#rather fond of this ominous creature

[ceciliajohanna]

a fate worse than death

The hunter and the vampire danced across the mansion, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Blades clashed against fangs and claws. Silver bullets flew in every direction; fast, but not fast enough.

The hunter’s element of surprise was long gone, and so was their momentum. The fight was reaching its crescendo. They parried and parried and parried, using every trick they could think of to fend off the inevitable for just a few more seconds.

This was no longer about survival. It was about dignity.

“Enough,” the vampire snarled. A hard shove sent the hunter flying, an ominous crack resonating through their spine as they crashed into a bookshelf on the other side of the room. Explosions of pain erupted through their body. They fell to their knees, ears ringing, heart racing. They pulled themselves together, planting a palm on the floor to bounce back up on their feet—

The hunter’s legs didn’t move.

Oh.

A final rush of adrenaline sizzled through their bloodstream before dying out altogether. Their empty gun slid out of their hand.  

It was over.

The vampire plucked a bullet from of a bleeding crater in their shoulder, frowning at the silver shell before tossing it on the cracked mahogany flooring. The wound instantly knitted itself back together, leaving nothing behind but a stain of red on the vampire’s torn shirt. They were old—far older than the hunter had expected. The hunter had taken down the fledglings inhabiting the lair, but against the monster itself, they hadn’t stood a chance.

A resigned smile tugged at the hunter’s lips as their gaze swept over the havoc they’d wrought. Toppled furniture. Shattered chandeliers. Numerous piles of ash, marking the exact location where each fledgling had met their demise. The battle had left the structure of the mansion fundamentally compromised, allowing beams of sunlight to trickle in through gaping holes in the walls. No matter what happened next, the vampire was going to have to find themselves a new batch of fledglings and a new lair.  

As far as last stands went, the hunter could have done worse.

“Are you done?” The vampire wrinkled their nose at the demolished sitting room, clearly following the same train of thought.

“I believe so,” the hunter said, and they meant it. They’d been in the business long enough to recognize a body broken beyond repair. They could feel their life slip further away from them with every rattling breath.  

“I was rather fond of this place, you know,” the vampire said, their voice clipped. “I don’t know what you were trying to accomplish, but I hope you’re satisfied.”

“Would’ve been nice to take you down with me, but yes.” The hunter raised their chin. “I’m satisfied.”

The hunter was not afraid of death. They’d encountered enough immortal creatures over the years to know that a limited lifetime was, in many ways, a blessing rather than a curse. Despite being little more than soft flesh and brittle bones, humans carried something within them that those monsters seemed to lack.

A soul.

Any moment now, the hunter would meet their family again. Their siblings, their parents, their grandparents—an entire bloodline of fallen hunters, waiting for them on the other side. Human lives may be fleeting, but souls were eternal. Death was not the end. Death was a journey into the unknown, marking the start of a new beginning.

The hunter was not afraid.

“Cheeky.” The vampire’s fury lost its edge, shifting into mild annoyance. They tilted their head to the side, studying their prey. “This is usually the part where my uninvited visitors break down in tears. You do understand that I’m going to kill you, right?”

“There are fates far worse than death.”

“I see,” the vampire said, their face unreadable. “How can you be so certain?”

The hunter’s skin crawled under the vampire’s unblinking scrutiny. “I just know.”

“You just know.” The vampire snorted—a surprisingly human sound coming from a monster. “You really are a peculiar creature.”

“How so?” the hunter couldn’t help but ask.

“Mortals tend to cling to life like it’s the only thing worth fighting for. It’s in your nature. You beg. You plead. You bargain. This?” The vampire finally blinked, their lips forming an uncanny imitation of a smile. “This is new.”

The vampire sauntered towards them, carefully avoiding the intruding rays of sunlight. Their effortless grace made the hunter add a few more centuries to their approximate age. There was something unmistakably wrong about the way ancient beings moved. The world seemed to curve around them, like a river branching to make room for a particularly stubborn rock.

The vampire’s presence was like a declaration of war against time itself.

“So… what’s the secret?” The vampire crouched before the hunter, their gaze lit up by genuine curiosity. “Terminal illness? Insanity?” They paused. “Nothing to live for?”

A spike of pain that had nothing to do with their ruined body needled its way into the hunter’s chest; an invisible blade slipping between the cracks of their broken rib cage. The faces of their nieces, their nephews, and the citizens they’d sworn to protect flashed before their eyes.

“I’ve got plenty to live for,” the hunter said. “Which means I’ve got plenty to die for as well.”

“Sounds a bit contradictory to me.”

“It’s not.” A guttural cough tore free from the hunter’s throat, leaving them gasping for breath. “If it’s all the same to you, I would like to… to go now. Just finish it.”  

“Finish it? After everything you just told me?” The vampire’s cold laugh shattered the sense of civility that had somehow grown between them. “Oh, little one, we’re not done yet.”  

Blood drained from the hunter’s face. An emotion they thought they’d already conquered formed a vengeful knot under their sternum, its claws digging deep into their stomach.     

Fear.

“A swift death would be a blessing for someone like you. A gift.” The vampire leaned closer. “You killed my children. You destroyed my home. I’m not feeling particularly charitable right now.”

The hunter instinctively tried to scoot backwards, but their useless legs kept them anchored to the floor. The fact that they’d even tried to move at all shook them to the core. Their fear had spread to the point that they were now acting upon it.

“I did enjoy our little chat, though. A peculiar creature indeed.” The vampire fell silent, disappearing into their own thoughts. The hunter held their breath, waiting for the final verdict.

The obvious solution seemed to hit them both at once.

No.

The vampire’s face split into a bone-chilling grin. The hunter’s heart plummeted through their chest.

No, no, no.

The hunter's pride finally cracked. They wanted to beg, to plead, to bargain, to scream, but they knew it wouldn’t make a difference.  

It was the perfect punishment for a human unfazed by death.

It was the perfect way to rob the hunter of what they valued the most.

 “I think immortality would look good on you,” the vampire said, and slid their fangs into the hunter’s throat.

[jaymoriarty-knight]

"Father found you?" Scott asked, sitting upright and looking between his two fathers.

"He did. He promised he would come back and he did." Charles smiled, reaching over Scott to take Erik’s hand.

"I'm a man of my word, Charles."

"But then what happened? Wasn't the Prince following you?"

"Indeed he was," Charles nodded.

"How did you return to me? I was told you were dead." Charles gasped against Erik’s mouth.

"I shall tell you, but we must keep moving." Erik slipped his hand into Charles’s and tugged him further along the path they'd been following.

"Why?" Charles questioned but willingly went with Erik.

"Your beloved is following us."

"You are my beloved."

"That pleases me to hear." Erik gave Charles the rogue's grin Charles was so fond of.

At the top of the hill, Prince Sebastian and his entourage paused, looking down at Erik and Charles.

"Hah!" Erik grinned. "Your useless fiancé is too late. A little further and we'll be into the Fure Swamp."

"The fire swamp? We shan’t survive!" Charles protested, yet followed Erik further.

Erik shrugged with a grin. "You only say that because no one ever has."

Charles felt apprehension rise up his throat as Erik led him into the forest. He remained close to Erik, clutching his hand. The ominous sounds of the swamp had Charles nervous. Some kind of creature was howling.

A series of popping noises had Charles doing his best to remain calm and collected. He didn't want Erik to think him a coward. Until a hissing caused Charles’s pants to catch on fire.

Charles yelped as the flame licked up his calf. Erik caught Charles as he fell and lowered him gently to the ground, tapping out the fire.

"You alright?" Erik asked.

"I think so." Charles looked down at his leg to see burns. The fabric had rested right against his skin. Charles gasped and whimpered a little.

"Oh." Erik frowned at the burn. "I'll take care of that once we get out of the swamp. It shan't be too bad."

Charles nodded. Erik stood and helped Charles to his feet. Pain shot up Charles’s leg and he collapsed into Erik.

"I've got you my love, I've got you," Erik wrapped his arm around Charles’s shoulders.

"It hurts a little," Charles said with as much dignity as he could manage.

"I don't doubt it." Erik supported Charles as they continued through the swamp.

"But I really must know. How have you come back to me? How are you alive?"

"I was attacked by pirates, that's true. Only their Captain is a rather nice fellow. Nice young man, blue, got a bit of fuzz. Calls himself Kurt. You might recognize the name Nightcrawler?"

Charles nodded. "I've heard of him."

"The Nightcrawler is Kurt. He's a lot nicer than you would think for a pirate. I was traveling with a rather corrupt crew. Kurt left them stranded, but took me aboard his own ship. He was fascinated by the things I can do, and delighted in my stories of you. He helped me reach the fortune I needed and helped me back to you. He didn't know of your engagement. I found out shortly before your kidnapping."

"Well this Kurt sounds delightful. I should like to meet him sometime."

Erik smiled. "I should like that too."

Charles smiled and took a step further. Erik's hand slipped away from Charles's shoulders as Charles dropped through a vat of quicksand. Erik reacted quick as a whip, slicing through a vine and holding tight to it as he jumped down after Charles.

It didn’t take long for the couple to re-emerge from the quicksand, coughing and gasping. Charles was holding tight to Erik.

"Lord, what more terror can we experience?" Charles gasped.

"Well," Erik dusted himself and Charles off. "There are three horrors of the fire swamp. The flames, which you showed us how to avoid. The sands, which we now know what that looks like. And the rodents of unusual size. Which are of unusual size so they should be easy to spot."

At that moment a rodents of unusual size lunged at Charles, sinking it's teeth into Charles’s burn.

"Agh!" Charles fell backward as Erik grabbed his rapier. He cut the rodent's head clean off and gently pulled its teeth out of Charles’s calf.

"Dammit." Erik tugged his over shirt off and tied it around Charles’s leg, stemming the blood.

"I'm not having much luck here," Charles mumbled.

"It'll be over soon Charles, I swear it. We're nearly out." Erik scooped Charles into his arms and carried him through the rest of the fire swamp.

Once a grove of birch trees and a clear river lay ahead of them Erik lowered Charles’s feet back to the ground. "Can you stand?"

Charles nodded, testing his weight on his injured leg. He remained upright.

"I promised it would soon be over."

Charles started to smile but the sound of horses stopped him. Erik heard it too and was instantly on guard, stepping in front of Charles to protect him.

"Surrender!" Sebastian called out.

"You mean you wish to surrender to me?" Eeik taunted. "Very well I accept."

"What is a pirate doing with the Prince?" Sebastian scoffed. "Charles, come here."

Charles gripped Erik’s arm, trembling. "No. My true love has returned to me. I shan’t let him go now."

Sebastian whispered something to Azazel, who nodded. Azazel teleported behind the couple and, with a solid kick, knocked them both unconscious. Sebastian slid off his horse and scooped up Charles, placing him on horseback. "Azazel, see to it that this miscreant," he gestured to Erik’s prone form, "is thrown into the Pit of Despair."

"It shall be done." Azazel replied.

Sebastian and his entourage took off on horseback while Azazel took hold of Erik.

@cherikdogfood @star-lights-up

[itssuppertim3]

Miraak's Reaction to the LDB's Children:

ok it's been years since i adopted in this game and i forgot how cute it was to have kids

------

I'll put this plainly: Miraak has never been fond of the creatures (yeah he calls them that).

He seldomly tolerates people in general as it is, so hearing the Dragonborn mention them for the first time came as a great shock to him.

"You're saying... you just let them run around in your home?" "Yes." "Forgive me for ever calling you intelligent."

He claims he's very knowledgeable with child psychology because of the "horror stories" he's read through his duration in Apocrypha.

"Back in my day children were used as sacrifices to please the dragons. I suppose there was one good thing about their rule..."

He gets extremely uneasy at the thought of actually being introduced to them.

He also dislikes when you brag about them: "Sophie made me the prettiest bouquet one morning :)" "Can she recite the alphabet in Dovahzul?" "...No?" "Pathetic."

Keep in mind Miraak is extremely self-centered and still puts himself above anyone who isn't the LDB. But he'll get surprised when a seemingly average child can outwit him.

He becomes tense when he finally does meet them.

He's never been around children and has even forgotten what it felt like to be one.

That being said, he wasn't raised up the same way. Miraak doesn't know what it feels like to have fun or to be freely naive. He simply judges what he can't understand. Being exposed to your children does gradually start to make a change in him, though.

They're obviously frightened of him in the beginning; especially because of the ominousness of his mask. Sadly, he takes it off for no one, so they just have to get used to it.

Sophie is the first to acclimate to his presence. Somehow his demeanor sparks a tiny similarity with her father. He's abrasive, yet silent, and shows affection through actions rather than words.

She quickly grows fond of him and idolizes him as a father of her own.

The next child's personality is also very specific to the orphan you adopted, so I'll leave that for you to decide :): - (Lucia): She's awfully shy of him and prefers to strap herself against your thigh when she's near him. Unlike Sophie, it takes her a bit longer to adapt, but once she does, she's a fiery chatterbox. - (Runa Fair-Shield): She likes to bully him (constantly) and when he threatens to dispose of her she immediately tattles. She's also very good at blackmailing and makes him give her piggyback rides. - (Alesan): He can't say he likes him much; mainly because Miraak's Atmoran genes make him the size of a giant through his eyes. He avoids him more than the rest, but he's also recognized for his smarts, so every now and then Miraak will attempt to teach him something new. - (Blaise): He feels as though he has something to prove to him due to his struggles on the farm. Miraak wordlessly drives him to become more of a man, and Blaise respects him for it. - (Hroar): He has a lot of adoration for Miraak's skill as a master swordsman, and often begs for sparring lessons (perk: you get to see Miraak wave a kiddie wooden sword around).

On another note: - If you only have girls, Miraak is decorated in flower crowns galore 100% of the time and often finds himself falling asleep with the two wrapped under his arms after reading them stories. - If you only have boys, the house is always messy from roughhousing and amateur sword fights. The boys won't be nearly as spoiled as the daughters, and not even Akatosh will stop his wrath if they disrespect you.

Turns out, Miraak loves your kids more than he ever anticipated. He merely hated the idea of children, but never realized just how perfect they are.

((((((he really wants to make a baby now))))))

-----------

I'm melting

[little-diable]

The Ghost of Christmas Future – Loki

Part 3 of my Christmas series! A big thank you to @writingliv for writing this with me, I love working with you! Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: Loki is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future and he shows the god something that forces him to find his way back to his past lover.

Warnings: 18+, smut, oral (f), some angst, mentions death

Pairing: Loki x fem!reader (2.2k words)

header by @deathofpeaceofmind

Series Masterlist

An almost grim expression tugged on the god’s features, fuelled by the annoyance he felt, by the uneasiness radiating off him. Loki paced his quarters, eyes trying to focus on his book, desperate to distract himself from his mother’s Yule preparations. If there was one thing he detested, it was these celebrations, festive days reminding him of people and stories he needed to forget.

The mere thought of being dragged down memory lane by his heavy heart and his aching mind left the god of mischief groaning, he was better than that, he was better than all these pathetic humans that gave into their emotions. With an angry growl rumbling through him, the book Loki had been holding was tossed to his bed, slender fingers combing through his black hair.

This is why he had let her go. This is why he had pushed her away. This is why he needed to get away from her and the pitiful excuse of a life she lived.

Her. The one his heart had been rather fond of, the woman who had managed to lure the god into her trap. It had been easy, too easy, but who was he to deny a challenge. Loki would always win, no matter the game, no matter the rules – at least that’s what he had always believed, till (y/n) had stumbled into his life.

She had managed to bewitch him within seconds, pulling the man into her grasp before either one of them could understand what was happening. It had happened years ago, years where he had snuck away from Asgard with one of his many tricks, finding joy in the simplicity of Midgard. It had been his own fault, he should have stayed away from there, should have listened to the warnings, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and then suddenly it had been too late.

Loki could still feel her pressed against his body, he could still hear her soft voice murmuring his name, calling him back to bed. Memories he needed to get rid of, fast. He was better than that. He was stronger than that. He was smarter than that. He hadn’t been born to live a simple life, he was a god, made for more. 

But sometimes, just sometimes, he found himself giving into these memories, lingering on the thoughts that painted her features, allowing him to pick up on the sound of her loud laughter, allowing him to feel her soft skin beneath his cold fingertips. It was torture, pure torture, and yet the feeling had a bittersweet touch to it. An almost addictive pain.

He plopped down on his bed, eyes focused on the expensive looking ceiling, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes of getting rid of his memories, a useless try that only pulled him further down the rabbit hole. His teeth grazed his lower lip, about to draw blood, about to sink into the flesh she had kissed many moons ago. 

Before he could try to sleep away his memories, wanting to dream of a better life, of an exciting future, he heard his name being called, eyes snapping open. His heart was pounding, beating against his ribcage as he looked at the unfamiliar being standing near his bed. 

Loki had seen many ominous creatures in his life, but none looked like this. The spirit seemed to levitate above the ground, only its cloak gracing the marble floor. No face was visible as a grey hood loomed a shadow over any possible features, emanating a freezing chill that ran down the god’s back.

Loki shot up, his hand immediately searching the knife he kept by his bed. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” He asked, ignoring the way his breath had suddenly condensed in front of his lips. 

“Silly prince, who am I, you ask?” The voice spoke, letting neither its gender nor species be revealed. 

“How dare y-” Loki sneered at the creature until it approached him, forcing him to hold his breath. 

“I do not have the time for your scandals, prince. I am here to show you something. Follow me,” the creature turned, hitting Loki with its cloak that felt just like a thicker blow of air. It didn’t turn around to check if the god was following; instead, it walked out of the room and sped its pace. Loki had barely the time to react, following the creature as quickly as it could. 

“Where are we going?” The god asked, short of breath as they made their way out of the castle. The halls were empty, it seemed like everyone had disappeared from existence. The ghost did not answer. Instead, it switched directions, almost causing Loki to trip. 

“Where are we going? I demand to know,” Loki doubled down as he regained his balance, jogging to catch up the lost distance. 

The ghost suddenly stopped, turning back to the god for a glance before looking forward again, nothing more than the deep dark forest standing in front of them. “We are late. A funeral.”

“Wh-” Loki tried to ask, confused. Funeral? Whose funeral? He didn’t know anyone that had died recently. His question, however, died in his throat as fog covered the previously dark forest, acting as a canvas where an image started to form. 

Flowers, dozens upon dozens of vases and bouquets filled to the brim with tulips. Midgardian flowers. Loki frowned. His stomach turned. What? He continued to watch the image develop right before his eyes as rows of people filled a snowy cemetery. Cries and moans filled the empty winter air suddenly, far too familiar yet strange for him to point out. 

“Why are you showing me this?” He finally broke the silence, his voice cracking under the pressure in his chest. 

“How long do midgardians tend to live, prince?” The voice replied, still staring at the image upon them.

“A century? I-” Loki’s head felt as if it was spinning, every Midgardian he had ever met running through his mind. A thought tried to form, but he suppressed it. No. She was maybe thirty by now. She couldn’t-

“If they are healthy. If nothing happens,” The voice doubled down in a dreamy tone. His thoughts were seemingly elsewhere. “Weren’t you the one that loved to underscore their fragility?”

“I-” Loki tried to speak, but his lungs burned, his eyes trying their best to focus on the details of the image upon him, ignoring the sobbing cries. 

“Wasn’t she particularly careless?” The ghost finally spoke, and Loki felt his knees buckle. no. 

It couldn’t be. He would have found out. He would have known. They would have told him… but how? How? If he had left without telling anyone, simply kissing her on the forehead like he had done every other morning and walking out, never to be seen again? Why would they tell him even if they could? He had done nothing but hurt her. 

No. 

Loki shook his head. 

„You’re lying to me, why are you doing this? Who are you?” One question after another rolled off Loki’s tongue, filling the silence he found himself engulfed by. But the ghost didn’t reply, he kept watching the scene in front of them play out. 

Loki had to stop himself from vomiting, unable to stop the bile from rising up in his throat. This had been his wrong doing, his selfishness that had lured him away from her, her, the one his head had grown fond of.

There wasn’t a day where he didn’t think of her, of (y/n), the love he hadn’t got to feel in many moons. The dark voice inside his head had promised him that he was destined for more, made for something by far bigger than what she could offer. 

How wrong he had been. How foolish he had been.

“I understand, I do. But please, take me away from here.” The ghost turned back towards Loki, staring him down for a few seconds, watching the tears roll down his cheeks, before the scene finally vanished. Loki’s head was spinning, eyes struggling to focus on something as the ghost kept speaking.

“It’s on you to decide, but remember, the time she has is limited, don’t let any more of it go to waste.” And with one last exhale, the ghost was gone, leaving Loki trapped in nothing but an uncomfortable darkness flooding through his room. 

……

„Loki? What am I doing here? Where am I?“ A relieved sigh left Loki as he stared down at her, taking in the features he had last seen in one of his nightmares. His heart was still aching, racing in his chest at the mere thought of ever losing her to Death’s cold grasp.

“You’re in Asgard, I had to see you.” She had been forcefully awoken from her dream, unable to pierce together what was happening as she was dragged away from her home. And yet she hadn’t protested, not speaking up as a wave of familiar comfortableness had flushed through her.

“You kidnap me, because you have to see me? Is that all?” (Y/n) had always been good at seeing through his lies, eyes not letting go of his as she slowly reached out to cup his cheek. Sparks shot down Loki’s back at the familiar touch, oh how he had secretly longed to feel her close once again. 

“You were dead, I saw it, saw your dead body.” Confusion tugged on her features, not understanding what the god was speaking. He shook his head to try and get rid of the pictures flushing through his mind once again. “It was in the future, far from now, and yet I couldn’t stand myself for letting you go. I needed to see you, prove myself that you’re still alive.”

“Oh, Loki.” He dipped his head down, lips ghosting over hers. No longer did he want to share any meaningless words, no, he wanted to feel her close, wanted to touch the body he had once known like the back of his hand. The kiss was fuelled by their still burning love, tying the two closer together as he pushed her against his best, crawling on top of (y/n). 

He could hear her heart racing, could feel her gasps leaving her. Sounds that left him grinning in mischief. His hands started wandering, long fingers that knew their way down to her heat, the place where she ached for him. The moment had something almost unreal to it, like a dream, a faded memory, Loki couldn’t help but wonder if yet another ghost was playing a trick on him, but her sounds were too strong, too honest. 

“I damned you for a long time, cursed your name. But yet my body has never not been yours, forever connected with you.” Another kiss was pressed against her lips as his fingers disappeared inside her sweats, teasing the thin fabric of her panties. She has soaked through the fabric, dripping for him, him only. 

Within seconds he had her undressed, fabrics finding their way to the ground as he let go of her. Their eyes held contact, allowing her to watch him settle between her thighs, lips kissing their way to her cunt. Soft moans left her, one hand finding his locks as the other tightened its grip on the blanket she was laying on. 

“My pretty flower, I missed your taste, I missed your sweet sounds, oh how I missed you.” His tongue brushed through her folds, moaning at her taste as (y/n) arched her back off the mattress. Loki ate her out like a starving man, feasting from her with groans clawing through the two in unison. 

For months they had dreamt of moments like this, never willingly admitting to it, even though they were caught by them, unable to escape. His arms found their way around her thighs, keeping her close as he dipped his tongue into her tightness, thumb circling her pulsing bundle. 

She was a shuddering mess, made for the God’s eyes, for his hands, and his tongue. She was his, in all her glory. And deep down Loki couldn’t help but promise to her, and to himself, that she’d never leave his side again.

His name rolled off her tongue, like a dark secret spoken in the depth of the night, like a prayer made to save her damned soul. A sound that left Loki groaning in satisfaction, adding more speed to the movements of his tongue and fingers. She was close, he could tell, and all he was focused on was making her cum on his tongue.

(Y/n) tightened her grip on his locks, eyes squeezed shut to give into the quiet call of her name. She came with a loud gasp, head thrown back, teeth buried in her lower lip. Loki watched her unfold, kept fucking her with his tongue through her high, before he slowly let go of her.

The god crawled up her body, lips meeting hers to allow (y/n) to taste herself before he plopped down next to her, pulling her into his chest. And with another kiss pressed to her forehead he tightened his grip on her, promising to hold her close till the end of her time.

[pixies-and-poets]

Smithy Gang Headcanons

Hi, friends! I'm extremely grateful for the positive feedback on The Forging, and definitely want to write more SMRPG stuff; I've just been working on other priorities lately. However, my brain has been busy churning stuff over, even if I haven't had the time to sit down and write a story yet.

So I wanted to jot down some of my headcanons for the Smithy gang, specifically the forging order of the main members. I thought of a sequence where Smithy created each as a response to shortcomings he saw in their predecessors. This timeline will serve as a framework from which I can write future stories.

I don't think there's anything here that goes directly against canon, but I'm not as much of an SMRPG expert as I am with some other games lol, so feel free to tell me if there's some kind of Japanese-only line that contradicts me. Also let me know your own ideas if you want!! I am new to being a proper fan in this fandom :P

First, some general notes: I don't really have a good definition for who Smithy himself is, where he came from, or what his world is like, and I don't know if I ever will, since I find some degree of ominous mystery to be more interesting. Also - while I've seen the Gang described as "robots", while that may be true in a sense, I think of them more as "constructs" - I don't think they're powered by wires or circuitry or anything like that, but rather arcane magic. They are not powered by AI, even in the sense that a more nuanced and self-aware robo-sentience might be (see examples in the Marioverse: TEC, Beep-0, JEANIE), but a more traditional type of consciousness/soul that Smithy has learned to work with, as if it were yet another material. (This isn't abnormal for the Mario world, where we already have living bullets and bombs and the like- and in an ironic twist, also makes them somewhat similar to Geno, who is a consciousness inhabiting a form that would not produce sentience or mobility on its own.)

This isn't really a fic, although it's long enough to be one, lol. I hope you enjoy!

First there was Exor; but Smithy did not create him. In fact, Exor was Smithy's beloved blade, the reason for his obsession with living weapons in the first place. But Exor is a being even more ancient than Smithy, who just happened to bond with him in his lifetime. The sword can grow to a massive size, and is never truly destroyed, but will reappear and reforge itself throughout history. The otherworldly creature that attached itself to Exor and brought it to life has been known to some as the Neosquid.

Now Smithy, in a sense, was his own first experiment - gradually replacing his organic parts with malleable metal, not only to extend his own life, but to make himself more suited for a variety of purposes. This was a process that never really had an end, as he was always experimenting, creating new heads for himself. But when he was satisfied enough with his initial efforts, Smithy sought to create life in his own image, and in the image of his beloved Exor. Among other adventures, he spent time in Subcon, the Land of Dreams, studying the enigmatic nature of consciousness - at least enough so that he could harness some of its unfathomable magic for his own ends.

Boomer was the first of Smithy's prized creations (yes, because I like the idea of the one called "Boomer" being the oldest). Originally created to provide a sort of companionship to Smithy in the form of strategic advisory and being a bodyguard- and also to provide friendship, although Smithy would never admit it. Over time, Smithy became distracted with his newer and flashier works, and grew tired of Boomer's overly serious and staid nature. Though their relationship has grown distant, Boomer's fondness, gratitude and loyalty for his creator has never faltered, and he will defend Smithy to the very last of his existence. In turn, Smithy has never put forth plans for machine-made Boomers- the younger creations speculate it's because he's too outdated a model for this to be worth it, but perhaps it's because even now, Smithy considers him irreplaceable.

Bowyer was the next-forged. Smithy sought to make a commander who represented a long-range weapon, to contrast with Boomer's katana; and also a more creative and inventive personality to offset Boomer's traditionalist and unadventurous nature. When Bowyer was born, Smithy found that he had accidentally gone way too far (in his opinion) in this new direction, leading to a creation that was so erratic he refused to even speak like those around him. Smithy found Bowyer a hard-to-control troublemaker who would rarely listen to him (or Boomer) and seemed unhappy most of the time, not fitting in with the world he had been forged into. Bowyer would also leave arrows all over the place, sticking out of random things in the weapon world - this is when Smithy had the bright idea to create arrows with consciousness, so they could return to their leader on their own. To Smithy and Boomer's surprise, Bowyer became a lot more joyful and content when he met his little Aeros, and they all became an inseparable entourage.

Smithy became creatively blocked while trying to think of his next big project, largely due to the stress of Bowyer's early behavior. Instead, he came up with a number of smaller-time minions, some of which were the Shymores, based on the Shy Guys he had observed during the time he had spent in Subcon. The Shymores were a playfully destructive group, and after seeing Bowyer's happiness with the Aeros, Smithy decided to forge a creation who was destined to be a leader from the outset; and also one with a mischievous streak, yet toned down from Bowyer. And so he made Claymorton, who later called himself Mack. He was a beloved leader to his rowdy group, but perhaps too social- he ended up neglecting his own training, preferring to play and mess around with his friends, and thus never became very strong on his own.

By now, Smithy was growing frustrated by the failures and flaws that he saw in the personalities of his creations. He decided to think extra hard about the character of his next project: this would be someone who could work completely independently - brilliant, shrewd, capable of powerful magic spells and illusions. Yet Smithy made sure to write in an unflinching loyalty to himself into the new creation's code, so to speak. And lo: at first Speardovich seemed everything Smithy could have ever wanted. Proud, powerful, but knowing his place. He needed no minions, and thus was never distracted, as he could split his own form and consciousness so that one being could do the work of many. He might appear to be older than Bowyer and Claymorton, but in fact he is technically not; he was just created from the outset to be more mature, with the moustache to prove it. And yet, over time, the cracks in this personality began to show. Speary was pompous and did not get along with the other creations when necessity called them to work together. And his respect for Smithy manifested as simpering; a begging for praise and attention which the smith found increasingly unbearable. He was always coming up with unasked-for ideas and input, such as: perhaps all the machine-made units could take the name of a spear in a different language, and "speardovich" could be their overall model name, and that he quite liked Yaridovich for himself personally, and perhaps it would be alright if- but no, Smithy would have none of it. While at first he had beamed with joy at this newest creation, he soon enough kept him at arm's length (or spear's length?) as well.

Finally, Smithy hit upon a brilliant idea - his next creation would be a group of (mostly) equals who could depend on each other without a major power imbalance, keep each other entertained, and stay out of his hair. The Axem Rangers were born, all bearing an energetic and youthful personality which they are still yet to grow out of. They were given control of the Blade, and sent to scout various worlds. They often picked up slang and brought home entertainment from the places they visited, and developed a countless number of inside jokes. The other commanders, and especially Smithy himself and Boomer, found it hard to keep up with them. However, Smithy considered their existence a big success, and remained very proud of them- although this might be due to the fact that he ended up not having to interact with them that much.

...So, that's what I have for now! I'm not sure where all of the Factory enemies fit into this; based on their descriptions, I think Clerk/Manager/Director aren't creations of Smithy, but are the same species as him and recruited from his homeworld. Same with the Chief, aside from possibly not being the same species. Smaller minions like jabits and the hammers would be produced at various points that aren't super relevant to this larger narrative. Count Down was probably made as a fun side-project when Smithy wanted to take a break from weapons per se, and see what he could do with an object like a clock. Gunyolk was confirmed to be created by the Chief. And Cloaker and Domino are weird outliers; I want to say they would be among some of the first things Smithy made, or the latest, in some kind of more abstract and experimental period.

Again - let me know your thoughts and ideas!

[likemosaic]

@nymfaia : Krile, even without speaking or gazing upon her chosen brother, radiated something that could curdle milk. She had charcoal darkening her fingers where she drew up a rather small Moogle, dipping into her aether to bring the little creature to life - mini moghammer in hand as it flew in G'raha's direction. "Raha," she said, voice light and dangerous. "Funny seeing you - I just finished a linkpearl consultation with your beloved. She was seeking a remedy for her nausea." The flat, black-and-white moogle circled G'raha's head ominously. "She said," Krile continued, "that it's akin to how she felt... a few moons ago. Funny, isn't it? Seems to be becoming a yearly affliction." The rubber hammer let out a rather squeaky bonk! sound as it collided with the crown of his head. "G'raha Tia," she threatened as the sketch morphed back into charcoal and disappeared in a cloud of pigment, "need I send you a reminder for her medicines? Or should I look into something for you, since it seems as if you two can't behave -"

a moogle is gunning to cut the thread of g'raha tia's sad life. when he spots it, g'raha's eyes open so wide they might pop out of his foolish, empty miqo'te head. he quickly sets aside his chosen project, not caring that it makes a mess on the table, and holds his hands up in nervous defense. not that it saves him. he looks around for a savior in one of their companions and finds none.

bonk! "ouch!" he rubs the sore spot on his head, ears back, face innocent and sweet--as if he doesn't know exactly what he has done. he shakes his head to clear himself, giving krile his best pleading (and very earnest) look. she's quite the pictomancer and could summon a veritable horde of moogles, if she so wished--and he certainly does not wish for that. best to please her.

"krile, please!" g'raha won't throw alta under the metaphorical trolley--even if her consent was enthusiastic enough to lead to this predicament. again. while he'd like nothing more than to teleport straight to alta and help soothe her nausea (his heart aflutter with hope about her condition), he's too fond of his sister to ignore her concerns. she is a woman, after all, and she shares a comradery with the other women of the scions that g'raha has missed out on due to his gender--but he admires the pact, too.

"her medicines are her affair!" said with no anger, but pleading. "i do not intend to pour tea down her throat, especially when she is too tired to brew it, and so very cold at night, and-" he need not elaborate past that, the circumstances of how this happened becoming quite clear. his face flames, and he avoids krile's discerning eye by looking up, distracted and foolish in love as ever. "ah, but why did she not call for me? i would go to her if she-" it doesn't occur to him that she might be wishing for space, because g'raha has never wished for space from her or their family unit--though he has been wise enough to give it to her, now and then, agonizing as it is. one thing is true: if alta is with child again, she will be suffocated by her companion's presence, ever-lingering over her shoulder as he did the first time through.

how they will manage more than one child, he isn't certain. but g'raha is optimistic, as he always is with alta. and overenthusiastic. again, a trait she brings out in him.

thankfully, she provides a very good reason to flee from a lalafell on the warpath. he deftly side steps krile and her cold glare, his own face red with shame, tail swishing with anxiety. anything to get away from this scolding, even if it is deserved. "in fact, if you will excuse me, it sounds like i am rather needed at her side...i will fetch her the remedy straight away-"

[luv-assangiebatch]

Mendax Undercover - Chapter 7: P4

Over the next several weeks, Julian and Kat continued to meet at least twice a week to work on their research.  Kat would prepare datasets and then Julian would test them through his pipeline programs, tuning parameters often for optimal results.  Kat also continued to scour through published literature in case any new variants of interest popped up.  Preparing the datasets could be tricky sometimes, and also required some advanced coding skills, for which she required Julian’s expertise and guidance.  They often found themselves working late hours in Julian’s office as they simply lost track of time while engrossed in their work.  Sometimes they would decide to have dinner delivered to the office or Kat would step out to pick something up for them.

While they both were very professional and focused on the project, they were also spending a lot of time together and getting to know each other rather well.  They shared jokes, anecdotes, and funny stories from their pasts.  Kat shared stories from her life in the United States, and Julian then would share stories about his childhood in Australia.  Australia seemed like a different world to Kat and she could not fathom ever making it there, it seemed like it was on the other side of the moon.  However, Julian made it seems less foreign to her, and she told him how she often joked and called Arizona the “Australia” of the United States due to the warm climate and strange, ominous creatures that could be found there.  Julian told her a little about his early hacking days in his teens and twenties, but he was careful to not mention his website or citizen journalism activities via “the fifth estate.”  He was beginning to grow quite fond of Kat and was pretty sure she was a trustworthy individual, but he still felt the need to be cautious.  On the other hand, Kat’s crush-feelings for Julian just continued to grow the more she got to know him.  She was fascinated by his mind and how talented he was with computer programming.  She could see why he was hired as a VP in bioinformatics.  While he was very confident and even arrogant at times, he never made her feel inferior.  He seemed to value her contributions to the project and treated her as an equal colleague rather than as if he were her boss or mentor.  They both began to truly enjoy each other’s company, and they looked forward to their working meetings together, despite knowing they would often run late into the night.

One day, on a day when Kat and Julian usually met after work, Kat noticed Julian was not in the office.  She was a little concerned and a bit disappointed to think that they would not meet that day, since she always looked forward to her time with him.  She did notice however, that he was online via the instant messenger intranet program, and she saw some emails from him come through of which her variant scientists group was copied.  She figured he was simply working from home that day, and that he probably had his reasons for doing so.  She pondered sending him an instant message just to check in and make sure he was alright, that he hadn’t fallen ill or anything, but she did not want to overstep her bounds.

A couple hours later, as the usual time for their regular meeting approached, a strange chat window popped up on Kat’s computer.  It was not through the company’s regular intranet instant messaging program.  It looked more like a command prompt, with the white letters on a separate window with a black background.  It simply read “Kitty-Kat.”

Kat felt a wave of heat flash through her face once this message popped up.  It was so strange—if it were Julian, why didn’t he just message through the IM program?  Then again, how could it be anyone other than Julian, who was the only one to call her Kitty-Kat.  She glanced around her desk, making sure no one else was nearby, then she bit her lip as she started to type a response in the mysterious chat window.

- Julian, is that you?

- I’d still like to meet today, if you are up for meeting offsite.

This has to be Julian, she thought to herself.  Who else could it possibly be?  Kat was extremely intrigued—Julian continued to keep up the mystique.

- Yes, I can meet offsite.

- Excellent.  I will send a driver to pick you up at 4pm.  He will be parked in a black car across the street from the back lobby.

This was the same spot where she often saw Julian enter a black car after leaving the office after their late meetings.

- Great, I will be there!

- See you soon.

Then the little black chat window disappeared.  Kat felt her heart starting to race in her chest.  This was all so strange and mysterious.  Why the secret chat window, why was a black car picking her up, and most importantly—where was she going?  She had so many questions, and while this was all so baffling and a little nerve-racking, it was also exciting.  Julian sure knew how to keep things interesting.  She looked at the clock and saw it was 330p, and at that point she didn’t even care if she had emails to answer or other work to tend to—whatever it was it could wait until tomorrow.  All she could think about was making it out to that street in time to see where this car was going to take her.  She quickly gathered up her things and rushed toward the elevators.

Once she made it to the lobby, she continued to scurry across the floor and caught Astrid’s attention at the front desk as she breezed right by her without a greeting.

“Hé!  Kat!  Hello to you, too!”  she quipped after her.

Kat stopped in her tracks and retreated back toward the receptionist.

“Oh goodness, I am so sorry, Astrid!”  she gasped, catching her breath.  “I am in a bit of a hurry…”

“Clearly!  Who’s on fire?”

“Well…Mr. VP is not here today, but I got a strange message from him and he is having a car pick me up at 4:00!”

“Pick you up?  And where is it going, this car?”  Astrid inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Kat placed both of her hands on the large marble desk and leaned in dramatically.

“I have NO IDEA!” she gasped with a mixture of fluster and excitement.

“Oooooh, quel mystère!” Astrid bubbled with curiosity and enthusiasm for her friend.  “Well would you like a little snack for the road?  I’ve got some of those little cakes you like…or perhaps some crisps?”

Kat laughed, she loved how generous Astrid was with her snacks.  It was sweet how she wanted to take care of everyone, especially her good friends.

“Not right now, my stomach is kind of in knots, but thank you!”  Kat then looked up at the clock, then back at Astrid. “Oh, I just realized I am supposed to meet the car outside the back lobby— outside the restricted elevator!  But how are you doing?”

“Agh, I’m fucking tired, you know it!  Now vas-y, vas-y or you will be late!  But we all will want details later, you know.  Now go!”  Astrid exclaimed as she shooed Kat off toward the back lobby.

Kat chuckled breathlessly as she waved to her friend and ran toward the back lobby.  Just as she made it outside, she saw the black car pull up across the street.  She felt her stomach drop once she saw the car and trotted over to it, trying to look a little more graceful even though she could not see the driver inside.  His side of the car was facing the other side of the street.  After she approached the back door on the passenger side, she opened it and peered inside inquisitively.

“Hello, um—were you sent by—”

The driver rolled down the divider between the front and back seats and looked at her with dark eyes that matched his dark, short hair.

“Dr. Assange—yes.  Are you…” the man hesitated for a second, as if what he was about to say next was a bit absurd. “Kitty-Kat?”

Kat let out a breath and blushed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed herself.  “Yes…Kat,” she started to clarify, but then rambled nervously as she climbed into the car. “…Kitty…Kitty-Kat….yes…”  She shut the door and once she got settled she looked in his direction again, her head titled inquisitively.

“Can you tell me where we are going?”

“You will see soon enough.  Once you get there, you will walk through the lobby to the elevators, and take it up to P4.”

Kat nodded, still so baffled by this mystery.  “P4…” she repeated.

“Enjoy the ride, Miss…”  And with that, the driver engaged the divider and began to drive away from the biotech building.

Kat took a moment to catch her breath and look out the window, as if looking at the passing scenery would give her clues on where she was headed.  She then took a few minutes to make sure her hair was set right and refresh her light red lipstick.  Then she took out her phone and began to text her friends in the group chat.

Kat: You guys, I am in this car that Mr. VP sent for me and I have NO IDEA where it’s going!

Aside from Astrid, the others were astounded by this curious scenario.

Jun: He wasn’t onsite today…

Bethany: Ooooh how exciting!

Astrid: You must tell us EVERYTHING!

Marilu: Maybe you’re going to his residence?

Quite honestly, going to where Julian lived would have been the most logical, educated guess.  However, Kat did not want to assume, or presume, anything.  Even if it were his home, she still had no idea where that was.  It could be an hour away for all she knew.

Kat: The driver did tell me once I get there, to take the elevator up to P4.

Astrid: P4???

Marilu: P may stand for penthouse…

Bethany: Ohhh penthouse, of course!  Mr. VP would be in a penthouse!

Jun: What a fun adventure!

The friends continued to text for a while until the car finally stopped and the driver rolled down the divider again.

“Have a good day, Miss…Remember, P4.”

“Oh!  Okay—P4…” she repeated under her breath, then she looked at the driver as she opened the door. “Thank you very much, this is a lovely car.”

The driver smiled lightly.  “Thank you.”  He rolled up the divider again and Kat shut the door.  As the car drove off, she turned around and faced the rather tall building in front of her.  It wasn’t as tall as Santé Genomics, but it looked to have about 16 floors or so.  She walked up a modest staircase to the front double doors and walked inside.  It was an older building but it looked to have been remodeled.  The wooden floor was polished and shiny, and had ornate, multicolored area rugs decorating the main walkways.  To her left, there was a front desk, and as she continued to step forward past the desk she finally saw the brassy, reflective elevators.  She pushed the “up” button and once inside the elevator, she saw the button for P4.  It seemed Marilu was correct in guessing the P stood for penthouse.  She tried to calm her nerves as she rode the elevator up to P4, and she was relieved to not have anyone else stepping on and off—she must have caught it at a perfect time.

The elevator finally made it to P4 and once the door opened, Kat walked out into a very quiet hallway.  The hallway also had a wooden floor with a long runner that was decorated similarly to the one in the lobby.  The walls were painted a very neutral grey color.  She finally reached a door at the end of the hallway that had a P4 on it.  Kat took a few breaths and took a moment to dry her sweaty palms on the sides of her slacks before she finally went to knock on the door.

However, before her hand could hit the door, it opened suddenly and quickly revealed Julian standing on the other side of it.  He looked to inhale for a second, with his mouth slightly opened and his eyebrows raised, but then he quickly relaxed and smiled in a way that was both playful and seductive.  His platinum blonde mane was a bit tousled, with rebel strands hanging near his right eye as usual while most of them on his left side were tucked behind his ear aside from a few light ones that seemed to escape and do their own thing.  He was wearing a white collared shirt with a couple of the top buttons undone in a relaxed look and the shirt was loosely tucked into dark green-to-grey slacks made of a soft, comfortable fabric.  He looked quite casual and comfortable indeed, but still breathtakingly handsome.  In fact, Kat worried that he heard a squeak escape her mouth as she lightly gasped at his sight.

“Kitty-Kat— hello!  I’m glad you could make it,” he smiled genuinely.

“Hi, Julian…!” Kat returned, still in a bit of a daze.

“Please, come in…!”  Julian motioned a bit awkwardly with his arms.  Sometimes the way he moved them made them look like they were asleep.  He then shut the door once Kat stepped inside.

Kat continued through the entryway and walked toward the large living area, which was backdropped with large windows from floor to ceiling and no curtains.  Due to the time of day, the sun was starting to set but plenty of light still filled the room.  She noticed that despite the large dining table a few feet away, Julian seemed to be set up working at his couch and coffee table.  He had a couple of laptops open on the table and various papers strewn about the table and floor nearby.

“Would you like anything to drink?”  He called from the kitchen area, that was somewhat blocked off from the right side of the living area.

“Oh um sure…I’ll just take some water, thanks!”  she called to him.

Julian returned with a bottle of water for Kat and he was holding a brown bottle of some other beverage in his other hand.  Kat sat down on the far end of the couch, closer to the kitchen and windows.  As she opened her bottle of water and took a drink, she watched Julian start to head back to his side of the couch.  He brought the brown bottle to his mouth and quickly popped the cap off with his teeth before sitting down and releasing the bottle cap into his hand, which he then tossed onto the coffee table.  He took a swig from the bottle then set it down on the table.  Kat watched in awe, unaware she was actually gawking a little bit.  He was so peculiar sometimes, but it just added to his mystique.  He was never short on presenting these unique quirks at random, and for Kat, it just made him that much more appealing.  He wasn’t just any ordinary man, and Kat loved that about him.

Julian glanced to his left, his eyes peering out at Kat from behind his white-blonde strands while he was hunched forward toward his laptop on the coffee table.

“What?”  he seemed to take note of her frozen state.

Kat didn’t even realize she was staring until he called her on it.  She lightly shook her head and managed to say something credible.

“What is that?”  She motioned toward his drink on the table.

Julian looked back at the bottle and picked it up.  He took another drink and licked his lips before looking back at Kat.

“This is Club-Mate—it’s a low-sugar energy drink.  Would you like to try it?”  He leaned toward her, extending his arm to offer her the bottle.

“Ohhh!”  She smiled.  “Okay sure!”  She reached for the bottle.  “Energy drinks though, usually not good for my nerves…”  She then took a sip.

Julian nodded with a grin. “Ah right, the anxiety and decaf…” he remembered.  His grin grew, amused at Kat’s adverse reaction to the Club-Mate.

“Yeah…it takes a little getting used to…an acquired taste…” he chuckled softly as Kat offered him the bottle back while squinting her eyes a bit.

She giggled.  “I suppose so…”

Julian looked toward the bottle as he held it in front of himself.  “Yeah, this helped keep me awake and focused for hours as I worked on various projects…”

“Like during your PhD studies…?”

He smiled softly then looked in her direction again, his zircon eyes tender and almost shy.

“Something like that…”

Their eyes locked for a brief moment before Julian finally looked back toward his laptop.  “Alright, so—where are we at today?”

“Well, I was having some trouble tweaking the datasets to include some other biomarkers such as FGFR3 and NECTIN-4… and I think we also were still working on fine tuning the parameters for optimal accuracy and precision for the pipeline…”  Kat recounted while she worked to unpack her laptop and set it up on the table next to Julian.

“Yes…it’s proving to be quite the challenge.  Fortunately, I have plenty of stamina for such an endeavor,” he flashed a smug smirk as he looked at her again.

Kat did everything in her power to hold back her blushing.  Was he purposely being flirtatious there?  The answer was yes, yes he was.  She took another drink from her water bottle, relieved that the cool temperature helped to dampen her lustful feelings for the moment.

“One thing about programming, is search engines are paramount.  All programmers search for code.  Sometimes that is a good 80% of the work—and it can often be time consuming—hence the need for things like this—”  Julian lifted his bottle of Club-Mate.

Kat smiled and nodded.  She and Julian then proceeded to work on optimizing the datasets and finding the best code to help them tweak their pipeline program.  Time quickly flew by, as it tends to do when working on coding and programming puzzles.  It can seem like the work just started, but hours pass by like minutes in a flash and this evening was no different for Kat and Julian.  It soon got darker in the penthouse flat as the sun had set long ago, but neither of them seemed to notice as they had ample light beaming from the laptops in front of them.  Julian, who was extremely focused and determined, spent most of the time in the same hunched over position as he searched and typed away on his laptops.  He was definitely in the zone and hadn’t even gotten up to retrieve more Club-Mate servings.

As the hours continued to pass, Kat started to grow sleepy but she didn’t want to disappoint Julian, especially since he was working so hard.  She didn’t want him to think she was not dedicated to the project.  So she thought she could just silently sneak in a quick rest of the eyes for a few minutes and Julian wouldn’t even notice.  She leaned the back of her head against the couch and closed her eyes.  She felt quite comfortable and the room was dark and quiet, aside from the light tapping from Julian’s keyboard which was a relaxing sound like rain drops on a rooftop.  Just another minute or two, she kept thinking to herself before her body finally succumbed to the relaxation and drifted off into a deep slumber.  Her body remained upright for a good half hour or so, and Julian was so engaged in his work he did not even notice at all until her body started to shift.  She slowly collapsed toward Julian, the side of her head grazing his shoulder.  Once he felt the contact he looked toward her, a bit startled.  He quickly leaned back into the couch and once he did, her head fell straight into his lap.  Kat then let out a sleepy sigh and her hand rested on Julian’s knee, her body feeling quite content and comfortable, indeed, but still completely asleep.

Julian blushed once her head landed in his lap, near such an intimate area.  He bit his lip and froze for a moment, unsure how he should proceed.  Should he wake her up, or let her rest?  He then smiled softly to himself as he looked down at her.  He found this display of vulnerability on her part to be rather endearing, and the gentleman in him did not want to disturb her little nap.  Plus, a part of him was curious to see how she would react once she woke up.  The thought made his tender smile turn into a bigger amused one for a small moment, then it slowly faded as he blinked softly.  He pursed his lips and looked to his left, reaching for a blanket that was draped over the back of the couch.  He gently placed it over her body as it was cradled next to him, then slowly returned to his hunched over position at the laptop, continuing his work.

A couple more hours passed by, and Julian became so focused on his work he almost forgot Kat was still sleeping in his lap, until she finally began to stir.  She took in a deep breath and sighed, grasping onto his knee as she returned to consciousness.  Once she opened her eyes and saw a rather unfamiliar setting—the large windows staring back at her and the fabric of a rather unfamiliar couch.  As she continued to wake up and realize where she was, and that her head was not resting on a pillow but Julian’s left thigh, her eyes widened and she quickly shot upright, pausing before turning to face Julian.  Part of her was hoping he wasn’t there, or that this was a dream and she did not just embarrass herself in front of the VP of Therapeutic Bioinformatics.

“Welcome back, sleepyhead.  Did you have a nice Kat-nap?”  Julian quipped in a low, velvety purr that probably would have made Kat melt into a puddle of goo if she weren’t so mortified at the moment.  She slowly turned toward him, still a bit hazy but enough to notice the sweet, amused smile on his face and blue zircon eyes shining in the monitor lighting.

“Oh my gosh…did I fall asleep?  What time is it?”  She asked, touching her forehead for a second.  The blanket fell off of her arms and rested around her lap.

Julian looked at the clock on his laptop.  “It is a quarter to 1…I suppose probably a good time to stop for the night.”  He then looked back toward her.

Kat, a mixture between flustered and hazy, lightly shook her head.  “Goodness, Julian, I can’t believe I just conked out like that…I am so embarrassed.  I apologize for being so unprofessional, it won’t happen again.”

Julian blinked softly at her while his mouth fashioned a slightly crooked grin.  “It’s okay, no need to apologize…we did work pretty late…”

“I suppose I should get going, huh?  Let you get some sleep…”

“Hmm…” he murmured softly, as he reached for the blanket and gently pulled it up around her shoulders.  “I dunno, it’s quite late actually…”  His hand naturally dropped from her shoulder to the couch, right next to her lap with the back of his hand barely grazing the side of her thigh. 

Their eyes met once again and Kat’s heart began to pound in her chest.  This was probably the closest she had been to him.  His lips were mere inches from hers, and they looked so soft and kissable. 

“I think it might be safer if you stay here for the night.  I have an extra room you can use…”

Kat felt a little silly, initially thinking that maybe he was inviting her to stay with him for the night, on a romantic level.  Which if he did, of course she would have accepted—and if Julian were certain of this, he would have proposed it.  While they both felt the chemistry, neither was sure how much of it was one-sided or mutual.  They both also sensed each other’s hesitation which resulted in an atmosphere of sexual tension for the both of them.

“Thank you, Julian…that is so generous of you…but I don’t want to impose…”

Julian shook his head with a smile.  “No, no…don’t be silly.  It’s late, the trams aren’t running any more and my driver is in for the night.  Plus look at all this space…” he gestured around his flat.  “I have the room to spare.” 

He then stood up from the couch and Kat looked up at him once he extended his hands out to her, offering to help her off the couch.  She lightly placed her hands in his and instantly felt a small spark from the contact.  Julian actually had beautiful hands—they were strong, yet soft and well-manicured.  Once she stood up to meet him, her eyes found themselves in direct line with his exposed neck which teased her desires and looked particularly lovely in the moonlight of the living room.

“C’mon…let’s get you settled,” Julian said softly.

Kat fought another blush as her eyes met his once again.  Her eyelashes fluttered as she smiled shyly.  “Okay…thank you…”

Julian grinned lightly and they both paused, letting their eyes lock for a moment before Julian finally turned away and let go of one of her hands.

“This way, follow me…” he whispered, leading her down the hallway toward the spare rooms.

Kat bit her lip as she continued to hold onto his hand lightly while she trailed behind him.  She blushed when they passed the door to his bedroom, pondering what a night with him in there would be like.  Surely it would be nothing short of sinful and heavenly.

“Will this be okay for you?” he asked, stopping at a fully furnished and decorated room, complete with a double bed that had plenty of blankets and pillows to spare.

“Oh, this is lovely—better than my flat,” Kat giggled.  “I might get spoiled and then you won’t be able to get rid of me!”

Julian breathed out a laugh then looked at her with bashful yet flirtatious eyes that were somewhat guarded by loose strands of his hair on both sides of his face.

“That might not be so bad…”

Kat’s heart seemed to stop and take a dip into her stomach as she looked back up at him.

Kiss me, you gorgeous, brilliant fool!  You know I want you to…

Sometimes Kat wished she were more bold in these situations, maybe more brave and confident like Astrid… but she also wanted to be chased and feel desired.  After a few moments of awkward silence, she finally spoke again.

“This is a lot of rooms for just one person, you really live here all by yourself?”

Julian’s air changed a bit, and he suddenly seemed more guarded.  He had let go of her hand and shifted his weight a little.  He took in a deep breath and nodded. 

“Uhh yeah…this place actually belongs to an old friend of mine who wanted me to watch it over for him…”

The “friend” was actually a fairly wealthy donor to his journalism vision and website.

“Oh I see,” Kat nodded, actually finding comfort in that explanation.  It made Julian seem more real, that he didn’t own this extravagant penthouse on his own.

“Oh, I almost forgot…hold on…”  Julian then quickly whisked away to his room for a moment, then shortly returned with a t-shirt and some flannel pajama pants.

“Here… in case you want something a little more comfortable to sleep in for the night.”

Kat smiled as her body flushed with warmth.  This was a really sweet gesture on his part, and somewhat intimate as he was letting her wear some of his clothes.

“That’s so thoughtful…thank you,”  she returned humbly.  “You’re a gracious host.”

Julian nodded with a little smile.

“Okay, I’ll let you get settled…”

“Okay…”

After Julian left the doorway, Kat unfolded the black t-shirt and on the front of it was a white decal of a large ship with several sails, and the words “The Pirate Bay” written under it in a sort of “Old English” font.  Kat was intrigued and wondered what The Pirate Bay was.  She made a note to look it up the next day, but for now she really needed to get some sleep.  She went ahead and changed into the t-shirt but had not donned the soft pajama pants yet.  She then found an outlet to plug her phone charger into, and she stood by the bed checking her phone for messages and setting her alarm.  A few minutes later, Julian stopped back to ensure she was able to settle in.  He stood outside the doorway and let his eyes survey her from head to toe.  Her back was toward him, wearing only the t-shirt that cut off just below her bottom.  He licked his lips briefly before biting his bottom lip while he took some time to admire her bare, slender legs.  He finally let out a little cough to let her know he was standing behind her.  She whipped her head around to face him, a little startled at first.  She thought he had turned in for the evening.

“Just thought I’d check to make sure you didn’t need anything else…”

Kat smiled.  “Oh thank you—I think I am okay.  I am just trying to find where the switch is for this lamp…”

Julian smiled as he walked over to her.

“It is a tricky lamp…it’s up here…” 

The lamp was one that was mounted to the wall, and had a switch somewhat hidden on the top ledge.  It was a peculiar place for a switch rather than on the brassy mount itself or somewhere closer to the bulb.

After Julian stepped in to turn off the switch, it left him standing inches in front of Kat once again in the darkened room with only subtle moonlight peering in through the nearby window.  He smiled to himself as he looked down at her, noticing that his Pirate Bay shirt served her quite well.

Kat felt her molecules buzzing inside of her again with him standing so close, also while she was only partially dressed.

“Thank you…”she finally managed to squeak out as their eyes seemed to lock almost intensely.

Julian lowered his head, and also seemed to lean in a little closer.  His hand was still on the wall after turning off the switch.  Kat took in a small breath and her heart began to pound faster in her chest once he looked into her eyes again.

“Goodnight…Kitty-Kat,” he murmured softly as he reached out to touch her shoulder and flash one final grin before backing away.

“Goodnight…Julian…” she whispered with glossy eyes.  She then watched him as he walked out of the room.

Neither one of them slept well that night, each in their separate beds while their hearts secretly longed to be with the other.

[micomibite]

You consider yourselves the crown of creation. That alone puts you above help.

[biblioklept-writes]

The Foreign Queen, Part 3

A/N: This does not have much Aemond in it, but we see the reader bonding with Haelena. Also this does contain Daemon slander, if you don’t like this i'd recommend you skip this over. (This is NOT proofread, so please lmk of any spelling or grammatical errors, thanks!) 

Word Count: 1.1 k

Summary: You find yourself with the beloved Queen Haelena, learning why the people loved her so dearly.

Series Masterlist | HOTD Masterlist

The air was tense, everyone in the Red Keep pulled taut as a string. Word of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s husband Daemon Targaryen plotting to usurp the Iron Throne was spreading faster than a wildfire. The Rogue Prince was infamous for his bloodlust and affinity for wars, and with the brief interaction she had shared with the blacks, she had decided that she did not like him.

Crass, wild, and entitled were the words your mind thought when you had met him. Other less than insulting words also came to her head,  but you didn’t express them for the sake of court manners. Daemon Targaryen certainly had skill with his wicked sword and powerful dragons, but whatever skill he had in combat was diminished by his ability to jump to thoughtless conclusions and the less than flattering words he had expressed of you and your people.

Despite the gossip that had been filled in your ears about the Dowager Queen and her children, the Princess had found the Red Keep and its Royal residents far more welcoming than your previous hosts. Must have been your biassed mind, but thus far, all the rumours had been just that - rumours. 

Presently you were sitting with the gentle-souled Haelena, embroidering a gold jhumka on the corner of a green kerchief. It was made of the finest silk you had got from home, embroidering something for the Queen herself. Haelena sat across you, lost in her own beautiful world, embroidering flowers the princess had never seen before. Later, you were expected to accompany the Queen as she toured King’s Landing to meet her people. From what you had observed, the smallfolk loved their Queen, for she was kind and patient to anyone and everyone.

“Mighty Queen braves the storm,” Haelena’s sweet, sweet voice muttered. “The dragon blazed it down, the King can only sit and watch,” she continued, “As the enemies turn to torch.”    

“My Queen, do you see something?” You gently asked.

“Mighty Queen braves the storm,” Haelena repeated, smiling, seemingly oblivious to the ominous poem she just recited. Glancing down at the golden embroidery in her hand, the Queen said, “I find it quite lovely, the design you have sewn, what is this ring called, Princess?”

“It is a piece of Bharatiya jewellery. We wear it with our fancier clothes, or even otherwise.” You explained. “Would Your Grace like one?”

“I think Jaehara would love those.” Haelena examined the pattern, a serene smile on her face. “That looks really pretty, Princess.”

“I’ll have some personally delivered to you, Your Grace.” You said, bowing your head with a smile. “Now, pray tell, do you prefer gold or silver, My Queen?”

“Gold is like the sun - warm, ever-present, glaring.” She muttered, half to herself. “Silver is like the moon - serene, kind, gentle.” Haelena pondered for a moment and said, “I will have one of each, My Lady.”

“And I shall personally see to it, my Queen.” You smiled. No wonder the small folk loved their Queen (Queen-Consort, rather) even though they disliked the King. And there was the youngest Prince, Daeron the Daring, who was even adored by people who despised the Targaryen invaders. You were yet to make an acquaintance of the youngest prince, yet you had never heard ill of him.

Haelena thought you were nice, and brought her pet spider to see you. The creature’s wrinkly-black legs made you a bit queasy, but you had seen worse. You had even killed some of them with your slippers - you didn’t have it in your heart to break that news to the Queen. You didn’t imagine she’d be fond of you after revealing that. Either way, the spider had seemingly taken after Haelena and didn’t move anywhere from her palm, then calmly crawled back into the cage when the Queen commanded. Perhaps it knew that she was the Queen.

“Haelena-” the Dowager Queen Alicent called out to her daughter, stopping when she saw you seated beside the Queen. You promptly got up and curtseyed, then stood still with you back straight. “Princess, it’s good to see you here. I am most glad that Haelena has found a friend.” She glanced at you once over, taking in the silk saree that you had adorned for the occasion. “It is great that I found you here. I thought it would be great if you could join us for dinner tomorrow night. We will host a feast to celebrate this new alliance between Bharat and Westeros.”

“I made an alliance with your son, My Lady,” You decided to say. “I fear I am not loyal to Westeros, only to King Aegon and his family.”

“You speak dangerous words,” Alicent warned, but her big brown eyes swarmed with relief. “You might be tried for treason.”

“It is not treason if I am not betraying my land.” You simply said. “As for my words, I only speak the truth as it is. I am not a fan of coddling lies, My Lady.”

“Your boldness is refreshing and admirable, Princess Y/N” The King’s mother admitted, eyes filled with pride. “But people have been harmed for much less,”

“I must pick my company carefully then,” You smiled at the previous queen, who returned your gesture.

“Indeed,” Alicent agreed. “The hour is late, I must put my grandchildren to bed,”

The little blond twins followed their grandmother out, giggling about something. The two innocent souls seemed unaware of the war threatening to start, and you would prefer to keep it that way. These toddlers deserved to have a proper childhood, as did the thousands of others who lived. At least, you would try to push the war back until your civilians were safe back in Bharat.

“I should take my leave, Your Grace.” You said, curtseying in front of Haelena. “It was wonderful spending time with you… I will look forward to our next meeting.”

Haelena sweetly smiled at you as you turned to leave, her ominous words echoing in your mind, and the kind smile she sent your way. You didn’t want her to get caught up in the bubbling war, but there would be no way to stop it from reaching her if the war started. Such a serene woman did not have to see the horrors of war - yet, she would be the one to suffer the most - Queens and mothers see the most losses in a war, and Haelena Targaryen was both.

Had you stayed mere moments longer, you would have seen the Prince come to his sister’s chambers to fetch his nephew and niece, only to find them both gone with their grandmother and as sister with a peaceful smile on her face, admiring the golden embroidery of your jhumkas on the green silk. Lately, Haelena had always been troubled, plagued by nightmares and visions words couldn’t share.

Aemond was relieved to see her finally relax, yet his curiosity got the best of him. What could have transpired to finally calm Haelena down?

You didn’t see when Aemond held a calculating glint in his eye as his sister recited the words to him, didn’t see when his interest turned into determination, when the little embers that urged him to get to know you turned into dancing flames. For now, he stoked the fires, hiding them like he hid the sapphire in his eye socket. Fire always gives smoke, he knew that, but he had long since mastered to disguise the smoke.

“Mighty Queen braves the storm, The dragon blazed it down, the King can only sit and watch, As the enemies turn to torch.”

Tags: @km-ffluv

Do let me know if you want to be added in the tags

[wolken-himmel]

In which (Y/n) accidentally travels into the past and meets an adorable young boy that seems to find comfort in her arms. Although he is shy at first, he quickly grows clingy when he's shown kindness and love.

It turns out: That young boy is Malleus.

[This is Part (1/2); Part (2/2) can be found here.]

When your eyes fluttered open, your vision was decorated with blotted light coming through the dark leaves of the trees extending their branches over you. The air seemed cold and the area looked grim, reminding you of a forsaken forest often found in horror movies. A shiver ran down your back, and you wrapped your arms around yourself once you had sat up to get a better view of your environment.

Shuddering, you let your eyes wander from one bleak tree to the next ominous-looking bush, never finding any bright splotches of colours anywhere. "Hm? Where... am I?" you whispered to yourself, coughing slightly when a sudden gust of wind swept past you and seeped through your clothing to attack your skin.

The source of the cold came from behind a tree, and once your eyes gazed into that general direction, you spotted a pair of shiny black horns and glowing green eyes peeking out from behind the tree.

Once the little creature had realised that he had been spotted, he carefully ventured out into the open of the clearing. It was a boy, possessing black hair and pale skin. You furrowed your eyebrows, wondering why he seemed so familiar with that black and green tunic he wore. The boy seemed unnerved by your staring and merely shyly croaked out, "Who... are you?"

You glossed right over his question as you beckoned him closer to you with a wave of your hand. "Wait, who are you?" you asked rather softly, which caught the boy's attention. As if you were pulling him closer with your gentle eyes, he slowly ventured towards you, always remaining hesitant and suspicious.

The smile you shot him made him feel strangely at home — more than those cold castle walls had ever managed to make him feel. So, his green eyes avoiding yours, he quietly began, "I'm—"

Yet, he didn't get to finish his sentence when you suddenly extended your arms and pulled him down into your lap, evoking a startled yelp from the mysterious boy. He looked quite horrified when you wrapped your arms around his torso and nuzzled your nose into his hair, as much as his horns allowed you to. "Oh my, aren't you adorable?" you cooed as you cradled him closer to your chest, only now feeling how cold his skin was. Giggles escaped your lips, and you could barely contain your excitement. "Such pretty green eyes and beautiful horns!"

"E-Excuse me—" he stuttered out, seemingly frozen as you continued to drown him in affection. No one aside from his father maybe had ever treated him so warmly — so lovingly.

"You're so precious..." Your eyes were full of adoration and fondness as you peered down at him so softly, your eyes making him feel warm and happy all out of a sudden. His big eyes stared right back, seemingly trying to memorise your face so that he would never forget this kind stranger. Withdrawing your arms from around his torso, you instead cupped his cheeks with your hands and began to laugh. "What a precious boy you are..."

The boy marvelled at your compliments, feeling his cheeks grow warm and fuzzy. "Really?" he breathed out in disbelief. "You're not scared of me?"

Shaking your head, you let out laughter that made a small smile appear on the boy's face. "How could I?" you cooed while you busied yourself by playing with his hair. "You're really cute."

The young fae suddenly seemed bashful and shy as he averted his eyes from yours and stuttered out, "But you are really pretty, miss."

A smile grew on your lips upon hearing his words. The young one charmed you with his shy yet needy behaviour, clinging to your shirt as if he was afraid you would leave him soon. To assure him that you were going nowhere, you once again wrapped your arms around his torso and pulled him closer to you. He let out a satisfied hum at that. "What a charmer you are~" you drawled softly, to which he buried his face in your chest due to embarrassment. "Say, what are you doing out here in this dark forest?"

His face hidden from your view, he muttered, "I live in the castle nearby, miss." Although his voice was muffled due to him speaking into your shirt, you could still hear him just fine. You quirked an eyebrow at his words and craned your neck to look over the tall trees to indeed find an imposing castle in the distance. The boy soon tugged at your shirt again to recapture your attention. "I was playing hide-and-seek with my father, but I think I ventured out too far..."

He had a small frown on his face, one that you sought to wipe away. "Oh, my poor little boy..." Exhaling softly, you pulled him even closer to you and rubbed the tip of your nose against his cheek, which made that adorable smile return to his lips.

"Hm..." He sighed in bliss, continuously seeking comfort in your arms with his hold on you growing tighter the more time passed on. Although he was young, he already had a strong grip, and you knew you couldn't pry him off of you if needed be; so, you just continued to hug him in silence while running your hand up and down his back soothingly. Your eyes fluttered open when he suddenly spoke up, "Miss, what's your name?"

You pulled away briefly to look him in the eyes, to which he responded with clinging even tighter onto you. Laughing softly, you tried your best to unwrap his chubby fingers from around your forearm, and he eventually relented. "Me? I'm (Y/n)," you said, laughing when he repeated your name over and over again. He quite seemed to like your name with how happily he pronounced it; deep inside, he never wanted to forget your name, though. So, snapping the boy out of his trance by poking his cheek, you intended to return the question. "How about you?"

He tilted his head to the side in an adorable way. "I'm Malleus. But my friends call me Mal-Mal... if I had any," he muttered under his breath, only hugging you tighter. "I guess you're my first friend now, aside from Lilia."

Your eyes widened in horror at this sudden revelation. Realisation came crashing down upon you, and you suddenly felt stupid for not recognising those glowing green eyes, pointed ears, and black riffled horns. You shot back from him, to which he responded by quickly inching closer to you again and nuzzling his face into your chest. "M-Mal—" you croaked out, your eyes widened in disbelief.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Malleus slightly peeled himself off of you to ask, "Are you alright? You're suddenly so pale." Upon realising that your eyes were ripped wide open in horror, tears began to sting in his eyes and sobs escaped his dry throat. "You look like you're scared of me..."

"No! No no..." you exclaimed quickly, snapping out of your trance to wrap your arms around the saddened boy again. Awkwardly patting his head, you had a crooked smile on your face that worried him more than it should have. "Uhm... it's nothing."

Putting up his best puppy eyes, his grabby hands reached out towards you. "Can you hug me again, then?"

"Yes, of course..." you muttered quickly as you pulled him back into a crushing embrace again, his face pressed into your chest. Who knew Malleus had been so adorable as a child? Well, he still was adorable to you — but you couldn't say that out loud now, could you? Laughing, you shook your head. "My precious little prince..."

"Can you stay with me forever?" he asked innocently, relishing in your affection and embrace. No one else had ever treated him so openly kind before — and he didn't want to lose someone like this. "Please?"

Your smile fell upon realising that you couldn't stay here; you had a school full of idiots to save. So, running your fingers through his dark tresses, you muttered, "Maybe... one day." You sighed and paused ominously. "When you're older, yes."

Malleus pried himself out of your arms, so that he could look you in the eyes again. His own eyes were teary and he looked like he was about to throw a tantrum at your words — yet, he was interrupted when a foreign voice reached your ears. "Oh, Malleus~!" the newcomer chimed as you heard footsteps approaching. "Where are you?"

Malleus' eyes widened in surprise as his head shot into the direction of where the voice came from. "Oh, that's my father!" Yet, when he turned back around to look at you again, he realised that your hold on him was weakening and that you were somehow fading away. Growing panicked, he clutched onto your arms tightly, about to break down into tears. "Miss? Miss! Where are you going?!"

You, too, seemed surprised when you looked at your own hand to find yourself disintegrating into nothing but air. "It seems like... I'm vanishing—" you muttered, much to Malleus' horror. He tried to grab onto your shirt, but his hands went right through you. A little chuckle escaped your lips as you managed to press one last kiss to his forehead. "Don't worry, Malleus. We'll see each other again one day!"

"(Y/n)! (Y/n)!" the boy cried out loudly once you were completely gone and he found himself left behind alone on the grassy ground. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as his head snapped at every direction in search for you — but he never could find you.

His searching was cut short when another pair of arms wrapped themselves around his small body and hoisted him up into the air. Through a blurry vision, he was able to recognise his guardian. "Here you are, Malleus!" Lilia chimed with a playfully chiding smile on his lips. "You walked away quite far from the castle..."

Wiping away his tears, Malleus quietly explained, "I met a pretty woman..."

Lilia pursed his lips in surprise. "Oh?"

"She was kind..." Malleus added, the sadness going away, and instead, a dreamy smile appeared on his face. "She was so nice to me..."

Lilia shook his head at his son's bright imagination. "Sure you have," he cooed without a second thought before wandering back into the direction of the castle of the Valley of Thorns, Malleus safely tucked away in his arms. "Let's get you back home, Mal-Mal."

TO PART 2

[myherowritings]

anywhere the wind blows

SUMMARY. After hunting a bounty near Wangshu Inn, you sensed the faint scent of qingxin blowing in the familiar wind. It seemed like it was leading you somewhere.

PAIRING. xiao x reader

WORD COUNT. 2.2k

GENRE. fluff, pre 1.3 release

A/N. my first genshin fic of my fav character xiao !! i’m definitely still getting used to writing for this world and for him but i hope this isn’t too bad 🥺 i’m so excited for xiao’s story and banner and can’t wait to learn more about him! if 1.3 comes and totally undermines the small guesses abt the lore i added into this fic then…we pretend we do not see u.u ANYWAY PLS ENJOY xx sof

“A rock shieldwall Mitachurl with a resistance to cryo,” you murmured to yourself with a satisfied smile, picking up the ominous mask and heavy horn that it dropped from the fight. “No more terrorizing Wangshu for you.”

You had just accepted a bounty handed out to you in Liyue and arranged for the proper party to come pick it up. The rewards were promptly transferred to your tab and you bade the team who came to collect the Mitachurl a swift goodbye.

It wasn’t normally on your daily agenda to hunt bounty for money—though the mora was quite appealing, you couldn’t lie—but when the beasts were too close to civilization and scared both residents and passerbyers in Liyue alike, you felt a greater need to step in. And now, after a job well done with some mora in your pockets, you realized just how tired and hungry that search made you.

Looking up, you saw the peak of the inn from a distance and followed the silk flower-covered path there. It wasn’t often you frequented Wangshu Inn, but you have visited enough to know their Jueyun Chili Chicken and Almond Tofu were pretty solid reasons to drop by again.

Your appearance was rather disheveled from your fight with the Mitachurl but you weren’t too messy-looking—certainly decent enough to interact with other humans you hoped. Smoothing down your clothes and practicing a smile, you headed over to the outdoor dining area and were greeted by a waitress who led you to an empty table as she asked for your order. The exchange was pleasant enough and you were soon left to your own devices once your food swiftly arrived.

It was dark out in Wangshu. The bounty hunt took most of your late afternoon and by now the sun had fully set. The dining area was quiet and empty with only the moon watching over you.

You hummed, taking in a mouthful of the sweet Almond Tofu. The night was nice and peaceful and quiet, just like most of your evenings.

A familiar breeze blew against your face, chilling yet warm. Captivating. There was a faint smell of qingxin, like the flowers you grew fond of during your explorations around Liyue’s stone forests.

The wind was different from what you experienced in Mondstadt. That air was light and playful. Free.

The wind you felt just now, on the other hand, seemed to convey something more wistful. Almost yearning.

And it wasn’t your first encounter with this qingxin-filled breeze either. When you helped comfort Little Luo back in Qingce Village and fended off the pesky Hilichurls on her trail, this wind blew around you and cooled the heat from your cheeks. Around Bubu Pharmacy when you spent time with Qiqi, a zombie you happened to stumble upon one day, you felt the same curious breeze.

Part of you felt like you were being watched over. But not in a bad way. It made you feel safe and protected, yet empowered enough to continue your bold expeditions and help the people of Liyue when you were needed.

The wind stuck around as you finished your meal, the aroma of Almond Tofu wafting through the air from the wandering breeze, almost as if it was seeking a taste. Once your plates were cleared and your drink emptied, you headed inside the inn and hoped they had a spare room on such a short notice and—to your surprise—for once they actually did.

On the way up the stairs, you passed by an open balcony near the top of the inn where you caught a glimpse of a lean figure with dark hair looking up at the night sky. You normally would have walked away from the balcony and left the man to his own devices, promptly going to your rented room to get some much needed rest, but the familiar scent of qingxin flowers dancing in the wind made you freeze mid-step.

Wangshu Inn wasn’t too far from mountain tops where qingxin grew… It could have been a mere coincidence.

But in Liyue, you knew that believing such things could be a coincidence would simply be fooling yourself.

The person on the balcony gave no indication that he felt your gaze, but you knew intuitively that he had already sensed your presence despite not having moved a single inch. His stance was so steady you might have thought he was a statue if not for his teal-tinged hair blowing in the wind.

Could he have been the cause of the qingxin breeze that recently started following you around?

“Hi,” you said gently to more formally announce your presence. On the off-chance he didn’t realize anyone was there, you definitely didn’t want to startle him. But judging by the unsurprised expression on his face as he slowly looked over his shoulder, you sincerely doubted he was one to startle easily. “May I stand here?”

His eyes were scrutinizing but not unkind as they looked you up and down. You took your time examining him as well— From the top of his silky-looking hair to the blue tattoos wrapping around his arms and to the mysterious horned mask hanging from his hip.

“I suppose you may,” he finally replied with a single nod, his voice neither welcoming nor rude.

You stood a few feet away from him, leaning against the wooden balustrades as you let the cool air hit your face. The night was quiet and calm, dimly lit by the moon peeking through the foggy sky. Sighing, your eyes fluttered shut in contentment as you felt the wind soothe the aches from the bounty hunt in your muscles.

You wouldn’t normally let your guard down like this in front of someone you just met, but for some reason you weren’t the least bit on edge. He didn’t seem like a stranger. And you had a feeling that maybe he wasn’t.

“Have we met before?” you found yourself wondering aloud. The mask on his hip looked familiar, though you couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, like you’ve seen it in a book you’ve read. And the air around him certainly felt familiar, though it seemed strange to describe why.

He didn’t respond.

Huffing, you tried a different approach. A more direct one. “Have you been following me?”

His brow raised but he uttered no words.

Was that approach too direct?

After a moment of silence, he said, “Were you not the one who followed me out onto the balcony? If I remember correctly, I was here first.”

“But were you not the one who drew me here with your qingxin-scented breeze?” you shot back, tone more curious than biting.

To your surprise, he said nothing to deny it. “Attentive, I see.”

“I’m not sure it’s quite that I’m attentive rather than you wanting me to know.” You hid a smile. He wouldn’t have made it so obvious otherwise, you were certain of it. For someone who held more power in his little finger than you could possibly fathom, you knew that him alerting you of his existence couldn’t be a mere accident.

“You’re right.” He shrugged. “But it’s not so much that I wanted to call you here than I didn’t mind if you happened to stumble by.”

You ran the palms of your hands over the railings, craning your neck to the side to face him. He was a puzzling creature, giving off the aura of something greater and more powerful than a human. The ominous mask dangling around his hip seemed to serve as a word of caution to indicate a menacing side he hadn’t shown you, but his calm stance and the small tilt of his head made him seem curious—almost inviting.

It was intriguing, to say the least.

“And why did you want me to, as you say, stumble by?” you said. “Not that I mind.”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, shaking his head and looking confused himself. “Intuition? I noticed you fighting, helping the people of Liyue. You’re doing a...good job.”

You shrugged, rubbing at the back of your neck as you shied away from his praise. “So you summoned me here to thank me?”

“I don’t know,” he said again, his impassive tone sounding almost frustrated.

At the small frown playing on his lips, you couldn’t help but let a noise of laughter escape you. He gazed at you in question. This whole situation seemed strange and peculiar, straight out of a dream you’d have at random only to forget the next morning. He seemed strange and peculiar, like a figure out of a story book lost in the ruins of Liyue.

And yet you found yourself enjoying this odd encounter.

“Well, Mr. Stranger, since you seem uncertain of so many things still, are you going to continue to have your wind follow me around Liyue until you figure whatever it is out?” you questioned teasingly, not at all minding that prospect.

He glared, looking slightly embarrassed. “It’s not that I was following you. I only sensed someone in need but happened to see you rushing along the way and decided to let you handle it. The less involvement in the affairs of mortals, the better.”

So he wasn’t a mortal himself, you thought, his words confirming your previous suspicions. Still…

“Is that so?” You quirked a brow. “And what is this if not for involvement in the affairs of a mortal?”

He folded his arms and didn’t say a word.

“Let me guess— You don’t know?”

“Hmph.”

You smiled. “Well, I guess it’s okay you don’t know. It’s okay not to know sometimes, you know?”

He blinked. “You aren’t making sense.”

“And you are?” you retaliated. “I still don’t know who you are or anything about you yet. But… I know you smell like qingxin flowers and feel like a cooling breeze. And I know that I rather enjoy it.”

The mysterious entity looked out into the mountain scenery, gloved hand resting on the dark balustrade. He seemed both lost in thought and completely aware of his physical surroundings at the same time. Suddenly, he spoke up.

“Xiao.”

Your gaze met his as he nodded once. “Xiao?”

“My name. Now you know who I am.”

You laughed, startled by how blunt he was. “I guess you’re right. Nice to meet you Xiao.”

“Hm.” Xiao waited one moment before he asked, “Do you plan to keep exploring Liyue?”

At his question, you briefly considered your options for the near future. You liked Liyue and there was so much you had left to see. Was it like home to you? No— Not yet anyway, though it could be if the situation was right. But that didn’t mean you wanted to leave just yet.

Not when you may have found a reason you would want to stay.

“For the time being, yes.”

He nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good. You being there to help the people of Liyue means less involvement with mortal affairs for me.”

Though his tone was haughty, he didn’t seem like he actually minded what he considered mortal affairs. If he did, why would he be so alert when he sensed people in need?

“And, if you ever need assistance during your ventures, I’ll be there.”

Xiao’s words comforted you as you looked at him, his hair blowing in the wind. Maybe one day you could reach out and touch it. But not today.

You sensed this meeting was about to end. The breeze picked up and you could feel him getting ready to leave. Whether he was going to leave to go to bed or leave the mortal world, you weren’t sure. But you would rather treasure this encounter than dwell on an inevitable—and hopefully temporary—farewell.

“Thank you, Xiao. And if you ever need assistance with...whatever it is you do, I’ll be there too!” you said confidently. “As I’m sure you’ve seen, I’m pretty handy at weilding a sword myself.” You doubted he would ever need much help in the physical or martial department. “Or, I could simply lend an ear as well.”

It happened so fast, you weren’t sure if it was actually there, or if your eyes were playing tricks on you— Xiao smiled. At least, you thought he did. But in the mere blink of an eye, it was gone.

Still, you don’t think you would ever forget that peaceful image no matter how hard you tried. Not that you wanted to.

Sensing the night coming to an end, you asked, “When will I be able to see you like this again?”

He paused. “In this human form, you mean?”

You nodded, though you figured the answer would be those three familiar words he had said many times tonight.

“I don’t know.”

A wry smile played on your lips. Knew it.

“The mortal realm is not where I naturally belong,” explained Xiao, amber eyes glowing brighter than the moon in the sky. “But I will meet you again in this state soon.”

The scent of qingxin grew stronger as the wind picked up. His skin grew paler, almost translucent as he met your gaze one last time for the night.

“Even if it takes time, at least the wind will tell me when you’re near.” You smiled, raising your hand in a wave. “Goodnight, Xiao.”

“Sleep well, traveller.”

And in your dreams that night, with qingxin in the air, you felt contentment and serenity in ways you never had before. You would see the entrancing being who called himself Xiao again. Soon. But you had the wind to keep you company while in wait.

[fellulahh]

Point of No Return - Part 1/???, Diavolo x MC x Lucifer

Evening was drawing in at the Devildom as MC found herself inside the palace walls with the brothers. The usual conversations were ago between the various demons; Lucifer, Barbatos and Diavolo having their mature discussions; Mammon and Levi bickering over something irrelevant; Beel and Belphie enjoying each other’s company and Satan attempting to have an intellectual conversation with Asmo.

MC was sat between them all, her mind wandering off as the many voices surrounded her. Her eyes fell on the plate of food in front of her; examining the curious culinary that was served to them.

As her face grimaced, she was quickly distracted from her daydream when Lucifer called her name.

“MC?” He repeated in a stern voice, having startled the human.

“Sorry?” She quickly answered, turning her head.

Lucifer cleared his throat, trying his best not to show any agitation at MC’s lack of focus. He didn’t want to be embarrassed - he could feel Diavolo’s amber gaze close by as he listened in.

“Lord Diavolo was just telling me of his plans to celebrate his reign - he’s interested in having some musicians perform on the night and I mentioned that you know how to to play the piano.” He informed her.

In all truth, as soon as Diavolo mentioned the idea of having performers, Lucifer immediately thought of MC.

He’d only ever heard her play a few times; the reason being that there are only two pianos in all of Devildom; one at RAD and the other in the palace. String instruments are far more desired by demons.

However, despite Lucifer only ever hearing MC play a handful of times, every time he did hear her play he found himself getting lost. In fact, discovering her love for music altered his opinion on the human. He’d never seen her with so much passion in all of her time in Devildom.

Rather than seeing MC as that human who gets in the way and humours his brothers, Lucifer saw her as his regal, mesmerising creature.

And so, when the topic was brought up that night in the palace, Lucifer didn’t hesitate to blurt MC’s name out. He did question whether he wanted to exploit MC’s talent because in doing so he’d lose that one thing only he had discovered about her.

But then just the thought of the beautiful music that she can create made Lucifer’s heart burst with pride. Why wouldn’t he want everyone to see how talented she is?

Collecting his thoughts, Lucifer continued. “He’s rather impressed by the discovery.”

MC furrowed her eyebrows, surprised by Diavolo’s interest.

“Yes.” The Prince spoke up before Lucifer could say another word, “in fact I am rather upset you never shared this information with me previously.”

Now MC was really stumped on what to say. One moment she was staring at her dinner and the next she was put on the spot in front of Lord Diavolo.

Meeting his eyes, MC found herself feeling unusually nervous. It wasn’t often that Diavolo’s conversations were directed only at her. Most of the time when they were all gathered with the Prince it was because he was requesting something from them all. But no, he was only interested in MC tonight.

“I apologise, my Lord.” She spoke up in a soft voice, “but I’ve never had the opportunity where I’d tell you.”

Diavolo found amusement in her words. A small smile found its way onto his lips as Lucifer sat in an ominous silence close by.

“Well here’s your opportunity, my dear.” He stated with a nod before standing from his seat. “Barbatos, entertain our guests will you while I escort MC to the piano.”

“Of course, my Lord.” His servant nodded.

Sheepish, MC remained in her seat as she could feel her cheeks growing hot. Was he expecting her to follow him?

Diavolo soon noticed the rosiness of MC’s skin and chuckled at her expression. “Come, MC. I must hear you play!”

The King was cheery as he grew more and more excited.

MC could feel her heart flutter with nerves. Lord Diavolo wants her to play for him?

As she managed to collect her thoughts, she removed the napkin from her lap and pushed out her chair from underneath the table. “Yes, my Lord.”

Copying her actions, Lucifer went to remove his napkin before he was stopped.

“At ease, Lucifer.” Diavolo spoke boldly with amusement in his tone, “I am sure MC will get into no trouble if she’s out of your protection for ten minutes.”

Lucifer’s eyes widened and he was almost offended that he was told to stay behind. The thought of Diavolo taking MC away didn’t quite sit right with him. But nevertheless, Lucifer couldn’t question his word.

“Yes, my Lord.” He spoke hesitantly, resuming his position at the table.

Satisfied with Lucifer’s response, Diavolo turned his attention back to MC who slowly made her way toward him.

“This way - I’ll show you.” He smiled.

MC quickly glanced at Lucifer as she walked past. Her lips parted as she noticed the stiffness in his expression. However, she didn’t turn back as her and the Prince left the room.

As they exited, Diavolo made sure to close the door behind them. Being away from company, he was able to relax.

Turning away from the door, he met eyes with MC who still looked uncertain. “Relax, MC.” He chuckled, “You don’t need to look so afraid.”

“I apologise, my Lord, but it’s not every day that the Prince of Devildom asks you to play something for him.” She spoke quietly as they began to pace down the red carpeted hallways.

“There’s nothing wrong with that I hope?” He questioned, “I apologise for putting you on the spot but with the way Lucifer was talking about your talents, I just had to see them for myself. He seemed very fond of you.”

MC’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly at the mention of Lucifer’s name. “He did?” She asked.

“Absolutely.” Diavolo smirked to himself, knowing of the way Lucifer’s heart turned soft when it came to the human.

Guiding MC through the palace, Diavolo eventually led her to a room she’d never seen before. Colossal windows covered one wall while various dusty paintings were scattered across the others. The room was lit merely by the glow of the moon until Diavolo flicked a switch.

“A little dusty I’m afraid.” He spoke, observing the various cobwebs that covered the furniture.

As the chandelier illuminated, MC eyes fell on the object that sat in the very centre of the room; a grand piano. She had a shocked expression as she gazed at the instrument; her feet unconsciously bringing her closer to it while Diavolo studied her curiously.

“My Lord.” She whispered, admiring all of the intricate details on it.

This piano was like none she’d ever seen.

“It’s beautiful.” She complimented, turning her head to glance at him.

“It was my Mother’s.” He informed her, joining MC’s side, “Although nobody has ever played it since she died, I still have it tuned regularly. Of course I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if it hadn’t been but perhaps you will.”

MC bit her lip, still marvelling at the gold embellishments that decorated the otherwise black casing.

“I couldn’t possibly, my Lord.” She breathed.

“Please, I insist.” He nodded, “It’d be cruel for only Lucifer to know of your talents.”

His warm smile gave MC the smallest thread of confidence. It was one thing to play for Lucifer but to play for Diavolo? That’s a lot of pressure.

“Okay, my Lord. Sorry.” She apologised before slowly taking a seat on the stool that sat in front of the piano.

Diavolo could feel his cheeks grow warm as he anticipated what his exchange student was about to show him.

But then, as MC took a deep breath and positioned her fingers on the keys, Diavolo’s smile faded.

The human seemed to drift off as her hands went back and forth. The silence within the room was replaced with a tranquil sound; the elegant tune filling Diavolo’s ears.

Despite Lucifer’s praises of MC’s ability, Diavolo was still astonished by what he was hearing. How could it be that the student he’d known for so many months kept such a beautiful thing hidden from everyone?

He began to find himself musing over MC; his head tilting as he watched her fingers tinker across the keys like they were made to do so.

Leaning against the piano, Diavolo continued to study the human that sat in front of him. His lips were parted as he felt the vibrations of the strings within the instrument. He hadn’t experienced the feeling since he was a young boy watching his mother play.

Much to Diavolo’s pity, the composition that MC was playing drew to an end. Her hands hovered over the keys as the last note hummed across the room before she finally released the pedal.

As the room grew silent, all nerves that had vanished from MC’s body quickly came back. Turning her head, her eyes flickered up to Diavolo’s; watching him expectantly.

“Simply incredible.” He breathed.

MC was startled by his expression. He’d lost that usual cheery grin of his and was unusually serious.

“Thank you, my Lord.” She nodded before slipping her legs out from under the piano to stand up.

“Not that I ever doubted Lucifer’s word about you, MC, but you have truly left me marvelled.” Diavolo admitted, “I only wish I could hear more but I expect Lucifer will be wondering where you are.”

MC chuckled at his comment, causing a small smile to appear on Diavolo’s face.

“Come. I must thank him for informing me of your talent.” He stated, walking toward the door.

Following him, MC tried to ignore the small blush that appeared on her cheeks as Diavolo smothered her with compliments.

—

As the pair returned to where the brothers were gathered, Diavolo immediately grinned at the eldest brother.

“Lucifer.” He greeted, returning to his seat. “Despite your kind words, they still didn’t prepare me for what I just witnessed. MC here is wasted in the House of Lamentation.”

MC smiled at the Prince’s words while Lucifer seemed to grow tense at the comment.

“You must perform for me, MC.” Diavolo insisted, turning his attention to the human, “What better way to celebrate my reign than having one of Devildom’s exchange students play for everybody?”

Although the request absolutely terrified MC, she didn’t want to disappoint either Diavolo or Lucifer.

“Of course, my Lord.” She smiled, “I’d be honoured.”

“Excellent. In that case then I’d like to invite you back tomorrow so I can hear more.” Diavolo stated.

“Perhaps it’d be best to practice at RAD - that way there’s no need to worry about getting to you after lectures, my Lord.” Lucifer spoke up.

“Nonsense.” Diavolo shook his head, meeting eyes with MC. “I’d like to have you here - the palace piano is far superior than the one at RAD.”

The human turned away, unable to return the Prince’s gaze. She’d received more attention from him in that one evening than she had in all of her time in Devildom. MC didn’t know how to react to it all; in fact she found it all overwhelming.

Diavolo on the other hand was intrigued by the curiosity that crossed his mind over the human. He didn’t actually have a clue about the two pianos.

In fact, he didn’t know if the one in the palace was more superior at all.

—

A/N: okie dokie so this is the first chapter I have wrote for the Diavolo fic. I have done a couple more but will need to adapt them slightly. I’m intrigued to see what you guys think so please please please let me know so I can decide whether it’s worth it writing more! Thank you

[pop-goes-the-sneasel]

Corviknight

Corviknight!!!!!

Corviknight is RAD AS HELL. A giant armoured Flying/Steel-type raven, it got marketed pretty early on in Sword and Shield’s hype cycle, for good reason. Its design is INCREDIBLY distinctive, and it’s one of the most iconic pokemon of Gen VIII and predictably one of the most popular. Aesthetically, the deep, midnight blue of its body contrasted with its glaring red pupils creates an intimidating visage, establishing some ominous vibes that no other pokemon can truly match.

It’s stated to “reign supreme” in the skies, driving terror into the heart of any foe, which feels VERY appropriate for how intense its design is. There’s quite a few pokemon that are said to be terrifyingly powerful, yet at the end of the day they still just look like weird anime creatures. But Corviknight looks like it’d be GENUINELY horrifying to encounter. Also gets in violent fights with Skarmory over territory and is implied to eat Bunnelby, apparently. Wonder if it eats garbage too like a real raven would.

Somewhat hilariously though, its primary usage in Galar is actually as a glorified flying taxi, with its vast size enabling it to carry people across the region in a little taxi box, piloted by some guy. It notably appears in every episode of the Twilight Wings miniseries serving this role, and its taxi service is probably what Corviknight is best known for. It’s cool we got such an obscenely badass pokemon serving such a critical role, but it also kinda undermines that badassery to some degree. Corviknight seems almost wholly domesticated, perpetually working in the service of humans. It probably doesn’t even get paid!

Corviknight also has a Gigantamax form, which is pretty neat. The red glow of its feathers gives off a cool effect, but overall it doesn’t change much – which is probably a good thing when the base design is so strong. The other thing of note is the presence of eight “blade birds”, feathers capable of launching off its body and independently attacking foes. That’s such a cool ability for a bird pokemon to have that it’s a shame it’s stuck on a temporary power-up that probably won’t survive the next generational shift.

Shiny Corviknight is a warm silver, which changes Corviknight’s overall vibes but looks pretty nice nonetheless. Not a bad shiny by any means. Also resembles a heroic knight to base Corviknight’s black knight!

I ADORE Corviknight, and it’s one of my favourite birds in the franchise. It’s interesting seeing a raven be played for badassery rather than being the usual sulking, brooding sort but it’s a welcome spin, even if I am fond of sulky ravens as well. I’m honestly not into the taxi role though, since it really kinda does detract from its general feel, though not needing HMs to fast travel is certainly nice.

The most intense birb/10.

[hitbythunder]

Chandrilan Moons - 1

A Kylo Ren x Reader story with much angst, possessiveness and dark themes (warnings will be updated as the story progresses) –> Read also on AO3

Summary: Growing up under the loving care of your foster-mother, Leia Organa, there had been nothing for you and Rey to want for. Though not of kin, you loved Rey as your sister and spent a happy childhood with her on Chandrila. But when the boiling galactic politics demanded for Leia to take action, for the Resistance to rise and fight, the girls could no longer evade the cruelty of the world. Kylo Ren sought a map as a key to revenge, to freedom, and had no use for a force-unsensitive young girl like you. You were simply a means to an end. Until his darkness latched onto you, drawn in by your light as you were by the demon that is Kylo Ren - inevitably gravitating towards each other, bound to be one. Like the Chandrilan moons.

****

____________________________xXx____________________________ 1- Prologue

+On board the Finalizer, orbiting Jakku+

The echo of heavy footsteps, determined and ominous in their approach, were enough of an announcement to have each trooper filled with dread. While the prison sector of the Finalizer had rarely been a much frequented place, the imminent presence of the Commander had the corridors wiped clear of any living soul having lost their way here. Except, of course, for the poor sods assigned to guard the occupied cells, frozen in place as their superior rounded the corner. In a cloud of pitch-black cloth he moved, his long cape and flowing robes billowing in the wake of his powerful strides, almost seamlessly melting into the surrounding's black walls and floor. Only the stainless steel details of his helmet gave him away, glistening in the dim light. Like a demon, a creature born of darkness, he seemed to glide like an ominous shadow along the hallway, swallowing everything in his path. Even morphed into the blackness of clothes and interior, he was imposing in a frightful way and with the hood drawn deep over his unique helmet, the Commander appeared like a giant walking among men.

For many he was indeed an otherworldly creature, the heir of darkness as the direct descendant of the legendary Darth Vader and exceptional force-user, Klyo Ren. His name alone having grown men tremble in fear, striking terror among both enemy and his own men. Because no one was safe from his violent tantrums and unabashedly display of power. Though not even a handful of (living) people were acquainted with the scope of his abilities.

Kylo didn't acknowledge the troopers at the door, not beyond how one tolerates the presence of a fly but just barely so, and entered the prison cell holding the Resistance pilot. He too was just an insect to Kylo, a vessel which had no use apart from the memory-cells its brain possessed. Said brain cells held a clue to Skywalker's whereabouts, a vital piece of information which Kylo longed to obtain. To find his uncle, to confront him with all the hatred and rage Kylo had harnessed against him over the years since the fateful night at the temple, and to kill him slowly and painfully once in his clutches. Sweet and alluring, the prospect of revenge had been whispered to him in lonely moments, promising so much more power once the cursed Jedi ceased to exist. And Kylo craved that power, which would enable him to surpass and free him from his own master - a sadistic and foul creature that used Kylo like a trained dog, at his beck and call, while keeping his powers from further development. Although it had been Snoke who had led and taught him in the ways of the dark side, Kylo couldn't shake the feeling that his master had become envious of his capabilities as a force-user, thus putting any progress on hold. Apparently, a useful weapon ought to be powerful but not threateningly so, as to keep it under control and so that it didn't surpass its usefulness.

But Kylo had enough of it, growing hatred simmering in the core of his mind and blending so neatly with the cacophony of negative emotions there, that Snoke had not the slightest idea of his apprentice's developing enmity. The brunt of Kylo's hate translated into raw violence on missions, a welcome outlet whenever it all became too much for him.

Patience was a key to success in this case and so Kylo bode his time, gathering strength through his own training and through spilling blood in the name of the dark side. There wasn't a more beautiful color than the red liquid of life, bright and vibrant as it flowed freely, turning almost black when seeping into the earth. Just like Skywalker's blood would, once Kylo got hold of him and the anticipation thereof thrilled him to a point of barely restrained impatience. Translating in an even shorter temper and unpredictable moods these days. As well as zero tolerance for insects that dared to waste his time, like the pilot currently restrained in front of him.

"I will get the information I want." Kylo growled through the voice-coder of his helmet, a rasping and sinister tone in the otherwise quiet cell, and increased the onslaught on the pilot's mind without mercy. "Even if it means to pick your brain apart."

Unable to uphold the playful bravery, Poe Dameron's excruciating screams bled through the durasteel walls onto the hallway.

+++ +Two days earlier - Resistance Base on D'Qar+

"Rey, wait up! Rey!" I called across the hangar area, running towards a particular X-wing starfighter and its ready-to-board pilot. Heads turned as I passed them, but ignoring their perplexed stares, I made a zig-zag through the small crowd in my way. Rey turned to find me in front of her, slightly panting and cheeks flushed from the sprint.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were practicing the harpiton." Rey surprised us both at how reprimanding that came out and we bristled in unison at the notion of her sounding like our foster-mother. Rey seemed very excited, perhaps even nervous, about her very first flight in an X-wing starfighter, type 406-G with upgraded shoot-assistant and improved hyper-drive, based on carbo -

"D'Qar to Rey! Hello, is anybody home in there?" I waved her hand in front of Rey's face, far too long for her liking. She gently swatted my hand away, replied:

"Sorry, you were saying?"

"Stars, I guess I don't even want to know where you always drift off to." I sighed, but then continued with a fond smile. "I came to wish you good luck for your flight and to remind you to make me a holo-gram of the stars up there."

"Thanks and don't worry, little sis, soon you'll fly among the stars too." Rey replied as we hugged, then beamed with barely contained joy. "See you later, sis!"

I slowly made my way back to the entrance of the underground-base, one last look over my shoulder confirming that Rey had taken off for her flight-lesson into space - being among the stars literally! To play the harpithon (a mixture of a harp and a hang) seemed bland, if not ridiculous, in comparison and I highly doubted that my playing skills would be of any use in the war.

What a world it would be if music could bring peace., I mused as I strolled through the hallways of the ever bustling base, soon reaching the more quieter area where the private quarters lay. We girls shared a room, spacious enough to get along but still rather stuffy, especially with the unwieldy harpiton in the middle. I began to practice, my fingers gliding along the strings and drumming against the round metallic corpus at the bottom. Soon I lost myself in the soft tunes, for it always reminded me of my home-world Chandrila and of the many childhood-years I had spent there along with Rey - always with Rey. Though we were not blood-related, we had grown up together and became as close as sisters could be - perhaps even more so because we shared unknown origins - under the gentle care of our foster-mother Leia Organa.

Back then, when Leia had been a senator, she had participated in a charity-program for orphans and had taken us girls in. Little Rey had been about 3 years and I still a new-born then. Leia's position as senator had provided well for us, without wanting for anything, though Leia had never spoiled us. We had had a happy childhood, with all the ups and downs of family-life that made it worthwhile. And although we had learned rather early not to be of the same kin, we had grown to love Leia like a mother.

With Leia's husband, Han Solo, it had been quite a different story. We had rarely seen him, because of his occupation as smuggler Han tended not to remain in one place for long - and also, as we had always suspected, he had never approved of Leia's decision to adopt us. He didn't say so himself and Leia would never admit it, but the distinctly reserved manner in which he behaved around us - not unkind but also far from loving - which was often paired with an almost painful expression, made us doubt his affection towards us. Although Rey in her youthful optimism had always tried to reach out to him (thus perhaps her affinity for technology and ships), Han refused to become the father-figure we longed for. It was only us girls, Leia and her handmaid Gemma in a small but luxurious estate in Hanna City (capitol city of Chandrila).

Much later, when I was about 15 years old and Rey 17, we learned that there had been a child before us, a son of Leia' and Han's blood. The son whose loss - Leia never told us what had happened - had torn the parents apart and suddenly we understood both Han's reticence towards us and Leia's wish to save us orphans from an unknown future.

At about that time, the former Imperialists had spread the rumor that Lea was Darth Vader's daughter and further she had some affiliation towards Kylo Ren - the rising apprentice of the dark side - was her son. Leia had neither confirmed nor denied any of it and kept her secrets close, always avoiding our questions regarding that matter so that eventually it became a taboo among those surrounding her. But the rumors remained. Of course, these accusations - though unproven and doubted by many - had harmed Leia's position in the senate, enough to force her to resign her seat as senator. Ultimately, she decided to leave our home and travel around the galaxy in order to form the Resistance. Still teenagers at that time, we weren't involved at all and remained on Chandrila. It had been three difficult and sometimes lonely years for us girls, at the prime of our puberty. We both tried to find distractions for missing Leia: Rey in her training with the Force and an interest in technology; and I in acquiring a broad knowledge of the galaxy and its history, languages and customs, which in included the ways of the Jedi as well as their sinister opposite the Sith. Though the sources of information available to me at that time had been limited and always supervised by Gemma with a watchful eye. It had required quite some finesse of me to sneak even grains of info about Darth Vader or Kylo Ren past her.

Essentially we tried to be good daughters Leia would be proud of and when she finally allowed us join her here on D'Qar, we were happy beyond the moon. That was 4 months ago and while D'Qar didn't feel like home, I was just glad to be with Leia and Rey, my family.

Engrossed in both play and thought, I hadn't noted the knock on the door, nor the swishing noise as it opened and was rather surprised when Leia sat down on the bed to my left.

"You play very lovely, dearest." she said, a fond smile on her faintly highlighted lips. Despite her rank as General, Leia had always kept the regal posture and an excellent choice of clothes that stemmed from her royal upbringing. And in times as these, a tough but wise leader was exactly what the Resistance needed.

"Thanks, it's a song I've composed myself." I replied as I shifted my chair backwards, away from the harpiton, in order to turn my body fully to Leia. "Though I was wondering if ..." my eyes dropped to my lap, to the ceiling, anywhere but Leia's intense brown eyes. "...if there aren't more useful skills for me to obtain."

"___________..." Leia sighed, knowing even without the Force where this was leading.

"I could become a pilot - not of a starfighter but perhaps a freighter? Or I could-"

"We've had this discussion many times before, dear, and my answer hasn't changed." Leia put in with finality, not wanting to draw this out (yet again).

"But it's not... I feel miserable sitting here while Rey is up there-" I pointed to the ceiling, imagining Rey having the best time of her life while flying "-becoming an even better pilot than Poe." I huffed in annoyance, continued though with a calm yet sad expression: "I know I'm not as good as her at combat or piloting but there must be something I can do to help our cause!"

Leia regarded me for a moment, silently waiting for me to regain my composure and return to a sensible mind-state before she answered:

"Don't compete with your sister, dearest. Your capabilities might not be obviously useful as of now, but trust me they are of great value and one day the Resistance will need a smart, well-educated lady just like you."

"Mhm..." I nodded solemnly, unsatisfied by the answer given but unwilling to continue a lost discussion. As kind as Leia's words were, they only sugar-coated the fact that I would never be like Rey. Rey who was athletic and agile in her movements, cunning and brave during fights while also having a knack for mechanics and technology. And as if that wasn't enough, every-body's darling Rey was a decent Force-wielder too.

Since early child-hood, Leia had always watched out for signs that we may be connected to the Force, having us forgo some simple tests once in a while, and at the age of 13 Rey's powers had finally awakened. Well, no such luck for me though, because the Force seemed to shun me despite my best efforts to connect with it. Resulting in another shortcoming on my part in comparison to Rey and excluding me from the special bond Rey and Leia therefore built.

Leia's famous brother, Luke Skywalker, had already vanished into his self-imposed exile to stars-knew where. So in lack of a proper teacher, Leia had to manage not only her role as senator in a rather turbulent political period, but also her new responsibility to educate Rey in the ways of the Force. They had spent countless hours together and sometimes I had joined them to at least understand the theory of the matter, albeit unable to perform the practical parts. We learned of the eternal conflict between light and darkness in the Force, as well as about the Jedi order and its fight against the former Empire - a substantial part of galactic history which many thought of as legends nowadays. And although I knew that it wasn't anybody's fault but pure chance, I had always envied Rey and deep down wished to be just like her. Knowing that it never would be.

[squid-rp]

River Jones

Angry Blind Werewolf living off of a modest fortune that was shrewdly invested. Respects his alpha (is the most loyal but isn't going to say it openly without good reason), adored his mother and sisters, having to deal with his great-niece showing up out of the blue with her five-year old daughter and keeping them safe on top of everything else going on.

Looking for: His great-niece (just left a bad marriage, has some vague knowledge of the supernatural. Is probably just human, but I'm open).

Bo Brighton

A Regular Ol' Human Hunter in the Circle of Orion, Bo is a diamond in the rough from a midwestern town with a genius intellect who had the misfortune of falling in love with the girl next door when she broke through all his logic and theories of the world with a charming fairytale about falling stars. Vera ended up moving away when her parents divorced, but she and Bo exchanged letters all throughout the rest of their childhood and adolescence . While he didn't look like traditional hunter material in his late teens, Bo was scouted by a set of Hunters who crammed his genius brain chock full of lore of the supernatural and taught him how to fight for himself. He ended up joining the Circle of Orion right as letters from Vera stopped, leading him to wonder if the Supernatural was behind her disappearance.

He's too smart for his own good, tends to ramble, has piss poor social skills at times and has a bunch of knicks and cuts and burns from trying to cobble together some sort of new invention... or make the perfect soufflé (or both).

Looking for: Because I'm terrible, you know full and well that Vera's a GD supernatural. Whoever picks her up gets to pick what she is.

Sarina Corwin

Brackish Siren turned during an adolescent summer afternoon by the river gone terribly wrong. Sarina's sudden change of both diet and demeanor led to great tragedy, leaving her ostracized and out of touch and struggling to learn the ropes on her own. Years spent learning on her own and avoiding hunters has led her to Colorado, where she relishes helping bby supernaturals without a clue find their way in life, while also keeping them safe from hunters.

Looking for: Her concept is still formulating, so she doesn't really have any want ads at this time.

Neriah Hanlon

The Petal and Vine Shop has been a staple of Crow River since the town's inception, all operating out of a dreary-looking Victorian manor owned by the Hanlon family who seems to pass the business and the property from Mother to Daughter throughout the years. These days, the shop is owned by Neriah Hanlon, a Changeling who has secretly been running the shop the entire time. Neriah is something of a town darling -- always willing to lend a helping hand to those who need it, and who would literally give you the shirt off her back and knit you a whole closet if she felt you needed it. In truth, Neriah helps people forget when needed, and as a neutral agent, has probably offered her services to many of the factions within town provided that she gets proper payment of... a secret, a story, a little trinket that has some sentimental value -- anything with meaning.

And for anyone who would threaten her, she'd like to remind you that oleander is such a beautiful bloom, but can be so very poisonous.

Looking for: Still an evolving concept. I kind of want her to be a Mom friend to people, but who can also snap into being TERRIFYING if trifled with. Give her employees at her floral/tea shop/parlor. Give her people she's helped in the past. She's SUPER OLD, and has probably known some of these characters since they were knee high to a grasshopper.

Genevieve Thorne (Née Durand)

Born to a prominent and well-respected family of New York old-money sorcerers, Genevieve was born out of a magically political union and was expected to do the same. While her magical talents were not neglected, Genevieve was always thought of as "less than" when it came to her older brother, even when she proved more capable, more ambitious, and more willing to learn and be more. When the time came, Genevieve ended up showing up to her marriage ceremony, only to end up murdering the groom and most of the wedding attendees (including her own family) with the help of a Vampire that she had fallen head over heels for. While the pair officially tied the knot later, they would refer to that instance as their true wedding.

Genevieve has arrived in Crow River arm-in-arm with her husband, and has made powerful friends to gain a foothold in the city (it does help that Ariana is rather charming and useful) and to gain knowledge. Genevieve's true goal is to find some magical way to render herself immortal while still retaining her magic. Lord only knows if she'll actually find it.... and god help everyone if she does.

Looking for: Her husband, namely. It might also be fun if someone were coming after her for that wedding fiasco.

Everly O'Reilly

A curious creature from her earliest days, Everly had a habit for constantly being underfoot and eavesdropping on everyone's business as a child, which didn't earn her a lot of friends, but did leave her with plenty of time to read and soak up as much knowledge as she could about random subjects during her childhood. As she grew older, Everly became less of a pest and more of an it-girl with an Instagram following to match. She was her school's prom queen, but also the Valedictorian, and she was a shoe in for going to school on a scholarship for journalism. Instead of taking that road, Everly decided to be her own boss and became a Podcaster for things dark and strange and twisted that most people would have balked at investigating. She gained a huge following and her work enabled her to travel the world...

Which is how she ended up in Crow River. Crow River was going to be a quick stop on the way to something greater, but Everly ended up seeing something she shouldn't have seen, and one moment she was snapping a photo... and the next there was darkness...

And then she was literally clawing her way out of the grave in the woods she had been tossed into, newly reborn as a Vara Vampire.

Looking for: She's got "her Yoda" as she likes to say, but I would like to figure out wtf Everly saw that she really shouldn't have, and if anyone needs an accidental Vara bby fledgling that they didn't mean to create, hit me up!

James J. Jamison

A few years ago, James would have said that he was the most unordinary of the unordinary folks. A supernerd to the max (complete with the comic book collection and fondness for dungeons and dragons), James grew up being ostracized by most of his peers because he was VERY HANDS FLAILING ANIMATED LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS THING I LOVE. Cue toilet swirlies in the bathroom during recess and lunch. James made friends with another nerd aficionado in elementary school, but said aficionado never learned a healthy way to heal from the psychological trauma of bullying and turned mean instead, quickly becoming a bully himself once he and James reached high school.

And everything would have been all hunky dory had James not pulled his best "What would Lara Croft do" moment and stood up to his ex-best friend, which ultimately earned him the beat down of his life, but earned him a sea of friends who respected him for what he did.

Flash forward a few years, and James was studying to be a graphic artist and was supporting himself in Portland, Oregon by being a pizza delivery driver...

The last thing he saw was the grill of his ex-best friend's car heading right for him... and the next... being cradled in someone's arms, the wet rain, and then... fire and smoke and ash and...

Confusion. James reawoke as a Phoenix and has been trying to piece things together ever since. Luckily, his parents put out a missing person's report for him and he was quickly picked up by a patrol car. After a few weeks of confusion and therapy, James decided to try and go back to his old life, even if he couldn't remember most of it...

But then a letter beckoned him to Crow River, and like Frodo leaving the Shire, James set off on his quest.

Looking For: I would love it forever if someone wanted to be the person inviting James to Crow River. Like, we can hash out that plot together, but I need it like breathing.

Levison Harding

I admittedly do not know too much about Levison beyond a vague concept of him being a native son of Crow River, and a werebear. He left some odd years ago to do things, and just came back after being captured by a group of individuals who hunted supernatural creatures to make a black market of parts for magical rituals, Vampire blood, etc. I think they originally captured Levison for vampire blood and didn't know he was a werebear until he broke out and murdered the lot of them, taking all of the captives with him in the process of escape.

Now seen as the leading figure for a group of Supernatural refugees, Levison has returned home to try and figure out what his next steps are for both himself and the small group of a misfit found family that he's become the head of.

Looking for: Give me the black market group that he's run afoul of now, and give me his found family. There are no alternatives.

Maira Joshi

Another prominent Crow River family, the Joshi's have been present in Colorado records as early as the late 1800's, and they gained a strange notoriety of mostly having daughters within the family. The current head of the family, Faria, hides her status as a seer in plain sight by offering psychic readings and "mediumship" skills to those who aren't in the know, and her abilities as a seer to those who do. Maira is the youngest of her granddaughters, and showed little affinity for magic and happily went along to become an elementary school nurse. She would have stayed that way had she not started having ominous visions all swirling around Crow River, prompting her to take a position in Crow River and move in with her increasingly ailing grandmother for further instruction. Maira -- by her grandmother's own description -- is a sweet and empathetic soul, more likely to slip into someone's dreams to drive away natural nightmares or induce states of calm on the panicked and suffering. Between her growing skills as a Seer and her knowledge of first aid, her true goal is to help where she can, and to stop the terrible future she occasionally still sees from coming to pass.

(SHE IS VERY SOFT Y'ALL.)

Looking for: Other Joshi seers? IDK, I'M JUST EXCITED.

[secret-engima]

y'know, in Demons verse, Regis being his wife - who isn't named as Aulea but im /assuming/ - and his daughter Nocturne to meet Night King Noctis. What's that like from Aulea/the wife's POV, after all the everything? all the drama and that?

Oooooo yes his wife is Aulea in this verse but I didn’t consider-.

Hmmm.

Yes he does take her and his daughter to meet the Night King.

It’s an ... experience.

...

Aulea has known for a long time about Regis’s connection to the Night King. They were childhood friends and sweethearts in the court before Regis disappeared with his Retinue into the dark kingdom. Then after Mors and the Invasion Turned Aside he was ... gone. For years. She heard nothing until five years after his kidnapping (willing kidnapping) when a letter arrives in her chambers with no sign of messenger or courier bird. Aulea is understandably paranoid.

The letter is from Regis. Politely (shyly) asking if he can write to her because ... his father isn’t responding.

She writes back against her better judgement.

It’s the start of a long distance relationship that leads to marriage as soon as Regis returns. Through his letters she gets a look into his mind, and into the night kingdom, so when their daughter is old enough to travel and Regis says he wants to introduce them to the Accursed ... she is not as terrified as her servants who hear and beg her in private to say no. She has heard Regis’s stories of the Night Kingdom for years, she has seen her husband come back calm and steady and clear-eyed, wise beyond his age because of what he has learned watching and aiding the Night King rule his kingdom. They have an alliance with the Night Kingdom. There is nothing to fear.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t nervous though. It is a ... strange place and the clouds above it are so very ominous. The creatures that greet them at the border are courteous but strange (and terrifying looking in more than one case, but Aulea refuses to start an incident by reacting to her fear). Regis greets them with familiarity, some he even introduces as friends (who she knows by name from the letters, but seeing a towering Ronin who served as her husband’s sparring partner for a time and hearing about him are .. two different things).

The people are the strangest. Pale from the weak sun but not unhealthy, chattering easily in both Common, a foreign rolling tongue she cannot place, and the screeching of the daemons they live with. The children ride on the backs of Arachne and clamber over the dozing iron giants, the adults haggle with the goblin traders or call enthusiastic welcomes to Regis as they pass. Regis greets them with far less kingly dignity and more the calm warmth of a returning friend.

Then they reach the Citadel. The home of the Accursed, the ruler of the Night, and Aulea feels her heart pound despite the reassuring hand her husband has on her back, his other arm holding their daughter (why did they bring her here why oh why oh why). They are escorted to the throne room, a towering, shadowed thing with eerie blue flames on the walls to light the way and a large stone throne cushioned with red velvet. A young man sits there, younger than he should be (but what is aging to an immortal anyway), half sprawled on the throne, listening to a daemon murmur some report before he spots them enter.

Blue eyes hone in on them and Aulea forces her chin to stay up and her breathing to stay steady as magic, heavy and curious and powerful like a lazy behemoth rolls over them in silent question.

In Regis’s grip, their daughter coos and stirs.

The Night King’s eyes snap to Regis, then down to the child and he sits up, eyes focused as a predator and Aulea longs for the knife in her dress even though she knows it will not help, not with the Accursed and his Retinue of rogues (a rogue Amicitia, a blond with a smile like the sun and weapons that crack like thunder, a blind chef who can spot you from a hundred yards away). A flick of the Accursed’s hand and the daemon bows and leaves, leaving just the king on his throne and the Retinue who cluster at its base as Regis approaches without fear.

“Noctis” Regis says without a hint of formality, “may I introduce my wife, Aulea, and my daughter ... Nocturne.”

The Night King doesn’t move. He looks like he’s been carved form ivory stone, only the glow of suppressed magic in his eyes to tell he is a living thing. He doesn't even seem to be breathing (do Immortals need to breathe? Or are they more like corpses that do not rot and are not confined to coffins?)

Then, as quickly as he’d frozen, he is moving. Down from his throne, down the steps to stand on equal ground with Regis, staring down at her daughter with an expression Aulea cannot read and does not trust.

She sucks in a breath despite herself when the Night King reaches out and rests a hand on her daughter’s head, but Regis is smiling, pure trust in his eyes, and the hand is gentle on her daughter’s head. Nocturne, sleepy from the journey, nuzzles trustingly into the hand of the man who rules daemon kind.

And then- without warning or sound-

The Night King is crying.

Soft, silent tears that trickle down his cheeks as his magic coils around them in great, possessive folds, thrumming against her bones like a shield made of the softest furs. His eyes flicker, caught between the deep blue of all Lucis Caelums and a bloody, wild red.

Regis unhesitatingly passes Nocturne over to the Night King, who cradles her like she’s made of spun glass and will shatter if he breathes wrong, the same expression of reverent awe that was on her husband’s face when he first held his daughter.

And Aulea’s fear goes away.

There is no monster here.

There is only the very tired, broken man who is older than he appears, the loyal friend of her husband who never wanted violence and only wished for his people, strange as they were, to be happy.

Aulea steps away from her husband’s bracing hand and curtseys to the king, low enough to be respectful, not low enough to be submissive, and smiles, “Thank you, for caring for my husband all those years, Your Majesty.”

The Night King blinks at her past his tears, swallowing and shifty like a shy teen rather than an ancient being and beloved king of daemons, ducks his head to gently nuzzle Nocturne’s hair as he whispers, “It was an honor. He is a wonderful man.”

Aulea feels something in her heart twist, gentle and fond and sad on his behalf even as his Retinue crowd close to coo over the child in their midst and whisper questions to Regis. It’s strange. She has known him for less than ten minutes, but those minutes are all she needs to know that everything King Mors court said about this man was wrong and everything in her husband’s letters was right.

This visit will go just fine.