#what was i saying.... bad idea putting the three beasts there

[hauntingblue]

making a collection

making another collection with a threatening aura

[crheativity]

Hello how have u been I was wondering if I can request a slightly part 2 of the reader making the overblot squad cute little plushies so wha if the reader makes the plushies clothing and accessories like for vil’s plushie little fake makeup and same clothing he has sorry if my English is bad I’m still learning

SUMMARY: You decide to make the Overblot Squad’s plushies clothes! How do they react?

WARNINGS: None that I am aware of!

COMMENTS: Oh my GOSH this is such a cute idea!! And no worries Anon, your English is just fine :D I hope you enjoy it!!

Part one - Prefect making the Overblot Squad plushies of their respective Seven member - can be found here. Part three - their reactions when the plushies are stolen - can be found here.

You made his plushie some… clothes? He didn’t even know you could remove her current ones! He would never think to try something so scandalous on his own! Especially not with a plushy of the Queen of Hearts!! Ah, wait- he meant no disrespect! He just meant that he wouldn’t- uh… He’s just gonna stop talking now.

You have to show him how to change his plushy’s clothes – he refuses to figure it out on his own in case someone walks in – but once you show him it’s not like that, he’s more comfortable with it. He doesn’t change things around a lot – maybe whenever you make him a new one. He keeps them all safely in a box under his bed. Occasionally, he’ll take them out just to look at. Seeing them always makes him smile.

You decided to make the powerful, feared and mighty King of Beasts… a hat? And slippers? Hah, you got guts, Prefect. He’s gotta say, he respects it. Alright, he’ll indulge you. He’s slightly surprised at how small yet detailed the accessories are. There’s something slightly endearing about such small clothes… maybe that’s one of the reasons why people like children? Tch. He can’t relate.

Nonetheless, it’s amusing to him what kind of accessories you think of. He’s also not the type to change up the doll’s outfit a whole lot, but he’ll stash them all around his room. Much like the toy, they all smell of you. It’s starting to annoy the other Beastmen. Ruggie’s strongly considering having an intervention.

Prefect… these are adorable! Are you sure you don’t want to sell these? Ah, r-right. Please forgive him for forgetting they were for-... for his eyes only. Please stop looking at him and let him regain his composure. He absolutely loves them! He hopes you know how much of a friend the doll has become to him. He’s starting to tear up, you’re so kind. Give him a minute.

Azul has designated different clothes for different purposes. Before bed, he puts his doll in her pajamas. When he wakes up, he selects her outfit for the day and changes her into it. He does this almost ritualistically every day. Floyd and Jade have teased him for it, but surprisingly, Azul doesn’t seem to mind.

Oh? You made his Sorcerer of the Sands doll some different outfits? Pft– that’s so cute. He didn’t mean to laugh at you – he’s delighted, really! He just… can’t believe that you’d spend precious free time doing something like that. Hey, come on, he’s not judging you or anything, but free time is precious, right? You should spend it more on doing what you want to do. Still, though, he loves the clothes - and finds your cute little pout adorable. 

He definitely keeps them with the doll. Whenever you make him new ones, he’ll pick up the doll and change the outfit. Otherwise, he’ll only change them a couple times every so often. This has given him an idea though. Maybe you’d like a doll too? Then you could match. Although, Ramshackle dorm doesn’t really have a mascot… maybe he could make you a ghost? Or a plushie of Grim? 

(Didn’t he say that spending ‘precious free time’ doing something like ‘that’ was wasted? Point it out to him and he’ll get flustered and walk off in a huff. He will return with a plush and an apology for you two days later. He enjoyed making it a lot.)

You made his doll clothes?! He’s trying not to squeal like a teenage girl. He didn’t know that his doll could change clothes!! Oh, prefect, he loves you so much. He’s going to ask you to make so many clothes, you better be prepared for what you’re getting into!

He, like Azul, changes the clothes all the time and will often just sit down for like an hour and change the doll into perfect outfits. As you could probably guess, Vil LOVES using the doll to try out new looks. Whenever he’s designing an outfit or a piece of clothing, he always asks you to make a small version for him to try out on the doll. This helps him to be able to practise styling them and getting an idea of how the finished piece would look. 

His favourite kind of outfit to ask for, however, is anything that reminds you of fashion from your homeworld.

You made his marketable plushie some marketable clothes?? Oh my gosh. That’s adorable. It’s so small! Looks like those itty bitty cutey kitty clothes– AH– ahem. you didn’t hear that. He definitely wasn’t just having a total fanboy moment. no siree… do you think you could make him an outfit from his favourite anime? that’d be cool, he guesses.

He’s DEFINITELY gonna make the little guy cosplay his favourite characters. Maybe that’d improve his gacha roles even more? Oh he is 100% down to help too. Any clothes that require metallic details he is WELDING that stuff together. It’s so cute how invested he gets in this. Ortho loves seeing his brother get so passionate about this too!

Malleus is DELIGHTED. He was not aware that his little friend could change outfits! How adorable! He loves you so much! He is this close to buying an actual, fully sized wardrobe just for them! …But Lilia talks him out of it. Actual, fully sized wardrobes take up a surprising amount of room. So, he ends up getting two, miniature wardrobes. Which fills about the same space. Lilia’s not sure his advice really worked.

Malleus will now dress up his dolls for tea parties, picnics, or whatever outings they decide to go on. He is constantly surprised and delighted by whatever you make him, although he’s not very good at suggesting ideas. One of the few ideas he came up with was fashionable about a hundred years ago and was a very complicated piece of clothing. However, when he received the outfit, he took great measure to ensure that no harm would ever come to it. 

♥Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed it!!♥

[raysrays]

Fatal Attraction Chapter Three (NSFW)

18+ MDNI‼️

CW for the entire story: Breeding, Size Difference,Size Kink, Jealousy, Scent Marking, Age Difference, Vaginal Sex, Possessive Behavior, Angst, Twisted, Creampie, Angry Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Hair-pulling, Biting, Master/Pet, Light Dom/sub, Violence, Knotting.

Chapter One, Chapter Two,

Content disclaimer: This story is inspired by the amazing artist @PammyJammy117 on Twitter/X. I in absolutely no way own or claim the idea of the “Cryptid Rengoku” character. Please give credit to the original artist who inspired the story.

(If you want to be on a tag list for up coming chapters just let me know <3)

Sneaking out of a monster's den wasn't how I planned to spend my morning. My body was so sore that walking was nearly unbearable. The only reason I managed to escape was because I noticed Rengoku had a slight hearing problem.

Despite his large, pointed ears, he often asked me to speak up or claimed he couldn't hear what I was saying.

He must have been exhausted from last night too, because he didn't react to my footsteps. This "escape," if you could call it that, was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I tried to recall everything that had happened, but my mind remained hazy. I remembered the pleasure, the pain, and I remembered him saying something to me, but I was too wrapped up in the moment to grasp his words.

But none of that mattered now. The only thing that did was getting back to Tamayo to explain why I never returned with the firewood.

As I neared the edge of the woods, I could see the camp in the distance. My head started to spin again, and my vision became foggy.

I squinted and saw someone running towards me.

"Y/N, Y/N!" a voice called out.

Is that Yushiro?

That was my last thought before everything went black and my head hit the ground.

I was out.

—————————

When I woke up, the warm light was practically burning into my eyes. I knew exactly where I was.

As I slowly sat up from the bed, I saw Tamayo sitting at a desk in the corner of the room, appearing to take notes.

"You should lie back down. Whatever got you, got you pretty good," she said calmly.

She put down her pen and walked over to me, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling? What hurts?" She gently placed a hand on my forehead.

This was unusual. Tamayo typically gave me the "tough love" treatment, even when I was sick. So why was she being so compassionate now?

“I feel... surprisingly okay.” I moved my body slightly, not feeling nearly as bad as I had when I first made it out of the woods.

She smiled and nodded, pulling out another pen and a pad of paper. “That’s because of the medicine I gave you. You should be back to normal very soon.” Her smile was warm and reassuring.

“Are you feeling well enough to answer some questions? I need you to tell me everything you can remember about what attacked you.” She looked at me with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

I couldn't tell her about Rengoku. By the time he wakes up, I'm probably already in enough trouble with him as it is. I definitely don’t need to add to that.

I bit my bottom lip slightly as I scanned my body. Bruises and cuts covered my arms and legs, and even more were on my chest, according to Tamayo.

I looked up at her apologetically. “I’m so sorry, Tamayo, but I really can’t remember much. Everything happened so fast.”

She sighed, then her gaze stopped at my neck. “What about that?” She gestured to her own neck. “What happened there?”

I reached up and touched my neck, feeling the outline of teeth marks.

Thinking quickly, I decided to go along with what Tamayo believed. “I remember a little bit. It was large with sharp teeth, and it moved quickly. While I was collecting firewood, it ambushed me. It must have thought it had killed me and ran off.” The lie flowed out smoother than I had expected.

I watched as she scribbled my words on her notepad, making note of the beast’s appearance.

I fed her small snippets of false information about the supposed monster that attacked me. It hurt to lie, especially to someone who had always been so kind and patient with me, but what other choice did I have?

She tucked her pen behind her ear and set down her pad of paper, her gaze now fixed on me.

"Y/N."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I owe you an apology," she began.

“An apology? For what?”

"Last night, when you didn’t return with the firewood, I grew frustrated. Remembering your reluctance to travel up north with us, I thought you had grown tired of monster hunting and just ran off."

She sighed and shook her head.

"So when Yushiro recommended sending a search party to check on you, I told him to forget about it."

My eyes widened at the implication.

"I’m so sorry, Y/N. If I hadn’t been so dismissive, you probably wouldn’t have had to suffer through the night alone in the woods."

She took my hand, squeezing it gently.

"I’m so sorry. Please forgive my negligence," she said, looking at me with genuine sorrow.

My heart ached seeing her blame herself for my "attack." I wanted to tell her it wasn’t her fault and that her life's work on monsters wasn't a waste.

But I couldn’t, because I’m selfish. Despite how much Rengoku scares me, I have strange feelings for him. I don’t want to see him captured and tested on.

“It’s fine, Tamayo, really. You don’t need to feel sorry,” I said with a gentle smile. “Besides, the medicine you gave me has almost completely taken away the pain. I feel fine now!”

She smiled and pulled her hand back. “Well then, if you’re feeling so much better, you can accompany Yushiro to the next village to gather more supplies.” She stood up and walked back to the desk to gather her paperwork.

And I’m back to work…

“There are some clothes for you over there,” she pointed to a small wardrobe in the corner of the room.

“Okay, thank you.” I cleared my throat slightly.

She nodded and exited the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

As I stood up to get the clothes, a sudden ache started in my stomach, the same nausea I felt when we went up north. The side effects of disobeying a cryptid, disobeying a mate.

He must be awake now.

Maybe running into town wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. It would keep Rengoku from looking for me. He wouldn’t show his face in town.

I dressed quickly and left the small infirmary room. As I walked by, a few fellow monster hunters gave me only a cursory glance.

Stepping outside, I saw Yushiro standing near the door, absorbed in a list. When I approached, he looked up, his usual scowl replaced by an expression of concern and relief.

As I reached him, he diverted his gaze back to the list, avoiding eye contact.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, is there a lot we need to get?” I replied.

He started walking, and I fell in step beside him. He handed me the list of supplies Tamayo had given him. I scanned it briefly—mostly food and medicinal herbs.

I handed the list back, and he slipped it into the pocket of his vest. We walked in awkward silence for a moment.

“How are you feeling?” he finally asked.

I glanced at him, but he kept his eyes forward.

“Oh, I’m fine. Thanks for getting me inside and taking care of me,” I said, offering a faint smile.

He didn’t respond.

“That bite looked pretty nasty when I found you,” he said finally, glancing at the bandage on my neck.

“It wasn’t that bad,” I said, trying to downplay it. Reflecting on it, the pain hadn’t been intense—perhaps my body was still in shock, and the adrenaline had dulled the sensation.

We walked in silence until we reached the village. Once there, Yushiro pulled out the list, and we divided the tasks between us to save time.

I was responsible for gathering herbs and bandages, while Yushiro took on the rest. We parted ways, and I headed towards the market.

The market was bustling today, crowded with vendors and shoppers. After being shoved around more than I’d have liked, I finally reached a stall selling medical herbs. I quickly gathered what I needed and paid the elderly woman at the booth, then tucked the small pouch of herbs into my pocket and moved on.

Suddenly, a sharp pain flared in my chest and stomach. It felt like I might collapse. Rengoku’s influence seemed to be intensifying.

He must be really upset that I left. It wasn’t as if I planned on disappearing forever. I intended to return and visit him tonight, to show I could manage both him and my team without issues.

I gasped, clutching my chest as the pain grew more intense. It had never hurt this badly before.

I stumbled into a secluded part of the market, struggling to catch my breath and regain my composure. As I focused on the ground, a shadow fell over me, prompting me to look up.

A tall man stood before me, his muscular build evident through his clothes. When my gaze reached his face, my heart skipped a beat. His yellow and red hair, falling to his shoulders, forked eyebrows, and amber eyes were strikingly familiar. But something about his eyes was different—more intense.

“What are you doing all the way out here, little human?” he asked, smiling down at me.

My breath caught as the realization dawned.

“Rengoku?” I whispered.

He smiled wider, revealing his sharp teeth, and his eyes briefly flashed red despite his now human-like appearance.

My heart raced furiously. Even as a monster, he was alluring, but as a human, he was just as captivating.

He grasped my face, his smile fading into a look of displeasure.

“Why was it, when I woke up, that my human, my mate was gone? Especially after she pledged her loyalty and life to me?” His voice dropped dangerously low.

I was disoriented by how strange this all felt. His voice no longer had the echo I was accustomed to, and the clicking sound I had grown used to had vanished.

Am I hallucinating? Is this some side effect of Tamayo’s medicine?

His grip on my face tightened, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I struggled to find the words under the intensity of his angry gaze.

"I-I'm sorry, Rengoku. I didn't mean to make you come looking for me. Really, I intended to come back as soon as it got dark," I said, smiling nervously.

He tilted my head to the side, examining the bandage on my neck. His eyes turned back to their usual red.

"So, not only does my mate try to escape, but she also hides my mark, my claim," he growled.

He was furious, but I didn’t have time for this. If I didn’t leave now, Yushiro wouldn’t know what happened to me.

I gently lifted my trembling hand to cover his, still holding my face firmly. I needed to calm him down.

"Rengoku, please don't be upset. I had to leave, or no one would have known where I’d gone. They would have searched for me."

Oh, the irony...

He scoffed, releasing my face only to grab my wrist instead.

"They never would have found us. I would never let anyone take you away from me." He pulled me close against his chest, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"I told you, no matter where you ran, I would always come find you," he murmured, his voice echoing briefly.

I shrank back slightly.

"You're coming back home. There's no point in staying around these humans when your mate has a perfectly fine nest for you," he said, his eyes narrowing.

Before I could respond, I heard someone calling my name.

I turned to see Yushiro approaching with a basket of supplies, his face back to its usual annoyed expression.

Instinctively, I tried to pull my wrist away, but Rengoku's grip tightened painfully. I glanced up at him, his eyes filled with a deadly intensity.

As Yushiro drew nearer, Rengoku pulled me closer. I could see the confusion on Yushiro's face.

"Y/N, who’s this?" Yushiro asked, looking Rengoku up and down.

"Oh... this is just a friend of mine. We were just catching up," I said with an awkward laugh and forced smile.

Rengoku's body tensed beside me. I knew I was in trouble once this was over.

Rengoku's gaze shifted from me to Yushiro, and he practically towered over both of us. I could see Yushiro looking a bit intimidated by his size and presence.

Then, to my surprise, Rengoku's murderous look softened into a kind and friendly smile as he faced Yushiro.

I held my breath as Rengoku extended his hand to Yushiro in a seemingly friendly gesture.

"I'm Kyojuro, Kyojuro Rengoku," he said, his closed-mouth smile almost charming despite the anger radiating from him.

"Yushiro," Yushiro replied reluctantly, shaking Rengoku's hand. He was clearly uncomfortable.

Rengoku smiled as he stepped back, wrapping his arm around my waist, his hand digging into my hip.

"So, Yushiro, how do you know Y/N?" Rengoku asked, his voice calm but his grip on my hip bruising.

Yushiro looked confused but didn’t comment on the physical contact.

"Y/N and I work together. We're here on a supply run," he answered plainly, then furrowed his brows in confusion. "I'm sorry, did you say your name was Kyojuro Rengoku?"

Damn. Of course Yushiro would recognize a cryptid's name.

I quickly jumped in before things could escalate. "As nice as it is to catch up, we should probably get going, right, Yushiro?" I said, pulling the small bag of herbs from my pocket.

"Yeah, we should go," he agreed.

As I started to walk toward Yushiro, Rengoku grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"Y/N, we rarely get time to talk like this. I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind returning without you so we can catch up a bit more," he said sweetly, with a hint of warning in his voice. I had no choice but to comply.

He took the small bag from my hands and tossed it to Yushiro, who quickly caught it.

"You don't mind, right?" Rengoku smiled at Yushiro.

Yushiro looked from me to Rengoku before finally agreeing. "Yeah, it's fine. I'll let Tamayo know you ran into someone you know. She’ll be happy to hear you're not completely isolated," he said, then turned and walked away.

I silently pleaded for him to stay, to not leave me with Rengoku like this. But he vanished into the crowd, leaving me alone with him.

————————

Rengoku remained silent as he dragged me out of the village and into the woods. His anger was palpable, and I was too scared to try and fix what I'd done.

Once we reached a small clearing, he let go of my arm and turned to face me, still in his human form. I should have been terrified, but he looked undeniably good.

"So, we're just two friends catching up, are we?" The usual echo in his voice suddenly returned, and his eyes changed from amber back to their glowing red.

"I didn't mean it like that. What did you want me to say? I wasn't going to expose you right then and there," I defended myself.

He stepped closer, his face angrier now.

"You shouldn't have run off in the first place if you were worried about something like that," he growled.

I bit inside of my lip slightly. I guess he was right in a way, but that wasn't the point.

He suddenly grabbed my jaw, forcing my head to tilt to the side. He ripped the bandage off my neck, revealing his mark on my skin.

Pulling me close, his face inches from mine, he said, "My mate will never cover my mark again. Is that clear?" His echoing voice had a threatening undertone.

I nodded profusely, hoping he'd let go. But he didn't. His red eyes locked onto mine, filled with desire and something else...

"Did I not please you enough, human? Was our binding session not sufficient for you?" he asked, puzzled.

"I suppose not if you were able to get up and walk away without my notice," he growled lowly.

“I’m sorry, Rengoku. I swear, everything that happened today was just a misunderstanding. I was never going to leave for good,” I tried to make it not sound as bad, but it really wasn’t working.

“A misunderstanding, I see,” he said, his tone dark.

“Well then, my sweet little mate, let’s ensure there are no more misunderstandings…” he purred in my ear.

“Wait, what are you—?”

His hand tangled in my hair, pulling my head back to expose my neck.

“This time, I’ll make sure you don’t have enough strength to get up and walk away from me,” he purred, licking up my neck.

I blushed intensely, embarrassed by my position.

“R-Rengoku…” I breathed out shakily.

His hand moved to my throat, squeezing lightly.

“Kyojuro,” he corrected firmly. “Address your mate accordingly. I won’t tell you again.”

I gasped for air.

He didn't squeeze hard enough to restrict my air flow, but it was still painful.

He squeezed harder, his other hand moving between my legs. He began to rub me through my clothes, his movements slow and teasing.

I struggled to breathe, but my body was already reacting to his touch. My hips instinctively bucked towards him, desperate for more friction.

He chuckled at my desperation. "So needy for someone who ran away from me, aren't you?"

My body was trembling with need. My breathing grew labored, and I was finding it harder to hold back.

I needed him, and I needed him now.

He removed his hand from between my legs and released his grip on my throat, allowing me to gasp for air.

Grabbing me by the collar of my shirt, he led me to a nearby tree, shoving me against it roughly.

He quickly tore up my clothes again, leaving me exposed. He then tore off his own clothes, discarding them on the ground.

I stood frozen, taking in the sight before me. I knew he was strong, but this was beyond what I had imagined. He was attractive as a monster, but his physique as a human was just as perfect.

His body was muscular and defined. I felt my core grow wet, and my clit throbbed as I gazed at his naked body.

"Are you ready, mate?" he asked, his eyes glowing bright red.

"Y-yes," I stammered, nervous and excited.

He stepped forward, his lips colliding with mine. I melted into his kiss, his tongue invading my mouth, tasting every inch.

His hands explored my body, groping my breasts, pinching and twisting my nipples.

He broke the kiss, his mouth moving to my neck, biting and sucking on the sensitive skin.

I moaned, enjoying the sensations. His cock, still just as big and thick as I remember twitched, the precum dripping onto the ground.

"You're mine," he growled against my skin.

His hands gripped my thighs, lifting me off the ground. My legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer.

He pressed his cock against my slit, rubbing the tip up and down.

"Do you want me, mate? Tell me how much you want my cock inside you," he purred, his eyes blazing red.

"Please, Kyojuro," I moaned.

"Say it. Say that you belong to me, and only me," he demanded, his voice echoing.

I'm yours, Kyojuro. Only yours," I whimpered.

With a growl, he slammed his cock inside me, his claws digging into my thighs.

I cried out as the pleasure consumed me. His cock was huge, filling me to the brim.

"You feel amazing," he groaned, starting to thrust.

My back arched as he pounded into me, his cock stretching my pussy.

He fucked me hard and fast, his pace brutal and relentless.

I could tell he was taking his anger out on me, the rage he felt when he realized I had escaped. But I didn't care. I needed him just as much as he needed me.

He panted and groaned, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. He was fucking me so hard and fast, I thought I might break.

I screamed out in pleasure, my orgasm approaching.

"Cum for me, mate," he purred.

His cock throbbed inside me, his seed spilling deep inside. The sensation pushed me over the edge, and I came, crying out his name.

He groaned as he continued to thrust, prolonging my pleasure.

“Y/N,” he growled my name into my ear.

“Yes?” I panted softly, still trying to catch my breath as I came down from my high.

He grabbed my chin, pressing his forehead to mine.

“If you ever leave our nest to go off with some other man again, I’ll kill him where he stands.”

His threat made my blood run cold, but I was so lost in the moment, consumed by pleasure, that I didn’t register how sincere he was being.

He finally pulled out, setting me back on the ground. Exhausted and sore, I could barely stand.

He looked down at me, his eyes primal with need. His anger was slowly dissipating, but I knew this wasn’t enough for him. After all the trouble I’d caused, I could tell this was only the beginning.

“We will return to our den now, and we will continue this… bonding.”

I watched as his body shifted back into its usual form. The monster I was used to. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this a little. He bent down and picked me up as if I weighed nothing.

His smile returned, and his ears perked up, but I could tell I wasn’t forgiven. So, I decided to silently agree and hang on to him while he carried me to this “new home” of ours.

Next>>

[cookiealchemieart]

Voices and the Hero I DID IT I FUCKING FINISHED THIS PIECE YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I have Thoughts about my designs for these guys so uh Design Notes under the cut!

I'm bad at drawing actual birds (if the narrator on the hero's shoulder is any indication) so I went with the next best thing that I'm better at: plague doctors! Plus plague masks are just fun to draw. I tried making each of the voices match the princess they correspond to, but it got tricky with a couple of them. In no particular order, here we go! The Hero is a bird guy with a bird mask. Perhaps the mask is meant to keep his identity locked away? Either way, the outfit is more shapes than actual fabric, similar to the Princess' gown. Simple enough to register as clothes, but vague enough to change and be recognizable as the loops splinter. Also the cape is hims wings! The Broken is made to be the wettest, most pathetic little guy, but also ever so slightly like a priest. This is to reference the Tower (mommy- I mean mommy- I mean-) saying that the hero's place by her side is "that of a priest, or a pet". So I made him look like a depressed little priest. The Skeptic is the voice that joins you on the route of the Prisoner, so what would be more fitting than a warden? Or maybe an escaped convict? Either way I love his little ponytail poking out of his hood. The Hunted looks like a feral wild child. Feather-hair out and messy, cloak made of scraps of fabric. I figured the most wild looking of the voices would be the one that corresponds to the Beast. The Smitten is all puffy and soft shapes to match the Damsel's rufflier dress and softer appearance. Also my friends recommended the hat and I agree 11/10 would hat again. Gave him a bowtie AND a cravat because the Smitten strikes me as just that extra! The Opportunist's beak is meant to resemble a parrot's, as he just parrots the ideas of whomever he considers to be "winning". This is also why he's dressed like a businessman. He kinda looks like a villain version of the Smitten, but I haven't played the Thorn's route yet, so idk if that's relevant. Also isn't this guy the only voice that doesn't show up in the Chapter 2 routes or am I forgetting one? The Stubborn has demon horns to match the Adversary (and the Eye of the Needle HOOGH MAMA). He's also got battle damage, and his mask is fashioned to look like he has a wounded and scarred eye. Fun fact! Stubborn was supposed to get the ponytail, but I decided while lining that a half cut looked better. The Cold looks the most similar to the Hero, but he's just a bit less put together. While I was drawing his hair I was thinking of L from Deathnote for some reason? Probably the cadence the Cold has. The Cheated is supposed to look like a gambler, given his title and speaking patterns. There...wasn't a good way to pair him with the Razor, but I suppose the spade on his cheek could be seen as a nod to the razor's blades? I dunno, I'm reaching here. The Paranoid suffers from my lack of impulse control when it comes to giving characters goggles. I fucking love steampunk goggles. Much like the Cold, he looks like a less-put-together Hero, but this one is a mess, actively having a panic attack, but is pushing through it because NEITHER THE HERO OR THE NARRATOR IS FUCKING HELPING. Also the stitches on his mask are meant to mirror the cracks on the Nightmare's mask. The Contrarian has a mask with three beaks as a mirror to the Stranger's three heads, but also because the two on his head make him look like a little jester and I felt that was fitting for this smartass. His cape is asymmetrical to spite the status quo.

I hope you enjoyed my art + rambles about these designs. I love doing this!

[yaut-jaknowit]

How about high tension between a male yautja and human. Where one gets drunk and finally yells that they want to fuck them already.

Tensions Run High

Pairing: Icheall-Dua (male Yautja) x GN!Reader

Word Count: 2555

Summary: It was at a gathering for Yautjas and humans alike on a different planet than Yautja Prime. You had been constantly trying to hit up Icheall-Dua and he couldn’t get the idea! So, one night, during a feast of celebration that Icheall-Dua was going to become leader of the clan, you get drunk. A very bad thing. You have loose lips. When you tried again with Icheall-Dua and he doesn’t get it again, you straight up yell it in front of the clan.  

Author Note: I realized this has taken me two months to get to. Sorry that production has slowed down. I've been grinding away at my game. Also, I didn't know if you wanted spicy or not, so I decided to leave it out just encase. Enjoy!

Masterlist

Ao3

Sonorous voices that boomed across the clearing filled the air. Joyous in nature. Prideful for the years to come. Every rise and fall of the suns to bring a life and challenges to the clan. You held up a cup of a drink that was considered alcohol. Between a Yautja and human mixture of potent alcohol, deluded for yourself.

It reminded you of whiskey with the slight burn with each sip you took. A drink not meant for shots. Rather just to take sips here and there. It’ll still knock you on your ass three drinks later. So, you took your time to consume the interesting taste of the smokey concoction.

Despite living among the predators of the universe and showing we are equals rather than enemies, the two species have come together. Some clans as you’ve heard are more reluctant, or rather downright say no, to allowing humans into their ranks.

Others, like the one you live in, are more accepting if you pull your own. You will not be babied. If you die, you die. A kill or be killed world on this planet. This isn’t even Yautja Prime. Yet, its dangers rival Yautja Prime.

You breathed in the marshes stagnant air. Though the division is still evident; Yautjas with Yautjas and humans with humans, you couldn’t help but find yourself drawn to Icheall-Dua. Marsh green and cream bellied. His scales are basic compared to those you’ve seen throughout your time through a few clans.

What Icheall-Dua lacks in different physical aspects, he makes up in his skills. From the words whispered amongst the clan, he’s a prodigy. He’s the next best thing. A male anyone would kill to be but could never get to his level. Yet, no matter how many times you try to send the right signals in Icheall-Dua’s direction, he doesn’t see it! The skulls, the meat, the Yautja way of courting!

Weeks of research were put into this before you attempted the first time. It should’ve been clear as a peacock spreading its tail feathers. No though. He accepted the gifts but never said anything after that.

At first, you drew back to ensure what you read was correct. Skulls of creatures are the first step. You did just that. Yeah, it wasn’t the dangerous creature on this planet but it nearly killed you! His obliviousness didn’t deter you though. You took a slow sip of your drink again, eyes sliding over to the beast that filled your thoughts.

A large cup filled with a similar concoction to your own was cupped in one of his large hands. Two of three fingers missing on that hand. You knew there was harrowing story to explain what happened. A story you would love to listen to with his deep, grating voice. The sound crunchy like stepping on a gravel road. Another sip downed the rest of the liquid.

With a sigh, you stepped around the larger species that filled the space to the bar tender. A night like this was to be celebrated with alcohol always being included.

After living around these guys for a quarter of your life time, you have learned it’s best to slip between them. Some will shift their weight allow you easier access around them. Yet, many have the mindset not to move for anything. You’ve learned to be slippery rather than it becoming a dick measuring contest. Not submission but avoiding unnecessary fighting. Why get wounded if it all could be avoided? Somethings in this culture you’ll never come to understand.

Once you reached the bar tender again, you set your empty glass on the counter and tapped twice. Ci’tha grunted and immediately got to work. Your drink was set in front of you with a tangy tasting fruit on the rim. You thanked the yellow based Yautja with a dip of your head then leaned against the count with your back to it. People watching.

Other humans were amongst the crowd, mingling with mainly other humans. Only a select few were chatting away with the friendlier Yautjas in the clan. None of them dared to go close to Icheall-Dua nor his father who had a permanent scowl etched into his worn features. A life lived through the ways of a Yautja of hunting and gaining scars along the way.

Icheall-Dua went to sip at his cup only to find it empty and shook his cup. You instantly noticed and spun around to face Ci’tha. “Do you remember what Icheall-Dua is having?” you rushed out and jerked your head over towards Icheall-Dua direction. The poor yellow Yautja jolted at the sudden move then glared at you. You sheepishly smiled an apology at him.

Ci’tha rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, I do. Why?” he grunted and raised a brow at you.

“Can you make it? Yautja sized?” you sweetly asked the lanky Yautja who stood in your way of impressing Icheall-Dua some more. Though, the two of you didn’t talk on the regular, he could see what was happening. He rolled his blue eyes again before got to work.

The large mug was set before you. You threw a thanks towards Ci’tha before snatching it racing through the sea of bodies. At points, you nearly shoved your way through but reframed from starting a fight. All you had was a mug and a small knife not long enough to hit anything important on a Yautja.

After breeching the main crowd of people, you were able to make your way up to Icheall-Dua standing in all of his glory. His father only a couple of steps away from him, speaking to another Yautja. Icheall-Dua, himself, was crowd watching until you stopped before him.

“Hello… I saw your cup was empty and retrieved one for you,” you spoke up and presented the cup to him. His sky blue eyes looked down upon over the jut of his small snout. Icheall-Dua blinked slowly in boredom, gaze glancing to the cup in your hand.

He reached out and took it. A critical eye peered and inspected the contents. You gnawed on your bottom lip, in hopes he would accept the drink but nothing else was working. Maybe a drink would win him over.

The Yautja raised his shoulders in a shrug and gulped from the cup. You silently cheered to yourself, praying this was him finally noticing your advances towards him.

Next to him, Zutouh, his father, leaned over and scoffed at you. It didn’t deter you though. Through his one good eye, he analyzed you. Not all Yautjas still accept humans into their ranks. The older generations such as Zutouh are part of that. You’re used to it at this point, even dealing with clans who would kill you on sight.

“Great party,” you tried to start small talk in hopes to get Icheall-Dua to open up a little more. “What’s it for?” A closed mouth smile was directed towards Icheall-Dua.

Icheall-Dua kept his nonchalant expression plastered to his face. “I’m becoming the clan leader,” he stated as if it was an everyday thing. You tensed up mid sip of your drink, eyes darting over to his marsh green hide.

Well yeah. Zutouh is his father and the clan leader. Yet, each Yautja usually has a bunch of children. You didn’t know Icheall-Dua was next in line to ascend the throne. By Paya’s grace, you truly didn’t stand a chance against any of the females who would flock to him. Clan leader got you lots of perks. A title Icheall-Dua had to have earned out of all of his siblings.

“That’s amazing! Are you excited?” you kept up with the small talk, using questions to get answers from him. You gulped down a mouthful of your drink again as it started to affect your mind and rational thinking. “Of course, a male such as yourself with that physique definitely deserves that position.”

Drunk words were sober thoughts.

Alcohol gave you loose lips.

Zutouh snorted and shook his massive head in disbelief. You didn’t care though. What you said was true. Icheall-Dua was built well, the prodigy everyone saw him as.

One of his upper manibles quirked up for less than a second yet you caught it. “This is my destiny.” His answer short, barely even sweet. You nearly deflated at that but an idea came to him.

“Well, does your destiny have me included in it?” you flirted with him again like all the times before. You hoped he would finally get the big picture you were waving in front of him.

This caught Icheall-Dua off guard. The Yautja nearly choked on his drink you graciously provided for him and snapped his gaze to you. Hope flickered in your eyes as you noticed you had more of his attention on you. His hand tightened on his cup, claws slightly scraping across the glass wear.

Except, it all faded away when he pulled back that nonchalant expression and shrugged again. You could almost scream at him for that. Your nose flared with a snort, lips pressed tightly into a line. The alcohol in your system not helping one bit. A near glare was settled on the stupid marsh colored Yautja who you’ve pinned for the last few months.

Like a volcano, there’s only so much you could hold in.

“For the love of everything unholy, I want to fuck you!” you shouted at the top of your lungs, fire blazing in your veins while you stared this male down. “I’ve been trying for months the Yautja way to get your attention. And-and nothing! You hadn’t acknowledge my attempts or even told me to stop! I don’t know what I can do anymore.”

It all came out. Ranitng out your horrible experience trying to court a Yautja their way. All this research was false, wrong. It led you on for months and left you to feel this angry… in front of a crowd.

Your shoulders heaved with each lungful breath. The crowd around you had gone silence due to your shouting. The realization struck you, dosing you in freezing cold water. Your shoulders tensed up, eyes wide, glued to the spot. Nothing could make you move until Icheall-Dua took a step towards you.

Then, you spun on your tail and darted between humans and Yautja alike, a stumbling, drunk mess. They didn’t part for you, even when you ran into them but when a shadow gave chase, they instantly let him through. Your arm was snatched in a vice grip that would bruise tomorrow. Heat slammed into your chest, forcing you to pressed to his torso. Tears pooled the lips of your eyes as you looked everywhere but him. You couldn’t see the rage of you interrupting his celebration, of you ruining the night with this silly crush.

Your entire jaw was swallowed up by a hand and forcefully tilted your head back. Through blurry tears, you find his blue eyes on you.

“Say that again,” he demanded with a voice he used to lead. You tried to struggle against him, nearly turning your head enough to bite his fingers. Nothing worked to get him off of you. Icheall-Dua easily far stronger in close quarters… yet, you didn’t want to hurt him anyhow.

“Why? So you can embarrass me in front of everyone. Show everyone how much of a fool I was? To think I had a chance with you?” you snarled then paused for a pregnant moment. He squeezed his hand tighter on your jaw in a short warning. Icheall-Dua wasn’t one to be around humans often, he didn’t understand their fragileness. “Should’ve brushed me off the first time I gifted you a skull.”

None of this would be happening if he had.

“And why would I do that? I was following the advice given to me by your fellow humans for your courting rituals.” If he didn’t have such a tight grip, you would’ve jerked your head back. Instead, you raised your brows instead.

He was following dating advice… What had they told him? Also, dating?! Your heart started to thump loudly in your ears, like war drums. He had gone out of his way to ask for advice.

A lump in your throat made it hard to speak. “What, what was the advice?” you questioned and untensed your muscles. The Yautja responded by easing up his grasp on your jaw and wrist. Icheall-Dua didn’t let you go fully though. Not that you could outrun a Yautja in the first place.

His gaze deviated over to a group of humans who were staring the two of you down. Everyone part of the party was. “Samual said to ‘play hard to get’. It get’s people needy.” Oh, you were going to kill Samual when you had the chance. All these months of torture because that dumbass told him horrible advice.

You couldn’t help the breath of relief that escaped your lungs. Then, you began to laugh and shook in his hold. “That’s the worst advice anyone could give you. No, ‘playing hard to get’ is the worst way to show someone you’re into them.” Your laughter died down. “And I thought my research was a fraud when you didn’t react to any of the gifts I gave you.”

Icheall-Dua growled lowly in his chest and spread his mandibles in a display towards the humans. The group jolted and instantly scrambled away to be hidden away in the crowd. With them gone, he returned his attention back on you. “You did well and everything right. I apologize I wasn’t properly conveying my feelings towards you. Will you forgive me?”

All that tension in your shoulders you’ve been holding for months finally fell off. “Yes, yes. I forgive you and whatever stupid advice Samual gave you. I would say to do research but… that has also bad information as well.” His hand on your wrist released you to cup your waist. Goosebumps immediately rose on your arms. A tingle running down your spine.

“And what were you saying early? If my memory serves correct: you want to fuck me?” Oh god, he just had to bring that up! Heat instantly rushed your cheeks.

“That’s-that’s just the alcohol talking. I’m drunk. Had some drinks… I don’t know what you mean,” you did everything in your power to get him off of that.

“Daring little thing,” he mused and ran his thumb claw across your lips. Just a little more pressure and he could slice the feeble skin apart. “Taking more than they can chew.” You knew you had chosen right. He was still going to fuck with you though.

He leaned down so only the next words were spoken directly at you. “Once this party ends, would you like to start the night back in my tent?” he whispered. Your brain blanked. Not a single thought entered your mind for a long, unknown amount of time.

When some of the fog cleared, you rapidly nodded your head, eager. “My naughty little ooman.” He returned to his full towering height and offered his hand to you. “Come along, I know of seat you wouldn’t want to leave.”

Curses filled your head, the only thing to make sense in your fray of mental words to yourself. The things you could do to him.

[propertyofkylar]

kinktober day three: hatefucking (m!whitney x m!kylar)

word count: 953

warnings/tags: hatefucking, anal sex, bullying, name-calling, dubcon, pc mentioned a few times but gender neutral, this is just pure toxicity

Whitney’s bullying was always egregious, but this time it felt like it was going too far. It was bad enough that he spent days humiliating Kylar publically, even fighting him in front of everyone at lunch. But how did they get into this situation?

The two boys were alone in a classroom after school, where Whitney had dragged Kylar for what he anticipated to be more torture. And Whitney was alone without his posse for once, and you were nowhere to be seen. So that left just the two of them.

Kylar was cornered - he had no way of escaping. So he just swallowed, hard, and hoped it would be over soon.

“Such a fucking freak,” Whitney spat, rage burning in his eyes. “There really is something wrong with you. You’re so pathetic. What do they even see in you…”

The mention of you made Kylar freeze. His hand darted into his pocket, feeling the handle of his knife. But Whitney’s eyes caught the movement and a wicked smile spread across his face. He took a step forward.

Kylar tried to back up, but caught his foot on a chair and stumbled, falling hard on his ass. “Got you now,” Whitney smirked. 

“I bet this is what you fantasize about doing with them, huh? The two of you alone, with no one else to see…” Whitney trailed off, hovering over the smaller boy.

“S-stop,” Kylar said. But Whitney only laughed. 

He crouched down next to him and touched Kylar’s jaw in a menacing way, making the other boy shudder. “Well, let’s see it, then,” Whitney said. And then, in one fluid motion, he tugged down Kylar’s pants and underwear.

Kylar tried to cover himself up, but Whitney pinned his wrists to the floor. Now Kylar was entirely on his back, with Whitney above him. “Damn,” Whitney let out a low whistle. “Not gonna lie. Wasn’t expecting that.

Whitney flashed another wicked grin, before he took off his own pants. “Mine’s bigger, though.”

Kylar couldn’t help but stare at the massive cock in front of him. It was hard and red, and surely an inch or two larger than his own. He gulped subconsciously.

“This must disgust you,” Whitney mocked, grinding his cock against Kylar’s. “You wish this was them, don’t you? Too fucking bad.”

He had no idea what Whitney was so angry about. But he was right - Kylar felt reviled by his touch. 

“Please,” Kylar whispered. “I don’t want to…”

Whitney burst out laughing. “Wait, really? Oh, I fucking knew it! Of course they wouldn’t have touched you like this,” he punctuated his sentence by grinding again. Kylar whimpered. “You’re a fucking virgin!”

Kylar felt his face go bright red. He had been found out, and so easily, too. “No…” he mumbled. It was too late. 

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” Whitney sneered, spitting into his hand and rubbing his own cock. “No worries. I can teach you everything you need to know. That way, you might actually be able to please someone before you die.”

Kylar’s heart was racing as Whitney poked his wet cockhead at his asshole. Through his own masturbatory habits, Kylar was no stranger to putting things in his ass, moaning and whining in his bed and pretending you were touching him. But this? This was a different beast entirely.

“Wait, please,” Kylar begged. That made Whitney’s eyes light up. Wrong thing to say.

“Don’t worry. It’ll only hurt a bit,” Whitney jeered. 

And then, he was inside Kylar.

He cried out as Whitney’s fat cock entered him for the first time, a mixture of pain, pleasure and sheer disgust running through his veins.

“Pathetic,” Whitney growled as he slowly began to move his hips, thrusting back and forth. “I bet a loser like you thinks their virginity is something special. Too late for that, though.”

With one hand, Whitney propped himself up above Kylar, while the other came down to stroke his cock, which, unfortunately for Kylar and his ego, was incredibly hard and leaking precum. 

“And look at this! The fucking freak likes it!” Whitney laughed, thumbing over the tip before gripping the base, timing his strokes with his thrusts. “What a fucking creep. This is hot for you, huh? Getting defiled by someone like me?”

“N-no,” Kylar squeaked out, but he was betrayed by his own body with a loud moan spilling out of his mouth uncontrollably. 

Whitney’s hips began to speed up, and his hand on Kylar’s cock did in tandem.

“Pathetic fucking loser,” Whitney groaned, his face growing flushed. “You love the feeling of my cock. You love the feeling of my hand. And this is the best you’re gonna get. No one else would ever touch such a fucking freak.”

“No I don’t,” Kylar responded, but both of them knew he was lying. It became even more obvious as Kylar’s breaths grew more and more ragged. 

“No fucking way,” Whitney laughed. “You’re really about to fucking cum from this? I should take a picture. I know a certain someone would love to see that.”

“Ngh,” was Kylar’s breathy response as ropes of cum spurted across his belly. 

Whitney laughed again in a breathless manner. “So - hah - fucking pathetic,” his hips were like a jackhammer into Kylar. “So fucking - fuck!” 

He came inside Kylar, painting his insides as he let out a low moan. Then, and rather quickly, he unceremoniously stood up and stuffed himself back into his pants. Whitney frowned and pressed his heel into Kylar’s chest. 

“Now stay away from my slut,” Whitney seethed. “Fucking freak.” 

And he spun on his heel and walked out, leaving Kylar alone, breathing heavily and leaking Whitney’s cum on the classroom floor. 

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

VULTURES (XVI)

|| COV MASTERLIST || NEXT: CHAPTER XVII ||

PAIRING: Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick x F!Reader

WORDCOUNT: 3.5k

WARNINGS: Blood, wounds, angst, guns, plot progression, etc.

*I do not give others permission to translate and/or re-publish my works on this or any other platform*

Laswell found you after you’d finished your most recent fit of sickness, sitting in your room fiddling over the laptop with the USB password screen mocking you. Try as you might, you’d give yourself even more of a headache than you already had just by attempting to force the answer to appear through the pixels. Your father’s journal was kept in your lap—open to the dim light of the dying sun outside. 

It had been three days since the base had gotten attacked. Three calls with Gaz, where both of you were hiding things from the other all the while the pounding in your chests grew at the unique phonics of each other's speech. Three days of nothing but dust and echoes. 

The journal's spine crinkles as you slap it shut, growling under your breath like a dog as you push back the fatigued look behind your eyes. Your mother’s injury was better—the wound wasn’t bad—and even now your thigh is aching less than it was before; healing more and more by the day. 

But, here—now. 

You first see the woman as she enters the door after two swift knocks, not waiting for an answer before walking in with a call of her last name on her serious lips. Blinking in shock, your head perks up and you pause, taken aback. Besides Alex and your mother, no one else had bothered to visit you here. 

“What are you doing?” You ask, raising a brow stiffly. A sliver of tension seeps in, but you put a modicum of trust onto Kate’s title. At least while you’re under her oversight. 

Laswell sighs, closing the door behind her. She doesn’t respond right away, and the bags under her eyes are visible enough to a point where your lips thin. Without anything more than a huff, you wordlessly motion to the other chair at your table. 

Kate glances, but it isn’t a second later that she’s resting back across from you and offering a firm, yet somehow honest, ‘Thank you.’ 

“Don’t mention it,” you mutter under your breath, attention on the laptop screen but focus elsewhere. Fingers hover the keys—motionless beyond a small twitch. At least on your part, a small awkwardness filters past your expression. “So,” you utter in a low manner, drawing the word. 

The woman nods her head your way. “Any headway with the USB?”

“Working on it,” you state slowly. “With only one try left, you can’t not be too cautious.” 

“Ideas?” Is the next question. 

“Handful,” your voice responds, your eyes over the screen and settling on Laswell’s nose as you blink. “...Anything from Gaz?”

There’s a moment where you believe that Kate might be better left as a comedian than what she is. “Handful.” 

With a half-amused snort, you grapple with the fact that she’ll tell you nothing more than what you already know. The seconds draw longer, and those eyes of hers never leave until your feet are shifting under the table slowly. It’s during that break-away that your growing conscious comes out to play like a thief in the night. You weren’t so much the woman you were when this all started, the volatile and violent beast that stalked a forgotten home, but you’d always be a sliver of that. Yet, the leash around your neck was more firm. 

You open your mouth and only hesitate for a second. 

“I should apologize.” Laswell’s eyelids lightly pull back, a flash of surprise running over her face as the whispers of her pale hair brush her forehead. She says nothing, and you trail on with unsteady feet. “What I told you in the beginning—when we first met—about your wife. It was uncalled for.” 

A start, maybe, but any other words get choked out just as quickly as you’d thought them up. Your eyes slip around the laptop screen, fingers tapping the keys in unsteady intervals in the bare understanding of your nervousness. Gaz was so much better at this—at words. If he were here he would serve a better example; he’d know everything you were trying to say but couldn’t. 

That was just how he was.

Kate stares for a second, speechless. But the older woman isn’t one to stay in a stupor for long. 

“Accepted,” she says, blinking. “I don’t hold it against you, being taken in and told what you were on such short notice. It’s a common reaction.” 

“Good.” Your tongue darts out, licking your lips. It’s all you say, of course. Kate would never gain your full trust, the trauma was too deep, but you didn’t have to destroy yourself in the process of trying to understand. People do what they feel is right, and every pair of eyes is different. 

While you lean back into your chair with a sigh, your hand moves down to thumb over your journal—one that you were sure the woman had no idea was truly your father’s, though Laswell was too smart to say she one-hundred percent didn’t. Kate, in turn, glances over your tiny little table to look at your scribbled notes on a piece of napkin, and your stack of empty coffee cups, the plain white paper left in a neat tower of three to four cylinders. There are round stains in the woodgrain of the table, and blue eyes shift back to you. 

You don’t see it, but they soften at the edges. 

“Does it help?” She asks you, tilting her head. “The coffee? I’ve read studies.”

Your body seizes up, and your eyes dart to lock with Laswell’s in a moment of genuine panic. It’s only after a very long and tense break in sound that you find it appropriate to call yourself dumb. 

Of course she knew. She knew the entire time.

Your hand sneaks down into your pocket, and you fiddle with your coin until the indent is left printed into your skin as you bore down on it. 

“It lets me concentrate,” you breathe, vision slipping away as you clear your throat, skin tingling. “Keeps me alert.” 

It was a small victory when she didn’t push it further beyond her reply of a small nod. 

“But I’m here for more than a chat,” Kate gets to business with her hands going to interlock on the desk. “There wasn’t any recoverable footage of your mother’s attack. The footage was wiped, just like with Samson’s death.”

“I’m getting really tired of this, y’know?” The anger is swift, even as your shock mixes with it. “If I hit one more dead end, I’m going to lose my mind, Laswell. One after the other, after the other—what is going on?” Your words are slow and even, tone grating. 

Kate watches you. “And there won’t be any footage of this conversation, either. I’ve asked Alex to erase it after we’re done here.”

You straighten, head snapping back. “...What the hell?”

The woman motions with a hand. “There’s too much at stake to be reckless. I’m not taking any chances.” She blinks, face growing serious again; eyes like steel. “Spitfire, the only people who you can rely on are myself and Alex. Anyone outside of that is a possible breach of security. From now on, Keller is taking you on as his charge full-time and I’m telling him to place all of his resources into your protection.”

Not all of that is new—but the one person being left out of this is telling. 

“What about my mom?” Your flesh tightens, confusion leaking inside of your chest. “Alex is her guard, Gaz is mine.”

“Kyle isn’t here anymore, and he’s not going to be coming back anytime soon,” Kate relays, leaning closer as you grimace. “Your mother is getting moved to a larger base across the state where there are more trusted eyes to watch her.”

You have to snort at that, grabbing the top of your laptop and shutting it firmly. “What? Why?” 

Blue eyes only watch you silently. 

“Laswell,” your voice grows more stern. “Why?”

“Why was there a gun in your nightstand?” 

Face heating, your lips pull into a line. “I’m not playing word games with you.” With such stubborn and headstrong women in the same room, there was never going to be an impactful conversation. “I’m angry,” you grunt. “I’m tired, and I’m not going to be carted around anymore. I want answers.”

“I don’t have the answers you need, Spitfire,” Kate eases. “But I’m not going to let you die.”

“That’s the least of my worries,” you utter under your breath. 

The blonde is the epitome of a brick wall, yet there are moments when something nearer to guilt takes you by surprise. But at the mention of Gaz afterwards, your attention is taken back from where you play with your coin to a near-embarrassing degree. 

“He was adamant on staying,” Laswell began. “Kyle. It was unlike him—he was always willing to do what he had to in order to complete the job; if he felt he needed to leave, I trusted him.” You stare without a visible emotion on your face. “I didn’t expect him to try and take back his word. The Sergeant never does that.”

Perhaps there was really something wrong with you because the heat that infects your face is something of a mystery to your senses. You don’t answer Kate as her eyes narrow on you. 

“If it’s the time for apologies, then I think I need to offer my own,” your body flinches, fingers in your pocket jerking as the lamp across the room flickers. Laswell sighs again, and you find it’s something she does often. “I’m sorry I dragged you into your father’s faults. I’m not a mother, but to think if I was and my own child was put into that position is…troubling. I didn’t get into this job to intentionally leave others traumatized. If you need to blame anyone, then you can blame me for everything that happened to you: during and after.”

Your mind at this point is immune to mostly everything—gunshots and weapons to your head; blood and gore and pain. Then why did the softer things make your heart constrict like a vice? Staring at the woman’s nose, your legs shift with a strange unease before your hand goes to rub at your arm as you mutter. 

“Okay.” Your hair nearly stands on end, but Kate moves a hand to show you she’s not done.

“Just listen, you don’t have to speak.” Shoulders shrugging, you settle back, eyes slipping to the journal as you grasp at it and tap at the cover. 

“I had you under surveillance ever since your father was killed.” The blonde moves to push her hair back and glances at the door. You hum—not surprised. “I know what you went through during the first year, and I want to tell you that—”

“I appreciate it,” you interrupt, and you stand and grab your items in one motion. Laptop and journal in hand, your lips tighten as you hold back the snappy barks you want to let loose like an animal. The sentiment was enough, you didn’t need to hear the woman talk all about it right now. There were more important things than your shortcomings. 

Coughing, you hide your mouth in your arm and blink away the weakness of your legs; spine hunching lightly as the sounds of violent hacking echo. Kate stands quickly, moving forward with a sheen of concern; you step back, swallowing down bile. 

Seconds later, you stand fully and wipe at a thick stream of fluid dripping from the side of your mouth. Looking at your hand, you find the red streak of blood less of a shock than it should have been, but nonetheless startling. You blink at it rapidly, a droplet slipping down your chin. 

“Spitfire,” Kate swiftly, face going grim. 

“No,” your word is so final it makes even yourself pause. 

Without another line written to your story, you move to the door and slip out with a soft limp, still coughing with every grated breath coming through your throat. The woman is left behind you as your legs bring you down the dark hall—items all carried precariously in one hand before the shakiness makes you hold them with both. 

You rub your mouth over the fabric of your shirt located on your shoulder, closing your eyes for a moment as your head goes light. Grunting in the back of your mouth, you taste blood before you swallow it all down, sagging into the wall as your back makes the stiff connection right when you turn the corner. 

“What the…” you lightly knock your skull back, eyelids moving as your pulse flies. Shaking your head, you stubbornly shove off and walk on, patting at your pocket trying to find your phone—you needed to call Gaz soon. 

Exiting the back of the building, the chilled night pushed in around you; your jacket giving you some protection as you extend your walk to nowhere and end up a small distance away near an outdoor metal table and chairs. There was no one else in this portion of the base anymore, besides Alex, Laswell, yourself, and your mother; it had been entirely vacated until an entire breakdown of the events prior could be processed. New soldiers were being cycled in and out on a daily basis, though they stayed far away. 

Your eyes looked upward every time you saw a new C-17 touch the skyline, dipping lower. A piece of you hoped everyone was carrying your Sergeant. 

The conversations you both had were more open by the day—perhaps being away from one another had allowed you the area to be free of possible embarrassment up-front. You shared stories more as well; in fact, it might have been your favorite part of the day when you could hear Gaz speak to you. No matter what time you called, he always answered.  

Dropping down into the chair, you cough once more, growling when you can feel the fluid slipping down the back of your throat. Your fingers flinch for a good sip of coffee, but there’s work to do, and you don’t want to go back inside right now. It was your own imagination, but there had to have been the sleek shadow of a black cat in the corner of your vision as you turned back on the laptop, moving open the journal with the same cracking spine. 

You frown, bending the thing as the noise grows before you put it on the table as well. 

Hands coming up, you rest your chin on them and glare when the password icon pops back up. Your head struggles to focus above the lack of your guard, the conversation with Laswell, and the nagging knowledge of something in the back of your mind. Something, something, something.

What were you missing—why was all of this stopping before it began? 

No footage? What was up with that? This was a damn military base; there was always surveillance going on. 

Who?

Who?

Who?

Your mother had been attacked—injured. A man had been shot under the bounds of an interrogation room seconds before spilling the truth.

“I’m missing something,” you hiss, scoffing to yourself as you grind out ragged words. “It’s something obvious; I have to know what it is. Why can’t I understand it?” 

It was like reading a story in a foreign language while knowing the base plotline. All of the elements were there, but the words were dots and dashes. 

With everything happening, college was all but forgotten—you hadn’t done any work, no projects, or even looked at your emails. Your degree was all but forgotten by now. Dust. 

“Goodbye future,” you grunt, sarcastic even now. 

Moving back from the laptop, you grab the journal again and flip through a few more pages, a chilled breeze going across the semi-open area. The answer was here—you knew that at the very least. Your father was a smart man; he’d leave you something to help you.

Hopefully.

The spine cracks again, and your eyes spark with annoyance as you flip the thing to the side. 

“Jesus,” you growl. “I know you’re old, but c’mon. Spare me the breaking bones unless you’re going to give me the password.” Out of half of an addled brain, you turn the journal and look down the open top of the threaded spine, peering between the gap of the material of the cover and the mesh of the pages. It wasn’t done with any intent or curiosity—it was a spur-of-the-moment reaction, and yet, that was what always led to some sort of revelation. 

Yet, you couldn’t have fathomed to see something stuffed down the back of that journal. Your father’s journal. The man who pleaded for your life with such fever before a bullet had caved his skull in; the man who worked and provided a life for you despite his hidden actions. 

The man you see haunting you every time you close your eyes.  

As your blood-stained lips part in utter shock, you grasp the spine and pull it back from the binds, hearing the faint pop of glue as if it were far away from your ears and not right in front of you. With something akin to shell shock in your eyes, you pull out a folded piece of paper as slowly as a newborn dear taking its first steps. 

When you slip the thing open, it’s not the picture that you first look at—it’s your father's handwriting of the ripped letter dated exactly three days before he died. Your eyes slip the torn edges, the pen script that was ingrained into your understanding of who your father was. 

It started as it always did. With you.

‘...I think I had some influence over her, and I’m a bit afraid of wondering if she actually enjoys the topic of history, or if it’s just because I do. I worry, I think, about that and her education. I want her to be happy—more than anything I want her to enjoy the future that I’ve tried to keep safe for her. 

Even if it all comes to a head, I’m afraid she’ll suffer for the things that have taken place, and that isn’t something I can forgive myself for. I tried so hard to get out of it, and I already knew none of it worked. 

But…I suppose that’s my cross, isn’t it? 

My daughter was never involved, and in that, there’s a small part of me that can say I did a good job, even if it’s as simple as that. If her future lies in History, in that museum, or in something so wild and fantastic I can’t even imagine it, I’m just proud to get to call her my own. There are worse things than saying that your child is a steel-headed girl. She’s going to do great things; be great at whatever she decides. 

I hope I get to make it to her graduation. I think that would make it all worth it.’

The exact date and year of your graduation are printed below the sentence, printed out until your tears smack the page, ink around it smearing a bit. Your broken breath is reduced to quivered inhalations, a certain kind of heartbreak in your chest that extends down your legs and up your arms; breeding in the very back of your brain until a sob is echoing over the darkened earth. But there isn’t time to cry—to address the agony spreading in your blood. 

‘With everything I’ve done, there isn’t a chance that if I die I’ll see her again. I just hope that she finds someone who can be the opposite of what I and her mother have been. Someone to make her laugh and smile. Hell, to feel giddy about. I want to see that from her—one of those smiles that I used to get when I first met my wife; innocent things.

She needs someone kind and smart. I’d approve of nothing less. But above all, they need to be loyal.’

The picture in your hands falls to the ground before you can catch it, sweaty fingers jerking as you read the last line in a flurry of emotions, not understanding the gravity of them.

‘Everything her mother isn’t.’

It shows your mother, your dad, and a male stranger in front of the mansion. All were dressed nicely, and a smile was on your mom’s face. Your father, who, for the first time you can remember since the abduction, looked…grim. The stranger as well, though his square face was devoid of any blood to be seen. 

Terrified.

Your tears smack the image sharply, quickly, free hand moving to grasp at your coin and twiddle the thing out in the light, slipping it between your fingers in practiced ease. It helps you focus when the coffee isn't able to. A reminder. A caution. 

Think.

You stare into the stranger's face, and something about the eyes of him is wrong to you; familiar in a way that makes you want to run. Your father’s hands are clenched. Your mother’s face is sharp. 

Flipping the image over, there are three names. 

Your father's.

Your mother’s.

And Samson Row’s

The moment the name registered, there was a small click from behind you. 

A chilled barrel is pressed into the back of your skull, and into the night the shot ricochets across the airwaves like an executioner's bell.

TAGS:

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[kthecutest]

hello uhm I recently just followed your account because I am very interested in the way you write smut stuff or au's in general and hope your gonna like my idea <3

can you please do legal line like including Jo and yuma considering they are I think 19? and whether they are sub or dom <3

if you are not comfortable with writing it it's totally fine<3

and uhm I already asked so much questions but can I be 🤍anon? but if it's not alright its fine<3

-anon

Of course! you can be 🤍anon! I'm sorry I replied so late, I wanted to finish your request by the time I reply ໒꒰ྀི ╥﹏╥ ꒱ྀིა I'm so glad you love my way of writing! and I hope you'll enjoy this post and my upcoming future posts as well!

&Team legal line : Dom&Sub Dynamic˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊

•✩──────✧✩✦✩✧──────✩•

Pairing : &Team legal line x f!reader Genre : NSFW (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ 🥕 A/N ೃ⁀➷ MINORS DNI

K – Hard Dom

Literally I cannot see K as anything other than a hard dom. No matter how cutesy he acts normally, in bed he’s a beast no doubt. He’s the kind of dom who would set out a whole reward and punishment system from the very beginning. But really it didn’t matter because for you both reward and punishment represents the same thing – pleasure. You don’t even have to request him for any experiments you wanna try out, because he is the most experimental bitch okay. He’s flexible as fuck too so he’ll fuck you in every possible position and make you cum and squirt in each of them. And it’s not just the positions that he’ll be experimenting on, expect to be trying out all sorts of toys in his sight all night until you’re all spent and passed out in the morning. He’ll also edge you as punishment, pulling out his fingers every time you felt your orgasm approaching leaving you whining and sobbing. As reward, he’ll overstimulate you, swirling his tongue skillfully around your clit while pounding three of his digits into your dripping pussy till you feel all numb and dumbified. Dirty talk 100% too, harsher words if its angry sex of course. Prepare for him to degrade you, mock you and tease you in every possible vocabulary ever.

“You wouldn’t want euijoo to see how much of a slut you are right~?”

Fuma – Soft Dom

His body maybe built as fuck but his heart has such a sweet spot for you. He’s more of a lovey dovey person rather than a degrader. But that doesn’t stop him from destroying you with his huge girthy cock though. He’ll pour out praises and whines while pounding into you like there’s no tomorrow. Bro is a softy at heart but he’s definitely not soft down there. Would repeatedly whine your name out loud when he started chasing his own orgasm. 100% into breeding you so bad, just watching your pussy getting filled to the brim with his seed to the point your stomach started swelling up at one point. He’d lose his mind from just that sight. Definitely a cum eater. He would pull out after filling you up, before kneeling on his knees, head between your legs and started lapping up the mixture of your and his cum that spills out your stretched pussy.

“You look so cute… falling apart on my tongue baby..~”

Nicholas – Wild Switch

Feel like everyone in the legal line has their own chosen sides like either dom or sub accurately but this dude, this bitch got no sides, because he be taking every role. All depends on your request. If you say you wanted to take the lead, he’ll definitely lay himself beneath for you to use him however you want. But he’ll still definitely be bratty about it though, would piss you off, mocking you, saying how what you’re doing to him is so ineffective and weak, just so you would grow wilder. But if you put him in charge though… bro turns into K honestly. You cannot stop this man. He is like K number 2, he will have you moaning and gushing all over his cock until you’re on the verge of passing out. Not to mention, it’s very easy to make Nicho jealous, you can easily tell if your little mischievous plan works or not from the look on his face. He’ll drag you away to the nearest isolated area and break your mind with his cock.

“Fuck.. had your fun pissing me off huh~?”

Ej – Soft Sub

Whiny soft sub. That’s what Ej is. It’s just the easiest thing ever to make Ej blush. Just a small dirty little tease and he’s already up and ready, his face flushed. A subby pervert so any slight wording or action, could get his cock twitching to life. Once that happens, you’d best believe you’ve got a whole lot of responsibility on your hands now. Because that boy more specifically his girthy cock has infinite stamina, it ain’t gonna go down in just a few strokes hell no. Vanilla boy though but still could be rough if he’s feeling way too much pleasure. Once his cock is in your mouth, you bobbing your head licking and choking on it, in just a few seconds he’ll find his hands in your hair, pushing your head down in a swift. As you felt his tip goes deeper down your throat, you gagged around it rolling your eyes back. That sight alone could get Mr. Vanilla cumming in a whip, whining out little sorries as he shot his seed into your mouth.

“Aaah~ s-sorry love~ I’m sorry~ I can’t h-hold back..anymore..!”

Yuma – Soft Dom

This boy. This cute ass little kitty, he’s not so much of a kitty when he fucks though. Yuma’s the type of baby boy who would come up to you from behind while you’re cooking or washing the dishes, starts nibbling on your neck sweetly signaling you that he’s horny while rubbing his bulge against your back. There’s no way you could say no when you felt arousal starts pooling in your underwear from his mere actions. Yuma is the type of boyfriend who loves to fuck you with any type of outfits on. Bonus points if they’re intentionally sexy of course, but he still finds you sexy in anything. He’ll rip your skirt in an instant but when you try to get out of your apron, he’ll stop you, telling you that he’d prefer you with only an apron on. You agreed to his little suggestion, taking your top off as well staying only in your apron. It only took a second until he’s pounding into you in a heated state.

“Noona~ you look so good.. exposed for me like this~”

Jo – Average Dom

Shy Jo is definitely a dom but he neither leans on the hard side nor the soft side. He’s just in the middle level kind of dude. But that doesn’t mean he can’t go rough with you. This cute baby-faced cutie could definitely destroy your petite body into oblivion. 100% size kink. The height difference between you and him alone proves it too much. With your petite body, this boy wouldn’t show it on his face but he was secretly getting more and more turned on from how the huge bulge on your stomach was visible every time he pounds into you. But his excitement was definitely obvious from his twitching cock in you. You’d gasp suddenly when you could even feel him getting a bit bigger inside you. And it’s not just in fucking, he also loved and I mean LOVED it when your small mouth was filled with his cock. Your cheeks puffing up, tears welling up in your eyes, as you struggled to breathe, not being able to take it whole. He wouldn’t be too harsh but he would sometimes tug on your head and push your head, making you take more than you can, as he secretly gets turned on seeing the tiny droplets of tears hanging on the edge of your eyes fell down your cheeks uncontrollably.

“..love open wider now.. cmon you can take it..~ just a bit more~”

[icomeandg0]

"More than one"

Part 6!!

Linked universe x reader (s)

Warnings: Confusing

A/N: Last chapter of the series, HOORAY!

"Let's get out of here!"

♡･ﾟ:｡.:･ﾟ･ﾟ:｡.:･ﾟ♡♡･ﾟ:｡.:･ﾟ･ﾟ:｡.:･ﾟ♡

With the others…

“Well…! This is new” LOZY/n says as the following of BOTWY/n, Wild and Twilight all followed the guards as they were chained.

“You opened the door too fast, you didn’t wait for discussions to end” BOTWY/n gave her a light scolding which made LOZY/n grin sheepishly, “My bad!”

“You guys didn’t have to jump in for us” BOTWY/n says as she looks back at the two boys, “Eh, Can’t leave you all alone now, can we?” Wild grins as he tilted his head a bit, “I’ll have you know I am capable of doing things on my own, Mister!” BOTWY/n giggled slightly.

“Hm…that’s strange, the other groups were supposed to meet back up here…” One of the guards said, “Dave, stay here with the prisoners until we come back” another guard informs the one in front.

Without a response, The guards take off, “They always do this!” ‘Dave’ grumbles.

“That’s not very good teamwork! You’re supposed to be a team and stick by one another!” LOZY/n says, “Hey…I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to the guard” Twilight whispered to the cheerful Y/n.

“Ugh! Thank you! Someone that actually understands me!” ‘Dave’ says with a sigh of relief, this earned a few shocked faces from the trio behind LOZY/n.

“I completely understand! I’m totally on your side, communication is key for both sides! Now what was your name again? Dave?” “It’s actually Daven but no one’s…ever asked me that before…our commander just gives us nicknames—you’d be lucky enough if you get your full name really!—“ as the guard rants on, the trio decide to use it to their advantage.

“Keep talking to him, keep stalling for as long as you can” BOTWY/n whispered earning a subtle nod from LOZY/n. LOZY/n winks as the three snuck away while the guard was turned around and ranting.

“Oh yeah, let it out, Daven!” LOZY/n encouraged.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

The trio roam the halls silently, “It’s very quiet…no guards nearby too” Twilight observes as BOTWY/n and Wild check nearby rooms.

“Completely empty…as if they’ve already been wiped out or something” Wild says, making BOTWY/n think deeply.

“Well…in this time we can get to TP—Erm, D/N…just need to find what room they would’ve put her in” her little mess up didn’t go past Twilight…but it did for Wild.

Soon, Twilight's ear twitches, “Hide, I hear footsteps!” The three of them rushed into a room and hid behind or underneath furniture inside.

“What a rare specimen! Dragons were just legends but now we have one! A real living one!” A voice says with excitement.

“It’s pretty tame..Maybe someone owns it?” “No way! A magnificent beast like that shouldn’t be tamed! Well, run a test on it and figure out what to do with it. To hell with its ‘owner’” the voices were faint but audible.

Twilight growled lowly at this and once the people were far enough he got up, “We have to save her, C’mon” Twilight says determined as he looks outside, once it was clear he exited.

The BOTW duo stand up, “he’s more determined to find that dragon than we are” BOTWY/n comments.

The trio venture forward when they come across a gate, “Great…now how the hell do we get it open?” Twilight grumbled as he looked around for a lever, chest or anything.

“You have your sheikah slate..?” BOTWY/n asked Wild who managed to get the message through his brain and pulled out his slate, selecting the magnet symbol, he grabs the metal bars and pushes his slate upwards making the gate lift up.

“Nice” BOTWY/n comments as the three all walk through , Wild dropping the gate once he made it through.

Now as they were opening another gate, this one being a wooden gate the boys looked around just to make sure no one was there. Once the gate was open…their eyes fell on the big creature in the middle of the room, D/N. She was tied up all around her body but there was someone near her, covered in a cloak that covered the person from head to toe. 

When the person looked back a small gasp was heard, “How did you get in here? Guards are everywhere” The voice was familiar to BOTWY/n but right now she couldn’t put her finger on who it was.

“Who are you and what are you doing with D/N?” Twilight asked, a bit on edge. The person lowers their head “I’m trying to set her free” “Oh yeah? How do we know you aren’t lying huh?” Wild raised a brow at the stranger, The person slowly takes off their hood and smiles sheepishly, “Well, I’m an ally of BOTWY/n so I don’t plan on deceiving either her or her friends” BOTWY/n makes a ‘o’ with her mouth and soon smiles. “Hey! SSY/n! Been a while huh? Have you been with her this whole time?” 

“Only recently, I’ve been waiting a while for the people to leave so I could free her as fast as I could but you guys came in and I froze up” SSY/n says softly, looking away shyly. 

“Well…No time to stall, let's get her out and find the others” They all crowd around the dragon, Twilight at the front, holding the dragon's snout as the dragon huffed tiredly. “Don’t worry girl, we’ll get you out” he pats her snout making her lean into the touch a bit.

“Does he know her?” SSY/n asked curiously as they cut at the thick ropes, “No clue honestly, he’s been on edge about her this whole time.” “He must know her secret…Who is he anyway?” SSY/n asked curiously, “A Link” “A Link?” SSY/n repeated just to clarify. “Yup, Like that one over there–” She points to Wild who was distracted with cutting the ropes.

“He’s a Link, There's a whole heap of them, 9 to be exact” “similar to us.I take it that means each of them is from the same timeline as each of us individually?” BOTWY/n was impressed “Just exactly that, great guess!” SSY/n grew bashful but she knew one thing…she didn’t want to see her Link.

“There, ropes are done” Wild says as all the ropes that were holding the dragon down are off but the dragon still wouldn’t move, “She’s tired, she won’t move” Twilight says, the dragon made weak attempts to get up, “Does anyone have anything in their bag…a herb or..potion?” Wild pulls out a green potion and is immediately snatched from his hands. “Hey!”

She walked up to the dragon with the potion, popping off the cork of the bottle she held it near, “Is that safe for her to drink in this form?” Twilight asked cautiously, BOTWY/n gave him a look when he said ‘form’ “We have to try either way, if it can get her to move then so be it” BOTWY/n says as she bends down, Twilight takes one last look at D/N before helping by opening the mouth of D/N. BOTWY/n pours the green substance down D/N’s throat before moving away with an empty bottle.

It didn’t take too long for the effect to happen, D/N stood up letting out a low hum as she moved around in the room, everyone let out a sigh of relief. “Had us worried there” Twilight smiles at the dragon who walked over to him and leaned down into his arms, Twilight hugs against her snout “I missed you, girl.” Twilight whispered–

“Okay…I don’t know if this is concerning or not” Wild grimaced a bit as they were awkwardly standing behind the…two.

“Well, since you’re standing on your 4 feet…I’m sure you can lend a ride?” BOTWY/n grins as the dragon huffs but she bends down enough for everyone to get on.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Back with the others…

Where have you been all this time? Why couldn't you reach out? Did you regret leaving after that day? Did you miss me?

Questions filled Warriors mind as he stares at his Y/n with too many emotions surging within him. He feels like he can burst right now, he needed answers.

"I know that look, You have questions and that's understandable but that will have to wait until after. I'll answer any questions you have, it's the least I can do" HWY/n says softly soon she scans the area of the fallen guards. "They won't stay down for long, I put a stun spell on them for a temporary moment" HWY/n explains.

"Huh? She can do magic?" Hyrule muttered in slight awe, "The only one out of us all that can, she's a one of a kind gal" OOTY/n winks playfully at HWY/n making her chuckle "Oh you flatter me"

"I'm really not keen on watching you two compliment each other but can we hurry this up?" FSY/n grumbled, "Oh don't be like that, firecracker. Someone will compliment you one day" HWY/n teased the short tempered girl making her irk and Legend cackle. "She's my favourite one so far, she's got spunk" Legend whispered to Warriors who chuckled a bit, "Yup...She's full of it"

The group walks along the hallways, Warriors walking beside HWY/n and he was being stiff which everyone could notice. "Why so stiff, knight?" HWY/n teases as she looks over to him and he subtly blushes, "Just...making sure there are no threats so I need to be firm" "Mhm" she hummed, not believing him at all but turns away.

"And you'd think the pretty boy has charms, he sucks at flirting" FSY/n says, "This isn't like him, he can make a woman fall to his feet with a few words but...he's so awkward and shy around her" Four whispered as the two watch the two in front of them.

Soon the ground started to rumble under their feet, "What the hell?" LTTPY/n muttered as she looked towards the ground, "AHHH!! Hold me!" WWY/n jumped into Winds arm making him yelp and stumble even more.

Warriors reaches out and grabs HWY/n by the waist to secure her, "Hm, learnt manners I see" She chuckled, Warrior felt his confidence ride up and he smirks, "Only for someone worth impressing"

"Why are they choosing now to flirt?!" FSY/n irks as she tries to keep her balance.

The rumbling kept getting louder until a big (F/C) dragon stops just in front of them.

"Hey! Welcome to dragoness express! Jump on board for a bumpy ride!" BOTWY/n grins before she turns serious "No but seriously, get on so we can get out" "Ha, Don't need to tell me twice" LTTPY/n says as she moves to the side of the dragon and hoisted herself up, one by one everyone managed to get on.

SSY/n made sure not to make any contact with the boys but- "Y/n?" Sky called out making her internally sigh, she turns around and smiles shyly, "Hi, Link" She says softly. "Aw how cute, we're all reunited and happy as a whole" OOTY/n says as Time was seated next to her stiffly, "Loosen up, Link. It's only a dragon ride" OOTY/n teases earning a slight glare from Time.

"There they are!"

"Bring me back my specimen!"

"These people are crazy!" FSY/n looked between the two groups coming towards them, "Yup but we're crazier! Hee-Yah!" D/N roared before charging towards a dead end and a small ass window. "Are you trying to get us killed?!" FSY/n yelled as she hung on for dear life.

With no further explanation, D/N lowers its head so it's horns were going to come in contact with the wall first, D/N broke through the wall and jumped out...expanding her wings as she flew upwards making everyone hold onto each other as BOTWY/n was the only one with a secure grip around D/N's horns-

"OKAY WE'RE HIGH ENOUGH GO DOWN!"

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

"I'm not doing that ever again!" FSY/n collapsed on the solid ground as soon as they had landed, they were in the forest far from where the castle is anyway. Once everyone hopped off the dragon, Twilight had a little pep talk with her before she flew off.

"Wha- We just saved the damn reptile now it's going?!" Legend grumbled.

"Are you okay? hurt anywhere..?" Hyrule asked as he approached LOZY/n who smiled brightly, "No! I'm fine, really...Thanks for worrying though" She said softly, Hyrule scratched the back of his head bashfully.

"You aren't hurt, right?" Sky asked SSY/n who gave a small smile, "I'm fine, You don't have to worry about me"

Soon from the bushes they heard the bushes rustling and out revealed the last of the Y/n's "Finally! I found you all...Oh! and a few extras..?" TPY/n tilts her head as she looks between each Link. Twilight just went forward and hugged his Y/n with glee "Oh! It's nice to see you again too, Link!" She chuckled a bit as she hugged him back gently. "Words can't describe how much i've missed you" "Oh Link" TPY/n melted at his words.

Bewilderment and disgust was everywhere on FSY/n's face, "I'm not being a part of this, why is there so much romance going on?!" She had a mild meltdown, she was sick and tired of this all. Four sat down next to her and patted her back, chuckling a bit at her being a drama queen.

"Yay! Groups back together! I have an idea...we should all travel together!" BOTWY/n suggested which a few agreed to, some not too keen but their opinions didn't matter to BOTWY/n. "Well that was the plan after all, these boys need us...or well he does, I need to keep him in check" OOTY/n teases as she points over to Time.

"Sounds good to me"

"I guess so..." WWY/n rolls her eyes as Wind shoves her playfully.

"Now then, that's sorted so what should we do now?" Warriors asked "We continue on, once we find a suitable place, we'll rest for the night" Time states. Once everyone was on their feet and ready to head off, a big portal forms from under their feet and they all fall in a few yelps and screams before the portal closes and it's quiet again...

THE END.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Finally finished this series, thank you for everyone supporting and I love reading every comment that's on any post of mine. Ask box is going to be put up soon so get those request ready!

Yes I did get a bit lazy and kinda teleported LOZY/n on the dragon when she was talking to Daven, I just ran out of ideas...

[stemmmm]

Stem's Thoughts on Harvest Moon 64

(that other title's too long so i'm cutting it down now)

Harvest Moon 64 opens on a scene of your character walking around the street, speaking to everyone in the village who’s come to the event. You quickly piece together that this event in question is actually your grandfather’s funeral, the same grandfather who’s farm you’re about to take over. This little scene beautifully sets up both the tone of the game, and immediately shows the player that this iteration is far more focused on the story and characters. HM64 tells a story about the lives of many people in a small, dying town. It is a story about life, and it is a story about death.

A short disclaimer before we dig in: I played this game before the idea to write these essays cropped up, and have not replayed it since then, so this will be mostly vibes. I will try to do my research to make sure I’m not straight up lying though. (Also all of the images in this one are from google because I don't have a means of getting images from my N64 other than photographing the tv screen and I'm not doing that.)

What’s new!

HM64, also called Harvest Moon 2 by HMGB2 and nothing else I’ve ever seen, is the direct sequel to HM SNES. It’s not a sequel in the usual way sequels are, where you’re continuing where you left off with the same character, but in that every main character is the descendant of their equivalent in the previous game. It’s not important to the story, in fact if you don’t already know this, you probably wouldn’t notice anything past some similarities. I played this game before I tried out SNES and it still took me a minute, plus having it directly pointed out to me to get it. Maybe I’m oblivious, who knows. 

Gameplay-wise, this iteration is home of a few series firsts: For one, your house can be upgraded to have a kitchen! You can't cook though, only collect recipes. You can also get a greenhouse where you can grow crops year-round. Sheep are introduced as barn animals that produce wool. You receive a fishing rod you can use whenever you want, but as far as I understand, the timing is nigh impossible unless you’re playing on a CRT (I am not, and never managed to catch a single fish). There’s a mine you can access in winter for something to do while you can’t grow crops (there are fall crops, but not winter) where you can find about two key items and garbage otherwise. Tool upgrades are no longer done by magic, but by leveling them up through use! Which I think is very neat and feels very natural, like you’ve just become more proficient with them as a farmer through practice. Characters can now come to visit you on the farm at random times, for either special story events or just to say hi! Your farmer can get sick from working too hard in bad weather, just like your animals, and there’s now medicine for that, just like your animals. And there’s inventory menus that I'll discuss at better length later.

What’s the same is… Most things in a basic sense. You’re on a farm with a dog, planting crops, raising livestock. You can make friends with folks in town by talking to them and giving them gifts. The livestock mechanics, as far as I could see and as far as I’ve been able to understand from online forums, are exactly the same as they were in SNES, the exception being there’s no wild beasts that can kill your animals but they’ll still get sick if they aren’t fenced overnight– and they’re not going to eat any grass unless they’re out overnight anyways.

As for your farm, you’re set up with the usual: a small house, a barn, coop, and fodder silo, a wood bin to store debris cleared off your farm, and a big messy field that you have to clean up before you can properly use it. It starts with three new additions though; a doghouse, a bowl that you can feed your dog with by putting edible items in there, and a mailbox that you’ll occasionally receive letters and notices in! They’re small additions, but very, very charming. The one thing that’s been removed is the toolshed, now replaced by a tiny toolbox by your house.

The world outside your farm is like an enhanced version of the SNES map. Imagine the town and forest now have one or two extra sections tacked onto them, one in the town for some extra housing, and a couple in the forest to let you explore the mountain more and get you deeper into the woods. The mountain still has a cave in it (this time with Harvest Sprites, who have been removed from your farm) and a summit you can climb to for certain events, but it has been upgraded with little wild animals that wander around and can be picked up and shown to people for a few friendship points, if they like the animal. (This applies to your dog too, there’s a well known exploit to max out Karen’s friendship in one day by repeatedly showing it to her in the bar where time is stopped.) The crossroads zone is also expanded by having three new areas you can travel to– the ranch that you buy animals at, a vineyard that’s more of a story-area, and a beach that mostly comes into play for a couple of summer festivals! 

On the visual side, this game is the series’ first venture into the new frontier of 3d graphics… kind of. The artstyle is made of isometric 3D models that are rendered into flat sprites and then projected onto the TV as if that’s not what’s happening. The game even lets you turn your farm around in 3D to face different directions, but it’s locked to only let you play in specific angles. Changing the direction made me forget where everything was and get lost on my own tiny farm, so I never touched that mechanic.

Due to the dramatic artstyle shift– not only being in 3D but also presented at a 45 degree angle, the game becomes a fair bit harder to play than either of its 2D predecessors. The controls are just a little clunky, and the bizarre shape of the N64 controller really doesn’t help. This makes the tedium of farming a little irritating to do, since it requires pretty precise inputs done over and over for every extra thing you’re trying to grow. Fortunately, you're not on the hook to ship everything before 5PM comes around like in SNES, so you get to move a little bit slower. The fickle farming experience also gets a little help from the new inventory menu that can be accessed anywhere and any time. It has multiple inventory slots for both tools and items, each type having a dedicated section so there’s no need to prioritize carrying tools versus turnips. Unfortunately, this actually ends up being a little more cumbersome than useful, as the menu takes a little longer than is comfortable to open and is pretty clunky to use. I mostly avoided it unless I was bringing gifts to people. But the addition of an inventory opens up the opportunity for something else which defines this entire game...

Key items– a set of unique, unsellable items –are most frequently found in random, secret places around the farm and town, and they give you a reason to scour every inch of the place. They can also be given to you by NPCs when you gain relationships with them, which is convenient because their entire purpose is to help you get even better relationships with each of them, and maybe even unlock little stories with characters. For example, there’s a music box you can dig up in your field that can be given to any of the girls for a decently sized relationship bump. There’s also an old weathervane in the shape of a chicken that you can find in the little mine. If you give it to Rick, he’ll tell you that it was a precious thing that belonged to his grandmother as a cute scene to deepen the town’s lore and connect it to the first game. Key items quickly become the most important and sought after things in the game because they act as a vessel to deliver that which the game is all about: stories.

Lots of people in a little town

The narrative premise is exceedingly simple: you need to fix up your grandfather’s ruined farm and make a new life for yourself in this town within a certain amount of time, just like its predecessors. Except, this game is a lot bigger than either of them, and it didn’t fill all the extra space with new things to grow on your farm. In my entry on the SNES game, I mentioned that the introspective style of writing turned the repetitive farming gameplay into something more like meditation on things going on in the town. This game takes that idea and runs with it! The town in this game may only be slightly bigger than it was before, but it has a lot more people in it, and every single one of them has a lot more to say, more to do, more festivals to go to, and more story events to take part in. There's even a new photo album that fills in with images for reaching special events or succeeding at certain festivals! Your given goal may be to successfully revitalize your farm, but that rapidly stops being the reason why you want to play. Farming is only a means to further the narrative of the town.

Story events are no longer a reward for reaching the highest heart level with a girl, but instead something that happens naturally in the world as you make better friends with people, or if you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. The world doesn’t only consist of you living it and things happening to you. Instead, you end up being a fly on the wall to other people’s conversations and life events, and you get to see how those events change the people around you. People will begin to say different things, go different places, live different lives without your input at all– often much better lives, as everyone in the town is pretty deeply troubled, whether they seem like it or not.

There’s an added depth, too. While the characters in this series have always been defined by their conflicts (in the first game, every big cutscene with each girl was exclusively about their major life conflicts), this game takes it further in multiple ways. Characters have conflicts with their families: you as the player have a conflict with your parents who can take you home if you fail to farm well, Lillia and Basil have conflict over their marriage and the fact that Basil leaves for half the year, and Karen’s family situation is…. A lot. Then, there are characters at conflict with things much more nebulous, like the Mayor who tells you that the town is going to die out but he can’t find any way to save it, or like the young boy Kent who wants to be a farmer just like you, but through a series of events is forced to learn that life isn’t so simple, people can’t just do whatever they would like, and it takes very hard work to get to do the things you dream of. And then there are conflicts that aren’t even necessarily conflicts unless they run into your long-term plans.

Instead of only having a bunch of girls in town who exist only as your prospective marriage candidates, there are also five boys in the town who will marry those girls instead of you, if given the chance. Like in SNES, there are 5 levels of hearts that the girls can have for you. Unlike SNES, each one of these hearts has a corresponding event you can have with the girl where there’s a chance of her liking you more afterwards, if you say the right things. In addition to that though, there are just as many events coming from the other side of the story, rival events that trigger if you happen to be good friends with the boys.

My favorite story by far is that of Harris the mailman who falls in love with the librarian, Maria, from just seeing her handwriting on the outside of all the letters that she would write. I frequently saw him in the bar at the end of the day and he would tell me the woes of his love, saying that he just needed to work up the courage to finally speak to her. Then one day, I happened to be outside of the library when he and Maria met face to face and she handed over a letter addressed to him. No longer did he sit in the bar forlorn every night, instead all he would do was excitedly tell me about Maria, and then when I visited the library, Maria would tell me about Harris!

While I’m on the subject of these characters, I think it’s worth going in a little more depth on who these people are past the grandchildren of the characters from the last game. See, you may be familiar with names like Karen and Kai and Gray, etc., etc. from a little recently remade game called Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, which is a modern version of Friends of Mineral Town on the GameBoy Advance, which is a port of Back to Nature on the PlayStation. These are not those characters. At all. While the basic elements of these characters are intact– Popuri is cute and childish, Ann is a workaholic, Maria is shy and a little oblivious –nothing else is the same. They all work different jobs and marry different people than they are paired with in later entries, and in my humble opinion, it all works WAY better in this game, probably because of the fact that these characters were designed for this specific context!

As an example, Popuri’s exasperated mother, Lillia, runs the flower shop and Popuri was named by her father, Basil, who loves plants. She’s childish and sweet and loves flowers, but can also be a complete brat. She eventually marries Gray, Ann’s brother, who lives on the ranch run by his father, Doug, who struggles to understand his children. Gray is an angry young man who seems to have a particular dislike for you, but you don’t learn why until you discover he was a promising young jockey until he got a bad injury and had to give up the sport.

Am I gushing a bit and letting the game design part fall to the wayside? Sure probably, but I can only gush because the game does a brilliant job of making a cast of characters who, while simple on their own, have interconnected lives that come together to give every one of them so much more depth than they would have otherwise. It all builds a narrative, and while narrative design is definitely something different than game design on its own, this game is far more about the narrative so it’s impossible to not focus on.

The problems

The trouble with these events is that I nearly missed the chance to see that letter be exchanged. You have some control over the progression of the events, because you have to be decent friends with the boys in order for them to trigger at all, but unlike the girls who have a handy visual signal of how much they like you, the boys have no such thing, so you can’t really know if a new event is ready to fire off. There’s no way of knowing where or when they’ll happen either unless you look it up, and even then you have to get lucky because sometimes they just don’t trigger when you want them to. I had a lovely moment in my game where I managed to accidentally catch a cold from working too hard in the snow and lost a day to being bedridden, followed by the New Years celebration which takes a day away from you, then followed by Kai and Karen’s wedding– something that I had missed multiple events for and therefore had no idea was coming, which also took a day from me. After that three day chain of no work, I think I was extremely lucky my animals didn’t get sick and die. 

This chain of events led directly to me never speaking to Gray again, even though he was the boy I was most interested in, because I wanted to marry Popuri and there was too much risk of him getting to her before I could. The reason why I didn’t go into more detail about the relationship between those two when I was talking about them earlier is because I straight up don’t know it, I couldn’t risk giving them a chance to get together.

The thing is, even if I hadn’t forced Gray and Popuri’s cutscenes to stop, I still wouldn’t actually know what their relationship is like, because I have not beaten this game. I know what the ending entails and I can reasonably expect I probably would not have gotten an excellent one, but I’m sure it still would have been fine. I stopped playing the game entirely before I even managed to get married. Why? Because I couldn’t get any of Popuri’s heart events to trigger. I had her hearts maxed out and had a blue feather ready to go in my pocket, so I could turn on the game and marry her right away anytime I wanted to. But I wanted to trigger the little events, even if they’re just a couple seconds of some pixels talking to me on a screen. They’re cute. And it made me sad that I couldn’t see them for some imperceptible reason. So I stopped playing and didn’t pick the game back up.

I don’t remember how close I was to the end of the game, I know I was at least in year 2, but I don’t even remember how much longer the game is after that. Probably a good amount. I had definitely gotten most of the events you could get at this point, since multiple other characters had gotten married, and the farming wasn’t something I really enjoyed so I can’t say I wasn’t at least a little bored by this point, but I wasn’t frustrated with the general mechanics of the game. The days were long enough, but not too long, that I had just enough time to go anywhere I wanted and do what I needed before night came. I could still talk to characters and go to festivals and play minigames. But I didn’t want to, because the game wasn’t doing what it seemed like it was supposed to for some arbitrary reason and that frustrated me enough to make me stop. When the fun of a game is found more in experiencing special events rather than anything else, the player feels cheated out of their good time when those events are too hard to find or can be missed outright, and that’s exactly what I experienced.

Parting Thoughts

The ending, according to what I've read, is very similar to the SNES endings, in that you’ll get different results based on all of the different things you’ve done. Whether you’re married, how many crops you shipped, how many animals you have, how well liked you are by the town… I imagine it’s not quite the victory lap that SNES’s ending was with its little cutscenes, since apparently all you get are comments on how well you performed by various people in the town, but it still seems nice and rewarding! At least like more of a reward than whatever the hell GB1 was trying to do. It seems like a perfectly good ending that it would be nice to see myself someday.

Despite all my troubles with this game, I believe HM64 is still the best one out there– at least that I’ve played yet. The events are plentiful and the content is meaty. The repetitive day to day dialogue still has the simple breath of life that SNES did, that manages to make the most out of a small amount. Don’t get me wrong, this game came out in 1999, I’m giving it a lot of praise but the characters still repeat the same line to you every day, and they still freeze in place until you leave the room. It’s revolutionary, but this is comparing it to a game on the literal Super Nintendo. Absolutely pick up this game to try it out, but keep those expectations tempered. That said, I never picked up this game nor knew a thing about it until I was well into my 20’s, but the moment I started playing, it hit me with a wave of nostalgia as if I’d known this game my whole life. At least to me, the look and feel of the game were like coming home to a childhood I never had.

 Will I pick up this game again with the intent to beat it? Maybe! Hard to say for sure when I’m trying to play decades worth of games and write about them at a comprehensive level. What I do know is that this is exactly what I want more farming games to be. It’s a game that has thoughts about life, and about death, both good and bad. And I think this is the perfect context to share those thoughts.

[berrypass-de-murdler]

2 - 20 Gathering the Suspects

To anyone who read my previous post, thank you dearly. I was scared to write the message because I didn't want to come off as cruel but I feel a lot better now that I've finally publicly got it off my chest. I genuinely hope to avoid any more drama within this fandom, and continue to post my work normally <3

Following the serious post comes an extremely dumb episode-

I didn't know how to lengthen it, and then I tried, and then it got really bad fast lmao

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE SQUISHY...

You will never get away from squishy grandmaster rose.

DON'T READ THE EPISODES WITHOUT READING THE BOOKS!!

VIOLET: Huh? What is it? Logico?

The only two others who showed up in the sitting room are Aubergine and Marble for some reason, even though they haven’t killed anyone (this series).

AUBERGINE: Logico! Buddy! Where are you??

Logico loosely creeps from the darkness with a glowing eye.

LOGICO: I know your secret. 

They all scream and throw things violently!! Once they stop, they look down - and Logico has been sliced to bits! They scream even louder.

VIOLET: LOGICO WHAT THE FUCK?!??

Aubergine tries to piece him back together.

VIOLET: THAT’S NOT GOING TO WORK OH MY GOD-

Logico chuckles as he steps out.

LOGICO: That wasn’t ME. I knew you’d freak out, so I made a decoy just in case. You could say… a Logi-Faux. AUBERGINE: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! LOGICO: Would you rather me have actually died? SUSPECTS: … 

Logico giggles. Before he reveals the lore, he must solve this ‘murder’.

MARBLE: We… all threw things. AUBERGINE: Yeah, does it even matter? LOGICO: QUIET, I NEED MY MURDER TIME!

Everyone rolls their eyes. Violet flutters over to the couch and sprawls out. Aubergine kneels by the fire and stares at it. She’s hiding something for sure. Logico is very blissful as he pads around.

VIOLET: So… how long is this gonna take? MARBLE: Wouldn’t all THREE of us be the murderer here? LOGICO: Can I please have my thing.

Marble’s face goes cold as she bathes in the dim light of the candelabra. 

LOGICO: Oh… what happened to you?  MARBLE: Many things happened to me, my child. And the more you knew, the more you’d want to stay away.

Logico grimaces. He doesn’t care about this person at all, must less want to blackmail her. He’s much more focused on Lord Violet. A painting of the animal is on the floor, probably used as a weapon. Lord Violet’s existence of being a completely feral beast always gives him the chills.

Drawling on as long as he can, Logico smells the false body.

LOGICO: OH! Like a tiny rodent. 

Irratino is so proud back home. Logico really listened to his ‘Logi-Faux’ idea! But he still has a lot of concerns.

LOGICO: All right, all right. The ‘real’ killer was Lady Violet. VIOLET: You’re blaming me for- oh, forget it! ‘Killing’ a decoy is not a crime! LOGICO: Attempted murder is a crime! VIOLET: I wasn’t trying to kill you! You scared the crap out of me! LOGICO: All right! Everyone sit down. It’s time for me to explain my theory. AUBERGINE: Need your tinfoil hat? LOGICO: Fuck you.

The end!

Without Irratino, Logico seems to be fading back into his og asshole self...

WHO WILL RESCUE HIM??

Also sad fact is, since Lord Violet and Beryl are dead, they won't be getting standard official artworks, which sucks cuz I put a lot of effort into their designs

I'll still definitely draw them though

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!

[rarepears]

It's the astronomy anon! Hc that whenever anyone in the Shen-Shang family (because I didn't know until my last ask that I love "SQH is Shen Jiu's little brother, Shen Jiu is viciously overprotective and SQH is oblivious" but I'll die on that hill) gets lost/in trouble/both (Prince Shen Yuan cannot for the life of him stop tripping over wife plots and his parents are giving serious consideration to keeping him on house arrest in the palace for his safety, and probably would have already were it not for Shang Qinghua's great efforts to convince them this is a bad idea (hence SQH being Shen Yuan's favorite uncle)) all they have to do is follow the Shizun Star. Somehow doing so always gets them back home safely. Shen Jiu is GOING to die mad about how often they use this feature. Later. Right now he's trying to badger SQH into assassinating the little beast for falling in love with his son (when the fuck did a-Yuan even meet him????? AND WHY WASN'T HE INFORMED???). His husband keeps trying to convince him to "give their son's suitor a chance" but Shen Jiu is holding out against the betrayals coming from all sides.

Luo Binghe the demon emperor's response is to kidnap Ming Fan and Ning Yingying (which isn't hard because all he has to say is 'I found shizun' and they're clinging to him and demanding to be taken to him at once) and drop them in Shen Jiu's lap. Shen Yuan gains two new friends, one new boyfriend the queen very reluctantly approves of, and a front row seat to Liu Qingge showing up out of NOWHERE because he came back from his monster hunt and Shen Jiu had been married off to foreign royalty and had apparently taken Shang Qinghua with him???? And he wanted to know what the hell was going on. And now he's not leaving because Shang Qinghua got him addicted to coffee.

This is all chaotic enough, what with interdimensional courtships and shit, BEFORE the Old Palace Master shows up to try and fuck up the LBH/SY wedding planning by trying to put SJ on trial even though it'll start a war. He has no success at all (ie LBH stabs him about it, hands Huan Hua to Gongyi Xiao and Zhuzhi-lang who got married last summer, and that's that), and everything would be fine except for three things.

One: Shen Jiu has abruptly been reintroduced to his past and also the Peak Lords.

Two: Mobei-jun took the opportunity to kidnap Shang Qinghua, who was finally not in a desert and therefore accessible. He views this as stealing his human back. Shang Qinghua is having lots of emotions and all of them are fear. Shen Jiu is PISSED.

Three: Shen Jiu's husband somehow found out about YQY's whole thing with Xuan Su and is planning to consult his brother in law on ways to kidnap the man for his own good. He doesn't even particularly care if he gets a threesome out of this or just another sibling for his queen, but he's kind of started a collection of "husband's former coworkers who need therapy" and Liu Qingge keeps sulking about none of the relocated cultivators sparring with him so they might as well grab the Sect Leader while they're in town once they resolve this whole "ice king trying to steal my brother in law" thing.

End result: they all make it back home, Mobei-jun somehow gets Shen Jiu's permission to try courting Qinghua properly by human standards, Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge get some therapy, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan take them shopping for new clothes, and Shen Jiu's court is full of eye candy.

Hm, does Luo Binghe also know that there's a star that will pretty much always show where Shen Yuan is (because Shen Yuan is following the shizun star to get back home)? Imagine all the terrible words Shen Jiu will spat out when he learns that Luo Binghe also knows of that trick. So much for the Shizun star being the GPS/Shen Yuan tracker God.

Ming Fan and Ning Yingying most certainly know where Shen Qingqiu is - everyone knows where the Arabian country is located. Nah, the real issue is traveling there. Getting past the border safely, making it into the imperial court, and not getting caught during the months-long journey...

So when Luo Binghe shows up with some teleportation sword saying "get in loser, we're going to visit shizun", they immediately sign up for the field trip without doing more than rub two braincells together.

Damn, you're implying that Liu Qingge has been gone for many years - decades even - on some monster hunt if he's missed the whole hubbub of Shen Jiu getting whisked away for marriage, Luo Binghe becoming demon emperor, and Shen Yuan being born and growing old enough to get romanced. What did Liu Qingge even do - get such in some pocket dimension??? Got stuck in some "running away with the ball" plot with a demon looking to court him??? Tried faking his death so that his grandma would stop trying to set him up on blind dates???

Man, imagine the hell that Mobei Jun, an ice demon, is going through if he dares venture into the dessert. No wonder Shag Qinghua loves hanging out with his bro! Safe from any surprise visits from the Ice King - and thus this really is the perfect vacation spot where he can't be informed of this and that new disaster sparking up!

But also, imagine if Mobei Jun doesn't dare travel in desert landscape because the real reason he overheats is the fact that Shang Qinghua is just flaunting around in Such SHeer RoBes?!?!?! ALL THAT SKIN BEING SHOWN?!

Let's be real: Shen Jiu's hubby is a pragmatist. He's no saint who's going to have zero braincells if Shen Jiu flutters his eyelashes at him. (Plus Shen Jiu wouldn't like him so much if he were such a person.) He's more than happy to kidnap Yue Qingyuan, a prominent sect leader, for the political advantages it gives him in negotiating with China's imperial court (and the cultivation world). Many beneficial trade deals are negotiated in return for his "hostage" AKA a Yue Qingyuan who's happily sunbathing and being fed dates next to Empress Shen Qingqiu.

[More in #Shen Jiu is forced into an arranged marriage to an Arabian Prince AU]

[athena-xox]

Rating Cerise Hood ships

Cerise/Raven: this is actually really cute. I definitely see Cerise pinning a little bit. But I just love the idea of them. 8/10

Cerise/Daring: even as a kid I saw them as platonic. No chemistry. Some good fics tho. I don’t like it sorry not sorry 0/10

Cerise/Cedar: I have so many hcs about them. Like Cedar finding out Cerise’s secret and then learning how to tell misleading truths and Cedar specifically becoming a real person for Cerise! Otp 10/10

Cerise/Kitty: I’ve posted about them before. Like yk how parents say that boys pick on girls because they have a crush on them? That’s what Kitty would be like to Cerise. And then in exchange Brooke being a nuisance to Kitty by narrating her feelings. 10/10

Cerise/Maddie: not my thing personally. I see them more platonically. 2/10

Cerise/Darling: athletic girls who hid that they are>>> locker room 🤨. I read a rappel fic where Darling had a crush on Apple and Cerise had a crush on Raven and then the two of them made some bad choices together. Cute 6/10

Cerise/Rosabella: I just like the idea of Rosabella being with someone ‘beastly’. 5/10

Cerise/Charlotte Step: this is such a rarepair but like in once upon a twist the clock strikes Cupid, Cupid sees Charlotte play bookball with some girls and then in Cerise and the beast Cerise plays bookball with some girls. And her and this one girl are lowkey flirting the whole time. And I like to believe that that one girl is Charlotte and I’m pretty sure this is implied because one; clock strikes Cupid and Cerise & the beast are the first and second books in the series and it is confirmed that all the miss matched fairytales can all interact with one another in Rosabella and the three bears. 9/10

Cerise/Briar: way more popular than it should be. It’s not that popular but there’s still way too many fics about them. They don’t really have any interactions and they’re just not an interesting dynamic. 2/10

Cerise/Romona: 🤮🤮🤮. So gross. Im not even putting it here for scare factor they are genuinely shipped. I talked about Cerise/Briar having too many fics but they really take the cake. The amount of fics on ao3 with them tagged is insane. -♾️/10

Anyways here’s how I’d rank these ships:

Cedar>Kitty>Charlotte>Raven>Darling>Rosabella>Maddie>Briar>Daring>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(honestly shouldn’t even be mentioned)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Romona

[fantasyinvader]

More things hit me, things that should have been obvious. It explains Shez's arc, and the meaning of Hopes in general.

Remember what the Buddhism says makes human's human? What separates us from the animals is our ability to control our instincts and impulses, which allows us to use reason, have morality, and act in a humane manner. What happens when we take that and apply it to Shez?

Shez has two options in whichever route he picks. They can follow the plan at the time, focusing on completing the objective and putting the war ahead of their desire to avenge their previous defeat to Byleth. Or Shez can throw all that away to fight Byleth. In essence, the game asks at this point is Shez a human or a beast.

I mean, it's implied Shez is from Agartha and because of that they have Arval buried within them. If Shez keeps his impulses in check, Byleth will be recruited to Shez's side. However, because of this Arval won't be able to hold back his true nature, that of the Agarthan Epimenides. Epimenides takes control of Shez, and in the end it's a fight for Shez not only to return to Fodlan but remain in control of their body. It's Shez proving their strength to Arval in this regard. This earns a reward, as well as a nicer ending for Scarlet Blaze.

Alternatively, Shez can give into the impulse, kill Jeralt which in turn causes Sothis to snap. The implication seems to be that her Crest Stone contains not just her memories but her soul as well, and that Sitri wasn't a separate individual from Sothis. Sitri was Sothis without the memories, living life as a separate incarnation, falling in love with Jeralt before dying giving birth to Byleth. That is why she snaps when Jeralt dies, and why she wants revenge bad enough she'll take of Byleth's body, becoming a mirror in her rage to Epimenides. This ends with Sothis defeated by Shez's hand, Shez proving their strength.

Byleth doesn't give into the same rage at the death of their father, Byleth is the one to retain their humanity in this scenario and dies because of it.

A few more things to add is Shez's obsession with strength, how they'd do anything to be strong and best Byleth. This includes jumping off cliffs, which would have killed them prior to the start of the game if not for Arval. Shez's impulse would have killed them, but even then think about how strong Shez is. Shez is strong enough to take out all three houses by themselves in the mock battle, just because they were running around confused. Think about that compared to the likes of Dimitri or Edelgard, two powerhouses, yet Shez is still seeking further strength to avenge their loss. They can talk all they want about the mercenary life, how common death is and not being too attached to companions, it instead makes it sound like Shez's issue is simply because Byleth beat them rather to avenge their fallen comrades. That Shez's pride was hurt by this, so they seek revenge.

It's Shez being an Agarthan, even if they don't realize it. Meanwhile, killing Sothis unlocks the Epimenides paralogue, showing us the war of heroes from their POV.

But it's not as simple as saying “Shez keeping their humanity is good,” because just because humans have morality doesn't mean they always act in a moral manner. This is a Shez who can follow Edelgard without issue as she conquers the continent, fully knowing that she's oppressing the commoners, and whose path Houses made out as evil through the animal path symbolism as well as hadou. Shez can still support an immoral ruler, while in Romance of the Three Kingdoms the officials/generals/ministers of Wei are called out for that exact same thing. If Shez is good and keeps their humanity, we get the symbol of the Agarthans' control over Edelgard Aymr as a reward. Likewise, Claude can go full Sun Quan, in part because he follows Shez's advice, and Shez will still support Claude, unlocking Blutgang which has the same crest stone as Amyr, linking it to the devil arcana and the idea that Claude has become corrupted by Shez. Even Dimitri, falling short of the world arcana/enlightenment with a crest stone tied to the judgement arcana instead, and Dimitri goes on to wage a punitive campaign against the Empire over the war they started even with knowledge Edelgard was used... and likely goes against Claude when his attack on Rhea causes chaos and suffering in it's wake. Under Dimitri, Shez is their most moral but they'll still go along with the revenge ride even if they didn't give into their own desire for revenge.

Unlike Byleth, Shez is not a leader. Shez can have all this knowledge and skills, knowing life outside of being a mercenary, but they're only moral if they follow moral leaders. They won't lead the Eagles away from Edelgard or properly guide Claude and Dimitri, paths linked to enlightenment, meanwhile Byleth knows nothing except being a merc initially and yet they're meant to be one of Fodlan's best hopes for leadership provided they don't join Edelgard. And that's the other kicker, Byleth developing a bond with Edelgard would cause them to instinctively want to protect her and it's by going against this instinct that Byleth can lead Fodlan to a better tomorrow. Byleth giving in and protecting Edelgard is referred to as the animal path, meaning Byleth loses their humanity following her.

Meanwhile, Shez has no choice but to follow their lord and go along with their actions. Shez can't lead Fodlan to a happy ending.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

hi,i'm sorry but I have another idea for a yandere parent wings of fire au gambit and rogue [ the animated series ] [ gambit and rogue raingwing and sea wings] x dragonet reader.and how would they react when their baby get really,really sick. and how would they take care of them and help them get better. thank you

Aaawwww, sweet lovebird couple! Let's see what magic I can do-!

• (RainWing Gambit) Beau had never thought he'd settle for anyone. He never saw himself as the type of dragon to partner permanently with someone, to have eggs with, to grow old and grow bigger with. Amd yet he'd found the most beautiful, charming, divine dragon he'd ever laid eyes on- Aquamarine (SeaWing Rogue). Amd she could say the same. She thought she'd never meet a dragon who'd love her, who'd ground themself just to be by her side, someone who'd go through the highs and lows with her and never abandon her. Yet here was someone, a handsome rogue, who was devoted to her, and she in turn, to him...

• It happened that they'd had an egg together, a sweet little egg, with swirls on their shell and bright colors peeking through the pale blues of their shell... When it hatched a year later, both thought they couldn't have loved their baby more more they, seeing them and how precious they were, so small and sweet and curious, lookinh up at them with bright eyes... Was it any wonder they both swore to love them, to even die for them, if needed? And their baby was feisty too, quite the little biter, eating all kinds of fruits and fish their Mama and Papa brought them, even snapping their teeth at passing gulls that came too close

• It happened, however, that their precious, petite baby became sick. Coughing, sneezing up snot, teary eyes, and too tried to play, it worried them to no end. They did their best not to panic, but with how young their dragonet was, it wasn't hard to start thinking if the worst illnesses... Was it a venomous animal bite that did this? Did their baby eat a bad mushroom? Did they catch some kind of plague?

• Beau is cooking warm soup, light broths, and feeding Reader mashed fruits, so their stomach doesn't get too upset, but stays full. He's wrapped his tail and wings around their's, and is making sure they're not too hot or too cold. He can see their little ruff bring pale white and acid green and knows they're hurting, so he presses kisses to their head, muttering sift assurances (for both them and for him).

• Aquamarine keeps their home and their beds of leaves and seaweed warm and free of bugs, squashing any or releasing them back into the rainforest. She makes sure to keep Reader cool when they feel too hot, helping them soak in the ocean for a bit, amd takes them to a warm pool in the rainforest if they feel too cold. If Reader needs hugs, she's hugging them as gently as she can, rubbing their back and giving them medicine.

• When Reader is diagnosed by dragon Beast to only have some form of cold or flu, both parents are relieved it's nothing worse... But now they're sick, too... Good thing their little raindrop is keeping them company, putting wet kelp amd cloths to their heads when they feel dizzy or nauseated, fluffing their blankets and pillows, even feeding them fish or fruit, so they aren't starving...

• The three of them recover together, being helped by dragon Beast and dragon Wolverine, who take extra care of their two problem kids and their cuddly bundle of joy... Heh. But that's what families do, they help each other, even on their sick days...

[wheels-of-despair]

Worth It | Ralph Penbury x You | Masterlist

{<-Previous} [The Feeling Is Mutual] {Next->}

Summary: Shopping for a wedding dress is so unbearable, you and Ralph decide to do something desperate. Words: 3k

You had no idea what sin you'd committed to deserve the punishment of shopping for wedding dresses with your mother and your future mother-in-law, but you certainly were sorry for it.

The Mothers sat and waited as shopgirl after shopgirl dressed you like a disgruntled doll, then when you came out to model it, they critiqued you like you weren't there. It became so insufferable, even Victoria had wandered off after store #3. You envied her.

"That neckline makes her shoulders look monstrous."

"Really? Is it 1860 again?

"Her bust is barely contained, she looks like a streetwalker!"

"That beading is so shoddy, it'll all pop off as soon as she sits down."

"That lace pattern is horribly outdated."

"Good heavens, what beast designed this?!"

"That makes her look as if… you're not with child already, are you?"

"That's a summer dress, it would leave far too much skin exposed for October."

"October?" you finally break from your catatonic state to question.

"Yes, dear, October," your mother says absentmindedly, picking through another rack of horrible white dresses.

"That's months away!"

Your mother turns. "Will you not be ready by October?"

"I was ready a month ago, we're not waiting that long!"

"It is the first available date for the reception hall we've chosen. Six months is a respectable engagement period. I assure you, you are waiting that long," she says with finality, turning back to the rack. "Get her out of that and into this," she hands an eyesore with puffed sleeves to the shopgirl.

You stomp back into the dressing room and fight to get out of your ruffled prison until the girl comes in to assist you. She takes the straightjacket you've just escaped from and puts it back on the hanger. By the time she turns around to present the next dress to you, you're pulling on the clothes you came in with.

"Miss?"

"Help me. I have to get out of here." The girl assists you with a sympathetic smile. When you're dressed in normal clothes again, she hands you your purse.

"Would you like me to distract them?" she whispers. You nearly cry in relief. "Stay here. I'll lead them to the front of the store to show them the display, then you slip out the back. Go down this hallway and take a right, the door is red, you can't miss it."

"I don't know how to thank you for this," you whisper back.

"By not letting them get to you. You looked beautiful in every single one of these dresses." You feel your eyes begin to well up with tears. It's the nicest thing anyone's said to you all day.

"Not to worry, miss, this happens far more than you'd expect. Just wait 'til you hear the voices fade, and make a run for it." You nod, and she winks and slips through the curtain.

"The young lady has expressed interest in the dress on display in the front window, did you happen to see the delicate detailing on your way in?" The old bats murmur. "If you'll come with me, please, this may be the one."

Five, four, three, two… you peek through the curtain and see them retreating. You bolt down the hallway, take a right, burst through the red door, and breathe in a glorious breath of fresh air.

Ralph. You need Ralph.

Ralph picked away at his ukulele absentmindedly, lying upside-down with his head hanging off the edge of the sofa. He was so unbelievably bored, he'd decided to write a song about how bored he was on the day you'd abandoned him to go dress shopping with The Mothers. He hoped it wasn't complete torture.

"Sir?"

"What, Langley?"

"The young--"

"Too late, I'm in, can't send me away now," you say with exasperation as you rush by Langley and flop down next to Ralph on the sofa. You look over at him with tired eyes, and he hands you his ukulele. After you take it from him and place it safely on the side table, he flips himself right-side up and sits next to you.

"That bad?"

You close your eyes and let yourself fall over, your head landing on his lap. This was new, but Ralph wasn't complaining. He rests a hand on your hip, waiting to hear about your day.

"I don't know what I did to deserve that."

"What happened?"

"Let's see… I tried on approximately two hundred dresses, each more hideous than the last. My mother called me a prostitute. Your mother said I looked pregnant. Oh, and we're not getting married 'til October. So I have several more months of shopping with those old hags to look forward to." You shift so you're looking up at him. "Ralphie, my love, would you please do something for me?"

"Anything," he says without hesitation.

"Beat me to death with your ukulele. Put me out of my misery."

He laughs and shakes his head, reaching for your hand.

"What was it you said about October?"

"They've booked a reception hall for October."

"October?"

"October."

"Half a year away."

"Half a year away," you confirm.

"Is that what you want?"

"Of course not," you scoff.

"I think we need to revisit our list of wedding demands. I heard my mother talking to one of her cousins on the telephone last night, and I get the impression the guest list has gotten out of hand again."

You groan.

"I'm starting to wish we'd run off and gotten married last time they went wild."

"That offer is still on the table."

The wheels in your brain begin to turn. You sit up and turn to Ralph. "What if…"

They knew exactly where you were going.

The Mothers showed up at Ralph's house half an hour after you did, both looking like they were on the verge of violence.

They rounded on you at once.

"Never, in all my days--"

"I have never met such an ungrateful child--"

"Did you give any thought to how that would make us look?"

Ralph stood up and stepped in front of you.

"Ladies. This week has been stressful for all of us. My bride-to-be and I have decided that we need a break from wedding-planning."

"But we've only just sta--"

"Who put you in ch--"

"Ladies! We are all going to take a break, and meet back here on Sunday evening to discuss everything calmly. We are going to formulate a plan, revisit some restrictions, and get everything in order. Together. As a family."

"Fine," your mother says. "Let's go."

"Ralph and I have one more wedding-related thing to finish before our respite. I'll be along by dinnertime." Your mother huffs and walks out without saying another word. Ralph's mother made a crack about her manners before retreating up the stairs.

"Are you ready for this?" he asks.

"Absolutely, I am." you say with certainty.

On Sunday evening, as Nancy was helping you fix your hair before you left for Ralph's, a knock at the door made you jump so high that you nearly knocked over everything on your vanity table.

"Come in?"

Your father stepped into the room with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Nancy, will you give us a moment?" Without meeting your eye, she scurried away. He closed the door behind her.

"It's happening tonight, isn't it?"

"What's happening tonight?" you asked innocently. He narrowed his eyes and waited expectantly. It didn't take long for you to break.

"It's happening tonight."

"Your mother is not going to be happy."

"Well, I am."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"This is what you want?"

"Yes."

"He's what you want?"

"Yes."

He smiles. "Then what can I do to help?"

A flood of relief washes over you, and you let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding.

"Check on Ralph when we get there? Victoria's going to drag me upstairs to 'look at her new coat' and help me get dressed. But Ralph probably won't have anyone but their creepy old butler to make sure he's alright."

"And he wants this too?"

"Of course he does." You chuckle. "We almost ran off and got hitched the night of The Incident. We thought this would be a decent compromise. Ralph and I get each other, our mothers get a real wedding instead of a postcard announcing we've eloped, you save money, I don't commit matricide just yet. Less stress for everyone!"

He chuckles. "Well, then. Do you have your something old, something new?"

"Not quite. I was going to ask Victoria to help me fill in the blanks."

"Keep getting ready, I'll be back."

Your father returns a moment later.

"Turn," he orders, coming to stand behind you. He clasps an ornate sapphire necklace around your neck. You reach up to touch it.

"Your great-grandmother received this as a wedding present. I'm not sure of the rules, but I think this can count as both old and blue."

As promised, Victoria whisked you upstairs the second you stepped inside. She could've done it without the staged wink, but your mother didn't seem surprised at her theatrics.

She brought you to her bedroom, where the dress you'd acquired a few days prior lay on the bed. The day after the shopping disaster, you'd popped back into Bridal Shop #3 to thank your accomplice with a nice commission on a simple but lovely dress the old bats hadn't even considered, while Ralph purchased a new tuxedo nearby.

"Well, go on! I'm devastated that you and Ralph are giving up the chance for the wedding of the century. Are you sure you won't reconsider? There's still time!" You shake your head as you change. Victoria finishes her makeup while you dress.

"Alright. How does it look?"

Victoria spins around and smiles. "Wondrous! Now come here and let me do your makeup!"

"But I already…" Victoria scrunches her nose and shakes her head, getting up and gesturing to the stool she just vacated. You sit obediently and wait for your soon-to-be sister-in-law to work her magic. As she swipes brush after brush across your face, you remember what you were supposed to ask her.

"Victoria, do you have something I can borrow? I already have the old, new, and blue."

"Of course!" Victoria swipes one last brush across your nose and begins digging through a heaping jewelry box.

"What are your other things?"

"My great-grandmother's necklace is both old and blue, and our maid gave me a new handkerchief."

"You cannot be serious."

You give her a confused look, not sure what the problem was.

"A handkerchief? From the maid? Really?"

"She's a good friend. She embroidered it with my favorite flowers."

"Typical. Close your eyes."

You do as you're told, and feel Victoria smoothing your hair. A chemical smell with a slight hint of something floral invades your nostrils. You assume it's some sort of product to keep it in place. She steps away while it dries, and you hear her rifling through her wardrobe. When she returns, you feel a light, odd weight settle around the top of your head.

"Alright, you can open your eyes."

Victoria has placed a silver headband, accented with sapphires, around your head. It matched your necklace perfectly.

"It caught my eye in a window when we were dress shopping, and I had to have it. I forgot about it until now. What do you think?"

You swallow hard and nod at Victoria's reflection in the mirror. It's perfect. After all the secrecy and the trauma of preparing for this wedding, things are finally starting to line up perfectly.

"Don't you dare cry and ruin that makeup!"

You laugh and look up, blinking fast to keep the tears at bay.

"Thank you, Victoria." you say in a daze, staring at the unfamiliar creature in the mirror.

"You're welcome, darling! Let me go see if Ralph is ready, then we'll go down and have our secret wedding!"

"Ralph? Are you decent?"

"Yes."

Victoria enters Ralph's bedroom to find him pacing.

"Ralph, if you keep that up, you're going to wear a hole in the floor."

"Is she ready? Is she alright? Is she getting cold feet?" Ralph had been left alone with his thoughts for too long, and had begun to spiral.

"She's fine, you silly boy. She's dressed, properly painted and accessorized for the first time in her life, and ready to get married. Are you?"

Before Ralph can answer, there's a knock at the door.

Victoria opens it to reveal your father.

"Might I have a moment alone with the groom?" he asks. Victoria shrugs and exits the room.

This is it. Ralph Penbury is done for. The man has decided that he's not good enough, he can't marry the love of his life, it's probably for the best, he'll make a terrible husband, he doesn't know how to do anything, they're rushing into this, they're being young and foolish--

"Are you alright, son?"

Ralph jumps when the man speaks, his train of destructive thoughts derailed.

"It's normal to be nervous before your wedding. It'll pass."

Ralph lets out a shaky breath.

"My daughter asked me to come check on you."

"She did?"

"Don't sound so surprised. Anyone can see that she's mad about you."

A dazed, lopsided smile appears on Ralph's face. The older man laughs.

"I can see that the feeling is mutual. Are you ready for this, Ralph?"

"Yes, sir."

"Go on down. I'll get her, and we'll meet you out back."

"Are you angry?" Ralph blurts out, already regretting giving your father an opening to put a stop to this.

"Angry about what?"

"Today. Doing this as a surprise."

"I think it's the merciful choice. You saw how frazzled my daughter was after two weeks of wedding planning. Do you think she could have survived six months?"

Ralph grins, feeling a great sense of relief. This was the right thing. He still had your father's approval. The love of his life was just a few rooms away, getting ready to take his hand in marriage and officially become his forever. This truly was Ralph Penbury's last day as a single man. He couldn't believe his luck.

"Are you ready?"

You're vaguely aware of your father's voice joining the hundred panicked ones in your head. You see him approach in the mirror, but don't begin to snap out of your daze until you feel the warmth of his hand on your shoulder.

"I've just been to check on Ralph." You tilt your head carefully to look at him, mindful of the silver headband you've been staring at for several minutes. "He's alright. He's meeting us outside. Unless you'd like to make a break for it?"

You chuckle, feeling your anxiety lift. "No. I'm ready."

You check your reflection in Victoria's mirror one last time, then stand. "I'm ready," you repeat, more confident this time. Your father extends his arm, and you cling to him as you exit the room, descend the stairs, and walk toward the back door.

Victoria is waiting there for you, holding a beautiful bouquet of your favorite flowers. She hands it to you, fusses over a stray hair, then flashes you her hundred-watt smile.

"Let's go, soon-to-be sister-in-law!"

Normally, this statement would send a chill down your spine, but it doesn't faze you. Not today.

The doors open, and Victoria leads the way down the steps and into the back yard.

You can see your mothers engaged in a heated discussion at a small table in the distance, having been lured outside with the promise of tea and more wedding planning. You smirk, knowing they'd both been had.

Victoria had suggested that her mother visit a new "wellness center" for a few days, to center herself after that bout of disastrous dress shopping. Which meant that you and Ralph had the run of the Penbury property. The lawn had been freshly trimmed, and the garden path and the trees had been lined with fairy lights. There hadn't been enough time to invite any family members from outside of town - both your favorite aunt and Ralph's favorite uncle lived too far away for a last-second trip - so your guest list was shorter than your mother's fuse. In attendance were your parents, Ralph's mother, Victoria, assorted household staff, the necessary reverend, and a photographer friend of Victoria's.

Your dear Nancy, who had been essential in both keeping your secrets and keeping you calm for the last few days, would discover just after you'd left that you'd "forgotten your purse".

(That was the story, if your mother questioned her presence. One of Ralph's maids would bring her down to the garden to "deliver it" after your mother was either focused on the ceremony or spurting blood from neck where her head had exploded.)

It had all come together quite nicely. Everything is simple, quiet, and intimate - it's the closest you could get to recreating the atmosphere of your favorite place in the world without alerting others of its existence. You couldn't have asked for nicer weather. You take in the freshly landscaped garden as you walk with your father, inhaling the scent of sweet spring flowers and admiring the magical glow of the fairy lights, but lose sight of everything when Ralph steps into view.

He stands under a flower-covered arbor, next to the reverend. Even from this distance, you can see him vibrating with excitement. When you get close enough to lock eyes with the love of your life, everything else fades into the background.

There is only you, and Ralph, and eventually, a pair of "I Do's" and a kiss that makes you forget your name.