#so this took a hot second lol

[honorhearted]

Love was supposed to be beautiful, pure, enduring, and yet in the following days, Benjamin was enveloped by none of these things. Emma stayed true to her word. She didn't seek him out, nor meet his gaze, nor even go near him, and yet this failed to bring the relief he yearned for. No, the separation somehow made things worse, and Benjamin's temperament quickly changed from sour to combative.

With his hurt and frustrations at an all-time high, it wasn't difficult to find himself butting heads with Washington. It was typical for them to disagree, but this? This Benjamin wasn't letting go. He knew the general was wrong about Sutherland, but Washington wouldn't hear otherwise.

Before long, Emma was brought into the room to settle their dispute. God, he could scarcely stand the sight of her with her long, golden hair that practically blinded him akin to burnished sunlight. Flinching, he lowered his eyes, curling and uncurling his hands as she detected a lie in both Shanks and Sutherland.

Even with this good news -- or at least, in the sense he wasn't incorrect about the latter -- Washington dismissed him again, and asserted that he wouldn't interrogate either man. Sackett would, starting with Sutherland.

Furious, Benjamin tore from the hut and resisted the urge to slam the door like a petulant child. Mercifully, he did not, for Emma pursued him a moment after.

"Major, just a moment..."

Despite his urge to dismiss, to run, Benjamin stumbled to a clunky halt. Once his injured eyes turned to her, a knot formed in his throat and he straightened, attempting to look far more put together than he currently felt. "Yes? What is it, Swan?"

Swan... Didn't she detest the use of formalities? And yet what they'd once shared could no longer be -- never again.

Feeling homesick for an embrace that was never truly his to begin with, he exhaled and gestured for her to speak.

"Look," Emma began, "I don't exactly know what's going on, but I can tell you believe we need to watch our backs from Sutherland, right? And I... I trust your instincts, and you can't go against orders but I wasn't given any. I'll go to Sackett's tent too tomorrow, alright? Try to see what Sutherland must be hiding."

Benjamin squinted, turning toward her with a hint of leery intrigue. "Sutherland's lying," he agreed. "To what regard, I'm not sure, but I also can't prove Shanks' innocence...he seems sincere in his contrition, but that could easily be the fear of being hanged talking. So Washington..." Sighing, he shook his head, squaring his jaw while looking off to the side. "He is not wrong in his suspicions, but I don't feel Sackett should be alone in this interrogation. He isn't trained in weaponry the way we are."

Benjamin felt Emma's gaze on him, and despite his better judgment, he met with her entreating stare. The moment their eyes locked, a terrible ache formed in his chest, and the pressure blossomed at her next words.

"I'm leaving soon, let me do this for you. Washington is under a lot of stress, he's not thinking clearly, but I know if you believe Shanks needs to be heard it must be true."

"You're leaving?" Blinking in rapid succession, Benjamin suddenly forgot how to breathe. "But..." She has to go. Let her go, damn you! Swallowing back any potential damning words, he cleared his throat in an attempt at loosening the painful knot of emotion. Here, he forced a wobbly smile and inclined his head. "Thank you, Swan. I...owe you a great debt." For far more than you could ever possibly know.

She looked at him with genuine, pure longing as he spoke of wanting a future with her, but her fears were so much louder than his words; she had never let herself contemplate such things, she had never allowed herself to face them before, and now that he was doing it for her it had awoken the worst thoughts.

"but maybe I want to take that risk. And if you don't…well, then it's as I said: I can't force you. But I also can't wait around either, because whether we like it or not, Mary and her fiancé have the right idea. Time waits for no one."

He was right, he should have what he wanted, what he deserved, someone who could feel the same way, who thought that Mary and her fiancé were right, someone who didn't need time just to warm up to the idea. She still thought they were horribly wrong, that even if they were right it was worth waiting, that the risk was too big, the tragedy of it going wrong surpassed the joy of the marriage going well, but Ben? Ben lived in a world where since the future may not exist, the present was what mattered. She lived in one where she feared what the future would bring.

"If you can't look at me and instantly think yes, you're the one, then the answer should be obvious. From what I've been told -- from what I've been feeling -- you behold that one special person and just know. And if you don't know with me, then you have your answer."

"I'm not like you... I'm not capable of feeling that way, of knowing. So you are right, you feel time is precious and you should... be allowed to find someone who can give you that," she agreed meekly, sniffing and trying very hard not to make more noises than that. She could cry her heart out later, when he was gone. She could do what she did when she saw Arian: hold it in for a few more minutes and once alone find herself unable to breathe right. She'd probably cry for him forever, because she had already gotten too close to actually wanting it to pretend it hadn't happened, and with such an ending there would be no bittersweet memories, just pain, looking back. "I will give you space, I won't make things more difficult for you." And start preparing and putting her affairs in order, so that once her parents would be done touring around the Colonies in a few weeks, she'd leave to go join them at the harbor.

She was lucky she was a woman, and in the following days she could wear enough makeup to hide any sign that she may be in distress, but she also knew everyone was aware something was wrong, especially James who had seen the change happen closely and August, who had been told a few things here and there. But no one pried, not after Emma gave a few looks and chose a tone that made clear she'd only place nice, sunny, sweet princess if the matter was left alone.

She stayed out of his way as promised, although that meant literally hiding in her tent every now and then, until Washington asked for her opinion. He didn't give her much information, she just had to listen to two men and tell him which one was lying, since she had the gift of noticing right away. And when she came back certain that they both lied about something, which was not the most welcomed answer, she was forced to see Ben too, but tried to make herself invisible, quiet while of course polite to the general, who was at least thankful that she had been willing to help, and who apparently became even more certain that Benjamin was wrong about whatever it is that they were discussing about. Her heart hurt, badly, from the lack of sleeping and the grave mistake of eating less than she should, but she came to understand that Washington believed Shanks to be the worst of the two and wanted Sackett, not Ben, to interrogate Sutherland more. Against Benjamin's opinion that Sutherland was also a danger.

That wouldn't do.

"Major, just a moment," she called once outside, looking around and waiting for other people to walk away. It was the first time she addressed him, and as hard as she was, she owed him that. Because of course she still trusted him more than anyone else. "Look... I don't exactly know what's going on, but I can tell you believe we need to watch our backs from Sutherland, right? And I... I trust your instincts, and you can't go against orders but I wasn't given any. I'll go to Sackett's tent too tomorrow, alright? Try to see what Sutherland must be hiding." She forced herself to meet his eyes, and the emotions she felt hit her like a sword to the chest, "I'm leaving soon, let me do this for you. Washington is under a lot of stress, he's not thinking clearly, but I know if you believe Shanks needs to be heard it must be true."

[ruushes]

companions re-classed pt 2 - wyll 🗡️💘🐉

with thanks to @thedragonagelesbian and everyone who suggested drakewarden, i think the change made it a much better piece! 💛

karlach

[ganondoodle]

(wip) totk rewritten botw2 edition

rough ideas for the reworked healing system- bottles+potions are back and must be used in real time, cooked meals are not storable but better than potions, different types of portable pots?

wasnt sure if the portable pot should have different effects or just have designs you can change, but decided to add a few different types for roughly different types of players without too many options that could overwhelm but still add some variety to any gameplay AND a more meaningful reward for bigger quests!

-my goal with this is avoid the pausing to spam apples into links mouth to heal problem, to readd some difficulty with more limited healing in general (bottles must be found or gained as a reward, usage in battle like in skyward sword via wheel menu and then used in real time) and adding more variety via the design of the pots, a neat new item since they are portable (set up a campfire, then option is added to add the pot for cooking), and make cooking a lil more interesting besides it spamming your inventory even more with healing stuff AND add some meaning to bottles and potions again bc imo they were one of the most useless things you could get when playing botw/totk- which is why cooked meals are not storable but with better effects, think of it like a bit more customizable and zeldafied elden ring mechanic with the usual heals and the one time physic buff

so if you got into a bossfight and lost it, you could set up a cooking spot before the arena to give yourself a temporary buff via a meal and restock your potions for in battle healing and/or effects depending on how many bottles you have, if you have trouble dealing damage for example you can use the firey pot to add some extra attack dmg (and yes it stacks if you do attack effect in the firey pot it adds extra attack damage, maybe even with a hidden bonus)

(got similar planned for the parasail .. like dif types with dif effects like faster gliding speed but more stamina usage- one used like koga does in aoc that lets you glide fully soundlessly ...)

(legend of zelda)

(also no NPC will give you a shitty cooked thing as a 'reward' anymore, if anything its a bottle that you can use like in the old games ..)

[dailyloopdeloop]

loop and mirabelle. That's it that's the ask

DAY 84: enrolled in the gossip wars

[covenofthearticulate]

Every day I wish we got more of Louis and Daniel interacting in QOTD like. Last time they saw each other Louis used Daniel as a juice box and was like "you might die idk" and now Daniel's a vampire at the hands of Louis' ex. BUT we did get Armand holding both of them when they pass out and that's probably the best thing to ever happen tbh

NO BUT FORREAL I THINK ABOUT THIS SO MUCH

And this is exactly why post-qotd is one of my favorite eras in canon because it's like— the second Daniel walks into that room by Armand's side, he's immediately clocked, like everyone just gets to watch him go absolutely batshit with all the New Vampire Zoomies, he's just fucking reeling, the world is coming down around them so no one has time to address any of the insane baggage but like... at the same time, Louis and Daniel had to sit there for hours listening to Maharet's story alsjhcfandslj like I NEED to know how many times they made eye contact across the table, how many times Louis got distracted trying to think of what the fuck to even say to either of them, how many times Daniel thought about Louis' fangs in his neck while sitting at that table.

It's just the right combination of like absolutely insane and soul-wrenchingly emotional asdlsjkhdbcnjhbcs because also like!!! there's so many reunions!! it's the first time louis and armand have seen each other in years!!! they left on such sad, bitter terms but clearly still had feelings for one another!! this is the first time marius has spoken to armand in fucking centuries!!

like, they all have so much history and so much to say to each other and I think it's so fucking hysterical that all of these emotional reunions have happening while Daniel essentially just has to stand there behind armand like a little mouth-breathing toddler waiting on his mom LMAO

anyway yeah 10/10 agree we deserved more louis and daniel content in qotd!!!

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport

set in a cyberpunk Calcutta-inspired city, loosely inspired by Aladdin

chaotic monkey bot who wants to fight in underground mecha/bot tournaments and leave to become a space hero

his human sister, the daughter of failed revolutionaries who has been working her whole life to free their city from oppression and inequality, especially with the recent rumors that their planet is scheduled for destruction

and an old unearthed bot whose function is to observe & record the story of a client who meets the siblings and quickly becomes involved in their lives

and a treasure hunt to find an old and powerful piece of alien tech that has the power to radically change their city

[malk-with-tea]

James Deen we were rooting for you

[icewindandboringhorror]

Apparently I can meet my goal of roughly 400,000 words in 6 months if I just somehow write at least 2,200 words a day ghbjh... Almost 2,500 today... huzzah...

[depravedangelbaby]

trying to run the auto machine @ work again n I am just a scaredy cat lmao.. I feel so strong n cool tho!!

[astyr-art]

i have had. this stupid idea. stuck in my head. for SO long

i love arven sm and yet this was my first time drawing him lmao

i will admit i got lazy abt backgrounds/colouring/whatever but in my defense by the time i finished this it was 4 am

[hopkei]

10.25.23 Itsuki ig story

[reineydraws]

op. op pls i devoured your fic rec list. do you have. perchance. more to share. pls. (if you want ofc) jason requires All the hugs. esp when he gets to be Safe in bruce or dick's arms again like they're protecting him even though hes all grown up now and doesn't need protecting but that's his Family and they Love Him op im having emotions (tone lighthearted i just think you have good taste in fics and am wondering if you would want to rec some more? no pressure LOL)

anon, this has to be one of the best compliments ive ever received in my life lmao thank u for saying i have good taste in fics 😂

ive got 10 more recs for ya! i tried to centre it on jason with bruce and/or dick but there are a couple that have an even focus on other siblings too. those will still have the good jason stuff in it tho. 😌😌

also this time not all of them are h/c lol soz some of them are just fluff 🙏 but they do all have good family feels!!! and im pretty sure jason gets hugs in most of them too haha.

anyways, onto some (more) good jason todd family feels gen fic! once again: word count rounded to the nearest thousand, and listed in no particular order.

The Cave by lurkinglurkerwholurks | 4k

jason and dick get stranded on an island and dick is injured so jay goes to explore the island on his own and finds a sketchy cave he goes to explore. shit happens. as a younger sibling myself, i found it pretty accurately captures the complexity and the depth of sibling feelings and relationships (esp dick's older brother-ness) in a situation thats been dialed to 11.

through the valley of the shadow by Goldmonger | 10k

jason gets captured and tortured and inadvisably makes his way out of the building even though he's exacerbating his wounds bc he doesnt want to risk waiting for a father bat that will never come. bruce does get there in time and jay recovers at the manor, to his great annoyance and reluctant warmth.

Ornaments by haunt_the_stars | 2k

it's the holidays & bruce is counting kids (checking in on them) when he finds jason crying by the christmas tree bc bruce buys them all a new ornament every year and jason doesnt have any after his death and it's not fair he missed out on so much of his youth. i cried reading this but it was also cute. (tbf, literally any time jason contemplates the teenage years he missed out on due to his death etc., i cry lol.)

and if only i could make a deal with god by foreverstudent | 21k

one of the ones with a more even focus on everyone. id actually say it's about bruce. feels are good tho, and jason does get a hug. the bat boys get sent back in time and find a bruce that just started being batman standing in front of his parents' graves and wondering if he should stop being batman to find happiness in marriage. the boys unanimously decide to convince bruce to give up the bat so he can be happy, even though it majorly risks their own futures (and in dami's case, his actual life).

Tap Out by coyote_nebula | 8k

jay's at a gala and gets poisoned and as he struggles to breathe (and his family panics), he contemplates all the other times he felt like he was gonna die. focuses heavily on the concept of tapping out as a way to practice boundaries, esp in his relationship w bruce.

You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514 | 66k

this is kind of fantasy realism? and this is another fic that focuses more evenly on everyone. bruce keeps finding these kids that arent really human, adopting them and giving them a childhood (and family!) anyways. it's sweet and my favourite thing about it is that the boys all pass around bruce's gotham knights sweater for comfort clothing. also there's a part where john constantine is like "h o w do you keep finding them?!?!" it's good lol. ah and i just love when stories explore what it means to be human.

The 70 Days After Groundhog Day by Ptelea | 44k

this is a dick pov fic that goes through the aftermath of a time loop only jason remembers. it's not often you get to read about the after effects instead of the time loop itself, which i thought was cool, and it goes into the way jason and his relationship to the family has changed bc of this thing only he remembers. focuses most heavily on dick & jay.

Commencement by ivy_and_ivory | 3k

jason invites bruce to his uni graduation :') what i like the most is that jason's not just thinking of how he feels now, he's thinking about how he'll feel in the future. he might still feel weird about bruce now but in the future he thinks he'll have wanted b to be there. it makes me so soft to read about this jason that's looking toward the future again, instead of focusing on his death and his past.

The Bedtime Chronicles by SillySunshine | 5k (series)

the rule is, as long as bruce can pick you up, he can still ground you. 😤 the first fic is robin jason and it's all v fluffy and adorable. the second fic is red hood jason so it's angsty and then hilarious (obvs b can still pick him up) and then fluffy. we love sappy father & son fic in this house!

pantry by envysparkler | 4k

one by one, jason's siblings congregate in his apartment to get away from bruce/seek refuge after a hard day/generally annoy him. jay-centric, tho all the siblings + bruce star pretty equally. fluff & humour! spoiler alert: eventually he escapes to the manor lmao.

[kelbunny]

"Bow down before his Imperial Majesty, the Kaiser Oblivion"

Kaiser Oblivion's 5 star outfit in BDBL is very good hehe.

[qprstobin]

can i get Fruity Four Upside Down Monsters?

"You're hot when you get bitchy."

Nancy let out a strangled laugh. Robin couldn't believe Eddie's audacity, but maybe the demobat rabies worked like the Russian truth serum did.

Steve didn't even flinch, continuing to wind the bandages around Eddie's torso with ruthless efficiency. "I'm hot all the time, now shut up."

[draw-you-coward]

for the tav asks, can I get 12 for tal, 14 for your bard, 6 for your durge, and 26 + 27 for all three?

helo and thank u sm! pics of the hoes first: tal being cunty, big dick durge, and Poppyseed the bard:

12 for Talzheir: If they were at a corporate or school-sanctioned group bonding event and someone asked them to say one fun fact about themself, what workplace-appropriate fact would they choose?

Perfect question for him honestly because he's one of those "my truth is too deranged for you normie bitches" people (he's my oc, after all). He'd say that he met a fey prince, once. just in passing, of course, on a completely consensual visit to the Underdark, and no, he doesn't remember their name, why would he?

14 for Poppyseed: How late do they leave their gift shopping before birthdays / christmas / any other event where gift-giving is required?

Absolutely until the last minute, then forget, and try to bullshit their way out of it. Doesn't exactly have a list of longterm friends, wonder why?

6 for the Dark Urge: Hobby or interest they are most embarrassed about?

😳

26: Favourite farm animal?

Goat for Tal (stubborn, silly), Sheep for Nerium (fluffy, relatable), and Chicken for Poppyseed (kindred soul in loudly announcing their presence at the inopportune times and pissing everyone off).

27: Name a toxic trait of theirs that is really just a beige flag at best.

never heard of a beige flag, that's so funny to me. weird freak habit

Tal: Tries to get away with doing things by the book only enough to make them successful, then just does it his own way. Ex: fudges spells a lot, pissing certain wizards off. If he had a phone he'd just jolt it every now and then to recharge it and ruin the battery rather than getting up to plug it in. casts disintegrate and wastes his highest level spell slot instead of getting off his ass and cleaning. etc

Nerium: named hremself (bad combination of "herself" and "themself") after a flower because some hunky elf suggested it. offers bad monk advice to people despite 1) not at all having inner peace in the soul and 2) said advice being completely useless to the situation.

Poppyseed: genuinely everything. started beef with a child by climbing down a hole. considers said child a valid opponent. tossed a coin to decide on who to help in act 1 (tal at least put it to a vote). ruins serious moments as badly and fast as they possibly can.

thank u so much for this it was fun <3 bles

ask me questions abt my tav(s)!

[icewindandboringhorror]

recent things