#not saying the attractiveness of the companions are what make them good but. its what makes them popular lmao

[qqweebird]

bg3 was interesting to me when it came out but then everyone just had to talk about that twink to death

[doiliedaze]

Apple of my Eye: part one

Butch Farm hand! Abby x Farmer! reader

Warnings: none in this part, however this series will have mentions and discussion of SA so if that makes you uncomfortable please don’t read

Genre: fluff, subtle foreshadowing of angst

A/N: Like I’ve stated in the warning this story will contain mentions and discussions of SA that the reader experienced and how it has effected her life so if that makes you uncomfortable or triggers you please don’t read. I make up my stories bit by bit so as of right now there shouldn’t be any other warnings. Both reader and Abby are southern. I’ve never written someone as butch so please be nice as I want this to reflect a femme4butch relationship (because I desperately want it). I hope you all can enjoy.

1, 2

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The sun stretches into the room as the curtains lay still. The breeze outside wispy and sharp, pushing summer leaves in its wake. Pumpkin my cat mewls at me as she stretches. Her orange fur soft and short.

“Good morning” I say as I nuzzle into her fur. Pumpkin has been my closet companion since I left Atlanta. We found each other when we both needed it most. She was so small then, scared too. Pumpkin thought the whole world was out to get her and so did I.

Texas was our do-over in more ways than one. This land isn’t new to me and I’m not new to it but owning it is. This property was my grandpas, my pops and now mine. He was over running it and sprung it on me. My momma said, “opportunities don’t knock twice so decide if your door needs to open.” I know it’s mumbo jumbo but she has her point, this all fell in my lap when I needed it who’s to say I’d get a chance at solitude again. Speaking of solitude who’s taking me out of mine?

I haven’t even had a chance to take my bonnet off yet or change into some decent clothes before there was a rapping on my front door. Hurriedly I reach for my pink robe and shot gun. Peeping through the window I got a glimpse of a very tired looking woman.

She’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Her hair was long, braided back. The golden locks compliment her pale skin. “Who are you?” I say through the door. “The farm hand your father hired.” The drawl on her voice damn near made me melt and place the gun to the side.

I open the door but don’t take off the chains, “you gonna let me in little missy?”

“Yes sorry!” I take off the chains and fully open the door.

My pops mentioned that he was gonna hire a farm hand till I was more comfortable on the farm by myself but he never mentioned how beautiful she was gonna be!

“Abigail Anderson ma’am, but you can call me Abby.” She says softly like she’s afraid to raise her voice. “Hello Abby…well you know who I am so let’s sort out house rules I supposed.”

House rules:

Always knock

Be mindful of the other

Feed Pumpkin if you see her bowl is empty at 8 am and/or 8 pm

These three rules have kept us at bay for the last three months. I love new people truly just not when I find them attractive, so I haven’t given myself a chance to know her and been quite the cold roommate. Our farm is quite expansive. We home cows, sheeps, goats and horses. However we don’t sell them so we are a dairy farm!

Abby has a liking to the cows. I often catch her feeding them honeydew or reading to them, even falling asleep in the fields. It was one of those days.

I feel my heart thump as I approach her sleeping figure. Her hat tilted over her face, her button nose peeking out. Hair spilling from a loose ponytail. Her shirt open showing off her toned chest and wife pleasure. Boots thrown to the side I assume so she could be more comfortable.

“Hey roomie” she says slow and quiet. “Sorry!” I say realizing I was staring. “Y’know you’ve probably said two words to me and I think both have been sorry.” She chuckles.

“I’m sorry.” I whisper

“What for?” Clearing her throat as she fixes her hat, “do you even know what your sorry for mhm?”

“Sorry for saying sorry.”

The only sound after that was the winding breaking our tension. Until she pat the spot next to her. Nervously I sat down.

“Why don’t you like me? Have I offended you or-”

“Please stop I don’t dislike you and I’m sorry to cut you off but I truly don’t dislike you I’m just nervous. Not just with you I mean with people. Like have you seen me bring a friend up here? Nope! Well I cut mine off but that’s neither here nor there, I feel like I’m sharing too much now so to make sure I answered your question I don’t dislike you, you make me nervous but people make me nervous.” I can feel heat settle into my cheeks and embarrassment weigh on me. I hate when I start to just ramble I probably sound so stupid to her…

Her blue eyes study my dark brown ones before saying “I get anxious too.”

I nod, wanting this moment to end. I meant it when I said I cut my friends off. I couldn’t handle people especially in a bustling city anymore.

“How about we finish our chores and have dinner on the porch and talk?” She said moving her face into my wandering gaze.

“Sorry I mean yes we can…sorry for-” her squeezing my hand was enough to shut me up.

The day seemed to fly by even when we cooked together. We sat on the porch swing, facing the moonlight. For comfort I wrap myself in the fuzzy knitted blanket my grandma made for me when I was a little girl. I wonder if she’s brought anything like that with her?

“Abigail…Abby may I go first?” I clear my voice as I speak and twiddle with my fork. She gives me a silent yes with that damned gaze of hers.

“Where did you live before you lived here?” Her freckled hand slightly tightened around her fork but she kept a calm expression. “Seattle, Washington…it was beautiful especially when it rained. Which was always so I guess it was always beautiful. The rains actually not as bad as everyone thinks. It’s like a constant drizzle.”

I take leisure sips and bites as I listen. Her eyes lighting up as she tells me a bit about what she’d do over especially with her big friend group.

“So how are you adjusting here then? Seattle is different from Texas.”

“I was born here I just moved up there for personal reasons for a while is all.” I nod sensing a weight to what she was trying not to say.

“So why are you taking over the farm? Your father mentioned you use to live in Atlanta most people wouldn’t make that switch.”

I laugh lightly…my dad would gossip about me to a stranger.

“Well my dad was ready to just say fuck it and let the farm get bought out but I couldn’t let that happen. My sister lives in Chicago and she is married with children so she wouldn’t shift her life understandably so. I was ready to change…I always am so I took it. I mean I helped when I was a little girl and it’s been mostly the same!”

I rocked myself a bit faster on the porch swing and she matched my tempo.

“I am not a cat person.” She says trying to break the silence I think I created. “Do you hate Pumpkin?” I gasp causing her to snort a little and shake her head.

“Never been much of a cat person. Use to have dog named Alice.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Everyday…” she says looking at me a little.

I scoot a little closer, “we can get a dog. Not to replace her or anything but I’d like you to be as comfortable as possible so if you want a dog we can get a dog.”

“You don’t think it’ll be too much?” She turns to me, “we are on a farm I think a dog is fitting.” I laugh.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter and conversation I only remembered having. I forgot how nice it was to talk to someone. Abby is a total enigma; she is sweet and inviting but she’s also closed off. I guess we’re similar in that way.

We wrapped ourselves into the blanket until sunrise, me falling asleep first. I could tell she was watching over me. She’s so warm, and smells like cider. Her musk lulling me to sleep almost as quickly as her voice is.

She’s caught my eye and I’ve caught hers let’s see who’ll make the first move.

───────┈ · ·

A/N: im quite nervous about how you guys will like this one but I hope you guys will like it because it’s near and dead to my heart. I’m tryna write a slow burn and I hope it’s working lol. I want to start a tag list so comment if you want to be on it!! I’m in love the idea of butch Abby so I can’t wait to really write out her character and I am inspired by @bambiesfics so I’ll be making a moodboard for certain fics and I definitely am making one for this one!!

Taglist: @manfuckthisimout

(Dividers- @dollywons)

[coffee-at-daybreak]

blazing | vilkas x reader

a/n: as requested by a few on ao3, i’ve whipped up a pt 2 to this vilkas fic, although this could probably be read as a one shot too. it’s a bit longer and more dramatic than its predecessor but i hope it’s still good. tysm to those who loved the first part <3

! warning ! for strong language, minor injury and blood, and some slightly suggestive content near the end heehee

The soft, damp earth sinks beneath your boots with every step. Lush evergreen trees pass by you on either side. You can hear a river nearby, trickling and splashing, accompanied by the ambiance of forest insects and animals. And the cloudless sky above is turning from a pale blue to a deep violet, the sinking sun taking the warmth of daylight with it.

Your attention isn’t on the scenery, though. Instead you glare at Vilkas’s back.

He walks a small distance in front of you, his own gaze turned ahead. His armor and clothes rustle slightly with every movement he makes, and occasionally that daunting greatsword strapped to him as well catches the final reflections of the sun. Every now and then, he’ll turn his head to look off of the path or survey the area.

But you’re positive he hasn’t turned around to look at you once.

Anger sizzles beneath your skin and you narrow your eyes at him. It wasn’t your first choice to come along on this mission, either. But with Farkas coming down with a fever, Aela was left to train the new whelps back at Jorrvaskr - meaning you had to be the one to accompany Vilkas. Were it just a simple task, maybe you would have let him come alone. But this was a bandit problem, and it would be unwise to tackle it without a Companion.

You’d left Whiterun this morning, and not one word had been spoken since. Probably because you don’t know what words to say.

The sizzling anger turns into a tingling warmth that flushes your upper body as you recall the last interaction you’d had. What started out as an argument, the heated jabs and words that you were so used to with him… had somehow become a kiss. A passionate, almost needy kiss, one that ended as abruptly as it had happened.

It had only been two days prior, but you still played it over and over in your mind. Restless days and nights thinking about it, about him, wondering how in Oblivion that had happened. And what happens next?

Maybe if he actually spoke or even looked at you, you could be a step closer to figuring all that out. If he would just stop his stupid brooding and-

“I can feel you glaring, you know,” he announces.

You move your eyes up to the back of his head, but he still doesn’t turn around. Your hands clench into fists at your side. “Glaring? Oh, no. I’ve actually been lovingly batting my lashes.”

He shakes his head at the sharp sarcasm in your tone. The rushing of the nearby river starts to fade as you both walk farther away from it, deeper into the forest. It still nearly drowns out the sound of his sigh.

But you do hear it, and your heart responds with a flicker. You don’t know whether it’s irritation or attraction, though. “Are we going to talk about it, Vilkas?” You ask boldly.

He keeps walking, but you notice the way those broad shoulders tense up. “Talk about what?”

Is he serious? Heat runs up your neck as you quicken your pace, trying to fall in closer behind him. “Cute. I didn’t know you were the type to play dumb.”

“I don’t ‘play’ anything,” he counters coolly.

You cross your arms. Having them open just pushes you closer to picking up a pebble and lodging it at him. “Oh, so you just are dumb?”

“Very mature, Harbinger.”

Annoyance pumps through your blood, wanting to come out in the form of words. But they’re an ugly mess in your head - who knows how they would tumble out of your mouth. You want to call him out on the irony- very mature of him to be running from the topic.

But you realize with a sink in your belly that maybe it’s as simple as he does not want to talk about it. Could he be regretting it? That kiss didn’t feel regretful. You can still recall how firmly he had held you, how lavishly his mouth had taken yours. It felt like he was mirroring all the intense emotions you’d been feeling. But maybe his emotions were different from yours.

The thought makes your chest want to cave in on itself.

You look around briefly at your surroundings. You’re somewhere in Falkreath hold, but you’re not sure where. Vilkas is the one with the map. You don’t know how fond he will be of you nudging your way up next to him to take a peek.

“We should look for a stopping point for the night,” you suggest, trying to hide the disappointment in your tone. “The fort is still-”

“Be quiet.”

You snap your head to scowl at him. “I was just-”

“No - Be. Quiet.” His voice is hushed with urgency. He practically whispers it through grated teeth, but you pick up on the shift in his tone, and the way he’s stopped in his tracks.

You come to a halt as well, looking around warily. There’s no sign of life nearby, and it’s hard to see anything in the growing darkness that is starting to envelope everything. You slide your gaze to Vilkas.

He’s still frozen in place, but his hand is poised to reach for the sword at his back. His pale eyes dart around, but they linger on the path ahead of you both.

A tense silence hangs, and you become aware of your heart speeding up, tapping against your chest.

But still, nothing happens. Vilkas slowly lowers his hand glances at you. “I thought I sensed something.”

You frown but you too relax your stance. “Probably just an animal. In case you didn’t know, we’re in the woods. They’re everywhere.”

The glare he gives you is sharp enough to cut stone. You throw back a smirk, trying to play off the fact that his eyes finally being on you makes your pulse quicken even more.

He turns back around. He hesitates another second before continuing his walk down the path, and you start to follow him.

Suddenly, one of the shrubs alongside the path rustles. You notice a strange mass of wavering air, a slight shimmer of movement. Just as it launches out, you recognize it with a plummeting heart - the cloak of an invisibility spell.

“Vilkas!” On instinct, you dart forward. He whips around but you’ve already reached him, putting yourself between him and the attacker just as the spell dissipates.

You see a glimpse of menacing, narrowed eyes under a hood, then your vision blotches over just as pain erupts at your shoulder. The unmistakable white-hot agony of a blade digging into your skin drowns out your senses for a second.

But they come back to you a second later when you see the attacker stumbling back, a fatal slash from Vilkas’s sword across their chest. You feel your legs give out, but you also feel his arm catching you at your back before you can fall back. You hear him saying your name, muffled by the dull ringing in your ears from the pain.

It’s focused in on your shoulder where the dagger still sits embedded. But it feels like it’s spreading, slow and hot, all throughout your body. The wet warmth of blood starts to stain your clothes as well. You draw in a deep, trembling breath, trying to focus on keeping your consciousness.

Vilkas says your name again, but it carries enough volume to almost be a shout- one filled with worry like you’ve never heard before. His arm squeezes around you protectively as he holds you up.

“You’re a fucking idiot, you know! What were you thinking?” He demands in a snarl, but there’s a bit of a tremble to it. He keeps looking from you to the collapsed attacker, as if he’s afraid they’ll get back up any second now. But they’re lying motionless on the ground. The scattered valuables that fell off of them tells you they must have been a thief.

“I … wasn’t,” you wheeze. Your head’s foggy, and you try to reach for the dagger.

“No!” Vilkas swats your hand away. “Don’t. We need to get you out of the open first.”

You turn to look at him. Your sight is still a little blurry at the edges, but you recognize that gripping, sharp emotion in his eyes - fear. You feel it yourself, growing much like the pain in your body.

“But where-”

“Up ahead. There’s an old tomb not far.” Vilkas does another quick scan of your surroundings, hurrying to reattach his sword to his back. Then he dives in, one arm staying at your back and the other hooking under your legs, and he scoops you up effortlessly.

You’re so caught off guard that for a second, you forget your situation. “Hey, I can walk!” You try to protest, but just trying to raise your voice leaves you winded. The pain is crawling to your chest, which suddenly feels too tight and strained.

“Shut up. Focus on breathing.” Vilkas orders, moving briskly down the path. All the hurried movement jostles you around, even with his arms firm around you.

You do as he says. You try to hone in on the warmth of his torso instead of the unnerving chills taking over. The pain is seeping farther out, inching its way down your limbs and abdomen. This isn’t just a simple shoulder stab - the dagger must have been poisoned.

Your neck grows weak next, and your head falls against Vilkas’s shoulder. Your eyelids feel heavy, but he gives you a light shake, and you blink.

“Stay awake, you hear me? Almost there,” he rasps, hastening his steps.

Finally, you sense him veering off the trail and into the woods. There’s more jostling and jerking around as Vilkas carries you through the entrance of the tomb. The open sky becomes a stone ceiling, the trees become moss-covered walls. A short flight of steps later, you’re in an ancient embalming room, deep enough that you’re out of sight from the world above but not deep enough to be encountering any more threats yet - hopefully.

Vilkas sets you down with tremendous caution, the comfort of his arms under your legs replaced by the hard, cold plane of a stone table. Your back is leaned up against the wall behind you. One of his hands squeezes your uninjured shoulder, but the other one…

“I’m taking this out now,” he explains as he grips the handle of the dagger. Your hand flies out to grasp his forearm in anticipation, heart pounding. “Deep breath,” he instructs, holding your terrified gaze.

You inhale, and on the exhale, he pulls. Pain lashes through your body, pulling a weak cry out of your throat, and Vilkas winces at the sound. He tosses the weapon aside, the clatter of it echoing through the chamber. Then he shuffles around in his pocket for something.

Your eyes flutter closed, trembling as you start to feel even more faint. Vilkas suddenly gripping your chin makes you jump, and you crack your eyes back open. He’s lifting up a small red potion bottle with his other hand, his gaze locked onto yours with a stern yet pleading emotion.

“It’s for the poison. Drink up.” He tilts your chin up gently and tips the bottle of the potion at your lips. The bitter liquid slips down your tongue and throat, making you shudder.

Vilkas’s hand stays planted at your neck, watching you as he waits for the potion to take action. After a minute, the prickling pain seeping through your blood begins to fade, until the majority of it lingers on the actual dagger wound at your shoulder. You still feel weak, but not teetering on the brink of consciousness anymore.

“Much better,” you murmur weakly. “Thank you.”

He doesn’t say anything, his jaw ticking as he bites his words back, but the relief sweeping through his eyes almost speaks for him.

Another short while passes as the poison further leaves your system, and your heart rate and breathing come to a more steady, normal pace. A weighted silence hangs in the air as Vilkas dresses your wound - not very well, but enough to stop the bleeding and keep it protected until it can be properly healed.

You watch him as he works. He’s so close up, and in the faint torch light of the tomb, you can see the hardened features of his face - his annoyingly handsome face.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” You ask quietly, your eyes darting to look over him. But it seems like he was spared from the attack.

He tenses, his hand stiffly securing the bandage at your shoulder. “No.”

“Good,” you exhale. “I was-”

“No, it’s not good.” Vilkas’s hand comes off of you and he steps back. Your heart sinks as the warmth of his body being close to yours fades. You look at him, startled by the sudden ice-cold glare being cast upon you.

“That dagger was supposed to be for me.” He practically hisses the words through clenched teeth. “Why did you do that?”

You frown at him. “It was instinct, really.” He keeps looking at you with a seething scowl, and you blink. “Are you … actually upset?”

“Of course I’m upset!” He gestures at your shoulder, and when his hand falls back to his side, it’s clenched into a fist. “You could have died!”

His words are wrought with anger, but there’s a hint of something like … anguish in his tone. Your chest aches for a second, but his choice of words there makes your own hackles raise.

You shrug. “Then there’d be one less problem in your life.”

Vilkas’s eyes flare, his head making the subtlest shaking motion. “You really are a fool.”

You stiffen and narrow your eyes at him. “Don’t call me that. I’m not a fool for protecting you. For all we know, he could have ended up killing us both.”

“I don’t need your protection,” he growls.

Those words sting almost as bad as the poison you’d just been feeling. But the jab of hurt is replaced by the creeping heat of anger, flushing under your skin and in your belly.

“So, what, you need me to let you get hurt next time?” You retort.

“I need you to not throw your life on the line like that!” He shouts.

You flinch. Unable to form words, you merely look back at him. The expression on his face is all too familiar. The deep pull of his brow, the tight lines of his lips, the agitated clenching of his jaw - that infamous scowl of his that’s been directed at you too many times, at every little disagreement or stare-down you’ve had before.

But there’s something different about his eyes. This time, it’s not gripping ice or chilling rain clouds they remind you of. No, right now, they’re alight with a mixture of emotions so intense that it leaves you stunned. Something pained, something furious, something tender, all dancing together in a captivating mess. It reminds you of fire, actually. And not typical fire, not the warm-colored flames that you see in hearthfires or in destruction magic.

No, his eyes are like fire in its purest form, a blazing shade of blue that makes you feel like you’re burning from the inside out.

“I need-” He pauses as if the words get caught in his throat, but this time, he doesn’t swallow them. He gets them out in an almost choked, hushed tone. “I need you. If … if something happened to you…” He trails off, and looks away.

But you can’t look away from him. Your body still feels like it’s in shock, and you know it’s not from the poison anymore.

“I thought you hated me,” you admit.

Vilkas stares at you again with a tilt of his head and an arch to his eyebrow. “Yes, because kissing you like that means I must loathe you,” he deadpans in his typical sarcasm.

Now you avert your eyes. You shrug, a faint blush growing on your cheeks. “In your defense, I was being an asshole. It was a very effective way to shut me up.”

He exhales, a small huff that is as close to a laugh as you’re getting. “Idiot,” he mutters. But his tone is different. It still makes you mad, for sure - but there’s also a subtle softness to it that sends your traitorous heart fluttering.

“In my defense, it’s hard to tell with you.” You look back up at him, matching that intense gaze of his. “You act a certain way or do certain things that makes me hopeful, then next, you’re … cold, and distant.”

Your chest pangs at remembering how he’d barely acknowledged you on this mission so far. How he’d actively avoided looking at you after that kiss. And though it hurts to think so, you wouldn’t hold it against him if this wasn’t something he wanted to pursue.

He pauses a moment, but then lets out a quiet sigh. “I know. I’m sorry. I suppose I’ve just been afraid.”

Your brow jumps up. “You? Afraid? Not very werewolf of you.”

He levels you a glare that almost makes you visibly shrink. “Watch it. I can still leave you in this tomb and tell everyone you didn’t make it.”

Your lips tug into a small smile, but you keep silent. If he’s really about to come clean about his feelings, then the jokes can wait.

Vilkas draws a slow breath in, as if physically gathering the courage in his chest. He keeps his eyes averted, but you can see the sincerity in them from here. “I’ve been afraid that the moment I face it, it becomes real. Too real. I thought that if I kept you at arm’s length, if I just kept … hating you, then you couldn’t get close enough for me to care about.”

His gaze rises and meets yours. Your skin crawls with simultaneous chills and heat.

“But of course that failed. It didn’t matter how far I stayed away or how much you fucking annoyed me at times.” He shakes his head a tad. “I cared - I still do. And unfortunately, I always will.”

Only he could drop a confession so plain and curt like it’s nothing. You can’t even grasp simple words of your own. There’s so much you want to say, but how to even begin saying it…

You find yourself resorting to the timeless tactic you’ve always used on him - being a pain in his ass.

“I don’t believe you,” you say.

Vilkas looks genuinely shocked for half a heartbeat, and you have to smother another smirk. His expression quickly fuses into his familiar scowl. “What? I just said-”

“I know. But again, it’s hard to tell with you.” You lift your chin in a challenge. “Prove it. Prove that you care.”

He tenses up so much he could blend in with the stone walls around you. “You are the bane of my existence, Harbinger,” he growls.

But of course, his words don’t align with that little flicker in his eyes - something that warms his gaze, and makes you feel warmer when it’s upon you.

He begins to cross the room to approach you. The breath in your lungs nearly stills altogether, but your heart is the opposite, speeding up with every step he takes until he stops, right in front of you and the table you’re still seated on.

For a few seconds, you merely look at each other. He’s the first to momentarily break eye contact when he chances a split-second glance at your lips. Suddenly, the short distance between the two of you feels like kindling, like any more heat will push you to combustion.

But he’s still hesitating. You see the war in his eyes, the clenching of his fists. You wonder if he’s going over the doubts again- the risks that come with becoming more than… whatever you two are.

“If it’s easier,” you murmur, tilting your head up to better look at him, “you can just take a dagger for me next time I’m targeted.”

Vilkas shakes his head slightly, but there’s an unmistakable lift to one side of his mouth. He leans down, planting his hands flat on the table on either side of you, and Gods, his face is suddenly very close. Your heart misses a beat.

“I’d rather show you just how much I loathe you,” he replies, then his mouth is on yours.

The kindling ignites. The rush of blood under your skin feels like flames crawling from your heart all the way to your fingertips. It leaves you absolutely lightheaded, and out of half instinct, half desire, you lift your own arms and sling them around his neck. His broad shoulders flex beneath them as he presses closer, deepening the kiss with so much urgency that you can’t help but gasp into it.

Maybe the overwhelming warmth would be suffocating if it wasn’t so damn amazing. It is easy to forget the chilly cave or the distant ache in your shoulder when you can be lost in him instead, in the delicious press of his body against your own and the almost desperate movement of his lips.

You try to pull him even closer, your legs hooking loosely around him below his waist. He complies, then surprises you by rolling your lower lip gently between his teeth. You shiver in spite of the heat that starts to gather deep in your belly.

You could be burning from the inside out and you wouldn’t care.

One of your hands snakes up to dig into his hair. One of his hands comes off the table and latches around your waist instead. He leans you back just enough to break the kiss, but you only get one precious second to try and catch your breath before his lips start planting their way down your neck. Your lungs nearly seize again, and you crane your head back to give him better access. The feeling of his feathery breath and scratchy facial hair on your skin is blissful, but your entire body is climbing to a new high.

But then of course, like the jerk he is, he stops - abruptly. A small whine of protest dies in your throat as he lifts his head, bringing it in front of yours. There’s a glint of mischief in his eyes, but it’s nothing compared to the icy heat of his gaze, something more intimate - and attractive - than plain desire.

“Convinced?” He asks huskily, his own breathing still a little ragged like yours.

You would be the very thing he called you earlier - a fool - to deny the meaning of his affections at this point. But that’s part of the fun with him. “Just a little,” you huff around your smirk.

“Don’t worry.” His hand at your waist gives you a tight squeeze, and his lips hover over your own. “I’m not done.”

[quitealotofsodapop]

Macaque, making his grand entrance wearing one of his best outfits just to flex: Now, what is all this rackets!?

The group turns to see a drop-dead gorgeous goth monkey with shouldering eyes, Wukong can feel his face heating up as he realizes that's his shirt. Luzgen realizes what his brother-in-law is doing and starts to grin. Baije is currently having a huge gay existential crisis because while he may be straight, he also has eyes!

Luzhen: Nothing of note, dear brother-in-law! Wukong's companions have come for a visit and to ask he return to the journey the Bodhisattva had task him with.

Macaque turns a regal eye over them as all of them except for Wukong, who is still shellshocked at the sight of his mate looking downright divine, have the sudden realization that Wukong didn't just have a brother. He has a husband, one who looks as though he would feed then to the lions at a moment notice: I see... well then I suppose I shall join in this conversation. Considering it involves the fate of my mate and king.

And then Macaque makes sure to kiss Wukong upon the cheek, causing the already blushing mess of a king to go into an overheated state as he stammers in a flustered manner, tail wrapping around Wukong's waist to pull him close.

Prev.

YES XD

Luzhen smiling deviously at Macaque's performance. If its one thing the two agree on, it's their sense of humor.

Wukong blushing and stuttering like a malfunctioning computer at how enchanting his mate is looking right now. This monkey has been in jail for 500 years, his brain is overheating. Only reason he aint doing something unholy rn is cus there's baby monkeys and a monk present.

The Stalwarts are smiling deviously in their own ways - you know they helped Macaque prepare for this introduction.

Each pilgrim has their own reaction.

Zhu Bajie's is the loudest. You can hear his jaw drop and the gears turning in his head as he realises "Thats a guy!?"

Tripitaka is Terrified. One cus attractive people scare him, and Two because Macaque really does look ready to toss the monk into the ocean for making Wukong sad.

Sha Wujing politely covers his eyes and says a cheery "Hello!" He does not wish to look disrespectfully.

Ao Lie doesn't even act surprised (horse or not). Brother Wukong spoke so highly of his mate that the dragon just assumed he'd be as drop-dead gorgeous in person. Lie does however giggle behind his sleeves at Wukong's love-struck expression.

As Macaque's kisses his mate's cheek and wraps his tail around him, Wukong can only reply with a sound akin to steam escape a kettle. And with the near-instinctual wrapping of his own tail around Macaque.

It all sends a very clear message to the Pilgrims that the bodyguard they took for granted has many very good reasons to drop his employment at any time if he so wished.

And that theres someone very willing to cut them all down if they ever take him for granted again.

[novlr]

How do you make readers see that the characters you are writing about have a platonic relationship not a romantic one without writing he's a father figure to her or someone asking the question ‘why you two are not together?’ To which they reply something which implies they have a platonic relationship. Like how to show without saying or writing particular words?

This is an excellent question with many layers. I’ve addressed elsewhere how to write long-established loving relationships where I explored romantic vs companionate love. Let’s dig deeper into emotional intimacy, which I see as the basis for both platonic and romantic relationships. But first, let’s take a detour into authorial intent.

Authorial intent

I think every writer has experienced that moment when a reader latches onto something in the work – a relationship, a plot point, a world building thread – and runs off in a direction the author did not intend. Witness the wild and prolific world of fanfic.

I take it as a compliment that people connect with my work and expand on it in their own imaginations. I admit to sometimes being puzzled by where they go with it. Recognizing this happens can save you a lot of headaches.

That obviously platonic relationship you wrote? There will be readers who will, in their own headcanon, make it romantic. Not what you wanted, and it can be frustrating, especially if you are trying to explore platonic relationships. My advice is to shake it off and don’t worry about it. You can’t control how others relate to your work or what speaks to them. 

With that out of the way, let’s talk about ways to clearly signal which type of relationship it is and how to avoid signaling that you really intend for it to be romantic at some point in the future.

Platonic vs romantic relationships

Start by thinking of the various platonic relationships in your life and that you see around you. Observe people in coffee shops, parks, restaurants. Can you tell by watching which people are in romantic relationships and which are good friends? What are the differences you see between friendships and romantic relationships?

Look at personal space, eye contact, nicknames, the patterns of speech used, and how they touch or don’t touch one another. This also needs to be looked at through the lens of what is appropriate for the given culture. Now think about best friends. This is a very common platonic relationship. What does that look like?

It’s easy to see how the two types of relationships can be confused. Both are often lifelong and carry a lot of emotional intimacy. What secrets does your best friend know about you? Who do you go to when you need to solve a problem? To further complicate it, many people consider their romantic partner to be their best friend. Think of it as a Venn diagram. There is a lot of overlap between platonic and romantic relationships. 

Show vs tell 

So how does an author signal its platonic and not romantic? You can, of course, just tell the reader that X is Y’s best friend and there is no romantic attraction. Does the reader believe you? Let’s look at a few ways you can show that is the case. 

Are either of them in a romantic relationship? Have them discuss their lovers past and present. 

A corollary to the above – have one act as the other’s wingman in a social situation.

How are you describing physical contact between the two? How does a platonic hug differ from a romantic one? Do they link arms when walking? How is that different from how they would do so with a lover? 

Give them more of a sibling vibe, and think about how siblings treat each other. 

How do your characters feel about romance in general? Is one or the other asexual? 

Emotional intimacy

Whatever you do, don’t shy away from writing about emotional intimacy. Have your characters share their problems, feelings, and secrets. How do they help one another or get in one another’s way? How do they joke with each other? Then find ways of showing how they do that differently in a romantic relationship. You can also do that with secondary characters in your work who are in a romantic relationship. That contrast will help make your point that it’s platonic. 

Finally, it is absolutely ok if you don’t want to write about romantic relationships at all or you are writing an asexual character who would never have a romantic relationship. You can still do the compare-and-contrast to background characters or social expectations. A quick line here and there will also cover it. Asexual characters can express how they just don’t feel attraction or are disgusted by romance or certain types of physical contact. You can have someone ask, “Is this your boyfriend/girlfriend?” and have your character respond. It can be an opportunity to show how they imagine that scenario.

[mandoriana]

HEADCANON - ADAM RAKI (ADAM)

Adam's father, being a military man, taught his son how to handle weapons, but only for emergency situations.

Adam doesn't like the noise of guns, but he likes how they make his hands tingle.

Adam has a very high IQ and was responsible for many revolutionary electronic toys, but all his plans were stolen by competing companies, which led to his dismissal.

Sometimes he has existential crises without wanting to, starts thinking a lot about the universe, and realizes that he is just a microscopic dot in the middle of vast life. Then he comforts himself with the fact that he is alive and can be part of this universe, and he feels better.

He is a light sleeper and sometimes slept hugging his father, but whenever Adam slept, his father had to stay in bed for hours so Adam wouldn't wake up.

His best friends in childhood were the teachers who were always impressed with him, although some didn't have much patience for him.

His mother abandoned him after he was diagnosed with autism, so Adam saw her leave when he was 6 years old, which affects him to this day.

Afraid that Adam would have abandonment issues, his father made sure to be the best father possible.

Adam is a daddy's boy.

His father, after leaving the army and before marrying Adam's mother, studied and worked at NASA.

Adam has knowledge about rocket construction and dreams of being able to build his own rocket, but his father forbade him from trying to buy aircraft fuel because he knows it's illegal.

Adam always fed the raccoons with his father when they went to the park.

After moving to Canada, he became very popular with the people at his work and became known as "The Little Prince," although Adam had already explained that he was neither a prince nor someone small.

The children who visit the planetarium love Adam, some even dress up as characters from the book "The Little Prince" to see him.

The children's parents were worried about Adam being a danger to their children, but soon understood that he was a good man and deserved respect.

Adam laughed a lot after understanding that a girl's drawing was not a hat but a snake that ate an elephant.

He doesn't like the book "The Little Prince" because of its astrological inaccuracies, but he has worn his astronaut suit to impress the children, which also made him more comfortable and helped attract the children's attention when he was talking about space.

Adam adopted a cat after moving to Canada; actually, it was the cat who adopted Adam. One day the cat appeared at the window of Adam's new apartment, and he didn't have the heart to approach and remove the animal. Two days later, the cat entered, and Adam preferred not to touch him, as the cat could be skittish. By the end of the week, Adam had already named the cat, taken him to the pet shop for a bath, given all the vaccines, and arranged a room in the apartment just for the cat to live in without disturbing Adam's routine.

The cat:

His name is Cat.

Cat is Adam's greatest companion and always accompanies him to work before returning home.

Cat never approaches Adam without permission and doesn't climb on sofas or tables.

Adam becomes even more famous for his adorable friendship with Cat, and many writers and modeling agencies frequently appear at Adam's door, but he refuses them all.

The children give him roses all the time, saying it's so he doesn't miss "his rose." Adam doesn't know what that means.

Adam hates real flowers; they release a lot of pollen and smell like a cemetery.

Despite not liking flowers, he likes cemeteries and often observes the stars there. Sometimes he ends up cleaning someone's tombstone just because he will be sitting nearby for hours and likes to be in a clean place.

Adam ends up becoming a kind of celebrity at his work, and everyone recognizes him as "The Little Prince of real life."

[witchygagirlwrites]

Leslie Shay x Reader

When Kevin tears your heart out Shay is there to put it back together

Companion piece to Hurts Me

“Look, all I’m saying is I think you and her would make a cute couple” Kelly was beginning to give Shay a migraine. She groaned and rolled her head over to look at him “And the fact that she’s dating, in love with and practically living with Kevin?” he grinned “I didn’t say there wasn’t a couple obstacles in the way” she shook her head “You’re horrible, believe it or not you can be friends with someone you’re attracted to”

He nodded “Attracted to? Yes. Have feelings for? I don’t know. I’ve seen how you look at her” she slapped him with the pillow “Will you please stop making sense. I don’t like it!” he laughed, ducking away from the pillow.  “I don’t think he’s right for her” Kelly continued and she glared at her him “You’re saying that because I’m your best friend” he shrugged “I’m saying that because I talk to April regularly still. She was happy with Kevin at first yeah but lately? Not really”

“I am not trying to break her up. She is my best friend outside of you” Shay argued and Kelly grinned “Oh I know me and her are on totally different levels” she smacked him again and he laughed “Her birthday is when?” “Next week” “What’s she doing for it?” he asked and she shrugged, reaching for her phone to send you a text Hey what’s the plan for your birthday?

It wasn’t long and you texted back Currently I have no plans because I doubt Kev will even remember she leaned up to show Kelly the phone and he shrugged “There’s always Mollys? You could have her a party? Show her how its like to be appreciated?” she shook her head “I’ll have my friend a party Kelly. I am not trying to swoop in because her boyfriend is being a piece of crap. I’m not as bad as you”

“Gabby” Shay needed someone else’s opinion besides Kelly’s on this. She really didn’t want to feel like she was being a vulture. You were her best friend. The fact that she’d had feelings for you for so long didn’t matter. 

Gabby cut her eyes up “Yeah?” “If I had someone a birthday party at Mollys, would it be weird?” Gabby grinned “Would that someone be a certain nurse would is always at your side? That you always smile a little brighter when she’s around? That from what my brother says her boyfriend is seriously slipping up and that you’ve had a crush on for years?” Shay felt her face warm “Maybe?”

Gabby laughed “Then no and I will help you” “It’s not being a vulture?” she asked and Gabby shook her head “Hell no. It’s showing her that she has better options”

Gabby and Shay had ended up inviting you to your own birthday party when they dropped off a trauma at Med. The grin you’d given them had made Shay’s heart flip a bit. Why was Kevin not treating you like the goddess you were?

_______________________

A few days later you met her and Gabby for coffee and she got her answer “Kevin has been acting weird and the other night he came home and smelled like perfume. He tried to say it was Kim’s but it wasn’t” “That son of a bitch” the words flew out of her mouth before she even thought of herself and you shot her a grin “Coming to my rescue Leslie?”

She scoffed “Cop or not, I’ll hit him with the rig if I catch him cheating on you. You deserve so much more than that” she just wanted to show you how much more you deserved. You sighed “Never mind him. What about this birthday party?”

She grinned at you “Oh honey. You just show up and if you don’t I’ll come get you” you laughed lightly at her threat before saying “Yes ma’am” “Good girl” she teased and you shook your head with a grin.

Everyone was just waiting on you to get to Mollys. Shay was talking to Kelly when they spotted you. The moment her eyes landed on yours she knew something was wrong so she bumped Kelly’s arm and they both headed towards you. “What’s wrong?” she asked and you tried to keep a smile “Nothing” she stared you down and tears started to slip down your face “He didn’t even tell me happy birthday”

“Oh honey” she cooed and pulled you into a hug as you started crying. The more you started talking about your exes, the more she wanted to get in the car with Kelly and go find any of them that made you doubt yourself. She could handle the women, he could handle any men she couldn’t. “I’m never good enough” you whispered and she pulled down from you “Forget him. Enjoy your night” you managed a small smile “Ok”

__________________

Shay was proud of herself. She’d managed to pull a laugh out of you. That was until your phone went off and you pulled it out then froze looking at the screen. “What’s wrong?” she asked and pulled it free of your grasp. The moment her eyes landed on the screen her stomach churned for you. A brunette in a compromising position with Kevin. “Oh that bastard. KELLY!” 

“He really has been cheating on me” you sobbed and she pulled you into her arms “It’s ok honey. Fuck him. It’s gonna be ok” Kelly appeared over her shoulder and she shoved the phone in his hand “He doesn’t come back near her. You understand me?” Kelly looked down at the phone and his eyes widened “Sweetheart, you wanna stay with us until we can get your locks changed?” you nodded “Will you two take me to get some clothes please?” “Of course. We won’t leave your side” Shay promised.

The first few days you were at the loft it broke Shay’s heart seeing yours hurt. Then it was like a switch flipped. You came home from work one day and you seemed a little less sad. “I faced him and I didn’t feel anything. I wasn’t mad, I wasn’t hurt. I was just done” 

Kelly was at the island and held up a bottle of wine “That’s good right?” you nodded “Yeah, even better if you pour me some of that wine” Kelly grinned and grabbed another glass for you and one for Shay.

She didn’t want to rush you into another relationship but spending all the time with you following your breakup with Kevin had her craving more. One day you and her were at the loft. You were curled up on one end of the couch, messing with the end of Kelly’s hoodie you were wearing. You’d keep looking at her every time you thought she wasn’t looking. It was adorable. 

“Honey, are you ok?” she finally asked and you nodded “Leslie?” she paused the tv and turned to face you “You called me Leslie. It’s serious” you grinned, “Is there something wrong with me?” her eyes widened “Hell no. Why?” you shrugged “It’s been a couple months since I broke up with Kevin and we spend a lot of time together. I thought you would’ve asked me out but then I realized with my record. I don’t want to lose you by not being good enough like always”

“Baby, no. I’ve only waited to not rush you. I would’ve had you the next day. As for you not being good enough fuck anyone who ever made you feel that way. Give me one chance and I will show you just how easy loving you is” the smile that slipped onto your face was the most beautiful thing she’d ever see “Then kiss me” she was pulling you across the couch and into a kiss without another thought. You nipped playfully at her bottom lip and she grinned “Oh I’m keeping you” you laughed “Promise?” she nodded “I swear it”

How much difference does a year make? Leslie requested your birthday off. You woke up with her arms wrapped tightly around you. You moved around just a little and felt her lips brush your bare shoulder “Good morning beautiful. Happy birthday. I love you” you smiled “I love you too” 

She tilted your head back to press a kiss to your lips “I have a surprise for you” you raised an eyebrow. She grinned and leaned up to hold a shirt out to you. You slipped it over your head as she slipped one on then tossed you a pair of panties too then held her hand out “Come on” 

You let her lead you out of the room into the kitchen area of the loft. On the island was a bouquet of your favorite flowers, breakfast from that bakery you liked and coffee. “You didn’t have to do all this” you told her and she shrugged “Didn’t have to but I wanted to” you pulled her into a kiss, rolling your tongue against hers “Thank you” 

___________________

It turned out she’d had an entire day planned of just you and her spending time together. You’d never had a better birthday. When you walked into Molly’s she had her arm around you and you had your head rested over on her. She pulled you into a kiss and you smiled “I love you Leslie” she smiled “I love you too angel” and pressed another kiss to your lips. You’d never been happier and finally felt like loving you wasn’t a burden.

@desimarie12

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Nobunaga her Archer and Avenger versions from FGO with an S/O who was her master in a previous grail war who she meets again at Chaldea and he's become a rare modern day heroic spirit and a strong one at that.

I had a blast writing this, not to mention it helped to scratch the itch I had for the best war criminal.

NOW THEN! YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!

“Heh, looks like you still have a bad habit of not expecting things to get in close to you. Then again… you are an archer, so I guess it can’t be helped.” a familiar voice muttered behind Nobu.

“It couldn’t be…” Nobu thought to herself in shock.

Then, the cuts ignited, engulfing the corrupted servant in a pillar of blood red flames.

“So… you became a heroic spirit didn’t you?” Nobu asked without even turning to face you, her fists clenched tight.

“Of course, after all, we both left quite a few things left unsaid to one another the last time we were together didn’t we?” You responded quietly, the same sword at Nobu’s side in your own hand.

“You know that's not what I meant.” Nobu muttered through gritted teeth.

“I know, but the how can be saved for later.” You told the archer servant quietly as you returned your blade to its sheath.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The atmosphere was tense as the group returned to Chaldea with Nobu glaring daggers at the newly summoned saber servant who held the same sword as her in their hands.

In an effort to break the ice, Guda decided to ask a question.

“Soooo… Saber, mind introducing yourself to the class?”

“Apologies Master, but only one person will ever get to know my true name, and she is rather greedy with it.” You responded as you walked beside the woman glaring daggers at you.

“Really? Mind if I ask who?” Mash innocently requested.

“I don’t think that's my place to say, but you probably know her, she has a wonderful larger than life personality that can get her into quite a bit of trouble which she’ll easily brush off, not to mention, she is quite attractive, and looks quite fetching in her uniform.” You responded cheerily, leaving a certain archer flabbergasted and, if one looked closely, blushing ever so slightly.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

After that, You and Nobu were inseparable and yet… no one knew why.

Nobu sitting directly next to you during lunch, as she drank tea, or addressed her retainers.

You sat directly next to her… any time she was sitting down.

It got to the point that, in lieu of your true name, you had been designated as “The Saber Of The Demon King”.

And it was a name Nobu had taken quite a liking to.

She was a rather possessive person after all.

And you being known by that name? It made her all giddy inside.

Now, if only they knew just who you were to her, that would make your name even better for her.

Still, she was going to wait to drop that bombshell, after all, she doubted that it would be good to give so many people a heart attack from shock.

Not to mention, she still had to figure out just what you were to her as well.

Master, comrade, partner, companion, and even… lover.

These were all words she could use to describe you and yet… none of them truly fit what the two of you were, falling short by the distance of entire planets.

Oh well, the both of you had plenty of time to figure out just what the two of you were to one another.

After all, she was Oda Nobunaga, Demon King Of The Sixth Heaven, it can’t be helped that things tended to get a bit complicated when she was involved!

The flames of Honnoji engulfed her enemies in pillars of flames, burning them to less than ash in an instant.

Yet, she was not the one who burned them.

That honor belonged to her counterpart, a recently summoned Ruler who could always be found standing at the Demon King's side like a loyal blade.

No one knew exactly where this servant came from, there was no record of them in the stores of Chaldea and the Ruler refused to share their name, saying that a rather fiery conqueror had already taken sole ownership of it with a look of affection on their face that had caused a certain Avenger to chuckle with a similar look on her own.

There were theories of course, most of them centering around the two of you.

Some were reasonable like you being an existence similar to that of Nobukatsu except you were the flames of her noble phantasm made manifest.

Others were… not as reasonable, like the one that claimed you and her were Master and Servant from a grail war or something else that would require a summoning or that would allow an Avenger to properly incarnate in the real world even if only through sheer luck.

Alas… neither of you would ever give a straight answer, merely deflecting every question asked.

Nonetheless, if anyone was ever looking for one of you, they simply had to find the other part of the duo and low and behold that is where the person they were looking for would be.

Simply put, the two of you were inseparable.

And something told everyone in Chaldea both of you would have it no other way.

[tyran-the-tyranical]

That one line from Raphael's Second Diary will never cease to get me 🥺 LIKE MIGHT I ADD- these are his private thoughts, separate from his manipulation attempts and so he, with his full chest, admits so much in his second diary, like when he says "never have I been so attracted to mortals as I am to those infested by the tadpole." AHH, (my delusions are so real, trust)

BUT WHEN HE SAYS "They gestured to the melting hooks, suddenly glanced my way, and in their face I saw they had the best of me." look, I get the subtext behind all these quotes, but a girl can just ignore all that media literacy and take it for face value, OK? 💅 but also reading into it, he does admire Tav to a certain extent, and I have to wonder, why? Tav isn't an origin character and Tav's actions and character basically changes with every playthrough (Same with Durge, as they can change too) So I have to wonder if it's because Tav is controlled by the player, since, Raphael does end up breaking the fourth wall in his epilogue speech, so perhaps that's what he sees.

Another way to look at it is, either way, no matter what the playthrough, he sees something in Tav, something that makes them stand out much brighter than their companions (For some reason???)

To further that statement, what is the best of Raphael? I mean, if its an evil playthrough, that would be obvious, but if you're playing a good playthrough, what then? perhaps what he sees is someone he can finally use to get the crown, that's also very likely. Still though that's a very to the point (IMO) not as interesting of a reading since it's literally just his end goal for us, BUT STILL A VALID ONE, because, it is true, that's what he wants from us the most.

Also his third diary where he just straight up admits that he's being so honest with us so he can manipulate us, love that for him, "I am master here. A prince of bargains cloaked like scarlet satin. All that hidden under sublimely obvious truths that cannot be discounted." Which also makes me wonder, is Raphael actually an honest person? I mean, Korilla thinks he's at least decent, but honest? outside of helping us, if we look at Yurgir, he really fucked him over lol. Obviously, Raphael isn't what he seems, even if he's honest with us, to what extent? he says it himself, he's honest about "...sublimely obvious truths..." but what about when he says he's grown quite fond of us in his own way, HMMMM?

I wish this man got a proper story arc in the game, outside of the whole deal for the hammer and House of Hope, that's all plot related for the hammer, but a storyline about Raphael as a character? I mean yea, maybe that would whisk away some of his mystery, his intrigue, but I'm sorry- you cant just end it with him fucking himself (poorly) and trying to break Hope (making her a metaphorical symbol of hope anyway, I think....) AND LEAVE IT THERE?!?!? at the same time, I do like the ambiguity of his character, you could think of him as a cruel bastard after seeing what he's done in the House Of Hope to his debtors and Hope herself or perhaps just a Pathetic lil guy who's shit in bed lol, or maybe even soft, if you go off Korillas words and what he does for us in game he can come across as quite nice, especially after we've interacted with Mizora who's is the only other Cambion example we can go off of.

I also just think it's interesting that he sees anything in Tav/Durge at all. Ofc he says he sees the best of him (Always gotta relate back to himself lol) but that especially a mortal is what he could see himself, the best of himself, but then again he does see potential and ambition as admirable (?) or just something he appreciates, you can see that with Mol and Gortash to some extent anyway, But what ambitions does Tav have outside of just trying to survive? Like, the obvious answer is he wants us to give him the crown and we're the underdog in the story but then why does he refer to Tav so differently then? I fear this has turned into another rant again, lol.

Just a final thought here, but, if he did ever get a story arc, similar to the companions, would they give you multiple directions to take his character? i mean with Shadowheart for example, you could help her break from shar or have her fully convert into shars chosen, but even then, if you free her from shar theres the point of saving her family or freeing her from Shars (curse?) there's multiple ways for her story to end. Though, Raphael isnt a companion, so would he have something similar to idk a minor companion like Halsin or Minthara, who don't really have that much of a diversion (I think) in their endings, they don't really have the option, only really if the player decides to be evil or not, they kinda just follow them either way, it doesn't really impact their own stories. Obviously, I would prefer something with nuance but also, HE ISN'T A COMPANION 😭 and pressingly some of the companions need more work done than he does atm lol. Maybe that's me just projecting lol, once again, me wanting to have my cake and eat it too, anyway, that's me done... for now lol

[marigold-hills]

Dunes & Waters, part 5

PART 1 • PREVIOUS PART • NEXT PART

“Don’t be absurd,” Remus says, teeth tight against the pain, pushing Black’s various bags back into his hands.

It must be such a tiny burn but the thing with silver and werewolves is that it spreads like a poison ivy rash. Remus feels the blisters forming down his palm and up his fingers and having the hand stuffed in the confines of his pocket really isn’t helping. The skin grates against itself, against the linen of his trousers and Remus wants to rip it off and just get it over with. Needs to put the hurt under cold water, infuse it with wolfsbane, but he’s in a middle of a muggle market and Black looks like a spell about to misfire.

“I don’t know what you think, Lupin,” oh and now Black decides to use his actual name, and isn’t that just perfect, wonderful, fantastic, “you haven’t been the most wondrous companion, but I didn’t think you’d add phobic to your list of faults.”

“Knock it off, Black. Just because someone doesn’t want to hold your hand in particular doesn’t make them phobic.”

They’re standing in the middle of the market, separating the tide of shoppers like a stone in a stream. Getting some very nasty looks, the longer they’re stationary, because they’re blocking access to a fabrics stall on their right and frankly it’s just rude, to stand in the middle of a pavement during rush hour just to have a whisper-shouted conversation.

Remus wants to walk away. The burn is up to his wrist now. Statute of secrecy be damned he’s got half a mind to just apparate back to the hotel straight from where he stands, but the Ministry’s number one rule (don’t let the criminal out alone) flashes alongside the pain.

“I get you must be used to people swooning at a mere touch of you, but you won’t get that here so keep your ridiculous judgement to yourself. Good?”

There are tears in his eyes and he thinks he’s shaking. Black looks absolutely affronted, like the mere idea that there is someone out there who doesn’t find him attractive never crossed his mind.

Remus isn’t that person. Obviously. But he would much rather cut Black’s ego down a few pegs (if such a thing can be accomplished by a too-lanky, too-tired academic with a propensity for sweaters) then admit what he is.

Funny, really, because then they could have it out over who actually is phobic.

“Sorted? Great. I don’t have time to indulge you anymore today. We’re going back to the hotel. Follow me or I swear to Merlin I’ll floo Kingsley and tell him you’re not cooperating.”

“Run straight to daddy, why don’t you,” Black grumbles and its so quiet Remus wouldn’t hear it were it not for his condition, so he ignores it. Anyway, he follows as Remus hurries through the crowd back to the apparition point. That’s all he can ask for and what a relief, to be out of the conversation and put of the risk of being discovered.

NEXT PART

@tealeavesandtrash

@moon-girl88

@hoje--aqui

@cocoabutterandbooks

@onion-sliced-apples

@prancingpony42

@digital-kam <3

@remoonysiriusly

(let me know if you do/don’t want to be tagged!)

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

"Difficult to please"

"Focalors with a reader that can switch bodies"

Characters: Focalors x gn!reader

warnings: none

a/n: The obvious things right away: I've never written for Focalors before nor do we have much information about her yet, so I wrote her mostly from my gut feeling after seeing her in the Fountaine trailer.

Anyway, I love Furina as you might have guessed by me changing my theme for her. She's such a little gremlin and her design is so beautiful. I can't wait to see her and how she changes (well, hopefully somewhat to the better at least) in the story.

I’m going to use “Focalors” and “Furina” interchangeably, since I’m 99.99% sure they’re the same person, but hey, if Hoyoverse somehow pulls a huge twist on us and I get it wrong it would also be kinda funny.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Focalors

To say that you were nothing more than a glorified babysitter for Fountaine’s Archon would have been a massive understatement. Once a young law student aspiring to one day become a judge, it didn’t take you long in your position as lawyer to attract the attention of your archon. Not in the “have a vision and beat up the bad guys” kind of way, however. Instead the weird clients you represented never failed to deliver her a somewhat entertaining spectacle, causing the Chief Justice to “volunteer” you as the Archon’s advisor… a role that, while sounding nice, de facto only had the responsibility of keeping her entertained enough to not sully any more court hearings than necessary with her cries of boredom.

When you found out about your powers to switch bodies, you knew better than to tell anyone other than your closest companions… especially Furina. While she got away with her attitude in her own body, you didn’t even want to fathom how many friends she’d be able to alienate or from how many shops she’d get you banned from if she did the same while running around in yours.

However, all of your hard work of keeping it a secret eventually turned out to be futile, as the Archon would eventually figure it out one way or another. After all, the reason she got so little done was not for a lack of ability, she simply didn’t care about most cases and delegated them to whatever judge crossed her path first, but when you began acting a bit stiff around her, the challenge of figuring the reason out was more than enough to keep her on your case.

If it weren’t for the fact that a small voice in your head worried about where to start a new life after having your entire image destroyed by the one currently occupying your body, you would have found the day in your Archon’s body amazing, you got to attend as many court cases as you wanted without anyone batting as much as an eye, got to have your first experiences as a judge and even didn’t have to pay for any of the most delicious food and drinks Fountaine got to offer. The stares you received from the other officials, probably wondering what could have happened for their notoriously difficult Archon to have such a good day, were a bit much at some times, but it was not like you were complaining.

“I want to change back!”, Focalors demanded the moment she stepped into her office, swinging the door behind her shut with as much force as she could muster and not even wincing in the slightest at how loud it was. Beelining towards the couch as she let herself fall onto it, letting out a groan of annoyance loud enough to make any bird sleeping outside fall out of its nest.

“Can’t handle being asked out all the time?”, you tried to crack a joke, knowing all too well that answering earnestly would only earn you a bored sigh.

“Ha!”, Furina let out a loud laugh before turning her face towards you. “Remind me to make you my court jester the next time we are in need of one”, she stated sarcastically before looking back at the ceiling. For your and Fountaine’s sakes however, you decided to disregard her order and to not to remind her of how she had just fired the last one for “being boring”.

“Aren’t you humans supposed to have interesting lives? What happened to ‘live every day like it's your last one’? Or is doing *this* what you all desire??”, she asked while extending her arms and wildly signaling into the air.

“What did you do all day?”, you asked, trying to sound as casual as possible even though your mind was starting to panic about what you might be greeted with tomorrow. But instead of answering your question, your Archon ignored you and continued to complain about how boring your life was, causing you to start worrying even more.

“I bet you loved this day, watching boring court cases, getting any food you desired for free, being asked for your opinion… eugh”, she let out yet another groan, making you wonder how easy it was for her to read you.

“Furina.”

“Anyway, I want my body back. So give it to me”, she continued to ignore you as she stated her earlier demand once again.

“What did you do while in my body, Furina?”, you asked one last time, grabbing both of her shoulders to force eye contact with her.

“You’ll probably have some explaining to do. I honestly want to see it all play out, it’s going to be the most entertainment I’ve had in months”, she answered off-handedly, causing you to bury your face in your palms as she continued on as if nothing happened.

“I’ll make you a judge as compensation, it’ll be a win-win. You’ll get to do what you always wanted to do and I may get one or two interesting hearings out of it”, Furina stated before pulling your hands away from your face and placing her forehead on yours, prompting the two of you to finally change bodies.

Yet, her offer caused you to feel even more conflicted than you already were. Finally, it was your time to let out a groan.

“That’s Nepotism.”

“I don’t care”, she responded bluntly, forcing you to use all your self control not to fall into the deep pit of hopelessness for your nation currently seeming to open in front of you. “Didn’t you want to become a judge?”

“Yes, but I want to earn it!”

What followed were a couple of seconds of silence before Furina turned around, walked over to a different couch, sat down, let out a long sigh and spoke a sentence so laced with irony that you didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at it.

“Fine. Geez, you’re so difficult to please.”

[thepaladinstrait]

we don't talk enough about stray so please tell me what's your favourite chapter and why!

POPPYYYYYY OKAY. I SPENT ALL DAY THINKING ABOUT HOW TO ANSWER THIS AND IVE DECIDED IM JUST GONNA RAMBLE ABOUT ALL THE CHAPTERS

here’s a tldr :)

my favourite chapter is the slums!! it’s so so detailed and fun and there are so many companions to interact with, and there are so many details and such gorgeous graphics that tell the story really really well!!!!

okay here’s the long rant about each chapter

SO

chapter 1- inside the wall

i really love the design of this chapter!! and just the fun cat stuff with the cats friends, i love the interactions at the start before you go to sleep with the cats, and just running around and it’s really cute!! not too much to say about this chapter really, but it’s actually really heartbreaking and it sets up the story really well, with the cat falling into the sewers and stuff. very cute, good graphics and design, good way to set up the story!

chapter 2- dead city

graphics!!!!!!! i loooove the graphics in this chapter, all the graffiti is so cool. and the dead companion gave me a jumpscare when i first played ashckskdlsjdksj. not really much to say again, i love the zurk chase though!! first experience with the zurks and i think the chase was really good to start with to set down basics!!!! also all the signs that b12 was guiding the cat with is so cute and i really love it. also i love that when you meow the neon lights turn on and guide the way up to the entrance to the flats, i think that’s really good for new players, and it’s also more b12 involvement!! also- the paint buckets!!!!!!!!!!! so much fun

chapter 3- the flats

b12 b12 b12 b12 b12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i loved walking on the keyboard, that was loads of fun. again, not really much to say about this chapter, just. b12 <3 also bucket zip-line!! that’s always fun too! that’s really all i have to say about the flats

chapter 4- the slums

okay i think this is my favourite chapter. the graphics, the storytelling, all the companions you can talk to, intro to momo, the grandma, morusque, the paint throwing companions, the guardian, jacob, everything!!!!!!! i really love all the details put into all of the places, and all the outsiders’ apartments. i also loved sleeping next to swanito, the companion who was up on a rooftop talking about the “stars” (the dots in the roof of the city). also, morusque!!!!!!!!!!!!! really love him. i love all the posters in the outsiders’ apartments, and all the details. like, the video game poster, the cows, all the things about the outside, i just think that the graphics and details are so good in there. and doc’s apartment has the absolute cutest sleeping spot in the little nook in the bookcase. but yeah, the slums is my favourite chapter. i could get lost in that space for hours, its so detailed and gorgeous and makes me so happy, its also so safe in there lmao. also there are so many companions to meow at (and to trip over) also jacob <3

chapter 5- rooftops

adjakjdlsjxkaizk rooftops made me mad when i first played, but its better once you’ve done it once and i decently enjoy it now!!! i love watching the zurks launch themselves off the edge of the rooftops, i also really liked meowing to attract them, idk why, i just find it fun lmao. its a quite strategic chapter, which i also enjoy too!! like, meowing to get them to jump off the edge, and opening and closing the gate doors and stuff. i also quite enjoy all the details, again! the graphics of all the zurk infested areas is both gross and so so cool and i really love all the details in the graphics. i died too many times to count during that goddamn elevator chase though. made me want to throw myself into a zurk pile.

chapter 6- the slums: part 2

this chapter has quite a few layered details of what you need to do, which can get a bit complicated. like, you need to distract the paint throwing companions to steal the detergent, trade the detergent with the merchant for the electrical cable, trade the electrical cable for the poncho, give the poncho to elliot and finally get the tracker fixed, and it kinda got on my nerves the first time i played that bit tbh. that’s all i have to say about that chapter actually. got on my nerves when i first played. i do enjoy distracting the companions though

chapter 7- dead end

love the chase at the beginning of dead end. literally my favourite zurk chase ever. the rest of it isn’t that fun. it’s kind stressful after you’ve done the fuse and the zurks are coming, even though doc was trying to help, i died more times there waiting for doc to help than that damn zurk chase at the start of the chapter. doc wasn’t that helpful. i really like docs place though!!! the caged zurks that he was running tests on, and all the details in his place are really cool

chapter 8- the sewers

okay, i have quite a love hate relationship with this chapter. hated it at first, but i’ve grown to kinda enjoy it. i love love love the details and graphics here, it’s gross and kinda terrified me when i first played, like. all the eyeballs???????? gross disgusting ew. the zurk eggs????????????? hate them. hate how they pop. they make my skin feel gross. zurks in general?????????????? big nope. but it’s kinda fun. i had loads of fun last round because i just went wheeeeeeee and ran away. it was really stressful using the defluxor on all of them, especially in the huge cave bit with all the eyes where more zurks kept falling from the goddamn sky, i had loads of fun just running though. unfortunately doing it for the pacifist award means you don’t have much time to really, like, enjoy the graphics and visuals, because you’re kinda just sprinting the whole chapter, but i have grown to enjoy this chapter!!!!!!!!!!

chapter 9- antvillage

okay, i’m mad that this chapter is so short because its visuals are stunning!!!!!!!!! i was also really frustrated with b12 the first time i played because i wanted to talk with all the companions ahdkahdksjdksj. i also really struggled to find zbaltazar for genuinely no reason like i don’t know why i made it so hard for myself lmao. but there are so many companions to talk with (once b12 is ready to talk again) and i knocked over that mahjong game as many times as i could and it made me giggle every time. the plant badge was very cute, and the whole chapter is just very very aesthetically pleasing and pretty and fun to go through!!!!!! i did get very lost a few times somehow. i don’t know how

chapter 10- midtown

this is quite close to being my favourite chapter!! again, there’s so much to do, and it’s another really aesthetically pleasing chapter. the visuals and details are amazing, and there are so many companions to trip over, which is always a bonus in my eyes. so many companions to interact with, and such layered storytelling and details, and it’s just so so incredible. also clementine’s apartment is so cozy. like that little spot in the main room up above the draws??????? so cozy and you can sleep up there!!!!!!!!!!! it’s just so nice in there and i want to stay there forever. this is another kinda complicated chapter, not as bad as slums part 2, but like. you gotta disable all the cameras, get the cassette and put it in the clothing store, steal the jacket, wake up the passed out companion in the bar (i enjoyed that bit too. got to knock the bottles onto his head), get into a box, be carried into the hat store, steal the hat, then you can finally bring them to blazer (ew, btw). also the neco corp factory (i wanna ramble about the neco corp vs nico thing but im not gonna lmao) was frustrating, but just because i made it harder than it needed to be. literally i got my mum in to help because i couldn’t work out how to get the battery. i just had those two moving things on the wrong squares to be able to get the rolling tin barrel on the third one. i was dumb at that spot lmao. also the nightclub is so cool and detailed!!!!!!! that companion with the mask to jam the sentinels scans was sick asf, i loved that detail

chapter 11- jail

nobody mention this chapter around me i hate it (not really i quite like it actually, just very stressful) i hate sentinels and want them all to die, thank you. i love swinging the cage right at the start though, that was fun. also all of the details??????? that companion being electrocuted was. oh my god. fucking insane. i loved it. and all the dead companions keeled over beds in cells, all rotted?????????? kinda creepy, set the scene perfectly, 10/10 there. i was doing fine and didn’t understand why everyone hates this chapter until it came to rescuing b12. i really struggled with that bit, until i, 1) learnt i could hide under the table where b12 was, and , 2) i could escape through an open window and skip all of the sentinels. this did mean sprinting past two sentinels in the room where b12 was, but if i timed it correctly i could make it through without meeting any sentinels. it took me a while to learn that though. the worst bit of this chapter was trapping the sentinels though lmao, but i loved the details of all the companions who’d been trying to escape who were either wiped or were hiding off to the edge and hadn’t been caught yet. also, lupin, that one companion who had either been maybe electrocuted in jail?? or slightly wiped or something, but after you trapped the sentinels, if you went to talk to him, he said, and i’m quoting this off of the official fandom page, “Ah… HAhahA… Waa… Wh..at… you d..id… Haha… ThaaaAt was funny…” and that both made me very sad but also was incredible detailing there!!!!!!

chapter 12- control room

okay. this chapter is the whole reason i wanted to like, analyse all the chapters like this, because i get so mad at this chapter because ALL THE DETAILS!!!!!!!!!! ITS SUCH A COOL PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I CANT!! DO ANYTHING!!!! like, there are maybe 10 companions, who are just coded to not really have any cool personalities, but it is such a cool place, it’s so detailed, and so so important to the story, like, that was run by humans before???? hello can we focus on that????????? this is so so so amazingly designed and is so insanely important to the story, and yet there’s just. nothing to really do in there. there’s no one to interact with, no memories (other than the one key memory), and it’s just aaaaaaaadhskcjsoxjd i wish i could do more in there because it’s so cool!!!!! and the huge window out to the rest of the walled city??????? i love it so much. shows so much detail and so much information and for what, huh? for b12 to jUST FUCKING DIE. anyway. love hate relationship with this chapter again

[lazywriter-artist]

More warp bunny lore anyone?

Good >:)

“Domesticated”* Warp rabbits

*Slight misnomer due to the fact warp rabbits are not domesticated, should NOT be domesticated and contrary to popular belief do not make any variety of fulfilling or good pet.

Warp hares are a commonly kept species amongst certain groups of eldar, fluffy and very cuddly these creatures make great companions for facing harsh elements with the added traits of hunt out deamon pests (with added versatility considering their ability to be trained to hunt out specific chaos sects, deamons and with enough training cultists) they make very good house guests. Happy and healthy warp hares even allow for a cycle to form as the creatures get too large for the eldar to keep, if raised well, the warp hares will have already trained up a litter of kits in many similar ways it had been taught thus leaving the eldar with more warp bunnies than they started with that have a greater jumping off point for training!

Research suggests that this is less like keeping a pet and make a much more symbiotic relationship. The warp hares providing the eldar with safety and protection from not just elements but enemies, while the eldar provide the warp hares with food and extra safety for their kits to be raised and trained up for the dangers their home territories provide.

This being said, there is most certainly an inappropriate way to keep warp hares. Much like that of the drukhari’s means of keeping them. Warp hares kept by drukhari are highly uncommon, rare even. Due to the hare’s diets, size requirements and the fact they aren’t particular fans of being “tamed”. It’s normally a risky procedure to attempt and live (some imperial citizens even falling prey to this with the exotic xenos trade among some officials booming in recent years), still, the Drukhari find ways to capture the star bunnies. Interviewed sources say these attempts to keep warp hares are much like certain inquisitorial attempts to hold Tyranids, others saying divine retribution awaits for such affronts, to who exactly it is unclear.

Specimens kept by the gangs are usually highly aggressive, unusually warp mutated, & have shrunken dewlaps. Larger hares are the most commonly seen, likely raised and trained from captured kits, but they do not attract or care for star bunny kits of their own, This is probably due to the fact the warp rabbits aren’t typically fed deamons or other sources of warp energy beyond what is the bare minimum for survival and mild growth.

Drukhari kept & raised warp hares are normally trained to hunt for and fed on soul stones, displaying higher appetites for soul stones and stronger food drives. Even though drukhari keep the rabbits trained to regard members of their gangs as members of their ‘packs’, they don’t seem to hold similar symbiotic relationships with the drukhari captors like seen with eldar keepers. The Drukhari regard the beasts with caution, distaste and, in some instances, fear. Often keeping the warp beasts in locations away from camps or just outright caged when not tasked with their duties. If out of their confines, most sources cite that there tend to be several drukhari present, if the rabbit itself is not restrained in some way. Drukhari often do not near or interfere if a warp hare is in its feeding frenzy, lest they learn a swift lesson why. Many seek some point of safety more often than not, as the hares kept captive by them display far more aggressive, obsessive and frequent frenzied eating patterns than any other of their species. Many interviewed sources say if drukhari keepers are lulled into a false sense of superiority over or kinships with the warp beast and begin to leave fewer precautions or gang members around when loose, the beasts often (even at its smaller sizes) will viciously devour the drukhari and flee the keepers. Larger specimens are known to leave mass dead in their wake, with direct numbers typically unknown due to many being eaten in their escape.

A warp hare baring the signs of escape from drukhari captivity is one to be regarded with caution. They often times are highly territorial and aggressive, not just with other warp hares but especially with ships and their crews. It is suspected the warp hares spread their grudges and fears along to the surrounding populations and/or their kits. Sites of drukhari freed warp hares are reported as having higher number of star rabbit attacks and larger damages to ships.

Stories spread amongst locals further corroborating this with a common warning tale of the area even stating the normally docile kits setting upon a man foolish enough to travel too close to the makeshift burrow in investigation, fleeing once more folks had approached to aid him.

Void rabbits and voidsmen beliefs

It’s common belief among voidsmen local to warp bunnies territories that the warp bunny fur will ward off deamons and other dangers of the warp, so when abandoned burrows are found it’s common for the sailors to carry around tufts of the fur or line their beds with them as they not only provide warmth but the aforementioned safety. Adding to this idea is the tendency for drukhari kept void hares and bunnies to often time be nearly bald or have serious cases of alopecia (normally caused by stress, disease, scarring and other issues the improper care can provide-) and their unusually warp mutated bodies. Theorizing the poor care leads to hair loss and thus tainting from the warp.

Overconfident voidsmen, whom attempt to strike for the whole pelts of void bunnies and hares, however find this ‘ward’ to be foregone as upon slaying a void hare its bunnies are likely to maul and torment the crew and vice versa for the death of a bunny, some reports even sorting entirely different hares not seen to the area arriving to aid the destruction of ships. Some sailor tall tales even report the pelts beginning to wither and rot like a carcass causing a stench that actually attracts deamons, but this is believed to simply be tall tales to discourage the hunting of the hares, possibly even to discourage the consumption of their meat as, with suspicions from the inquisition and several other offices, the meat could possibly harbor harmful warp energies due to their diets.

Even if only a myth, many sailors will avoid collecting any form of ‘trophy’ of the void dwellers when stumbling upon them, save for the very rare occurrence of fangs and bones (typically found amongst orks as apposed to their natural habitats).

[maxx-the-queer]

I know why they didn't give us the option, but Blood Mage Rook is honestly something that would have been so compelling and provided more depth to the way the companions interact with Rook.

Blood magic is contentious, at best, though it has lost some of the nuance it was treated with in previous games. The Chantry forbids it (even when they themselves have been known to practice it, thank you phylacteries in Circles), and so do most Andrastian societies as a result. Most of the companions are from majority-Andrastian communities, and hold most of those same values as a result.

Right off the bat, you've got Neve, Lucanis, Emmrich, and Harding who would have an issue with Blood Mage Rook.

Neve is from Minrathous, the blood mage capital of Thedas, she has seen every possible evil that blood magic is capable of and yet she is now in a situation where she has to trust a Blood Mage to lead the team because they're the only link to the Dread Wolf in the Fade Prison.

Harding is Andrastian, a former Scout for the Herald of Andraste's Inquisition, of course she would have a problem with Rook's dabbling in blood magic! Whether Rook believes in the Maker or not, the Chantry's teachings against blood magic is as much practical as it is spiritual. It corrupts, it attracts demons, and to someone like Harding who dealt with seeing rifts and demons as part of her job, she'd be deeply uncomfortable with it.

Lucanis and Spite. The Mage Killer, whose entire reputation is built off the back of the Maleficarum he's killed. Aside from that, blood magic is a big source of his personal suffering (thank you Zara Renata). Blood Magic is also one of the only things that can bind a demon, which Spite has every reason to distrust.

Emmrich works with spirits every day of his life. Blood magic attracts the malevolent spirits, makes the caster vulnerable to possession and also makes the caster resistant to spirit healing, showing the literal immediate harm it causes. Same reasoning as Spite - blood magic can bind spirits against their will, and he would be horrified by the prospect of Rook taking such a path given his love for spirits.

Now, once you get to Taash and Davrin, you get a slightly different perspective on blood magic.

Davrin, as a Warden, must have some understanding that Blood Magic is necessary sometimes. The Joining consists of Archdemon's blood and an enchantment, and that thus far has been the only reason all of Thedas isn't blighted to its end. At the end of the day, blood magic is a tool that cannot be dismissed entirely. If he trusts Rook to know what they're doing, he'd honestly be chill.

Taash is Qunari, sure, but they're also Rivaini and Rivain has a much more relaxed relationship with spirits and the like than Chantry controlled countries. They honestly don't strike me as someone who would continue to have an issue with blood magic, especially once Rook explained whose blood they were using and to what end for the team's sake.

Bellara strikes me as a middle ground on this. On the one hand, she'd be well aware of the Evanuris' usage of Blood Magic against their own people, as well as the history between modern elves and Tevinter. But she also understands that dabbling in the unknown or forbidden can be for the greater good. The Veil Jumpers may be majority Dalish, and the Dalish do abhor Blood Magic, but I can't see Bellara outright dismissing it as a useful tool.

This also would've provided an interesting dynamic with Solas. He claims to abhor the use of Blood Magic, though demonstrably in Inquisition he actually takes a more neutral stance on it and says only that he would not use it himself because it weakens one's connection to the Fade. A Rook who is well acquainted with Blood Magic puts his connection with them in jeopardy, and could result in his only path to freedom being ripped away.

Suddenly, he's forced to consider how to sway Rook from their current path without being overly insistent and drawing more attention to the hold he has on them or his plans. Solas plants seeds of doubt, pulls on Rook's position as leader and their companions' distrust of their abilities.

Meanwhile, Rook knows something is wrong. They know what blood magic feels like, they know Solas is only trying to keep them away from it for his own ends, and they're pretty certain there's some kind of binding on themselves and Varric but the majority of the Veilguard still treats Rook's own blood magic with far too much suspicion for them to bring it up without increasing scrutiny on themselves.

All this to say: Blood Mage Rook, you exist in my heart and I love you 💖

[messierthanthou]

Rainbow in the Dark

Every Friday and Saturday night are the same, find a shitty, dingy and dark bar, get fucked time and time again by someone strange and unknown. Occasionally he gets a “straight guys” who’s just “curious” about Steve and his type of gays, the pretty type, that is, and Steve is more than eager to comply to their whims, although he’s good at keeping it cool.

What he isn’t good at is keeping quiet. It arouses him beyond control to get bent over in a locked, or unlocked, bathroom stall, getting fucked from behind where he doesn’t need to see his companion and all he can focus on is getting off to an audience.

He’s considered doing porn, actually, thought time and time again about getting fucked by some star seeking singer up on stage at the bars he attend. It might pay well, keep him satisfied whilst being seen by thousands, but it’s too clean, not rough and dangerous enough for him. Sure he keeps safe, makes his partners wear protection and all, but the danger lies in the strangers and the public setting.

And tonight is no different than last week; show up at some unmarked, underground bar, hunt for a piece of meat among the crowd of some wannabe rock band, get a little tipsy, and if anyone as much as meets his gaze, he’s on them like a dog on a bone.

The next band is announced, and Steve barely hears their name as he isn’t paying full attention to the stage, he’s surveying the market of men from the bar, a light beer in hand, but then the night’s entertainment takes the stage, and it’s like finding the North star when you’re lost.

Some blonde steps into the spotlight, his crew gathering behind by the guitars and drum set, as he himself stops by the mic, throws up a fist and says a little too loud into the mic, a little too enthusiastically,

“We’re Billy and the Dicks, but you can call us B.A.D., and we’re here to rock your night.”

Steve’s enchanted by this guy who’s probably Billy of the group, shirtless beneath his leather jacket and with golden curls that fall down his back. Steve can’t help but to walk straight through the crowd as the band starts playing their cover of Rainbow In The Dark, a Dio original and masterpiece, and something about how passionately Billy sings out makes it all feel so deeply personal.

The brunette doesn’t stop walking till he’s by the front of the stage, standing between a bunch of women who might just be as attracted to the singer as he is, but Steve has already decided that he’s the one who’ll be with the wannabe rockstar later tonight.

And almost as if Billy heard this thought, he looks down and meets the brown eyed gaze, his own crystal clear. And he keeps eye-contact like it means something, then winks in a way that makes it jolt through Steve’s body straight to his cock.

B.A.D. plays five songs in all, and every now and again, Billy stares down at Steve, and when they played You Shook Me All Night Long Steve liked thinking it was dedicated to him in that moment, no matter how unlikely that was. Maybe he’s a bit egotistical.

When they’re done, everyone cheers and the women scream for the band, but Steve just stays quiet, staring, wanting.

He must be magical, because he gets what he wants.

Billy says something unheard to his band members, then jumps off the stage, landing straight in front of Steve, who’s already starting to get hard thinking about taking this man’s sweaty cock from behind.

“Hey pretty boy,” the blonde says, voice hoarse from all the singing and rocking on, and it is beyond charming to listen to.

“Billy, was it?” Steve says like he forgot.

“Yeah, but you can call me whatever you want.” A tongue darts out to lick dry lips till they’re shiny with spit, and Steve is definitely hard now, strangled by jeans.

“Billy’s good with me,” Steve says, stares a little too long as he takes in all of Billy’s sweaty glory. “You busy?”

The stall door bursts open and it’s a wonder it doesn’t fall off its hinges when it’s slammed shut again as Steve and Billy barely make it inside with their pants on. Buttons and zippers are freed while lips are locked tight together, only coming apart from minutes of making out and grinding their crotches together when Billy drops to his knees, parting his lips and wraps them around Steve’s mighty length, leaving the brunette gasping and groaning as he feels the tip of his cock go deep into singer’s warm throat without gagging - wonderfully so.

All too quickly he’s reaching the peak; foreplay isn’t for him because getting sucked off feels too good to be real, so he yanks at those blonde curls and gets Billy up and standing again, no matter how sorrowful his dick becomes at the lack of contact and heat.

Steve reaches into the pocket of his jacket and shows off the condom that will hopefully fit around the girth of the other, as he looks down to take in all of the glory that he is practically dying to be stretched out around.

He’s always worried that his partner will complain about it, but no one ever does, not even Billy here who grabs it, tears it open with his teeth, and rolls it on in one well-practiced swift move. And then those hands grab Steve by the hips before twirling him around and bending him over, Billy wasting no time to bring the head of his cock to Steve’s tight hole and pushing in, both of them agreeing in a moan.

The pace isn’t kind or soft, it is fast and brutal with skin slapping together loudly from the start, and Steve fucking loves it; fingers marking him with bruises on his hips as he gets manhandled in rhythm with his sounds of pleasure.

He then feels Billy bury his face between his shoulder blades, an arm snaking around his waist, the other hand coming up to open his mouth and dig in a couple of digits that he instantly sucks on, which seems to please the other man.

“God you smell great,” Billy grunts out where his face is pressed into the back of Steve. “A real pretty smell for a pretty boy.”

It’s… unusual, but not unwelcome. His partners usually stay quiet as if it makes it all more anonymous, but Steve’s maybe a bit of a narcissist, loves hearing compliments, being told he’s a good boy, how good he feels, how amazing he is.

And one would think that Billy knew this, as he keeps going,

“Fuck you feel amazing, real tight. Sucking me in. Craving my hard cock.”

Steve can’t help but reach for his leaking prick to jerk it to the rhythm of the thrusts that ram against his sweet spot, but before he can get more than one tug on it, Billy grabs his hand and forces it up against the wall, then the other, too.

“If you’re gonna cum, it’s gonna be on my dick alone.”

“God, you- ahh!” He tries to give a comeback, but it’s near impossible to form coherent thoughts when he’s being fucked so hard and good that he’ll definitely hurt tomorrow, but “Fuck!” if it ain’t worth it.

And it seems to not be necessary for the brunette to touch his own trembling cock, as the euphoria builds in his gut faster than ever before with any other partner.

“I’m-I’m close! Oh shit!”

Billy then releases his hands and goes down to grab him by the hips to gain proper leverage as he fucks Steve thoroughly, pounding and slapping and cursing till brown eyes roll back and the orgasm crashes through his system, like burning lightning that shoots throughout Steve, making him call out in ecstasy as he cums all over the toilet beneath him.

As his muscles tense up, so does his hole around the blonde’s cock, and he isn’t far behind before pumping the worn out brunette full of his burning load. There’s only a few more thrusts left in Billy, who bottoms out into Steve, before pulling out, and over Steve’s shoulder he can see the other stare down at his now leaking hole, admiring his handiwork no doubt. Then he presses a thumb into Steve’s ass, making him moan gently and sorely, but still he can’t help but be a bit of a slut and pushes his ass into the touch.

Which Billy seems to take as a sign that he isn’t fully done, pulls out his thumb and then shoves in two fingers and curls them, making Steve whine like a real bitch.

The singer then bends over to lean in and whisper, “This was fun, pretty boy.” Whilst he curls his fingers and slowly thrusts them in then digging out every last drop of cum. “Hope we can do this again sometime.”

And with that said, the fingers are gone, the body heat is gone, the entire presence of another person in the stall with Steve is gone. And Steve smiles, hoping a little for another time indeed.

[shinyzango]

So, about that "A Steampunk Carol" graphic novel...

I totally did not forget to make the post about it like I promised I am so sorry.

For those who are not familiar with it, long story short a while ago I came across a Kickstarter project for what seemed to be a steampunk adaptation of the Nutcracker story and was bummed that I missed out on it and wasn't able to support and secure a copy for myself, but a fella made me aware that it did actually get published in Italy a few years ago, and that it was sold on Amazon. And after discovering that there was literally only one copy left, I bought it on a whim to both read it and to hopefully attract more attention to it for reasons I'll discuss in just a bit.

I'm just going to say that I'm very back at writing reviews so apologies if this doesn't say anything at the end or if you didn't get the answers to your questions dkfjgn

Alright, now for the book itself.

First things first, the story. I won't go into details right now as I do not want to spoil folks in case this does get released in english to a wider public, but I can add a Spoilers section in the future where I explain in detail what happens if I get asked about it.

The story, like I said, is an adaptation of the Nutcracker And The Mouse King, but it is quite different in many elements, and spices things up quite a bit, especially after the introduction.

Sadly it feels quite rushed in its execution imo, I assume it's because they had to fit everything in a single volume. Which is a shame because there are many concepts and ideas that are very fascinating and interesting, both for the plot and for the characters themselves.

Speaking of the characters, they are quite unique and interesting.

The main kid, Caitlin, who is the Clara/Marie of the story, can be a little sassy, but she still feels grounded and has a good balance between putting down her foot and being nervous about the situation. I don't mind her character.

The Nutcracker, who is only called Schiaccia (just a shortened "Schiaccianoci" which is nutcracker in italian. I assume he's called Cracker in english if they kept that logic), feels solid. He's a loyal soldier, skilled but does show hints of insecurities. A good lad.

The mice are great as well, I'm really intrigued by the lore they cooked up for them, and the Mouse King is actually not bad, and I like what they did with his character.

There's also another supporting character, a tin soldier who goes by Sergeant Idle. He is basically a companion to the Nutcracker. He is basically a plot tool, helping with the backstory and moving the story forward, but not in a bad way. He's very enjoyable.

I would have loved to see them all explored further, but like I said it all feels rushed probably because it had to stick all in a single volume. I don't know if the authors ever considered this to become a series or if it's just a one-shot story, but I would honestly love to see this evolve into a series, if only because I love the characters and I would love to know more about the lore they cooked up for it more in detail, letting all the elements have the time to shine.

Moving on to the graphic...

I love Lorenza's art style. It looks very sketchy, with a clean roughness to it if that makes sense. And I really like all the designs of the characters.

(Apologies for the glares, I tried my hardest to limit them as much as possible. also ngl I'm giggling a little seeing how Schiaccia looks similar to my Hans skdfkjhn)

All in all, I really like this adaptation. It's unique and enjoyable, if only a little rushed.

Like I mentioned before, this was Kickstarted a while ago to get properly published in english. It was successfully funded and as far as I know, they're currently in the process of printing copies if not even shipping them for the backers. I still don't know if the folks at Last Ember Press are planning in making it available to purchase outsite the Kickstart, but I really hope so because I do think this deserves to be available to everyone.