#why do i need to have long hair to have a high ponytail or braids 😔

[digirainebow]

been growing my hair out for like. a potential funny bit. but i uh do not know if i can actually go thorough with it because CHRIST i always forget how much i hate having long hair

[unluckilyimnot]

Playing with their hair – aether, kinich, wanderer, rin, sae, sakura

note: i'm just in love with aether and kinich recently and i needed to write something with aether's hair so why not had some of my fav characters along with them. that's probably not really good but i guess it's cute. ooc

m.list | rules

Aether is used to your hands suddenly laying on his hair, running through them when you walk behind him – it’s like an urge, you just have to. You stopped on your track, bowing to kiss his head, inhaling his shampoo a little and hummed at the sweet scent.

“You took my shampoo again,” you mentioned, not in a warning way, more like you appreciate it. He nodded lightly, delighting himself from the feeling of your hands still running through his hair, scratching his scalp a little before kissing it again.

Sensing that you’re about to go away, his hands take yours gently and his head bent down to look up at you. “Already leaving ? We can both take a break…” he said, subtly implying you to not stop yet, making you giggle.

“Sure, we can.”

That’s basically how he ended up sitting on the floor between your thighs, watching a movie while you brush his hair for him, kindly letting your fingers run down his beautifully long hair – trying small, low buns to one high ponytail.

“Having fun ?” You can hear the smile in his voice, amused as always when he let you enjoy his hair more than he does.

“Always.” you said while kissing his nose from above, hiding the tv from his sight for a mere second but he still whines at you for doing so. Such a crybaby.

Kinich sighs as he feels your hands examining his hair again. “Would you stop doing that ?”

He knows you’re not doing this to annoy him, yet it always kind of stresses him to picture you scanning his scalp without any invitation to do so. He also knows that you don’t care about what he says, continuing to play with his hair while you swipe away some dandruff here and there.

“What’s the matter,” you talked back, seemingly frustrated. “You never say anything when it’s to help you fall asleep.” you argued, feeling really satisfied when he doesn’t find anything to say after that. It for sure helps a lot, he can’t argue with that, but he really hoped you could realize that it works all the time and not only when he wants it to – which means he was getting sleepy, slightly closing his eyes while he still had a lot to do.

A satisfied sigh escaped his lips before he could hold it in and you hummed teasingly. Your hands moved from his head to his chest, your arms caging him against you and you laid your head on top of his. “Tired already ?”

“Shut it.” he sounded harsh but he still rested against your chest as well, feeling at peace being so close to you. He wasn’t really tired but if you let him, Kinich would for sure appreciate some quality time with his head in your chest and your hands in his hair. Not that he’ll say it to you.

Wanderer honestly never mind when you ask him if you can play with his hair, he’s usually already busy and not moving so someone touching his hair while studying doesn’t change much for him. He won’t say that it doesn’t make it easy to concentrate since he, sometimes, tends to focus on this more than on the words written in front of him but he still appreciates how peaceful it makes him feel when he’s particularly worried or stressed.

Your hand running through his short strands of hair takes him somewhere else where he doesn’t need to worry as much, he likes it, even if he would never be physically capable of telling you.

“You’re braiding it ?” he asks, half absent in his question – he just wanted to confirm the feeling of your fingers brushing past his cheeks repeatedly. You hummed softly in response, leaving the braid dying the second you let it go since his hair was too short to handle it. It doesn’t discourage you though, and before he can ask what you’ll do next, he can already feel your steady movement back to the same scheme and a soft chuckle left his lips.

“You want me to stop ?” you asked under your breath, probably still concentrated on what you were doing but still caught his sigh.

“No, it’s fine. Go on.” he assured before stepping back again into his study, more than relaxing by this short break.

Rin loves movie dates to his core, but it always gets him when you start touching his hair in the middle of the movie. It's like he's never getting used to it and he's jolting a bit every single time, making you chuckle. But you always kiss his head as an excuse after. 

There's something relaxing when your fingers start to twirl around his short hair, making him wonder who appreciates it the most between you and him. Because he for sure loves it. 

His mind drifts away easily despite himself and how badly he wants to follow the movie. He always finds some way to lean into you, craving for more like a cat and more often than not, he ends up laying on top of you. 

“Don't fall asleep this time Rin,” you joke while scratching his head playfully. He simply nodded, absorbed in the movie more than you gave him credit for. He just didn't want you to stop.

Sae hates it when he feels your hands finding his hair in the middle of the day. He spends quite some time styling his hair in the morning, even if it doesn’t look like it, and you being nearby automatically becomes a danger for that.

Not that he doesn’t like you touching his hair, he’s fond of it, he wishes he could die with you touching his hair, but not during the day. So as soon as he feels it, he immediately gets up and warns you. “Please don’t.”

But he knows it can't be helped and soon your lips meet his, kissing him sweetly – your successful way to distract him – so you can end up with your hands reaching the hair in his neck. Twirling your fingers around it, pulling ever so slightly to annoy him but he still lets you. Not without a sigh against your lips, but he knows damn well he can't hold you back when you're determined to do something. 

He wishes he could keep his hair pretty for the day at least once in a while but he can't blame you ; both of you like it very much. He can forget his image for yet another day if that means he can appreciate the relaxing feint of your fingernails on his scalp. Even if lately it's starting to be everyday, he won't mention it – or not seriously. 

Your smile is more precious than some good hair day. 

Sakura still isn't used to you touching his hair, he hasn't been used to gentle gestures in his life before coming here  –  especially regarding his looks. The second your hands find his hair, he flinches by reflex even if he knows that it’s only you around him. He doesn’t turn you down anymore though since you always let him know how you love his hair, for the color or the fluffiness ; it’s just the best thing in the word and it got to be your boyfriend’s hair. You must be blessed. 

You still try not to frighten him too much, and start by touching his shoulders then going up to his neck and finally the hair in the nape of it. Twirling it lightly with your fingers and you’re sure to catch him snapping his head to you with a blush. 

“What are you doing ?!” he asked as always, flustered but not telling you to stop anyway which made you smile sweetly. 

“I’m playing with your hair ? You want me to stop ?” you tilted your head to the side, trying to act cute and confused so he doesn’t have the heart to tell you no. And with a resigned look but his brows still frowned, he compiled without adding anything.It’s a win, once again. 

You then slowly but surely brush through all his hair, tossing it one side to another, mixing the two colors together then separating it again like a puzzle. That’s something you grew to love, separating his hair for him and that’s also your best excuse to touch it even when there’s people around. Even if he’s not fond of it.

He tends to lay a bit in your hand when you do so, or when you stop your hand in his hair, quietly liking the feeling now that you’ve given him some time. Not that he’ll say it to you, never, but he doesn’t need to for you to know. It’s just like you to notice how he relaxes around you and when you do it. There’s a small smile on your lips when he tries to catch your eyes but looks away instantly, blushing again, and it makes you wonder when he’ll stop blushing around you. 

“You’re cute, Haruka,” you said, brushing away his bang to kiss his forehead. And without a second of hesitation – when in fact yes, but you tried to ignore it –  he was arguing with you about how he is NOT cute, simply proving your point again and again.

Let me know if you like it !

[merlucide]

HAIRCARE!~♪

notes: ‘this alien stage x reader was sponsored by free time in the car’😌

characters: all characters

warnings: cursing, not edited/proofread (idgaf)

She’s always had long hair, and has always preferred it this way

She does her very best to keep the tangle free- but at the end of the day it’s full of knots

This is why she loves hair days!

She’ll lay down on your lap and be all happy with your fingers combing through her pretty long hair

It helps her unwind from the day, it’s because apart of her daily routine ig :3

She just likes talking to you about whatever

Then when’s she’s had her full of love and affection she’ll pamper you endlessly heh

Loves twirling your hair around and making up hairstyles

She can do anything you want for the most part! She’s a bit messy but it always looks good :3

She doesn’t style her hair really, aside from combing it or putting it in a pony

When her hair was longer fans had you put it in braids then :3

Honestly she doesn’t like people touching her hair, gets it all greasy and messed up yk?

But she doesn’t mind if you’d like to play with hers time to time :)

At your time at anakt you’d both sit underneath the trees there and try to intertwine the flowers into her hair.

Sua was better at styling flowers than you were tho heh

She likes twirling you hair around her finger :3

You could look at Till and think ‘he dgaf about his hair’ —but he actually does gaf 😭🙏 he wants to look cool okay?? His hair is important to him 

He takes like 5 minutes in total making sure his hair looks good lmao

It’s just perfectly messy ya’know? :3

He likes brushing your hair

It’s very soothing for him

If he’s feeling creative he’ll experiment around with different styles but mostly just brushes lmao

Don’t gaf about his hair

But he has to gaf about his hair 😔 sad thing

Gotta keep that image up yk 🥲

Normally he just combs through it and calls it good (on a normal day anyways)

Likes it to look pretty neat tho

He likes making a rats nest of yours though!

Kidding, kidding (kinda..)

Likes ponytails:)

But yeah he just fucks up your hair for fun basically

True love? 

Oh boy 💀 THIS diva

As the star that Luka is, his appearance is the most important aspect of his product (well following after his voice but YK-)

Bro has a curl routine n all

I mean he’s basically an influencer?? in a way?? So id imagine he gets free stuff

Anywho he’s a scruncher then he uses that curl thing (I’ll look it up later)— It’s a process

Prefers you not to touch his hair, will smack your hand away LMAO

But when’s he’s utterly exhausted and burnout he’ll put your hand on his head (if he has the energy too anyways)

Lukas not like 😭 an affectionate person anyways?- well it’s weird? He’s touchy but not, affectionate

Ya get it?

He might twirl your hair around but that’s kinda it 😭🙏 hate to be a dream destroyer

Well I’ll give some crumbs…heh..heh

S

When you two are lying alone in bed together— wether it’s after a photoshoot or what not, he’ll like creep up behind you and start caressing you hair

It’s a bit uncomfortable at first because you can just FEEL him burning holes into the back of your head while twirling your hair 😭🙏 sweating n shit

It’s relaxing for him anyways, when he’s tired but not ready to sleep yet yk

Hyuna 🤤 hair goals fr fr

She usually just has it down or in a high pony/braid tbh

Her hair is LONG AF and is such a pain to deal with so I’d imagine she just puts it up and calls it good

She washes her hair like once a week anyways (the shower is full of grime JUST from her hair 😭🙏)

She dgaf (yesss Hyuna 🥹🗣️)

She’s really great at braiding!! When she decided to put her hair in a braid one day you would NAWT shut up about how she needs to have it styled like that more often (and she did hehe)

Hyuna also collects trinkets— whenever she goes out on raids/bounties or wtv she picks up/steals (LMAO) anything that catches her eye (Like a crow! heh)

She always brings smth back for you, any shiny things go to you, only the best for her babe 😌

Now!- when you asked her to braid your hair you brought up the trinkets suggesting that you put it in the braids- like as accessories!!

And she liked that idea vv much ofc and planted little coins and charms tied into your hair :3

Your head legit looked like a crows nest lmao

But it looks so pretty!! Two fishtail braids with shiny things in your haiirrrrrr!

She was proud af of her work 😌

You both went person to person showing off your head lol

DEWEY (I love him plsss)

His head is full of tangles, but he insists it’s just apart of his ‘look’

His really not picky with his hair- just prefers redoing his roots before they get too-too grown out yk

Which of course you always help him!

He sits on the floor criss-cross in his white tanktop and sweats while you mix the blonde dye

He stays still for the most part, but gets antsy staying in the same position for too long

He justs yap your ear off while you apply the color loll

“Yah so, I tried 85 arm-curls which that went friggin’ awesome as expected-“ “Yeah then Isaac went blackout drunk- Ha it was hilarious” “I think the showers broken ‘cause when I turned it on purple shit came out-“

Since his hair is all sticky and wet he like makes his hair stick  straight up lmao😭

Tries to convince you to use the left over dye on Isaac lmao

While he waits for it to dry he begs you to let him do your hair

He tries to do a Dutch braid, but fails lmao

“WHY ISNT YOUR HAIR WORKIN’?!”

And ur like ?! Everything good back there ?!

He keeps trying until your hair is a literal rats nest lol

He just looks at his mess like ‘oh shit’

Ur so pissed at him and he’s like: 🥺

So he just brushes out the mess he made lol

Which it freakin hurt bc OWWW KNOTS

After it’s all brushed out he just did a basic braid and called it good lmao

Then you take him to the showers to rinse it out and in fact- purple did come out

Probably should’ve thought about that before you stuck his head under the shower head heh..

You ended up using the sink in the bar and everyone just sorta was like ‘uh, okay’

Just imagine Dewey laying on the counter with his head in the sink lol- def stained the counter

Bro shakes his head like a dog to dry off, THEN gets a towel

Smh

In reward for you hard work he gives you a big fat smooch heh

Then goes around base to show everyone his hair lmao

Successful hair dyeing day with Dewey id say!

(Dewey j love you please I need more of him yall PLEASE.)

ISAAC (I LOVE YOU TOO!!)

I mean he just puts his cap on and calls it a day sooo

Really couldn’t give two shits about it lmao

Doesn’t care if you mess around with his hair, so might as well go for it :3

You tried putting his hair into a piggy tail, which his hair is so short so it just kinda, stuck out 😭

He really does love playing with your hair :) it’s actually rlly cute he’ll be talking to a member and just be playing with your hair (the thought gives me butterflies gets me mushy SOB)

by the time he’s done talking to the person there’s like 6 little braids in your hair on on side 😭🙏

Best hair time w/ him is when yall are fucked up and tied from raiding and just lay together, you most likely on top of him

And he just holds ya and plays with your hair 🥹

Yall talk about the day, or some things you’ve been thinking about, just quiet words yk? :)

(Stop I’m like tweaking thinking about this wtf)

help so sorry for how short Till+Ivans is 😭🙏 no creative juice came for them (and I wrote theirs last so yk…)

Made December 20th 2024

[chiasaaa]

— mean it || part i

itoshi sae x f! reader

summary: loving someone as cruel as itoshi sae has to be the worst thing that ever happened to a hopeless romantic like you. years of pining over your childhood crush finally comes to an end, or does it?

warning: english is not my first language. apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors.

— when itoshi sae left japan, he not only left his family and a broken promise with his little brother. no, he left a person that carved a huge hole in his heart when he did so. who would have known that japan's pride and joy had fallen for your charm? certainly not you, because you have been vocal about your interest to the auburn-haired boy since you were six, and he never bothered reciprocating your feelings. whenever you ask him how he feels about you, he never answers and would very much rather deadpan instead. his one true love is football, and there is nothing that will stop him from reaching his dreams. he will do whatever it takes to become the greatest; shifting his dream from being the world's greatest striker to the world's greatest midfielder is proof of that dedication. he didn't care what he has to do to get there. sae will continue playing football even after his legs break.

it was something you admired greatly about him. it was natural for both of you to become friends when you've met, given that you share the same interest. at some point, you both also shared the same dream of becoming the world's best striker.

it seems like only one of you has reached such doors of opportunity as you were finally scouted by re al madrid's women's division as a striker—a centre forward to be specific. you were seventeen when you were scouted, and through the one year you've worked with re al, you have never once caught a glimpse of itoshi sae. even so, you didn't mind. you were there for your dream, not to catch up to sae. it was one of the things that he came to admire about you.

since he was a kid, he had always known about your childish feelings for him. at first, he thought it was annoying and considered cutting you off if you prove to be a hindrance. he tried to see just how far you'll go for him—to please him. however, when he realized that you don't use your feelings as a reason to excuse his bad behavior, he couldn't help but feel gravitated towards you. it began to scare him, how you suddenly have control over his actions and plagued his thoughts, so he left.

it wasn't until your match against wc barcha that your paths have decided to reunite you two. the championship game for nationals is today, and the same stadium was used for both men's and women's games. right after sae took a shower and freshened up, their team captain informed them that they will be watching the women's match. though, it wasn't needed. the fact that it's the championship game and their team is in the game for the first time in five years was enough for the reigning champions of the men's division to watch.

that was how he ended up sitting with the rest of his team at the very front of the stadium, eyes wide by the slightest inch at the sight of you standing proud within the starting lineup as the match began its opening ceremony.

you have certainly changed. your previous long raven hair now had streaks of auburn in them and seemed longer than ever. contrary to how you used to tie your hair in french braids, you now tie it securely in a single high ponytail. you have grown taller, though he still towers over your figure. your clean nails that you religiously took care of now had gel polish in them.

and most importantly, the hideous neon pink cleats you used to play with are now replaced by a powder blue shade—your favorite. he would be lying if he said it didn't bother him, knowing fully well that those neon pink cleats were a gift from him, but he fooled himself to think that your shoe size simply changed over time and you can't use them anymore.

still, why did you have to change the color if you once said that neon pink reminds you of him?

throughout the entire match, his eyes remained on you. the fact that you're playing in a completely different level now made him feel like he never knew who you were at all. you have exceeded most strikers already, even within the male's division. playing against guys your entire life proved advantageous in the pro league because it certainly shows when you're put up with the rest of the lukewarm idiots. they all seemed like headless chickens compared to you.

you were graceful, yet destructive. that addictive yet terrifying feeling began to creep in from behind again, and it made him feel nauseous. you're one terrifying being, with that way you're able to win over people's hearts so effortlessly.

"and re al's shooting star delivered the decisive goal! for the first time in five years, re al has reclaimed the throne as spain's champions!"

having both teams win called for a big celebration for the entire re al team. it didn't help sae when you were invited as the opening speaker for the party. throughout your speech, his eyes never left your figure. a sense of pride welled in his chest now that he sees you holding three golden trophies you've most definitely earned. it was proof of your hard work. you were madrid's shooting star—the one person they needed to finally win and snatch the crown back to represent spain in the international league.

it wasn't until the end of your speech that your eyes have finally spotted sae in the crowd, your breathe caught up in your throat the moment you realized it was him. leonardo luna even had to assist you down the stage, mainly due to your long evening gown, for you to finally snap back into reality.

he is here.

quite funny how you first had to win nationals just for you to get a glimpse of him. now that he really is in the same room as you, you don't know how to react anymore.

should you hug him? wait, he might not even remember you. maybe a hello would do and not scare him away. what if he doesn't remember you, though?

you've been thinking about it too much at the balcony with a glass of wine twirling between your fingers that you failed to notice how you accidentally manifested said man by your side.

"finally decided to show up, huh?"

it took you by surprise, feeling his gentle breath against your ear as he spoke. you jumped back in slight surprise, and it was thanks to his quick reflexes that he avoided an unwanted accident by catching the glass you just dropped. he hands it back to you with a slight chuckle, finding it amusing that behind the new you is the same clumsy girl he once played football with.

"sae," you utter in disbelief. "f-funny seeing you here."

"huh? you know i play for re al."

"really? couldn't have known! haha..."

then, it was awkwardly silent. you quietly sipped on your drink as you actively avoided his gaze, finding interest in the pitch black emptiness they call the sky.

"i was waiting for you." he finally said, breaking the silence like shattered glass. "i knew you could do it."

"it took awhile," you slowly relaxed into the conversation until you're comfortable enough to start talking about your journey—how you always had him in your thoughts whenever you train. he painfully reminded you of your silly antics as a child crushing over him. how you promised to him that you'll one day go down on one knee at the centre of the football stadium to ask for his hand in marriage.

you couldn't help but feel hopeful now that he's mentioned all of it in one night, finding that maybe itoshi sae isn't completely against the idea of being yours. what else could it mean, right? he was the first to approach and congratulate you for reaching this milestone. he was the first to strike up a conversation for the both of you to finally catch up. he was the first to stir the storytelling to the silly romances you both shared before.

the feeling only intensified when he asked you to ditch the party with him and go someplace instead, hiding your adventures into the mystery of the night.

maybe, just maybe, itoshi sae wants you just as much as you've been wanting him all these years.

[readychilledwine]

Slow Hands

Part Two

A/N - Here's the first post for my "Here's to 100" Celebration week. 💙 I'm starting off with something I've received a few requests and messages about.

Warnings - mentions of abuse/trauma, mentions of child abuse, mentions of scars. Smut smut smut. Anal play, pet/master dom and sub dynamic play. Fingering, oral (m recving)/throat fucking. Minors DNI.

Part One

Lyria leaned closer into her mirror, examining the peachy nude lipstick she was wearing one more time before standing up straight and fixing part of her hair.

She was putting so much effort into her looks for a male. Something her brothers would frown upon since they normally praised her natural beauty. She had curled and braided her hair in places before pulling into a messy yet almost flirty, high ponytail. She had done her makeup. She put on expensive perfume.

She was even wearing a dress, something she had not done since being freed from the mountain. She brushed her hands along the baby blue fabric one more time before moving to look herself over in the full length mirror. The dress was one Rhysand had actually bought for her when he first brought her here. He loved the way the color sat on her golden skin tone, how it brought out the red in her hair. He had told her to save the little number for her first date in his court.

She didn't think he had planned on that date being with his brother. She pulled on her heels and put on the earrings she had picked for the night. A soft knock on her door made her heart beat pick up as she made her way over.

She opened the door, allowing Azriel in. "Hey, you're early." He was silent, staring at her with his mouth slightly parted. "Do I look okay? Rhys told me you had picked somewhere really nice, I can change." He grabbed her arm as she moved to go back to her room.

"You look stunning. I just didn't expect," he studied her again. The way the dress hugged her upper body, cinching at her small waist, before flaring out slightly and ending above her knees. Her long legs highlighted by the heels she was wearing. "Gods, you're beautiful."

She smiled softly at him. "You aren't so bad looking yourself." He was dressed in tighter black trousers, a black button up shirt. He had on several rings and a watch. "Let me grab my purse and we can go."

"You don't need your purse." He offered her his arm. "Let's just go get dinner."

—----------

The restaurant Azriel brought her to was an Inner Circle favorite by the Sindra. Faelights and candles adorned the patio they had opted to sit on to enjoy the beautiful summer evening.

He found himself falling into easy conversation with her. They had spoken about his upbringing, how they met Rhys, about how she got into healing.

There was a couple tense topics Azriel wanted to approach with the Heiress, like the topic of her older brothers, of her fathers, of why Rhysand had brought her here and hid her from all of them until now, but he danced around them waiting for her to make an opening. He was tired of waiting though, and needed answers before he put his plan for tonight into action.

"Do you talk to your brothers?" She looked at him a little shocked and blinked. "If you don't mind me asking." She does, a shadow whispered. Gentle.

Lyria sighed, pushing her pasta around her plate. "I speak with Eris and Lucien. I do not talk to the other males I have the unfortunate pleasure of being related to."

Azriel nodded. "What's Eris actually like? Behind that mask and bullshit self defense mechanism?"

Lyria looked at Azriel and sighed softly. "Ask me what you actually want to ask."

"What happened with Mor? Did you have part in it?"

Lyria shook her head. "I was a child when they were engaged. All I remember from that night was Eris had allowed me to ride with him on a border patrol. We found her, and he begged her to let us help. She refused. He asked if he could at least get her somewhere she'd be safer, and could be found because the Autumn forest isn't a good place for people my father deems unworthy."

Lyria sighed again. "He had me use what little knowledge I had on winnowing to get her to the clearing you found her in. He hardly slept that night. I know there were discussions between the two of them before this all happened, some hushed fighting, but Eris protected me from whatever little things he could that would lead to Beron hurting me or using me. Mor included."

Azriel nodded. Slowly processing the added information. "So he isn't lying?"

"Eris is kind, caring, funny. He would have never purposely hurt her." Lyria pushed her plate away. "And your question on Lu?"

"How much has he told you?"

Lyria shook her head again before beginning to play with her hair. "Not much honestly. He's not thrilled we are here together, but he understands I am grown enough to make my own choices."

Azriel nodded again. "Why did Rhys hide you for so long?"

She shook her head and held up her arm, a small bargain tattoo unveiling itself. "I can't tell you that. Can we go? I feel like some of this is better discussed alone."

—---------

Azriel pulled her closer to him as they sat on her couch. Talking had quickly turned into kissing, and kissing to heavy touching. Her nails were currently dragging down his bare chest, shirt long lost in some corner of her house, as he ran his own hands up her bare thighs.

Azriel lifted her, remembering he had wanted to repay a favor, and began walking her down the hallway to the room they were in last week.

It came alive the second they entered. Candles and faelights began to brighten, the sounds of nature setting in softly in the background. The soft smell of jasmine and honey hit his nose. "Why is it so… sensual smelling in here tonight?"

Lyria threw her head back with a soft moan as Azriel moved his kisses down her throat and neck. "Feyre and Rhys booked a couples massage lesson. I taught them little tips and tricks based in pleasure massage, they had champagne and chocolates, went home to try to make baby number two." Az chuckled softly against her throat. "Don't laugh. Couples in Velaris go crazy for my date night packages!"

Azriel kissed her deeply again, beginning to unlace the dress she was wearing. "And when is the last time someone took care of your body, Lyria?"

She knew it was a coded question. He was asking her two things. "It's been a while." She confessed.

"Let me take care of you, little fox. Get undressed. Lay on the table on your stomach." He kissed her gently before leaving the room to give her privacy to undress.

Lyria heated the table and blanket, sighing happily as she allowed the dress to fall and hung it. She got on the table, giggling as a shadow caressed her hair before covering her with a towel and Azriel entered.

Her approached her slowly, hand gently running her upper thigh to her ankle as he began to hold back anticipation over her newly exposed skin. He ran his hand softly back up the other leg, admiring every freckle on her shoulders before pausing to look at the scarring on her back.

She had been beaten with something, he ran a hand down one, the familiar sensation of a burn scar under his finger tips. Something that was on fire. "Who did this to you?"

Lyria sighed, turning to look at him with a brow raised. "Beron. His favorite method to put me in line with was a 9 tail whip. He liked how thin the scars were. If I was being extra defiant, he'd light the whip on fire after force feeding me faebane." She felt Azriel's grip on the table, his knuckles had turned white. Lyria pulled one of his hands to her head, laying it back down, "Start with the scalp and work down."

Azriel took a few stilling breaths, his hand instantly beginning to scratch and pull at her hair gently from the base. She let out a soft nose that brought him back to her, back to this moment. He didn't speak as he began to try to take care of her. He watched as she shivered slightly as he gripped the hair at the base of her neck. "You are beautiful," he whispered to her. "So beautiful."

Lyria moaned as his hands moved down to her neck and shoulders. He watched her shiver again, signaling to him he had found the right amount of pressure. He worked the tension out slowly before moving lower.

Lyria sighed softly as Azriel's hands ran along her back. He was being so gentle with her even if it was clear he didn't exactly know what he was doing.

She moaned as he applied more pressure to a tighter area, causing the male to grin with satisfaction. "Like that, little fox?"

"Just like that," her voice had become breathy, eyes fluttering shut. He was doing the best he could to remember her motions from the week before, copying them as closely as possible.

Azriel was almost desperate to see her fall apart the way he had. He was desperate to repay that favor. He allowed his shadows to begin exploring. Watching as they played in her hair, down her back, over the perfect ass he'd been dreaming about.

His goal was set as she moaned as he moved to another tight area. Lyria was going to cum for him tonight, and he honestly did not care how.

His methods became more focused, he began softer touches, watching as goosebumps danced across her skin. His shadows had begun to play in her hair. She was catching on to what was happening. "Whatcha doin', Az?" Her tone was playful as she lifted herself to peek over her shoulder at the blushing male.

Azriel smirked at her, a scarred hand going under the towel to touch the bare skin of her ass and squeezing it. "Repaying a favor." He started to use methods he knew worked. He began kissing her back and neck, whispering into her ear. "Do you want me to touch you, Lyria?"

"Cauldron boil me," she moaned softly as he bit her shoulder. He smirked as she arched her back slightly into him. He could smell her. The scent of their arousal mixing in the air as he moved his hand lower and closer to her core. A soft whimper left her throat. "Please."

"Please what, princess?"

"Touch me."

Azriel wasted no time, running his fingers on her already soaked core before pushing two into her. He used his other hand to tangle into her soft hair, pulling it to force her back to arch more. "Such a pretty little thing." She moaned loudly as his finger stretched her open.

"Azriel," her voice had gone completely breathy at this point. "Feels so good."

He smirked. "Just wait, princess. Your pretty cunt will feel so good wrapped around me." He pulled his fingers out of her, quickly turning her over on table and pulling her closer to the ledge. His fingers returned to her again, his thumb now joining in his assault on her by brushing against her clit. She had propped herself up on her elbows, watching as Azriel's fingers sunk in and out of her.

She was moaning his name, moaning praise, gasping softly with each delicious pull and push. "Look at me," he said. "Eyes on mine, princess." She looked into Azriel's hazel eyes. "Good girl. Such a good girl. Do you want to cum on my fingers?"

Lyria nodded, her red hair bouncing slightly at the motion. "Please."

"What do I get?" She whined as he curled his fingers into that perfect spot.

"Anything. You can have anything." Azriel hummed, and sped up his hands movements, groaning to himself as he felt her walls twitching around his fingers, tightening in excitement. Lyria was still following his orders, her beautiful eyes locked on his as her mouth fell open.

Azriel leaned forward, pushing her submission to find out exactly what he was dealing with. He grabbed her chin with his spare hand, holding her jaw open as he maintained eye contact with her, and then spit into her mouth. "Swallow." She did. "Cum, little fox." And she did. Lyria felt that coil snap in her stomach. He forced her to keep eye contact with him as she moaned out his name loudly, her toes curling. Shadows began to play along her breasts, pinching and tweaking her nipples causing more stimulation and prolonging her orgasm.

Azriel smirked as she rode his hand through her high, chest heaving. "On your knees. Take my pants off." He removed his fingers from her, pulling them to his mouth to suck them clean as he stepped back.

Lyria obeyed, getting on her knees in front of him and unlacing the tight material. She pulled them down his thighs and removed them, running her hands back up his thighs as she sat and waited. "Mouth open, hands behind your back. Tap my thigh twice if it's too much." He stroked his cock, watching as she got into position and parted her lips for him. "Gods, you are obedient, aren't you?"

"I just want to be your good girl," the soft confession almost made Azriel feel guilty as he pushed himself into her mouth, gripping the back of her head to hold her in place as the base of him.

"And you are." He began to fuck her throat slowly, watching her face as drool and tears began to form. His hands were laced tight into her hair for control as he growled above her. "Look so beautiful with my cock down your throat. Such a pretty little mess." She gagged softly around him. Play. He commanded his shadows, smirking as she moaned loudly at them beginning to trace over her clit, her nipples, dragging themselves between her folds. He picked up speed, watching as her mascara began to run, moaning as he destroyed her.

A familiar tight feeling started in his abs as his wings began to flare more. Azriel ripped her off of him and up before it could go further than he wanted and bent her over the table. "Are you on the tonic?" She nodded, unable to form words as his shadows continued their assault. "Good." Azriel lined himself up and pushed inside of her, head falling back into his shoulders as they both moaned. He grabbed both of her arms, pulling her slightly off the table and forcing her to use her abs to support herself.

He set a fast pace, filling her in a way no male ever had before. Stretching her more than any male had before. Lyria was quickly a mess, moaning his name and meeting his thrusts. "Is that the only word my beautiful little fox knows now? Have I fucked you so dumb already you can only say my name?" The drag of his cock as he teased her made her whimper and nod. "Fucking perfect. You are fucking perfect." Azriel grabbed both of her wrists in one hand. His other hand was squeezing her ass again as she laid back on the table.

"How far can I push you, Lyria? Where's the line?" Azriel began to tease her other hole. "Should we find out, princess?"

A scream of his name as he found that sensitive spot in her cunt was her only response. He could feel her wetness dripping, he could feel her tightening around his cock. He took the chance and pushed his thumb into her ass, chuckling as she moaned his name again. "Azriel, fuck! Please."

"Flithy fucking whore, aren't you?" Lyria nodded, smiling at the accusation. "Should I fuck your pretty ass next time? Gods, I'm going to fucking keep you. Can I keep you baby girl? Lock you up in my cabin in chains and just use this little body? Ill treat you like such a good little pet baby. You will be so spoiled."

Lyria was lost, pleasure building so tightly in her stomach she was going to explode soon. He felt so good inside of her and each groan and growl he released had her body fluttering in feminine pleasure. "Yes, master." Azriel groaned above her. "You can keep me."

He was smirking behind her again. He began thrusting even harder into the overly sensitive spot, growling as she got impossibly tighter around him. "Good little pet." His thumb was moving in time with his cock, he could feel it dragging, adding stimulation for both of them. Lyria was twitching around him, drooling and whispering in his name as over sensitivity set in. "Are you going to cum with my thumb in your ass, pet?"

A harsh thrust came after the question, making Lyria see stars as her toes began to curl again. "Yes, master. Can I cum? Please?"

Azriel growled again, his own orgasm right within reach. "Cum," he commanded. "Cum on my cock. I want to feel you fall apart on me."

She came with a scream of his name, Azriel roaring behind her as he also fell over the edge with that final stimulation of her walls fluttering around him. "That's it, pet. There you go." The hand holding her wrist dropped them, guiding her soft pushing against his hips to pull him further into her. "Good girl, Lyria." He pulled his other hand out of her, resting it by her waist as he ran the other up and down her back. "Took me so well, baby."

Lyria shuttered at the praise. Her eyes shut as she came down fully. "We should do this again." Azriel nodded in agreement, pulling out of her slowly and grabbing the towel on the table to clean both of them.

Lyria turned as he threw it into the hamper and froze. Azriel looked at her his brows knitted in confusion. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Then he felt it. Azriel froze as well as he stared at her. A snap happened between the both of them causing his breath to hitch and hers to still.

The string connecting them was golden and sparkling. He pulled her to him instantly, hand holding the back of her hair as he began to cry happily into her head. "You have no clue how long I've been looking for you." He kissed the top of her head, then her forehead, then each cheek and nose. He finally kissed her lips. Lyria kissed him back, just as eager and smiled as he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. "Maybe we can do this again in a couple days, but minus the sex? Just spend time together?"

She nodded at his offer, trying to ignore her growing glowing skin. "I'd like that a lot."

"Do you always glow after sex?"

He smiled as she blushed. "No. I glow when I'm happy."

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Can I ask for a gn! Yuu that has very long hair like atleast that's touch the ground?

No need to do the request do ill wait and

P.s. I love your monster au❤❤❤

Awww, thank you! If I had to say, I think my Monster!AU is my most popular AU so far 😂 It’s just so much fun, and while I love doing the worldbuilding, the wholesome silliness and found family vibes just always get me ;;v;;

Anyway, you most certainly can! I couldn’t help but get flashbacks to my high school years when my best friend would call me Rapunzel because of how long my hair was…and the sheer panic and horror she felt when I came to school one day after getting a haircut and my hair was up to my jaw. Don’t worry, it grew back! I’ve only had it cut that short once, but never again. :V It took three years to get it back down my spine. >.>

So while you asked for a gn!Yuu with long hair (and I’m assuming it’s in Monster!AU), you didn’t necessarily specify any scenario, so I hope you enjoy the random silliness based on my experiences with critters and long hair! >w<

////

When Yuu was finally able to get out of the ceremonial robes and into more comfortable clothes on the first night in Ramshackle, it came as quite a shock to Grim and the ghosts when they unwrapped their hair to the point the tips touched the ground. Given how dirty it was, however, Yuu had to quickly tie up their hair to keep it away from the dust.

“Where did you put all that?!” Grim asked, patting a paw against their hair as they tried to run their fingers through the long strands. “Why is it so long?!”

“Because I wanted it to be long?” Yuu replied with a shrug.

“Oh…do all humans have long hair?”

Despite being a chaotic gremlin in the beginning, Grim is more curious about the length and texture of Yuu’s hair than anything. At some point he realizes just how warm it is and will often be found practically wrapped up in it, snoozing away and just enjoying the comforting scent of their shampoo.

And then there were the monster students.

Hair is not a foreign concept by any means to these monsters, though the fact that there was someone who had hair this long? It reminded so many of those who knew the story of the Sun Kingdom and the princess with long hair who used incantations on a golden flower to bring her lover back from the dead!

“…your hair doesn’t glow, does it?” Ace asked, bouncing Yuu’s hair in his hands as he held it up to see it in the light.

“If it starts glowing, feel free to freak out, because I sure will!”

An issue that they came across, however, was how often the long strands got caught underfoot by monsters near them. More than once did their head jerk back because someone happened to step on it, whether they were trying to stand up or move to another spot. It happened more than once to the point Yuu’s neck started to hurt from the frequency. Such things didn’t go unnoticed by a certain unicorn…

“Honestly, you’re going to ruin your hair and your posture if you keep letting it drag on the floor like a mop,” Vil scolded them, the unicorn’s lion-like tail swishing in agitation as he worked through the newly formed knots.

“I can just put it up in a ponytail or a bun,” Yuu told him. “It’s no big deal.”

“Absolutely not! If you’re going to keep your hair this long, then at least do something more presentable and functional to keep it healthy and strong.”

So began the long process of Yuu having to sit through lessons on hair care from Vil. They watched as he worked in the mirror to fashion their hair into new styles, referencing videos he’d watched online and resources for hair that closely fit their own to ensure he knows how to care for and teach Yuu. They listened as he instructed them on how to braid or twist their hair into styles they never even considered, and before long they were walking out of Pomefiore with hair care samples and a long, thick braid that hung at the back of their knees. It was a little heavier than they were used to, but not unmanageable.

It certainly made it easier to dance and run after their friends when a certain gremlin chimera got up to mischief!

When Cheka comes to visit, Yuu can’t help but notice how much he acted like a kitten that they just…couldn’t help but let him play with their hair. It was adorable to watch at first, but—like all things in Twisted Wonderland—something inevitably goes wrong.

“How did he get tangled up in your hair this badly??” Jack asked as he tried to figure out how to unravel the giggling child from their hair.

“Ow…Cheka was just so cute playing, and I only looked away for a second,” Yuu said, their hands on their scalp to keep the tugging at a minimum. “I didn’t think he’d get tangled up like this!”

“Halp!” Grim cried out, squirming around Yuu’s hair as well.

“Ow ow ow ow! Grim, stop! You’re pulling on my scalp!”

“I’m starting to think that human hair is used to trap prey,” Ruggie commented with a snicker, though his fingers were still combing through and untangling the hair quicker and easier than Jack.

After all is said and done, Yuu’s hair is quite fascinating even to Cater’s Magicam followers, leading to some crazy hairstyles and designs to be created (and lots and lots of safe hair dye and hair spray to be used). If Yuu wants to use a rainbow of colors or specific ones for their hair, Vil and Professor Crewel will find ways to help do so without damaging the roots or strands with harsh dyes or bleach!

Straight? Curly? Wavy? Dreadlocks? Afros? Any style and texture of hair a human could have! Imagine the possibilities with styles and colors in a world where Yuu can literally ask someone to use magic to see how something would look! And there wouldn’t be any issue with returning it to normal because magic~!!

Kudos to those of you who are able to confidently dye your hair wonderful colors, I love seeing the hues that can be done ;;v;; I'm too chicken to do it to my own hair, so I live vicariously through seeing others do it. 😃

Anyway, that’s all I can think of off the top of my head! Hope you guys enjoy! >v<

[froggyfernycabbage]

Wildest Dreamings

Chapter 3: Studying Strife

Elphaba doesn't want to dance through life, she just wants to read.

1 | 2

READ ON AO3

Elphaba Thropp woke to the sound of her roommate squealing like a lunatic. This was not the first time Galinda’s high-pitched hullabaloo had interrupted her slumber, but she had yet to find a way to tune it out. 

She sat up in bed and watched through groggy eyes as Galinda flitted around the room, feverishly primping as if her life depended on it. The obnoxious squeak of her perfume bottle was too much for Elphaba to bear this early in the morning, so she laid back down, using her pillow as a soft shield. 

She’d slept poorly the night before, her mind restless with worry over Dr. Dillamond’s warnings of unrest. That arrogant, unfunny man from the forest was also plaguing her thoughts, but she tried not to dwell on the recklessness of traveling imbeciles. 

Galinda finally burst out of their room, clearly on a mission, so Elphaba emerged from the safety of her humble alcove. She changed out of her nightgown and into her favorite pinafore and blouse, carrying on with her braided high ponytail from the day before. Her safety might have been compromised during that near-trampling, but at least her hair had kept its composure. 

Elphaba emerged from the dormitory, readying herself for the typical stares and sneers, but as she made her way across campus, she noticed something strange. The student body whispered and giggled as they normally did, just not at her. She couldn’t surmise the subject of their jabber, nor did she care to, but it was surprising to go unnoticed for once. 

Many students were clutching that day’s edition of the Shiz Gazette, devouring the headlines as if they were starving for something buzzworthy. Elphaba had yet to read anything in that publication worthy of such excitement, preferring her actual textbooks to tedious reports of collegiate gossip.

It was her affection for actual books that brought Elphaba to the library, one of her few places of solace at the university. She’d always found comfort amongst their modest shelves at home, but something about this circular collection of the rare and ancient made Elphaba feel more powerful by association. The library reminded her that she’d earned her right to study at Shiz, and she refused to squander it. 

She spotted Nessarose at one of the study tables and sat beside her, arranging her supplies as they exchanged pleasantries. She’d been trying to maintain a healthy distance from Nessa to support her independence, but every once in a while she craved that fleeting sisterly connection. 

“I met the rudest person last night,” Elphaba whispered to her sister, figuring a tiny bit of gossip couldn’t hurt. 

“Uh-huh,” Nessa responded, seemingly preoccupied with her studying. Elphaba leaned over to see what had captured her attention, spotting a copy of the newspaper wedged between the pages of her textbook. 

“Oh Nessa, not you too! What could possibly have happened that has everyone so afflicted?”

Nessarose gasped and her eyes went wide. “Have you not heard? A prince just arrived on campus!” 

This piqued Elphaba’s interest more than she cared for. “A prince? Why? Is he here to cut a ribbon or something?” 

“No Elphaba, he just arrived as a student.”

Elphaba couldn’t imagine what an Ozian prince of any kind would be doing at a university like Shiz. Weren’t their lives preordained without any need for legitimate skills or knowledge? 

“Well, best of luck to him. I doubt he’ll last very long.” 

She didn’t have time to worry about a prince when The Complete Alchemist was calling to her. Madame Morrible had assigned the reading for her sorcery seminar, and Elphaba was enchanted by the history of magical genesis. It was unlike anything she’d ever been allowed to learn before, and she took vigilant notes. 

 “And this is the, um… book place!” 

Elphaba looked up at the sound of a most familiar chirp, and saw her roommate escorting a young man into the library. Galinda was rambling to him, something about medium-rare books that sounded like nervous, flirtatious nonsense. Who could have the Galinda Upland in such a tizzy? 

It wasn’t until Galinda tossed her hair and stepped away from her suitor that Elphaba got a good look at him. Tousled hair streaked with honey, broad shoulders covered in navy velvet, and sky-blue eyes clouded by smugness. To her horror, her moonlit assailant had returned in broad daylight – and he was waving at her, smiling like he’d just run into an old friend. 

Elphaba met his greeting with the most dismissive eye roll she could muster, and returned to her notes. She tried her hardest to focus on reading, but the new boy was determined to make his presence impossible to ignore. 

That Munchkin boy, Boq, literally fell over himself trying to overhear Galinda’s conversation with him, and Elphaba was embarrassed on Boq’s behalf. She figured if one is to eavesdrop, they must at least pretend to be disinterested, though Elphaba’s own nonchalance still needed work. 

She listened as her mystery trampler finally introduced himself to her classmate. “I’m Fiyero Tigelaar,” he turned to Galinda, “of Winkie Country.” She swooned, and it dawned on Elphaba that this Fiyero must be the student prince everyone was talking about. 

The scoundrel prince and her sickly sweet roommate – they deserve each other. They’ll torment me as a pair, Elphaba thought.

She watched on, nonchalance be damned, as Fiyero threw his arms around Galinda and Boq. “I see that once again that the responsibility to corrupt my fellow students falls to me.” Elphaba shuddered to think of the delinquency he might encouragerize. 

His first of many crimes was the ruthless chucking of an innocent book. It landed with a thud as he cartwheeled into a spiel about his flunking out of multiple schools. He seemed to be proud of such failures, which Elphaba found absurd. 

“They want you to become less callow, less… shallow?” he explained, eliciting another eye roll from the green girl. “But I say, why invite stress in?” 

The librarian, Oz bless her, attempted to restore order with a stern shush, but he disarmed her with a twirl and a kiss, lifting her tenderly onto a book cart. He sent her rolling away along with any authority she might have over him, and the crowd of students applauded. Elphaba felt nauseous. 

Fiyero continued on with his half-witted soliloquy on the merits of a meritless existence, gyrating around the library with his flock admiring each step he took on the covers of helpless tomes. Out of the corner of her eye, Elphaba could see that Nessarose was just as enamored with this mindless spectacle as the rest of their peers, and she could not hide her disdain. 

The prince set his sights on the circular bookcase at the center of the room, the university’s rarest books preserved within its rotating shelves. He activated its tornado wheel mechanics and made to leap inside, clearly not concerned with the endangerment of precious literature. Elphaba could no longer watch in silence.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled as she stood, actually hoping to redirect people’s attention for once. Instead, she faced a vexing chorus of shushes before they turned their gaze back to their new social captain. “Do you mind? Some of us are trying to learn something!” Galinda shot over her shoulder. 

Fiyero swung into the tornado wheel, books flying as he vaulted about, spewing more of his anti-intellectualism. The more she listened to his speech, she found that there was something kind of pitiful about what he was suggesting, that somehow life could be less fraught if one simply stopped caring about anything of value. That couldn’t actually be a fulfilling way to live, so she wondered what had led this privileged prince to such an ignorant philosophy. 

Realizing how distracted she had become, Elphaba needed to seek refuge in a quieter environment. “I’m gonna go study outside, I can’t listen to this,” she said to Nessarose.

She gathered her things and quickly made her way towards the exit, hoping to slip out without getting caught up in the foolery. Fiyero and his merry band were making plans to go down to some illicit ballroom that evening, which sounded just as distasteful as people dancing in a library. 

As she ran off, she didn’t notice the prince watching her. He had a momentary, intrusive idea to try to give the green girl a whirl, but then he got distracted by the blonde one. 

Elphaba found safety out in the courtyard, but she could still hear a muffled manifesto coming from the library. It was only after she saw the crowd file out in a flurry that she dared return to try to rescue and rehome any victimized books. 

Just as she finished, she saw Nessarose making her way over, beaming. “You’ll never guess what just happened!” After that morning’s surprises, very little could shock her. “What?”

“That perfectly adorable Munchkin boy just asked me out! He said he was too shy to ask me, at first, but then Galinda emboldened him,” Nessa explained, clearly giddy.

“Wait, Galinda?” Anything orchestrated by Miss Upland made Elphaba feel wary, and Nessa knew how little she trusted her roommate.  

“Don’t! Don’t you dare say another word against her. I’m about to have the happiest night of my life, thanks to Galinda.” 

Nessa went on, pleading with her sister to see how important this night was to her, how fate had brought her and Boq together, and how Galinda’s kindness shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Please, Elphaba, try to understand.” 

Elphaba took her baby sister’s hand, not nearly as little as it used to be. She knew that Nessa was old enough to make her own choices, and she refused to be like their father, infantilizing and paranoid. Her sister’s happiness, no matter how temporary it may be, mattered more than her own fears. 

“I do.”

Wildest Dreamings is Part One of The Land of What-Might-Have-Been, a two-part narrative revealing the complete love story of Elphaba Thropp and Fiyero Tigelaar.

[dracoangel]

DA: The Veilguard Review

Finally finished the game, so here is my review of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Full of spoilers so it will be under the cut!

But overall score TLDR: 5/10

For me, the game didn't get good until the end. At the Battle with Ghilan'nain and after. Before that it had it's good moments, but they were few and far between.

Graphics/Art Style & Character Creation

Truth be told, I'm still not a fan of the art style of characters/NPCS, I find it looks like trash. Like they couldn't decide on either being stylized or realistic so tried to do both and it came out just bad.

The environments were beautiful though.

Character Creation was pretty decent. Some high points: Saving your character as a preset so that can be imported (so long as you keep that character). Down side: they should have done the same with the Inquisitor. HAIR PHYSICS and they were great! I didn't have any issues with them going wild, which was very nice. Down side: need more ponytail/long braid options.

Combat

I played as a mage, and the combat took a lot to get used to. It's vastly different from any of the previous DA games. But I did come to really enjoy it, especially using the dagger/orb combo even if it had a much shorter range.

Writing, Dialogue and Choice

Overall the game has mediocre writing at best, and poor Taash just got butchered with their writing; which is a shame, because they could have been a great character. There are ways of writing characters like Taash and they failed. The dialogue is far too modern (such as using terms like 'non-binary and playing it off like a frickin' Tevene word, lazy). And the dialogue felt very condescending, as if the writers think we're idiots and have to be forcefully spoon fed.

Party dialogue was actually not bad for the most part. I found most of it to be quite entertaining.

The game just didn't feel like an RPG, they only gave the illusion of choice. What do I mean by that? Say they give you a choice of 2 options, but ultimately the outcome is the same. Example: The Battle of Weisshaupt, choosing to either talk the First Warden into listening to you or just punching him out. In the end it didn't matter, he still shows up to try and kill the Archdemon and instead gets taken out instead, he still ends up getting captured by the Gloom Howler and we still have to kill him. The only difference is that he will tell you about a feather or not. That's an illusion of choice, they pretend to give you choices but nothing changes.

There was only 1 choice that actually had any impact, and that was choosing who was going to be the diversion team in the Battle with Ghilan'nain. Even the choice of either saving Minrathous or Treviso ultimately didn't have major consequences since at the end of the game it's scrubbed clean (ie: Viper getting cleansed of the Blight).

The game was very sanitized. Basically anything controversial was scrubbed. There may been a couple mentions of topics like slavery and racism, but you never see it; which makes no sense because at least one of the areas we go to is the HEART of racism, slavery and blood magic, just not apparently in the side of town we were 🤣 And Lords of Fortune don't steal from other cultures? Someone might wanna tell DA2 Isabela that. The Crows, a band of cutthroat assassins who brainwash kids, are actually a found family that care about each other; I guess Zevran lied to the Warden.

Companions

I was pretty okay with all the companions on a base level, which is a first for me in a Dragon Age game. There is always at least 1 companion I'm not a fan of, which isn't a bad thing either; just like the real world some personalities just don't jive together.

I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to like Bellara, but she grew on me; though I will admit after my first game I kinda stopped listening to her. She felt guilty about everything and it just got annoying. I can understand why she would feel guilty about what happened to her brother (or what they all thought happened to her brother), but the frickin' guilt over the elven gods and the ancient elves? Seriously, that was just fucking' dumb.

And as stated previously, Taash got butchered with their writing.

Unfortunately, Harding was just rather bland to me; though her personal quests were nice but that is from a lore perspective not a character one.

Romance

What romances?

I have romanced Lucanis, Davrin, Emmrich, Neve and Taash.

Davrin's romance was okay, but still could use some work.

Neve and Lucanis' was super slow. And with Lucanis I didn't feel like I was in a romance with him until the very last scene with him before the fight with Elgar'nan.

Taash's was just cringy, it was like they were trying to make it like The Iron Bull's in Inquisition and fell horribly flat; I find it laughable that Corrine Busche said that Taash's romance is the steamiest romance, like LOL WUT, why? Because they showed Taash's ass? I can only conclude that is was the steamiest because the bar was already low with the others, or no one on DATV's crew has ever played a Bioware game before.

Emmrich's was by far the best. You actually feel like your in a romance with him, you go on dates (MORE THAN ONE), he calls you darling in conversations not just private ones, multiple kisses(!) and he's overall the sweetest.

I remember once Bioware stating how they put a lot of focus on romances with companions, and honestly you can't tell. Like everything related to Rook it feels like an after thought.

It also feels like a huge slap in the face that if you choose to save Minrathous instead of Treviso, thus making Lucanis hardened, that you cannot romance Lucanis because he "doesn't have time" but he'll turn around and romance Neve if you're not romancing her; and their romance sounds better than the one you have with him! It honestly made me feel like Bioware intended for the 2 companions to be together and not with Rook at all. But you can romance a hardened Neve?

Romances feel unfinished and need fixed because they are a joke.

Rook

I found myself being disappointed. This ties back into the game not feeling like an RPG. I felt like Rook was an after thought character, whereas the companions got the most attention. Rook has 3 flavors of nice, you can't be mean or really disagree with anyone and you're everyone else's therapist. I don't know why we got different "emotion" options in dialogue, when they were all basically the same and as far as I can tell it doesn't change Rook's tone in conversions, they have a more humorous/sarcastic tone by default even if you never choose that option (like my 2nd character I choose the "diplomatic" and "tough" options but she's still a sarcastic bitch). Which I feel it limits replayability as different characters because they may look unique but they definitely don't act it.

Rook Backgrounds

Like everything Rook related, kinda fell flat. I found only 3 of the backgrounds actually enjoyable; The Grey Wardens, The Crows and The Mournwatch

The Grey Wardens were the most immersive and enjoyable, which isn't surprising given how the story revolves around the Blight and darkspawn.

What was surprising is how non-immersive and dull Veil Jumpers were. For a story centering around the Elven Gods, ancient elves and elven history in general, the Veil Jumper background didn't have hardly anything to give. Your Rook comes off like a dunce when it comes to anything elven or artifact related (even playing as an Elf!). Making it feel like your Rook didn't pay attention to anything the Veil Jumpers did or just didn't care. Moments that I felt Rook should have had a dialogue option as a Jumper or party banter, just never happened. They were left to ask questions about it all and Bellara was the one to answer. Even more simple things like the Nadas Dirthalen a Rook elf Jumper didn’t know what it was.

Lords of Fortune was the most disappointing. They added nothing to the story other than saying "For Gold and Glory" all the time. They were my first background I played because I thought given their history they would have the most character, but no. They had the least. I don't know if I can contribute the sanitation of the game to this or not. Maybe if they acted more like the pirates they are actually supposed to be, they would have been more interesting. Instead they felt more like the Veil Jumpers, just out in the sea.

The Mournwatch was surprisingly very enjoyable, and being a Mournwatcher while romancing Emmrich I think enhances the experiences even more.

Story

For a company that used to be the PEAK at story telling, they fell flat in Veilguard. The premise of the main story was decent, though the writing ruins it.

Only once did I have any kind of emotional connection to the game. Finding out that Varric had been dead the whole time... that one wrecked me a bit. I thought they were going to kill him off, but I thought it was going to be one of those "noble sacrifices at the end" type deals. Only to find out he died at the beginning and you've basically been hallucinating him this entire time (makes me feel slightly bad ribbing him about not actually helping 😂).

Unfortunately the relationship between Rook and Varric fell flat, seeing as we came in a year after they've already established their partnership. I personally thought we were going to be coming into the story right when Varric recruits Rook (similar to DA2 with Hawke). So the tears I shed were not for what Rook lost, but who the Inquisitor, Hawke and myself as a player lost. Our man Varric has been with us for 13 years, we've watched his character change so much since that first introduction at the Gallows of Kirkwall and it's sad to see him go, even if I did foresee it.

Truthfully, the game didn't feel much like it was part of the Dragon Age universe. Not having our past choices as part of the world for that flavor really hurt the game. Sure there were small instances from previous games, like at Weisshaupt there were little flavor texts; like the chalice that was recovered from Ostagar, which was the chalice our Grey Warden drank from. A letter mentioning Kristoff, who was a Grey Warden in Dragon Age Awakening who died and the spirit of Justice (the same spirit who would end up possessing Anders in DA2) possessed his body to fight alongside us. But it's not enough. There was one instance I was kind of irked by, after meeting Morrigan in the Fade and finding out she now housed a shard of Mythal, Harding makes mention of Morrigan helping the Inquisition by turning into a dragon. They made that into a world canon event, when in fact that only happens if you allow Morrigan to drink from the Well of Sorrows instead of letting the Inquisitor do it. I chose to have the Inquisitor drink from the Well and thus we had to go fight a dragon and basically temporarily tame it. So that was very irksome to me that they basically changed my world state.

One thing I will give Bioware is the expansion on lore. Like with the Titans, the elves war with the Titans, what the Blight actually is, Grey Wardens and the changing Blight. The Grey Warden stuff really interested me because it made me wonder what that means for their Callings and if the Blight inside them has changed. What bums me out is that we may never get conclusions/answers to the questions that Veilguard brought up. Because 1. we're not getting any DLC. and 2. Veilguard didn't do very well, so it's up in the air whether or not we'll even get another Dragon Age; at least from Bioware, at this point I think Bioware needs to hand the Dragon Universe to someone that will give it the love it deserves.

I'm not sure why who the Inquisitor romanced in Inquisition really mattered to the story and was one of the 3 options that actually did carry over. My Inquisitor romanced Dorian and their romance was only ever referred to at the tail end of the game right before the final fight against Elgar'nan (and only because Dorian is present) and only had 1 codex entry mentioning it.

In the end the real question shouldn't have been who the Inquisitor romanced, but should have been "did they romance Solas or not". That would have been more accurate and wouldn't give us non-solasmancers false hope.

It blew my mind that the South ends up as bad as it does. Because for the players that have been playing since DAO know for a fact that Ferelden wouldn't have fallen that hard. Because there is no way that the HoF/Orlesian Warden and their choices in DAO and Awakenings would have left them unprepared for this shit. It's as if Bioware thinks the only protag that matters is the Inquisitor. Ultimately, I feel this was Bioware's way of deleting the old world because they were just lazy and didn't want to implement any of it.

--------------

So overall, the game was a 5/10. I've played Veilguard about 10 times since it's release, and the flaws have become even more glaring. And the only reason I've played it as many times as I have was to try all the backgrounds to see if any of them made the game better. It's definitely not as good as Baldur's Gate 3, which I've seen people say it is (it's not even in the same league, sorry).

[fhw-unleashed]

Take a look at the FHW universe yourself during a short training session with Miles. The experienced veteran wants to help you get back to your full potential. He's been nice to you since you joined the company, a real friend so far. <3 Read it here under the cut or on AO3.

Miles in all his glory was brought to life with this picture by @westealtoys. (Still a WIP but a great one)

Don't get distracted during training

It's just training, you keep telling yourself. You've trained with Miles many times, you've felt his hands on your body as you've practiced holds. Yet you feel your pulse racing in your head every time he touches you.

Why do you notice how damn hot he is every time you look at him? Those mountains of muscle flexing under his dark skin with every move. Not as defined as in his bodybuilder days, now the curves of his muscles are softer, covered in a soft layer that your hands sink into slightly when you grab him.

Concentrate, you must concentrate. He will grab your arm and bend down so you can roll over his shoulders and counter his hold.

Grab - roll - damn it, you've gone too high, your fingers get tangled in his hairband instead of wrapping tightly around his strong neck. You slip and fall onto your back right in front of him. He gives in to the rough tugging on his hair, drops to his knees with you, and comes right on top of you.

You release your fingers, and his loose ponytail opens completely, dropping his long box braids into your face. Only now do you realize that only a few inches separate your faces. Your throat tightens, heat creeps into your cheeks, and you hope he doesn't notice that you're blushing.

Miles licks his thin lips almost imperceptibly, sending a wave of rapture through your body, and you react almost too late when he asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I got distracted for a moment, I'm sorry," you stammer embarrassedly, clearing your throat to regain the strength in your voice.

"See, that happens to the best of us," Miles says gently, giving you a teasing wink. He slowly stands and his fingers slide across your chest. The delicate touch makes you shiver, and you wonder if that was his intention. You're sure he didn't need to touch you to get up.

Distracted by the long, slightly silver interwoven hair that fall down over his strong neck muscle to his chest, you take his helpfully outstretched hand a heartbeat later than you intended. Judging by his grin, he noticed you staring at him.

With a strong tug, he pulls you to your feet, so hard that you bounce lightly against his chest before regaining your balance.

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself, just because you've been on the big stages doesn't mean you can't make mistakes," he says encouragingly.

"Do you say that to everyone or just to me? I remember you saying, 'your mistakes are other people's injuries'," you reply, unable to stop grinning like an idiot despite the important topic.

"Both are true. We have responsibilities, but we're still human. You're talented and have everything a star needs. You just need to get your confidence back. Too much pressure and perfectionism can lead to more serious mistakes than getting caught in a hair band."

You swallow as he mentions serious mistakes. Suddenly, his hand squeezes your forearm in encouragement, and you notice that neither of you let go of the other after you stood up. Is this on purpose? Maybe you wish it were, but maybe it's just his willingness to help.

You need more clarity before your flushed cheeks turn too obviously red. "If you keep being so nice and flattering, I might think you're flirting with me."

"What if I am?" He says smoothly, and your heart skips a beat in your chest. You're glad he's still holding your forearm and squeeze it tighter before the lightness in your head makes you sway.

[brighteyedbushybrowed]

𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 Post-sex cuddles are the perfect opportunity for braiding hair it seems. 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 Hair Braiding 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩(𝐬) Mary Goore x GN!Reader 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 No smut but mentions of sex (18+ only, MINORS DNI or I'll delete all of your bookmarks on your AO3 account), Mary usually being uncomfortable with physical touch but he's okay with it with you, long hair Mary again because why not, can be read as a part 2 to yesterday's fic but also works well on its own I think. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 1157 words. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 I finished my final undergrad essay today!! Celebrating with more long-haired Mary content whoopee. I've briefly proofread this to make sure there are no gendered pronouns or terms used for reader but if I've missed any please let me know!! 𝐊𝐨-𝐟𝐢 𝐓𝐢𝐩 𝐉𝐚𝐫

One thing about Mary Goore: he loves to cuddle after sex. It’s his favourite part of aftercare. Or at least it is with you. He’s been discovering over the past few months since you decided to give dating a shot that he likes doing a lot of things with you that he didn’t think he would. Before, the thought of being touched and manhandled while he was sticky and sweaty and coming down from the high of a climax made him cringe. It sounded like something that would be overstimulating. Like it would be too much sensory input for him to handle immediately after.

And yet, despite thinking that before, he’s now snuggled up close to you and he can hear your heartbeat as he rests his head on your chest. Long strands of blonde have stuck to his forehead and your upper torso from the sweat, and he can feel your fingers lightly massaging his scalp as your breaths gradually even out.

“Mare?”

“Mm?” Mary hums, their digits tracing random patterns on your hip.

Your nails scratch gently at their skin. “Have you ever considered doing other things with your hair?”

They snort. “Listen, I’m willing to try new things but I don’t think I wanna use my hair to get you off. It would take ages to wash that shit out.”

You lightly smack their shoulder, eliciting a giggle that brings a smile to your face. “Not like that. I don’t even think that would be possible and no, we’re not going to test it out so don’t even try.”

“Damn, and I was so looking forward to giving you a hair job.”

They laugh again at the way your face wrinkles up in displeasure. “Gross. No, I meant like… hairstyles and stuff. Something other than putting your hair in a ponytail every time you go to work.”

Mary considers this for a moment, gazing down at the long, sweat-damp locks of blonde that tickle your chest. If they were being honest, they had thought about cutting it all off and starting fresh. They hadn’t gone to a salon for a long time now and they knew there were likely a few split ends that probably needed the chop. However, they’d had their hair this length for such a long time now that it felt like a much scarier step to take than it probably was in reality. While they weren’t afraid of change, sometimes adjusting to change was difficult. Their morning routine would change. Their appearance would change. Even the way you carded your fingers through their hair would change. It would no longer be long strokes but short and sweet. Were they prepared for that kind of change?

Your fingers nudging his chin break him out of his inner monologue. “Don’t overthink it, baby. If you like your hair the way you do it now, then that’s fine. Nothing needs to change if you don’t want it to, you know? I was just curious.”

His shoulders immediately relax. “Good. I kinda like how I have my hair right now. I only really pull it back for work so we don’t have customers complaining about finding hair in their drinks.”

“That’s fair.”

Mary runs a hand through his hair and an idea strikes him. “Although… I suppose pulling it back in a different style wouldn’t be all bad. I could probably even do more fun stuff with it for Halloween and other themed nights.”

They let out a cry of surprise as you push them off you, making a beeline for the dressing table sat in the corner of the bedroom and picking up a handful of hair ties and a brush. Mary can’t help but get excited when they see the gleeful grin on your face when you return to the bed.

“Why don’t we try braiding it? You could be like Lara Croft or something!”

“Fuck, yeah, sure. But be careful. Don’t yank at my hair too much,” they acquiesce, turning so that their back is facing you as the mattress dips behind them.

The brush glides through Mary’s hair, only occasionally catching where a couple of strands had gotten tangled during sex. His eyes slide closed when you begin separating his hair into three sections, tilting his head back with a smile on his face. This is something else he didn’t think he’d enjoy in a relationship either. Ordinarily, he could tolerate being touched by strangers as part of his job at the bar. He was even able to accept that it would be a common occurrence when he did gigs with Repugnant, fans crowing the stage and reaching up to touch him or trying to grab him when he walked offstage. He didn’t enjoy his personal space being invaded, nor his personal boundaries around physical touch being crossed, but he made sure to take the time to decompress every time he came home.

You’re the only person they’ve been okay with being touched by. When you touch them, holding them close or even something as casual as sitting close to each other to watch a movie, they don’t feel the disgust or discomfort that they feel from strangers grabbing at him. Any time your fingers interlock with theirs, they feel safe. They feel calm. When you kiss them, cupping their face tentatively, they want to grab you and bring you in so close that your bodies almost become one entity. And now, as you braid their hair and hum an old King Diamond song, their body itches with the need to take one of your hands and place it on their bare skin so that they can feel that you’re there and you’re real. Because fuck knows sometimes Mary wakes up and thinks that they just dreamt up your entire relationship, still pining after you like a teen with a high school crush.

The warm press of your lips on Mary’s shoulder has his eyes fluttering open to find you holding a hand mirror in front of him, your back pressed against his and the newly styled braid swept forward over one of his pale, freckled shoulders.

“What do you think? Did I do good?”

The braid isn’t perfect, a couple strands of hair already sticking out, but his heart swells all the same. He can’t help but notice how much it suits him even if it is different to what he’d usually choose to do with his hair. His fingertips caress the smooth hair in the braid as he inspects it in the mirror before turning to look at you with a grin.

“Think you can do that for me before work whenever I stay over?”

The moment you start to nod, Mary takes hold of your face roughly and crashes his lips down on yours, the two of you laying down on the mattress with you beneath him as he expresses his gratitude with a multitude of kisses.

[its-all-or-nothing94]

Ravenblade - Part 4 // Ivar Lothbrok x OC

Summary: A tremendous wounded Liv is being cared for after the battle by a surprisingly soft Ivar, so she needs to get the advice of her big brother

Warnings: Language, war wounds, blood

Pairing: Ivar x OC

Tags: @liebgotts-lovergirl, @menari

A/N: Whoooo here I am back from my little Tumblr break!

The following day Liv is awake early. She keeps thinking about the sex with Ivar, and a smile creeps onto her face.

"Well? Did someone have a good night?" asks Sven, who has just come to stand beside her.

"Didn't I tell you it was none of your business?" asks Liv, annoyed, as she laces up her bracers.

"The cripple seems to be in high spirits," he says then and Liv rolls her eyes. She knocks Sven against the shoulder.

"Don't challenge me, Sven!" she grumbles, but Sven continues.

"What? It's like that. And your face is always graced with a smile too. Was he really that good?" he says, and Liv has had enough.

She gets up and stands in front of her friend. Behind her, the sons of Ragnar are just coming out of their tent.

"You asked for it," she hisses then and pushes herself off a tree trunk so she can reach him better. Sven, however, avoids her and grabs her around the waist. He pushes her back, but she manages to stay on her feet. Anger, however, spreads through Liv. She attacks again and has now taken her dagger. She lets it slide through her fingers, and Ivar's eyes grow big when he sees her fighting like this.

Liv does a pike roll, kicks Sven in the knee so that he sinks in and then wraps her legs around his upper body. With a swing, she drops backwards and pulls him with her. Sven lands on the floor and Liv is quickly back on her feet.

But Sven has also had the same training as her, so he too is quickly back on his feet. She tackles him a few times before he grabs her arm and pulls her over him. Liv deftly rolls off and lands a matching punch to the area of his stomach.

The air is forced out of Sven, and he becomes careless so Liv can hold her dagger to his neck.

"Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me?" she hisses so that only he can hear. A real crowd has slowly formed around them.

Sven exhales shallowly and then nods. Liv slowly takes the dagger from his neck and turns away. But then she twists around again and gives him a small cut on the cheek.

"Don't forget who's in charge here," she hisses, stomping angrily.

As she passes her brother and his brothers, she looks briefly into Ivar's eyes but immediately moves on. She angrily throws her dagger into the nearest tree when she is out of earshot.

"Fucking hell!" she yells, ruffling her hair.

She hates having to discipline her people like this. Sven is ahead of everyone. They are friends, but even he has his limits, which he should not cross. But maybe she was overreacting a little. Could it be that Ivar is to blame? That she becomes so sensitive? Behind her, Liv then hears hooves stomping. Of course, it's him. Slightly amused, he sits in his chariot and looks at Liv.

"Are you okay?" he asks, crossing his arms.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asks sarcastically. Furious, she stomps towards the tree and pulls out her dagger. "What are you doing here?" she asks, turning to Ivar.

"The others want to go. We're just waiting for you. Your people won't come without you." Liv takes a deep breath before joining Ivar on the chariot. He slaps the reins, and they drive off.

"What happened there before?" he asks suddenly, and Liv is surprised that he even cares.

"What do you do with people who cross their line?" she asks back, and Ivar thinks momentarily. Then he shrugs.

"Then I guess he's lucky you like him."

Again and again, Liv thrust her sword into Saxon soldiers. She has been with the first troop, with Björn, Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd and is now treading through the mud. Her face was splattered with blood after only a few minutes, and her thirst for blood had awakened.

Even her long blond hair, tied in several braids into a high ponytail, has already turned slightly red. She ducks, strikes and draws her sword through the bodies. Despite the effort, Liv cannot suppress a smile. This is what she was made for. To fight.

Again and again, she raises her shield to ward off blows and slashes. She doesn't feel the minor cuts inflicted on her because of the adrenaline. Whether it's minutes or hours, Liv can't tell, but it wouldn't make any difference either. And then another Saxon runs towards her.

He manages to take the shield from her, but she is no less dangerous without it. She draws her sword across the soldier's stomach, then stabs him in the chest. Satisfied, Liv watches him go down.

She stands in the middle of the battlefield. Her bloodied face looks around. Liv's chest rises and falls rapidly, as does her breathing. Then she sees the prince. Aethelwulf. Liv has met him several times, as his father has used her services.

He looks at her in surprise, and she can only grin. But then he raises his bow and shoots an arrow at her. It hits her shoulder. Enraged, Liv breaks off the shaft and tries to raise her arm, making it complicated.

At that moment, Aethelwulf raises his bow again, and the second arrow lands in Liv's stomach. She is too slow to deflect it somehow. She looks down at herself in disbelief, and at that moment, the rest of the large army comes running behind Aethelwulf, forcing him to retreat.

Liv, however, can barely hold on and then goes down. Unable to say anything, she lies there in pain. She has carelessly dropped her sword on the ground.

Satisfied, Ivar sits on his chariot and watches his army slaughter the Saxons. Screams and groans and the smell of blood fill the air. He feels superior to everyone now as if Odin is tapping him directly on the shoulder and rejoicing. He is so full of pride.

Defeated, the Saxon army retreats and flees from the heathen army. Slowly Ivar leads his chariot across the battlefield as his brothers meet him. They all laugh proudly and congratulate the youngest on his victory, for it was his doing.

Then he notices the slightly worried look on Björn's as he looks around. It doesn't take long for Ivar to realise what it's all about. He looks around too, but he can't see Liv anywhere either. Then Björn sees Sven. He stomps towards him.

"Where is she?!" he shouts, and Ivar didn't think Björn cared so much about his sister. "Where is she?!" he shouts again, and the other brothers look around too.

"I don't know!" Sven returns, and Björn grabs him by the collar.

And then Ivar sees her. She is lying in the dirt, surrounded by Saxon corpses.

"There!" shouts Ivar, and slight panic can be heard in his voice.

He throws himself from his chariot and crawls towards her. Björn, of course, is faster.

"Liv!" says Björn once more and throws himself on his knees beside her. Still panting and barely catching her breath, Liv looks at her big brother. Relieved that they have finally found her.

"Björn?" she stutters tonelessly.

"Shhh ... Shhh ... It's going to be all right. We'll get you a healer," he says, looking at the arrow still lodged in his sister's stomach.

"Get a healer now!" Björn shouts angrily, and Liv grits her teeth.

Before Björn realises what she is about to do, Liv unceremoniously breaks off the arrow shaft. A small cry of pain passes her lips. Ivar has seen this too. She is so brave and tough, he thinks to himself, yet the sight of Liv in the dirt with an arrow in her stomach shocks him. He can't lose her. Not now.

"Liv," he breathes when he's almost at her. "No!" he mutters to himself.

When he is finally beside her, he sees that her whole body is covered in dirt and blood. He can't tell which is hers, but it doesn't look good.

"Liv..." he says again, and Liv looks him in the eye before letting out a pained moan.

"Ivar," she breathes then and reaches out for him.

Her head rests on Bjorn's legs, but Ivar also sits beside her. He takes her hand in his and caresses it gently. Then he kisses her hand and presses it against him.

"It's okay, Liv. It's going to be okay," he whispers and touches her cheek.

Björn looks back and forth between Ivar and Liv and then at Ubbe, who stands beside him, shrugging his shoulders. They have never seen their brother like this before.

"It's okay," she stammers now. "I'm not scared."

"You're not going to die, do you hear me?" hisses Ivar, continuing to stroke her hand.

Sven has reached her now, too and rummages in his bag. He takes out a small vial and then kneels to her.

"What is this?" asks Björn immediately, and Sven takes off the cork.

"It will help her," he says, looking at Liv, who nods. He dribbles a little of the liquid into her mouth, and she swallows it. Then her eyelids grow heavy, and her body limp.

"What have you done to her?" exclaims Ivar immediately.

"She's just sleeping. This is for the pain. It will help her," he defends himself, and Hvitserk puts a hand on Ivar's shoulder.

The wound won't stop bleeding. New drops of blood keep forming in it. But Ivar patiently cleans Liv's wounds. It's not only the wound on her stomach that the healer has stitched up well, but she also has several cuts and bruises on her arms.

"You could have died today," he grumbles after a while.

"And yet I'm still here," Liv says, a little more cheerful again. "I thank the gods for that. But I can take care of myself, Ivar."

"Doesn't look much like it to me," he says, showing her the blood-soaked piece of cloth he's using to clean her wounds. "What if you're not so lucky next time?" he asks.

"Then I will die honourably in battle," she only says. Ivar doesn't want to hear something like that. He looks her in the eye momentarily, and Liv returns the look. He puts the scrap of cloth away and takes her hands in his.

"This must not happen, do you hear? Liv... I... I love you, and I want you by my side," he says then, and Liv's eyes widen in surprise. No one has ever said those words to her before.

"What? You don't even know me," she says, turning away from him.

She knows that love is a weakness. And she doesn't want weaknesses.

"It's not just you who can observe Liv. Even the first time I saw you, I knew you were special. And everything I've seen is enough for me to tell you that… I love you."

Ivar looks closely at Liv, and the otherwise strong warrior that he is suddenly seems vulnerable.

"I want you to stay by my side. I want you to be mine."

Liv looks at him. Light tears well up in her eyes as she averts her gaze.

"I can't..." she breathes and stands up. "I have commitments, Ivar. I can't stay with you. As soon as Ecbert is dead, I have to go." She takes another step towards him.

"Please, Liv. You felt it too, I'm sure of it. We belong together." Liv wipes a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Please, Ivar... Don't make this harder than it already is," she pleads with him shaky.

"I just don't want you to lie to yourself. Your place is by my side!"

He takes her hand in his and caresses it. Again she looks into his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes. She would like to say yes to him, but Liv can't. She has the Ravenblade, and she can't let it down. Hesitantly, she pulls her hand away from Ivar.

"I can't," she breathes, "I'm so sorry." With those words, she grabs her tunic, pulls it over her head, walks out, and leaves the tent.

When she gets outside, the sun blinds her. Still struggling with tears, Liv is even more confused because this usually never happens to her. She has been trained to be tough and keep her emotions to a minimum, but Ivar brings them all out.

"Liv!" she then hears someone call out. She turns and sees Björn coming towards her. "How are you?" he asks immediately, but as she stands before him, he notices that Liv is struggling with something, so he hugs her.

Liv lets it happen and presses herself against her brother. It is her first time in years to hold her brother in her arms again. And Liv has to admit, it feels good.

"What's wrong with you?" he asks, and Liv sniffles briefly before running her sleeve over her eyes.

"Nothing," she then says quickly.

"Hey, you can talk to me," he says, looking her in the eye.

It's eerie that when Liv looks at Björn, her own eyes look back. Then his gaze wanders to the tent from which Liv has come.

"Is it Ivar? What has he done?" Björn then asks quickly.

"He hasn't done anything," his sister assures him.

"He seems very fond of you, Liv."

"I know, that's the problem. I can't stay with him. I...". Her voice breaks off.

"But you like him?" Liv lowers her eyes and then nods slightly.

"I can't, Bjorn. Love is a weakness that could endanger me and my people."

Björn considers for a moment. "In the end, you must know what you want, Liv. I know the Ravenblade have a pact, but if it makes you unhappy..."

"You don't understand. I'm the fucking leader. I can't just turn my back on them because I fell in love. It doesn't work like that."

Björn notices that his sister is visibly struggling with herself. She is still so young and has committed herself for life. She should be happy, even if that means wanting to be with his psychopathic brother. It shouldn't be like this.

"You know what? Just forget about it! It doesn't change anything anyway," she says. Then she reaches out and puts her hand on his arm. "Thank you, Björn," she now says softly, and to experience such an action from his sister, he would not have thought possible.

[lvebug]

hair & hands

[hair]: medium blonde, darker at the roots. her hair is thick and straight and easy to manage as long as she brushes it every once in a while. so she keeps it pretty long! (longer than in the image below, probably between the lowest pieces of hair in the photo and mid chest) that can be hard to deal with re: the mask which is also a big part of why she mostly doesn't use the traditional spidey mask and instead has a domino mask!

it is often still unruly because she puts it through a lot by swinging through the city. and she'll keep it in all kinds of styles both in and out of the mask. a high, sleek ponytail or two dutch braids are quite common. as are messy buns for when shes just in a rush. but a lot of the time she'll have it down especially if she's not doing anything where it needs to be kept out of her face for a reason. or even if it does, as she leaves it down a lot as lovebug and then can't see for shit. | @inhcritance also asked this one, so i'm just gonna link you here :p

[hands]: i did already

[holyfunnyhistoryherring]

[Image description: a drawn comic in various shades of pink.]

Thoughts on being a Girl in elementary school. by Daro J [a child with a long ponytail, in t-shirt and knee length shorts, facing away from the title]

It was in forth grade that I decided I couldn't wear pink anymore. [Same girl is sitting cross legged and solemnly saying, "I like sports! And Bakugan!", while thinking, "I'm so cool".] I also had to have my hair in a ponytail. This is because I was a "tomboy".

And of course girls can't be more than one thing at a time. The smart girl [kid in a pale dress, with glasses and twin braids, reading from a book] or the cool girl [kid in a shirt and shorts, stepping on a skateboards and making a piece sign] or the girly girl [blonde kid in a frilly shirt, wide skirt, and slightly heeled shoes]. I felt I had to fit into a category.

I had decided I wanted to be "the cool girl", which meant I had to act like "a boy".

Because boys were cool, tough, and strong. [An assortment of toys. Skateboard, game controller, toy bus, soccer ball, toy robot. Surrounded by speech bubbles. "Man up!" "Men make better leaders." "Boys are more athletic."]

While girls were lame, weak, and in the way. [Another assortment. Hair brush, bow, lipstick, dress for a doll, high heel, and something heart shaped. The speech bubbles are different. "You throw like a girl!" "Girls are so over-emotional!" "You're not like other girls, you're cool." "Girls are bad at video games."]

I remember telling sexist jokes. [The same girl sitting next to a boy and asking, "Why does Beyonce say 'to the left'?" "Why?"] [Same set up but the girl says "Because she has no rights!" while the boy laughs.]

I remember bragging about how "not girly" I was. [Same girl, sitting in a circle with another girl and boy. She says, "Man, I hate having to dress up."; Close up of her disgusted face. "And wearing skirts? Ugh!"; Back to the circle but her hands are crossed over her stomach. "I'd rather die."]

I had been taught for some reason that these jokes were funny. I enjoyed dressing up but I wanted to show off. I wanted my existence to be acknowledged, and I felt like if I acted like a girl I would become less important.

In sixth grade... I started wanting to wear my hair down again. [The girl with her hair loose in front of a mirror.] But... [the back of her head as she holds her hair together] I was too afraid people would make fun of me. [Pulling her hair through a hair tie.]

I thought people would tell I was doing it to get the attention of boys. [Stick figures holding hands with a heart above them. One has short hair and shorts. The other long hair and skirt.]

I didn't know I could do something just because I wanted to. [The girl walking towards the school building with her backpack.] I was still convinced I had to fit into an image.

In my brain, "girly" and "cool" were polar opposites. [An adult asking, "Thanks for coming to Pizza Hut, pick a toy!" The speech bubble covers the faces of two other adults.; The girl holds a toy robot and thinks, "I'll pick a boy toy so people think I don't like girl stuff.]

I hated when people pointed out I was a girl. [She asks a group of boys "Can I play?" "Hmm, I dunno. You're a girl." "I can still kick the ball well!!" "Yeah? Take a shot at our goalie." She thinks, "I'll do more than that! I'll do a cool trick I learned in soccer practice!! OK, so it went like that... Whoops." She kicks the ball backwards and the boys all laugh, while she blushes.]

I never realized until a year or so after elementary school that it wasn't okay to make fun of someone for being of acting like a girl.

After all, girls in movies do it all the time! [An adult woman with make up, long hair, and big boobs says to a line up of guys, "You all need to man up. Or are you all just a bunch of girls?"]

Of course, I knew sexism was wrong, and men and woman should be equal.

But the idea of sexism in my head was this. [Angry boy with crossed hands. "I hate women. They're stupid and I'm better than them!"]

I didn't know this could qualify as well. [Same boy conversationally, "It's just a fact that women aren't as funny as men."]

Talking to my AFAB friends, it seems many went through similar experiences. [The girl, all grown up, with loose hair jewelry, a skirt. Talking to two short haired women. One face to face, and the other through a computer. Below that the woman has her hands raised in outrage and is yelling at the audience, "Why is this a thing?"]

There are many reasons: problems in my culture/society, media, internalized misogyny. [The woman standing with a hand on her hip. "And all of these kind of blend together."]

I believe things are starting to change, which is good, but it hasn't been that long, and there are still problems. [Two people, one flat chested and the other not. Their speech bubbles contain the signs for male and female, and their thought bubbles are filled with question marks.]

I want young girls to know they can play basketball and also have a crush. [A kid smiles and waves at another kid, holding a basketball. The basketball kid has a thought bubble with a heart.]

I want young girls to know they don't have to choose between wearing dresses and playing video games. [Woman in a dress, on a couch, with a game controller, yelling "Die! Ha ha ha ha" at a screen.]

I want young girls to know they can be themselves.

I know finding yourself is a part of growing up, but we could at least make it a bit more enjoyable, yeah?

["Thanks for reading!!" Says the woman in her loose hair, skirt and jewelry, as she gives a peace sign and skates away.]

[End description.]

Zine I made in December and forgot to upload here! Some thoughts about myself in elementary school.

[luckyluan]

BRIMMENS MULTIVERSITY

THE HUMAN HIRE

FEBRUARY 5 - 11:04AM 

Principal Goddfrey sat with her plump ringed fingers interlocked. Her long twin braids pulled her dark hair back into two long ponytails which cascaded down her back. Her gold pant suit shimmered, undoubtedly assisted by her particular brand of glamourcraft, and the glare made Mr. Prior avert his gaze. 

“Tell me more.” she said. 

Peter Prior sat up a little straighter and flattened his tie against the taut buttons struggling against his soft middle section. He aimed his hazel gaze at the holographic name plate on her desk. 

“Well, Principal Goddfrey,” he began. “The mortal world is filled with challenges and obstacles the children in your institution will never face. Bills. Things falling apart. I think teaching them mortal life skills will help them blend in.” 

“And why on earth would we ever want to blend in, Mr. Prior?”  

Principal Goddfrey’s stern gaze sparkled as she looked over him and he realized her appearance was never static. Her style—the color of her suit, the cut of the jacket, the shape of the buttons—was transient. The neckline of the shimmering golden pantsuit rose to her collar bone and the satin lapels of her jacket widened as a fresh magnolia bloomed through the opening in her lapel. 

“I, simply, mean the young witches you have in your school will go on to live extraordinary lives. All that power and no responsibility for the people who can’t do what they can is dangerous.” Mr. Prior said. 

His throat was dry as he waited for Principal Goddfrey’s response. 

“Whomever told you we had a responsibility to the human world must not have told you how the school came to be?” Principal Goddfrey breathed. 

She rose, lithely, from her plush desk chair and strolled to the large window facing the campus. The grounds of Brimmings unfolded beneath them in spiraling corridors and wandering concrete paths which no map could contain.  

“This school exist because it was, first, an asylum. The students that now walk these halls were first called patients and those in charge stripped them of their humanity and turned them into lab rats. These students, myself, and my kind have zero responsibility to the human world who made us their test subjects.” Goddfrey finished. 

“I’m sorry, maam.” Mr. Prior stammered. “I didn’t mean to offend.” 

“You humans never mean to offend.” Goddfrey said with smile. “But I see your point. Which is why I am approving your Humanities course for one full term. We’ll evaluate at the end of the year.” 

Peter Prior hastily stuck his tongue between his teeth as his excitement blossomed.  

“Thank you, Principal Goddfrey. I promise to impress you!” He stammered. 

“Oh, it’s not me you’ll need to impress.” Principal Goddfrey mused. 

She dropped into her cream office chair and her metallic blazer shifted into high collared cashmere sweater with oversized sleeves and golden buttons. 

“You’re the first mortal to walk the halls of Brimmens Academy. You’ll need to impress the students first and they can’t wait to meet you. You’ll start tomorrow.”  

Peter Prior stuffed his pamphlets deep into his briefcase and jumped to his feet. He strolled to the door and gripped the cold winged tiger shaped handle. Then, a though struck him. 

“Wait, what do you mean impress the students? I don’t have any powers. I’m human.” 

Principal Goddfey blew on the tip of a fountain pen and answered without looking up. 

“You’ll find out soon enough.” She said. “Just know my door is always open. Well, metaphorically. My office has its on plane for a reason. Until tomorrow, Mr. Prior.” 

A weight pressed down on his shoulders and a chill ran down his spine as the office faded from view. Peter Prior, the human hire, was standing in the empty parking lot of an abandoned building with his hand gripping the door handle of his small silver car. He looked around. He was certain he’d just done something important though he could not remember the event at all. 

[luxmaeastra]

It had been years since their days in school. Danika hissed, looking to Bryce gripping her hospital railing.

"Why?! Why because people are dying! Because you're the one who can force change with your blood! Because if I didn't force you on this path you'd have stayed happily ignorant!"

Rhysand's war was escalating. Sebastian and Natalia had started this sure. Whatever the reasons didn't matter now.

They'd all destabilized everything to the point of collapse again.

Danika was so tired of seeing it happen, of knowing Baxian and others had been sent to the front.

That Eosphorous would back this war with Rhysand. That they'd slaugther entire courts than let Ilken have some say again.

Everyone was worried about another Theia. But she'd been dead and gone for centuries.

Shouldn't the Ilken be given more due?

Shouldn't they be allowed to walk out of one member?

------

Aleksander glared at Ruhn and turned away.

"The other courts can fend for themselves. Autumn will not fall, we don't care what happens to the others."

It was a wall now. Summer and Spring held out and refused to bend to Seraphine's claim of High Queen.

Aleksander didn't much care why or how.

Anastasiya was right staying neutral to inhospitable. The Ilken needed to find their own way.

They'd seen what the Vennin could do, they'd lived through that horror.

Let the Ilken fend for themselves.

------

Estelle watched the fires burned and exhaled. Maybe she should help, maybe her mother's neutrality was correct.

Rosie stared at the struggling Ilken. They gripped her ankle, pleading. She grabbed her knife and plunged it into the male's neck. She turned breaking the weak hold.

Saxon smiled and turned to the Leesan.

Leesan was aware it was barbaric. That the nuance of all of this was lost on most everyone else.

But Ilken houses needed to be cleansed. And he wasn't about to get a better chance than this. His mark glowed, with a whistle, the hounds around him rose to their feet.

The refugees would come but they would not find help here.

Eyes almost the color of the depths of winter's ice watched the scene unfold between her uncle and cousin, her hair was pulled back into a high-seated ponytail and then braided down her back. Her father's winter heritage, though the fire of Autumn burned through her veins.

Celaena watched Ruhn with interest, as he seemed to be trying to challenge his parents' decision. Her arms folded as her head tilted to the side, the tremors of war were felt no matter where you went.

It was different from when she was young, when she used to enjoy the time spent with Renly, or when the families used to come together. This world was more fractured, sides turning on each other. She had taken on the mantle to protect Autumn as needed, to keep her family safe.

"You forget, cousin," she addressed Ruhn as he stalked past. "The fire of Autumn has and always will burn here, our grandmother installed her teachings into our mothers. She fought for her survival, she won't be happy to see us fall due to good nature."

----------

Her hand rested upon her daughter's shoulder, her fingers tightened as she looked over the scene before her. The scent of fire, the smell of burning flesh and the screams. Sarai's pupils had constricted, her posture not revealing much of her mind.

It reminded her of long ago, when they were just pawns in a game of power. Until her parents stepped up, until their Papa returned them to their real mama.

"Harden yourself my little Star," she whispered. "You still need to feel, but harden what others can see. I am not a monster, I do not revel in the death of others and seeing innocent suffer. However, I do know that we must protect what we can. If we had the resources, if we had the medical supplies, the space."

She was thankful that Leesan had proven himself as capable mate for her daughter, able to taken the harder choices until she was fully able to understand and accept. Until she was ready to come into her own, get past what many had said in the past.

Estelle knew better, she knew how to be a solider on the battlefield and shut it all off. She had done it before, she would do it again when demanded. Yet innocent life, those who were not shedding blood.

"What happens when people we know turn on us?"

"Then we know who our friends are, who our allies are. I hurts me to think those I care for can turn on us, but there is always a chance one day they will," Sarai brushed back some Estelle's hair back. "Steel yourself, your army needs their commander and I know you always support your soliders."

She smiled as she watched Estelle nod, turning off to join those fighting upon the fornt.

----------

Rosie rose, wiping her glad upon the cloth of her dress as she turned and made her way back towards her father. She knew Rallen and Renly were somewhere, it honestly didn't matter to her as long as she had her friends near and they were able to depend on each other.

"What are the orders Papa?"

[magicksgameroom]

Magick's Lore Master Post!

Oh hai there. So I'm still building lore, I'm so adhd I made model first, and now well..... now I have to tell my story! I found this super long list of character stuff and I guess this will just be an ever evolving master post as I find the answers to these questions myself! THIS IN IN NO WAY A COMPLETED LIST!! I just wanted a spot to put this, so I can update it as needed!

Character Chart Character’s full name: Magick Stardust Reason or meaning of name: Character’s nickname: Reason for nickname: Pronouns: They/Them and Fae/Faer Birth date: Hard to explain, since time works differently in the fae wild than it does here

Physical appearance Age: Unsure, somewhere around 250 years old, but since time works differently in the fae wilds, I'm not sure How old do they appear: 27 Weight: 165 Height: 5'6" Body build: Slim but curvy Shape of face: Eye color: Purple Glasses or contacts: No Skin tone: Tan Distinguishing marks: Predominant features: Shifting features, common occurances are horns (brown, pink, and orange in color as seen above), wolf/puppy ears (varying in color to fit mood/outfit), tipped ears due to fae heritage, fangs Hair color: Shifts at will, most common colors are a purple/black, lilac and white Type of hair: Predominantly long and straight but can vary Hairstyle: Varied, common occurrences are long and straight, messy ponytail with braids, viking style braids, and a high long ponytail Voice: Overall attractiveness: 10000/10 imo Physical disabilities: None Usual fashion of dress: Cyberpunk/cybergoth Favorite outfit: See above! (Will change picture as outfit changes!) Jewelry or accessories: Varied!!

Personality Good personality traits: Bad personality traits: Mood character is most often in: Sense of humor: Character’s greatest joy in life: Character’s greatest fear: Why? What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Character is most at ease when: Most ill at ease when: Enraged when: Depressed or sad when: Priorities: Life philosophy: If granted one wish, it would be: Why? Character’s soft spot: Is this soft spot obvious to others? Greatest strength: Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Biggest regret: Minor regret: Biggest accomplishment: Minor accomplishment: Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: Why? Character’s darkest secret: Does anyone else know?

Goals Drives and motivations: Immediate goals: Long term goals: How the character plans to accomplish these goals: How other characters will be affected:

Past Hometown: Type of childhood: Pets: First memory: Most important childhood memory: Why: Childhood hero: Dream job: Education: Religion: Finances:

Present Current location: Currently living with: Pets: Religion: Occupation: Finances:

Family Mother: Relationship with her: Father: Relationship with him: Siblings: Relationship with them: Spouse: Relationship with him/her: Children: Relationship with them: Other important family members:

Favorites Color: Least favorite color: Music: Magick's theme song is One of a Kind by Neffex (I'll add a whole playlist of music here when I can!) Food: Literature: Form of entertainment: Expressions: Mode of transportation: Most prized possession:

Habits Hobbies: Plays a musical instrument? Plays a sport? How he/she would spend a rainy day: Spending habits: Smokes: Vapes! Drinks: Other drugs: 420 friendly here! What does he/she do too much of? What does he/she do too little of? Extremely skilled at: Extremely unskilled at: Nervous tics: Usual body posture: Mannerisms: Peculiarities:

Traits Optimist or pessimist? Introvert or extrovert? Daredevil or cautious? Logical or emotional? Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? Prefers working or relaxing? Confident or unsure of himself/herself? Animal lover?

Self-perception How he/she feels about himself/herself: One word the character would use to describe self: One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? How does the character think others perceive him/her: What would the character most like to change about himself/herself:

Relationships with others Opinion of other people in general: Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others? Person character most hates: Best friend(s): Love interest(s): Person character goes to for advice: Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Person character feels shy or awkward around: Person character openly admires: Person character secretly admires: Most important person in character’s life before story starts: After story starts: