#so earnestly over the gem

[normalpillsaddict]

the first time we lost someone

[willowsnook]

Let me in

Hi! Love your idea for a prompt list. Can I order: A turkey swiss on wheat bread, maybe mike’s way if you feel like it’s fitting for the sandwich?

Joe burrow x bsf!reader

Please don’t leave

—-----------------------------------------

Fall in Cincinnati was something that you loved. The trees changed colors, you could start leaving your windows open, and, of course, Bengals football. Now, you’d never claim that you were a die-hard fan, that was still reserved for your beloved Green Bay Packers, but after 5 years in the city, they were a solid 2nd favorite. Plus, being good friends with the starting quarterback meant you had to root for them. 

You met Joe at a charity event a year after you moved to Ohio. Working for a Cincinnati-specific lifestyle magazine, your recommendations and reviews had made you quite well known in the city. Your strategy was always finding small, hidden gem places, usually family-owned, to review and elevate. This fulfilled your need to make a difference and also get paid to eat food. 

While your job was so public and in the spotlight, you were pretty introverted, which surprised a lot of people. You didn’t necessarily enjoy being the center of attention, focusing more on making those around you shine. This meant that while you were appreciative of being recognized by the community, you hated going to big events; you’d much rather just be writing about them. 

So when the introverted star of Cincinnati joined you in the shadows of an event, the two of you hit it off. Knowing who you were, his PR team had noticed and pitched a content series involving Joe. You spent a whole day with him, going to places he recommended and giving instant reviews. Initially, you were worried about it being awkward because you didn’t know him well, but you both had a blast. Joe was easy to talk to, and he liked that you treated him like anyone else. 

After that, he’d invited you to hang out with his friends several times, and Ja’marr really liked you, insisting that you be added to the friend group. Since then, you’d spent the last couple of years being forced to go to every home Bengals game, but you could also easily force one of them to help you with some kind of content for work. A mutually beneficial friendship you thought. 

Midway through the week, you were back at your apartment, taking pictures of some cookies someone sent you to be considered for an upcoming article you were writing. You snapped the perfect picture just as your phone rang, and you looked over to see it was Joe calling. 

“What’s up?” You said, putting the phone on speaker. 

“I’m bored. Can I come hang?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I’m doing some work, but I’ll be done soon.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” 

You were used to Joe calling you randomly to hang out, especially when the season was going poorly. One thing you learned in your years of friendship with him was that he didn’t like to be alone, mostly so he didn’t spiral thinking about everything. You were happy to be a friend he could lean on. 

15 minutes later, you heard your front door open and smiled as Joe wandered into the kitchen. He gave you a small squeeze from behind as you leaned over your laptop. 

“Are you doing anything with these?” He asked, and you looked over at the cookies. 

“No, I just got done. Have at it,” you replied, amused as he shoveled one into his mouth. 

“These are pretty good,” he said, swallowing. “But I’ve had better.”

“Hmm,” you thought. “What don’t you like about them?”

“Too grainy,” he said, and you agreed, unable to think of what you were feeling. 

“That’s a good point; I’m using that,” you said, typing it down in your notes. 

“Watch out, I’m going to steal your job,” he joked, and you smirked. 

“Does that mean I get yours?”

“You’d probably do a better job than me right now,” he said, and you frowned, shutting your laptop. 

“You are still a superstar, even when you lose,” you told him earnestly, getting a small smile from him. 

“I think I need you with a headset on to tell me that during the games,” he said, and you laughed. 

“Yeah yeah,” you replied, blushing. “Want to take a walk or something? I need to get out of the house.” 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The two of you walked down the street and ventured towards the water, chatting about upcoming events and his family coming to visit. You started to get chilly and held your arms briefly before Joe noticed. He pulled his hoodie off with one hand and handed it to you, not even stopping what he was saying. You pulled it on, inhaled the lingering cologne, and sighed. 

“Will you come to dinner with us tomorrow night?” he asked, jolting you back to reality.

“With your parents?” you asked, and he nodded. “Would that not be a little weird?”

“Why would it be weird?” 

“I don't know. I just wouldn’t want them to think we were dating or anything,” you said, confused. Joe frowned at that, but you didn’t have time to analyze it. 

“Ja’marr is coming too,” he said. “You are both my best friends, so I’d like you to meet them.” 

“Okay, if it’s important to you,” you agreed, giving in. Dinner with Joe’s parents. Huh. Sometimes you really didn’t understand why he chose you as a best friend when many people were fighting over it. If only people knew how clingy Mr. Cool was. 

—---------------------------------------------------

Ja’Marr picked you up from your place the next night and the two of you headed to dinner. 

“You look nice,” he commented, and you smiled. You and Ja’Marr had a flirty relationship, but nothing had ever come of it. One time, when you were both very drunk in the offseason, you had made out but it didn’t last long with him backing out, saying that Joe was going to kill him. You had just assumed that Joe didn’t want anyone in the friend group dating in case it got messy, which was understandable. With Ja’marr, you were mostly just attracted to him vs. wanting something more. 

“I still feel weird about this whole thing,” you admitted to him and he gave you a lazy smirk. 

“Please, they’ll love you,” he assured you. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about; I’m amazing,” you said, causing him to laugh. “I just think it’s weird and intimate. Like if my parents were in town, yeah, maybe I wouldn’t mind them meeting you guys at the game or to celebrate in a group after. But I wouldn’t invite you for a small dinner.” 

Ja’Marr gave you a look you couldn’t decipher before laughing to himself. 

“I’ll try not to take offense to that,” he said and you rolled your eyes. 

The restaurant was a nicer one that you had been to before for work. Joe’s parents stood up as you approached the table and warmly greeted you. His mom pulled you into a tight hug, laughing about how excited she was to meet you finally. You shot Ja’Marr a look and found him trying not to laugh. You could tell Joe was embarrassed, which made the situation a little amusing. 

Sitting down beside him, he gave you an easy smile while handing you the drink menu. Joe’s dad jumped into conversation with Ja’Marr about the season while Robin asked you a ton of questions about your job and basically your whole life. You ended up loving his parents; they were the sweetest people. While you might have missed the way that Joe was looking at you the whole dinner, his parents definitely did not. 

“It was so good to meet you y/n,” Robin gushed. “I’m sure we’ll see much more of you in the future.” 

You smiled, confused, while Ja’Marr couldn’t hold back his laugh. Joe’s face turned bright red and his dad chuckled. 

—------------------------------------------------

If you had thought the season was going poorly before it was a million times worse now. It seemed like each week, your two friends were putting up superstar numbers but still losing. After watching them lose by just a point to the Ravens, you clicked the TV off and sighed. Reaching for your phone you texted him a white heart and watched him read it and not reply. He usually would, even after a loss, but this one was tough so you didn’t pay much mind to it. 

As the week went on, you started to feel Joe’s tension about the team bleed into your friendship. He wasn’t answering your calls and had replied to any text you had sent him with just one word. What had really pissed you off though, was that he was supposed to shoot a Thanksgiving promo with you about places that provided free food for those who needed it and he didn’t show. 

“I get that you’re having a tough time right now and while I can live with you being a bad friend I can’t live with you 1. making me look bad professionally and 2. disappointing people making a difference. So give me a call when you figure your shit out,” you ranted to his voicemail. 

You were supposed to fly out for the game this weekend but weren’t sure if you still should. Calling Ja’Marr, you complained about Joe being a dick and that you didn’t know what to do. He assured you that you should still come and that Joe was just hurting because of the season. The best thing you could do was be there for him, even in the shadows. 

The game started out horribly with it being 24-6 leading into halftime. But a different team came out in the third quarter, and you went crazy as the Bengals got ahead. But like the week before, no matter what Joe did, even throwing for over 350 yards, they still lost in the end. You lingered by the locker room after the game and smiled sadly as you saw Ja’Marr first. He wrapped you in a hug, and he was happy to have you there. Joe on the other hand, did not look happy to see you. 

“What are you doing here?” he said coldly, and both you and Ja’Marr flinched. His teammate gave him a weird look, but Joe was just staring at you blankly. 

“I’ve had these tickets since before the season, you know that,” you replied. 

“I didn’t want you to come,” he said and you tried to ignore the hurt you felt. “Did you not get the hint from me ignoring you all week?” 

“Oh, so is that why you stood up the charity?” You bit back. “So that I would ‘get the hint’?”

Joe didn’t say anything, clenching his jaw and Ja’Marr tried to step in. 

“I wanted her to come man,” he said and Joe snapped his head towards his friend. 

“Well just fuck her then and get over it,” he replied and your jaw dropped. Ja”Marr shoved him backward, yelling at him before security intervened. You recovered from your shock and turned around, abruptly leaving the stadium. You called an Uber to take you back to the hotel, and the massive traffic gave you a lot of time to process what had just happened. 

You could understand him being upset over the game, especially since it was so fresh in his mind. But it’s not like you went up to him; he came up to you. This man was supposed to be your best friend, and he basically just called you a whore to your face. This shit was ridiculous. 

30 minutes later, you were walking into the hotel. Ja’Marr had tried calling, but you declined. You called the airline you were flying with to see if there was any chance of flying out early, and you were lucky to snag a seat on the last flight out. You quickly packed up your stuff after changing into a comfier outfit and headed down to the lobby to check out and call a car. 

Turning to head out the door you stopped as you saw Joe walking in, his eyes trained on you. He looked miserable and he made his way towards you slowly. 

“Y/n..” he started, his eyes filling up with tears, but you stopped him from saying anything else. 

“I’m leaving,” you said emotionlessly. He tried to reach out to you, but you flinched back and pain flashed across his face. 

“I need to talk to you y/n,” he begged. “Please don’t leave.” 

“Why would I stay?” You asked softly. “Goodbye, Joe.” 

You left him standing there wondering why it felt like your own heart was breaking into two. 

—-----------------------------------------------

It had been two weeks since then, and you had successfully avoided Joe at all costs. He blew up your phone of course but you have yet to answer. Luckily he hadn’t tried coming to your apartment because he knew you well enough to know that it’d piss you off. 

You were on your way to hang out with Ja’Marr for a group movie night which he promised you that Joe would not be at. You don’t know why you even believed him; Joe’s car was parked in the front driveway and you almost reversed until you saw Ja’Marr waving his arms at you. Stepping out, you crossed your arms, waiting for him. 

“I knew you wouldn’t come if you knew he was here,” he started and you scoffed. 

“You were right.”

“I am miserable because he is y/n,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry but I will be selfish for a minute. He is being a dick at practice to everyone and isn’t throwing me good balls. He’s moody, won’t say a word to me, and won’t leave his house unless necessary. So please let him make it up to you. You two belong together.”

“He called me a whore Ja’Marr!” You exclaimed frustrated and gave you a sympathetic look. 

“I know he did, and that was terrible. I tried to fight him on your behalf,” he said, earning a small smile from you. “God I shouldn’t tell you this but he’s so in love with you it’s insane. He’s hurting and you’re hurting. Please just talk to him.”

“He’s not in love with me,” you said and he just rolled his eyes. 

“Believe what you want but get in there,” he said steering you towards the door. 

The good thing was that there were a few other people here from your friend group, so technically, you didn’t even have to talk to him. He was the first person you saw when you walked in so clearly, this was a coordinated effort between the two friends. 

Joe did look sad, and you wanted to be happy about it, but you couldn’t find it in yourself. He was dressed down in grey sweats and a black T-shirt, his hair looking like he had run his hands through it over and over. His eyes were puffy, and that made your heart clench. 

“Are we ready to start?” One of your other friends called from the living room and you started to walk towards the room but Joe gently grabbed you, pulling you closer to him and letting Ja’Marr pass. 

“Can we talk?” He mumbled quietly to you and you nodded, letting him pull you into the study. You stood with your arms crossed as you looked at him, waiting. 

“I’m sorry y/n. I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “I was hurting so bad and I took it out on you. The one person who has always been there for me.” 

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it Joe,” you said, frustrated. “It’s not like it was just the comment; it was the week leading up to it, missing the event. I can’t be there for you when you don’t let me in.”

You had imagined how this conversation would go multiple times over the past few weeks. You expected an apology and another apology, but you did not expect Joe Burrow to start sobbing in front of you. 

He sunk against the wall and had his head in his hands while he was crying. Your shock wore off, and you knelt down in front of him, moving in between his legs. He looked up and your heart broke at his tear-stained face. 

“What is going on, Joe?” You asked softly, wiping some of his tears with your thumb. 

“I just don’t know what to do,” he whispered. “Everything is going wrong, and I don’t feel like I’m in control. I do everything I can, and it’s still not enough.” 

“Oh Joey,” you murmured, pulling his head into your shoulders. He held on to you tightly as he cried and you ran your hand through his hair gently. 

“I’m sorry,” he rasped. “I’m sorry I hurt you; I hated myself the second I said it.” 

“I forgive you Joe,” you told him, looking into his teary eyes. 

“I don’t deserve you; I’m not good enough for you,” he said. “I want to be enough for you.”

You cupped his face gently, making him look at you. Your own eyes started to water at the vulnerability he was showing.

"Joe, you’ve always been enough for me," you whispered. "You don’t have to prove anything. Not to me, not to anyone. I’m here for you, not for what you do or don’t achieve."

His brows furrowed, and he shook his head slightly, his hands moving to hold yours. "You don’t understand, y/n. I don’t just want to be your best friend—I want to be everything to you. And I’ve been so afraid of ruining our relationship that I pushed you away instead."

Your breath caught in your throat. "Joe..."

"I love you," he said, his voice breaking, but his gaze held steady. "I’ve been in love with you for so long, and I didn’t know how to tell you. But pushing you away hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt on the field. I can’t lose you."

For a moment, the weight of his words left you speechless. You searched his face, finding nothing but raw sincerity. Your heart ached, but in the best way, as if it were piecing itself together after being fractured.

"I love you too, Joe," you admitted to him and yourself, a soft smile breaking through the tears on your face. "But you have to let me in. No more shutting me out, no matter how hard things get. We figure it out together, okay?"

His hands tightened around yours, and he nodded, relief washing over his features. "Together. I promise."

You leaned forward, gently kissing his forehead before resting your own against it. The two of you walked out of the study and into the living room, where everyone else was already engrossed in the movie. Ja’Marr looked between the two of you and at your connected hands and gave you a wide smirk. Joe moved to the big armchair and pulled you down with him, and you snuggled into his lap. His arms wrapped around you, and you finally felt content. 

[cirqosmos]

yandere simulator; xo (only if you say yes). yjw

interactive roleplaying game: where instead of a yandere winning over your heart, you win theirs. by getting them to say 'yes', only then you will unlock the key to their heart where psychotic love resides.

currently playing. . . xo (only if you say yes)

warning: yandere, slight profanity, some grammar errors (i'm doing my best to study it >_<)

runtime: 3k.

director's cut, — jungwon boo u never fail to prove me that you're legit my muse in writing </3 this is just a fun fun interactive yandere game i randomly thought of, whatever you choose (majority of the votes) decides what happens to you with yandere jungwon :3

character visual: jw

"i'm sorry, but no. you're just not my type—"

you slammed yourself your face on your pillow, burying it so tight it sent you to heaven itself. however you'd rather die this way than pressing the 'continue' button to read the yandere's next words for his darling—which is you.

but you're not even his darling yet, much less being his close friend. maybe just a friend from school?

yeah, definitely.

well, as a twenty-nine years old office lady with her average monotonous schedule with the same routine over and over again for the past eight years, nearing her thirties yet never being able to find a qualified partner that fits her overly high standards—you're left with a game titled 'xo (only if you say yes) you've found somehow on the devil's hours; a game that was immensely difficult to pass, where you would do your best to win over a yandere's heart.

the game's description was too daring, almost too challenging, you are afraid to admit.

"wanna have your sweet affectionate yandere fawning all over you? no worries! however, as the old sayings goes; without efforts, you may never achieve anything—nothing is free in this world. therefore, why don't you sweat a little, get upset a little, cry a little, break a little—like your beloved yandere would once they fall for you? do your very best to get them to say yes to your love confession just once, and all of them—they will give to you.

blood, sweat, and tears; all of them shall be yours as long as you can make them say yes."

© 2024. all rights reserved xo, (only if you say yes)

and now you found yourself on the final level spending atleast, or disappointingly a huge sum of bucks on the game with currency of gems just to speed up the process, with your eyes bearing a newfound dark eyebags as an extra package of consequences.

you swore by your life and on god himself that you're only playing this for fun out of pure boredom and insomnia, however as you thumb through the game's introduction of yandere as it's dominant themes paired with a comprehensive summary of them; you questioned yourself with sheer shock as to why you've never find an ounce of existence about yanderes for the past eighteen years of your life despite being chronically online.

since yanderes are the exact definition of your overly high standards for men, ever since. no wonder you've never found a men like this before, turns out they only exists in fiction—you scoffed at yourself, filled with disbelief as you roll your eyes.

but! who cares if they don't exist in real life? they're now on the tips of your finger, waiting earnestly and eagerly for your love. a giggle so obnoxious escapes your lips, you feel like you are once a schoolgirl again, but without the experiences of one, actually.

but again who cares!

the game flashes a new pop-up, telling you the next step—choose your yandere character to play with. it shows you a list of seven yanderes illustrated on their respective cards, clad in coquettish-sort-of highschool uniforms; pink ties, beige vest over a dark blue shirt and pants paired with their set of flirty gestures as your thumb glided through each character—reading their descriptions; interests & dislikes, hobbies & talents, a little trivia about them, and of course—their strengths and weaknesses.

surprisingly, they had a range of informations so complete it felt like they were real humans. the developers did quite a spectacular job on it, don't they? and even the fact of how their weaknesses remains the same although with differences in how they would act on it or how far they would go; obsession, possession, and damn psychotic—willing to kill for you.

how romantic. . . in a psychotic way, of course. you hummed unconsciously, letting out a sigh after at the disappointing fact of how you still find it strangely attractive in your late twenties.

are you really that of a single pringle? pfft!

as you giddily spend your time trying to choose one of all characters. they're just all too good, looking too good for your heart to take. but one particular character catches your eye, intrigues you even with those pair of eyes—goosebumps ran down your spine as you could feel him gazing back at you.

like at you, literally.

or was it just the game's tactic to make the players like you fall deeper? hm, probably! it definitely was, unless a random ghost must've possessed your phone but that can't be right?

right?! you yelled the same word out loud, snapping your head around your room—looking for any potential jumpscares, but to your relief—thank god. now you can play your little new obsession in peace!

snapping your head back at your phone, eyes lit up in immense stars as you've made up your mind, heart thumping loudly as you scanned his unique features—tapping the "play with me?" soft pink button below the name 'yang jungwon' aka the mischievous leader kitty of the group.

in yandere academy, this group is called enhypen—and they have a bunch of fangirls, and it's not even a 'bunch', the size of their fandom is almost half of the female population in the academy and even outside of its territories—there is this ridiculously long line of female students from other academies. a feat that cannot be totally underestimated, and it's not even surprising as they are packed with dazzling visuals, and a set of numerous talents of their own.

they catch hearts everywhere, left and right, back and forth with their grand entrance to the school. each of them has their own separate fandoms too, and yang jungwon's taekwondo club practices are always filled with hearty eyes paired nerve-wracking screams that his coach spends half an hour yeeting them out.

"huh?" you let that out a tad bit too loud, almost exaggerated even. the game surely didn't turn out the way you thought, as you had the initial assumption that the yandere you chose already fell for you, and that you just had to spend those lovey-dovey levels roleplaying with them with a one or a few more predetermined routes to choose from.

the rules was pretty simple; try to get his heart—make him fall for you in the set duration of thirty days. in other words, there are ninety-nine percent possibility that he might reject your confession out of pure lack of interest. get that three row of bars; friendship, love, and yandereness as high as you can because if you were unable to do so then there will be no second chances of playing the yandere of your choice without paying an excessive sum of bucks, so you just had to do it once and make sure to do it right.

quite a challenging mission, huh? no it really is challenging but you were determined as your nostrils flared out a puff of air, straightening your posture as

the adorable motion logo of the game plays out, loading in a bunch of texts meant to help you along the way;

'yandere has each of their own unique love languages, pay attention!'

'little misfortunes are often a blessing in disguise, sometimes redirecting you away from what we call a 'disaster.'

'completing side tasks will increase your yandere's love bar by two percent!'

it soon pops up a bunch of pinky hearts and sparkling stars after all those introductions and guides before switching to a scene of him, jungwon—standing before you, and as expected, you were instructed to approach him.

the location in his taekwondo club, all while sandwiched in between his die-hard fangirls with those screams that you had to turn down your volume to zero. talk about in starting a cool first impression—well never mind, two choices popped up on your screen.

choice one: wait for him after his taekwondo practices (20% of working out)

choice two: act like a damsel in distress (5% of working out)

"uh," your thumb hovered over the two choices, is this a trap? act like a damsel in distress—what in the actual fuck? who would even do that in 2024?! you begrudgingly tapped on the first choice, and the scene switches to a pop up message:

try again, jungwon left a couple minutes earlier for a dinner with jay!

[ retry? ] [ exit? ]

your eyebrow twitches, what the fuck? just like that . . .? there's even barely a progress and you just have to fucking retry?

and jokes on you as your jaw dropped on the floor with the new set of choices presented before you, four choices—actually.

"what is this?!" you yelled so loud you immediately covered your mouth, peeking outside the window.

day three.

the love bar ain't going the fuck up, it's still there glaring at your face with it's zero percent. well that's fine, atleast the friendship bar goes up a tad bit—by five percent. a progress is still a progress!

but the game is just so greedy! you can't skip a day? sure then! but you only had three gems a day, one is to play the major mission, second to power up your aesthetics, skills, and status. third, to complete your side tasks such as running errands for your home or completing school assignments!

that even takes a whole day to refill back up, and it's not even enough with these thirty days you got and with this slow ass rate of getting jungwon to fall for you! you threw your phone on the bed, huffing like a madman—contemplating whether to spend a few bucks on it or just drop the game altogether. surely, you can't be that too attached with a yandere character, right?

right?!

jokes on you, your fingers find itself on the payment method against your will. ultimately cashing out a few bucks from your bank account with a single tear trailing down from your eye, all of this would be complete waste of money and effort if you fail to reign over his heart.

you let out an almost animalistic growl—filled with downright spite, actually. is this game even for real?! the choices they gave you are almost like deliberately setting you up for failure, definitely is! you were almost sure that is—to the point of contacting the developers themselves but you held yourself in sheer strength of self-control at last-minute, at the last digit of contacting them.

"it's okay, pampering myself isn't a sin." you pat yourself on the back, comforting yourself with a huge pout reaching the floor. it's okay! with a newfound determination, you're sure you'll make it!

day ten.

hopeless! utterly hopeless even the god of romance and cupid's themselves would laugh at you. you would, too. due to the fact that you went as far as googling on how to 'win over a man's heart" or "list of dialogues and actions that makes a man gain interest in you".

one of them even says food, that it is the way to a man's heart. but how the heck are you even going to feed a fictional game character? it would be easier if there was a food dialogue!

right, when is your character—or the game itself deciding to send a heart shaped box of chocolates? that would atleast give you a few percent to his love bar!

throwing yourself at your bed like a ragdoll, groaning and kicking your feet in the air. why do you even bother? for what? your search history is so hopelessly embarrassing, and even more embarrassing was when your co-worker had their eyes ogling at it. your mistake for letting your phone screen lit up for everyone to see, thank god she was the only one. patting you on the back that it was okay, and that she too had her fair share of struggles on fictional men.

truly a fellow comrade, you almost shed a tear.

day seventeen.

is this damn game trying to get on your nerves?

deciding to show a new bunch of rules that they didn't bother to show at the first day—set of rules you mustn't do while proceeding with the act of winning a yandere's heart, that is—you were not to skip a single day of playing—in other words, not spending a time with your yandere as in the game's words itself; they will be lonely and might end up throwing tantrums—loathing you for doing so, ignoring you for a short period or even longer depending on how long you were gone, thus risking the amount of effort you've spent so far down the drain.

and you actually skipped not one but two days because of your hectic work piling up after a fellow coworker's taking a sick leave for a week. . . and that was also after finally getting his love bar up to two percent and friendship bar reaching whopping sixteen percent.

yeah, it's sadly a 'whopping' one for you.

and now it's back at zero, with his friendship bar down to crashing down to nine digit and just as exactly the rules stated; every choice, dialogues, and routes you picked ended up him ignoring you with that furrowed eyebrows and slight pout on his lips, or responding to you in a flat out cold tone.

he's not even in love with you, so what are you even throwing a tantrum for?! you screamed that question at the animated game character on your phone's screen.

day twenty-four.

nah, this won't do. it definitely won't so why are you still trying? you bit your lower lip as you look for cheats, hacks, and tutorials online, praying to atleast find some miracle that could miraculously rocket you to ninety percent of love bar atleast!

since all you have left is six days.

you've spent an embarrassing amount of hours and days on this shit, even more dedicated and focused than you do back in your days as a student. you were so sure by this point that you could actually become a relationship therapist with all these accumulated knowledge!

day thirty.

eyebrows and lips twitching, it is.

level thirty, it is—ending on quite a horrible note, or actually, a total doomsday glaring back at you with all your nonexistent experience combined into a recipe with the title "never been in a relationship before".

a helpless laughter escapes your throat, of course—how can you catch a yandere's heart? much less make him your lover? you've never even caught a human's interest over the past twenty years of your life!

how cruel, how utterly cruel! god truly has it's ways of playing jokes. tears, laughter, giggles, sweat, money and effort—all gone down the drain.

all because of that one sentence ending it all, each word literally jumping out from his animated lips in a bold ass pink letters,

"i'm sorry but i can't accept it. i only see you as a friend, (name). i hope you could understand. . i'm sorry, but no—you're just not my type."

huh?! seriously?! a compelling urge, or a really tremendous one so colossal you can break your table into two parts—all that set of routes you've chosen so far with a careful decision and thoughts just for him to say this? just for the love bar to be at total ten percent?

jungwon, how could you? only ten percent? there's no hint of romantic affections found in his eyes or gestures, his friendship bar only by forty percent (a low score of only being his 'school' friend), heck you didn't even trigger his yandereness. like look at him! his yandere bar is at zero looming percent!

a trace of the pink love bar and red yandere bar nowhere to be seen, this is a pure scam! a love scam in the form of a game! meant to target single old ladies like you, fucking hell!

out of pure rage and disappointment, you slammed your phone on the bed—burying your face on your pillows as you let out a long drawn out, muffled scream. downright mad at yourself for even being so triggered by this whole shit, and at the fact of you acting like teenage girl imbued with hormonal changes,

"can't even get a fictional men to fall for me, i'm totally screwed for life!—"

you're so going to uninstall that shitty game, there's no point in playing anyways when you can't have the same character of your choice.

a notification 'tings' up, interrupting your bursts of tantrums—you look over at your phone with the game still up, a big pink heart-shaped bubble pops up on the screen—slowly draining into a pathetic colour of white, ultimately shredding it apart into a broken heart, mocking at your misery.

however the next message pulls outs a gasp from your throat, appearing in its usual glossy pink heart but a little redder at the bottom.

💌 2:09AM

hey there, our precious darling!

we totally get how you feel, there's no need to fret anymore! here we present to you an exclusive package where you will be given a final chance to retry for jungwon! this is a one in a lifetime chance for you—our dear player!

tempting almost, yet you're definitely not falling for that anymore.

and it's all free, let yourself fall deeper and deeper into this world of obsession. you can't really give up that quickly, right?

yanderes never knows when to give up, anyways ♡

free? there's nothing free in this world, even the game itself stated the same words. you've wasted your time, money, and effort on this dumb game and now it's giving a package that is exclusive only for you?

what dirty trick is this game trying to pull off once again?

© pieroulette on tumblr , 2024.

[skz-streamer]

Why I Fell For You

Simptober Small Things You Do M-list

Pairing: Felix (skz) x fem!reader

Genre: Fluff, Hurt/comfort

Warnings:

Notes: literal sweetheart, :((((( I love him so muchhh. I dont rlly think this does justice to him but whateverrr :///

-please read responsibly, and remember that this work is fiction and meant strictly for imaginative fun. the idols used in fics are more accurately faceclaims and personality outlines for imaginary characters, and should not be interpreted as factual representations of existing people

Word count - 664;)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning sun bathed the room in a gentle light, casting a warm glow over the stillness that had settled in after a night of unease. The argument from the previous evening lingered like a haunting specter, leaving both you and Felix in a state of disquiet. It was a restless night, marked by a conspicuous silence, and the awkwardness in the air felt heavy and oppressive.

The disagreement had begun innocuously enough, a minor misunderstanding that had unexpectedly snowballed into a full-blown argument. Your intention was simple – to express your affection and connect with Felix during his work hours, mirroring the love and attention he consistently showered upon you. However, it seemed like your well-intentioned efforts had crossed a line, and it left both of you feeling hurt and misunderstood.

With the dawn of a new day, you held onto a glimmer of hope that it would bring a fresh start, an opportunity to mend the rift that had grown between you and Felix. He broke the silence with a gentle but firm directive, "Get ready," and there was something resolute in his voice that compelled you to obey. You dressed up in a cute ensemble, the anticipation of the upcoming day carrying a hint of trepidation and hope.

Felix led you to a charming little restaurant, one of those hidden gems that seemed untouched by the hustle and bustle of the world outside. Delicate pastries, exquisitely crafted, beckoned from the display, and the aroma of fragrant tea filled the air. The ambiance was tranquil, with the soft murmur of other patrons providing a soothing backdrop. Despite the picturesque setting, the lingering tension seemed to be a stubborn guest, unwilling to depart.

As you both settled into your seats, the conversation was tentative, stilted at best. The burden of the unresolved argument weighed heavily upon you, and the silence between you two felt like an insurmountable divide. You were desperate to bridge the gap, to ease the awkwardness, and finally, you mustered the courage to speak.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" you began, but Felix, ever the considerate one, gently interrupted you, his voice a soft murmur in your ear. "Shhh, don't worry about it, hon."

His arms enveloped you in a comforting embrace, and you could feel the steady rhythm of his heart, a reassuring beat against your chest. In that embrace, he began to speak, his voice filled with heartfelt sincerity.

"I'm deeply sorry for what I said last night," Felix confessed earnestly. "It was rude of me, and I really didn't mean it. I cherish your texts throughout the day, and I beg you not to stop."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you looked up at him, the emotion in his eyes mirroring your own. It became apparent that the argument had taken a toll on him, just as it had on you. The raw vulnerability at that moment, as you held each other close, felt profound and healing.

Felix leaned in to kiss your cheek tenderly, his lips a gentle caress. His gaze met yours, and you could see the glint of moisture in his eyes, a testament to the depth of his feelings. Your own eyes mirrored his, and you smiled, a small but genuine one, in acknowledgment of his apology and the love that bound you both.

He took your hand, fingers interlocking, and guided you to sit closer to him, abandoning the space across the table. The physical closeness felt like a bridge, spanning the emotional gap that had separated you earlier. Your fingers brushed against each other as you shared a delicate tart, the sweetness of it resonating with the newfound warmth in your relationship.

As Felix bit into a tart, a playful giggle escaped his lips, breaking the tension that had haunted you for so long. You couldn't help but ask, "What's so funny?"

His eyes twinkled with affection, and he responded, "I don't know. I just love you so much."

————————————

Tags:  @eee5533 @mixtape-racha @cherry-edibles @ren0325 @felixvsp @hwangrimi @sanriiolino @painstakingly-juno @herarcadewasteland @dabiscrustyfeet @kai-jilee  @sungiesoonie  @slvtty4channiee @revelaffee @buckys-pillow, @staygirl86 @chlodavids @jinnie-ret @bbygrlhannie @rebecca-johnson-28  @turtledove824  @interstellarairwaves @yearofthetiger25 @minhos4thkitty @fiqire @backintomykpopphaseagain @liknws @tinyelfperson @aaasia111

[artdcnaldson]

i am so so obsessed with the sex lessons au i am white knuckle gripping the sides of my chair bestie i am unwell over the shy slow corruption of reader and patrick desperately trying not to corrupt her too fast or too far while art just laps the whole situation up!!!

can’t stop thinking about the line from the squirting lesson where reader asks “wait is this a pee thing” and patrick rolls his eyes and says no and tells her to shut up, especially in combo with the part where patrick explains a little about the piss kink and i just KNOW the tips of his ears flushed red thinking back on that conversation while he told her to shut up hhhhhhhhh

i need her to be mortified that she’s still curious but also so earnest as she reports back that wow!! she tried touching herself while she had to pee just like he said and it really did make it so much more intense but also (maybe trailing off, going from earnest babbling back to embarrassed as she realizes she’s not sure she wants to admit this?) harder to get off because she really didn’t want to like, (flushing bright red and breaking eye contact, poor thing really hadn’t thought through what she would say and patrick’s throat is so so dry while he nods at her to keep going) wet herself or something?? because she didn’t think she could make herself squirt on her own and she really did have to pee when she tried it so she wasn’t willing to risk it!!

honestly feel free to take any part of this you want to elaborate on and ignore the rest or even ignore all of it lol i just needed to share the brainrot you have instilled in me!!! 🥴

I'm so sorry I let this gem sit in my inbox for so long <3 it got lost in the shuffle my love I'm so sorry </3

BUT YEAH Patrick hears you explain it so earnestly and shyly and he feels like he needs to go take a walk. He feels so insane just imagining you on your back with your fingers rubbing your swollen little clit, and the heel of your palm digging just below your bladder, so the pressure feels so intense <3 He's hard before you've even finished the story, just aching and throbbing and thinking about if he were to fuck you while your bladder was full, if you'd be able to hold back the way you could while you were touching yourself, or if he could fuck you hard enough that you'd lose control of your bladder <3

He thinks you'd be so embarrassed— all blushy and whiny because it's so humiliating, especially if you're shy just talking about having to pee while you fucked yourself. It makes him feel a little dizzy, honestly. When he finally fucks his fist when he's alone, he comes so hard his vision goes all white.

[technicallysublimechild]

If I Cross the Line

Fandom: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Length: 2,120 words

Summary: In a desperate bid to save everything he cherishes, Mikey must give himself over to an ancient and powerful magic.

Based on the song The Line from Arcane Season 2.

---

He can't fight it this time.

When he feels its call, he opens himself to it. Lets it draw towards him from where it had been lost in the heat of the batte.

He wasn't supposed to be here. He should have been at home with their father. Safe and protected. Left behind while his brothers desperately tried to fix everything - to fix him.

Standing atop a great mass of rubble, the expanse of smoldering destruction only confirms what he already knows. What the waning, flickering flames of his brothers’ Ninpo had already made clear. It wasn't going to be enough.

I told you. It whispers in his mind.

The now familiar presence grows stronger as a flash of cold white light crests a bank of downed buildings and starts to float towards him.

Mikey’s mouth turns up in a weak smile. “Worth a shot.” He argues.

Was it? The entity questions as the white light reaches the summit and glides to a halt in front of Mikey. The clear, rounded crystal the light emanates from rotating lazily as it floats before him.

Instead of responding, Mikey looks up. The sky is dark, filled with an inky blackness that blocks out the stars and moon. The only lights he can see are the bright purple, red and blue streaks that slash through the darkness, locked in combat with creatures of the shadow.

“It is to them.” He says earnestly. “They'll never stop trying.”

Indeed. They will die trying.

“...and it still won't be enough.” Mikey quotes back in a desolate whisper.

No.

Mikey feels the presence glide across his mind, allowing him to sense its magic and the potential it holds. It feels like a delicate and intricate web, but strong and ancient like the entity above. There's an emptiness there though, a dark space where immense power and warmth should be.

The magic tingles across his scales, drawing out a brief orange glow and eliciting a full body shiver from the turtle. It's drawn to him he knows, ever since the crystal was first uncovered, weaving into his dreams and whispering over his shoulder.

He knows what it wants. Knows it senses the waves of his mystic energy that break just beneath the surface. A deep well of power that feels as vast and endless as the ocean. They'd all assumed the magic to be a malevolent force, seeking to twist and corrupt the youngest’s gift. He knows better now, can feel its unrelenting desire to fulfill its one and only purpose. To purify the darkness that threatens to engulf them all.

He gently reaches his cupped hands out towards the glittering gem. The light pulses, refracting into a million shimmering colours within the crystal before it slowly floats towards him and settles neatly into the palms of his hands.

You must be sure. The voice says. It will take everything you have.

He grins with false bravado, chuckling weakly. “Then it's a good thing I always give 110%.”

He receives no response. His smile fades.

Looking up at the sky, he sees his brothers weaving through the darkness, feels their desperation and determination through their ancestral connection. He feels tears begin to build up behind his eyes, knowing they'll never forgive him for this. Will never forgive themselves. How many times have they promised each other that there would be no more sacrifice plays? God, they're going to be so disappointed in him.

He looks back down at the gem, both heavy and weightless in his hands.

“If you cross that line, there's no going back.”

It's Karai’s voice. A memory of the dire warning she had provided when his family had sought the advice of their ancestors.

“It is a powerful magic, but it demands everything that you are. Your heart, your body, your soul.” Her glowing astral form explained with grave certainty. “Even if you were to survive, you would no longer be yourself and your connection to the Hamato clan would be severed forever. You could never be brought back over.”

Tears begin to fall from Mikey’s eyes. He's terrified. He's been fighting this for so long, but there's nothing left to try. He has to do this.

A ripple carries through the connection from his brothers, their alarm and concern jumping to the forefront as they sense his despair. They're aware of his presence now. He feels them disengage from their enemy, scanning the destruction below for his location.

We're running out of time. The magic whispers to him as it wraps around his arms, reaching beseechingly towards him.

Mikey closes his eyes, drawing in a deep, expansive breath. He holds it for a moment, reaching for an inner strength that feels like broad shoulders and a spiked shell, a resolve that feels like industrious hands and an obstinate brow, a courage that feels like a brazen smile and steady gaze.

“If you cross the line…” Karai's voice echoes in his head.

Mikey exhales as he pulls the glowing crystal in towards his plastron, placing it at the centre of his chest. The light of the crystal pulses.

“...there's no going back.”

He pushes. Pressing the gem into his plastron as his mystic powers activate. They push back against him, fighting the intrusion in a wave of bright orange energy that whips up around him.

In response, the white light of the gem flares and Mikey's breath catches in his throat at the sudden pain that rips into his chest. The magic stabs into him, burrowing deep into his core as it seeks the power buried within.

Don't fight it. The voice ripples through his body.

Mikey tries but his powers feel like they're acting on their own, desperate and frenzied as they push back against the gem. The energy ignites under his scales, waves of orange fire rolling off him and forming a raging, defensive mass around him.

Mikey grits his teeth and pushes harder.

“Mikey!”

The orange banded turtle looks up, seeing his brothers racing towards him. Matching looks of fear on their faces.

“Fight it Mike! You don't want this!”

“Angelo, we can find another way!”

“Don't you dare give up on us Mikey!”

They're begging him to stop but their presence only settles Mikey's resolve further. He redoubles his effort, pushing the gemstone even farther into his plastron as he screams through the exertion. The pain gets impossibly worse, tears streaking down his face as he watches glowing white cracks split across his plastron from beneath his hands.

He only has a moment to watch in morbid fascination before both he and the gem sense an evil intent. Whether it knows the true nature of the weapon below or it just senses a potential threat, the great darkness above is now aware of them. They need to hurry.

Mikey's brothers stop a few feet away from him, unable to get past the fiery, blazing energy that surrounds their youngest brother.

“Dammit!” Raph yells as they notice a dark form barrelling down upon the group. His red construct bursts forward to meet the attack head on, holding it at bay for a moment before it sends him flying off to the side.

“It's going to go after Mikey and the gemstone.” Donnie tells Leo quickly. “We'll keep it off of you two. Find a way to get to him.”

Leo nods and with a brief worried glance back at his brother, Donatello flies off to help Raph buy them some time.

Mikey ignores his brothers, intent upon the stone at his chest. They don't have time. He needs to do this faster. He focuses through the pain and chaos around him and pictures himself pulling the magic into his body. Opening himself up to the gemstone.

The pain begins to abate, the sharp stabbing replaced by a biting numbness that spreads from his core out to his extremities. But the fire and sparks whipping around him only pick up in speed and intensity, stretching out in desperation as an icy white energy reaches out, consuming it.

He begins to feel detached from the world around him as the whispering voice in his head becomes an all encompassing cacophony. He watches his memories flit past at a breakneck speed like the pages of a book caught in the wind. He feels the presence from the gem sink into him, filling in all the spaces and ripping through the fabric of his being.

He's so caught up in the sensations lancing through his mind and body that he doesn't notice the portal that opens up in front of him. The warm hands that pull his own away from the gem at his chest as chaos rages around them.

“Mikey! Miguel! God you're freezing.” Leo says, suddenly right there. Leo stares down at Mikey's hands before his eyes jump to the stone embedded in Mikey's chest, surrounded by an expanding web of white cracks.

Leo stares wide eyed. “No, no, no, stay with me Miguel.” He brings a hand up to Mikey's face, patting Mikey's cheek urgently. “Come on baby brother, come back to us.”

With a lethargy that Mikey has never before known, he slowly brings his full focus up to his brother. The fear and concern in the blue banded turtle's eyes bringing forth memories from the swirling chaos of his mind. The memories race past; he's lying in bed and terribly ill, he hides in an alley, lost and alone on the surface, he wakes up in the medbay after opening a portal across dimensions. Each memory comes with disjointed sensations; a blanket pulled tightly over his shoulders, the grittiness of concrete beneath his feet, shooting pains through his fingers and up his arms. They all end with those same worried eyes looking down at him.

The memories are grainy and hard to hold onto, the storm raging in his mind rips them away before they can fully form. He feels like he's being buffeted around on the inside and out, lost and adrift at sea. Mikey just stares up at his brother, vaguely aware of the tears still trailing down his face. He hears a faraway voice saying “If you cross the line...”.

“There's no going back.” He finishes aloud.

Leo's face drops in despair before hardening into angry denial.

“No! I didn't give up on Raph. You didn't give up on me. Like hell am I giving up on you!” He growls.

Mikey smiles, eyes closing as he soaks in the comfort Leo's fierce words bring. A sense of calm is starting to wash over him. He feels the storm inside him beginning to subside, the ice melting away and the feeling of a warm light shining on his face. Memories and thoughts and feelings are still slipping through the cracks but he somehow feels more complete then he's ever felt before, filled with purpose and the power to drive away the darkness.

“Mikey, please.” Leo begs, shaking Mikey by the shoulders. “Please. You have to fight this.”

From the fading reel of his life, Mikey pictures a similar scene. He's holding a bruised and bandaged brother. It's just them, alone in the dark as they recover from their injuries. He's still so scared, he's never really had to face this fear before. The thought of losing one of his brothers had always been too impossible to be real. Drowning in that same fear, his brother pleads with him, makes him promise to never do something so dangerous again. Not for him, never for him, his brother begs.

Mikey looks up at that same turtle in front of him, aware of the promise he's now broken. “Did I disappoint you?” He asks curiously.

A breath catches in his brother's throat, tears brimming in his eyes as he cradles Mikey's face in his hands. The space around them is quiet, the frantic flames of energy now still and clear as glass.

Mikey's brother searches his face, wiping away a lingering tear before forcing a soft, sad smile. He leans forward and gently rests his forehead against Mikey's.

“No Michaelangelo, you could never disappoint us.” He answers earnestly. “Whatever happens, we love you and we'll find you. We'll bring you back.”

Mikey feels a bright, familiar grin break across his face.

He thinks of broad shoulders and a spiked shell, and he feels strength.

He thinks of industrious hands and an obstinate brow, and he feels determination.

He thinks of a brazen smile and looks into his brother's steady gaze, and he feels courage.

His body glows with a brilliant white light. The gem at his chest refracting it out across the spectrum.

He closes his eyes and crosses the line.

[slothquisitor]

I'm dealing with a lot of deeply incompetent adults in my school building this week, but I did want to share this gem of a student interaction.

Some context: I take my English classes to the library on the regular. We've been once so far this year, so this was our second visit to renew books, get new ones, and the most important piece of our library visit: me and the librarian conducting storytime.

Teenagers are just big kids, and they want kid things very badly but are allergic to seeming at all 'uncool'. So at the first storytime of the year, most of them roll their eyes when we invite them over to our story corner and read them a picture book.

BUT. They secretly love it.

Case in point - The gigantic football player in my second period who stopped me at the door on our way to the library today to very earnestly ask if we were going to have storytime today. When I confirmed that we would, he celebrated as if he'd just scored a touchdown.

Teacher win.

[separatist-apologist]

Lying In Between The Memories

You could call it paradise but it looks just like hell to me

Summary: Following the blood rite, Gwyneth Berdara can't shake the memories of a life long-gone.

The shadowsinger can't seem to move on after five centuries of loving the same woman.

Together, they'll have to carve a new path forward.

Read on AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

[ongoing TW for Sexual Assault]

Azriel was gone for three days. Three stupid days in which Gwyn found she missed him. Not at first—not that first day. He’d left a shadow behind, presumably to monitor her. She’d woken to find it slithering around her desk, likely looking for something interesting. Embarrassment flooded through her—had this been the same shadow that he’d used to pleasure her in the library? What kind of awareness did they have, anyway? 

Maybe some things were better left unknown. 

The only thing Gwyn truly had to worry about was Kai, who realized Azriel wasn’t around by mid-afternoon and began trailing her earnestly and Gwyn, who’d never been the subject of someone’s romantic desires before, found herself both uneasy and flattered by the prince's attention. 

Sitting beside her in his pathetic library, Kai paid little attention to what she was reading. Instead, long, moon pale fingers found the bracelet on her wrist. She didn’t know what possessed her to put it on that morning. Perhaps she was missing Nesta and Emerie more than she realized. 

“This is pretty,” he murmured, fingers finding the little rose pendant she’d clasped among the other gems. It had been a solstice gift, stuck on an unremarkable silver chain. Gwyn knew she’d never wear it, and so she’d discarded the chain in favor of the little red rose and fastened it to the bracelet, deciding it was a good omen. “Where did you get it?”

“A friend,” she replied, thinking of Clotho offering it to her with a delighted smile. It hadn’t been from Clotho—likely another group of well-meaning citizen from Velaris donating things to the priestesses locked away in the library. The fact that Clotho had thought of her at all was what mattered. 

It had been the first gift Gwyn had gotten in a long time. Nesta and Emerie, along with Cassian, had also sent up gifts later that day—along with a very lovely blanket from the High Lady, thanking her for being Nesta’s friend and begging Gwyn not to tell her sister she’d said so—had really made that day special. 

Gently, she pulled the charm from Kai’s fingers. “It’s beautiful. Like you,” he added, blue eyes bright with hope.

Gwyn merely smiled, scooting her chair a fraction of an inch away from him. “Thank you, but I’m here only to do a job.”

“And then leave?” he questioned, like her words amused him. “So they can continue to working you to the bone?”

Gwyn turned to look at him. He truly was handsome, in a very specific, limited sort of way. More than anything, Gwyn hated that she was comparing him to Azriel. That was unfair—no one was as beautiful as Azriel, and they never would be. Kai couldn’t help that and yet Gwyn was still doing it. 

“I like working.”

“You wouldn’t have to here,” Kai said, as if that was meant to entice her. Gwyn only sighed, offering him what she hoped was a placid, pleasant smile. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Those were the wrong words, because Kai took them as a challenge. No one had ever tried courting Gwyn—the notion was, frankly, absurd. And yet there Kai was. Sending gifts and flowers, escorting her to dinner, and during one ill fated turn through the garden, draping his jacket over her shoulders.

Like she was a defenseless ornament for him to parade around. Seething, Gwyn marched back into her shared room with Azriel, hoping he was having far more fun than she was. And then, because she was pissed off and decided to make it his problem, took Kai’s jacket, with it’s too big sleeves and strange scent of citrus and clove, and slept in Azriel’s bed.

Just because she could. 

By the time Azriel returned, Gwyn was close to begging Rhysand to bring her home, if only for a little peace. Maybe the shadowsinger could sense her frustration, because he strolled in casually right before dawn. She’d gotten very little sleep, curled up in the chair Azriel so often found solace in when his own nightmares plagued him.

“Miss me?”

Gwyn rolled her eyes. “You’re not dead,” she commented, noting a purple bruise gracing his neck just beneath the color of the black tunic he wore. 

“Don’t act so disappointed. If I die, my cock goes with me.”

“And I’m sure tens of females will mourn,” Gwyn shot back as Azriel all but swaggered into his bedroom. She’d forgotten her little stunt with the jacket, rising to her feet intending to change into something clean and plod back to the library where she’d do fuck all for most of the day. The real work happened at night anyway. At this point, Gwyn’s sole purpose was to pretend she was building a bridge between the continent and Prythian when truthfully she was spying. Stealing their knowledge right from under them.

And Gwyn very much doubted Kai would want her as a princess when he learned she was actively committing treason and stomping all over his hospitality. 

Gwyn had made it to her door when Azriel caught her. One hand gripped her waist, while the other found her wrists and pinned them up over her head. “What happened here while I was gone, Gwyneth?” he whispered. 

Daring to look him right in the eye, she replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t smell arousal on that bed. Just your scent wrapped around another male. What happened?”

“Jealous?”

But that wasn’t quite it. She could see there was fear etched in lines of his beautiful face, half hidden under his anger. 

“Nothing happened,” she said, wrenching her wrists from his hand so she could open the door and tumble backwards. Azriel came with her, falling to the floor in a graceless heap. Somehow,

Azriel managed not to crush her under his powerful body, hitting the ground with his elbows instead. 

“Then why can I smell him in my bed?” Azriel asked breathlessly, wincing from what she assumed was pain. 

“Because I slept in his jacke—”

A snarl ripped from Azriel, sending his shadows scattering for safety. 

“Don’t you growl at me!” she snapped, poking him in the chest. Azriel’s wings flared around them before settling, blotting out the first rays of early morning light. Gwyn hated how much she liked when he did that—nothing and no one could touch her here. Looking up at him, Gwyn wished she could paint the gold flecked in his eyes.

Wished she could trace the curve of his mouth, the line of his jaw.

“Did you miss me?” she asked him, heart thudding. Say no, end this right now, tell me I’m crazy—

“Yes,” he replied, lowering his head to run his nose along the length of her neck. 

Oh, she was in trouble and she knew it. “We’re even, Az.”

“Then let’s fix that,” he replied, sliding a hand down the side of her body. “Let me show you what I’ve been thinking about since I’ve left.”

She was going to let him. Right there on the floor, her bed only a few feet away—an impossible distance when he adjusted, settling his powerful thigh between her legs. “What were you thinking about?” she breathed.

Azriel’s tongue replaced his mouth, tracing the line of her collarbone through the rumpled dress she’d slept in. 

“I want to know what you taste like,” he whispered darkly, his words eliciting a shiver. “I want to see you come again, Gwyn.”

“I—”

A pounding on the door saved her from making a fool of herself. Azriel snarled softly, but shoved up off the ground with the fluid grace he’d been robbed of when they’d fallen to the floor. She watched, rising to her own feet quickly as he stalked to the door, catching how he adjusted himself quickly in his trousers before he flung the door open.

Gwyn knew who’d be on the other side.

“Yes?” Azriel asked, his voice devoid of all emotion.

“Oh. You’ve returned. I suppose I thought you wouldn’t,” Kai said as Azriel plucked the bouquet of purple irises from his hand.

“For me?” Azriel asked, arching one of his impeccable brows. A better person would have put Kai out of his misery. Kai couldn’t see around Azriel’s massive body, which gave Azriel license to say, “Gwyn is still in bed. I’ll let her know you came by.”

And then he slammed the door in the prince’s face, turning to look at Gwyn with a deadpan expression.

“For you,” he told her, tossing them to the little breakfast table littered with her books and notes. “I thought nothing happened?”

“You sound jealous.”

Walking to his room, apparently content to abandon whatever had been about to happen on the floor, Azriel muttered, “When I’m jealous, you’ll know it.” And then slammed the door in her face.

Gwyn only smiled.

AZRIEL:

Azriel was going insane. Kai was constantly in his fucking way, interrupting every single time Azriel tried to get close to Gwyn. After three stupid days living in the ceiling of the Rask palace, all he’d thought about was her cunt on his face. He’d been so close that morning, and never again for the rest of the week.

Kai wanted to separate them. Azriel could guess why. The prince was too involved in the life of one foreign visitor, concerned now about her chastity, like Azriel was some mongrel brute that couldn’t keep his hands to himself or understood the word no.

Isolate Gwyn, make her vulnerable, and then take what he wanted. That was Kai’s little plan and Azriel didn’t need daemati powers or his shadows to tell him as much. Azriel had been alive for a long time and this wasn’t his first time around another territorial male.

Azriel was merely a threat to Kai, who wanted the same female Azriel had begun to guard, perhaps a little too jealously. Gwyn hadn’t complained, and he’d kept the snapping to a minimum. If it continued, Azriel thought it might be time to pull things entirely and take her back to Velaris.

Where he’d be barred from seeing her every morning, and would have no excuse to talk to her. That was the only thing that kept him from writing Rhys and demand his brother end this now. Azriel was selfish—but whatever was happening with Gwyn felt good. Something about her presence, even when she was bratty and snide, made Azriel feel seen. There’d been so much shame attached to Morrigan—shame he then transferred to Elain—that Azriel had always assumed that was just part of attraction for him.

He wasn’t good enough for either of those females.

But he felt good enough to be around Gwyn. Azriel wasn’t ready to go back to the way things were, even as he’d begun to suspect he wasn’t going to be able to easily exorcize her from his mind. 

He’d told himself he just needed to get her under him to burn her out of his system, and it was the game of cat and mouse between them that was keeping him so wound up. And then he’d take her out training and she’d press her dagger to his throat, and Azriel thought he’d never be over it. He’d want more and more, until he had it all. 

All he needed was to kiss her. The fact that he hadn’t wasn’t lost on him—they’d skipped right over it in favor of touching, and while he wasn’t complaining, he did want to know what every inch of her tasted like. He wanted to hear those breathless little sighs, wanted to see the well controlled Gwyn unspool just like he was.

And then, when she’d snapped, he wanted to be at her mercy. 

Azriel knew she’d make him suffer for it.

Good thing he liked a little suffering, right?

Right then, the only suffering was Kai’s obnoxious voice six feet ahead of him. He was explaining plants to Gwyn, pointing out each little flower while Gwyn, eyes glazed, nodded absently. This was what she’d asked for, Azriel reminded himself. She wanted more time to translate her books, which meant by day, she was left to Kai’s attentions. 

Azriel very much doubted the prince wanted to make her his wife. Despite the aggressive courting happening, of which Azriel had become an unwitting chaperone, Azriel guessed he merely wanted something new. Someone new. He’d waste a few weeks with her and then grow bored, picking a new lady at court he could toy with. 

Azriel would never admit it, of course, but how often had he watched Rhys do the same thing? Before he became High Lord, Rhys had a cycle—every month, a new female. Azriel and Cassian used to take bets on who might last longer.

They’d never once dared to bet on Feyre. 

Azriel wanted to barge in on the conversation and save Gwyn. If she’d been Elain, he might have—though, Elain would have enjoyed this stroll around the garden. Azriel kept catching little glimpses of Gwyn’s face, carefully arranged to seem interested. She had her tells. The flicking of her fingers at her sides, stretched far apart like she wanted to strangle him before she curled them into fists, attempting to get herself together. 

Shaking strands of that cinnamon brown hair from her eyes.

“Oh? You don’t say.” Gwyn must have repeated herself twelve times. Azriel smothered a smile when he heard her say it again. Azriel had never been much for the outdoors. Maybe Gwyn was the same. There were things he had no business knowing, but wanted to all the same. But when he imagined her, it was always in the same places he imagined himself. 

There was something strangely comforting about that.

“...I can have a dress sent to you, if you want to go—”

“Oh, I can’t dance—”

“I’ll teach you, then. You should see Montessere like this. You’d like it,” Kai was saying, his voice just a shade huskier than usual. Azriel glowered, unseen by the prince and the priestess.

Azriel returned to tuning them out, if only to spare himself and Gwyn a messy scene. He’d promised…but sometimes his temper got the best of him.

Gwyn wasn’t likely to thank him if he beat Kai into the dirt. Rhys, too, who’d spent days furious with him for doing the same to Eris. It had been worth it, and Azriel had never once apologized, even if his temper had resulted in Eris being a permanent fixture in the Night Court.

The thought of seeing Kai around Velaris was enough to convince Azriel to think about anything but Gwyn and Kai. That was a far harder task than he’d originally thought, and by the time he trudged back to their shared room—alone—Azriel was in a foul mood.

Gwyn returned later that evening with a garment bag. Azriel had fallen asleep in his chair, starting awake when she slammed the door loud enough to shake the overhead lights. Turning his head, Azriel dared to ask, “Bad night?”

“You left me out there,” she hissed, throwing the bag into a heap on the sofa.

“Did you want to be rescued?” he replied, well aware his tone suggested he wouldn’t have even if he’d known she wanted him to. That was a lie—Azriel would have cut right in had he thought she’d appreciate it.

“He took me around that fucking garden four times. I don’t care about plants!” she exclaimed. “You know what this is, don’t you?”

Azriel didn’t. He kept silent, waiting for Gwyn to explain it to him.

“This is a game,” she said, her exasperation plain. “He’s never met a female that didn’t want to be his wife and have his babies, and he’s trying to break me.”

“Good fucking luck,” Azriel mumbled. He couldn’t get Gwyn to smile at him, let alone be someone's sweet little house pet. She was going to make some male very, very miserable one day. Why did that amuse him? Azriel stood, drawing his wings tight against his body.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Bed,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Muttering something that sounded distinctly like useless males, Gwyn turned on her heel and left him, slamming yet another door. So much for inviting her to bed with him, then. And so much for eating her cunt on the floor like he’d been trying to do earlier. 

Melancholy, Azriel bathed and put himself to bed without touching himself. He had no interest in himself today. That happened a fair amount—he’d go through periods where everything felt gray, including himself. Sleep was easier, at least, and tumbled into the dark. There were no dreams, no nightmares to chase him awake.

But there was screaming. Loud, terrified screaming of a female he recognized. For a moment, he thought it might be his mother—maybe Feyre, or Mor, or— Gwyn.

Azriel started, kicking the blankets off his body. Taking truth teller with him, Azriel nearly kicked down his bedroom door to get to hers. He was certain he was about to find someone that shouldn’t be there, was prepared to end the night in a brutal murder that would chase them both back to Velaris.

He found her tangled up in her bed sheets while his shadows swirled in the dark, humming angrily like serpents prepared to strike.

“Gwyn,” he said, his dagger clattering to the bedside table. “Gwyn, wake up.”

She shot upright, body coated in a slick sheen of sweat, straight into his bare chest. Azriel could hear her heart thrumming with fear just as he could smell the thick salt of it. It made the hair on his neck stand on end, every nerve alive and primed for danger.

He expected her to shove him back, to demand he leave her. Azriel didn’t know if he could, and to punctuate that, let his wings wrap around them until the world was blotted out. Holding her, Azriel pressed his cheek into her hair. “You’re safe,” he murmured softly. “You’re with me.”

“Don’t go,” she replied, her voice thick from sleep and unshed tears. “Stay.”

His bed was big enough for them both, but hers was not. Was it better or worse for her to wake up in a strange place? Azriel decided to chance it, scooping her up and walking out of that sick smelling room. She didn’t protest for maybe the first time in her life, and by the time he’d laid her back in his own sheets, her heart had slowed enough that Azriel didn’t feel like he needed to fight. 

Arranging himself to his arm was under her neck and her body, clad in a silvery night dress, was pressed against his own, Azriel exhaled softly. There was nothing inherently sexual about it, and yet the intimacy was enough to make him nervous. Gwyn pulled the blanket up to her chin and then turned to face him. “Will you hide me?” she asked. Azriel nodded, shifting both wings until they cocooned her within them.

Gwyn sighed. 

Azriel was half asleep again when she whispered, “You forgot your dagger.”

He took a breath, a smile ghosting over his face. “That’s alright. I’ve got you.”

[mcrdvcks]

Down Bad - Chapter 20

Chapter Summary: Hunter decides to follow his instincts and take a leap of faith.

Word Count: 5.7k+

Pairing: Hunter x fem!Jedi Original Character

Notes: wow! i am really tired. my summer job (i do online shopping, so filling orders at a local grocery store) and this weekend we have a cyber sale, which means 8 hours of walking around filling orders. luckily, i got off a few hours early today (even though i have to wake up at 4 in the morning tomorrow) so we have this short, but sweet chapter that i hope y'all like!

Series Masterlist - Chapter 19 → Chapter 21

AO3 Link For Chapter

Hunter sat on the edge of the bed, looking back at Amina who was quietly sleeping, hugging his pillow. He sighed, opening the small box in his hand.

It wasn’t a large jewel, but he knew Amina didn’t care for flashy things. Which is why he bought a ring with a small square cut emerald in the middle, and some smaller gems surrounding it on a gold band.

He closed the box with a muted thud and turned it over in his hand. “What’s that?” Hunter looked over at the door to see Omega, her backpack over one shoulder.

Hunter hesitated for a moment, his mind racing as he searched for the right words to say. Omega stood in the doorway, her eyes fixed on him with a curious expression, waiting for an explanation.

"It's just... something for Amina," Hunter finally replied, his voice quiet and hesitant. He wasn't sure how much to tell Omega, knowing that the young girl was perceptive and intuitive.

Omega furrowed her brow in confusion, taking a step closer to the bed. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity. "Is it a present?"

Hunter nodded slowly, his gaze drifting back to the small box in his hand. "Yeah, something like that," he admitted, his voice soft and contemplative. "I... I wanted to give it to her as a surprise."

Omega's eyes widened in partial understanding as she realized what Hunter was implying. "Is it...?" she began, her voice trailing off as she gestured towards the box.

Hunter looked back at Amina, who was still sleeping, as he got up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom into the living room with Omega trailing behind him, her eyes fixed on the small box in his hand. She watched with keen interest as he made his way over to the kitchen counter, setting the box down with a soft thud.

"What's in the box?" Omega asked, her voice filled with curiosity as she approached the counter. She leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she waited for an answer.

Hunter hesitated for a moment, his gaze drifting back to the box as he debated how much to reveal. He glanced over at Omega, noting the eager expression on her face, and decided to be honest with her.

"It's a ring," he admitted, his voice soft and hesitant. "I bought it for Amina."

Omega's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation, her mind racing with questions. "A ring?" she echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Like... an engagement ring?"

Hunter nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the box as he spoke. "Yeah, something like that," he replied, his voice quiet yet resolute. "I want to ask her to marry me. Maybe not today, but… until I plan it out. But it's a secret for now, okay? We don't want to spoil the surprise."

Omega nodded eagerly, her eyes wide with excitement as she leaned in closer to get a better look at the box. "I won't tell anyone, I promise," she vowed solemnly, her voice filled with determination.

Hunter chuckled softly, ruffling Omega's hair affectionately. "I know I can count on you, kid," he said warmly, his heart swelling with affection for the young girl. "Thanks for being so understanding."

Omega beamed up at Hunter, her smile lighting up her face as she nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, Hunter," she said earnestly, her eyes shining with sincerity.

---

A few days later, Rex and Echo stopped by for the day before they went on another mission together. Hunter, Rex, and Omega were walking around the island, as Rex held the box with the ring before handing it back to Hunter.

“It’s a nice ring. But…”

Hunter turned to look at Rex, “but, what?”

Omega furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “yeah, but what?”

They stopped at the grassy field, where Amina was teaching the young clone cadets and Sami, Tala, Orar, and Othik.

“We know what happened to the General and Senator Amidala.” Rex said as Hunter tore his glance away from Amina over to Rex.

“What are you trying to say Rex?” Hunter asked.

Rex sighed, “nothing. But you know how much she cared about her brother and the Senator. How do you know she’s open to it? Maybe she doesn’t want to fall to the same fate as them.”

Omega looked up at Rex, “but just because her brother died, doesn’t mean she’s scared of being with Hunter. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be together.”

"I know, Omega," Rex began, his voice tinged with empathy. "But we have to consider Amina's feelings too. She's been through hell and back, and the last thing we want to do is add to her pain."

Hunter nodded in agreement, his gaze drifting back to where Amina stood in the field, her laughter ringing out as she interacted with the young cadets. Despite the joy on her face, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling of doubt that lingered in the back of his mind.

"I just want her to be happy," Hunter confessed softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't want to push her into something she's not ready for."

Omega reached out a hand to squeeze Hunter's arm reassuringly, her eyes filled with understanding. "I know, Hunter," she said gently, her voice soft yet determined. "But sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith. Love is worth the risk."

Hunter glanced down at Omega, he knew she was right; sometimes, you had to trust in love and believe that everything would work out in the end.

Taking a deep breath, Hunter made a decision. He would wait for the right moment, the perfect opportunity to ask Amina to marry him. And until then, he would cherish every moment they had together, savoring the love and happiness they shared.

As they continued their walk around the island, Hunter felt a sense of peace settle over him. He knew that whatever the future held, as long as he had Amina by his side, everything would be okay.

---

A few days passed, and Hunter found himself unable to shake the thought of proposing to Amina. He had the ring, he had the perfect moment planned out in his mind, but still, he hesitated.

But one evening, while Crosshair, Wrecker, and Hunter were gathering wood for a campfire, Amina and Omega were setting up the chairs.

“Amina, can I ask you something?”

She looked over at Omega, “sure, honey. What is it?”

“You told me before that relationships were prohibited by the Jedi. But wasn’t your brother married to a Senator?”

Amina finished positioning the chair as she sat down and gestured for Omega to sit in the chair next to her. “Anakin and Padme kept their relationship hidden from everyone. I was the only one they explicitly told, but a few others found out as the war continued.”

Omega furrowed her brow in confusion, her mind swirling with questions. “But why did they have to hide it?” she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Amina sighed softly, her gaze drifting off into the distance as she recalled the events of the past. “It was complicated,” she began slowly, her voice soft and contemplative. “Anakin was a Jedi, and Jedi weren’t supposed to form attachments or have personal relationships. It was part of the Jedi Code.”

Omega nodded in understanding, though her expression remained puzzled. “But why?” she pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her. “What’s wrong with forming attachments?”

Amina hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words to explain. “The Jedi believed that attachments could lead to strong emotions like fear, anger, and jealousy,” she explained gently, her voice tinged with sadness. “And those emotions could cloud a Jedi’s judgment and lead them down a path to the dark side.”

“So, because Anakin loved Padme, he went to the dark side?” she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

Amina shook her head, her heart heavy with sorrow. “I thought at first that was why. But then I found out soon after that Chancellor Palpatine was a Sith Lord. He had been manipulating Anakin since we were brought to the Temple. I told him that he shouldn’t be so trusting towards him, but Anakin didn’t listen.”

Omega listened intently, her eyes wide with disbelief at the revelation. She couldn't imagine the pain and betrayal Amina must have felt upon discovering the truth about Palpatine's deception. "So, it wasn't because of love that Anakin turned to the dark side?" she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Amina sighed softly, her gaze drifting off into the distance as she reflected on the complexities of Anakin's fall from grace. "Love was certainly a small factor," she admitted, her voice tinged with sadness. "He had nightmares of Padme dying during childbirth. I suspected that it was Palpatine manipulating his mind. He wanted to do anything to save her from dying, but in the end, he was the reason she died.”

She looked back over at Omega, “but, I guess no, love ultimately wasn’t the reason Anakin turned. It was how he felt betrayed by the Council, how they didn’t help him when he needed it. His love for Padme kept him going, gave him a reason to keep fighting in the war. Without her, I’m not sure he would’ve continued being a Jedi after Ahsoka left the Order.”

"But what about you, Amina?" Omega asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you ever worry that... that the same thing could happen to you?"

Amina's heart clenched at the question, her thoughts drifting back to her own experiences with the Empire and the horrors she had endured at their hands. She reached out a hand to gently brush Omega's hair away from her face, her touch light and tender.

"I won't let that happen, Omega," she vowed solemnly, her voice filled with determination. "I won't let fear and anger consume me like it did Anakin. I have too much to live for, too much to fight for. And too much to prove.”

Omega looked up at Amina, her eyes wide with admiration and respect. She reached out a hand to squeeze Amina's reassuringly, her own determination echoing in her gaze. "I know you won't, Amina," she said softly, her voice filled with unwavering confidence. "You're stronger than anyone I know."

Amina smiled gratefully at Omega, her heart swelling with affection for the young girl. "Thank you, Omega," she said warmly, her voice tinged with emotion. "Your faith in me means more than you'll ever know."

As they sat together in the fading light of the evening, a sense of peace settled over them. Despite the challenges they faced and the trials that lay ahead, they knew that as long as they had each other, they could overcome anything.

Meanwhile, Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch made their way to the campsite, their arms laden with firewood for the evening. Hunter's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the ring hidden away in his pocket, the weight of his decision weighing heavily on his mind.

As they settled around the campfire, Crosshair glanced over at Hunter, his gaze sharp and probing. "Something on your mind, Hunter?" he asked casually, his tone betraying his curiosity.

Hunter hesitated for a moment, his thoughts swirling as he debated whether or not to confide in his brother. Finally, he sighed softly, his shoulders slumping as he gave in to the inevitable. "Yeah, actually," he admitted, his voice quiet yet resolute. "I've been thinking about asking Amina to marry me."

The other members of the Bad Batch looked up in surprise at Hunter's confession, their eyes wide with disbelief. Wrecker let out a boisterous laugh, clapping Hunter on the back with a grin. "Well, well, well, looks like someone's finally ready to take the plunge," he exclaimed, his voice booming with enthusiasm.

Crosshair arched an eyebrow skeptically, though there was a hint of amusement in his gaze. "Are you sure about this, Hunter?" he asked, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "Marriage is a big commitment, especially considering everything Amina's been through."

Hunter nodded slowly, his gaze drifting off into the distance as he reflected on his relationship with Amina. "I know it won't be easy," he admitted, his voice tinged with emotion. "But I love her, Crosshair. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

With his brothers' words of encouragement ringing in his ears, Hunter felt a surge of determination wash over him. He knew that proposing to Amina was the right decision, and he was ready to take that leap of faith.

---

A brush of her hair slowly woke her up, as she blinked her eyes to see Hunter smiling at her, his hand brushing hair out of her face. She couldn't help but return his smile, her heart fluttering at the affectionate gesture.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Hunter murmured softly, his voice warm and tender as he leaned in closer to her. "Did you sleep well?"

Amina nodded, her gaze drifting to the window where the soft glow of dawn filtered through the curtains. "Yeah, I did," she replied, her voice still heavy with sleep. "What time is it?"

Hunter glanced at the chrono on the nightstand before turning back to Amina with a grin. "It's still early," he said reassuringly, his hand finding hers as he squeezed it gently. "But I couldn't resist waking you up to say good morning."

Amina's heart fluttered at the sincerity in Hunter's words, her cheeks flushing with warmth at the affection in his gaze. "You're such a sweetheart," she said softly, her voice filled with love and gratitude.

Hunter chuckled softly, leaning in closer to press a tender kiss to Amina's forehead. "Only for you, cyar’ika," he whispered, his lips brushing against her skin in a gentle caress.

Amina smiled at the endearment, her heart swelling with affection for the man she loved. "I'm so lucky to have you," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she reached up to cup Hunter's cheek in her hand.

Hunter's expression softened at her words, his eyes shining with love and devotion as he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Amina's lips. The kiss was gentle yet passionate, a silent promise of the love and devotion they shared.

As they pulled away, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment settle over her. Despite the trials and tribulations they had faced, she knew that as long as she had Hunter by her side, everything would be okay.

"Hey, um, Amina?" Hunter began hesitantly, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box underneath the covers.

"Yeah, baby?" Amina's voice was soft and full of curiosity, her eyes locked onto his.

Hunter swallowed hard, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you," he began, his voice trembling slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Something important."

Amina's eyes widened slightly, her curiosity piqued. She sat up a little more, giving him her full attention. "What is it, Hunter?" she asked gently, her voice encouraging.

Hunter slowly opened the small box, revealing the beautiful ring inside. The emerald glinted in the morning light, the smaller gems surrounding it sparkling softly. Amina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she stared at the ring in shock.

"Amina," Hunter began, his voice steadying as he looked deeply into her eyes. "I… will you marry me?"

Amina looked at the ring, her mouth wide open in shock. Not just because he was proposing to her, but because she dreamt of this while she was captive by Palpatine. Then, she thought it was just her mind giving her a break from the torture, but instead it was playing out right in front of her.

For once, her force vision was a good one, not a bad one.

Hunter shifted in the bed, disturbed by her unusual silence, “Amina?”

She put a hand to his cheek and kissed him before moving so she was on top of him while he was on his back.

Their lips met in a tender embrace, the warmth of their love enveloping them like a gentle caress. Amina poured all her love and devotion into the kiss, savoring every moment as if it were a precious gift.

Hunter's arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. His touch sent shivers down her spine, igniting a fire within her that burned brighter with each passing moment.

When they finally pulled away, their breaths mingling in the air, Amina looked into Hunter's eyes and saw nothing but love and adoration reflected back at her.

Amina broke the silence, “I- I dreamt of this. When the Emperor had me. I- I thought it was just a dream, not a force vision.” She said, with a wide smile.

"You dreamt of this?" Hunter asked softly, his voice tinged with disbelief. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea that Amina had foreseen their proposal during her captivity.

Amina nodded, her smile widening as she reached out to caress Hunter's cheek. "Yes, I did," she confirmed, her voice filled with warmth and affection. "I thought it was just a dream at first, but now... now I realize it was so much more."

Hunter's heart swelled with emotion at her words, his gaze never leaving hers as he took in the magnitude of what she was saying. He had always known that Amina was special, but this revelation only served to reaffirm that belief.

"Does that mean... you knew I was going to ask you?" Hunter asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he searched Amina's eyes for answers.

Amina chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Maybe," she teased, her tone playful yet tender. "But that doesn't make this moment any less special. It’s not like I knew for sure that it was going to happen. I just knew that it could happen, and if it did happen, it would look like this.”

Hunter couldn't help but laugh at Amina's response, his heart lightening with joy at her lightheartedness. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “You still haven’t given me an answer.”

Amina raised her eyebrows, “I thought the kiss was the answer.”

Amina's playful response brought a chuckle from Hunter as he held her close, the warmth of her laughter filling him with a sense of contentment. "Well, I suppose it was," he admitted with a grin, his fingers gently tracing patterns on her back. "But I still want to hear you say it."

Amina rolled her eyes affectionately, her lips curving into a teasing smile. “Can I have a few rotations to consider your prop- ” Hunter rolled them over so he was on top of her as Amina let out a laugh.

As Hunter playfully rolled on top of Amina, their laughter filled the room, mingling with the warmth of their love. Amina wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck, pulling him closer as she looked up into his eyes with a mischievous grin.

"Well, well, well," she teased, her voice laced with playful sarcasm. "Someone's eager to get an answer."

Hunter chuckled, his heart light with joy as he gazed down at Amina with adoration. "Can you blame me?" he replied, his voice soft yet filled with playful banter. "I've been waiting for this moment for what feels like forever."

Amina's grin widened as she reached up to run her fingers through Hunter's hair, her touch gentle yet filled with affection. "And here I thought you were the patient type," she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Hunter leaned in closer, pressing a tender kiss to Amina's lips before pulling back to meet her gaze. "When it comes to you, patience tends to go out the window," he admitted.

Amina's heart fluttered at his words, her cheeks flushing with warmth at the sincerity in his gaze. She reached up to cup his cheek in her hand, her touch soft and tender as she gazed up at him with unwavering affection.

“Okay, okay. I, Amina Skywalker, accept your proposal.”

Hunter let out a small growl, his lips curving into a playful smile. "Smartass," he replied, his voice laced with amusement.

Amina giggled, her laughter filling the room as she reached up to run her fingers through Hunter's hair. "What?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I accepted the proposal. You didn’t say how."

Hunter chuckled, his heart light with joy as he leaned in closer to press a tender kiss to Amina's lips. His touch was gentle yet filled with passion, igniting a fire within Amina that burned brighter with each passing moment.

As they pulled away, their breaths mingling in the air, Amina looked into Hunter's eyes and saw nothing but love and adoration reflected back at her. She felt a sense of peace settle over her, knowing that she was exactly where she was meant to be.

“Let’s get married today.” Amina said.

Hunter moved away, sitting straight up as Amina sat up in bed, “today?” He asked.

She pulled the covers off of her and moved towards him, now straddling him. “Why not? Rex and Echo are here, and we don’t know the next time that will happen. All we need is a ring for you and a dress for me. And I’m sure that Shep would be more than happy to officiate.”

Hunter looked up at Amina, his gaze soft yet filled with determination. "Are you sure about this, sweetheart?" he asked gently, his voice tinged with concern. He wanted to make sure that Amina wasn't rushing into anything, that she was truly ready to take this next step in their relationship.

Amina met Hunter's gaze, her heart swelling with love and affection for the man she loved. "I don’t want some big, elaborate wedding. Why wait when we have everything we need right here? We can get married right in front of the Archium, we can invite your brothers and the young cadets and kids.”

Hunter's eyes softened as he looked at Amina, the determination in her voice evident. He reached up to cup her cheek, his thumb gently brushing her skin. "If that’s what you want, then let’s do it," he said softly. "We’ll get everything ready today."

Amina beamed, her excitement palpable. She leaned in to kiss him once more, her heart racing with anticipation. "Thank you, Hunter," she whispered against his lips. "This is going to be perfect."

Hunter smiled back at her, his heart full. "I’ll go tell the others," he said, reluctantly pulling away. "You go find something to wear."

Amina nodded, slipping off the bed and grabbing a robe. She glanced back at Hunter with a smile before heading out of the room to find something suitable for their impromptu wedding.

Hunter watched her go, a sense of peace settling over him. He quickly got dressed and headed out to find his brothers and Omega. He found them in the common area, gathered around the table.

"Hey, everyone," Hunter said, getting their attention. "I’ve got some news."

Wrecker looked up, a grin spreading across his face. "What’s up, Hunter?"

Hunter took a deep breath, his nerves bubbling up. "Amina and I have decided to get married today."

There was a moment of stunned silence before the room erupted in excitement. Omega practically jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide with joy. "Today? That’s amazing!"

Crosshair raised an eyebrow, a small barely noticeable smirk playing at his lips. "Well, it’s about time."

Echo clapped Hunter on the shoulder, his smile genuine. "Congratulations, Hunter. What do you need us to do?"

Hunter felt a wave of gratitude for his brothers and Omega. "We need to get everything ready. Amina suggested getting married in front of the Archium. We’ll need to set up some chairs and decorations. And, uh, I’ll need a ring."

Rex, who had been sitting quietly, stood up and nodded. "I’ll help with the setup. And don’t worry about the ring; we can find something suitable."

Hunter smiled at Rex. "Thanks, Rex."

Omega was practically bouncing with excitement. "I’ll help Amina find something to wear!" She turned to Hunter, her eyes shining. "This is going to be perfect."

Hunter nodded, feeling a swell of emotion. "Yeah, it is."

As everyone dispersed to handle their tasks, Hunter felt a sense of calm settle over him. He headed out to the Archium to start setting up, his heart light with anticipation.

---

Omega had run outside and caught up to Amina, “so, where first?” she asked, as she grabbed Amina’s hand as they walked.

"Let's head to the market first," Amina suggested, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I saw a boutique there that might have something perfect for the occasion."

Omega nodded eagerly, her eyes shining with anticipation. "Sounds good to me!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. "I can't wait to help you find the perfect dress, Amina."

As they made their way through the bustling streets of Pabu, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over her. Despite the hardships they had faced, there was something comforting about being back in familiar surroundings, surrounded by familiar faces.

They soon arrived at the market, the vibrant colors and lively atmosphere filling the air with energy. Amina led Omega towards the boutique she had spotted earlier, a small smile tugging at her lips as they stepped inside.

The boutique was filled with an array of elegant dresses, each more beautiful than the last. Amina's eyes swept over the racks, her heart racing with excitement as she searched for the perfect gown.

Omega's eyes widened in awe as she took in the sight of the dresses, her gaze darting from one to the next. "Wow, these are amazing," she breathed, her voice filled with admiration.

Amina nodded in agreement, her heart pounding with anticipation. She moved towards a rack of dresses, her fingers trailing over the delicate fabrics as she searched for the one that spoke to her.

After looking through three racks Amina found one- a white off-the-shoulder dress with a fitted bodice that flared out into a full, tea-length skirt with a draped neckline.

Omega's eyes widened in awe as she took in the sight of the dress, her admiration evident in her expression. "Wow, Amina, that's beautiful," she breathed, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

Amina smiled, her heart swelling with gratitude for Omega's support. "Thank you, Omega," she said warmly, her voice tinged with excitement. "I think this might be the one."

Omega beamed up at Amina, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I think so too," she agreed eagerly, her enthusiasm infectious. "Let's try it on!"

Amina nodded, her excitement mounting as she headed towards the fitting rooms with Omega in tow. She quickly slipped into the dress, the fabric draping elegantly around her as she admired herself in the mirror.

Omega peeked her head around the corner, her eyes wide with anticipation. "How does it look?" she asked eagerly, her voice filled with excitement.

Amina turned to face Omega, a smile spreading across her lips as she twirled in the dress. "What do you think?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.

Omega's eyes widened in awe as she took in the sight of Amina in the dress, her admiration evident in her expression. "You look stunning," she breathed, her voice filled with genuine admiration.

Amina laughed, her heart light with joy at Omega's words. "Thanks, honey," she said warmly, her voice tinged with gratitude. "I couldn't have done this without you.”

Omega grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Anytime, Amina," she replied eagerly, her enthusiasm infectious. "Now, let's go find you some shoes!"

With that, they headed back out into the market, their laughter filling the air as they searched for the perfect pair of shoes to complete Amina's bridal ensemble.

---

As the group was setting up, the young cadets and kids, led by Ruse, one of the older clone cadets, stopped by to help.

Phee and a small girl walked over to Hunter and Echo. “Now, what’s going on here?” Phee asked, crossing her arms, “I’m gone for one week and it seems like something important happened.”

Hunter smiled warmly at Phee and the young girl, his eyes crinkling at the corners with amusement. "Hey, Phee," he greeted, his voice filled with warmth. "Yeah, something important did happen."

Echo nodded in agreement, a small grin playing at his lips. "Hunter and Amina are getting married," he explained, his tone casual yet filled with excitement.

Phee's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth dropping open in shock. "Married?" she echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Wow, that's... unexpected."

Hunter chuckled at Phee's reaction, his heart light with amusement. "Yeah, it kind of was," he admitted with a grin. "But we're both really excited about it." Hunter looked down at the young girl, “who is this?”

“I found her on Cvanni. The Empire took her from her family, so I thought I’d bring her here while we look for them. Plus, I know your girlfriend is good with kids.”

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Hunter asked gently, crouching down to her level.

The girl grabbed Phee’s leg, hiding behind it, “her name is Jynna, and she’s just a little bit shy.” Phee said. Hunter held out a hand as Jynna walked further behind Phee, “yeah, she doesn’t take well to strangers.” Phee bent down and picked up the young girl, “but I’m sure she’ll adapt. I’ll let you two get back to setting up.”

---

Omega and Amina made their final stop to the salon to get their hair done by Lila, the Twi’lek who cut Amina’s hair not too long ago.

"Welcome back, Amina, Omega," Lila said cheerfully, her voice lilting with warmth. "What can I do for you today?"

“Amina’s getting married today!” Omega cheerfully replied.

“Ah, well that explains the large clothing bag.” Lila looked at the bag slung over Amina’s shoulder.

Omega grinned up at Lila, her eyes shining with excitement. "We're here to get our hair done for the wedding," she explained eagerly, her enthusiasm palpable. "Can you help us?"

Lila nodded eagerly, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "Of course, my dear," she replied eagerly, her hands already reaching for her tools. "Let's get started!"

As Lila worked her magic on Amina and Omega's hair, the salon buzzed with excitement. The other patrons looked on with interest, their curiosity piqued by the news of the upcoming wedding. As they chatted and laughed, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of joy wash over her. Despite everything she had been through, she was surrounded by love and support, and she couldn't wait to marry the man of her dreams.

After what felt like hours of pampering and laughter, Amina and Omega emerged from the salon with their hair styled to perfection. Amina's hair cascaded down in elegant waves, while Omega's was pulled back into a sleek ponytail with a few loose curls framing her face.

As they stepped out into the warm sunshine, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building within her. Today was the day she would marry the love of her life, and she couldn't wait to begin this new chapter of their lives together. "Are you ready for this, Omega?" Amina asked, her voice tinged with excitement as she linked arms with the young girl.

Omega beamed up at Amina, her eyes shining with excitement. "I can't wait!" she exclaimed eagerly, her enthusiasm contagious.

As they approached the Archium, they could see Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch hard at work, setting up chairs and decorations in preparation for the ceremony.

Amina's heart swelled with gratitude as she watched them, knowing that they had all come together to make this day special for her and Hunter.

As they joined the others, Hunter looked up and caught sight of Amina and Omega, a warm smile spreading across his lips. "Hey, you two," he greeted, his voice filled with affection. "You look beautiful."

Amina blushed at the compliment, her heart fluttering at the love and adoration in Hunter's eyes. "Thank you, Hunter," she replied warmly, her voice tinged with gratitude. "Everything looks amazing."

Omega beamed up at Hunter, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yeah, it's gonna be so cool!" she exclaimed eagerly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Hunter chuckled at Omega's enthusiasm, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Glad you're excited, kid," he said with a grin, his gaze softening as he looked at Amina. "You ready for this?"

Amina nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "More than ready," she replied, her voice filled with determination. "I can't wait to marry you."

Hunter's heart swelled with love at Amina's words, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Me neither," he murmured, reaching out to take her hand in his.

Omega grabbed Amina’s other hand, “come on, Amina. We have to get dressed!”

Omega's words snapped Amina out of her reverie, and she smiled down at the young girl, her heart overflowing with love for her makeshift family. "You're right, Omega. Let's go get dressed," she said, squeezing Omega's hand gently before following her towards their quarters.

As they made their way down the top of the mountain, Amina couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building within her.

When they reached their house, Amina and Omega wasted no time in getting ready. Amina carefully pulled out the wedding gown she had picked out, her heart fluttering with excitement as she gazed at the beautiful fabric.

Meanwhile, Omega rummaged through her own bag of clothes, pulling out a dress that Amina had helped her pick out for the occasion. It was a simple yet elegant design, with a fitted bodice and a flowing skirt that fell to her knees.

Once they were both dressed and ready, Amina and Omega made their way back to the top of the mountain in front of the Archium, where the rest of the Bad Batch and their friends were gathered.

Hunter was waiting for them at the front of the room, a warm smile spreading across his face as he caught sight of Amina. She felt her heart skip a beat as their eyes met, and she knew that this was where she was meant to be.

i tried writing the ceremony of the wedding but just couldn't find the right words at all, so this is what we're left with… oops. but next chapter amina and hunter go on their honeymoon!

also, here are the links for amina's ring and dress, just because i have a hard time describing something without looking at it :)

ring - dress

tags: @callsign-denmark

[orionsces]

Here's a lil prom scene I wrote bout Taurianbrown info: this is a wip of my evomori au, but this takes place during yhs! other info is that i accidentally wrote grian to be super bi for both salex and taurtis lol

But it didn't matter to him, Grian was confident to know that he was going to surprise his classmates with his charm and good looks. He joked around various scenarios in his head while they were driving back with their outfits for the event, throughout it all he had a peaceful smile glued onto his face.

When they were all getting ready for prom, Salex was putting on her makeup while the two boys were showing off to each other with their formal wear.

Grian twirled around with glee, watching his dress spin elegantly with him. Their voices were muffled but Salex was able to tell that Grian cheerfully talked about his dress to Taurtis who listened to his friend with adoration.

Posing and strutting into the scene while Salex carefully placed her false lashes onto her lid, slowly turning to look at the two while they failed to dance to Britany Spears' Toxic together.

Gently she giggled at their dance training before she took a picture of them with Grian's camera he put on the table next to her. Putting the photograph on a clear spot on the table so it wouldn't get damaged as she continued to admire their energy.

Their excitement for the dance was bursting throughout the room, Salex could tell that Taurtis was doing his best to help ease any anxiety that Grian was having before they went dancing.

Taurtis danced with Grian as they bopped around the melodies coming from his phone, taking his hands before showing him how to slow dance. Knowing that Grian was as clumsy as him, they both fell and laughed loudly while Salex concentrated on her eyeliner.

As she brushed more blush along with glittery eyeshadow onto herself, she noticed the avian took interest in her shimmering makeup and rhinestones in her makeup bag. She chuckled before calling him out with a cheerful tone.

"If you want me to help you put them on, you could've just asked Griande~" She poked at him while she picked up the small gems with her tweezers for Grian to marvel at. Snickering at his reaction, he puffed up his cheeks while she stopped herself.

His eyes were sparkling as he nodded a yes out before Salex sat him down to help put them on him. Tilting her head, she put some blush onto her friend and gently placed the gems on his cheeks and under his eyes.

Grian's tail wagged from excitement as he was pumped up to dance with his friends and classmates, he never went to any of the dances before from his other schools so this was his first one.

He was going to make this night last forever, he was sure of it.

Taurtis was checking his phone and watching funny videos while he waited for his two friends, looking up as he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching him he smiled brilliantly at the two.

"You're so….so shiny and incredible! Oh my god, my brain is not thinking!" His words escaped him instantly as he rushed over to lift Salex, spinning her around.

They laughed gleefully as Taurtis spun them around together gently. Their eyes returned to each other once more, the two lovers blissfully smiled at the other with adoring eyes.

Her eyes glistened a honey glow as her shoes returned to the ground from her moment of paradise, and she whispered into his ear.

"I love you."

Smitten, his words evaporated as he stared at her with a shocked expression before softening his gaze. Taurtis blushed and earnestly smiled with his eyes as he answered with a warm tone like honey and summertime.

"I love you too."

Oh, how he fell in love with her all over again as she did in return, he looked at her like she painted the sky he was under, Grian felt a faint blush as he watched the two's display play out comfortably in front of him.

To be in love like that, what a dream, to be admired by Taurtis like he sewn the stars in the sky would've been a wonderful experience.

They soon were brought back to Earth from their shared paradise as they heard Grian fake gagging over their romantic display. He took a picture and left it next to the secret one that Salex took earlier of them, it was a slight revenge on his part as he poked at the two lovebirds.

Reddening from embarrassment Taurtis astonished his friend as he raised Grian as he did before with Salex twirling with him in his arms. Taurtis was soon blinded by Grian's wing hitting his face and inhaling a feather as he topped over to the couch with Grian in his arms.

They sat up and shook off the feathers from themselves, laughing at each other while Salex helped brush off the rest she could spot. In a silent agreement, they would clean the chaos of feathers in the morning.

Laughing out the door, Salex grabbed her handbag as Taurtis did one last check around the house for anything else they needed before they left for the dance. Grian pushed him out the door as he sarcastically poked at Taurtis.

"Come on, we got everything! Let's go!" Grian called out to his friend who snickered at him, stretching out his wings to prepare. Noticing the stars in Grian's and Salex's eyes, he chuckled as he nodded. They were ready, he locked up their house before he turned to reply to the two songbirds.

"Okay, okay fine let's go then Mister On-time." He playfully shoved Grian into Salex, elbowing his shoulder as they joked around before their flight over. Grian giggled around and messed with Taurtis about his fake injuries as his wings flapped happily.

Grian held onto both of their hands gently but enough to know he'd never let them go, his wings flapped as the dust around them flew away as they did. The stars gathered around them as they soared across the town under them, she felt like a comet as they arrived at the starlight-decorated doors in front of them.

Taurtis opened them for the two, taking a bow as they entered the building with a grin he walked behind them joining their shared marvel at the scene in front of their eyes.

It looked amazing, fairy lights hung up delicately from the various wires across the ceiling. They were shaped like various stars, planets, and phases of the moon, hues gleamed from the lights as they strolled more into the building.

Cutouts of crescent moons, aliens, and spaceships littered the walls of the place next to it was a large piece of paper. The top middle of the paper had elegantly written with the tagline: 'Write something memorable here!'

Along the crumbled paper were litterings of miscellaneous names, doodles, expressions, and phrases from the school. Pens and various other writing materials were spread across the table nearby, and they all decided to leave their stamp on the wall.

Grian drew himself and his friends as their Minecraft skins, he was proud of himself as he turned to look at Taurtis resisting the urge to draw cat whiskers on his and Salex's faces. Snickering at the two lovebirds' melody he grabbed their arms to join in the dancefloor.

Twirling his best friend as Salex carried him to dip him gracefully, grinning along as his eyes sparkled with stars as he was in speechless awe as he was lifted back up.

[gilnoruil]

A Very Special Gift

Gilnoruil hurried down the cobbled road leading to the more public streets of the Obsidian Enclave. After several weeks of waiting, he had finally had the note delivered to him, inviting him back to the smithy to pick up his very special order…

It was beneath his composure to break into a jog, but still, he felt a buzz of excitement and hope that urged his steps to quicken.

He really wanted it to be perfect.

Finally, he arrived at the smithy. He cleared his throat politely at a pause in the black drakonid’s work, and the burly, bipedal dragonkin turned to look over his shoulder.

“Ah, just a moment…” he rumbled in a deep, rough voice. There was a loud hiss and a great billow of steam as he slid the piece he was working on into one of the water troughs. He then reached for a well-used rag to wipe his hands on and gestured to the neater customer-facing table near to where Gilnor was hovering.

As the Drakonid joined him there and placed a beautifully carved wooden box on the table, the dragon could feel his own tail as it drifted back and forth behind his legs; the only outward clue to his state of mind.

The box was about ten inches in length, and was detailed with a stylised motif depicting two heads with their noses touching. A dragon’s head, and a bear’s.

The Drakonid smith reached for the box, and with a gentleness that belied his huge, clawed hands, he carefully opened it.

Gilnoruil’s breath snagged in his throat.

Nestled on a bed of a deep purple velvet was the dagger he had designed and commissioned. The scabbard was black leather, tooled to look like a dragon’s scales. Or more specifically, Gilnor’s own. A dragon’s scale pattern and ‘arrangement’ - for want of a better way to put it - was unique to every wyrm. Therefore, when Gilnor had asked for the scabbard to be patterned in this way, the smith had offered to make a mould from Gilnor’s own skin. The hilt was silver, with a stylised wing shape making up the crosspiece, the membranes of which were stunning teal-blue gems that matched the colour of his own wing membranes and tail fins. The pommel was a simple teardrop shape of the same stone.

He almost didn’t want to touch it. But touch it he did, reverently lifting the dagger out of its protective shell so he could slide the scabbard down to look at the blade. It was elegant and curved, and bore a special inscription down the centre, carved from a message hand-written by Gilnor. It had been replicated so perfectly, it was like he’d just picked up a quill and written it straight on there himself.

Yet in reverse you are all my symmetry.

Gilnoruil let out a long, mildly shaky exhale. He didn’t know why seeing his creation come to life was making his fingers tremble, or why his normal confidence suddenly felt further out of reach than usual.

“It is… Exactly as I hoped… And more.” He finally said after a minute of just staring at it. Thankfully, the drakonid didn’t seem to mind that, and gave a warm, easy chuckle.

“It was a pleasure to work on,” he replied earnestly. “Oh and you don’t need to worry about durability. It may look delicate, but it’s very definitely able to be used, if that’s what you want.”

“That will be up to the recipient,” Gilnor said as he slid the scabbard back into place and then returned the dagger to the safety of the box. “Honestly… I cannot thank you enough.” He reached for the pouch attached to his belt and produced the owed half of the gold for the smith, who accepted gratefully. However, before he closed his thick fingers around it, Gilnor added a generous tip.

“Thank you,” he said with a polite dip of his head. “I’d love to know how it’s received. If that’s not too invasive of me.”

Had he been a dragon, Gilnor might have thought so. But he liked drakonids. They were hard-working, passionate and loyal when it was deserved. He regarded the smith for a moment, collecting his own words thoughtfully.

“I will… Let you know.”

Gilnoruil picked up the box with both hands and with a grateful nod of his own, he turned to leave.

“Good luck, it’s a beautiful gift. I hope the special one appreciates all the thought you put into it.” The drakonid called after him as he went back to work.

Gilnor paused, and waited for another break in the clangs of the smith’s hammer.

“I hope so too.”

He really did.

Now, to present it to Halla, and ask her to be his consort.

[kpop-obscura]

Top 10 Kpop Songs of 2024

Decided to do a little rebrand for the new year. Been doing this blog for 7 years at this point and its been great. Kpop is constantly evolving and changing, groups coming and going, unexpected success and unexpected failure, the scene is in an almost completely different place than it was when I first got into it in 2016. Using this blog to keep track of the various incredible songs, stages, shows etc. that come out in a given year, has given me a sense of consistency in an ever-changing industry. Appreciate anyone who's read a post and discovered a dope song they might have otherwise missed.

10. tripleS - Chiyu

Ethereal melodic RnB with a driving bass and crazy background vocals. A crystal aquatic vibe mixes with shifting reverb to create this heavy dreamy feeling that’s incredibly aesthetic. Really just accomplishes exactly what its trying to do. tripleS had a great year, with a bunch of solid B-Sides throughout their releases.

9. ENHYPEN - NO Doubt

A dark incredibly smooth RnB gem, immediately iconic vibe with great styling and choreo. The sultry laid back attitude is on point and the synths bounce around in a very disjointed but incredibly catchy way. This whole album was great, easily their best work so far.

8. NEXZ - Starlight

There’s something quirky and offbeat about the melody that’s hard to describe. Starts sort of slow and seems straightforward, but then gets interesting and overly sincere in tone. Its just groovy at its core, the choreo brings the whole thing together and makes the various rhythms make sense. NEXZ is the truth, these guys are really on a different level than most rookies, really hope JYP is a real one and gives them great music.

7. IVE - Ice Queen

This goes so unexpectedly hard, starts glittery and smooth then has this beat drop out of nowhere and shifts into a hip-hop EDM break with ethereal haunting vocals. Almost a witch-house type feel at certain points. Very distinct, a dark vibe that's sort of uncommon but still within the modern trend. The shift into rapping is very clean and sounds effortless. Gaeul also has an underrated singing tone, she has some key little vocal runs in this that are very dreamy and odd in a good way.

6. ILLIT - Lucky Girl Syndrome

Shouldn’t work as well as it does. Very bright quirky kind of commercial themes but sort of dissonant and odd in an unexpected way. Minju’s voice honestly makes this song great, as good an example of someone just meshing with a sound as you can get. The whistling, the chorus, it just works and feels a bit like older kpop in that its more earnestly cheesy than a lot of stuff nowadays that needs to be seen as ‘cool’ or ‘chic’.

5. YENA - Damn U

An incredibly fun and brash pop-punk romp with excellent production. Really captures that 2000’s commercial punk sound in the best way. Yena’s voice just suits this loud overly sincere type of singing and the goofy earnestness of pop punk is a perfect combination.

4. Loossemble - TTYL

Chorus of the century. What can you even say, a bit bittersweet to reflect on this given their sudden disbanding, Loossemble only released good music and this was a prime example. Great rhythm, interesting glitchy vocals, just a frenetic electro master class. This was stuck in my head for weeks, it was honestly a problem.

3. RIIZE - Honestly

Deeply beautiful indie ballad that’s just a joy to hear. Has an almost spiritual intimacy to it. These guys can sing and they know how to combine their voices in incredibly intricate ways, they really have that SM pedigree in spades. Sohee is a vocal genius, guy is really something special. Also shocked at how well Anton's softer tone fits here, he has some amazing delicate runs towards the end.

2. Loossemble - Girl's Night

Kind of a perfect song, just a fun retro electro jam with great harmonious vocals. Will never get over how well their voices fit together, its like this with all their stuff so far. Just fundamentally intense and to the point, it hits for the entire three and a half minutes. It was hard to choose between this and TTYL both were top 5 no doubt but this just had a bit more of a 'complete' sound overall.

1. YENA - Good Morning

Feel good anthem extreme, soaring melodic, high energy punk-pop. Yena’s music is a pillar of positivity from Smiley or Nemonemo to this, whatever style shes doing its gonna feel empowering. Incredibly bright hard rock guitar riffs that feel authentically harsh. Very memorable verses, every little section feels distinct and has some kind of specific flourish or rhythm. Second song from her that’s been #1 on my list in three years, when she gets it right its something special.

[sombrashe]

Cold air hits your teeth, your hands have lost feeling from how hard they are gripping the railing beside you. You look down at your thigh all scratched and torn up, deep cuts going into and along your skin. “Shh hey, don’t look at it, look at me” the woman with the red motorcycle jacket whispers to you, what was her name again? It’s hard to remember when you were too busy trying to get out of the gas station alive. “W-what the hell were those things?” You stammered out, desperate for an answer. “I don’t know, but what I do know is first aid so let’s try and get your leg patched up, yeah?” You nod, the pain stealing your ability to respond. The woman with the jacket moves away from sitting next you and starts to move so she’s sitting on your knee to bandage the cuts. The pressure from her body weight on yours, holding you down, is far more intimate then needed, maybe it’s the way her body is warm and the floor is cold, the way a weighted blanket feels. the woman in the red jacket applying alcohol to your wound is enough to pull you out of your head “AHh“ before you can even scream a hand is covering your mouth. “I’m sorry-I’m sorry” she slowly begins to lower her hand and place it on your shoulder “I’m sorry I should’ve warned you, but we have to be quiet, who knows how of those things are out there, can you be quiet for me?” giving your shoulder a small squeeze, as you start to nod. “I have to finish putting alcohol on your wound but you are welcome to hold my hand?” moving her hand so it holds yours, with what only looks like the deepest blush you’ve ever seen. Now holding your hand she actually starts to work back on your leg before looking up and opening her mouth to speak once again “so uh, do you have a partner?”

This probably made no sense sorry lol I don’t really write

no, because I love this idea. her simply asking if you have a partner and your meek no makes her go crazy. her helping you into the car with leon driving as you three speed off into the unknown. everything goes the same until the explosion where you and her get separated from leon only to find yourselves within the police department. her helping you from complete annihilation at the undeads hands until you finally find a safe room (simply a room with a lock that gives you both time to decompress).

Claire groans, her red-painted nails digging into your scalp as she presses your head lower. You’re taking too much time and if the heavy footsteps outside the door meant anything you only had a little time before having to move on. The hordes of the undead have worked her nerves to near extinction. Fortunately for her, you were waiting hidden in a closet within the gas station just waiting to be saved—a precious gem unbroken by the world as it has become. Blood staining through your jeans. Despite the fear that coursed through her veins with every step it was lessened by you gripping onto her like your life depended on it, which it does of course, your absolute cluelessness when it comes to survival a contrast to her adaptability.

“Do I need to show you how it’s done?”

She huffs looking down to see your wide eyes looking up at her. A gorgeous color reflected at her from the artificial lights hanging above. You’re so sweet helping her out like this, her leg hiked over your shoulder. Another groan of annoyance and you finally take the hint. Surging forward your forehead bumps against her lower stomach as you mouth her mound. Humming she watches earnestly, your hair moved back to give her a better view of your actions. Look at you so eager to say thank you. All she did was clean your wounds and give you safe passage to the police department. Only simply saving your life from the end of the world and you decided to jump her bones the moment you two were safe. Breathlessly promising her a thank you between kisses. Soon the kisses, despite being sweet, weren't enough to satisfy her. If you want to give a proper thank you then do it. Pushing your head a few centimeters lower your hot breath fans against her waiting cunt. Dripping cold she waits impatiently for you to continue your work.

“Thank you’s don’t normally take this long.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

You mumble out your apology before licking a stripe from her dripping hole to her clit. She sighs in acceptance as you give her clit gentle kisses. The tip of your tongue darting out to lap at her clit. She sighs happily as you continue your work making sure to check in by looking up and into her deep brown eyes. Using your broken open lips you suck on her clit as your fingers dance up her toned thigh. Such a contrast to yours that rest bandaged. Slipping two fingers into her cunt, it eagerly sucks them in. Pumping in and out of her you listen to her soft sounds only covered by your obscene slurping. Occasionally she stops you with anger glinting in her eyes whenever the heavy footsteps get a little too close. The moment they leave she’s shoving you back down, suffocating you between her thighs. It doesn’t take long before her back is arching and she cums all over your fingers. Her legs shake as she rests against the desk in the middle of the office. Pulling back your lips shine with her essence and she is pulling you up for a well-deserved kiss.

[tobiasdrake]

Before going to look for the team, I have a handful of FTEs saved up that I want to pop. So I'm going to warp time and space to go hang out with everyone instead of hunting for them.

Let's see, I have two for Halara and one for Desuhiko.

WDO is the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters confirmed. People already have superpowers; the Master Detective program teaches them to hone them. Postcognition is an advanced form of psychometry.

Psychometry's a fun superpower. It's the psychic ability to view and experience the history of an object. Doesn't get talked about a lot in telekinesis/telepathy stuff, but it's an underrated gem of an ability.

Yuma needs to stop bringing this topic up. He keeps whining about not having a Forte but. Like.

Okay. So. His contract with Shinigami strictly forbids him from ever telling anyone about her or the contract. I guess people getting dragged in with him to Mystery Labyrinth doesn't count because those memories don't return with them to their body, so they never truly learn about any of this.

But he keeps raising this topic and. Like. The natural response of anyone who hears, "Why don't I have a Forte?" is going to be "You have Coalescence. Isn't that your Forte?"

And for all intents and purposes, he needs to shut up and let it be. Because there is no way to explain why that doesn't count as a real Forte. Every time he starts in on, "But I want a REEEEEEEAL Forte and not my Shinigami Contract Powers," he's verging dangerously close to violating the terms of his agreement. But he can't stop himself from talking about the things he must not speak of.

It's not unlike the way he constantly, endlessly expects fair play and good faith from crooked cops - like, he cannot comprehend corruption. It does not enter his brain as a thing that could ever exist. No one wouldn't fairly and earnestly seek truth, of course not, that kind of person doesn't exist!

Yuma is so honest that it manages to wrap around and become a character flaw.

I have absolutely no idea what the ability to fry people with electrokinesis has to do with investigating crimes, but this is only further confirmation that the WDO is the Xavier School.

Being super honest to the point of being overly trusting and gullible is Yuma's main talent. So... it would follow that his Forte is... the ability to disseminate a large amount of information freely to everyone around him?

...that sounds weak but no, the power to widely broadcast knowledge would be a killer ability for trying to unravel a corporate conspiracy. It might even offer an alternative for mystery-cracking to the Mystery Labyrinth. Try and aim for that, Yuma.

Oh, no. No no no no no. That's not true. Not at all.

Every time you capitulate to Shinigami and resort to the Mystery Labyrinth to solve a case, that's an act of giving up. It's a tacit admission of the futility of trying to crack the case yourself. You still put a lot of work into the Labyrinth, don't get me wrong; But someone who never gives up wouldn't grab Shinigami's hand out of desperation - Especially given how much you loathe to do it.

Whenever you're backed into a corner by Amaterasu security, you panic. Then you sell the lives of the culprits to Shinigami in exchange for a supernatural handicap. That's giving up, Yuma.

This feels like powerful foreshadowing, especially given the double meaning of "death" and the parasitic horror floating over Yuma's shoulder.

But even if that winds up being the writer's interpretation, I stand by what I said. If Yuma had an iron will to never give up, then every case wouldn't end in him going, "OH NO IT'S HOPELESS! Help me, Shinigami! I accept the lethal consequences that I despise as a cost of letting your evil powers help!"

Maybe the first time, sure. But after that, every time he resorts to the Mystery Labyrinth, it's an act of surrender.

[blackjackkent]

Rakha assumes that the Faith-Leap Trial is the last one, based on what the statue said, and that they can now proceed further into the sanctum in search of the Nightsong. Shadowheart, however, stops her as they approach the first altar with its niches for the Umbral Gems they have been collecting.

"Wait."

Glance around.

Narrator: You detect the gentlest of presences disturbing the temple's ancient, stale air. It seems to encircle Shadowheart, welcoming her.

Rakha narrows her eyes uncertainly, looking around, trying to gauge the source of this strange feeling. But there is nothing, only the cool, dust-laden air and the shimmering veneer of Shadowfell magic coating every surface.

"What's going on?" she demands sharply. "Tell me."

"There's something more I need to do," Shadowheart says earnestly. "Or the trials will have been in vain. There is a holy weapon hidden away - the Spear of Night. I have to claim it, then use it to make a sacrifice in Lady Shar's inner sanctum. If I succeed, I'll become a Dark Justiciar."

Rakha listens to this thoughtfully. A sacrifice. This could mean any number of things. She's still not deeply interested in the trials themselves except so far as they open the way to the Nightsong, but she knows they are important to Shadowheart. (She also knows, deep down, that Wyll is not at all comfortable with their presence here or pursuing Shar's approval, which makes the whole thing more tense overall.)

If, however, Shadowheart is telling the truth and this is a required part of the trials, then it might be just as necessary as the rest in order to reach the relic and shatter Ketheric's immortality.

"All right," she says slowly. "Where is this spear?"

Shadowheart brightens hopefully. "There's a library in this place somewhere. That's where I need to look."

Rakha nods. This doesn't really narrow it down, but there is much of the temple they haven't yet seen. "That is what these trials demand?" she asks, pursing her lips. "A blood sacrifice to appease Shar?"(*) She does not like the way the beast in her head squirms excitedly at the idea; in many situations it is a sign of the wrong choice.

It's hard to tell if Shadowheart recognizes Rakha's discomfort, or the reason behind it. But she does smile slightly, reassuringly. "Don't worry," she says firmly. "This place has been empty for years. The sacrifice can't be a simple mortal. More likely it's a monster - and we're well-versed in dealing with those, aren't we?"

In spite of herself, Rakha flinches. All too well, she thinks bitterly.

(A/N: Technically we've already passed the entrance to the library, but I'm going to use this as an excuse for Rakha to explore the rest of the facility before going over there. XD Sometimes I have to play tricks on Rakha to get around her extreme directness.)

-----

(*) Slight tweak of the in-game dialogue ("You really want to go through with this? A blood sacrifice just to appease Lady Shar?") to better fit Rakha's speech patterns.

[aspirationatwork]

[Image Description: six digital drawings of original fusions based off of Steven Universe.

The first drawing depicts a tall, uncannily skinny Gem named Dioptase with long, tendril-like arms and a gaping dip in her face that serves as her eye. She has teal skin, pale hair tied onto a limp ponytail with a striped headband. Dioptase is wearing a dress consisting of a striped, turquoise cloth wrapped around her torso with a frilled, mermaid skirt with the ruffles close to the ground, creating an eerie "Boho" look.

An arrow points to one of Dioptase's arms that reads "split to form fingers." The tendril has indeed split into four, goopy fingers.

There are two sketches to the right of Dioptase from the shoulders-up.

There is another sketch to the left of tarot cards labeled "Weapon- tarot cards that not only predict the future but cause it. Cards are drawn at random so only used in DIRE situations."

The second drawing depicts an elegant Gem with four legs, mint-green skin, and glossy, blue curls piled onto her head. She has three eyes and her arms are detached from her shoulders, hovering slightly below. The fusion is wearing a shimmery, blue gown with puffed sleeves and an aubergine-purple skirt. Each of her four legs has sleek, heeled boots.

There is an additional sketch to the right of the fusion opening her mouth, revealing a hidden jaw underneath her chin.

The third drawing depicts a Quartz-like Gem with two sets of arms- one thick and broad and the other narrow and lanky- banded, pink skin, and puffy, magenta hair. She is wearing a loose, off-the-shoulder romper with a petal-shaped bodice and bush-like sleeves with pink flowers blooming along them. Her knee-high boots have a scalloped hem and banded stripes.

The fourth drawing depicts a fusion between a Lapis with navy-blue skin and casual clothing and a Pearl with pink skin and a gauzy, iridescent wrap over a magenta leotard.

Their fusion is tall and lean with lavender skin, four eyes, and an indigo-blue bob with a pastel pink and yellow underside. She is wearing a purple leotard with loose, cap sleeves and pastel sashes around her waist.

There is a second drawing to the right of this fusion from the chest-up bending one set of arms behind their head as she lazily remarks "Whatever you want me to do- I'm not doing it."

The fifth drawing depicts a fusion between the same Pearl and a Quartz with pink skin, a yellow pompadour, and a gauche bodysuit with a peacock-feather motif.

Their fusion has mauve skin and a wavy, magenta bob with pale yellow and blue streaks. She is wearing a glossy, purple leotard with a magenta bodice and a peacock-pattern frill behind her head. The fusion smiles earnestly, declaring "It's okay. I'll protect you" while holding up a shield that also has a peacock pattern.

The sixth drawing depicts a tall, almost animalistic Gem with banded, navy-blue skin, wild blue hair, and four beady eyes. Her feet have been replaced with hands and two more hands rest unnaturally on her shoulders, with no arms attached to be seen. She is wearing a blue tunic over one shoulder, beige bandages wrapped around her arms, and asymmetrical shorts.

End Description.]