#then you have the enemies who are for the majority loyal followers of the Dark Lord (and to an extent the Darker Lord but there's fewer)

[aracariwren]

Imps of Miitopia

Alternate coloring + trivia:

They're drawn in order by their number in the journal.

There are 2 imp Miis because there are 2 different costume models (like every job's gear) and also because I wanted to draw both the 3DS and Switch promo/default Miis.

I didn't draw a face on the blue imp (Imp "Cheery Granny"/"Traveler's Friend"/"Teammate"/"YOU") because since they're the only imp monsters who have an entire face, they vary so much throughout everyone's playthroughs depending on what Miis you have.

I also made the blue imp's collar similar to the Dark Lord's because this imp resembles the Dark Lord the most, and they only appear as bosses, so the Dark Lord must value them a lot... They're the ones he calls on for help, after all.

For the imp, naughty imp, and clever imp, whatever eyes/glasses they had when they first popped up in the journal, those were the ones I drew.

I've never played the Switch version of Miitopia so seeing the red fiend threw me for a loop.... look at him... waffle fiend....

Spoilers are for the imp Miis' outfits (because one is end-game and one is post-game) and both the terror fiend and the red fiend (mostly/only encountered post-game). Mostly for the red fiend.

Thank you for reading, I leave you with this terror fiend gif. (⁠＾⁠∇⁠＾⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♪

[roseblancheenfleurs]

Untold Story Of Magic ✨

Warning ⚠️⚠️⚠️

Nsfw Content, Slight Degradation, later aged characters, fanfiction, toxic, rivals to lovers to enemies to spouses 😌,Muggle insult, cursing by underage etc.

"Stop it sneaky snake" You frustratingly call out the black haired boy who has snatched away your notebook. Now reading all your doodles on the back side with a sly smirk as he has a bunch of secrets in his hands.

He didn't seemed to respond to your insult.

"Thomas Marvolo Riddle" You called out the future dark lord , your rival.

You are Y/n S/n , a student at the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. You are muggle quite a special afterall the sorting hat asked you to choose your own House from Slytherin and Gryffindor because you were both truthful and loyal with high ambitions with necessary scheming.

Wanting to preserve the name of your very past ancestor Godric Gryffindor, you choose the house of the lion throwing major insult to the half blood and pure blood of the Slytherin (as if there were so willing to accept a muggle 🙂).

This made you a respected figure in the Gryffindor house and also earned you a major rival Tom Marvolo Riddle, the direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin, the future dark lord.

Both of you have been for every single thing . From the last cup of butter beer to the first position at the end of the session.

Like two poles of earth have the climate in common similarly you two also had a habit of sneaking into the library. But unaware of each other until the Sunday night 6 months ago.

"Is the coast clear, Puchi?" You whispered to your pet cat who has the major responsibility of accompanying you everywhere even washroom.

"Meow", the furry creature run through the corridor to the library door.

And you followed with dangling lantern flickering in your hand.

Even though having special permission from Headmaster Dippet, you were advised to go their secretly for the other students to not to break the curfew protocol.

You reached the door where you cat waited for you to open the door and she would feast on some mices.

You twisted the knob and was about to open the door a hand stopped doing so by helding your hand. Like brave lion you didn't screamed instead gripped your wand to obliviate the sudden intruder. You turned back only to feel someone's lips on yours.

It's Tom standing behind and you kissed him.

"WTF" you both cursed rubbing your lips harshly.

Congrats you have kissed you rival.

Also your blood enemy. 🤣

And from that possibly the doom started (For you specially). Having very conservative thoughts Tom was persistent about marrying you as you took his first kiss.

"But we are freaking kids 🙂" You were so done and had enough of this rascal pestering you having a good talk to boys around you, stalking you, stealing your quils and handkerchief (literally you mother is scolding you why you needed 50 handkerchiefs in less than a month).

Born from the affects of amortenia, The way of confessing is a bit different from others. Teasing, ruining your drawings, sneaking wrong ingredient in the potion and many more if someone else was in your place they would have been leave Hogwarts days ago because of the extreme level of torturing.

To his teasing you gave savage answers, restored you hard work by magic spells, adding the neutralizing ingredient to the potion to save progress.

It went well, you loved this challenges.

Until one day you found Tom bullying your childhood male best friend and you slapped him across the face which echoed through the whole hall. Everyone will fear stared at Tom who grabbed your wrist thinking he would twist it painfully only to see him placing a kiss on the back. Rubbing it on his wounded cheek.

"You hands are so soft just as I imagined" he said like a professional creep.

"It's enough I wanna go home" That's your only thought. You later confronted him in the library .

"What do you want, Riddle?"

"You"

SMACK!

You smacked him across the face.

"Date me"

If it saved your friend from his hand that's what you did .

Breaking News!

The world is on the verge of End Tom and Y/n are dating.

It was printed on the monthly magazine of Hogwarts containing important updates.

Even professors were shocked seeing Tom apologizing to your friend in the hall full of students.

At first you were cold to him but due to gentleman gestures it didn't take long for you to fall for him.

He was already madly in love with you.

Every secret... his world domination plan, The story of his heartless birth father and incompetent mother everything he told you. You didn't supported the plan of his word domination but he was persistent that he would dominate the world and you would be his lady, The lady of the great dark lord. He reasoned that in that position you could get everything you wish for but all in vain.

"Damn it why would you take to support our love?" He yelled.

That day you were already in a bad mood, Extra classes, extra homework didn't got enough sleep last night accompanied by the depressing period hormones.

"Let's break up" and you walked away that was the last time you saw Tom.

It's like he never existed, you graduated from Hogwarts with flying colours.

From a muggle to a powerful and prestigious witch .

You had a great contribution to the magic world numerous effective and easy spells.

New books, new wand cores, there wasn't a single field left.

Sucess fame and fortune you earned it all.

But it was too tiring.

You moved to a deep forest away from human civilization with your parents and cat.

Deep inside the jungle you constructed a luxurious castle to lavishly spend the rest of your days.

Chirp!

Chirp! Chirp!

Two sparrows are playing on the balcony railing.

Wind blows fluttering the curtains revealing a figure sitting on the whitewood table designing a new magical device.

It's You, The powerful muggle witch currently 53 years old.

Hoooo! A messenger owl comes to deliver you the latest daily prophet .

You leave the rest of your work taking a short break keeping yourself updated for the new world.

The first two headlines that caught your eyes

Lily And James Potter Found Dead!

Sirius Black,The Traitor.

[effiefics]

DAUGHTER OF THE ENEMY | Chapter 2

NEIL LEWIS x PLUS SIZE!READER

Summary: She's the daughter of the founder of Media Giant. An up and coming video store company that has taken out several small video stores. Only one still stands and it just happens to be owned by the man she has a major crush on.

Chapter Summary: After finally meeting Neil, Y/N is excited to see how the showing goes and gets to know the Gumshoe crew a little better.

Warnings: Smut (future chapters), age gap (reader is 21 and neil is like late 20s to early 30s), cursing.

Word Count: 1.1k

That night, she looked herself over in her full length mirror. She was dressed in a flowy white blouse and tight dark denim jeans with her favorite heeled boots. The jeans accentuated her curves and helped make her thighs look a little smaller than normal, the perfect look to be flirty yet demure. She ignores the pudge of stomach as she looks around for accessories.

Looking down to the gold watch on her wrist, she curses to herself before grabbing her purse and black tweed jacket. Quickly running down the stairs, she slides on her jacket before heading to the door. “Wait a minute! Get back here!” Her dad says loudly from the living room, sighing to herself she walks back to the living room, her eyes immediately finding the large Media Giant poster on the main wall.

“Where are you going all dressed up?” he asks, noticing her outfit. “My friends and I are going to get some food then go to a showing. One of their boyfriend’s just finished making something.” She lied easily, used to havig to do this all through high school.

“Okay, just be home before sunrise.” She nods and quickly leaves the house. Choosing to walk to the video store, she makes quick steps to get there before too many people show up. It doesn’t take her too long as the store isn’t too far from her house, looking inside the store there is a small amount of people so far.

Pushing the door open, she smiles at the people who turn when the bell rings. “Ah, Y/N! You came.” Neil says, kind of shocked she actually came. “Yeah, I’m a woman of my word.” She says, smiling up at him. “Oh, I want to introduce you to my employees and best buds. Jonathan and Lucien.” He says, gesturing to the two men she saw when she first entered the store earlier.

She waves before turning back to Neil, “So, do you expect a lot of people here tonight?” She asks, playing with her fingers. “I think it’ll be the usual people that come in here. Maybe some curious folks but nothing too crazy.” She nods and looks around. “Oh, would you like something to drink?” He asks and she nods following him to get a drink.

The store slowly started to fill with people as it got closer to eight but it definitely wasn’t full. Everyone was able to fit comfortably around the TV area when it hit eight. The TV starts to play a black and white video which makes everyone cheer, it reminds her of the old detective films she used to watch with her grandparents when she was younger.

The commercial is definitely for a certain kind of audience with it’s noir style aesthetic and script. Neil’s old timey detective accent makes her giggle as the camera pulls back to show the store lighting up and he gives a big smile to the camera. The room cheers as it ends and he walks to the TV mimicking what he did at the end with a big thumbs up, smile, and wink. “Wow, this is amazing. Um, I don’t really know where to begin.” He breathes heavily as his voice starts to shake. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry.” He says and everyone laughs at his acting.

He starts to say a speech when a Media Giant commercial starts to play. The room starts to boo and throw popcore at the screen which makes her shrink into herself. “Guys, can someone��” Neil makes a cut motion towards Jonathan who quickly turns the TV off as the company name is said.

“It's okay. I know I can't compete with these big guys, but as long as I have you guys...my small and loyal following of geeks and weirdoes, I know I'll be alright. Everyone, have some more beer! Oh, and stick around, because later on…we are gonna have a special midnight screening of a 1949 classic She-Gorilla.” Neil says, the little speech making her smile even though she does feel conflicted because of how much of her life is engrained in Media Giant.

The night goes well, Y/N gets to meet a lot of people in the store and drinks plenty, enjoying being able to be around like minded people for a while. 

“Y/N/ Y/N!” Neil says, catching her attention. He motions her over which she follows immediately. She leans against the counter as Jonathan makes some drinks, she found out he was a bartender at a place not too far from here. “How was that, guys? You're not supposed to show ads for two different video stores...during the same commercial break, alright?” Neil says sadly.

“Who cares? When is the show again?” Jonathan asks, sipping on his beer. “Oh my god, 3:12 a.m.” Neil says but she zones out as she watches Neil’s lips move as he drinks his drink. She blinks quickly when Jonathan walks away, leaving the two alone.

“What did you think, honestly.” He asks, knowing he might get the most honest answer from the woman he met only a couple of hours ago. “I thought it was cool. The concept was nice and definitely will stick out. I’m also guessing that girl in the commercial was your girlfriend.” She says, trying to get more information on the girlfriend situation.

“Yeah, that’s Denise. She didn’t show up tonight, I think. She thinks this whole thing is a little stupid.” He admits, the alcohol making him more open than normal. “Ew, that’s not good. I understand being skeptical but to think this is stupid is not a good thing girlfriend wise. You’re supposed to support your partner, and even if you don’t like the idea then be nice about it.”

He nods, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I don’t think I’m gonna be with her much longer anyway. We don’t have a lot in common.” He says and she nods. An empathetic look on her face as she tries to hide her giddiness.

The two talk for a moment longer before he walks away to continue to mingle. She smiles to herself before also going to find more people to talk to.

The rest of the night is fun with the screening going well before people start to leave, Y/N included until Neil stops her. “Hey, um, I was wondering. Could I get your number, just incase I need help here at the store or something?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“Yeah, I don’t mind at all.” She gives him her number before looking at him with a bright smile. “Have a good night, Neil.” She gets on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek before walking away, a sway in her step as she feels his eyes on her.

[daturakillz]

What do you need to hear right now? Pick an image!

No. 1.

Cards: RIDER WAITE TAROT:

King of pentacles, the magician, 2 of pentacles.

MAGICK OF YOU ORACLE:

26: protection: set personal boundaries. 27: resilience: burn away the past.

WOODLAND WARDENS:

The chipmunk and Laurel: success. The hound and pear: loyalty.

You have or will be stepping into a time of strength, success, and stability. You may have faced some recent struggles surrounding fluctuations regarding finances, stability, home life, work and or status. This could've been due to an unhealthy or less than favorable work / group situation, causing you to set boundaries and walk away.

You have (or will have) the tools available for you to embark on a new venture in business or career! If you're a practitioner of the arcane arts, I suggest using what you have on hand to do some sort of protection and prosperity spell or ritual! And if you are into astrology, and have your birth chart, look at your money houses and see if there's any particular transits going on for you at this time.

You're headed towards more committed and loyal bonds, finding people you can rely on and who can rely on you. Though the past may have been rocky, you're more than capable of producing a glorious harvest! And a harvest that you can share with those you love ♡

🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

No. 2.

RIDER WAITE TAROT

Justice. 9 of swords. Knight of wands.

WOODLAND WARDENS

The ladybug and sweet pea happiness. The bobcat and blackthorn patience.

MAGICK OF YOU ORACLE

4: doable: the key is within your grasp. 16: merak: embrace oneness with the universe.

I heard "it's time to reflect." For you guys who picked number 2. I see that you've faced some major difficulties recently (or even over the past few years.) Through these harsh and trying times, you've likely developed some anxiety which in turn has lead to some sleepless or restless nights. And for that, I personally would like to say that I'm truly sorry to hear this. However! Despite what you may feel right now this period will come to an end. And I know, you're frustrated and impatient. But there are just somethings in this life we cannot rush, no matter how much we try to speed run to the finish line...sometimes we aren't meant to get there when we feel we should.

You maybe younger, and you're comparing yourself to others online or in your community that have reached seemingly impossible achievements. Maybe you're older, and you are upset at the life you've lead up until this point. No matter the age, you may feel you're slower than your peers, or lazy, or simply not good enough. But the human experience isn't about followers, ridiculous amounts of money and a picture perfect image. Being a late bloomer or simply not getting the current social trend, doesn't mean you're destined for failure or that something is wrong with you. The world we're living in is complex, distorted, and layered in so much that it can easily overwhelm us.

You deserve to discover your passions again, to reach for the light again, to walk with life without pressure again. Take some time to reflect, to recover, and don't push yourself to be something you are not. Sometimes, you just need to slow down and reevaluate what you want, what you're feeling, or what you simply need.

Happiness will find you again, it may not be today, it may not be this month. But slowly, as you recover and regain your strength you will find that the key is within your grasp. And when you find it, I want you to GRAB IT! Take what is yours because you have earned it my friend. Embrace the darkness, let it carry you to the light.

Justice will be served.

🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

No. 3.

RIDER WAITE TAROT

3 of cups. King of Swords. Wheel of fortune.

MAGICK OF YOU ORACLE

12: hex: be still and allow the enemy to reveal themselves. 10: firgun: become a loving mirror.

WOODLAND WARDENS.

The weasel and pine: introspection. The turtle and coriander: satisfaction. The coyote and datura: deceit.

You may have had an altercation between enemies or discovered someone in your circle isn't as loyal and true as they've claimed. You may have had your suspicions about someone around you who isn't faithful or honest and the truth about them will be revealed. You're being advised not to act or react and instead allow them to trip themselves up on their own words / actions.

Regardless if you're currently going through this, or this entire ordeal has already happened and is a thing of the past or will be a thing in the near future, the most important thing for you to do now is be there for yourself. A period of introspection is necessary for you to process this action/betrayal or falling out.

Now, on the other side of the coin, and for a few of you. Whether you want to face it or not. It may have been you who lied to and betrayed someone you loved. You may of, at least at the time. Felt justified in your actions. Maybe you believed you were in the right, or you had all the answers. Maybe your view of them was distorted and murky, or you fell for lies and deceit from another about them. No matter the case, whether you did this on purpose or on accident, it's been eating at you subconsciously. You need to find the strength to face yourself and say "I fucked up." It ain't easy, believe me I know from personal experience. But you can't just pretend it didn't happen. We as people are going to hurt those around us with or without realizing it, none of us are innocent and none of us are perfect. You gotta look at yourself and still love who you are and accept that we all make mistakes. If you're truly sorry, and you now understand that your actions weren't just or simply were shitty, then apologize if you can. And if you can't, then as the God of War kratos said himself: don't be sorry, be better.

Allow the one you hurt to find peace, and allow yourself to find peace.

And as for those of you who were hurt, you will recover from this. This was fated to happen not because the universe is cruel or something big like that, but because that is simply how people are. The truth comes out eventually whether we'd like it to or not in most cases.

For both parties here, when all is set and done, you will find satisfaction and move on.

🕯🌹🕯🌹🕯🌹🕯

If you enjoyed this reading or it was accurate to you and your situation then please let me know, be it a simple like, follow/subscribe, a comment and or save! I hope you found this to be helpful, and that you have a great rest of your day or night!

Take care ♡

(I apologize for auto corrections and typos)

[k--havok]

soft touches, godless hands tainted love, holy grin no one can save me from my sin

Soft Touches, Godless Hands

An Adult Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance Series

· ─── ❖︎· · ─────── ·❖︎· ─────── · ·❖︎❖︎❖︎· · ─────── ·❖︎· ─────── · ·❖︎ ─── ·

Summary: Sapphic | Enemies to Lovers | 3rd Person POV | First Draft | Series

God has turned away from His flock of angels. The Golden City has grown cold and silent. And no angel knows why, not even the Seraphim, the ones who serve His Throne directly.

As angels begin to Fall, transforming into demons, the universe is thrown into chaos. Darkness is spreading, and cracks are beginning to form in the fabric of Space-Time.

With the population of angels dwindling, the seraph, Auriel, is tasked with the job of the archangels; to protect the third dimension and the beings that dwell on the planets within it.

Auriel is sent to Earth to follow up on reports of demonic activity. But as Auriel investigates the growing chaos, they realize there is more than just demonic activity afoot.

The demons know something that Auriel, and the rest of the angels do not. But to work with demons is heresy, especially the demon known as Beelzebub, the one who has Fallen the farthest, and broke Auriel's heart millennia ago.

To righten the universe, it may take more than Auriel's prowess as a seraph. There is something evil afoot. And perhaps the demons are not the propagators.

But if that is the case, then who is?

Themes:

Grey morality, foreshadowing/mystery, eldritch horror, cosmic horror, bringing order to chaos, friends to lovers to enemies to lovers, our relationships make us who we are, figuring out who you are, LGBT+ themes, giving in to temptations, longing for more, becoming worse but whole, learning to accept yourself, true evil does not exist.

Contains:

Graphic depictions of gore, violence, torture, cannibalism, and body horror. Depictions of mental illness. Religious persecution, imagery, and abuse. Graphic sexual content. Eldritch Horror. Co-dependent relationships. Misgendering. Genocide. Religious Bashing.

Main Characters:

Auriel

| They/Them | Seraph | Protagonist |

Auriel is one of the remaining four seraphs, who reign over all other angels and only kowtow to God Himself. Auriel is a seraph of Chasity, one of the seven heavenly virtues, and has spent the longest amount of time within the Golden City compared to the other seraphs.

Auriel is known to be no-nonsense, clever, and loyal to other angels and God as well. They have a strong, unwavering faith for themself and others. They are a minimalist that does not care for appearances, material wealth, or beautiful visas. At least, before they traveled to Earth, that is. Likewise, due to staying in Heaven for the majority of their millennia alive, Auriel does not care much for the Third Dimension or material world. Although loyal to a fault to God and the rest of His angels, it is an intense loyalty that succeeds everything else, even Auriel's sense of self.

Despite their virtues, Auriel is arrogant to the point of prideful. Logical to a fault, Auriel knows that they are among the most powerful angels, and does not hesitate to use that fact to intimidate foes and remind friends and subordinates alike. Likewise, Auriel is neurotic, and struggle when things are not under their control. They value routine and predictability over spontaneity. They have little humor, and the majority of the time remain serious. Despite their outwardly calm demeanor, Auriel lives in a constant state of stress and anxiety.

As a seraph, Auriel does not have a true body of flesh and blood, taking on forms of different creatures mattering on the need at the time.

In their human form, Auriel goes by Abigail Torres. They have brown skin, long black hair, and brown eyes. Their features are plain and unremarkable with a rectangle-shaped body. They wear plain clothes in the neutral colors of brown, white, black or gray consisting of loose trousers that allow them movement and a blouse.

In their true form, Auriel is made of energy and the light of the cosmos. They do not have the same senses as material beings, but can sense other angels, demonic activity, the passage of time, as well as wrinkles and faults in the fabric of space. Their true form burns with a holy light and fire, strong enough to sear and destroy those of the Third Dimension by merely existing. In their true form, Auriel is an eldritch creature consisting of many wings and eyes which they keep tucked around themself. These eyes do not "see" as a human would; each eye is dedicated to keeping watch of different parts of the universe, Heaven, other angels, and demons. Their body is mainly quadrupedal, but they do have opposable thumbs and can still choose to be bipedal if they wish. They do not have a real face or facial features, and so it shifts constantly, twisting with their own power and their emotion. Auriel's true form is a colorful one, and alight with thousands of colors, many unseen to the human eye.

Beelzebub

| She/Her, He/Him | Demon | Antagonist/Protagonist |

Beelzebub was once one of the seven seraphim. The third to Fall after Satan and Lucifer, Beelzebub was stripped of her holy light and her angelic name. After being stripped of such things, she was left with herself. Dubbing herself "The Lord of the Flies," Beelzebub set her sights on the Third Dimension to continue the rest of her bidding.

After being stripped of her connection to God, Beelzebub was left with only himself. Although such exile may have wrought others, Beelzebub was always confident in himself. Beelzebub is also known to be smart, and is always plotting or scheming. He tends to think his plans out thoroughly, and is good at reading other angels and demons alike. Beelzebub is also opinionated, charismatic, and humorous.

After her Fall, Beelzebub found herself enjoying tinkering with different Third Dimensional machines. She also has a soft spot for insects primarily found on Earth. She enjoys collecting and breeding rare insects.

Beelzebub still has many vices that grip him. Alcohol and sex being the two primary ones. But on Earth, Beelzebub is welcome to sink into his greed of power and material objects. Beelzebub walks as a false idol among humans, hoarding wealth for himself.

To walk on Earth, Beelzebub must possess unused human bodies, as he does not have the ability to create flesh and bone from scratch. Corpses are her go-to. However, demonic magic is not gentle or patient. And so it twists the appearance of whatever body Beelzebub tries to possess, and her true nature almost always shines through. Although Beelzebub can hide these changes from most humans, some of the more small, subtle shifts are noticeable to those perceptive enough.

Oftentimes, Beelzebub's human forms sport two curved horns, pointed ears, claw-like hands, fangs, and ashy or pale skin. Insects, especially flies, tend to follow him. Despite possessing corpses, Beelzebub usually does not smell. Beelzebub oftentimes also has insect wings sprouting from her back; usually that of a fly.

Links:

| #stgh | #Auriel | #Beelzebub |

Tag List:

If you want updates for this WIP, please let me know and I will add you to the tag list!

[hydropyro]

Webs of Fate : Chapter 4

ao3 link

CW: Abdirak and all he entails

He had few enemies -- enemies being those whom he would kill or wished death on -- and of them, the majority were enemies of Loviatar foremost. He was not an incredibly well-known or popular man, but those who liked him did so intensely and deeply -- though he’d consider few to be his ‘friends.’ Many disliked him for his faith; they did not know him, nor did they understand Her Grace, so he paid them little mind. Few disliked him for him; fewer still he concerned himself with.

Abdirak considered himself unbiased and untethered. Much like the air did not discriminate who breathed it -- just going wherever the breeze carried -- Abdirak was a free agent, loyal only to his goddess and Her will.

As a younger man, he may have been more zealous, though he’d never gone as far as to seek out followers of Illmater as others did. He had also been more self-conscious -- unsure of who he was and his purpose. Unable to see others in fear of himself.

He had adversaries and acquaintances -- both of whom shifted like a tide; his vessel moored to Her will. As different as they all thought themselves to be, Abdirak had been on both sides of most coins. Over the years, he had learned that the similarities of those in opposition often greatly outweighed their differences.

As he watched the drow pull his blade over the meat of his dark, smooth chest in long, shallow, though deep enough to bleed strokes, he tried to remember the last time that he had harmed someone.

“Yes, child. Let Her hear your pain. Offer it to Her,” he murmured approvingly to the drow. He had cut two long stripes and had started a third.

He could fight. He fought well and practiced often when at the temple. He spent most of his time when at the temple in Calimport, but he’d been to nearly all of them in his life.

He had killed. Loviatar demanded that all followers of Illmater be removed -- and as a Kneeling One, those elders he’d followed took this to mean that they should die.

Abdirak did not regret their deaths. Ultimately, his actions were justified and aligned with Her will. But it was early in his time as a devout of Loviatar that Abdirak had determined he did not like unnecessary violence.

“Stop now.” He raised a hand to stop Alakvyr, gesturing for the blade to be returned to him. “Do you yearn for more?”

“Yea--” the drow’s eyes were a little distant. “I want to show your goddess how grateful I am for your assistance.”

Abdirak smirked and reached into a roll of instruments lying just inside his tent. From what he had felt in being compelled to join the drow and his party, the Pain doubted that Loviatar would change Her mind. But, he could not deny the twinge of satisfaction that he felt in knowing that She would not be opposed to withdrawing Abdirak’s aid -- or even turning him in opposition of the drow -- to see the elf’s spirit break. And, as intrigued as Abdirak was by the young elf and his companions, he would do it. As fiercely as he would defend Alakvyr and his friends’ lives tomorrow -- as was Her will -- so too would he take them should She ask it.

He produced a small vial of powder from his pack and showed it to Alakvyr. “Hold out your hand.”

“Okay.”

He felt a slight -- ache. After years of serving Her Grace, he had learned what each little twinge, tug, burn, and leap of his soul may mean. He felt more sure that She intended his time with the adventurers to be long-term. “When we share pain, child, either at my hand or under my instruction, you are to address me as ‘Sir’ or ‘Paingiver.’”

Deep red eyes met his a quick moment before Alakvyr nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

Abdirak uncapped the vial. “This powder has many minerals in it -- such as salts and the like. When rubbed into your wound, it will hurt but will not harm.

“If you would like to continue your tribute tonight, I’d ask that you use this.” The Paingiver poured a small amount into Alakvyr’s hand, then onto his own injured palm. He hissed as it stung and burned. After recapping the vial, Abdirak rubbed his palms together to work the powder deep into his wound.

Alakvyr did not hesitate to copy him, though his cries of pain were much more vocal. Pain was always more severe to the unaccustomed.

“Alakvyr?” The wizard’s voice came from just outside the ruin a moment before he rushed in.

“I’m okay,” the drow panted, one eye squeezed closed against the pain. His chest would feel like the flesh was burning and peeling. In time, it would ache, and by morning, it would be like a deep bruise -- though no additional damage would have been done.

“Is dinner ready?” The drow accepted the wizard’s assistance, climbing to his feet. He gestured for Abdirak to follow, and the older man did.

The wizard nodded, shot a suspicious look at Abdirak, then turned and started back into camp.

“They’ll warm up to you,” the drow assured the torturer.

Abdirak wasn’t concerned with their feelings.

“Let’s go eat.” Alakvyr led the way. “And -- thank you -- Sir.”

The food was not unpleasant, though would have benefitted from a more refined pallet cooking it. Abdirak certainly would not be able to outdo the wizard despite Gale’s being a novice.

“Chk,” the githyanki woman exclaimed upon hearing of Alakvyr’s plan for the upcoming day. “Defend the teethlings against the goblins? I suppose next, you’ll want to escort them all the way to Baldur’s Gate?

“We should put them out of their misery by delivering swift deaths.”

The vampire, who held a platter of food but had not begun eating, laughed. It sounded light and amused, but Abdirak’s practiced ear picked up on his anxiety.

“You were worried about me?” the Paingiver murmured and glanced at the human who had been so against his joining their party, offering him an amused smile.

He had never actually met a githyanki before. As much as he would have loved to get a good look at her -- feel the firmness of her muscles despite her slight frame -- see how a being from such a strict, militaristic society could hold up to his ministrations -- he doubted that she would let him get less than five feet from her.

“The tieflings,” Alakvyr emphasized, “are innocent. And, the Absolute Cult is responsible for our problem somehow.” He tapped his temple with a forefinger. “So regardless of how you feel about the tieflings, it will still be necessary to fight the True Souls and their goblin army.”

The githyanki considered the logic briefly and seemed satisfied, though not enthused. “As long as it does not delay us in locating the creche once this Absolute Cult has been dealt with.”

Abdirak wasn’t quite sure what had been said, but all of the eyes around the fire rolled, and there were a few exasperated sighs that went unnoticed -- or ignored -- by the alien woman.

“So, what’s your deal?” the tiefling woman spoke up after a long silence, and Abdirak found her fiery eyes on him.

She was a puzzle. Abdirak had never been too keen on the infernal, but even he could smell the Hells on her. Despite appearances, she was gentle and amicable as far as he had observed. She was careful not to disturb the others but would sing to herself and do small dances that were so joyous it was almost sickening.

“Karlach, is it?” Abdirak placed his utensils on the empty dish and rested them on the ground beside where he knelt. “I am a priest of the Maiden of Pain, Loviatar.”

“You’ve talked about her quite a bit.” The exasperated expression returned, which was particularly amusing when directed at him. “Why are you here with us? What do you want?”

The Paingiver held up his hands. “My only desire is to serve my Maiden. She compelled me to join your camp and wants me to assist you tomorrow.

“It may surprise you to learn that Loviatan Clerics are capable healers.”

“Not capable fighters?” the githyanki scoffed.

“Not on your behalf, no.” His pleasant smile remained.

“I wouldn’t trust that one to have my back,” the excitable bard exclaimed. He sat cross-legged on the far side of the fire and peered through the flames anxiously. “You may get a knife in it.”

Abdirak wasn’t frequently offended by comments from people who didn’t understand him or his goddess, but calling his integrity into question was annoying. Still, it was unlikely that the whiney bard would be present at the battle. The Paingiver had nothing to prove to him -- or anyone -- and so kept his mouth closed.

“We need all of the help that we can get,” Alakvyr came to his defense. “He hasn’t harmed anyone--”

“Tell that to the treasure hunter,” the pigeon snapped.

“The treasure hunter that I kept alive?” Abdirak asked. “He would surely have died had the goblins had their way with him. He’s lucky my expertise was requested.”

“We have a hard day ahead of us,” the wizard spoke up before any discourse could escalate. He was sitting nearest to the bard and must have gotten an earful already. “We should all get some rest.”

“I’ll take the first watch,” the vampire offered, and no one argued.

[themissinghand]

Trash of the Count’s Family:

Your Name

Summary: In which Choi Han is under a spell and betrayal is just on the other side of loyalty. (Or Cale suffers)

Note: Okay, why do I have to make our puppy Choi Han suffer? Damn you inspiration, hitting me at the wrong time. Not manhwa canon obviously, but this could have happened if you know what I mean.

Warning: Spoilers for the novel (beyond the manhwa), you have been warned. Also, major character death.

All Choi Han could see was darkness, destruction, and blood.

Was it another illusion?

It could have been.

But Choi Han knew; his instincts were rarely ever wrong.

That this was reality.

That the darkness within him was real. 

That the destruction around him became a norm.

That the blood on his body was not his.

Almost never his.

"Choi Han."

He pulled out his sword from a body. He heard an excruciating yell, before a cough of blood, and the sound of a fallen body on sand.

"C-Choi Han...you bastard."

"Human!"

Choi Han couldn't see who he had stabbed, but he knew.

He knew.

How could he not know who this was?

He heard a light chuckle, and then a hand went to grasp his shoulder. Choi Han felt a squeeze, and he forced himself to turn and see the mastermind.

His white mask fitted snugly over his face, and his short red hair flew in the air by the sheer amounts of mana he's using.

With a blast of magic, familiar screams filled his ears.

"Choi Han! No!"

Move!

"Good work, Choi Han."

He instantly looked away as if he was disgusted, and back to the person he'd stabbed.

He knew this was someone important, someone dear. He knew who this person was but why?

Choi Han couldn't move.

Tears rolled down his cheeks and landed on his clothing.

That blood on his clothing was not his.

Almost never his.

Always the blood of his enemies.

So why?

"Yes, Cale-nim."

And he follows 'Cale' as a faithful and loyal person he is.

[lem-argentum]

a little introduction-y post for my main self inserts..!!!! (+ oc in the case of rudy, since he’s also being used for selfship purposes) <33

chrome (ff.vii)

theme song: the world ends with you - newgrounds death rugby

“oh, please start a fire in my heart / burn it down and give me a fresh start / push my corpse into a ditch / don’t bother to bury it!”

a performer in midgar’s infamous wall market, specializing in materia-based fire juggling. takes himself very seriously despite all experiences pointing to him being the planet’s personal court jester. has long abandoned his childhood dreams in favor of just trying to get by and live in peace, the latter goal currently being disrupted by a certain series of events having attracted him the attention of the turks’ second-in-command.

commonly found in: wall market, the corneo colosseum, the sector 5 scrapyard, seventh heaven

significant relationships: reno (worst enemy), reeve (familial, post-og ff.vii events)

closest friends: jessie, biggs, wedge

———

north onding (ff.ix)

theme song: dogs on the porch - yellow ostrich

“there’s no need to worry / the dogs are on the porch / just shut the door behind me / i’ll be back before it’s dark”

lindblum’s lead airship engineer. very talented in his field of work, dedicating the vast majority of his time to it. always seems elsewhere in social engagements, unless listening to the tales of visiting adventurers. one would wonder if he entertains thoughts of exploring the world himself, yet he stays loyally glued to his tools and projects. the presence of a particular dragon knight is what brings the brightest sparkle to his eyes.

commonly found in: lindblum castle

significant relationships: freya (queerplatonic), cid (work partners who are very often around each other)

closest friends: he has none.

———

flint gearheart (ff.vi)

theme song: we’ll never know the place - fever the ghost

“i follow tightly, bound to the earth / with thoughts of the aftermath and my own self worth” “and all that is real is burning, all that is real is burning”

a wanderer who claims, all across the planet, to be a powerful mage. but that’s clearly false, because mages don’t exist anymore, right? …right? well, either way, no one has seen him use magic, and most regard his words as nonsense. it seems his main goal is to sow rumors and turn heads. living a lie of a life surely has to bring about some sorts of identity issues, but maybe his recruitment into the returners will find him some company to aid with that.

commonly found in: fi.garo castle, the blackjack

significant relationships: edgar (favorite adventuring companion & preferred target of pestering)

closest friends: c.eles, locke

———

rudy oddward (ff.xiv)

theme song: marathon runner - yellow ostrich

“i am a marathon runner, and my legs are sore / and i’m anxious to see what i’m running for / i am a hot air balloon on a sailboat / i would make this my home if i’d learn to float”

the warrior of light, a dedicated machinist, bard, and culinarian. generally easygoing and upbeat. always happy to take on tasks for others, perhaps to an absurd extent (and maybe an unhealthy one…?). cares deeply for those close to him, though reluctant with serious words — conveys it through favors and gifts instead. takes a defensive approach in most situations; prioritizes the safety of others above all, and yet is highly impulsive to the detriment of his own.

commonly found in: the rising stones, the skysteel manufactory

significant relationships: th.ancred (best friend. more fond of him than others — not aware of any possible reasons for that, though!), alphi.naud (like a younger cousin to him. would do anything for)

closest friends: y.shtola

[emberwood-if]

What kind of MC would the antagonist like if he were to meet them in the story? (Shy mc, stoic mc for example)

As in romantically? Or platonically?

Either way, antagonist values honesty over everything due to the nature of his past and who he is today, but he doesn’t have a preference for what kind of person he likes. He’s a red flag so if MC isn’t on his side and doesn’t believe in his end goal (even if it means having to engage in violence) then 🤷🏼‍♀️, you should expect to be a loyal follower if you want the antagonist to like you lol which isn’t healthy but he’s not exactly stable.

That’s where the problem lies with him: he wants people to be honest with him but he can’t take honesty that isn’t agreeing to everything he wants lol.

Right now he’s very one track minded. He has one end goal in mind and that makes him a bit obsessive. He also has major trust issues and believes anyone who isn’t on his side is an enemy, even those who wish to remain neutral.

The antagonist has a lot of inner demons to work through, but that’s what I like about his character! The darkness within him is a lot more complicated than just writing it off as “he’s evil.”

Basically, the MC he will like is the MC who is by his side no matter what!

[odd-galaxy]

The world of Odd Galaxy 

THE WORLD- Odd galaxy is a si-fi galaxy filled with planets, celestial bodies and more. All orbiting the sun with some exceptions. Its an ever-changing universe with loads of different creatures and beings. Starships are needed to traverse this vast universe with secrets and mysteries to find at every turn. As well as threats and enemies as well.

The politics-  Most of the galaxy is fulled by Wads, which is this universes currency. To get by you must have wads and a lot of them. There are numerous business across the galaxy to shipping fleets and asteroid mining facilities. The hub of all commerce is mission moon where vendors set up and barter and trade. As such there are many different Factions, such as Captain lillypads feet of pirates or the emperors loyal followers and army. As well as the guild to which our heroes are members of. There’s political unrest as citizens are rebelling against rule and are rising up against their unjust authority.

 The planets

Mission moon- Mission moon is the home for the task sisters and where our heroes go when they aren’t working. It the a moon orbiting the commercial planet. Vendors ,mercenaries ,pirates and the like go here to trade ,sell and refuel.

Commercial hub- This large planet is where our heroes originate from. It consists of large skyscrapers peeking over the skies. And is where the elite and rich go to do their business.

Asteroid fleet- This is a fleet of asteroids filled with gems jewels and valuables. Miners unionize here and harvest this area for it resources. This is also a dangerous place where scavengers and pirates take advantage of anyone greedy enough to fall into their traps.

Mushroom planet- A planet covered completely with mushrooms ranging all sizes. There is a constant turf war happening with the red capped mushrooms and blue capped mushrooms. Much life on this planet takes place underground in its vast cave networks. There’s a giant ravine going through the middle of the planet.

Ruined planet- This sandy planet is very hot, being the 2nd closest planet to the sun. its littered with giant statues and weapons of unknown origin.

Submerged planet- This tropical planet is covered with a giant ocean. With small continents and archipelagos lining the surface. Majority of its ecosystem consist underwater in varied oceanic biomes. Its also home to a gargantuan leviathan that lurks below.

Floating island planets- this planet consists of giant continent sized floating islands floating above the planet reaching into the clouds. Sometimes these continents will break, causing chunks to fall and create craters into the planet below. Its got a jungle type ecosystem where sun reaches more at the top and gets trickled down to the malnourished area below.

Swoop comet- The swoop comet is a comet that circles around the galaxy twice a year. Its said to be worshipped and bring good luck!

Dark midnight planet- This rocky mountainous planet is constantly in a electrical storm as the white whole in its center is slowly eating the planet. This area is also extremely dark and hostile. Its home to the swirl beasts when are blind creatures who track down any thing that has the misfortune of crash landing on the planet.

The sun – The sun is the giver of life in this universe, Theres a station connected to the sun which harvests its energy for fuel.

[gameinfoxtbr]

Heir of Light Latest Update and News

Heir of Light the game has just received a major update with new features and heroes, as well as some new modes. With this update implemented, both the Hello World and those who have been playing these games since childhood get value. Everything here is new: powerful characters and fresh events that are guaranteed to keep the situation lively! Ready to dive in? Join us to learn more new trends or news about Heir of Light! 👾✨

GameInfoX 🆕 What’s New in Heir of Light? In the current update on Heir of Light, players are presented with several additions alongside the improvements that have been incorporated into gameplay. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect: - New Heroes: The update has added a pool of entirely new superheroes with enhanced specials that can turn the tide of a fight. I don’t know if you are looking for shocking enemies or strategic allies, but these new heroes introduce new levels of strategy into the game. 🛡️⚔️ - Exclusive Events: New limited-time events are now available and they reward players with rare heroes, gear, and resources for a certain amount of time. You are welcome to participate to win these wonderful prizes as you indulge in the events!!! 🎁 - Expanded Storyline: In Heir of Light, the plot has become richer in new story chapters that reveal presumptions of the game’s background as dark and mysterious. Fans of the game can continue the adventures of the characters along with enhanced battles with bosses and events of the world. - Improved PvP: PvP experience has also been worked on so that PvP battles will be a fairly balanced fight against the other player. Get into the ring right away and challenge your friends, colleagues, or random folks to determine whose team is the strongest and take the top spot! Want to excel in the game? Check out the lowest Heir of Light Beginner Guide You shouldn’t ever lose out on the new content or in battle.

GameInfoX 🎯 Why Heir of Light Stands Out Heir of Light is a worthy representative of RPG games with a focus on unique dark fantasy settings, numerous strategies, and exciting possibilities of character customization. Here are a few reasons why the game has garnered a loyal following: - Dark and Immersive World: The game’s world has a great, gothic atmosphere and graphics that are rather unique for an RPG game. 💀🕸 - Strategic Depth: As for the gameplay, Heir of Light is not as straightforward as simpler RPGs where a player must learn how to organize the team, how it interacts with each other, and manage - Constant Updates: There are plans to release constant updates for Heir of Light where the developers add new content and further improvements as well as events. It guarantees that the

GameInfoX For more information about the creative personnel that have worked on this game, visit the Com2uS Heir of Light page to find out more about the developers and their plans. 🏆 Heir of Light Tier List Ask yourself which heroes are more effective to set your focus on and enhance in a team. Here is the complete new Heir of Light Eclipse Tier List that helps you know which one is the strongest character with a powerful skill set and play style.

GameInfoX Here are some of the top-tier heroes in the current meta: - Lucien: A powerful AoE damager, which is good for any composition in the game, and a master of gun sling and swordplay. 🌪️ - Sphinx: It is the Protector class and it is as important as the rest because her strengths lay in defense and healing, which are important if you want to keep your team alive during hard fights. - Kaitos: A strongly armed unit that fearslessly takes blows and shields his companions. 🛠️ Tips for New Players If you’re new to Heir of Light, here are a few essential tips to help you get started on the right foot: - Focus on Building a Balanced Team: Due to these factors, the important thing to remember is to make a team with offense, defense, and support heroes. Ensure your team can cope effectively when in combat situations on the battlefield. - Utilize Codes for Free Rewards: Heir of Light Codes can give new players and veterans free items and resources making them useful for everyone. Often, opening these codes allows you to get gems, gold, and other treats that can be useful at the initial stages of the game! 💎 - Level Up Strategically: However, do not level up all of your heroes simultaneously with a vengeance. It will be more economical initially to try and make your core players grateful and fully developed to the next level if needed. - Take Part in Events: Gathering points is the best reward I’ve ever got in this game so it is recommended to join limited-time events to get some extra special rewards such as new appearance of heroes or gears. 💬 Frequently Asked Questions Q1: How can I get Heir of Light?A: Heir of Light is available to download on both Android and iOS operating systems. They can download the game from the Google Play Store by clicking on this link.Q2: How can I reveal the codes of the Heir of Light?A: To redeem codes in the Heir of Light you need to go to the settings of the game and enter the code in the “Redeem” tab. Don’t forget about new Heir of Light Eclipse Codes which unlock free items~Q3: Are Heir of Light free?A: Yes the game Heir of Light is free to play, the players can also use a lot of money on a game and purchase in-app products to boost their levels or for getting more stylish characters.Q4: What are the top heroes in Heir of Light?A: To find out more about the latest Heir of Light heroes list to see which ones occupy the tops of the Heir of Light Eclipse Tier List. The three best baby names according to the predictions are Lucien, Sphinx, and Kaitos.Q5: Is there an update often with Heir of Light?A: Yes the developers continually launch updates which are usually new heroes, events, or even improvements on some features. 📣 Join the Heir of Light Community Heir of Light Facebook page is intended for announcements, status, and event notifications. As an addition, here you can find other players or gamers and share your experience in games! 🌟 On the Tales of the World seems to follow a similar trajectory, with a wealth of content set within Heir of Light’s dark fantasy setting and involving gameplay fans love. No matter how often you play or how long you have been playing you can always find something interesting in new releases. Therefore, grab your weapons, prepare your heroes and it is high time for you to begin the battle against darkness! ⚔️ Word Count: 980 Read the full article

[y-rhywbeth2]

@thediffidence my approach to ketheric is (1) he was always a paladin, and paladins have to be zealous. devoted. a bit crazy. also (2) he was always nobility. among other things, he betrayed the people he rules over. ... frankly, i see him as a deeply selfish person. like you say, many people grieve. but ketheric makes a lot of other people pay for his grief. maybe he swapped gods, but he could've been oath of conquest the whole way through.

Hm. I got carried away. Long post. Maybe off topic towards the end, I can't tell.

I definitely agree that Ketheric's flaws like his obvious entitlement and arrogance were the major driving force of his fall, combined with his grief. I'm just wondering to what degree he was an asshole before, or if his grief has twisted him.

Isobel saying he used to be a better man might be the rose tinted glasses of a child who loved her father and didn't see him from the outside, but since you can kind of get through to him before his boss fight, I do wonder if she was right that he wasn't that unreasonable before and when he turned to Shar he got worse. (While his grief at losing his child, and his desire to escape it is understandable, blaming everybody else (Aylin, notably) and selling everybody out is a flaw.)

Ketheric himself does imply that he was a better person:

'If Melodia could see all I've done, she'd know... she'd know her husband died long ago, with Isobel. Unlike Isobel, he could never be brought back.'

I think zealous faith and the paladin thing is actually part of the downfall:

This is another place BG3 has diverged from FR canon, so it can be handwaved away but: I do note that paladins in the Realms continue to be holy warriors sworn to the service of a deity, usually one, though sometimes multiple. Looking at the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide they're also still supposed to be on the Lawful Good theme. So Ketheric's oath would be sworn to Selûne, who is extremely unlikely to accept an Oath of Conquest unless it's specifically directed at combating Shar. He'd then be an Oathbreaker Paladin/Blackguard, drawing from the 'dark forces' mentioned in the subclass description like Shar and Myrkul. He's not necessarily devoted to a god anymore, he's devoted to what they give him for his service.

'...the Moonmaiden did not intervene when my life was dismantled piece by piece. And when I tried to buy it back, it cost me everything - everything.'

His faith broke - or started breaking - when his wife died, which for a paladin... is unpleasant. When Isobel dies, it's the final betrayal in his eyes. He swore and oath to the Moonmaiden and served loyally, is he not entitled to have Isobel back? (Him somehow more than every other grieving individual who lost somebody that he probably never gave thought to before now?)

This all enters a rather complicated thing about whether one thinks Selûne is unreasonable for not bringing Isobel back - and thus Ketheric is perfectly reasonable in blaming her - or if Selûne is bound by higher rules and/or concerning herself with the Greater Good and being pragmatic - in which case he's selfish from a certain perspective (I'd argue that this isn't a simple situation and it's both).

This is a deity canonically stated to be mindful of her follower's rights and feelings, who refuses to treat them like disposable tools and wants them to live happy lives; she's not leaving him to grieve for shits and giggles, even if her response, if you could ask her, might be to send him to grief counselling instead of shipping his daughter's soul back to him. It's been implied in places that gods are under something a non-interference pact, particularly when it comes to resurrections; once a god starts directly intervening it opens the floor to direct intervention from their enemies too.

There are a couple of things that could get thrown around as to the hows or whys of Isobel not getting resurrected. Avoiding open endless war and butchery with Shar; Isobel's soul somehow being blocked from the afterlife; souls refusing to return when called by the resurrection spell, who knows.

And, of course, even if Selûne was just a selfish power who sees mortals as ants, what became of Reithwin and Ketheric's participation in the Absolute plan because he - unlike the rest of Faerûn and its high death rates - refuses to terms with his grief and made it the world's problem is his fault.

IIs Ketheric understandably consumed by grief but also hubristic, or are the gods too ruthless and he's justified in feeling betrayed? I just shrug and go: eh.

Ketheric continues to be the member of the Chosen I struggle to get a grip on. Like the other three I can tell you the details of why (I think) they grew up to monsters:

Long post.

-

Let's start with Gortash: spent his childhood being told he was a selfish monster for his thoughts - apparently from birth - for the way he perceived the world, for *checks notes* wanting his parents attention as an undeveloped human being that relies on its parents to survive and thrive.

Then his parents send him to hell as part of a deal. Because that's where monsters go isn't it? They go to hell to suffer eternal damnation because they were monsters in life.

So you grow up in one of the literal cesspits of the universe, where the only people you meet are the literal scum of the universe, or those you're going to learn to see as weak fools who had to rely on others - and were ultimately willing to commit atrocities themselves - who were taken advantage of by the scum of the universe. You get to the Hells by committing atrocities, either because you want something so badly you'll fuck somebody over for it (out of greed, or because you couldn't fix it yourself (weak)) or because you did them of your own volition. And curiously, some of these people had their price tags wrapped in such subtle terms they don't even realise they did anything wrong! Lesson learned; anyone will willingly be a monster if you make the evil sound nice. Every single devil you meet has had the humanity flayed from their soul, and they got to where they are in their existences by fomenting (and committing) hate and rape and murder and everything evil under the sun as a regular Monday morning in the ultimate goal to make the universe an evil place. Devils are also 'self made men', everybody started from nothing as a lemure and clawed their way to where they are now. Every social interaction in the Hells is manipulation and abuse. Everyone there hurts everyone.

But you do have one example of a good person! There's Hope! Lovely lady, kind and sweet... Trapped in hell being abused forever going insane because of it because your ambitious sister fucked you over. That's where trust and love being a good person gets you.

And that was his entire social life. That was the people he had to look to for examples. All his early experiences were limited to a sample of the absolute worst it has to offer, and he has a very skewed view of the universe.

And the fact that he's apparently so damn good at sex a lady gave him a ring worth everything she owns after growing up around a pleasure devil whose role is harming and corrupting people with sex and has built in charm person at etc is not ringing alarm bells(!) I'm not side-eyeing the boudoir at all.

I wonder why having a child/teen spend their formative years in the evil factory literally designed to spit out monsters... spat out a monster? Kudos to Karlach, though: just how many layers of defence mechanisms has she got in her brain?

Gortash's thought processes are 50% through the lens of engineering and 50% through the lens of a devil's perspective to me. People will sell out others for their own gain, because they're too weak to do it themselves or because they're bastards. If you don't get with the programme you're the victim. You only get ahead by being ruthless. Everybody is untrustworthy, and relying on them will get you betrayed. The world is divided into the weak and the ruthlessly strong who take what they want. Yes, he's a monster. And so are his parents. And so is everyone. And then Bane saw this perfect example of his way of thinking and said 'that one.'

-

Orin: obviously we've got grooming. The fact that her formative memories include her mother trying to murder her, and the fact that she feels like the only person who has ever cared about her or supported her is her grandfather. Who is implied to have been raping her, or intending to. All she's permitted is to have her brain poisoned by her faith, which her life revolves around, and then her kin 'does it all wrong' and inherits everything she's been groomed to believe is hers. But no, 'they're not wrong,' says everybody around her 'you are!'

She's a Bhaalspawn, so her relationships with her kin are "kill or be killed," as Helena proved. You will please father by slaughtering your siblings, or you will die - or worse. You must be and stay favoured by Bhaal above all the others to be truly safe ("safe"), and Durge outranking her is a threat to her existence. Actually Durge existing is a threat to her well-being. She has no way to live a life outside the cult, never has and never will. Her life is insanely lonely and mostly consists of paranoia.

But the overlaying theme here is that she's a changeling. She's mirrorkin with no unique physical identity of her own, she can only reflect those of others. To be dnd canon accurate: she has no real facial features, no pigmentation. She's not permitted an identity of her own, and was punished for trying. She's a mirror born and raised to reflect the glory of Bhaal, the glory of her failed grandfather, the rise of Bhaal's favourite child. Never her own. Gee, I wonder why she literally wears people's skins.

Denied the ability to do anything but live according to what she's told, she does her best to live up to it because to fail is to become her parents and the countless aunts and uncles currently enjoying their damnation in the Throne of Blood. And then she's told she's doing it wrong. By everybody. She's a 'rabid dog'. She, despite having doctrine poured into her ears and probably carved into her flesh her entire life 'doesn't understand Bhaal.' And everybody is insanely patronising about it! You're never allowed to be anything but what we tell you to be, but you're still not good enough! Which is death. The Temple of Bhaal needs murder feminism.

-

The Dark Urge is my favourite little nightmare, and I've talked about them at length: much of Orin's trauma also applies to them, although where she's a mirror made to reflect the egos of others, Durge is only allowed one identity: Bhaal's. Where Orin can never seem to reach the standards forced on her, Durge is never allowed to fail to meet them, or else. Every outside connection they ever had was brutally sabotaged, and they've had 'you're a monster and only I (your abusive Father) can love you' drilled into their mind. They hate themself. We got the threat of sexual exploitation (assuming it didn't happen), there's a subtle undercurrent of incest to some interactions. The prayer for forgiveness kind of sums it all up: 'I'm sorry for forming an emotional connection that isn't blind love for you father, but don't fret, I'll destroy it with my own hands just like everything else and then finally get to kill myself just like I've always wanted.'

-

But Ketheric? Like villains don't need tragic backstories to be terrible people, but it does make them more interesting.

OK, so your bio family is fucked up and I definitely get the impression that they sucked (Malus is giving me vibes that say he'd have been a villain anyway, and might've been secretly Sharran to start with; Gerringothe seems to be drowning whatever her issues are in gold), and then the loving family you made for yourself broke: your wife died, and your daughter died, sure. But plenty of people on Toril probably have similar if not the same stories and didn't go evil overlord! Why are you doing this? What is informing these decisions? Why does your existence hinge so much on your dead daughter that your son is basically named after her and you seem to hate him for existing and not being her? Does Shar have something to do with it? Has Ketheric just carved out so much memory and emotion, so much of his own identity, that all that's left is the grief and the hunger for the pain to stop but, as per Shar's intent, it keeps coming back, with less and less positive memories to soften the pain. A wound that festers and never heals. Is the obsession with Isobel because she's the icon of everything that was good in his life, and her loss was the moment everything good was gone? Was he a rational man who turned to Shar to stop the pain in a moment of understandable grief and rage at her sister, and then was trapped in a cycle that destroyed everything that was good in that man until we get the General?

Just guess working my way through his entire backstory...

[theclaymorrigan]

FORGING THE SWORD OF THE GREAT QUEEN 📜 Scroll Two:

"Do you have a name?" my Khajiit partner whispered. "Aside from 'Canvaroth', this one means."

"I *am* Canvaroth," I answered in my own whisper. "You are Fanacas. What other names do we need?"

It was the waning hours of darkness. We were lying in our bellies upon a ridge overlooking an Imperial encampment. We spoke under our breath so as not to wake the sleeping soldiers.

"Those are not our names," he persisted. "Canvaroth means 'scout'. That is your function, not your name. The Dominion call khajiit Fanacas or 'white'. That is khajiit's fur color. These are not names, they are labels as if for tools in a smithy."

"We *are* their tools," I droned in monotone. "Their *weapons* to be more precise. I have been trained as a sniper and assassin as long as I care to remember."

"But what of that which you do not care to remember?" chided the one I knew as Fanacas. "Such as your name?"

I coldly met his gaze. "The name my parents gave me has not been spoken since they were put to the sword. I will not hear it spoken again until they greet me beyond the veil."

"It is not that you don't care to remember," he smiled sadly. "It is that you care too much to do so."

"Be silent," I growled, which he promptly ignored.

"This one is named Sinder," he said mildly. "Khajiit would have you know this in case he falls in battle."

Part of me felt ashamed of snapping at him but I seldom listened to that part in those days. "Sender of what?"

He chuckled. "Just Sinder. This one was conscripted into the army of The Dominion because he achieved mastery of Vrin Thak."

"Aren't you a bit young for that?" I was about to ask but fell silent at a faint sound behind us. Fanacas; or Sinder as I now knew him, heard it as well. A small force of warriors was moving along the riverbank that footed the ridge we lay upon. To their credit, the force moved stealthily enough that the Imperial Sentries had not noticed it any more than they had detected Sinder and I. What little could be seen by the waning light of the moons revealed what appeared to be monstrous creatures; antlered or feathered or both. We expected to see them circle our position and converge on the Imperials but they made their way downriver.

Sinder and I shared a gaze. If the creatures simply followed the river's course, they would bypass the cold base-camp we had embarked from. But if they deviated only a few hundred yards northeast, the camp full of Thalmor and Dominion troops would be discovered, resting in anticipation of their dawn ambush of the Imperials.

We were a few leagues from a city called Markarth far behind the enemy lines of what was being called The Great War. A local uprising had wrested the walled settlement from Imperial control. The Thalmor party of The Aldmeri Dominion saw this as an opportunity to divide our enemies from within their own borders and foster dissent. But we were not to openly support the rebels. If our lean strike force was discovered, Somerset would deny all knowledge. We would be 'burned' in the military parlance. The force was loyal to Saudalf (who we called "Sod-Off" behind his back) the Thalmor who had burned my mother's head twelve years past. Saudalf was one of Lord Naarifin's personal entourage and a major player in something they called The Culling. He was also at the camp awaiting a report from "Fanacas" and myself. We slipped in behind the mysterious group and tailed them.

About a half-mile downstream, we rounded a bend in the river. We should have seen the band up ahead what we had judged a safe distance to follow from. There was nothing. Then they rose from concealment encircling us.

"The Reach belongs to The Forsworn!" I heard one say.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[rexxdjarin]

Captain's Log: Chapter 4

Trauma

Series Summary: The galaxy is in turmoil. The Republic has fallen, giving rise to the sinister reign of the totalitarian Empire, led by the insidious Emperor Palpatine. The millions of valiant clone troopers of the former Grand Army of the Republic are now blindly sworn, against their will, to protect a regime they once sought to destroy. After being saved from a terrible fate by his former-Jedi ally and close friend, Ahsoka Tano, seasoned veteran CT-7567 Clone Captain Rex remains loyal to the pillars of Democracy, freedom and truth that shaped the former Galactic Republic. We follow him now struggling to deal with the personal aftereffects of survival and finding his place in the galaxy alongside the only person he has left. You. The love of his life.

[previous] [next] part of Captain's Log series post on ao3

Pairing: Captain Rex x Fem!Reader (she/her pronouns used) Word Count: 8.6k Series Rating: Explicit (18+ only, Minors DO NOT INTERACT) Chapter Summary: No one should ever have to see what Rex has seen. Hell Rex wishes he could stop seeing it every time he closes his eyes. Are there any truths in living nightmares? What else but love can rescue the wretched? Rex doesn't know where else to turn but to trust in his love for his brothers and his love for you. Maybe that's where he'll find some direction... Chapter Warnings: PTSD, Nightmares, Reliving Trauma, War Trauma, Twinge of Survivor's Guilt, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Major Character Loss, Mentions of Dead Bodies, References to Canon Plot, Explicit Sexual Content, Smut, Sex (p in v), Little Breed*ng Kink, Minor C*m Play, Language

“On your left, Sir!”

“Defensive formations!”

“We’ve got men down. Man down! Man down!”

Blaster fire rang out all around. Colors blinding my vision. It’s dark. I can’t see a fucking thing. I feel them all around me on all sides. Friendlies. My men. My brothers. We’re running defensive maneuvers, Fives to my left, Jesse to my right.

I’m shouting orders, but the adrenaline pumping blood into my ears is preventing me from hearing much else but my own thoughts. The colorful clouded smoke clears and before me are lofted piles of thousands and thousands of dead clankers. Higher than I can see the tops of. We press forward, marching through the dark landscape like we’ve done hundreds of times before.

Why does this feel different?

“Enemy’s ahead, boss. We’ve lost 3 platoons. No back up. Just us.” Fives spoke, his face spreading into that wide, determined smirk I remembered whenever I thought of him.

How could he be beside me? He’s dead. Fives is dead.

Jesse let out a snort beside me. “We’ve done better with less. Charge forward. Take ‘em out. We’ll be home by morning. Rex ole boy can go see his girl.” He elbowed me, raising his brows suggestively at me.

Jesse? Jesse’s dead too…

“Stop playing around Jess... Focus.” Someone behind us spoke. The General. He winked at me before pushing past us and igniting his lightsaber. He pointed us forward and we took off, blasters screaming into the clouded black fog disguising our enemies before us.

Suddenly, the scene changed. The piles around us started falling. Pieces of metal clanked beside us, exploding into oblivion onto the surface. As the piles fell, new ones rose to take their place. The sky-high mounds now taking the shape of Geonosian bugs, their gurgling blaster sounds filling my ears again for first the time in years.

Fives dropped in a blood curdling scream, gripping my arm hard enough to tear my pauldron clean off. “Captain! The General! The General!” I whipped around to go back for him and was instantly blocked by a flash of red light. Glowing like a lightsaber blade. Fives’ screams faded behind it. I backed up into Jesse who was muttering under his breath something I could just barely make out.

“Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders.”

I froze, unable to move my limbs to stop him. In one swift move, he lifted his blaster and fired at the General’s position.

“Jesse no!! This isn’t you!!“ I screamed, trying desperately to move myself between them.

“Terminate the Jedi. Or you’re in violation of order 66 and a traitor.” Jesse shouted, pulling out a second pistol and aiming it at me. My limbs moved me forward against my will, shouldering past Jesse and into view of Anakin, standing his ground with Ahsoka and General Kenobi in tow. Before I could think, before I could speak, Jesse fired at them, striking Ahsoka’s shoulder and knocking her down.

“Jesse!!! No!!!” I screamed, my own blaster lifting and firing at them too. I couldn’t control it.

That’s when I realized the piles. The piles now were Jedi. Thousands and thousands of Jedi. The masses growing and growing every time Jesse opened fire. Brown Jedi robes ignited what looked like funeral pyres into flames. The stench of fire and death filling the air and finally revealing where the big black fog shrouding the surface was coming from.

I finally freed myself from the looming grasp over me in time to reach Anakin, who stopped me in my tracks with the force. Ahsoka and General Kenobi were slumped behind him. I couldn’t tell if they were alive or dead. And Anakin himself didn’t look right. His eyes were dark, yellow pupils piercing through the fog between us. The space between he and I flashed with the same red glowing light that stopped me from getting to Fives.

“You were a good soldier, Rex. But you didn’t follow orders…” He boomed, the sound of his voice ricocheting around me and sending the burning piles crashing down between us. The red light broke, but now there were bodies. So many bodies. Too many bodies to get through to reach him.

“General Skywalker! Skywalker!!” I screamed, the sound turning to ashes in my throat and I started coughing. The booming sound of his voice surrounded me again, this time sounding like he was talking through a mask, dark and metallic.

“You can’t help me, Rex. No one can.”

“Anakin!!!” I shouted one final time, lurching forward into the falling bodies and shoving them aside trying to reach them. The sound of pressurized, labored breathing filled the air and no matter how fast I moved, I never got any closer. I shoved body after body out of my way, my muscles screaming to stop. Finally, I looked down and nearly got sick.

The bodies beneath me were no longer covered in the brown robes of a Jedi. But instead covered in plastoid. White plastoid, battle worn and hand-painted in hundreds of different colors and patterns. Colors I would always know by heart. Blue. Yellow. Gray. Green. Red.

Brothers. They were all brothers.

I looked across the barren burning landscape at millions and millions of smoldering piles, each one toppling over with the weight of my brothers’ corpses.

I gripped the chest piece of the closest brother to me and tore off his helmet. Yellow paint. Eyes closed. Scarred temple. Cody. He coughed, opening his eyes to look up at mine. “The nightmare was real. It was always there. The master plan. It’s what we were bred for.” He croaked, twisting his fist into the black clone uniform around my neck.

“Good soldiers follow orders. Long live…the Emperor…Good soldiers follow orders….For the Republic. For our freedom…For…our…brothers…” He gasped, fading into his imminent death in my arms.

“No….Cody….no!! Stop it!!! NO!” I screamed, pushing his body away from me back into the pile. I covered my face in my heads and fell to my knees, crushing the plastoid of whatever one of my brothers laid dead underneath me. All I could feel was loss, despair, grief and death. All I could hear was my own screaming.

--

I jolted bolt upright and nearly slammed my head on the top bunk. My chest was pounding, my hands gripping the sheets so tight my knuckles were white. Beads of sweat slid down my bare chest, my body so hot I felt like I had come down with something. I blinked my eyes open, the soft light of the ship’s living quarters immediately alerting me that it was a dream. It was just a dream. A nightmare. Worse than I’d ever had before. My fists were shaking uncontrollably, trying to steady myself back into reality. I panted, trying to catch my breath. Slow, deep breath in, hard exhale out. Over and over until my chest stops pounding.

Suddenly, I felt her. Gentle hands running soothing circles on my upper back and her other arm snaking its way around my bicep. “Rex…baby…what? What is it? You were screaming.” Her light, breathy whisper reaching my ears like the most beautiful lullaby I’d ever heard. I kept trying to slow my breathing, listening to the reassuring sound of her voice calling to me.

“A dream…it was just a dream…” I muttered, lifting my bicep that screamed in pain like I actually had just lived through that battle. “A nightmare.” I sighed, turning to the comfort of her figure beside me. I rested my trembling hand on hers and ran my fingertips along her knuckles. She was real. I could feel her. For once she wasn’t a dream.

“Sounded horrible my love. Do you…” she paused, scooting her body into mine to rest her chin on my shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it? About what happened?” Her sweet innocent eyes looked up at me with the most concern I’d ever seen. She shouldn’t have to hear about this stuff. No one should have to see what I’ve seen.

“I don’t…know where to start.” I sighed, knowing full well that she wouldn’t stop until I let it out. I didn’t like talking about this part of my job with anyone, but especially not with her. She wanted to understand. I knew she wanted to help. For the first time in my life, I was willing to admit I needed it. I had no one else to go to. My brothers are, at best, gone and, at worst, enslaved to work for the enemy. I didn’t have Kix around to heal my wounds. The ones outside or inside. She’s all I’ve got.

She slowly brought her body behind me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and guiding me back into her embrace. She leaned into my pillow, pulling me down on top of her and allowing my head to rest on the curves of her chest. She breathed deeply, so soft and slow and steady. What I wouldn’t give to have her hold me like this every time I slept. Her palm slid down my chest, resting it above my still racing heart, while her other hand laced around my right hand. “Just breathe, ok? Be with me. You’re alright.” She cooed, leaning down to place a kiss to my forehead.

“It was a nightmare…” I started, tightening my hold on her hand. “You know I’ve had those before. But this one…this was something else…something darker.” I shuddered remembering the horrifying yellow in the General’s eyes. I’d never forget it.

“Tell me. We’ll talk it through…” She urged, her hand on my heart absentmindedly tracing delicate circles onto my skin.

“The boys and I were fighting…Fives was there. And Jesse. And the General…” I closed my eyes, swallowing thickly as my ears began to ring with the haunting sound of Fives’ frightening scream. I’d only ever actually heard that sound once before and it wasn’t a memory I ever wanted to relive. “But every time we fought the enemy changed. The piles of dead were different things. Droids then bugs and then…Jedi…” I felt her hands stop.

“Jedi?” She repeated in a timid whisper. She knew. She saw what happened on Coruscant. She knew what we’d done. Even if I didn’t, everyone else did. They had to.

“Jedi. Millions of ‘em. Just…dead.” I gulped, the shaking returning to my hands as I remembered that bit wasn’t just in my head. That happened. It really happened.

“Did you..” she asked, pausing as she waited breathlessly for my answer.

“No. Not in the dream and not in real life either. It’s important to me that you know that. I didn’t kill my Jedi. I won’t ever.” I balled both my fists up in anger. Ahsoka removing that chip gave me the freedom to make that choice. Maker knows I might be the only clone alive who had that right. And it made me angry. More angry than I’ve ever felt. More angry than I could ever remember having the ability to feel. Uninhibited anger. Maybe without the chip that emotion was finally unlocked. I guess if this is how Prime felt all the time I could see why they wanted to suppress this in us.

“I know you wouldn’t. I know you. But I don’t understand. Why the Jedi? How could someone create all of you…give you life only to use you like this…it’s not just unfair...it’s cruel.” She whimpered, tears slowly falling down her face and dripping onto my shoulders.

“I…I don’t know. I don’t know anything about fairness. Don’t think I ever did. I haven’t really known freedom until now. Not until Ahsoka gave it to me.” I muttered, speaking out loud the truth I’d deep down always known. We were used. We were in a lot of ways enslaved. I thought back to that altercation with Slick all those years ago. He couldn’t have known about the chips or about the order. But he wasn’t wrong. We didn’t have freedom. We didn’t have choice. While what we were fighting for was under noble pretenses, we weren’t asked if this was something we wanted. We were just lined up and sent out. The irony of being treated no differently than the droids we hated so much…It killed me that I couldn’t see it. Not until it was too late for us.

“Well…whoever did this…whoever created you and manipulated you all was no friend to the Jedi and certainly had no regard for human life. I can think of only one person. Though if what I think is true…then the entire galaxy was being manipulated from the start. From the very second you were created, Rex.” She explained, pausing briefly before her voice dropped to a deathly quiet whisper. “Palpatine is a dictator.”

“He gave the order. Which means he was the one who killed Fives to hide the truth. I’d imagine he’s taken the senate by now, right?” I asked, truly afraid of what the answer might be.

“Yes. He’s essentially dissolved the senate. Taken away democracy. If you could’ve seen the look on Padmé’s face…she was heartbroken.” She replied, removing her hand from mine probably to wipe away tears.

I shifted nervously. Talking about Padmé just made me think about Anakin. Whatever happened before the Order was given was pretty blurry in my brain. But I distinctly remember Ahsoka having a bad feeling. Maybe she sensed what was coming somehow. Or…maybe the General being in my dream was an omen or something. I knew Anakin. Better than almost everyone. Like Ahsoka, he would’ve died rather than hurt us clones. Maybe Ahsoka was going to look for him. If anyone could survive in unmitigated chaos, he could.

“Cyare, did Padmé hear from General Skywalker the last time you saw her?” I asked cautiously, unsure if she knew anything about their relationship. I doubt anyone knew as much as I did.

“N-not that I was aware of. I didn’t ask. She did seem worried about him. She always worried about him.” She drifted off. “Was she…worried about him the way I worried about you?” She asked.

I bit the inside of my cheek, my entire body freezing. This was my most closely guarded secret. Next to my own of course. Anakin would kill me if I told anyone. But stars he was likely dead anyway. Someone would have to break it to Padmé. Since there was no way I was going without her, I guess she’d have to know too.

“Yes. Just like us.” I responded, my gut twisting a little as I thought about having to explain to Padmé that her husband was killed by his own brainwashed men.

“…I knew it.” She chuckled softly. “They weren’t exactly subtle if you paid attention.”

“I don’t think the General was ever good at that.” I laughed, remembering all the times he was bouncing around excitedly just seconds before she’d answer one of their secret holocalls. “I’d like to think he lived. Though he didn’t seem right in my dream either..” I sighed out, remembering his words and the weird metallic breathing. I decided right then and there to keep that part of my dream to myself. It was too disturbing and way too dark to tell anyone. You can’t help me, no one can. That wasn’t the Anakin I knew.

“You’ve...been through a lot these last few days. It’s going to take a lot of time to get past. Anytime you need, you can talk to me about it. The more you talk things through, the better you’ll feel. I know it’s hard, baby.” She muttered, reaching down to hug me tightly.

I patted her hand and tipped my chin up to kiss her gently. “I’d like that. As long as it doesn’t weigh you down too much.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s too heavy a burden for you to carry by yourself anymore, Rex.” She whispered, looking into my eyes from above me. Fuck she’s so pretty. She looked tired. She must’ve stayed up all night watching me to make sure I slept. I didn’t deserve something this good. She deserved something better than well…whatever I was now. Don’t think I’d be considered a hero. Not even sure I’m considered a person on most systems.

Can you still be called a hero if you lose everything you fought for? If you couldn’t save everyone you fought for?

I sighed, my chest feeling hollow and my mind swimming with questions I might never get the answers to. I had to keep moving. If I’m moving, I’m not useless. If I’m going somewhere, I’m still on a mission. Even if it’s just for myself and my brothers’ memories. If I am still breathing, I’ll keep fighting.

“You’ve got the ship headed to the coordinates I programmed right?” I asked, pulling myself up to a sitting position and tossing my legs over the side of the bed.

“Mhm. Saleucami. You kept muttering something about Cut. Who’s Cut? The whole planet’s farmers. How do you know any farmers?” She joked, tossing a pillow at me gently.

“Cut Lawquane. He’s a brother. A deserter. But still my brother. Saved my life once. Helped him protect his family.” I explained, rubbing my hand over the faded scar on my chest. “That’s where I got this. Nasty blaster shot. Watched over me when I almost died.” I chuckled, remembering the looks on his little kids’ faces when they realized their Dad’s face was one of millions out there. Cute little things.

Little did she know that had I not almost died on that mission I might have never had the courage to ask her out. Might have never thought about having something, someone for myself. Cut would be blown away that I’d let my guard down, that I’d gone off book enough to have a girl of my own. I kinda hope he likes her. That he approves. That he’s proud of me. Looking for my brother’s approval? Ha. Stars- who even am I anymore?

Maybe Cut could make some sense of things. Maybe he knew something we could do. I can’t just sit here knowing that he’s out there with that chip still in his head. At the very least, I’d have to warn him about it. Help him remove it. I won’t be able to live with myself if I let another brother die. Someone I can actually help this time.

“What do you mean by family?” She asked, tipping her head at me curiously. She crawled next to me and sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing the closest item of clothing to her, my red fatigues, and throwing it on her. How is it she looks so good in everything? Especially my clothes…

I shook my thoughts away, “he has 2 kids. Not sure if they’re adopted or if they’re…his.” I responded, both of their innocent faces imprinted in my brain more than I had realized up until now. I had never asked. I guess it didn’t matter. Cut managed to do the bravest thing I’d ever seen one of my brothers do. Choose. His family might not be by blood, but it was the family he chose. The life he wanted for himself. He did the unthinkable, defied orders and went out on his own of his own free will. At the time, I thought it was selfish, reckless and traitorous. But now? Hell maybe he was the smartest one of all of us. He had what the rest of us never knew. Freedom.

“So he’s not a soldier? Did he defect?” She asked, reading between the lines the longer I paused to think.

“Technically, yes. Almost reported him when I woke up there after the injury. But those two little ones changed everything for me. He was their Father. I couldn’t take that away from them. Made me rethink a lot of things…” I drifted off, finally turning to look into her eyes. I hope she knew what I meant.

“Oh. I have a lot to thank him for then I suppose.” She laughed, her eyes twinkling as a smile grew across her face. She knew. She always knew exactly how to read me. That was a skill not many had. At least not many who weren’t my batch mates. Even my men struggled most of the time.

“Best way we can thank him is to make sure the chip doesn’t affect him or harm his family in any way. I owe him that. With what I know, we can help him.” I looked down at where my fists were tightening unconsciously on my thigh.

“Is that something you can do? How…how did Ahsoka do it?” She asked, gently working at my fingers to loosen the tension in my fists and taking my hand in hers. She stroked the bare skin on the back of my hands lovingly, drawing my attention away from the anger.

“We used the med bay on one of the republic ships. If we get to any medical station we should be able to do it ourselves. If we have to. Though, I don’t think Cut has anything like that anywhere near him. Otherwise, I would never have stayed there to begin with.” I bit my lower lip in thought. Where could we go that we wouldn’t be noticed? “We’ll probably have to look for somewhere safe. Where no one asks questions.”

“It’ll probably have to be off world. I hope his family will be ok with him gone for a bit.” She responded, her tone almost scolding, like she knew this was a lot to ask of someone. I knew it was. But better him be gone for a little bit to fix this than let it kill him or the people he loves.

“Let’s research places we can go. Old republic medical stations. Maybe something decommissioned. So long as it still functions.” I thought out loud. No way the Empire’s had time to focus on stragglers or outliers.

“It’s already added to the mission log.” She replied, kissing my cheek to seal the deal. “I think we just found something helpful we can do, Rex.“ She slowly slid herself onto my lap, looping her arms over my shoulders. “I know nothing will stop you from protecting people. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

I tipped my chin up, desperate for more of her. To fill my senses with nothing but the sweet, safe distraction of her. The heavy feeling weighing down every part of my soul felt just a little bit more bearable with her beside me. I brought a cautious hand up to her face and brushed her very messy hair behind her ears.

“I’m so glad you’re here with me.” I answered, watching the expression in her tired eyes turn from concern to affection in a heartbeat. “I’ve got a lot to keep fighting for huh?”

She grinned, running her thumb down the ages old scar on my chin. “I think no matter what happens, you’ll never give up fighting. And while you’re out there saving people, I’ll be here to protect you.” Her eyes blazed with passionate intensity, a fierce loyalty that wasn’t ingrained in her without question like mine and my brothers. This type of undying loyalty was of her own choosing. She chose me. I had to do my best to honor that choice. I more than anyone know the value of that. Her independence, her emotions guiding her to make decisions she knew in her heart were right, I admired everything about her. She had a type of strength I held in the highest regard. Her ability to love, which wasn’t a weakness in the slightest. It made her intentions clear and every action she took powerful. She was a fighter, too. I love her more than she’d ever know. Maybe more than any clone even knew was possible for guys like us.

“You’re cute when you get all fired up, ya know…” I laughed, tipping my head back to look her up and down, drowning in my clothes. What few possessions I had covering the only thing that truly was mine and mine alone. “I reckon you’re even more dangerous than I am.”

“You bet your ass, I am.” She retorted, spinning off my lap and onto the floor below, drawing her fingers in a practiced aim at a poster on the wall. “Bang. They’re dead.”

“Not if you’re shooting with your eyes closed like you just did…” I scoffed, getting up to follow her. I reached into my pile of clothes to grab one of my pistols, switching it to stun before handing it to her. “Here…try mine.”

She looked at me in surprise. I had always tried my best to keep my duty separate from my time with her. Armor off, helmet down, weapons away. None of that mattered now. My duty was to keep us alive and I’d have to tap into a side she didn’t ever see to do that.

She felt the weight of it in her hand, turning it over a few times to get a feel for it. “Are you sure I can handle this? I know it’s…special to you.” Her big eyes blinked up at me, determined to impress, but wisely knowing there’s a learning curve to this sort of thing.

“It is special. That’s why I’m teaching you how to use it.” The words fell out of my mouth a lot smoother than I expected. Maker that probably sounded so dumb.

She blushed, averting her eyes as a wide smile spread across her face. Guess it wasn’t that dumb. She motioned silently for me to follow and held it up with both hands, aiming the end toward a tattered poster of Aurra Sing hanging on the wall. “Come on then. Help me.”

I stepped behind her, pressing my bare chest against her shoulder blades. The fabric of my fatigues spilled over her shoulders and collected in baggy drapes under her arms, which would make her stance heavier than usual. The oversized top covered her entire torso, but not enough of her bottom half that I couldn’t feel how it swelled against my center. Just ignore it. You’ll never focus if you think about that. Cmon. Just like helping shiny’s. Totally not thinking about putting my face between her cheeks. She elbowed me gently, feeling me pause behind her.

“Uh…ahem…sorry. Ok so…just put the weight in your shoulders, not your arms. Like this…” I reached my arms around hers and rolled her shoulders more upright, her chest and chin lifting up to follow.

“Oh that feels better. I feel stronger. Like I can see a little better too.” She squealed with excitement. This was definitely not like training shinys.

“Right yeah. Ok now focus. Both eyes open. Exhale and fire. Pretty simple really.” I let go of my grip on her hands and backed away.

Bang bang bang

Three shots.

And she made every. single. one.

The old poster slid to the floor, the stun blasts singeing the page to bits. I knew she was clever and smart, but I didn’t know she knew her way around a blaster too. Maker how did she always manage to impress, to make me feel almost unworthy of her? “You played me…” I chuckled, stepping forward to grab her hips possessively and pulling her back into my chest.

“Did you really think I could be with the best soldier in the galaxy without having at least a little talent myself?” She turned to meet my face, laughing as her mouth spread into a wry smile. Her gaze flicked from my eyes to my lips, dropped open in surprise, and back. Slowly, she rolled her hips back, her bare ass pushing up against my center.

“Hmm I think you just wanted to grind this ass on me. Tease me a little.” I whispered urgently in her ear, burying my head into her neck. My palms slid underneath my shirt and up her sides slowly, her skin erupting in goosebumps at my touch. “You are very talented though. Full of surprises.” I breathed out slowly, placing a needy kiss to her skin and maneuvering her hips against the growing need in my tented bottoms.

“Mmm not the only thing I want to be full of, Rex.” Her arm wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling our bodies together as close as we could get. I hummed my approval and ran my palm across her lower tummy, holding her firmly in place as I rolled my stiffening cock against her perfectly round ass. I dragged my other rough hand along the soft skin of her chest, my fingers curling around her beautifully full breast and kneading gently. I pressed myself against her, my body melding with hers like muscle memory. Every touch a reminder that maybe my body was actually capable of bringing pleasure and delight. Like maybe I was made for more than just destruction.

“Filled you so good last night and you still need more? Can’t get enough of me hmm?” I traced my tongue along her collar bone, earning a quiet sigh and something unintelligible from her open mouth. “Love those pretty noises you make, cyare, but I can’t hear you…” I laughed, squeezing the flesh of her breast tighter in my hand.

“Never enough, Rex. Want more.” She whimpered, reaching back to grip my side as I pushed her into me harder. She writhed against me, her full ass brushing against me and her desperate pleas for more of me made my cock swell with the same need she was feeling. I was pent up for a month. I could give her more. So much more. I latched my lips to her neck and sucked hard, pulling and nipping marks into the skin. I laved over the mark with my tongue, passing over the spot slowly a few times. Both my hands gripped her hip bones, driving her center back into the shallow snap of my hips.

I walked us toward the wall she’d just shot at, kissing further up her neck and under her jaw as I tugged my shirt up over her head and onto the floor. She trembled at my touch and I looked down at her bare chest, watching her breathe faster in anticipation. Having this much of an effect on her was intoxicating and I couldn’t help but smile as I reminded myself that she’s all mine. All for me. I just want to spread her before me and fill her like last night. Fill her and make us feel whole again.

Gently, I pressed between her shoulder blades, her back arching pushing her tits against the wall. I smirked, wanting nothing more than to just rip my bottoms off and plow into her right now. “Spread ‘em. Get nice and open for me, cyar’ika.” I growled, stepping back to rest my hands on her waist. She looked back at me with a debauched grin, her eyes blown wide with desire.

A wicked sexy grin crossed her face, “Sir, yes, Sir.” she teased with an excited giggle. Slowly, her thighs parted, tipping her body forward to rest on the wall and present her dripping cunt to me. She looked back at me through hooded eyes, challenging me silently to take her just like this. I gulped, feeling a surge of arousal pump my cock even larger somehow. This view was the closest thing to a gift I’ve ever gotten in all my life and I made a mental note to snap a few pictures from this angle someday. Maker - I knew what she meant about it not being enough. I could fuck her a thousand times like this and I still would be driven mad by the image of her like this in my mind. Open and desperate and waiting for me.

With my two ungloved palms, I gripped at the flesh of her ass, kneading it roughly in my hands as I spread her open before me. I looked up at her; her hair falling all over her face, her eyes silently begging for me when her mouth couldn’t form words, her neck and collarbones littered with messy love-bites I’d marked her with. Unapologetically and proudly wearing all the signs I’d claimed her for maybe the first time without worrying about someone finding out. It was so kriffing hot it made my usually clear head spin and my chest ache with adoration. Between her legs was slick with arousal, the tiniest little scratches littered the insides of her thighs from where I’d gripped her yesterday. I was all over her. Everywhere. She was mine. And I wanted more of her. To make up for lost time maybe.

I brought my open palm down on her raised bottom with a slap. She let out a gasp, probably still a little sore from taking it so intensely the night before. “You look so fucking pretty like this. My pretty girl. You want to be filled up huh? Want to feel my cock stretch you out?” I groaned, sliding my still clothed bulge against her.

“Mhm,” she let out with a desperate whine. “No teasing please. Want you now. Please, Rex.”

Maker- every time she calls me by name like that. My name. My real chosen name. I feel safety. I feel known. I feel loved. My calculated, trained patience is gone, knowing nothing but her voice calling my name in my ears and my cock pumping with a thick arousal I cannot ignore. Cannot deny her.

“Cyar’ika…fuck. Keep calling my name like that. I’ll give you anything.” I confessed, running an eager hand along the waistband of my underwear and sliding them off in one rushed movement. I tipped my head back and exhaled in relief as my achingly hard cock released itself from the restraining fabric it was in. I grasped myself in hand, my thumb running over the slit to spread pearls of wet precum around the tip. Pumping my first over it a few times, I met her hungry gaze, eyes twinkling with aroused excitement and bottom lip pulled beneath her teeth. Kark the look in her eyes. So needy for it.

“Want you so bad, Rex. Please give me your cock. Please.” Her begging was just a ruse. A tease. She was working me up even more. And she knew it. Knew just how to play me. I could almost feel her hands on my pulse point, feeling how every sound she made sent my heart racing and that adrenaline I knew all too well rushing through my ears.

“Since you asked so nicely…” Without another thought, I reached my hand between her thighs and swiped gently along her folds, coating my fingers with the wet mess. She moaned loudly at the contact, scratching against the ship’s metal walls for any kind of stability. Her core was dripping and hot, tempting me to explore her further with just my hands. Feel how her walls flutter at my touch and hear her voice calling nothing but my name. But I couldn’t hold out much longer. Not when she felt like this.

I stepped impossibly closer to her backside, settling my hips just beneath her opening. I could feel her heat beckoning me inside her, that perfect pussy calling me carnally, sounding just as sweet and soothing as her voice did. I coaxed my slickly coated hand down my cock. My eyes rolled back. Stars above…I’m not gonna last 5 minutes.

With my chest pressed to her back, I dipped my head down beside hers, watching as she leaned in for a desperate kiss. My hand slid up the curve of her spine, and across her narrow shoulders which made her seem tiny and almost fragile beneath my looming figure. I trailed delicate fingertips up the length of her arm until I curled my fingers around hers. I caressed her with my broad thumb, a gesture I hoped was affectionate enough to signal how grateful I was to be here holding any part of her.

My forehead dipped to her shoulder, leaving slow, sloppy kisses along her clavicle. Her sighs got louder, mewling desperately each time I swirled my tongue along her simmering skin. My lower torso rubbed against her ass, grinding our soft skin together deliciously. I was thrusting into nothing, hovering my weeping cock close enough to her open center to feel the heat, but not entering yet. Just torturing myself. Agonizingly slowing down the pace to make this last even just a few seconds longer. My lips dragged against her neck, teeth nipping to keep my devouring lust for her at bay.

“Do you even know the things I want to do to you?” I whispered, kissing the juncture where her jaw met her neck. She shivered, the involuntary movement making her center finally roll against my cock beneath her. I let out a choked gasp, her slick folds making contact with me sending shockwaves through my limbs. With one finger, I turned her face toward mine and held my lips within inches of hers. She looked up into my eyes, her expression nothing but submission to her desire for me. I let out raspy, harsh breaths as the silent permission in her stare wrapped its greedy grip around my lungs.

“The way you make my blood boil, my hands shake, my chest burn.” I nuzzled my nose against her cheek. Her lips parted, jaw dropping open to let me in and give me what I wanted. My lips connected with hers, tongue slipping inside to taste hers. We shifted in tandem, lips meeting and parting in an erratic rhythm. Stars exploding, nebulas consuming entire planets couldn’t feel this overwhelming and good. I pulled away and felt a satisfied smile break across my face. With my lips close enough to brush hers with every word, I muttered, “I want to fuck you until all you can remember is how I feel inside you.”

With that, my hips snapped up, pressing my far too overstimulated cock in a space that was waiting for it. Perfectly too tight and beautifully receptive all at once. I prodded forward, knowing that every inch deeper was closer to home.

“Oh, Rex..” she whimpered, her jaw slack as her mouth dropped open in pleasure. Most beautiful sight in the galaxy. Had to be. She pushed back against me, easing herself down onto me for more.

“Look at you, pretty girl. Taking me so well.” I praised, sinking myself deeper and grunting as the pounding walls closed in around me. Blood rushed from everywhere in my body to exactly where my cock wedged firmly inside her. Overwhelming surges of heat passed over me, making my body slick with sweat. My cock leaped in excitement as she contracted around me.

“Wanted this. Just like this. Filling me up…my Rex.” She leaned back toward me, capturing my lips with hers.

I pulled out slowly, tip still resting just inside her opening. My hands flew back down to her ass, leaning my torso away from her to get a better view of my length disappearing between her cheeks. “Mesh’la…Want to bury myself in you. Got a great view back here.” I chuckled, pressing myself forward into her again and watching as she split open to sheath my cock inside her.

She smiled, all too happy to have me embedded in her core like this. “Deeper. As deep as you can go. I can take it.”

“I know you can. My strong girl. You want it like this, hmm?” I rested one hand on her shoulder, pulling her down as I shoved up into her. Her walls nearly resisted me, squelching sounds filling the room as I made space.

“Y-yes, Rex. Mmmm right there.” She moaned, her pretty voice breathy and breaking. Her eyes fluttered closed, getting lost in the feeling of my body connecting with hers. I repeated the movement, pounding my hip bones against the bouncing flesh of her ass. Each thrust so delightfully satisfying it was almost painful. I groaned as my tip hit her back wall, bottoming out and making her face contort in a small yelp. Her thighs were shaking from the intense contact, muscles desperately wanting to relax to take more of me.

Pleasure swirled through my core; an unending wave of bliss creeping closer to crashing. I was getting close. Way too close for having just started. But kark who could help it with a sight like this? I leaned into her, the beads of sweat on my bare chest running down as I moved to encompass her body with mine. My hips snapped faster, increasing the impassioned throbbing of my cock against her grounding walls. That feeling of home was back. Familiar, blissful and comforting. And it was building, lifting me higher and higher the tighter she gripped me inside her.

I curled my arm around her waist, pulling her off the wall to reach her swollen clit. She waited so patiently to be touched here, restraint far stronger than mine. I found the sensitive bud, gently manipulating it between two fingers. She cried out, tipping her head back to rest on my shoulder.

“I know you like that. I can feel how much you love it when I touch you.“ I rubbed faster, in time with my thrusts, relishing in the way she mewled and spasmed beneath me. She had an insane effect on me no matter what she did, but I had the same effect on her. That was a more powerful feeling that filled me with more pride than any battle I’d ever won. To have someone give themselves to me, to completely give in to how I overwhelm them. It was intoxicating. It always was. No matter how many times we did this.

I took in a deep breath, the scent of her filling my senses and sending ripples down my spine. I could feel myself faltering, my hips erratically snapping, desperately pressing into her for more. I wanted her closer, to be pulled deeper somehow, to almost melt us into one. I circled her clit faster, hearing her scream in pleasure as I worked to get her to where I was already. Stars I want to cum so bad.

“Rex -fuck- Rex, look at me. I-I want to look at you when I cum again. Please.” She begged, her moans breaking up her sentence. She pushed back off the wall, arching her back to press against me. I wrapped my arms around her torso, the change in position angling my cock so deep inside her I nearly choked. Our standing position made her too tight to handle and the slow burn of pressure that was building ignite like an explosion. White hot pleasure spread from my core to the tips of my fingers, my brain short circuiting and eyes rolling back in my head. Her delicate hand found the side of my cheek, her thumb tracing down the tightness of my jaw.

The pads of her fingers pressed away any remaining tension left in my body. The stress from the events of the last few days, the pain from the injuries I sustained surviving the crash, the anxiety from such a vivid nightmare, the ominous guilt gnawing at my heart…all gone in an instant. Big, bright, beautiful eyes met mine with fondness. A brave affection that could literally scare away anything I had left to fear. This was what I was searching for. This is what I needed to heal. The look in her eyes, the way that I feel was worth surviving for.

I grabbed her face with my palm and pulled her into a harsh, sincere kiss. I watched her expression change as the overwhelming feeling of pleasure took her. Her brows furrowed, knitting together as she focused on nothing but the shockwave jolting its way through her body. The spasming of her walls gripped me tighter, my thrusts faltering as she forced me to stay inside to the hilt. She contracted around me, and I felt myself topple, the head of my cock careening into the perfect spot.

“Mesh’la I’m fucking you full of me. Gonna cum..” I hissed between gritted teeth, holding out just long enough to get the words out before I broke. “Cum with me, my perfect girl.” I whispered against her skin; my words strained as I released the first pulsating wave inside her. My hands found her clit again, rolling tight circles on the sensitive bud. Tears rolled down her cheeks, the sensation overwhelming her so hard she cried.

“Rex, Rex, Rex.” She whimpered between desperate choking moans. Her hips slid down against me a final time and she writhed uncontrollably in my arms, hands flying down to where mine held her steady. She closed in around me so tight, hitting her climax so hard that her fingers dug into the strained muscles of my arms.

“Good girl. Good fucking girl, I’ve got you. Fuck that’s so perfect. Just what I -gah- just how I wanted.” My eyes screwed shut again, another white-hot pass rolling from the back of my neck to the tip of my cock. I shot another thick ribbon inside her and gasped as it sucked the life out of me. She was blubbering underneath me, muttering cute little curse words as she rocked herself up and down riding out the feeling. Normally, I’d have fainted from overstimulation like this. But I didn’t want this to end. I didn’t care. The longer this went on, the better I’d feel.

“Oh yeah see? I’m very- mmm ahhh-“ she sighed out, smiling as she sunk down on me again. “Very talented.”

I brushed the hair from her eyes and kissed her again. “Yes, you are. You have no idea.” I grumbled, unable to form words to explain how grateful I was that she could wipe my mind clean of what I was feeling. Even for just a little while.

“I think I have….some idea….” She finished with a yelp, hissing in a mixture of delight and pain as I slid out of her sloppily. She looked down, feeling the incredible amount of spend mixed inside her dripping out of her opening. Stars that’s hot. She spun around in my arms, so I could get a better look at it. I gazed up at her with an impressed smirk, my eyes quickly falling back to her center. Each overtired, fucked out spasm of her opening spilling more of us out of her.

“Mmmm someday I’m putting that in you and keeping it there. Filling you up with it and hoping it sticks.” I breathed out, like maybe saying it out loud would make it possible. Hell I didn’t even know if it was. I could ask Cut. He’d know. That’d be quite the conversation. Especially considering how I behaved last time.

She looked at me playfully, biting her bottom lip. “I hope you do. But then I wouldn’t get to taste…” She ran her fingers through it, collecting and bringing it to her mouth. Both lips parted to suck her fingers into her mouth and lick them clean of the mess we made.

“Filthy…what am I gonna do with you?” I remarked, hungrily pulling her naked body against mine.

She rolled her eyes, wrapping both arms around my neck and letting me lift her off her feet. “Just love me. I don’t need anything else.”

“That’s just that post-nut haze talking…” I teased, my hands grasping at the small of her back.

She tossed her head back and laughed, “it’s the truth and you know it.”

I knew. It was still hard to believe after all these years. But I knew. She was here with me when being with a renegade clone was like the most dangerous thing in the galaxy. I didn’t like the idea of her having to risk her life to be with me, but I can’t say I didn’t understand the sentiment. Because of course I did. I knew it all too well. I just never thought in a million years, that someone would risk everything for me. And now in the span of just a few hours, two nat-born beings did. For me. And as if reading my mind, like she always seemed to be able to, she pulled back to look at my face.

“I’d die for you.” She whispered, her hand stroking my cheekbone in delicate contrast to her fierce words. I knew what that meant. I was made to know sacrifice. To die for a cause was our entire reason for being. But never had any clone known someone willing to lay down their natural born life for theirs. For a clone’s life. Not out of duty or for the greater good, but because their clone life had meaning and value to them. To be loved as an equal was dedication to a cause higher than any that could be mandated by duty or orders. To be loved like this was a devotion I had only known amongst my brothers, my blood. My vode. Love like this…well we didn’t really have a single word for it. All I could think of to say, from the deepest depths of my subconscious was a phrase I’d never said in all my life.

“Kar’taylir darasuum.” To know in your heart? To hold in your heart? To know is to love. Something like that.

“You’ve never said that before…” She blinked, looking at me with a knowing smirk.

“So you know what it means?”

“You’ve never said that before while awake. But you talk an awful lot in your sleep…I did a lot of research. I even asked Fox once. He told me he was going to make fun of you for it.” She laughed, sighing deeply before continuing “it’s the only thing that ever seemed to soothe your nightmares, love. I pieced it together.”

I guess I remembered more Mando’a than I thought. I pulled her into my chest and hugged her tightly.

There weren’t enough words in the galaxy to express how grateful I was to have her. To not be alone right now. To not be…dead right now. Every time she spoke to me she found another way to break through this awful, gut wrenching guilt I feel. I wasn’t ok, I won’t be for a long while. But as long as I have her and as long as she’d have me, I knew I could be. Eventually. Holding on to her was to hold the smallest sliver of hope I had left. Maybe she could help me train it. To help it grow past the twisted dark knot of pain tangled inside me. I catch on quick. Always have.

Before I could speak and confess everything I was feeling, the ship started beeping, signaling our drop out of hyperspace. I nodded at her and motioned for her to get things together. I swallowed hard and put my feelings to the side, like I always did before the start of a new mission. Cut was out there and he needed me. He needed us. That chip could destroy everything he held dear, like it almost did me. And I won’t let that happen. He’s got what I’ve got. Someone to live for. And I won’t be burying anymore of my brothers today. Or ever.

Notes: I am formally apologizing to our beautiful sweet Rex for the shitty nightmare he had to have for the plot. I cried (I be crying a lot lol) thinking about him reliving battles and loss this traumatically. Hopefully our reader girly being here for him will continue making him feel better, safe and loved.

[dokuhai]

𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐌, Rangiku felt a fluttering in her chest akin to some school girl with her first crush.  It was an odd feeling, really —-- a very innocent, and human reaction that the Hunter hadn’t properly experienced before.  After all, Rangiku’s innocence had been stripped from her at a very young age; the loss of her family at the hands of Aizen Sosuke and his ever so loyal followers had left it’s tainted mark on her very soul, leading her down a dark, winding road of vengeance.  She had walked this road for over two decades, now —-- hatred motivating her to work harder, and to become strong enough to stand before the man that had taken everything from her.  It didn’t matter  ( nor did it EVER matter )  if this was some suicide mission … Rangiku was fully prepared to do whatever it took to end Aizen’s reign of terror, once and for all.

But the way concern briefly flickered in Gin’s gaze before he was making light of her injuries  ( an attempt to distract her, Rangiku could only assume )  left her feeling … well, bewildered, for lack of a better word.  Perhaps it was the dizziness, still —-- or the residual nausea from how much blood she had lost —-- but the blonde was sure she was witnessing the slow and steady build-up of emotion from within a vampire who had only ever described himself as a soulless monster.

It was enough to knock the air out of her lungs —-- the mere realization that vampires were perhaps capable of empathy, despite their lack of a soul.  Of caring for another … especially one so utterly mortal.

Ah, that fluttery feeling had come back tenfold, now.

Rangiku let out a half-hearted, breathy laugh as Gin mentioned BIKINI SEASON, of all things.  Oh, how masterful he truly was at the art of deflection.  She watched as he tucked the blankets further up into her lap, and loosely draped his arm around her.  For a moment, the Hunter entirely forgot about the near constant sting at her shoulder, and the excruciating pain at her side every time she so much as shifted her position in his bed.

The mention of a strong healer did not fall upon deaf ears.

❝ Finding a healer that can get through the layers of dark magic you used to fix me up would be damn near impossible.  At least, from what I remember of it all before I passed out … and besides, I’m sure this mark would be a massive red flag to the other Hunters.  That I’m hanging out with the wrong crowd, or whatever…❞

At that, Rangiku smiled.  She leaned her head against him gently, and smoothed her hand over his… her movements weak, but gentle, all the same. ❝ —--But who cares what they think, anyway.  Fuck anyone and everyone that tries to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong.  That’s for me to decide, not them. If I hadn’t been so worried about what the other Hunters were saying or thinking, I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. So fuck it. ❞

Although, this situation she had found herself in did come with a few perks … like the obvious shift in the dynamic between them.  They were always dancing around the subject of what they were to one another, or avoiding the topic entirely. Heated kisses and wandering touches across thin pieces of fabric always left her yearning for more.  Their playful exchanges were much too far and few for Rangiku’s liking, though she had also hesitated to push those moments any further … perhaps out of fear for her own life.  She was still learning to trust him, after all … the enemy in her midst, the kind of monster she had spent the majority of her life training to kill.

Idly, Rangiku found herself wondering what Gin would be like as a lover.  Would he be rough?  Truer to the monstrous self she had seen in the seaport; the one he decidedly believed he was? Incapable of feeling anything but hunger … a desire to kill.  Or would he be gentle with her?

Did she even want gentleness from him? Perhaps that was what attracted Rangiku to Gin in the first place —-- that he didn’t treat her like all of the others had in her past. Afraid of hurting her, much too timid in their handling of a Hunter who knew how attractive she was; a woman so confident in her sexuality.

Rangiku shifted her legs beneath the blankets, her knees knocking against one another as she tried to free herself of such impure thoughts about the man in her midst.  It was only when Gin decided to follow up on her comment about her belonging to him that she closed her eyes, and swallowed thickly —-- her lips parting as he whispered into her ear about marking her, and claiming her as his.  Rangiku leaned further into his lowered tone; that purr against her ear that had left an all too familiar warmth pooling between her legs.  Suddenly, she didn’t care about her injuries… not when she could feel his breath against her neck, or hear him talk in a way that implied she was his.

All Rangiku could think about now was how Gin’s hands would feel against her bare skin, still unexplored by the vampire that had saved her. And how he would feel inside of her, properly staking his claim over her.  Never had she wanted to be dominated by a man like this, before —-- and yet here she was, trying  ( and utterly failing )  to play her typical game of hard to get.  No, she wanted him to claim her —-- to almost break her upon leaving those marks he decided would look good on her.

❝ —---I could think of much worse ways to die, ❞  Rangiku purred back at him, before her hand began to slip underneath the blankets… curious to if he had become as affected by her words as she had become of his.

GIN HAD STRIPPED AWAY ANY INKLINGS OF SILVER FROM RANGIKU whilst she was unconscious, not necessarily due to its anti-vampire qualities (it barely stung him, sizzling weakly when he had pulled it from her midst) but because he wanted to make sure she wasn’t left with any residual blood on her skin. A mutually-serving effort on Gin’s part; less blood to trigger him into a riled state and less blood for Rangiku to wake to the uncomfortable sensation of it dried and sticky, caked onto her body. He’d not name her a damsel in distress – Gin knew better than to kick the Hunter while she was already down… but he also hadn’t truly minded the idea of sweeping her off her feet and zipping away, taking her to his home —-

The Hunter’s mishap rewarded him with quite a cute outcome, her nestled in his bed like this, her leaning promptly against him the moment he settled at her side. Gin contemplated her for a moment before slowly reaching to better tuck her against him, moving to tug the blankets neatly up to her lap, his arm draping lightly around her afterward. A fanged grin edged its way back to the surface, previously smothered out by a flicker of concern when he noticed her pain. That comment earned her a pleased grin.

❝ Hey, maybe everybody’ll think it’s some cool tattoo or somethin’ – though, I suppose I oughtta apologize in advance for it, you ain’t seen the mark properly yet. Bikini season might be a bit rough till you adjust. That, or we could see ‘bout findin’ ya a strong healer to smooth things over. I might’ve made that possibility a lil harder, though. ❞ It’d take something rather powerful to purify the mark left by the spell he used to seal her wound shut. Dark magic always left a black stain on things.

Her next comment earned a different kind of pause from Gin entirely —- one that spoke of what a beast exuded when it caught sight of its prey’s neck, unguarded, offered. The verbal equivalent, that, and he was already feeling a little territorial given the fact that he instinctively saw her as his prior to this – and the act of other vampires attempting to snatch her made Gin want to seal the deal all the more. To put the unspoken into words, at the very least.

❝ I’d argue you’ve been mine since th’ day I decided not to kill ya. ❞ The Hunter was welcome to take her time processing that, though Gin continued regardless, a sly wickedness to his sharp grin, a turn of his head to aid in the lower tone that purred into her ear, a tease. ❝ And I can think of a few other marks that’d look good on ya 'n claim ya as mine, too – but I’m pretty sure humans need rest after almost dyin’ … and I wouldn’t wanna break ya. ❞

Rangiku should’ve known better than to tease a beast with such potent wording as that —- her belonging to him? A sufficient way in brewing a different type of hunger in him, one that threatened to inspire Gin towards absolute depravity. But then again, he had no shame, so only the thin excuse of letting her rest was restraining him from shoving her down and making her his all the more.

[oksana-moods]

Queens of Promise - Part 3

Summary: Being a princess doesn’t make you immune to the assault off memories. Good or bad.

A/N: It took me while longer but here we are. Another part for you to taste. Let me know your thoughts.

Warnings: Mentions of death, angst and language. Let me know if there are others.

Pt.1, Pt.2,

"We were the victims of ourselves"

The main road that linked Triskelion castle to Ultron Tower –Starksland’s household – was large and had a good amount of people and wanderers all year long. However, the small army responsible to escort the queen on her trip occupied most part of it.

A mile long retinue was far bigger than usual, but in periods of war, this was a must. One could never know when an enemy strike team could appear out of nowhere and cause problems to the queen’s protectors.

While the majority of Taharr’s army was resting, some were marching to Starksland, especially the Lords. Not being much fan of riding in a wagon yourself, you were riding northwest flanked by Lord Barton and Lord Wilson.

“Rumors has that you were the one to tell the Queen that I went after Scarlet Knight that day on the battle, and not south to Triskelion.” You spoke towards Lord Wilson who was riding his horse by your right.

“I wouldn’t be known as “the Falcon” if I didn’t have eyes everywhere, my princess. And I would be known as a dead man if I kept this from the Queen.” He flashed you his signature boyish smile and you laughed at his words.

Of course he was loyal to the queen, he was the commander of Taharr’s army after all and built his ascension battle after battle, fighting side by side with Calanthe. “So, I sent you reinforcements, a whole unit led by Lord Barton as a gift for nothing?”

“Not for nothing, princess. After Lord Barton arrived, we pushed Winter Soldier’s troops back and they were forced to retreat.” People said that Taharr finished the battle with a victory, but to your eyes there was only death and no victory at all.

Victory will be when this madness is over and is for the best if this ends sooner than later. Specially if you had to deal with the Kree again.

You shook these dark thoughts out of your head and smirked at Wilson. “So you won a battle with my reinforcements but you still had the nerve to snitch a Princess?” He was out of words for a second.

And when you and Barton started to laugh, he joined. Visibly relieved that you weren’t mad at him and how could you? He was doing his job and abiding to the Queen’s orders, something that you should have done, but didn’t.

However, you couldn’t bring yourself to regret following that lead and you remembered how surprised you were when Wanda’s beautiful face came into your sight. To say you were shocked was not enough.

There were a lot of knights and Ladies that fought in fronts and wars, that was common even, but princesses usually are raised to fight in the diplomatic war rather than with a sword. You and your mother used to be the only exception. Now there were three.

Granted, you haven’t met Princess Maximoff in a lot of occasions but in those few encounters you learned that she was intelligent and definitely had some fire running those veins. Still, you couldn’t discard the idea that she was rather superficial, or prissy. But now that changes everything.

She was very skilled with a sword and that alone showed years of practice, indicating that she wasn’t the type of princess that you thought she was. Her eyes told you that much and now you knew why. You just didn’t know why you couldn’t stop thinking about those green orbs.

In a private meeting, your mother asked you why you let them scape, knowing that having Princess Wanda as a hostage would, more than likely, force King Pietro to accept a surrender accord in order to get his sister back.

You knew that imprisoning Wanda was the quickest way to stop the war, but something didn’t feel right. You just don’t know why. There was something about her that intrigued you more than you’d like to admit.

Ever since Sokovia decided to march and trespass your borders, igniting the fire that broke out in the war, you felt as if something wasn’t right. As if there was a missing piece of this giant game between your borders and you couldn’t shake this feeling away.

When confronted about their motives to invade your territory, the Maximoffs claimed it was retaliation for the attacks and heist of food in the villages of their kingdom. Attacks that were credited to Taharr, even though you had nothing to do with it.

But they truly believed that you did. Even when Loki went to Wolfgang Castle – Sokovia’s household, as Taharr’s emissary and Queen Calanthe’s Spokesman, Pietro was unwavering in the negotiations and decided to keep his army’s advances.

You wondered if the attacks were just an allegation or, maybe, they were a ploy or an excuse to force the borders of Taharr a little bit southern than it is nowadays. This way, they’d have most of the gold mines on their territory. But more importantly, they’d have almost half of Taharr’s farms.

Taharr produced food throughout the year and never struggled with starvation. Furthermore, there were always a good amount of food to trade with neighboring kingdoms. Especially during winter. People sometimes mistake the gold of your coat of arms as referring to the mines on your territory when in fact they represented the corn. The food.

This could be a good excuse to start a war, you thought. Although you didn’t know Pietro other than passing by, Wanda didn’t seem to be the type of person that could do such thing with her own people. To start a war based on a petty caprice.

To kill, to let them starve, only to use it as a justification for more death and starvation while trying to defeat a long-term nemesis? You couldn’t conceive that a ruler would resort to such brutality to satisfy a whim. You wondered if you’d ever learn the truth about this story.

Your thoughts come to a halt at the sound of bugles, and you look up to meet a flag of light blue and gold, signaling that you have arrived in Ultron, one of the most technological kingdoms in the continent.

“Princess.” Lady Rambeau’s voice reaches your ear after the bugles stopped. “The Queen wishes to speak to you.” You were about to protest when she gave you a pointed look and added. “Now.”

You groaned, turning back your horse and abandon the retinue, to wait for your mother’s wagon to reach the gates. “You know you are a terrible friend, right? And subject.” You spoke to Maria that was by your side, probably to make sure you’d comply with what you were told.

“I am a good friend, actually. Have you lost count on how many times I saved your ass?” You laughed at her, she did in fact saved you more times than you can count. “And I am an amazing subject, just not to you. I serve the Queen of Taharr.”

“Then when I become the Queen will you do exactly as I order you to?” She narrowed her eyes at you, feigning seriousness. “Are you planning some sort of treason, Princess?” You laughed once more and this time she joined you.

“When and If you become Queen, I will abide to your orders, My Princess.” She spoke seriously this time.

“Without questioning me? Just blindly take my orders and comply with every single one of them?” You held her gaze.

“I will.” She bowed lightly and complemented. “But it seems that I have to babysit you until then.” You flashed her a genuinely smile and dropped to your feet to enter the carriage colored in Taharr’s colors, burgundy and gold.

---

“The Kree?” Tony looked as if he’d seen a ghost. “In my harbor?” He dropped his hands to his hips. “How dare he?” If he was speaking about Emperor Ronan, The Accuser, or King Pietro, you didn’t know.

Soon, King Tony and his advisor started to exchange ideas and thoughts with Queen Calanthe and her advisor, your brother. You knew you should stay and learn how to carry a diplomatic situation on times of war. However, you here bored and tired from the trip, even though you had the night to rest on one of the guest quarters.

You walked away from the main chamber and let your feet to wander through Ultron Castle. You always find it amusing how they’d build their household with rounded towers and not as the usual castle square format. It was beautiful, regardless.

Right outside the room you were at, there was a balcony that gave you a wide view of the room below. Now, its marble floor gleamed the same way it did when you were here for the first time. A smile creeped its way to your lips when a memory popped on your head regarding the day when King Tony Stark married Queen Pepper.

You moved in sync with the woman in front of you. One, two steps forward, then one, two, three steps to your right. The guests formed a small crowd to enjoy the group that was in a circle performing the most famous and traditional dance in Noveria, your continent. The rhythm was contagious with its cords and drums.

The stranger in front of you spun on her heels making her dress to float around her beautifully. Then she brought her hand close to yours. Right palm close to your right palm, but not touching, this way your right side was by her right side, no longer in front of each other. You moved in sync again, feet, hands and body moving in the perfect pace.

Two fast and heavy beats signaled the moment of changing partners, the ones leading would wait for the next dancer while the ones being led would move forward and repeat the set with another companion. You held your hand out waiting for your new partner when you felt a hand softly slipping into yours and you smiled when you saw who that hand belonged to.

Her perfect crimson dress hugged her curves on the right places while the round skirt floated around her when she moved. Somehow, she was even prettier than she was before the wedding started, how was this possible, though? Maybe witchcraft.

Her eyes were hard, yet, beautiful and you couldn’t help but compare their greenness with the dark green forests on the southeast on Taharr, you wondered if her eyes hid the same mysteries said forest held. She kept her eyes set on yours and, slowly, you felt yourself being dragged into those orbs.

One, two steps forward and Wanda moved swiftly with you, if possible, you moved as if you were one. A smirk graced her lips before she spoke. “Who would’ve thought that Taharr also learns dance and manners in addition to fighting.” There was some sort of glow in her eyes that you couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

“Flatterer.” You breathed out and you could hear the gears turning on her head when she tried to understand if you spoke honestly or with sarcasm. One, two, three steps to the right and you used your hand on her waist to help her spun, eyes never straying away from each other.

“Is sarcasm a common tongue on your kingdom, Princess?” You smiled at her; you didn’t miss how she stressed the word princess. “One could think that sarcasm is a trait that runs in the blood of those who were born in Novi Grad.” Her face morphed from amusement to anger, and you wondered if hatred also run in the blood of those who were born in the north, in Sokovia.

“Don’t you get tired of being so full of yourself?” Her voice was low now that you were close again, hands close, but not touching. There was something about her words that, instead of lighting that fire inside your chest that seemed always to be ready to fight, made you want to hear it again. “What do you mean, Princess?” You spoke softly and she looked at you once more, trying to find traces of irony or sarcasm, this time, she found none.

“You walk, you speak and even breath as if you have everything figured out, as if you were better than everybody else, as if you were always right.” She spun one more time and when she stepped right back in front of you, she continued. “Tell me, isn’t this a lonely place, to be right all the time?” Her eyes portrayed genuinely curiosity and none of the usual teasing.

One, two steps forward in sync and your hand rested on her waist again. “We’re far from being right all the time, Maximoff. I am nothing but a very flawed being.” You spoke truly. Something in her voice, her eyes, compelled you to speak the truth, without mockery.

“You certainly don’t act like you are.” She tilted her head delicately and, in that moment, she looked so adorable that your head spun a bit faster than it should. Yet, you felt an urge to explain further. “Enemies must see our strength. Flaws and weakness may encourage rebellion, we can’t afford that.” You licked your lips. “But this part you already know, since you are a ruler yourself.”

You heard two fast and heavy beats and you took one step away from her, feet were heavy, as if they didn’t wanted to pull away from her at all. Another two fast and heavy beats signaled the end of the dance.

Applause filled the room were once there was music, but your eyes kept locked on those forest green orbs that tried to pierce your soul. The bubble broke when another song started, and new pairs were forming close to where you were. Wanda turned and walked out of the room in a fast pace without looking at you, but you followed her.

As soon as you reached the garden outside the doors, you felt the cold breeze touching your skin and you smiled at the stark contrast from the usual warmth in Triskelion. Few steps later and you were walking side by side with Wanda, silently enjoying the beautiful evening from Starksland. “Do you get lonely?” You spoke after a while and that made her head to snap at you, maybe she was trying to find the non-spoken words or hidden tones by looking at your eyes.

She pondered how much she could or should tell you, after all, Taharr were always one step away from being an enemy and if what she heard about their troops on the battlefield were half the truth, they were relentless and ruthless. However, right in that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to see you as a foe, not when your eyes conveyed genuine curiosity.

“Sometimes.” She spoke finally. “There aren’t many visitors in the North. And with these tensions between our realms, duty tends to take too much time.” You knew what she meant, and you related to that. Maybe on another realm, a princess could simply be pretty, learn how to sing and wait for a prince or a princess to get marry.

However, in Novi Grad lands there was always work, there was always training, there was always learning war tactics and troop maneuvers. There was always the brink of the war to worry about.

The borders between Taharr and Sokovia were always heated, always complicated and that forced both kingdoms to be continuously prepared for war. Even during peaceful times, you should be prepared for the next invasion. That’s the history of your feud.

“Maybe we could change that?” She dismissed your words and your idea by snorting not so ladylike and you smiled at the act. “I’d never imagine that you’d believe in fairy tales, Lioness.” You tilted your head at her reply and let a small laugh to scape your lips.

“I don’t. But one could dream of living in peace.” Your voice carried a childish dream, one that you learned in a very hard way that’d be unobtainable, there would always be war.

“I just wish we could be the Great Realm of Novi Grad once more, instead of always sleeping with an open eye. It gets tiring.” Your voice was light, but maybe you overstepped on your acquaintance with Wanda, and maybe this conversation was proof enough that, in a moment, humors could change just like moods would. Just like Wanda’s mood changed right now.

“Is all that you want right?” Her words were just as hard as her eyes. “The second we lay down our guards, your mother would slither your troops on OUR lands, you’d kill everyone in Sokovia and what a great deed would be to restore the Realm wouldn’t it?” Bewildered, you tried to search what you’d said wrong to make her that mad.

“The Lionesses will touch our realm only over my dead body and let me tell you this, princess, I’m not easy to kill.” The venom dripping her words lingered while she retreated to the castle, leaving you stunned at how fast things changed, stunned at how gorgeous she looked with anger flaring around her as if in a halo.

The memory broke when a voice called out your name. “Your presence is requested on the meeting.” You straightened to your full height and walked towards the room once again, mildly aware that you shouldn’t have left in first place.

The instant you stepped into the chamber, you were bombarded with King Tony’s inquiry. “What can you tell us about Agatha Harkness?” Suddenly, the room went cold and you felt like the air was taken from your lungs for you knew that woman all too well.

“She’s a sorcerer.” Your voice was oddly small, foreign even to your ears. Cleaning your throat, you continued. “She’s a Witch, actually. And works with the Kree. She’s beyond dangerous.” You crossed your arms on your chest. “Why?”

A wave of dread circled your body by remembering the last time you were face to face with the Witch. Somehow, she knew how to play with minds, and you don’t even know how you made it out alive.

“Now that you mentioned Kree activity on my harbors, I remember some of my scouts found one soldier or two wondering south in the continent, alleging they were searching something that Harkness had asked them to.” The war with the Kree was a wound far too fresh in everybody’s mind and that was evident in Tony’s tone, wary and not the jovial as usual.

Using a hand to massage an incoming headache, you spoke without facing the others attending the meeting, the same people as before. “When she captured me and my unit, she kept talking about some stones, powerful stones that would make her the most powerful witch in the world.”

Flashes from the time you were kept prisoner flooded your mind and you felt shivers covering your body and you could swear you heard screams of your past soldiers, perishing by her hands applying tortures.

“According to her knowledge, these stones can give the owner special powers or knowledge. She believed she’d become a goddess or something.” You closed your eyes and tried to fight back the ghosts that threatened to escape the trapdoor which you kept them locked away, for your sanity’s sake.

Your mother knew a lot of what had happened to you when you were imprisoned, but she saw how bad this subject still affected you. Loki held an empty expression on his face, however, he was shaking with hatred on the inside, for he knew every single detail from the nightmare you were reliving by talking about Harkness. He knew every dark part of that experience and he sworn to his gods that he’d kill Agatha whenever he had the chance.

Tony and Jarvis, on the other hand, knew that you and your unit were captured by the enemies during war but only heard about the tales and songs of your bravery and resilience, no need to say that those tales didn’t cover the truth. And seeing your reaction to the subject, they realized this fact quickly.

“Your highness, do you know if she had found any?” Jarvis calm demeanor brought you some sort of ease, even though the answer to that question was grimmer than anything. You nodded and when you raised your eyes, they were empty. “She had the Mind stone by then.” You licked your lips, then a smile devoid of any humor contorted your mouth. “And let me tell you this, it is not pretty.”

To be honest, you didn’t know if that stone indeed had the power to play with minds as she claimed, after all, weeks of torture and starvation can make a person very willing to do as they’re told. However, you can’t deny that you always felt uneasy when she played with it close to your eyes.

Though, it was easier to blame on the shiny stone for the vicious things you did, than to believe that you had in you the nerve to comply with that cruelty without being forced by a mystical stone.

“Does she still have it?” Tony questioned, visibly troubled by your somber words and expression. He always saw you as the laugh of the party, always with a smile on your face and ready to throw a joke, seeing you this bothered was unsettling and terrifying altogether.

Your eyes were few shades darker than usual. “No.” The worst moment as Commander, in your opinion, is when you must sacrifice your men to accomplish a task and to get rid of that stone, required more than willpower, required a heart much colder than you had at the time. “It is buried in the bottom of the Red Sea.”

“And before you ask, it is very unlikely that someone can find it.” The memory of the day you condemned an entire crew of good sailors to the death sent shivers down your spine. “It’s among the wrecked of my old ship and no one knows where I sank it.”

A true captain should go down with their ship and you were ready to sink with Mercury, however, Maria and First Mate Stakar dissuaded you and he took your place on the ship’s command, but Taharr couldn’t afford to lose its princess, especially with Queen Calanthe wounded.

The war was close to its end back then, but your duty to the world was to get rid of the Mind Stone, no matter how many lives were lost while doing so. Or so you keep saying to you so you could sleep at night.