#the nox one in particular

[torchbearing]

it's very interesting how kyle has ugly, horrible urges he himself recognizes but refuses to act upon most of the time or fixes them upon realization (see: him bringing back maura, not bringing back alex when given chance upon chance to do it, giving away the life equation when he realizes how easy it would be to lose control in an irreparable way).

i see sometimes people acting like kyle is a nice, bland guy in comparison to other lanterns (hal and guy, mostly) or meek in any way and i genuinely Do Not Understand Where That Came From.

[loaksky]

— 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 | 𝒂. 𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏

emt!abby x clumsy fem!reader, fluff / angst / smut (mdni!), wc: 8.8k (abby makes me ill).

synopsis: abby’s recuperating from a rocky relationship. tending to you more than once has gotta be fate.

content warnings: language, 18+ content (MDNI!): fingering (abby & reader receiving), oral (abby receiving), standard emotional constipation, non-graphic depictions of injuries / blood. let me know if i miss anything! not proofread well!

tagging those who interacted with my interest post! @eden-nox , @feeeeebbb , @thecowardwrites , @dawn-bunni , @dykefromstatefarm , @kingofcrabs17 , @deadliebalboa , @caitlinisfruity , @matchabxba , @abbysidechick

main masterlist | tlou masterlist

THE FIRST TIME ABBY TENDS TO YOU is an embarrassing circumstance all its own. And not necessarily because you’d hurt yourself, but because of one meddling little sibling in particular.

It’s nearly 2am in the morning, a little brisk outside of the apartment complex, and Abby’s trailing behind her rotation partners up three rickety flights of stairs.

“Seattle EMS!”

The door’s flying open and a frantic girl no older than fifteen is ushering the trio in the apartment.

“It’s my sister,” she says quickly. “She cut her hand with a knife. Won’t stop bleeding.”

Abby’s observing her surroundings, eyes flitting around the space as they file quickly down the hallway, walls neatly littered with polaroids, picture frames, and various other decorations and knickknacks.

As they spill into the living room, Abby’s eyes settle on you, sitting on the coffee table in nothing but an oversized tee and some boyshorts.

There are tiny smears of red across your thighs, right hand applying pressure to your left palm with a wad of paper towels. One look at your face shows draining color and Abby’s setting the duffel on the floor.

“Need her rate and blood pressure,” one of her partners says. “Anderson, can you assess the damage?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Abby says, kneeling in front of you.

She swears she feels a jolt of electricity pass through her nitrile gloves when her fingertips brush your skin. You’re shaky, eyes droopy because you’ve never been great with blood.

“I’m gonna take a look,” Abby says softly, coaxing the paper towels away from you. “That okay?”

You nod, hair falling into your face as she turns your palm over to analyze the wound.

“Sheesh,” she whispers. “What’d you do?”

When you’re silent for a moment, warmth momentarily returning to your cheeks as embarrassment floods your system, Abby’s eyes swing to your younger sister who’s seemingly clocked the considerable tension between you and the hot EMT.

“We were making brownies,” she fills in helpfully. “Big sis was chopping up the nuts.”

One of Abby’s partners chuckles, the one filling out the paperwork, and Abby glances at you again, something niggling in the pit of her stomach when she sees the flustered way you bite your lip.

“Personally not a fan of nuts in my brownies, but that’s a hill I’ll die on.”

Abby’s trying to distract you, take your mind away from a the gnarly gash cut deep in your palm line. It works, she thinks, when you crack a small smile.

“Me neither,” you agree, and it’s the first words you say all night.

Your voice has a sweet rasp, one that makes Abby’s gut twist.

“Guess this means nuts really are a no go,” you say, hissing momentarily when Abby makes start with cleaning your wound.

For a moment she forgets you’re talking about brownies and your little sister’s searing gaze should be confirmation enough, but after gathering all of your important information and spending the next forty-five minutes cleaning you up, Abby’s being stopped in her tracks as they file out of the cramped living room.

Your little sister catches her as the two other techs swing into the third floor hallway.

“My big sis is gay, FYI,” she giggles mischievously. “Like real gay.”

You call her name, absolutely horrified.

Abby can’t help the smile that splits her face.

“Mmm, good to know.”

You’d barely recovered from that moment, still reeling nearly a week later after your failed sleepover party with your little sister that ended in the hottest tech seeing you in the worst condition possible.

And while you thank every force above that Abby hadn’t seemed too perturbed by your sibling’s antics, it’s still something that makes you rub the heel of your palms into your eyes and kick your feet in annoyance before bed.

But just when you think you’re finally getting over it, you cross paths again.

Fate has a cruel way of flexing its humor because you’re turning an especially crowded corner in the freezer section of Whole Foods when your toe catches the corner display.

“Shit!” you hiss, basket clattering to the floor.

Your jar of extra garlic-y marinara is rolling away and a few of your lemons are scattering between avoidant feet.

“Hey, you alright?”

And you’ve heard that voice before, familiar hum haunting your dreams for the past week and a half.

You look up just as the body associated with the voice crouches in front of you, pasta sauce in one hand and trio of lemons in the other.

Of course it’s Abby in all of her glory. Her hair is loosened from her braid, falling over her broad shoulders as she searches your face. She’s in her work polo, few buttons undone and belt somewhat loosened.

Something akin to recognition flashes over her features as she takes you in.

“Thanks,” you whisper when she rights your basket and carefully sets the runaway items inside.

“You’re always hurting yourself,” she teases, standing to her full height before offering her hand out to you.

For a moment you were caught up, so engrossed in seeing Abby again like a direct manifestation of your very fears (and a wet dream or two), that you hadn’t noticed that people were staring.

Your face is hot as your fingers brush her palm and she’s hoisting you up like you weigh nothing. When you shift your weight to the foot you’d tripped on, your face screws up in discomfort.

Abby’s scarily perceptive, equal parts because it comes with the job even when she’s off duty, and also because it’s you. She doesn’t know what’s so different about you, especially because she hasn’t bat an eye at another girl in the past seven months since her previous break-up, but she can’t take her eyes off of you. She’s certain her pupils are blown wide by now.

“Does it hurt?” she asks, steadying you with warm hands.

Abby has to force herself to glance up at you when she happens to notice the way your chest hitches, pendant on the dainty chain that rests between the divot of your collarbones glinting under the fluorescents.

“A little,” you admit.

Abby doesn’t hesitate to take your basket alongside hers and offers you a perfectly sculpted arm.

God you could actually combust, not only because you’re beyond embarrassed but because Abby’s too fucking hot for her own good.

“Easy,” she tells you as you move through the aisles slowly.

She’s guiding you to a quiet corner in the foodcourt, setting you gently against the bench before plopping down next to you.

Your lips part to thank her, tell her that you’ll just rest here for a moment before going about your day, but she’s lifting your leg into her lap and undoing the strap of your sandal wordlessly.

“Oh—”

Her gaze swings to yours.

“Gotta get a better look,” she tells you with an easy smile, fingers gentle around your ankle.

She starts rolling, testing your range of motion. When your expression pinches, she’s rummaging through her basket, only to produce a frozen bag of peas a few moments later.

“Doesn’t look like any bruising is forming and you’ve got your full range of motion,” she observes. “Just a rolled ankle. Nothing some ice won’t fix.”

You stare at her unblinking, nodding stupidly as she applies a slight amount of pressure with the frozen vegetables.

“I, ah—” you let out a low hiss and Abby shouldn’t lick her lips, but her mouth’s dry and the skin of your legs are like butter. “I think I’ll be okay.”

The concern that shades Abby’s features makes you squirm on the bench, ankle still propped in her lap.

“Did you drive?” Abby presses, and she knows that this is a bad idea.

The two of you could be on your way, paths officially untangling, but something inside of her is compelled, tugged hard at the sight of you.

“No…” you trail off sheepishly. “I walked.”

Abby’s lips part, words escaping her before she can stop and think twice.

“I’ll walk you home,” she offers.

“Oh, Abby, you don’t have to do that,” you say gently.

It’s like someone squeezes the air from her lungs at the sound of her name leaving your lips in a rasped hum, makes her wet her lips again because her mouth’s gone dry.

“You’re probably really busy, I don’t want to be a bother,” you add with a soft smile.

“You wouldn’t be,” she assures you. “Just wanna make sure you make it home safe.”

And it’s such a sweet sentiment, one that makes warmth bloom in your chest and your tummy. But there’s a dull ache, a squeeze that makes your thighs involuntarily press together. It’s barely perceptible and you hope to whatever’s in the universe that Abby’s not keen when it comes to body language.

The planes of her face are serious, bump on the bridge of her nose pronounced as you watch the set of her jaw. Fuck, did you want her bad, feel embarrassment creeping because if anyone nearby could intercept your brain, they’d find a slew of less than appropriate thoughts accompanying the more tame.

Without another word, Abby’s hooking your sandal back on, patting your shin gently before setting you right and gathering the combination of your groceries and hers.

You make a move to follow her, but she levels you with a warning glare.

“Stay put,” she urges. “I’ll take care of it.”

“But, Abby—” you splutter.

Your name is stern on her lips and another dull ache ebbs as she stands over you in her uniform, muscles stretching the fabric taut.

She’s off a moment later and after what seems like an eternity waiting almost helplessly, Abby returns with a few paper bags. She’s stuffing the receipt in her pocket and your expression shifts, lips pursing.

“How much do I owe you?” you ask as soon as she offers her elbow to you.

“Don’t worry about it,” she quips, body tensing in the slightest as she acclimates all over again to the feeling of you clinging to her. “Now let’s get you home.”

“Abby!” you whine, drawing her name out petulantly.

It’s so domestic, all of it. Carrying your groceries with your arms looped through hers and the two of you strolling down the sidewalk to accommodate your hurt foot.

“What?” she mocks, and you can’t help but smile.

“You’ll be late for work,” you say softly, unable to stop the passing observation of how sturdy she feels against you.

“I’m off.”

And something like relief, excitement, jolts at the thought. Makes you hush the rest of the way to your apartment building like the courage is still brewing.

The middle-aged woman that sits at her desk in the lobby and plays Candy Crush half of shift pauses to spare the two of you a passing glance as you walk in, eyebrows raising and lips twitching.

“Afternoon, Marianne,” you greet sheepishly.

“Good afternoon,” she parrots, rolling her lips to hide the amused grin threatening to spread.

Abby is none-the-wiser as her eyes flit around the lobby in search for the elevators.

The ride up ends up being shrouded in total silence save for the whirring of the lift’s gears and your shallow breaths. For a moment, Abby wonders if she’s overstepped. If she’s made you uncomfortable and read all the signs wrong.

As the two of you approach your door, the very one her and her coworkers had banged on a little over a week ago, she’s trying to come up with the words to apologize, tell you that she really just wanted to make sure you were okay.

(Even though she’ll only ever admit to herself that perhaps part of it was self-indulgent and the softness of your skin was like a high).

But you’re beating her to it, untangling to shift your weight to your uninjured foot and turning to face her.

“Do you…” You swallow and blink once, then twice, gathering the rest of your courage. “Do you wanna come in?”

Oh— Abby hadn’t been expecting that. She’d been expecting you to fumble with your groceries and close the door in her face for good. But now you’re looking up at her through thick lashes and a shy grin and all she can think to herself in this moment is that she’s a goner.

“I’m making dinner,” you add. “If you’d like to stay.”

Another slice of domesticity that has Abby’s wires crossing.

“Sure,” she agrees easily, and it takes everything inside of her not to teem with too much excitement when you turn to slot your key into the lock and the door springs open.

Your apartment is just how she remembers it from the little details she’d picked up the last time she was here. That same scent of lemons and what she thinks could be incense. Though it’d felt a little out of line, unprofessional to be too engrossed in her surroundings the first time, especially when her eyes caught a particularly suggestive photo among the wall hosting polaroids.

You’re with a group of girl friends, bent over in a too short skirt so that the swell of your ass is pressed to the girl in the center’s front. The shot gives a perfect eyeful of your cleavage in a tiny little triangle bikini top and the cherry on top is the pair of red cat-eye glasses sliding down the bridge of your nose as you wink at whoever is behind the camera.

You pause at the end of the hallway when you notice Abby’s no longer close behind.

“Looks like somebody knows how to have a good time,” she observes jokingly, but her cheeks are so incredibly warm because christ you’re beautiful.

You’re sheepish.

“Definitely retired from that life,” you tell her, and she notes that the neat sharpie dates back nearly six summers ago. “Now I like to bake with my little sister and injure myself.”

Abby can’t help the smile when you start gazing at all the other polaroids tacked into a heart formation on the crisp white walls.

“You seem like the life of the party,” Abby says, eyes lingering on another polaroid of you in what seems to be a dorm room with a joint pinched between your fingers, sporting a feather boa, a paper crown that says ‘birthday girl’ and those same red sunglasses.

You huff out a laugh.

“I wouldn’t say that...”

She wonders if she’ll see that side of you. So far you seem so quiet, reserved. It makes her want to peel away the layers and learn you.

The thought makes her blink hard.

“Kitchen’s this way,” you say after a few moments pass, turning on your heel to pad down the hall and swing left.

Light pours from where you flip the switch to the kitchen’s fluorescents.

Abby finds that the living room and kitchen is far tidier than the last time she’d been here, obviously cleaned after the entire baking debacle with your little sister.

My big sis is gay, like real gay. The words were like a subtle push. One that made Abby weigh the potential.

She’s setting the paper bags on the counter, making a move to go through the bags to help you put the groceries away, but your hands close over hers, slightly smaller and warm as you halt her movements.

“You’ve done enough for me,” you say, smile crooked. “Make yourself at home.”

And the household phrase is so cliche, but makes a split second reel of what making herself fully at home entails. She’d never admit it out loud, but part of it is bending you over the kitchen island.

She swallows the lump in her throat as you limp around the kitchen.

“You should rest your foot,” she says.

Your smile widens.

“I’m okay,” you assure her.

She leans against the counter, watching as you file everything in its rightful place. The muscles in her face involuntarily twitch when you stand up on your tip toes to throw a box of cereal on top of the fridge.

Your ass looks absolutely edible in your jeans and the low cut of your top shows the way your shoulder blades contract.

Definitely doesn’t help her blooming kitchen fantasies.

“You want something to drink?” you offer.

“Just water, please,” Abby clears her throat, gaze snapping up to meet the gaze you throw over your shoulder.

And she has to use the cute little glass you give her as a lifeline, nearly crushing the frosted green glass to bits multiple times over the course of you prepping dinner and the actual thing.

Because not only are you wickedly witty in a way that’s easily overlooked, but you’re phenomenal in the kitchen. Nearly drools watching you cut through your produce while chattering happily about growing up on the west coast and your college years.

You work through the building heat to set a painted ceramic dish piled high with pasta that Abby absolutely devours with nearly as much fervor as she likes to think she would you.

“Good?” you ask hopefully, leaning forward on your elbows.

“Better than good,” Abby says eagerly. “Great, fantastic.”

“Yay,” you cheer pure-heartedly and she could melt. Especially when she polishes off the plate and you sit up straight. “More?”

She easily agrees just for the sake of watching you.

“You should, uh—” You scratch the back of your neck nervously as she continues eating. “You should stop by again. If you, y’know, wanna…I cook a lot and there’s usually a lot left over.”

Abby could scream in excitement. She’s one intrusive thought away from reaching over the island to squish your cheeks and tell you that there’s literally nothing else in the world she’d wanna do than to see you again. Instead she forces her composure with an easy smile.

“I’d really like that.”

And the way she sits back in her seat, legs obviously spreading under the surface to stretch has you wiggling uncomfortably. The last few buttons of her polo have come undone, exposing a freckled expanse of skin that you’d love to sink your teeth into, and somehow, sometime while your back had been turned, she’d opted for undoing the rest of her loosening braid to throw it into a topknot.

The tension is palpable, thick enough to choke, and at times, as the two of you chat over the kitchen island, it has you stumbling over your words.

Even more so when you walk her to the door at half past ten. She’s leaning against the doorframe like she doesn’t want to leave, and truthfully, you don’t want her to. Want to spend as much time as you can caught up.

“I’ll call you?” you bite the bullet despite the tremor in your fingertips.

Abby nods, arm banded around her paper bag of groceries, a tupperware of leftovers nestled on the top.

“Yeah, please,” she hums.

And there’s one final moment of tension that clings between the two of you as she kicks off the doorframe and you close the door, back pressed against the wood.

After that night, the lines you dance blur impossibly. Always a will she, won’t she that seems to equally frustrate the two of you for vastly different reasons unbeknownst to the other.

You because you can’t get a read on Abby, always teetering over a steep edge trying to get her to bite your advances. But you know, know that there’s something there. Abby because she’s given more and more reason to fall into you with every passing moment, but can’t seem to take the plunge, entirely too freshly single to think about another commitment that could fail and leave her already mending heart beyond repair.

And she knows it isn’t fair, especially when the tension both romantic and sexual is absolutely brimming. You’re nothing like the partners she’s been with before, especially not her last girlfriend who was practically your polar opposite. You were gentle, sweet, funny. Good at practically anything you could get your hands on.

But something stalls her, keeps her from diving headfirst despite late nights laying on your living room floor talking about things both minute and infinite, cooking with you in the snugness of your tiny kitchen, even inviting you to outings with friends and vice versa.

So you take the plunge instead, one Saturday evening weeks after your first meeting, after spending long swathes of time tangled in each other’s presence.

You’re at a bar with her and her friends, slight buzz giving you the smallest nudge of confidence to cling to her arm. And god does Abby look good tonight, especially so, in a dark button up and fitted pants. She’s got her hair down, tickles your cheek when you nuzzle against her shoulder.

Her friends’ eyes are inquisitive, curious because touches between the two of you rarely linger for longer than a few moments, but you’ve been glued to her side all night. She doesn’t say anything though, doesn’t shrug you off, even wraps an arm around your shoulder when you return from the restroom.

So with a few more drinks and a little more liquid courage, you’re toeing a little over the line. You’ve pushed her hair over her shoulders, pressing your lips experimentally to the skin behind her ear. It’s a sensation that has her freezing up almost imperceptibly, but you can tell with the way her muscles grow taut under your fingers.

“What’re you doing, angel?” Abby asks quietly, span of her large palm gripping your thigh.

“Nothin’,” you hum, nose bumping her ear.

She breathes out a hollow laugh, tries to turn her attention to her friends who are obviously trying to ignore your displays of affection. But then your lips are brushing with more force against her collar and she’s sliding out of the stuffy booth to get some air.

Her resolve is obviously crumbling, even more so when she stands at the bar waiting for the next round of drinks and your arm bands around her waist, the other flattening below her belly button. When your pinkie slides beneath her belt buckle, she’s pushing off the counter.

And for a moment you think you’ve upset her when she gathers all the stout glasses and winds through the crowd to return to the booth you’d previously occupied.

You barely make it to the back of the bar when she’s emerging from the bodies and grabbing you roughly by the bicep.

“Abby—”

Her lips are slotting yours before you can apologize, and she tastes like cherries and liquor. Her arms wind around your waist, one hand on the small of your back, the other grabbing a handful of your ass.

“Abs,” you whisper breathlessly, unable to feel any embarrassment for taking up a high traffic aisle as she bites your bottom lip.

“Your place or mine?” she asks, voice gravelly. “Because you started something that I’m gonna need you to finish, princess.”

And your knees are jelly the entire trek to your apartment, insides liquid and tummy fluttering because a warmth has begun to pool in your panties. The way Abby can’t keep her hands off you through the elevator ride up makes it all the worse.

“You’re such a fuckin’ tease, y’know that?” she hisses in your ear as you miss the keyhole a few times. “For the last six weeks all you’ve done is toy with me and—”

Her breath hitches when she presses her front to your back and slides her hand up the skirt of your backless sundress to feel the stickiness forming between the plush of your thighs.

When you finally force the door open, Abby’s kicking off her shoes and her fingers are making work of her top buttons. You’re quick to swivel on your heel, shoving her roughly against the front door to push up on your tiptoes and pepper kisses over the curve of her jaw.

“Me?” you huff petulantly, an uncharacteristic gleam in your eye as your fingers are deft on her belt buckle. You unbutton her dress pants. “You waltz in here all the time looking so…so…fuckable.”

Abby nearly chokes on her breath.

��And you try to play coy, but I see right through you, Abby,” you say in such a gooey tone. She throws her head back and moans. “I see the way you look at me. The little things you do. You’re not subtle Anderson.”

And that’s new. Calling her by her last name.

Your hand’s down the front of her pants, under her boxers and you feel it. How wet she is. Feel the slick between her folds as you circle her clit.

“Oh, fuck,” she breathes, lips parted as she takes the sight of you in.

“Wanna make you feel good,” you sigh, biting your bottom lip as you stare up at her.

She nods eagerly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you hum.

Her hands come up to cup your cheeks, leaning down to steal a few kisses before her hand’s wrapping around your wrist and pulling you from her heat.

“Open,” she barks, guiding your fingers to your lips.

You do so without argument, the taste of Abby making your eyes hood.

You make a noise in the back of your throat, and Abby’s walking you back towards your bedroom.

“You wanna make me feel good?” she asks, back of her knees hitting the edge of your mattress. She’s got you situated between her legs, shucking off her top and shimmying her trousers and boxers off in one go. “Then get to work.”

She’s spreading her legs, gaze locked as you lower until you’re eye level with her cunt. The pale moonlight that filters the window making it absolutely glisten.

You’re kissing the skin of her inner thighs, hands on her knees as you glance up at her, only find her with her bottom lip tucked harshly between pearly teeth.

“Want you bad,” you admit breathily, biting the taut skin before laving at it with the flat of your tongue.

All you receive is a shaky breath, seemingly knocking the words straight from her lips.

“Nothing?” you taunt, biting the other side.

Abby’s opening her mouth to say something snarky, but your lips are on her clit and your middle finger’s sliding in with ease.

“Jesus, fuck,” she whispers breathlessly.

And you’re smug as you eat her out, vibration of your moans rumbling through her core when she threads her fingers through your hair and tugs ‘til the tension in your scalp stings deliciously.

“Shitshitshit,” she chokes when you add another finger.

Under normal circumstances, she’d be embarrassed when her body locks up and her legs shake after what seems like only mere moments, but after she comes down and the fog clears, she’s wiping that smirk off your pretty face.

The sight is one to see, Abby leaned against your headboard with your back plastered to her front. The skirt of your dress is scrunched around your waist, flimsy straps knocked from your shoulders.

She’s merciless, thick fingers plugging you full.

“Ah, Abby,” you hiss, hand wrapping around her wrist.

“Can’t get over how tight you are.” She bites your earlobe. “You can barely take two.”

As testament, she stuffs you deeper. The squelch is downright filthy, your arousal pooling down your slit and onto the sheets. For a moment Abby’s pulling her digits from your heat, spreading her fingers in front of your face to show you the stringy strands of clear that web her knuckles.

“See that, princess? See how wet you are?” she teases, other hand taking a palmful of your tits while her mouth maps each blemish and mark with kisses across your shoulders and neck.

“So fuckin’ pretty like this,” she husks. “Wish you could see how pretty you look.”

You throw your head back, chest heaving as her fingers curl inside the spongy walls of your cunt and applies such a toe-curling pressure against the spot that has you seeing stars. It makes your back arch, knees twitching against the legs that Abby uses to keep your thighs spread.

“You gonna cum, pretty girl?” she whispers, blowing air against the shell of your ear as her ministrations grow sloppy.

You nod quickly, body tensing.

“M’gonna fuckin’ cum,” you whimper, “Please, Abs, don’t stop. I’m—”

Abby could cum all over again when your chest pushes forward into her hold, head lolling back against her shoulder as you let out a pitched whine that sounds a lot like her name.

“Fuck!” you swallow, falling slack against her sticky skin as you gush.

Her other hand drops to your clit, lazy circles making your pussy clench around the fingers still stuffed inside.

“That’s right, princess,” she huffs. “Cream all over my fingers.”

Your breaths stutter, pussy clenching as you let out a needy little moan.

“So good,” she praises. “Such a good girl.”

And you’re absolutely boneless, head knocking gently against hers as you push further into her chest. You feel her weight shift as she reaches, then the gentle feeling of her cleaning you up despite sleepy overstimulated protests.

It’s warm in your room as Abby slinks down the pillows and pulls the covers up. Her chin rests on top of your head as you cozy up to her, mumbling about how much you like her and how you’ve waited for such a moment.

You don’t remember the last thing you say before you doze off.

Abby does, though.

It keeps her up the entire night. Has her eyes blown wide as she stares up at the ceiling and the weight of the evening dawns on her.

Always wanna be with you. You’re my person.

And she doesn’t know how it’d gotten to this point. How did she let herself get so entangled with you? She’d always been aware that there’d been something there, that she was crushing and was almost a hundred percent sure you reciprocated, but this was far more than she’d anticipated.

It’s a step away from the ‘l’ word, and she’s not so sure it’s something she’s willing to fall into.

So Abby does what she does when she’s scared and she’s running. She’s replacing herself with your pillow as the sun comes up, heart squeezing when your cheek nuzzles against the fabric and your lips part to blow a breath.

She’s dressing as she makes her way to the front door, takes a final look at the polaroid wall that stares back at her as she tugs her shoes on, and slips out of the apartment building into the chilly Seattle air.

You’d been prepared for a lot of things growing up and into yourself. Had learned to swallow the bitter side of sweet, but nothing could have prepared you for the splintering feeling of Abby’s absence.

You wake up a few hours after she leaves, naked and hugging one of your pillows. The apartment is eerily silent as you wait in stillness for any signs that she’s just an early riser.

There’s no shower running, no clattering in the kitchen, no shuffling in the hall. And when you survey your surroundings, comforter wrapped around your shoulders, you suck in a deep breath.

Maybe she has work.

It’s a futile attempt to rationalize the situation, but you know Abby. Know that she’d leave a note, maybe a text, or—

You scramble for your phone, but deflate when you find a notification to water your virtual plant. For good measure, you open her text thread, but all that stares back at you is the confirmation that she was picking you up the night prior.

“Oh, Abby,” you whisper to yourself, something like sickness making your stomach twist.

The cursor blinks, keyboard clicking as you type and retype anything that’ll confirm that maybe you’re just being paranoid, reading into things too much.

So you settle on good morning 💘.

It’s almost instantaneous.

Read at 7:47am.

It takes a little under two weeks for Abby to surface again. Not without ample prodding. You’re a communicator, she realizes, as she sits outside of Jo’s Coffee and stares down at the string of texts from you over the past week and a half.

pretty girl: good morning 💘

pretty girl: have a good day at work

pretty girl: i made dinner if you wanna stop by

pretty girl: can i swing by the station with lunch?

pretty girl: just want you to know that i’m thinking of you

pretty girl: meet for coffee? wanna see you.

pretty girl: text me whenever you’re comfortable, i’ll leave you alone til you’re ready 💗

That final text is what makes her crack. Makes the guilt eat away at her. So she messages you when her shift is over.

me: jo’s at 4

pretty girl liked ‘jo’s at 4’

She looks up when the chair across from her scrapes against the concrete. You drop into the seat, fresh-faced and obviously newly showered. But she can see it in your eyes, the bags that puff like you’ve been crying.

And you have, even if you won’t admit it, because Abby’s the closest thing you’ve felt to what love could be like and these past two weeks have been agonizing as you try to pick apart every single facet of your situationship with her.

“How are you?” you ask, giving her a weak smile over the table.

“Good,” Abby lies, but you don’t see through her poker face and it stings, thinking that she’d been so unaffected by all of this.

You nod, fiddling with the fake leaves of the center piece.

“I missed you,” you admit shakily.

And fuck, did Abby miss you too, but she can’t find it in herself to face her fears head on. So she just nods, biting the inside of her lip.

“Didn’t miss me?” you tease, trying to make light of the situation.

“I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” Abby cuts to the chase, words leaving her lips like a shot that echos in the night.

It makes your ears ring, your brows furrowing as your lips twitch into a frown. Abby braces herself, knows what a brewing argument feels like. It’s sick to say that it’s familiarity, that sharp words and hoarse voices are a norm.

But you just shrink in your seat.

“Why?” you whisper.

Abby sucks in a deep breath.

“You don’t remember what you told me?” she asks like an accusation.

You blink.

“You told me that you wanted to be with me. That I’m your person,” she says.

And you wonder what’s so wrong with that. Especially when you’ve spent two months glued, when you were so sure it was mutual.

“I do,” you affirm softly. “You are.”

Abby squeezes her eyes shut, shakes her head.

“I’m not—” She clears her throat. “I don’t want a girlfriend. I don’t need the distraction. Especially not now with work and my personal life.”

Ouch. That had hurt, Abby calling her time with you and any subsequent moments nothing more a distraction.

“Oh.”

She doesn’t know why your response frustrates her, makes annoyance pinch the back of her brain as she takes you in, but it does. Full force.

“We’re better off as friends,” Abby says. “It’s easier, it’s—”

“Friends don’t fuck each other, Abby,” you say simply, and the calmness in your tone makes her upset.

She’s used to the shouting, to the arguing and being at each other’s throats in conversations like these. But you never fail to amaze her as you keep your composure.

“I have no intention of sleeping with you again,” she says stonily. “That night was mistake. I hadn’t been with someone in months and you were giving me attention and—”

In her frustration with the entire conversation, she hadn’t realized that tears were pooling in your eyes. That you were trying not to cry.

Her face softens when she notices.

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“You what?” you murmur. “What were these past three months, Abby?”

“I dunno,” Abby sighs in annoyance. “Two people enjoying each other’s company? We were drunk and—"

You simply nod, knuckling away the brimming tears before shrugging your bag over your shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Abby sighs when you stand.

“Home,” you answer quietly. “Whatever. Let’s just forget any of this ever happened.”

She grabs your arm over the table, opening her mouth to apologize again, but you’re shaking her off.

“Take care of yourself,” you tell her.

The days blur like the edges of a muddy watercolor.

You start to think that things could look up, that maybe Abby was put in your life for some reason you’ll uncover in the future. But the universe can be so cruel sometimes, knows exactly what to do to shatter the broken pieces you’d tried so hard to glue together.

It comes in the form of a night out nearly a month after you’d last seen Abby. She made no additional efforts, just left you wondering if you’d imagined it all, and your friends are especially tired of your moping.

It’s a surprise!

And you’re not really one for surprises. Especially not now, but they’re dragging you out, carting you across town. Your stomach sinks to your ass when you see the familiar neon lights. Feel your chest tighten on the trek up the stairs to the same bar that preluded your spiral.

You could throw up when you’re situated in a booth with your friends and you glance at the bar by chance.

Abby’s leaned against the counter top, looking as good as ever, but she’s not alone. There’s a girl that hangs off her shoulder, skin umber and eyes warm. She makes no moves to distance herself and you don’t know why you feel the anger begin to sizzle. Abby hadn’t been yours in the first place.

“What do you wanna drink?” one of your friends asks.

“Nothing,” you answer stiffly.

She follows your gaze to the countertop, sees the way your eyes burn.

You’d kept your situation with Abby private, didn’t want to jeopardize such a potentially good thing with your well-meaning meddling friends at such a fresh stage. But now that it’s soured, you stare openly.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” she asks, and your avoidance is answer enough. “C’mon, let’s show her what she missed out on.”

As it turns out, it doesn’t seem like much. Because she doesn’t even blink when you sidle up to the counter with your friend, three patrons between the two of you.

You’d always thought the two if you had a sixth sense for the other, but Abby’s oblivious to her surroundings, too engrossed in her drink and the pretty brunette hanging off her shoulder.

One of the bartenders goes up, asks what he can get for the two beautiful ladies, and your ears perk when her voice sounds. Nearly throw up the empty contents of your stomach all over the bar top when you see the way she slings her arm over the girl’s shoulders.

“Another vodka soda for my girl.”

She’s buzzed, you can hear it, but it’s the most sound declaration you’ve heard from her in the time you’ve known her.

You break away from the bar, and you run.

Abby feels like a shell of herself.

She’d gone out over the weekend, celebrating a visit from a close friend from the east coast. And it’d done a good job of numbing the pain for a little while, of taking her mind off of you.

But it’s Tuesday, the first day of her rotation this week and she hates that this feels worse than her previous break-up despite the unlabeled status of your relationship. You hadn’t even put up a fight, just took her rejection in stride.

It makes her feel infinitely worse, knowing you didn’t have it in you.

She doesn’t even realize she’s spaced out in front of the drink coolers of the convenience store after her shift when a voice snaps her out of it.

“S’cuse me.”

And she knows that voice. It’d been her greenlight all those nights ago.

Your little sister is brushing past her, going straight for the Body Armors and Gatorade. She must feel the way Abby stares because she’s side-eyeing the older girl from her post.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says, turning her nose up in the air.

Abby swallows.

“Hey to you too,” she says hesitantly.

Your little sister humphs, snatching the golden berry flavor and a yellow Gatorade. Abby takes a moment to glance at her basket, sees fever medicine and Tylenol among other things like instant ramen and Vitamin C gummies.

“Are you sick?” she asks.

Your little sister’s face screws up in annoyance.

“No, but my big sis is,” she says matter-of-factly.

That information makes Abby’s heart sink.

“She alright?” she asks carefully.

“She’s seen better days no thanks to you.”

And on a normal day, Abby would laugh because your little sister is witty, just like you. Can see where she gets it from. But right now, all she can imagine is you bed ridden and coughing up a lung.

“I can take a look at her,” Abby offers suddenly. “I—”

“Yeah fucking right,” your sibling scoffs.

Her language stuns Abby and this time she really can’t help but chuckle.

“You think this is funny?” she gripes. “You broke my sister’s heart. She’s been so fuckin’ sad because of you and you’re laughing.”

Abby sobers up quick, shakes her head.

“No, no, that’s not—,” she splitters urgently. “I– I’m laughing ‘cuz you’re just like her.”

Your little sister doesn’t look convinced, uses the back of her hand to wipe her nose as she levels Abby with an unrelenting stare.

“You suck, y’know that?”

“Yeah,” Abby sighs, hands flailing in defeat. “Trust me, I know.”

“And you’re a pussy,” your little sister adds childishly. “I know you really like my sister.”

Abby doesn’t even bother denying it, just stands there with a prepackaged sandwich that pales in comparison to your cooking and a diet soda.

“I do,” she affirms quietly.

“Then do something about it,” she says surprisingly. “My sister’s a catch, the coolest person I know. You’d be the biggest fucking dumbass if you don’t lock her down.”

And her candidness makes Abby crack a smile.

They stand there for a few moments in silence before your little sister is shoving the basket in Abby’s arms and prancing down the aisle.

As soon as Abby’s paid, black plastic bag in her grasp, she finds that your little sister has lingered outside of the convenience store.

She’s shoving a key in her hands.

“She’s too tired to open the door,” she says. “She likes extra lime in her ramen and runny eggs. Also hates swallowing pills so you’ll probably have to crush it up and put it in her water or something.”

“Who’s the EMT here?” Abby grumbles.

Your little sister pins her with a narrowed look.

“Don’t fuck this up Anderson,” she warns. “If Big Sis asks, I took a train to the mall to meet up with my friends.”

And just like that, she flounces away.

You’re asleep when she sneaks into your apartment.

She kicks her shoes off, sets the bag of convenience store goods on the kitchen island before padding through the living room to peek into your room.

Buried under a mound of blankets, just your eyebrows and forehead peek from the top as you snore softly. When she peels the covers away, she not only finds that you’re sweaty and your cheeks are flushed, but you’re wearing her favorite hoodie.

She hadn’t realized she left it here, but seeing you in it has her sinking to her knees by your bedside, chin resting on her bent arm.

“Hi, angel,” she whispers quietly, pushing the sweaty strands of hair from your face. “Missed you.”

You don’t budge, cheek smushed in your pillow as you snooze peacefully. And maybe she shouldn’t have come here, because all it’ll take is you asking her to stay.

She tucks the blanket to your chin, leans forward to press a kiss against your temple.

In the kitchen, she’s only reminded of how much she misses you. Misses this. She’d spent nearly everyday here during your time together. Brushed shoulders with you while you guys cooked together, leaned against the counter while you took extra care plating her food despite her protests of ‘we’re gonna eat it anyways’. You guys frequently laid out on the living room floor, snacking while watching movies, flipping through coffee table books or getting existential.

She’d made so many memories here, made a home out of you.

The thought stirs something emotional inside of her, makes tears prick the corner of her eyes as she rips open the packet of ramen and digs the seasoning sachet out.

Frustration wells as she goes through the motions in your kitchen by herself. Wonders why you had to go and be so fucking wonderful and make her fall for you.

She’s halfway through and angrily brushing her tears away when she hears your door creak open and your voice croak your little sister’s name in question.

When you stand in the doorway of the kitchen, her name is falling from your lips.

“Abby?”

You rub your eyes momentarily and Abby feels like the biggest piece of shit on the planet as you stand there with the hood of her pullover on, Christmas pajama pants and some crew socks.

“Hi,” she breathes.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, bewildered eyes bouncing around the kitchen as you take in your surroundings. The bags under your eyes are swollen, your lips chapped as you fidget in the archway.

“I ran into your sister at the convenience store,” she admits. “She said you were sick.”

“And?” It’s like you can’t fathom the fact that Abby would have any concern for you. Something like anger bubbles at the idea.

“What do you mean and?” Abby asks, eyebrows furrowing. “You’re sick and I… I care about you.”

There’s that normalcy again, that familiar feeling of emotions beginning to reach its boiling point. But she’s not angry at you. Could never be when all you’ve been is perfect to her. And perhaps in the back of her mind that plays the tiniest role, because you’re everything she could ever want, need, but she steady fucks it up every go around.

“Do you?” you whisper.

You look small, defeated, unable to meet her eyes.

“Of course I do, what are—”

“You really hurt me, you know that?” Your breath hitches. “You came into my life like fate, over and over again. Still do apparently. And you— You made me like you more than I’ve ever liked someone in my life. You let me see you, let me fuck you, let me… let me…”

It’s your first real display of heightened emotion. You don’t bother trying to hide your tears, or hide the way Abby’s built you up and ruined you these past four months.

“And then you just left.”

The lump in her throat nearly chokes her breathless.

“I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, y’know?” you continue and Abby’s hands tremble. “That maybe you really just needed the time for yourself, but then I saw you, and—”

“Saw me what?” Abby interjects. “Where?”

“At the bar,” you squeak. “She’s really fucking pretty, and I hope she makes you—”

“What are you talking about?” Abby grills, taking a step towards you.

“If you didn’t want to be with me, if you didn’t feel the way I felt about you, you could have just said that,” you whimper, dashing the tears away in embarrassment. “You didn’t have to make an excuse about not wanting a distraction.”

“I’m so lost right now,” Abby says. “I—”

“I saw you at the bar this weekend,” you tell her straight. “You were with a girl, called her yours.”

And that floors her. She’s almost a hundred percent certain she would’ve felt your presence a mile away, But as you reveal that you’d only been meters away from her, the closest you’ve gotten in weeks, it makes her gut pinch.

She wracks her brain, tries to recall that weekend, tries to think of any woman who’d give you the idea that she’d choose anyone but you.

She draws a blank at first, but then she remembers the bartender’s passing comment.

You and the birthday girl are too sweet.

Abby had fake retched and Nora’d drawn out an exaggerated ewwww as the bartender set the vodka soda before them.

She’d been far too engrossed to realize that you’d been in the vicinity. But she’s not so sure she would’ve done much to take advantage of your presence if she had.

This is her first act of courage in months and she’s falling head first as she crosses the berth between the two of you.

When she stands a few inches away, you look up at her, thick lashes wet and nose snotty. You look like a mess, but Abby’s always thought you were beautiful.

“Nora’s not my girlfriend,” is the first thing she says.

You think you should feel relief, some semblance of hope flickering, but this feels a lot like uncertainty and you hate the limbo.

You don’t say anything, just wipe your nose on the back of your hand.

“I’m sorry,” Abby whispers, hands coming up to grasp your shoulders.

You make a noise in the back of your throat, corners of your mouth turning down in that telltale sign that you’re not done crying yet.

“C’mon, angel, stop crying,” Abby says weakly and the nickname makes your stupid heart flutter.

Her thumbs are brushing underneath your eyes, over the puff of your eyebags before she’s crushing you to her chest, one hand cradling the back of your head, the other winding around your shoulders to keep you anchored.

Your arms wrap around her waist, taking in the scent of her pine body wash and the softness of her detergent.

“I hate you,” comes your muffled hiccup.

Abby only hugs you harder.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

And perhaps she deserves that, but you’re pushing your face further into her chest and she barely hears you.

“I missed you,” you admit a second later, back of her work shirt fisted between nimble fingers.

A shuddering breath leaves her at the admission, makes her body relax as the two of you stand at the edge of your kitchen.

“Missed you,” she murmurs, savoring the way your body feels melding against hers for the first time in weeks. “Fuck, I missed you so much.”

“You’ll stay?” you whisper.

“Yeah, yeah,” she assures you. “I gotta go home and get some stuff, but of course I’ll stay.”

Your hold tightens and your head shakes.

“I mean stay, Abby,” you clarify. “With me. Don’t…don’t run away anymore.”

Her breath catches in her throat, a new onslaught of tears choking her as she nods fervently.

“Yeah,” she croaks, kissing the top of your head. “M’not going anywhere.”

BONUS

You don’t know where the time goes. It all seems to blur together in the moments you spend with Abby, and before you can wrap your mind around the fact, a full year has passed the two of you by.

“You look so pretty,” Abby comments, sitting on the edge of your bed with her legs spread.

She’s watching you through the mirror, blue eyes piercing and unblinking.

You don’t think you’ll ever get used to the way she always seems to make you warm.

“Thanks,” you mumble, unable to hide the smile that twitches while you screw the cap back onto your lipgloss to take one final look at yourself.

“Not gonna say it back?” Abby feigns annoyance, pushing up from her seat to wrap around you, one hand bracing against the dresser as her chin drops to your neck.

“Then it’d be insincere,” you deadpan, head tilting to rest against hers.

She humphs under her breath, shamelessly sliding a hand up your dress.

You stop her fingers in their tracks, pushing off from the drawers to create space between the two of you and alleviate the warmth beginning to bloom behind your navel.

“We’re gonna be late for Nora’s birthday,” you quip, fingertips barely brushing the doorknob before Abby’s hands are gripping your waist.

She’s hoisting you to throw you against the mattress playfully.

“She’ll survive if we’re ten minutes late,” Abby assures you wolfishly, climbing over you to cage your body between her thick thighs.

“You’re gonna mess up my hair,” you whine, pushing at her shoulder.

Abby captures your wrists in one hand, other tilting your chin up to slot her lips between yours. The taste of the fresh coat of lipgloss you’d just applied makes her smile against your mouth.

She relaxes a fraction when you reciprocate, tongue languid. A noise of approval rumbles from her chest when you nudge her onto her back and bite down on her bottom lip. With a wicked glint in her eyes, she’s pulling away, hands resting against the curve of your ass.

Now you’re straddling her, manicured hands mapping from her waist to her shoulders to feel the ripple of taut muscles underneath. She’s tense, obviously waiting for your next move with bated breath and kiss bitten lips.

But then you shift teasingly over her zipper.

“Let’s go,” you hum, pressing a final kiss to her jaw before climbing off of her anticipating figure. “No dessert before dinner.”

neng © 2023

[a-d-nox]

astro hypothesis: what i would dress you as for halloween

remember when i was like what about dressing for the occasion? we are again grabbing your venus persona and take a look at the chart. instead of houses though we are looking at neptune because it represents disguises, costumes, fantasies, etc. all those fun things that go into picking a costume. if you wanna kick things up a notch you can always look at your current venus return's neptune for new ideas!

4h neptune

childhood favorites: dress as characters from beloved childhood movies/stories like peter pan, ms. frizzle, red riding hood, goldilocks, sleeping beauty, thing 1 & thing 2, etc. this appeals to the 4h's strong sense of nostalgia and comfort found in childhood memories.

fortune teller or mystic: could symbolize a person connected to hidden family knowledge or ancestral wisdom.

ghost: spectral figure from a different era, representing family ancestors or a past life, perhaps dressed in vintage or historical clothing.

home-related characters: think of characters associated with houses - mrs. doubtfire, miyazaki’s totoro, mary poppins, home alone's kevin mccallister, coraline's other mother, etc.

matriarchs and/or patriarchs: frigg (goddess of home and motherhood) in particular encapsulates the vibe. your partner can dress as odin too! i feel like 4h, 7h, and 11h neptune people really enjoy group costumes. in this case it would be a family themed costume - like morticia and gomez addams!

vintage or retro family member: dress as a 1950s housewife, victorian-era ancestor, or a hippie parent from the ‘70s. bring a familial figure from the past into the present.

4°, 16°, 28° neptune

guardian angel: they have an otherworldly essence. they might wear soft, flowing robes, or maybe go the realistic angel route!

moon goddess or lunar spirit: this person could embody a moon deity or lunar spirit, with silvery, shimmering fabrics and a mystical glow/glitter.

mother nature: nurturing, maternal figure representing the earth and life, with flowing garments adorned with natural elements like flowers, leaves, and vines.

aquarius neptune

alien or space traveler: i get that a generation of people have this placement but i think it is so underused? think futuristic concepts and outer space... like guys dune served looks...

cyberpunk or futuristic figure: transport the people to dystopian world, combine technology and imagination.

neptune trine asc

chameleon: reflecting the adaptable nature of neptune trine asc. or incorporating multiple personas or styles into one costume to be eclectic like a human chameleon.

fairy or nature spirit: something flowing, delicate wings and soft, shimmering fabrics. they could incorporate natural elements like flowers, leaves, or vines...

mermaid: a mermaid or an ocean goddess like amphitrite could be adorned with seashells, pearls, and iridescent fabrics to evoke the sea’s magical allure.

neptune trine jupiter

fantasy character or hero: they might be inspired to dress as a fantasy hero, someone on a great quest, like a knight of the round table, a lord of the rings character, or a game of thrones character.

goddess or god of wisdom: dress as a figure like athena or odin, they embody themes of wisdom, expansion, and idealism. think flowing robes, celestial symbols, and regal accessories like a crown or staff could add to the grandeur of the costume.

tarot or oracle card: dress as the card that resonates with you most maybe if you got with two other friends you can be the 3 of cups all night long. or maybe its a solo character you wish to emulate like the justice card...

wizard or magician: it a classic - wizard costumes would align with the expansive, mystical energy of this aspect. they could wear flowing robes, a pointed hat, and carry a magical staff or book of spells.

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© a-d-nox 2024 all rights reserved

[neversetyoufree]

I'm fascinated by the Noé stuff in this chapter. I feel like Mochijun has been working toward calling more attention to his particular comprehension problems as we move into the new arc (like the "be a little bothered" reaction back in 57), and I can kind of see a way this slots into that.

One of Noé's biggest issues is that he seems to be utterly incapable of processing most trauma as trauma. His optimism goes beyond the point of what's healthy to straight-up incomprehension of reality. I don't even want to call it denial, because I think denial requires some small degree more of awareness than what Noé has going on. I've used this line before, but it's like bad things roll off of him like water off a raincoat, never making an imprint in his conscious mind. The guy was abducted by human traffickers while mourning the death of his foster parents, and he seems to have been injured in the process. Yet he laughs it off and says the experience was fun! Like taking a trip!

And I think I see that same tendency as the roots of how he acts in this chapter.

Noé is aware that mistreating and/or de-personing the Dante and co is wrong. And that's what all the other vampires are clearly doing in this scene when they refuse to call them by their names—they're de-personing them. But! Noé likes the other vampires in that scene. He likes Nox, Manet, and Orlock, and he thinks the world of Domi, so I think he really struggles to comprehend that they're purposely doing something he knows is hateful and wrong. "My friends whom I respect are being hateful and actively de-humanizing other people I care about" is not a concept that's going to find easy purchase on Noé's denialbrain. So his lovely toxic optimism lands on the easier answer instead. They must just not have been introduced!

To take Dante's phrasing, I don't think he's doing it on purpose, and he's not stupid. He's just sheltered and hopeful to a truly spectacular (and unhelpful) degree.

Thus far, Noé's over-optimistic incomprehension of reality has only been with regards to things about himself. His friends might get a bit concerned when he brushes off his suffering, but he's never accidentally hurt others or brushed off their pain before. However, this time his inability to confront or even process the Bad Thing—the fact that his friends are dham racist—has affected other people (the people actually suffering the racism). If nothing else, it's a really interesting way to call more attention to his slight disconnect from reality.

[rhapsoddity]

so my favourite characters in the au are irrelevant background ones

Helsknight, Wormman, Evil X, and Xornoth are online friends in the AU!

some of them have their canon names, and some of them have names for my particular designs

Helsknight - Aurelius

Wormman - Worm

Evil X - Equinox (Nox)

Xornoth - Xornoth

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

S/O and skeleton are secretly dating but haven't told Skeleton's brother yet. Until one day, S/O comes to Skeleton's house and says that they forgot their underwear and give them to him, right in front of his brother. Reaction of their brother?

Undertale Sans - He does the dramatic slow turn towards Papyrus, completely in shock. You're dating someone and you don't even tell your big brother? Oh shame on you. Shame on your cow. You're getting a hundred years of teasing as a punishment. Papyrus refuses to meet his eyes. He KNOWS what will happen the second he will.

Undertale Papyrus - Today is Papyrus' day. Well, every day is Papyrus day but this particular day is the day of his absolute triumph over the tyranny of Sans' terrible jokes and puns as the universe had finally given him the power to retaliate by making Sans blush to hell with a single stare. He is going to abuse that power and flush Sans for weeks, not leaving him one second of peace anymore. Papyrus knows and he wants Sans to know he knows by any means possible.

Underswap Sans - He's in shock, he thinks. He suspected his brother was in love because Honey was not exactly hiding it, but this? This is a thing no big brother wants to know. Honey is devastated and won't stop apologizing but Blue is frozen. He thinks he hasn't blinked in the last hour, just staring at his brother in disbelief. What.

Underswap Papyrus - He's not that shocked actually. Blue is a charmer and he had a few partners already, some weirder than others. He just assumes it's another weird one lol. No big deal. He still tells his brother he will make sure he doesn't lose his underwear again by writing his name on them just to see Blue brutally flush. Little revenge, you know.

Underfell Sans - Red stares in disbelief, as his brother smooches his human. That's absolutely disgusting. He can't stop staring at the bag with the underwear. Disgusting, really. He has to snap his attention back at his brother as he starts to chuckle. Red gives him a dark stare. "WHAT IS IT BROTHER? JEALOUS MY BIG BONE IS MORE EFFICIENT THAN YOURS? DON'T BE, YOU'LL BE AS TALENTED AS I AM. ... EVENTUALLY." Red gasps, offended. Now he's not disgusted, he's mad!

Underfell Papyrus - He opens the door and screams "FINALLY MY BROTHER IS NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE" before Red jumps on his back and starts to beat him up to make him shut up. Edge can't stop laughing hysterically at his misery, not feeling remorse for even one second. That's revenge for his endless teasing the first time he dated someone.

Horrortale Sans - .... He closes his eyes and begs his brain to forget what he just witnessed. Ironically, that's one of the few things he can't unsee. Like, never. Every time he sees his brother, he sees his underwear. This is a nightmare. Why does the universe hate him so much? Willow is wondering why his brother is looking at him in complete silence like a rabbit stuck in the lights of a car. It's going to happen a lot in the next few days.

Horrortale Papyrus - He says nothing when it happens, but is quick to escape the house. He runs to Toriel's house and tells her everything lol. He needs someone to fangirl with and Toriel has always been good for that. When Oak and his human get out of the house, he can only stare, confused, as Willow and Toriel are more or less hiding behind the bushes despite being ridiculously tall, spying on him.

Swapfell Sans - He rolls his eyes at Rus, annoyed. It's not the first time it has happened and it certainly won't be the last. He has pity for this new human who will have their heart broken eventually like the twenty or so before.

Swapfell Papyrus - Rus chokes on what he was drinking, then slowly turns to his brother, who is bright purple. Nox is very secretive about his relationships and he for sure didn't expect that to occur. Rus is never letting him hear the end of this after that accident. Nox knows his peace is over forever.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He lost his inferior jaw, quite literally. Coffee is embarrassed, but actually not that shy anymore. WHAT?! What the hell happened? He has the best spying tools on the continent and he didn't see his brother was in a relationship. How blind he is? He's questioning all his skills right now. Also what the hell, his brother is in a relationship! That's terrible!

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - Coffee says nothing, trying to not let the thoughts win. But they won anyway and he suddenly screams "wait, does that mean you didn't wear underwear when you got home? how did you not notice????" before blushing furiously when Wine looks his way and teleporting out of panic into his room to hide in his wardrobe in shame lol.

[asklesbianonceler]

Metyr, The Gloam-Eyed Queen, and The Nox

Lore, item, and speculation analysis. Looking at coincidences and theories a bit closer below the cut.

This is a little more disjointed than my last analysis.

@dykeishheart Replied to your post: I would be curious to know if you think anything in particular about the finger ruins of Rhia and Dheo being shaped just like the godslayer incantation insignia. I haven't seen any people mention it before but I was almost wondering if it's a false thread, like maybe it isn't meant to look like that intentionally bc nothing in Ymir/Metyr quest uses or mentions black flame or the gloam-eyed queen. Unless we interpret Metyr's pink gazing eye as 'gloam' (twilight)

I got this reply and said "yeah, I'll finally get into this!" So thank you!!

I've mentioned vaguely having thoughts on The GEQ/Metyr connections as well as Metyr's connection to the Nox but never got into any of it concretely. I know this specific reply isn't saying Metyr and the GEQ are connected beyond this but I've seen it A LOT and I've wanted to talk about it so it's a good excuse!

You can scroll down to my "Actual Interpretation" header if you want to skip over other's theories and a brief GEQ summary

I want to start by giving an overview on the points I've seen floating around that bring up visual similarities between Metyr and the GEQ so we have a basis for this.

The pattern on Metyr's face, the fingerprint, is similar to both the shape of the godslayer incantations as well as, as user dykeishheart pointed out, the above ground finger ruins

Metyr's tail fingers are in a twist, similar to the helix on the godslayer greatsword.

The godslayer greatsword has a swirling, fingerprint-like pattern on the beginning of the blade before it breaks into a twist

The dominula cape has similar patterns to the incantation as well as the finger sorcery symbols

Jolan and Anna's armor of night, has another similar fingerprint/godslayer-like symbol on the front

My hesitancy with addressing this in detail is that I don't want people to think I'm telling them they're wrong or coming off as argumentative. This is simply my take on the theory. But we're no strangers to characters being associated with the GEQ

So without further adieu, with the points I'll be contesting laid out, here are my thoughts on why Metyr is not connected to the GEQ.

GEQ basics:

We know the GEQ had her own two fingers, was an Empyrean, and was a direct timeline competition to Marika. It seems that, to the Greater Will, they were both potential candidates vying for Elden Lord, each trying to unite the lands between, and possibly the land of shadow, to the GWs plan. It is unclear if at this time the fingers were already unsound and giving baseless messages. I personally do not believe so as these were likely the first sets of two fingers to be bestowed upon Empyreans and still in their early history. It would also make sense that the GW would want false or unfit gods killed off before it's new plan is enacted.

The GEQ controlled destined death, a key aspect of the Elden Ring and one that would be incredibly dangerous for Marika who sought godhood. Thus she and Malekith went to war against her and her Godskins

She raised her godksin from birth, turning the dead flesh of unnamed, and unimportant gods into her children- via the godskin swaddling cloth, also directly connecting her to motherhood.

The meaning of Gloam is roughly synonymous with evening, dusk, twilight, and crepuscule, a time of day characterized by sunset- a blueish to orange/sometimes purple sky. We could also interpret this as "coming to an end" the setting of the sun, the absence of light, or gold. (making her a direct foil to Marika)

Her and her apostles are associated with Black, obsidian, and a deep purple gemstone

My first question about this theory is, what is the theory specifically? That Metyr IS the GEQ or that the GEQ was a follower/champion of Metyr/sanctioned by Metyr?

ON TO

MY ACTUAL INTERPRETATIONS:

My initial thought on the godslayer seal/symbol was always that of inverted fire. A fire devoid of warmth or life, the opposite of those wielded by others in Elden Ring. This is still my interpretation. The Stone set in the middle of the seal, to me, also do not seem intentional enough for me to connect it to Metyr. Had it been anything but black I would be more inclined to give this more weight. Metyr's eye is red/orangeish, bearing an odd crossed separation down its iris. I believe there are too many similar swirling, round patterns in other incantations for this to seem concretely intentional. The Frenzy Flame, Dragon communion, and others all have a swirling in the center. The other thing setting this symbol apart from a fingerprint is the symbols between each ring.

As far as the finger ruins shape, to me they almost feel like sites of large meteor crashes, further suggested by the falling star beast. And Metyr herself is a falling star. Their shape to me feels like a trail of something hitting the ground and settling. I believe it says the lampreys aren't from the land of shadow as well but I could be wrong. They feel very alien and touched by outer presence. I think their fingerprint line shape also feels like the ripples of something crashing there.

Metyr is also a shockingly developed god in comparison to the Elden Beast, so much so that I cannot see her being or sanctioning The GEQ. As I got into in my Ymir Analysis post, Metyr is given strong characterization and emotion. She is loyal and subservient to the GW to the end. Even when she is abandoned she remains true to the purpose it gave her, grieving her corrupt children, waiting, alone, and growing resentful- but only to the point of physical violence via her thrashing and wielding of her head as a weapon. Her built up anger, as her remembrance weapon states, manifests in crushing blows of her head as a weapon. Her utmost rage is literally her beating her head against the ground in frustration, to the detriment of those around her and likely herself. She is described as a kowtower to the GW and seemingly deals with far too much of her own grief, self doubt, and obligation to come up with her own agenda or enact another agenda herself/take any matters into her own hands to the extent of the GEQ. We have also seen the result of her direct connection with others via Ymir and seeing as this is the first/only time we see finger sorcery learned from her it's unlikely anyone else ever made contact to this extent. Her connection to the GEQ is that she birthed the fingers that told the GEQ what to do.

Perhaps, as many others, the GEQ was enamored by the teachings of her two fingers and took inspiration from its form. This wouldn't be uncommon. We see fingerprints in Frenzy flame items, Nox items, and the fingerprint shield- which is an item I would like to get into a lot more in a moment. But to connect her that closely to Metyr feels incredibly out of character for Metyr. Metyr is also largely connected to int builds and sorcery. Never Faith. Even the High Priest Hat boosts both Int and Arcane, not touching upon Faith. I also believe the lack of godskins in the land of shadow is incredibly telling. If the GEQ had connections to Metyr there would surely be something mentioning her blackflame or godskins in the DLC

Both are also associated with motherhood, but to the point that i think it's the opposite of something that connects them narratively. The GEQ has such a specific and unique way of creating her children/warriors, far too different from Metyr's

As far as the connection to her tail fingers goes, there are also countless other connections to helixes being associated with the divine, a main one being the hornsent. Her sword also doesn't have the classic spinal look down the center of the blade that both the Sacred relic sword and fingerslayer blade do.

In terms of connecting dominula to the godskin, that is entirely possible, but this just comes back to my feelings on the godslayer symbol. Connecting anything at all to the finger sorcery symbol would be baseless. This design takes far too much inspiration from the Carian and Raya Lucarian sigils to not be something Ymir created for his own sorceries, thus unique to the land of shadow and his studying of Metyr.

Metyr also seems far too connected to the stars for me to associate her with someone who's name means dusk- a time of day characterized by sunlight still being in the sky albeit fading. You really can't see stars during this time and certainly not enough for them to seem bright. She is far more associated with pure night than evening. Great segway.

The Nox and the Fingerprints and a Slayed God

Like I wanted GEQ lore in the dlc. I wanted to know more about her. But I truly think she's dead :(

I think sometimes we're just looking for GEQs so much that maybe we're overlooking some smaller revelations from the Metyr quest.

Specifically in regards to the Nox's reason for banishment and the fingerslayer blade.

Jolan and Anna are nox swordhands of Night. Their armor describes the swordhands as being born deep underground and their armor bears the fingerprint marking- actually described as a fingerprint in the description this time. But they don't wear this armor because they are in Metyr/Ymir's service. They arrived at the land of shadow wearing this armor that is designed to keep them in the dark and there were more than just two of them. We find the armor on a corpse in a body bag in bonny gaol, next to multiple other bodybags. But we can say for sure there were at least three swordhands here. And they must have had a purpose here for them to be the only Nox in the lands of shadow.

And this got me thinking. What other items specifically reference fingerprints and at first it just seems like frenzy items which seemed like a dead end. But there's one specific item that although related to frenzy, references a time before that- The fingerprint stone shield which is "part of the tomb of an ancient god---- the very seeds from which frenzy first started" So similar to Godwyn's death, a death created an unforeseen consequence, but who was this god? Who killed him? Well, aside from the GEQ, there is one other group of people known for knowing how to kill gods. The Nox. And they had a reason to do so. The Fingerslayer blade is born of a corpse and bears a similar helix and spinal design to the sacred relic sword, implying it is from the body of a god. The sword of a vassal/god that is capable of killing another. Perhaps this was the god the Nox killed in order to create the blade. Perhaps they did not kill this god themselves and merely robbed it's grave and defiled the body by rending the fingerslayer blade from it. The recurring fingerprint motif on the armor of the swordhands and on the tomb is an interesting connection. Regardless, the Nox did not want to be governed by the GW's influence, instead they followed the stars. They were the original GW haters and they wanted to kill one of its vassals and harm the GW. Which vassal did they intend to kill? Ranni uses it on her two fingers but perhaps it was made for Metyr, the source of the GW's messages that they hated so much. They were never able to use it. It's creation led them to be banished and stripped of the stars at the hands of the GW. Swordstress armor states, " Now they live under a false night sky, in eternal anticipation of their liege. Of the coming age of the stars. And their lord of night"

This would make sense as to why the swordhands are in the land of shadow. They were looking for Metyr. And it would also give us some food for thought on Jolan and Anna, Anna perhaps being the one who still believed in their original purpose and Jolan, having disagreed with her. Jolan instead believing she has found what the Nox were awaiting, the return of their stars and their lord of night. Her infatuation with stars, saying Ymir is her shining star, and doing as he asks without question, knowing he sees fate in the stars, heavily implies this is what she believes. Perhaps she too seeks redemption for what she's done as a swordhands, her weak heart leading her to forsake her original goal and seeking her fate in Ymir's stars.

Time to yap, because I understand I'm probably wrong about the ancient god connection bit:

Yapping: This ancient god to Nox connection is just theorizing. We could even theorize that the ancient god mentioned in the fingerprint shield is the GEQs grave and that maybe the Nox didn't kill this god and merely looted the grave, but the timeline on that might be odd. I can't say for sure. Further we can ask who's fingers were the three fingers, this ancient god's? GEQs? Or are they even fingers? Are they merely an apparition of something we will accept messages from? If Marika put the nomadic merchants in that hole in the ground it would also imply she put the tomb down there that held a dead god. A god she killed maybe? Really seems like that's where she puts shit she wants to forget about... The shunning grounds and all that.

Misc images that may be relevant!

[cocogum]

Armand’s treatment and how it impacted his life.

(‼️ Spoilers for Wakfu Season 4 and its first four episodes ‼️)

One thing that saddened me a lot when I was watching episode 4 was how Armand revealed to Amalia that he had wished he could go on adventures with her and the brotherhood sometimes.

This surprised me at first but I soon realized that it made perfect sense.

Armand was always jealous of her but I initially thought that it was only because she had the most attention from people, even their father. But Armand is the type to keep his thoughts to himself which would explain why despite how we see him looking at Amalia with a disapproving look, we never really got to hear him express his thoughts to her. His reason for wanting to go on adventures with her is also made clear: not only does he want to explore the world because it seems like fun since his sister always felt happy because of it, but the major reason is that he wants his father to look at him just like how he looked at Amalia.

When he finally tells her all of his thoughts and what he wants, we can’t help but feel like what he wishes to have can no longer be granted. Their father died not long ago, it is now too late to do anything.

Armand could’ve spoken up during all those years Amalia went to go on adventures. He had all the time in the world because he was always beside his father at all times.

But no matter how close he was to him, Armand never had the strength to speak his thoughts just like how Amalia dared to do so. It’s ironic really, Armand had the time and the moment to tell his father everything and yet, he didn’t because he didn’t think it was in his right to speak about himself and what he wanted to try.

The years of constantly seeing how his sister was getting loved by the people, how she was being viewed and called a hero by the very same people he was working hard to protect in his own way, how their father kept praising her constantly for whatever she did, how she kept getting adoration for adventuring and risking her life to save her people, while he was instead cooped up in the kingdom learning and practicing how to become king, left him in a position where he believed Amalia always had the upper hand on anything even when he wanted to express himself.

He had learned that every time he proposed an idea or even said some of his thoughts out loud during a particular situation, he would always get shut down by either his sister or his father, sometimes even both (the time when he decided to use a barrier of vines to block Ogrest’s tears but his father told him that his attempts were just “alright” when they were actually very effective for some time, the time where he told Amalia that she can’t leave while his father is terribly sick but his father supports Amalia and encourages her to go with Yugo, the time when Armand stated that none of the rulers had come to support them but his father cuts him off by saying that the queen of Bonta at least brought Joris to them which made Armand’s words sound minuscule and not as serious as the prince intended, etc.)

Granted, sometimes he deserved it (like the time when he got slapped by Eva when he was disrespectful to Dally in the OVAs or the time he did not listen to Amalia’s warnings when she told him Nox was coming and when she tried explaining who Yugo and Adamaï were back in Season 1 but not being listened to despite having Eva to back her up) but the majority of the time, he was trying his best to please his father and barely got a good comment for it.

So it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that Armand never spoke about what he wanted to his father because he had a strong feeling that the answer wouldn’t be a good one.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for him, when his father takes his last breath and Armand was the only one there for him, who has been by his side all this time, who has devoted his entire life to training, learn and work hard to be like his father, he had only words for Amalia.

To hear his father only speak about his youngest sister and not mention him at all, must’ve terribly broke him on the inside. Even when his father was on his deathbed, he did not address everything that Armand did for him.

And it’s sad to see this happening.

Even though his relationship with his father and sister was mostly shown in the background, it was pretty obvious that their family had some issues that no one wanted to address in the room.

I feel like, in a way, we can somehow relate to Armand.

To feel like we can’t speak our minds properly because of a sibling or a figure in our lives who has shown to be better than us, even when we do work very hard to get noticed we barely get any comments or praises of the same size as theirs, to feel like we don’t matter as much as them so we should just stop talking and let them have their spotlight at all times.

And when we finally get the chance to gain our confidence or get into a position where we don’t feel as self-conscious as we used to before, we come to find out that it’s already too late to express ourselves to the people we’ve been waiting to truly be honest to, because they’re already gone or have moved on from you.

Armand’s case is a bittersweet and albeit depressing one.

What could have been a story of adventure, even if just for one day, was never realized. What could have been an experience that could have felt like a lifetime never happened. What could have been an adventure where he finally has his fun and gains a unique brotherly sisterly duo bond in combat would never become a reality. And what could have been a special moment in his life where he gets to personally know his sister’s friends would always stay a dream.

If only he knew that even a brotherhood member, Evangelyne, has a sister, Cleophee, who had her fun in the group. And even if it was just for a few days, a few moments, Eva’s sister had cemented her place in the Brotherhood and became an official member. To think that even if he had stayed a bit in the group, he would have not just become a part of their lives, but also become a part of their brotherhood.

But despite it all, Armand kept his chin up and looked forward to the future. He did not wallow in his sadness or blame Amalia for his silence during all these years. Instead, he pulls her up and tells her to not be saddened by their father’s departure, especially in front of his tomb tree, and consoles her as they hug.

Unlike anyone else, I believe Armand was able to push his selfish thoughts away (which involved blaming his sister for everything) and instead behaved like a king, someone who, despite not gaining everything he wanted in life, kept going and faced forward for what was to come.

Even though he has not been abandoned by his family, he did feel like he might've been behind everyone else at some point in his life.

He may have not been a part of the brotherhood but he’ll always have a place in his sister’s heart after what he did for her.

And I believe that his competence and his will to protect his kingdom without leaving for adventure would make him get along greatly with a certain white dragon.

[linkito]

HI HELLO HI. dumping these here :3

🎨🌓🌿

THIS IS SO LATE LOL BUT—

🎨 favorite piece of fanart? link it!

Oh god. Oh geez. That’s so hard to judge. I’ll just judge it based on what’s saved on my phone.

Obviously I adore applestruda’s art, it’s always so stunning. This particular piece of Scar from sl has been my phone background since the finale. I absolutely love it.

Next is this piece by skimmeh of stareater au Scar and Grian who I ADORE. I love their Grian he is so creature and pesky. And this specific piece is just so cute. I love the hug under the jacket specifically, the clinginess of it. (it reminds me of how I hug my own bf lol)

And then this particular frame from doody and maruu’s ddvau — I am such a sucker for civilian Grian in this comic. Something about him having a regular, adorable, mundane crush on his coworker Scar amidst a literal superhero chaos au is just… so precious to me?? and this frame of him dreaming of being happy and in love is so— aughhhhh. I use this as my pfp in a few places. I love it.

and then of course general love to some of my other favorite artists like ange whose art always emotionally destroys me and looks so dang soft, plume whose art I just recently found and im obsessed with their expressions, and nox and jas for always spoiling us with desert duo every day and undoubtedly more artists too agdjdhdjfk

🌓 opinions on the watcher lore?

oh I love watcher lore. I specifically love when it’s not overt, when it’s sprinkled in and subtle. but I also love the overt stuff don’t get me wrong.

for personal headcanons, I usually imagine Grian as an escaped watcher-in-training with all of the evo members carrying their own sort of trauma related to watchers. BIG fan of everything Martyn does in the life series too. I literally cheer when the dramatic voice starts playing hehe

🌿 any favorite interpretations?

hmmm this is vague so I’m not sure exactly what it was meant to ask but…

One of my favorite things is the way time is interpreted in @lovesick-x-prince’s Nobody Feels Like You?? if that makes sense??

the fic takes place in third life and I believe it’s written like the events took place over the course of about a year? and the space between places is vast, takes several days to travel across the whole server. and minecraft mechanics are seamlessly worked in, with things like insta-breeding animals and inventory management being minecraft-adjacent but not strange at all. it’s a game but it’s also very realistic and brutal and intense and I seriously love it.

but it’s something about the time specifically, about it being so long, like a lifetime away from home (although they don’t remember home in this fic). I really like that.

And then on a completely unrelated note, I just generally love the headcanon of Grian, Pearl, and Jimmy being siblings. Not even necessarily blood-related, but found family, found flock. It fits them all really well.

ahem OK WOW THAT WAS LONG SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER TO REPLY LOL

[profoundlyfaded]

I wanted to share some fic I’m working on - Tertiary Impressions - charting Emmrich falling for Rook. She’s a fellow Mourn Watcher but a Reaper. I’ve made a few changes; in my HC, Reapers are Warrior Mages, so Rook can competently cast magic as well as fight. The another element of reimagining here is, well, I don’t like the heavy armour sets across the game so the armour I describe in this is actually inspired by the Nox Nightmaiden set from Elden Ring (including the Twin Crown for really special occasions - I love henins and we know they’re canon cos Vivienne). Anyway enough babble and more fic -

-

He was continuing his study of her; casual destruction of the dead did not sit easily with him but she hadn’t demonstrated any of the usual reckless disregard for life that brought someone to that moment. He had uncovered a number of people committing that particular crime, all of them power hungry and seeking to further themselves. Rook did not seem to be in that mould.

A call for help would arrive from her slowly building pool of allies and she would answer it willingly, donning armour with matching robes that flowed around her as she moved. He’d watched her train in the courtyard, perfecting moves that seemed closer to a dance than battle stances as she worked with her shield, spinning elegantly when she threw it and moving with liquid fluidity as she practiced blocks and attacks with it. When Rook was not training, he’d find her laughing with their associates or even sitting quietly in the library, book or paper in hand with a pot of tea.

That was how Emmrich found Rook that morning; knees bunched up to her chest, reading one of the many newspapers the team eagerly amassed from their various travels across Northern Thedas. Her dark hair fell in soft waves to her waist and she had yet to adorn her usual make-up. Only her facial tattoo highlighted the shape of her face. It wasn’t often anyone saw her like this; she usually kept to her private quarters until she was battle ready once the others were up. A fact he had learnt the previous week.

Rook lowered the paper as she looked up at him. ‘All well? Are the others...’

She trialled off, but he caught the direction of her query; the others and their caution of Necromancy.

‘I caught Harding attempting to teach Manfred a game with his hands, something about paper and scissors,’ he explained.

Rook’s lips lifted into a smile, the type of expression that radiated with joy, and she laughed. ‘She taught me that as well, just to pass the time when I first left the Necropolis.’ She sobered. ‘And what about you?’

‘Getting there,’ he replied.

Her eyebrows flicked up. ‘Perhaps you should join us next time we venture out? Nothing builds camaraderie like having someone’s back in a tight corner and your combat skills were impressive back in the Necropolis.’

Her voice dropped into a soft, wry tone, lips quirking at the corners.

‘High praise, indeed, from a Reaper,’ he replied bowing his head. ‘And of course, I’ll be happy to assist however I can.’

‘Excellent, because we’ve got a lead on a Dragon Hunter in Rivain,’ she said. ‘Harding and I are heading out tomorrow now we’ve identified which mirror to use.’

‘Then I shall prepare accordingly.’

[ask-healthy-light]

Fortunately, the monotony of the Eastern Dragon Lands had not yet exhausted their sight, so as soon as Boom and Nox saw what Shining was pointing at, they dropped to the ground, before Boom whispered to himself that something did not make sense; but in response, Shining swiftly placed his hoof over Boom's mouth, and did not utter another word as the group of Marauders in the distance walked past.

Only after the surprisingly loud group of various races had wandered out of sight, and did not show up again, did their own group feel comfortable enough to start moving backwards, aided by Ty, as he conjured up a gentle breeze to mask their scuffling across the ground; and when their own group had made it beyond the crest of the hill did Boom say he did not understand how they could be so close.

When prompted to explain, albeit quietly, by the rest of the group, he told them that the Marauders who struck the Empire wore light armour to get away quickly and undetected after an attack; but the group of Guards they saw just now was wholly unlike them, as their weapons were great, their armour was thick, and their shields broad, almost exactly like the Crystal Guards under orders of Shining.

Next to this, he continued, just like the Guards back in the Empire, the group that they saw in the distance would have been tasked to wander close to their Outpost in case of an attack, even if such a thing was unlikely to happen this far into the uncharted East; but even if their group was on the very edge of the perimeter they guarded, it would mean the Outpost was far closer than he expected.

At that moment, Light, holding the map in their hoof, spoke up to ask Boom about the map, and where and when he found it in particular, for when they first looked at the map, they could tell it was a very old map; so they politely suggested that the Outpost had moved elsewhere since he last checked the map, which would work in their favour, as their travel time had now been drastically shortened.

Before he could utter a word, though, Courage quietly whined as he slowly walked over to Light, and pawed at the map, before he started drawing tally marks into the dirt before him; but even after he drew more sets of lines than what any of the others guessed his age was, he did not stop until Boom sighed, and told him that he could have said so himself, and that he did not need to embarrass him.

The map was, indeed, quite old, and he counted himself lucky that it had barely gotten damaged over all the years it was in his possession, after the last time he tried to attack the Outpost, only to be forced to flee with far less than with what he arrived; but he was fortunate that out of all the Marauders he had knocked unconscious, or worse, that one of them carried a set of maps of the area.

Admittedly, Boom continued, he probably should not have thrown away most of the maps that he was so graciously given by the Guard he held up, but that aside, knowing that the Outpost was a lot closer than he thought was a great relief; for they could take more time to search the area for a way into the Outpost, lest a group of Guards find them and attack before they even got the chance to strike.

With a deep sigh, Light nodded, before they peeked over the crest and looked at the dry chasm where the Guards were walking, trying to figure out why these Marauders would not relocate somewhere more bountiful; for surely, there must be at least a couple of beings among them whose greatest wish was to return to their kin, create a better life for themselves, and neither plunder nor harm any more?

A moment later, however, they struck down the thought, for if these bandits were indeed of the same tribe that had ransacked Boom's home so long ago, and were still doing the same thing, they figured that the lives imprinted so thoroughly, it would be hard to undo; but even as they returned the map to Boom, who seemed to be doing far better, Light could not shake a painful feeling in their heart.

To stop the bloodshed, they would have to cause it themselves…

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request! | Start at the beginning! | Next part!

Featuring: Nox Lunarwing and Summer Typhoon from @nox-lunarwing Boomlord from @thedumbguywithaheart43

(Updates on my new contract: It doesn't have a set end date, so it's technically permanent, and it will be changed back to 40 hours a week, starting in the new year.)

(I think I'll keep the current rhythm I have with two days of working from home per week, as it'll allow me to write one part of the Tumblr story, and with the freedom that the other writing program gives me, I might even be able to write and post a new chapter on FimFic during the weekend too.)

[a-d-nox]

Stellium in planet & house midheaven persona chart

what's a midheaven? how does a stellium effect the midheaven persona?

first things first, the midheaven can tell you about your professional path, social standings, and overall public persona.

more specifically, you can tell who a person is professionally, what kind of public/visible achievements they have in life, the work they are drawn to, how they show up when they are given responsibility, goals they have, how they seek to achieve these goals, etc.

secondly, the midheaven persona can show you a bigger picture of what is in the natal chart regarding the general midheaven.

lastly, a stellium found in your midheaven persona has to be inspected carefully - is it mainly personal planets or generational planets? is it the sign, the house, or both?

example one: a sagittarius stellium spread across the 1h and 2h consisting of the sun, mercury, and pluto. this is a person ripe with knowledge. they are knowledge hungry - they starve for new experiences. they crave life changing experiences that broadens their perception of the world or even the universe. they appear funny and opinionated - with pluto's influence they could have a darker humor and harsh opinions that make them sound pessimistic. they seek a career that helps them grow and learn - when the learning stops, they are likely to seek a new job entirely. they might even change their field entirely. these people might have multiple degrees and certifications that are considered prestigious. these people are often professors, found in leadership roles, self-employed, famous, working alone, finance, journalists, etc.

example two: an aquarius stellium in the 3h consisting of venus, uranus, and neptune. these people follow no path in particular - it is unlikely that they will stay anywhere for the entirety of their life. they are likely to strike out on their own - become an entrepreneur at some point. they prioritize others over themselves where work is involved. often technology is very important to them and their career - this gives ai or online marketing vibes (the aesthetic is everything). these people are often software developers, accountants, crafters, marketers, human resources, writers, event planners, politicians, sales people, information processing, teaching, technological services, etc.

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© a-d-nox 2024 all rights reserved

[thatgenderfluidmonstrosity]

Hello people! This is my introduction :3

I am a person of many names~

I go by any of these, and I will put in my bio which I’m using at the time~ (it’s fluid)

Nyx, Rei, Ether, Gray, Aether, Nexus, Kaeya, Nox

I am also Genderfluid, so my current pronouns will be listed in my bio as well :3

Neurodivergent! Diagnosed with Tourettes, PTSD and Generalized Anxiety! (Surprisingly not diagnosed with Depression and ADHD, but oh well.)

I love getting questions about my Tourettes, Gender Identity and whatever else!!! Please don’t be afraid to ask if you have questions!!

Little warning: despite being on Tumblr for about 2 years now, I still have to idea what the proper “etiquette” is. Like- what a blorbo is, or if emojis are as despised here as they are on like… discord or something

Idk man 💀 I’m always confused

I love many things, from video games to anime to cartoons for children way younger than me

Here are all of the ones that I can remember right now (not listed in any particular order):

Hamilton

Amphibia

Percy Jackson

The Owl House

FNaF

She-Ra

Gravity Falls

Marvel (Avengers really)

Genshin Impact

My Hero Academia

Demon Slayer

Spy x Family

Marauders (Kinda)

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Forbidden West

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Legend Of Korra

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Moon Knight

Jekyll and Hyde

Bluey

Whump (Just in general)

DnD (Mainly Homebrew because I am kinda new to it)

Cars Movies (1, 2, 3)

Detroit: Become Human

School Bus Graveyard

Stardew Valley

Warriors (Musical)

A Series of Unfortunate Events

How To Train Your Dragons (1, 2, 3)

His Dark Materials (HBO Show)

Arcane

Anne With An “E”

I also love making art, and will post that a lot

I have an Ao3 Account: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoManyPassions/pseuds/SoManyPassions

I have a lot of works but am also working like a dog to get more stuff posted ✨

I have so much writing in progress, and can’t wait to get it out there!

Let’s see… what else…

Im working on my own Fantasy/Fiction Series called The Solstice Academy (Yes that does mean that it’s initials shorten to TSA)

I am open to writing submissions for any fandom listed above! I have some stipulations, some minor and others are more important, like how I will never write smut/sexual content. If you have any submissions that you’d wanna see (like your favorite character getting tortured) message me and we can work something out! I can’t promise that I’ll get to it immediately (or that it will get written at all) but I will do my best to fulfill your request!

I think that’s all about me!

:3

[nkn0va]

OC bios!

Alright, I'm writing this past 10 p.m but I'm bored and have nothing else to do so I'll be attempting to write as good of a bio for the OCs as possible as promised. If I missed anything you're interested in that isn't art for a visual reference let me know and I'll fix it in the morning.

Now let's start with the man himself, Six!

(Let's play a game. Spot the OC with more development and enthusiasm behind it lmao. It correlates with the game that has more developed lore)

Name: He abandoned his given name long ago when he was drafted into the Ten Sages. After so long he's forgotten what it was and doesn't care to remember.

Age: Physiologically he's supposed to be 23 however chronologically he's much older.

Date of birth: December 21st

Appearance: Average height, about 5'10 with short black hair and dark brown eyes. Upon becoming a member of the Sages he wears a purple coat around his shoulders in a manner somewhat similar to Azrael but a bit longer in length. He has a customized Mage's Guild uniform top to be an icy blue instead of the usual white, with the black sleeves with gold trims still intact. Of course he has the characteristic wide brimmed hat the rest of the Sages share, with the Japanese Kanji for 6 as well as the usual black leggings standard in the Guild.

Personality: A pragmatist at heart, but not without emotions and a bit of idealism. Befitting of his specialty in magic he knows how to keep a cool head and can handle a lot of pressure. Coming from his close involvement in the Dark War, he wishes to bring out the best in the people around him and pushes them to constantly strive to be better versions of themselves. He holds himself to similarly high standards, having dedicated his life to the practices of the Mage's Guild and chased mastery without mercy. He believes that everyone who's willing has something valuable to teach and is sincere and patient to those who prove they deserve it.

Abilities: His status as one the Ten Sages alone deems him as one of the strongest mages in the world. He knows a wide variety of spells for almost any situation, however in particular his mastery of all things ice related are second to none, to the point that Nine made his power the basis for the Armagus powering Yukianesa.

Weapon: Apart from his magic, he developed an ice-enchanted whip during his student days at the Mage's Academy. The initial design is a bit rough around the edges, though he refines it over the years as he learns from helping Nine develop the Nox Nyctores and his encounters with the Black Beast. The final design can function both as a rope and a whip, complete with a blade at the end of it. In a sense, it's a prototype Armagus, skirting the line between simple enchantment and an actual magical weapon, being the only one of it's kind. The rope is strong enough to wrap around and pull down a medium sized airship to the ground

Backstory: Six grew up mostly in a peaceful land not even he's able to remember. However once the Black Beast appeared his life was turned upside down. His family was killed in the initial onslaught and as a last ditch effort to escape, he managed to sneak into the range of a teleportation spell and ended up in Ishana. While initially uninvited, he managed to negotiate a spot in Ishana in exchange for offering himself to become one of their mages, and as they needed all the hands they could get, they accepted. Very quickly he showed great promise in their magical trades, even soon catching the attention of one Konoe Mercury, who began to tutor him and him becoming an honors student at the academy. He graduated the academy shortly before the previous Six was killed in a battle with the Black Beast in an attempt to hold it off to buy the newly appointed Nine time to finish the Nox Nyctores weapons, and the Guild came to the conclusion Six was worthy enough to take up the empty seat left by his predecessor, which he immediately proved himself worthy of when he became an invaluable asset to holding off the Beast for as long as possible for the weapons to be finished. The Black Beast was soon defeated and all seemed like it was finally going back to normal, however...nothing is meant to last.

Trinity, Hakumen, and Nine, his friend, idol, and the woman who he'd come to grow a special, unrequited romantic attachment to were taken from him, thrown into the Boundary by the traitorous Terumi. Heartbroken and enraged, he makes a vow to get his vengeance, and comes to the conclusion that the only way to guarantee he'd live to do so was to put himself into cryosleep in a secret location where no one would ever find him until then. He entrusted Rachel and Jubei with the tools necessary to find him and disappeared, requesting them to awaken him when the time was right.

It would be decades until he woke, around the start of Chrono Phantasma when Nine finally appeared again. He'd be involved in the reunited Six Heroes' plan to attempt to kill Terumi and break Nine free from the Mind Eater curse. He soon becomes one of the Chosen in the Embryo created by Izanami, a candidate to claim the Azure for himself and fulfill his dream. Though he seems to have other plans...

Jesus fuck that was long. Now for the Under Night OC!

Name: Nate

Age: 18

Date of Birth: October 18

Appearance: 5'9 in height. Black hair similar to Six but much less kempt. His EXS has had a unique effect on him and turned his eyes to an deep ocean blue. When going out into the Night. Nate wears a blue cloak which covers his face in shadow, making his identity indiscernible both to protect himself and for intimidation. Most days outside of the Night he wears the typical school uniform, going to the same school as Hyde and Tsurugi as a third year. Casual wear includes a solid blue hoodie and pants, with a blue overcoat added on top of it all during the winter due to not taking the cold well.

Personality: Nate above all else is defined by his sense of duty. He takes all matters pertaining to EXS and the Hollow Night quite seriously. He'll do whatever it takes to live up to his bloodline and isn't afraid to do what's needed to keep others safe. Despite this, he can be pretty good at separating his "work" life from personal life. Outside of such matters he's a bit on the quieter side, preferring to think things through before acting recklessly. He's not really all that socially anxious, but sometimes can lack some self-confidence. He prefers to keep a smaller inner circle of people he trusts, due to not wanting to needlessly get people involved in the Night. Those who do get close to him though he is endlessly loyal to. He's extremely reliable, wanting to hold on to the ties he manages to make.

Abilities/weapon: Nate wields the power known as EXS of the Endless Depths: Hydro. This allows him to freely manipulate water around him and even to solidify water vapor in the air back into liquid water. The more water is in the vicinity, the more dangerous he becomes, the ways he can use it only being limited by his imagination. It's said that attempting to fight him while it's raining or while near a pond or lake is one of the worst mistakes one can make in the Hollow Night, almost as dangerous as attempting to get too close to the Abyss. As a byproduct of his power he has a cooler than usual body temperature. He's extremely resistant to heat but is very easily affected by cold temperatures, hating the winter for both how disproportionately cold it is for him and the lack of usable water around in a fight it creates.

Backstory: Nate was born into the Night Blade. His ancestors were outsiders from a country unknown, however wandered into the village of EXS, lost and starving much like the Hollow God was. This time, it was the Hollow God himself who welcomed them and allowed them to stay, and soon they became a welcome part of the village, awakening to EXS powers of their own. They soon became a part of the Moderates, who were against making the power of EXS known to the world. Due to the Night Blade splitting, Nate came to grow up in Osaka, only hearing stories of the ancient group and knowing he was of Night Blade descent. At some point though, his family had caught wind of the extreme spike of In-Birth activity in Kanzakai, and that even the princess and her bodyguard had appeared there to investigate. After some discussions and convincing, Nate was sent to live with Linne and Waldstein and finally learn what being part of the Night Blade was about. He'd soon awaken to his EXS abilities and Linne and Waldstein would teach him how to wield them.

Ok, much more manageable. I should have covered all the essentials in the bio, but again, if you feel anything needs to be added, let me know. I'm kinda laying the tracks as I'm driving the train.

With this post, the inbox is officially open for Six and Nate! Unlike with requests, they will always remain open for asks. And of course feel free to tag me for anything OC related, I'm quite excited to be able to start doing this. Suggestions with where to find OC stuff to reblog/participate in also greatly appreciated.

With that said, I'm going to bed now. Hope this is enough to spark some interest, I'm really proud of these two.

[medusapelagia]

My fic rec: The Long Night by Nox_Wiked

I have come to terms with the fact that my tastes in fan fiction are peculiar: I don't like most of the super-famous fics and the ones I love aren't that famous (and I don't know why!!!).

BUT.

There's a fic in particular that I started to read since the first chapter was published over a year ago.

A fic that's SO INCREDIBLY GOOD.

A fic that I keep fic rec to everyone.

The kind of fic I spoke about with my mutuals at 4 am because it's SO SO GOOD and tonight I even dreamt about the future chapter update (Hi Nox! I'm still manifesting for an update for my birthday, and I'll let you know that last year it worked with another fic… so if you have the terrible need to finish the future chapter… it's me XD).

It's the perfect mix between horror, thriller, and unconventional omegaverse. It has something in common with Yellow Jacket (or so they say, I never saw that show XD). It's metal sandwich (Eddie, Steve, Billy) and it's written SO WELL!

If you have never read this story before, you'll be blessed with 100k of incredible story.

So… maybe I'm screaming in the void as usual… but if you're intrigued, please, give a chance to:

The Long Night, by Nox_Wicked (@noxdrawstrash)

I'm sure you won't regret it!

[bubblewonderabyss]

Mod talk Category: Quality of life

I know my way around the starbound workshop better than most so I figured I'd share the love and talk about the mods I have installed, the category for this particular post being quality of life, as that's probably the most universally liked one. Quality of life means anything that adds ease of access to certain features, new mechanics, or simply more variety

Are these mod recs? Not necessarily. Read carefully, make an informed decisions, and back up your save file beforehand if you do want to try some of them out. Happy modding!

Disclaimer: The lore compliance subcategory contains only my best guess, there's always a chance I missed something

"Extended block crafting" by HaxoFelyne Summary: Adds crafting recipes for 32 uncraftable blocks because fuck uncraftable blocks Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: Brains are the only really broken block in the game and this mod doesn not add them, so balanced Lore compliance: N/A

"Why is this not printable?!" by Cthonyxa Summary: Makes more items printable Usefulness: 8/10 Cheating?: Things like art and major artifact clues remain unprintable which makes sense Lore compliance: yes

"Hop On Shops" by Argle Bargle Summary: Adds platform collision to various outpost objects Usefulness: 2/10, good for immersion Cheating?: No Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"More idle poses" by Argle Bargle Summary: Unlocks more combinations of arm, leg, and head positions at the character creation screen. Also applies to npc's. Usefulness: 8/10, starbound HEAVILY relies on its roleplay elements so this is super useful, I honestly have no idea why it's not in the base game Cheating?: No Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"Show item names!" by Silver Sokolova Summary: Shows the in-file name in the lower left corner of the description window Usefulness: 4/10, it can sometimes provide insight the game itself does not like the species tag, usually helps you deduce what mod the item is from, and can make building in admin mode easier. I just think it's neat Cheating?: It could be under some circumstances, like if an item is meant to be mysterious and the name gives it away for example. Lore compliance: N/A

"Shadow/Fenerox Crewmember Dialogue" by Achromatic Summary: Replaces the above species default dialogue with something more suited to their vanilla speech patterns Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: No Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"Learn Blueprints on Scan" by (cat emoji) Summary: The outpost now sells a matter manipulator addon that allows you to learn the recipe of every craftable item you scan Usefulness: 9/10 Cheating?: It absolutely is, but it's arguably justified since blueprints are rare and some can't even be found through legit means like certain items in the lunar set for example Lore compliance: Seems like something S.A.I.L might be able to

"Wooden furniture reskin" by Bubblywandering (me) Summary: Makes the wooden furniture set slightly more visually interesting in my humble opinion. Twas originally made for personal use but some people wanted it for their game so I uploaded it Usefulness: Non-applicable, it's just a matter of taste Lore compliance: No?

"Tweaked Asra Nox Vanilla Sprite" by The Blasphemer Summary: Replaces Asra's portrait and character sprite with a slightly altered version Usefulness: I love most of the portraits in the game but Asra's portrait always gave me a weird vibe so this is a welcome alternative. Her character sprite is given visible sclera which is not in line with starbound's art style though so mixed feelings are mixed Lore compliance: Sure why not

"More Metal Wood" by LazerRay Summary: Makes those metal trees in snow biomes drop metal coated wood Usefulness: 7/10 Cheating?: Makes metal coated wood both farmable and available early on, this has no practical application thought, so no Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"Extra Zoom Levels" by Patchumz Summary: Allows you to zoom out a couple extra times Usefulness: 10/10 if and only if you regularly screenshot your builds Cheating?: Yes, it allows unnatural levels of insight into what lies ahead of you. If you have self control you'll be fine Lore compliance: No?

"Varied Bounties" by Kais Summary: Allows max level bounties to spawn at stars other than fiery Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: Criminal stats scale with bounty level so not really Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"Weapon stats" by Tripod Summary: Displays the stats of weapons (vanilla or modded,) including DPS Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: Nope Lore compliance: N/A

"Hat Mask Fixes" Summary: Fixes some hats so they don't block facial features such as beaks and beards Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: No lol Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"Race Traits" by Oмεяυıп Summary: Gives the different species custom stats, for example florans have increased hunger and hylotl take longer to drown, can be turned on or off, most modded species are supported and you can toggle it on and off whenever Usefulness: 6/10, adds variety Cheating?: A few thorns and poison resistances here and there but otherwise pretty balanced Lore compliance: I'd say so

"Non-playable NPC Race Quests and Crew" Summary: Makes the nonplayable races give quests and become crew members naturally, with custom dialogue to match Usefulness: 10/10 why is this not in the base game?? Cheating?: No Lore compliance: Yes

"More Tenant Species" by NimbleJim Summary: Allows additional species options for tenants and corresponding dialogue Usefulness: 8/10, additional customization options are always useful Cheating?: No Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla, species =/= interests lol

"Unisex [Novakid/Human] Hair" by (cat emoji) Summary: Just what it sounds like, all hairstyles are available for either body type. Note: There is an apex version as well but it's broken Usefulness: 10/10, it makes no sense for futuristic humans or living stars to give a shit about gendered hairstyles Cheating?: No Lore compliance: Arguably more-so than vanilla

"Diverse Weather" by gay moth aunt Summary: Adds new weather patterns and allows more types of weather per planet Usefulness: 5/10 adds some nice variety Cheating?: This increases the game's difficulty overall so no Lore compliance: The gravity fluctuation weather is a little out there but other than that, yes

"Novakid Codices" by jss2a98aj Summary: Are you salty that the only codex that references the novakid is just some hylotl missionary being racist (read: a missionary?) Then this is the mod for you! Adds a variety of novakid codices that can be found in novakid villages Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: No Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"I'd Like To Sit Here" by vampycat237 Summary: Adds an invisible 1x1 chair type object that you can place anywhere with platform collision Usefulness: 4/10, niche immersion usage Cheating?: No Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla, I guess

"Rogues Out Camping (and also the Miniknog)" by Refolde Summary: Adds bandit-style encounters of all vanilla species Usefulness: 2/10, variety Cheating: Makes the game slightly harder so no Lore compliance: Arguably more-so than vanilla

"Crew Size Unbound" by SerpentsBlight Summary: Allows vanilla ships to skirt regulations and have more than 12 crewmembers max Usefulness: 6/10 Cheating?: Absolutely Lore compliance: Yes (you monster)

"Corbent's Interactive Crew" by, you guessed it, Corbent Summary: Allows you to direct your crew (to a degree,) ups a few of their stats, allows them to swim, adds some dialogue, and some npc's will randomly ask to date you rather than you hiring them Usefulness: 10/10 Cheating?: Makes crew members somewhat better, but not too much better imo Lore compliance: Makes crewmembers say random dialogue lines instead of one, making them feel less individual :/

"NPCSpawner+" by Depression Hurts, Eat More KFC Summary: Allows you to create an npc of any species, color scheme, type, personality, and clothing Usefulness: 9/10, good for porting crewmates over to new player characters, skirting gendered hair style restrictions, giving certain npc's impossible color schemes, and putting an oc in the game without having to play as them Cheating?: Let's you get free crew members so yes, something something self control Lore compliance: Definitely not

"Job Offers" by this is a profile name Summary: Adds craftable tools that allow you to recruit any friendly or neutral npc for the indicated job, including merchants and other ordinarily non-recruitable npc's Usefulness: 9/10, we've all had that one merchant we really wanted to recruit but couldn't amirite Cheating?: Totally bypasses the need to do quests to recruit crewmembers for all the benefits thereof. You'll need good self control to avoid abusing this mod's power Lore compliance: Eh

"Ever[Frogg/Lana/Penguin]" by Star-X Summary: Makes the indicated outpost shops sell all their stock at all times no matter what Usefulness: 4/10, you could just be patient/find the relevant blueprints but eh Cheating?: Oh yes Lore compliance: No

"CityScaper - Building Made Easy!" Summary: Let's you build a colony prefab style, for a price Usefulness: Depends on who you are Cheating?: It's expensive as shit to use so I'd say no Lore compliance: N/A

"Item Frame" by Peassly Wellbott Summary: Adds an item frame bench where you can craft two types of item frames, one which shows the icon and one which shows items at full size. Works on both vanilla and modded items. Note: Some items will not display correctly Usefulness: 10/10, WHY is this not in the base game?? Cheating?: No Lore compliance: N/A

"Aging Alien Alcohols" by Lilegite Summary: Allows you to craft a fermentable version of drinks and a few other items which will eventually turn into alcoholic beverages Usefulness: 5/10, some utility but it's mostly just for fun/roleplay purposes Cheating?: Adds some non-perishable hunger-restoring items via set-it-and-forget-it means so it does have an effect on game balance, but only slightly Lore compliance: More-so than vanilla

"Sapling merger!" by Silver Sokolova Summary: Lets you create unnatural trunktype and leaftype combinations, what has science done! Usefulness: 4/10, it's just for aesthetics Cheating?: Barely even counts lol Lore compliance: It's just grafting right?…Right?

"Craftable Seeds NEW" by RevvEmUp Summary: Allows you to craft seeds out of crops, also adds some saplings (including a red apple one) and makes the three dye-making flowers, mushrooms, and thorn bushes farmable Usefulness: 9/10 Cheating?: God yes Lore compliance: It seems reasonable

"The Game Hunter" by Wellbott Summary: Allows you to turn entities into decorative objects, this includes npc's (you monster) Usefulness: 5/10, purely cosmetic but really cool Cheating?: No lol Lore compliance: You can do so many messed up things in starbound, what's one more?

"Weapon assembly" by alberto-rota Summary: Adds the weapon assembly station which lets you break down (most) randomly generated weapons into parts and mix and match them into new ones, also adds the weapon painting station which allows you to dye the parts individually Cheating?: In the sense that it makes your randomly generated weapons less random, but otherwise no Lore compliance: Yeah

"More Planet Info" by Erisss Summary: Shows the dungeons and biomes present on the surface of the planet, the underground remains a mystery Usefulness: 8/10, a time saver Cheating?: In the sense that it somewhat reduces the randomness factor Lore compliance: Seems like something S.A.I.L would be able to do

"Detailed Ship Encounters" Summary: Functions like More Planet Info but for ships Usefulness: 8/10 Cheating?: Reduces randomness Lore compliance: More or less

"Betabound!" by Silver Sokolova Summary: Adds outpost npc quests, re-implements scrapped bosses and their corresponding codices (but no other codices thank god,) adds a new tech slot and many new techs, lets you switch out your matter manipulator for any other digging tool, makes food stack, reskins a couple food items, adds many weapons, adds new tools and makes digging tools repairable, adds furniture crafted from high tier ores, adds new ores, adds more fuel options, adds more cooking recipes and alters the buffs of many food items, adds upgrade kits for weapons, makes it possible to copy books and even write your own, makes some weapons dyeable, lets you copy and craft blueprints, and adds some monsters. Be aware that it does alter random weapon generation and changes a few vanilla sprites though Usefulness: 8/10, makes your character more customizable Cheating?: Drastically alters the balance of the game in the player's favor Lore compliance: The boss codices reference explicitly non-canon characters and events, other than that it's perfectly fine