapping against yours. And he went on for a long while, enjoying the way he had finally made you shut up. But as you seemed to take him perfectly fine, he needed to find a way to get on your nerves again.

'Enjoying me, princess?' his breath was hard and heavy.

'Y-yeah,' you said, tired and nearly numb by now.

'Good,' Sihtric sighed, and he pulled out with a warning, causing you to moan at the loss.

'No, Sihtric! Please!' you nearly screamed, 'don't stop!'

'Are you begging?'

'Please, please,' you cried, 'don't stop.'

'More,' Sitric said sternly, 'beg for me, more.' And he again slapped your ass hard.

'I need to feel you inside me. Please,' you begged and got up on your knees, facing him, 'I need… I need to ride you. I want you ride you like a fucking animal,' you growled.

'Yeah?' Sihtric provoked as he went to lay down on his back, 'you think you can tame me, princess?'

'I will make you mine,' you hissed as you climbed on top of him, 'I will make you my pet.'

Sihtric's eyes darkened even more as he watched you sink down on his cock.

'Go ahead and try, princess,' he smirked. But Sihtric couldn't deny his half open eyes were caused by how good you felt, and how beautiful he thought you were, and how hard it made him that you wanted to take control.

You began to bounce up and down his cock, and you moaned as you threw your head back, and then you laughed.

'I fucking hate you,' you smiled before you locked eyes with him again.

'The feeling is mutual,' Sihtric grinned as he placed his hands on your hips again.

You both moaned in pleasure as you continued the heated intercourse inside his tent, while the rain outside struck down over the lands. Sihtric had a firm grip on your hips and, as he was stronger than you, brought you to a halt, and he was fast to buck his hips up into you while he pulled you down on him. You let out a scream when you felt him thrust hard, all the way inside you, and your eyes teared up again at the intense feeling. You moved your hands up in his hair and pulled hard, making him snap his hips against yours again with a violent force, causing tears of pleasure to roll down your face as your body trembled.

'What?' Sihtric chuckled mischievously, 'you can't tame me, princess?'

'Fuck you,' you murmured.

Sihtric flipped you on your back, threw your legs over his shoulder and fucked you with an insanely rough pace. All his hatred for you, he used it to make you his, as hard as he could right now.

'I hate you,' he hissed, furiously slamming into you as he held your hips in place.

'I hate you more,' you moaned, 'you Dane scum.'

'Saxon bitch,' he snarled, baring his teeth and sticking his tongue out slightly as he watched you squirm underneath him.

'Do you ever shut up?' you growled and pulled his hair hard again, making Sihtric moan and become even more relentless. You both quickly became a moaning, grunting, growling and screaming mess as you fucked each other like it would finally rid you of each other forever.

'Gods, I hate you,' Sihtric moaned. 

And he couldn't remember why or when it happened, but he found himself leaning into you, and he brought one hand up to your face, grabbing your chin firmly, forcing you to look at him.

'I hate you so much,' you moaned, looking into his half open eyes with your own heavy-lidded eyes. 

'Tell me how much you hate me, princess,' Sihtric's tone became less furious and his pace less violent.

'I hate you,' you moaned again. Your hands moved up into his hair again and you couldn't stop yourself from pulling his face closer, 'I fucking hate you… I hate you…' you almost cried out, 'I hate how you arouse me.'

'I hate how you make me so hard all the time,' Sihtric confessed, his parted lips brushing against yours with each thrust.

'I hate how… how good you feel,' you smiled and closed your eyes, enjoying all of him inside you, 'I hate how I…how I,-' your breath hitched when Sihtric leaned his forehead against yours and lowered his body further down onto you, slamming into you with an awfully pleasant, pace. 

'I…' you sighed, barely able to speak when your walls clenched his cock, and you felt his pace becoming sloppy.

'Say it! Spill it, princess,' Sihtric groaned in your ear as he came, 'spill it the way I spill myself inside you right now.'

'I … hate how I- I fuck,' you cried out and wrapped your arms around his neck, 'I hate that I fucking love how you feel, Sihtric!' you screamed as you came.

'Yes!' Sihtric growled and you heard him chuckle in your ear, 'I knew it,' he brought his face up to you as he laughed. He looked into your eyes and bit down on his lip, dragging his length out of you, so slowly, it was simply torture. 

'I knew you loved something about me,' he chuckled softly and slammed back into you, one last time, riding out his own high along with yours, which earned him one last moan and another tug at his hair, which made him hiss as he still smiled at you.

'I still hate you,' you said out of breath, cupping his cheeks for some reason you couldn't explain.

'Hm,' Sihtric smiled cheekily, not knowing why he nuzzled your nose, 'you do?'

'Yeah.' You chuckled and hated how you suddenly felt shy.

'Would you hate it if I kissed you?'

'More than anything.'

'Good,' Sihtric smirked, and captured you in a gentle, sweet and loving kiss; the complete opposite of the intense hatred you had taken out on each other just yet.

'I hate you because I love you,' you confessed after he pulled away.

'And I love you because you hate me,' Sihtric admitted, stealing your heart along with another kiss.

****************

You woke up in his tent the next morning, alone and sore, which you wouldn't tell him. You got dressed in your still damp clothes which, lucky for you, dried quickly once you were out in the sun. You found Sihtric outside, eating breakfast he had made and you didn't know how to compose yourself after last night. You sat down next to him without saying a word. Sihtric immediately put his empty bowl down, got up and walked to his tent, taking it down and pack everything after. Getting ready to travel back soon with the news that, well, there was no news, because you didn't see anyone during your journey who wasn't supposed to be near the border.

'Uhm,' you looked at his empty bowl, 'where is my breakfast?'

Sihtric frowned as he looked back at you.

'Did the princess expect me to bring a golden bowl for her?' he taunted, 'Do you expect me to feed you as well, my lady?'

'Shut up,' you huffed. You took whatever leftovers you found in the small pan above the smouldering fire, which was clearly not enough, but you'd steal a few apples somewhere later. You sat back in the shade, watching how Sihtric was packing everything up. It was early and once again incredibly warm due to summer heat. You quickly ate and packed up whatever was still laying around, and after that you found shelter in the shade again.

'Gods, you really have the worst pace with everything, don't you?' you mocked as Sihtric readied his horse slowly again, which you knew was because of the heat.

'You didn't complain about my pace last night!' Sihtric snarled as he saw you enjoying the shade, while droplets of sweat ran down his face.

'Oh, please,' you rolled your eyes.

'Yeah, that's what you said last night too.'

You decided to ignore him and mounted your horse, kicking your heels and wandering off, leaving Sihtric behind.

Soon enough he caught up with you and without another word you decided to rest at the same spot as yesterday, near the river, before continuing back home.

You sat under the same tree as the day before when Sihtric started taking off his clothes, right in front of you.

'What are you doing?!'

'I wish to bathe,' he scoffed and threw his tunic at you with a grin.

'Surely you can undress somewhere else,' you snapped as you flung the fabric back to him.

'You could also direct your eyes somewhere else if I arouse you too much.'

'Gods, I hate you!' you shouted as you jumped up and stormed past him.

'You do,' Sihtric took your hand in passing and pulled you towards him, 'but you also love me.'

'Last night was just a one time thing, Sihtric!' you said while your hands moved up his bare, toned chest.

'Was it?' he clicked his tongue, cupping your cheek.

'Yes!' you hissed as you looked up at him.

'Good!

'Fine!'

You snarled at each other before you both desperately crashed your lips together for a heated kiss. Later you would blame each other for ending up on the grass, and neither would take the blame, but regardless, it happened.

'I hate you,' Sihtric hummed in between kisses as you laid on top of him, his arms wrapped around you.

'I hate you more,' you murmured, kissing his neck.

'How much more?'

'Not enough,' you whispered as he took your face in his hands, 'because I hate the idea of not having you by my side. And you make me sick,' you chuckled lightly, pecking his lips as he looked up in your eyes.

'How sick?' Sihtric smiled softly.

'Not enough,' you repeat yourself, 'because I feel even sicker when I'm not with you.'

'I know,' Sihtric said cockily as he caressed your cheeks with his rough thumbs.

'Oh, please,' you sighed and got off him.

'Will you finally admit you want to be with me or are you going to continue to run away from me?'

'I will run!' you snarled and walked away from him.

'Sure, but don't come running to me again tonight!'

'I won't!' you lied.

'You will,' Sihtric mumbled with a smirk, watching you run away from your feelings once again. 

Sihtric had time, he would wait. He knew it wouldn't take long anymore before you finally stopped lying to yourself, and to him. But he also didn't know it would already happen later that night, back in Coccham, when you had knocked his door and said you came by just to rant about how you hated him. To which he had listened with a smile before he pulled you inside, where he made sweet love to you on his floor, and after that you just couldn't lie anymore.

****************

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[quinloki]

hello! i wonder if you still do the kinky one piece headcanon? if you do, could you please do ace, zoro, and smoker with brat taming, hate sex, and dirty talk? please and thank you!

feel free to customise this according to your liking ;)

You guys are hitting me with some good stuff I swear - but it's officially my long weekend start, so I can knock a few of these out if that's what I'm feeling like XD

Brat Taming, Hate Sex and Dirty Talk? Good, good options - I might end up with a more rival vibe, enemies starting to realize they're in deep for the hate sex, more than actual like angry-angry sex. We'll see how the mood carries me.

(I generally write these in one big go, for better or worse XD)

We'll go with the quasi alphabetical order you've provided (go go last names first alphabetical ordering).

Portgas D. Ace:

Brat Taming - Yes - Ace doesn't get into it too much, he makes a better brat than brat tamer, but he doesn't dislike it. He assumes his preference is in dealing with a brat that's not too willful, but if you give him serious hell one day and he doesn't use any safe words, he ends up pinning you down and fucking the brat straight out of you.

Emotions were flared, skin was flared, hell Ace probably literally caught on fire at some point. The whole thing was just hot and you were both an exhausted sweaty mess as the end of it. Switch that he is, he start leaning a little less 50/50 and more 70/30.

Hate Sex - Ace is completely undecided on this kink if you ask him, but if there's that one person - a rival probably, someone he keeps managing to cross proverbial swords with, someone who can keep up with him and with whom there never seems to be a clear winner. If at some point he and that one person end up crossing more than just swords he'll wake up the next day with a few revelations.

The sex was amazing, and the entire night was the two of you fighting for dominance. Ace will swear he won out, but hell, so will you, it probably starts another fight. But it was really really good sex, and oh god he didn't even know.

Dirty Talk - I guess - he's bad with words. He's so, SO BAD with words, bless his fiery little heart. He's a man of action. His words can be good, and they often come from the heart, and he has dropped some dirty talk in the midst of a good session, but he can't think about it, cause once he does he doesn't know what words to use. Whether he's the one gasping and moaning, or making you gasp and moan, he's more comfortable with the formless sounds of pleasure than trying to put it to words.

If you can get him blissed out and little and prompt him though, he's really good at it. But he can't realize it, that's the tricky part.

Roronoa Zoro:

Brat Taming - FUCK Yes - He likes the challenge of it. He'll grumble the entire time, he'll say it bothers him, he'll quip that you should just take things and stop struggle against him, but he loves it. It's like fighting with the shitty cook but better. He loves the banter, he loves the look in your eyes when he glares at you at the little bead of sweat slips down your back.

What he really enjoys is the conquest, and he's going to conquer you every single time. He loves the little quiver in your lip when your brattiness breaks and the shuddering intake of air before he claims your lips and shuts you up. He'll never admit to it, but he'll never say a safe word to get you to stop, and one the very rare occasions he doesn't have the focus for it, he'll kiss your cheek and pull you into his lap for a nap.

Hate Sex - rather not - Zoro can be, to be, completely feral in bed. He can be in control, he can let you control, he can be gentle, he can go from sunset to sunrise, and he can also go for months without so much as masturbation and be perfectly fine.

The one thing I think he needs is a connection. It's not that he couldn't just fuck, it's that he'd rather not. That feral part will be missing - there's just not going to be the same kind of enjoyment. It'll feel mechanical and it just doesn't vibe with him. The closest Zoro will get to hate sex is if he hasn't realized his feelings for someone are love.

But even if those cases, "hate" or "dislike" aren't the words he'd use to describe how he feels about the other person.

Dirty Talk - If you like being talked dirty to it's a Oh god you don't even know, but if you don't like being talked dirty to, it's a I guess. He doesn't have much of an opinion on it, but he is an Adept Student, and that's one of his strongest points when it comes to kinky things. He'll learn from you, adapt, adjust, discard what doesn't hit right, keep what does. He knows that the tone, volume, and octave of his voice can effect you almost more than the actual words.

He knows dirty talk isn't just the speech itself, it's the aura, the grip, the tug of hair or the pressure holding your body in place. It's a full package deal and don't doubt that he could talk you into an orgasm once he got good enough at it.

Smoker:

Brat Taming - Oh God you don't even know - this man is the Daddy Dom. Sorry, sorry to anyone out there, but I'm not even talking strictly Age Play when I say this. He's got that "Your Superior" vibe, and that DILF energy has nothing to do with actual fatherhood. He grips you by the nape of your neck and tells you to kneel while bringing you to your knees, and half the movement is because they're already weak from the sound of his voice.

Smoker isn't concerned how willful you are or aren't as a brat, at the end of the day you're going to shatter underneath him, one way or another. (He's a sweetheart at his core, he's not going to like, break you against your boundaries or anything.)

Hate Sex - No - Consent is king with this man. Agreements, safe words, contracts even - he's not getting into kinks with someone without express consent. Maybe it's the marine in him, I think it's because he's 60% Strong Daddy Dom Vibes and 40% Cinnamon Roll. He's just Too GODDAMN Sweet at the end of the day.

Brat taming, which he loves, is about as close as he'll ever get to hate sex. Now, make-up sex, that's a possibility.

Dirty Talk - Yes - and he's good at it too. He's more of a "bend to my will" kind of talker in the bedroom, lil' praise, lil' degradation if it turns you on, and dirty talk is certainly mixed in there as well. It's not going to be a large part of the night, but he's just as likely to force you to talk dirty as he is to talk dirty to you.

He's certainly more of a "Tell me what you want in exacting detail, and the better you are at it the better you'll be rewarded."

Kinky One Piece head canons

[umbracirrus]

Snippet Sunday!

So, @hircines-hunter tagged me in a snippet sunday post before, and yeah, I think I can do that :3 Done quite a bit of writing over the past few days for anyone but Elyse who is who I'm wanting to write for right now😭

Here's a bit of chapter 3, possibly chapter 4 of Tempest!

--------------------

Brynjolf, I'm alive. Somehow. A dragon attacked Helgen when I was scoping the town out… I would have been done for if not for a soldier seeing me alive in the rubble, apparently. I'm not in the best way at the moment. Burns and broken bones. Currently in the Temple of Kynareth in Whiterun, the priestess here has been tending to my injuries. I don't think I'll be in a state suitable for travel for a while. I'll be staying in Whiterun for the foreseeable future. I am sorry to ask this of you, but could you send me the belongings which I had intended to collect from Riften? I desperately need clothes. My own clothes specifically. I appreciate that I've been given some spare clothes from the temple to wear… but they smell terrible. And don't fit. Don't forget the armour either… you know the one. I've got the blade with me still, thankfully. Take care of yourself and the guild. You'll do great as the boss, Bryn. T.

Thorne had felt almost hesitant handing that letter over to the courier alongside a small bag of coin which Danica had kindly given to her after she had mentioned wanting to send a letter to her family. The priestess didn't need to know that the 'family' which she was talking about was the Thieves Guild. And thanks to her decision to distance herself from them… well, they weren't really her family now anyway.

All that she could do now was wait for a response, ideally with her belongings accompanying it, and hang around Whiterun. Danica had told her not to venture too far from the temple, just in case her injuries were to flare up any, so she had settled on sitting on a bench under the tree just outside the temple, picking flowers from around the bench and fiddling with their petals. It did, admittedly, frustrate her that she could hear a preacher of Talos crying out from nearby, but she did her best to try and ignore it by instead focussing on the sound of flowing water.

After a short while of hanging around there, she suddenly snapped to attention when she heard her name being called out, and frantically glanced around until she noticed Farkas descending the stairs leading to Jorrvaskr in the company of another man… who didn't half look similar to him. A brother or something?

"Thorne! It's good to see that you're out of the temple," Farkas grinned as he made his way over to her, grabbing the wrist of the other man in the process. "How are you doing? Injuries any better?"

"I… I'm okay, yes. Still some problems and pain, but… I'm getting better," she responded, noticing how the man in his company was now giving her a scowl. He really didn't seem friendly in the slightest. "Who is…?"

"Oh! This is my twin, Vilkas," he stated, giving Vilkas a playful nudge with his elbow. "Don't mind him. He isn't too friendly with anyone until you get to know him."

Vilkas made a quiet grunt noise as he shook his head. "We've got a job to do, Ice Brain. Come on."

Farkas frowned, then let out a sigh as Vilkas started walking away without another word. "Sorry about him. We'll chat again when I'm back, yeah?" He began to walk away, trying to keep pace with his brother. "And do consider what I mentioned the other day about joining us when you're feeling better!"

[missglittersmiles]

Noble To The Core- CH. 6

Descendants × Fem! ReaderSummary: Saturday is when the fun begins.

Prev Chapter

 •| ⊱ Wigs Part 1 ⊰ |•

Dear Family,

I'm afraid I have misplaced some of my letters I've written on the first day because I can't find them. I would have rewritten all of them, but I have been doing a lot of writing and my hand hurts. As you can already tell, this handwriting isn't my own. My roommate Frida Sutree has offered to write for me.

I am more than thankful that she is my roommate. We might even be reaching the point of calling each other friends. After a brief conversation, it is safe to say that I have made a friend here.

Everything is going well enough. The first day was eventful, and most of my time has been doing tests. The school wants to see what my academic level is. I can proudly say that I have been working hard! There hasn't been a moment where I haven't missed all of you. I hope you are all doing well.

Hopefully, in the next letter, I'll be the one writing it and I won't lose it. I still don't know what could have happened to them.

Next week is when I'll be starting my classes. I can't wait to see what it'll be like. Though regardless of how we did on the tests, we'll all be taking Remedial Goodness 101. They didn't explain much about it, but I have a basic idea of what it is. They also let us choose some classes. Aside from the required one, I'm most excited for art. I'll try to write to you soon. I love you all!

XOXO

y/n Vainira.

"Remedial Goodness 101?" The woman could feel a fire flaring up in her as she washed the dishes with her husband. The man gave her a sympathetic look, but she was too focused on scrubbing the dishes. "It's not like they could do anything. They're just kids. And they made a whole class because they don't think they'll behave or have basic morals? The gall to even think that. You know what it reminds me of—"

There was a slight cracking sound coming from the plate she was scrubbing. He gently grabbed the woman's wrist, stopping her movements. When she looked at him, the frustration in her eyes softened. She realized that she almost broke another plate. A sigh escaped her lips.

"I just worry. I'm already wondering if I made the wrong choice by letting her go there." He couldn't give her any comforting words without lying. It wasn't like he could speak anymore. So all he could do was rub circles on her wrist with his thumb. Tears poured down the woman's wrinkled face.

"I'm just scared that something's going to happen to her, and I can't even be there for her." She turned her head away from her husband. She hated being seen crying by anyone.

"But y/n's a good girl. She'll be fine. She's always been lucky." Her words sounded desperate. He let go of her wrist and held her hand. The two could only hope that their fears wouldn't come true.

For a brief moment, there was frustrated anger in her. It wasn't directed at y/n's future tribulations and her own inability to help her child. It was toward the one who was holding her hand so gently right now.

If only he hadn't been so reckless and fanatic, they wouldn't even have to be worrying about this. To her, it felt like the obvious choice was to throw everything behind. They could have run away. Left Vrahan that place only seemed to give him trouble anyway. Then they could find a new place to start their family. That's what they should have done. That should have been her ending.

It was either his extremist pride or his belief in this grandiose picture that led him down this path. He had spent years going to war with his only family. So much blood tainted the land he called home. He couldn't just throw that away, no matter how much she begged and cried. Love wouldn't win against a sword.

But in the end, it was both their fault for ending up here. Codrin with his unwavering belief and her own willingness to follow him to the end. They were the ones to bring children into this world. They brought this situation upon themselves.

She cracked a small, wistful smile at the image of her children. All of them are so different from one another, but still so precious. They were the ones who made her feel alive on this hellish island. "Everything will be fine." She said aloud. He squeezed her hand, and she responded with one as well. A wordless apology to each other and hope that her words were true.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The idea of going clothing shopping for the new students had been stirring around in Ben's mind for a while now. He wasn't against the shabby look of their clothes. They were fine, but everything looked like they had been through a number of fights. There were holes and poor stitches that were barely holding the fabric together.

Not to mention the backhanded comments from other students. No one said anything when the five were around, but when they were out of sight, so many snide remarks slipped out from the students' mouths. Sometimes they'd say it openly in front of Ben as if trying to bait a reaction out of him. Of course, he never caved in and gave them what they wanted.

He wasn't going to say that he regretted his choice. From what little he has seen of the five, they all seem to be a well-rounded bunch. Just a little different from everyone here, but that didn't make them bad. Their blood didn't mean they were any less than them. No one's future was determined.

So when Frida came up to Ben and asked if she could take y/n out for some shopping. He couldn't hide his grin. His plan of trying to integrate the Island kids was working faster than he thought.

"You don't have to ask for my permission." Ben's words were followed by a slight chuckle. Frida gave him a dubious look, which stopped his laughter. He went silent for a moment before realizing that asking for permission was probably the best thing.

As much as he didn't want the school to be a prison cell for the five. He couldn't exactly let them leave school grounds without some sort of security following behind them. It was a bit dehumanizing, he knows, but his parents believed that this was a safety net of sorts. Things could be worse. He just hoped that, over time, everyone would learn to respect one another.

Frida waited for the prince's response. Watching his face shift from mild sadness to his usual sunny self. "That is a great idea!" He gasped before adding, "We should plan a whole day for them to get out of school and do some shopping!" Frida stood as still as a statue and watched Ben go on and on.

She wasn't into fashion, but she thought updating y/n's wardrobe would brighten her mood. The Island girl had become less enthusiastic as the first week went on, and it wasn't just her missing letters that were bothering her. When Frida asked what was wrong, all she'd say was that she was tired and was missing home.

It was clear that wasn't the only problem, but she never pushed y/n to give her the full answer. Why bother forcing it out? That usually leads to hostility. Still, she was glad to have Ben back up her idea. She wasn't sure about adding the other four to their little field trip, but she'd put up with it.

The rest of that free period was spent talking about what shopping would look like. It was mostly Ben brainstorming aloud and Frida trying to get back to her classwork.

'At least we have everything planned out, I guess. Well, that's if the King and Queen agree.' Frida thought glumly as the bell rang. She was still slightly upset that her classwork wasn't partially finished. It threw off her whole schedule. With the appearance of y/n, she had thrown everything in for a loop.

Later that day, when school was over, Ben made a beeline towards the palace. It wasn't too far from the school, just a little over half an hour ride. When the carriage came to a stop, he practically jumped out and sprinted in. He quickly found his mom in the library. If she wasn't anywhere else, then she was there.

When Ben loudly busted down the door, Belle slightly jumped at the sudden noise. She looked up from her book with curiosity at who had rudely entered the room. Much to her surprise, it was Ben.

Belle looked at the clock and asked, "Don't you have tourney practice?" Ben shook his head, then thought for a moment before nodding. "Usually, yes, but all the bats have gone missing. Every single one, even the spare ones. Everyone thinks Percy is behind it, and I don't want to be quick to judge- ah. That doesn't matter right now. That's not why I'm here right now."

She was getting to the good part of the book, but she put it down and put all her attention on Ben. Not interrupting once while he talked on and on about getting the Isle kids new clothes. He wanted them to pick their clothes themselves instead of some random person doing it for them. He also wanted them to experience more than just the school. There was a whole world that they had yet to know about.

The whole time Ben spoke, his eyes sparkled with excitement and hope. He was hoping that with these five, they could show that rehabilitation was possible for some of the children of the Isle. With them being a success story, other kids could join the rehabilitation program as well. But at the same time, there wasn't anything wrong with wanting them to enjoy their time here.

Once Ben finished speaking, he looked at his mom. He looked at her with pleading eyes. Belle gave him a sympathetic smile as she said, "Let's talk to your father about this." She watched his shoulders slump slightly. They both knew how this would end, but he would need permission from both parties.

And so, during dinner, another debate between Father and Son began. Ben didn't bother easing into things or touching his food. When the king took his seat at the head of the table, Ben brought up his idea. Catching everyone off guard. Belle played moderator during the whole discussion to keep things from getting out of hand.

The two were so stubborn that it wasn't amusing to Belle anymore. In the end, the king declared that those five were to stay on school grounds until he believed that they wouldn't try to run away or something worse. Ben was going to argue more until Belle called his name. Her voice was as stern as her expression. Silently telling Ben to back down.

Ben bit his tongue and nodded his head. If his mom wasn't going to back him up, then there was no point in fighting with his father. It'd be an uphill battle, but regardless of the obvious loss, Ben was thinking.

Just as the room had calmed down, Ben spoke up to bring back the tension. "At least let me, Chad, Audrey, and Frida be the ones to pick out their clothes. We'll ask what they like, and then we'll get it." He turned to his mom while saying, "It's better to have us do it than some random strangers, right?"

Already wanting to be done with this topic in general. The king agreed, which ceased further conversations about the Isle kids. With that, Ben spent his free time silently thinking to himself.

It didn't take him long to plan out this idea. All that needed to be done was to get the cogs moving. There were definitely some cogs that wouldn't move, but a little oil would loosen them.

During the wee hours in the morning, Ben woke up. He didn't bother waiting around to join his parents for breakfast. There was too much to be done. He was on a timer, and his deadline was Saturday.

In his closet, he spent a good moment looking through clothes. Trying to find something that didn't look too flashy or make him stand out. Then he finally settled on a simple white button-up and some brown pants. He looked in the mirror and messed up his hair. With his hair looking like a bird's nest, he looked a little less recognizable. If someone were to really look at him, then they'd probably realize who he was.

He ordered his carriage, which surprised the servants by how early it was. Still, an order was an order, and they began preparing everything for the prince. While his ride was getting ready, he grabbed a bag and threw his usual clothes in there, along with a purse with too many coins in it.

When the carriage was ready, equipped with a horse and a coachman, Ben's parents were waking up. Just as he was about to enter, he turned to the servant standing by. "Tell Mom and Father that I said good morning for me." He said with a smile before jumping in.

As always, the ride between the castle and the school was long and boring. It was the main reason why he has his own room in the dorm. He used to share his dorm room with someone, but his parents unrolled him with the announcement about the Isle kids. Ben seemed to have lost a bit of respect amongst his peers and even friends because of his decision.

Ben didn't regret any of this, but he does wish some of his friends didn't leave him behind. Or at least tried to understand where he was coming from.

His social circle may have diminished quite a bit, but at least he had Audrey and Chad. They were still opposed to the Isle kids, yet were willing to support Ben. It seemed like Frida Sutree, the recluse princess, would be joining them in their effort. Though it seemed like Frida was only interested in y/n. Which was a small victory to Ben regardless.

As the carriage entered the town, Ben told the coachman to stop when he saw what he was looking for. The coachman did as told before Ben leaped out. "Sir, what are you doing!?" The old man yelled out to the prince. "Don't worry, I'll be right back! I just need to pick up something!" Ben told the coachman as he entered the store.

The store owner was startled by Ben busting into the store. He couldn't tell if the woman was more startled by having a customer this early in the morning or how much energy he had. The prince smiled as he made his way to the counter. "Good morning! How are you doing?"

The woman spoke with wide eyes, "Good morning to you as well. I-I'm doing well." Ben looked around the shop. Taking in everything in the prop shop. The whole place looked messy yet organized at the same time. So many knickknacks. The woman rubbed her eyes, trying to see if her sleepiness was making her see things.

"You do wigs here, don't you?" He asked. His question was responded with a wordless nod.

"Great! You don't happen to have." He stopped and looked at his hands. Silently naming off names with each finger. Then he looked back at the woman to continue speaking, "Nine spare wigs?"

The woman didn't raise an eyebrow and went in the back. After waiting for a few minutes, she came back with a box of wigs. He grabbed the whole box and asked, "How much for them?"

"All of them?" She asked.

"All of them."

The moment Ben got back to school, he sneaked into the girl's dorm. Tiptoeing to Audrey's room. He knocked on the door lightly. Audrey wasn't a light sleeper, and she always got up early, so he was confident that she'd answer. The moment she opened the door, he rushed in and right past her.

Before she could question her boyfriend, he held out the box. "Do you think any of these bring out my eyes?" She peered into the boxes to see wigs. "What are these for? Wait, why do you even have these in the first place?"

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Listen, I have a plan." At that moment, Audrey's confusion turned into weariness. Ben and his little ideas were interesting, but not always successful. For instance, the tree incident that his friends would bring up. Or when he put hot sauce up his nose when he had a cold when he was younger.

"No! Don't look at me like that! Just hear me out, please, Audrey. It's for a good cause." Ben pleaded with his girlfriend. She didn't even have to look at his puppy dog eyes. His voice was enough for her. The prince of Auradon could make her do anything if he just asked. It was unfair how much power he had over her, but she supposed that was just love.

She let out a slight sigh and sat on her bed. "Fine." There was a slight pang of satisfaction when she saw him smile, and he thanked her. He set the box down and began explaining everything. How his father still didn't trust the five off school grounds. Even with security. Then on to his plan.

On Saturday, they'd sneak the Isle kids out. Everyone would be disguised, just so they wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention. He's already working out a deal with one of the coachmen, and he could bribe some of the guards. Although he would prefer fewer people get involved, he doesn't want to end up working with loose lips.

The boy stood the whole time while he talked. Making slight hand gestures from time to time. When he was done, he asked what Audrey thought about it. Without hesitation, she told him, "You're doing too much for them." He blinked. "You've brought them here. Isn't that enough?"

"Audrey," His usual sunshine aura slightly disappearing. "You know there's so much that needs to be done. Think about how many kids will be saved from that place if this program works. I know you don't believe in this, but—"

Audrey held up her hand to silence him. His mouth slightly hung open, but he quickly closed it when she spoke. "I believe you." She looked him in the eyes to clarify herself. "I believe in you. And if this program doesn't go right. If everything goes up in flames, I won't say I told you so. Because Chad and everyone will be saying it for me."

A slight laugh slipped from Ben. She continued on. "But no matter what, I'll always be right beside you. Helping you with whatever trouble you get into next. I'm sure Chad will be right there as well."

Ben wiped the corner of his eyes with his fingertips. "Why do you always say the sweetest things that make me cry? It's not fair."

She spoke in mild amusement. "It must be love, I suppose."

Once his eyes were cleared of any tears, he asked the important question. "Are you going to help me sneak them out?" His words made her "tsk" aloud and shake her head. "After everything I just said, you think I'd say no?"

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

"Why do you have to wear a wig?" y/n asked Frida.

"I guess the Prince is worried that I'll be recognized and ruin everything." Frida explained while putting on a red wig. Then she looked in the mirror and thought to herself, 'I don't even think the people of Auradon even know where Murkmire is on a map.'

The two went to gather Evie and Mal. Jay and Carlos would be picked up by Chad. Audrey and Ben would be waiting at the carriage. As the girls sneakily made their way to where the couple was waiting, y/n glanced at the two. Mal wore a short black wig. While Evie had a long green wig.

"Green looks good on you," y/n said without much thought. Evie smiled and spoke proudly, "Everything looks good on me." The other two had second thoughts on Evie's wig. The color was rather obnoxious and looked ugly. It didn't matter who wore it. No one could pull it off. Not even Evie. Still, they didn't voice their opinion. Mal had already spoken her mind just an hour ago.

When they made it to the stables, the boys had arrived before them. Jay busted out laughing when he saw Evie's wig. Carlos laughed as well, but he was much quieter. "What the hell is that?" Jay asked, pointing at Evie.

Evie flipped her hair while striking a pose. "It's called fashion, Jay. It's something you've never heard of." He shook his head slightly. His smile never faltered. "Whatever you say, snot green." She paid no mind to the name.

Chad introduced himself to the girls. Evie's eyes went wide when she heard his last name. Before she could start flirting with him, he focused his attention on Frida. "What do you think about long hair?" He asked while running his fingers through his blue wig. Frida shrugged her shoulders, uninterested by him and the question. "I have no opinion on it."

"Hm, well, do you think I should grow my hair out?" He asked. Frida shrugged her shoulders again and gave him a cold look. "I don't care." He quickly backed off.

Evie would add, "I think you'd look good with any hair." Chad didn't pay much attention to her and said thanks before moving closer to his friends.

While everyone chatted, y/n discreetly inched closer to Carlos. She took in the wig he wore for a moment before turning her eyes away from him. "That wig looks bad on you." She bluntly stated. He gasped and spoke with a quiver. "I thought it looked good on me."

Carlos watched her tense her shoulders from the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry, I just—" He quickly cut her off. He felt a little bad for making her worry, but only a little. "I'm kidding. That [random color] wig doesn't look good on you, either."

Her lips quirked up into a small smile. "I don't mind it looking bad, but it's a bit uncomfortable, isn't it?" He only hummed in agreement.

Ben clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. With all eyes on him, he went over a few things. They all stay close to each other, no wandering off. There should be no unnecessary conversations with strangers. When they get into town, they'll be divided into two groups, boys and girls.

"Today we are different people." Ben said.

Noble To The Core Masterlist

I just wanted to get something out before my birthday and get something out. Also sorry for the Ben focused chapter and lack of y/n. I enjoy stuff that doesn't focus on the main cast and fleshing out. As always, I have a vague idea for what I'll write, but I'd like to know what character/characters you would like y/n interact more with. Maybe I'll write it in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and here's a quick doodle I made in an hour.

Taglist: @nobl3sse @remiechu

[delicateartisantrash]

Ko-fi perk: Writing Excerpt

A thank you to everyone supporting me from the quiet likes to reblogs and tips and orders and encouraging comments-- I never thought i'd find an actual community in Tumblr, I thought it'd be more like drifting around in an ocean like a leaf.

I've met some of the kindest and most imspiring people here. Thank you, for helping give me ever more reasons to get out of bed every day.

Below the cut, is the very start of the next chapter of Gladiators of Kaon. I'll try to do one of these for each of my transformers fics (Yes!! I am still working on Star of the Show ;v; also Travel Buddies I WILL POST A CHAPTER THIS YEAR DAMMIT I SHAAAAALLLLLLL IDFC HOW I WILL WRITE IT GRRR) but we'll see how much writing i get done--

There are actually two snippets here. One for my Ko-fi supporters, and one for everyone <3 Enjoy~! ;-; man Sounders gonna need hugs when he home. And yes he's coming home, it'd be a very short story if he didn't. fuck u Arena give Sounders back to his fam)

~~~

Soundwave wishes that he didn’t have to be here. Unfortunately for them all, he has four-- no, now six little Sparks giving him a reason to keep coming back, and since he’s decided that’s what he wants, he’s committed to it.

Which means that every single mech surrounding him, eventually, at some point, if another mech doesn’t tear them apart first, it will be his miserable joy to do so. He’s not exactly well liked here.

Not even by the so-called fans of his in the arena. They’d cheer his demise ever more fiercely than his success; his winning streak risked their boredom. His loss would be a novel, once-in-a-lifetime event.

His engine turns on with a rumble so quiet, not a soul but the one hiding so silently against his chest could ever know. Fine tremors threaten to shake through his frame as the fear trails ice-cold fingers down his struts like finely tuned scalpels, slicing through his armor of false composure, fraying his nerves alive as his defensive systems come online with an instinctive rush--

Hey. Focus. Just get across the room, we don’t have to waste any time with these code nags, they willingly signed up for this slag, Lazerbeak reminds him scathingly, riled enough Soundwave worries for a moment that her engine might kick on. Guilt at his own lapse of control flares, and just as quickly, the concern is washed aside by a peaceful calm not borne from his own Spark. It comes tinged with indignant frustration, perhaps rightly so; of the two of them, Soundwave has no questions on who is the braver mech. Oh come on, she injects directly into his thoughts, the edges of their minds blurring for a moment before solidifying as she probably changes system processes throughout his frame again.

What would he do without her?

~~~

The very start of the next chapter of GOK contains a very -special- kind of jumpscare~ ;) Enjoy the sneaky peak preview!

and shhhhh if you can, please~ let people be surprised when it's published hehehe >:) >:D *evil dragon laugh*

I've taken ya'lls advice and took a little bit of a break from writing for a hot bit (though the stories never leave my head, i'm always working on them. I think and plot and get ideas for them daily. --Okay more like constantly. Always. lmfao.) and I've gotten a lot of things done productive, even if that was just... sitting quietly, hanging out with any of the critters or taking a moment of peace for myself.

as much as writing helps me, it does also drain my energy in its own ways, so the time i've taken to recharge while also dealing with everything else going on has been healing. ;w; thank you for being so supportive. I don't think I could have dreamed of or asked for kinder readers and people surrounding me.

I neeeeed to wriiiite though so i'm working on dedicating some set aside time to it this week, so I'll do my best to get some chapters rolled out ;v; i got so many ideas I want to write down and share hehe~

Thank ya'll <3

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Forbidden knowledge and the one time you're allowed to use it

Warnings: heavy angst and I mean that!! I cried so much writing this and have debated abandoning it several times!!

Listen to this for the full experience because that's what I listened to while writing this.

---

"I really don't think we should be doing this..." Sizhui tried, pulling onto one of Jingyi's sleeves. He swatted Sizhui's hand away, and he picked up some random book, a decidedly different one from what Hanguang-Jun had told them to get when he handed them the token for access in the forbidden section of the library.

"C'mon, aren't you even a little bit curious what's in here?" Jingyi replied, flipping through the pages of the book. "It's not like there's anyone to tell on us or anything, and who knows when we'll get the chance to snoop around here again?"

"Maybe there's a reason why we aren't allowed here so liberally, Jingyi... We should just go..."

"Sizhui, my man, live a little." And Jingyi tossed him a heavy book. "See what's in there, look for anything that's very powerful and very forbidden."

"And exactly why do you want to learn very powerful and very forbidden things?" Sizhui asked, suspicious, though he began sifting through the book as told.

"Because I'm curious and I also want to be the coolest guy around, obviously!"

"Jingyi, you can be cool without using whatever forbidden techniques are written in these books, you know?"

"Yeah, but what's cooler than the forbidden and the occult?"

"Not getting punished to do handstands for 12 hours..." Sizhui mumbled, sending a talisman to the ornate doors of the library to warn him if anybody walked in. He'd lie if he said he wasn't curious too, but it felt a bit too risky to just waltz around in the Lan sect's dark knowledge dungeon like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Still, he reasoned, he'd already broken the rules by disobeying a superior and he'd already looked into a book that he hadn't been allowed to - he'd get punished either way. And perhaps Jingyi had been right, it was incredibly rare for junior cultivators to be allowed into the forbidden section of the library, might as well make the best of it.

---

The night hunt had gone haywire so quickly and so unexpectedly that Sizhui and Jingyi hadn't even had time to think of the tipping point that led to their current situation. One moment they were slaying a small horde of fierce corpses, the next they found themselves trapped in the strangest array they had ever seen, with a literal army of ghouls attacking them from all directions.

They tried asking for help - they sent all of their flares flying, but that strange array blocked them, extinguishing the firework-like signal before it lit up the sky.

There was no time to think of how to break the array, not with corpses and demons jumping at them ceaselessly, fueled by such resentment that it backed the two cultivators into a corner, back to back, trying to protect themselves and each other, struggling for a solution, for survival.

---

"Hey, Sizhui, look at this!"

The book depicted a figure gathering their qi in the center of their chest, manifesting it as a large, powerful sphere.

"Apparently, this is some kind of ultimate technique that can destroy a large number of enemies and purify cursed land, break any curse or spell and is largely invincible. Isn't that cool?"

Sizhui read over the page around the drawing and frowned. "This technique... anyone who uses it dies. Painfully. It requires draining your life force out of your body, and in order to do that it..."

He tore his eyes from the book and shut it closed. "Let's just go, Jingyi."

---

"No!" Sizhui shouted, blocking another fierce corpse's strike. "No way, no!"

"What else is there left?!" Jingyi shouted back, throwing the last of his talismans against their assailants. "Nobody's coming, and we're running out of time and energy already! How much longer do you think we can go like this? A few minutes at most!"

"I fucking said no!" Sizhui all but growled, eyes fierce. "I'm not doing that! And I'm not letting you do it either!"

---

"What are you writing there?" Sizhui asked, peering over his friend's shoulder. He expected to find some silly romance story or a journal entry - but his eyes darkened in disapproval instead as his eyes recognized the writing. "Jingyi."

"I know you disapprove, but hey, it could be useful!"

"Why are you so hung up on that particular thing? Did you like reading about how you'd die if you used it that much?"

"That's not it." Jingyi shook his head, "There's a rule about using it. Apparently it doesn't work just when you want it to. Your body and your spirit would fight it unless this condition is met."

Sizhui hated that his interest was piqued. "What condition?"

"The condition is-"

---

Sizhui screamed, pain tearing through him as the corpse's claws dug into his chest, tearing the fine material of his robes and the delicate layer of skin underneath.

Jingyi cut it down before it could do any more damage, and rushed to help Sizhui balance as he burnt the very last talisman he had to keep the monsters at bay.

"Sizhui... come on, we can't go on like this forever."

Sizhui tried to steady himself but the pain and the damage of past injuries caught up to him, collapsing onto the ground even as Jingyi held him. "No- Jingyi, no, I can't-"

Jingyi wiped the blood off his face with a small smile. "I'll do it, it's okay."

Tears filled Sizhui's eyes, his hands coming to grip his friend's wrists. "No, no, please, don't... there has to be another way..."

Jingyi tried to keep the smile on his face and ignore the tears threatening to fall down his own face. "There is no other way. Not this time."

Sizhui pulled his friend into the tightest hug he could muster, shaking with the force of it and his sobs. Or perhaps they weren't only his own. They had imagined their lives so many times, the future twin jades of Lan, honoring their sect and their seniors for decades to come, growing up together, building families and worthy reputations, helping people.

All of those things, they would never come true. There would be no future and nothing to share. No together, nothing at all.

"Let go, A-Yuan. The talisman's going to burn out soon." Jingyi mumbled, trying to hide the shake in his voice as he spoke into his friend's shoulder.

"Just a little longer."

Jingyi swallowed the hard lump in his throat and gently pushed Sizhui away. "It's going to be okay. You don't have to look."

But there was no way Sizhui would be able to close his eyes, there was no way he would convince himself to be blind to his friend's - no, his brother's sacrifice. The least he could do was look, admire his bravery and his power and his love, and catch his body as it would fall, limp and lifeless, to the ground.

Jingyi took in a deep breath, his expression steely, determined. Sizhui could never imagine himself so courageously facing death, and he wants to scream his cowardice and his weakness and his sorry to the man that would give his life just to save Sizhui's.

Slowly, Jingyi began coaxing his qi outside of his body, thin, white streams of energy coiling around one another in front of his chest. His brows furrowed, in pain, but he said nothing, uttered nothing of his discomfort, only the thinnest ribbon of blood falling from his lips. He'd bitten his tongue.

The sphere started taking more shape now, tragically beautiful in its wielder's hands, and it was for a brief second that Jingyi turned his head and opened his eyes to take one last look towards Sizhui, a serene, resigned, painless smile on his face.

...and then, for a few seconds, blinding light swallowed everything, all the beasts, the forest, the array, the moon, the stars and the entire world. For a few seconds, there was nothing, nothing but the gut-wrenching scream Sizhui let out.

---

"The condition is that you can only use this technique if somebody you couldn't live without is in mortal danger."

---

The light died out, and the world returned to its muted, dark colors. There were no more corpses, no more monsters, no more wounds on Sizhui's body.

There was no more Jingyi.

Nothing was left.

Not even ashes, not even a shred of clothing, nothing at all.

---

"This technique... it destroys the spirit... there's nothing left after, no reincarnation, no chance to respond to Inquiry, nothing at all. It's like you never even existed, ever."

"But if you think about it... it's not something you use lightly. The condition says you can only use it for someone you can't live without. If they die, isn't that the same thing as having your soul destroyed?"

---

It started to rain.

Jingyi used to hate the rain.

[acourtofthought]

How do you think Lucien is going to react to having Helion as a father? I know everyone is excited about it and thinks Lucien will be happy to find a different father but I just don't feel like he's going to be happy with Helion. At. All. Not after what his mother has gone through; I know it's not exactly Helion's fault, but I think Lucien will attribute Helion as a major cause for much of his mother's abuse. Also, she waited for him and he didn't come for her. Also, I don't think Helion is going to be a "cool dad;" I'm not sure how he's going to feel about having a son who grew up in the Autumn Court. How do you think Helion will react? Anyway, this is why I'm more invested in Lucien and Eris repairing their relationship.

I definitely don't think Lucien is going to run straight into Helions arms, thankful for a decent father figure at last. I imagine he'd have too many unanswered questions at first (not to mention they haven't been written as having any sort of relationship in the series so far, even one outside father / son).

Did Helion know Lucien was his son? Did he suspect?

If so then Lucien would definitely want to know why he never attempted to have a relationship with him.

Though I can't imagine SJM would write a scenario where Helion knew and didn't have a valid reason for keeping his distance, she has spoken of being weirdly obsessed with Helions character so I don't imagine she'd want to turn him into the bad guy especially when Lucien already has one of those in his life in Beron.

I think eventually, we're going to see Helion and Lucien getting along well. They're too similar in their sassy personalities with a flare to their style not to find common ground and recognize a likeness to one another. But Lucien is grown now, he doesn't need a dad to play catch with, so any relationship that does form isn't going to look the same as what it would have had he been much younger. Maybe there will be a scene where Helion offers him advice on his situation with Elain, about not giving up on hope when it comes to the right female and that will be a representation of their bonding, something Helion personally has experience with and could share his wisdom on. However I think we'll see them connect on a more equal level rather than Helion suddenly morphing into Super Dad trying to constantly guide Lucien without Lucien asking for his advice.

I hope Lucien doesn't blame Helion for what happened with his mother because Helion was no more capable of stopping Beron than Lucien and Eris were.

Lucien is centuries old at this point. Not as old as Rhys and the others in the IC but maybe 300? 400?

The LoA was twenty when she married Beron and had many sons before Lucien. Helion only came into power about 40 years ago while UTM as Amarantha killed the HL of Day and most of their family when they tried to rebel.

That means when the LoA married Beron, Helion had no idea he'd become a High Lord and that means he may not have had the power to stop Beron who already had internal ties to power. It also sounds like neither Helion or the LoA had any chance in what appears to have been her arranged marriage.

I also think it's important to remember that the LOA chose to stay.

The LoA did not reach out for help, she did not request someone free her from Berons shackles.

So who was Helion to interfere in her marriage? What he thinks she should do and what he'd like to do doesn't trump what she herself did.

I actually have had personal experience (not my own but family members) who are victims of domestic abuse and I can attest to the fact that you can't force someone to leave unless they want to. You can offer them all the help and a place of safety but there is truly no interfering and insisting they leave if they themselves aren't ready to walk away.

I do agree that I'd also love to see Eris and Lucien repair their relationship if there is some valid reason behind the years Eris spent treating Lucien cruelly. I think that's the direction SJM is heading, she's laid a few hints that maybe he could have been protecting Lucien in a way that wouldn't raise Berons suspicions but we still haven't gotten a true explanation for it all.

Really, I want all the relationships for Lucien.

I want to see him reconnecting with his brother so he has one decent sibling.

I want to see Helion and Lucien working towards a relationship, in whatever capacity that is.

I want he and Tamlin to find peace with one another even if they don't end up being extremely close.

I would like Az to finally acknowledge Lucien is a worthy male and for the two to move forward as friendly acquaintances.

I want him to be blissfully happy with his mate.

He's spent so many years alone and there would be nothing more satisfying than seeing him surrounded by love in every court.

[the-ultimate-pie-family]

Noble 6 the reaper part 2

Comet and Noble 6 were hiking a mountain to another outpost, hoping for a working radio 6 up there. "Noble 6 looked up, seeing a down pelican. Hmm," move up noble 6 took the lead scooting the area clear move up "Comet ran up look for the radio it work may day may day pelican 115 we need help? hello? Pelican 115 is down and needs exfil hello? Ahh damnit, Comet, get down, stay quiet. Comet took cover and hid and was ready to fire. Hands up how dare you treat your brother like that. "Blood collapsed, falling in a small trench" ow....... told you guys I'll make it...... "Comet and noble 6 carried blood in the down pelican." How did you escape? I did? "Blood was confused." I must've lost them back there, hahah. "Comet and 6 were just shocked he lost them that easy." we should keep moving. why? The radio works, right? Right? Yes, but no one answers, and then I must need time to give life in the pelican. "Then elites started to move in. Comet threw a plasma grenade at an elite blow chunks everywhere. " Like old times, huh guys? "Comet fired his assault rifle, killing 10 grunts and three jackles and 1 elite." 14 kills for me 6. How about you 5 grunts, 10 jackles, and 3 elites? "As 6 killed a brute" and one brute, hahah, that's 25. You suck your buying dinner a comet. Can you guys shut up? I can't work hello. This is Pelican 115 can any one hear me? Hey, we got survivor caption. we need help. Please, Pelican, down, elite are here we'll try to meet you some send in location fast we read you pelican 115 write this down fast. Blood, what's going on? "Comet and 6 were firing, then blood made an escape hole move. Dammit I'm hit. "Comet got shot with a needler 6 grabbed comet and threw him out the hole." Blood go my destiny is writen already no you're destiny is still going blood grabbed 6 jumping down the hill comet run "Comet coughed trying to get his barring" run gotcha "they ran to the exfil while getting fired at" 6 flare now "6 threw a flare to signal" blood all sides blood comet back to back. The last resort shit "Comet 6 and blood went back to back to back" 3......... "elite, grunts, jackles, hunters, brutes, and drones started swarming in, then 6 yelled." FIRE!!!!!!

"Noble 6, comet, and blood fired their weapons, dropping the grunts and jackles." Comet behind you "6 rolled over comet stabbing an elite in it head with emile's knife" pelican 115 group were above you drop that ladder now solider "the ladder fell climb men go go go comet climbed up then 6 and blood grabbed the ladder" go go go get us out of here "then the random portal grabbed comet and blood again teleporting them back home" Huh?

Mod pie: halo story lol

Tag: @clown-sip

[deejadabbles]

Okay IDK what happened with my inbox, but I know someone sent this song to me for the song fic game, even if the ask isn't there anymore (i saved it to my drafts while my wifi was wonky so maybe it's in the tumblr aether somewhere?). Anywho, hopefully you see this, whoever you are <3

For this song, I'm going to write Jesse for the first time, and because I have the unexplainable urge to step on this man, you're all getting a slightly dominant reader this time around lol

Warnings for: highly suggestive themes (minors don't look!), drinking, and the sexy shenanigans we expect at 79s

Jesse was not a man easily taken by surprise. It just came with the territory, he couldn't afford to let anything captivate or shock him on the battlefield.

But when you walked in to 79s?

Oh, Jesse knew he would do anything he could to get close to you, or damn if he wouldn't die trying.

You walked in with some friends, but something about you stood out like gold in a sea of silver. He was vaguely aware of Fives nudging him, saying something about your group matching their numbers perfectly, but Jesse was too busy gawking like some shinny.

When you moved by him to get to the bar he swore you locked eyes with him for just a moment. And that was all the confidence boost he needed.

After flashing his brother a knowing look, Jesse sauntered up to the bar, making sure to fill as much space near you as possible- hey, he didn't get arms like pythons and thighs like tree trunks for nothing, after all.

"So, you and your friends want some handsome troopers to buy your drinks?"

He saw the way your brows quirked up, before your eyes or head turned in his direction. Then, those eyes that were starting to remind him of a tiger looked him up and and down.

"Sure, we'll let you boys buy our drinks."

Kriffing hell, that voice! Obviously you were someone who made sure every inch of you, every side, was as captivating as the last. Again, Jesse only vaguely took notice to the fact that Fives, Tup, and Kix were paring off with your friends. Right now, all his senses were taken up with you.

"So," he began, just as the bartender handed you a drink, "what's your name, gorgeous?"

You huffed a laugh, took a sip, then said, "Wouldn't you like to know."

And just like that, you turned on your perfect heels, and walked away from him.

To his credit, Jesse only needed a second to recover, something stirring low in his belly. It wasn't just the arousal he felt anytime he spotted someone he wanted to take home, this was similar but...new. A different kind of arousal, a brand of it that he wasn't used to feeling.

Jesse didn't waste a beat, he followed, gave chase as you swayed onto the dance floor.

"If you wanted to dance before your drink, you could have just said so," he called over the music and putting on his most charming smile. The one that got him comm numbers and little lacy souvenirs to tuck in his pocket.

But all you did was look over your shoulder at him, taking another drink before your hips started swaying. When he didn't back down, you sashayed your body to face him, a look somewhere between disinterest and mild amusement on your face.

"Listen, trooper, I don't want to waste my time, so I'll warn you now: I'm a hard woman to please, so either walk away, or prove you're worth my attention."

That sensation in his belly was flaring, and he felt his grin widen. Making sure he gave you time to pull away if you wanted, Jesse reached out, and gripped your hip. Not breaking his gaze from yours, he drew you in just a little closer. Enough to tease, enough to leave you wanting more.

"Oh, baby, I can do that."

He didn't even know how much time passed that night. Somewhere between the dancing and the drinks, he managed to prove himself enough to tug you into a hallway lit only by a neon sign. He was pulling out all the stops, using every skill his mouth and hands had learned to make you his.

But it still wasn't quite enough.

You hadn't moaned and whimpered like the others, you weren't begging him for more and writhing in his touch like it was heaven incarnate.

And that just spurred him on all the more.

"Tell me what you want," he whispered in your ear, breath hot, armor so painfully tight he might just be willing to beg you for any scrap of guidance on how to make you his.

You lifted your leg, opening up for him, inviting, "I'm sure a smart man like you can think of something," you purred, "Or is that mouth of yours just good at talking?"

Jesse felt all his bravado fall away in an instant. He didn't waste any time in sinking to his knees for you.

taglist: @blueink-bluesoul @anxiouspineapple99 @starrylothcat @sinfulsalutations @commander-sunshine @dystopicjumpsuit @wolffegirlsunite @sunshinesdaydream @arcsimper5

[alexandraisyes]

Highly Unconventional But We Make It Work's Moon some time in the distance future is willing to talk to the 'villain' family on civil terms and he finds out about Sun sleeping with KC and Flare and is just like "is there anyone in this family that hasn't slept with my brother?" and Lunar, who considers himself Eclipse's brother (or did before?) comments that he hasn't while Sun is dying of embarrassment.

This is a gentle reminder and disclaimer that H.U.B.W.M.I.W (also dubbed "The Deal" series) is rated Explicit 18+ and is a non-canon-aligned TSAMS AU. Literally, if you haven't read the fic just scroll past, I know most of you are here for my art, not my writing. I will even do the courtesy of adding a read more for both those who aren't entirely caught up and also those who aren't interested or who are uncomfortable with ship-based AUs in this fandom (valid).

. . . so like how distant of a future are we talking? Cause. . . coughs-

Also, Lunar and Eclipse do consider each other brothers! In this AU Eclipse is the only one Lunar considers to be family, like real actual family, and not just "a friend that is like family". I've gone slightly in-depth about the relationship dynamics before, and I will share that here, although you can also find it in the comments under chapter four of TMiB (some of my readers may recall that as the KC/Sun moment).

KC and Flare see Eclipse and BM as their (unruly) kids, but only BM sees them as parents. Eclipse sees KC more as an older friend than a parent, and Flare as someone he has to accept exists. He's a bit bitter over the fact that Flare was technically a failed project via gaining sentience because it's just another reminder that Eclipse kinda fucks up everything he programs. They get along for the most part these days, but they have their moments. Eclipse and Lunar see each other as siblings. Eclipse also sees the twins as siblings to an extent, but the twins don't share that sentiment. As far as the twins are concerned the only one they're related to is Killcode (with Flare by extension as a sorta adoptive mom). Lunar is not part of the Celestial family. Sun, Moon, and Earth are all siblings and they all consider the Creator to be their father (the Creator does not actually see them as his children but he'll toss around the word for shits and giggles). Earth considers Lunar her little brother, but Lunar doesn't share the sentiment. Solar doesn't consider anyone to be family in the main reality, but his Sun (and only his Sun) back in his reality was his brother.

Also, as far as Moon and Sun talking? We're currently at the end of May in the fic, and Sun and Moon won't see each other until the beginning of the next book, which is set in the beginning of October. Actually, lmfao, I'm just now realizing that by the time we reach the third book, it may actually be October just because of how we have the schedule structured. Also just a heads up for my readers, there isn't gonna be an update this weekend either (I'm moving) which is why I uploaded that KC/Flare drabble last weekend. I'll try to upload another drabble this weekend as well to make up for the lack of content, or maybe some art. We'll see.

Anyways, we'll see how well this ask ages after chapter 14 haha. Thanks for sending an ask! I love rambling about my fics and gladly will ramble some more if people want me to. Ask away! We'd love to answer more!

[bereft-of-frogs]

hello friends, it is October 1, I am at my PEAK spooky bitch, in honor of this have a list of bad summaries of everything I'm working on for whumptober (and a reminder that I have been flaunting the 'rules' of whumptober for 5 years, not planning on changing now, won't start posting until Halloween 🎃)

Day 1 (safety net, swooning, 'how many fingers am I holding up'): unlikely hero deeply resents being forced to save everyone (status: outline only, eehh sort of lower on the priority list, probably won't get finished tbh)

Day 2 (delirium, 'they don't care about you'): dude just really fucking hates a teenager for no reason; bad vibes are infectious (status: I have 332 words, should be able to finish)

Day 3 (journal, solitary confinement): I once again attempt to make found footage happen ('stop trying to make found footage happen, it's not going to happen--') (it's going to happen) (status: I'm obsessed with this, it's at 1.2k, I think I can get this done)

Day 8 (overcrowded ER): ack crowds (status: 299 words, but it's an old draft so finishing will mean getting over the cringe factor)

Day 11 (animal trap, captivity): yet another character who was definitely supposed to be dead is in fact not and is going to make that everyone's problem (status: barely an outline, I've been kicking this one around for ages but I'm sort of torn on how deep to go into the disturbing content, so...we'll see. if anything it will probably be just the first chapter of a wip)

Day 12 (red, insomnia): second chapter to a currently posting WIP in which our characters play detective, make an ill-advised, true-crime-obsessed friend, and debate the nature of ghosts (status: first draft done! needs second, currently at 7.4k, posting this one on Halloween)

Day 13 (cold compress, infection, 'I don't feel so good'): first chapter of a future WIP (I'm embracing the serialized nature of fandom) in which there are concussions, dreams, and deeply held headcanons (status: 272 words...I think I can finish it? the outline is extensive)

Day 14 (flare, water inhalation): :) big water = bad (status: 434 words, but also there are more because I'm kidnapping a cut dream from the dark ocean duology. the dreams in that got a little out of hand, but some of the cut ones were really fun so I'm glad I found this one a home)

Day 15 (suppressed suffering): deeply unfair consequences (status: first draft done, 3.2k)

Day 19 (psychological): you can't convince me that consultants aren't evil geniuses (status: 2.5k, there is 0% chance of this being finished, because it's going to be long - this is the outline that I wrote at work last week that made my hand go numb - but using the prompt as a springboard to work on it. this took over my life for a couple days last week)

Day 21 (vows, restraints, 'don't move'): folk horror #1 (yes there are two) (status: vague outline only, unlikely to be finished)

Day 23 (shadows, stalking): literally my worst nightmare (status: so this is actually excerpts from my nanowrimo project, because I need a little push to get it started and not just re-outline it again. I have one scene written in a notebook, so we're starting to chip away at that barrier)

Day 25 (storm, buried alive): HAUNTED HOUSE!!! 👻💀👻💀 HARVEST FESTIVAL!!!!!!! 🍂🎃🍂🎃STORM!!!!!!!!! ⛈️🪦⛈️🪦YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH-- (status: 269 words, this one is a late addition idea but I'm moving it up in the priority because it is the spookiest, I'm obsessed)

Day 28 (bloody knife, sacrifice): folk horror #2. this one came to me in a dream. (status: there's an older draft that has like 2.7k in it but like Day 19, I want to be able to do it justice, so I doubt it will be finished, but it's a good springboard)

Day 29 (troubled past resurfacing): a little interaction I have absolutely no business writing (status: done, 1.1k, debating moving to Day 6 (recording))

Day 30 (bridal carry): literal. babies. (status: I have about a thousand words here but I don't...love them. I really want to finish it though. I did math for this. Sort of stretching the prompt on this one.)

Alt Prompt 10 (shaking): SADNESS. 🥲 (status: first draft done, currently at 2.4k, manifestation of my denial)

'hey, you said there were 15 ideas, why are there 17 here--' shutup

laying them all out like this is slightly stressful, especially because I've become a two-draft minimum person, but I have a plan. I think I'm going to focus on first drafts until the weekend of October 14-15, when I'm going up to dogsit for my parents, then after that shift priority to the second drafts of what I have finished. I think that's...doable...? we shall see!

[huphilpuffs]

what we both need

summary: Dan’s too sick to go to pride. flares verse. word count: 1148 rating: e for everyone warnings: chronic illness, chronic pain a/n: written for @phandomficfests pride flash fest. thank you to @philliebf for beta’ing this for me. if you haven’t read flares, all you really need to know is that Dan has fibromylagia. 

ao3 link

The bitterness comes the moment Dan cracks his eyes open to a bedroom painted in afternoon sunlight.

It’s been there for weeks, a nauseating burn in his stomach, a painful weight on his chest, layered beneath fruitless hope, the desperate kind that Dan knew would result in nothing, but could never erase entirely. That maybe, just maybe, this time his body would cooperate. Maybe he’d feel good.

Maybe the fibromyalgia would leave his brain alone for just one day.

But his arms ache with a phantom sunburn and his eyes sting from the summer sun and Dan rolls over, presses his face into his pillow, and cries until his ribs ache too much to breathe.

---

Crawling out of bed is hard.

The duvet is too bright and the room is too happy and Dan wants nothing more than to bury himself in his biggest hoodie and pretend the world doesn’t exist. Just for a day, so his brain doesn’t need to remember what he’s missing out on.

But it’s July and his body already can’t handle the heat.

He wears a singlet instead, so no fabric grates over the burning nerves of his upper arms. He stays in his pants because it’s been a long time since he’s needed to wear trousers at home.

Even though his chest goes tight with sadness, he drags himself out of the bedroom and tries to face the day.

---

Phil intercepts him in the hallway.

He’s wearing a button down and shorts and a smile far too happy. Dan sinks into the hand that wraps around his hip, the fingers that slide into his hair.

“How are you feeling?” asks Phil, just before pressing a soft kiss to Dan’s lips.

He shrugs in response, humming against the pain in his chest.

Phil squeezes his hip. “I have something for you.”

His hand slides into Dan’s, tugs him gently towards the lounge. Dan’s breath hitches at the sight, and sputters when the spasm of his chest muscles makes him choke.

“Is it okay?” says Phil.

And as soon as Dan stops coughing, Phil presses a kiss to the round of his shoulder.

---

Dan settles on the sofa with a sigh, stares at the room around him.

Phil replaced their makeshift blanket curtains with a pair of not-quite-opaque rainbow flags. There’s smoothies sitting on the coffee table, that Dan’s certain Phil didn’t make himself, layered in the colours of the rainbow. The breakfast bar is littered with little things Dan can’t see, and Mario Kart lights up the telly.

“Is it too much?” asks Phil.

It’s a lot, Dan thinks. Bright and colourful and exuberant. He shakes his head, reaching out to tug Phil onto the sofa with him.

“I love you,” he says.

Phil’s smile goes broad and happy. He kisses Dan again.

It’s a lot, but it feels like pride.

---

Dan ends up changing into a new singlet, this one made of mesh. He pulls on a pair of shorts and sits back down on the sofa where his outfit doesn’t matter.

Except it feels like it matters. Everything about today suddenly feels like it matters.

Phil pins a rainbow to the collar of his shirt. He smiles like it matters to him, too. Like this is actually a suitable alternative to the parade full of colours and community that marches through the city too many stories beneath their feet.

Pain twists in Dan’s chest. He wishes he could be there, could walk through city streets surrounded by happy, proud people. Just for a few steps. That would be enough, if only his body would let him drag himself there.

If only he wasn’t so broken.

He blinks the thought away.

The sadness lingers, but when Dan smiles around his smoothie’s swirly straw, it doesn’t feel forced.

---

The rainbow curtains paint the lounge is stripes of faded colours.

Dan’s head is tilted back against the sofa. He stares at where translucent orange bleeds into red and yellow, and a smile draws at the corners of his mouth.

Phil’s fingers tap at his jaw. “Don’t move.”

“Sorry,” says Dan, but he’s still smiling.

Phil giggles. The wet paint brush he’s holding shakes against Dan’s cheek, leaving lines Dan knows will squiggle. But it’ll be good, he thinks.

It’ll be great.

Phil pulls back. “All done.”

Dan grabs his phone, pulls up the camera to see Phil’s work. The flag isn’t straight, the colours a little mixed. But he can’t help but smile, take a poorly-lit, awkward-angled picture of himself.

And then he reaches out, drags Phil forward to press a clumsy kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He takes a picture of that, too, just for them.

Part of him wishes it wasn’t a sofa he was sitting on, wasn’t an empty wall behind him, but, still, he smiles.

It’s a snapshot of their tiny slice of pride.

---

Twitter is full of photos of people who are actually there.

For a moment, the sadness returns, as Dan stares at pictures of couples sharing kisses on public streets, surrounded by colours and flags and support and joy. The face paint’s gone dry on his cheek and the mesh shirt feels a little awkward over his body, and the urge to curl up and ignore it stabs painfully behind his eyes.

Phil takes his phone when the first tear falls.

“It’s not fair,” Dan mumbles.

“I know,” says Phil. “Next year, we’ll figure it out, okay? Even if we can only go for a little bit.”

Dan nods. But the sadness stays, sending another tear rolling down his cheek. Phil reaches for him, draws him in and holds Dan to his chest until his breathing evens out.

Until he can stares at the rainbow flags hanging over their windows and see stripes instead of teary swirls.

“Thank you,” says Dan.

Phil just kisses the top of his head.

---

The world quiets down in the evening.

Inside, the flat’s gone darker. They order rainbowless pizza for dinner and sit on the sofa. The rainbow on Dan’s cheek is smeared just a little from his tears and Phil’s rainbow pin is sitting on the coffee table now because it was bothering him.

Phil hands him a Wii remote. His smile is a little too wide as he selects a race.

Dan’s laugh stabs between his ribs, echoes happily through the lounge. “I don’t think Rainbow Road is how most people celebrate pride, Phil.”

But they play it once, and then again when Phil whines about how he didn’t win.

The sun has fallen. The rainbow flags still hang from the windows. Their empty smoothie glasses and half-eaten pizza linger on the coffee table.

Dan kisses the pout off Phil’s lips when he comes in second again.

The rainbow Phil painted on his cheek goes smudged when Phil reaches up, cradles his face and kiss him again.

[lorellaishc]

Purpose

(( @daily-writing-challenge February 2023, Day 7, Event, Recovery, CW: violence, gore))

The proto-drake's roar echoed off the nearby cliffs as it swooped down, scattering the adventurers who had ambushed her primalist servants. Her flames, hot as the Firelands, blasted down where they had stood, driving them away from the precious, stolen eggs they sought.

"Not good!" Lorellai shouted, shouldering her now empty rifle and drawing her sword. "I'm almost out of bombs!"

"We're all feeling a bit spent, miss!" Edmund shouted as he grabbed Cay out of the open with one big arm, and dived with them behind a boulder to evade the fiery blast as the drake slammed down.

"INSOLENT TITAN BORN WRETCHES! YOU WILL NOT STOP US!" the drake roared, unleashing flame in all directions, superheating the air of the battlefield, heedless of any of her primalist servants scattered about who might still have been clinging to life.

Lorellai's comm flared to life, and she heard Pin's voice come through. "We need that drake out of the way, what do you have left Lorellai?"

She patted down her vest, and pulled out her last blasting charge. "Just one blaster and my sword, ma'am!"

"We'll get you an opening, try and get it somewhere it'll do some damage." Pinapple replied, and Lorellai saw the sky above begin to roil with cloud, and her heart soared as she saw Shansii step to the edge of one of the nearby rock pillars, her hands aglow with lightning. There weren't any primalists to contest her for the power of the storm now. Lightning shot up out of her hands into the clouds, and then moments later shrieked down, slamming into the drake as she rose her head to blast the draenei girl.

"NOW!" Pin's voice called out as she broke cover, charging the drake. Behind her, Edmund roared and followed her in, slamming into the drake shield first as Pin slashed as hard as she could at the drake's underside. Both staggered under the immense heat the beast gave off, but the glowing energy of Cay's healing chants surrounded them to fight off the wounds. Lorellai charged forward, setting the charge for a thirty second timer. One way or another it would be over by then.

The heat was intense as the drake reared up, throwing off the shackles of lightning and batting the warriors away with her wings, both of them flying past Lorellai as she rushed forward. She could hear her friends calling for her distantly, but the roar of flame all around her muffled the sound. Time seemed to slow as she approached, the massive, fire-infused drake still reared up, eyes on the retreating draenei, seemingly heedless of Lorellai's advance. Getting in close, Lorellai realized what she had to do. Pin had cut through one of the armored scales of the drake's underbelly, exposing the broiling innards of the creature. Lorellai set and fired her hookshot, striking the dragon and hauling herself in close to the wound. The heat and noise were all but unbearable, but once again Cay's healing magic surrounded Lorellai and held the worst at bay. Shouting at the top of her lungs, still impossible to be heard over the cacophony, Lorellai jammed the charge into the wound, shoving it as deep as she could, before the drake leapt into the air, shaking the dwarf loose. She hit the ground hard, looking up to see the dragon hovering over her, mouth filled with flame.

"PATHETIC CREATURE! NOW YOU WILL B-" the drake's sentence was cut off as the timer hit zero, and the charge exploded in the drake's chest, showering the area in searing hot viscera. Lorellai scrambled to her feet and drove away as the drake fell, slamming into the ground with a thud, lifeless.

----------

Hours later, the team made it back to the life pools, precious cargo intact. A wagon full of drakonid eggs, ready to be returned to the care of their parents and caretakers.

Lorellai all but collapsed onto the bench next to Shansii, the two leaning on each other, exhausted from their exertion. Pinapple looked at the two of them, and was about to approach when Edmund caught her eye.

"Have to say miss, these primalists sure seem to believe they're on the side of righteousness. Didn't even consider surrender once we'd had them surrounded and outgunned."

Pin brushed some errant hair out of her face. "Unfortunately, these cults tend to breed that kind of thing. I know they're wrong though."

"And how's that?"

"Because any group with goals that are actually worth it doesn't have to threaten so many innocent people to make their dreams come true."

"Fair enough. You want some help getting those two back to camp?"

"I don't see why I would need..." Pin started, turning to see the girls very much asleep, leaning on each other. "Ah. I'm sure the reds can set aside some space for us to rest after all that."

"As you say, I'll go ask then."

Edmund wandered off, waving at Cay and going to talk to the drakonids as Pin walked over to the two, and smiled. "You two did good work today. Enjoy your rest, you've earned it."