#i'm worried this is going to lead to their downfall

[multi-babii]

some of my thoughts about this whole mess before I go to sleep

first off all i can see where they are coming from with this decision. it's no secret that youtube is fucking over creators more and more so it makes sense they want to move to a different platform

however the way they announced it was just not it and i think it's the main reason for such a huge negative response

if they introduced this gradually then it would be better. this way we basically loose access to all the new content at once (better solution in my opinion would be to put some exclusive things on the streaming service first and then slowly move there once you're sure the audience will follow)

also almost completely abandoning youtube seems like a bad idea. what about the casual watchers?? or new people?? where are they going to promote now??

also it seems like the details about the streaming service are not set. will they only make 4 new videos a month?? because that really doesn't seem worth it for 6$

not to mention the huge disadvantage for international fans who will have to pay more

also them saying it's just 6$ and that they made it affordable for everyone was not it

over all this either isn't very thought through decision or they are not disclosing all the details which makes them look shady

also the fact that it's basically confirmed they wanted to pull everything from youtube but decided not to after the backlash is truly disheartening

another thing, a lot of people are blaming solely steven for this decision which i think is unfair. just because he is the ceo (which also means he has better knowledge about the overall situation of watcher) doesn't mean he makes all these decisions himself. ryan and shane are still owners too so they have to agree with what is happening with their company. i think it's possible that steven was the one who pushed the decision but i believe he would have a genuine reason for it

lastly i saw a lot of people calling out the fact that shane is very eat the rich and rob the banks type of guy and that this goes against it. IT DOES NOT. THEY ARE NOT RICH. which is the whole reason why this is even happening. this is their job so it's understandable they need to make enough money.

in conclusion, i don't think they made this decision out if greed or anything but unfortunately the way they presented it was very poor and that's why it was taken so wrongly by the fans.

[stubz]

"Hey guys! 4 days and the rescue team will be here!...any luck with setting up that emergency shelter?" Quip looked towards the others.

They all groan and curse in response. The small group surrounded by pieces and parts and an instruction sheet.

"It's not hard...it's not! We have everything we need; food, water, first aid, enough to last us weeks! ...So why does our downfall have to because of a faulty packaging?!!" screams Glip throwing down the piece she was holding.

"We're not going to die! We'll just have to sleep in the shuttle tonight and bundle up close tonight..." sighs Quip.

The shuttle had crashed thanks to a malfunction on the navigation system which lead to the shuttle getting blindsided by a meteor shower.

No one was killed and the most injured would surely live and the planet they crashed on was a favorable one. They had plenty of emergency food and water but what they didn't have was a proper shelter. The planet they landed on was freezing cold in the night, reaching far below the negatives.

If only the emergency shelter included the much needed tools necessary to build it...

The night was cold and unforgiving. The shuttle creaked and groaned from the violent winds and accumulating snow on it's roof. The beings inside shivered and prayed that when they fell asleep they would wake up in the morning.

When morning came they had to dig themselves out of the shuttle. Over 3 feet of snow from last night. The roof sank in the center in a way that made everyone nervous.

"...just 3 days. We just have to make it through 3 more days and we'll be rescued." muttered Quip.

"If we don't get suffocated in our sleep that is...or freeze." grumbles Glip.

"Would it kill you to be positive?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Unlike you I don't have a fur coat to keep me warm in the night and stayed up all night worried that I wouldn't wake up if went to sleep!"

"Stop yelling! You're making the others worry!"

"You-!"

"The human is awake! She woke up!" shouted a purple looking avian.

During the crash the only one to really get injured was the human on board, having hit their head on impact and been unconscious for the past 30 hours.

"...how is she?!" calls Glip

"She's lost it! She's digging through the snow like a lunatic!"

Glip and Quip share a look before heading to the other side of the shuttle where the avian was and looked.

There several yards away was the human who was digging through the snow with her bare hands.

"What's she doing?" asks Quip.

"No idea! She was already awake when I went to check on her looking for something in the shuttle and then made break for it once she saw the door was open...think she's brain damaged or something." they muttered.

"...someone should check on her." Glip says before shoving Quip forward.

..

After some arguing and reminders that out of the three of them he was the most people friendly Quip trudged out where the human was to check on her.

She had dug a hole nearly 4 feet deep and showed no signs of stopping. The look in her eyes and bloody bandages on her head made Quip feel she was too far gone to the Great Stars but he had to the right thing.

"...heeyyyy...Kim...what uh, watcha doing there?" he asked a safe 5 feet away.

"Looking for tools...need tools for the shelter." she muttered.

"Tools? ...Kim the shelter didn't come with tools; they weren't lost in he crash." he tried to gently explain.

"Not those, different tools. Good tools that every planet has."

"And what...tools, are those?"

"Rocks and sticks!"

"...great! Good luck on that!" he walked as fast he could to the others, practicing how to gently break the news that the human was broken.

...

Hours passed and the human Kim had founded 3 rocks of different sizes, some large sticks, and taken whatever pieces of the shuttle that had broken off and put them in a pile in front of the Emergency Instantaneous Shelter manual.

The others looked on with pity with some looking disturbed at how proud she was for her findings.

No one stopped her when she started to grab the pieces of the E.I.S. and smash them together with her rocks and hunks of broken metal. Nor when they heard the scraping and screeching of the metal shards she twisted against them. Without tools it was worthless...plus the determined manic look in her eyes scared everyone too much.

When night was starting to fall everyone had taken refuge in the shelter again. Everyone but the human who was too focused and entertained by the smashing of rocks and scratching of metal.

"Kim! Come inside! You'll freeze out here!" ordered Quip.

"Human! You don't have fur or anything to keep you warm during the night!" Glip shouted.

The human looked at them and smiled, waving and shouting that she was almost finished.

"...she's a little out of it but she's well enough to come inside when she should." Glip pushed her friend through the shuttle door and together they joined the sleep pile.

....

When Glip surfaced from the snow that landed on her face she screamed for everyone to leave. The roof had finally gave and was seconds away from dropping a mountain of snow onto them all.

She grabbed Quip and the purple avian, Kal, and dragged their half-asleep panicked bodies out of the shuttle. When out she watched with them and the others the shuttle concaving from the snow.

The wind and snow bit and scratched their faces and exposed flesh. The shrieks and howls from the dying shuttle, their only hope of surviving the nights, seemed almost organic. The fear and realization of their fate made them shiver more than the cold did.

"DONE! ITS FINALLY FINISHED! LOOK! LOOK AT WHAT I BUILT!!!" The human popped up from the other side of the destroyed shuttle, eyes wide and glowing from the flare she held for light.

When no one came forward fast enough for her liking she scrambled over and grabbed Kal and dragged them towards the thing she built.

"ITS NOT AS NICE AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH REAL TOOLS BUT I LIKE IT! YOU CAN HAVE SECOND DIBS OF WHAT SPOT YOU WANT!" she shouted over the howling wind.

The two disappeared from view for a minute before Kal popped his head out screaming.

She had built the Emergency Instantaneous Shelter. With nothing but the rocks and pieces of metal she found. It wasn't perfect; a wall or two was dented, the roof was scratched and somewhat held up by two strong sticks she dug up, but it was warm, safe, and dry.

"...how in the f*ck did you build this?" Quip shivered as he climbed inside.

"I just followed the instructions, its pretty simple really." the human smiled.

"...but you didn't have any of the tools!" Glip shrieked.

"Well after reading the instructions I realized that a good rock would perfectly substitute like half of the tools I didn't have. And the metals shards I found worked great as screwdrivers!"

Glip opened her mouth to argue, to scream that a rock was nothing like the sophisticated tools that great engineering minds had invented...until she realized the human was right. The tools simply added the instant to instantaneous shelter. With them you build this grand 20 person shelter in 2 minutes. Without them it would take hours of hard labor.

"...how did you know that a rock would be the perfect substitute?"

"...I don't know. Its basically instinct to most of us. The perfect tool for a simple job is a big heavy object... rock."

"...rock." Glip repeated.

"Rock." the human confirmed.

*weeks later*

"Oh my god it is instinct!" Glip screams as she watches a group of human younglings use rocks to crack open other rocks to simply see the shiny patterns on the inside at the indoor park she walks through. With others using sticks to dig up more rocks to smash.

[suiana]

I'm so hungry hrhrrggr anyways!

✎ yandere! male lead headcanons . . .

✎ warnings . . .

― slight nsfw, possesiveness, manipulation etc.

(gn! reader x male yandere! oc)

✎ yandere! main character who got hit by an incoming truck and was reincarnated as the male lead of a dark fantasy romance novel he had read during his previous life.

✎ yandere! main character who is the attractive yet possessive oldest son of the grand Duke. getting spoiled since young, this main character slowly began to lose some morals that he had in his previous life.

✎ yandere! main character who was supposed to fall in love with the poor and kind female lead when he saw her working as a maid during your debutante ball. but how could he fall for her when you were there? you were stunning, magnificent even. how could he stick to the original storyline?

✎ yandere! main character who immediately asked for your hand during your first dance as a legal adult. shit, he could feel himself falling even more. he used to never believe in love at first sight but... that has changed. yes, it truly has.

✎ yandere! main character who felt his whole world change upon meeting you in person. in the novel you were described as arrogant and condescending. but you were the exact opposite? so calm and humble you were... how could he fall for the cliche female lead when your entire personality was foreign to him?! you felt like a real person, not like the others who acted exactly like how they were described in the book! he had to know you better!

✎ yandere! main character who is not only more hooked, but also fucking aroused when you politely tell him that you're not interested. oh? so you were a real being! you must've known what happened to your character in the original novel which is why you're trying to shy away from him right? haha, don't worry! he's not like his original self, he won't repeat the actions like his foolish original self~

✎ yandere! main character who is appalled when he sees you turn to the son of the northern duke for refuge. what? you reject him but go for that fucking...boy who just sits down in a corner and reads all day?! what the fuck?! no he doesn't care that he's your only friend, you shouldn't be talking to other men when he's right there!

✎ yandere! main character who slowly goes insane from your lack of attention. even when face to face with the original female lead, he can't get you out of his mind. hey, you've taken over his life so you should at least take some responsibility?!

✎ yandere! main character who is thankful for the fact that the original male lead is a genius and an evil mastermind that could plan the destruction of someone without even getting physically involved. oh, how he's going to use this to his advantage~

✎ yandere! main character who acts like a flirty himbo with you to try and show you that he really is harmless and means no harm! look, he doesn't even like the original female lead! so stop shying away from him, hm?

✎ yandere! main character who scares you with his drastic change in personality. what the hell...? he wasn't like this in the previous runs... what happened?

✎ yandere! main character who has already started the downfall of the northern duke's son. that'll teach him to not mess with what's his. you belong to him, and him only. and he will get you to see that.

✎ yandere! main character who has his last strain of sanity snapped as he sees you try to reject him. no, no, no... you shouldn't be rejecting him. you shouldn't be! why would you?! can't you see how much he loves you?!

✎ yandere! main character who claims you as his in front of a whole bunch of other nobles. now, you wouldn't get to leave. you can't leave. you're his. his alone.

✎ yandere! main character who is tired of your constant protests about how you don't want this and how you just want to be free for once. oh and you accidentally let slip about how you've lived this life multiple times... now, he can't let you go now can he? what if you get taken advantage by someone? he wouldn't be able to protect you! too bad, you're stuck with him now whether you like it or not.

✎ "hey cutie, why do you keep trying to leave me? I'm not that scary am I?"

[kalki-tarot]

Love & Career in 2024 🖤🍷💸

@kalki-tarot

I'll be using tarot cards and my own intuition so it may not resonate with everyone. Keep in mind that this reading is purely for entertainment purposes so be mindful of your own actions and choices. I'm not responsible for any decisions you make on behalf of my readings.

Pick a pile masterlist 🖤

Pile 01

8 wands, 6 wands, page of swords, queen of swords, knight of pentacles

Hello beautiful souls 💓

Let's talk about your career first. I'm seeing you getting praised or popular very fastly. If you're manifesting something career related then it's your sign it's gonna enter your life soon! You'll get a promotion at your workplace and if you're still studying then I'm seeing you're gonna be the top student of your class. Everyone will praise you and you'll be in Everyone's talks and gossips about how did you achieve it.

If some things got stuck or stagnant then a change is coming soon. All this stagnant energy will flow away and new creative and inspiring energy will lead you towards success my dear pile 1. Don't worry just be consistent and your efforts will be recognized and appreciated very soon.

New ideas will be put into action or will be manifested in reality. If you wanna start a new course then it's the right time to do so. I'm seeing communication for you too. You'll get new opportunities and will make new contacts and connections in your work life which will help you alot leveling up more.

Your overall energy is the Queen of swords which tells me that this year, you'll just focus on your goals and won't spend too much time thinking about the bs. Your plans would be clear cut and will be put into action. I'm not seeing you procrastinating or smth like that. It's a very fast, quick and easy going energy, but stable throughout.

New opportunities on the way! I'm seeing you getting a job letter or something like that. If you're struggling with getting a job then an opportunity is out there in 2024! So be ready ♡

2 wands, 8 wands, 9 pentacles, Temperance, 6 swords, 9 swords ( 5 pentacles, the devil, 4 pentacles, the moon, 5 swords)

Woah! You know what pile 1, we need to let go of some things before before it's too late. We need to let go of things even if it hurts only for our own good. The bad or good news is I'm seeing you breaking up or finally letting go of a toxic relationship or love. You've held it in for so long and in 2024, I'm seeing you releasing all of that. It's better to leave than being left out in the cold, right?

2024 is the year of a fresh start and ending the cycles. It's the year to relax and heal. It's great that you're walking away from such people. I know it takes a lot of strength and courage to do that and you have the guts to leave someone so toxic and unhealthy for you. I'm not necessarily seeing someone new entering in your life. I'm seeing YOU, choosing to walk away from this situation.

You'll know that the grass is greener on the other side. You'll explore new things in love. Maybe go on a few dates? By the end of 2024, you'll be balanced spiritually and physically. You'll be properly healed and you'll discover much more about yourself rather than other people. It's necessary to know ourselves before trying to understand some one else. That's it for you, please reblog this post if you liked it. Thanks ♡

Pile 02

3 of swords, page of pentacles, ace of swords, 6 of wands, the devil, 8 of wands

Career wise, Things may get a little rocky for you this year. But don't worry, with extra caution and mindfulness you'll be able to thrive through this. The advice I'm getting for is to not take any shortcuts for success to come fast, as it'll only result in your own downfall.

Be careful of people who look very nice and popular as they're not what they seem from their outer side. Just focus on grabbing opportunities and working truthfully for yourself and your loved ones. Your creative energy would be at peak this year, it's time for you to realize your potential and work with it next year.

Your 2024 is the year to hustle hard so be dedicated to your work/study. Lot's of success will be at your door if you don't fall into any traps.

Knight of cups, wheel of fortune, 9 of pentacles, 4 of pentacles, the hermit, 7 of wands ( 9 swords & 8 pentacles )

Wow babe! You've done lots of healing and lot's of self care in 2023! And now it's the time for love finally coming into your life through divine intervention in 2024. As we have the wheel of fortune here, I'm seeing You've finally let go of the old cycles and karmic patterns.

The old thinking patterns and attachment wounds will be healed. You'll fight your way through this very powerfully. You've done a lot of self introspection and self discovery in 2023.

You are one step ahead of pile 1, you're asked to just go with flow and let the universe guide you through the vast ocean of sadness to the never ending love. A romantic, water sign energy may approach you with love 👀 next year. Abundance and clarity will flow through just don't complex your emotions any more. Trust your intuition and let it guide you.

That's it! Pile 2 ♡ If this helped you a little bit please comment and reblog xoxo

Pile 03

The magician, Temperanc, ace of wands, 8 wands, ace of cups, the fool (king of cups)

The year 2024 will bring you lots of emotional satisfaction in terms of your career. You would be a successful person, but with the right actions and decisions. Create a path for yourself and walk on it. You should have the desire amd commitment if you wanna achieve something in life.

In 2024, there is a need for you to have a clear mindset snd step wise approach. Do everything in a proper balance. Good things take time to manifest. Your dedication and ability to stay composed under pressure will help you stand out.

Whatever you're thinking about, go for it. Just "go for it", don't think too much if that gives you happiness. Whether you've been thinking about launching a project or reaching out to a new networking connection, 2024 is the time.

Next year would be an year of swift progress and rapid growth. Everything will seem so fast and would gain momentum. You may even travel for work.

Something would be headed your way in your professional life, whether that's a new job, a new responsibility within your current role, or even a new business partner or connection, a new and promising path may be opening up.

You'll overall enjoy this year in terms of your professional or career life.

10 swords, 2 of wands, knight of pentacles, 5 of pentacles, queen of swords, 5 of wands, the tower ( 9 swords, 7 cups, magician )

Listen pile 3, to be honest 2024 would be rocky for you, you know. I channeled that you should not go alone in clubs or pubs or take any drinks with strangers. Be careful guys.

For some of you I'm getting that you guys are just staying single this year and focusing more on your self growth and options in love. You may solo travel or go on solo dates. You know loving yourself and all.

You may actually reach out to a therapist if your experiences were not so good in love before. If not, then I'm seeing you reaching out for yourself, my love. You're giving yourself the love and warmth you've never received from anyone else. You're now, not letting bs people get into your life and make a hell out of it. You're tryna stay healthy and happy.

For some of you, there's an advice of manifesting new love in your life. Get into that mindset. List down all the qualities you want in a partner and visualizing would also help you.

I'm seeing a divorce for some of you, or even a legal matter that involves a person you once loved. They probably lied and deceived you. You may fight for yourself in the court this year. Sending Lots of hugs and love to you dear if this is happening to you. Stay strong and you'll be more blessed. 💓✨️

[mcflymemes]

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD PROMPTS PT 1 *  assorted dialogue from the first hour of the video game

somebody's gotta stop him... and that's where you come in.

so... where were we?

our story begins where all great stories begin: with the seediest bar in town and a missing contact.

let's try this again.

you think you can come into my bar and make demands?

i'm not leaving until i know where she is.

be ready to talk by the time i get to you.

darling... you're adorable.

for the record, there was probably an easier way to do that than fighting an entire bar.

what'd i have to worry about? you were there watching my back.

break's over.

something must have gotten them riled up.

should we be in more of a hurry to get out of here?

i have to talk him down.

are they after us?

we don't have time to get arrested.

you're safe now. get inside and bar the doors.

there are a lot of scared people out here.

what about you two? are you okay?

have you got my gear?

can you get us there, [name]?

this is nowhere near my neighborhood.

eyes up! we've got company!

used to fight these assholes every day.

i'm back on the job.

isn't that a coincidence?

you said you had a lead?

that's where your man is hiding.

you told me he was working alone.

i'll take it from here.

take care of the team for me.

hope i'm not interrupting.

let's buy him some time.

i have taken precautions to minimize the damage.

people are dying right now.

you need to listen. please.

people are always dying. it is what they do.

shit. we need a better plan.

what if we disrupt the ritual?

the storm could tear you apart.

you came a long way and made a valiant effort.

this story does not end in my downfall.

you have no idea what you have done.

i know what i did.

i was not destroying the world.

why am i here?

had i the power to control you, i would have already used it.

get out of my head!

i do not want to be here any more than you do.

what are you talking about?

thanks to you, though, i am now trapped.

you were innocently doing nothing when we came along.

[name] always said you'd have a big explanation for why none of this was your fault.

i am certain you will be fine.

you don't get to sit back and look smug!

what else could i possibly do?

you will soon see what i was trying to prevent.

this is your responsibility now.

look who's still with us!

trust me. i've had worse. gonna take more than a flesh wound to stop me.

turns out, you were right.

the plan did go a little wrong.

i should have come up with a better plan.

you worked with what you had. and you succeeded, by the way.

[name]. you've got this. i've seen your work.

there's a reason i dragged you into this whole mess.

you're clever. adaptable. and you don't know when to quit.

sorry, i didn't mean to barge in.

i really need to look around.

we should talk about things.

i'll work with it. you know me.

maybe our paths haven't crossed, but i know our work has.

we've just got to start somewhere.

this is a dangerous job. everyone knew that signing on.

you don't slow down for much, do you?

let's stop worrying about me and go do that.

come get me when you're ready to go.

you're sure that wasn't just a dream?

i'm not certain of anything.

we're not out of danger.

we need to get out there and stop them.

we can't just sit here and do nothing.

we need to investigate. figure out what we're dealing with before we rush in and make things worse.

this time, if we see a shot, we take it.

you sure you're up for this?

it's not working! i can't contain it!

you all were supposed to stop him.

it didn't go as cleanly as we hoped.

things just got a whole lot worse.

let's just say they weren't known for their kindness.

you're in no condition to fight.

[kimingyuslover]

Missed Connections

Synopsis : You swear you can tolerate anything because this is an unwanted marriage to him, but why's this one hurts so much?

Word count : 2,716 and some change

pairing : Choi seungcheol x fem!reader

Genre : arranged marriage!au, contract marriage!au, strangers to *** ***** ***** to exes, angst, slight fluff.

Warnings : angst, tears, italic means person on the other side of the phone & message, chaebol!reader, chaebol!seungcheol, ceo!reader, ceo!seungcheol (not mentioned), like 1 curse word, implied cheating? (Seungcheol goes on a date because his toxic friends say so), Seungcheol is a jerk boo 🍅🍅, mentions of pregnancy (reader is pregnant), mom!reader, slight Joshua x reader, this fic does not represent his character in real life!

a.n : yes, i cried while writing this, Seungcheol's sucks

The sun peeked through the window of his bedroom, which once was shared with you. He opens his eyes groggily, his eyes adjusting the sunlight that goes to his eyes.

Surprise, it's a word that will describe his expression right now, seeing a divorce file on his nightstand with a pen on top of the paper, lying peacefully waiting to be used by him.

“What the fuck?” he mumbles with his raspy and sleepy voice.

He thinks he might be dreaming, that when he sleeps again and opens his eyes, you're on his side while he's hugging you tightly, his morning will start with your kisses and this all was just in his head.

But it's not. When he slaps his cheek, it hurts. It feels so real.

And then, when he realised that the divorce file was real, he hurriedly searched for his phone, wanting to call the person he knew so well but also didn't.

“The divorce paper, you've already signed it? i'll pick up my stuff and take the paper with my lawyer” you said on the other side, voice sounding so enchanting but so cold, like he never heard before.

Your voice usually sounds like it's coated with warmth and sweetness, but now it's just filled with coldness.

he forgot when he first saw you, you were given the cliche title ‘ice queen’ by the employees.

“Why’s there a divorce paper on my nightstand? Why are you not here? In the bed, with me” Seungcheol said, hurt evident in his voice.

“What do you think seungcheol? you're finally free, you can go out as much as you want with your so-called friends, you don't have to worry that head more, our company will still be concerted, and the best part, you can go freely with that woman of yours” Seungcheol furrowed his eyebrows with confusion.

“Why–

you cut him off before he even speaks, “i call off our arranged marriage, Seungcheol. you said it yourself, that you, Mr. Choi, does not want this marriage from the first you saw me, and that was proven when I saw you with a woman, in a fancy restaurant, just both of you, not with anyone else and I learned the fact that your friends told you to do that.

Our arguments will lead to one of us leaving the house that once you promised we'll build together with love, and I just have to be patient. When I saw you with her, I realised that was the beginning of our marriage's downfall, so I made the decision that would not leave negative comments from everybody else, so your company will not have a backlash from the stockholders even if it's hurting me in the process.

You promised me, Choi Seungcheol. to take care of me, try to love me, and even have the audacity to tell me to be patient with your heart. I've done all of that, but what you have given me is just aching in my heart over and over again.

My friends already told me that this marriage was bad for me and will hurt me in the end, but I'm blinded by your love bombing act, and I was so naive that I thought you will ever love me back, that we will have a happy family, with 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl. we'll live anywhere i want, you said back then.

Do you know how much I cried that night? when I saw you with her, and when I knew that you and me would never have the happy family we once planned?

That day, I was going to tell you about me getting pregnant, but I guess fate doesn't want us to be together because they know it’s better for me to hurt now than later.

Tomorrow will be the last time i'm going to go there, and the final court will be the last time I saw you” after finishing the words that you've planned to give him right when he calls you, you hung up the phone, not giving him any chance to replied because you know, when you heard his voice your heart will hurt more.

Seungcheol drops his phone onto his bed sheet. He tries to recall the memory, and when he does, there's a hard pang in his heart.

regret started to fill up his figure, and he rushed towards the bathroom to take a shower.

He's planning to meet you today to talk about your marriage, hopefully not for the last time.

“Is Mrs. Choi here?” Seungcheol said to the receptionist at your company.

She hesitates at first, then starts to speak, “i'm sorry, but it's Ms. Hong and she does not want anybody, especially you, Mr. Choi to go to her” she says.

Seungcheol has tried to call you again and again and again, determined to fix the marriage he ruined.

and his heart hurts even more when he reads your chatroom. It's him who sent the last message, and you left him on read.

You know what? you're too naive, too invested in our relationship, and that's why it's not working. Can't you be more patient? i have my own things to do

He knew he was being a jerk when he sent that to you, but back then, he's heating up because of your arguments that are constantly happening.

Tears start to fall from his eyes, all you need is love, to which he promised will give you his, he should be grateful that you still give chance after chance even though you know that he will still be like that.

he drives to your penthouse, your summer house, your cabin, and even your house, but you're not there.

as he went to his car with disappointment on his face, someone called his name.

“What are you doing here, Seungcheol?” He freezes and it hurts. You usually call him with terms of endearment, but now you just call him by his name, which he hates so much if it's coming from your mouth.

Seungcheol runs to you. Wanted to hug you, but he halted his plan when he saw you looking at him like you used to before he was introduced by your parents as your soon-to-be husband, so cold with no emotion behind that oculus of yours.

He explains everything, telling you that his friend makes him go on lunch with the woman you saw. He even goes as far as kneeling in front of you.

“But you still go on a date with her? Even when you don't want to? i've said it to you countless times. i can tolerate anything because this is an arranged marriage, but cheating is an exception” you said while looking down at him because of his position. You don't even bother to usher him to get up from his knees. Seungcheol frowns at your words, but you're right. When his friend told him, he could refuse it, but he didn't.

His words caught up on his throat. He can't say anything anymore, because at the end of the day, he knew that his action was so sinful because for god damn sake, he's married to you!

“You're funny, Choi Seungcheol” You left him kneeling on the ground while going back to your car. You managed to hold your tears in front of him because you're not willing to let your tears fall for a boy who's not even a man.

When you're already gone with your car, Seungcheol gets up to his knees, and he realises that he hasn't even asked about the baby.

“Don't worry, my love, mommy will protect you, no matter what” you said while caressing your baby bump.

It's been approximately 4 months of your pregnancy, and 4 months since you're not on the same roof with Seungcheol.

You know you'll stress out yourself if you stay in that house, and you can't risk that.

You've been staying in a hotel for the past months, but luckily for you, your sister-in-law has a 5 star hotel, so you won't have to search for it.

[ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ]

The first court is today, and you're going there with your lawyer and your sister-in-law (Soo-jung) because she says she wants to help you, and you thanked her for that.

You show up with a white dress, black blazer, your Jimmy choo pumps, and white birkin as the cherry on top.

Seungcheol saw you with adoration in his eyes, thinking, Why can't he see you like this when your marriage is still there?

He doesn't want to make eye contact with anyone with you and yourself, but when he does make an eye contact with Soo-jung or you he will divert his eyes to look somewhere that isn't you or her.

He's scared, what even your family will think about his family, about him? after he hurt you and you being pregnant was not helping.

Now it's your final court. This time, you dress differently, you're wearing white shorts, a brown thin belt, soft-pink Ralph Lauren button-up, a white lady dior, and a white slingback kitten heels with your baby bump that's already showing.

He feels guilt start building up in his body when the judge knocks his hammer three times, and he's trying his best not to spill his tears every second now.

he hears several footsteps going to him when he looks at you with his tear filled eyes.

you open your mouth while crossing your hands in front of your chest, then you speak, “Take care of your health, don't eat junk food like you liked to, this baby will get a new father soon, but i will still introduce you to them”

As soon as you finish your sentence, you start to walk away with your lawyer, brother, and sister-in-law (who gives him a disappointed and angry look).

[ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ]

It's been years since your divorce, but Seungcheol is still a mess. He can't blame anyone but himself for this one.

After the divorce, he cut all of his friends who told him to go on a date that day. He’s in denial for years, even when he knows that they're giving a bad influence to him.

He goes on a lot of interviews, and he never fails to mention you in his interview, hoping you will see him on tv shows and better yet, with his child.

You, on the other hand, are already living your best life with your son, you’ve given birth to him 4 and a half years ago, and now he's your most favorite person in this universe.

You decide to move to Switzerland when Minjun– your son (Hong Minjun, Edward Hong) turns 1 year old.

There you met Minjun's dad, who happens to have the same surname as yours, Joshua Hong or Hong Jisoo because that's his Korean name.

You hesitate at first to be in a commitment because of your past, but Joshua makes it clear that you can trust him, and everything will be fine.

Joshua is a gentleman, a man who you dreamed off everytime you doze off, a man of words and action, and you really want Minjun to be like him when he's older.

Minjun characteristics start showing up lately, and just as you expected, he's already being a mini gentleman to you, and the manner that you and Joshua taught him is prominent with his actions and words.

You're proud of him, and you finally get your highest dream.

Having a happy family has been your dream for as long as you can remember, even when Joshua's not Minjun's biological father, but he acts like one and Minjun, too, acts like Joshua's biological son.

[ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ]

Joshua decided that this month he and you will go back to Korea for the Christmas holiday, because for the last 3 years it's always been your family to come to Switzerland.

You can't forget how happy your parents and your brother's family look when they see you coming home with Minjun and Joshua.

“I miss my daughter so much. How have you been, sweetheart?” your mother said while hugging you, which you replied with a ‘i'm fine, mother’ and a wide smile on your face.

The next day, you're going to have a visit to your company in Seoul, and so you bring Minjun with you because Joshua is having a meeting and probably will be back at dawn.

“Minjun, are you excited to see mommy's office?” you ask Minjun when the light goes red, which Minjun replies with an excited nod and wide grins, “yes! I am so excited!” Minjun said with Korean and an accent.

The security, receptionist and your workers still remember you, they even try to get in a conversation with Minjun which brings a smile to your face.

“Minjun, will you wait here in Mommy's office while Mommy is getting our lunch?” you said while crothed to his height and holding both of his tiny hands.

Minjun nodded at your words, “can i play with secretary Jeon Mommy?” he asked, and this time it's your turn to nod your head, “yes, you can”

You already told your secretary to watch Minjun, so you don't need to worry.

You walk to the café near your company building, it's been your favorite place since you moved to this branch of your company.

When you get your order, you take a seat on the side of the road.

Not so long after, there's someone who sat in front of you, and when you saw him you furrowed your eyebrows.

“What are you doing here, Seungcheol?” The same question from those years threw Seungcheol off guard, the bad memories he never wants to remember.

“This used to be, or is it still your favorite place to go for lunch, and i miss you so i came here, what i didn't expect is you're going to be here” Seungcheol said, there's defeated plastered on his face.

“How's your life?” You begin, so the tension can be lowered a bit.

“Messed up, after our divorce. How's yours?” he replied with simplicity.

“Amazing. He's 4 and a half now, his name is Hong Minjun and since i'm not living in Korea he uses his foreign name too, Edward Hong” you said referring to the baby you carried when you're getting a divorce with him.

“Where is he?”

“Playing with secretary Jeon”

“I think i can't do this anymore, I'm sorry, i was an asshole back then. I swear I changed! just give me a chance, please” Desperate sounds so clear, and you look at him in disapproval.

“I have given you chances, over and over, but you throw it away like it meant nothing”

Even after you replied to him with that, he still begged you to come back to him, tears in his eyes mirroring how desperate he is.

He is still doing it until someone calls your name and a little boy runs to you, calling you mommy.

That's when he realised in front of him is his son, that he failed to protect.

And when he gets up when he sees you do the same, he turns his head to the man who calls your name.

There's when his heart drops to his stomach, thoughts running a hundred miles per hour, thinking of the worst scenario in his head, that the man in front of him is your—

“Y/n's husband, Joshua Hong”

Your husband, and that means he never got the chance to make you his anymore.

The tension can be seen by anyone passing by, an ex-husband who hurt his ex-wife deeply, and the current husband who treats his wife like a princess.

Joshua breaks the awkward silence after Seungcheol introduces himself with, “Let’s go, my love, your mother sends a location to the restaurant we're going to eat for lunch” with a smile that Seungcheol swears he wants to rip from Joshua’s kind face.

You replied to Joshua with a smile, and you three excuses yourself from Seungcheol and went to Joshua’s car.

Seungcheol had his heart broken again, and the reason is still the same.

You.

Oh, there's addition for the cause of his broken heart.

You and Minjun.

[soulessjourney]

One Last Time

Paring: Astarion x fem!DurgTavReader

Word count: 5.5k

Summary: Just what truly happened during the battle with Ketheric Thorm?

Warnings: Angst, Mentions of violence, OOC Astarion, injuries, talk of mental health, some fluff, Tav is on her journey of having a redeption arc, Confessions, some fluff, Heavy Act 2 Spoilers

A/N: Buckle up kiddies this is gonna be a long one. I did add a bit of my own spin on things in some parts just to help fill in the aspects of the fighting to make it more dramatic.

Ketheric Thorm, a man who defied death and wasn't meant to survive. He bore the responsibility for unleashing the Shadow Curse and cowardly sought refuge in Moonrise Towers, at least that's how you perceived it. Meeting him as a true soul set the stage for your downfall. Upon your arrival, your Guardian, with a hint of disgust in her voice, made you acutely aware of his identity. Being in proximity to the absolute felt like a dream, yet an unsettling feeling lingered. You sensed manipulation, as if you were a mere pawn in his game. Moonrise, though familiar, seemed to beckon you, and the guards appeared well-informed about your identity. Anger and fury welled up within you, resentful of the power he wielded. A part of you contended that this power was rightfully yours, and an irresistible urge to claim it consumed you.

As your eyes follow Thorm out of the room, Astarion clears his throat beside you. "Well, that was eventful. Say, how are we supposed to kill someone who can't be killed? Seems like a setup if you ask me." He shrugs, prompting a scoff from Shadowheart.

"You know, Astarion, I would like to go one day without your comments," she grumbles, eliciting a pout from Astarion and a breathless laugh from you. After about a month or two of being together, your group had grown close, opening up in various ways. Despite only being together for a short time, they appointed you the leader, leading to disagreements, especially with more qualified individuals like Gale.

The banter between Astarion and Shadowheart continues as you walk out of the tower. "I'm just saying, Darling, there's no way in the nine hells we can kill someone who simply cannot be killed. That's like asking a rock to walk," he shrugs, shooting a smug smile toward Shadowheart.

Just as she opens her mouth to respond, you cut them off. "That's enough, you two. The entire Shadow Land can hear your bickering," you grumble as Lae’zel nods in agreement. "Besides, we're almost to the Mausoleum, and it's rude to disturb the dead," you say, suppressing a smile at the pure annoyance on Shadowheart's face. It's rare for Astarion to get the last word, and when he does, he becomes the cockiest man alive.

Falling behind your group, Gale nudges you and raises a questioning brow. It's unusual for you to lag behind, considering your usual determination to lead and be the first to jump into action to protect your party. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asks, keeping his voice low so as not to draw attention.

Shrugging, you fiddle with your armor before letting out a sigh. "I just don't have the best feeling. It's like something is about to happen, and we won't be able to avoid it. I'm worried that whatever we're about to face, there's no coming back from it." Odd feelings weren't unfamiliar to you; after all, you constantly battled the urge to commit daily murders. However, today's unease had you more concerned than usual.

Gale nods, letting out a thoughtful hum as he considers his response. "It's not because I plan on blowing myself up, is it?" he asks, a laugh escaping his lips. His expression turns serious when he notices your lack of laughter. "Tav, everything will be okay. We have each other, and we're all equally dedicated to ensuring our survival. Nothing will happen, and I especially know that Astarion won't let anything happen to you," he says, giving you a knowing look.

You and Astarion shared something, although you weren't sure what it was beyond the occasional intimacy. Both of you were highly protective of each other, yet he dismissed it as shameless flirting. You desired something more with Astarion, but you knew he was apprehensive. He was new to the affection you showed him and unfamiliar with being cared for in a way he had never experienced before.

Just as you were about to respond, a figure emerges from the shadows just before you reach the Mausoleum. Astarion groans at the sight of Raphael gliding towards your group, his usual mischievous smile spread widely across his lips. "Well, well, isn't it my favorite group of adventurers?" he says, stopping just before your group. You step forward, noting how Astarion positions himself behind you, rolling his shoulders forward almost as if to appear larger—a simple act of protection that's hard to resist smiling at. "I know it's odd for a Devil to ask for a favor, but there's something I'll grant you in return," Raphael says, locking his eyes on yours.

Astarion scoffs and crosses his arms. "Just spit it out already; we don't have time for your riddles," he deadpans, shifting closer to you, ready to throw you behind him if Raphael makes a move to harm you.

"Now, now, this isn't the time to lack patience," Raphael says, standing taller. "I need you to take care of a problem, a competition, we can call it. In return, I'll give your little vampire friend answers about the scars on his back—a translation that I know you both are just dying to know." He grins, watching your eyes widen before turning to look back at Astarion. "His name is Yurgir, and dealing with him will do a lot of good. He's breaking his contract and needs to be sent right back to where he came from as a...lesson." He says, looking over your group. "Once you find him, take care of him. I will know, and it will determine if you get the answers you so desperately seek." Just as he finishes his sentence, he disappears right in front of you.

Exhaustion seeps through you as your group stays quiet. "I guess we have some work to do," you mumble, walking forward into the Mausoleum. The others hesitate as they watch you, concerned about your sudden lack of energy. Usually, you would be up for anything, even if it meant dealing with a devil. As you walk into the building, the group exchanges worried glances before following you inside.

---

The confrontation with Yurgir turned out to be surprisingly easy, given his already paranoid state. With his contract entwined in a song, convincing him to turn against his allies, including Nessa, a displacer beast you empathized with, proved to be a straightforward task. In your mind, she didn't deserve to meet her end in the manner she did. Subsequently, you seamlessly entered his paranoid thoughts, persuading him to take his own life. Lae’zel and Astarion, usually at odds, expressed their shared disappointment at the lack of an actual fight to entertain them.

Amidst the discontent, your primary concern shifted to the current state of your group. Shadowheart, driven by determination, sought to complete Shar’s Gauntlet, a symbolic act to ascend and prove her loyalty to her goddess. While you couldn't help but worry about your friend, you understood her desire to seize this opportunity. As she faced the three challenges, ultimately finding the Spear of Night, you sensed a subtle shift in her demeanor.

Standing before the Nightsong, a woman bound to this realm with no apparent escape, you noticed a spark of questioning in Shadowheart's eyes, despite her determination. Confronting Thorm, you learned that releasing the Nightsong was the only way to weaken him and break his hold on immortality. The moment of decision arrived when Shadowheart, succumbing to her doubts, threw the spear over the edge, the mentioning of the forest and the wolves.

A surge of indescribable emotion coursed through you—perhaps pride or worry. It wasn't until Dame Aylin stepped forward, kneeling before Shadowheart, that the situation took a new turn. "Lay a hand of friendship upon me, and break my chains," she gently requested, her eyes meeting Shadowheart's before focusing on you. "Only when I am free can I aid you in taking down Ketheric Thorm." Shadowheart hesitated, glancing back at you for guidance.

Slowly nodding, she reached forward, resting a hand on Dame Aylin, breaking her chains once and for all. A portal opened behind you, and just before you could turn away, your eyes locked on Dame Aylin. Her armor began to form on her skin, and wings emitting a heavenly glow spread out behind her. Despite the look of recognition, all you received was a nod before she took off, leaving your group alone.

---

Now that Dame Aylin was free, things seemed to have accelerated much faster than anticipated. Drained and utterly tired, all you desired was to rest. Your head buzzed, and your ears rang, yet there you stood before Moonrise Towers, gearing up to face Ketheric Thorm. The urgency escalated with Dame Aylin's freedom, and a dark part of you wished she hadn't been released just so you could have some time to recuperate.

As you looked up at the towers, your body tensed when someone moved to stand beside you. A sense of relief washed over you as you saw Astarion. Smiling down, he shifted on his feet. "We're going to win, Darling. You have all of us ready to fight at your side. Don't overthink it," he said, shaking his head to silence any protests. "I can practically hear the gears turning in that pretty little head of yours," he added with a teasing grin. "But before we go in, can we talk? It's rather important, just in case we do meet our doom in there," he said softly.

Giving a half-hearted smile, you felt the exhaustion seeping out of you. Astarion took your hand, leading you aside as the rest of the group looked at you in question before starting their own conversations, providing you and Astarion with some privacy. "Are you alright?" you asked, scanning him for any injuries he might have sustained.

His expression changed, as if he were at war with himself. "Oh yes, I'm fine. I just... feel awful about something," he admitted. Confusion crept over you as you tried to recall any recent events that might explain his unease. It wasn't until you saw him shift nervously that you gave him a reassuring smile.

He continued, revealing a plan to seduce you, manipulate your feelings, and use you to defeat Cazador. The revelation left a bitter taste of betrayal in your mouth. You shifted, your posture rigid, waiting for an explanation. The truth unfolded—his plan fell apart because he couldn't resist falling for you.

His confession left you grappling with feelings of betrayal and hurt. "Were you even attracted to me? Or was that all a lie as well?" you asked, unable to contain the pain in your voice. His flinch confirmed the discomfort he felt.

Astarion, now uncomfortable and terrified, admitted, "Of course I was attracted to you. Look at you, for goodness’ sake! You’re a vision and so much more than that." He hesitated, expressing uncertainty about his feelings. "I just… I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what I want."

You shared your care for him, admitting your deep feelings. His face lit up at your words, and a soft 'really?' hung in the air. Without thinking, you moved forward, wrapping your arms around him in a gentle but secure hug. It felt like a silent promise of your genuine care. As he reciprocated the embrace, you sensed a change in him.

Astarion, being himself, smiled and cleared his throat. "You... You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?" he remarked, his eyes locking with yours, revealing hidden emotions. He let out a nervous laugh, pulling your attention back to him. "Honestly, I have no idea what we’re doing or what comes next," he confessed, holding out his hand.

You stared at his hand before placing your palm on top of his. His cool skin covered yours as he drew you closer. "But I know that this? This is nice," he whispered.

There you stood, face flushed, realizing that, in a twisted way, Astarion truly loved you, and you loved him more than anything. Happiness mingled with worry, as he chose this moment to confess, fearing the possibility of not making it out alive. Yet, living in the now, you vowed to fight alongside him, grateful for the truth he finally shared.

Wyll cleared his throat, redirecting your attention to the group standing there, beaming at the two of you. It was evident they had overheard everything, and judging by the look on Shadowheart’s face, a secretly hopeless romantic, they had heard it all.

"Okay, you lovebirds, we have a Thorm on our side that we need to kill," Wyll declared, letting out a loud laugh at his own joke. However, the laughter died down when no one else joined in. An awkward silence hung in the air until you snorted, breaking the tension and sending the rest of your group into fits of laughter.

Even in the face of potential doom, moments like these made you grateful to have them by your side. Wyll looked around, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Oh, I see how it is. It’s only funny when you put me down," he grumbled, prompting a genuine laugh from Lae’zel. The sound, rare and cherished, resonated among your group, appreciating the unexpected moment of joy.

---

The echoes of your laughter felt like a distant memory as you stood before Ketheric Thorm, anger seeping through you at the sight of him. The yells of your party echoed behind you as they fought against his soldiers, while he remained solely focused on you. Despite being mortal, he carried himself with immense confidence, as if convinced you could never truly defeat him. His smug demeanor fueled your desire to rip his head from his shoulders, yet something kept you rooted in the spot where you stood. Your attention shifted when something hot grazed your arm, prompting a pained yell as you gripped the wounded area. Thorm looked down at you with a smug smile, his eyes darkening.

"Who knew that you would come crawling to my doorstep? Why have you returned? Do you miss the throne in which you once sat?" he taunted, his words striking you like poison.

Although you had been here before, the realization that you used to occupy the throne he now warmed was a revelation. "I’m here to kill you," you declared, your hand warming with the blood seeping from your wounded arm. "I’m here to witness your downfall, and I’m going to enjoy every second of it," you spat, dropping your hand from your arm as you reached for the staff positioned on your back.

Thorm responded with an amused laugh, scanning the surroundings. "You? Kill me? I suppose you didn’t learn your lesson from the last time we had a falling out. Your father would be laughing at you now, seeing his perfect child turning her back on him," he seethed. Your eyes widened slightly before you shook your head. He was trying to toy with you, attempting to make you drop your guard, but you refused to let that happen.

You felt the fire spread through your palms before it traveled across the room toward Thorm. The lack of any reaction from him made you second-guess whether he was truly mortal now. Ascending the stairs, you stood face-to-face with Thorm, narrowing your eyes into a challenging glare. Swinging your weapon, the sound of steel clashing filled the air.

"You have the opportunity to surrender, Thorm. You don’t have to live like this," you declared, your voice stern as you pushed your weight into your weapon.

Thorm laughed and glared down at you. "You’ve become so weak. Your father has done nothing but brag about you, and yet here you are, offering me mercy. You are no daughter of his; no wonder you were cast out," he seethed, lifting his foot to kick you back. Tumbling, your weapon clashed against the ground beside you, and your eyes filled with fire. The urge to rip him apart from the inside out consumed you, and the taste of blood filled your mouth as your body became rigid.

The staff next to you vanished as a long sword with intricate designs slowly appeared in your hand. Standing slowly, you raised your eyes to meet his once more, and a smile settled onto his face. "There she is—the killer your father raised you to be," he said, rolling his shoulders back. A snarl escaped you as you raced forward, only to be thrown back as Dame Aylin slammed down into the area next to you and Thorm.

"Ketheric Thorm, your time is over. Here, you will fall by my hand," she declared as you stood up, your body shaking in rage. "My friend here has kept you busy enough; now it is my turn to aid her in this fight. You should’ve stayed dead," she snarled, leaping forward and landing a hit on Thorm, causing him to stumble back. Seizing the opportunity, you ran from beside her, slicing at him and making him groan in protest as your blade sank into his arm. The two of you fought in sync, one striking after another, knocking Thorm back with each blow.

Just when you thought things would finally be over, Thorm's soldiers stopped fighting, and the room grew quiet. Clutching your side to put pressure on the wound Thorm had given you moments prior, you spat the blood that filled your mouth onto the ground.

"You should’ve just let things rest. We wouldn’t have to go through all this fighting if you just let things remain the way they did," Thorm remarked, glancing toward the side of the roof. As if on cue, a large tentacle sprouted from the side of the building, knocking you off the platform. Landing on the ground a few feet away from Shadowheart, you struggled to suck in the air that was knocked out of your lungs. Helpless, you watched Dame Aylin try her best to fight the tentacle before being wrapped up and taken under the tower.

Shadowheart dropped to her knees beside you, holding a vial up to your lips. "Drink this; you’re in no shape to move," she said, her eyes scanning your body, taking in every wound. "Gods, Tav, you’re going to overwork yourself like this. We can take Thorm while you rest," she suggested gently, attempting to tend to your wounds. Pushing her hand away, you shook your head before sitting up, finally able to catch your breath.

"No, I need to take him down. I won’t leave you guys to fight alone," you grunted, wincing at just how sore your entire body was. Muffling the whimper that left your mouth, you stood before hobbling over towards the hole left in one of the pillars. The others walked up behind you, peering down from beside you. Looking at the others, you nodded before jumping down into the hole, listening as they followed behind you.

---

The path to find Thorm once again was long and grueling as you made your way through the mind-flayer colony. Along the way, you enlisted the help of a small brain that you had saved on the ship when you were first kidnapped. Now, you stood before the door separating you from Thorm. Upon your entrance, you noticed two other individuals with him—the same ones from your visions, but something about them seemed familiar. A chill ran through your bones when you heard her name: Orin. Hearing that name sent waves of anger through you, and you could even taste a small hint of betrayal as you looked at her. Something snapped you from your trance when you noticed Gale step forward. You had completely forgotten that he promised to carry out Mystra’s request, and the anger towards the goddess filled you once more.

“Whatever you are thinking of doing, Gale, it’s not worth it,” you said, meeting his gaze. He looked determined, and the sight broke your heart. “I won’t let you blow yourself up. We can find another way to please her or even save you, but ending your life like this isn’t worth it.” Part of you couldn't figure out why you were determined to save Gale, but the other knew that you needed him there. He was a friend and someone you knew how to talk to, seeking comfort when you weren’t sure how to open up to Astarion.

Astarion stepped up next to you and brushed your fingers with his before looking at Gale. “For once, I agree with our Darling leader here. We can’t afford to lose you just yet. You can blow yourself up another time, but that time isn’t now,” he said, meeting Gale’s eyes with determination.

Gale sighed and nodded as he looked at his two friends—one who was nothing but worried about him and the other begging him, in the most twisted way, to stay alive. “Alright, you’re right. Maybe this isn’t my time to go just yet. We have other opportunities for me to blow myself up. I’ll stay and fight beside you, and I promise to give it my all,” he said, smiling as your body relaxed, and relief filled your worn-down body.

As you stepped forward, Thorm met your gaze, his eyes hardening. "I see you all made it here alive—a shame, truly. I never wanted to hurt you, and I certainly never wanted to kill you. You all had so much to live for," he said, pity filling his voice. Your mind raced as you thought back to the letters you found in the tower. The letters from his wife and daughter gave you a chance at an attempt to convince him.

"Thorm, you don’t need to do this. You could be with Melodia again; you can be with the one you love without consequences," you said softly, stepping forward and wincing as you raised your arms to hold up your hands. "She’s waiting for you to come back to her, and you can finally use this as a chance to see her again." The battle in his eyes was evident. Looking towards Gale, you signaled him to go free Dame Aylin from the hold Thorm had on her. Gale nodded in silent agreement before disappearing from the spot next to you.

If Thorm did see Gale, he paid him no mind. "The goddess wouldn’t allow that to happen, not with what I have done," he said quietly, almost as if he was thinking it over. "Selûne would never allow me to be with her, not after the things that I have done." You couldn’t help but hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. He truly wanted to be with her, and you could see that internal war happening in his head.

"But you can. You can show Selûne that you’re willing to give this all up and give yourself to her. You can show her that you’re willing to sacrifice power just to be with the one person that you truly love." You didn’t know why your voice wobbled or why it felt like you would cry, but then it hit you. You would give everything to be with Astarion; you would sacrifice yourself to see him if he had been taken from you. You would destroy the world or give yourself to a goddess just to see him one last time.

Thorm looked at you for a moment before nodding, and nothing but relief filled you. You weren’t sure if your body could take another fight right at this moment. “You’re right,” he said, “I can be with her, but I apologize for what happens next. I can’t stop it.” You froze at his words. What did he mean by those words? Before you could continue to think, Thorm threw himself over the edge into the green abyss.

Astarion scoffed as he looked at the others. “So you’re telling me all we had to do was convince him that he could see his wife, and he would just end any and all fighting for us? Why didn’t we do that sooner?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Just as he spoke his words, a rumble vibrated around them. Astarion opened his mouth to say something when a large skeletal hand reached up and slammed itself down in front of you, causing you to stumble back to avoid being smashed.

Another rumble sounded, but this time it sounded more like a groan. “I am the haunt of mausoleums, the god of graves and age,” a loud booming voice grumbled as a large figure started to emerge where Thorm had thrown himself. “Of dust and dusk. I am Myrkul, and you have slain my Chosen.” Your eyes widened in recognition. The god of death. You were about to go head-to-head with a god, and part of you just wanted to drop then and there. With your injuries, you had no idea if you would survive this. “But it is no matter, for I am Death. And I am not the end–I am a beginning,” it finished.

Beside you, you heard a gasp from Astarion and the others. “What in the nine hells is that thing?” he asked as you began to back away. The large skeletal figure reached out his hand, and a large scythe flew into his grasp. Sweat began to collect at your brow as the stinging in your side grew. You could taste the bile starting to rise in your throat, and the loss of blood started to catch up with you.

You didn’t miss how Shadowheart looked at you; she knew you were in pain, but you were relieved that the others were oblivious. Biting back a groan, you stood taller, letting your eyes focus on the being before you. “That is a god,” you grumbled, listening to Astarion let out a string of colorful words. Before you had any time to react, Myrkul swung his weapon down towards you, the tip of it catching your leg, causing you to let out a pained yell.

You weren’t sure if it was your yell that set them off or the sudden attack, but as you caught your balance, spells and arrows began to fly through the air toward Myrkul. The moment Dame Aylin was free of her confines, she let out a roar as she aimed to take down the god in front of you. Your head was spinning, and you felt as if the world would go black, but you kept pushing, determined to help your friends. Missiles shot from you, landing their mark as Myrkul let out a screech, swinging his weapons towards everyone. The fight felt as if it went on for hours, years even, before the sight of Astarion and Karlach were thrown off the raised area in which you were standing.

The sight of the lack of movement from Astarion sent a blinding rage through you. A loud and violent scream tore through you as panic filled your very being. You swung your weapon, landing hit after hit on the God of Death. It wasn’t until there was a loud screech from the god that you realized that he had fallen. The sight of Thorm now lying a few feet away from you put you in another blind rage. Stomping towards him, he looked up at you helplessly, fear filling his eyes at the sight of you. He was terrified of dying by your hand, but you paid no mind to the thought. Letting out another scream, you sunk your dagger into him, only to pull it from him and repeat the motions over and over. “This is your fault,” you seethe over and over, the blood coating your face in the process. The feeling of hands on your shoulders and a large body dragging you away had you kicking and screaming as you thrashed in their grip. “No, I need to send him back to where he came from, he doesn’t deserve to see her.” You scream, your eyes focused on the body before you.

A hand cups the back of your head as you’re spun around in the individual’s arms where they press your face to their broad chest. “He’ll get what’s coming to him, but you need to breathe, calm down.” Halsin. His low voice works to calm you as he massages his fingers into the back of your head just above where the now loose knot of your hair sits. You begin to feel your body relax as every ounce of rage leaves you and sobs begin to rack your body. “It’ll be alright, go to him, see if he’s okay,” Halsin whispers, slowly letting you go. You back away and welcome his touch as he wipes his thumbs under your eyes, swiping away any tears you had. He looked at you like you were his daughter, and he worried just like any father would.

Nodding, your gaze falls on Astarion before you scramble over to him, falling to your knees. Grabbing his face in your hands, you caress his cold cheeks before shaking him. “Astarion, wake up,” you grumble, shaking him again. “Wake up, or I swear to the Nine Hells I’ll sell my soul to make Raphael bring you back just so I can kill you myself.” You whimpered, when there was no response you let your head fall to rest on his chest as you squeezed your eyes shut.

A hand moves and places itself on the back of your head before you feel his chest rattle with a cough. “Who knew you were such a romantic, Darling, threatening to take my life all over again.” Your body snaps up as he keeps his head on the back of your head before moving it to rest on your cheek, caressing the skin gently.

Smacking his chest, you let out a sniffle as your muscles and wounds scream in pain. “I thought you died,” you sob, looking away from him. His laugh sent a wave of relief through you as his hand took yours.

“I couldn’t leave you, not after threatening to have Raphael bring me back just so you can do the job yourself; that threat was more terrifying than the god we just faced.” He jokes, causing you to let out a breathless laugh as you lean into his touch. “I’m not going anywhere, my sweet, you’re stuck with me.” Nodding, you help him to his feet as you turn to the others.

“Let's get out of here; we deserve to celebrate, especially since we finally broke the shadow curse. A night of drinking and sleep sounds perfect right about now.” You say, watching as your group, no your family, smile and let out a loud yell of celebration with Dame Aylin as she leads the cheers. This was your family, and one you would fight thousands of gods for, even if it means losing yourself in the process.

A/N: She was a long one, but I do hope you guys enjoyed it. I will be turning this into a small series as we get to explore the events that have taken place throughout thier adventure.

[mysticheathenn]

What is Your Soul Here to Learn?

Hi there! Remember to take what resonates and leave what does not. This reading does not supplement your need to seek professional help.

Take your time when choosing your pile. Ask yourself the question and choose the picture that you can’t stop looking at. Listen to your intuition.

The extended reading includes:

What is your soul here to learn?

What lessons and people are here to help you?

(This extended reading is available for free!)

Pile l:

What was your past life like? (Cards: 3 of Wands, The High Priestess (reversed), The Hermit, Knight of Swords)

This may be my spiritual pile (don't have to be but I feel you're either spiritual or religious). In your past life, you may have been a monk. Living your life in solitude but you were celebrated and loved by a large group of people giving your guidance and knowledge to any and everyone who needed it. This energy may have transferred over in your current life but instead of being a monk, you are the friend that everyone goes to for advice or when they need comforting. In your past life, you helped those who needed help with grounding themselves and help with healing. I'm seeing a lot of broken people with deep traumas came to you not just for your guidance but for loving energy.

What were your past life's faults? (Cards: 6 of Wands, 4 of Cups (reversed), Page of Swords, & King of Swords)

You're past life faults were you allowed other people to get in your head which caused your downfall. Some of you may have experienced greed while others of you allowed haters and others that wanted to see you fall get in your head. There isn't much to go on with this question as there seems to be a wall as if your past life is ashamed for the way they have lived and allowed others influences lead the way you lived life. It's as if you had trouble standing up for yourself because you feared judgment of others and didn't want gossip to paint you in a negative light. For others, you let your popularity get to your head and while you did good things you did more harm than good. (Extended reading on my Patreon - Available for free)

Pile ll:

What was your past life like? (Cards: 6 of Pentacles (reversed), The Empress (reversed), The Hierophant, 10 of Swords (reversed)

Pile 2 in a past life you let other people dictate your life telling you what you should do and who you should be in life. You were the type of person who did everything by the book, it gives me the vibes of what used to be the American Dream where if you worked hard, went to school, and stayed out of trouble you were on your way to having a good, long, and successful life but instead it led you into depression because it wasn’t what you truly wanted to do. It gives me “Don’t Worry Darling Movie Vibes.” Maybe you were fed dreams that didn’t pan out to be exactly what you hoped for and anytime you spoke out about it people would gaslight you telling you things would get better or even go as far as chastize you for wanting to do things differently than how they were always done.

What were your past life's faults?  & What is your soul here to learn? (Cards: 3 of Cups, The World (reversed), Page of Swords, & The Tower)

I’m getting a sense that your past life’s faults is the same thing your soul is here to learn.  You tend to let other people dictate what is good for you instead of making these decisions yourself. Maybe you are born into a family with strict expectations where everyone is a doctor, and you have to be a doctor too or maybe your family continues to carry old expectations of how the world used to work and they pass them down to you. An example would be maybe your mom was a stay-at-home mom or something and keeps nagging you that your “biological clock” is running out and you need to shackle down with just about anyone who won't abuse you to give them grandbabies and populate the earth.  I’m sensing in a past life and even now you have tried to break away from the mold but each time you do you are met with manipulation tactic after manipulation tactic like maybe your family and friends saying they will disown you if you don’t follow what they feel is best for you. You want to appease your family and friends but you also want to stand true to who you are as a person and you’re finding that very hard to do because of the many fear tactics you were fed and also you're not believing in yourself that you will land safely on your own two feet but will crash and burn making you feel that maybe your family and friends were right and you should listen to them.

(Extended reading on my Patreon - Available for free)

Pile lll:

What was your past life like? (Cards: 9 of Wands, The Moon, Queen of Cups, The Hermit, 8 of Swords.

I’m getting in your past life you grew up in a household where you were taught to be seen and not heard. This may have crossed over into your current realities as with the 9 of wands you felt a lot of burdens that didn’t belong to you. Maybe you had parents who didn’t get along but would go to you to vent about each other, or maybe you, unfortunately, fell into the trap of being an older sibling having to take care of your younger siblings and you didn’t feel heard because every time you would speak out about how you would feel you were shut down which caused you to go into hermit mode and just move through life as a robot and not actually live your life how you should have. For a moderate amount of you, I feel this has crossed over into your current reality. This may have even emotionally stunted you to where you don’t know how to process your emotions maturely. Maybe some of you currently or even in your past life would lash out at any and every one anytime anything would happen even if you didn’t mean to and you would feel horrible about it because you don’t mean to cause anyone harm or make them feel some type of way.

What were your past life's faults? (Cards: The Devil, Knight of Wands (reversed), Page of Cups, & 3 of Swords)

Your faults in your past life were because you didn’t know how to emotionally process your feelings and felt the heavy burden of others on your shoulders you resulted into drinking, drugs, and maybe even sex to feel something other than the pain you felt daily from not having a safe space to go to amongst family or friends. Again some of you this may have crossed over into your current reality where you feel alone and don’t have anyone you can talk to about the many struggles in your life that are going on and the only thing you do to help ease the pain is by taking on vices whether its drugs, sex, alcohol, maybe even spending a lot of money on things you know you don’t need but temporarily gives you joy. Some of you if this has crossed over into your current reality you aren’t sure how to pick yourself up and try to do better in your current reality which blends into a little bit of what your soul is here to learn.

(Extended reading on my Patreon - Available for free)

Pile lV:

What was your past life like? (Cards: 9 of Wands, The Moon, Queen of Cups, The Hermit, 8 of Swords

Similar to piles 2 and 3 your past life may be reoccurring in your current reality. In your past life, you had a hard time letting go of people and things that were no good for you. In your current reality you could be the one friend who goes to your friends for advice on your sh!itty relationship just for you to do the complete opposite of what you were advised to do because you believe things will get better and you have so much history with a person or even a job for some of you. You have a strong sense of loyalty to anything you see potential in that could be great for you in the future. This pile gives me “I can fix him” vibes even though the situation, person, or job could be draining for you, you still refuse to let go.

What were your past life's faults? (Cards: The Devil, Knight of Wands (reversed), Page of Cups, & 3 of Swords)

You’re faults in your past life just like the first question could bleed into your current reality as well because you believe people can change and time and time again you have been hurt and led astray believing this kind of thinking only to get back up again and try a different plan to make something that has been dead come alive again. I’m getting the TikTok trend “Staying delulu is the solulu.” Some of you stay in a delusional universe when it comes to situations or people that drain you. No matter how many people tell you that you need to leave a job or person you keep telling yourself it’s going to get better. I just have to do a little more of this or a little more of that not seeing that you are watering dead soil. I’m seeing the clip of Viola Davis and Denzel Washington in the movie Fences where she goes off on her husband saying “It didn’t take her 18 years to know she was watering rock-hard dead soil but she stayed and kept fighting and pushing and showing up because she’s loyal and sometimes still has a little bit of hope.”

(Extended reading on my Patreon - Available for free)

Thank you to everyone who likes and reblogs my post. Always truly appreciative of all of you. Remember to check out the extended reading on Patreon for FREE!

I hope you guys enjoyed this one. Until next time, stay safe and be blessed.

[skyward-floored]

I am here to ask something extremely important about the downfall iau

is ravio around

Maybe. Perhaps.

...

Hyrule had been safely taken to Sky's place, they'd gotten a possible lead on where Wild might be, and Wind was currently sitting on the couch next to his brother, sipping warm milk while Four quietly read a book.

It had been a surprisingly good day.

Malon hummed quietly as she sewed something in the chair by the doorway, and Wind listened to her as he took another sip of milk. She seemed less sad then she had when they'd first met her, though Wind could still see the differences between her and his mom. They weren't quite as devastating as before though, and Wind smiled to himself. At least they'd done some good since coming here.

Four yawned beside him, and Wind looked at the bags under his eyes.

"It's getting late, boys. I know you were waiting up for Legend, but he must have been kept late doing something," Malon said, and Wind didn't miss her worried glance at the clock. It was after midnight already. "Maybe you should head off to bed."

"I'm not tired, it's just the reading making me yawn," Four protested, stifling another one behind his hand.

Malon smiled. "Uh huh."

"Can we wait another half hour?" Wind asked, worry squirming in his chest. Not knowing where Legend was made his stomach hurt. "Just to make sure he isn't coming tonight. Then we'll go to bed."

Malon considered, then nodded with a sigh. "I suppose so. But after that you boys truly need to go to bed. You don't want to waste all of Legend's free day by sleeping, do you?"

"No, but he'll be sleeping too," Four pointed out, and Wind giggled. Four had a point there.

Malon raised an amused eyebrow, but then she stiffened, and turned towards the window. Wind frowned, but then he heard it too: something shuffling outside.

Legend wouldn't be hiding in the bushes, would he?

The rustling went silent, and mere moments later, a door somewhere in the house banged, and Wind heard footsteps scramble inside.

“Mom, I need you!” Legend’s voice shouted from the back, and Malon jumped to her feet, rushing out to the back door. Wind and Four quickly followed her, sleepiness forgotten, and they peered around the doorway.

Blood was the first thing Wind saw, the smell of it sharp and metallic as it dripped steadily onto the floor. Wind's heart lurched, but it calmed down minutely when he saw it was coming from the person Legend was supporting, and not Legend himself. Their not-brother looked worn and worried though, his footsteps not entirely steady, and the teenager beside him looked about ready to faint.

“Wait... Ravio?” Wind whispered in disbelief, recognizing him as one of regular-Legend’s friends. Legend’s head went up at his voice, his eyes locking with Wind’s.

Ravio groaned though, redrawing his attention, and Malon quickly slipped under his other arm, supporting him into the living room. Wind and Four quickly got out of the way, and Ravio was deposited on the couch, Legend kneeling beside him and ripping his pant leg where it was bloodiest.

Wind sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the wound near Ravio’s knee, but Legend didn’t falter, ordering Four to get the first-aid kit, and then him and Malon moving with an almost clinical preciseness as they began cleaning the injury and giving Ravio some painkillers.

“Legend, what happened?” Malon began as Four handed her some clean bandages. “I thought Ravio was just passing on information now and then, and you were supposed to be home hours ago. How did... this happen?”

“Yuga finally scraped together enough influence to go after him,” Legend bit out, quickly wiping some dirt off his cheek with his arm. Wind thought his eyes looked a bit bloodshot. “Cowardly pig didn’t even issue a warning. I caught wind of it and went to go help.”

“Apparently Y-Yuga finally got my name on the wanted list,” Ravio tried to joke, but his voice was strained, and his face was paler then it should be. “I’ve b-been being hunted almost a-all day. Legend saved me.”

“Yeah, and I don’t know if I was seen or not,” Legend said grimly. Wind's stomach lurched. “This might’ve been exactly what Yuga was fishing for. Things've been getting worse since we got Hyrule out, and this might've been the last straw. We might have to put plan Phantom into effect.”

Malon’s expression tightened, but she nodded, finishing with wrapping up Ravio’s leg. “I’ll call Sky, see if he's heard anything."

She gave Ravio’s shoulder a warm squeeze, directing him to an untouched cup of milk she somehow warmed up and placed before him in the chaos, but before she left, she gave Legend a worried look.

"Are you hurt, sweetheart?" she asked quietly, and Legend suddenly looked every bit the teenager that he was, young and exhausted.

"I'm okay," he whispered, and Malon looked at him for another second, then kissed his cheek and hurried off.

“You two,” Legend barked as Malon walked away, and Four and Wind straightened. The brief moment of vulnerability was gone, and Legend had slipped back to being the person who fit his suit, strong and ready for any challenge. “Do either of you know anything about caring for injuries?”

“...A little bit?” Four said hesitantly, and Legend nodded.

“That’ll be enough. Ravio has some smaller injuries, it would be helpful if you could clean and wrap those."

"I'd appreciate that, yeah," Ravio admitted weakly, then looked up at the ceiling, worry on his face. Wind thought he somehow looked both older and younger than the Ravio he knew. "Mr. Hero, do you think Sheerow got out okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Ravio, they don't care about birds," Legend reassured with an eye roll. "Let Four help wrap you up. Now you,” he directed at Wind, “can help me with keeping watch and preparing."

“Preparing for what, exactly?” Wind asked, and Legend gave him a grim smirk as he stood, blood still on his hands.

“Any government supers to come busting down our door.”

Wind's stomach dropped out, and he exchanged nervous looks with Four. They'd known that was possible almost since the day they'd gotten here, but now it was highly likely it would happen.

And what’s going to happen to us if it does?

Ravio let out a moan. "I miss when my life had a lot less imminent danger in it."

Wind couldn't help but agree.

[ghost-bxrd]

What do you headcanon as AU careers for Dick?

I don't much like the idea of Dick as a cop (in Wayne Family Adventures I'm pretty sure they never explicitly mention his job, so I'm gonna pretend he's not a cop there)

Gymnastics instructor seems to be a popular choice in most of the Happy Dick and Nice Batfam AUs and it sounds in character... Except his night job related injuries would be difficult to hide.

Neither Fae nor Talon Dick are likely to have the kind of falling out with Bruce which led to Dick striking out on his own, so they will likely never have the worry about earning their own living. Bruce would no doubt be willing and eager to give them cushy jobs with the WE, or they can just treat Superhero-ing as their full time job. But still, I think they will want an independent, non-nepo baby job.

I like the idea of Dick as a CPS worker, or just with social services in general. He'll be great with traumatized kids, has so much experience both first and second hand to draw on.

And if Fae Dick is with CPS... Well. The lore about fae stealing children is well known, but less well known is the lore that fae steal neglected children.

Now, that can simply be the predator going after the vulnerable, but it can also be in some stories the fae see humans refusing to take care of the children properly and getting their adoption instincts triggered Bruce Wayne style, taking them away from the parents who don't deserve them to a better life.

CPS takes neglected and abused children away from the parents who don't deserve them, to a better life.

Love the idea of a fae as a CPS worker, getting official sanction and human cooperation to do his traditional job :)

It depends on the Au!

I’m very flexible with what I read as long as the author manages to fit it into the story in a plausible and believable way. Like with the Titans TV series where it establishes very early on that Dick is rather feral and not as opposed to murder as Bruce *cough*

But over all I do agree that him being a cop doesn’t check out most of the time since most comics (at least from what I’ve read, so take that with a grain of salt. My comic knowledge is like— 3% if we’re being generous lol.) depict him as being very opposed to using firearms, and to killing. And cops have to carry guns to protect themselves and others, and sometimes also shoot people. So yeah I don’t know.

And acrobatics instructor actually isn’t such a bad idea imo! Yeah there are some pretty revealing suits out there. But if we go with what Dick is wearing in Gotham Knights in between missions it could totally work out! He’d still have to be careful tho, obviously. But honestly I don’t think people will look too closely at someone who does potentially dangerous sports as a living and comes in with a black eye or a broken arm or something.

CPS sounds like a very fun idea tho! Espiecally in regards to Fae Dick! He’s got a soft spot for children and their wide eyed wonder. And kids aren’t nearly as frightened of him if they happen to catch a glimpse of other either. So yeah, perfect!

But now I’m also thinking of the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale, because I can totally see Dick leading a gaggle of kids through the streets and out of harms way if there’s ever a Gotham wide catastrophe going on… hmmmm

Other than that I could also see Dick as someone who takes a job leading and organizing multiple charities (sponsored by Wayne Enterprises) and rising through the Gotham Elite. It would help his vigilante cover (poor and dumb Richie Wayne, always drunk and being scandalous, just like his guardian) while also serving the ulterior motive of rooting out corruption.

Idk that last one’s just a thought (cuz I love good rich people playing other bad rich people and causing their downfall… eh.)

[andromeda-nova-writing]

Thrills and Chills

Fem!Reader Words: 1072

Summary: Amusement Parks tend to be places filled with joy and laughter. Yet with the Halloween season upon most Amusement Parks become a place bound to horror giving scares to those who dare to show. The perfect spot for a date. Right?

AN: Modern AU go brr sometimes. This is actually my first thing I wrote for Wriothesley in a Modern AU. I missed writing for him so I'm glad I finally had an idea for him again. Beta read by @isekyaaa

With a hop down from Wriothesley’s jeep, Y/N stood firmly down on the pavement of the parking lot. “I beg of you to please get risers on this thing. It’s up so high I might break an ankle.”

“You’re being dramatic. I told you if you need me to help you down I will.” He reminded again as he walked around to the passenger side.

“I know but I don��t want to have to rely on you for that. Also what about heels? I’m tired of having to change shoes every time we go somewhere when I wear heels.” She complained as she grabbed her bag off the seat of the jeep before closing the door.

“I’ll look into it.” He spoke as he hit the button on his key locking the vehicle before shoving the key in his pocket. 

“You better. My ankles depend on you.” She spoke as she grabbed his hand. “You know I’ve never been to this amusement park before. You’ll have to lead the way.”

“I’ll be happy to.” Wriothesley gently squeezed her hand. He had only been to the park once before with friends.

The entrance to the park was covered in spiderwebs. A fog machine and ambient music only added to the haunting atmosphere. It wasn’t bad, though. It was just a little more spooky than normal.

“I thought this would just be a normal amusement park.”

“It is. I just never had the chance to go while it’s all decorated like this. I thought it would be nice to do together.” Despite Wriothesley being such a big guy who most people upon first meeting would describe as scary, he looked like a big puppy as he smiled at her.

“Well, what would you like to do? First times like this should be special.” It was just Halloween decorations; she liked Halloween. Nothing to worry about.

The grip Y/N had on Wriothesley's arm could have cut off the circulation with how tightly she squeezed him. She had no clue he enjoyed haunted houses this much. The park had plenty to entertain him much to her disappointment. It didn’t help that they had actors running around, scaring people around the park outside of the haunted houses as well. At least he was having fun despite her unknown terror.

She was able to play it off as if she was just cold from the chilly autumn air before, but that only ended up making it worse. Being inside the haunted houses gave more warmth than the outside air which led them to focus on just the houses. Wriothesley was just trying to make sure she was comfortable. It was actually really sweet of him despite feeling like she had to lie since he was having such a good time. 

“I think we have three more haunted houses left. If I knew you were gonna get this cold I would have brought my jacket.” Wriothesley had pulled out of the grip she had on his arm before throwing the same arm around her shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to get a sweater from one of the gift shops?”

“NO!” That came out louder than she had meant. All the gift shops they had walked past actors stationed nearby. And zombies were just the most terrifying to her. “I just mean I don't need a sweater when I have you to keep me warm.”

He raised an eyebrow at her questioning what she had said. “As much as I like you wanting to be up under me, we are kind of running out of park that we can comfortably enjoy like this. I would hate to cut this short. It’s not like we get to go on dates often.”

“Have you considered that’s the exact reason I’m okay with being close to you like this?” She asked, looking up at him to give him puppy dog eyes to sell her half-lie, which was her downfall. 

It had made them perfect targets as two of the actors had run up towards them. One of them, a woman drenched in blood let out a screech before a man violently waving an axe followed behind. The pair was already onto their next targets when Wriothesley noticed how tightly she was clenching onto him. Terror spelled out in her eyes.

Had he been that blind all night?

Wriothesley looked around before bringing Y/N along towards the line for the Ferris wheel.  With guests focused on the more seasonal activities the line was relatively empty, which made getting on the calming ride quick and easy. 

He waited till they were just up high enough away from the ride operators before asking, “Why didn’t you just say you were scared? That you weren’t having a good time?”

“You looked so excited to experience this. I didn’t want your fun to get cut short 'cause I couldn’t handle it.” Her eyes stayed glued to the floor of the carriage. 

“What’s it worth if you aren't having a good time as well? I said I would take you out on a fun date, not try to give you nightmares.”

“I just thought maybe I could handle this. It doesn’t help that you wanted to surprise me. I was excited for this. I like our dates.”

“Yeah, but we could have gone somewhere else if you weren’t enjoying this. Weren’t you the one saying this works better if we are open with each other?” His words were as soft as his touch. Wriothesley gently moved her head to look at him with a thumb brushing against her cheek.

“I,” a hitch of her breath swallowed the words for a second, “I did say that. I just feel silly. None of this is real so why am I so scared? It’s just so irrational.”

“I still feel the compulsive need to have a knife under my pillow. I don’t have room to judge your fears. I’m just here to help in any way that I can.”

It felt natural to allow herself to fall into the comfort of Wriothesley’s arms after fighting her fear for so long all night. The rest of the ride on the Ferris wheel was quiet and warm despite the chill of the fall air. Perhaps once she was able to pull herself back together with his help, they could find something else to do. Something far, far away from any concept of horror.

[mncxbe]

how about a smut with ranpo? he's just so exhausted after that case in early season 4 (I forgor 💀) worrying about the announcement that mushitarō told him and put it all on the fem s/o?

omg yes?? I wanted to write some Ranpo smut for such a long time now djdjsj. Also made it extra sweet cuz i love him sm. hope you like it♡♡

°☆●

u.

𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒐 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: smut♡/ comfort

Ranpo promised himself he wouldn't do this again and yet, here he was, taking all his worries and frustrations out on you again. Hips smashing into yours at a relentless speed, the tips of his fingers dug deep into the soft skin of your thighs in a desperate attempt to keep you closer; to feel more of you.

" 'm sorry sugar" he uttered between mindless moans and grunts "I know you're tired and-"

"Shh" you cooed, placing a finger over his glossy, parted lips to shush him. "It's okay baby. Lemme help you relax."

Your hips glided back and forth against his, syncing perfectly with the steady rhythm of his thrusts, sending him to heaven and back.

Ever since that morning when Mushitarō warned him about what's to come, Ranpo's mind has been plagued by dark thoughts and theories: what was his friend apprising him of? He knew it was connected to the Decay of Angels, but nothing more.

Mushitarō has told him not to accept the next mission they are commissioned for. But could he really say no? He knew that without hard facts he stood no chance of convincing Fukuzawa, who had a "no rejecting cases" policy, to let this one go.

And yet what could he do? No matter how hard he tried, his brilliant mind was unable to pinpoint any scenarios; and not because none were likely enough to lead to the downfall of the Agency. No, it was the other way around. He was going against Fyodor, the only person who managed to match his intellect. Aware of the Russian's cunning nature, Ranpo knew that any possible scenario that he came up with had already crossed his rival's mind, therefore being a dead end.

And this was what's been weighing on his poor, tired mind all day, the racing thoughts brining him to the point of exhaustion.

But now, as he mercilessly fucked himself into you, he was finally at peace. Your sweet sounds echoed in his mind; loud enough to drown the torrent of worries and your half-lidded gaze put him under a delicious spell.

Whenever the haunting thoughts would resurface he'd pick up the pace, eliciting louder whines and pleas from you.

"Ranpo please slow down a bit." you babbled out as you clawed at his chest, manicured nails leaving crescent shaped all over his damp skin.

But he was too lost in thought to even hear you, desperately chasing his own high. His gaze lingered on his pelvis, which was glazed in your slick and juices from your previous orgasms, and he felt the knot in his stomach tighten, threatening to snap.

He pounded into you even faster, deeper; he needed more and more and more and he knew you could take it. You always did.

Rolling his emerald eyes back in his skull, he gripped onto your hips and bounced you on his cock like a man starved.

"Cmon sugar this is the last I promise." he whined, his eyes meeting yours as you nodded with a smile.

And soon enough a wave of pleasure washed over him and he halted his movements, spilling his cum deep inside you as you moaned in unison.

"Shit baby" he sighed and you couldn't help but chuckle.

You slowly got off him and laid by his side, arms snaking around his torso. Ranpo instinctively turned to face you and buried his head in the crook of your neck, relishing your sweet, comforting scent.

"Feeling better?" you eventually asked but your boyfriend only nodded.

"Look" you began again, gently combing your fingers through his coffee coloured hair "I don't know what it is that's stressing you out right now and you don't have to tell me. I'm sure you'll get to the end of this tho. After all, you're the greatest detective in the whole world and you can do whatever you put your mind up to."

A smile tugged at the corners of Ranpo's lips upon hearing your words.

"Thanks sugar. It means a lot." he replied, placing a feathery kiss on your collarbone.

"Good, I'm glad then"

The following minutes were spent in silence, the steady motion of your digits along his brown strands slowly lulled Ranpo into a slumber. His worries seemed far away now that he was with you and he finally allowed himself to rest.

Feeling how his tense body relaxed in your embrace you closed your eyes.

"Goodnight dear" you whispered softly before brushing your lips against his forehead and he hummed in response.

Ranpo fell asleep soon after, sheltered in your gentle hold. Somewhere in a god forgotten building, his enemies were probably plotting his demise, the end of the Agency and of all the things he had ever loved; but right now none of that mattered. The nights were about you.

[butterflydm]

I might need to rewatch that big last conversation when it comes out on youtube next week, because it was a lot, but it does leave me with many more questions than answers.

If I am remembering correctly, the Arch Heart asks Bells Hells if they know what a vessel is, kinda goes, ~eh close enough~ to their answers and never gives them any true clarity.

The Arch Heart. As they themselves stressed a few times, what they said last night was their own opinion, so I'm just going to poke at their history and some thoughts of their plan a bit.

(cutting for length)

A. Gives mortals the ability to use arcane magic just to see what they'll do with it.

B. Age of Arcanum happens. A mage is able to construct a ritual to replace the god of death. Using her example, a second mage attempts the same with the Lord of the Hells but fucks it up and gives Asmodeus a window into the world. This leads us into the Calamity.

C. During the Calamity, Aeor becomes blocked to the gods' vision. This worries them enough to call something of a truce and to incorporate into, well, let's call them vessels, at least for now. Upon investigating Aeor, they discover a weapon that can kill them, and we get Downfall. During this period, the Arch Heart briefly floats the idea that death is somewhat fascinating to them but ultimately fights with the other gods for the protection and preservation of their family.

D. Ludinus grows up, bitter and angry about the gods. As the god who gave mortals magic, is the Arch Heart aware of his plan before the others are? Or did they remain just as much in the dark?

E. Sometime off-screen, the gods do become aware that a dangerous plan is afoot and begin marshalling forces against the Ruby Vanguard and investigating more. Gods we have seen extend and influence their followers into this effort would include the Dawnfather, the Everlight, the Changebringer, the Storm Lord, the Wildmother, the Platinum Dragon, the Matron of Ravens, the Lord of the Hells, and the Spider Queen. (Am I missing anyone?)

Which god is it that agrees with the Arch Heart? Presumably not one of those who is actively setting their followers against the Vanguard and Ludinus.

F. Somewhere in all this, the Arch Heart learns about Ludinus's plans and, just like they considered their Aeorian mages' plans to be worthy of consideration, the Arch Heart is wondering if perhaps Ludinis's plan has merit. Not all of it. Not the part that actually kills any of their family. But maybe this is the push their siblings need to let go of Exandria. So the Arch Heart wonders.

G. Establishes that Bells Hells are not certain what being a vessel would mean, and cheerfully pushes them towards a plan that involves Fearne and/or Imogen becoming a vessel for Predathos and controlling that power/hunger enough to scare all the gods off Exandria without killing them.

Can't/won't answer what that means for the vessel's mortal body. How will Predathos chase the gods in a mortal body? Will that body get overwhelmed by the power and mist away, like the gods' mortal forms at the end of Downfall?

If the mortal body isn't overwhelmed and stays intact but isn't able to endure the vacuum of space, will Predathos turn that hunger on the available food near it? On the divine power of the Luxon, perhaps?

What is the plan to account for the gods who might care more about staying to protect 'their children' and might not be willing to leave?

It sounds like, from what the Arch Heart says, that the gods are in active discussion about the idea of bringing down the Divine Gate so that they can act more forcefully against Ludinus. That potential second Calamity.

Definitely more questions than answers, which suits the god that influences the fey. Also, I know some fans were indignant that Bells Hells needed to justify their inclusion in the plan against some of the religious folks' concerns, but the fact that they're considering the Arch Heart's plan kinda feels like it justifies those worries and concerns that we saw from the assembled people in the meeting at Vasselheim. The whole reason that those clerics & etc. were worried, presumably, is because of Ruby Vanguard infiltration in their ranks making them concerned about betrayal from within. And BH keeps getting offered opportunities to enact those betrayals.

[amber-michaelson]

The Gift Of Eywa

Neteyam x Na'vi reader

Summary: becoming the main protector of Pandora eywa decides to gift you something you've been missing.

Read At Own Risk

Warning: breeding, protective neteyam.

Yn pov

Returning to camp after another successful attack against the sky people only 2 dead and afew injured of our people "feed the ilus and ikrans they'll be hungry" I said as I landed, it was only a month after neteyam's death I left to start my own clan but not only of Omaticaya but Metkayina too, we built our resting place on the cliff side at the edge of the forest for the Omaticaya people to be close to the forest and the Metkayina can reach the water, we've become the most feared clan for the humans no matter how hard they can try we were always a step ahead, but not only that Norman, Toruk Makto friend joined us with the rest of the dream walkers "outstanding job yn they've cut back on the deplanetation instead focusing on projecting their base" norm laughed walking out of their lab in his human form "then that's what we hit next" I murmured stretching out my back as I walked to my tent placing down my bow at the door sighing sadly as I walked into my tent it was hard without him he would've been the best chèf for this type of thing, he's learn both the Omaticaya and Metkayina way of hunting

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎Back At the Metkayina Village▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

"Ma neteyam" neytiri cried hugging her son as the village started to crowd around her gasping as they saw the fallen son of Toruk Makto "thank you ewya thank you" she chanted rocking her and her son back and forth "what's goi-" jake froze as he saw his eldest son so did their other children who trailed behind him "neteyam" he said covering his mouth as tears ran down his face "how".

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎back to you▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

Staring down at the ongoing celebration, there was singing, dancing and laughter but I couldn't face it, not to night "you should be down there yn you're the one to lead this clan to victory" krykan one of our most talented warriors said as he emerged from the shadows "i don't feel like celebrating but you should go and have fun" i said tensing as he sat beside me i never really liked him, he was always lurking close to me and when I talk to the other hunters he always interrupts and no matter how much I give him a hint he still wants to mate with me "but I celebrate better with you around" he slurred as he winked at me, it took my entire being not to cringe "kryk-" "no I know what your going to say and you can't keep denying me yn I am thee most talented hunter in this clan and I have been trying to mate with you and you keep denying me so heres the deal if you don't have a mate within a month your mine" "and if I do get a mate" I asked angrily "then I'll fight them"he muttered getting up and walked off 'great now another thing to worry about'.

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎time skip the day of the end of the deal▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

I snuck off early for my patrol I'm gonna try my hardest to ignore krykan for the day his obsession with me has gotten worse now I was able to speak to the other hunters without him being a few feet behind me and his intense stare on whoever I'm speaking to "freedom" I say as I reached a safe enough distance from the village breathing in the fresh air as if it was something new I knew if i mated with krykan the clans downfall would begin, he doesn't even listen to my battle plans now it would just get worse after we mated with neteyam he did not only listen to my plans but gave me advice on certain things 'i wish you were here neteyam'.

Neteyam pov

I finally arrived at yns village glancing around amazed at what she's accomplished "neteyam" my gaze quickly moving over to Norman "I can't believe my eyes" he smiled as he came closer "yn is gonna be soo happy when she gets back" he laughed "yn you mean my mate Norman" I turned to the unfamiliar voice my eye twitching as he said 'my mate' "who the hell are you" I muttered straightening up "oh look so tough" he mocked "the names krykan best hunter of the clan and the future chief" he grinned sticking out his arms gesturing to the whole village "yn already has a mate she doesn't need a new one" I muttered and hissed he smirked as he got my reaction but a yns call got our attention my breathing hitching as she lands jumping off her ikran and froze as she saw me "neteyam" she murmured I was about to say something but a punch was landed on my lower draw sending me a few steps back "she's mine" krykan hissed as he went for me again but swiftly dodging and kicked him in the ribs making him fall to the ground I quickly punched him in the nose surly breaking it but also sending his head back against the ground hard making him scream in pain "next time don't go for someone else's mate dickhead" I spat before running to yn and wrapped my arms tightly around her as she cried into my chest "I thought I lost you I thought I lost you" she hiccuped as her hands gripped my shoulders "I'm here yn" I smiled sadly kissing her head as I turned to take her to her hut after asking norm for directions "wow" I murmured as I entered her hut, her crys finally settling, her hut was like the one she had at home except for a few extra things here and there "I'm gonna lay you down yn" I whispered into her ear and made my way over to her bed, she whined as I layed her down "don't leave me" I chuckled as she made grabby hands towards me "don't worry I'm never going to leave you again" I murmured as I layed down beside her.

Yn pov

I snuggled into his warmth and smiled as he wrapped his arms around me "I missed you so much" I whispered "I missed you to my mate" he said and lifted his hand to guide me to look at him "so so much" he murmured and leaned over and kissed me deeply "neteyam" I whined as he pulled away "what" he chuckled and climbed on top of me softly growling as he looked me up and down "oh fuck how I missed you" he muttered before smashing his lips to mine roughly and his hands began to grab and squeeze "mine" he growled against my lips "yours" I replied and moaned aloud as his knee rubbed up against my pussy "fuck I need you neteyam" I whined rocking my hips into his "I'm going to breed you" he muttered rubbing off mine and his clothes and not wasting any time and lubed up his cock with my juices "I'm gonna enjoy this" he groaned and pushed inside me causing me to arche my back "fuck" we both moaned, he started thrusting hard and fast as his hands playing with my boobs his eyes gazing down at me with hunger "I want you full with my seed" he panted his thrusts never changing pace "fuck" I mewled my fingers and toes curling as I cum "fuck that was fast" he groaned but spasmed as I clenched around him and his seed coating my walls "fuck neteyam" I moaned leaning my head back "oh baby I still got a few more rounds".

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[multi-fan-dom-madness]

Hi!

For the prompt requests...I'm thinking "I'm sorry, I had to" with Hound maybe 👀 or Cody as an alternative ❤️

hello roz my dear. thank you for this prompt!! I wanted desperately to write for Hound for this, but Cody came in and said "nope, this one's mine" so here we are. hope you enjoy!

First Kiss - Cody

Summary: You're injured. Cody can't risk losing you without telling you how he feels.

Warnings: canon-typical violence, angst, fluff, confessions

Word Count: 1k

dividers by: me, @saradika, and @dystopicjumpsuit in that order <3

As a starship technician, you don’t often travel to the frontlines. You support your boys in yellow from the Negotiator, repairing the clones’ gunships, the Jedis’ hyperdrive rings, and other engineering tasks that sometimes fall through the cracks. While you’d technically been combat trained when you enlisted with the GAR, that had been ages ago. You’ve never had a need to brush up on your skills. In effect, the GAR viewed you as a civilian engineer, not as a soldier, and so didn’t feel the need to press your training. 

Maybe they should have. 

Because while you don’t go to the frontlines, today the frontline has come to you. 

Explosions rock the Negotiator. Tremors rumble up through the durasteel floor into your body, already panicked as it is, as you pelt full-tilt down a side corridor. Your blaster is clutched in sweaty palms. You need to reach the hangar bay. You’ve been working on some modifications to the gunships to make them quieter, stealthier, more efficient—if that data is destroyed or, even worse, stolen, several months of your work goes down the drain. You may even be fired if the Separatists use the data against the clone army.

But in reality, that’s not what you’re worried about. No, you’re worried about Cody. You know him; he’s out there at the front right now, leading his men by example. It’s part of the reason you fell for him in the first place. He cares for his men—and in the end, that depth of emotion may be his downfall. Kark, you should have told him how you feel. 

You sprint past dozens of troopers running in the opposite direction. As you near the hangar, one of the men stops you, yanking you to a halt. 

“Hangar’s compromised!” he shouts over the blaring klaxon. “Come with us! Commander’s orders!” 

That gives you pause. Meeting the helmeted gaze of the trooper with wide eyes, you flounder for a moment. Another explosion shakes the ship. You stumble, the trooper’s grasp the only thing keeping you upright.

“Where’s the Commander?” you shout. 

His hesitation tells you all you need to know. Pulling yourself out of the trooper’s grip, you continue on your mad dash to the hangar, its state of damage be damned. Thankfully, none of the rest of the men stop you, and at last, you reach the hangar entrance. 

The entire space is engulfed in an inferno. Heat snarls at you as the door opens, before the metal screeches to a halt halfway, jammed. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, you step over the threshold. 

You practically live in this hangar. You know exactly where your workstation is, how to get to it, where everything is within your toolbox. This is a space you could walk through in your sleep—yet as you squint against the sting of smoke and dodge flames that seem to leap at you, panic begins to build in your chest in earnest. Because Cody is somewhere in all this carnage, too. You can’t save both your work and your commander. 

You couldn’t live with yourself if you let him die. 

Your lungs scream for air. With a terrified whimper, you gulp in a deep lungful. Immediately you begin to cough, the smoke burning into your body. Turning in a circle, you attempt to squint through the smoke. The heat grows by the minute and becomes increasingly oppressive. Your knees feel weak. But still you stagger forward. Blind and lost, you cry with a cracked voice for Cody. 

You trip. Knees crack against the floor. Hacking, you peer through the smoke with watering eyes. Is that a person coming toward you? 

As your vision goes dark, the last thing you see is a pair of hands reaching for you and a familiar golden visor.

When you wake, you’re in the medbay. You can tell before you even open your eyes, just based on the sterile scent of antiseptic tickling your nose, and the hushed, rhythmic beeping of several medical devices. 

Eyes fluttering open, you squint against the bright white light reflecting off equally bright white walls. It hurts to breathe, but as you take silent stock of your body, nothing seems dangerously injured. No casts, no splints. Just a few bandages over what you assume are burns.

“Cyare,” a familiar voice says, full of relief. 

You turn and meet Cody’s eyes. He looks like shit. Dark circles under his eyes, a long-dried bloody split in his lip, soot and ash coating his normally pristine armor. He sits next to you on a small stool, his elbows resting on his knees, one of his feet bouncing incessantly. But his worried expression melts into something calmer, softer as he takes in your conscious form.

He half-stands, brushing his fingers over your forehead gently, and then leans down. Though logically you know what’s about to happen it’s still a surprise when his lips meet yours in a soft, chaste kiss. You press your face up to his, meeting him, and you both hold there for a moment before he pulls away with a shuddering breath. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, hand sliding down to grasp yours, “I had to. You scared me.” 

“M’sorry,” you mumble, mind hazy with his kiss. Your tongue is thick and dry. Nearby, one of the medical devices jumps in its rhythm, the beeps coming faster. 

He lowers back onto the stool. “What were you thinking?” 

Grimacing, you drop your gaze. “It’s stupid.” 

“Tell me,” he says, voice soft and kind. 

“I was thinking about you,” you admit in a whisper. 

His amber eyes widen in surprise. “Cyare.” 

“Told you it’s dumb.”

Shaking his head, he huffs an incredulous chuckle. He inhales deeply, runs a hand through his dirty hair, and fixes you with a look so fond that your heart squeezes.

“I love you, you know,” he says. 

The medical device goes crazy now, matching the way your heart stutters in your chest. “I- I love you, too.” 

The smile he gives you makes all the pain, all the panic, worth it. 

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[fallen-kingdoms-crk]

Can you tell me the lore of your AU i'm really confused by many people asking the characters problem

((Hrmmm... since you asked ever so nicely, tis Lore dump time- (my thought process may be a bit nonsensical so apologies on that front, dear Anon) Okay, so... like I said in the tags in the first post on this blog; this is a Beast and Ancients swap au. but with my own silly little twists. (the Beasts are still Knowledge, Change, Volition, Happiness, and Solidarity) (more under the cut bc this is LONG)

So the ancients are as follows:

Famine Surrender Ensnarement Disdain and Betrayal

So far, the only one we've met is Betrayal

Pure Vanilla, once the light of Truth, was a king and guide to those who lived in his kingdom. He was a beacon of hope, trust, love... he was the Witch's golden creation. He could never fall... not on his own.

The first to fall was Hollyberry, as her kingdom slowly became ungrateful to her efforts as ruler... claiming Pure Vanilla as a better ruler than she was and slowly began migrating over to the Vanilla kingdom. This caused Hollyberry to close off trade with the other kingdoms, harboring a deep Disdain for others including her once dear friends instead of the Passion that once overflowed to everyone. And anyone who would enter her lands? they're as good as dead.

The next was Golden Cheese. due to Hollyberry closing off trade(I imagine the Hollyberry kingdom is a very important one to trade with if that makes any sense?) and the hot climates of the land she ruled, she slowly ran out of food and her people began to starve. she asked for aid from the other kingdoms, but they too were starting to struggle due to the trade being cut off from the Hollyberry kingdom. She tried to keep everything together but when her people started dropping like flies she broke. Her magic went-- a bit haywire... and by a bit I mean everyone died as their essence was sucked into her to keep herself alive. She's still hungry though. Still ever so hungry. taking abundance for granted will soon lead to famine in the end.

Dark Cacao had become more of a recluse, staying within his palace with his young son. He drew back from the outside world since the fall of two of his friends, fearing himself to be the next to go. Normally he would be more stubborn, but he didn't want to chance anything hurting his son (he's a good dad in this au?? shocking.). Though, this would be his downfall.

White Lily was noticing the shift in the world, noticing that the freedom of others was causing a rift between her friends and their people. Freedom was the issue, not their actions. Freedom. (can you see where this is going?) She goes to Cacao's kingdom and easily trumps his knights and soon confronts Cacao himself. She then gives him an ultimatum, join her willingly or she will force his hand. Ultimately, Resolution was not strong enough to escape Ensnarement, causing Surrender to be the only option left.

Pure Vanilla was unaware of what was going on in the other kingdoms, but he was aware something was off. He used to trade letters with Dark Cacao on the daily, but when it stopped altogether, he was worried. He was worried about all of his friends in truth. When the cookies from Hollyberry's kingdom asked for housing, Pure Vanilla was happy to oblige... although he was confused as he knew his friend was a just ruler. And when more came from Cacao's lands, he knew something was dreadfully wrong. In spite of his better judgement, he sent one last letter to Dark Cacao, asking if he could visit.

What Vanilla didn't expect was for White Lily to show up instead. He was happy at first to see his friend but then he noticed something was... off. When she started to demand he surrender his kingdom and become a servant to her, though... he felt disturbed. this wasn't the Lily he knew. This wasn't the friend he cared so deeply about throughout his life. No, not at all. He managed to force her out of the kingdom but not without her taking revenge a few days after.

When he could feel the ground start to shift beneath him, he felt a sense of fear he never really felt before. He ushered the townsfolk in the kingdom to head to the castle. He was in the royal gardens when some villagers that were hiding within a tree pulled him inside right as the floating kingdom collided into the forest ground below.

Those within the gardens survived... though, the others that were hidden within the castle itself weren't as lucky. Pure Vanilla felt... broken. hurt. he couldn't believe the kingdom he worked so hard to build from the ground up was destroyed so so easily... he tried to call for help from the other two kingdoms he knew of, avoiding telling Cacao entirely... but he got no response.

Now, a tidbit I like to call 'flower learning time' ahaha... Vanilla Orchids in general shouldn't be trusted. They are... parasites. ya get me? parasites. but that wasn't known at the time, not back before the kingdoms fall. afterwards though?

When Pure Vanilla was at his lowest, his staff took advantage of him. Trust broken. friends gone. kingdom destroyed... he felt betrayed. Now, he's nothing but a puppet to his staff. The Witchs' golden creation now nothing but dust in the wind. (so yes, those of you who asked PV about his soul jam; they did take it. they took it and ran. PV just can't talk about it, not while Orchid is there at least)

What happened to the villagers? well, some say there are topiaries that are in the shapes of cookies that can move in the bounds of the destroyed kingdom... but who knows. that's just a fairytale~))

((shortly after the ancients were all sealed... but one. Pure Vanilla was left unscathed. he wasn't necessarily evil, just... broken. he couldn't bring himself to move for so long... until a little cookie that was freshly baked and just escaped from the witch's castle appeared and tried to take care of the old, lonely cookie. You could honestly say that Pure Vanilla saw him as his son eventually! he was happy... he even made friends with some other cookies at one point...! until the seal broke. You can only guess what happened to those friends and the little cookie once Orchid returned to Pure Vanilla.))

((And Pure Vanilla himself is just very anxious and a little depressed in general. He has a difficulty talking about things.))

((lore... that is probably very weird but it's lore!))