#it was the part where Aurene “dies”

[wilsons-journey]

Every Monday I play Guild Wars 2 with two friends,... and it's a hilarious, chaotic mess.

And each of us has a Faren-Mini. We also renamed our Group chat to "Farens PantieSimps". It's so stupid - I love it.

But I have to ask,... why does this game has THREE different Faren Minis in Pants?!

[gristlegrinder]

part of what makes IBS so fascinating to me is its position both within the world of Tyria and the story it was trying to tell, and the larger metatextual circumstances surrounding its development. because, like, The Icebrood Saga is a story that's, IMO, largely about placing individual actions in complex systems of power, and what happens when those systems begin to unravel.

-> Can you help us deal with Bangar? Aurene: He's a part of a larger web. Strands connecting to strands. Cut one out and nothing changes, not really. Aurene: It's hard to explain. But seeing how those strands connect... Taking one life won't solve your problems. (x)

so, like, you have Ryland, who talks about "playing his cards right" but has really been dealt a bad hand from the start and can only keep playing bad cards - the one decent play he gets in Turnabout to try and get out of the game gets interrupted by an arrogant bastard killing Cinder, and it's downhill from there. it's not necessarily that it was always going to end the way it did with him, but you're fighting an uphill battle against his upbringing, against his relationship with Bangar, against all cultural context. he insists that Jormag didn't coerce him into anything, and that's true; he ends up as Jormag's champion because, at least from Ryland's perspective, there's really no other option by the time he has the bow in his paws.

likewise, you have Braham, wrestling with being the norn of prophecy, slowly (slower if Champions didn't have to be rushed out of the door, I imagine) coming to terms with what exactly that means. he knows from the beginning that either Jormag dies, or he dies. he knows this, and knows that it's always going to end one way or the other. the prophecy unfurls, and Jormag awakens, and it becomes more and more obvious how it's supposed to go. He bonds with Primordus, because there's really no other option by the time Jormag is threatening to freeze the world ten times over to ice their brother out of existence. and sure, it might still destroy him even if Jormag doesn't kill him, but he doesn't get the luxury of thinking about that.

and then you have the Commander, who should be in control of the narrative, because in-universe they're the Commander and out-of-universe they're the player character, but there are multiple points where that agency is taken away from you - Smodur bombs the bunker and interrupts your negotiation, Ryland puts a bullet through Smodur's skull. you're always going to try and save the farm, but not every problem has an easy solution. the Legions are built on centuries of war and violence and hypervigilance against external threats; Bangar is not an isolated bad actor but a product of that system, and the gears of the war machine churn on both sides of Drizzlewood. you (and Aurene) are largely an audience to the family tragedy - tragedies, plural, both the relationships between Rytlock/Crecia/Ryland and Jormag/Primordus - as they break down.

"The Balance" isn't sustainable in its current state, but there isn't really a good alternative at this point. you can't back down when you're three dragons in (we tried that after Mordremoth, and Balthazar wouldn't have it and Kralkatorrik couldn't stomach it), and Jormag and Primordus (mostly Jormag) are threatening to escalate as the encroaching void eats away at them both. there's this real sense that they just have to make the best of a bad situation, and hope that the damage is minimal. the universe itself is on a cresting wave and it's about to crash, heading into End of Dragons.

so you have all of that, and it's also the chapter of GW2 where the developers are hit with major studio-disrupting internal problems and a fucking global lockdown. your story gets interrupted, there's not much you can do about it, but you have to keep going and make the best of it, even when the fate of arenanet itself seems uncertain.

what happens in the aftermath, after the dragonstorm clears?

[i-mybrunettelady]

commander week day 4 - elder dragon

like mother, like daughter. set during icebrood saga. commander: alysannyra ainsaph.

It’s cold in the Eye of the North. Cold, sad, lonely; there are people around, Pact and its allies doing their jobs, and Nyra desperately wishes she could join them, organize them. Yet she can’t. Trahearne’s suggestion - and plea, because she doesn’t take orders - at least until the dust after her murder attempt at Phlunt dies down. 

People are scared of her. Part of her is flattered, another terrified of this. She wants to be a figure of inspiration, not fear. There was a time where she wanted to be a role model for the younger people who would want to be heroes. She’s too old and too jaded for the brunt of such fantasies now. She’s seen the reality of this choice of hers too closely to look away. 

She’s also not really in the right headspace. There’s a handy little term for this - mental breakdown, as it were - and the general advice is to just sit back, be useless and a recovering cryptid for a little while before going back into the whole war business. She’s hard pressed to admit this, but as much as she doesn’t know what to do with herself, she does need this break. It lets her go and see her daughter again, perched on her crystalized rock. 

And maybe she’s been a bad mother for actually not being… a mother. Then again, there’s no blueprint for raising an Elder Dragon. 

Aurene’s lost in thought when Nyra comes out of her little, cavernous room carved in the wall. Her clawed paw gently glides over the Scrying Pool in a rhythmic motion. It’s been getting harder and harder to tell whether she’s asleep or not, but Nyra can hazard a guess. 

Aurene, she calls out mentally. Are you awake? 

Aurene’s eyes open wide. “I do not need sleep in the same way I did when I was a hatchling, Nyra.” 

“Yeah,” Nyra says aloud. Her throat feels tight. “You’re not a kid anymore. You are a proper Elder Dragon now.”

“I am,” Aurene echoes. Nyra’s hands drop to her sides. She watches the Pool and the reflection shows her new, pale eyes, devoid of emotion. Yet her heart feels heavy and pulled in so many directions. No wonder people are scared. She pulls the furs tighter around her shoulders. 

“Any news of Jormag?” Nyra asks. “Nobody’s telling me anything, and as the Commander, I should be in the know.” 

“There is none,” Aurene replies serenely. “May I be honest?” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

“Nobody is telling you anything because you are in the know. You know everything they do. You are simply bored and have time to be introspective, which does not seem to suit you nor is something you particularly wish to do at the moment.” 

Nyra lifts her head and frowns. “Stop reading my mind, Aurene. Or I’m sending you to your room. No Elder Dragon friends for a week.” 

Aurene’s laugh echoes in the shrine. “Are you lonely, mother?” 

Mother. That is a rather strange term. And Aurene is using it snarkily. It makes Nyra feel old, somehow. She grumbles and deflates. “I suppose I am,” she says cautiously. “Trahearne is off replacing me and while I am proud to watch him be in charge again, I feel..” She kicks the ground beneath her boot. “I feel left behind.” She spits on the ground. 

“You are not. You are simply taking a breather. You are simply recovering.” 

“I know. Feelings do not make facts.” Nyra walks over to where Aurene is perched and climbs over her tail to reach that one place beneath Aurene’s belly. Her shoulder aches as she settles on a woolen blanket there and she groans. “I hate it here.” Her head hurts and her eyes prickle with tears all of a sudden. “I fucking hate it here, you know?” 

“I know,” Aurene says soothingly, and splashes some water with her giant foot in Nyra’s face. Nyra chokes out a laugh. “You are not crying anymore, Nyra. That is good.” 

“Last thing I need is a fucking cold, Aurene,” Nyra shakes her head. 

“There is something you can dry on. And remember, you are not left behind, you are simply recuperating.” 

Nyra lays down and digs her face in the blanket. It’s going to be a long, long night. 

[saberwitch]

Commander Week, Day 7: Aurene

(This is going to be a bit of a departure from the ongoing saga of Captain Elliss and her little Commander problem. I've been wanting to address part of the in-game story that I felt was a bit lacking. Hubris, I know, but I'll explain. CW: mild spoilers for PoF under the cut.)

[When Vlast dies, the Commander gets a brief call from Taimi telling them that Aurene is freaking out. After some back and forth, it's determined that Aurene is grieving. I thought that, after doing all the bonding exercises, the Commander would want to rush to Aurene's side to comfort her. The game had other ideas. The Commander basically says "well I've got some errands to run" and Taimi says "okay well me and Caithe will just leave Aurene alone until she calms down".

What? No! I MUST COMFORT MY SAD GIANT LIZARD BABY

I went to the egg chamber but as far as the game was concerned, none of that had happened, and Aurene just wanted to play catch (this is when I took the screencap above). Since then I've been thinking about how that moment would have played out, if the Commander had gone back to comfort Aurene when she was grieving, and this is the result.]

x x x x x x x x x

"Aurene!" Saskia called as her boots slammed into golden tiles. She could hear the dragon's keening wail, somewhere above. Her chest burned as she ran, vaulting up the steps in threes and fours, making her way to the center of the chamber. The shards of the egg still sat there in the hollow where it had rested before the hatching, little glimmers of discarded crystal catching the light.

"Aurene!" Saskia called again. She looked up, holding her arms high.

A swoosh and a single snap of wings was all the warning she got. Several hundred pounds of crystal dragon collided with her, knocking the wind out of her. She tasted metal as she bit her tongue.

She hit the ground, golden bricks doing very little to cushion her fall. There was a crack, and a searing blast of pain coursed through her right arm up to her shoulder.

Images assaulted her mind, juxtaposed over her own memories of the event. The jarring space between them made her queasy.

She saw golden crystal spears raining from the sky. She saw Vlast, coiling and writhing as he tried to fly away. She heard him scream, and she heard Aurene scream, in her mind and right next to her head.

Aurene rolled into her chest, one wing slapping her side hard enough to bruise. The crystal outcroppings along the dragon's spine dug into her sternum, but she lifted her free arm and swung it up under Aurene's foreleg, clutching her close. She pinned the dragon's flailing tail under her knee. Aurene keened, loud enough to make Saskia's teeth ache.

"I'm here, Aurene. I'm here."

Saskia rocked, trying to soothe the dragon. She had a sudden vivid memory of herself: barely eleven years old, holding and rocking Ruenar, her little sister, in much the same way. It was just after Saskia had told her that their mother wasn't ever coming back.

"You won't leave?" Ruenar had begged through her sobs. "Please don't leave."

"I'm here," Saskia had said then, and she hadn't.

She held Aurene, and rocked, and made soothing nonsense sounds. Her arm underneath Aurene's side had long since gone numb, which was a small mercy. It still throbbed with hot, dull pain, but she could push through it. For Aurene.

A while after the dragon had stilled, Saskia looked up to see Caithe stepping out of a slice of shadow. The Sylvari knelt nearby, not close.

"Is she all right?"

"No," Saskia said. "She just lost her brother. They were linked. It will take her time to heal."

Caithe nodded, once.

"You?"

Saskia felt her lips tighten. She understood why Caithe had done what she's done, but Saskia needed time too. Some wounds took a long time to close.

But it was not the time to poke at that scar. Aurene needed their help. Saskia could set aside that hurt for now. There was another, somewhat more pressing.

"I think my arm's broken," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Shall I move her?"

Saskia groaned and pressed her forehead to Aurene's cool scales.

"Not yet," she said. "She needs to rest. I'll be fine."

Caithe stood.

"I'll bring you something for the pain, if you'll allow me."

Saskia looked up at her. The Sylvari was hard to read, but her actions had proven her will.

"Thank you," she said. It probably wasn't as much as Caithe deserved, but it was all Saskia could give her in that moment. The Sylvari nodded, and disappeared in a wreath of shadow.

The dragon whimpered, shifting against her. She winced at the surge of pain, but stilled herself.

"I'm here," she whispered again. "Aurene. I'm so, so sorry."

The dragon was still for some time. Then, softly, tentatively, she touched Saskia's mind. Showed Saskia an image of herself, arms up, calling her name. And then a small, shattered crystal heart.

"I know," Saskia said. "That's how I feel too. I didn't get to know him well, but he was very brave."

Aurene sighed and pushed herself up, padding in a circle and turning to face Saskia. She wrapped her tail around herself and hung her head.

Saskia managed to get herself into a sitting position, cradling her useless arm in her lap. Aurene nudged her in the chest, making a small sad noise.

"It will be fine," Saskia said. "I'll heal."

She'd heard those words too often lately.

Aurene nudged her again, then licked at her arm. Gentle as she was able, but her tongue was still two feet of solid muscle. Saskia tried to hold herself still.

"Gaah!" she blurted as her arm was engulfed in slivers of crystalline pain. She stared down at it as facets and planes shimmered over her skin, scintillating with reflected gold. They tightened around her arm, and she ground out a groan as they seemed to sink into her skin.

And then, nothing. She lifted her arm, wiggling her fingers. No pain. She could still see faint shimmers across her skin as she turned her arm in the light. She looked at Aurene.

"You can heal?" she asked. Then, "you can heal!"

She realized what she was saying. Held out her arms, both of them, and Aurene settled her massive head on Saskia's knee. Saskia wrapped herself around it, pressing her cheek to the dragon's forehead.

"You can heal," she murmured, and Aurene chirped. It was a sad, feeble chirp, but it was there. Saskia smiled and hugged her fiercely.

[icebrooding]

Random thoughts but Mabon's death kind of reminds me of Vlast's in some ways. The yearning of losing something you never really had to begin with.

I wanted to know Vlast, and every moment leading up to meeting him had me excited and bouncing on my seat going 'I want to know Aurene's big brother! I want to know this cool dragon keeping these people safe!', and then I met him... for all of five seconds, as he died for us. And then it was this, almost empty feeling of going around and collecting his memories and discovering his suffering and his feelings, and just furthering this longing of 'I wanted to know him'. Every moment I learned more of him, I wanted it more and more.

And Mabon's death kind of fills me with the same longing, but in a very different way. Vlast was alone and lived an unhappy life, and part of wanting to know him was wishing I had been able to do for him what I did for Aurene. Mabon was surrounded by loved ones, and lived a happy life in spite of his regrets and doubts of his past.

But like Vlast died for us, Mabon sacrificed himself to save Lyhr, cutting his story just as short.

And you're in a very similar place, picking up 'memories' and finding out a lot more about him than you'd gotten to know from him when he was alive or able to talk with you. You know especially that he cares strongly for people who are displaced or outcast, because it shows through the people you talk to in the wake of his death who are devastated by his loss; these are almost all people who had nothing left or believed they could never have a place to truly call home or fit in again.

It makes me wish I could've gotten to know him better, without threats lingering over our heads. In Wildflowers, Kaushue remarks how he wished he had someone to guide him in the way Mabon had for others as purposeless as he felt after the fall of the Elder Dragons.

I wanted to know Vlast before his death so that I could have hopefully provided the love, socialisation, and companionship he needed to not fall into the kind of cynical despair that he did from feeling trapped by responsibility and legacy. I wanted to know Mabon before his death because I wanted my Commander to have someone who understood the weight on his shoulders and could lead him on where he should go, what should he do, when his life's purpose has reached its 'end'.

I just wish SotO had gotten a decently longer runtime to truly convey the feeling of 'losing what you never had' in the same way/to the same extent that I felt with Vlast's death. I'm just kinda rambling but I just, I love this game, I could ramble forever abt how the story/characters make me feel.

[knight-of-the-thorn]

1, 4, and 10 for the Commander love interest asks!

@mystery-salad

Sorry this took a bit I got stuck in wvw did you know experience boosters help with reward track gain I didn't

1. Who are they and what's their dynamic with the commander?

Arceidai's romantic interest is Theitia. Theitia had the same wyld hunt as Arc, and the two of them fought the shadow of the dragon in the dream together. They both trained under Caithe at first, they were best friends and practically inseparable, but Arc didn't necessarily pay as much heed to the dangers of their hunt as Theitia did. Where Arc cared about it a great deal, Theitia was hesitant. She was scared. So she ran. Faolain found her, took her in as an apprentice and pitted her against Arc as a way to get under Caithe's skin. The two had a really intense rivalry for a while, but it was honestly more like a game to them. Until Arc left to become the commander. Fortunately two of them would reunite once again. Unfortunately this was because Theitia was turned into a Mordrem and was hunting them down through Auric basin. They took her back to the silverwastes and the two begain the long journey of trying to trust each other again.

No one knows Arc like Tia, and no one knows Tia like Arc. The two of them are incredibly codependent and have, on multiple occasions, threatened to/actually proceeded to tear apart the world in order to get the other back. As they have been more open about the fact that they're in love the shit that they have pulled to make sure they are never seperated has got increasingly more insane. There's two Arceidais now because Theitia refused to let them die. There's an alternate timeline where Arc held an entire elder dragon in their brain and tried to sacrifice their live so she could live and never have to be under someone elses control.

Also an important part of their relationship is the constant monologuing.

4. What was their initial opinion of the commander? Has that changed at all?

Theitia has known Arceidai her entire life, and when they were young she took the fact that they would always be around, and that she'd always be their first priority. They would always be following her around like a lost puppy, and she got very used to that. She thought that they were entertaining, when they weren't being gloomy and serious or desperate to impress Caithe. There was a bit of a competitive element to their friendship sometimes, especially after she joined the nightmare court, and she did think that she was smarter than them, but that they were smarter than most of the other people around them, if niave and airheaded. When they left for the priory it completely threw her for a loop. Until that point, the idea that thet would do that was completely unthinkable and she hadn't really realized how much they meant to her. She definitely tried to underplay how much that hurt, and how much she wanted them back.

Both of them have grown up quite a lot. She definitely sees them in a way that she never did before. She has lost them too many times to take them for granted anymore, and while she still thinks they can be an idiot sometimes, she also views them as more of an equal and a partner.

10. Are there any events in the story that happen differently because of/to/involving them?

Oh boy, a couple ones! Knight of the thorn is the main one! Because if Arc had taken caladbolg it would gave fucking destroyed them, she took it in their stead. Of course there's the auric basin portion of the story where Arc is not only being hunted by every mordrem in the area but one very specific mordrem. Theitia acts as one of Faolain’s champions in Twilight Arbor at which point she realises that she joined a cult. She also did fully cremate their body after Balthazar killed them so Joko could not get them under any circumstance so they took much longer to come back to life than normal.

Around the middle of season 3, Arc and Tia almost kidnapped Aurene and ran away to start a new life. They didn't, but they got pretty far into planning it before deciding against this.

[commanderteag]

Live Laugh Love Commander Teaghuee<3

Who despite being my main i haven't rambled about tbh haven't rambled at all about any of my characters so- Here's me taking to the chance to talk about Teag!

So! Teaghuee is my main and my commander. They follow the main story with a few small details changed. So Their story starts in 1320 basically before Teaghuee joined any of the orders they thought it too soon and they hadnt fully come to understand their own mesmer magic. So Trahearne basically took the sapling under his wing and taught them about Tryia History and Orr while the learned more about mesmer magic! The became close and had a very much brotherly bond! Trahearne brought them to Claw Island where they met Miren and Tybalt who where bringing the same message of "this place is going to be attacked!!" Story continues as normal with Teaghuee and Trahearne following Miren to help out the order of whispers. Trahearne becomes Marshal per Miren's suggestion and then Teaghuee gets the commander title from Trahearne.

Next little things that I added was them looking for Caladbolg after Mordremoth. Teaghuee takes about 3ish months between 1328-1329 too get everything in order and try and grieve for their brother Trahearne. Here they find Miren who was lost in the jungle after failing to ignore Mordremoth. After a small awkward reunion they start travelling together as Miren tries to help Teaghuee with the grief and they get Caladbolg back. Next is their corruption and death! So Teaghuee as you can tell from the photo above changed a lot appearance wise. Now this all started when they died too Balthazar. When they came back the life essence that kept their body function just didnt come back only their soul did. Now the death magic they used to come back kept them going for a while. This came with the cost of their body losing it's bright blue colour turning them white/grey. Teaghuee hid this for as long as they could using the mesmer magic as this was all happening during the Balthazar Kralkatorrik and Joko war was happening. The mesmer magic spell they where using was broken by a worried Kas when everyone started noticing the commander slowly down and weakening just before the first fight with Kralk. By then they only had few small patches of blue remaining. They kept fighting on to the best of their ability. After Kralks defeat and Aurene reaches her final form? She connects with Teaghuee making their Scion and Champion bond closer so her magic replaces their life essence and now they basically run on dragon magic! Of course her magic had consequences too such as their crystal horns and the layer of crystal over their hands that made their claws. (I'm thinking maybe giving them something to do with wings but haven't gotten that figured out fully yet. Maybe when they get their full champion form in EOD they got wings and their body grew out the top of the wings and the bottom half was pure crystal and faded when they went back to normal so they also have top part of wings? but that might be too much...) and their pupils?/centre of their eyes went white. So this all happened over time as was finish after EOD ended! So yea! Then of course theres their awkward romace with Miren that happens over the course of the story and then gaining two sylvari twins that become more like their sons just before EOD too!

End of ramble for now! maybe I'll do lil head canons for my lil plants another time.

[mystery-salad]

I forgot 🏃 if you'd like to do some more emoji asks, 🍇🍉🍪🍻 fooor roeil and kai!

I am ALWAYS up for more asks never too late 💖

🍇: What sort of friend are they? Where are they in the group dynamic?

Roi's a bit rusty at friends right now! She's had plenty she's gotten along with, don't get me wrong, and she's handling being the new Pact Commander with a surprising level of grace, but this was hot on the heels of her being trapped alone in the fractals of the mists trying to endlessly save her dead girlfriend for upwards of 40 years. She hasn't exactly...had any normal interactions beyond trying to change fate on repeat. But hey, she's working on it and tries to speak up where she can tell there's room to talk within the team. At the very least she's filling the shoes of what was a pretty stoic Commander in the first place, so by comparison she seems pretty easy going. She's definitely just the new friend still, the one everyone's trying to get to know and feel out so they can find a good dynamic.

Kai is the tough love parent, she's a cantankerous, grumpy old lady. But she's also become pretty damn observant and tries to do right by her team. She won't give you a hug and a shoulder to cry on when you're upset, but she'll sit down with you one on one to just talk it out a bit. She isn't throwing drinks back at parties, but she's keeping an eye on everyone to make sure no one pulls something they'll regret. She's a solid, stable support beam among her friends.

🍉: Does your OC have a particular piece of jewellery that they always wear or refuse to part with?

Roi wears several earrings, always has. Have a few gotten torn out in battle? Sure! But she likes the look and can be a bit stubborn. As I'm sure you can tell, she likes to have control over things in her life.

Kai doesn't wear any jewelry. Gets in the way during battle, and when she was on the run she didn't want to keep anything that would make her easily identifiable in a crowd. Her coat pattern already does that for her plenty, being a golden tiger.

🍪: What is something that's sentimental to you OC?

Roi kept Suko's harp after she died...kept it on her through her years in the fractals, and still does now. She's pretty tone deaf herself, but just plucking a string occasionally...to keep Suko close... it's fortunate that one day she'll be able to reunite the two uvu

Kai doesn't have anything from her old warband life, doesn't want anything. No connection to those years. But she keeps something new now...a petal from caithe, from before she became branded by Aurene. A tiny mark of Caithe's old self. And a crystal flower that fell off her in her new form too. Just...little mementos of the woman she loves, and how she's changed and grown.

🍻: What's your OC's favourite comfort ritual? How do they calm themselves down after a rough day?

Roi has two options, depending on the kind of rough it was. If she's having trouble grounding herself, her mind pulling apart and drifting back to the mists, she goes to be around as many of the team as she can find in one place. Hear some voices that aren't her own echoing in her head, hold herself together and in the world of tyria so she doesn't accidentally fall back through a rift in her own mind. If she's just worn down though and still mentally in one piece? She takes some time alone with Suko's harp. Being as close to her old love as she can, pulling what off-key music she can from the strings. It's not like Suko plays it, but it's something...

Kai will curl up at home with Caithe! For so much of her life, she hasn't had a home, hasn't had someone to really trust and love. Having that reminder when she needs it is so gently comforting and soft. She's not alone and she's not on the run. She can just live a peaceful life if she ever chooses to. This is waiting for her at home any time.

[commanderhorncleaver]

If Gaius actually went apeshit, what would he be like? What would he do? What's a breaking thing that would absolutely make him just snap in purest fury?

a

I think the biggest thing to make Gaius snap is to really take away his faith a truly devastating series of unfortunate events/decisive swings. He's been knocked down, he's lost faith in the legions before, but to force that in rapid succession is to remove his will to fight for anything. If he's got nothing left to fight for except himself and some distant hope, then he's going to break.

He's been at varying stages that's put him close to it on several occasions, but as we know, Gaius doesn't really process his emotions great on a good day, so he's very good about just. "It's not that big a deal."

A broken Gaius is going to draw on whatever he can to raze everything around him and between himself and his goal. This, I imagine, is how he fight against Balthazar in order to protect Aurene--I think he died because in no small part, he was drawing on Balthazar's own magic, and well. One does not simply command a god's fire.

As an aside, I was chatting with Fregion the other day about an au where Gaius and Fregion are co-commanders, and Gaius would have been a Berserker, having never re-enlisted after losing his warband when he was 22, and his magic becoming a lot more volatile, to the point that he become prone to fits of violence. Works as a mercenary, favored by the Vigil. When he and Fregion get together, he begins using the other charr's Light to set himself on fire.

[archesa]

Oh no, good luck with your stomach flue ! Annnddd as for a toon : Galaëd !

(@dumb-dumb-mander)

Thanks a lot! ^^ Mainly tired this morning, but the rest has finally settled, so yay for that!! ^^

Here's some Galaëd facts for morale boost! 🍂💫Also tagging @kerra-and-company 💜

Galaëd

01. Full name: Galaëd of the Cycle of Dusk

02. Best friend: Rorschach Grimlaugh

03. Sexuality: Gay

04. Favorite color: Deep purple

05. Relationship status: Taken (by Canach)

06. Ideal mate: Valiant, understanding, resourceful, kind at heart, fun with a dash of chaotic energy

07. Turn-ons: strong shoulders and upper back, genuine kindness (the kind that just shines through the person... you wanna pinpoint the first drop, the exact moment Galaëd fell in love with Canach ? when he knelt before a wounded mordrem to talk to him... it was motivated by curiosity, yes, but there was genuine concern, gentleness there... Aaaand the point of no return, the 'Galaëd has fallen and can't get up' moment was during Bitter Harvest, when he was on the verge of falling, and Canach noticed... once again, concern, gentleness, understanding, and a hand offered in help... just kindness), sassy humour, well-intentioned chaos, Canach calling him 'Valiant' (if you have seen Princess Bride, you will know exactly where this is going : Canach first called him 'Valiant' as a stab, a mock honorific, almost a dare to Galaëd to flaunt his status as one of the few bestowed with a wyld-hunt, but as they learned to know each other, the word lost its bitterness, its edge. By the end of Maguuma it was a sincere compliment : 'valiant', 'brave', 'fierce', 'unbreakable'. And Galaëd only realised in Elona that when Canach called him 'Valiant', he meant something else entirely 🥰)

08. Favorite food: Anything with mango in it, mushroom clove steak, rosemary roasted chicken, and since he moved to Cantha he's discovered himself a fondness for raw fish - especially chirashi!

09. Crushes: Laranthir (never tell Dairban!), Canach

10. Favorite music: He likes the sound of lute, and anything festive!

11. Biggest fear: "That I would fail so grievously that I would lose the respect of my comrades and be dishonored." - He holds his friends, his guildmates in very high esteem and he's scared to be unworthy of them. This fear particularly resurfaces when Rorschach dies goes missing in action and the mantle of Commander befalls him. Their failure against Kralkatorikk and the death of Aurene brand him deeply - his worst fear is coming true, he was unworthy of his friends' trust, unworthy of leadership. Trahearne snaps him out of this before he can spiral too far, but it is a very trying experience for Galaëd - the one that convinces Canach to file an official leave request for him, for them to take a moment away from the Pact and from world-ending threats, if they ever survive the one at hand.

12. Biggest fantasy: As of 1335 AE, he's basically living his best life, so... That this bliss never ends! (see you all on the 28th February to see our twig's dream get ruined 😅)

13. Bad habits: He closes up like a clam when something's personally bothering him (which is strange because he can be very vocal when he notices something amiss on the field!) so it's good that his partner and closest friends are intuitive 😅

14. Biggest regret: The lives lost at Thunderhead Peak. He now knows the outcome they got was the best, but it is a failure on his part that he carries with him.

15. Best kept secrets: How fast he crushed on Canach. No, seriously. It's embarassing😅

16. Last thought: *spining in my head like rotisserie chicken* Galaëd with Astralaria, Galaëd with Astralaria, Galaëd with Astralaria 💫

17. Worst romantic experience: Getting irrationally jealous of Sayida when Canach spent a lot of time with her prior to their surprise departure for Cantha, and getting mercilessly teased about it by Rorschach and Jiirka!

18. Biggest insecurity: None, really... He knows his worth, and if he has his fair share of mental scars and traumas, he has recovered from the events of Thunderhead and fares relatively well!

19. Weapon of choice: He becomes the new bearer of Caladbolg after Trahearne's death, and alters it greatly in the process of his resurrection. He still wields the thorn to this day, but the flow of magic passed between the blade and its fernhound incarnation has the sword regularly and unpredictably shapeshift. so when the blade withers and he cannot use it as a greatsword, he unsheathes an ax. (The rapier he used to carry - the blade forged by Occam as a token of gratitude to the valiant who rescued him from the Nightmare Court and defeated the Green Knight, Bercilak - is now borne by Canach)

20. Role Model: Trahearne, Laranthir, Rorschach 💜

[herald-of-aurene]

Hi! Give me 4, 6, 12 and 15 for Spite!

Course!

Assuming they're a commander, how close were they really to Destiny's Edge? To Trahearne?

Spite is my commander! She was really close to Rytlock and Eir right off the back. It took her a minute to get close to Caithe, but they got closer (probably I haven't done it personally yet) after Twilight Arbor. Logan and Spite never got close, but they highly respected each other. (I actually did this bc of how he doesn't talk to you in the Zhaitan fight)

Spite actually had a… complicated relationship with Trahearne at first. (Which was inspired by my changing emotions on him!)

At first, she thought he was charming, but lonely bc of his facts while your checking out Claw Island. Then after Tybalt died, she hated him and blamed him. After they took it back, she started to warm up to him. And by the time he makes the "I'm told star crossed lovers used to meet here" shes developed feeling for him. And by the time they cleansed Orr, they both kinda knew that the other had feeling, but it wants til after the Zhaitan fight they went on an official date.

They're now a heart NPC/part of a string of quests. What does that involve?

Hmmm… I can imagine two different ones. In EoD I can see her having a heart event where you fish her up food for Aurene while she was still weak, and after completing the heart/event, there's an event where a leviathan appears and you help her kill it.

-OR-

While still in the Planes of Ashford, while shes still focused of the Ash legion, her heart would involve helping injured soldiers and killing ghosts. An even would spawn where you help her fight ghosts or snipe them from a cliff.

Have they "completed" the map? What does that look like in your canon?

I mean, not in game but in character, yes! I imagine how she completed was a mix of her time in the order of whispers, and when she was with Aurene healing the damage that Kralkatoric had done.

What is their favorite and least favorite part of being the commander (or whatever role they play in your canon)?

Her favorite part of being the commander is probably everyone she's met. She's met her soulmate, her dragon-daughter, and so many other people dear to her.

Her least favorite part is the burden. The burden of the world on her, the burden of every mistake every death is on her. And the knowledge that, even after her death, her mistakes will continue to inspire people.

But she can't do anything else.

This is what she was made for.

[i-had-bucky]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 4: Elder Dragon

Commander Keres Mistcleaver

I experimented a bit with this one, but I hope you enjoy a little look at Keres over the years in the context of Elder Dragons.

The first time she saw Zhaitan, she was 18 years old, a Commander, and the whole Pact expected her to kill him. He’d been huge and grotesque, and she still had an acid burn on her shoulder where she hadn’t dodged fast enough. But she’d taken him down and turned 19 on the same day. 

19 years old and a Dragon Slayer. 

Mordremoth is vast. The jungle is terrifying and full of her people who need saving. The weight of the Pact falls uneasily across her shoulders. Destiny’s Edge missing. Trahearned taken. Their soldiers scattered. A stolen dragon egg she barely understands. Still, she takes a breath and ventures into the jungle. She fights and fights and fights. She leads what survivors she can to safety, watches Eir fall, saves Zojja and Logan though it feels so much like failure. She saves the egg; it changes her. She walks into the mind of an Elder Dragon and shatters it. She puts a sword through the heart of her best friend. 

21 years old. She walks out of the jungle hurting, aching, a Dragon Slayer once more. Yet. There is a light growing inside of her; a connection she barely understands. The Exalted call her Champion. She does not yet know what it means.

Kralkatorrik is crystal and earth. He is massive. But both she and Aurene have died and come back. Champion and Scion; Scion and Champion. This is what they are meant to do. She is both Slayer of Dragons and Dragon Champion. She hates Kralkatorrik because she will never be able to scrub the sight of Aurene’s branded, petrified body from her mind. But standing within the dragon’s heart, she cannot help but pity him. He is so full of pain and exhaustion, just like her. As he dies at last, she sets one paw on him and hopes he finds peace at last. 

25 years old. Dead. Reborn. Part of her still feels like she should have moved on. Part of her still feels stuck in the Mists. Aurene ascends—light and crystal; prismatic. The most beautiful sight she’s ever seen. Her brand is warm where it curls into missing horns and down into the deep, painful, pulling scar left by a god of war. She breathes deeply for what feels like the first time in years, tears dripping from newly-prismatic eyes. 

Jormag and Primordus should be nothing compared to what came before them. Jormag is nothing. But Primordus holds something precious in his lava-bound claws, and as both of them fall, Braham is her only thought. She is Slayer and Champion and Commander, but more than all of that, she is his. She digs through rock and fire and ice until she finds him, until he wheezes at her, until she makes him laugh through the tears running down his face.

27 years old. Exhausted, filthy; so relieved she cries with it. She still can’t say the words. 

Soo-Won is beautiful even in rage and madness. Mother of Dragons—something they share in common, for all that Aurene had not come from her. Something that Soo-Won acknowledges, when she asks her to protect Aurene, to look after her the way a mother ought. To let her go, when the time comes. Soo-Won is a lesson, hard-learned, that noble intentions can still end the world. That Aurene’s duty must come before her family. That she is, first and foremost, an Elder Dragon. Soo-Won fades, the time of the Dragons gone, until only one stands before them—light and crystal and a terrible sorrow winding through her. 

28 years old. Champion of the Prismatic Dragon. She is not ready to let her go.

[glitchgw2]

(Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm doing because I don't know how love and relationships work. 👍 Also beware, walls of text incoming-)

Get you a wife (genderless) who reads about you in a book and suddenly appears in your life and projects beams into your mind that makes you marry them. <3

Meet Gliaster and Joko! <3

Gliaster did indeed first learn about Joko in a book after they graduated college and set out to seek the world for more knowledge about necromancy because they didn’t like the way asura taught it.

Fastforward, Gliaster enters Vabbi and immediately gets imprisoned (the people mustn’t know there’s more to the world, can they). Behind bars they spend a little time before Joko goes to see them in person because he’s curious and it’s love at first sight. For Gliaster at least. Joko is a bit shook about how an asura could eat an entire human skeleton to clench their hunger to care about his emotions- But he’s impressed by their eerie vibe and briefly presented necromancy skills and is in a good mood, so he spares them. And so into the Forbidden Vault Gliaster goes-

They start off as a harem servant maid outfit go brrrr but quickly wins over the lich’s heart even more with their rizz, and so Gliaster quickly finds themself by Joko’s side as his fwb necromancy pupil. But it quickly evolves from here. Mmm student x teacher trope...

IDK Gliaster just has a personality that's full of assertion and charm which gets them what they want and I guess Joko likes that or whatever. :D I just like my fav character and my blorbo standing next to each other with a heart above them, I've never thought I'd get this far-

Anyway they officially get together and eventually marry and Gliaster gets to be a specially treated little meow meow mary sue while also helping Joko spread propaganda and prosecute Sunspears and be his evil little gremlin, planning war crimes together with him. <3

This lasts for 10 years until the Commander and Aurene happens and not only Joko dies but a part of Gliaster too. They spend another 10 years just mourning him and writing books about him to preserve his memory and knowledge. They then try to become a lich too but the tome they used for that corrupts them and their morals switch 180 so while before they thought revenge against the commander was stupid, now they’re hellbent on it. They do a little destruction here and there but eventually somehow end up in a timeloop/fractal where they get to live those 10 years with Joko eternally; that’s why I depict them in their Joko era always. :D

And finally, here’s some cheesy art of them. It's not much, but it's honest work...

Hey GW2 community!

I want to hear about your OC x NPC ships.

Tell me how they met,how their relationship developed, how they interact, their tragedies and triumphs. Do they have any kids? Are they just starting their relationship? I want to hear literally everything 💙

Bonus points for sharing art of your ship!! 👀🥰

[i-mybrunettelady]

Commander LI asks 6, 7, and 8!

-@knight-of-the-thorn

Trammander hours <3

6. Does/would being the commander's LI affect how they're treated?

Well, since Trahearne is as much of a public figure as Nyra is, it's not that big of a difference. I will say it did come to a conclusion of sorts in Icebrood Saga when Nyra had her big nervous breakdown and tried to kill Phlunt, so Trahearne had to step up in her stead for a while; before that, he mostly hid behind her, afraid he's gonna fuck up something again if left in charge (see Maguuma campaign) so people really did compare him to Nyra, slightly, but mostly to his old self. It helped that he had his siblings around this time (Aoife and Caithe, when she dropped by.) Overall, not a lot of changes to how he'd be treated otherwise!

7. What kind of dumb rumors pop up/would pop up about the relationship?

That Trahearne is in the process of converting to the faith of the human gods simply because he lives in DR with her now, for the most part. Nobody knows where that originates from, but he's confused every time before he calmly explains he's not a convert.

8. What does Aurene think about them, and vice versa?

He's Aurene's dad!! Aurene internalized all the messages Nyra was largely subconsciously putting into her when she was a baby, because Nyra was starting to think how she would've liked to start a family with Hearne had he lived, so when she first saw Trahearne, she went DAD!! and poor Hearne was confused as fuck but went along with it for long enough to become stupidly attached so now he's Aurene's dad and they're a family of people who all died and got resurrected. Noice. That's a first in history of Tyria, probably lmao

[sylvaridreams]

I love the ways Aeris has evolved over the years... she and Alba were saplings together and friends. :) and they both had dragon related dreams so it was very like ohhhh were both destined for huge things hehe ^_^ so exciting good luck to us both let's go slay those dragons!

And then Alba succeeded and killed Zhaitan. And Aeris struggled and kept working, chipping away at how to kill Kralkatorrik like ok I'll catch up to you soon hehe! And then Alba killed Mordremoth and Aeris was like Haha um. Lol! Two of them huh. Bit of an overachiever aren't you? Lol! Well two is plenty.

And then Alba killed a god and Aeris was like dude. You're kind of making me look like shit right now. 🧍‍♀️ whatever. (Failgirl who takes things personally.)

Anyway then they teamed up at thunderhead keep to finish HER wyld hunt, to kill kralkatorrik with all of the knowledge she'd gained over her lifetime, all that research funneled into killing one elder dragon, doing her part, making her mark! She got to be there to finish it with her own two hands! HER research, HER wyld hunt! HER destiny! And they failed. And Kralkatorrik withdrew, less one eye but otherwise fine, unharmed. Aurene dead, Alba badly wounded. So much carnage among the rubble. Felt like shit obviously, but beneath that was the feeling that SHE had to fix it.

She went to the Crystal desert because she knew she was missing some factor, some tidbit in her equations that you don't get out of studying the brand in Ascalon, something out there that must only be present in Kralkatorrik's own home. And then of course she found what remained of the first of Glint's scions, and was struck down by the very emotional realization that this was her purpose, this is what she'd been meant to do all this time. Just as Alba was meant for Aurene, she'd been meant for Vlast, and she'd just never showed up as his champion. And he'd died alone without ever knowing his champion, without ever getting to bond with a mortal, being fed fresh fish and played with and feel safe and loved. So she had this heartbreaking realization that not only had she missed the offramp for her own destiny but that Vlast had suffered alone in a miserable, lonely life, until his miserable, lonely death.

It was like she'd changed the decade old batteries in a flashlight, and was blinded by the sudden light, not having realized it could do that at all. Everything just made sense, she could see her dream from the right perspective at last as the final pieces fell into place. But it was all too late! And what are you supposed to do when you FAIL your wyld hunt? No one had ever so much as mentioned that as a possibility, let alone given her a heads up of how to handle it. She was left wailing in the desert, terrified that since she'd fucked up and failed her hunt, since she hadn't fulfilled her purpose for living, she'd cease to exist soon, and feeling like shit that she could even be so selfish, worrying about herself in the midst of it all.

Alba killing Kralk while she was grieving in the desert was basically just salt in the wound. Sure man, I'm sure you needed another w. Whatever. Why not go for the last three and finish the set.

And obviously Tryllwenn found her and got her back on her feet, showed her life doesn't end at failure. Eventually sent her home, but like... where do you go when home is a task that you failed to complete? What do you say when home is the Priory, and now they want nothing to do with you, for wasting all their research money in the end? You're stunted in personal relationships because you were so focused on your career and your goal. You're afraid to go home to mom (what would be worse? Her rejection, or her pitying acceptance of your failure?)

In soooo many ways she mirrors Alba in her dedication to her job, in her refusal to ever have a homecoming from her long journey. (See: Alba never going back to the Grove because the burden and guilt of killing Trahearne made him feel like he couldn't. Never going home again, because surely the Mother Tree would look on you with hatred for your choice, surely the other sylvari would gaze at you with active malice.)

Which I guess is why it makes sense that she found home in following Alba. Visiting the places he visited. Where Alba goes, the Pact follows, and technically since Aeris refused to resign or show up to her firing, she's "technically Priory" and you can't kick the Priory out of the Pact!

Truthfully I think people feel bad for her, and as long as she makes herself somewhat useful, there's no real reason that they should chase her off. So she's present in the background a lot, kind of trailing behind Alba. Kind of like she always has been. A few steps behind. A side character to his triumphs. A footnote on a chapter about heartache.

[ceresoktavia]

Wandering around the ruins of Ebonhawke always had something unrealistic to Bengar.

The Fortress City had been abandoned several hundred years by now, but to him the legions besieging it felt like yesterday. Then again, time seemed to move exceedingly fast, especially after having lived as long as he did.

By now, every person he came to now died in what felt like the blink of an eye, despite him being there when they were born. An odd feeling and one he had grown accustomed to. The only long term friendship he now had was with Aurene. But the elder dragon liked to keep to herself and focus on her duty as living, breathing magic filter.

A fate Bengar wished upon no one.

He kept checking in on her every now and then, always making sure to ask her how she was feeling. Last thing he wanted was for her to end like the former six elder dragons, corrupted and in Soo-Won’s case consumed by Void Energy.

Wandering on, he dragged his claws along one of the few remaining sturdy walls.

He hated this time of the year.

When he was painfully reminded that he was not entirely charr, where he couldn’t pretend to just be cursed with a long life.

It had gotten worse ever since demon overlords had started to turn their attention to Tyria, and therefore to the homelands of his people.

Something about the frequent contact with demons and other magic based creatures had called out to the demonic side of him, awakening and empowering parts he would have preferred to stay dormant.

Aimlessly wandering through the ruins barely helped to calm his agitated mind.

At least he was alone in here, not even the souls of the dead seemed to frequent this place anymore. He preferred it this way.

Last time someone had caught him while the demonic part of him had turned him into a slave of his carnal urges wasn’t pretty. The thought alone still mortified him.

Carefully ascending the stairs up to the former cemetery, he mused if this was the result of him refusing to sire cubs.

It wasn’t like he lived a celibate life, but he had always taken precautions. Downing herbs, potions and everything that could prevent him from somehow being fertile enough to reproduce.

After the shitshow that was the blood imperator trying to enslave Jormag had forced him out of hiding, many females had shown more than interest in him. And they all were disappointed to the core when they found out it hadn’t worked and they weren’t going around with a little titan slayer of their own.

Sitting down between the crumbling gravestones, he looked up at the sky.

Surely he would need to take care of … it … soon.

Last time he had neglected the urge for too long, he had torn an ogre apart with his bare hands without transforming first.

He squinted as he saw a shadowy swirl in the sky. At first he thought it was just a very large bird, but the swirl remained until something fell out, crushing into the grounds.

Bengar instantly jumped to his feet and sprinted down the slippery stone stairs.

The impact site was within the walls of Ebonhawke, he had seen that much.

Running across the large, empty streets, he wondered what that had been. The swirl was gone, but whatever it was that had fallen out hadn’t given off a single sound, or had started to make any moves.

Almost falling over when he reached a crumbling house with a now destroyed roof, he did his best to strain his hearing while catching his breath.

Not even a groan of pain.

He tried to open the door, but something blocked it and it didn’t even budge in the slightest. An agitated growl on his lips, he simply threw himself against the door several times until it gave in.

The light inside made it hard to see at first, but he quickly adjusted and saw what had fallen out of the swirl like portal.

A humanoid woman with red hair, brown horns framing her forehead and large, feathery wings on her hips.

She wasn’t moving and looked like she had taken a severe beating.

The armor she was wearing showed deep cuts and the dents in it spoke of years of usage.

Tiptoeing closer, he watched the obviously demonic woman carefully. Yet she was completely out cold. Something about her had the demonic part of him rattling on the cage he kept it in.

Oddly enough, she fascinated him. Way more than most charr females had ever managed to.

Bengar snorted and shook his head.

They had always complained about him being some sort of pervert. Evidently they had been right without knowing.

Carefully checking for a pulse, he allowed himself to take a closer look while doing so.

This demoness wasn’t that tall compared to other demons he had met, but her features were pleasing, even to him. And he didn’t even liked humanoid creatures in the aesthetic sense to begin with.

The pulse was there, but weak.

He sat down next to her and dragged a hand over his face. She had to be a succubus, at least that was the explanation he had for him actually feeling drawn towards her.

Pondering what to do for several minutes, he more and more had to actively fight his demonic side. Much to his horror, the demon side gathered strength from the mere presence of a succubus. Or was it about being THAT time?

Didn’t matter, he had to do something.

A bitter grimace on his face, he picked the unconscious demoness up and carried her to his hideout.

Having brought her to a place that wasn’t in the risk of collapsing in on them any second, he took time to inspect her for injuries. Aside from an easily treatable stabbing wound on her side, he found none.

Once he was done, he grabbed a chair and sat down across the room, keeping a watchful eye on her.

Despite the fact that a humanoid creature was just lying in his hideout, in his bed, he didn’t felt bothered. Others had bothered him way harder. And they had been of his own race and had freely joined him.

He stemmed a hand against his chin.

“What should I do with you?”

Nobody needed to remind him of what his demonic side wanted him to do with her.

He patiently kept watching her, only leaving his position to get something to drink or take care of other urges. Every time he returned, he checked her pulse before he sat back down to watch her like a hawk.

Almost dozing off a couple of times, he tried not to think too hard about actually resolving this situation once she would wake up. Actually dreading to have to resolve it.

Watching on for hours, he wondered at some point if she would ever wake up. A thought that had him growl to himself.

Just as he was about to doze off yet again, he heard the ever first sound from her.

It was just a pained groan, but it was a sound.

His ears twitched as he looked up, but she didn’t move. Grimacing, Bengar got up and started to pace around.

The whole situation was driving him insane.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a weak, hoarse voice behind himself.

“Who are you?”

Turning back, he somehow expected to find the picture of the succubus having risen up to gracefully display why they were demons of lust and desire. Instead he saw her still lying there, eyes barely open and hands carefully checking his wound treatment while looking up at him.

Light reflections gave off the illusion of dancing flames in eyes as red as blood.

Bengar swallowed hard. This was far worse than a graceful demoness trying to be seductive. It was a display of weakness, and to some degree of trust. The last thing he had expected.

“I’m …” He cleared his throat. “… I’m Bengar Dustclaw. And you are?”

“Anjeka … Anjeka de Lafitte.”

The massive white charr stared at her like she was the most baffling thing he had ever seen in his life. “The heir of this matriarchal cubi hive? The daughter of Grand Mistress Mythal?”

“Oh fuck my life …” Anjeka turned her eyes away from Bengar and instead stared at the ceiling. “ … of course the mother effing Titan Slayer did his homework.”

“Wait, what? You know who I am?” Confusion written all over his features, he stepped closer, weighing the pros and cons on sitting down next to her in his head.

“Of course I do.” She looked back at him, actually smirking. “Demonic charr aren’t something you encounter in the wild, you know?”

“Right … right …” Shaking his head, he sat down on the ground next to the bed. “Forgot that I’m unique among my people.”

“Well that and your looks are a big giveaway as well.” What should have been a snort turned into a pained groan as Anjeka quickly curled up into herself and purposefully away from Bengar.

As quickly as she had curled up, Bengar jumped up. “Wha … are you alright? Did I miss any injuries?”

The weak chuckle she answered with utterly confused him. Uncurling, she carefully sat up while hissing. Sweat was visibly gathering on the parts of her skin he could see.

“Ah … so that’s why a somewhat human looking female is having this effect on me …” Bengar started pacing around once again. “Of course … now Aurene’s smug comment makes sense …”

“You know the prismatic elder dragon?”

“I …” He stopped pacing, running his claws through his hair instead. “ … yes I guess I do. Was friends with a comrade of her champion.”

“You mean the one with Sohothin … Brimmstone was his name if I recall right.” Anjeka grinned, but her grin was quickly replaced by a grimace of pain. Once again curling up, she clenched her jaws to not scream out.

Instantly dropping down in front of her, Bengar conjured a light, cold breeze in between his hands and held them to her sides. “Smalltalk is fine and all … but you’re not really on terms to have lengthy chats up front right now.”

“I know.” Looking up again, Anjeka blinked a few times in confusion. Being on eye level with the big, white charr, she managed to actually see his eyes properly. “But this is … “

“… awkward? Mortifying?”

“And much more.”

Bengar sighed, then showed an uneasy smirk. “You know, this is actually pretty terrifying for me.”

“I could make it easier on you.” Anjeka’s features changed right before his eyes, shifting, adjusting until he was looking at a female charr with ginger fur. “If that helps … cause to be perfectly honest, I don’t feel like begging …”

Bengar laughed and retreated his hands, once again running them through his hair. “Actually … and I know I sound like a perverted freak saying this … I like the real you better.”

Shifting back, Anjeka tilted her head to the side. “Then what are you waiting for? A formal invitation?”

“No …” He chuckled. “… I’m just … all about consent I guess. It’s just how my people roll. We clearly state that we want to do it before we do it.”

Anjeka’s features changed to an amused smirk. “Okay, then here’s the facts. You’re an Alpha in rut, I’m an Omega in heat. We both need it, and we need it badly. So how about we cut the part where we act like awkward kids out and just do it?”

To her surprise, Bengar chuckled and got up, simply stripping his shirt over his head while at it. “As you wish.”

The demoness swallowed hard. She had thought the shirt had made him look broader, like literally everything charr tended to wear did, but Bengar really was of a broad build. His white fur only enhanced the effect.

Sharp claws carefully pushed her down to her back and she watched with heated interest how he hooked one of those sharp as hell fangs into the front clasp of her bra to carefully pull it open.

Her breathing hitched when those sharp fangs continued to grace her body, and yelped when she felt that his tongue was just as rough a cat’s.

The demoness bucked her hips up. Being up close to an Alpha for ancestors know how long without them doing anything while in heat was pure torture. Especially since Bengar insisted on being a gentle tease.

At this point, she was desperate.

She needed it bad, she needed it hard and worst of all, him not knowing how to treat a humanoid and therefore testing out a lot and being overly cautious drove her insane.

A threatening growl tore out of Bengar’s throat, his eyes met hers, dark desire raging is his mesmerizing purple eyes.

So the demon part of him had finally won …

Claws of one hand carefully scratching over her body, the white charr rose up again, reaching behind himself to undo his pants.

“Never took cubi to be the impatient type.” He danced his tongue around one of his fangs. “You’ll never stop learning.”

First biting her lips, Anjeka then decided that she wasn’t really in the mood to be the obedient little thing everyone expected when they thought of Omegas like her. Growling herself, she quickly undid her own pants and stripped them down as far as she could with the big, smug bastard kneeling down in between her legs.

“As if you don’t know why.” She leaned up, dragging her slowly growing talons through his fur. “It fucking hurts! So quit messing around!”

A wolfish grin plastered over his features, he pressed her back down, then got up to strip her pants away completely, simultaneously dropping his own. “Very well.”

Kneeling down in between her legs again, he once again roamed his claws up over her body, leaning down in the process. “If you want it so bad, turn around.” He almost breathed in her ear as his fangs graced it “Kitten.”

Anjeka did what he had asked of her, faster than Bengar had expected and despite her being caged beneath him. Having rolled over, she bucked her hips back, gracing him just enough to make him groan.

He dragged his fangs over her shoulder in return, biting down just firm enough to keep her in place while undoing his loincloth behind his back.

Finally being completely freed from possibly interfering fabric, he wedged an arm beneath her hips to pull her back, growling into her shoulder from the feeling of slick warmth between her legs.

Blindly slipping along her folds until he found her entrance naturally, Bengar lost no time and simply pushed in, winding his arm around her hips tighter to pull her down, his fangs threatening to break the skin on Anjeka’s shoulder as he slowly pushed further.

Damn, she was so much tighter than any charr female he had been with.

And the filthy moan ripping from her throat was almost enough to finish him off on the spot.

Not even thinking of ruining his fun by taking everything at once, he rocked his hips back, thrusted with just enough force to go a little deeper and the demoness moaned out so loud he was sure she would scare off everything, even the souls of the dead, if there was anything nearby.

Unclenching his jaw, he opted for holding on to hear throat and pulling her up. Groaning into her ear, he once again thrusted just enough to sink in a little deeper.

“That what you wanted?”

The demoness rolled her head back, another moan ripping from her throat. “Yes! Fucking yes!”

Wolfish grin on his lips, he dragged his claws over her hips. “You’ll regret it.”

Anjeka glanced back at him, grinning, daring him. “Make. Me.”

She cried out when Bengars fangs were suddenly buried in her shoulder again, and lost all control of her body as he started to take her with deep, hard thrusts.

Actually allowing her to fall forward, he held on to her hips with a bruising grip, driving into her like a starved beast, groaning and growling into her shoulder.

The demoness clawed at the sheets beneath her, moan after moan ripped out of her throat. The danger of the charr’s claws on her throat and his fangs on her shoulder added a thrill she had never experienced before. Additionally, she felt the same rough prick inside herself she had previously felt when he had licked along her body.

Her perception stopped working, world around her drowned out by the pleasure her body had been screaming for. And it didn’t seem to stop.

Bengar kept driving into her like a madman even all the way through her coming undone, not the least bit interested in basking in his achievement like other Alphas she had been with did. Instead, he kept her on an impossible high, making her drool into the sheets.

A full body shudder ran through her when his fangs left her shoulder, then she felt one impossible deep thrust. Crying out a moan, her eyes went wide, something inside her rejoicing at the feeling of him swelling up inside her, of him shuddering and rocking until he jerked into her and growled through bared fangs.

Her head rolled to the side on instinct, but instead of sharp fangs breaking her skin, she felt the fluff of his fur nuzzling against her neck.

Winding both arms around her, he pulled her up, then pushed her wing to the side before collapsing to the now free side with her in her arms. Tail curling up around her, he squeezed her and shuddered.

Panting and chuckling, Anjeka felt every bit of him inside and purred.

Bengar nipped her neck in return. “Are you mocking me?”

“I mean … if it helps.” She turned her head and smirked. “Cause I’m not regretting anything in the least.”

A smug smirk on his face, Bengar chuckled. “Don’t worry, working on that one.”