#would it be better to just wait until I'm back.........

[biteyoubiteme]

rosé

yeonjun x fem!reader warnings:🔞!!! tw:stepcest, don't like don't read!, vibrator use, no penetration, mentions of biting/teeth used, panty-fucking, prob forgot some sorry wc: 2.2k an: uuummm so look away I guess I still wont take requests for this kind fic and im not tagging my usual taglist so :p pls don't read if you don't like it

“You have to be joking,” your hand is still caught on the doorknob, frozen in place as you take in the sight of your childhood bedroom. Half the space was covered in boxes, labeled in the sideways handwriting of your step-mother. But everything else was frozen in time as the day you had left for college, frozen as the last holiday you had been back, ugly Christmas sweater thrown at the edge of your bed. Even the lone mattress on the ground from where a cousin had spent the weekend was waiting to be slept in. 

And that is where Yeonjun stood, his chuckle caught between shock and humor. He was holding a half-drunk bottle of rosé, the cap still screwed on the cheap glass. “You're not very good at hiding things,” he shakes the liquid enough to draw your eyes to it. 

“Going through people's things is childish,” you mutter, tossing your bag next to the bed, “shouldn't you be in your own room?” 

It wasn't new to see him around the times that you visited, he lived only a town over, closer than you had stayed when the two of you had dispersed from home. He wanted to stay close to his mom, loved to rub it in your face when you came back that he was the better child. Your parents hadn't gotten married until the last year of high school, too soon for you to really find a connection with your new step-mom in a way that yeonjun had found with your dad. 

“They turned my room into a gym,” he kicked at the boxes littering the space, “they haven't gotten around to clearing out yours but it's going to be the guest room from now on,” 

“No-” you groaned, falling back on your bed, “I don't want a roommate for the weekend, I wanted relaxation,” it's not that you care they are changing things around but it was less appealing to have to know every time you came home you would have to spend it in the same room as any cousin, family member, or, like now, stepbrother.  Some selfish part of you hadn't liked how changed everything had become since the added members in the house had become permanent, your room had stayed yours, and if you had anything left of before it was this. 

“You don't want me around? I'm good company,” you can hear the dip in his voice, the low murmur of it making you shiver. You sit up on your elbows, rolling your eyes at him. 

“Don't take that tone with me,” but it's weak, the both of you know it, testing the line drawn in the sand every time you two had the opportunity. Spending time in such close quarters didn’t help it in the slightest. The two of you had agreed, or you had told him, that you wouldn't push it further than the teasing, and yet… 

Yeonjun’s lip lifts in a smirk, just high enough to show his teeth, calling your bluff. You remember that hazy period in time when the two of you didn't have to keep apart, fumbling kisses shared at a party, hands finding places neither of you wanted to pull away from. It was only a few weeks later when you were told about the engagement, the shock was a bucket of ice water thrown over the two of you. Suddenly flirty glances in class turned to frozen glares and when you moved in that last year together it had felt suffocating. It had been a mix of teenage annoyance and rebellion to avoid him, and you did in the short few months you spent in his company. 

Then you had both gone to college, two separate universities on opposite sides of the city. It had been easy to ignore him but easier still to find it in you to heal the indifference into tolerance. But then you found yourself at a party, the lights low and his smile just like this one now. You couldn't blame drinking, couldn't blame anything except the fact that you wanted to kiss him again, needed to devour him in the way that he had consumed your mind anytime you thought of him. 

You had been the one to stop it before it had gone too far, in the backseat of his car, grinding on him, still chasing his lips even as you said ‘We have to stop’ his soft reply of, ‘We should’ without either of you pulling away. It had been on your mind every time you saw him again, especially now. 

“Fine, but I want a thank you, I found all your contraband that you wouldn't want them to find when cleaning your room out,” he lifted the bottle again, “how long did you have this stashed in the back of your closet?” 

You had forgotten all about the bottle, less so about most things sitting in your closet, drawers, or under the bed. You had moved out your important things, anything left was by mistake or unimportant. “Who cares we are adults, a little rosé is nothing to worry over them finding,” 

“And this?” you didn't know what to expect when he lifted his hand, another lone bottle of some other drink you forgot about was nothing to worry about and yet it wasn't that. There in his hand was a slim vibrator, pink and a foreign sight in his grasp. 

“Yeonjun-” you whisper shouted, the two of you were alone in the house, the bedroom all the way up in the attic space. But it felt like you couldn't scold him loudly, your face flushing, heat spreading all over you. And he chuckled, shoulder shaking as he flicked his finger over the button to turn it on, the soft buzz making you clench your thighs. “Put it away,” 

“Should I? I charged it and it would be a shame not to use it, if even a little bit,” he stalked closer, slow like a prowl, already having his sights set on eating you alive. “And you already look like you want it on you,” you watched the way his eyes flickered down to your thighs, rubbing together as you tried to deny that they were doing so. 

“We said we wouldn't,” you whisper, hands twisting in the sheets as he leans down nose so close to bumping yours, breathing in the same air. 

“We said we shouldn't, that never stopped us before,” the last syllable is pressed right to your upper lip, the ghosting of his mouth like sweet temptation against yours, “and all I could think about since the last time was that we shouldn't have stopped, because now you're all that's ever on my mind and you're never even around to rectify that,” he leans in closer, on hand bracing beside you on the bed while you try to keep even a hairs distance from falling into his trap because once you slipped up and found yourself caught you knew you wouldn't even try to escape. “Just one kiss, please,” 

“Just one-” You couldn't even get the words out before he was on you, pressing his mouth to yours, seeking to consume you. Your hands shot out, pulling on his shirt locking him in place as he fell on top of you hardly even trying to keep his distance but you wouldn't even give him that once his lips were on yours. The two of you worked so well together, every little touch was sending sparks up and down your body. You opened your legs instinctively for him, wanted him to fit against you, slot himself in your personal space even if it was only for the length of one kiss. But that wasn't what it was, this wasn't the simple peck but a feast of pent-up want and need reduced to a single moment as if you hadn't indulged before. 

He was hot and hard, grinding against you until you were gasping into his mouth, sloppy kisses now working down your throat as he nipped at your skin, teeth looking to find every sensitive spot you had. He wanted to devour you even if he shouldn't, and you were no better. It didn't matter if you said just one kiss, the two of you knew what it meant, you had said it before and you had him on the verge of finishing untouched in his jeans but he would finish this time, he wanted to reach that spot with you. 

And you wanted it too, not caring about your previous intentions as soon as he was pressed so close to you. He reached his hand down between you two, vibrator on as he pressed it right against your clothed clit, the vibration muffled with all the fabric and yet you gasped, hips bucking up to meet the sensation. “Oh,” his open-mouthed kisses warm against the skin on your throat, your hands sliding up to his hair, twisting your fingers in the strands. He pulls away for only a second, hands falling to the waistband of your pants, needing to get them off of you. “We can't-” 

“Please- I just wanna see how wet you are for me,” he begs, forehead pressed to yours feeling your nod more than seeing it. He pulls your pants clean off, leaving you in the nearly transparent white panties you have on. Yeonjun groans at the outline of you clear as day as the fabric clings to you. He doesn't hesitate to press the vibrator right back over your clit. You try to snap your thighs closed, the one less layer making it so much harder to not react. 

His free hand comes out to trace over your cunt, fingers circling up and down as you throw your head back, your nails digging into his shoulders. “Now look at that,” he runs one finger between the fabric of your panties and your aching center, the digit coming away slick as he lifts it to his mouth to taste, your brows scrunching together as you try to hold back your whine. It's a drawn-out moan that comes from him, “You taste as good as you look,” he presses the vibrator harder on your clit, “let me fuck you- please-” 

“We shouldn't-” you try but it's caught in your throat when he clicks up the vibration, free hand back to running up and down the outside of your panties. 

“Please,” he whispers like it's ripping him apart, not being able to sink into you when you look this good. He presses his pelvis closer to you, his bulge perfect for your grinding hips to try and find a steady pace on. “Please,” he lets his hips drag along with the word, your lip caught between your teeth as you try not to cry out but it's impossible to deny him, especially when he's promising to not put it in, and you know if you say no he will stop and if you say yes you wouldn't stop him even if he did try to do more. And all you wanted was more. 

You nod, needing more of him, needing to feel something more if anything at all. He pushes his hand into his pants, tugging out his cock, veiny and slick with bubbling precum, wrist working to give it a few loose drags. You're whimpering at the sight, wishing to say to hell with not having him just fuck you into the mattress. And you almost do say ‘fuck it’ the second he presses his tip right to your covered entrance, the slick of your panties only causing him to slip, the length of him rubbing over you. 

“I won't- I won't,” he's screwing his eyes closed, shaking his head as he convinces himself more than he's telling you. Just brushing against you, feeling the vibration hitting right under his tip as he grinds down on you makes it so much worse. Every sound he's making is desperate and whiny, echoing in the room as he presses his free hand into the mattress, keeping you pressed down and in the circle of his arm. He can't control the way his hips move, just chasing the high of wanting to be in you and the feel of you so close and yet so far. 

He tries to press his tip back in, properly fucking into your panties even if there is little give before he's back to slipping and grinding back down on your cunt, clicking up the vibrator until you can feel it sending sparks all over your body, the ache in your belly turning into a blinding light before you tremble, tugging him closer to you as much as you can get. “I'm- I'm cu-” It's only a moment before your orgasm crashes into you, your body trying to pull away from the vibration and yet being stuck in place with the weight of Yeonjun over you.

And he doesn't stop or pull away, whimpering as he jerks, cock twitching right before he's spilling ropes of white all over your stomach, t-shirt a mess of it. It's not until he pulls away the vibrator, clicking it off, that he's stopped the slow dribble of cum from shooting out. 

Both of you are breathing hard, Yeonjun's face now pressing into your neck to try and hide, hips still moving, languid as he softens. “Never again,” you try to say, but both of you know the truth, especially when you're running your fingers through the hair at his sweaty temple. 

“Of course, never again,” he mutters but he's leaning right back in to kiss you. 

taglist for those who asked lol @beomiracles @beombunni and im tagging the wonderful @thetxtdevil bc she is the one who came up with this idea and gifted it to me ily mae thank you so bad-

[htrfkyeki]

1.

"What do you want from me in return huh?"

"Oya oya, someone are lovely enough for lean me a hand hmm. So, want to join me tea party?"

"Rightttttttt, i was so weakkkkkk right now, thanks for your help."

"...i can do it myself, please."

"Heh? Do i need to pay you?"

"Why?"

"You busybody, you know?"

"No thank you, i can do it myself."

"Do you think you can do it?"

2.

"You think it's funny?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, everyone know i was the Mad Hatter a long time ago, you lag behind very much, buggy."

"Hehhhhh. Really? That's all you can say?"

"...i will tell the twins."

"I have the better one for you though, what do you refer more, poison or desert, or BOTH?"

"My strings can carry even something heavy like a car, do you want to try yourself?"

"You know, i made someone went missing before, and i don't mind to do it again?"

"DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"

"𝔈𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔫𝔞𝔩 𝔟𝔩𝔦𝔷𝔷𝔞𝔯𝔡."

3.

"And you give it to me because?"

"Oh, i also have useless thinggy too, twiny much hahaha."

"I'll give it to Ruggie-senpai, thanks."

"...do you not know how to use money wisely?"

"Do i look poor to you?"

"You can have it back."

"Even Dia-san have more useful thing that the one you give me now."

"Why?"

"I don't need that."

4.

*Sigh* "Make sure to clean all of it later, 'k?"

"Eh? Tea party? Why it's not tea partyyyyyyyy?"

"What a hassle..."

*He running away when he saw there was a party waitting for him.

"Did Kalim told you to do this? Jamil didn't said anything either?"

"I- thank you."

"Huh?"

"Why?"

"Did someone force you to do this?"

5.

"Who ask?"

"Me too, hehe."

"And you telling me this because?"

"...do i know you?"

"As if i care."

"Wow, you thought you was someone important to me for me to care that much?"

"Then go away?"

"So?"

"You wasting my time, you know that?"

6.

presume the one ignore them was their lovers

"Why are you ignore me? Was i do something wrong? Please, i hate being like this, Jade..."

"Eh? Trey? Pay attention to meeeeeee."

"I just give Cheka a headpat and now you sulking with me? Really, Leo-san?"

*He crying. Azul then have to appease him and promise that he still love Erol.

"You know that not working on me right Kalim? Do you one me to pull that trick instead?"

"What did i do this time to upset you, Vil-san..."

"I'M SORRY... please don't ignore me Dia-san..."

"Are you in bad mood right now? Or i just fuck up something? Talk to me, Floyd."

"It's... fine i guess. I used to be ignore anyway..."

7.

"What are you doing?"

"Am i that famous?"

"Attention seeker much?"

"...and here i thought only Floyd could make some scene."

"Uh oh. Why is everyone looking at me? I'm not doing anything."

*Sigh* "I hate it here."

*He use his unique magic to run away.

"You're even worst than Sebek, and that boy only cause scenes when it relate to Malleus-senpai."

*Bold of you to assume that Nevi show up in public.

8.

"No."

"Gladly." *progress to pull a loudest voice he could produce.

*Side eyes that person until they coward away.

*He stare blankly at that person, until the twins magically appear in front of them and ask Erol what's wrong. That doesn't end well...

"Told Kalim instead, he is a person people after all."

"You're crazy."

"Do you want me to blackmail you instead?"

"You have some gut for told me to do that. And that's not a compliment."

"Why i have to do that?"

9.

"Really? Jade said that? Let's me ask him then, and i'll do that if it's real. And if not... you dead."

"TREYYYYY, DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO GO WITH THIS BUGGY TODAY INSTEAD OF YOU?"

"As if Leo-san would tell me to do that. Next time try to be more creative, yeah?"

"I- did Azul really told me to sing in front of you and your frie-" *He didn't finish his sentence, as Azul appear behind him with his sinister smile.

"You sound too suspicious. What do you plotting now you peasant."

*He call Vil for comfirmation, after the housewarden denying he didn't said anything like that, Vermeil give that person a death stare, then go away.

*Deadpanned. Then go away, he didn't want to deal with stupid people.

"Oh, so FLOYD LEECH told me to do that huh? Bring him here, make him tell it himself, then i comply." *The unhinged Leech happen to pass by that time, let's say after that no one dare to put word in either of them mouth anymore.

*He doesn't even let that person finish the sentence and teleport to somewhere else. It's happen to be Malleus dorm room. After Nevi ask him if the thing that person want him to do was real. And of course it's not real. Then they cuddle. (Malleus ask Lilia to find the person who have a gut to mess with his mate, then make sure that person never try to do anything like that again).

10.

"Don't want to, thank anyway."

"Oh. Party? Can i invite my boyfriend and friends too?"

"I have enough with social gathering, thank you very much."

"S-sorry, i'm busy right now."

"Sorry, i'm already join one, the one Kalim organize at Scarabia. Do you want to join instead?"

"Can i refuse it?"

"Uh uh, no party, i hate loud place, sorry."

"Did you invite wrong person? I'm not Malleus-senpai."

*The person was too scare to approach him, let's alone invite him to social gathering.

11.

"Isn't it a little bit too much? I don't have money to pay you back you know."

"I know it's out of character for me, but fancy restaurant doesn't suit me at all, i'm sorry."

"Are you try to impress me?"

"Do you want to go to Monstro Lounge instead? I have a discount for worker in there."

"Fancy lancy. At least you have some taste."

"Uh oh, you're rich."

"Can we not-"

"Oh, really?"

"My sincere thanks to you, but i'm afraid i can not join you for dinner right now."

☆ — oc questions: reactions. by @ricesinspo, tag me if using!

— ☆ —

how would your character react if someone did these things? consider their personality and behavior, as well as who is doing it and why.

alternatively, ask game: send me a question + 2 characters

offered to help them on something they can do on their own

jokingly made fun of them

gave them a gift they didn't want

threw them a surprise party

told them "i don't care about you"

kept ignoring them

brought lots of attention to them

asked them to perform in front of an audience, like right now, without prep

asked them to do something they're uncomfortable with, "oh, but you have to do it, for [loved one]!"

invited them to a social gathering

took them to a fancy restaurant

told them they're a bad friend / partner / ...

wrote them a poem

died two weeks ago (they only found out now)

pulled a prank on them that went very wrong

pulled them aside from the crowd

told them a secret

exposed something about them that should've been kept private

told them "we need to talk."

punched them

— ☆ —

[into-the-hellaverse]

Lucifer's Bad Day

Sequel to Adam's Bad Day

this... this may be a series...

I take commissions! Look at my main blog (@asmerlotus ) for details!

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

Adam had become more distant over the past few months, which was understandable. After the whole ordeal with Cameron, he didn't really want to be around them.

Lucifer started sittting in the lobby, close to the fireplace with KeeKee on his lap, waiting for Adam to come down every day and hopefully getting a chance to talk things through with him. Adam would come down mid-morning, rushing past Charlie's stupid trust exercises and bonding activities, making his way out the door before Lucifer could even say a word. And Lucifer would sit there all day, refusing to eat or drink and watching the door like a hawk. He'd wait and wait late into the night, but sleep would eventually overtake him. He didn't know what time Adam came back, but every morning, at 9 am on the dot, he'd watch Adam rush out before he could say anything and stop him.

"Dad, maybe you should give up," Charlie would say every time. "If he's acting like this over a minor misunderstanding-"

"It wasn't minor to him, Charlie," Lucifer would always reply. "He didn't break our trust. We broke his. I just...need to do something to fix it." And he'd go back to staring at the door.

One day, he was forced to move from his seat, now manning the front desk. Alastor was at an Overlord meeting and Charlie took everyone out for some kind of "Good Samaritan Venture", whatever the hell that meant. At least he had a better view of the door. He was mostly bored, having been there since 5 am, and almost fell asleep standing up. It wasn't until he heard the creaking of the floor boards on the stairs that he woke up, seeing Adam coming done.

"Adam!" he said with a smile, seeing the taller man approach the desk.

Adam didn't smile. He didn't say a word. He just put a key on the desk.

Lucifer frowned and looked down. "What is this?"

"My room key, Captain Dumbfuck. I'm leaving the hotel," he said simply. "I'll finally be out of your life, forever." He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait! Adam, wait!" Lucifer jumped the counter and rushed after him, stopping him long before the door. "I want to make this up to you! Please, just listen-"

"Oh, listen to you like how you listened to me after I trashed the lobby?" Adam asked sarcastically, pushing past him to get to the door.

"I'M SORRY, OK?!" Lucifer screamed, tears falling down his rosy red cheeks. "I'M SORRY! I'M A FUCKING IDIOT! I SHOULD'VE LISTENED TO YOUR SIDE! I SHOULD'VE HEARD YOU OUT AND I DIDN'T! PLEASE, JUST TAKE ME BACK!"

Adam looked over his shoulder, a cold look in his eyes. "You're pathetic, Morningstar..."

Lucifer stared, trying to hold back his sobs in the quiet room. They stared at each other for an eternity, not saying a single word. After a long, uncomfortable silence, there was a harsh knock on the front door. Lucifer seemed to break out of his trance, drying his eyes and opening the door with a little magic.

"Are you ready to go, babe? You told me you didn't have to pack much." ...why... the fuck... was Mammon... at the front door?

"Yeah," Adam said, trowing his duffel bag onto his shoulder. "I just had to take care of a few things." He walked up to him and stood on his tiptoes to kiss the Sin.

Lucifer just stared in shock. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe it...

"Oi. If you wanna watch, you gotta pay," Mammon growled.

"Mamm, baaaabe," Adam said with a small blush.

"What? If he wants to gawk at a beautiful thing like you, he should fork over some cash, Addy."

Lucifer felt his heart break and his fists tighten. Only he could call Adam that...

"C'mon, let's not bother him anymore. We should go." Adam pushed him out the door. "I gotta take care of a few more things. I'll meet you at the car."

"Don't keep me waiting! Gas is fucking expensive!"

"I won't!" Adam shut the door and turned back to Lucifer, glaring.

Lucifer tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "H-How... How long-"

"About a month or two. He heard from a friend of a friend that I was a good guitar player. Came to check me out to be performer in his stupid clown thing and we hit it off," Adam said.

"I..."

"I swear to fucking God, if you say you're sorry one more time."

Lucifer shut his mouth, trying to think of something else. "Where are you going?"

"To the Greed Ring. To live with Mammon," Adam said simply.

Lucifer bit back a smile. "You're a Sinner now, Adam. You can't leave Pentagram City, nonetheless Pride."

Adam reached under his shirt, pulling out a dark green crystal on an elaborate necklace chain. "Think again, bitch."

Lucifer started in disbelief. "Is that..."

"A Mammonite Crystal. Let's me travel from Pride to Greed and back."

Lucifer remembered each Sin having some kind of crystal, to allow their subjects or various Sinners the ability to travel to different rings. He had to think of something to keep him here, to break it, quickly.

"He- He can't do that," Lucifer lied. "Any production of those crystals has to be signed off by me."

"Bullshit, Morningstar. Complete. Bullshit." Adam glared at him and turned away.

"Addy..." He said, tears falling as his voice cracked. "Please don't leave me... You're the greatest thing that has ever happened to me..."

Adam looked over his shoulder. "I want you out of my life forever, Morningstar... Sound familiar?" He scoffed and turned away, finally heading out. "B-T-Dubs, you're blacklisted from my shows, Captain Dumbfuck. Goodbye." And with that he finally left the hotel.

The silence became deafening as Lucifer stood alone in the lobby. He dropped to his knees and let out a guttural cry, his vision blurring as he couldn't stop crying. Why was he so stupid?

[angelatmidnight1]

God, your fics are a delight to read! So cute and orgsnic and I feel for Tav everytime, I can feel the adrenaline drum up in my chest. And I saw your requests are open!

Not to be a basic bitch, but I would love, love, love something with lee! Astarion. You know that sour, grouchy way he gets sometimes? His haughty complaining at the tiefling party, "Go away I'm brooding", teasing him to thank you and him going, "Hmm? 🤨 Hmmph. 😒 Thank you for helping me, it was very kind 😡😡😡". He really starts earning his 10 charisma stat when he's flustered or embarassed.

Could you whip up something along those lines? There's some mishap or situation that has Astarion snappy and scowling and probably playing at being mad a bit more than he actually is. Tav makes it their mission to coax him into a better mood. (Or forgiveness depending on the circumstance). It just so happens that, as they're laying on the charm, they happen to brush against a ticklish spot...

A Little TLC

Who knew that stealing the Blood of Lathander would lead to an explosion strong enough to level the Rosymorn Monastery? Tav’s curiosity got the better of them, and all of their companions made it out safely, save for Astarion. He is understandably cross with them, and Tav makes it their mission to earn his forgiveness. Sweet words and a little massage can go a long way...especially if the recipient is ticklish. 

Pairing- Astarion x Tav

WC: 2.9k

Warnings- Spoilers for Act(s) 1-2 for Gith creche.

“What in the sweet hells were you thinking, activating that lance? I was right there!” 

Tav recoiled as Astarion, brought back from the dead, shouted at them. There were hidden secrets in the Rosymorn Monastery that promised a powerful, holy relic up for grabs. Tav led their party through secret passageways and found the Blood of Lathander in all of its glowing, shiny glory. All they had to do was reach out and take it.

The next thing they knew, the entire monastery was primed to explode. Gale had teleported himself and Shadowheart to safety. Karlach managed to leap out of the blast radius through a window. That left Tav and Astarion. Tav was sprinting as fast as their legs would take them.They ran through collapsing corridors, turning wildly with no thought but escape. Astarion had been right on their heels—until he wasn’t.

They hadn’t even realized they’d lost him until they burst out into the open air, lungs burning. Only then, as the radiant explosion consumed the monastery behind them, did Tav see no sign of him.

Oh no. No, no, no!

“ASTARION!”

Their shout echoed through the now ruined monastery, mingled with coughing. He didn’t answer. That sinking, guilty feeling weighed them down all the way back to camp, where Withers waited to bring back fallen companions. 

When Astarion materialized in front of them, his clothes and hair were covered in soot. And he was not happy. 

“I’m sorry, Astarion! I didn’t know the temple would explode—I wasn’t thinking!” Tav blurted, hands raised in a placating gesture. “I just... I thought about the relic and what it could do for us. I didn’t mean to put you in danger!”

“Well, I suppose that makes up for this, doesn’t it?” He hissed, “A quick apology with a dash of whining. Never mind the fact that I was obliterated into ash all because you couldn’t keep your grubby little hands to yourself.” 

“But-”

“I mean honestly, what did you think would happen?” Astarion shook the dust from his curls in frustration. “Did you really think you’d just waltz in and take it? That all of the bloody traps were just for show? Gods! It’s one thing to be impulsive, but to be a damned fool-”

“I’m sorry!” Tav frowned. “I swear, I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Next time?” Astarion echoed indignantly. “No, no, no! If there is a ‘next time’, I’ll be pointing the all powerful weapon, thank you.” 

Tav winced at Astarion’s words. They hadn’t meant for things to go so wrong, but the sharp sting of Astarion’s anger made it harder to explain.

“Astarion, I… I really didn’t think it would get that bad,” Tav muttered, lowering their hands to their sides. “You’re right, I should have been more careful. I wasn’t thinking about the consequences, but I didn’t want you to get hurt.” They paused, taking a breath. “I never want to put you in danger. You know that, right?”

Astarion fixed his gaze on them, still looking angry, but the look had softened slightly. “I know,” he muttered. “And yet you did put me in danger and I got hurt. Blown to pieces if I’m being more accurate. If we’re going to reach Baldur’s Gate, I want to be in one piece, if it’s all the same to you.”

“You will! I promise. Next time I find an ancient relic, I’ll make sure you’re at a safe distance, okay?” Tav took a hopeful step towards him. Astarion crossed his arms, but didn’t move away. 

“I suppose that’s better than nothing.”

There was a sudden bout of silence before Tav spoke up. “Can I, um,” they hesitated. “Can I help clean you up?”

“No, you’ve done quite enough already,” Astarion huffed and finally moved out of their reach. “If you want to be useful, draw me a bath and get me some clean clothes. And I don’t want cheap rags.”

Tav slowly nodded. “Alright. Give me a moment, and I’ll have a nice, warm bath for you.” 

It took a little bit of Gale’s magic and a lot of Karlach’s heat to get the water warm. You’d already done the hard work of filling up the wooden bath in your shared tent. Now, you kept on checking the temperature, waiting for it to be soothingly warm. Once satisfied, Tav withdrew their hand, calling, “It’s ready, Astarion.”

“Finally.” Astarion entered the tent shirtless and huffed. “Took you long enough. It is freezing out here.” 

Tav stepped aside, letting him approach the steaming bath. “I wanted to make sure it was perfect,” they admitted, watching as Astarion eyed the water with something almost like approval—almost.

“Are you certain this won’t explode? No hidden traps anywhere?” 

Tav deflated. “I’m positive, love,” they sighed. “This is completely safe.”

“Hmph. As you say..” Astarion put one hand on the edge of the bathtub, waving Tav away with the other. “Now, off with you. I've got layers of dirt to scrub off..”

It stung to be abruptly dismissed, especially since they usually helped with washing his back, but Astarion was still understandably annoyed. So, with a curt nod, they left him to take his bath. 

While they waited for him to finish, their heart raced. It wasn’t the first time Astarion was cross with them. But this was something that was their fault. They paced outside of the tent, intermittently wringing their hands, until a metaphorical light bulb went off in their head. 

If he was willing, a massage was the perfect solution.  What better way to make him feel better than to rub that tension away?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

By the time Tav returned back to camp, Astarion was finished with his bath. He reclined outside of the shared tent with plush cushions underneath him. Tav eyed him from a distance. They were trying to read his face, but with his nose buried in his book, it was difficult. They approached him slowly, trying not to make a sound, but the crunching of their boots gave them away. 

Astarion’s red eyes flicked up to them. He sighed heavily. “Gods above, what do you want now?” 

Unlike before, his words didn’t carry a sharp bite. It was a grumble if anything. Tav hoped this meant that the bath had softened his anger. 

“I was hoping I could make all of this up to you,” They murmured softly. They stood a couple of paces away with something held behind their back. “If you’ll let me.”

He glanced between their face and whatever it was that they were hiding behind their back. He looked wairly intrigued. “Hm, now there’s an idea. Though you should know by now that I am not somebody who’s won over easily. So, what is it you have there? A gift? A bribe?”

“Well, maybe a little of both,” Tav admitted and brought their hands from behind their back, revealing the lavender massage oil. “I can’t stand you being mad at me. So, I was hoping I could give you a massage? You know, something to work out all of that tension?”

Astarion blinked. “Oh. That is a little…novel, I suppose. If anything, I half expected you’d bring me some wine. A couple of swigs down and I’d probably forget about all of this exploding temple business. But no, you’d rather dote on me?”

“Yes.” Tav smiled hopefully. It was one of those damned adorable smiles that he’d come to like so much. “It’s the least I can do. I expect you’re still a bit sore?”

“A bit. No thanks to you, I might add.” He huffed dramatically, looking between them and the massage oil. “But if you’re serious, and you’re not god awful at this, then I suppose I can tolerate a massage.” 

Tav brightened and cheered. Their cheeriness tugged at Astarion’s undead heartstrings, but his face remained neutral. “Thank you, Astarion. You won’t regret this.”

“We shall see, won’t we? Now, make good on your promise..” He turned so that he was laying on his stomach, letting his loose shirt slip down to expose some skin. Tav nodded obligingly. They knelt down to straddle his back, already having taken the cap off the bottle to put a few drops in their hand. They rubbed their hands together to warm it up, then pressed their fingertips where his shoulders met his back. 

They started out gentle as they kneaded into the tight muscles. Astarion initially tensed and rolled his shoulders until they found the right spot at the base of his neck. Then, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh, head tilted to the side. Tav let out a breath they’d been holding and chuckled quietly. 

“Feel good, love?” They slid both hands up his neck, moving their palms in circular motions before sliding back down. Astarion gave a minimal hum. 

“Mm— you’re not—not terrible at this,”  he mumbled. He almost purred when they rubbed down his spine, careful to avoid pressing on his scars. He picked up the quiet hush of their giggle and quickly added, “Don’t let it get to your head, dear.”   

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Tav chuckled. They rubbed along his back and shoulders for a few moments more before switching over to his sides. They used their knuckles to knead over his skin, and he shivered. 

Tav momentarily froze. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. Keep going.” Astarion shifted under them, clearing his throat. Tav’s brows furrowed, but they went back to massaging his sides. They felt him shiver again and lightened their touch so that they were barely caressing his skin. They couldn’t see it from where they sat on his back, but he briefly grinned. A successful perception check helped them detect the faintest giggle. Tav smiled and, not wanting to immediately call him out, decided to play along.

“You know,” they started softly. “I really am sorry about what happened earlier. I hope you can forgive me.” Their fingers ghosted over his waist, and he sucked in air through his teeth. Tav craned their head to try and look at him, but he turned his head out of their view. “Astarion?”

“Hmm?” He propped himself up on his elbows, shoulders shaking a bit, as if holding back a laugh. He pursed his lips to conceal a smile. “I heard you, Tav. Now would you shut up and let me relax?”

Tav huffed lightly. Their smile widened.  “Oh, I do apologize. How careless of me. Of course I want you to relax. I shall be as quiet as a mouse, my love.”

Astarion finally gave them a quizzical look. The way they were smiling at them now made him fidget, but he made no move to get up. Slowly, he lowered himself back onto his stomach. “Good. Keep it that way.”

Ah, so that’s how he wanted to play this?

 Tav smirked to themselves and, as promised, didn’t say another word. Instead, they doubled down on their efforts. They wriggled their fingertips ever so slightly up his sides and across his ribs. Again, Astarion fidgeted, but it was becoming more difficult for him to stifle his giggling. 

Whenever he squirmed, Tav’s fingers weren’t far behind, lightly scribbling and kneading over his skin. They didn’t hone in on any one area; instead, they leisurely went from one spot to the other. Tav’s fingers traced a slow path down his sides, brushing across his ribs and making their way back to his waist, where they gently danced over the curve of his hips. This time, Astarion jolted and belted out a loud, startled giggle. He swiveled his head to give a lighthearted glare, and Tav was already grinning at him. 

“You wretch-”

Tav laughed in earnest. They continued their gentle pinching and tickling over his hips, and Astarion squealed. His hands shot out behind him to grip their wrists, but he didn’t make any move to truly stop them. “Come on, Astarion. I just want to see you smile. You wear it so much better than a scowl.”

“You are delusional if you think you can-” His sharp words were dulled as he tittered and grit his teeth as Tav traced along his waist. “C-Can tickle mehehe into forgiving your idihihidocy!”

“Maybe. But, it’s worth a shot, no?” Tav giggled and pried their hands out of his grip. Then, their hands scampered back up his sides, finding purchase on his ribs. Astarion sputtered and writhed, giggling frantically. He tried to sit up and turn around, but Tav wouldn’t let him. They flattened themselves on top of his back and alternated between gently pinching at the bones and scritching over them. They scooched up a bit just so they could nuzzle their head into the crook of his neck. He tried to shut them out by raising his shoulders, shrieking. 

“Please forgive me, Star..” They murmured into his ear, pressing a kiss to the shell. He shook his head as those ticklish kisses continued, his high pitched giggles rounding out to laughter. “I didn’t mean to blow up the temple with you in it. It’ll never happen again.”

“GAhahaha! Oho, I’m going tohoho end you, Tahahav!” He threatened and leaned his head far enough away to avoid the ticklish kisses. So, they moved to his other ear. Meanwhile, they were still tickling along the length of his ribs. 

“But then how would I be able to say I’m sorry?” Tav laughed. After a couple more kisses on his ear, they relented, not wanting to get headbutted accidentally on purpose. They suddenly raised their hands higher and plunged them underneath his arms. Astarion arched his back and cackled. 

“AHA! Nohohoht thehehehre—!” He shrieked and clamped his arms down, trapping their wriggling fingers against him. With a sudden burst of strength, he rolled both of them over, and Tav yelped. Before he could recover, Tav hooked one leg over his waist, returning to their gentle scritches over his armpits. Astarion threw his head back in laughter, hands gripping their arms, but still not fully pushing them away. 

Tav chuckled fondly. They halted their tickle attack to bring both of his hands up to their lips, kissing the tops softly. “See? You’re beautiful when you laugh…and even more so when you aren’t angry with me.”

“Y-Yehehes, well, I’m afraid you’re not off the hook, darling.” He breathed and chased after the warmth in their touch. “In fact I think I need an even longer massage now because of your antics.”

“Oh? I can manage that,” They grinned. “Do you have any suggestions for where I should t—er, massage next? I’m nothing if not a good listener.”

Astarion leered, squeezing their hands. “Tickle me again, and you just might lose these hands.”

“Huh. Decisions, decisions..” Tav pursed their lips as if they were thinking. “Make my dashingly handsome lover laugh, or help him feel good?”

There was a beat, and Tav slowly pulled their hands out of his grip. They idly wriggled their fingers just a hair above his torso, not quite touching. He narrowed his eyes, still playful, and lowered one protective arm over the same area. 

“Tav, my love, I do hope you make the right decision..” He whispered in a low, suspicious purr. He watched their movements like a hawk and, for a moment, it looked like they were going to resume the massage. 

But then, they tentatively poked him in the tummy, and he flinched. Tav grinned a playful grin. 

“I’m gonna go with option one~” They sang, continuing to poke and prod at his belly at a pace that he couldn’t keep up with. He growled in between his giggling and tried, and failed, to grab their hand. 

“Nahahaha! Youhuhu little- ah! Nohoho! When I geheheheht my HAHAHAHNDS on youhuhu!” Astarion squealed and buckled at each poke, opting to cover his face with his hand. His face was flushed from laughing and his fangs were 100% visible, if he hadn’t been covering his face, that is. Tav laughed along with him and pressed their thumbs into his hips, kneading softly. He jolted and lurched forward, uncovering his face to wrestle with their hands.

 Again, he threw his head back in laughter, but he still wasn’t quite stopping them. He’d grip their wrists or hands and push them, though if he really wanted to, he could’ve stopped them ages ago. Tav’s heart warmed with the notion that he was having fun, and that maybe he wasn’t quite as angry with them compared to when they blew up the temple. Tav alternated between kneading his hips and running their nails along the bones, and their lover was in stitches. To add fuel to the metaphorical fire, they leaned back down to press kisses into his cheeks and ears. Astarion wheezed. 

“TAHAHA! Y-you’re sohoho dehEHEAD—!” Astarion’s shrieked threats dissolved into squealing cackles. He pushed his head into theirs as his legs drummed against the ground. Tav snuck a quick kiss to his nose with a giggle. 

“Promises, promises, my darling. You already said—” 

But before they could finish, Astarion found a last ditch burst of strength, and he lunged. Tav barely had time to react before the world flipped—one moment, they were on top, and the next, they were pinned on their back, staring up at a panting, wild-haired Astarion. He gathered up their wrists and held them above their head with one hand. Tav blinked and looked up at him with a wobbly smile. 

“Oh. Um, heh. H-Hang on, Astarion..”

After Astarion caught his breath, his slow, wicked grin returned. “I warned you, darling.”

Well, he certainly didn’t seem angry anymore. After all, he believed that the best apology was well placed revenge. 

A/N: I really hope this fic is to your liking, anon! I'm nervous to post it if I'm being honest because I was juggling this idea with another one and I finished this fic whilst sick, so I don't know about the quality. Anyways, I hope you like it. Also I love how you depicted Astarion's grouchiness through emojis- that was the favorite part of this ask 😆

[museguided]

Upon hearing Guren’s name, Mika stayed quiet. The conversation wasn’t done, of course. They couldn’t hope to have a foolproof plan to defy their fate overnight. Not with so many other cunning players in the game just waiting for them to trip up. Even if he knew all the ins and outs of Sanguinem–even if he was much stronger and faster than he had been back then–he would loathe to lose his family again over a callous mistake.  

It occurred to him then just how determined he was to see their new plans through. It was a selfish desire to change the past to suit themselves, and he should have been the voice of reason to convince Yuu to stick to the original plan and come back to their present. But, as with anything pertaining to Yuu, Mika found himself viciously wanting to set their past free. His vampirism may have placed a film over his emotions, but nothing could cease the guilt in his memory. 

The thought itself was dangerous; just as Guren had done for the sake of his friends, they could be making a grave mistake and bring further ruin to the world. 

Time was ticking, but Mika needed to think. He needed to know exactly what point in time they landed in, when his younger self was supposed to happen upon a map, and he needed to make the final decision well before that happened. The weight of the tome in the satchel he brought through time felt ten times heavier as they opened the door.

The scent of curry filled the room with warmth as the kids occupied each other with simple games by the light of a lantern. It didn’t do much for his unique appetite, but he welcomed the nostalgia all the same. He intended to find a corner, unwilling to let the children feel a shred of discomfort over the presence of a vampire, but then he felt a tug on his hand. He lowered his gaze to the smaller Yuu, feeling a bit helpless as the child tugged again with a relentless glare. Looking toward the older Yuu for support, he frowned when the other situated himself with the kids, allowing Mika to be pulled away alone. 

 He settled himself on the wooden floor, sitting seiza with his cape pushed aside to one shoulder, before giving the younger Yuu his attention. “Everything…?” Unlike the older Yuu, he couldn’t pick and choose a simple setting or situation that would be palatable to their family. Moreover, this was Yuu, who had thought he could take on all of the vampires as long as he could do a thousand push-ups every day. The memory made him huff with a small laugh.

“Sorry, Yuu-chan. But you're asking for at least four years worth of information.” It was just like Yuu, he supposed. He was glad to see that some things remained the same.

Looking around, he quietly noted that his own younger self had vanished. By now, he would be in Ferid’s grasp, praying through that sickening bliss that he wouldn’t be killed ‘by accident’ while the progenitor drank from him. But now that he knew better, he could only hope that Ferid would be none the wiser if Mika could put on his best act to appease him. The vampire’s eyes closed, knowing that everything he did back then was for his family, and he would have done so much more for their sake.

“Before all that, you should know,” he murmured quietly, “I'm—... well, my other self will be okay...” Ferid wouldn't kill him off so easily when he had plans involving the rest of them. But he knew Yuu had been worried for him all this time. Up until that fateful moment when their world turned upside down. “We have some time, so what would you like to know first?”

He did hate being called livestock, still did. But even so, he knew how humans were viewed to most vampires and it didn't help that the human race had fallen into step with their demands and being treated like the cattle they were called. Bred, herded, and harvested from like they were nothing but sacks of meat housing blood for them to siphon and eat. In returned they were housed - if one could call it that - and given some kind of nasty fluid in a packet they had to drink. He still remembered that nasty taste to this day, something nutrient rich he was sure to help them produce more blood for them to take.

It was bad enough to live it once, but to know that their family was still living it.. To know that Mika had to go to that disgusting leech that killed their family and willingly offer his neck.. It made him shudder in both disgust and renewed anger at vampire kind. All except one of course, the blond he was speaking with, but that went without saying. The blond who was thankfully now on board with him and discussing plans with him.

"I'm not sure about that exit.. Back then, Guren was waiting for me. Not a good idea if we want to avoid JIDA."

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, too traumatized to think of anything but getting out of there and getting his revenge. Now though, looking back, he frowned. They'd been set up hadn't they? Not just by Ferid.. By Guren too.. How else would he just happen to know to be there for Yuu? Add to it that it was revealed that it turned out, Ferid and Guren knew one another and Yuu felt a stab of betrayal in his heart all over again. It went deeper than he first thought and the more he thought on it now, the more he was sure about his decision and keeping their family away from the army.

Guren let Yuu's family be killed, let Mika nearly die, let him be turned, and just let Yuu live with the guilt. And he had to know that Mika survived and was turned.. Right? Back then, not only was it the guilt that Yuu ran away that haunted him. He remembered his parents telling him he was demon spawn and would ruin everything he touched, that he needed to be killed. Losing Mika and everyone else then.. He'd been so sure that his parents had been right. Even so he stayed alive for Mika, for their family, for the sake of revenge against the vampires. He spent every night of four years grieving their loss, thinking he was the one at fault. Only for these pieces to finally click together and make a clear picture.

Dammit! I should have listened to Mika about Guren a lot sooner!

Thankfully though, those past mistakes would soon be wiped away and he brought a smile back to his lips as he pushed off the wall to follow behind. He was right, they should really give the kids a heads up before they leave the house from now on. Last thing he wanted was for them to think they suddenly vanished and a bunch of kids were on their own, their own doom hanging over their heads like a dark cloud.

"I'll be sure to tell you. If I don't get all choked up first," he answered with a snicker. He wouldn't put it past himself to actually get teary eyed though just from experiencing it again and sharing a meal with their family for the first time in years. All of them together and alive.

It seemed that older Yuu wasn't the only one contemplating things while they'd been gone. No sooner did they walk in did his smaller self bypass Yuu and went right to Mika. He frowned as he reached for his hand and tugged to indicate for him to go to a quiet area where they could talk without smaller ears hearing. The older Yuu shrugged and went to sit and regale the kids with some stories of his own while the smaller practically glared up into red eyes.

"Tell me everything," he demanded. He had indeed been thinking a lot, including about how his older self had said that he wanted them to avoid the army as well. Plus about some kind of monster that wasn't vampires that were apparently on the surface. But more so, had his parents been right to try to kill him? Was he the one to actually blame for all of this..? If this Mika knew, he'd be honest right? The Mika he knew may try to spare his feelings if he knew. This one though, he'd be honest with him, right? He seemed to be more blunt with his future self. So surely he would be with him as well.

[lokh]

is 6 months too big a wait between tattoo sessions. would it be better to just wait to start later

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 24 thoughts:

. . . fucking . . . fuck. Just . . . fuck. Fucking fucky fucking FUCK, THAT WAS SO BADASS!!!!!

ALL OF IT HOLY SHIT I DON'T CARE, JUST PICK ANY MOMENT!! EVERYTHING EVERYONE DID WAS BADASS!

LIKE. FUCK. COLIN GOT TO LOOK BADASS.

He even got "yelling in caps" badass. Just for the one scene when he picked up Chevy. He did one fucking thing right, which was help someone up and then let THEM be cool.

And speaking of . . . HOLY FUCKING SHIT CHEVY! YOU DIDN'T GET KILLED BY TIME TRAVEL CHAD!

WHICH MEANS I DON'T HATE YOU ANYMORE!

WHICH MEANS I CAN SHOUT ABOUT HOW BADASS THAT WAS!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuck waiting for my interlude section to talk about this. That final scene with Behemoth was one of the most visually badass things I have ever read in my life! Fuck. I get fucking chills just thinking about it.

I can see that entire last fight in my head very clearly, almost like remembering an anime scene. Perfectly written.

And Regent! Look at you go, that's character growth!

I mean sure, you died. But growth!

Besides, you dying legit made Imp cooler. She was already great but "I'm going to fucking kill his dad for him" is even better! And Wanton's apparently got jokes so we still have a funny guy.

Basically if someone had to die I'm happy it was you. Sorry not sorry.

ALSO FOIL WHAT THE FUCK YOUR POWER COULD ALWAYS DO THAT AND YOU'VE JUST BEEN SITTING THERE SHOOTING THINGS?

I . . . I just . . . girl! How?? You could literally have turned a piece of rebar into a sword that Alexandria could have cut Leviathan in half with! And that's just what I thought of in the first few seconds after seeing this! Spend some time actually thinking about what you can do lady!

But luckily my daughter is here to do the thinking, and be FUCKING AMAZING AT IT!!!

LIKE HOLY SHIT TAYLOR, YOU CUT OFF BEHEMOTH'S LEG!

AND THAT PLAN HOLY SHIT! YOU MADE A PLAN THAT SET RACHEL UP TO BE THE BADASS HERO WHO CUTS OFF BEHEMOTH'S LEG, AND SETUP REALLY POWERFUL HEROES AS HER SUPPORT!

Fuck half of Eidolon's fucking job was "Catch my girlfriend and fly her back to me."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOLFSPIDER WOLFSPIDER WOLFSPIDER!!!!!!

And the snuggling at the end, as they were leaving!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my god and the lightning rod! That was insane!

Golem just has really cool powers. Glad Theo is doing ok.

And Alexandria's power preserves the body so Pretender can just puppet her. That's wild. Kinda annoying, my daughter just killed her!

And and and Taylor talked with Contessa!

AND CONTESSA SHARED HER POWER!!!

I was pretty close, didn't have it that specific, but basically was expecting something similar. Fuuuuck it's so cool!

Also the underground cities and the secret capes were wild. Kinda unfortunate that you guys set things up for Behemoth to be able to collapse the entire city, gave him lots of existing tunnels and such to work with.

My daughter could have done a little less bonding with Phir Sē. Ideally. Would have made me feel a little better.

But holy shit a time portal bomb made of looped light?? GOD DAMN. That sure hit like a truck. Just not a big enough truck.

Also Grace and Cuff are dating. I don't make the rules I just enforce them.

And the rules are "make it gay"

God and the whole "thinkers stuck on a roof" bit. Christ that was planned badly. They almost died because nobody had some rope. Embarrassing.

I'm glad Tattletale is doing ok. She got her girlfriend to steal a dudes phone for her, which was pretty funny. And I loved how she still got to do her big reveal to Chevy, she needs that.

HOLY SHIT AND TAYLOR TELLING RACHEL HOW TO TAKE CARE OF IMP?? SHE UNDERSTANDS HER GIRLFRIEND. GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY GAAAAAAYYY!

And fuckin Tecton just trying so hard to do the same thing with Rachel first and just failing so completely. And then trying again. And again. Bless his big himbo heart he's trying.

Fuck there's so much, I'm sure I'm missing a dozen other things. Every chapter had 20 moments I could mention.

Seriously though, sucks for New Delhi. "There’s nothing left to protect here" is a heck of a line and it is not what anyone wants to hear.

Chevy interlude (the rest of it) thoughts:

Holy shit Chevy's shadows! I wish he had described more of them, I wanted to know everyone's image! Just so much data there.

Fun to see the early Wards. Fun to see that Colin was always like that.

Hero's death was absolutely a targeted hit, he started asking too many questions, pushing back on things.

Chevy's whole power is just really fascinating. Really interesting to think about.

RIP Mouse Protector

Also the fact that her shadow was her laughing makes me think she might have lost the ability to be sad when she triggered, which is unfortunate if true. I mean Bonesaw got you either way so I guess it doesn't matter now.

Loved getting a wonderful list of Endbringer attacks. Sure it still wasn't all of them, but up through Simmy showing up is still pretty great.

Extremely curious about Mr. Keene, keeping an eye out for more info on him.

Tattletale just needed this poor man to read her texts and let her do her fucking THING! It's all she wants.

Anyway ya turns out powers (except Scion of course) can't touch the actual core of the Endbringers and I'm like 95% sure I have a good idea as to why it works like that, but still got a little bit of that uncertainty.

Endbringers are directly related to Eidolon in some way, I am pretty sure of that. Created by him. Previous bodies. Sentient poop for all I know! They're connected though.

HOLY SHIT WHEN HE SEES TAYLOR'S SHADOW DURING THE FINAL FIGHT!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! SHE LOOKED SO BADASS!!!!

Aftermath interlude thoughts:

Pretender and Satyr are so gay. That one's easy I don't even gotta try.

Everyone just starting to freak out about how things are gonna escalate instead of just celebrating the win is really unfortunate.

I mean, they aren't wrong. Another Endbringer is gonna come. But it would be nice if they could live in happy ignorance for a few days.

I'm guessing it'll either be two Endbringers that always attack at the same time or one Endbringer that uses teleportation to swap to a different city after a certain period of time. In either case basically fucking up the organized response ability.

Already mentioned this, but Rachel and Taylor fell asleep on each other!!!! GGGGAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!

If Dragon comes back wrong I'm putting all of the blame on Colin.

Fucking Danny just fucked that phone call up so bad. This man can not get it fucking right. FUCK.

GLENN YOU FUCKING FUCK I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR REASONS ARE YOU DON'T PUT SOMEONES PRIVATE VIDEO THEY TOOK FOR THERAPY ON THE INTERNET!!

AND YOU NEVER EVEN FUCKING SAID "SORRY"!!!!! YOU EXPLAINED YOUR ACTIONS AND WHY YOU HAD TO DO IT EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD HURT HER AND YOU COULDN'T ASK HER CAUSE SHE WOULD HAVE SAID NO BUT YOU NEVER EVEN SAID SORRY!!!

Like for real. Taylor says "You could have asked" and you respond with "You would have said no." Fuck at least just say sorry!

[transmechanicus]

Really fucked up that two ppl can care about each other and make their best efforts to communicate and still end up hurting each other so badly they cannot stand to be in the same room.

[haila-wetyios]

"Wouldn't me being caught in a fight be a direct reflection on your skills oh dear Bodyguard?" she asked, though her tone wasn't as playful as it might have been.

She watched in silence, brow furrowed briefly as he coughed. Though expressing concern would dampen whatever work connection was being upheld, at least that was her assumption. The best she could offer was wait briefly until he seemed better to move on.

"I'd said as much not? I'm too brash when I'm alone. And don't exactly take any threats lightly." It might have been a threat under the right circumstances to say that. But she'd merely shrugged as she continued her slow pacing along the coarse dirt and sand. The wilderness at least wasn't an easy place to get lost in.

"Rather than escalate whatever trouble happens if bad luck comes my way, I let someone take a job that expects that. I avoid trouble, you get a possibly mundane job if nothing happens. I'd say it is fair, so long as both ends hold up their agreements."

There was a pause, the distant rumbling of thunder was growing closer and also taking in a new pitch. Though that didn't seem what caught Haila's attention. Whatever it was, it was almost as if she'd spotted something that couldn't be unseen or missed.

She beelined to a nearby mound of dirt, the shade of a large boulder helping cover part of the unnatural shape within. The Viera knelt immediately and started digging some with her hands until a metallic contraption akin to a box was half recovered out of the ground.

"You're the first I've met that has ever asked to work alone though, and also specifically denied any help despite the low risk of the job." she mentioned as she busied herself with old cables and dusted panels. A terminal slowly coming to life as she peered over at Rhazt.

"And for some Garlean schematics of all things. Not exactly a life or death information." she added, though just as quickly busied herself back with her job.

At least one part was clear, she hadn't exactly lied over the measures that could keep them safe from being struck as a few information projections slowly flickered to life. The mixed terminal holding what seemed like similar patterns to those employed by the Ironworks, or a mock copy of them with their own unique touches.

Closed Starter for @haila-wetyios

Alexis walks into a bar, swinging the doors open to enter the buzz of the many customers of varied backgrounds taking swigs of mead or any other alcoholic drink. He spots an empty seat by the bar, choosing to sit. He dons a cloak to lay low, but his Veira features would deem it useless, garnering side glances and whispers.

Before this, Y'shtola and him had a talk about the upcoming battle with a certain Garlean commander, she had hinted for him to gather info so that they may have an advantage when the time comes. Alexis refuses at first, knowing what he would encounter were he to contact his old handler again. The danger it puts them just to mention his mercenary history, the eyes that will be set upon them if he does accept this request.

The Miqo'te only stares at him, though blind she could always sense where he was, maybe it was due to his presence or the fact that he's loud when it comes to his steps.

"Fine," The Viera grunted walking away, accepting that he should at least be more useful than being the Scions' guard dog, now that he's received Hydaelyn's Blessings as the Warrior of Light.

Alexis contacted his handler through his own ways, told him what he needed and was told who to meet. His old handler warned him about the client before he left, that even the Scions should be aware of a bigger fish that could swallow them whole.

Here he was, ordering a mug before silently waiting for this 'dangerous' client. He's hoping that no one knows what he actually is, or who to be exact. He goes by 'Rhazt' for now, his old name from an old bygone era. There's an empty seat beside him, the tavern tonight seemed to be blooming in their business. Rather often, it's a good atmosphere to talk about secrets and other confidential matters. But always the risk of being intruded on.

[moe-broey]

I'm gonna bully Lif again

I'll admit, some of these answers don't cover all the bases, but. What are we thinking, here. What is The Truth behind The Twink Death? 🤨🎤

I will also be accepting write-in responses as usual 🫡

[seraphic-sibyl]

I should have been born a frog. I should have been born a frog. I should have been born a frog. I should have been born a frog. I should have been born a frog. I should have been born a frog. I should have been

[sforzesco]

Your art is amazing! Could you tell me uhh, where to start? 😁 I mean, to get into all that goodiness that you're seemingly into. Is it just history - or some amazing show I've apparently missed?

it's all just history! I grew up watching documentaries on public tv, started reading historical fiction, and then non fiction when I ran out of historical fiction to read at the local library. lots of hong kong & japanese period pieces (films, comics, shows, etc) (shout out to ooku, that one was an eye opener). between that, assassin's creed being at it's absolute height when I was a teenager, BDs, and sword and sandal movies, eventually it culminated into this

there are three shows that deserve honorable mentions tho, because if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have considered history for an enjoyable creative outlet: Starz Spartacus, The Borgias (Showtime), and probably Wolf Hall or Prince of Egypt!

[tragicallyuncreative]

LMAOOO i spent 15 minutes researching which buffets were popular in the 60s, especially in OK, but so many didn't pop up until the 70s and Shoneys is a classic. The Curtis Gang would fuck shit up at a buffet, for real. The Curtis parents always took the boys to the restaurant of their choice on their birthdays, even when they were barely scraping by. Did they chose a steakhouse? Something fancy? Nope. Always Shoneys. They would clean out there. Seconds? Thirds? Fourths? Bring it.

Steve pregames on the buttered rolls they bring. The second the waitress sets it down on the table, he grabs it and puts the entire basket in his lap and claims it as his. He also wears a jacket and asks for another basket right before they leave and unashamedly shoves all the rolls in his pockets and brings them home and uses them to make bacon and egg sandwiches for the next 5 mornings in a row.

Soda is combining food in the different buffet sections to make the weirdest concoctions ever. We're talking cheese and mushroom pizza smothered in thousand island salad dressing topped with fried shrimp and bits of cheeseburger and sushi and honeyed carrots and green beans for good measure. He tried to get everyone to try it and is getting glares from the staff as he gets a million different plates to mix food on, take one bite, then set it aside and declare it done.

Darry will literally get steak and unsweetened ice tea. Nothing else. But he will eat his body weight in it. The more done/ charred, the better. He'll literally ask the line cook if they can put the steak back on the grill for a couple more minutes until its on the verge of catching fire and be like "yeah, right there. that's perfect."

Two-Bit is having a grand old time with his tradition of trying to fit as much food as he can on one small plate by stacking it. His mom took him and his sister on his 11th birthday and they had a $2 for 1 plate deal and he literally stacked it to the ceiling and was incredibly pleased with the way he outsmarted the system. He continues this for the rest of his life. When the gang goes together, Darry is dying of embarrassment and hissing at him "two-bit, i got the all-you-can-eat deal, you can get more than one plate, knock that shit off and stop drawing attention to us." no dice, he's using toothpicks to stabilize his food structure and making fun of Darry by pretending to lose his balance and drop the plate before proceeding to trip for real and faceplant and drop everything while darry sits there and regrets his existence.

Ponyboy will get one plate of his favorite- straight carbs (mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, and fried chicken) and then absolutely destroy the desert section. if it's got chocolate, its going on his plate. he takes like 8 brownies before anyone can get to them and theres none left and Steve asks for one and he just looks at him and is like "they're mine now, cry about it."

Dallas is living his best life. He is determined to get his money's worth. He'll literally get like 10 plates with every single food option and steadily make his way through them. He'll sit back in his chair and take breaks and just when everyones like finally time to go he'll be like wait im still eating. It's an hour past closing time and the staff is ready to throw hands and a waitress will approach and try to take away a mostly empty plate and he'll open his eyes (emerging from his brief food coma) and look her dead in the eye and go "the hell are you doing I'm not done". also has no choice but to go to shoney's because the other all-you-can-eat buffet in town has banned him for a multitude of reasons.

Johhny surpasses them all. He just doesn't get full. He doesn't draw attention to it, but he will put away a frankly ridiculous amount of food and have no effects. They all finally drag themselves out to the truck, convinced that they'll never eat again, and just flop down in their seats and lay there for a minute and johnny's just looking at them like "soo... who wants ice cream?"

And yes, you have to be 12 or older to go to the buffet unescorted. When ponyboy was 13 (like soon after their parent's death) they all went together and the mood was pretty somber and then a staff member comes up to darry and is like "sir, the little boy can't be up there unattended" and points to ponyboy who is raiding the dessert section. they are all DYING laughing and ponyboy is equal parts pissed that she thought he was younger than 12 and humiliated. he does not live it down and the gang will never let him forget it.

edited to inform @fangirl-docintraining that they take Betty to Shoney’s when they go out to eat with her for the first time. Darry tries to warn her that the gang is wild at buffets and she just laughs it off. An hour later she’s sitting there as Darry wolfs down his blackened steak, Two-Bit is pulling chicken nuggets off of toothpicks at the top of his food tower, Johnny is eating 4ths, Steve is trying to wrestle a brownie from Ponyboy, Soda's dipping raw broccoli in chocolate fondue, and Dally is flirting with the waitress. The manager walks by and does a double take with the fear of god in his eyes and just groans “oh hell no not these guys again who let them in?!?” She’s like “what am I marrying into??”

At The End Of The Road: Chapter ? Excerpt

Mourning the 2k words of chapter 6 drafts that somehow got deleted and are nowhere to be found 😭 was actually making some progress so hopefully can find but don't have high hopes. On a happier note, take some rambling for a future chapter plot!

~

“Hey, happy birthday kid,” Steve said, whipping off Pony’s DX cap, rubbing his bald head, and darting away before the kid could take a swing at him. “Finally twelve, huh? Now you can go up to the buffet line at Shoney’s all by yourself!”

“I’m fourteen!” Pony cried indignantly.

“What’s that? Did ya hear someone talkin’, Two?”

“Nah,” Two-Bit chortled, lazily flopping on the couch. “I didn’t hear nothin’. Hey, go wake up the birthday boy. It’s a big day, ya know. Thirteen and all.”

Johnny snickered at Pony’s yelp of protest. “Two-Bit!”

[gxlden-angels]

Do not stop talking about Palestine. Do not forget about Palestine. This is not a battle of religion and I do not think it should be treated as such. From the river to the sea, they will be free 🇵🇸

Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I am just some guy in the US. I am not a direct source of information. Please listen to Palestinians. Please help them directly. Please help with protests if your country is supplying Israel with weapons like the US.

[probablygayattorneys]

Okay, now that I've had time to get my bearings and sit with Another Code and really think about what I want to say about it, I am prepared to do so.

First off, the Switch remake is not Trace Memory. In fact, if you were like me and played Trace Memory as a kid but then it kind of fell off your radar and you didn't buy a used copy on eBay to replay it before you replayed the remake, you would be forgiven if you had a little niggling feeling that you couldn't place that you had seen all of this somewhere before, but not where. Ashley's name isn't even the same - Robbins is spelled with only one b, which I do understand is the same as in the original UK version, but was still quite jarring to someone who's only played the US version.

I didn't feel like I was playing the same game. There's not a single puzzle that I remember as being the game, and where the original made use of it's hardware, so too does this game, having puzzles that depend on the gyroscope, which might be frustrating if you're playing in docked mode and the controller you tend to use doesn't have gyroscope controls.

It is certainly more fleshed out. There are more parts of the map that you get to visit, and you learn more about the Edwards family, though it also felt like it unraveled more threads than it was willing to wrap up, which is peculiar because it also got rid of one of the most interesting aspects of the original game, which is the multiple endings. No matter what you do, the game funnels you into the "good" ending, which I won't say more details about, just in case anyone reading this hasn't played it. This is a little annoying, because it feels like it's taking away one of the things about the game that made it so special, that the choices you make ultimately matter, but is also overshadowed by the fact that I suck at this game and always have, so I never got the good ending on my own, so now knowing why what happened had to happen and how things ended up the way they did... it's nice to have the closure I was never skilled enough to achieve on my own.

Another cool aspect of this game is that Sayoko being Japanese is not incidental - they actually spend time explaining various aspects of Japanese culture, instead of DTS cards Richard's diary is left on origami cranes, and there's a sweet moment where they talk about the meaning of the name Mizuki. As well, there's actually more depth given to Sayoko's character, even though she was still fridged.

So ultimately... Is it a faithful 1:1 recreation of the source material? No. In fact, you might feel frustrated because it feels like the game is treating you with kid gloves - from things like the forced good ending to the fact that anytime you're working on a puzzle, you just have to press a button to get hints and if you go through all of them it basically just tells you the answer straight out - which, in all fairness, it is.

But is it still worth playing? Yes. It's still a good game, even with the oversexualization of Ashley and the fact that with the camera, you spend most of the game looking directly at her ass and she's 13 years old. If you like puzzle games, which if you don't why are you even following me, it's definitely a worthy entry into that catalogue, which does seem to have been drying up lately.

Now, do I want them to make a remake of Hotel Dusk in the same style?

Hell fucking no. The game was good, but not "I trust you with my baby" good.

[liberty-spiked]

my dad only knows 2 emotions, anger and mild happiness, and it shows.