#they're both always going to be so inquisitive and open with each other

[booasaur]

Gotham Knights - 1x12

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 5 MATCH 6

Claude propaganda:

"To say Claude has trust issues is an understatement—you have to spend half the game earning his. (Claude isn't even his real name!) Once you have it, though, he's absolutely ride or die for you until the stars go out. He is so full of heart and ambition: He wants both sides of his heritage to get along, he wants to open borders and eliminate xenophobia and promote equality between commonfolk, and deep down, I think he craves a partner to stand with him at that new dawn, or an equal who sees his vision for the future and will fight for it just as hard. Nobody believed in him when he was a kid, but if you put your faith in him, he'll return it tenfold. Some people don't like that he's calculating, or has to leave the player character at the end of the game to go back to his homeland, but both are necessary elements for his goals to change things. He will always come back, and everyone who bets against him and his love for his companions is wrong with a big fat W. #KhalidForMostDatablePrez"

"Claude is a fun little onion of facades. He calls himself the embodiment of distrust, he acts like he's carefree and without worries, an unscrupulous schemer--and so many in universe buy into that hook line and sinker. He's used to others viewing him with suspicion and uses it as armor to obscure his not-so-dark truth: that he cares immensely, that he values minimizing the loss of life, and that above all he has so much hope that people will fundamentally choose to do better given the choice.

His front guards a center that his conflict filled world would be happy to tear apart. As the child of people from two nations in constant conflict--one of which is explicitly isolationist and dehumanizes those outside its church's reach--he hasn't really had a place where he can be without his facade. As a child he thought he could run, but when confronted with the fact that this hatred existed no matter where he ran, he chose to instead try to create a more just and kind world.

His inability to let others in beyond his facade at first may lead to a sense of distance, but isn't it then all the more satisfying when you're allowed in? All he wants is a little trust, a little faith, and--like what he wants to give everyone--a chance to be better.

And like that you got a charming young lad with a fun personality that your grandma would be thrilled to have stay forever."

Josephine propaganda:

“you get to have a full Disney princess style romance with her, she is the most precious, the most sweet, I love her so much 🥺”

“Josephine's one of the "behind the scenes" companion for the protagonist and she advises them on diplomacy-related matters.

Her personal quest and romance is fairy-tale worthy: she gets threatened with assassination, you help her restore her family's fortune, you get threatened by her best friend to not break her heart, she doesn't dare to hope you mean anything serious when flirting until you spell it out for her, after which Josie agrees to a deeper relationship... And immediately after that she finds out her family has engaged her to a random noble without her knowledge!! You publicly challenge the suitor to a one-on-one duel to win her hand, she finds out and interrupts the duel because she's worried of the Inquisitor throwing literally the entire plot away and risk life in combat for her... To which of course you can confess that they're doing it because they love Josephine, and they get the cutest cutscene with Josie jumping in the Inquisitor's arms and them spinning her around before kissing each other <3 The betrothed steps away because he sees true love between the two. She and the Inquisitor stay together through the end game and after it, gaining a "second home" with her and her family.

She really believes in the Inquisitor's cause and from the very first conversations with her, she asks questions about your background and tries to make you feel welcomed (especially appreciated if the Inquisitor isn't human since people are less trusting of them). She's politically smart but dislikes violence, overall very sweet but still strong... Josie tends to overwork herself (she's a perfectionist) and at first she tries to keep a professional air at all times but if you encourage her, she will rant to you and spill all the tea about nobles lol.”

[dirtytransmasc]

A little continuation of “What if Eywa saw Spider”: Spider knew he was weird. Strange things would happen too and around him, but it was his thing, he got used to it. But as he watched his siblings’ Iknimaya from afar, and the most colorful ikran he’d ever seen flew up to him and bowed its head, everything when out the window. He'd just stare at the beautiful creature in shock until finally, he'd reach out slowly. All it took was that one touch and they knew each other like old friends.

(gonna combine these cause they're so similar in concept)

spider had always longed to feel the wind around him, the connection of an ikran, the oneness of two beings.

as he watched neteyam claim his ikran he ached to fly like he could, to be alone with an ikran just up in the sky. then lo'ak and kiri's came along, lo'ak gets thrown off a cliff the first time, but kiri just stared her ikran in th eye and they were bonded; meaning for the two middle children, it took two trips up the mountain. all three times a particular ikran took interest in him, coming close, watching him. he feels as though he's seen the gorgeous ikran elsewhere, while he hunted, always watching out for him, clicking at him gently, turning his head inquisitively, and bowing to the boy.

it was on lo'ak's second attempt at claiming his own ikran, that the one trailing spider finally approached him, like truly approached him. it turned its head, showing deformed queues. he couldn't bond, he couldn't connect, he would never claim a na'vi rider, let alone a hunter. while some ikran would feel freed by this, other's would care very little, but for ikran like this one, they would be heartbroken.

up close spider could see how young the Ikran was, he could only be a few years older then spider himself, maybe 16 or 17, matured enough to be an independent hunter, but not old enough to be very detached from the main flock. he was clearly skittish, dodging any attempts of hunter's to even get near him, but for some reason, the little human was more trustworthy. despite this, spider was cautious, holding out a gentle hand, it didn't take long to feel a warm snout enter his palms. something felt right, like the curves of his snout fit perfect in spider's slender hands, like it had always meant to be there.

when spider opened his eyes he found the ikran staring him dead on, following his gaze when he tried to look away; it was odd, chilling almost, that an ikran would go against their instinct to avoid eye contact. spider didn't feel fear though, not when the ikran made it obvious he was a curious little thing, nuzzling against spiders hands gently, poking his nose at spider's face. he showed no fear or hesitance around spider, and was almost playing with him.

"your lonely huh boy?" he cooed at the ikran, tracing hands over his slender neck, bright oranges and yellows blazing over crimson red and ashy black. he was gorgeous and he seemed to know he was being admired, leveling out his wings so that spider could see a similar, almost ember-like pattern coating his wings. "and very handsome I see, show off," he playfully nudged against the ikran, earning a gentle shove back.

even as spider moved back to give him space, not wanting to over stay his welcome and unsure how to read this ikran an particular, he advanced towards him, still maintaining eye contact. spider couldn't get over this odd trait, he was always told to avoid their eyes, but this ikran was insistent on it, contorting himself to always end up in spider's eye line.

it felt like the ikran could see his soul, and vice versa, which upon realizing that spider finally got it; he couldn't offer up his queue to connect, so he was opting for the next best thing.

spider tried to affirm this, respect goes both ways, he wanted to make sure that the ikran understood his means of connection too. he took a step back, bowed his head, "I see you... ikran?" he was trying to make a grand gesture, but it fell flat, "nope, no, you need a name or at least a nickname if we're gonna be friends."

the ikran stared back at him, whistling at him encouragingly.

"yeah, you'd like that?"

he flapped his wings, chirping. he was most definitely able to understand spider and he was definitely in favor of a nickname.

spider thought, leaning back into his friend, as if to join their minds for a single moment. the words txanatan, bright and tìtstew, courage or bravery, his mind supplied. txan'ti'tew; bright courage, fitting for the very brave little ikran who embodied the flickers of embers.

"Txan'ti'tew?" he offered the name up.

he got a sweet trill and an ikran version of a hug, getting tucked close to txan's chest. ikran were warm creatures, they always felt as though they held the sun in their veins and fire in their lungs. it was comforting to be held close to their air vents, against warm skin and warmer air.

"you like that huh? tan-tan for short," he spoke with the lilt of a laugh, hugging his strong neck, getting more sharp chirps in response. "yeah, your a brave boy, coming close to me, showing me your pretty eyes and your pretty wings. you were very brave, thank you, for letting me see you,"

suddenly txan-tan pulled back, tail beating against the rocks, turning to the side, he bowed down the shoulder closest to spider, leveling it almost to the ground, before chirping at the boy once more. spider understood what was being asked but couldn't really process it.

an ikran, so skittish there isn't even mentions of a queueless creature out there, had not only tolerated his presence, but chose him, engaged in both physical contact but also eye contact, had practically begged for a name, and was now trying to get him to mount.

he had never heard of anything like it, he was human for Eywa's sake, he was never supposed to claim an ikran, he had been told that a million times over, everytime he so much as asked to go near the ikran, even just jakes.

but even then, how was he supposed to ride without a queue, up in the air your mind most be one to stay steady, to stay together. no one had gone without the bond, not that he's heard of, but... many did say that spider broke all the rules of nature, so why not one more. his only fear would be leaving his siblings or getting this ikran in trouble. if he were to go missing only the sully kids would care, they would go searching for him and find his body. if they found out an ikran had caused they would assume he had been attacked and they might hunt it down, they may ostracize him more than he already was, dubbing him with mean names and telling tales of the human killing ikran.

"you need to be careful ok? we'll stay here on the ground first, so you can get used to my weight, and I can figure out how the hell I'm supposed to stay on." he spoke firmly, but not in a commanding sort of way, but in the "I'm trusting you with my life so we need to be on the same page" sort of way, trailing fingers over strong wings.

Txan huffed an agreement, steadying himself to receive his rider, his determination was adorable, the way he set his eyes, rolled his wings as if to stretch, trying to look completely calm except for the fact his gave him away in an instant, damn near wagging as he waited.

"I'm going to use your queue's to steady myself and pull up, you just let me know if it hurts, ok?" he spoke as he placed a firm grip on either whip, giving a test pull so Txan could get an idea.

he didn't even get a chance to attempt mounting before Txan managed to scoop him onto his back. he made no effort to fly off the cliff face, but fluttered his wings with great strength and excitement, sending them up a few feet in the air. spider held on tight to his friend, adjusting to stay steady; if they were ever going to fly it would take a lot of time and effort to learn one another, to be able to move in sync.

"easy, easy boy, I know your excited, you've been waiting a long while, but we need to take this slow. come down..." he though for a moment, "I'm going to use my hands to talk to you, like this," he firmly pressed his fist into his shoulder, "down,"

Txan quickly got the memo, lowering to the ground.

"good, that was good, really good. we can work with this, you may not be able to see into my mind, but I can show you. this is better then screaming right?"

the ikran shrieked in agreement, clearly very excited, ducking his head back to brush against spider's, heavy breaths coming from his vents as he struggled to contain himself. spider knew what it felt like to get the very thing you've longed for, for so long, he was feeling it right now, he was just barely keeping his own calm.

"easy, I know your excited, but if we go off this cliff we're both screwed, he joked "lets try this, I'm going to use your queue's to guide you," he spoke gently while firmly, albeit hesitantly, grasping the base of both whips; he wasn't sure the extent of the defmority and didn't want to cause him any pain.

he leaned to the right, and Txan immediately understood, turning to the right, spinning in a clockwise circle, looking back to the boy on his back, making sure he was doing what he was asking correctly.

"that's it, now, the other way," he leaned into his words, turning the creature to the left. once he got the hang of that he worked him in a figure-eight. Txan was good at picking up the commands, leaning into spider's directions.

"ok, now gently... up," he spoke softly, tapping his open hand against the ikrans neck twice, holding on tight, urging him again when he looked back to confirm that spider was really telling him to fly, before he finally took off, never leaving the safety of the cliff's edge but bringing them up a few dozen feet in the air. he was gentle compared to most ikran, especially for his first flight, but it was still jarring for the human boy. Txan lowered his neck so spider could lean against him, trying to stay as level as possible. "thanks bud," he muttered, catching his bearings.

he leaned into his queues again, putting no downward pressure, not wanting Txan to nosedive, nor does he pull up, not wanting to go any higher than they already were, simply pulling to the right; Txan enthusiastically curving into a smooth clockwise circle. he praised the ikran, smoothing a hand over his side, before pulling to the left, Txan making a clean switch.

he felt right up in the air, feeling Txan beneath him, feeling the strength of his wings as he kept them in the air, the pull to the ground as they turned in tight circles. as the whole in his chest began to fill, he suddenly felt the urge to fly, not just hover in circles, he want to go up.

"I'm gonna trust you, cause its now or never," he pulled down on the whips, Txan making a loud, sharp call as he began to sour into the sky.

spider had no footholds outside of the crooks between Txan's wing and back, but he was light, so he didn't seem to mind, and he just had to trust himself to hold on. Txan brought them up a few hundred feet before leveling out, checking his back a few times, making triumphant calls.

spider copied him, screaming along with him as they rose into the sky, feeling the sun on their backs and the wind cooling on their skin the higher they went up.

The second they took flight, spider could tell he was Txan's priority, could feel him leveling his neck to spider could best hold on, flying at an angle so spider wouldn't have to suspend as much of his weight, checking in with the boy multiple times to make sure he was still there. he knew that with a saddle, one built with his human stature in mind, riding and ikran would be no issues, not with one like Txan who was willing to learn around their little issue.

"that was fucking awesome," spider's voice was full of disbelief, he never thought he would fly, not on his own, but here he was, flying, he leaned into Txan's neck, hugging him, feeling his warmth as the cool air began to chill him. "you're fucking awesome," he amended.

Txan began to fly in small circles again, rambunctious little fucker, chirping once more, bouncing spider around as he flapped wildly, making his human rider laugh wildly.

"lo'ak's gonna be so jealous, I got an ikran on my first try, and I'm human... shit, lo'ak... we have to go back," he finally remembered the fact that he was supposed to stay close by so kiri could fly him back down the mountains.

he pressed his knuckles onto Txan's back once more, the ikran remembering with ease, turning back around and diving for the cliff edge they had been sitting at before. he didn't even have to land to see kiri, watching, standing at the edge. Txan opened his wings, coming to an abrupt stop; he was scared of other na'vi, it sorta made sense, he wasn't rideable, if encountered by a hunter he would be at risk to be prey.

the na'vi held the ikran in high regard, higher than most of eywa's creatures, but they were still hunted on smaller scales, their bodies honored within The People, used in many ways, it wasn't selfish killing. it was typically in a sort of culling matter, to preserve the integrity of flocks for both uses as a mount, but out of genuine compassion; ikran were airborne predators, most disabilities were a slow death sentence for an ikran, natural selection taking out weak hunters. the na'vi aided in maintaining their flocks, keeping the overall quality of health within them, while gaining more resources in return.

ikran like Txan wouldn't be included in this sort of culling process, his disability was mild, but he might have watched other ikran who couldn't be ridden be hunted and made a very broad deduction; no purpose meant a target on your back.

spider got that feeling, in one way or another; hiding because in one way or another, who you were, what you looked like, what you were capable of greatly dictated your livelihood, and in both of their cases, it wasn't great.

"that's my sister, she's safe, I promise, she won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you, ever, your safe with me. you have purpose with me." spider assured his mount, urging him forward. he shrieked questioningly, clearly unsure, but did eventually continue landing.

he was gentle, avoiding kicking too much dust into kiri's face. spider helped guide him down, talking to him, keeping a steady hand on his neck as he felt the anxiety build in him.

"hey monkey boy," kiri called up to him, smiling softly. kiri always just knew things, could see how spider was special, so he wasn't surprised that she wasn't surprised.

"hey kiri... I made a new friend," he joked anxiously, dismounting Txan but walking to stand between him and his sister, taking his ikrans face in his hands.

"I can see that," she smiled at him with knowing eyes, slowly walking forward. "who's this guy?"

"Txan'ti'tew, named him myself, he seems to like it."

she put out her hand, spider encouraging Txan to accept it, the ikran giving in and letting kiri brush gentle fingers over his beak.

"see, not so bad? kiri's really nice."

"so how'd you manage this?" she asked.

"he came up to me, all excited and curious. we talked, we saw each other, he wanted me to mount, practically scooped me up. he's a good listener and... he gets me," implication coating his voice. "come on, turn your head," he coaxed Txan to turn, showing kiri his deformed queue's

"oh," she huffed with understanding, that sweet knowing smile of her's plastering on her face in no time. "you were for each other, eywa has blessed you, yet again." she teased, lightly shoving his shoulder.

"what do you think the other's are gonna think? lo'ak might kill me out of jealousy, neteyam will worry more then he already does, tuk won't mind, but jake my have a stroke or something... neytiri... you think she'll be mad?"

"mad at what, that The Great Mother has gifted you once more? no chance, she might finally see she's wrong. lo'ak will definitely be mad though, he almost got thrown again, he just barely managed to make the bond and his fly was about as ungraceful as they come."

"and I got this fella without even trying, he's gonna be so butt hurt, he's kill me."

"neteyam too, you could never keep yourself out of trouble on the ground, now you'll be in the air, on the back of an ikran, he will for sure have a stroke when he finds out, dad too, you know how he was when he found out about the 'angtsìk, his eyes nearly popped out of his head," she laughed, wriggling her fingers in front of her eyes and sticking out her tongue out.

"gross," he joked back, hitting her hands way from her face.

"you'll be fine, no one's gonna mess with Eywa's child and his ikran, not even mama." she turned her focus back onto Txan, "yeah, no one's gonna mess with you or your boy, cause you're scary, you can keep him safe," she spoke gently, lilting a laugh in her words, playfully wiggling his beak.

he chirped at her, breathing heavy against spider's back, damn right, he practically said, pride taking hold of his stance. "yeah, that's right, you're a good boy."

"well, ready to take him home, monkey boy?"

"yeah, yeah I am," he finally turned from his sister, looking Txan in the eye, "but I'm not so sure he is. he's scared of people, was scared of you. I think he's seen the hunting, though that if he couldn't be ridden he would be killed. bringing him would scare him, I know that, I don't want to do that to him."

"he'll have you, you give him strength, now lets go before mama comes out here and drags us back by our ears." kiri still called neytiri mom, even when talking to spider, like it hasn't quite settled that neytiri has made it clear she rejected him.

"right, meet you in the sky, sister."

he patted his boys chest, climbing up his bowed shoulder, before giving the command to fly.

this would be interesting.

~~~

splitting this into two parts cause this is hella long (its like 3k).

[cilant-lis]

so, i finished dragon age veilguard last night and here's my thoughts spoilers ahead (and a very long read)

this is in no way subjective, as i am very emotional about dragon age, especially with veilguard being the first game in the series i played as it came out, and one i was waiting for for a long, long time

the good

first of all, the game is gorgeous. the art direction in this game is absolutely perfect, and i would sell both of my kidneys and half of my liver to see origins and da2 remastered in this style. all the detail, the colours, the shapes... the designs of the companions were also great, each having a very distinct silhouette and outfits which said so much about every character. (plus, i'm going awooga over all the women and taash)

the environments were wonderful, with each area feeling very distinct, yet still like a part of the same world. i also love how they were not huge, open areas with nothing to do, like in inquisition, but thought was put into every corner and crevice. and thanks to the photo mode i have almost 300 environment screenshots from the game lmao

i loved all the companions and major npcs. the companion quests were so good, and honestly my favourite part of the game. during like half of the quests i teared up (especially bellara's and emmrch's i think this is what was missing in inquisition. the characters felt like real people, and like rook had a real connection to them, and they had real connections with each other. they were all very endearing and i liked all of them, something that has not happened in any of the dragon age games prior. (confession: i was very cagey about lucanis because he seems like the fandom's boy of the game, but i actually ended up liking him) the standouts among the npcs were definitely the duos of evka and antoine, and viago and teia. i'd go on a murder spree if anything happened to them.

i'm also of the unpopular opinion that i liked how the companions were nice to each other. no more co-worker you can barely stand each other vibes, they were all genuine friends (plus something more) and their banter was a joy to listen to (and it pasued during combat!) i also loved how they were all present for the main missions, no matter who you took with you

satisfying exploration, with the puzzles leading to actually good loot. no more dozens of greatswords i will never use littering my inventory. i'm also a collection fiend, so i liked unlocking the outfits and lighthouse decor

the candid and visible inclusion of queerness. i don't play many modern aaa games, so i'm sure dragon age is not the only one, but it was the first time i've actually played a game that allowed you to be non-binary and openly say it. taash's character arc, while i hated the 'culture' part of it, was also appreciated and relatable, especially as they were written by a non-binary writer. and they're the first nb romance option i've ever seen! it was also nice to see queer people just existing in the world

fun combat. very fun combat. i never had so much fun in a dragon age combat. it looked cool, it felt cool, i loved detonations and arcane bombs, i was not overwhelmed by a toolbar full of spells i had half a second to choose and the fights didn't take ages. i was a bit scared i'd suck at combat because my hand-eye coordination sucks ass and i prefer turn-based combat à la bg3, but i didn't find it hard at all while playing on normal. challenging, yes, but fun-challenging. orb and dagger spellblade forever

streamlined inventory management. i hate inventory management with a passion and because i'm always possessed by kleptomania when gaming, i always end up with inventories full of useless junk. but in veilguard i could sell it all with one click, the gear i found was either companion specific, or tailored to rook's class and it saved me so much time not having to compare and change everyone's gear while sifting through piles of low-level chainmail no one is going to wear.

the final stretch of the game (act 3 i think?) was hands down the most tense i've been while playing a game. even though some asshole spoiled the choice between harding and davrin, i was still unsure what would happen, who would survive the battle etc. i almost cried when harding died, not ashamed to admit. when bellara was taken by elgar'nan i had to take a little walk, because i was sure she'd not survive (another part of me was already plotting an angsty fic for my rook and her). the ending choice of out-tricking the trickster god of lies with a fake dagger fit so well with my rook, i still get shivers when i think about it. and the self-indulgent detail of them wearing the same armour solas did during the rebellion flashback...

related to above point, the theme of rook being a foil to solas, themes of regret and how it's holding you back, finding hope in a broken world, how things will never be the same, but change is not a bad thing. this is some good shit, that would require separate posts. i just love stories about hope so much

the choice between treviso and minrathous had real, visible impact. in my playthrough, treviso was destroyed and it still affected lucanis many gameplay hours later. none of these choices were presented as right and even though my shadow dragon rook chose to go to minrathous, i still question the decision, and so does rook.

the tension and devastation of the weisshaupt mission. the blight is so gross, as it should be, and the mission was probably my favourite in the game.

rook, especially purple rook, is so endearing. they're a little rascal, and a perfect successor to purple hawke. i loved the amount of faction specific dialogue and how utterly grounded rook was in the story and the world around them.

confirmed lore theories, which had hints since the days of dao

while different to the other games of the series, i really liked veilguard's soundtrack. the main theme is still stuck in my head, and i found myself humming along to many of the recurring tracks. i don't know shit about music tbh, but it helped elevate the mood and atmosphere of the environments. the sound design was also good, and i am happy to report there was no ear-grating noises for my hyper-sensitive ears (looking at you spells from dao)

a satisfying conclusion to dorian's character arc. it was refreshing to see him be so radical and anti-slavery (after inquisition dropped the ball on developing his changing worldview on screen) him becoming the archon was also a very pleasant surprise, and a well deserved ending for a character like him. sorry i just love dorian pavus so much

assan and manfred being absolutely adorable. it was predictable i'd get attached to assan, but a skeleton was a surprise. he talks! my rook is going to be the best uncle (gender neutral) to both of them. my two favourite little guys.

a lot of little details

the bad

imo the biggest issue with the game was the lack of references to previous game decisions. like with the inquisitor cameo, i wonder how different it would have been if the well of sorrows decision was taken into account? a little more communication between northern and southern thedas? not dropping the kieran plot point completely?? a little more information about what's going on in southern thedas? also i feel like harding's character really suffered because of this, because her and my inquisitor were really good friends and i'm disappointed that there was no mention of it at all :( also while most of what the inquisitor said was in character for my inquisitor, i can see how for others it's ooc

related to the previous point, the amount of loose threads that were just left hanging. is the blight cured? what will happen next with the titans? how do the elves recover from all of this? what happened to hawke and the warden? how does southern thedas fare after the gigantic blight? so many unanswered questions which will never be answered

the way the elves were treated, while not surprising at all given the previous games, was sooo uncomfortable. the past three games established that the elves are treated horribly, yet there is very little discussion of it in veilguard. this one conversation with bellara still makes me cringe, and i hate the lack of distinction between the ancient elves who were also oppressed by the evanuris and the evanuris themselves. i also feel the whole plot of 'this marginalised group's gods are actually evil' could have been done much much better, but the set up for it was there since origins, so it's not a uniquely veilguard problem. there are other people more qualified to speak on this than me, so i'll leave this here

the handling of crows made me raise an eyebrow (or two) because of how how sanitised the crows feel. no mention of child slaves? nothing about enduring torture as a part of training? or being treated as disposable? even if this differed from house to house, or it changed over the past decades/ special circumstances because antiva has been under the attack of the antaam, at least a codex mentioning it would have been nice. my dream would have been to have zevran be the one to spur this change, but it seems that the writers are allergic to have him have any sort of impact on thedas

not enough of content for the lords of fortune. when tevinter nights came out, i was so excited to meet them, but what we got in the game was a horribly "clothed" isabela, a bunch of her friends and like 3 quests and an arena. and not to mention how awful the lords of fortune gear is, with the orientalism.

i wasn't a fan of some of the writing, in the sense that some wording and stuff felt very modern. but i'm a hardcore fantasy fan so maybe it's just a me problem

the game tried to do a LOT and some of it would have benefitted if it was delved into more (example: morrigan and mythal, harding's quest with the titan, what taash discovered about the qunari, anything about southern thedas)

i really would have liked to see more of varric and rook's relationship. a dream would have been to have an origin quest/cutscene (maybe shorter than in dao) to help establish their relationship. you could literally replace varric with any character at this point

a longer romance, please... i know these are not dating sims, but i literally didn't get a kiss with bellara until the epilogue :') i'll have to see the other romances to truly have a strong opinion about this, though

and a note: i would have had just as many praises and just as many criticisms for every single dragon age game. overall i really enjoyed veilguard and i am happy that it even came out as an offline single-player rpg, and not a live service game like it was supposed to, or not at all. no game is perfect, and i'd rather have an imperfect game than no game at all. (but yes, i'm still mourning project joplin and i'd do anything to play it... )

[thepurpleroom-if]

K Larue (The Partner)

Gender: Male or Female

Age: 27

Height: 5'9"/175 cm (M) or 5'5"/165 cm (F)

Role: Long-time partner and best friend.

Detailed personality description:

Cheerful and friendly. Their cheerfulness lightens the atmosphere even in the darkest of cases. Know the names of every person in town and remember each one of them (but seriously, they remember each one of them).

Sweet and thoughtful. Known for their considerate nature, always ready to lend a listening ear and offer support (basically a go-to person). Their thoughtfulness extends to small gestures that show they genuinely care about the well-being of their friends and coworkers (even though they hate some of them).

Clingy. Will make every effort to stay very close to you 24/7. If they find you not coming in for work, they will knock on your door, demand that you open the door, or they will kick it down.

Mischievous and impulsive. Always up to something with or without supervision. Known for their impulsive decisions, which can sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes, both positive and negative.

Jealous. Very jealous person. Even when they see you talking to a child and that child is making you laugh, they will try to grab your attention and usher you to a different location while sticking their tongue out to mock the kid.

Job qualities: Courageous, ambitious, competence, and resilience.

H Moreno (The Captain)

Gender: Male or Female

Height: 6'2"/185 cm (M) or 5'10"/177 cm (F)

Age: 33

Role: Captain of your police precinct.

Detailed personality description:

Serious and intimidating. Their stern expression and commanding presence demand respect from colleagues and subordinates. The wrinkles in their forehead cannot be any deeper.

Rational and direct. Guided by logic and reason, preferring to base decisions on evidence and facts rather than emotions. They communicate in a direct manner, getting straight to the point and avoiding unnecessary overstatement.

Tough. They will always be tough in any situation because their principle is, 'I need to keep it together, or everything else will crumble'. What a statement, but they actually reserved the mushy side for their beloved one.

Introvert and judgmental. They would rather be alone than interact with others. But don't be fooled by their quietness, as they will judge you, whether it's your walking, eating, or anything really.

Perfectionist. They have high standards and expect nothing less than excellence from themselves and their team. Their pursuit of perfection can lead to extreme concentration and a drive to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Job qualities: Resourceful, self-discipline, committed, strong sense of justice and fairness.

D Keller (The Reporter)

Gender: Male or Female

Height: 5'7"/170 cm (M) or 5'5"/165 cm (F)

Age: 26

Role: The reporter who's obsessed with the case.

Detailed personality description:

Playful and charming. This makes them likeable and engaging in social situations. Their wit and sense of humor often draw people in, even when discussing serious topics, especially when there's a murder to solve.

Inquisitive and adventurous. They possess a strong sense of curiosity and aren't afraid to pursue new leads or explore uncharted territories. They're always seeking answers and are willing to go to great lengths (which is quite dangerous for them) to uncover the truth.

Cunning. They have a knack for strategic thinking and finding unconventional solutions. Their cunning nature allows them to navigate complex situations and discover information that others might overlook.

Indecisive and unpredictable. Their inquisitiveness and adventurous spirit sometimes make them indecisive, as they weigh multiple options and potential outcomes. This indecisiveness can lead to unpredictability in their actions and decisions.

Evasive. They are evasive af, so please don't ask about their past, or you will make them annoyed.

Job qualities: Persistence, assertive, perceptive, realistic.

Unknown (The ???)

Gender: Male or Female

Height: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Role: Unknown

[star--nymph]

tries to gracefully slide in on rollerblades but she fails miserably. The numbers for the ask aren't broken tho, just a bit wrinkled.

HELLO, for the OC relationship ask…

38 and 86 for Eury and Cullen

16, 29 and 52 for Alistair/Seren/Morrigan (YAY fellow threesome on that!)

18 and 87 for Hawke/Fenris (of course feel free to skip any question you don't like!)

OC Ship Ask

Eurydice/Cullen

38. What would be their ideal evening in?

Sitting by the fire in Eury's quarters with the pillows and blankets on the floor, the balcony doors open to let in the night air. There's books, Eury's crafts, maybe a chess board strewed about them, with a plate of food and wine within easy reach. Maybe Eury's fox Yappers has decided to join them, curled up in a ball by Cullen's stomach. There's not much talking; not much noise in general. Just the two of them quietly enjoying each other's company. They don't have to perform for anyone when they're alone like this.

86. Who gives the best gifts? Who gives the more thoughtful? Who goes for expensive?

So here's the thing; part of me thinks neither of them really has a concept of money. Cullen didn't have to pay for anything for seventeen long years and all his paychecks go off to his family. Eurydice had little interaction with human merchants prior to DAI and during DAI most of her financial transactions were handled by Josie. So, who has the most expensive? Both? Neither? They don't know they just get it and go. Let me tell you living on their own for the first time after Inquisition is going to be a ride what do you mean you gotta pay taxes??? I digress: Cullen is the one who buys gifts for Eurydice because he doesn't know how to make things (although later in life he takes up knitting and makes her a sweater with a poorly made mabari that looks like a potato on it). She told him a few times that she likes hair ribbons and it was the only thing she ever really wanted from shem merchants because they were so pretty, but she would get self conscience when she went up to stalls and never pick anything out. Her excuse is that a strip from one of her skirts work just as well, and she wouldn't want to get them dirty anyway. Cullen started picking her up spools of fine ribbon when ever he passes through markets. Of course, there are whispers about why the Commander has to buy boxes full of lady's hair ribbons, but its just for fun. It's not it isn't an open secret when the Inquisitor wears those very same ribbons in her hair the next day. Eurydice makes her gifts and they usually come in the form of woven leather bracelets. She's a perfectionist when it comes to those and so she's always fretting about them when she gives them to Cullen, muttering that it isn't good enough and it will break. Cullen wears every single one and those he can't wear, he keeps in a box by his bedside. That perfectionist nature comes through in other gifts as well: for one of his birthdays (prior before their courtship) Eurydice made him a sword that was meant to be for his exact skillset and enchanted against demon attack. She gave it to him three months later because went through four different prototypes before she decided it was good enough.

Alistair/Seren/Morrigan

16. Who is the better caretaker? Does their S/O like being taken care of?

Alistair. Seren doesn't know how to take care of someone outside their emotional needs and Morrigan is...well, she's Morrigan. She wasn't liable to take care of anyone before Kieran. Alistair isn't exactly great at either but I think out of the three he had the most emotional maturity to know what to do. Morrigan doesn't like to be taken care of either so even when Seren tried, it would be like trying to get a cat in a bath. Seren acts like she wants to be pampered but she actually bristles when people start to dig too deeply with her. Alistair needs to be coaxed into being taken care of because he feels like he's so undeserving sometimes and he brushes it off with a joke. Obviously that changes when they're older but these three kids are far too traumatized by the time of Origins to take care or be taken cause of because both require vulnerability--and that's asking a lot for them when all they've ever done is wear masks.

29. What's an insecurity they hold about their relationship?

Alistair has little to no self esteem from his upbringing and thinks Seren is too good for him. Seren is so afraid of the world taking Morrigan and Alistair away that she works to lock them away in order to protect them. Morrigan has been so emotionally abused by Flemeth that she's convinced Seren will eventually hurt her and thus is ready to leave Seren first at the first sign because Morrigan would rather be the one doing the hurting. And all of them have experienced lose and death in such violent ways that even long after Origins, they're worried that one day the world is just going to slaughter their lovers and leave them alone. I think the Origins crew might be the most emotionally fucked up of all my kids, but to be entire fair, Origins is the most fucked up game in my opinion SOOOO.

52. Who cooks? Who does the dishes?

Alistair cooks. Morrigan cooks. Seren burns foods and does the dishes, but goes ew ew ew ew ew when she touches wet left over food.

Hawke/Fenris

18. They've had a major blowout. How do they handle it?

Well in the days of old, they'd just drop it and let it simmer between them. That doesn't quit work out when Garrett lets Fenris 'be' for three years because they're both afraid of a broken heart. Not talking about it doesn't help either of them so that was one of the first thing Garrett put down when they got back together: Fenris can't run, he has to talk about it with him. No matter how much it hurts or where it takes him, he can't just blow up and decide he'll deal with alone. And Garrett can't make his jokes and say he'll shoulder it himself, he also has to sit down and listen. Running away doesn't work, fighting it doesn't work, so facing it head on is what they do.

87. If they ever lost one another in a public place, how do they find the other?

Garrett climbs the nearest post and starts surveying the area and when that doesn't work, he starts calling Fenris' name through his cupped hands. Fenris just needs look for a 6'3 ft dumbass hanging from a roof top and drag him down by his boot.

[eastgaysian]

dragon age white boy rambles ⬇️ i need to revisit his siblings...

see my original vision for caden trevelyan repressed homosexual was always that he was homoerotically obsessed with his superior officer who viewed him as a little brother and after that superior officer died tragically at the conclave this immediately got transferred onto cullen. but this was a failed attempt to try and change the fact that cullen has always been deeply uninteresting to me. like i'm keeping it because it's central to my white boy vision but i've realized now that it's much funnier to focus on the fact he wants to phantom thread solas.

basically he has a Repression Framework for fellow templars/soldiers where attraction is more-or-less acceptably translated into intense devotion/idealization, being weirdly invested in hearing about past exploits, fantasizing about dying in each other's arms etc. with solas, caden has reasons to like/respect him - solas kept the anchor from killing him, he's chosen to aid the inquisition of his own free will despite any reservations, he's a knowledgeable older man with relevant expertise and genuinely impressive capabilities, to some degree even the fact that he's an apostate who knows this much and has avoided being found by templars is something caden finds fascinating.

but at the same time solas is an elven apostate who no one knows anything about and is too mysterious to really trust, so logically caden Can't like/respect him, and he doesn't have any established framework for dealing with these complicated feelings. before he recruits the templars/becomes inquisitor their relationship actually gets off to a tentative good start because the Fundamental Moral Disagreements haven't come to a head yet. caden is technically a very recent ex-templar but he's polite and pragmatic, he puts the work in to help people, and he's always curious to learn more, which are qualities solas can appreciate.

after becoming inquisitor solas immediately disapproves of essentially All of caden's major decisions, while still feeling obligated to stay with the inquisition for the greater good. weirdly, solas pretty openly disliking him is what allows caden to justify liking him, because it's not like he's friends with this elven apostate, they're comrades by necessity, he appreciates the qualities that make solas a necessary comrade, and that's fine. at the same time solas is an older male authority figure who is forced to abide by caden's decisions even if he fucking hates them which is opening up crazy new pathways in caden's brain of being able to, from his point of view entirely justifiably, defy the wishes of an older man he respects and wield power over him. all this clicks into place in caden's head and he's like. I want him flat on his back helpless tender open with only me to help.

what this means in practice is they'll go out a-questing and have what seems on the surface to be a cordial conversation about history or whatever but they're both imagining killing each other with hammers and on caden's side it is sexual and on solas' side it is not. he is fully aware that solas wants to kill him with hammers but honestly this kind of makes it more sexual. he's going to punch solas at some point, immediately apologize for losing his temper, and then be unable to sleep for hours that night touching the bruised knuckles feeling something he can't name but knows isn't quite guilt. because he feels guilty for feeling it. this is the gayest thing that will actually happen between them except for the confrontation at the end of trespasser maybe which can be gay if you think about it. normalest guy in all of thedas 👍

[crowholtz]

okay I'll talk about Helene and Strahd a little let's go. I'm going to make some bullets of things about them, and I'll put under a read more more detail about how they met. This will have some spoilers for CoS so yeah woo

They have a red thread that links them together that can be seen in the ethereal plane

They both value propriety and politeness, though Helene hates politics

Their hearts literally beat as one. He gave her a necklace with a piece of the Heart of Sorrow but has since used Fabricate to encase her heart with the crystal, syncing her heart with his. He literally owns her heart

They're both huge nerds who like science and magic and poetry.

They write poems for each other

They were once racing horses back to the castle, and he tried cheating by just simply running, faster than her horse. So she cast Daylight (which my DM rules as sunlight) to stop him from running forward but he was running so fast that his momentum carried him into the Daylight and he burned up, turning to mist and flying back to his coffin. Later he was... Playfully miffed at her.

Helene was once tortured by a witch, so Strahd ripped the witch's arms from her body and gifted them to Helene. She loved it

He had his coffin expanded in size so she could sleep in it with him. They have slept in it together (among other things)

They're addicted to each other's blood

They stalk each other all the time. They catch each other stalking the other at the same time they are.

Strahd has gotten her to execute criminals

They once had a snowball fight

He's somehow managed to get Ireena and Helene angry with him, and then when they confronted him together he managed to verbally finesse and talk his way around not only calming them but seducing them. At the same time. All in the same night

He's showed her his secret lab with all his fucked up experiments and they've compared notes

they're both horse girls. They loves talking about horses

Both blood mages. He's always impressed by her talent with blood magic

He (and Ludmilla) have taught her arcane magic and contributed to her taking levels in wizard

Helene composed for him a song on piano

Knowing Strahd often is spying on her, she'll just do something ambiently to taunt, tease, or flirt with him. Once she killed something and mockingly bowed to him

They can mentally talk to each other at all times

One time they were cuddling and she said she wished she could hold his heart in her hand. He said she can and proceeded to rip his own ribcage open and guided her hand inside. She held his heart in her hand, pleased, and they kept cuddling 🥰

Strahd took her ice skating once

They love to fight each other. Literally. Whether it's an actual battle, a game of wits, a sparring match. They love it

Strahd brought Helene to Barovia because she's a cleric of the Red Knight and has a keen mind for strategy, and intended to groom her to be his General

Helene is an ever inquisitive young woman, she has to know everything. She also is the type to absolutely sit down with the most evil, misunderstood, or monstrous of figures to pick their brains. She intended to do this with Strahd as a way to information gather.

They first started in depth correspondence when the party rescued Doru from the church basement. since he was engaged to marry Strahd when he was locked in the basement, they thought to garner good will with Strahd. Helene contacted him and told him Doru was alive and indeed not destroyed, which prompted Strahd to immediately send a carriage to pick up Doru. Strahd told Helene that he owed them a favor for returning his love to him.

Strahd, on his part, also intended to seduce her. They started amicable conversation pretty soon after she arrived in Barovia, with her absolutely fascinated by him. She learned she could pray to him to contact him from a distance

This led to them forming a mental connection in which they communicate through the language of Supernal, able to contact each other at any time, see the other's immediate surroundings and sort of project the image of themselves to each other.

Eventually she started developing very intense feelings for him, an attraction, so he did indeed succeed in seducing her. She fell hard into his web. buuuut also, he fell way harder for Helene than he intended to. like we're talking Tatyana levels of obsession. he's actually very conflicted about it because he feels a little like he's betraying his dedication and love to Tatyana and the duty he feels to constantly chase her.

Their first intimate moment was at the dinner he forced the party to attend with him. He took her aside and had a private conversation, picked each other's brains. they played games of chess for hours, lost in their company of each other. She revealed to him she was a fallen aasimar (something he already knew, but she usually keeps it hidden), and she was always ashamed of her blackened, torn bat wings. but he told her they were magnificent and beautiful, and that sparked the first romantic feeling in her

Helene became very obsessive. she was always contacting him, always thinking about him - she'd done this in past relationships too. girl's unhealthy. she'd always try and spy on him, see what he's up to. and more often than not she'd catch him spying on her at the same time.

The Night It Boiled Over - St. Andral's Bones

eventually, during the fiasco with the bones of St. Andral in Vallaki, Helene was cornered alone by a group of vampire spawn. Strahd showed up and lectured the spawn, angry and annoyed, and then slaughtered them before they could hurt Helene. He quickly checked her over to make sure she was alright, then left. Helene caught up with the rest of the party who were running the bones back to the church. When they walked in, Strahd was there, covered in blood and ash from the vampires.

Strahd told them to hand over the bones. After a tense moment, Helene said "I call the favor." She was calling in the favor he owed them from saving Doru. this infuriated and impressed Strahd. She was playing on his propriety, on him being a man of his word, to directly thwart his plans. He left.

Later that night, Strahd asked Helene join him for dinner at her manor (previously Death House). they sat, ate, drank wine. they talked about blood wine, and she wondered if aasimar blood tasted different, and offered to put some of her blood in his wine. he accepted and savored it calmly.

He then asked her about what she did regarding calling in the favor, wondering how she felt about it. He was obviously upset, but impressed by her. She looked him dead-on and told him that she was not sorry for doing it. She achieved her goal. She won that battle.

The tension snapped then, and he moved across the table and kissed her. From there it was... a very enthusiastic, violent coupling. Both of them are kinda freaks.

The Rest of the Campaign (so far)

From there, Helene fell hard. She was persuaded to spend a week at castle ravenloft, during which he spent a fair bit of time (with Escher's help) corrupting her, trying to get her to give into her darker urges, getting her addicted to his blood. He gave her a bride necklace (necklace with a piece of the Heart of Sorrow) and she became engaged to him.

After she left, they've been having rendezvous, and he often tries to get her to give up and just come to the castle and be with him and her 'family' (she'd bonded quite a bit with the brides during her time there). But she knew that'd be a bad idea, she knew she'd end up becoming just another bride in this endless cycle of suffering in Barovia.

She's since officially declared war on him as tensions have only escalated and the party has collected all of the items they need. they love war and strategy, so this is somewhat of a mating dance between them as well lmao.

The more Helene grows, the more Helene realizes that Strahd isn't good for her, and she wonders even when Vampyr is no longer influencing him, will he still be bad for her? She's since leaned into her relationship with Vasili (Strahd's reincarnated soul in our campaign) because he's a better man.

But Strahd still gets under her skin. Strahd is in her thoughts constantly. He drives her insane. They aren't healthy by any stretch, but damn they are in a disgusting amount of love with each other

[unseisokel]

I wrote a thing, it's 💙🤍 x 🗡️

General rating uhhh nothing too romantic even happens you can read it as platonic

Everything is based off their in universe lore or in U-sans case fanon lore, its written abt the characters not the people you get the idea

U-san uses singular they/them pronouns

Vague allusions to U-san's pl, though nothing is explicitly stated or name dropped

Shoto hates chasing demons. He would much rather have every hunt of his start and end with a single confrontation. Most of the time he tracks them down based on reports coming into his guild and takes them by surprise, or on rare occasions a demon who thinks they're capable of striking him down will try to get the drop on him instead. He always taught his guild members that when confronting a demon, make sure you're aware of every possible escape route a demon might take if they decide to bolt. Tonight however he missed an opening, and of course the demon just had to take the one route he missed in his inspection of the location. His Guildies are gonna wring him out for sure.

This particular demon had been trying to squirrel itself away in an old dilapidated building now going through reconstruction. Equipment and raw materials laid about the premises, making this chase even more cumbersome as he jumped and weaved through the obstacles while the demon made fast and precise turns on a dime, their long quadruped legs attached to an emaciated, giant rat body.

Those precious moments spent avoiding construction hazards had now cost Shoto his visual on the demon. He steeled himself for a much longer night than anticipated as he made chase outside the building and into the alleyways of the city.

Shoto had been running through what felt like his hundredth alleyway he didn't know existed until now when suddenly he hears demonic wailing. Now sprinting double time in the direction of the sound, he cares not in the moment that a demon wouldn't be making such loud noises when they're actively trying to get a demon hunter such as Shoto off their tail, he's just thankful to be close to done with this supposed to be easy hunt.

He rounds a corner, and Shoto and the giant rat demon collide right into each other, both falling over. Shoto momentarily panics as the demon has collapsed on top of him, gaining the literal upper hand but bewilderingly, the demon spares only a glance down at him, before getting back up on its legs and running away once more. 

Shoto, now scrambling to get upright, takes a second look and notices that the demon is seriously hurt, limping and has what look like dents on a car, like they've experienced a volley of blunt force trauma. But he shakes off the weirdness of the situation for the moment and throws his signature knife, which lands cleanly in the back of the demon's skull, finally putting it out of its misery as it falls dead to the floor.

Shoto immediately deflates like a balloon, letting out a long sigh and trying to get his breathing back to normal. The chase had tired him out more than he expected, though it was compounded with the fact it was the dead of night and humans like him should be sleeping.

"Awww I was so close to killing it myself!"

Shoto whips around to see someone who he thinks is his friend U-san at first glance, but the more he looks the more he finds that this person is definitely not his musician friend. They have the same face and body type for sure, same distinct voice even, but this person's hair was a stark white, piercing yellow eyes and a disconcerting grin. The way they carry themselves is all wrong too, compared to the 'normally scared to take up space' U-san, as this human(?) coyly approaches Shoto. One hand holding their head cocked to the side in an inquisitive manner and the other hand dragging a long metal pipe, which leaves a trail of much too dark, too viscous blood to be anything from the natural world.

'Well that explains the state the demon was left in' Shoto thinks.

"Do I… know you from somewhere?" The stranger asks, stopping their approach a few scant feet away from Shoto, who has been frozen in confusion as he tries to wrack his brain recalling if U-san ever said they had an evil twin. Wait. They were attacking a demon, that's hardly a reason to classify someone as evil, but Shoto can't shake the feeling that somethings loose in this person's head.

"It's me… Shoto? Your friend?" He tries and internally cringes. He just established to himself that this was NOT U-san so why did he say that?

"OH! My bad, I couldn't recognize you with it being so dark." They give a half hearted chuckle. "Sorry about that Shoto." The stranger apologizes, despite both of them now under the bright neon light for a laundromat, well illuminating both of their figures.

…Well their smile does look like a sincere apologetic U-san smile, and they now let the pipe they've been dragging with them fall to the ground, the sound reverberating in the barren alleyway. 

'At least I'm probably not going to get brutally pipe murdered now.'

"No biggie U-san." God his Guildies are never gonna let him live this down, so ready to accept this person's story because they look like their musician friend. Well, he can simply not tell fans about this… if he makes it through this. Plus, who are they to judge him? U-san is undeniably attractive, they'd probably ditch him for a U-san that can also handle themselves in a demon fight in a heartbeat. Suckers for a pretty face that's competent in a fight, his Guildies.

Like fans, like oshi, as they say.

"Oh, you don't have to use that name when I'm here, just call me Shiro" 

'...What?'

"What?"

"It's just so you don't get us confused in your silly little mind of yours" Shiro playfully knocks their fist against Shotos head.

"No no no no," he starts, "THAT is what's confusing in this situation, why did you respond like U-san before but now are saying you're a different person?" Shoto's speech picks up speed like it usually does when he's flustered.

"Shhhhh…" Shiro brings a finger to Shoto's lips to stop his worrying. "Don't think about it too hard, okay? All you need to know… is that I'm a part of U-san, but U-san doesn't know about me just yet, yeah?" Their hand now moving to cradle Shoto's cheek, trying to be comforting.

"...You're not making it easy to understand you Shiro." Shoto says exasperated with this conversation already, but notably not moving away from Shiro's touch.

They giggle, that same giggle U-san has, the one that Shoto enjoys hearing so much. "Sorry, I'm not sure how all of this works either," Their hand moves to touch Shoto's neck. "I just take over when U-san is… getting stage fright, I don't know if that's the right way to describe it…" Their alluring demeanor drops for a second as they struggle to find the right words.

Something U-san does too.

"No no, I get it, that metaphor kinda makes sense" Shoto says encouragingly. He still has a lot of questions but he keeps them to himself for now.

"Ah, I'm glad" that smile reappears on Shiro's face. "Well Shoto, it was nice talking to you, I can see why U-san thinks of you so highly." 

"... They do?"

"Mmm-hmm, they like that you're easy to talk to…" Shiro's voice drops to a whisper as they lean in closer, their lips dangerously close to Shoto's ear, he closes his eyes as he feels himself getting flustered at their close proximity "...and that you're easy on the eyes."

"WHAT!?" 

Shoto snaps out of the spell he's in, his eyes shooting wide open and his hands shooting to Shiro's shoulders and pulling them away from his body. 

But instead of the white hair and yellow eyes he was just getting used to, he's greeted with black hair and fluttering blue eyes as U-san comes to.

"Mmm? Shoto? What're you doing here…" they start, talking like they're just waking up from a nap.

"Um well…" Shoto panics. "You- you were attacked by uh, t- that demon over there" he points to the giant rat demon corpse, his knife still embedded in it. "Y-you must've gotten your head hit on something running away from it" he cringes for a second time, wondering why his first instinct was to cover for Shiro.

"Oh… hope I didn't worry you too much…" U-san yawns.

Shoto sighs, typical U-san worrying about other people when they're the one in need of worrying. 

"Let's just get you home safely" 

"Mmm… it's late, you don't want to stay over? Your guild is a bit farther away than my apartment" U-san says, a bit more awake and alert, taking in their location. "My U-reis really like it when they hear that I'm with you."

"Glad your fans appreciate me at least, I don't get that kind of love from the Guildies..." Shoto is sure they're gonna worry if he doesn't return to the guild soon, he'll just have to send a guild-wide message to say he's sleeping over at a friend's since this demon hunt took longer than anticipated. 

"Awww but you like the teasing type of love…" U-san comes to Shoto's side, giving him a playful shove before locking their arm with Shoto's.

Shiro's teasing words echo in his mind- 'They like that you're easy to talk to… and that you're easy on the eyes.'

No sense denying it now, when it's just the two- 'or is it now three? Damn it he should've asked more questions while Shiro was here'- of them walking down the empty streets.

"Yeah… I do, don't I?"

—

It had been little over a month since the strange incident with U-san and self described Shiro and truthfully, Shoto almost completely forgot about it as slowly but surely demon activity was increasing throughout the city. Shoto and his guild were kept busy trying to hunt and deal with the new threats popping up, when U-san invited him to hangout, noticing his stress mounting and wanting to take his mind off from demon hunting just for a bit.

"You helped me deal with what was probably the most stressful time of my life, please let me return the favor" U-san pleaded with him after Shoto was dodging their previous invites, sheesh U-san could really be a sap when they want to. 

They both agreed to an evening of drinks and karaoke, Shoto walking through the city streets to the karaoke bar they agreed to meet at. But of course as he’s nearing the venue Shoto’s keen hearing and recognition of all signs demon related alert him to a disturbance. ‘Dammit, it's supposed to be my day off..!’ he grumbles to himself but makes haste regardless, sprinting with his dagger at the ready.

Shoto finds the source of the demonic disturbance in an alleyway corner, a large canine demon with  scales coating their body along with singed fur on its head and tail, who immediately recognizes Shoto as what he is, a demon hunter, and raises its head upwards. ‘Ah fuck its gonna try to call for backup’ Shoto more than familiar with the type of behaviors a demon might pocess, and reaches out to throw his dagger. 

‘Wait fuck it’s got scales to protect itself with’ he hesistates.

Then from the other entrance to the corner, a large ball of blue flames shoots toward the creature, immediately engulfing the demon in its entirety, it’s howl dying in its throat. Shoto comes in closer to peek around the corner to find the source of the flames, and finds- 

“Shiro?” the memories of that odd night coming back to Shoto.

“Ah! You remember me!” Shiro smiles almost genuinely.

“You’re an enigma. I hope you know that.” Shoto crosses his arms over his chest, trying to come off as authoritative but looks more pouty if anything.

“Ouch, what’s with the sudden cold behavior?” The smile doesn’t leave Shiro's face.

“This is the second time I’ve found a demon already showing signs of being attacked by you, so… are you really taking over when U-san’s in danger or are you doing this preemptively?” Shoto doesn’t have a clue as to why that would be the case, but this is technically U-sans life being brought into peril, he needs to sus out what the hell is going on with Shiro. He hopes the bluff will goad Shiro into trying to set the story straight.

“Woah woah don’t get the wrong idea man, the demons do come for U-san, honestly!” Shiro’s posture and expression turn defensive.

‘Gottem.’ 

“They just come for us because of deal U-san made to survive drowning, the big guy didn’t like how I- we- fuck, whatever you get it- were going around ruining shit, something about having a plan for us.” 

Shiro rambles, “When U-san decided to break away from the demon control, they subconsciously made a new deal as they passed back into the human realm, sealing off me, the manifestation of their memories and powers of that time.” 

They gulp in some air before starting again, “Guess the boss finally found out that we’re here…”

‘What the fuck.’ This is a lot of new information coming into stark contrast with what Shoto thought he knew about U-san. He never once sensed anything off or demonic about U-san, their pleasant attitude never suggesting a past brush with death or deal with a demon. 

“Okay, hold on, so let me get this straight- '' Shoto feels a headache come on as he tries to puzzle everything together. “You- Shiro, are what, U-san’s demonic half?”

“Mmmm well, the power and physical changes come from an angel who didn’t survive the fall into hell. Their energy was just laying there unused for a while before the Big One figured out how to repurpose it, giving it to U-san, saving their mortal life. Me as a person- do I count as a person? No nevermind that, I’m made of everything U-san knows plus the knowledge and power they had in their life working with demons.”

…Shoto was definitely gonna need a drink, preferably sooner than later.

“Okay- yeah. Sure, why the FUCK not!” Shoto’s frustrations of the recent demonic threat to the people here under his protection bubbling to the surface. He suddenly walks up to Shiro, grabbing them by their shoulders, and pushing them against the closest alleyway wall. 

“So YOU just think you can stick around here, letting yourself be a nice juicy target for any demon that makes it in this realm, endangering the rest of us!? And for what? Running away from the choices you made, expecting a deal with the devil to work out in YOUR favor!?” 

Shiro face falls, doesn’t bother fighting off Shoto’s grip, letting Shoto vent his frustrations.

“It’s not that I- we- fuck okay let me just speak as U-san for a second here- I knew it was a bad idea, but I had so much left to live for, so many songs left to sing, people I couldn’t let down, yeah?” Shiro’s head comes back up to face Shoto, tears welling up in their eyes. “You saying you wouldn’t do anything drastic to meet back with your Guildies if your life came to a sudden end?” 

God, his Guildies. U-san’s U-reis. He remembers them before they were the little blue flame balls they are now, how broken they were when the person they had grown so attached to seemingly wasn’t coming back. The burning away of their old form, when U-san reappeared, changing to match U-san. Confusingly both no longer the people they once were, but still with the memories and love in their heart.

“...you think of me as someone who made this choice for U-san, but I am U-san- fuck- no, ugh why is this so hard to explain-” Shiro’s throat seizes in frustration.

Shoto is brought back to the time right after U-san appeared how they had remembered him, but couldn’t go back the person they first met Shoto as, their sense of identity all but non-existent. 

~~~

“Listen, you don’t have to figure it all out now- Don’t worry about finding a name yet. Find a meaning behind a name, then decide. And whatever you choose will be you.”

~~~

“I think I’ll go by U-san, like, officially.” 

“Wh-huh?” Shoto looks up from his meal, cheeks comically filled with food like a hamster. He takes a moment to chew and swallow before speaking again. “Are you sure? Everyone is just using it as a placeholder for now…are you giving up on finding a name?”

U-sans’s body wilts a little, they pick at their own plate of food. “Well yes and no. I’ll keep Unnamed as my musician title, it works for what I want to do, to be recognized for my voice. But U-san is… cute. My fans made it because they wanted me to be more than a nobody…” U-san lifts their head up to look Shoto directly in his eyes, their own gaze filled with fondness, “...and it’s what my friends call me.”

Shoto breaks the stare with an awkward cough, as he feels himself blushing. 

“Sap.”

~~~

History seems to be repeating itself, Shoto faced once again with his friend going through an identity crisis.

“...but if I knew it would end with demons pouring in trying to hunt me for getting away, I would’ve never-”

Their pained pleas are cut short as Shoto goes from pinning them to the wall to hugging them. Shiro hesitates, before reciprocating the hug, burying their head into Shotos shoulder.

“Tell me what to do to make this right Shoto…”

“Well you can start by giving back U-san their memories and powers”

“B-but it’ll destroy them! I mean- look at me I’m- I’m a mess!” Shiro argues. Their playful and almost crazed demeanor they start conversations with, hiding what Shoto now guesses is a lot of trauma.

“Then we start slow, I’ll talk to them, tell them that the demons are after them, they deserve to know that much at the very least- and we’ll go from there.”

Shiro melts further into the hug.

“Thank you Shoto, you don’t know how much you mean to me...”

“It’s alright Shiro.”

“...who?”

Shoto very reluctantly pulls himself away from the embrace, and is met with black hair and blue eyes again.

“...I’ll explain later, U-san. Lets just head to the karaoke bar, I need a drink.”

U-san’s  face lights up at the mention of karaoke, they take Shoto by the hand and walk with him in tow towards the karaoke bar.

“We need to make the most of tonight, who knows when you’ll be able to make time for breaks like these again.” 

“Well… there's always the option of you learning to hunt demons with me.”

“Eh!? But I’m not a fighter, a- and I have no powers to speak of!”

“...Well, me and your fans are gonna have to disagree on that last one.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have the power… to make people fall in love with you!” Shoto gives his best rizzler smile.

“Oh, fuck off bro, that was so cringe” U-san breaks into cackling.

“What do you mean!? That was so smooth dude, I’ll have you know I’m called the Rizzler.”

The rest of the night is filled with many more laughs and bad pickup lines and flirting. U-san and Shoto sing their hearts out, and end up drinking quite a bit, they leave the bar in the early hours of the morning still giggling and just a tad drunk still.

“Let’s go back to my place, yeah?” U-san says, already linking their arm with Shoto’s dragging him before he even responds.

When they make it back to U-san’s place, they’re both bombarded with waves of u-reis, their blue flame bodies only leaving a warm feeling on both their bodies. 

“Wh- I was gone for a few hours! Why do you guys always act like this?”

Shoto gives an understanding smile to the u-reis huddled against him, their beady eyes staring at him in appreciation, no doubt glad for the protective eye Shoto always has for U-san.

“I think they’ll always miss anytime spent away from you, you just have that effect on people.”

[danganronpa-21]

002 for Kiki Naegi!

Alright, sounds good! Sorry for the lateness on this one. Almost forgot I had it!

This question is in relation to this ask game.

How I feel about this character:

She's the worst and she sucks. Just kidding lol, imagine if I beta read the entirety of DR4 and that was the outcome?

Anyway, jokes aside, my time on DR4 gave me a lot of time to get to know Kiki, and I found one of the things I liked about her is that she is such an emotional protagonist. Even paired up against Makoto or Komaru, Kiki is someone who seems to feel very strongly about the things in her life, and I found that that was something I could relate to in her as a protagonist. She's also incredibly soft-hearted, I think more so than we've ever seen, so that gave her a bit of an interesting edge as a character who sort of takes on a leadership position as well. She has a pretty naive perspective on life, but does everything she can to use that to her advantage, so it ends up creating this image of a character who's very in touch with herself and her emotions, so much so that she can use them for the good of other people. It's definitely one of the things that stands out most to me about her as a character, and I found it made her a character that I enjoyed getting to follow.

All the People I Ship Romantically with this Character:

I feel like, because I beta read and spent so much time trying to prep Shukiki moments, I feel like that's gotta be my answer. Sometimes beta reading really was 'alright, cute, but how can we make this cuter?"

In the end, that meant that I ended up gaining some sort of affection for the pairing, as we tried to create a few good moments where you could see that Kiki and Shuichi were connecting. Plus, I feel like as far as couples go, they would be pretty healthy in the sense that they are both quite in touch with their feelings. Even if Shuichi were to get upset and shut down a bit, Kiki knows easily how to work through that and make sure that the two of them are having healthy communication. I think they just end up being one of those pairings that becomes sugary sweet, and even if they're not your cup of tea, you can usually find that you get why other people like them.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

I find whenever I answer this question, on my FE blog or here, I'm always like "omg their siblings", and guess what? I'm about to do it again, my non-romantic BROTP for this character is Kiki & Mokubo! I think they have the potential for a really interesting dynamic. Kiki is really friendly and open. She's a people's person, she likes getting along with others and having a good time and making sure that everyone is feeling good. As I've said already, she's good at opening up to others and sharing with them the ways that she's feeling. It's kind of like she just has a natural sense for how to work with others. Mokubo, on the other hand, is more like his mom. He's reserved and quiet, but sharp as a knife in matters of intelligence. He notices things that others might not pick up on right away, and tends to think much more inquisitively about the world. It is obvious that he has lots of love for the people around him, of course, but it is distinctly in his own way. I think they pair up really nicely against each other, because Kiki acts as a comforting compass for moments when Mokubo's neurodivergency might make him feel a bit uneasy about social situations or heavy emotions, and Mokubo encourages Kiki to think more deeply about the world around her and helps her understand the world from a fresh, unique perspective that enables her to grow as a person. I think I could see them growing up into strong adults with a really healthy relationship, knowing they can depend on each other in their times of need.

Plus, with the two of them at the helm as the older siblings... you just know that each of them give great advice to Kiri and Koto as they grow up. They're going to be so well-rounded because of their big sibs lol.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

You see, the thing is, I'm not entirely sure what the popular opinion is about this character. Gaiden readers, please feel free to enlighten me.

I suppose a potential unpopular opinion that I have is that while I love how Kiki is so soft-hearted and emotional, I would be quite interested in seeing at a point where her anger gets really just like, dry. Like you remember that old Tumblr post that talked about dry vs. wet anger? I feel like Kiki experiences a lot of wet anger, where there’s a lot of sadness and heavy emotion tied to it. She’s one of those people who tends to cry when she’s upset. That’s why I would really like to see her become just so, so angry at someone someday that she just… doesn’t. I think it would be neat to see her at the point where she just doesn’t care anymore, where she is sharp with someone and doesn’t care how much they grovel, because they are beyond forgiveness. Sure, Kiki is a loving person, but everyone has their limits. I guess you could say I’m just interested in seeing what hers are!

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon:

I would really have loved to delve into more of how her demeanour makes her different to Kyoko as a detective. As Kiki has been studying under her mother for a little bit (although she is not at Kyoko's level), I think it would be interesting to see how Kyoko might modify the training for Kiki. Especially considering she recognizes that Fuhito's training was not necessarily always healthy for her when she was a girl, I think she would probably put some serious reflection in on how it needed to change for her. Really though, I think my big concern for it is maybe seeing more in-depth of how the difference of behaviour affects Kiki. Kiki is a direct contrast to her mom in the sense that whereas Kyoko keeps herself very guarded, Kiki tends to express herself very openly. She feels most things quite deeply and expresses her emotions on the regular, almost never feeling the need to hold anything in just for the sake of keeping up a facade. She's very honest about who she is, but I really do wonder how that would inform her position as a child in Kirigiri detective training. I almost wonder if it was ever a potential point of conflict between mother and daughter, with Kyoko accidentally foisting certain expectations on Kiki while training her because it was instinctive from what she learned. I guess I just think exploring how Kiki is so different from the regular Kirigiri detective and how it affects the way she does things would have been an interesting path to go down at some point!

My OTP:

Already mentioned this one, so maybe I’ll do what I did when I did these on my FE blog and just talk about what a future for them would be like. For Shukiki, I think it’s a pretty big question because per the end of DR4, they’re still in university. They still have to get through the end of their schooling to decide whether or not they’ll end up having a life together! So in this case, I’m thinking probably mostly about a university romance. A real university romance, where they’re not forced into yet another messed up killing game.

I feel like Kiki’s pretty busy the first few months of university, because she’s one of those people who would run around and join a whole bunch of clubs and make no friends. Shuichi still has a really hard time making friends, but Kiki easily drags him in to conversations, going “hey, this is Shuichi”. Still, even if Kiki makes all kinds of friends, I don’t see them being a big parties couple. I think a lot of their time while they’re in school is spent having coffee dates, studying together, and having movie/gaming nights in the dorms. Some of the other students might dismiss them as high school sweethearts and say that they won’t last (even if this isn’t quite the case), but they quickly find that the foundation of the relationship is strong. Healthy communication is kind of their forté, and they later become an example for other people seeking romantic relationships in the same group. No matter what happens as they pass through their academic careers, they have each other’s backs and celebrate each other’s successes.

My crossover ship:

I mentioned this when I fulfilled the asks on my other blog, but I'm actually not too big of a fan of crossovers just in general, so I probably won't have anything to say here! I'll keep Kiki with her own folks.

A headcanon fact:

Kiki’s silver ahoge and heterochromatic eyes are not just chance traits, but actually a minor condition called piebaldism. For piebaldism, it differs from something like albinism in the fact that particular cells are capable of producing the colour they intend to, but are “turned off”. You might generally recognize this condition in others by people who have white patches closer to the front of their hair, or paler patches of skin.

For Kiki, it doesn’t seem as if a great deal of her body has been affected by the condition, but you can majorly see it in her eyes, her ahoge, and some parts of her body that are usually covered by her clothes. For example, there are lighter patches of skin on her shoulders, lower back, and thighs. The condition doesn’t affect her health at all — unlike albinism, it doesn’t even affect her ability to see — so she often just doesn’t mention it. It’s just the kind of thing she would mention in a “two truths and a lie” game, to be honest!

[pausegame]

Some slightly more thorough ramblings about small things in Veilguard under cut

Absolutely HOWLING at a few of the dialogue differences depending on race and faction choices.

Bellara is so cute when she talks about her and Davrin's gods, and bc I answered a few elf dialogues with Dalish knowledge she'll be like "Mine and Davrin's gods. Oh, and Rook's." It adds just a tiiiny bit of flavour but the way it's written is so her.

Davrin talking shit at Lucanis like "even though he kills people for money..... No offense Rook" HONEY I love you but also you have got to pass judgement on my baby too lmfaO I know you get each other a little hot and bothered but still 😂😂😂😂

I need to roll a Warden Rook for him so their morals are aligned, also the tragedy of being a Warden is lessened IMO if you have another Warden to share it with, as Evka and Antoine or Alistair and his lover. I'd managed to get "Thrill of the Chase" as my Rook's relationship with Davrin pretty early and they seemed close during the Weisshaupt quest which made the potential of parting very sad as she she would outlive him by nature of the Wardens/The Calling. It just sits right in my soul if they're on a the same clock fngmlhkg

Some of the other characters are wary of Lucanis as well but not my Rook so I'm gonna need to do that for romancing them too. Except Emmrich, he seems perfectly comfortable with both Lucanis and my Rook being paid killers and upon initial meeting he was honestly thrilled to ask Rook more about life as a Crow. Previously chatted about banter options with Crow Rook. He's so chill to talk to both of them and he's just like "You're an Antivan Crow, yes? You must live such a full life! Please, you must tell me more of you misadventures, once we're out of here, of course." The game likely has him say it for all factions, but it's nice that he's so open to hearing about contract killings, compared to other factions with more noble goals.

Idk where I heard someone say Rook doesn't participate in banter, I think it may have been someone from the council but Rook is well within them.

One starts with Emmrich asking Lucanis about the Crows, to which he points that Rook is also a Crow. Rook throws it back at him that they're not nearly as infamous as the Demon of Vyrantium, which makes Lucanis grumble. And then the subsequent one I got later starts with Emmrich going "So Lucanis, you're a Crow..." And without missing a beat Rook's just like "I'm a Crow too" and Lucanis asks her if Viago knew that, to which she grumbles in return.

Had Neve and Lucanis in a particular Lighthouse scene where she kinda gives him attitude about not trusting her, and then gives Rook attitude for having sided with Lucanis in a previous decision that's faction related and it just looks like she's dressing down the Crows and it's hilarious.

Also I think it was alleged in some reviews or just the obnoxious incel brigade who said everyone likes each other and they're too pleasant?? I've gotten to a point where cutscenes happen when they argue, Neve got mad at my Rook for a decision (rightfully so!) which impacts whether she can even heal, leveling up bonding with her takes significantly slower than everyone else as a result and it took a while to get her to open up to my Rook again, Davrin and Lucanis don't get along but they are civil with each other, respect each other to a degree and openly admit that they need to work together. Taash and Emmrich also do not get along, it's hilarious.

I probably should've done my first playthrough with subtitles off though, since the whole line of dialogue spoils some of it, and my eyeballs are trained to go low. I kinda wish they stuck them at the top of the screen like in Inquisition so the rest of the screen is in my peripheral.

I love the combat but miss stealth mode with my life!!! It was always great to break out of an encounter and come back with a vengeance with it. That said I do love that every fight could be the last. There's idk a more realistic sense that any fight could go sideways. Sometimes a small encounter maybe in a side quest will be super difficult bc of the location and the terrain which makes it super hard to navigate, while some boss fights are wide and open for easy movement and I know the enemy type so my team is built accordingly and it moves super fast. It's challenging and I've died several times on the standard Adventurer mode but it's really fun. I do love that I can oneshot/headshot enemies like in Tomb Raider. Those games taught me well. I did think prior that I should run a warrior playthrough, I probably still will but it's def lower priority since I'm not super proficient at the class that suits my playstyle the best lol

Antoine and Evka and Davrin are really great Wardens. Also some folks dissed how bright the game is??? Some of the dialogue is a lot more playful and light but everything with the Wardens, as has always been the case, is insanely dark. Maybe more so in this game than Origins, bc unlike Origins where the Wardens are the heroes, they start more like how the Order is in Inquisition and goes from there. They're still tragic and dark and complex, and I really wish I had managed to finish The Calling book before I played the game dhdkfbfjf I still have 2 short stories left to read in Tevinter Nights as well.

On that note, reading the short stories and brushing up on lore/being a longtime fan definitely pays off. I understood a reference about the Qunari thanks to some lore dhdjdjfnf

[luphorics]

❤️ 🤩 and 😓 for Gale ?

ty for the ask omg!! and im pumped that it's for Gale too hehe :D

💀 Gale Dimaaya [Resident Evil OC]

❤️ 3 positive traits

1. they're dedicated, for one thing. certainly a keeper of their promises. if they plan to do something, they'll make sure to see it done before hell even freezes over. there may be prices to pay along the way, but try as you might to avoid them. gale will face anything head-on to ensure that they fulfill their goal. 2. being resourceful. as a vigilante who spent most of their time operating alone, Gale has honed their skills of clever thinking in order to overcome various difficulties. work smarter, and not harder as they say. not like it already is hard enough in Gale's world, with viruses and mutants running amok while the megalomaniacs responsible for it all just sit back and watch. 3. their glorious wits. sure, in an apocalypse it may be useless to joke around. but would moping and sulking around be any different either? to gale, it never hurts to have a small laugh here and there. it serves well, even if it's a small distractor from the wars they're fighting in.

🤩- planner or spontaneous

a mix of both, really. now they're not one to run blindly into situations. there's always some planning that has to go in before they decide to do something--such as infiltrating a company to extract whatever incriminating info they're hiding behind their "pure" and "innovative" ambitions. but when things go wrong and your plans go south, then you have to do a bit of improv. and it works for Gale, as they've spent nearly a decade having to be efficient and using what they had on hand if something doesn't go quite right.

😓 open-minded or stubborn? inquisitive or reserved?

Gale has had a long history of distrust with powerful companies and any government-related agencies of the sort, so it'd make sense that they're more on the stubborn end. in more recent events, they've slowly turned to a more open mindset and has been more willing to work with those who they probably pulled a couple of strings around (ex: Leon, a good friend of theirs from childhood who, of course, worked for STRATCOM and recently the DSO. always friendly with him during the times they encountered, but Gale has definitely gone behind his back on some occasions. however, not in a cruel way that directly affected him though. they care for him, and they appreciate his efforts. however, they also oppose each other in terms of affiliation so Gale has gotten some sort of intel with that advantage.)

on that note, Gale does tend to be more reserved, but this has mostly been for situational purposes. during their years as a vigilante, they've had to change their name and conceal their identity, being at large by Umbrella at the time. it's reasonable that they wouldn't be someone to often share too much of themselves, fearing they and the clandestine agency they were working for would be compromised. on some degree now, they're still somewhat reserved but not as much as they were in their 20s. after having their name cleared, finally coming out of hiding, etc. they're more liberated and open with themselves.

[ddejavvu]

for Remus day

🍁 fallen leaves - send me a line of dialogue and I’ll write it into a scenario with remus! (ex. “why are you naked?!”)

“they’re beautiful aren’t they?”

combined with:

🍁 fallen leaves - send me a line of dialogue and I’ll write it into a scenario with remus! (ex. “why are you naked?!”) “Have we met before?” (@ceciliaromeroo)

can i please get :🍁 fallen leaves - send me a line of dialogue and I’ll write it into a scenario with remus! (“you're the prettiest girl ive ever seen”)

--

The soft pink blossoms clinging to the tree branches swayed softly in the wind, your jacket whipping similarly around your body. You basked in the serenity of the moment, eyes ghosting over each individual petal in the soft silence of the clearing.

Nothing could distract you from the blissful scenario, or so you thought, until the click of a camera shutter had you spinning frantically on your heel to see who had joined you.

A man stood a mere ten feet away from you, camera still aimed at a grandiose tree beside him. He heard you shuffle in the grass at your feet, peering around his camera and sending you a sheepish smile.

"They're beautiful," His voice was smooth and soft, akin to the wind just barely swaying the trees around you, "Aren't they?"

"Yeah," You breathed, heart still racing slightly from his sudden appearance, "They are. I've been here for way too long," You let out a soft laugh, "But I can't stop looking at them."

"I know what you mean. I used to have a bunch of these trees out by a lake where I used to live," The man's face shifted into a reminiscent smile, something about the expression tauntingly familiar, "I used to go out there every day and play there because it was just so pretty."

"Me too!" You recalled the grove of pink trees nestled beside the crystal clear waters you'd frequented as a child, "They were always so fun to make into crowns and stuff."

The man chuckled lightly, "Yeah, I remember making some too. Hey," You marveled at his voice, wracking your brain for why it had such a familiar undertone to it, "This is gonna sound crazy, but have we met before?"

"I swear we have," You gushed, eyes staring inquisitively into the honeyed ones before you, "You look so familiar."

"Oh my god," The man's eyes widened at your pondering expression, "Y/N?"

Your heart leapt at the sound of your name slipping from his lips, "That's me..."

"I'm Remus," The man grinned, "Do you remember me? We used to live next to each other. We played every day during the summer."

Your mouth fell open as you finally realized who you were speaking to, giving Remus a once-over, "Remus! My god, I can't believe it's you!"

"And I can't believe it's you," Remus laughed incredulously, "It's been so long!"

"We're both all grown-up," You mused, heart soaring at the memories you had of chasing Remus around the lake, giggling as you fell into the petal-covered grass and stared at the clouds.

"Yeah, you're..." Remus hesitated, eyes harboring a miniscule sliver of insecurity, "If you don't mind me being a bit forward, you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"Remus," You spluttered, cheeks heating up despite the cold wind, "You're just as sweet to me as you were back then."

Remus chuckled, ducking his head down to stare at the grass in a poor attempt to hide his blush, "You've always deserved it. I still have one of the crowns you made me, y'know. It's not exactly as pretty as it was the day you gave it to me," You giggled at his admission, heart swelling in your chest at the gesture, "But it's still special because you made it."

"You're so smooth," You teased him, "Were you always this forward?"

"I guess I've just missed you," Remus smiled bashfully, "I'm glad we met again."

"Me too." You grinned, "Hey, if I made you a crown now, would you save it with the other one?"

"Of course," Remus perked up, no longer slumped in on himself out of embarrassment.

"C'mon then," You gestured to a clearing between two trees, a smattering of blossoms on the grass, "Let's get started."

[arrowflier]

I wish you would write a fic where the gallaghers + kev & vee find out about ian's 87% comment and they all give their opinions and ask why mickey, ian's husband who's been a part of ian's life for nearly eleven years only gets 87% of his heart, if the other 13% goes towards his toxic exes and why since they're not in his life anymore, ian explaining himself and ends with ian taking the comment back so mickey has 100% of his heart

I decided this was perfect for Gallavich Week Day 5: Fix-It! Thanks as always to @gallavichthings for hosting💖. Also on AO3.

Eighty-Seven Percent (Anatomy of a Heart)

It was a normal morning in the Gallagher kitchen.

That is to say, it was chaotic.

Carl and Liam sat across from each other at the narrow table, tossing dry loops of off-brand cereal at each other over Franny’s backpack, which lay open between them. The girl herself was running circles around them both in her pajamas, Debbie chasing after her with a stern face and a frilly dress held in outstretched hands.

“Come on, Franny,” she muttered impatiently as her daughter evaded her again by diving under the table, “just put on the dress!”

Mickey laughed when Franny ran to him instead, trying to hide behind his legs where he stood by the brewing coffeemaker. Ian ruined her attempt by swinging her up into his arms and twirling her around until Debbie snatched her from him, resulting in an angry shriek as Franny writhed in her hold.

“For fuck’s sake, keep it down in here!” Lip hissed, coming in from the living room where Tami had just gotten Fred settled in his play pen. “If you get Fred crying again, I swear I’ll fucking end you all.”

If anything, the kitchen got louder as everyone there chimed in in their own defense.

Mickey just snorted as he grabbed two mugs and got to pouring the fresh coffee. “Good luck with that,” he offered to Lip, amused. “You get one Gallagher going, you get the whole fucking pack.”

Lip glared at him, opened his mouth the say something undoubtedly scathing and most likely regarding Mickey’s place in the family, when Carl laughed and chimed in from the table.

“Funny, man, that’s what Trevor said to me and Ian at the station yesterday.”

The room went quiet.

Or maybe it just seemed that way to Ian, who could see the way his husband’s back immediately tensed at the familiar name, the way he gripped the handle of his mug a little too tight and poured the coffee a little too high before setting down the pot with a hard clack.

“Trevor, huh?” Mickey asked, voice deceptively mild, and Ian winced behind him.

Carl didn’t get the memo.

“Yeah, you remember him, right?” he checked. “He still works at that youth place, came in to post bail for some kid when Ian was bringing by lunch.” He shrugged, tossed a handful of cereal into his mouth. “We chatted a bit,” he mumbled as he chewed.

Mickey gripped the edge of the counter, knuckles going white under his tattoos. “Funny,” he said quietly, “Ian didn’t think to mention that.”

Ian sighed, ignoring the eyes of his family on their quickly unfolding drama. They’d been fighting a lot lately, a lot more than they used to, and today had been shaping up to be better, damn it. Now he had to do damage control again instead of enjoying a quiet day in with his husband.

“We’ve talked about this, Mickey,” he started, a tad bit exasperated. It must have come through in his voice, because Mickey’s shoulders went up. “Trevor’s not a bad guy, and I’m not gonna avoid him if I see him around.”

Mickey released the counter to grab his coffee again, taking a long, scalding swallow. “Right,” he said finally, not looking at Ian. “Not a bad guy at all. Just wanted to leave your ass rotting in jail when you couldn’t be his poster boy anymore, that’s all.”

“Mickey…” Ian warned, but it didn’t stop him.

“Tell me, Ian,” Mickey mused, turning to face him with hard eyes. “How much of that thirteen percent belongs to him?”

Fuck. Not that again.

“Wait, what’s he talking about?” Debbie was the one to ask first, voice cutting through their palpable tension. She’d even stopped trying to force the dress over Franny’s head in the interim, allowing the girl to escape up the stairs unscathed. “What thirteen percent?”

“Oh yeah, he told me about that,” Lip butted in. “Said Mickey got all bent out of shape cause Ian still thinks about his exes, or something, right?”

Ian closed his eyes against the hurt in Mickey’s as his brother revealed that he knew about their squabble. Fuck his family right now, seriously.

“Not quite,” he gritted out, but when he opened his eyes again, Mickey had schooled his face back into disinterest.

“No, that’s just about it,” Mickey confirmed. “Got my nose out of joint because Ian, here,” he gestured at Ian with his mug, ignoring the hot coffee that splashed over the side, “said I only got eighty-seven percent of his heart.”

Someone whistled, low and long. Ian couldn’t tell who.

“It’s not that big a deal,” he insisted yet again. “My whole life is a fucking shrine to you, Mick. If my heart was a room, there’s be posters of you on every fucking wall.” He took a step closer, until Mickey’s mug pressed into his own chest, leaving a wet spot on his shirt.

“You really can’t let the others have a little space in that room? Not even in the bottom drawer of a dresser that nobody uses anyway?”

Mickey was still, and silent. Then he spun around and slammed his mug back down on the counter, shoved past Ian, and stormed off up the stairs.

“Where are you going?” Ian called after him.

“To clean out the goddamn drawers!”

It was quiet in Mickey’s wake, and then—

“Dude, that’s fucked up,” Carl said frankly, and Liam nodded in agreement, eyes wide.

“Did you really say that?” Debbie asked, sounding horrified, and before Ian could answer the back door slammed open.

“Morning neighbors!” Vee greeted as she came through, Kev on her heels. She was holding something, a dish covered in foil, and a carton of juice hung from Kev’s hand.

“We brought you guys some…” Vee trailed off when no one even looked at her, noticing the tension in the room.

“Uh,” she voiced, confused, “what did we miss?”

Carl answered, still looking at Ian in disbelief. “Ian told Mickey he keeps stuff from his exes in a drawer, so Mickey’s up there looking for it.”

“Oh, that’s cold man,” Kev breathed, and Ian exhaled.

“It was a metaphor,” he muttered, and Vee heard him.

“A metaphor for what?” she asked, curious.

“For the thirteen percent of Ian’s heart that belongs to other people,” Debbie revealed, and Vee set down her dish with a clatter.

“You said that to him?” she clarified, and at Ian’s reluctant nod, shook her head and turned to Kev.

“You ever say shit like that to me,” she said firmly, “I’ll cut off thirteen percent of your dick.”

—

A few long minutes later, after he had finally escaped his family’s inquisition about the state of his relationship, Ian made his way upstairs, alone.

When he got to their bedroom, Mickey wasn’t actually going through their things. He was just sitting on their bed, back to the wall, spinning his wedding ring round and round on his finger. Next to him, balanced on their folded blanket, sat the little box with the fancy ones they used in the ceremony just so they wouldn’t have to take theirs off.

Ian’s heart beat harder. That box had been sitting safe in the bottom drawer of their shared dresser.

The one that nobody used.

“Hey,” he said softly from the doorway. Mickey didn’t look up.

“You okay?” Ian asked, and that at least got a response.

“Do I look fucking okay to you?” Mickey returned, eyes on his knees.

He didn’t. Not really. He looked haggard, and upset, his hair spiky where restless fingers had combed through it. Ian couldn’t see his eyes, but he had a feeling they were rimmed in red.

Ian let himself into the room, sat opposite Mickey on the bed with his feet still firmly on the floor. He reached out to trace a finger over the rings in the box, and then the ring on Mickey’s finger.

Mickey let his own hand fall away when he did.

“You know that’s not how I meant it, right?” Ian asked, suddenly desperate to hear Mickey agree. He needed to know that Mickey understood, that just because he remembered his past, it didn’t mean he wasn’t dedicated to his future.

But Mickey just shrugged.

“Not a lot of ways you can mean it,” he said, and shit. Ian had really fucked up this time. “Either I have your whole heart or I don’t,” Mickey continued, “and I don’t. So,” he shrugged again, “whatever.”

Ian took a moment. A long one. He thought of Mickey’s reaction the first time he had said it, when he was mostly just teasing. The way he had been shocked to think that Ian still had fond thoughts for other men. And he thought of his family downstairs, each one more fucked up than the last, all in agreement over the severity of his error.

And to be honest, he still didn’t quite get the uproar. But maybe that was because none of them got his side, either.

“You’re right,” he began, “you don’t.”

Mickey tensed further, pulling away from him on the bed, but Ian wasn’t done.

“You have all the good bits, you know,” he continued. He went to rest a hand on Mickey’s chest, saw his stiffness, and pointed at his own instead.

“You have all four chambers,” he told him. “Atrium and ventricle. You keep my blood moving, keep it useful, keep me alive. And you have my valves,” he added, trailing a finger side to side to point to the right spots as he spoke. “Mitral and aorta, pulmonary and tricuspid.” He smiled. “You keep me going in the right direction.”

Mickey was softening, he could tell, the tension seeping from his limbs as Ian droned on. He kept going anyway.

“You have all my arteries, Mick,” he whispered. “You’re in all my veins. You said I was under your skin, once?” Ian laughed. “Well you’re under my skin, too. And in my muscles, and in my blood.”

“And the others, they’re like…” he hesitated, searched for the right words. Better words than he had used before. “They’re like cholesterol,” he settled on, “plaque. Or…like the scar tissue from a triple bypass, the parts that don’t work anymore.”

Mickey’s lips quirked, despite himself, and Ian counted it as a victory.

“You have a lot a heart surgeries, Gallagher?” he questioned softly, catching on.

Ian smile widened, and he reached out to take Mickey’s hand. This time, Mickey didn’t pull away.

“Maybe a few,” he admitted. “And maybe I’m better for it.”

He lifted Mickey’s hand to his lips, held it there.

“I don’t mind the broken bits,” he told his husband. “The pieces they left behind. Because you pushed through them every time, and made me healthy again.”

Mickey fidgeted, and nudged himself off the wall to settle closer to Ian’s side.

“Alright,” he allowed, “I get it.”

“Do you?” Ian asked earnestly. “Because I want you to, you know.” He dropped Mickey’s hand to hold his face instead, gently stroking a thumb over his cheek. “I want you to know that that thirteen percent, it doesn’t really matter. All that matters are the parts that are you.”

"I chose you, Mickey," he murmured. He reached out blindly for the spare rings in their box on the bed, worked one free. Slipped it onto Mickey's finger without looking away from his eyes. Mickey's hand clenched around it, around Ian's hand, and held tight.

"I married you," Ian added. "Because I love you with every real part of my heart, every little bit that works."

“All eighty-seven percent?” Mickey prods with a soft expression, leaning forward until his nose brushes Ian’s.

“All eighty-seven percent,” Ian confirmed, and kissed him.

[inke-ri]

ok ok fine so- best moments of this new update:

(yes, this will be long, no I dont know how to put it under a read more on mobile. Sorry OTL)

- The Nightlights get actual unique personalities. In Homecoming, only Dart seemed to have one, while the boys were basically "cute boys who are always sparring". Here, Dart is inquisitive and forward, Ruff is a bit lazy but with a heart of gold, and Pouncer is playful and brave (he's biting at his tail like a dog would here lmao).

- Pouncer reminds me of his dad a lot. He follows you around because he wants to be near you, he sneaks after you as you go to a dangerous place, and even tho he is Baby, he still tries to use a blinding sort of light flash /shot to protect you from dragon hunters. He can get a little scared at times but he immediately calms down near you, and trusts you enough to follow you despite being afraid. The moment the fear disappears he just happily flies around like a dork <3 He's probably my favorite of the three but it's really hard to choose because they're all so unique.

- Dart is very much her mother's daughter. She's impulsive, wild, and does what she wants when she wants. She also apparently idolizes the Green Death, which is hilarious (for those that dont know, the Green Death is another female who moved and took over Dragon Island after the original Red Death was killed in SOD Universe, and yes, she is green). I'm not kidding, she killed a ship full of people lmao. Well, indirectly. She flew up to the Green Death and eventually led her to shoot fire at a whole ship of warlords. And eventually set fire to the whole fleet... in the open seas. Yea, those people are dead.

That said Dart is caring and protective and her special "power" is to rally and protect other dragons. She really feels like a mix of her mom's wild, more brutal side with her father's protectiveness. While she likes the Player character well enough I got the distinct feeling she bonds with dragons better, which I really love! She's just. Wild, but still open to work with people, just like her mom in this universe. Well, maybe a little more open than Mom. I also really like that both Pouncer and Ruffrunner had moments in which they were afraid and the Player had to comfort them, but Dart never did. She was always up and ready to go lmao.

- Ruffrunner is SO cute. Despite being a fighty boy, he's very attached to his parents and apparently wants to make them proud. He's also very lazy, he likes to nap around |D That said, he cares so deeply for others that he willingly puts himself in danger and draws enemy fire so others can attack properly. He's more tanky than the other two so he can take it. He's SO eager to help (and prove himself), be it you or his parents, which matches how his unique ability is to take hits to make sure everyone isnt attacked. He reminds me of the Toothless that was willing to die if it meant saving Hiccup.

- Bonus points for Toothless for being a fantastic dad to his kids and apparently not taking the Stoick route. He encourages Ruffrunner to be brave and look, this is just an excuse to show you how adorable they are.

- Hiccup remarks that Ruffrunner reminds him a lot of himself and how he wanted to make his parents proud of ALL of him. Why, yes, he referenced the "all this" line in the year of our Lord 2022. Did I mention I love this game? I love this game.

- As an AMAZING bonus, Valka was there and heard it, and she was actually a little awkward and upset at the thought of Hiccup suffering because of that. God. I love their dynamic. Just the right amount of awkwardness and guilt despite how much they love and understand each other, which makes perfect sense considering she abandoned him for 20 years.

- Valka in general getting focus and development is great. I love how every time she visits the Hidden World (she gets to see the Hidden World y'all!!!) she's in awe of it.

- Backtracking to talk about the Green Death for a second bc I love what they did with her! While she's just as violent and brutal as the Red Death, she didn't immediately go for the Warlord ships. Only after we rescued some baby scuttleclaws from those ships was that the Green Death attacked them.

I just love love LOVE that a dragon of the same species as the "pure evil"-type one from the first movie is not ACTUALLY shown as pure evil and IS capable of protecting and caring... just like any other dragon. I did not expect this but it was SO good. Between this and you being able to rescue and train one of Grimmel's deathgrippers, I LOVE how this game tells us that there are no true evil dragons. 10/10 point goes to School of Dragons.

- Just, this line from Valka:

I'm gonna be a bit salty for a sec because this. THIS. You have to respect these creatures and sometimes only watch from a distance- not every dragon needs to be trained, which is the lesson Hiccup seemingly had to learn in httyd 3. But learning about them, seeing them, living with them, even from a distance, is what leads to love and respect and inspires you to take care of them.

Not, y'know, shoving them down a hole for a thousand years. Even if it IS a very cozy hole. THAT just leads to them being forgotten and for people to still wanna use them for their own gains, like the timeskip show whose name I'm forgetting tells you.

Here they actually move back and forth between the skies and their ancestral home. I love that they have the freedom to do so.

- The King of Dragons lives! Somehow!

I didn't expect this- would have been cool if Drago's Bewilderbeast had taken over the King's duties to protect the original nest- buuuut y'know what? I'm okay with this. He deserved better and he's a good boi and I love him so yea.

Stoick is still dead here, and it IS heavily implied to still have been Drago-Toothless who took him out, so my best guess is that Drago's Bewilderbeast took the King out of commission long enough for Toothless to challenge him and become an Alpha on his own, etc, but he's recovered since?

- Hiccup arrives in the Sacturary after a while and... I dunno, maybe seeing the King of Dragons reminded him of his father, because he quietly mutters that "I miss him so much."

The shock and pain kept me from screenshotting the first comment from him. Ugh, come for my heart won't you. I love that Hiccup still struggles with being Chief, and missing Stoick, but is trying his best. I love how this game doesn't forget about him- there's a whole video sequence dedicated to his memory in one of the previous storyline missions when we return to Dragon Island for the first time. I'm very lucky to have played this game VERY on and off for years, because I still remember everyone's httyd1 models, Stoick being there, and his missions about the importance of being responsible and being a chief. I treasure them fondly since he's not around anymore- not even in this game.

- Speaking of Hiccup, he's surprisingly absent for most of the storyline! He only shows up every now and then and doesn't even participate in the battle with the Warlords and Stormheart- you work mainly with the Nightlights and Valka through this story. At first I wasn't sure why, but eventually I realized that I really liked this. It sort of shows that Hiccup can delegate- that we don't NEED him to be there at all times to do the right thing and fight for the bond with dragons. It shows his ideas are spreading- that he's changing the world little by little :)

- I also really like how they pair each of the nightlights with a King Dragon that inspires them. Pouncer with the playful, curious and brave Luminous Krayfin, Dart with the fierce, wild yet protective Green Death, and Ruffrunner with the gentle, protective and loyal Bewilderbeast. Amazing way to showcase their personalities and make them unique! Also goes to show how all 3 have what it takes to, perhaps one day, become worthy Alphas of their own.

- As a last bit, I love that they make the Warlords threatening- Griselda gets a bit of a spotlight, and I loved the tension between the three Warlords and Stormheart since they kept intruding on her turf. I love how the Warlords got a whole storyline for themselves after Grimmel is dead, even if the star of the show is still Stormheart.

- Also also, it takes the whole gang (minus Hiccup and Toothless), PLUS Player and his dragon, PLUS Valka and Cloudjumper, PLUS THREE WHOLE NIGHTLIGHTS to defeat them, instead of 6 kids in flight suits. While the game focuses just on you and the nightlights, everyone else IS there and they didn't NEED to spend money and resources to add that. I thought it was very cool.

- Stormheart in general is just such a good character. I love that we have a female villain in the first place, I love how after threatening you for so long she finally decides she's done and Player's gonna die... I love that SHE's the final boss of the storyline because SHE is the main antagonist of this story and has always been.

- Also, I love that we finally get to blow up her fancy ship that used enslaved dragons to create steam for it to move. It felt so satisfying after all these years.

- Also, it's cute that the Player character gets to pick a nightlight to bond with and train for free at the end of the story, with Toothless and the Light Fury watching on. The fact that they approve and that Hiccup trusts you with this is such a fun way to end this story and to show how far Player has come.

Overall, I both feel and fear this game is gearing up for a final storyline... Stormheart escaped, but her ship and most of her power is no more. Even her ally, Harald, has (perhaps surprisingly) betrayed her and gave us the info to destroy her ship. It feels like it's leading up to one final confrontation with her. If so, it will make the whole thing one hell of a ride, and I couldn't be happier to be able to experience it myself. This story and world is so rich, and it really sticks to the franchise's core, while being fun, educative, not afraid to craft their own unique stories, and so, so full of heart. As I said earlier, it really reminds me of why I love httyd as much as I do.

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch. 7

Ch.1 ch.2 ch.3 ch.4 ch.5 ch.6

Summary: in which Cassandra gets bullied and other sappy shenanigans

---

"Oh Nicole dear, so happy to see you again!" Duke's voice was cheerful as ever, tone masterfully crafted over years of being a businessman.

Nicole, taking small steps inside the ornate and now full of items room, greeted him with uncharacteristic giddiness.

"Duke! How's business?"

"Same as always, I'll be heading to Beneviento later tonight to deliver some tools for her," he took a long drag of his cigar and, noticing green eyes scanning over multiple items and said, "I also have your order."

With a childish grin on her face, she approached him, hands shuffling inside the small bag attached to her belt that all staff members had. She pulled out the money owed for her package and, in return, the Duke placed a decently sized box in her arms. With an oof she shifted it in a less precarious position, it's heavy contents seeming to plot against her small frame.

"Unfortunately I can't stay, duty calls. But thank you Duke."

"No worries, I do understand that your employers can be quite," he took another drag of his cigar, looking for the right word. "...demanding"

Nicole chuckled. That was one way to put it.

"Well until next time dear. Or if you find yourself in need of something else, I'll be here until six."

---

She was only wearing a long white towel when she heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was another maid, or even Anita inquiring about whether or not she'd be joining the rest of them for dinner, she opened the door just a crack.

It was a surprise to see none other than Cassandra standing there, her elegant frame in odd contrast with the modest corridor. She flung the door open, letting the brunette inside and took a quick glance down the hall, making sure no maid was on the floor after fainting due to fright.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aw, are you not happy to see me?" She was pouting, but her tone was joking.

Nicole rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her lips betrayed that she was indeed happy to see her. Cassandra only laughed instead, a beautiful melodious laugh, so unlike the dark cackles heard by prisoners down in the dungeons.

"Just sit down, I need to get dressed," Nicole pointed to the bed before moving to the small dresser and pulling out a clean uniform.

Cassandra went to sit on the slightly disheveled bed, eyes following the redhead's form as she let the towel drop to her feet and started to put on the various layers of her uniform. Then golden eyes darted to the box sitting on the bed. The tape sealing it had been cut not long after Nicole brought it back to her room to make sure all its contents made it safely. Not that she didn't trust the Duke, but postal service was postal service.

"What's this?" Cassandra inquired, trying to read the label but having no success as it had been scribbled over with a marker.

Nicole stilled for a moment, hands frozen on her white button up. She cleared her throat and shyly admitted:

"Actually that's for you. Do open it if you want."

Cassandra's eyes widened, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. The gesture had really caught her off guard. She gingerly lifted the lid, inspecting it's contents for a moment and then hummed.

"And here I was thinking you like my hair. With how much you love to pull on it and all that."

Nicole, now fully clothed and sporting a deep blush, marched to her and plucked the two boxes of red hair dye from gloved hands. She placed them on her nightstand and, with her voice just slightly more high pitched, she turned to the brunette.

"Those are mine, I meant the rest of it." And, after a chuckle, "I mean have you seen my roots? They're horrible!"

Cassandra only gave her a deadpan look and, after a long moment, said: "I think your hair is beautiful."

She didn't wait for a reply, not that it would be anything more than a stammered mumble of course. Instead she chuckled and returned her attention to the box. She examined the rest of its contents and then gingerly lifted one of the few tomes inside. The cover was glossy and malleable, it's pages shiny and with a distinct typography smell to it. It was so unlike her other books, it's pristine white state making it feel extremely out of place in the castle. She glanced at Nicole inquisitively.

"I do appreciate the gift, don't misunderstand me, but surely you know there's a small bookshop's worth of medical books in this castle."

"With all due respect, from what I've seen most of them are at least somewhat outdated. Interesting, yes, but I thought you'd like to learn something more...modern." Then she pulled out another book. "This is the same one I used while studying forensic pathology. It would make teaching you some things easier. Uh… assuming you want that."

Nicole averted her gaze, suddenly unsure of the usefulness of her gift. Cassandra however grabbed her chin between two fingers and pulled her gaze back on her. She smiled, finding the shy demeanor beyond endearing.

"I'd love that."

A small smile appeared on thin lips and Nicole leaned in to kiss Cassandra. It was soft and short, but no less intimate than the deep kisses they shared so many times in Cassandra's bed.

They had to go anyway.

---

Let's go to the library, Cassandra said. It'll be empty, she said.

When Cassandra swung open the intricate door, only to find the other two sisters lounging on one of the couches, it's not like they could do a one eighty and leave the room. That would've been both impolite and highly suspicious.

Instead, Cassandra grabbed her arm protectively and led them to the reading spot farthest from the other two. They placed one of the textbooks on the small desk and Cassandra took out a notebook. This would've been a lot more fruitful with an actual body on hand, but there were still a couple days until the human flesh supply had to be replenished and Cassandra was beyond eager to start on some things. So, for now, they had to settle for theory alone.

It took all of five minutes for the other two sisters to make their way to their desk. Daniela had a giddy yet curious expression on her face, while Bela seemed as unreadable as ever, if not for a glint in her eyes that betrayed her interest.

"Whatcha dooooing?" Came Daniela's voice, who cocked her head not unlike a curious puppy would while looking at the book's contents.

"Working," Cassandra replied, a slight growl accompanying her words.

"Could've fooled me," Bela spoke from behind the youngest sister, eyeing the hand protectively placed on Nicole's waist.

Cassandra snapped her eyes at the blonde, looking ready to throw her notebook at her head but Bela ignored her sister's ire and addressed Nicole instead.

"What are you studying?"

"I uh- just some basic anatomy concepts. Thought it would be a good idea to start with the things that the older books in the castle don't cover."

Bela only hummed, grabbed an ornate chair nearby, and plopped herself at the desk, opposite from the pair. Daniela mimicked her sister, but instead chose to sit down right by Nicole on the small couch. It took more willpower than she would admit not to glue herself to Cassandra's side when Daniela's face came uncomfortably close so she could look over the book's diagrams. She stood still as a statue though. After a couple seconds of silence and Nicole trying to figure out what she was supposed to do, Daniela drew her head back, looking at her with what was possibly the most serious expression she had seen on the youngest sister.

"You do realize we're not going to hurt you right? How could we lay a finger on our dear sister's lover hmm?"

Nicole's breath caught in her throat. She wasn't sure if it was due to the word used to describe her or how Daniela apparently knew that she was utterly terrified of her. Cassandra sighed beside her and, seeming to at least partially read Nicole's thoughts, clarified:

"Your heartbeat."

Oh. Yeah. Yeah her heart was beating a million miles an hour. And apparently the other three vampiric occupants of the room were able to hear it loud and clear. It did very little to ease her mind.

"Please do calm down, it feels like someone is having drumming lessons. Bad ones," Bela complained, head resting in one of her hands like she was already bored.

"Then shove a sock in your ears," Cassandra snapped.

Bela simply leaned back in her seat and stretched her arms above her head. "And risk not hearing my beloved sisters sing along to some pop song?"

Cassandra shut her mouth, a blush now slowly spreading across her cheeks while Daniela burst out into laughter. Even Nicole couldn't help betraying the brunette and letting out a giggle.

"I didn't know you could sing."

"I can't."

"Au contraire dear Cassie! Should I remind you of the last time Dragostea din tei came on the radio? The pathos!" Daniela reached over Nicole's lap to lightly shake her sister's knee through her giggles.

Cassandra only let out a long groan, face now hidden in her palms. "I hate you both."

"Mhm, we love you too," came Bela's reply, accompanied by a chuckle.

Nicole couldn't keep a small laugh while she snaked her arm behind the brunette to show some form of support against the merciless assailants. Maybe not a complete betrayal.

The scene really had something deep within her heart aching beautifully. It reminded her of the countless times she and Alex would mercilessly tease each other, but still have each other's backs through thick and thin. And for this familiarity to come from people that any sane person would consider bloodthirsty monsters? Hell, maybe they should start considering her a monster too, for the only word she could use to describe them in that moment was endearing.

"So," Bela lightly clapped her gloved hands. "Now that your pulse isn't giving me a headache anymore, what are we doing?"

She had a confident smirk on her face, but her eyes betrayed curiosity. Same for Daniela and, although mixed with a hint of annoyance, Cassandra. She opened the book in front of her, one of general human anatomy, and decided that the digestive system would be a good enough starting point.

---

Their little impromptu lesson didn't last more than two hours. Two hours that proved to Nicole just how oddly human all three sisters can be. Of course she had gotten familiar with Cassandra, intimately so, but the other two still felt like two looming monsters hiding in the shadows. At least up until now.

Bela seemed oddly intrigued by Nicole's explanation, although unlike Cassandra, she seemed to view it more like a story than anything. Daniela seemed slightly more interested, asking questions here and there and even starting to giggle like a middle schooler when they got to the rectum section. That got an eye roll from the other two. Nicole just laughed, finally understanding Mrs Hawkins, her private biology teacher from before she was allowed to step foot in any public school.

After they were done, Bela simply stood up and bid them good night. Danila instead excitedly proposed the skeletal system for next time and picked up the books she abandoned earlier. Then, with a small tower of tomes she went through a door tucked at the very back of the room. Her study, Cassandra had pointed out as they made their way out of the library.

"I didn't know your sisters were interested in medicine too." Nicole kept her voice low, almost as if talking too loudly would disturb the shadowy hallways.

"More or less. Daniela likes it and has a bit of hands-on practice but she has her nose in romance novels more often than not. Bela finds it interesting but botany is what she really loves. That and classic lit." She added the last part with a grimace and Nicole had to wonder which author had offended her personally.

Before she could continue that train of thought though, her gaze moved to the windows, the cloudless sky beyond thick glass panels full of twinkling stars. Her mind kept going back to a few hours earlier and at what Daniela had said. Lover. Did Cassandra truly see her as one or was the youngest sister just being her over the top self. Did she see Cassandra this way? Nicole had not allowed herself to dwell on that up until now, the idea that the brunette saw her as more than an over glorified lab partner with whom she occasionally scratched an itch seemed almost laughable. But the small gestures of affection shown in ways Cassandra seemed to know best were undeniably there. And the familiar flutter in her chest at each of said gestures was also undeniably there.

"What's wrong?"

Cassandra's voice, accompanied by the slight echo through the empty hallway, snapped Nicole out of her thoughts.

"Oh um- nothing." She sounded as convincing as someone trying to sell you a fork while showing you a spoon.

And Cassandra didn't seem to buy it. She moved in front of the redhead, walking backwards with no concern over possible furniture to collide into along the way.

"You always get this… face when something's bothering you."

"I do not-" the indignation in her tone was weak, little more than an attempt to change the subject.

"Mhmm you do. You normally look focused. Kind of like, if someone tried to scare you by throwing an eyeball at you, you'd laugh." She would. "Now? Now you look like a rabbit that has no time to run and is just laying low hoping whatever's hunting it passes by."

Nicole shut up for a moment, only looking at the brunette in front of her incredulously. Maybe she was far more attentive than she gave her credit for.

"Uh. Just thinking." At a raised dark eyebrow, the no shit went unsaid, so Nicole tried to elaborate. "About earlier. When we were with your sisters and Daniela uh- Daniela called me your lover."

Saying that the words felt awkward on her tongue was close to the year's biggest understatement. It felt like pulling out teeth would be an easier task. Nicole had never been good with her words, having learned since childhood to keep her mouth shut. But the fact that Cassandra seemed to share her struggle brought some semblance of comfort.

"And?" As if they were talking about the weather.

"And… was she right in describing me as such?"

She couldn't help a small gulp when the brunette stopped walking, looking at her with a frown. Any sane person would be at the very least somewhat afraid in this situation. Sanity however was scarce these days as Nicole was afraid, though not of the bodily harm that may come from her inquiry, but rather of Cassandra's answer.

"Nicole, your tongue has been in my mouth." Amongst many other places.

The redhead's cheeks turned a slight shade of crimson and she mumbled for an answer. She wasn't sure how to tell her that sleeping together did not automatically make them lovers. But then again, Cassandra's thoughts remained a mystery more than anything.

Thankfully the brunette took the metaphorical reins of the conversation and stepped forward. She wrapped her hands around Nicole's arms, gentler than one would imagine possible from her, and bent down to whisper no more than an inch away from her ear.

"I'll have you know, I'm not particularly fond of letting anyone I don't deem important touch me. Especially not the way you do."

The words made something flutter in Nicole's chest, an unfamiliar and comforting warmth. Said warmth got chipped away at the slightest bit when Cassandra pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"Should I take it that it's not mutual then?" Cassandra's tone was nonchalant, almost as if she didn't truly care about the answer. She could keep doing whatever she wanted either way, afterall who was going to stop her? But to someone who got familiar with all her small quirks and habits, the waver in her voice was more than clear.

"No." The world slipped from her lips with no hesitation.

No hesitation, because the more she thought about it, and she didn't need to think a lot mind you, the more Nicole realized that she couldn't remember a time when she felt the way she did here. Sure the initial threat of death looming over her head was anything but pleasant, but once that melted into affection and nights spent in Cassandra's arms the thought of leaving didn't as much as graze her mind.

"No, no. It is," she repeated, more certainty making its way into her tone.

At that Cassandra smiled. A small, almost shy one would say if they knew her well enough, smile. Her shoulders seemed to lose some of their tension when she leaned down again, her lips stopping not even an inch away. Nicole wasted no time leaning forward, their mouths meeting in a kiss that mixed softness and need beautifully. Their lips slid against each other until, surprisingly, it was Cassandra to pull back and sigh.

"Come sleep, we have some cutting up to do in the morning."

Nicole frowned. "Tomorrow? Wasn't that supposed to be due in a few days?"

A devilish grin appeared on black lips, fangs shimmering ominously in the low light. "Bela caught a foolish man-thing sneaking around the forest on the castle grounds. She's really excited to turn this one into a nice steak."

The redhead only let out an oh in acknowledgement. Foolish indeed. At least they could finally put into practice a few autopsy tricks Nicole had been itching to show her.

She let herself be guided back to Cassandra's chambers and into her bed, that she had grown intimately familiar with. The last thing she felt before falling asleep was the brunette's cool skin, pressed against her own. A welcomed comfort among the myriad of soft pillows that surrounded them. Nicole wondered briefly if being undead meant it was hard to keep yourself warm, but the thought quickly slipped away as she fell into a dreamless sleep.