#my thought process went from “what’s he up to? what is this artifact?”

[schneid-rambles]

when Yorick said “hand of malevolence” that part was pretty great.

[decadentpostnachos-evil-twin]

Back on my bullshit again.

I recently found this gem in a tumblr comment-section:

(I censored the names bc I'm German and all, and because we don't want to hate on people here, it's just their statements.)

I'm honestly not totally sure how to word my thoughts on this.

It's giving 'How dare former colonies be angry with the British, who hoard their cultural assets and exhibit them in museums?'

How dare Tarquin be angry at Feyre and Rhysand for coming to his Court, allegedly to form an alliance and befriend him in a way, only to decieve him and steal what is most likely his most valuable artifact?

I have a huge problem with that arc in maf in general, because what the fuck was that? Tarquin was nothing but welcoming towards them, and if they had properly explained to them what their agenda was- which you do if you want people to trust you, I'm convinced he would have given it to them.

But no, it's easier to act like you want to screw him and gain his trust with sob stories and flirting and whatnot and then just steal the book from him, nearly kicking the bucket in the process.

And why is he still angry in ACOWAR? Because he has the right to be! If someone came to your home and acted like your friend, and then stole one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable thing you own. Would you not be angry? Even if they helped you after, in another situation.

And let's be real, if this happened to the NC, whoever would have stolen from them in that hypothetical situation, would've ended up being vilified for the rest of the series.

Tarquin "insulting" Feyre is btw the following exchange:

This is the first time Tarquin speaks in acowar. Honestly? This is hardly insulting. This is literally stating facts. It's not talking down or belittling, he's just pointing out the consequences of what she canonically did.

And side note: Pretty sure he doesn't want Feyfey after that stunt she pulled.

In general, acting like Tarquin is whipped for her is pretty delulu. I'm not gonna deny that he may have found her attractive during maf, before she went "burglar" on him, but after that? No way.

Also: "He's a baby High Lord" ????? What's Feyre then? An embryo High Lady?

[Edit: See the ongoing call in the background? That's me ranting to my cousin about this lol]

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: raphael (bg3) x archdevil male reader

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: puppy eyes are a very valid/viable form of manipulation

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1,277

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: long exposition for short scenario, devils, pacts, some brief description of violence, underlying manipulation, i love you's

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: in honor of killing raphael for the second time (ily gale) the inspo

☾⋆☆⋆☽

To be an archdevil of the hells, you have to have a certain charm, per say; a devil's tongue, able to make both pacts with lowly, pathetic mortals, and other devils that covet your position, plus everyone in between.

A horrid task is making a pact, really, to ask for a treasure in exchange for something so slight, especially when they could hardly see the imbalance in the transaction.

When the supplicant who wished for power because he was so tired of rolling over for nobles died, you smiled with his soul in your grasp; he had managed to make a name for himself, and now you had a hero in your hall. When the devil sworn to you broke his pact and thus turned his fire immunity into a vulnerability, you enjoyed watching his skin char when he dove into his favorite lava bath.

Perhaps it wasn't so horrid after all, actually. With the many souls that now stomped your halls, you had an infinite supply of jesters. Watching a most old soul fade away into nothingness is always fun, too.

Most archdevils agree that suffering brings them satisfaction, but that is often the most lively thing about them. Zariel, for one, is always focused with her blood war, and Mephistopheles is in love with his vaults, and each only want more souls or artifacts to feed their obsession. Neither one even thinks to branch out! They're all so boring.

Mephistopheles's darling son, though, he's different. Narcissistic as any other devil, perhaps, but to a higher, more interesting degree; and boastingly ambitious, too. Always planning. It's lovely to see him in thought, despite how scarcely he lets himself be seen in the vulnerable process of thought.

And he knows you watch him, has, since the first time you laid eyes on him, but he lets you.

As Mephistopheles's boy, certain things are expected of him, the most daunting of all being that the son will never surpass the father. Cambions can be stronger than their fathers, but for Raphael to beat the ancientness that is the Archdevil Mephistopheles? Hardly perceivable.

Perhaps—no, that is why he is so interesting to you. So ambitious, to want the hells for himself, even when you know he will never be able to surpass the power of his own father.

You love watching him try.

Raphael, however, has always goaded you into helping him. Since you believe he won't win, you know that whatever you do to aid him will bring him nothing except disappointment and you, at best a slap on the wrist from Mephistopheles, at worst death when you visit the Material Plane.

In the beginning days of his plot, your help had always been both miniscule and hard-earned: a heap of souls for a sliver of your power in a pact baring similarity to a warlock's. Though, as time went on, Raphael's keen eye caught onto what made you concede, or the more amusing mortal word, fold, and oh was it foolishly simple.

It was always apparent between the two of you that the entirety of his life, his thousands, is only a shadow to your ten thousands. Its what made him so pathetically small in your eyes. He was still young, to you.

Oh, and his human form! It was so little and so mortal.

"A living mortal in my hall in the hells? Oh, it is only you, my dearest!" The cage of brown-red bone that protected your ever-ardent veins still protruded from beneath your flesh in the form of spikes, through your bumpy, fire-scarred flesh; but you were careful in kneeling before your favored, human form of Raphael.

You were still taller than him, kneeling, and Raphael looked most exquisite looking up at you. The cambion didn't need to dress up his words with a mouth-watering glaze. He already had you in his grasp. "My love, I've come to ask something of you."

"Again?" You click your tongue, shaking your head and nearly hitting him with your thick, wild horns. "You must learn to be independent one of these days."

"Oh," When he's rid of the interjection of exasperation, his bottom lip draws over his top lip; a pout. "I know, my dearest, but you must understand!"

"What must I understand?" You leave your hands in fists over your hips, leaning back straighter to look at him with the most stern expression your monstrous face muscles can offer.

Even with your knowledge of him being, well, a devil, you are still so careful to touch him, especially so in your ascended fiend form. Raphael steps closer, between your kneeling legs, placing his hands over your fists. "I really do need your help this time. I cannot do this without you."

You huff, your fists breaking to hold his hands properly. "Tell me, my love, what do you need of me?"

"My father has a new relic in his collection. Oh, it is so precious!" He emphasizes his point with the bounce of his heels, "Extremely powerful, as I'm sure you've heard, my darling; the mortals have lost their magic recently, yes? The foolish mortal Karsus and his foolish ambitions, but his crown is very much real, and very much powerful, especially for a human."

"So I've heard, sweetheart. What are you saying?" If you had any eyebrows, they would've furrowed.

"I need it. I need it, for myself, it'll be the most splendid gift!"

Your head draws back, and for a moment, your skin burns hotter, in such a way that even he can feel its temperature raise, that it must be so potent and high a change that a flame-retardant lover can feel it. Had this been the first time Raphael has asked for something of such great power from you, he'd have thought his plan was over.

"Mephistopheles would kill me, Raphael, shove me in a portal to the Material Plane, or the Ethereal Plane, or even the Godly Plane just to see me die the most gruesome death." You do not exaggerate, he has seen it first hand more than a handful of times.

"Oh, but my love, my dearest..." Raphael doesn't follow up his most adorable pet names, like one normally would. He doesn't plead his case, doesn't beg for it. Instead, he widens his eyes, and he stares, and there's just something about the way the glare of the candelabra glints in his eye that—

Oh...

Gods, he's just adorable, isn't he? So much better than a hellhound begging for a scrap of your meal, its head on your thigh, because this is your dearest Raphael.

Devils have delicious red eyes, but Raphael's human form has this just sweet pair of brown eyes, what is it, chocolate? They're gorgeous.

And his head can barely crane up high enough to look you in the eye, even when you're kneeling for him.

You huff, look away from him, but it's already too late. For the love of Tyr, Mystra, Ilmater, and the gods you'll never praise, why must he look so exquisite? With a deep sigh, you turn back to him, forgetting his delicateness as you place your wide palm over his tempting face. "Fine. Fine, my love, I will ask."

Raphael kisses your palm, lifting it off his face, and he smiles so nicely as he continues to pepper kisses along your burning knuckles. "Thank you," He says, spewing word upon word of his gratitude, "thank you, my love, I love you so much."

"Yeah, I know." You sigh once more, but you fold, leaning your head down to encase his head between your horns. "I love you too, my dear."

[theburaeu]

From the AC Revelations Novelization:

You mentioned a Creed, earlier,” Sofia went on. “What is it?”

Ezio paused. “Altaïr made a great . . . study, throughout the latter years of his long life, of certain . . . codes, which were vouchsafed him. I remember one passage of his writings by heart. Shall I tell you it?”

“Please.”

“Altaïr wrote: Over time, any sentence uttered long and loud enough, becomes fixed. Provided, of course, that you can outlast the dissent and silence your opponents. But should you succeed, and remove all challengers, then what remains? Truth! Is it truth in some objective sense? No. But how does one ever achieve an objective point of view? The answer is that one doesn’t. It’s literally, physically impossible. Too many variables. Too many fields and formulae to consider. The Socratic method understood this. It provided for an asymptotic approach to truth. The line never meets the curve at any finite point. But the very definition of the asymptote implies an infinite struggle. We inch closer and closer to a revelation, but never reach it. Not ever . . . And so I have realized that, as long as the Templars exist, they will attempt to bend reality to their will. They recognize that there is no such thing as an absolute truth, or, if there is, we are hopelessly underequipped to recognize it. And so, in its place, they seek to create their own explanation. It is the guiding principle of what they call their New World Order: to reshape existence in their ‘own’ image. It’s not about artifacts. It’s not about men. These are merely tools. It’s about concepts. Clever of them, for how does one wage war against a concept? It is the perfect weapon. It lacks a physical form yet can alter the world around us in numerous, often violent, ways. You cannot kill a Creed. Even if you kill all its adherents, destroy all its writings—that provides a reprieve at best. Someday, someday, we shall rediscover it. Reinvent it. I believe that even we, the Assassins, have simply rediscovered an Order that predates the Old Man of the Mountain . . . All knowledge is a chimera. It all comes back to time. Infinite. Unstoppable. It begs the question, what hope is there? My answer is this: We must reach a place where that question is no longer relevant. The struggle itself is asymptotic. Always approaching a resolution but never reaching it. The best we can hope for is to smooth the line a bit. Bring about stability and peace, however temporary. And understand, Reader, it will always and forever be only temporary. For as long as we continue to reproduce, we will give rise to doubters and challengers. Men who will rise up against the status quo for no other reason, sometimes, than that they have nothing better to do. It is Man’s nature to disagree. War is but one of the many ways in which we do so. I think many have yet to understand our Creed. But such is the process. To be mystified. To be frustrated. To be educated. To be enlightened. And then at last, to understand. To be at peace.”

Ezio fell silent. Then he said: “Does that make sense?”

“Grazie. Yes, it does.” She gazed at him as he stood, lost in thought.

[iamnotyourgodsherald]

Fanfic Work!

Hi! Here is a BG3 Fanfic that I wrote about my Teifling Bard Tav, Mordai and his husband Gale Dekarios during their married life! It was a labor of love so please tell me how you like it!

18+ ONLY! NO MINORS! 🔞

Cw: Contains Nsfw themes. Blood

Contains: Desperation, Biting, Accidental Magically Induced Lust, Heightened Sensitivity, Dry Humping, Cock Worship, Blood From Biting, Teifling Anatomy, Sucking off, Anal Penetration, Cum Denial and Cumming Together, Saliva, Face Fucking

———————————————————————

I was sitting in the library of Gale and I’s tower in Waterdeep, reading Cormyrian poetry with the breeze from the open window gently blowing in. Tara, Gale’s Tressym, was on my lap purring, letting me pet her while I read with Gale practicing his spells in our bedroom next door to me. Only a couple months married but by the Gods, was it wonderful. Our lives were filled with work, Gale teaching illusion magic at a University, and I, working at the Yawning portal as an entertainer! We were busy but every night, we made time for each other. Whether that was reading to each other, game nights, or going on more “naughty” adventures.

I was deep in this thought process, sighing at my perfect life when suddenly the entire tower started to shake and tremble.

Purple light shot out from underneath the door and Tara made a quick escape out through the open window nearby. I quickly got up and dived behind the chair I was sitting in, waiting until the purple light faded and all went quiet.

I started to panic, thinking maybe Gale was hurt, my heart racing.

“Gale?! My love, are you okay?!” I yelled, almost starting to tear up. “My love, speak to me!”

“Everything’s okay!” Gale yelled after a brief pause. “Are you alright?!”

Thank the fucking gods.

“I am fine! A bit shaken though! Tara flew away!”

I got up and dusted myself before opening the door to see our bedroom in total disarray. Books all over the floor, trinkets and papers scattered everywhere. Some artifacts were sparking and fritzing but otherwise fine. However, Gale was on our bed, hidden under the blankets. Almost trembling.

I let a sigh of relief and walked over to him, poking the lump only to feel it jolt.

“My love, what in the hells happened?” I giggled.

I sat next to the lump, putting my hand on it and rubbing gently.

“I am dreadfully sorry, love. I was in the middle of my incantation when my mind started to wander, and the spell suddenly went awry! I spoke everything so perfectly and then I just… I got distracted.” Gale explained, sounding embarrassed.

“Oh love, it happens to all of us magic casters! What got you distracted?” I asked, pulling the blanket off of him. “Did you-“

What I saw under that blanket was Gale, panting and his face pink. His bright, starry brown eyes staring up at me with intense lust. His robes opened with his pants opened and his hard cock hanging out of them. When he saw me, however, he yanked the blanket back down over to cover back up.

“No please! Don’t let me see you! The spells magic has caused me to become incredibly aroused! It’s almost torturous! My member is so hot and hard and…”

He trailed off, pulling the blanket tighter around him as he started to pant heavily.

I was speechless. It was the hottest look that i had ever seen Gale in, hotter than the space sex in my opinion. Nothing like looking at the intense and primal lust in someone you loves eyes… I could hardly resist it as well as my own cock started to harden.

“M-Mordai?” Gale whimpered out, peeking out a bit from under the blanket. “Whats wrong…?”

“I am just fine, love. Just processing.” I said, gently peeling away the blanket. “Love, you know that… I am your husband? That… I am always ready to make love to you right? That I love to do that?”

Gale stuttered and whined a sound that made me shutter. My tail started to wrap around my own leg.

“I am… embarrassed… You should not see me like this!” Gale said softly, letting silence wash over them for a second. “All flustered and shy… but I melt so easily when it comes to lust… and looking at you… Maybe you are right. I am still not used to having someone so… doting. To be with someone who loves all of me… Even if I am all a flutter. So forgive me, love.”

“Oh, love. I am not quite used to it too. I am so used to loneliness that… but I am no longer alone. Neither are you. And you never will be again. I will help in anyway you want me to. Including ravaging your body whenever you wish.” Mordai purred.

“Mordai! You tempter! You know talking like that will make me crazy…!” Gale stuttered.

Gale looked away from me, panting a bit between his sentences. I could tell his arousal was getting stronger. My own arousal was growing along with him, my tail acting on its own, thumping against the bed.

Gale looked up at me and smiled as he held my face in his hands.

“I love you, Mordai Dekarios.”

“I love you too, Gale Dekarios.” I purred back.

I never got tired of hearing him call me that.

He sat up, and crawled across the bed before starting to remove his clothes. He pulled his robes off, leaving him only with his cloth pants, which still had his hard dick out, dripping with precum. Gale then started staring at me with such an intense feeling of lust and laid back on the pillows of the bed. Gale’s lustful look… rivaled that of an Incubus.

Once he saw me staring at him, he let a sly smile spread across his face and spread his legs open to me.

My tail twitched in anticipation, wrapping itself around Gale’s ankle before I practically pounced on him as he opened himself up like that to me. My tail wrapped around his thigh more as I pulled him into my arms and locked my lips onto his. Our kiss deep and almost wild. Gale held onto me tighter, his body shaking in my grip, soft grunts escaping his plump lips.

I felt my own cock growing and throbbing hard in excitement as he gripped onto me. The skin of my cock catching on my pants was almost enough to send me into insanity. My own desire growing as I felt his wet tongue wrap around mine. My mind becoming cloudy quickly as his scent filled my nose, like old pages and ink. His groaning filling my ears like a full symphony of music.

I wanted to tease him a bit so as we kissed, I started rubbing my bulge into him, humping softly against his cock. This caused him to start moaning, gripping my hair gently but firmly.

“Mordai… Youre being a t-tease, please. I need it s-so bad….” Gale stuttered.

“Is that truly what you want, my love?” I asked softly.

Gale then nodded quickly, spreading his legs open. Beckoning me to take him right then and there.

“Yes love! Ravage me! Make love to me! Claim me! Fill me up with your sperm!” he begged desperately.

I then felt something snap into place in my brain. Like, Gale unlocked something within me and suddenly ideas were rushing into my head. I slowly smirked and grabbed Gale by his wrists and pinned him down to our bed.

“You want me to ravage you? Fine. I am going to take my sweet time with you, my love~” I purred.

I pulled him off the bed by his wrists and forced him on his kneels, as he yelped in surprise, he noticed he was at eye level with my bulge and grabbed my thighs, pressing his face into my bulge and taking a deep sniff of it, looking up at me with a slutty and lustful expression.

“Oh gods my mind is… not my own anymore. I need it, Mordai… Gods, I can smell your musk. Your cock is just… Incredible...”

Gale then licked up my bulge through my pants, looking up at me as he did. His hands started to try and pull my pants down almost desperate to see it but I quickly grabbed a fistful of his soft wavy brown hair and gripped it by the roots, making him stop in his tracks. He responded to this with a loud whine as his soft brown eyes met mine.

“Mordai! Mordai, Please! I need it! I need it so badly, please…I am begging you, my love! Let me see it! Let me taste it!”

“Good Gods, Gale… I never knew you could talk like this. It enough to drive me to insanity… Don’t you worry. I wont leave a single hole of yours unused by the end of this evening. You gotta be a good boy first, okay? I need you to worship my cock. Tell me how much you fucking want it and love it, without using that pretty mouth of yours.” I purred.

I then took out my cock, which was starting to harden up, and laid it across Gale’s face.

Gale moaned as I did, his eyes almost rolling back in delight. His hot breath on the side of my cock made the bumps on it swell with pleasure, but It also told me he was about to suck on it and I gripped his hair harder. He moaned out in response, shaking under my hand.

“Be good and do as I ask, Love.”

He didn’t even hesitate. As soon as I let go of his hair, he pressed his face up against my cock, taking in the smell of it while looking up at me with his big, shimmering brown eyes.

“Oh Mordai… Your textured cock is so plump. So thick. it always stretches me out when you use it on me. Leaves me weak and vulnerable! Gods, I want it so badly. These slits on the side, right under the head… Thats to keep it from sliding out too early, isn’t it? Gods, to be stuck on it. No. To be bred by it… but I know I don’t deserve it yet…! I need to praise it more! Even now, it throbs in delight as my praise… how big and red it is, like I am a thrall of an Incubus…oh please Mordai! I need it…! I need this divine cock, please! I cant take it anymore!”

Gale begged, gripping at my legs and panting wildly. Looking at me with almost tears in his eyes, he buried his face in my cock again, breathing hard on my balls, his panting becoming more wild.

My lust was too much, seeing Gale like this. I gripped his hair by the root again and made him lean back against the side of the bed, tilting his head back onto the bed. He cried out in surprise, but it was immediately silenced as I shoved my cock all the way into his tight, wet throat.

I quickly began humping into his face, leaning over onto the bed as Gale gripped my legs. I felt myself already swelling and growled. I then bit my bottom lip to keep myself from moaning too loud, knowing that moaning like crazy was just gonna make me cum faster.

Didn’t stop Gale from moaning though. He was drooling all over my cock, trying to find some way to suck on it even more as I thrusted into his throat. He gagged on it, slipping his tongue around my cock as much as he could as I fucked his throat relentlessly.

I suddenly felt myself swelling up, about to burst into his throat before I pulled out of him suddenly.

“How bad?” I panted. “ How bad do you want me to fill your throat?”

Gale panted a moment, his eyes rolling in his skull a bit. He almost looked dazed. Saliva dripping from his lips and onto his chest.

“So bad… so bad… please…” he whimpered out.

I then pushed it back into his throat, hearing Gale make a loud satisfied groaning sound as I filled him. I started fucking his face faster, my balls slapping against Gales chin and saliva running down my leg. I finally reached my peak and shoved my cock DEEP into his throat, pumping it full of sperm. Gale started to choke and cough so I pulled out, letting him drink the rest down.

“Thank you… My dear… My love… For letting me drink from you…” Gale said wearily.

“You’re welcome, my love. Now, Do you wish to continue?” I asked softly.

When he nodded, I then picked him off the floor, cradling him in my arms and threw him up on the bed before grabbing him and pinning him down on the bed by his wrist. I then began to kiss his neck. The loud, desperate moans that came out of him all the sudden, almost made me cum right there.

“Mordai!” He yelped. “No! I am so sensitive, oh gods…!”

He wrapped his legs around me as I ignore his cries, his body twisting and turning in pleasure. As I held him down, I slowly sank my teeth into his neck just enough to make it bleed slightly. Tasting his blood hungrily.

Gale cried out, trying to wrench his hands free from me. He was overcome with so much pleasure and stimulation, that his body was acting purely on instinct now. No longer was Gale Dekarios there. Gale was a play thing. A toy whose mind was now broken and was only worried about my cock not being inside of him.

I held him there with my teeth until I could taste more blood, then pulling off and sinking my teeth into his shoulder. Leaving more bloody mouth prints all over him.

Then his breast.

Then his stomach.

“Oh by the gods, Mordai! Mordai! I love you! I love you so much! I love you! I love you!” Gale repeated crazily.

Gale started squirming around in delight, his body shaking as I started pulling off his pants. Causing his cock to get excited and shoot pre cum out in anticipation. Gale yelped in embarrassment before covering his face with a pillow.

“Oh you bastard! You evil, evil bastard! How dare you do this to me! You love to embarrass me, dont you?!” Gale yelled, muffled.

“First, it was ‘I love you!’ and now its ‘evil bastard?’ Which one is it?” I teased.

I started rubbing my finger on his precum covered cockhole, and he moaned out, turning his face away from me, keeping the pillow over his face.

“You are being a tease…! I let my throat become ravaged by you, drank down your sperm like I was parched and you were water and you reward me with teasing!? So cruel!” Gale said huffed.

“Ah, you are so right, my love.” I said shifting suddenly so Gale’s legs were on my shoulders. “Let me remedy that.”

I snatched the pillow to put it under my stomach and before he could protest, I took his full length into my throat until my nose was pressed against his stomach. Being careful as to not scrape him with my teeth as I sucked on him hungrily.

Gale screamed out in pleasure, panting quickly as I sucked on him. His body quaking as I held his legs down on my shoulders. I watched him claw and grip at the pillows behind his head, his face full of pure ecstasy as I drooled onto his member. My own cock was throbbing with delight and catching on the bed sheets underneath us. My eyes lolled as a result, the pleasure sending shudders up my spine.

I let my mind race as I filled my mouth with his cock. I started thinking of filling him with sperm. Filling him all the way up until it leaked back out. Thinking of filling up his throat again. Maybe using my tail… My cock twitched and swelled in these thoughts. I told myself to calm down, however. I wanted to please Gale and make sure he was taken care of first before I ravaged his hole.

I felt his cock swell in my throat and I pulled off, rubbing his cock slowly so he couldn’t cum immediately. Of course, he protested loudly at this.

“Mordaaaiii!” He whined, almost kicking his leg. “Come on! I was so close! Give me this! I’m about to cum! Just let me cum! Please!”

“Not yet.” I purred, rubbing his cock against my face. “I wanted to keep pleasing you more! It’s not fun if I just simply get you off.”

“Mordai! Please! The spell is making this unbearable! Please let me cum! Please I am begging you, I need it! I need relief! I beg of you, my love, let me cum! Please!”

I smirked.

“Call me your god, sweetheart~”

“…Yes, my God. Please.. bestow your grace on your servant. Please allow me to cum. Allow me to feel ecstasy at your hands…Please, my God!”

I felt his cock twitch hard in my hand as he praised me. Smirking at my worship kink loving husband, I lowered myself back down and took him deeply into my throat again, bobbing my head up and down and sucking even harder than before. I was starting to gag as it swelled again in my throat, looking up at him to see his head lying back, yelling in pure bliss.

“Please! Almost! I’m…!”

Gale thrusted his hips into my throat, making me choke and fatally grabbed my horns as he came. His warm, thick sperm filling my throat as it oozed out of his throbbing cock. His grip on my horns kept me held down against his cock.

I didn’t mention in this story, but a lesson in Teifling anatomy!

Teifling horns and tails are INCREDIBLY sensitive to touch. Touching them, especially during sex, can be dangerous for our partners cause it can cause us to get really rough and really excited. In some cases, go absolutely primal from the feeling.

And Gale just grabbed my horns while he came into my throat.

What happened next, all happened so swiftly. After Gale came, I pinned down his legs by his head, exposing Gales hole to me and leaned over him. I heard him yelp and try to talk to me, but I couldn’t quite hear what he said. I don’t even remember what he said.

All I know is after that, All I felt was my cock sinking itself deeply into his hot, twitching hole and then hearing Gale’s screams of sweet pleasure as my cock stretched him wide open.

I started pounding him relentlessly. I wasn’t just gonna stop after one load. I was going to fuck him until he was messy. Until he was more broken than he already was. Until I had fully claimed him.

With my slits swelled on the outside of my cock inside of him and catching on his insides, I went harder to move inside, gripping the sheets hard by his head. Using that position to keep his legs pinned. It must have been a good position, cause then Gale’s voice went higher in pitch, his insides clenching around my cock in the heat of his screams.

“MORDAI! You’re hitting my spot! YOURE HITTING MY SPOT! Please! Mercy!! MERCY!!”

“You grabbed my horns. Mercy is no longer on the table, love.” I growled back.

I snarled as I started ramming onto his spot faster, his insides clenching tighter but quickly loosening up as his mind was swimming with his spot being stimulated over and over.

Gale started to go from screaming to babbling incoherent nonsense loudly, his hands clawing into the pillow behind his head. His eyes stared into mine with such intense lust but I also saw love sparkling behind them as well as he stared at me. A small, broken smile appeared on his face as he took my dick.

“Fill me… Fill me.. please love…! Im going to cum…! Please…! Please!” Gale whined loudly.

My heart was starting to pound hard in my chest as I looked down at him. I started going as fast as I could, my cock swelling even more inside of him.

“Whatever you want, Gale…! Im yours! All of me! IM YOURS!” I cried out.

I bear hugged him on the bed, still slamming deep into him. He responded by hugging back, digging his nails into my back.

“IM YOURS! IM YOURS MORDAI! PLEASE! DONT STOP! DONT!” Gale screamed.

I hugged him harder. shoving myself all the way inside of him, and cumming deep inside his stomach. I could feel my liquids coating his guts, as I shot load after load.

Gale shouted after I came, clawing into my back harder and spraying all over my stomach as he came and collapsed onto the bed. Panting and groaning in exhaustion.

I started to laugh to myself, panting along with him, before scooping him into my arms. I kissed Gale deeply as I kept my cock buried inside of him, keeping him full of my sperm.

He melted into the kiss at first but then pulled away, looking very confused.

“Why are you laughing…?”Gale asked.

“You need to keep that spell.” I chuckled, softly nuzzling into his face. “Ready for round 2?~”

The Happy Couple 💕

[meimi-haneoka]

{drabble} I'm here - Akiho/Kaito

Alright, how do you do any of this...😂

I guess what you need to know it's that it is a Akiho x Kaito / YunaAki drabble, it's based on canon (set 3 weeks after the series ended), and it's based on the assumption that, differently from what the ENG translation said in ch. 80, in the JP Sakura affirmed that thanks to his stopped time Kaito wouldn't be hurting more than that...this means that his seizures would continue, just they wouldn't get worse than what we've seen till now.

This is mainly a hurt/comfort drabble, with glimpses of happiness. After all, Akiho is happy with him. And it's mainly a way for me to vent some complex feelings about the finale of Clear Card. I have a Kaito POV on the way (edit: here's the link, go read it after you finished this one!), but it's more difficult to write for him (and, uh, more depressing) so it'll come in the next days.

Easter egg: a line is a direct reference to the lyrics of Anata by Hikaru Utada. 😉

I'm not a native English speaker so forgive me if any line sounds weird!

Finally, I have to thank the "enabler" dandelion-stuff-and-fluff (not tagging in case you don't want to!) for giving immediately support to my whims! 😂

Excerpt:

I could feel the tears emerging, but I kicked all of them back, as I threw my 13-year-old self out of the window and summoned the part of me that helped me survive all these years. The resilient one.

Akiho's POV 

Three weeks had passed by, from that fateful night. 

Most of our stuff was packed, and our days were spent between checking everything for the imminent departure and hanging out with Sakura-san and the rest of the group, making the most out of the remaining time. Everyone was so lovely to us, showing all the support we needed. I really felt like I had acquired a family in Tomoeda, and the thought of it made me incredibly happy.  I was going to miss them so much. Just like I would miss this big mansion full of memories.... and mysterious protective forces, apparently, as I was told by him. 

Kaito-san revealed to me that when we came to Tomoeda almost one year prior, he had chosen this mansion specifically to protect me, as I was carrying a dangerous magical artifact that my own clan had engraved in me.  We talked quite a lot over the span of those three weeks, and swallowing the truth had been hard, at first.  But all of that was gone now and like waking up from a nightmare, the memories of it were getting more and more hazy as time went on. Only a permanent scar remained. 

Both of us were in the kitchen, cooking dinner. The clang of kitchen utensils, the sizzle in the frying pan made me strangely happy. It sounded warm. It sounded normal. I love cooking with him. This was the corner of the house where we declared to each other how much we cherished one another, without even fully realizing it. 

“Akiho-san, could you hand me the salt?”  “Here you go!” I said, smiling brightly at him.  He smiled back at me in that soft way that made my knees weak.  God, please, give me this for the rest of my life. Every day, immutably. 

“Done! We’re ready.”  Removing our aprons, we were getting ready to bring everything to the table. 

And then I saw it.  

He stopped in his tracks, his complexion paling by the second. 

Another one was coming.   My blood ran cold, and I rushed to the other side of the room, while he slowly crouched to the ground, out of breath, groaning in pain.   Each cry stabbed me in the chest like a knife. I could feel the tears emerging, but I kicked all of them back, as I threw my 13-year-old self out of the window and summoned the part of me that helped me survive all these years. The resilient one.   I hastily opened a cabinet and took out a finely decorated small box, toppling other items in the process. I didn't care.   Hiiragizawa-san had sent us, through a magic portal, a series of pills he made weaving a complex magic spell over them, to help Kaito-san cope with the seizures. He said they wouldn't do any miracle, but hopefully they could reduce the duration of the seizures and ease the pain a little bit. Cause the pain he was experiencing wasn’t caused by anything ordinary, and no ordinary medicine would’ve been effective. 

I grabbed a towel, flung it over my shoulder and ran back to Kaito-san with a glass of water, spilling some of it in the process. I watched him as he struggled to swallow both the pill and the water. 

How many times did he experience this excruciating pain, completely alone?   How many times did he force himself to not crumble down in front of me, to protect my peace of mind? Just thinking back to all the times I could feel something was not right, and how he tried to deceive me to keep dealing with it all alone.... it brought back in me an anger I didn't know what to do with.  

Yes, I didn't get over it yet. The wound was still so fresh.  But we agreed that we would’ve dealt with this together, from now on.  ...And just like that, the fit of anger quickly vanished, as a gentle feeling got a hold of me, and I began unbuttoning the collar of his shirt to let him breath better, then dabbing his damp forehead with the towel.   "It's okay.... it's okay... I'm here" I whispered softly, like a lullaby. 

As if surrendering himself to me, he held onto my arms and leaned over, trying to regain control of his breathing. I supported him, thanking in my head a hundred times that his time was halted. Yes, we were trying to look for a way to eventually make it flow again, but it was in moments like these that I remembered how numbing the fear to lose him again was.   I couldn't live with that. With that feeling of hollowness. Not again. 

That's why, I said to myself, this time I would've done anything in my power to not lose him, come what may. I wouldn't have spared any effort. Losing him would’ve been a hundred times more devastating than the pain I was feeling in that moment, seeing him in those conditions. After all, he was feeling like that because of me.  

“Momo...please give me strength”, I thought, missing my beloved bunny more than ever. Who knows how many times she had witnessed all of that, and how she dealt with it. I could’ve used some advice in that moment. 

His ragged breath became more regular, the pill was starting to kick in. He raised his head and looked at me.   Those eyes I loved so much, now covered by a mysterious dark fog - a remnant of the dragon appearance, as they explained to me – seemed to regain finally focus.  His face was so close to mine. In another situation, in another more oblivious period, there’s no doubt my heart would've exploded from embarrassment, red in the face like a tomato. But right now, I was preoccupied with something completely different, as I looked at him holding nothing but worry and sadness in my eyes. 

"I'm sorry...", he whispered. 

I could feel my heart catching fire, and it reminded how much I love him, despite being so hurt by his reckless behavior.  But I didn't answer to his apology. Cause that wasn't what I wanted to hear from him.

Instead, I asked him “can you stand up?” and helped propping him up when he nodded. We proceeded slowly towards the couch in the living room, where I helped him lying down. Despite having tons of lovely memories here, this house was starting to be a bit too big for us and for emergencies of this kind.  Hiiragizawa-san's pills had a sedative that inevitably caused Kaito-san to fall asleep, to recuperate. He looked so exhausted.  I arranged some cushions on the ground and sat down beside the couch, watching him closing his eyes and drifting quickly into sleep. I moved some of his hair to the side and dabbed the towel over his forehead one more time.   Then I went back to stare at his peaceful face, lost in thought. Was I truly prepared for this, when I decided that the life I wanted was this one? Probably not.  Would I have chosen anything else? Absolutely not.  Being with him is my happiness, after all.

[mouwrites]

I have had this in my head for FOREVER but…

Atom Bomb Baby by The Five Stars and Butters Stotch or Kyle Broflovski, your pick!

~🍋

YESS I listened to this song and thought it was totally something to dance to!! (Also, so good to see you again my friend! :D)

Word count: 1k

South Park - Atom Bomb Baby (Kyle) (400 follower event)

“I hate winter,” you huffed, rubbing your gloved hands together for the umpteenth time in a futile attempt at warming them.

No matter how many of these harsh South Park winters you lived through, you never, ever got used to them. It was as if each year got colder than the last; you always thought you were prepared, but then the most brutal cold you’d ever experienced would come for you. It seeped right through your clothes, your skin—straight down to your bones. In short, it was unbearable.

Kyle just laughed beside you. You shot him a scowl, and he smiled innocently, giving a little shrug. “Hey, it’s South Park,” was all he said.

In the process of turning away your eyes landed on a little shop on the corner of the street you were walking down. It was an antique store.

Your eyes lit up; it was the perfect excuse to escape the cold for a few minutes! You grabbed Kyle’s hand and began jogging along.

“Hey!”

Kyle’s protests came in a steady stream as you went, but you ignored them. You were dead set on going inside, and you weren’t going to let your grumpy boyfriend stop you.

The moment you opened the door, you were hit with a wall of musty heat. It was so intense that you had to close your eyes for a second, waiting for that strong gust to subside. 

“Good lord, it’s hot in here,” Kyle coughed, literally choking on the heat.

You just let out a sigh, taking slow, deliberate steps further into the warmth. You opened your eyes to find yourself surrounded by charming antiques: teacups, figurines, jewelry—all finely polished and clearly well-cared for by their previous owners.

You heard Kyle shedding layers somewhere behind you as you wandered among the dark wooden shelves, enamored with each new artifact you saw. 

“It smells in here.” Suddenly Kyle was behind you again, tugging on the shoulders of your coat. You unzipped it, allowing him to take it for you; the heat was rather oppressive.

“It’s wonderful,” you breathed, picking up a little ceramic cat figurine. “Look how cute!”

You beamed at him, satisfaction blooming in your chest when his stern face melted into a softer one at the sight of your smile.

“I guess so,” he admitted, his cheeks going rosy while he looked away bashfully.

He stepped forward to take your hand, squeezing it affectionately. You weren’t sure if the disinterested eyes scanning the store were a farce or not, but either way you were grateful that he seemed to be assenting to stay.

At the end of the aisle you were walking down was a peculiar machine that felt familiar somehow. You approached with wary eyes, tilting your head as if that would help you understand what it was.

“Is that an antique record player?”

“It is!” You gasped, letting go of Kyle’s hand to go mess with it.

“Woah there, kiddo!” A voice came from a counter a few feet away from the radio. A rotund man came waddling out, quick to put a protective hand on the machine. “She’s fragile, you know.”

“Sorry,” you chuckled, taking a step back. You elected to ignore the defensive scowl that Kyle was sending the man.

“But she works! Wanna hear a little jig?”

You nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling as the man pulled out a record and set it up. He expertly adjusted the knobs, clearly having done this before, and soon an old jazzy tune was playing, filling the stuffy air with a “little jig,” as he called it.

Got a doll baby, I love her so

Nothing else like her anywhere you go

Man she's anything but calm

A regular pint-sized atom bomb

“Now this is the kind of music that needs dancin’ to,” he winked at Kyle, nodding not-so-inconspicuously towards you.

Kyle’s cheeks darkened, and his whole face went red when you started to giggle. You decided to spare him by initiating the dance yourself, stepping forward with an outstretched hand.

Before he could decline, the man who’d set up the music was taking your coats from his hand and giving him a little thumbs-up, retreating behind the counter to give you space.

Kyle’s hand was hesitant as it came to hold yours. He sent a nervous look to the man, as if he could somehow telepathically teach him what to do. 

You laughed, pulling him along into a little swing dance. You weren’t entirely sure what you were doing yourself, but you were having fun. The song was catchy, and it was surprisingly easy to move your feet to the rhythm. 

Kyle was watching you with shocked eyes. It was a little hard to see while moving, but they were overflowing with enamourment. He was absolutely enchanted by you; your energy, the way you were moving, the smile on your face… and soon he found himself smiling, too, and trying to copy your movements.

Suddenly you were both up in the clouds. It was as if you were in your own world in that moment. A world of dancing, music, love, magic. Laughter, too, as you tried to impress each other with increasingly ridiculous dance moves.

By the time the record stopped you were both red in the face and doubled over, both from lack of breath and from laughter. You toppled to the floor, holding your stomach.

“Shit, are you okay?” Kyle managed through laughs, succumbing to falling over a moment later.

As you began to compose yourself again, you found Kyle’s hand outstretched to you, and you took it. He wasn’t helping you up; he was just holding it. The way he was looking at you told you that something profound was going on in his head—or was it his heart?

You blushed, quirking an eyebrow up in question. He just shook his head, looking at his toes with the softest of smiles. 

“You’re my atom bomb baby,” he muttered, referencing the first of the songs you’d just danced to.

You snorted, but you couldn’t help but blush, too. 

“You’re cheesy,” you teased, standing up and pulling him with you. Once standing you pulled him closer, pecking his lips. “But I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Don’t make it a competition.”

“I’d win.”

“Oh, would you?”

Kyle smirked, eager to dive into this banter with you, internally admiring this fiery bombshell that he adored so much.

First request for this event!! Thanks so much for participating!! And thank you for reading, take care doves <33

(divider by saradika)

[artzzyb00-27]

{❤️Brotherly Advice❤️}

Mona Lisa/Y'Gythgba is here!

Y'Gythgba. His Mona Lisa. The most beautiful and strongest woman Raph's ever met. Well lizard lady, but his opinion still stands. Despite her scaled features, Y'Gythgba has been one of the sweetest souls he and his brothers have had the pleasure of working with.

Surprisingly enough, basing their initial opinions on an alien ship that landed in the water of the Hudson without people suspecting anything. When Donnie's UFO detectors went coocoo over a giant Star Trek looking navigating system, they all immediately panicked thinking it was another Krang attack. Turns out the Salamandrians were only there to retrieve an old artifact left by there ancestors on midgard while it was still in it's early stages of evolution.

Unaware of the fact that the turtles were friends and not foes a battle broke out. Specifically between the commander and his right hand. Their advanced spears and knives surprised the brothers but they were to hold their own. For about 8 minutes. Y'Gythgba came in and swept through the quartet and dazzled the second oldest. Her style of fighting resembled Tai Chi and Kung Fu mixed together.

Efficiently sweeping the red-clad turtle off his feet. Literally and poetically. After explanations rang out she pulled them up off the floor despite the height differences and apologized profusely.

"It's alright."

"Don't worry about, I respect a well trained fighter."

"No worries girl, I'll gladly get my ass kicked by a pretty girl."

"........" The brothers turned to look at Raph who was looking,... shy?

Gaining weird expressions Y'Gythgba thought Raph was angry at her still and went up to him.

"I really am sorry, I wouldn't have attacked on impulse if I knew you were on my people's side and would get upset about it." Shit. His heart sped up. By a lot. Panicking he quickly shot down her thought process.

"No, no no no! I'm not upset! I'm actually impressed you're really strong and kick ass!" Okay now Donnie thinks he's having a stroke. Cause how the hell did Raph get his ass handed to him by someone who's a whole smaller than him(he's 7,1) and not get embarrassed when she used her tail to lift him up like a 5 pound weight.

After reassuring that they weren't here to take over Earth, the turtles returned to their home and began questioning their brother.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"What?"

"The way you got all shell-shy with that lizard lady?" Leave it to Mikey to bombshell everything. This time though, Leo would let it slide, especially when his little brother seemed to gained a puppy crush after years. The only ones they've had were on celebrities. Men and women.

"What? She's awesome. I wanna take her to Tom's, sue me." Raph gained a nervous smile but was lost in thought. Leo smirked, he's got it bad.

"Wow, you've really got a crush on this Salamandra hottie?" Raph semi-glared at his little brother who through himself on his brother with an arm over his shoulders. Whilst Donnie smacked him on the back of the head for his brother. But continued on from the comment.

"I'll admit I'm surprised she's your type. She's smaller, stronger, and a more efficient fighter than any of us." Nodding in slight agreement, Leo thought about it a little. He didn't expect Raph to like a girl Y'Gythgba. He expected someone more cutesy and human. That is till-

"Exactly! What a woman." Yup. He's gone. Well, if it was going to continue, he wanted Raph to actually know what he was doing before hand.

"Well if you want any advice-"

"Please! You and bunny boy are going strong, no? You two can help-, no offence guys." The other two siblings shrugged and walked off to do something around the lair. Mikey probably went to go find Splinter and Donnie to work on an unfinished project. Rolling his eyes, leader in blue thought fondly  of his small boyfriend. They'd been going strong for about a year and a half. So Leo became the Sudo for his younger brothers on how functional relationships work.

"Alright hold up, lemme call him." Pulling out his phone, Leo smiled into the call and asked his lover to come over. Raph found himself smiling too. Thinking it must feel nice to have someone be your outer-soul. Raph didn't like "other-half". To him personally, he was already whole, he's just adding some sprinkles to the perfect milkshake.

Ten minutes later, Usagi sped into the lair and threw himself at Leo who caught him and spun him around. Clearing his throat Raph turned their attention to him.

"Cute, but can we get back to my problem please?" Rolling their eyes they all went into Leo's room and closed the door for privacy.

"So what do you want to know?"

"Well I know how you got together, I was there." The pair smiled at the memory. These sick fucks. "But I want to know if you had plans to confess differently."

Thinking for a bit Usagi shook his head and turned to Leo. Sighing he started talking pulling Usagi closer.

"I wanted to ask him in place important to us. So first things first, form a platonic bond first. And not just one that's on and off talking. One where she becomes one of your best friends. That'll be easy seeing as you don't have many other friends to begin with." If he could, he would flip of Leo.

Usagi got the message somehow and pinched Leos' side with a smug look.

"If I hadn't been caught rambling about how hard I fell for this guy then I probably would've shown him somewhere that's important to me and confessed their. Like my hidey hole. Only Leo and Uki know where it is." That's why Leo turned off his location sometimes. Gross.

Thinking it over, Raph decided the next time he had the chance he would ask if Y'Gythgba wanted a T-phone to communicate with all of them easier. With the side intention of speaking one-on-one. Even better because the could set up private meetings easier without scouring the Hudson for an invisible ship.

So that's what he did. At least what he tried to do. When he found the ship he Y'Gythgba sitting on the edge of the ship looking out to the city. Piulling off some ninja moves(totally not to impress her) he landed next to her and sat down.

"Hi."

"Hello." She smiled. Ralph could only gaze into her eyes slightly. They were cognac brown and she had weirdly shaped pupils, but for some reason he found it cute. Made her more interesting to him.

"How you liking Earth so far?"

"It's beautiful, although I wish we didn't have to hide from most of the population."

"I hear you. Me and my brothers have to stay hidden to protect them. Sucks that they don't even know it's us and not the people who are supposed to defend them."

Tilting her head in confusion and thought she spoke again.

"That doesn't seem fair. You risk your lives for a civilization that doesn't even appreciate you."

Ralph chuckled softly. It was nice for someone other than him to be frustrated by the fact that, yeah, they risked their necks for people that would scream at the mere touch of them.

"It's not that bad. At least we get to pull pranks on people sometimes."

"Pranks?"

Light bulb. He knew how he could bond with her and show her how to relax Earth style. May Loki have mercy on Donnie's lab experiments.

[alls-fair-in-pride-and-prejudice]

Weaving Constellations pt 8 - The Wizard's Dilemma

Part 7 / Part 9 / Part 1

This is an ongoing story of Gale and my warlock Tav building off canon. If you'd like to be added to the tag list to get notified of new parts you can go here.

A/N: We're in Gale's POV (or technically, still 3rd person limited but his thoughts are the focus) for this part for Reasons That Make Sense (it's what got me out of the block I was having). I did make a poll about how aware Gale is of his developing feelings and the final results did lean on the more aware side, but at first the results leaned more oblivious and that's what I ended up writing. I feel he has specific circumstances that hinder his connection to his own feelings - this is a willful denial sort of situation. Also I can't believe how much easier Astarion is to write when he's not the love interest, all I have to do is make him a little shit. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

@vespaer77 @lalectricedumonde @odd-dragon @aylin-the-barrel

As a promise to Lae'zel, everyone agrees to stop by the nearby creche before making their way into the underdark.

It goes… poorly. Yes, poorly is the apt descriptor there.

All that effort and all they get for their troubles is the ire of a lich queen and a relic that Gale can't even study. He supposes it is only fair, given what has happened to other artifacts under his touch, but to his mind Shadowheart is being particularly greedy with the Blood of Lathandar, especially considering the god of the dawn is rather the antithesis of her lady of darkness. Nevertheless, such a religious relic is best held in the hands of a cleric, he agrees. It will certainly aid in braving this shadow curse Halsin spoke of.

Gale is… concerned. On several fronts. This quest of theirs is proving to be more fraught with dangers by the day. Lae'zel's tent is pitched the farthest from camp, and were she even slightly more inclined to opening up to Gale, he would check on her. Defying one's goddess is something he is intimately familiar with, though he feels his past failures would only serve to make Lae'zel feel worse, so he allows her the space she needs to process.

With that, he turns his concern to Lyra. She went in alone to speak with their so-called guardian. Gale has already gathered that the guardian's appearance changes depending on whom they are speaking to, perhaps a side-effect of meeting in dreams as they had. After all, there is only one guardian, yet everyone described a different figure. Gale himself had mistaken the dream figure for an avatar of Mystra. Fool that he is, to think she would ever speak to him again. He wonders what Lyra saw.

Lyra sits by the fire, stroking Scratch’s head, seemingly lost in thought. He approaches carefully, sitting next to her. Scratch nudges his leg with his nose, asking for even more pets. Greedy little pup, two hands are not enough apparently. Gale rubs the dog's ear. “You have seemed particularly pensive this evening. Copper for your thoughts?"

Lyra chuckles dryly. “It'd be better spent using it as the material component for a detect thoughts spell. Perhaps you'll have better luck sorting through my thoughts than I am."

“An experience I am quite familiar with, and one I often found was alleviated by sharing the tangled web of my ideas aloud to another.”

"I…" she sighs, finding her words, hands pausing their job of scratching the snowy pup to search the air for the proper phrases. “I am coming to terms with the fact that Midnight may never come back. The first day, well, that was part of my punishment. The next, okay, he's being petty. The third, the fourth, the fifth, time works differently for fey, maybe he didn't realize…” She rubs at her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you this.”

Gale's brow furrows in confusion. "Whyever not?”

Lyra smirks and raises her brow at him, as if she's doubting the sincerity of his confusion. "Because I know you, and I know you feel guilty that I gave you that artifact, and if I tell you about all my heartbreak and stress and worry because of it, you're only going to blame yourself more. And you don't need to do that." 

She's right, the guilt is so ingrained in Gale now that it's just a constant background hum. Not solely for the artifact, of course, but for failing Mystra, for being such a burden upon these (mostly, Astarion is a toss up) good people, for hiding the truth of his condition for so long. It eats at him just as much as the orb does and he supposes it will be just as much a constant companion for the rest of his days. "I fail to see why I should not, for if I had only held out or-”

"If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't change a thing,” Lyra interrupts, resting her hand over Gale's. "I made my own choice, and now I'm facing the consequences.”

"It's hardly fair. If it were solely a business transaction perhaps I could understand, but…you were- are?- in love. To throw away that affection and relationship for one act of defiance?” Gale swallows, suddenly feeling as if he has said something transgressive. “Mystra I could understand.” He says, words spilling out as if to cover up his slip. "I defied her desire to protect me from dangerous magic, and out of a selfish and hubristic search to prove myself. But you? Your act was selflessness alone. You hardly deserve to be punished for it." There's an old familiar tugging in his chest and he shifts to put a little distance between them. His gaze falls on her face, the stray dark curls that frame her face, the way the golden light of the fire sets her violet eyes alight like the glow of faerie fire.

Lyra brushes back her hair a bit, her gaze fixed on the campfire rather than Gale, which he is grateful for. “I feel…guilty,” she says, finally. "Not, of course, for what I did for you. But more that… I don't miss him like I thought I would. Right now, I'm more concerned with whether or not I can adapt these sorcerer powers to our needs. Being a warlock, I know that. I can use that to survive…this is different. This is much more uncertain at a time when we need to cling to anything certain to have a chance at making it through this alive." She leans back, looking up at the sky. “This isn't the first time he's left me on my own, but before I was…” she chuckles, ending it with a heavy sigh, "a mess. I'd constantly be wondering what I had done wrong, how I could keep his love, what I would do without him. Now…” Lyra shrugs. "Maybe I just have more important things on my mind. Maybe the threat of death or ceremorphosis has made me more practical. But I can honestly say I'm hardly concerned with whether he still loves me or not. That I can survive. I'm just not certain whether I can survive what comes next. Am I terribly cold and callous for feeling this way, do you think? For caring more about the powers he gives me than our relationship?”

Gale shakes his head. "You're pragmatic, and you have every right to be, given the forces we are up against. It is only right that you should be more concerned with your continued existence than the outcome of a romantic entanglement.” He opens his mouth to continue, then hesitates, wondering if it is his place to say anything. "And… if you felt continually unappreciated, if that, indeed, is what you are suggesting and I have read that correctly… perhaps it is only natural that eventually, you would grow tired of striving to be enough for him.” And if he could not see what a fantastic woman he had in his arms, then more fool he.

Lyra reaches out and squeezes Gale's hand. "Thank you for listening.”

There's that tightness in his chest. He can feel the magic humming in her blood, in her bones, in her soul. He wants to get closer, absorb her essence through touch, he wants and it is eating at him how much he wants to devour her. 

Gale yanks his hand away, pulling it close to his chest as if she had burned him. "I- I must- lovely conversation but I should go.”

He dashes to his tent and shuts the flaps tight behind him. He tries to steady his breathing, excitement makes it worse, after all. "You can eat every magical item in the realms," he grits out, "you can drain the weave from every last precious artifact on toril, no matter how useful. But by the gods, you will not touch her.”

—

The Underdark is beautiful, that much is true. The bioluminescent mushrooms and the Myconid colony are wondrous in particular, and Gale is quite looking forward to investigating that tower Omeluum mentioned. Yet, for all its beauty, the Underdark presents him with a continuous sense of malaise. Gale can feel the ceiling of rock overhead at all times, an oppressive sort of presence cutting him off from the sky. From what he knows of Lyra, and her love of the stars, he suspects she would feel the same way.

It is difficult to avoid someone when you’re traveling with them in such a small group, but Gale makes do. He keeps his nose buried in a book, not to be disturbed. He keeps his focus on anything but her, and distractions abound on such a perilous journey.

There is but one problem: he promised Lyra another magic lesson. There is only so long he can make excuses and put it off. Truthfully he does not want to put it off. She has a natural inclination and a clear passion for the subject that he is delighted to share. Yet, every night she approaches his tent, he finds a reason that he cannot grant her that second lesson: he has to cook food for the camp, he’s still feeling the effects of that poison arrow that caught him, he exhausted his magic reserves for the day.

She will probably stop asking soon… is that what he wants?

He has to keep his distance. It is one thing if he is reduced to sneaking off with an artifact in the middle of the night. Everyone would be displeased with him, but provided he keeps to the least valuable of the items, he could be forgiven. With Lyra’s sorcery unlocked, however, magic flows through her veins, and should he hurt her, nevermind what the others would think, he would never forgive himself.

Gale rubs his temples, pausing the pacing he has only just realized he was doing. He’s being ridiculous, he can keep the orb from devouring the very artifacts he wears into battle, and should the hunger grow too much he can sacrifice those to keep the orb from feeding on Lyra’s magic. Why is this any different than the restraint he has exercised for a year? If he thinks of her channeling magic his usually disciplined mind runs off with thoughts of grabbing her arm, pulling her close, and devouring her. The way his face grows hot with something more than shame does not entirely escape his notice, but he pushes those thoughts aside. 

With the orb hungering for Lyra’s blood, Gale supposes he’s no better than Astarion, now.

That is a thought. Perhaps Astarion would have an idea or two about resisting that hunger.

Absolutely not. As far as Gale has fallen, he has not fallen so far as to go crawling to that arrogant bloodsucker for advice.

Gale’s thoughts are interrupted by Scratch barking. He goes to investigate only to find Lyra playing with the dog and the owlbear cub. They leap up into the air, trying to chase the dancing lights she has conjured. There is such joy on her face as she plays with them, and Gale is impressed at how quickly she has mastered so many spells in the short time he has known her. She catches him staring and smiles brightly at him, the multicolored lights she conjured illuminating her face.

Gale goes to Astarion’s tent.

“Well hello, wizard,” Astarion croons, tilting his head in a way Gale might mistake as flirtatious if he didn’t know any better. “What can I do for you, my friend?”

“I have… a question, or rather, several questions. Purely academic curiosity, of course, regarding your condition, if you’ll indulge me,” Gale answers, pushing past his hesitation.

“My condition of being hopelessly beautiful? It does help when one is eternally young, but I suppose I can offer you a couple of tips.”

“Astarion, I have come to you for assistance, and I would appreciate it if you could drop the sarcasm.”

“And I would appreciate it if you would be clearer. I assume by ‘condition’ then you do not mean our shared parasite problem. There’s no need for euphemisms, dear wizard, everyone in camp is well aware I drink blood.”

“Yes, quite right, that one, the exsanguination issue, I- um-” Gale searches for the proper words. “I read a book once that devoted a chapter to vampires. It described them as in a constant state of unsatiated thirst. If that is indeed the case, then it must be torment the likes of the fabled punishments enacted upon the poor souls in Dis, to be surrounded by a feast in which you cannot partake.”

“Get to the point, wizard.”

“How do you resist?” Gale finally asks, words a bit rushed. “How could you possibly keep from drinking any of us dry in our sleep?”

Astarion puts a hand over his chest in exaggerated offense. “Why I am shocked, Gale. All this time I have kept my pearly whites far from your neck and yet you still don’t trust me!”

“This question is not asked out of suspicion, Astarion, it is academic-”

“Purely academic curiosity, so you said, forgive me if I find that excuse a touch flimsy.” Astarion sighs in that melodramatic way of his. “If you must know, I didn’t… completely resist. You’ll recall the morning the news of my nature broke. Lyra assured everyone she gave her blood willingly, which she did before you hurl a fireball at me, but… I may not have asked at first so much as she woke up to my fangs a few inches from her neck?”

“You what? You absolute- you- how dare you. You could have killed her!”

“But I didn’t. Besides, it’s all water under the bridge now, don’t make such a fuss.” Astarion looks away from Gale, huffing. “Your book wasn’t entirely wrong, but the implications are a nightmare. I am capable of feeling satisfied, mostly. There’s always that little nagging, but ever since that night I’ve been keeping myself well-fed on animals, which is certainly easier now that I don’t have to worry about hiding the evidence. It hardly compares to the blood of thinking creatures, though, and for that our resident sorcerer has been keeping me very happy.” His eyes meet Gale’s again, and the bastard smirks.

Gale processes what he’s saying. “You mean, it wasn’t just that one night?”

“Oh not at all, I just visit her bedroll after everyone else is asleep. She offers me a bite roughly every other night, particularly if we’re preparing to go somewhere she knows my skills will be needed. I need to be at my best, don’t I? You of all people should know how generous she can be, since she’s been doing the same with those artifacts you need.”

Perhaps Gale simply thought he was special. He pictures Astarion visiting Lyra in the night, leaning down over her like a lover, his hand gently tilting her head to expose her neck to sink his teeth into. The thought of it makes his blood boil, but he forces himself to take a deep breath. It is her choice after all to put herself in the hands of a vampire, even if he wholeheartedly believes it to be a foolish choice.

“When she unlocked her latent sorcery, did-” Gale stops himself from finishing the question on the tip of his tongue. Did she taste different?

Astarion cocks a brow at Gale, eyes flicking between him and Lyra. “If you’re so worried about the two of us, she already turned down my gracious offer to show her a night of passion.”

“I wouldn’t- that is certainly none of my business, what the two of you get up to, or don’t get up to rather. My concern for her is completely practical. While you may benefit from the arrangement, I just hope she is maintaining her health. I am unsurprised, though, that she turned you down. She seems the loyal sort, and she does already have a lover.”

“Ah yes, that is a good point. She hadn’t brought him up when I first suggested we indulge ourselves, so I hadn’t thought of his role in the rejection, but now he has conveniently abandoned her. The poor dear is probably in desperate need of some comfort, perhaps she has changed her mind…” He looks over at Lyra, who is now scratching Bite the cub on the head, and there is an unmistakable predatory gleam in his eyes.

Gale swallows. After all Lyra has done for him, it is only right that he should repay the favor and make sure her vulnerable emotional state is not taken advantage of. “Ah, well, perhaps another night. I was only stopping by to satisfy my curiosity before I gave Lyra that magic lesson I promised her. Speaking of which, I should get on with that. Thank you very much for your - ahem - illuminating dialogue.” He gives a slight bow of his head before hurrying over to Lyra.

Astarion stifles a chuckle. “Tch, too easy.”

[ninjaofnaps]

Through the Star Field for You

OK! Here is my first attempt at fanfiction. Hopefully, it's enjoyable. I'm using it to warm up and dust off my writing skills. I also posted this on A03

I've enjoyed reading all the great fanfictions out there from people like @aislingdmdt @eridanidreams @bearlytolerant @spookyspecterino

I'm definitely looking for prompts, so feel free to send any my way.

Through the Star Field for You

The blackness gradually faded as she heard indistinct voices, far-off sounding as if from the other end of a tunnel. Where was she? The world was fuzzy as she tried to open her eyes. Oh wow, that was a mistake; her head hurt. Actually, her whole friggin body hurt. Where was she? The voices became intelligible, and Ves closed her eyes again, trying to focus on their words through the pain.

"And this new Dusty was the miner you sent in there?" a lilting English woman's accent.

A stronger female voice clips back, "No, that is not the new Dusty I sent in there. That's what I'm trying to tell you. My Dusty went in, and when we lost communication with him, we went to see what happened and found… her."

There was a pause, like the woman with the accent was trying to understand what had just been said. In the background, Ves heard a faint clicking and beeping of what she thought to be medical equipment. "So let me understand this. You're saying you let a new miner go in there to dig up the priceless artifact Barrett hired you to look for. You left him alone, and when you saw fit to finally check on him, he wasn't there, but she was? Have you found the other miner? Is that Argos suit she's wearing the same one the miner wore? You have to understand how utterly bizarre this sounds, correct?"

A sigh of exasperation from the other woman before, "I know how crazy this sounds; I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. The new Dusy went in after the thing, "artifact," whatever, that Barrett wanted. We lost coms, went to see what happened, and the Dusty was gone! She was lying there in the Dusty's suit with that odd metal thing in her hand, out cold. So we called Barrett."

"So you lost your miner and could have lost the artifact in the process? Why was a miner in training looking for an item of this value to begin with? Could you be more incompetent? Exactly what kind of outfit are you running here?"

A deep male voice jumps in. "Hey guys, calm down. We'll get answers soon enough. Her vitals are shifting, Sarah. It looks like she's waking up."

Ves blinked and opened her eyes one at a time; her sight was clearer now but still not normal. A man in a spacesuit without a helmet creeps into her vision, "Hey there, sleeping beauty. How ya feelin'?"

"Everything hurts, but I'm alive, I think. Where am I? Who are you?"

The man's face splits into an award-winning smile as he says, "I'm Barrett, and you're on Vectera. Let's start with something simple. What's your name, and how'd you end up on this rock?"

Vectera? Ves has no idea what country that is and blinks dumbly at him, replying, "I'm a U.S. citizen." The curiosity in his eyes deepened as he pushed for more specifics. "The U.S? I think you really must have bumped your head in there. I think you mean U.C. as in United Colonies?" With a touch of exasperation, Ves responded, "No, I mean U.S., I'm a United States Citizen. I've never heard of the United Colonies. I was in South America on an archeology field project, a new temple discovered underground in Sama, Peru. I assume you're with search and rescue? There must have been a cave-in or something. I remember reaching for an object in the temple when things just went…" Ves trailed off, trying to make sense of the things she remembered, the lights, the sounds, the feeling like she'd been pulled through the universe, but the pain in her head increased the more she tried.

His dark complexion paled a bit as shock registered on his features, and he glanced over in the direction of the female voices she'd heard. With tentative concern lighting his eyes, he turned back to her and asked, "What year is it?" She slowly, painfully sat up and responded, "It's 2025, obviously." Her response met silence. The air hung with a hint of mystery, as if her words had woven an unexpected thread into the room's atmosphere. Using a hand to shade her eyes from the glaring overhead light, she glanced around; Ves noticed 3 people besides Barrett staring at her like she'd grown an extra head. "What?" She asked.

The shorter blonde woman with the English accent spoke, her stern expression softening a bit, "Barrett, have you given her a Med Pack yet? She may actually have taken a blow to the head in there. Let's try that before we ask her any more questions. "

Before applying the Med Pack, he asked if she would be okay with it, explaining that the medicine within the pack would help ease and heal any pain or injuries her body might be experiencing. Hesitant, she weighed her confusion with the current situation against the throbbing ache in her head. Eventually, her body's discomfort won out, a sense of uneasy surrender creeping in. It surprised her that she was willing to trust these people at all; it must be the bizarre circumstances that demanded a level of acceptance from her she wasn't usually willing to give.

In a flash, the Med Pack chased away any lingering pain and fatigue, leaving Ves wondering what exactly was in that little injector and if it was addictive. Feeling better than she had in years, she was torn from her internal thoughts by the stiff blonde woman; she thought Barrett had called her Sarah, who repeated the question about the year. Annoyance flared in Ves to this stupid line of questioning. Just as she began to respond, a sudden commotion erupted outside. The distant sounds of people yelling, a popping that sounded like gunshots, and chaos filled the air. Before worry could take seed in Ves, someone burst into the room shouting in a panicked voice, "Lin, the Crimson Fleet is here!"

Things happened so fast; it was all a blur to Ves. Everyone was racing to put on their helmets and started arming themselves. Vest jolted as a helmet was shoved into her hands; looking up, she saw Barrett giving her a smile that could charm the skin off a snake. Grabbing a pistol and holding it up, he asked, "Know how to use one of these?" She nodded a yes, and his smile grew as he said, "Good. Feel up to a little firefight? Those are pirates out there, and they aren't exactly known for taking prisoners." Pursing her lips, Ves looked at the gun again, then responded, "I've never been one to shy away from danger." "Good," he said, handing her the pistol and an extra clip. She checked to make sure it was locked and loaded before grabbing his arm. She pointed at the helmet and said, "I'll need help with this, though." Laughing, he mumbled something about her definitely not being from this time because even a 5-year-old knows how to get a spacesuit helmet on.

As the airlock door swung open into the dark night of an industrial setting, she stepped out into the heart of chaos. Instinct took over as she ducked into cover, her fingers quickly assessing the grip's texture and the gun's weight. Adrenaline kicked in, and she was in motion in a heartbeat, responding to the threat with an innate fluidity that felt almost meditative. Without thought, she swiftly dispatched three pirates, moving with a practiced killer's precision and skill. Swiftly sliding from one cover and rolling to another, making critical shots as she did. By the time she'd made it halfway across the platform, she managed to pick up a combat knife by sneaking up behind an unwitting pirate, grabbing the knife from his thigh sheath, and using his own weapon against him in a swift, fluid motion that spoke of ruthless efficiency. He was dead before he knew she was there and before his body even hit the ground. The edges blurred for her as she seamlessly incapacitated one adversary after another, dropping spent weapons and picking up new ones as she went. The actions seemed strangely natural, like she'd done this before, been in this exact situation before. Movement and survival overtook her until there was nothing but an eerie silence. In the aftermath, a mix of shock and disgust at the skill she didn't know she possessed overtook her as she stood there, gun in hand. The red-clad bodies of the Crimson Fleet littered the tarmac before her.

The silence was palpable as people came out from their cover, all eyes on her. Ves felt strangely embarrassed as the last of the adrenaline left her body. Barrett and Sarah approached her. The skin near his eyes crinkled in a knowing smile as he glanced at the gun in her hand, then back at her, saying, "Boy, you weren't kidding when you said you could use that. I knew I sensed something special in you when I saw you. And I think we may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg." Sarah looked less thrilled and more cautious than before. "Where did you learn how to do that? Ex-military?" Ves shook her head no. "I… I'm not really sure. I learned self-defense and guns a bit over time. I mean, I travel for work, to remote places as a woman alone. It always seemed smart to know a bit of self-defense." Looking back at the bodies, she said, stumbling over her words, "But… this… I, I didn't know I could do this." A slight tremor started in her hands as she dropped the gun she was holding. "We need to get you somewhere safe before figuring out exactly who or what you are. I say we head back to Constellation and get you some rest and a medical workup before we figure all this out." Numb to the overwhelming situation at hand, you nodded your acquiescence. A brief conversation with Barrett and Sarah followed; the former decided to stay behind and assist Lin, who seemed to be in charge of the mining camp, with the remnants of the pirate attack.

Questioning her reality, Ves followed Sarah to the ship. A starship. Her mind stumbled across the thought as she tried to believe what she was seeing, a fucking starship? Directing her to a cot on board the small ship, Sarah advised her to get some sleep on their short trip. Clumisly removing her helmet and stumbling out of the space suit, she collapsed into the cot, squeezing her eyes shut against the tumbling thoughts. When Ves finally opened her eyes, her breath hitched. Directly above her was a window out into the star field. A swirling mass of galaxies on an endless black highlighted with greys, twinkling whites, strokes of soft blues, and pinks that twirled in an infinite pattern that could only have been crafted by a master artist's hand. She'd only ever seen photos from NASA like this, yet here it was before her, real as could be and more beautiful than she ever imagined. As the soothing darkness of sleep overtook her, the last thoughts drifting through her head were of the frightening and extraordinary reality she had found herself in.

[sunnyrealist]

🌶️ Chapter 28: Stress Relief 🌶️

The Sun, the Moon, and All Our Stars

Summary and Details…

Chapter Background and Summary: Sebastian's partner on assignment for the Kelpies gang attempted to drown a child to entice his mother to give up a Time Turner (a new invention) hidden in their home. Sebastian took the Time Turner from her and was able to save the boy just in the nick of time. Sebastian was reprimanded by Mr. Rees Cuddy, the leader of the Kelpies, for doing so, but he was also rewarded for delivering the Time Turner. Sebastian is now going to be put in charge of safeguarding the Time Turner until the Kelpies have figured out how it works and how exactly they will use it. His mind is reeling with this information, along with processing the events that led to acquiring the magical item. This chapter takes place the following day after work when Kate and Sebastian get to see each other again.

Pairing: Aged-up, post-Azkaban Sebastian Sallow x Kate Mayflower (my OC)

Content warnings: In general, this story is rated 18+, so MNDI! This chapter features rough doggy-style sex, including very light choking.

The full chapter is available below the cut; it can also be found on AO3 (link is posted below). Any feedback is appreciated. A comment, like, or Kudos would make my day!

Chapter 28: Stress Relief

When Kate arrives home from work on Wednesday, she shuts the door, walks into her bedroom, picks up one of her pillows, and screams into it.

It had quite possibly been one of the worst days she had ever had in the Hogwarts library.

Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong.

She flops onto her bed, clutches a pillow, assumes the fetal position, and begins to cry.

She is sniffling into a handkerchief when she hears a knock on the door and then the most welcome voice in the entire world.

“Kate?” Sebastian calls. “Are you home?”

“Yes,” she responds loudly. “I’m in the bedroom.”

He enters the room with a huge bouquet of sunflowers, a huge smile on his face, but it drops almost immediately when he sees her tear-stained face. 

“Merlin’s beard,” he gasps. “What’s wrong?”

He leaves the bouquet on her dresser, then sits next to her on the bed and takes her hands, his face filled with concern.

“Everything at work,” she replied somberly. “Terrible day.”

Sebastian rubs her hands soothingly. “I’m so sorry, my love. What happened? Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Agnes announced that she is definitely not retiring this year. I caught two Gryffindors literally having sex against a bookshelf. 14-year-olds. 14-year-olds!” She paused. “I’ve never dealt with more messes in my entire career at Hogwarts. It’s like a storm came upon the library and scattered books everywhere. The students aren’t cleaning up after themselves since they know the school year is over. Plus, I found at least twenty books incorrectly shelved in the wrong sections.” 

Sebastian is about to say something until she continues.

“Peeves was shouting in the library, causing a ruckus. I caught a Slytherin trying to sneak into the Restricted Section without permission - and then he acted like I am the most strict librarian in the world! I made a jam sandwich for lunch and spilled it all over my white shirt. That was an easy fix but still just another thing that went wrong. None of my student assistants helped with anything today - apparently they were too keen to gossip instead of work. They’re just done. And Matilda Weasley informed me we were getting an influx of cursed magical artifacts to store in the Restricted Section, which of course are dangerous as hell to work with. I told her I was too nervous to catalog them, and she seemed quite disappointed in me.” She sighs dramatically.

Sebastian begins to run his hand through her hair soothingly. “My poor, sweet sun. Well… I brought you sunflowers. I thought they might make you think of how close you are to your summer holiday. Now it’s clear you need them more than ever to cheer up. What else can I do for my darling?”

“Please help me relieve stress. I don’t want to cook. I don’t want to do anything or think about anything,” Kate begs. “I’m so glad you are here, Sebastian. I need you.”

He pulls her to him, holding her close. “I’m here. Let it out. I’ll take care of you tonight.”

Sebastian spends some time thinking about what he might do to help her calm down.

After a few minutes, he claps his hands together and says, “Alright. Here’s the plan. I am going to cook dinner for us both. We’re going to drink some good wine and enjoy some dessert. I’m going to draw a nice, warm bubble bath for you, and then we’ll read in bed until… Wait, am I staying over tonight? I forgot to ask, but I brought a bag along just in case.” He waves his hands around. “No pressure - I don’t want you to stress over it at all.”

“Gods, that sounds perfect, and yes, you’re staying over. I demand it,” she replies quite seriously.

“Of course - your wish is my command, princess.” He chuckles.

This wasn’t how Sebastian envisioned the evening going, but he’s happy to help her. Any time spent with her is better than the alternative.

“Seb… one more thing that might help,” she says hesitantly, putting her hand on his arm. “I need you to fuck me. Hard. Really hard. No holding back.”

Sebastian’s eyes grow wide, and he grins wickedly. “Oh, yeah? I can manage that.”

Kate screams as he pushes into her in one fell swoop, his hands gripping her hips tight as he takes her from behind. “Seb!!!”

His eyes practically roll back into his head at how tight and wet she is for him. “Oh, Merlin, Kate… feels… so good.”

Sebastian begins to stroke, not starting off slow. Soon, he’s practically leaving her body and thrusting completely in, taking her roughly. His fingernails dig into her skin as she cries out over and over again. The sounds of their bodies slapping together provide a rhythm to their moans.

After a while, he presses his chest to her back and reaches around her to squeeze her breasts tight. Continuing to rut into her, he pinches her nipples harshly, and she wails. 

“Don’t stop - don’t stop!” she begs. “Sebastian, don’t stop - please!”

“I won’t. You’re just going to have to take it,” he growls. “I need this, too.”

Sebastian’s hand slowly makes its way to her collarbone, his fingers spreading wide and closing around her neck. He squeezes - not too hard, just testing the waters, as she gasps in surprise. Deciding not to push his luck, he straightens back up, grabbing handfuls of her hair and pulling it back.

“Fuck!” he shouts out. “I’m close.”

Kate is so pleased she is actually drooling. “Mmmm…. Nnnnghhh……”

Sebastian slams into her harder, his tip kissing her cervix repeatedly. She begins to scream, and then he feels her inner walls closing around him. She’s coming. 

Finally letting go, he groans, pushing as deep inside her as possible. He knows he is going to release a huge load of cum into her. His movements become erratic, and then, he explodes.

“Kate… Kate…” he moans, staying deep inside her and moving his hips back and forth slowly until he is positive he has spilled all of his seed.

Sebastian collapses onto Kate’s back, kissing her hair and her shoulders repeatedly as he catches his breath.

“Was… was that how you wanted it, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Fuck… yes. Exactly what I needed, my moon.”

He rolls over, not wanting to crush her completely under his weight. He cups her cheek and kisses her lips deeply, then directs her to lay on his chest.

“Me, too, my sun. Me, too. Gods, I needed that. You’re not the only one who has had a bad time at work lately.”

That night, after relaxing, they both fall asleep soundly, wrapped in each other’s arms. Neither of them stirs at all until morning, when they inevitably realize how much of a challenge it is to get up together to an alarm and say goodbye quickly.

Fortunately for Sebastian, Kate never notices him chugging Wiggenweld potion that morning and walking with a slight limp from the horse bite. He wouldn’t have a clue of how to explain his bad day after hearing about hers. She’s not ready.

[paradimeart]

mmmmmm no thoughts, head empty, just Pondering all the Emotions Ratchet’s likely going to feel upon seeing Optimus die because not only is this a kid it’s h i s kid even if he denies it. He’s so very attached but VEHEMENTLY denies said attachment so his thoughts are probably going into overdrive seeing Oppy’s frame go grey

it;s the longest 75 seconds of his life for sure. it happens so quick he can barely process it i think that's how it was for everyone in canon anyway but later hes hit with the memory of op's frame graying out and goes Oh my God he DIED earlier. also seeing his empty spark chamber even just for a moment fucks w him bc protoforms have visible spark chambers when they're young, so he's got a good image of what op's spark looks like. and when sari revives op ratchet realizes it looks exactly the same so he has to deal with that too. basically he impulsively hugs him and then immediately shoves him away and tells him to not pull that shit again ok sth else under the cut bc im a little insane rn

i have a lot of thoughts abt how quick ops death + resurrection was bc like. they all seemed to be just barely processing it by the time he came back to life and it got kind of glossed over bc its like, a fanbase joke atp optimus has to die and come back to life. and i think its really funny that they just went "fuck get it out of the way in the first ep". BUT like, within the universe you don't get much of a reaction outside of sari, which is fine it was the end of the episode but they never bring it up like "Hey remember when optimus died once. wild" and i think they all just kind of pretend it did not happen. ESPECIALLY optimus b/c he would have to acknowledge that that was kind of traumatic. but i think. after they got back to their base afterward ratchet did like 5 million check ups and tests on optimus bc how much can you trust some random magical artifact to do necromancy, and i think at least for a while op kind of felt like he was living on borrowed time, like, somehow the allspark would decide to reclaim his spark bc its his destiny to die for the allspark or whatever. its worth mentioning the blast from the allspark damaged his internals* so even if he hadn't fallen it would've probably killed him anyway. so like, killed AND revived by the allspark. getting mixed message from that thing

*from the allspark almanac

[purple-link]

Alisaie and Purple Link

FFXIV Write 2024 Story Entry

Spoiler: Story takes place after WoL reaches Garlemald in Endwalker, but but before the Tower of Babil dungeon. Story will be largely sfw, but will adhere to FFXIV's level of mature storytelling.

Chapter 5: Stamp

The water inside of the sunken vessel was murky, and not very bright. Despite all the bright lights still somehow lit across all the halls, the grim-colored metal made it difficult to discern a light source, or even how deep a hallway could go.

It was all prettily lit, but no more.

Purple Link looked at Alisaie, who grimaced slightly.

“This could take forever,” said Alisaie, matter-of-factly, “The vessel stretches out for a mile, and the ship was deep enough to house a thousand soldiers.

"This ship was built on the eve of total transition from seafaring expeditions to almost total air armadas. This last must have been built using similar technology that informed those flying cylindrical Dreadnoughts.”

Purple Link gave her a wry expression.

There’s that look again, Alisaie uncomfortably thought, Why does he make me think of my father when he looks at me like that?

“What? I went to the same school as Alphinaud, I’ll have you know,” said Alisaie, in a huff, “I did well enough to be exceptional, probably one of the best students in the whole of the Studium…

"Next to my brother.”

Purple Link nodded quietly, and looked again in the hallway.

The brightly lit Ceruleum coral reef did not enter into any other part of the ship besides the engine room. They were unlikely to find their artifact in there.

“I’m afraid most of my magic is in destruction, even as a Red Mage,” said Purple Link, meagerly, “And I lack the skills as a summoner for me to depend on a Carbuncle. I don’t know what we could use as a light underwater.”

“But there is an option,” said Alisaie, confidently, “And we have it on hand as a Red Mage ourselves.”

“Oh?” asked Purple Link. Alisaie nodded, and drew out her Hailstorm Rapier.

It was a glowing, crystal blade that twisted all along the tang, into a beautiful display. On one end was a powerful, emphasized point, and on the other was an ornamental handguard that formed into two sharp points.

Damned handguard points poked into your sides something nasty, he remembered, but they were worth it.

“Good thinking,” said Purple, and he put away his Talekeeper rapier, and brought out his own Hailstorm.

Alisaie’s was glowing a bright pink, while Purple Link’s lit a light-blue, though in some lights, it could be as purple as he was. Oftentimes, he considered it more purple than blue, and left it at that.

“We use the foci,” said Alisaie, “to light up the crystals. Put a little more aether into the blades, and they should be suitable for our efforts.”

Purple Link nodded, and he focused his aether into the Hailstorm. Soon, both their blades, and the crystals in their foci, lit up so brightly, the rest of the ship could be visibly discerned.

“Right,” said Alisiae, confidently, “Barring the possibility of predatory fish, or electric eels, we should be just fine splitting up to find this artifact. Anything I should know?”

“It’s an old celebratory symbol,” said Purple Link, “While I don’t think it should be a statue, it would be worth it to default on anything that looks wolf shaped.

"However, if you think it might be something else, be sure to give me a tap.”

He poked the linkpearl on his ears, and Alisaie nodded.

“I’ll let you know,” said Alisaie, “Be sure to do the same.”

“Right,” said Purple Link.

Together they began the arduous process of scouring a Garlean wreck to find a barely described Lupin diplomatic symbol…

…

The Wolf Burglar grumbled as he fingered the last of his anchors. The rope was binding. The Hrothgar was strong, and while the Lupin also carried some of his species' strength, it was still no match for that of the Warrior of Light.

As he freed himself, he looked at his surroundings.

The storm had subsided almost immediately after the dunking of the Warrior of Light. The water returned to gentle laps on the eastern shores of Sakazuki.

The campfire was doused, the wood dampened. It had taken at least a day for him to finger his anchors, and while he worked on the knots, he noticed that while Purple was able to put away his tent and his part of the camp, the Wolf Burglar’s was in shambles.

That had hardly been an issue, he thought. The Wolf Burglar traveled light. Even his father's sword was little more than carry-on.

After the last of the anchors had been loosened, and he was able to walk around freely again, it was high noon on a day after the storm.

He yearned for something to eat.

“I really hope that damnable storm hadn’t ruined my stores of food,” said the Wolf Burglar, “The fish was delicious, but it’s going to take forever to find new wood on this barren volcanic rock. At least my emergency rations should be okay…”

As he shuffled through his sack, he heard someone traipse exhaustedly alongside the shore. The Wolf Burglar looked up.

It was Alphinaud, tiredly dragging himself along with a large branch of wood. That seemed to be properly good timing, that.

After breaking up the walking stick into several pieces and using it to stoke the flame around the campfire and its damp wood, the fire was roaring again. Alphinaud was shaking.

The Wolf Burglar had on hand only a slightly damp blanket, and he used it to cover Alphinaud.

“Oh, thank you,” said Alphinaud, pausing only a moment to sneeze, “I really do hate swimming.”

After a moment to warm, the Wolf Burglar begged a story. Alphinaud was more than pleased to explain his situation.

“Shortly after we contacted your party,” said Alphinaud, “We reached the edge of the storm that was engulfing Sakazuki. The wind was monstrous.

“We were thrown about like hail in a storm,” continued the Elezen, “While I need not worry for my sister, as she had been blessed by the Kojin, to breathe underwater, I hadn’t found the time to ask it for myself, and I currently cannot spare a moment.”

“Still, that storm was intense,” said the Wolf Burglar, “If the Warrior of Light hadn’t anchored my body to these rocks, I would have been thrown in the drink after him.”

“Indeed,” said Alphinaud, “I only recently reemerged on the northern shore of Sakazuki, although I hadn’t realized it at the time. Despaired and exhausted, I grabbed what you rightly determined was a large limb off a nearby tree and dragged myself along the shore, thinking I was heading for the settlement to the east of Sakazuki…

“Or I may have just been delirious,” he added, uncertainly, “Quite literally my only other thought besides nourishment was ‘Please, Hydaelyn, please don’t make me go in the sea again.’”

“I don’t blame you,” said the Wolf Burglar, “I’m only just barely aware of the blessing of the Kojin, the ability to breathe underwater. In the storm, I had forgotten the Champion of Eorzea could perform such a feat.”

They looked around again.

The task they had performed out here, to survey the Ruby Sea’s seabed, seemed a bit like yesterday’s news. Purple Link and Alisaie were not around, to use their mounts to help in the search, and a more currently pressing matter was whether or not either of their friends were okay.

Not that the Wolf Burglar considered them friends, but seeing the Warrior of Light get thrashed around and deposited in the sea was still traumatic enough to need to talk about it.

“You…think they’re going to be okay?” said the Wolf Burglar, worriedly, “Your sister…and that warrior?”

“Whom? Purple Link?” said Alphinaud, and he chuckled, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he could survive on the surface of Menphina without a protective suit.”

“That I can believe,” said the Wolf Burglar, “I’m asking about you.”

“Oh,” said Alphinaud, curiously, “And I suppose this is another generous aspect of the noble thief.”

The Wolf Burglar grimaced, and he stood up to walk along the edge of the shore. He stopped and stared out at the Ruby Sea, his tail twitching lightly and his arms folded.

“Did…Did I strike a nerve?” asked Alphinaud.

“I don’t need to be thief,” said the Wolf Burglar, “to be courteous. I am only here on behalf of Lord Hien and Hakuro Whitefang. I think it’s important to uphold our long-honored traditions.”

“‘Long-honored?’” asked Alphinaud, quite intrigued. The Wolf Burglar turned around and stamped a footpaw in the sand.

“You adventurers!” said the Wolf Burglar, “You never pay attention! I am talking about an artifact that is important between Lord Hien’s people and mine!”

Alphinaud looked inquisitively at the Lupin. The Wolf Burglar pouted for a moment or two, and then started in realization.

“Oh, that’s right,” said the Wolf Burglar, “You weren’t here. I explained all to the Warrrior of Light.”

“It seems as though it bears mentioning again,” said Alphinaud, “I do remember the artifact was important between the two of you, but you never explained why.

"Normally, this level of secrecy is beheld at a state of espionage deemed on the brink of teetering.”

The Wolf Burglar folded his arms again, and appraised the young Elezen.

“Hmm,” he said, finally, “Your reputation preceeds you, Alphinaud Leveilleur.”

“Is that what this is?” asked Alphinaud, “Are you worried your people might not honor your agreement?”

“I think enough years have passed that such an artifact is no longer necessary to keep the peace,” said the Wolf Burglar, “But the ceremony is still appreciated, and the monument would be greater reinforced if all the services were honored.”

“‘Monument?’” asked Alphinaud, “Are you talking about the artifact?”

“You catch on quick, Scion,” said the Wolf Burglar, smiling, “All right, I’ll level with you…”

…

Purple Link felt like he could have been searching for hours, and still find nothing. There were a lot of cast aside possessions, discarded uniforms, and floating cups, silverware, and Garlean paraphernalia that he had to sift through.

The doors opened well enough, even underwater, although the sliding door mechanisms made the Ceruleum dim and flicker at times.

He wondered if it was as spooky for Alisaie as it was for him. He pondered briefly about whether or not they should have split up…

He shook his head.

No, that’s what lead to this argument in the first place, he thought to himself, I know Alisaie can survive down here, even on her own, I have to believe that. I have to put my faith in her.

He opened another door, and used his sword to take a look-around. Swimming inside, he almost bumped his muzzle against that of–

He gulped!

–It was the moldering remains of a Garlean soldier! He could depict humanoid nose-holes and empty eye sockets, but could also tell all the skin hadn’t…yet left the body.

He heaved for a moment, and in his panic, very briefly forgot he could breathe underwater, and started to choke.

After a couple of expectorations, realizing only too late that he might have swallowed salty sea water, he calmed down again.

…This looked like the bridge of the ship. There was the helm, although it was more newfangled than the wheel he was familiar with. It looked more like handles that you can pull and push, up or down.

Floating bodies seemed to litter the place.

A bit calmer now, he let his curiosity get the best of him. He looked around at the bright lights and the glistening port window, covered in seaweed and coral.

It almost looked like a blanket of seaweed was covering the windows.

Purple Link was oddly soothed by the waving curtain of seaweed, and almost distracted himself long enough to feel something bump his head. It bounced off and floated away in the water, slowly heading towards the helm.

He rubbed the spot and turned around-

Geeze! Another face-to-face encounter with a dead body!

He very gently and very respectfully pushed it aside, noticing that the thing that bounced off his noggin was a golden cylindrical object, about the size of his palm.

He reached for it in curiosity.

He'd almost mistaken it for a Doman seal, the kind used for signing documents.

The golden object had a simple design, but in its simplicity it cast an expert hand at its craftsmanship, correctly divining that it was of special importance.

The biggest clue is that it didn’t look like anything here, brightly reflecting the light given off his Hailstorm.

He waved the blade over it.

It was very obviously wolf-like in its appearance, but that could mean anything. Lord Hien and Hakuro didn’t explain that it had to be a statue.

The fact that it was a wolf in design was probably a really big clue that it had something to do with the Lupin.

It was beautiful, hand-crafted, and even looked like a wolf, with the tail finely detailed and one paw raised up and open.

It seemed to be an important object in its appearance, but he still couldn’t understand why it could be so important to the diplomacy of the Lupin and the Domans that Purple Link almost certainly had to risk his life.

He tapped two fingers on his ear, twice, and thought of Alisaie.

“Not a sausage,” admitted Alisaie, over the linkpearl, “How’s things on your end? I keep looking into the eyes of dead soldiers and sifting through their belongings. I think I’m in their barracks.”

“Same,” said Purple Link, “I think I’m on the bridge. I’m pretty sure I found a statue.”

“A statue?” asked Alisaie, and she groaned frustratedly, making Purple Link smile in sympathy, “Oh, great, it’s another fetch quest. We’ve retrieved so many discarded and abandoned things from folks - Why can’t we just beat up bad guys, like usual?”

“I’m with you there,” said Purple Link, “But this…statue is golden. It’s pretty much the only thing in here that’s not covered in seaweed.”

“...Interesting,” said Alisaie, thoughtfully, “I think that might be an important detail to remember. Let’s see if we can find similar things in this ship, and then bring them up to the surface.”

“Righto,” said Purple Link, “I feel like we’re finally nearing the end of this quest.”

“I feel the same,” said Alisaie, “Let’s meet back at the entrance of the hole and discuss our findings, although, as usual, I think you may have found exactly what we’ve been looking for.”

To be continued…

[ashcroft-writes]

Cad Bane Arranged Marriage AU Story Idea

So I'm processing a LOT of story-writing thoughts—last night, as a result, my brain figured it'd be cool to hand me a fairly in-depth Bane plot circa The Clone Wars via one of my dreams. Unfortunately, this setup's not usable in my current writing efforts... but it was actually pretty intriguing for me despite being a dream, so, you know, here you go! If someone wants to take it in some direction, then by all means, feel free.

The trouble began when a small archaeological team was sent by the Republic to a remote jungle on a world in the Outer Rim. Their purpose was to dig up Jedi artifacts from a long-since crumbled and overgrown mountain-temple there... but naturally, this group needed regional contacts and guides so they could do their job. This, they found in a nearby village of Duros.

Now, this particular group of Duros had inhabited the area for hundreds of years, their ancestors settling there so as to protect some of their ancient and fading traditions. This was primarily a farming community that also made fine jewelry and bright textiles characterized by vibrant colors and beautiful geometric patterns. The forest and land provided ample minerals, fibers, and dyes. These Duros practiced arranged marriage, had an involved spiritual life, and were, on the whole, pretty peaceable, prosperous, and happy. They welcomed the archaeologists and ensured they were provided for during their stay.

The best of the guides offered to the team was a gentle, soft spoken, young woman named Liiju whose family was quite well respected. She often wandered the mountain, having grown up running and playing in the jungle trees and streams, finding it a ready teacher to help her navigate her own personal challenges and thoughts. And of those, she had many. While she really loved her family and home, the primary thing she was unfortunately gossiped about around town for was that she'd so far refused every marriage match her parents had tried. So she was getting towards middle age, yet was the only one her age still unmarried, no eggs, etc., and it had left her a bit socially adrift.

Liiju could never really explain why she would refuse all her suitors. Every person she was asked to consider was often very kind to her. It just... didn't feel right... and she would always find a way to gently shut it down.

Her family was getting really concerned, however. They'd even started considering proposals from outsiders at this point. Though if she married outside the village, she’d most likely leave (something they would all grieve,) they wanted their daughter cared for with children of her own as she got older. Liiju had tried her hand at several other possible roles around the village, but none of it seemed to stick; she really only excelled at wandering in nature, and this wasn't exactly a skill in demand.

Still, it was useful for this rare team of archaeologist visitors. And one of them, a human named Maro, took a shine to Liiju right away as they worked. She seemed so curious about the outside world and what he did, intelligent and interested. He told her about his life with the academic community back on Coruscant, she told him of her life here, and a little spark of interest lit in him. He liked how her slender hands fluttered when talking about the movements of the seasons and animals there, how her red eyes were always squinting with a smile when she’d watch the sky. Indeed, when she went back home each night to eat with her family, Maro would find himself a little disappointed she didn't stay. He was even more disappointed when she mentioned off-hand that an outsider was going to be showing up at the village the next day, one that she was supposed to make yet another good-faith effort to get engaged to. Still, he could only offer words of support—these were her people’s traditions, and them and her family had been there for her far before he’d been. His consolation was that she would probably find a way to say no to this new guy too at the end of the day. Excited about it… she was not. Truly, there was a flash of sadness in her when she spoke of a future settled down and married and laying eggs... like she’d lose something she didn’t know how to quite pin down, let alone get back.

The next morning, the archaeologists were in the town square eating breakfast at an outside table, waiting for the weekly merchant ship to arrive—the team often traded with them for supplies the village itself couldn’t create. Maro had been also told this ship would further be carrying Liiju's new potential fiance from the continent's capital city. Indeed, she sat with them on the bench, quietly waiting to observe what her future might hold from a distance so it couldn’t catch scent of her before she wanted it to. And on schedule, it appeared on the dawn's horizon. Slowly, as the light spread, the transport settled down at the village's entrance. Liiju’s mother and father were first in line in their finery to patter up and greet the ship.

But who would step out into the humid morning behind the merchants?

None other than Cad Bane my friends, dressed nice and neat.

The archaeologists sat and stared as their breakfast slowly dropped from their hands. Their furtive glances to each other said: "Uh. Hey. Is that who we KRIFFING think it is...?"

Liiju just sighed, oblivious to this, muttering, "My folks are considering older men too now I see."

And Maro merely sat there and vibrated, eyes wide and grimacing.

Still, Bane was being very chill. Oddly chill. Though he conducted himself stiffly, he did all the right motions with the villagers, speaking quietly, direct with answers, delivering the right honorary words and gestures at the right times—easily maneuvering his way past initial concerns about outsider disrespect. The parents invited him quickly and with open arms back to their home, because this guy absolutely had the dowry money, and wasn’t he a nice gentleman, and in their glances to each other, they said: please, please let our child consent to even meeting this one. We are at the end of our rope here.

The archaeologists just turned to Liiju and said they all needed to return to the jungle. Now. Confused, she went. But their voices were all so strained and quick and quiet. It was only when they were safely to the ruins and out of earshot from all else that they finally began to speak openly—and it was mostly to shout panic at one another. They were too remote for their long-distance communicators to work, so they couldn’t call out to the Republic and announce they had eyes on one of the most wanted men in the galaxy drinking a welcoming tea in a pleasant little hut. They couldn’t fight; they'd get obliterated. They couldn't even reveal themselves; being Republic, wouldn't Bane easily just decide to bump them off so they couldn't squeal about where he was showing up these days? What if he was there for the artifacts as well; couldn't he capture and torture them to learn about his objective?

There was really only one thing they were certain about: they couldn’t let this young woman go home yet to that. Who knew what in the galaxy his plans for her were?

To which Liiju was like, uh. So. What's the big deal? He was just some outsider with money. Those came around all the time.

Of course, when they explained who he was, she started to freak out exactly the same. Her people were well removed from the war, but apparently this was of course a violent mercenary showing up and pretending to be just a lonesome businessman. He was in her house. With her parents. Her whole family! Would they be held hostage over something?

Speaking of which, her parents were blowing up her transmitter like, "Dear, it’s getting late, you better get home and join us for dinner and talk to this nice man! No, we don’t have time to talk about it, he’s right here and you’re being rude! Why won't you give this a chance? He’s richer than anyone who's been by the village in ages, and he’s got the nicest droid helping us with the dishes even???"

Maro, quiet and deep in his feelings, was getting a bit frantic at this point. Finally, he walked up, took her hand, and offered to court her instead so her parents could feel like there were other options.

“Thanks?” After two solid minutes of the entire site going silent, this was all Liiju could think of to say. Maro seemed a kind man. She liked his stories of places out there. But… but marrying him?! They didn’t know each other either! And entirely overwhelmed, shaking, scared, and backed into a lot of corners, she was more intent on just running off into the trees than accepting a proposal from anyone just then.

But she couldn't. Those she loved, and she herself, were in danger.

The archaeologists agreed to send someone on foot to the nearest outpost so they could call for backup. But Bane needed to be stalled until help arrived. And Liiju, still stunned and holding Maro’s hand without an answer, volunteered to return like her parents wanted. Why not? If she didn’t, their guest would surely grow suspicious. And it was supposedly her he’d traveled all this long way to see.

It would give her an excuse too to go back into the forest a brief while, to think, to consider Maro’s fierce look and urgent promise.

To possibly grieve her old life.

Maro did not give her that peace entirely: he volunteered to accompany her back to the village perimeter at least so he would be just a call away if she needed help. Liiju wasn't sure what he could do, but she appreciated the gesture, and so, they walked back in silence, him growing awkward and earnest, her trembling and hunched inward.

She went home. She quietly came in through the back door. Her parents and little brothers stood right away and fussed around the table and made a huge deal of announcing her, their beautiful Liiju, home and ready for dinner, hooray! And then there was the lean, looming stranger at the far end of the table. His eyes seemed to gleam like hypnotic stars, his expression respectfully neutral.

And in that piercing gaze, Liiju saw that he knew that she knew who he was and why she had stalled arriving, even if her parents didn’t, like he could tear right through her skin and see all her secrets.

Of course, she was still shaking and finding it hard to speak, so maybe he could smell her fear. This realization made her just shake harder, thinking maybe he would resort to threats to get his way if their ignorance was part of his original plan.

But what he did was merely invite her to sit down one on one before dinner to hear him out. He claimed then that if she didn't like his offer, he would leave.

Liiju’s family looked to her a little startled, questioning. But listless, she nodded. It could get her loved ones out of the room and at a safer distance. Though confused, her parents began misreading her nervousness—and so pleased that she was actually making an effort to get to know this match, they shrugged to each other and vamoosed out of their house immediately (save for, obviously, the chaperone droid stationed in the corner.)

Slowly, Liiju settled just across from this invader, taking her seat in the same chair she'd eaten meals at every day since before she could walk.

Bane set down his teacup.

And then, the nice relaxed face he’d been doing that whole time just sort of dropped. It was as if a mellow expression was something he had to actively maintain, and his real default was something far more keen, unblinking, and dangerous—a predator born.

Without preamble, he informed her that he would be honest with her, as it would save them both time.

Liiju considered. This man was apparently so dangerous that he had nothing to fear from her, no matter what she knew, but Maro had warned her that he would likely tell all sorts of lies…

No. He… seemed honest, strangely. His words were too sparse and blunt, his hunch too impatient, for elaborate stories.

Yet his first question was this: was there anyone in her village that she had her eye on already? Was she actually open to this talk of matches?

Startled, Liiju stammered she didn’t have any secret suitors of course, nothing so dishonorable, unsure why he was digging at that: but of course, he could tell straightaway that she was lying. And when he pressed again, reminding her not to waste his time, she finally admitted that, well, technically someone did offer to approach her parents for permission to court her that day. Why? Well... just because he was here. Under his gleaming, unblinking interrogation, she suddenly felt like she'd have to say every fact that she'd ever known.

She wasn’t good at lying.

"Ah," was all he said though. "You considering that?"

Liiju thought about the archaeologist, handsome and friendly. She thought about being so scared she couldn't feel her toes and fingers. "Yes," she admitted.

To that, he kind of just scoffed. He asked if she was really considering it, or if it was just fear—if she’d give that other man the time of day if she wasn’t being pressured into this situation.

Liiju considered that too, not knowing why he cared. Still, words shaking, really thinking of what was true and what wasn't deflated some of her rattling tension. It grounded her. And honestly... the answer was no. Sure, she thought the archaeologist was kind of sweet. But she was thinking of that offer like it was a desperate escape hatch, swept up in the adrenaline. That was the only reason it sounded appealing. She didn't really want it.

Bane seemed satisfied by her answers. Then, he then told her that in the galaxy and especially in Duros society, there were many things one couldn't easily access without the pretense of a family. It affected him frequently enough that he realized he would benefit from being accompanied by a spouse to some places, and most of his own kind that he might hire for the role weren’t trustworthy enough or would cost him too much cash for repeat performances. So, he’d decided to find someone willing to just actually create the legal documents and save him the trouble of forgeries to boot.

Here, in these remote places, people didn't know him. There were ample Duros. There was a system of arranged marriages and dowries still in effect. He didn’t have the time to court and woo, nor the inclination, but he did have the money and a liking for efficiency, and so, here they were together.

Well, obviously, that wasn't the most charming proposal in the world. And it was suddenly dawning for Liiju that she could refuse, that he seemed to prize the idea of someone who wouldn't betray him, so she'd need to be willing. Perhaps her life was in no danger after all.

But then he said something that gave her pause: he said he chose to meet her specifically, out of all the Duros in all the cities and villages on this world.

"Why?" she wondered, heart hammering.

Well. She was the only one who'd apparently refused fifteen straight offers. Clearly she was looking for the chance to make a life of her own choosing and not have a husband. After all, that was really what he had to give in exchange: if she took him up on a contract, she could get people off her back, legally say she was married, and then use her status to go anywhere and do anything she wanted as long as he could pick her up now and again for jobs where she’d be useful. Alternatively, she could choose to travel with him a while. Learn new skills. Take lovers when it suited her. Kriff, if she wanted a kid, well, he could give her one, but raising it would be on her (he didn't say if he’d give her an egg via the usual means, or if he’d rustle one up somewhere legally questionable, and she didn't have the nerve to ask. It wasn’t even clear if he was attracted to her physically.)

So, he said. Most wouldn't be interested in that. But what did she think?

Liiju sat there, staring, barely able to swallow. She had no kriffing idea. This wasn't what she expected at all. He wasn't what she expected.

And something inside was suddenly really picking this insane offer over—and it stunned her, but no one had ever sat down, looked her directly in the eye, and simply offered her control of her destiny. Obviously, he got something out of it, but her sacrifices would be unusually easy… and his honesty and clarity seemed so much more prominent than his supposed cruelty as he spoke.

Could she even believe these Republic people fully? Did they really know him, her fellow Duros, or were they blinded by war?

...Or jealousy?

For strangely, he truly seemed to mean every word he shared, and she genuinely sensed that if she did refuse, he would leave her to the same fate she was wrestling with when she woke up that day.

Perhaps even an older man was a little handsome, in the way of a one who’d lived his life with laser purpose and no regret.

Bane slid a teacup across the table to her and cocked his brow, letting her think…

…Also, by the by, he noted, if she would accept, perhaps they could also talk about the Jedi artifacts in these parts that her parents told him about. A nice surprise, that was. And if she’d like to guide him to any, he could give her a split of any profit so she could start her life off comfortably. After all, there was a lot of profit in those old temples...

...I woke up before she said anything more.

But I think I knew what she was going to choose.

[femme-from-hell]

Since requests are open, I have one! I've been in the mood for some angst recently (who thought that writing non-angsty things during an whole month would make that happen? pfft), so I was wondering if I could request headcanons for the Lupin III main cast (the thieves and Zenigata, but feel free to do whichever characters you prefer, I don't know if you have a limit of characters): how would they react/feel about being in an unrequited love situation, or one where they know they can't be together (i.e, rivals or different sides in the law)?

Thank you in advance! 🥰

Sorry this took so long, I wanted to try my hand at making a custom banner for this bcs its my first Lupin post! I hope you enjoy :) Fair warning tho, this got a little long and its abit less of head cannons and more like story + some thoughts 

Lupin iii gang & Inspector Zenigata Angst

𓆩♡𓆪 Lupin III  𓆩♡𓆪

I feel like lupin sort of shuts down when he is heart broken. He is known for hiding his true emotions and thoughts from others, so that’s exactly what he’ll do. He won’t push to seem like is normal perky self, but he wont mope about. Lupin will just go silent, stone faced and continue marching on. 

No quips to pops,  no joking with Jigen and Goemon, not flirting with Fujiko

Lupin isn’t someone who falls easy, despite his more depraved habits when looking for a partner to keep cozy with at night.

That’s all it was really, just some one to squeeze until he found his next score and then off he went, a trail of hearts left in his wake. 

You, on the other hand, could never just be something to hold his fancy until some new painting, gem or priceless artifact. No, you were so much more. 

The two of you had crossed paths when he came crashing into your life, quite literally. He landed on top of your gardening shed and put an impromptu sky-light in the roof from his fall. Sure, it scared the living shit out of you, and sure, you also might have knocked him upside the head with a shovel from said shed, but after some first aid and apologies, the two of you had an unmistakable spark from the beginning.

You weren't a thief, or anything like the people he’s come across as he’s traveled the world, but you captivated more than anything or any one. It was like a pull he could never full describe, a pull that put him at your door step after every escape from the police or heist plastered over national news. No matter the distance, he would always have 2 feet on your door mat in the end. 

Lupin was a work in progress, he wasn’t someone that would just open up after a few hugs and kisses. It was a slow and gradual process, like a flower struggling to bloom but once it did, it was something miraculous that you couldn’t take your eyes away. 

Never in his life, from the first acts as Lupin III to his long years spent alone, had he ever imagined considering the idea of having a life with someone. At first he was elated! Spending the rest of his days with you, talking for hours, laughing so hard he struggled to breath, listening to you talk on and on about anything and everything, his heart would soar at the very thought. 

Ring displays in fancy stores and museums began to catch his eye as days go on until finally he made up his mind, he wanted you apart of his life now and forever. You deserved the best, so he was going to give it to you! For hours, he would spend researching the perfect ring, it couldn’t be just any ring either, it needed to be perfect.  Finally he decided on the engagement ring that Napoléon had used to propose to Josephine Bonaparte.

Everything was set, the card announcement card was sent, the route was planned, Jigen was in place, and you were none the wiser. Almost everything went perfectly, almost. This heist was a little too close for comfort, seeing as the authorities were more than willing to shoot at him and less than hesitant to aim for the head. Along side this, Inspector Zenigata was nowhere to be seen, which made Lupin more than uneasy. He pushed aside the strange feeling of uncertainty and focused, he had a proposal to do. 

Quickly, he evaded the authorities and once they were off his tail, he made his way over to you, parking a little ways from your home so that he could move undetected, hoping to surprise you. Only, he was the one to be surprised. Rather than your quiet block, usually still as stone in the night was light up with the flashing colors of the police. His first thoughts were of concern for your safety, slowly reaching into his chest holster inside his jacket. He creeps forward, ready to make his way over to your home, only to stop dead in his tracks at the site of Inspector Zenigata. So this is where he’s been.

Zenigata moves to the side, revealing your distressed frame. Lupin can hear the old man shout his name, pressing and interrogating you further. Every time pops insists, you deny harder ever knowing the thief. 

From the shadows, Lupin looks at you, frightened at this encounter and nearly in tears. Something inside Lupin clicked, something he secretly buried deep so that no one, not even himself would realize, and the weight of the ring in his pocket felt uncomfortably heavy. 

Quietly he turned, returning the way he came and climbed into his car. Turning off the radio and his phone, Lupin drove in silence. He drove, and he drove, and he drove until he faced the ocean at the end of a pier. Pulling out the ring and looking at it in his hand, he thought of all the memories he’s made with you, only for the image of your face in tears before the inspector overshadowed everything. 

Without another thought, he clutched the ring and cast it into the sea, praying it would sink to the bottom with what remained of his heart. In that moment he wanted to feel nothing, he wanted to feel nothing for a long, long time. after all, you deserved the best...so he was going to give it to you.

𓆩♡𓆪  Jigen  𓆩♡𓆪

For Jigen, he was more in denial than anything. The thought of loving someone was too much of a hassle, especially in his line of work. 

What he didn’t account for, is that his heart tends not to listen to his head. Which is what placed you in his hands.

Meeting was a coincidence, having met when you found his look out point while looking for a place to smoke. He threatened you, not wanting to risk someone exposing him to the authorities, only for you to shrug and ask if he had a light.

Jigen was taken aback by this and let out a sharp laugh in shock, but obliged and lit your cigarette before lighting his own. You stood there and talked with him while he waited for his signal. Not once did you ask what he was doing, hiding out on a rooftop with a scope and a gun, which he found strange but funny all the same. 

“I’m just some one who mind’s their business.” 

The more you spoke the more engrossed he got in your conversation, almost missing the light reflected at him from a casino Lupin was currently robbing blind. 

“Looks like that’s my signal too.” Jigen looks over to you from his scope, finger on the trigger as you shrug your jacket off and pull out a gun of your own. A grappling hook gun. 

Wordlessly, you shot the hook, shot him a wink, and swung yourself into a window to break through to the casino. 

Lupin was shouting at Jigen through his ear piece, asking for ‘a little assistance, please!’ After the botched casino heist and a grilling from Lupin about paying attention to his ques, Jigen began to come across you more frequently. From scoping out scenes, to coffee shops, to even on the street. In reality, rather than running into you more often, he subconsciously began seeking you out. 

Your alure was something he couldn’t fight no matter how hard he tried. From finding himself joining you when he see’s you, to finding himself helping you in heists, to eventually finding himself in your bed. Never again did want to pull away from you, or the comfort you brought. 

There was no label to what you two had, but that worked for you both. It was a balance that neither of you dared to break, well, at least he didn’t. You, on the other hands, had other plans. 

This balance you and him had so delicately crafted was shattered as you held a gun to the back of Lupin’s head, gently pulling an ancient scroll from the thief’s hands. Your eyes though, weren’t on Lupin, no, they were on Jigen. Watching, waiting. 

You hadn’t planned for things to turn out like this, really, you wanted to keep what you had with Jigen but the life of a thief is a lonely one. You couldn’t give up this score no matter what, the amount of cash it would bring in would set you up for life. You could even leave this life behind, make something of yourself. However, Jigen didn’t have any plans of being in that picture. 

Before he could even think on it, Jigen had drawn and pulled the trigger. The gun once pushed against the back of Lupin’s head, now clattered loudly to the floor along side your body. Never had he thought he would have to make this decision, and yet here he is. Neither he or Lupin said a word as Jigen made his way over to you, quietly collapsing onto his knees and pulling your body close to his own. He could feel the warmth he once knew so well fade from you along side any love he had left to give. 

Jigen was never quite the same after that night. He denies the change in behavior, brushing off any concern. He denies every caring over ‘some broad’. He denies the empty bottles of liquor by his bedside table, the long nights of aching in ways he didn’t know he could, and the tear stained picture he holds to his heart of you laying with him in bed, where he now sits alone.

𓆩♡𓆪 Goemon 𓆩♡𓆪

Finding your shop was like finding an oasis in the desert. After pushing the door open to your little tea shop, Goemon practically fell for you at first sight. 

Goemon is someone who fall quickly; gives his heart away without saying a word. He is the kind of person who loves from afar and you were no different. 

You captivated him, talking on an on about all the teas in your shop, things that would happen with customers, random or shared interests. He wanted to hear all of it, so he would sit silently at the counter nursing his cup, taking only small sips to make it last as long as he could. 

You would ask him about himself but he would fumble over his words, your attention flustering him. He could never give you the full truth in his answers but still told some

“What do you do for a living?” “I help my friends with various jobs.” “Why do you carry around that sword?” “I can’t bear to part with it.”

The more time he spent with you, the harder it was to leave after every visit. Some days, he considers stopping in more than once, but anxious thoughts quicky talk him out of it. 

With you, he felt a way he could never put into words. Just seeing you put him at peace, a calm that he craves like no other. At almost every moment of the day, up until he walks through your shop doors, he is thinking of you.

Though as the days passed, his time with you dwindled. Lupin’s heist plans were coming to fruition and he knew after things went down he would need to leave along side his friends. He felt conflicted, sure he cared for his friends and the life he had built but the thought of no longer being able to see you left a weird feeling in his stomach. 

He thought long and hard about what he should do. He can’t risk staying in fear of the authorities, much worse, involving you with them while he is still wanted by the local authorities. 

Ultimately, Goemon made the decision to leave. One robbery later and there was a note attached to the front of your store doors. Inside, the samurai detailed who he was, why you wouldn’t see him and a single request.

“Wait for me.”

Goemon doesn’t stop thinking about you, not once,  and that love for you bloomed even apart from you. When he did finally return, he wasn’t greeted with your smile, the chiming of the bell from the front door, or the tea displayed in the front window. Instead he was greeted with a cold, empty building. No sign of you anywhere to be seen.

He was in denial at first. You wouldn’t leave without saying anything, you would have left some note, right? Or, what if something had happened to you! Goemon would go to the nearby shops and ask about you, which always lead to the same answer, “She closed down shop.”

Goemon would still visit your shop, standing outside the old building and starring into the window, longing for you to walk behind the counter from the back and wave at him to come in. Except that wasn’t going to happen, you were gone, and nothing is really going to bring you back. 

Once more, the samurai had fallen for someone, giving away his heart without having said a word. He would eventually come to terms with things, but for now, he will mourn what was never really there. 

𓆩♡𓆪Fujiko 𓆩♡𓆪

Fujiko Mine is the kind of woman to never let her true feelings be known, not ever to herself sometimes.

She’ll whisper sweet nothing to you, trail her fingers up your spine with an unmatched raw intimacy, then leave you penniless by sunrise. It was nothing short of an art form in her beautiful hands

When she had met you, Fujiko was enamored by your presence. Originally, she was planning to nab the man on your arm, an heir to some company but plans quickly changed when you entered her world. 

First it was just basic compliments and pleasantries, the things you would expect from these fancy parties, then it went to witty back and forth banter to her even telling you about her exploits. It felt so natural to talk with you, to move with you, to exist with you. 

Sure, Fujiko was eyeing the nice pearl earrings you wore with necklace to match, she found herself thinking of what would suit you better than if they would suit her. 

After that party, she would seek you out regularly. She would find herself wanting to treat you to nice meals, pretty outfits she would like to take off you, even stealing precious things to see your eyes shimmer with wonder and astonishment. She wanted to see you smile at no one but her.

When you would find her on the job at parties you would attend, it would become a sort of game of cat and mouse. She’s target some treasure, you would try and distract her, and then you both would have your fun. 

The thrill you both had once sought from your relationship had never really faded, rather, it changed into something more. Rushed kisses in the shadows became soft and shared in the new light of the morning, Desperate touches became gentle caresses as you both would lay next to one another at night. Extravagant meals at fancy restraints became burnt eggs and bacon with waffles made just the way she liked. Though different, it was still all the same.

The longer this went on, the more Fujiko wanted more of you. When she had time alone with her thoughts, she would find her mind drifting to you...but she could never figure out why. Yes, she enjoyed being around you more than she could have ever imagined but its something more, she can’t place her finger on it.  

Even in the heat of the moment, as she hold you, asking you to come with her, she still can’t tell you what it is. No matter how much you beg her, saying if she wants you, she needs to tell you but she can’t. Fujiko Mine is the kind of woman to never let her true feelings be known, not even to herself.

You’ve never asked anything from her, but she would give everything to you if you wanted. Yet, despite this, she could never say the one thing you wanted to your face. 

𓆩♡𓆪Zenigata 𓆩♡𓆪

The inspector has never been the sharpest knife in the pencil box when it came to love, much less how to handle heart break. 

When Zenigata and you fell in love, it was long before his chase for Lupin began. He was a pretty well respected officer that had a heart of gold, something you had always admired. 

Koichi loved you with every bit of himself, so much so that sometimes he would find himself considering a different career just to stay beside you more often

His hours were long and hard with his job, not to mention dangerous. The both of you would be stressing about one another through out the day only to be finally reunited when you both came home. 

Your life with him wasn’t easy but it was something the two of you built together, it was yours

That was until the inspector’s encounter with Lupin after an over seas trip to the US. It began a change in him that you’d never seen before. He was passionate about his job, sure, but this was something completely different. Zenigata came home rambling on about the ICPO and his chance to apply. 

You wanted to support the person you loved in all that he did but this... it meant that he would be away for months on end.

Zenigata, in all his excitement and passion, failed to notice that your smile wasn’t quite all there. Nonetheless, he would hug and kiss you all the same, declaring his love for you and all the support you’ve given him. 

This job opportunity wasn’t without thought, he took a lot of deliberation and came to the conclusion that this was truly his calling. 

Thus, the journey toward catching the world renowned thief began. No matter where in the world he was, he would always find time to call you, even if he needed to stay up late or get up early to make up the time difference. He would always tell you about all the things he’s seeing in the world, gently thumbing a picture he had of you in his wallet. 

As time went on though, those phone calls became shorter and mre infrequent. Your home was now just yours alone, now absent of the boisterous man you had once loved. You knew deep down that if you asked him to come home, asked him to quit his pursuit, he would without question but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. You loved him too much to ask him to give all that up. 

Instead, it would be you that would give him up. It broke your heart and his, more than you would ever know. After your last phone call with him, he sat in his hotel room in disbelief, the phone line had long since gone dead. A sob tore from him as he felt an ache like no other, a hole where you once were. 

For a while, Zenigata couldn’t even put his heart into his work, everything felt wrong. He felt sick looking at himself in the mirror, seeing the man who couldn’t even put his loved one before his career, too blinded by ambition. 

No more! He was tired of this shell he has become, Koichi will bring Lupin to justice, he will return home, and he’ll show you that you mean more than anything to him!

[i-love-you-all]

For the headcanons, could you do harbor please? (Also I really like your writing of the other characters, the omen and sova knitting one is definitely up my top 3 things i have read on tumblr!)

🥺 awwww thank you! And yep, 15 Harbor things coming up rn :))

5 things they usually see:

Gekko and his buddies. I think he was named Gekko's mentor as, like the younger agent, he didn't always have his Radiant abilities. Plus, though Harbor is general a laid back and cheerful, there are days where his thoughts drift back to all that he's lost. That's where Gekko comes in and lifts him up again.

Gym equipment! Bro, his arms are so big! He likely spends a lot of time in the gym, and though it's not reflected in the voicelines, I think he likes to join Skye and Breach when the work out. He can keep Skye company on arm days :p (Though Breach does have to keep up w them when it comes to chest, back, and abs.)

His artifact - the rings/bracelet. There are sleepless nights centered around this thing. Where did it come from? Why was it so powerful? What was its purpose? He just wants to know, and it frustrates him that, despite having it attached to his wrist, he doesn't know anything about its origin.

Water. I'll try to make this my only mention of water in the post but no promises. Water is an essential part of life, and I would bet that every culture reserves some reverence for it, so Harbor probably feels the power of his control over the element (especially since it chose him?). It has proven very useful in his missions so far!

Architecture and the details that others miss. Due to his fascination with history and architecture, he probably catches things that others don't. Details like the number of statues, the type of stone, the style of the windows, these are things that can clue him in on the context of the place, where most others might just pass it off as decoration.

4 things they usually feel:

The smooth blade of one of those traditional razors (idk if they have a name or not). He takes pride in his well groomed beard, but that means that well, someone has to groom it. He definitely has a guy he goes to for a shave and haircut, but with his line of work, he doesn't see them as much as he'd like. That means learning to shave himself. (there are a few nicks under his beard that the hair helps to hide)

The weight of a book or an ancient artifact. He has an intense love for history, the idea of past lives that went about their purpose, not knowing what would come after and yet trusting the human process of life, death, and memory.

Desperate frustration. Piggybacking off the above, Harbor loves to learn, but there are so many things in his way. Laws, greedy hands hiding the answers, and those that seek that same knowledge but for nefarious purposes. He wants to scream and shout and cry out that Kingdom cannot just hide from the world like some grand conspiracy. He wants to fight, kick, and bite back at Greaves (so now REALM), the one place the thought he could fight against the injustice of ignorance, only to discover that not everyone held his reverence for knowledge.

Gratitude. There was quite some time where he was on the run, unsure of what was coming next. Though he was framed, there was no way to prove his innocence against the bullets coming at him, and so he had to run. When VALORANT reached out to him, it was a lifeline. And though it was a close shave, he made it out alive.

3 things they usually hear:

The roaring of his bike. It's by far his favourite way to travel despite the general risk with them. He likes feeling the open space around him when he rides, the feeling of the wind hitting his skin, the open sky above, and the long road ahead.

Praise. He was a legend for so long in REALM. There, he was truly recognized for his dedication to free knowledge and history. The rookies who gawked at him when he passed, the look in his superiors' faces when he succeeds against the impossible. None of that is there anymore, but sometimes when Gekko looks at him with that similar look of admiration, he feels a rush of memories. A past him that no longer exists.

Astra. They are both very similar in the sense that they discovered an artifact that had radiant abilities.

2 things they usually smell:

Chai! I think the first couple times, he would correct people who call it chai tea, but he's too laid back to get on people about it. Still, the spices of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, etc., they all bring him back to a busy table with his family. He can't make a cup as good as his mom, but what he's able to make is close enough.

Incense (Sandalwood?) Similar to the point above about Chai, this is just one more thing that keeps him close to his home. The single trail of smoke lifting up into the air like their hopes, it's almost reassuring. He kind of drifts towards scents and colognes that have sandalwood as part of it too, even if he doesn't realize it.

1 thing they usually taste:

Hope. He might be angry over what happened with Greaves and REALM, but he has found new friends, some with his interests, and they make him feel like he's at home. Valorant's main priority is to save the world by protecting it from omega agents, but with Astra's help, and his own freedom within the protocol, he can hope that he will one day get the answers he wants.