#there won't be a place for them much longer

[zoe-oneesama]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I URGE YOU TO TALK ABOUT THE SEASON 6 CHARACTER DESIGNS. Mostly cus i wanna hear the salt, but also because as someone who's designed many outfits for these characters over the course of multiple years, you more than anyone have your place to talk

Honestly the episode was just *okay*, so the designs are really the only place I'm particularly heated (I mean I still have my complaints on the episode, but nothing as anger inducing as Season 5):

So I'll start with the heroes:

I'm not mad about cutting off Bunnix because nothing's different.

Viperion - I like what they did with the mask and the deeper color contrast is delicious, but the suit feels like such a downgrade from the old design.

Carapace - I guess this is the Season of the Mask Facial Hair? Viperion is encroaching on this, but Carapace's little chin bit looks like a Soul Patch. Otherwise, it's a good design and I like the additions!

Vesperia - At least it looks like they fixed the weird root issue she had with her bangs from the old model. From what I can see here, I don't dislike this, like, full inversion making the top yellow and the pants black. Dunno what the ring around her thumb is though, and why does she hold her weapon like that??

Rena Rouge - it feels like they made changes to her because they thought they had to? I'm not mad at the differences, just...they sure are there. My only complaint about her is that they colored her tail as if she has two tails but she only has one? Like...just give her two coattails.

At least they ditched the corset U_U

Rooster Bold - The pose makes it hard to see, but he looks pretty cool to me! LOVE the new mask and his bitchy heels. Didn't like the mohawk then, still don't like it now.

Ryuko - this^ picture doesn't show her off, so here's her from the episode:

The suit is still nothing amazing, but I like the scale texture and shoulders, I LOVE the bigger horns, and her hair is fire~!

Miss Hound - yikes on this picture, thank god she cameo'd in the episode:

She's cute! ...Honestly anything was an upgrade, she was just wearing a recolored version of her outfit in Season 4-5, so the fact this is it's own thing is instantly better.

King Monkey - yikes the lighting on this is scary. Anyway, I can't really glean anything from this and the only thing that stands out is the horns on the circlet. I'll pend judgement for now.

Pegasus - Similarly to KM, there's not much I can note here? He's got longer hair so that's...something, but I like that now the visor is a full visor and not a floating pair of glasses. And we'll have to see it in an episode because here I like the contrast between the browns, but the old suit also had that contrast in promo material and then lost it in the episode.

Caprikid - Loooove the fur on the pants for some reason, and I die for the boots little hooves~ Bold choice to go bigger on the horns when there was some controversy about them, but hey. At least they fixed the problem with his white mask.

Minotaurox - aww what a cute widdle hammer. It really looks stunted, a lot of the weapons here look skinnier and weaker actually. I don't think I like the yellow on the horns, but I like that we can actually SEE the details on his suit now. And I like the hoodie/hair.

Argos - yep. That's Argos.

Purple Tigress - Okay, she looks dope AF! No notes, she looks awesome.

Pigella - And on the other hand...yikes. There so much going on here, and in fairness I can't fully understand what I'm looking at. This is not what I meant when I kept adding pig ears to my Pigella design!

Polymouse - Okay, no lie, I DID like her in this still image, but uhhh she's in the episode and um...

Girl no. What's with these LED strips?! WHY is your HAIR going THROUGH you hoodie?! And I know in comparison to the other characters she's still "plus sized" but this still feels...bad.

I won't talk about Ladybug and Chat Noir, they're good. Not exciting not bad just good.

Sooooo the humans.... Mostly I'm bothered by how some are so drastically changed and some are just...not. At all.

Alya - her new Mom lewk. Idk, I just feel like they could've gone harder. She looks fine, I actually like her hair when I watch the animation in motion, it's just...she looks 25 now.

Alix - uh, yep that's Alix. Wait, did her pony tail switch sides...?

Zoe - She's found her 2000s emo girl aesthetic and is clinging to those crusty shoes. I don't like it, her dumb tshirt was really my biggest problem with her old design so of course that's the part hey keep. She just looks...disjointed. I'll hold on judgment of her hair for now.

Kagami - love the hair, hate the crop jacket. It makes her skirt look reeeeeally short.

Sabrina - AH! NO! BAD! WRONG! Hate the hair, hate the pants, I don't even think I like her new glasses. This is a chop, a CHOP!

Juleka - I don't...hate the hair. I just weep for what we lost. I DO hate her new boring-er blouse which is just a weak imitation of her old top. Her hair is so wild so why did her clothes get more boring?

Rose - Season 6 Rose can't hurt you, Season 6 Rose can't hurt you, Season 6 Rose can't hurt you-!!

Mylene - I like her new outfit, it feels like the natural next step for her! I can't get a good look at her new hair though, so I'll reserve judgement.

Nino - Damn, finally a full glow up. Nino looks good! This is probably how I would have designed him the first time around, so, yay!

Felix - you fucking loser, you didn't change here either?! Are SentiBoys just stunted?!

Kim - His big change is...getting sleeves. And his roots are more visible? I guess??

Max - Why this nerd got a smolder all of a sudden? I think he'd look good if they just finally ditched the suspenders, or had them hanging down and not in use.

Nathaniel - Have...have I drawn him in this? I feel like there's a Scarlet Lady version of this. I guess that tells you I like it, right?

Ivan - Hell yeeeeees! GLOW UP! He's like "oh, I gotta wear this nose ring all the time? Better make it ALL WORK TOGETHER!!" I didn't know he had it in him, good job!

Luka - uhhh, is he wearing a different jacket, or is that his old jacket in the new animation style? At least he stopped advertising his own father on his chest. His shirt being tucked in...it disturbs me...

Marc - ...I can't tell if he even got a hair cut because it might just be the new style.

So yeah, I have quibbles but they're overall okay.

If you really want nightmare fuel, you see the kwamis.

[genshin-impact-updates]

Happy Birthday, Rosaria!

It's said that the most dangerous place can turn out to be the safest, so today I decided to just "hide" in this church.

I didn't expect them to actually go outside searching for me, leaving the place so empty that it feels somewhat unfamiliar.

However, you don't seem to be affected by conventional thinking, given how quickly you've located me.

—Alright, since you are here, it's clear this hiding spot won't remain a secret for much longer. I need to move to the next location. Want to come along?

[silken-moonlight]

hey, hope you're doing fine. Could you write more about a fae subtly manipulating/brainwashing the reader (I'm afab) into being with them forever. Bonus points if he has a massive breeding/impregnation kink. Thanks!

Uh I really like this one, lets go:

Fae boyfriend manipulating you

TW: Manipulation, breeding/impregnation kink, Smut in the end

This man would be the death of you, you knew that. Of course, you, a mortal, could not have fallen in love with a mortal human man. No, you had to fall for one of the fae. Now, you slowly began to realize how true some of the folk stories about them were. And again: You could not have fallen for some nice fae man from the countryside with a little cottage or treehouse.

No, you had to fall for one of the higher fae.

He lay there on his lush bed, pillows and blankets in a beautiful mess. Just like him. His hair disheveled, his body naked, and the blanket almost strategically placed so that his V-line was visible to you.

"Love, return to your lover's arms," he told you as you searched for your clothes. Your gaze met his, eyes so dark green, like the pine trees in winter.

"You know I have to return home. I have a job and responsibilities," you reminded him once again. A noise escaped him that did not fit that beautiful man. "Is that all more worth it to you than me? You said you loved me more than anything else." Your hands stopped as you found your shirt. Slowly, you placed your shirt back on the chair and came over to him. Sitting down on the bed and taking his hand.

"You know you are worth everything to me." You hand trailed up his arm to cup his cheek. "I love you." You reminded him softly.

"Stay with me," he said quietly, sitting up and pulling you close. "I need you," he whispered into your ear. This was not the first time he had told you that. Every time you tried to leave, he made you stay.

You sighed and tried to stay stern: "I have already stayed far longer than I wanted." A kiss was placed on your cheek: "Please. I cannot live without you." You looked away: "You can."

That seemed to enrage him: "I cannot. I cannot be without you ever again. You showed me kindness, you showed me love. You showed me warmth. I am nothing without you." He reminded you, holding you in his arms with an inescapable grip. Those sweet words made you feel guilty and needed. So very needed. It was unfair.

"My dear..." You tried again. "No. I won't hear any of it!" He suddenly snapped and pushed you away. He stood up and walked over to the window. "You don't need to come back. If all you do is lie, then I do not want to be yours!" He exclaimed. More guilt built up in your chest, a suffocating feeling.

"It is not like that." You tried. "Oh, it is not? What is it then? You promised me eternity! You promised me your unending love, and at the first chance to return to your world, you leave me? That is not fair." He said, tears prickling in his beautiful eyes, which suddenly carried so much hurt. This rush of emotions confused you greatly.

"Listen..." You tried again. Torn between him and your life in the mortal realm, was this the moment you had to decide?

"What? Oh, I get it. You need to go back. You need to look after the people you actually love. Oh my god, was I blind? You just used me for your own gain," he said.

"Stop!" you exclaimed, wanting to stop him. But was he right? Did you use him? But for what?

"I love you." You reassured him and slowly approached him. Like a scared animal. "I love you so very much, okay? I'll stay. I stay forever okay? Just...do not doubt my love." You softly crooned. He turned around, his hair catching the light and you swore you saw a grin on his lips a moment ago. His arms enveloped you.

"Promise me." He demanded. "I promise." You answered without hesitation. "You only need me, only me." He said and placed a kiss on your lips.

His arms enveloped you and you found yourself on your back, he head on your chest and you felt him softly crying. "Don't do something like this ever again. My soul can not bare it." He sniffled and looked up at you with those big green eyes. You felt even more guilty and you nodded:"Never again." He smiled through his tears.

"You make me so happy with those words." He told you while he wiped his tears away. "Let me show you how much I love you." He murmured while he gently spread your legs.

"I show you why you have to stay." His voice was hoarse as he gazed down at your exposed pussy. His lips parted and he licked his lips. His breath quickend and you felt arousal pooling in you lower stomach. This man was so unbelievably arousing as he could be vile. His hands trailed up you thighs and along the insides to tease you the slightest bit.

You gaze found his:"Are you sure you want to?" You asked him since he cried just a moment ago. Immediatly he nodded and grabbed your hips:"I want that, I want you." He whispered as he leaned forward to kiss you neck. You moaned at the known feeling of his lips against your neck. "I give you another reason to stay." He whispered and his kisses wandered down behind your ear. "I'm going to fill you up with my seed. I won't leave you this bed until you are pregnant. Until you are properly bred by me. You can not escape me if you are with my child." His was so rough, it made you shiver. It was a threat, a promise - it turned you on so incredibly much, you must have been so wet down there. With the mouth he had he would ever need lube for you.

Another moan escaped you as he rubbed your clit and slid right into you. He whispered:"That's it. Open your legs more so I can breed you better." He groweld. You arched up, meeting him in the middle, wanted more of him. "Anything for you." You whined. He grinned:"Good. Thats my good little human."

His pace was punishing, but you would not have it any other way. "Tell me what you want." He groweld as his hips slammes into yours. "I want you to cum inside." You whined, putty in this faes hands. "Thats right, you will be fucked throughly and get pregnant." He told you, his hand pressing down on you lower stomach and you felt your legs twitch. "Fuck, I'm close." You told him. You were met with a grin:"I know, I feel how you clench. Cum for me." He growled. That was enough to make you cum undone. You held onto him while he brought this pleasure to both of you. You closed your eyes, lost in the feeling of his cock rubbing your inisides. How his thumb played with your clit.

Your moans were loud, while you came he did too. A grin on his lips afterwards as he stayed inside:"I need to make sure my seed surely takes." I whispered into your ear. Exhaustion took over and you only smiled down at him.

Maybe he was right, maybe that was all they needed. Maybe you should stay forever with him. You always wanted to be a mother. Not so soon yet....if it would make him happy....and would make him ravish you like that....

[moonandst4rs]

"Time cast a spell on you, but you won't forget me"

── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ──── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Masterlist

Warnings / Content: Inspired by Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac. Angst (yet again), no comfort, no use of y/n, gn!reader x Aaron Hotchner, no dialogue.

A/N: Angsty fic for another deeply traumatised character. Always any feedback and requests are welcome !! If you are unsure if i will write for a character don't hesitate to ask ! Reblogs and comments are very much appreciated <3

── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ──── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

You drove him mad. You haunted him like a shadow, always just out of reach. Everywhere he looked, he saw you. In every place, in every person he met, he searched for a piece of you.

Things had never ended well, and they never did with him. Unspoken words. Silence that lasted too long. The lines between your personal and professional lives had blurred until the weight of it was too much to bear. The team watched, helpless, as you struggled, like seeing someone drown but being unable to throw them a lifeline.

Your attempts to fix the relationship were futile, as if failure was inevitable. Aaron never liked that word, but what else could you call it? All those nights you forced yourself to fight, to hold on, only to end up in the same painful place. The arguments, the long hours spent in separate rooms, all blurred together in the end. You knew it was foolish, that pretending was no longer an option, but you weren’t ready to give up. Not yet.

"Love is blind," Rossi said, another fruitless attempt at reassurance. But you were profilers, trained to see beneath the surface. Your priorities were different—at least Aaron’s were. Maybe he still had one eye on you, even then.

He could read you better than anyone. He knew your thoughts before you could say a word. He understood the language of your silence. He held your heart in his hands, memorizing the rhythm, the beat that kept him fighting.

You rebuilt your walls, thinking they could protect you. But your heart was already full of him, the quiet gentleness he reserved only for you.

Now, as you sat across from him on the jet, your eyes met. The unsaid words and apologies hung in the air, heavy and familiar. The shared history, an unbreakable bond, wrapped around you both. He was still haunted by you, your presence a soft echo he couldn’t escape. He was trapped, listening to it, even now.

[lexirosewrites]

Mafia au pt 3

Sorry I know it's coming to you late but the last week for crazy for me

After going thru the entirety of Richards documents Steve asks Eddie if he would mind setting up a meeting with all of the superiors in the "family"

Eddie asks if Steve is sure because he'll be alone in a large room of just alpha males and male betas that worked their way up

Steve waves off his worry and says how he will be okay and Eddie needs to trust him he knows what he's doing, he promises to be careful

When the meeting takes place everyone is in for a big surprise

Everyone is seated and waiting for the omega who called the meeting and are laughing that this young omega thinks he has any power over them. Steve enters the room in a very nice suit and carrying several folders under his other arm. Everyone is curious as to what is in the folders

Steve starts off with handing out copies of his DNA test showing that he is in fact Richards child, next he kicks the Hagan family out of the business because they've been working with other mob families and actively selling secrets and resources, plus they've been killing other of their own family members to make it up in the business

Finally Steve admits he's known about this little operation for a lot longer than he let on. Plus he knows the accident that killed his mother and crippled him was no accident and was in fact an inside job. He plans on finding out who was behind it and will get his revenge then leave the family and they can fight each other for the top honor of boss.

One of the other much older males laughs at Steve when he says that if anyone has any information that can share it with Steve to avoid a similar sentence, he says how Steve's just a stupid crippled omega and let the power go to his head

Steve shoots him in the knees then leaves the room reminding them all that they're all on his hit list and suspects until he learns the full truth

I want to plan more but I'm struggling a little bit with what else I want to happen because I have so many ideas but I know not all of them will work the best together for this story. Also sorry that this one is so short, like I said this past week has been super crazy for me hopefully next week won't be as bad

scary omega Steve🥰

[wholahoop]

Writing Interview

Thanks to the excellent @xalandrix, @lqtraintracks and @saintgarbanzo for tagging me! ❤️

how many works do you have on ao3? 61 (though I think technically it's only 59, as I'm pretty sure I still have double versions of a couple of old Yuletide exchange fics back when they moved the collections over to AO3)

What’s your total ao3 word count? 1,242,791

Your top 5 stories by kudos?

A big hello to most of my hd_holidays and Erised fics, lol!

Tea and No Sympathy (52k 😮)

Written on the Heart

The Sleeping Beauty Curse

The Potter-Malfoy Problem

Star Quality

(My remaining hd_hols and erised fics are numbers 6 and 7, haha)

Do you respond to comments? uh, sometimes? I usually respond to comments that come in shortly after I've posted. Otherwise, I tend to have a burst of energy every now and then and leave a heap of replies that can be summarised as "lol this is 3 years late, but thanks for your comment ilu!!!" I've caught up on comments on everything, pretty much, apart from my four H/D longfics. I probably won't go back and reply to everything on those, because I suspect it would take me a full working week 😅

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? My ends range from happy to extremely, extremely happy, haha. Even the one fic that has an open ending I view as happy, because it leaves the characters in a really good place where it's pretty obvious (to me, at least!) that everything is going to go beautifully well.

Oh! I did write an origfic take on the Bluebeard fairytale once, Jam Tomorrow, which has a less straightforward ending? This is the only time I've ever tried second person pov, and it's a more experimental/literary-style fic than is usual for me. I was really happy with it!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? What a difficult question 😂 For non-H/D, I'd say Best Nightmare Come True (SK8, matchablossom) lingers the most in the afterglow, and I think Kyoya Ootori's Guide to Self-Deception for Fun and Profit (Ouran High School Host Club, Kyoya/Haruhi) is pretty lovely.

For H/D, I'd say either Star Quality or The Sleeping Beauty Curse. Though I only exclude Written on the Heart, haha, because the ending is a bit rushed - I think it works well enough and I'm not unhappy with it, but if I hadn't been writing to a deadline oh god I was so late then it might well have been 30k longer, with more aftermath of them fixing the spell.

Do you write crossovers? I was going to say no, but I remembered I did write one once! And Then It Bit Him, a Harry Potter/Petshop of Horrors crossover for the amazing painless_j, who was a really respected and influential reccer back in the day. I think it has Snape's animagus form being a worm 😂

I haven't reread Petshop of Horrors, for years! It's a light horror manga series, with a Japanese nature god, Count D, who basically sells people animals with rules attached, which they inevitably disobey to their peril. Like the film Gremlins, haha. There's a great ship with him and the local cop, Leon, who's VERY suspicious of him, but who somehow becomes his closest friend against both of their wills. It's not BL but it's very shippable. I loved it, but it's also 20? 25? years old, and Count D is androdgynous leaning towards feminine, while Leon is, er, a cop who's clearly resistant to the idea he might be gay and falling for D, so there's a good chance it has some nasty dated humour lurking in there.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Maybe a few times a year? It's mostly hate towards the fic rather than hate aimed at me, haha, although sometimes it's both. I usually just ignore it or delete it. If it really, really winds me up, then I reply 'lol', so they know I've read it, and then delete it 😂

I usually consider it positive, in the sense that if I've really wound someone up, then at least I'm making them feel something with my writing, right?! Usually people who leave rants fall into a couple of categories:

They really, really love Draco, and think he's perfect and pure and blameless, and how dare Harry be even slightly shitty to him, Harry is the WORST. At the pinnacle of this, is the lengthy comment that still makes me laugh/grind my teeth about how Harry was abusive to Draco and I was a terrible person for presenting such abuse as romantic. (I mean, that sounds like it could be a hot, fucked up fic 😂 But it's not one I wrote!)

They are OUTRAGED by the unfairness of McGonagall re-sorting Harry into Slytherin in an eighth year fic, rather than the hat doing it, lolol. Have they never considered that the idea of sorting people into school houses based on the goals and personalities they have when they're 11 - and one of the personality types is 'ambitious and evil', while another is 'everyone else' - is a particularly fucking stupid one? That maybe their school house isn't all that important when the kids have grow up, and have fought a war? And that the only thing the houses are actually used for in the books turns out to be dormitory allocations, house points and sporting rivalries?

They are triggered by Harry taking up the arse, when obviously it is Draco's role in life to be ploughed instead

I did not tag for [rimming, a bad joke, that the couple are fifth cousins twice removed so it's INCEST you freak, etc etc]. Strangely, I don't remember ever getting any hate on my actual incest fic, The Evil Devil Child and the Perfect Gift, where Scorpius is a charming teenage psychopath who finds out his dad is hot for Harry, and manages to persuade Al to roleplay Harry/Draco in his mission to get their parents together. It's even filthier and more fucked up than it sounds 😂 I still love this Scorpius with all my soul.

Do you write smut? Maybe?

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes. Frequently.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! ❤️ A lot of my fics are in Chinese and Russian, and some in French, and I think a couple in Italian and Spanish too. It's so cool!

Have you ever co-written a fic? Nope. I drive myself up the wall trying to get a fic written. I couldn't inflict that on another person 😂

What’s your all time favourite ship? H/D (yes, I still prefer calling it that to Drarry, lol!)

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? A long time ago I completely failed to finish a Snarry fic I'd promised to someone who'd won an auction :( She was very gracious and understanding, and completely forgave me, but I still feel shitty I didn't come through. I used to love Snarry, but it was a complicated ship for me with competing love and ick feelings, and the pressure got to me so I lost my Snarry mojo completely.

What are your writing strengths? Oh, that's a hard one to answer, but with my self-confident hat on: I think I can write a bloody good love story.

What are your writing weaknesses? Overwriting, for sure - I don't always need to use so many words, or have such long sentences. I overuse italics and ellipses and dashes. If you think my posted fics have a lot of these, you should have seen them before :D

I love an adverb! I replace a lot in editing, because showing rather than telling is so much more effective, but a lot also stay.

I also get stuck on particular words/phrases and repeat them. I try to catch the worst offenders in editing, but in a long fic sometimes you just have to go with it - so please forgive me if you spot I used the word ridiculous a billion times, or someone runs their hand through their hair as a nervous tic a billion times, or whatever.

I also repeat a lot of ideas in fics, though I'm not convinced that's a weakness. If I do reread my fics though, it's pretty obvious what my narrative kinks are though, haha: significant gifts, fireworks, proposals, dining at a fancy restaurant, I could go on.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic? Mostly I avoid it - I don't see the point in including foreign dialogue when my reader won't understand it, unless my viewpoint character doesn't understand it either. (And even then, it's risky unless I speak that language - which I don't - because you can guarantee a reader will, and they'll lol at your ropey Google translate attempt.)

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? I have plenty of ships I haven't written anything for yet, but nothing I'm actively longing to write - if I was, I would have already started something.

What’s your favourite thing you’ve ever written? Oh, that's mean. I'm proud of basically 99% of everything I've written. I think maybe my favourite H/D is Star Quality - I think it's the best paced and plotted, and there's something about pop star Draco covered in glitter that feeds my soul 😂 Plus I love the journeys they both go on in terms of coming to terms with their sexualities - Harry's self-acceptance of something he was ashamed of, and Draco's bravery in doing what always felt impossible to him and coming out to his parents, because he wanted Harry so much he couldn't stand it any more ❤️

I also adore my Ouran fic. I don't write much het, and I don't usually write teen-rated fics either, but it's quiet, and heartfelt, and somehow the most romantic fic I've ever written. Plus I did a ton of research about Japanese culture so I think it does actually feel relatively Japanese. Oh, and I did a ton of research about Harvard too, where part of the fic is set, and I got a comment from someone asking if I'd been to Harvard too, so I considered that the highest of praise!!!

I don't remember who hasn't done this already to tag 😂 So, uh, @bewarethesmirk, @sweet-s0rr0w, @tackytigerfic, @eleadore, @epitomereally, @letteredlettered, @kamaela and any other writer friends scrolling on by who haven't!

[karizard-ao3]

Any couple of your choosing is stuck inside an elevator!

The way I'm feeling right now, Luigi Mangione x Elon Musk ❤️🩷🤍

But in less seriousness, Yor and Twilight/Loid!

I'm picturing that Anya is at school, but Yor and Twilight have the day off for whatever reason (this is mainly for my own peace of mind - I don't want her all alone in the apartment for who knows how long :( ). Or, Yor has the day off and then Twilight unexpectedly has to go on a mission which requires him to stop at home first. Yor is planning to spend the day trying to cook something edible, so she is just getting back from the grocery store as Twilight is arriving back at the building.

He, of course, puts on a pleasant expression even though his gut is grumbling over this unexpected mission. There are a lot of logistics and he's on a time crunch! He gives her some excuse about needing to get something from the house in order to treat a particularly challenging patient. Yor tries to imagine what weapon he'd use for concussive therapy and concludes that one of their heavy stone bookends might be the most therapeutic (I don't know if they own a set of bookends in canon, but let's say they do).

They get in the elevator together, chatting, and then, on their way up, that is when the power goes out and the elevator stops.

Yor is startled but generally pretty chill about the setback. Loid is Not Having a Good Time™️.

Yor settles in to wait, hoping that the elevator gets back up and running while Loid is climbing the walls because he has a mission.

He wants to open the ceiling hatch and climb up, but let's say for some reason he can't. Perhaps it's padlocked? Why would it be padlocked? I don't know! But he would obviously try to go up the elevator shaft so something has to prevent him so he can enjoy this accidental romantic date with his wife.

Let's blame it on his digestive issues. I mean, I know that half the time he makes them up so he can pretend he's on the toilet for three hours while he does espionage, but sometimes he really does get a tummy ache and this is one of those times. He cannot climb up the shaft because his belly feels yucky because he's so stressed that he can't complete the mission he doesn't want to do in the first place.

Yor is very zen about the whole thing, though, and that starts to rub off on him. She starts going through the groceries and trying to figure out if she got anything that could be used medicinally to help his digestion.

Loid slides down the wall of the elevator until he's sitting on the floor and thanks her but tells her he's all right. He just hates to cancel on a "patient".

She sits down next to him and says the power probably won't be out long. They've had a lot of outages in recent weeks but never longer than a few minutes.

Loid is comforted, but only for about five minutes. Once it's clear the power is not coming back on, he gets antsy again.

Yor starts going through the groceries again and pulls out some bread and cheese and starts making a sandwich. She offers it to Loid, then makes herself one. She is smiling to herself and she tells him a story about how when she and Yuri were orphaned children, they would do rainy day picnics whenever the weather was bad, and eat a picnic lunch inside and how much fun they had making a dreary day more bright. She wishes Anya were here to enjoy the picnic with them, especially since she bought a whole bag of peanuts while she was out.

Loid, as usual, is touched and soothed by her ability to live in the moment and find the good in a situation. He puts his hand over hers and thanks her for being so chill, but he stares at her a little too long and she gets embarrassed. Suddenly, they realize how small the elevator actually is and how close to each other they are. This is hardly a problem for Loid, who is already justifying to himself that continuing to hold her hand is good for the mission. He starts to lean in, but Yor springs to her feet, launches through the hatch, and shimmies up to their floor. She starts hauling the elevator up (maybe there's a manual lever or something. I don't know how old timey elevators work - I also don't really know how new timey elevators work), hyperventilating and also a little mad at herself for running away. She's been curious about kissing Loid and thinking about it sometimes at night, but she is afraid of doing it wrong and disappointing him, so when it looked like he was going to go for it, she bolted.

Now that she's got some distance to think about it, she realizes maybe Loid thinks they should start kissing to sell their ruse better.

Loid is stunned when she wrenches the doors open with her bare hands and, apologizing, frees him from the elevator.

He says it's fine, somewhat bemused by her feat of strength, and they go into their apartment. he grabs whatever he needs for his mission. She is putting the groceries away when he comes out and he can tell she feels embarrassed and confused.

He apologizes if he made her uncomfortable in the elevator.

She says he didn't, she just isn't very confident because she was too busy raising Yuri to do anything else. If kissing is to be a part of their marriage ploy, she will do her best.

Loid is a little taken aback. He tells her she doesn't have to do anything she is not ready for.

She says something about wanting to be ready and they should just do it and closes her eyes so he can kiss her.

But Loid can tell by how she's trembling that she's liable to high kick him in the chin if he's too bold and tries to push it too far. So instead, he kisses her on the cheek and says he'll be home as soon as he can.

Her hand flies to her cheek and her face turns red, but he doesn't see it because now he is hurrying away, his own cheeks burning and his heart hammering in his chest, because maybe he's starting to lose sight of the mission after all.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Quelaunt

CR 15

Chaotic Evil Large Aberration

Kingmaker Bestiary, pg. 50-51

These sadistic, extraplanar parasites hail from a realm unknown but are often found in the company of lesser Aberrations, especially those among the Dominion of the Black, though these partnerships are out of convenience than actual ideological agreements. Any bonds they form with Dominion forces are made because such otherworldly terrors tend to evoke feelings of disgust, horror, and despair in humanoid minds more than any other monster, and the Quelaunt traumatically feed on these negative emotions, often to the point of wiping out the victim's mind entirely while conveniently leaving the bodies behind for their partners in crime and/or slime to make use of.

They are not passive feeders like some foul fairy or malevolent spirit, they're active, all but physically ripping emotions out of their victims and taking chunks of their psyche with it. To this end, Quelaunt can Feed on Emotions once per round as a move action, targeting any creature within 30ft that's suffering from any harmful emotion effect. Such a creature will have to make a DC 28 Will save or take 4d10 damage and be stunned for a round. It's important to note that this feeding doesn't remove the emotion effect, allowing the Quelaunt to potentially stunlock and swiftly kill any creature that can't easily make the save, and even worse, the Quelaunt heals for all the damage it deals with this ability.

This ability is bad enough already, but there's the easily-missed line at the very end that makes it so very much worse: if the Quelaunt would miss out on any HP due to already being at full health, it can take another move action that round in exchange, rewarding it for staying out of the party's reach and keeping its HP high. With the ability to move around at 40ft/round across all terrain, including the empty air (thanks to Air Walk), a Quelaunt can skitter close to a creature, peel its brain for anywhere from 4 to 40 damage, then skitter away with what is essentially a free move action.

Now, if you're wondering how someone can fall under a harmful emotion effect in the first place for the Quelaunt to use this powerful ability, wonder no longer! Because they can use Fear at-will to inspire paralyzing, mortal terror in whole groups of enemies at a time, and if that isn't enough, they have a small selection of devious 3/days, ALL of which are Quickened: Crushing Despair, Hideous Laughter, and Fear AGAIN just in case the at-will one didn't work. Crushing Despair is more of an inconvenience at this level than a danger, aside from the -2 to damage rolls making the creature harder to harm, but Hideous Laughter can potentially shut someone down for a round or two (or more, if they're really unlucky), leaving both them and their allies helpless to the creature's machinations, and all three spells ALSO make victims vulnerable to the abomination's emotional vampirism in addition to their normal function. NONE of its spell-likes have a save DC under 20, giving it a good chance of affecting multiple unlucky members of a party hovering around levels 11 to 14.

On a more mundane front, they have a formidable +31 to Intimidate checks, which is typically enough to let them shake up any creature hovering around 11 or so Hit Dice for 2 to 4 rounds, and even THIS meager application of shaken is enough to let the horror perform its Feed on Emotions. They have no ranks in Stealth, but they can still give someone a potentially lethal jumpscare by dropping from above, Intimidating them, then soaking up 4d10 HP and skittering back into the air either before or after they follow it up with a Quickened spell to take advantage of the -2 to the victim's saves from Shaken.

If you're trying to counter the sadness and fear with positivity, I'm afraid that won't work as well as you're hoping. The Quelaunt's Spiral of Despair instantly and automatically ends any helpful emotion-based effect on any creature that fails a save against any of its own spell-like abilities. This certainly SOUNDS like an intimidating ability, because a whole party losing Good Hope in the middle of a fight would certainly feel like... well, losing all hope, but a lot of the best generic buff spells in the game aren't emotion effects. Spiral of Despair specifically ONLY dispels positive emotion effects, meaning that the Quelaunt's intimidating kit and frightening ability to parisitize negative emotions and gain extra actions in a round is entirely countered by the ever-useful Unbreakable Heart, a level 1 spell available to ten different classes, and a spell the aberrant has no means of removing from its victims on its own except to retreat and wait for the duration to expire. Little wonder why it hangs around with other, more magically flexible Aberrations.

if it cannot use its psychic vampirism, a Quelaunt can still deal impressive damage with its three claws, 3d6+9 with each strike, or 9d6+9 if it uses its Improved Vital Strike for one big attack (which it's probably going to be using as it hit-and-runs). They really don't want to be putting themselves at that much risk, though, especially if a party can chase them into the air, because they have zero Damage Reduction or elemental resistances and no Spell Resistance at all. They have no defensive abilities, not even immunity to being flanked despite their bizarre bodies, and though their immunity to mind-affecting effects can certainly give debuff casters a hard time, it does nothing against being hit with a sword over and over again, or the application of Slow or Flesh to Stone. They rely wholly on their 30 AC and their admittedly high saves (+12/+12/+18) for protection, so if the party can make their own saves against the blasts of Fear and the follow-up Quickened spells, the horror responsible for it all can be quickly pushed into a corner, and a Paladin with Fly is its worst nightmare. It can deal some respectable damage, but this isn't what it wants! It WANTS to have people cowering in front of it as it Improved Vital Strikes them, drains 4d10 HP from them, and then skitters away to the next poor idiot to do it all over again.

Quelaunt work best when supported by other Aberrations, even ones of significantly lower CR, and especially ones with access to Dispel Magic or any ability to remove anything that could block its emotion-affecting spells. These partnerships aren't one-sided, with the Quelaunt being potent debuffers, but more than that they can serve as a potent means to gather victims or shield their partners' lairs from discovery, as they can cast both Sympathy and Antipathy once a day each. Both of these spells last 30 hours per cast each and are often able to keep parties from approaching (or leaving) a specified area for the entire duration, necessitating the removal of the Quelaunt before any real progress can be made forwards OR backwards.

Speaking of forwards or backwards, let's close on a fun note! You may notice that their anatomy raises a lot of questions, but such curiosity always leads to death. A dead Quelaunt is as potent weapon against reason as a live one, as every single attempt to dissect and analyze their interiors has ended with the researchers responsible destroying all their notes, the horror's corpse, and then themselves. What secrets they may be guarding are eternally theirs.

Their 1st Edition stats do not exist online, but their 2nd Edition stats do, and you can read thecreaturecodex's write-up of a potential 1st Edition statblock here. They fix quite a few complaints I have about the official conversion, granting them Damage Reduction AND Spell Resistance, as well as diversifying their emotional palate and granting them ranks in Stealth so they can actually get the drop on a party, so you can mix and match the official and unofficial statblocks to your heart's content!

[sysig]

Enecomimi Banzaiiii (Patreon)

[icewindandboringhorror]

Everytime I face a new character limit on a website that didn't have them before/used to have really long ones... AUGHHhhh the modern social media world was not made for people like me (lovers of details, rambling, elaboration, thorough explanation, and nuance)

[emiliosandozsequence]

have Barely read this week bc of all the fucking doctor's appointments i've had to go to rip

[chaddicus]

see the longer I play with my understanding of my transmasc experience and dysphoria, the more I grapple with the conflict between mocking fragile masculinity for refusing to allow the use of 'feminine' things vs knowing more and more keenly how much dysphoria I would and do get whenever someone associates something I do or use or wear with femininity. and no amount of people insisting that using "feminine" things doesn't invalidate someone's gender, man or otherwise, seems to have any impact on that dysphoria

we do need to untangle cultural perceptions of masculine vs feminine and respect for a person's gender, manhood in particular in this discussion, but I almost feel like knowing that means it's my responsibility to refuse to engage with those ideas for my own gender — and the problem is that knowing this is not the common understanding means knowing that other people *will* associate my use of feminine things as some sort of contradiction with any masculinity I may wish to express or identify with, and no amount of understanding the concepts and holding the principles can erase the revulsion and pain and fear I feel at the thought of people associating me with some concept of womanhood that I adamantly *do not experience or identify with.* fuck.

[xcziel]

wow they decided to copy yoongi almost exactly: concert lovefest for army and then dip

[demarogue]

Gettin' Through the Holidays Mental Health Tricks

If y'all are anything like me, this time of year is triggering AF. Here are some small, very easy grounding exercises that I was taught by my therapist, basically in order of how much I like them for this rage-inducing season. You make like them in a different order, depending on your rage-to-despair ratio.

Push a wall: literally go up to a wall and try to push it over. Really try. I promise you won't push it over, but give it your best shot. Try to hold it as long as you can, and then take a breather and assess whether you need to repeat. Why it works: This is a quick, physical expulsion of the fight-or-flight feeling. It's a bit like punching a wall, but without the potential to hurt yourself/look scary/damage things. You can even do it in front of people and say you're stretching, they'll never know (unless the wall actually falls down, but this will not happen, I assure you).

Shake like a dog: Animals shake to release stress, and you are also an animal. Setting aside time to just shake it out, as vigorously as you can, arms and legs, face, stick your tongue out, pretend you're shaking like a wet dog. You can dance instead, if that feels better, and you can do this to music, but basically the more unhinged you can be, the better. If you are in a place you can scream, scream too! Why it works: like the above, this is a release of pent-up stress and anxiety. Especially if your rage-to-woe ratio is high, some kind of physical exertion is often the best way to burn through the cortisol and adrenaline you're building up.

Bilateral Tapping: Cross your arms over your chest so that your fingertips are at your shoulders, and slowly tap, one hand at a time, back and forth, for about a minute. Breathe slowly. Why it works: This is weird as hell, but because this engages both sides of your brain, it helps override the activity of the amygdala, which is the part of your brain that Makes The Fear. If you're being literally triggered in a situation, i.e. you're having a trauma response, or reliving some family trauma, this is a good one.

Box Breathing: From a comfortable position (can really be seated, laying down or standing), inhale slowly for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, then repeat. You can do it for shorter counts or longer counts, but if you vary the counts make sure the exhale is longer than the inhale. You can close your eyes or leave them open. Why it works: This exercise helps you move from a sympathetic (activated) nervous system response to a parasympathetic (balanced) response. I do this one every day, and it's a good gateway to meditation. Especially helpful in anxious or tense situations, but I find if I'm very triggered I need one of the other ones first, or it can make anxiety worse. Breathwork is amazing but not usually as a first exercise if you're very activated, or have been activated a long time.

Ice: Lots of ways to do this one – hands in cold water for 30 seconds, ice pack on the back of your neck, dip your entire face into a bowl of ice water (this one's the most effective). Why it works: I kinda think this is hilarious, but this activates your mammalian dive reflex. It immediately slows your heart-rate, so if you are feeling your blood pressure and heart rate rising, this one is very good. The only reason this one's at the bottom of my list is because I hate being cold.

I wish you all a very get-through-the-holidays-without-hurting-yourself. Take time alone if you need it.

[direscrowley]

been caught in one of those terrible "not good enough" spirals about my writing lately

[chuluoyi]

𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄

- sylus x reader

more than friends with benefits, definitely lovers. your relationship is one filled with banters, steamy nights, and secret strings attached... but when someone shows an interest in you, sylus won't hesitate to stake his claim for everyone to see

genre/warnings: 18+ suggestive content—minors do not interact!—jealousy, crack, fluff, smut, a dash of comfort, assassin!reader (not l&ds mc)

note: loosely a sequel to strictly (un)professional. how this snowballed into 3.8k... i don't really know :')

“Missus, please spare us!”

You shot an unamused look at the twins before you, who clasped their hands together, pleading for you to let them go.

“Why is it so difficult for both of you to say?” you hissed, crossing your arms together. “I’m not asking for much—just a recount of what happened!”

“Boss will have our tongues for this!” Kieran looked up at you, quivering. “No way, I want to live!”

“He’s terrifying…” Luke shuddered in fear, hugging himself. “You don’t know how frightening he is!”

You were holding both Luke and Kieran hostage, the tender preys, all because Sylus refused to reveal what you had been wanting to know these past few weeks.

“So you’re afraid of Sylus…” You fixed them with a steely glare. “But have you ever thought that if you don’t spill it now, I will be the one taking both your tongues?”

“—?! Missus, please!”

“Why are you bullying the twins?” A deep voice cut through the twins’ pitiful laments, and you let out an exasperated huff as your chance slipped away once more.

Speak of the devil, and Sylus shall appear. He looked at the scene before him as if you were all a bunch of kindergarteners.

Luke and Kieran immediately flocked to him. “Boss! Save us! She’s scary!”

And now you were suddenly the scary one. You rolled your eyes. "Your henchmen are useless."

Sylus glanced at you with a half smile, knowing what information you were squeezing the twins for. "Sweetie, just give it up. You'll find peace faster that way."

Was it wrong to be curious about what Sylus had been up to during the three weeks you were unconscious after the attack that literally took your life? Why was he being so secretive about it anyway?

“I know, you were so worried sick you didn’t even eat or sleep,” you taunted your lover with a wicked smile. “That’s why you won’t tell me about it.”

Sylus laughed outright. “Pftt. You’ve got quite the imagination. Good to know.”

Nothing much changed after that night of his confession—if you could call it that—to you. You were indeed no longer strictly his bedwarmer, but your banters stayed the same, if not even more sarcastic now.

“Chop chop, we have an auction to go to, sweetie.” Sylus placed his big hand on your head, amused. “Stop being a hissy kitten towards the poor twins and get ready, hmm?”

“I’ll definitely uncover it,” you shot him a resentful glare. “Just you wait and see.”

Such were your days with your true kindred-spirits lover. He would tease you during the day and turn you into a hot mess at night, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

In tonight's auction, you had one target: the broker for a new rising star firearms dealer. Sylus had been eyeing him, deducing his goods could be a nice addition to his armory.

And so, you went up to him. However...

“...Are you single, miss?”

Here we go again.

You forced a tight smile. “Sir, I’d appreciate it if we can stick to subject at hand.”

The man blinked, then quickly plastered on a wide grin to mask his surprise. “Oh yes! Yes, I-I’m sorry, I got distracted— well, I’d say this is a pretty solid MoU... but I’ll need to contact my boss first.”

This weirdo... you thought with boredom, is so transparent.

This wasn’t the first time you’d dealt with a situation like this. Granted, you were pretty and you knew it, but usually, more distinguished men would be a bit more subtle about it.

“Take all the time you need,” you encouraged smoothly, your eyes crinkling in an attempt to look friendly. “As you can see, Mr. Sylus has proposed the perfect bargain for this kind of dealings.”

“I wouldn’t argue with that. I assure you we’ll certainly try to accommodate his request.” The man nodded and gave you a meaningful look, before coughing awkwardly. “Uh, sorry, what was your name again, miss?”

Your faux smile remained perfectly still as you replied, “Mephisto.”

The man’s eyes roved over you, and he grinned roguishly. “Right. Still, I never expected Mr. Sylus’ secretary to be as beautiful as you, Miss Mephisto...”

This was tedious. Your patience was tested with every leering look he gave you. Sylus must know this already, and he's somewhere laughing at the sight of you dealing with this creep.

“You flatter me too much, I’m average.”

“No, no! I mean it!”

He knows... yet he wouldn't do anything about it. Not that you would expect Sylus to barge in like a man blinded by envy, but still, he was insufferable for not coming to you just like he had for Miss Hunter back then.

The man kept droning on and on about himself and everything else that had nothing to do with the business deal, and you were this close to dropping him and using your Evol to shut him up when—

He then turned to you expectantly. “Oh, there is a dance! Miss, would you mind if I have your first dance?”

“Oh...”

And it occurred to you... why not spice things up a little?

Sylus’ dark crimson eyes narrowed silently as he watched both of you from the island table while savoring his glass of wine, before he let out a loud snort.

That vermin doesn’t have a clue he is playing with fire.

For most of your interaction, the firearms dealer’s broker kept giving you suggestive looks, and occasionally brushing his hand against yours on purpose. He wasn't even trying to hide it, and it was amusing to see how aggravated you looked the entire time.

Adorable. Sylus found you incredibly endearing these days, from your pouts to your glazed eyes whenever he thrusted into you—

You were oh so delectable… at least until he saw you holding that lesser man's arm, as he led you to the dance floor.

A deep frown immediately formed in his forehead.

“What are you scheming now?” Sylus scowled, half exasperated and half in disbelief. “You naughty cat.”

He was even more irked when he saw how casually you wrapped your arms around that vermin, twirling and pressing yourself against him in a waltz. Seeing him trying to hit on you was one thing, but for you to reciprocate was just plain unacceptable.

—and to his ire, your audacity continued throughout the night.

. . .

“Miss Mephisto, do you play pool?”

“I do.”

“Then, will you play with me?”

Sylus was now burning with tendrils of anger, watching you from a closer corner. He had seen the broker put his hands on you so many times that he had lost count—during the dance, mingling with other guests, and while sharing hearty laughs. All in all, you were acting as if you had forgotten he was even here.

You were threading on a very thin ice and whether you realized it or not... you didn't seem to care.

"Ah, I think your stance is a bit off..." And to make it worse, the broker was definitely seizing every chance he could, as there was nothing wrong with your form—you often accompanied Sylus playing pool, so you were a pro—and yet he still got behind you, trying to drape his arms around your body.

That was the last straw. Enough is enough.

Before Sylus realized what he was doing, he stormed over to where you were, yanked your arm forcefully, and effectively separated you from him. He didn’t give a damn about the horrified shout from the broker or the judging looks from other partygoers as he dragged you by the hand out of the ballroom.

“Sylus!” you nearly shrieked when he kicked open a door to a meeting room and locked it with his black-red mist. He pinned you against the wall, and crashed his lips against yours in a searing kiss.

“Mmph!” You tried pushing him back, but he was stronger and held you in place, his tongue forcing your lips open as he pressed the back of your head toward him. His other hand slipped inside your dress—between your legs— two fingers in—

“—!” you couldn't even squeal as he devoured your mouth and the shock set in, feeling yourself getting aroused by the minute when his fingers did that scissoring thing and edged you further.

After he was done with your mouth, his hot lips trailed down to your neck and shoulder blades, sucking hard on several spots, making you gasp and moan.

"Hah... this... is the price to pay for testing me, sweetie," your lover growled his nickname for you with satisfaction as he noticed you trembling body, nibbling on your shoulder. "You want to get punished so badly, huh?"

"Ahh..." you threw your head back, clinging to him, grinding yourself against his fingers.

"Is it funny to you? Watching me see him touch you?" Sylus' unforgiving ruby eyes stared down at you like a lion eyeing its prey. "What an insolent little kitten you are..."

His fingers kept moving and thrusting inside you in an alarming speed, mercilessly hitting that one spot that could make you cry. He was seriously teaching you a lesson by forcing you to come undone right then and there.

"I-I...!" you tried to refute, but then you felt the knot inside you burst, and in the next second, you could feel yourself coming all over his fingers, shuddering, your breaths coming in pants.

Feeling faint, relief washed you when he pulled out his fingers. You leaned and clung onto him, pulling him closer, and Sylus finally saw what a mess he had turned you into.

Your glassy eyes focused solely on him, seemingly pleading—and those swollen lips, as well as the sizzling heat creeping up your cheeks—

“Ha,” he let out a low chuckle, a wicked grin curling his lips. “If I can still make you look like this, then I suppose I can forgive you.”

“You’re a meanie,” you mumbled breathlessly.

“You’re the mean one,” Sylus tutted with narrowed eyes, starting to pull away from you.

But then you pulled him close again and pressed your lips to his, this time with a gentleness that surprised him.

There was no malice or burning desire in your kiss. Strangely, it felt far more intimate. You pulled away, the heart-stopping swirls of his red eyes captivating you as you pressed your foreheads together.

“Needy, aren’t you, sweetie?” Sylus whispered, holding your gaze, his breath hot against your skin.

But right now, all of a sudden, you looked so vulnerable to him, as if any wrong word from his lips would shatter you. It made him almost feel guilty for manhandling you so roughly.

You didn’t respond, just wanting this closeness with him. Behind your snarky words and little schemes, this was what you wanted more than the release you just got. Sometimes, you still worried—did he want this too?

“What is it?” Sylus asked with a frown, seemingly concerned. “Talk. Tell me.”

“Nothing…” you replied in a small voice.

“Do you feel sick? Want to go back?”

You shook your head.

You weren’t usually this quiet. Sylus couldn’t help being restless at your sudden change. It felt awkward for him to do what he was about to do next, but instinctively, he figured it would comfort you a bit.

You felt a pang in your heart when he pulled away, but in the next instant, a wave of warmth enveloped you as he pressed you to him, burying your head against his sturdy chest.

For someone who deals with blood and gore, your body felt too soft and fragile, yet still fit perfectly in his arms. Though he had held you and made love to you many times before, it was only now that he truly noticed how small you were.

“You’re warm…” you murmured, your voice carrying a hint of a whine.

So needy and pliant… for him.

“My woman is such an enduring mystery.” Sylus mused, sounding almost as if he were lamenting. “Sometimes she’s a brazen kitten without a shred of shame, but then she pulls stunts like this.”

Your heart picked up the pace. You are... his. That was right. You were his woman in every sense of the word now, and he wasn't shying away from it.

But to cover your embarrassment, you could only come up with, “Can you not refer to me as cat...?”

He shot you an irked glance. “No.”

“He calls me by your bird’s name.”

“...”

“Sylus, you can’t murder him. Your deal will go down the drain.”

“Tch.” Sylus blew out an annoyed sigh, glaring at you. “By the time I get back here, you’re going back with me.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes, yes.”

Honestly you were exhausted, and you wanted to nothing more than a good sleep. But you couldn't just leave the broker without preamble because this deal depended on him, and Sylus too had some loose ends he had to tie before the two of you left.

Strangely, all eyes were on you when you returned to the ballroom. You wondered why as you navigated the crowd until you met the broker you had fooled in so many ways.

“Oh, Miss Mephisto, you’re back!” he was visibly and utterly drunk, and you cringed at the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. But then you noticed his eyes seemed to be fixated on your—

Neck. You realized in horror.

“Oh... hic, t-that... I-I see,” he blabbered, coughing awkwardly as he stared at the marks on your neck. “Miss... so that man is... y-your lover...?”

“Uh...” It was a wonder he didn’t recognize Sylus at first glance. Perhaps it was because he was so infamous, but it astounded you how this person couldn’t even tell that it was him.

"I-I thought... w-we..." he hiccupped again heartbrokenly, before snatching a glass on the table. "Oh, I need more drink!"

You observed him, half cringing. "Sir, I just want to remind you that once the documents are signed—"

"Yeah, yeah! It will be done by the end of the week!" he yelled at you. "Miss, how about you have a drink too!?"

Suddenly, a glass of gin was shoved into your hand, and you let out an irritated sigh. Yeah, he might be right. A glass of alcohol would help you sleep better tonight, you figured, so you chugged it down.

"Huh...?" And it didn’t take you long to realize something was amiss. The dizzying sensation set in far too quickly, you felt so hot, and you had to lean on the table next to you to keep from falling.

“Are you okay...?” a waitress asked you with concern, but the only sound you could hear was your own violent heartbeat. Before you knew it, the glass in your hand slipped from your grasp and crashed into the floor.

"Oh, miss! Are you okay?!" the broker suddenly got a hold over your body. "Oh! It seems you aren't feeling well! Let me escort you to you room!"

Room? You barely discerned what happened when he led you out of the crowd. Your head spun terribly, and then suddenly throbbed, making you clutch it and cry out in pain, "Ah!"

It didn't make sense, no matter how you saw it. You had a pretty good tolerance, so for you to get hungover from a gin was just—

“Oh, does it hurt much?” he suddenly asked in your ear, making you shiver. “Don’t worry... it'll be bearable soon enough... I’ll make sure you will feel good…”

It's him! You realized. He spiked your drink!

His arms were now locking yours, steering you to go into the elevator. You took a deep breath before directing your speech manipulation evol on him— "Let go!"

He was immediately jerked away from you, but as a result, you almost crumpled, your vision swimming and your head pounding intensely. The pain made you feel close to passing out, and yet you managed to trek forward, leaning on the wall for support.

You had to get away from him before he could catch up to you. Panic set in, and when strong arms caught you, you convulsed, thinking he had grabbed you—

“Stop thrashing!”

“S-Sylus...?” You looked up, trying to focus on his face, but everything was so blurry.

“I’m here.” His voice was ragged, and you’d recognize it anywhere. “What happened to you? Are you hurt?”

“M-my head...” Your voice came out as a broken whimper, clutching at your throbbing head. “Hurts...”

You were feverish, trembling against his hold, and you reeked of alcohol. Sylus instantly realized something was seriously wrong and pressed your head into his chest to provide comfort. “Just a little bit longer—” his deep voice carried a subtle hint of alarm as he hoisted you up to his arms. “Hang on, alright?”

But just as he was about to bring you back, he caught the sight of a fleeing silhouette in the corner, and realizing who it was, his right eye blazed, black and red mist swirled in the air and restrained the broker, engulfing his screams.

“S-spare me! P-please!” the man pleaded tearfully, pinned on the ground, and Sylus approached him silently, looking down at him with so much spite in his eyes.

“A roach that doesn’t seem to know his place…” The corners of his lips twisted into a sadistic smile. “Whether you survive or not depends on you. Best hope you’ll last.”

Despite his pleas, he paid it no mind as he walked away with you in his arms.

When you awakened, your head was no longer pounding.

It took you a moment to realize there was a cool compress on your forehead, you were now in a clean oversized sweater, and someone was holding your hand.

Sylus. You looked up to find him asleep, sitting with his back against the headboard beside you. It was rare to catch him sleeping. In this moment, he looked defenseless, yet a faint frown lingered on his handsome face.

Has he been waiting for you like this, holding your hand all night...?

You tried to get a better look at him, but the rustle seemed to wake him up instead, as his eyes cracked open.

“You awake?” he asked, voice so sultry it woke all your senses up. “I was just shutting my eyes.”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable sleeping like that?” you asked.

Sylus turned toward you, his eyes still hazy from sleep. “What about you? Feeling better?”

“Mm-hmm.”

He placed a hand on your head, ruffling your hair gently.

“Really, you...” His stare was so withering it made question marks appear in your head. “I took my eyes off you for one minute, and you ended up with alcohol poisoning?”

“—? I didn’t know! But wait, what happened to that bozo?”

Sylus gave you a deadpan look, and you gasped. “You… didn’t kill him and have his body secretly disposed of, did you?”

“Just who do you think I am?”

“…a kingpin of an illegal syndicate?”

Your lover’s scowl deepened further at your response. “Nah, he got lucky. I only returned him with a broken jaw, broken hips, and two missing teeth.”

“Sylus!”

If he looked sleepy before, now he definitely looked wide awake. Sylus always sleeps at dawn, and you wanted him to rest more than anything, but now you were itching to ask him...

“Say... were you waiting for me while sitting like this too when I wasn’t conscious for three weeks?” You avoided his gaze, the question burning on your lips. Sylus had never given you a straight answer whenever you asked him about this.

This time too, he grumbled, “Why do you keep asking that?”

“Because I can’t ask Luke and Kieran, they look as if you’d set them on fire.”

Sylus went silent, not giving you any affirmation at all, and you huffed and unclasped his hand, pursing your lips together. “I see. You don’t care about me at all. Noted.”

You heard him sigh, before his red eyes squarely landed on you.

“When I was shot, you worried about me even when you know I’m going to be alright,” he suddenly posed the question on you. “Didn’t you?”

You nodded, and he tousled your hair again—the action alone somehow made you feel warm.

“Whatever you felt that day, that’s the same to what I went through during those three weeks. Multiply it by ten.”

“Huh!?” you rose up from the sheets in surprise, facing him.

Sylus then turned away from you, crossing his arms and shutting his eyes. “That’s it, sweetie. I’m going back to sleep now.”

“Wait!”

You scrambled into his lap, clinging to his shoulder. Sylus begrudgingly opened his eyes again, a look of irritation on his face. “What?”

Multiply it by ten…? Heh. At this moment, you felt light and giddy, knowing that the two of you were now true lovers in every way that mattered even when you were faced with his sourness.

“Don't scowl too much!” you giggled merrily. You placed your fingers on the corners of his lips, gently lifting them to force a smile. “Honesty suits you much better, Sylus. It’s recommended.”

This cheeky woman... Sylus never thought the day would come for him to experience these myriad of emotions, much less for them to be incited by you.

He pulled you close, one arm around your hips and the other around the back of your head. Your lips met his in a passionate kiss that left no room for further conversation, only parting when you both needed to catch your breath.

“If you want me to, then don’t make me relive those nights,” he said with a sly smile, his crimson eyes glinting in the light and his voice like silk against your ears. “Can you?”

His tone softened your gaze, a warm sensation spreading through your chest. You responded with a playful snort, wrapping your arms around his neck and giving him another peck on the lips.

After your innocent make-out session, you nestled closer to him with a contented sigh, savoring the reassuring warmth of his embrace as you both drifted off again into the morning.

Epilogue

"Do you hear anything?"

"No, nothing..."

Luke and Kieran whispered amongst themselves as they tried to hear anything of importance beyond Sylus' bedroom. After their boss went back home with you passed out in his arms last night, they had totally expected the worst.

“Seems like she’s alright then…” Kieran concluded, stepping away from the door. “We should just go. If Boss catches us, we’re dead.”

The twins backed away from the door and went back to the living room, sighing in relief.

"But honestly, Boss has changed lately, hasn't he? He looks kinder, somehow."

"Are you sure, Luke? Maybe it's just when he looks at the missus. With us, meh."

“I still get chills thinking about when he destroyed the Protofield to dust after he found her following the explosion,” Luke gazed off in wonder. “It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, but it was also heartbreaking—especially when he tried to wake her and realized she was beyond help because the steel had pierced her heart…”

Luke and Kieran went quiet at the memory.

“Anyhow!” Kieran suddenly exclaimed. “All’s well that ends well! To be honest, I totally saw it coming that they'd end up together!”

“Ooh, you're right! They did a bad job of hiding it too, no less! I mean, one time, the missus came out of his room while—”

As the twins gossiped about their master and mistress, they were unaware that Mephisto the crow, perched nearby, was dutifully recording their conversation and would report it all to his master later.