#not in like a cliffhanger kind of way. but just in a We Tried Putting Way Too Much Into One Season And It's Paying The Price | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kingconia · 8 months

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Hello I js read ur MC who takes inspriration from the protag of their stories and if you're still taking requests, is it possible to do a part 2 for it?

A/N: You are welcome. I pondered a little about the continuation of this concept, and figured out that Leona & Vil had the most potential for the second part, since I left a cliffhanger in their stories. Others seemed quite cliche or obvious—Riddle has a crush, he can easily deal with, and same goes for Malleus, Azul & Idia. I hope, you don't mind.

The first part can be found here. Obviously, read it first for the context.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR & VIL SCHOENHEIT WITH THE READER, WHO IS INSPIRED BY THE PROTAGONIST OF THEIR STORIES.

Leona Kingscholar. 💛

— Leona is bad at admitting aloud that he made a mistake, but it doesn't necessarily mean he has no realisation of it. He knows, he hurt you. That is obvious;

— He starts paying more attention to you in the school, since he hasn't figured out how to fix your relationship yet. And that is when he notices that... You are actually not as cheerful as he remembered you to be? Most of the time, you sit away from other students of Savanaclaw?

— When he asks Ruggie about that, he shrugs. He tells Leona that you were always like this, and they even call you ”the sombre heir” among themselves, since you are not quite fun to have around. Leona is surprised. You were so different with him...

— In the end, Leona simply decides to speak with you honestly. He has this feeling that you will accept him either way. You always did before. But, oh, seems like he is not on your good side anymore, isn't he?

•

”Oi, kittie, watcha doin'?” Leona plops in front of you, putting his elbows on the table.

He is nervous, he will not lie about. It is the first time he feels such an overcoming anxiety before someone alive, and that is strange. It is just you, after all. Right?

”Dunno,” you answer slowly, putting a slice of meat in your mouth. ”Thinking about my family, who died so yours could take our throne away. You, Leona?”

Well, you definitely are not planning to forgive him so easily.

Leona shifts uncomfortably as he tries to catch your gaze. Without a luck.

”I accept my fault,” he murmurs quietly, hardly audible. ”And if anything, I understand your pain. I, too—”

A sudden laugh from your lips makes him stop in the tracks. As you wipe your mouth with the napkin, you smile suddenly. And when you raise your eyes on him, Leona almost flinches. Because there is nothing kind or gentle in these orbs now. Instead, they are cold. They are cold, and at the same time, they are awfully mad.

”What would you know about it, golden boy?” Your voice shift in a condescending tone as you shake your head slightly. ”Kings like your brother, Leona, they have honour. And princes like you or your little nephew have a bravery and heart. But people like me, Leona, the fallen ones, we only have rage. So, excuse me, but I don't think we are at the same page, kittie.”

You are hissing your last words, hand coming to grab Leona by his chin, tip of claws scratching his skin. He wants to back away, he intends too, but he is suddenly strangely fascinated by you. Intimidated, even.

”If you want to apologise, Leona, then do it properly. With falling on your knees, at least,” your fangs flash in a carnivorous smirk. ”And until then, have your dreams. Sweet or not—we will see in which mood I am going to be today.”

Leona gulps as he watches you leaving, eyes fixated on your back.

Perhaps you ignored his existence until now, willing to forget his rudeness. But now, it seemed, he lost the last pieces of your mercy.

...And he needs to figure out how to have your forgiveness really quick.

Vil Schoenheit. 💜

— Vil is not surprised when headmaster warns him, that someone from his dorm attempts to take away his housewarden title. He already knows who it is, and he is not surprised to see your face, when he enters the main hall;

— He had a bad week already: his hair products worked awfully, your number of followers outnumbered his own, and Neige practically took the role that was his in the very last moment. It is only logical that in the same week you attempt to take his title;

— And, of course, you succeed. The poison you created can be only worth of the Pomefiore housewarden, and no one can deny that. Even Vil. In fact, he always acknowledged your brains and wilt, so of anything, he feels it is fair win;

— What makes him stop frozen, though, is the person you want to see as your vice. Originally, Vil thought that you will take Rook—he is quite aware of his attraction towards you—but then... You chose him? Why? Why would you do that?

•

”Well,” Vil says, when the two of your are left in the room alone, and there is no need to act as you were friends anymore. ”What else are you planning to do with me? You are the housewarden—you won. Why making me your vice?”

You turn on your heels to face him, a big and shiny smile plastered on your face as you step closer to him.

”Don't be so mean, Vil-sama. Why do you act as if I hate you? I don't,” you put yours hands on chair handles he is sitting at, invading his personal space gracefully. ”I cannot hate a person, who helped me to understand what my signature spell is.”

Vil furrows, pressing his back to the chair more firmly, not trusting you coming close to him. Yet, it hardly changes anything—the tips of your noses are practically touching.

”I apologise, but I cannot recall such a thing.”

He had never helped you with anything in your life. Now, Vil is ashamed that he didn't.

He remembers your first day in the dorm. How you clinged to his side, with stars shining in your eyes, asking him about this and that. How you attempted to befriend him. How you only originally started to speak with Rook to understand him better.

Vil failed the little student of his.

And the person in front of him didn't want his acceptance now.

”How come?” Your hands are suddenly on his head, fingers wrapped around his favourite diadem, taking it off slowly. ”After all, you were the first beast I spoke with.”

He flinches, and you carefully kiss him on the cheek before putting the diadem on your own hair. It looks nice.

Vil hates that.

”I miss the kid you were,” he murmurs against his best judgement.

You hum.

”Bear the monster you created, instead.”

You left him on the vice position so it could be a remind for his mistake. For his cruelty. For his arrogance. He realises it now. You don't need to do anything special to hurt him, if he does it to himself, working under your command on the daily basis, seeing you shine, when he burns out.

You are beautiful, Vil accepts that. Your revenge is a charming one, too.

”I heard Neige got that role?” You ask suddenly, when he reaches doors, unwilling to turn back. ”Such a shame. Something must happened.”

He grits his teeth.

Vil hates himself for making you like this. Yet, he can't help but feel proud. Whatever he created you as—you would take what is yours, with blood and sweat. He can admire that about you. And deep inside, Vil thinks you do that, too. Deep inside you enjoy it as much as you hate it.

”Yes. Something.”

After all, there is truly nothing Vil can do, but accept his defeat.

The king is dead. Long life to you.

A/N: Based on protagonists or not—they had some darkness in theirselves as well; just as Simba was quite ruthless, when the situation required of it, in many interpretations of the tale, Snow-white learned how to be cruel, too. I think it is enamoring how these said protagonists can be just as their villains, especially if they were growing up around them in one way or another.

#twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader

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blushweddinggowns · 2 months

Text

Eddie didn’t even remember falling asleep. One second he was cradling the love of his life and the next his phone was blaring by his ear, forcing his eyes open.

That wasn’t even right, it was too loud to be his phone. It was two loud shrieking noises, bad enough to wake them both up. Steve blinked up at him, seemingly just as confused on how they’d gotten here as Eddie was.

Emotional exhaustion was a hell of a drug.

He didn’t know how long they were asleep for when he grabbed his phone, sleepily answering, “Hello?”

“Where the hell have you been?!” Chrissy’s voice greeted him, “I have been hiding in a damn airport bathroom for forty minutes! Like three people have already recognized me and I swear to God, if you aren’t here before that catches on-”

Fuck, “Shit, I’m so sorry, I’m on the way. Forty minutes, tops.”

“That doesn’t answer where you’ve been.”

Eddie glanced over at Steve, watching as he answered his own phone, “Steve came by and we talked.”

“He did?” Chrissy asked, on the edge of hopeful, “What did he say?”

“Well-”

“You SAID you would call me if it worked out! And did you call? No! You didn’t! Nancy and I are literally circling his apartment building because for all I know he could have killed you-”

Eddie watched, amused as Steve scrambled to take his phone off speaker. He tried to calm her down, “Robin, I’m fine. I’m sorry, we just got distracted.”

Eddie could still hear her yelling on the other end, muffled but still clear enough, “And how the hell would I know you’re fine? You had one job Steven, one!”

“Eddie? You there?” Chrissy voice asked, one more added to the madness, “Don’t leave me on a cliffhanger here! What happened?”

But Eddie’s mind was already wandering. As much as he loved Chrissy, leaving Steve here wasn’t high on his list of priorities. There was still a lot to talk about and shoving his best friend into his face after they just made up probably wasn’t a great call. But Robin was right outside.

His mind settled on an idea, it was a little out there but Eddie was selfish enough to try. Besides, if Chrissy hated it he could just take Steve along. He was going to meet her eventually anyway.

“I’ll tell you everything,” Eddie reassured, still half-listening to Steve’s conversation, “But things are still kind of fresh. How would you feel about someone else picking you up from the airport?”

“Who?”

“Steve’s sister?” Eddie tried, fully ready for her to call him crazy. He’d have to give her that one. He did technically make her fly all the way out here just to try and ditch her at the airport.

But Chrissy didn’t sound very put out. If anything she sounded curious, “Wait, you mean the girl from the pictures?”

Eddie narrowed his eyes at the plural, “I only sent you one picture.”

The silence that followed told him everything he needed to know, “Have you been stalking this girl’s instagram?”

“I-no? Wait a sec, I’m not the one on trial here! Don’t interrogate me!”

Eddie rolled his eyes, but he’d give it to her, “But you’re open to the idea?”

“If you can guarantee I won’t be kidnapped and murdered maybe.”

“Fair enough,” Eddie said, turning to nudge Steve, “Hey baby, can you ask Robin a weird question?”

“Eddie wants to know if you’ll pick up Chrissy Cunningham from the airport,” Steve immediately asked. Evidently, Eddie hadn’t been the only one eavesdropping, “As long as you promise not to kidnap and/or murder her. But I’m going to add drooling too. Neither of you can make her uncomfortable, got it?”

It was kind of impressive how easily Steve turned that conversation around, like he knew exactly what Robin was going to say. Probably because he did.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, yes! We’ll do it!” Eddie heard from the other line, from what sounded like two separate voices, “But can you warn her we’re fans? We can only act so normal for so long. But we can keep a secret! We won’t like expose her or anything!”

Steve rolled his eyes, “All you have to do is drive her to her hotel. You can handle it for that long.”

“I’m paying for your hotel by the way,” Eddie said on his end, “And warning her and her girlfriend are both fans.”

“Damn right you’re paying for it,” Chrissy agreed, “I still have your credit card from the last time you were here. And uh, you said they’re both fans? Nancy too?”

Eddie paused, “Just how deep into the cyberstalking hole did you go with these people?”

“J-Just give me her number! I’ll let you know when I get there. Then you owe me every detail the second you are officially back together.”

Eddie bit his tongue, as he glanced over at Steve. He was running a hand through his hair, trying and failing to calm down the still screeching duo. Yeah, he was going to take one more day with him.

“I will,” Eddie promised, “When we figure it all out you’re the first stop. We’re coming straight to you, okay?”

“Good,” Chrissy said, appeased, “Enjoy him alone while you can.”

“I will. Thank you, Chrissy,” Eddie said, completely sincere, “For coming all the way out here for my dumbass. I love you, dude. See you soon.”

“Love you too.”

He hung up around the same time Steve did.

“I feel like we just started something,” Steve yawned as he laid right back down, “But I don’t know what.”

From the latest chapter of this fic

#steddie #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #damn your love damn your lies #fic update

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mooshywrites · 1 month

Text

Bloodied Stars - Part 3 - Red and Gold Stitching

Fem!Reader x Ascended Astarion

Masterlist

Art commissions

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Comment here to be tagged in chapter updates

Word count - 5.5k

Warnings - (Series contains - Angst, “enemies” to lovers, pregnancy, disagreements, slow character growth, smut, typical asshole ascended astarion behavior, cliffhangers, murder, death - This takes place after the events in BG3, the ‘reader’ (you) is not Tav. Just a Baldur’s Gate resident)

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“We could be a family”

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Chapter list

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You awoke with a start, grimacing when your muscles protested sorely. You rubbed your eyes, trying to regain your bearings.

You were in your bed.

Familiar sights and smell filtered in, the skeins of thread littering your table, the comfortable fabric of your quilt over you, the sunlight filtering through your bedside window.

You squinted at the light, memories of the night before appearing as snippets.

Your cheeks flushed red as what you had done hit you all at once. You couldn’t find it in yourself to be ashamed, remembering the feeling of the vampire’s hands all over you.

You reached up, fingertips tracing over the twin pinpricks on your neck.

Not a dream, then.

You took in a deep breath, looking out the window. With a shake, you tried to ignore thinking about how exactly you’d been returned to your bed, or what it meant for an ascended vampire of all people to know where you lived. You tried to keep the sadness from tugging at your chest, shaking off the sleepiness from the morning.

As you stood up and stretched, you tried to fill yourself with determination. You were home. You were alive. More importantly, you had orders to fill.

It was best to put your near death experience and incredibly alluring one night stand as far out of your mind as possible. After all, you would never be seeing the pale elf again.

Would you?

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The next few days had dragged on painfully slow. The orders you usually snagged as a seamstress seemed to have all but dried up completely. Business was usually a little slow around this time of year, but the extra time on your hands did nothing to help your constant habit of thinking about your night with the Vampire.

In the evenings, you even found yourself focusing outside of your window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man. But there was never a single sign from him. You hadn’t been back to the bar where you met Amastacia since that night, but you were sure she wouldn’t have shown her face there either.

As the days turned into weeks, doubts began to creep in your mind. Had it all been some sort of dream?

Your mood wasn’t helped by the ill timed cold you caught. Earlier in the week, you found yourself growing nauseated constantly. The only thing you could force and keep down was a meat broth, a dish you’d had every day for almost entire week by now.

When the sunlight started streaming through your window this particular morning, your nausea was a little more kind to you than usual. Happy to be finally getting over the sickness, you stretched with a yawn. Making your way to the window, you soaked in the cool morning air washing over you like a soothing balm. As you gazed out at the waking city below, your stomach growled loudly.

At least with the nausea gone, you finally had an appetite.

You padded your way into the small kitchen, rummaging through your stores for ingredients. The kitchen was always a disheveled mess, neglected in favor of your sewing. That meant finding anything in here was a nightmare. With a sigh, you settled on a vegetable medley and cured sausage for breakfast. Now that you would be able to keep food down, it would probably be important to get as many nutrients as possible.

But as you began chopping the colorful vegetables, a sudden wave of unease washed over you. The vibrant hues and crisp textures that usually had you drooling now seemed to turn your stomach. The sight and smell of the sausage made your nose wrinkle and body recoil in a way you couldn’t comprehend.

Frowning, you tried to push away these strange feelings, attributing them to the lingering effects of your recent illness. But as you continued to cook, an undeniable craving gnawed at the back of your mind, growing louder with each passing moment.

And then it hit you. As you watched the crimson juices from the beets stain the cutting board, a primal desire surfaced.

A desire for that juice to be blood.

Disgust filled you immediately, conflicting emotions warring within you. You dropped the knife with a clatter, feeling as though you were teetering on the edge of sanity. Your thoughts immediately flicked to the night you shared with your very own bloodsucker.

Had you been turned into a spawn?

No, surely that was impossible. Embarrassing as it was to admit, you’d read up quite a bit about vampires in the past weeks, your curiosity getting the best of you. From what you had read, spawns were only created if they had died after being bitten by a vampire.

Though you didn’t have much memory of after you fell asleep in the pale elf’s arms, you were very sure you hadn’t died.

It had to be from something else. As you stared at the red stained cutting board before you, you wondered if you should see a healer about this.

“Just don’t tell them you slept with a vampire,” you chided yourself with a hollow laugh.

Shaking off your unease, you resolved to go ahead and seek an expert. One who could shed some light on your peculiar situation.

You took a few minutes to throw on something other than your sleep shirt, slipping into your shoes to ready yourself for the day. The sky was starting to grow downcast and you cursed under your breath, hoping you wouldn’t show up to the healer looking like a rain drowned rat.

Leaving your beloved shop behind, you ventured out into the bustling streets. Despite the weather, the city was a cacophony of sights and sounds. Merchants hawking their wares, children playing in the cobblestone alleys, and plenty of shady characters lurking in the shadowed parts of the road. As you made your way through the crowded city, you couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at the edges of your mind. The events of the past few weeks weighed heavily on your soul, and the mystery of your newfound condition haunted you like a ghost.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the cobblestone as you finally arrived at the healer’s shop. The building was a quaint little establishment, nestled amongst winding ivy and foliage, its wooden sign creaking in the gentle breeze.

Pushing open the door, you were greeted by the scent of herbs and dried flowers, mingling with the smoky aroma of incense. The healer, a wise old half-elf with kind eyes, looked up from his book with a smile.

“Welcome to Bandages, Books, and Bobs, dearie,” he croaked. “What ails ya’.”

You hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to broach the subject with the elderly man. His wrinkled face held centuries of wisdom, yet you couldn’t shake the doubt he’d be unable to help.

Taking a deep breath, you finally found the courage to speak, your voice hushed with nervousness. “I.. I don’t know exactly. It’s like… like a cold but I’m having some odd food distaste as well. Along with fatigue of course.”

The healer’s gaze turned sharp and focus,ed his eyes peeking over his glasses as he studied you. After a moment of silence, he let out an approving grunt, hobbling over to a low set table.

“Fatigue, you say? Let’s see if we can’t find the cause. Sit down over here, dearie, and let old Birch have a closer look,” he smiled.

You settled onto the worn wooden table as Birch meandered around the shop, grabbing a few different apparatuses in his arms.

The elder laid out his instruments meticulously, rambling under his breath about organization. He first reached for a delicate silver chain with a shimmering crystal at its end, swinging it gently in front of your eyes. As the crystal danced in the light, you felt a wave of calm wash over you, soothing any nerves you had.

Birch then brought a small vial filled with a vibrant blue liquid that seemed to glow from within. He uncorked the vial and carefully placed a drop onto his gnarled finger, which he then touched to your forehead. The liquid seeped into your skin, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.

“These must be old methods,” you wondered aloud as the old man observed your reaction.

“Older than the city in which we sit,“ Birch assured happily.

Finally, he moved on to a bundle of dried herbs tied together with a satin ribbon. He crushed the herbs between his weathered palms, releasing a fragrant aroma that filled the room.

“Take a deep breath, dearie,” he instructed.

As you inhaled the earthy scent, your stomach upturned immediately. You gagged on the smell, willing yourself not to throw up on the elder in front of you. The healer’s hands dropped as he looked at you with newfound understanding, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smile.

“No need to worry, my sweet,” he said gently. “You and your special someone are about to be a trio.”

You felt a lump form in your throat as you met his gaze, your thoughts trying to piece together what the old man was saying.

“You’re with child,” he offered knowingly.

A rush of emotions flooded through you as the healer’s words settled in.

A child?

How could this be possible? Realization hit you like a ton of bricks as your mind raced back to the night you’d been taken. The memory that you’d desperately tried to move past. In a daze, you grabbed the edges of the table, trying to steady yourself. The healer’s voice seemed to fade in the background as you grappled with the situation you found yourself in.

Questions tumbled through your mind, a tempest of uncertainty and fear threatening to consume you whole. What kind of creature were you even carrying in your womb? None of the books you had read said anything about vampires conceiving children.

Could you even take care of a child?

You were by no means destitute, but your shop and home were small. Your income was only enough to manage scraping by, definitely not enough for what it took to raise someone.

Amidst the chaos of your thoughts, a flicker of another feeling stirred within you - a cool and collected determination. It seemed so out of place in the whirlwind of panic consuming the rest of you.

You were going to have to find the pale elf again.

The strange sense of purpose settled deep within you as you mulled over the thought. Whatever you were carrying was going to be at least half vampire. You vaguely remembered the man saying something about being ‘ascended’ as well. Nothing you had read about explained anything about ascension, so you had no idea how that would factor into your already lacking knowledge surrounding the pregnancy.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed aside the doubts and fears that threatened to overwhelm you. You knew one thing for certain - you needed answers. And the only one who could provide them was the mysterious pale elf who had set this chain of events in motion. You needed to talk to him if you had any hopes of surviving this pregnancy.

If you could find him, that was.

“Thank you for the help, I’m glad it’s not anything more serious,” you smiled at the man, trying to keep your voice even and assured.

He gave you a bright smile, ushering you to the front to take your payment. His wise eyes never left you, seeming to understand the turmoil of emotions swirling within you. Thankfully, he didn’t pry too much into your sour mood. With a final thank you, you turned to leave.

“Good luck with the little one, dearie! You’ll be just fine,” he called out.

Oh how hard it was to keep the tears from flowing with that encouragement.

Leaving the healer’s abode, your mind was consumed by the puzzle that lay before you. There was three things you knew you needed to find out. What did it mean to be ascended? How would that factor in to your baby?

Most importantly, how do you find someone when you don’t know where they live or even know their name?

The determination that had taken root in your chest blossomed into a steely resolve as you navigated the winding streets of the city. The only place you could think to start looking was the tavern where it all began.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Waiting for the pub to open that evening was hellish, your body thrumming with the need to do something with all the nervous energy you were producing.

You shifted uncomfortably on the hard wooden bench outside the tavern, your thoughts drifting back to the healer’s words. The finally setting sun painted the sky in hues of pink and orange, casting a warm glow over the cobblestone streets. As you sat there, your hand absentmindedly rubbing your arm, you couldn’t help but wonder about the child growing inside of you. Were they the reason you were craving raw meat? You couldn’t help but giggle as you paired the thoughts together.

“I hope you don’t want blood often,” you mused to yourself. “Otherwise, you and I are going to have a long nine months.”

Did vampires even have nine month pregnancies? You hadn’t even thought of how the race would affect you, you were so caught up in what it meant for your child to be half vampire.

Lost in your thoughts, you almost didn’t notice the sound of the tavern door creaking open. It didn’t take long for people to begin spilling in, the sound of laughter and clinking spilling into the streets.

Stepping inside, the warm light and comforting smell of ale washed over you like a familiar embrace. In minutes, the tavern was crowded with patrons, their voices blending together. You made your way to a corner table, watching and waiting.

Hours passed as you nursed a mug of honey tea, your gaze darting around the room, searching for any sign of recognition. Sleep had already started to pull at your eyes, the fire crackling making you even drowsier.

Then, just as you were beginning to lose hope, a figure caught your eye. A well dressed man sitting at the bar, laughing loudly at the woman next to him. There was something about his stark white hair that sparked the memory within you. His were the same shade of hair and eyes as your pale elf.

Without hesitation, you rose from your seat and approached him, heart pounding in your chest. As he turned to face you with a confused glance, you cleared your throat loudly. The woman next to him gave you a look as well, her eyes giving you a critical once over.

“Can I help you?” the man prodded.

“You should leave while you can,” you told the woman, ignoring the pale spawn. “Unless you want to be this guy’s dinner. And not in the fun way.”

The spawn’s eyes sparked with anger, the wooden pitcher of ale in his hand shaking slightly. The woman’s gaze flickered between you and the white haired man, uncertainty clouding her features. She seemed torn between heeding your warning and dismissing it as mere lunacy.

“Why should I believe you?” the woman challenged, her voice tinged with discomfort.

You took a step closer, lowering your voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Because I know who he works for and what they’re capable of. Let’s just say it’s not something you want to stick around for.”

The white haired man’s grip on the pitcher tightened even further, his expression darkening with every passing second. With a glance, you could see the inner struggle raging within him, torn between obeying his anger and maintaining a facade of civility.

After looking to the spawn, the woman gave a quick nod, pushing herself away from the bar. She shot one last wary glance at the man before making a hasty exit. As soon as she was out of sight, the tension in your shoulders eased slightly. You looked back to the furious man, almost taken aback by the complete lack of fear you had. For gods sake, this was a vampire spawn. He could rip you limb from limb if he wanted, and yet, the only thing you felt was determination.

“What the hell was that,” the man gritted out.

“Careful, draw too much attention to yourself, spawn, and people will start asking questions,” you smiled.

“What?” he demanded in a hushed voice, his expression growing incredulous. “How would you know I was a spawn.”

“You all need to be introduced to the wide world of hair dye if you think you’re being discreet,” you dead-panned.

The pale man’s confusion was palpable, his brows furrowed together and his lips pressed in a thin line. He glanced around nervously, seemingly worried about anyone eavesdropping on the conversation.

“Now look,” you leaned in closer, your voice low and commanding. “I didn’t come here just to ruin your dinner. Take me to your boss.”

His eyes widened in astonishment, disbelief etched across his features. It was clear that he didn’t expect this brazen demand from someone so unassuming, but there was something in your unwavering gaze that made him hesitate.

He looked over you, determining whether you were a threat. After a moment of tense silence, the spawn straightened up, his demeanor shifting from anger to caution. Without a word, he gestured for you to follow him and began weaving through the crowded pub toward the back exit. You observed his face silently, seeing how easily his charm was turned off. How hollow his eyes looked now that he wasn’t playing a character.

The air grew colder as you stepped out into the alleyway, following the pale man into the darkness beyond. The path was thin and claustrophobic, winding and twisting as you walked. The spawn moved swiftly, his footsteps echoing against the stone as he led you deeper into the city.

After what felt like an eternity, you arrived at a watchtower, an inconspicuous ladder leading up. You vaguely remembered the place from when you had been drugged, but the memory was hazy. You were slightly taken aback by how normal the building looked. You climbed the ladder easily, following the spawn as he led you to the front doors.

The doors creaked open as the man pushed them, and you were met with a sight that stole your breath away. The interior of the bricked building was nothing like the plain outer walls. It was a grand entrance, with high ceilings adorned with intricate tapestries. The room was bathed in a soft ethereal light that seemed to emanate from nowhere, casting long shadows that danced along the walls.

You followed the spawn through the hall, your footsteps muffled by the plush carpets that lined the floor. The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood and brandy, a heady mix that made you feel light headed and on edge. As you passed by large portraits and shelves filled with expensive knicknacks, you couldn’t help but wonder how you didn’t know about the people behind these walls.

Finally, you reached a set of ornate double doors at the end of the hall. The spawn turned to you, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

“You asked for this,” he said cryptically, his voice barely above a whisper. “Whatever happens from this point is your own fault.”

With a sense of trepidation mixed with curiosity, you nodded for him to open the doors. The doors were silent as they opened, revealing a room that raised the hairs on the back of your neck.

It was just as richly detailed as the hallway, tall ceilings and crystal chandeliers with flickering candles. Through the shadow, your eyes landed on a figure at the end of the room, lounging on a plush chair. As your eyes focused in on the darkness, your breath stilled.

There was your pale elf.

He shifted lazily on the throne, his gaze fixed on something far beyond your reach. His white hair curled ever so delicately above his eyes, starkly contrasting his crimson gaze. Your eyes trailed over his features, the memory of the night you shared making your cheeks flush.

Not the time for such things, you thought.

“Have you brought me dinner?” The pale elf asked, the spawn next to you going still.

You stepped further into the room, trying to ignore the sharp scent of metal present in the air. You couldn’t help but feel a pang of annoyance as you realized the vampire wasn’t paying attention to your arrival, the feeling mixing with your crippling nervousness.

His eyes were glazed over as though he existed in a realm all his own, detached from the world around him. Despite his apparent disinterest, you felt the familiar pull towards the pale elf.

Like a moth to a flame.

“Sorry to disappoint,” you cleared your throat, trying to keep your voice calm. “But I’m not dinner.”

A flicker of recognition sparked in the vampire’s ruby eyes as he slowly shifted his gaze, focusing on you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine. The memory of your clandestine encounter lingered between you, unspoken yet palpable in the charged air of the room. His surprise at seeing you seemed to mingle with a simmering anger, evident in the way his jaw tensed imperceptibly.

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the room, broken only by the faint rustle of fabric as you took a cautious step closer. The delicate dance of candlelit shadows played across the floor, casting an otherworldly glow upon your features. You steeled yourself, focusing on keeping your breath even and your shoulders back.

You wouldn’t let him see you afraid.

“You have quite the audacity to seek me out,” he remarked, his voice low and as smooth as the velvet flooring. A predatory gleam surfaced in his gaze, doing nothing to help the memories you were trying to ignore. “Or perhaps you simply enjoy tempting fate.”

Despite the tension that crackled between you, a sense of defiance bloomed within your chest. You refused to cower under his piercing stare, mustering all the courage you could gather.

“I came here with a purpose,” you asserted, your tone unwavering. “There’s something you need to know.”

A sardonic smile tugged at the corners of his lips, revealing a hint of pointed fangs that glistened in the dim light.

“Is that so?” he drawled, amusement coloring his words. “And what makes you think I would be inclined let you live long enough to speak?”

The challenge in his voice spurred something primal within you, fueling your annoyance into a flaming blaze of anger. The arrogant smile across his lips had lit the wrong fuse within you.

“Because I’m carrying your child,” you replied simply.

The vampire’s eyes widened in shock, his confident demeanor fading entirely as he processed your words. The air was thick with tension, your confession lingering like a hanging shroud.

“Leave,” he demanded, his eyes flicking to the spawn beside you. Those words were all it took for the smaller man to make a hasty exit. For you to be alone with the pale elf again.

Something told you that this time would be a lot less pleasurable than the last.

“You’re carrying my child?” His voice wavered, betraying a hint of something deeper beneath his usual arrogance.

You held his gaze steadily, willing him to see the truth in your eyes. “Yes,” you affirmed, your voice soft but still sure. “I didn’t come here seeking a fight. I came here because I know nothing of how your kind works. I don’t want this pregnancy to kill me just because I was unlucky enough to conceive with a vampire.”

His gaze softened entirely at the vulnerability in your words, a split second where he even looked on you with compassion. Only a moment after, his demeanor hardened again.

“If that is indeed the case, you’re not leaving,” he declared firmly, his voice carrying a tone of finality that allowed no argument. The shadows seemed to gather around him like a cloak, emphasizing the sharp angles of his features and the intensity in his eyes. You shivered involuntarily, feeling the weight of his command pressing down on you.

Not leaving?

As if in response to his words, the room felt as if it was shrinking around you, the walls closing in at the thought of being stuck in a place like this.

“Why not?” you whispered, suddenly desperately wanting to be back in your comfortable home. All of the confidence you felt drained from your body, pinned under the vampire’s stare.

“You carrying my heir is not a situation I had anticipated,” he sighed, looking off as he planned aloud. “But now that it is here, we must consider our next steps carefully.”

Your skin began to crawl, feeling uncomfortable with how quickly his words started to sound like a strategy. As if he was thinking about how to work in a new pawn to his game.

“Having an heir could mean a powerful ally in my world,” he continued.

You weighed the words carefully, biting your tongue in an attempt to rationalize the aggressiveness that rose in your chest.

“You see this baby as a calculated move to further your power?” you accused, the words like venom on your tongue.

His gaze grew pointed, warning flashing in his eyes. “You underestimate the significance of the child you carry,” his voice was soft but laced with underlying threat. “With an heir born of an ascended bloodline, I could solidify my position.”

“This child I carry is not a pawn for you to manipulate,” you spat, your voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger. The room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for his response.

His jaw clenched, the muscles working beneath his skin as he struggled to maintain his composure. But you saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes, a vulnerability that almost made him seem human.

“You think I wanted things to turn out this way?” he gritted. “That night was a mistake. But now I must adapt with the hand I’ve been dealt.”

You flinched at his words, trying not to let the way he said ‘mistake’ carve a wound into your heart.

Was that night a mistake?

“A child can’t bear the weight of your world,” you pleaded.

“My heir can,” he seethed, baring his teeth as he spoke.

You shoulders sagged, exhaustion suddenly breaking you. You knew this was a fight you couldn’t win. You were completely and utterly trapped. You had no way of protecting the life growing inside of you.

Tears slipped down your cheeks as the life you would lead began to play out in your mind. Your heart ached at the thought of your baby being destined for a life devoid of innocence and joy. Images of a dark and twisted future flashed, a future where your child would never know the warmth of the sun or the laughter of other children. You knew you would be cast aside after giving birth, thrown away when you had served your purpose. But thinking of having the baby, looking at its little face and crystal clear eyes opening for the first time and it being to a world so violent…

That hurt worse.

“Not my baby,” you whispered helplessly, despair clouding your mind.

The vampire’s expression softened as he saw the tears on your cheeks, the depths of your emotion in your words. His cold facade cracked for a moment, a wave of sadness in his eyes.

“This does not have to be so grim,” he began, his voice much more gentle. “Your life isn’t over. Neither is the baby’s. I wouldn’t take that from them before they even take their first breath.”

Confusion etched across your features as you dared to hope, a spark of uncertainty mingling with the fear in your heart. Slowly, the vampire stood and took a few steps towards you, his gaze meeting yours with an unexpected tenderness.

“We could even be a family,” he said softly, the words lingering in the air like a fragile promise. “A real family, one that doesn’t impose the weight of responsibility on an heir until they’re old enough to bear it. Power can be safety. Especially in the world the baby will grow up in.”

As you gazed into the vampire’s eyes, a glimmer of longing began to take root in your chest. The idea of a family, of a future not tainted with this pale elf’s blood soaked world, seemed almost within reach. His words carried a sliver of hope that you desperately clung to in the midst of your despair.

But as you continued to study his face, looking for any signs of hesitance, you noticed the hollow look that lingered in his eyes. It was a subtle shift, barely perceptible, but it sent a chill down your spine. All at once, the realization struck you like a hideous bolt of lightning-

He was lying.

Anger surged within you, fierce and unrelenting. How dare he play with your emotions, offer you everything you had dreamed of? And for what? So he could gain an inch more of power by raising someone to be as monstrous as him?

Your tears grew hot, rage fueling every thought you had. With a steel edge to your voice, you glared up at the vampire.

“You can’t help it can you?” you seethed. “Too weak to get anything in life without manipulation. I won’t sacrifice my life for you.”

The vampire’s lips curled into a challenging sneer, the air growing heavy as he stepped closer. Each step was deliberate, each movement menacing

“How dare you speak to me like that,” he hissed, mere inches from your face. “You are nothing but a mere mortal, insignificant. You know nothing of sacrifice.”

You stood your ground, refusing to cower before him. The vampire’s gaze darkened, anger brewing behind his eyes as he regarded you.

“Faelar!” He barked, his eyes switching to the door in which you entered.

Before you could react, the door opened quickly. A taller man with the same stark white hair entered, his head bowed respectfully. The vampire took a step back from you, giving the spawn his attention.

“Take her,” he commanded, his tone icy. “Lock her in the spare room until she learns her place.”

The spawn obeyed without question, his expression blank as he approached you. He picked you up deftly, tucking you against his chest.

“No!” you cried out, trying to struggle against his arms.

Despite your thrashing and attempts to break free, his grip was unyielding and firm. His strength was unnatural, his muscles like steel beneath his pale skin. As he started to carry you down the hall, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread settle in the pit of your stomach.

Eventually you stopped fighting, devolving into a puddle of tears in the spawn’s arms. The spawn held you close through the dimly lit corridors of the ancient mansion, his steps clicking softly. Your sobs had morphed into silent tears, leaving only the hollow ache of helplessness.

As he pushed open a pair of heavy wooden door, a waft of musty air greeted you, mingled with a faint scent of dried roses. You peeked around in the dark room, taking in your new prison. The room was sparse, furnished with a bed draped in faded linens and a solitary bookcase covered in dust.

The spawn laid you down on the bed with surprising gentleness, his touch feather-light against your skin. His hollow eyes had softened as he regarded you with an unspoken empathy. Your eyes flitted to the door, gauging whether you could outrun a vampire spawn in an escape. As if reading your mind, the man shook his head apologetically.

“Don’t try. You’ll only make him angrier,” he chided. His voice was airy, an accent you couldn’t place rounding out his vowels.

“It seems he’s always angry. Angry and drunk on power” You bit out, regretting the venom in your tone when the spawn flinched.

“You may be right,” he sighed, smoothing out the bedding next to you. “But some who thirst for power are only afraid of what will happen if they don’t have it. Anger is a powerful mask for fear.”

You looked away, mulling over his words silently. You didn’t want to humanize your captor. Didn’t want to think of him as anything other than the monster in your fairytale.

“Someone will visit you with food. Perhaps I can convince the Master to make the room more comfortable as well,” the spawn assured you, moving toward’s the door.

You thumbed the fabric on the bed idly, trying to ignore the growing exhaustion you felt. The cover was just as soft as it looked, the red velvet still bright under the layer of dust. Your fingertips ran over the gold detailing as you thought, resolving yourself to leaving an escape plan for the next day.

“I’ll take my leave, unless you need anything else,” the spawn offered gently, as if he was worried he’d shatter the sliver of composure you had left.

“What’s his name?” you asked, the words tumbling out of your mouth before you could even register them as thoughts.

“Astarion,” the pale man whispered, his voice more tense than before. He slipped past the door and shut it before you could ask anything else, leaving you in the dark dusty room. The door clicked as soon as the it shut, locking you within.

You fell back against the bed, too tired to cry any more than you already had. You stared at the gold and red stitching on the duvet below you, trying your best to ignore the shade’s dead match to the Vampire’s eyes.

Astarion, you thought, rolling the name around in your head.

Sleep pulled you close faster than you could realize, the chaos of the day already fading. Images of Astarion danced in your mind, his sharp features softening the same way they did when you caught his mask slipping. The way his eyes held a stormy complexity that both intrigued and terrified you.

Before your eyes fluttered shut for the day, your naive heart couldn’t help but remember his all too pretty lie.

“We could be a family.”

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Next chapter

Comment here if you would like to be tagged in chapter updates

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Tagged ~ @dinoace2 , @tiedyedghoulette , @bloodlust-1 , @n3cros1sbunny , @bookishpenguino

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catladyoftheyr · 13 days

Text

Too Sweet (Ch 3)

Harvey x Reader

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2

Summary: picking up off last chapters cliffhanger and diving straight into Harvey’s 4 heart event. You resolve the conflict after the incident with George, Harvey gives you a checkup, and you two share a jar of pickles in his apartment. 💘🥒

Authors note: I know nothing about the Air Force I’m so sorry. It’s just for the plot and vibes. He needed a backstory!!

Word count: 1.7k! A longer chapter as a treat

“Harvey! Oh my god why are you here? Wait, no, I don’t mean it like that” the surprise visit from the doctor had you stumbling over your words. “You scared me. And I don’t actually think your mustache is stupid. I just… I was really embarrassed about what happened earlier.”

“I actually stopped by to thank you for backing me up earlier. George can be stubborn, so I’m glad you got him to listen to you.” The doctor averted eye contact and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Oh uhhh, sure. How much of what I said did you hear by the way?” You hoped silently that he hadn’t heard you call him cute, especially since you’d been talking to a chicken.Harvey slid down and sat next to you on the floor of the coop.

“Just the part where you insulted my mustache,” he replied, stroking his own facial hair. “The farm is coming along nicely. You must be very dedicated to make such a turn around in such a short time.”

Oh thank Yoba you thought to yourself. “Thank you. I guess I’m trying to make up for lost time; I want to honor Grandpa’s memory because he loved this farm and the community. I used to spend a couple weeks here in the summer when I was growing up. I haven’t been back to the valley since I was a teenager. I didn’t think Lewis would recognize me when I came back.” You laughed quietly, an image of you as a gawky adolescent with braces coming back to you

“About earlier, we can put that behind us if you’d like. I didn’t mean to be short with you either. I was startled so I apologize for being curt.” Harvey looked at you with a kind expression before rising from the floor. “I’d like for us to be on good terms going forward.” He extended his hand and helped you up.

———————————————————————————

The bell on the door chimed as you walked in and Harvey’s head poked up from his paperwork. “Hey! Just the person I wanted to see today actually.”

“Oh?”

“I was about to write you a letter recommending that you schedule your annual checkup. If you don’t mind, I’ve got time today actually for a cursory exam.” Truthfully you weren’t very fond of hospitals, or doctor’s appointments. But you were also a terrible liar and had no time to think of an excuse. Better just to get it over with, you supposed.

“I can make it work.” You set the jar of pickles aside temporarily and followed Harvey to an exam room. You sat down on the paper, uncomfortable with the sudden formal shift in your dynamic. You’d gone from friend to patient in a matter of minutes. Harvey placed his stethoscope just under the collar of your shirt and you flinched at the touch of the cold metal.

“Sorry it’s chilly,” Harvey said. “Your heart rate is a little high. Do hospitals make you nervous?” He asked with a slight furrow in his brow.

“A little bit” you admitted. It certainly didn’t help that this was the most physical contact the two of you had shared since you met. He placed his hand on your shoulder and your eyes met. You felt your palms start sweating.

“Take a deep breath for me please” you did as instructed and tried to focus on anything else but the feeling of his hand on you. “Your lungs sound strong.” Harvey was in his element as he checked off the boxes of a routine checkup. He tested your reflexes, examined your ears and eyes, writing down his observations on his clipboard. “So far you seem to be in good health. I just have a few more questions about your lifestyle”

“Ask away, Doc.” Harvey seemed slightly flustered at the nickname but made a quick recovery. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and stood up straighter, clearing his throat

“As I was saying. Working on the farm involves a fair amount of physical labor I assume, so I’m sure you get enough exercise. What do you usually eat in a day?”

“Oh I usually just eat the foragables I find around the valley. There’s a lot of leeks and wild onions out now. I saw a weird looking berry the other day and I ate a couple of those. Sometimes I eat eggs from the chickens, or buy something from Gus for dinner.” Harvey was visibly stressed as he absorbed the information you gave him.

“I would highly advise that you eat a more balanced diet. Foraging is fine as a snack but it won’t provide enough energy for your activity levels. Eggs are good, but I’d implore you to try and eat from all the food groups”

“So this probably isn’t a great time to say I also eat the algae I find in the mines?” You’d never seen the poor doctor so stressed; you imagined most of his patients weren’t quite as odd as you.

“Let’s move on. How much sleep do you get at night?”

“6ish, sometimes less, sometimes more”

“Well, 8 hours a night is recommended but 6 isn’t terrible I suppose. But I’d encourage you to try and find a healthier routine. Farming is labor intensive and if you don’t give your body the care it needs you won’t be able to keep up sooner or later.” He had a look of genuine worry in his eyes and it pulled at your heartstrings. You’d only known each other for several months, but you sensed the beginning of a deep connection.

“I’ll try to be better,” you replied softly. You weren’t used to being chastised, but you understood he meant well.

“Thank you. You’re free to go and have an official clean bill of health from me”

“Well I stopped by to ask a favor actually”

“Oh?”

“I was wondering if you’d do me the honors of being the very first taste tester of my first batch of farm fresh pickles” you grinned and gestured toward the door “I left them on the counter.” Harvey smiled back and held the door open for you.

“I’d be honored. I’m actually about to close up for the day, would you like to come upstairs?”

The two of you headed upstairs to the small apartment above the clinic. Furniture was sparse and well loved, and there was a small kitchenette off the main room. The back wall held a large bookshelf that boasted an assortment of books and some small trinkets. Another shelf was lined carefully with model planes. There was a radio station in the corner by the window. “It’s not much, but it’s home,” Harvey said sheepishly.

“It’s great” you replied, eyes scanning the room with eagerness. You were itching to learn more about him. You took a seat on his small sofa, your heart nearly skipping a beat when he sat next to you, his knee inches away from yours. “You can have the first one” you offered, extending the open pickle jar toward Harvey.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Harvey reached in and plucked out a particularly large pickle before biting into it. His eyes lit up as he tasted it. “This is delicious! You’ve really never made pickles before?” You shook your head. “Well you certainly have a knack for it.” You grabbed a pickle for yourself and were pleasantly surprised at how good they were. You were glad he wasn’t lying to spare your feelings.

“What’s with the planes?” You saw Harvey get a far off look on his face while he thought about his response

“I’ve always been fascinated by aviation. I did a stint in the Air Force years ago. I wanted to become a pilot but it didn’t pan out. It ended up paying for my med school tuition though. The model planes are something I like to do in my free time. I find them relaxing, and they remind me of my time in service.”

“I would have never guessed that. Pilots and doctors are pretty different. What led you down this path?”

“I think I’ve always had an affinity for helping people. I joined the Air Force to serve my country; this feels like a way to serve the community in a different way.”

“That’s actually really selfless.” You toyed with images of Harvey in uniform as you reached for another pickle, not realizing that Harvey had the same idea. Your hands met in the rim of the jar and you flinched back instinctively. The small touch left you wanting more. You adjusted your legs slightly, tentatively letting one fall against his. Harvey made no effort to break contact.

“Tell me more about yourself. You said you explore the mines. Are there really monsters in there?”

“There are! I haven’t made it down very far but there’s all kinds of creatures down there.” You animatedly described the things you’d encountered on your adventures: colorful slimes, stealthy rock crabs, large buzzing insects, agile bats and more. Harvey looked on with a mixture of awe and fear.

His voice grew soft as he spoke “please be careful in the mines. I’d hate to see you get hurt.” Suddenly it was as if a switch had gone off in his mind and he got up from the couch. “Wait here one second!” He bolted across the studio and down the stairs. You heard rummaging from below before Harvey emerged again holding an armful of various medicines and first aid supplies. “Take these.” He thrusted the bundle of supplies into your arms.

“Harvey I can’t just take these from you. These are expensive” you insisted, trying to hand them back to him. A roll of gauze unraveled on the floor. Harvey plucked it from the ground and placed it on a table.

“Nonsense. Consider it part of your checkup.” He looked you in the eyes with a pleading expression. “Please take them. And promise me you’ll keep them with you in the mines”

“I promise.”

#my writing #harvey fluff #harvey x farmer #sdv fanfic #stardew fanfiction #stardew valley fanfic #harvey stardew valley #stardew valley fanfiction #harvey x reader

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aroacewxs · 3 months

Text

my personal interpretation of cyberpunk dead boy

finished the event story today (thank you sekai.best my dear buddy pal) and looped the comm numerous times and studied the lyrics under a microscope, so i will now ramble a bit about my thoughts!! spoilers for backlit lens flare.

cyberpunk dead boy, from what i can tell, describes how modern consumerism and fame affects artists. it tells the story of an artist who started out with big dreams of portraying their feelings through their work, but slowly began spiralling into this pit of numbers and recognition and a vain desire for attention. whatever they wanted to communicate with their audience no longer has any substance or thought. they are then left wondering about whatever it is they dreamed of before this. what was the story they wanted to tell? does it even matter anymore?

cyberpunk "dead boy." the artist no longer lives for their art. there is nothing to breathe life into. are they even alive at this point?

on the other hand, we are also given the perspective of the consumers. consumers who don't care about the thought put into a piece of art, consumers who only care about whether this will make them feel good or not.

when you connect these two, you get a vain, lost artist who no longer sees their audience as individual human beings, but as VIEWERS. BUYERS. and these members of the audience are also trapped in this loop of consuming, throwing away, and finding something else to sink their teeth into. there is nothing meaningful being created.

rui's 4 star illustrates these audience members quite well. see, none of the passing people are. people. they have electronic devices for heads, and they're all glued to their phones. the little child holding their parent's hand, it should be a very wholesome and endearing sight, but it just feels wrong. there is no connection being developed between the two. this card depicts this haunting dystopian society where art no longer carries any weight for the human race, and we are all just left as hollow vessels with a mindless desire for meaningless entertainment. we don't develop any connections with other human beings, and the feelings that rui wants to evoke within his audience are futile.

on that note, the themes in this comm and the cards are incredibly oppositional to rui's own philosophy. what HE wants to achieve with his own art, his dream. compared to the thoughtless robots this artist sees their audience as, rui is incredibly caring and treats every single living being with such soft tenderness. he sees his audience as people. everything around him, the nature, the interactions he has with others, every single detail in his environment is a source of inspiration for his work. every single detail means that much to him. and whenever rui encounters a new artwork, a new play or story, he never just plays it off like "YUP another play. same old." he practically takes apart each layer one by one, studies it intently and tries to understand what kind of meaning the artist wanted to communicate. he then applies it to his own life, and to his own work. to think that rui would ever treat art and stories as something to just be eaten, thrown out, and forgotten about, is unfathomable.

this only leads me to wonder about the role sakaki will play in wxs's current arc. we ended off the story with ohara explaining to sakaki that rui is interested in stage production, and would probably encounter him again in the future. the way they framed this cliffhanger makes it only correct to assume that sakaki will return and will have a bigger part to play in wxs's story and their development.

sakaki intrigues me. his manner of speaking is very light and careless, his mannerisms even more so. compared to ohara, who is incredibly headstrong and burning like the sun with passion for his work and every single detail that is put into it, sakaki treats these details like they're just. there. takes one look at the scene ohara is having trouble with and it clicks instantly in his head. says some cryptic shit and packs his bag to leave.

furthermore, considering that most event commissions are written for the characters, for the story in that event, i really wonder who this song is about? is it about sakaki? will rui encounter this exact same problem about wondering what it was he wanted to portray from the beginning (unlikely imo, but would be interesting to see). nothing in backlit lens flare even remotely hints toward the lyricism in cyberpunk dead boy (i may have missed something, correct me if im wrong) which only excites me more for their next focus hehehe !!!

this was just a bunch of word vomit,, thank you for bearing with me, hopefully it makes sense?!?

#project sekai #wxs #wonderlands x showtime #rui kamishiro #kamishiro rui #jay does a think

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mybelde · 1 year

Text

34.5: first time? 🔞 ♤

warning: mature scene❗do not read if you don't like this kind of stuff or are too young | it's both of your first times so yeah

a/n: this was long overdue, i got busy but hopefully this chapter makes up for me not posting in a while [I died inside while making this, I never want to write smut scenes again 💀] i think i ended on a cliffhanger again lol

"Yn... should we really do this?"

"Yes..... I want you Aether."

When his lips came onto yours, you did not resist and kissed him back passionately. You pulled him closer and kissed him as hard as you could.

His lips were so soft, almost sweet against your skin. There was an electric charge against the both of you which you hadn't anticipated.

Aether breaks the kiss, and looks at you for a brief moment. His eyes were filled with lust, and it looked like he was begging you to let him continue. You nodded and gave him a small smile, and soon, his lips were on your neck, tasting you, devouring you.

You tried to force yourself to think straight, but you couldn't. This felt too good for you to stop, and you wanted more.

You reached for his buttons, and that action made him unnecessarily encouraged by it.

Aether picked you up by the waist, and hoists you against the wall, his hands cupping your backside, forcing you to wrap your legs around him.

His lips find yours again, and you felt his hands slip under your shirt.

He's breathing hard, and so were you.

His grip around you tightened, and one of his arms were trailing on your back.

Aether breaks the kiss once again to look at you, but not for long. His lips were on yours once again, this time he was more aggressive, trying to take control. One of his arms were still on your back, while the other stripped your shirt off.

"Ae...aether w-wait-" You whispered. Aether immediately stopped and puts you down. He looks into your eyes for a brief pause, nodding in agreement, his chest rising up and down.

The air between the both of you felt hot, as if oxygen was diminishing from his room.

"Sorry..."

He relaxes a bit, knowing how fast he was taking things.

"I'm not used to this.... it's my first time, but I wanted to make you feel good.."

Your eyes widened in shock as you heard those words come out from his mouth.

First time?

You couldn't believe it was his first time, it felt as if he was experienced. But you shook those thoughts away.

"Don't worry... it's might first time as well. And you're not doing anything wrong..... it's just... I want to enjoy the moment between us."

Aether pulls a soft smile, leaning forward to kiss you again.

His lips moved yours very confidently again, but this time it was more gentle than before. You gripped onto his hair, but tried not to pull it so hard. He wrapped his arms on your waist, pulling you closer to his chest.

The both of you moved from the wall to his bed, before he could make you sit down on it, you dodged and pushed him down towards the bed instead, catching him offguard.

"Yn? What-"

You hushed him, putting your finger on his lips.

You kissed him everywhere, his cheeks, his chin. The tip of his nose, and the space between his eyebrows. All across his forehead and along his jawline. Every inch of his face. Small, soft kisses that say so much more than you could.

You wanted him to know how you felt. You wanted him to know and never doubt.

And you wanted to take your time.

You removed his shirt and marvelled at the sight below you.

"He worked out for sure" you thought, as you stared at his well toned body.

"Enjoying what you see?"

His statement caught you offguard, and you felt heat rushing up towards your face.

"I didn't mean to stare okay!!"

You heard him chuckle, and you never wanted to remove that smug look on his face more than ever till now.

Your mouth moves down to his neck and he gasps. You breathe in the scent of his skin, and take in the taste of him as you run your hands down his chest, kissing your way across and down the line of his torso.

Aether keeps trying to reach for you, keeps trying to touch you, but you tell him to stop.

"Please," — he says, "I want to feel you too."

You gently push his arms back down. "Not yet... not now."

Your hands move down to his pants, and his eyes fly open.

"Yn I-"

"Close your eyes Aether."

"No." He could hardly speak.

"Fine."

You unbuttoned his pants. Unzip.

"Yn...!" Aether gasps out. "What-"

"I want to make you feel good too."

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nope i'm not gonna continue this haha

Chpater 35 should be out later today or tmr

tag list - open |•| @bobaducky @belovedxiao @mangobee @kokxm1 @crueldinasty @c-sunflower01 @xiaosoneandonly @denisemyg @shinjume @bippitybennie @yae-raidenmyloves @goodnight-haley @butteredmilc @bubiblossom @hollowedtime @blurr3db3rry @redactedhimbo @scaramouche-slut @sserafimez @n3r0-1417 @obsessed4aether @xiaoyksa @flor3s-de-j4zmin3 @opchara @shirmxie @lxry-chxn @justonemoreroz @lordbugs @dazaisfavgf @hichi842 @duckyyyx @iwishitwas @angryhope @mochicurls21 @cutiekuni @meigalaxy @ioysuu @doppoluvbot @itsactuallylina @kkazuyass @supersexypapichulo @moonbunny-fl @ghosted-fr @atlatcaheart @zuzuha @lez-zuha @je-suis-argent-miel [1/2]

if your name is in red, it means its not letting me tag you from some reason :( idk why maybe my phone is acting up 😭

send an ask if you want to be added to the taglist

#genshin impact #genshin impact smau #genshin imagines #genshin smut #genshin au #aether smau #aether x reader #aether x y/n #aether smut #aether x reader smut #your bestfriend's twin brother

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hanafubukki · 5 months

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I'm okay on my side ! Hope you're doing well too ☺️ But yeah, this update awating is already making my emotions blow up. Like, you see the big roller-coster, you know it's going to be some big thing. And you feel like you're already up there.

But I'm also in denial for any more emotional damage coming up. (Silver fighting against Dawn brainrot breaking my heart-) ("I'm sorry. I now know you loved me very much. But neverless, you are now my father enemy. Bloodties don't matter that much for me. Because I will always be my father's son." 😭💀). So I'm in OT3 fluffy/angsty mode where I live in a cottage with my two handsome husbands and my baby Silver. In a peaceful time. Having funny shenanigans with the Draconia in-laws. And just chilling in a cute alternative version of the past we going to have more information about in 2 days.

Everything will be fine- I hope. But I'm gathering tissues. Just in case.

- 🦋 Anon

[OT3 Masterlist]

Hello 🦋 Anonie 💞💚🌻

Glad to hear you’re doing good, I’m going well; just antsy. But yes!! Your analogy is perfect. We know something big is going to come and we know it’s going to hurt, but we are powerless to it.

All the while, time is slowly passing by as we wait our demise 😂🫡

Kind of like the people on Sage island…okay okay, I’ll stop ajsjdkdn 🤣🤣

BUT I’M SHAKING YOU 🦋 ANONIE

“I'm sorry. I now know you loved me very much. But neverless, you are now my father enemy. Bloodties don't matter that much for me. Because I will always be my father's son."

Did you have to hurt me this way?? But ahhh the brain rot 🥹💞💞 It’s amazing.

If it’s any comfort 🦋 Anonie, I have several OT3 asks in my inbox that I will answer soon hopefully. And, knowing me, the new update is going to get my brain into overdrive. So more fanfics and more OT3 most likely ☺️💞💞 (and theories and in general screaming 🤣)

Gather all the tissues because we are going to need them 🦋 Anonie, there’s a reason why they look so angry and I can imagine whatever it is, we are not ready. Though I’m sure, Ortho will pop up at the end in a cliffhanger probably.

Here’s a small comfort fic, to soothe us before troubling times:

You gasped awake, breathing heavily.

Your vision unfocused, hands trembling.

“YN?”

A hand cupped your cheek, bringing your eyes to worried crimson.

It was difficult to breathe.

A forehead leaned against yours, “Shh. Try and copy how I breathe precious.”

You tried to follow along, eventually matching Lilia’s.

As you calmed down, you were brought back to your surroundings. You felt a hand gently rubbing your back as you slumped forward into Lilia. You could see Dawn’s concerned eyes through your blurred vision.

Dawn and Lilia murmured something above you before you felt a kiss placed upon your shoulder.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Dawn leave the room.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“In a bit,” your voiced wavered.

Lilia tucked you closer into him.

You didn’t know when you dozed off, but the gentle shake from Dawn woke you.

“Drink this Love, it’ll help you sleep better.”

Warm milk and honey, the combination had you smiling.

Something the Lilia in the future loved to make for his boys. You could recall Lilia proclaiming in several of his stories about how this very drink would put the toughest and most stubborn children to sleep.

The memories of your dream came back. You closed your eyes before looking at your husbands. Their worried expressions had you spilling every detail you could remember.

By the end, you felt more tired than ever but more comforted as well.

Your husbands hugged you as they reassured you with their words.

“We’ll take Silver and Malleus from my sister’s tomorrow and have a picnic in the meadow. You’ll see first hand that your dreams are just that, dreams and nothing more.”

“You’re not allowed to cook, Lilia.”

“Hey! I can make simple sandwiches.”

“If you ever want our son back from your sister and Malleus, you’ll never utter those words in front of them.”

Their banter lulled you to sleep.

What better way to be loved then to be in the middle of two such loving souls?

Who cherished you and their family endlessly like the number of stars in the sky.

With them, you would know a True Happy Ending.

Am I implying something with the three of them home alone without Silver?? Maybe. Maybe not. Lolol ☺️💞

But also, I could have changed the whole atmosphere and turned it angsty/horrific with an added line or two but I didn’t.

Aren’t I gracious? 🤣🌺

#answered #anonie ask #🌺🦋Anon🌺#lilia vanrouge #twst knight of dawn #twst knight of dawn x reader #lilia vanrouge x reader #twst knight of dawn x reader x lilia vanrouge #the knight of dawn #knight of dawn #x reader #twst silver

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thorias · 6 days

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It just occurred to me that what's happening right now is eerily similar to something that happened on Family Guy years ago. They pulled a stunt where Brian "died" and was immediately replaced by a new dog.

The very next episode, Brian was removed from the intro title sequence, the new dog Vinnie was put in his place, and for a few weeks, everyone involved with the show tried really hard to sell this, doing interviews about it, acting like the change was permanent, that Brian was gone, Vinnie was here to stay, and it might be sad, but hey, that's life sometimes.

Sound familiar?

Then a couple episodes later, the whole thing was revealed to be a trick. Brian was brought back to life via time travel shinanigans and the writers were like, "Psyche! You totally believed us, didn't you lol? Like we'd ever kill Brian! We'd have to be idiots to do that! LMAO!"

I'm just saying, it's not like this kind of thing has never happened before. Just because Gambit is "dead" at the moment, it doesn't definitively mean he's gone. The X-men franchise is infamous for its' resurrections and there are already three very viable ways they could bring him back, any one of which would make perfect sense:

(1) Cable resets the timeline and changes those events.

(2) Apocalypse resurrects him as Death.

(3) Sinister revives him like he did with Morph.

I'm not saying this isn't going to hurt in the short term - I wouldn't expect them to bring Gambit back immediately - they're going to want to let this sink in first, so get ready for more pain for at least the next few weeks. But try not to lose your heads here.

Trust me, I was as gutted by ep5 as everyone else, but I'd be very surprised if we didn't get some kind of tease of Remy coming back by the end of the finale. The reveal of DEATH!Gambit would make one hell of a season-ending cliffhanger, amirite?

#x men 97 #gambit #remy lebeau #rogue #anna marie lebeau #romy #rogue x gambit #just saying #this ain't over yet #cable get your ass back here and fix this shit

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jq37 · 3 months

Text

The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 4 Shrimp and Strudel

Welcome back to the Report Card where we’re gonna waste no time with just getting into it as the last ep ended on a big cliffhanger.

We pick up where we left off–Kristen talking to Cass who is petting Kalina–currently in her cat form and claiming that she’s not bad anymore (with a verbal “meow” which is so unsettling/funny). Kristen isn’t buying it but it’s not a crazy claim. If Cass is bad, she should be bad and if Cass is good, likewise.

Good or bad, she is still very eyes on the prize and immediately starts grilling Kristen on what her plans are as Cass’s sole cleric–a fair question considering she’s all that stands between Cass (and Kalina by extension) and oblivion. Cass tries to keep the peace between her familiar and her cleric and even gives Kristen an out: she’s gotten invitations to quit being a god and be an archfey of the Autumn Court instead. But Kristen doesn’t seem to want to take it. She says she does believe in Cass but she’s kind of hard to evangelize for because her whole deal is a hard pill to swallow even if it’s more true and deeper than the certainty other religions provide. Kalina’s eyes narrow and she says that Kristen’s a shitty saleswoman.

Kalina instead wants to go with a pitch of, “Hey? Do you wanna wield sick ass night magic and crush your enemies?” Which Kristen thinks is kind of a betrayal of Cass’ whole ethos. Kalina thinks they can quibble over details once Cass has more than TWO followers (shoutout Craig) and Cass on one level gets where Kristen is coming from but on a deeper level REALLY doesn’t wanna die. She says that their plans aren’t actually conflicting and they can work on both of them! She asks Kristen when she has the bandwidth to talk about this and Kristen is like, right now! All she cares about is Cass…and her campaign. Kalina is clearly so over this and reminds Cass that though they can’t actually go to the material plane, there are places they can talk to mortals outside of the material plane like the Synod of Spyre (wizard hub where they incidentally just put in a new mall!). Wizards like magic and mystery and stars, right? Cass is all about all of those things! It’s an untapped market!

A plan is set for them to head to the mall over the weekend and Kristen sincerely apologizes for dropping the ball and hurting Cass’s feelings. Cass tells her that she doesn’t need to be sorry, that she’s there for her when things are uncertain, and that she believes in her. She kisses Kristen on the forehead and sends her back to school.

At lunch, Adaine tries to call Aelwyn but gets her answering machine. Aelwyn texts to ask what’s up (she’s in class “looking after bozos”) and Adaine says she’ll call her later. She texts an “I love you” and then deletes it, causing a torrent of divination spells to come in as Aelwyn tries to figure out what the deleted message was.

Before Fabian heads to lunch, he has a banking interlude with his banker at KVX (Alston) who tells him his trust is worth 20 million gold and he gets an allowance of 5k gold a month. Rich as he is, Fabian is staggered by the amount of money and asks if there’s a way to cash it all out now. Alston says that due to a clause left by his dad (meant to encourage him to forge his own path), he can cash out 2 million but then the rest would go to his various nemeses (with a small cut to the bank). They apparently have a whole department just for tracking the nemeses of their clients. Chungledown Bim is listed as one of Fabian’s nemeses so he immediately shuts down talk of cashing out. Chungledown Bim with 18 million gold? Terrifying. Alston offers Fabian a free trial of Nemesis Alert which lets you know if anyone on your planet has sworn vengeance on you but Fabian declines, having the foresight to know that he’ll forget to cancel.

Once everyone is at lunch, Riz uses the Message cantrip to tell everyone that Kipperlily Copperkettle (KP) was spying on them and overheard them talking about Kristen’s god dying. They look around to check if she’s spying on them right down and don’t see her but, on a Nat 20, Fabian senses…something. He immediately signs up for that free trial of nemesis alert and is told that no one has sworn vengeance on him in the last 30 days (but what about before that Alston???? What about before 30 days ago?????). Adaine turns on her wizard feature that lets her see invisibility and walks around the cafeteria, but doesn’t clock anyone.

Gorthalax shows up to hype up the boys for Bloodrush tryouts later in the day and Fabian asks about the Rat Grinders. Gorthalax says that their Barbarian (Mary Ann) is trying out later and offers to tell them where the name comes from. It’s just what we speculated last week. These posers are literally level grinding! They’re farming XP by going to the woods just outside of school (Where the week 2 freshman go to practice) and killing rats, spiders, and twig gremlins. They made it to Junior Year by just killing rattatas on route 1! Apparently, they do this for 3 hours at the end of every day and 9 hours every weekend. Riz is HISSING with rage at how against the spirit of the rules this is. But here’s the thing. Grinding low level monsters to get this far is very uncool. But the focus it takes? Kind of impressive. And that thought strikes Riz through the rage.

After lunch, Gorgug goes to talk to Henry Hopclap (gnomish Artificer teacher with the same last name as the Rat Grinder bard btw). He sees an equation on the board and tries to have a Good Will Hunting moment but ends up just trying to solve for Henry’s email address and phone number. Minor mathematical blunder aside, Henry tells Gorgug that he actually approved his MCAT, but Porter had the last word. He tells Gorgug that he doesn’t actually have to be an Artificer in a school sanctioned capacity just because he’s passionate about it. He can just do it on his own time. But Gorgug is determined so Henry tells him that there’s technically another way: he can take three years of Artificing at the same time and withdraw from Barbarian classes.

I took psychic damage from hearing that and I took even more when Gorgug decided to do that AND take Barb classes (which Henry says that he can do but he has to run that by Porter).

Though Henry is way more supportive than Porter, he still tells Gorgug that this is gonna be an uphill battle. Junior Year artificing is already very hard and there’s never been a Barb/Art multiclass at Aguefort before. Like Porter, he says that he doesn’t really see how the passion you need to be a good Barbarian and the dispassionate focus you need to be a good Artificer mesh together, but he’s rooting for him. The other students filter in and, based on how well equipped they are, it seems like our boy has a lot of catching up to do.

Meanwhile, Fabian gets the other half of his MCAT paperwork signed off by his Fighting teacher (Corsisca Jones who looks a LOT like Aabria who played her younger sister Antiope Jones in The Seven) with barely any conversation or pushback about it. Must be nice!

During a break period, the Bad Kids are hanging out on the quad. Riz and Kristen work together on Kristen’s paperwork and his applications for as many clubs as possible while they both down coffee. Fig is trying to see if she can figure out where in time the fossils Ayda sent her are from so she can send a message but she’s beaten to punch when a weary knight from “Order of the Sacred Scroll” shows up with a message his order has protected for 1500 years. One that he killed his brother for peeking at. One that he’s devoted his life to. Fig opens it up and it’s literally just a “Love you, Miss you,” postcard from Ayda.

Porter (who we learn loves Fig despite the fact and honestly largely because of the fact that she hates him and he appreciates a good rage) shows up and Gorgug goes to tell him that he’s going to triple down on his classes. His friends say that he’s really smart and he can handle it. Porter says that he’ll let Gorgug do it if one of his friends audits the class with him to help him and Fig happily agrees.

After school, Aelwyn calls Adaine and we learn exactly what kind of teacher Aelwyn is as she says that she got sent to the principal’s office for making some of her students cry. Thank you for letting her stay in Elmville, Brennan. Anyway, Adaine rattles off the list of insanely expensive things she needs for class and Aelwyn suggests some solutions: (1) They can find and kill their mom in order to inherit, (2) they can sell drugs, (3) they can sell weapons, (4) Adaine can maybe…get a job? Adaine doesn’t know how to get a job and asks Aelwyn how she got hers. Apparently, she blackmailed the principal. With what, asks Adaine. Photographs Aelwyn says with a coy smile and Adaine requests that Aelwyn not enlighten her any further. Adaine laments the fact that she had to give up all her dragon madness gold and then signs off with a verbal “I love you” that she tries to take back. Aelwyn pounces on it like one of her five cats. “I heard you say it!” she says with a villainous laugh. “I win. You've exposed yourself to me.” She hangs up and, once again, Brennan, thank you.

We cut to Bloodrush tryouts where Fabian gives an honestly really good speech to the team and prospective recruits (tres Jammer). Riz is also at tryouts because, remember, he’s trying out for literally everything. We see a drow student (Hexblade Warlock Max Durden) give a really good showing and Riz give a not so great performance. Then, Mary Ann Skuttle shows up–the Barbarian of the Rat Grinders who’s this tiny kobold girl with aesthetic, kawaii plushies on her backpack. None of that energy is on her face though and she seems very unenthused to be there, answering all questions with short, monotone answers. On the field though? She’s a monster. She absolutely bodies Gorgug, sending him flying across in the field in a way that no one has before (Brennan says that he needed to beat a 33). And she didn’t even get a running start! Gorthalax is thrilled to get her on the team so that they can finally beat their rivals (the Hellions). Riz uses one of his gadgets to cast detect magic and sees that she was buffed with magic (but that’s not illegal in Bloodrush). Gorthalax breaks the news to him that he didn’t make the team and he just runs to the next club on his list. Gotta pad that resume!

After school, Kristen meets up with Bucky who has a lot of the same energy she had on her first day. He’s a Helioic Paladin as we suspected and he’s been telling people they’re going to hell. Kristen doesn’t *love* that but she does tell Bucky to campaign for KP while he’s proselytizing to try to poison the waters a bit. Bucky says that he really misses her and that he hasn’t told their parents about all the gold she sent. Kristen tries to convince him that maybe the concept of hell they grew up with isn’t real, but that’s hard to argue when two separate devils (Fig and Gorthalax) are literally in the room with them. Bucky recognizes the Rat Grinders symbol on the pin Kristen gives him and says the new Helioic cleric from Highcourt (who their parents love) has one of those. We don’t get any more info from him though because Kristen drops an F bomb in front of him and he runs away like a scared puppy.

Fabian drops some hints that he’s lonely in his big empty house so the gang heads to Seacaster Manor for a study party. They Doordash some pad thai and Adaine gets a text from Aelwyn which has a link to job listings at the Synod mall. On a pretty low Investigation check (6) she finds an ad for a place called Oodles of Strudel that pays 2 silver a day and doesn’t require a resume, just an interview.

A lot happens during this study party so I’m gonna go through it rapid fire:

Kristen tells everyone that Kalina is back.

Riz learns (as a residual part of his 30 Investigation roll from last ep) that party comp is announced at the end of their first day and if it changes (ie: someone leaves the party or dies) everyone else goes pass/fail which excludes them from extra credit which would exclude them from scholarships and such. So everyone has to stick together and not die!

Adaine goes to the Synod mall and interviews with a dude named Biff at Oodles of Strudel (where they pump strudel in from a strudel dimension because sure). She gets the job! Though idk if that’s worth celebrating because it’s 8 hour shifts and she has to work the night shift because of school.

Fabian texts Mazey and determines that if he’s going to be a maximum legend like he wants, he has to host a party on the first weekend back and he’s committed.

Fig, shockingly, goes to class AGAIN. It must have been cut from last episode but she learned that warlock classes meet at night and decided to check them out. The teacher is a hot vampire lady with a celestial paramour patron so Fig is like, all in right away. Not only that, she rolls a Nat 20 to catch up and it turns out that, as we already know, when she’s dialed in, she’s really good at this stuff! Plus, warlock is a charisma class and she has charisma for days. With warlocks it seems like it’s all about paperwork but really it’s about relationships, bargains, and exchange. As Zara tells Fig after class is over, these are things that everyone deals with every day, the power is just more potent when the bargains are struck consciously. Zara says she’ll approve her MCAT if she wants and Fig, eager to avoid work on her Sophomore album and genuinely taken by the class, agrees.

Ragh shows up at the manor and Adaine asks how Tracker is doing. He says she’s doing great and the four months of night were honestly great for her whole situation as cleric of the moon goddess. Kristen GRILLS his ass about the “bitch on her lap” on her socials and Ragh (who was supposed to let Tracker break this news but cracks under Kristen’s manic energy) says it’s her new girlfriend, elven princess Naradriel–Nara for short (another girl with a dog name Kristen laments as though her first girlfriend isn’t named TRACKER). Ragh says Nara has been trying to have Tracker and her go Facebook official for a while and that photo she saw was her compromise. Kristen gives Rgh the go-ahead to tell Tracker she can reach out. Ragh says she’s cooler than Nara and he’s rooting for her.

And that’s about it! The next week is hella busy for the whole crew. School crashes down on them like a tidal wave. There’s their actual classes, extracurriculars, and the campaign which everyone is super invested in. They recruit Torek Railgrinder (skater dwarf in the LGBT club and Drama club) to build a ramp off Fabain’s roof so Kristen can ride it off his roof into the pool which he will have filled with tartar sauce because it’s going to be the Ultimate Shrimp Party obviously. The party planning is also in full swing and EVERYONE is invited. That includes freshmen, Hudol kids, even cool middle schoolers. Ragh is buying them beer. The idea is that they can two birds this and make Fabian a Maximum Legend and Kristen super cool at the same time so people will vote for her.

(Also, this doesn’t matter to the plot but Kristen gives a campaign speech at a steel mill for some reason–like a steel mill with adult workers–where Kristen is injured by a buzzsaw and Fig is once again questioned by Agent Clark (who she throws off the scent by saying Wanda left for the Red Waste). Not plot relevant but I HAD to mention it for the sake of posterity.)

But we quickly see the seams start to show. Fabian is forced to skip Bloodrush practice so he can set up the party. Adaine gets the new work schedule and sees that she has to work during the party. She texts Fabian that she has to work but she’ll show up later and doesn’t get a response back. Then she texts everyone else to ask if Fabian is mad at her.

We follow Adaine to work where she’s met by none other than Kalina (in tabaxi form) who is there handing out pamphlets with Cassandra. She asks if Kristen is on her way and Adaine doesn’t know what she’s talking about. As far as she knows, Kristen can’t even get to the Synod without her help. Kalina asks if she can go grab her but Adaine says she’s at work and she can’t just leave.

Back at the Manor, Kristen gets a brain ping from Cass who asks Kristen if she’ll be there soon. Kristen is full deer in headlights–she didn’t realize that she was supposed to be helping with that. She thought she was Team Material Plane and they were Team Synod. (And, in fairness to her, in this instance I understand how she could have thought that if the only conversation they had about this was the one that we saw but wild that they wouldn’t check in day before when Cass can talk in her mind) She quickly tries to finesse the situation and claims that with such a big crowd gathered, she’ll be able to spread the word to tons of people. Cass is briefly excited until she sees through Kristen’s eyes that her supposed recruitment drive is actually an Ultimate Shrimp Party.

Back at the mall, Adaine watches red light burst through Cass’s chest as she cries out in pain and collapses to the ground. At Kalina’s behest, Adaine texts Kristen to get her ass to the mall right away. The non-Adaine Bad Kids try to make a plan to save the party–maybe Fig can do the shrimp jump disguised as Kristen–but the situation at the mall gets more dire. Cassandra, still in agony, yells, "This isn't fair!" She bleeds indigo and the light from her chest sails out and hits a nearby wizard. That wizard grows crazed and buff and kills his friend by smashing his skull open with his quarterstaff. Kalina is horrified. Adaine is horrified. The other mall patrons are horrified–the ones who aren’t getting possessed at least. Cass is on all fours, growing larger, and there are three more of those red light things coming out of her.

Adaine, who now has a special Synod key as an employee, opens a portal so her friends can join her. Everyone (including a kind of reluctant Fabian) joins right as the portal Adaine closes and that’s it for the ep! Next week, showdown at the Synod!

Honor Roll

Kalina for Having Cassandra’s Back

I never thought I’d give this to her but who else is looking out for Cass like Kalina right now? Nobody. I felt so bad for her handing out pamphlets at the mall. I’ve had to do that and it’s NOT fun. I’m glad she has someone sticking up for her and diligently looking out for her interests, even though it’s someone who I referred to as “the bitch” last week, lol.

(Honorable mention to Fig for honestly being a great student. Way to go girl, you might just graduate yet.)

Detention

Aelwyn for Blackmailing the Middle School Principal with Photographs To Get A Job

This is entirely affectionate. Also, unlike Adaine, I’m curious about what the level of blackmail is that allows you to strongarm your way into a job but still subjects you to being reprimanded by the person you’re blackmailing.

((Dis)honorable to Fabian for his rich boy shenanigans which I touch on below.)

Random Thoughts

“Meat mama”

Insane that KVX Bank still exists and they literally just changed their logo from red to blue.

Was anyone else getting Berries and Cream vibes from the new lunch lad? (if you know, you know)

Fig got hurt yet again in this episode and stuck her hand in construction putty. Last episode I called out that both mishaps so far had involved construction equipment but now we’re officially out of two nickels territory and into rule of threes. Brennan, what are you playing at?

She also got food on herself twice (creamed corn and pad thai) and mimed eating it both times. Emilyyyyyyy grossssssss.

Fabian got the confirmation that no one has declared him as a nemesis for the past 30 days but I would have asked for a full list. We know they have one because CDB is from like a year ago at least.

I thought it was odd that Henry said that what was needed for artificing was “dispassionate focus” when I feel like a lot of people I know who tinker irl are actually intensely passionate about what they do.

As a side note, Henry said that Porter couldn’t stop Gorgug from tripling down while taking Barb classes–just that he wanted Gorgug to tell him as a professional courtesy. So I’m not sure why Porter was able to attach a condition to Gorgug’s being there.

Porter’s, “God this sucks” when Gorgug started talking about his feelings was extremely unprofesh but objectively funny.

Actually, roundup of all the funniest parts of this episode:

1)The entire Adaine and Aelwyn conversation but especially (1) The bit about Fig being attached to Ayda’s feathers, (2) Photographs :), and (3) Jawbone no-selling her sinister flirting followed by her immediately moving out.

2)Bloodbath and Beyond

3)Adaine not wanting to use a ladle at her job because of the Trauma (™) from Freshman Year (RIP Doreen).

4)Fabian nodding knowingly when Adaine talks about killing her dad like it’s a normal, relatable experience.

5)“What's the drinking age in Solace, if you're a pirate?”/“You guys have murdered so many people.”

6)“You find Siobhan Thompson.”

Don’t know if this matters but both the Artificing teacher and the Warlock teacher are new hires. Henry is said to be fresh out of college and Zara took over because the last guy (Evan Freem) failed his warlock pact and was devoured. I suspect out of game it’s just so Brennan can bring in interesting new NPCs that fit the plot for this season and he had to retcon whatever names he gave them for the faculty in Freshman Year. Not sure if there’s an in-game angle though.

Brennan asks Fig where she thinks she gets her warlock powers from and she says, “I think it's from my dad or my bloodline or my legacy” That answer isn’t weird but I dunno the fact that he asked about a thing that I thought was already established struck me as off so it’s going on the list of notes.

I loved Fig being rewarded for sneaking her name onto the class list by Zara who rightfully says that when it comes to warlocks, it’s all about what’s on the page. Brennan really invented a teacher to force Fig/Emily to get invested in class.

Kristen trying to talk Bucky out of being scared of hell is another instance of the metaphor of Kristen’s arc brushing up against the reality of their world because some of y’all have *literally* been to hell. This isn’t real life where religion is all nebulous and personal. Hell is a place you can just go and, again, several of you HAVE BEEN. It’s not a silly thing for him to be scared of.

Lol at Adaine who drank half a beer one time getting Bucky starry eyed by her Bad Kid exploits (said exploits being drinking that half a beer).

So the new Helioic Cleric. What’s his deal? Have we been to Highcourt before? I don’t think so but it’s been mentioned as the place that the Applebees want to send their kids for school so they don’t turn out heathens so maybe it’s a bit theocratic or traditional? Also, did the Rat Grinders lose their OG cleric or did they just never have one seeing as they’re just fighting weenie monsters? Why did they suddenly decide to pick up a cleric? To round out their party comp or because they know they’ll be needing one soon? How did they convince this guy to join up with them first day? I wish Kristen had gotten more info but I’m excited to see where this is going.

I wanna get your votes in now. Are the Rat Grinders evil or do their vibes just suck? Because it really could go either way. I really can’t wait to see what the rest of them are like and how they contrast their corresponding BK members.

Sidenote: So far, every time we’ve met a Rat Grinder they’ve been alone. As opposed to the Bad Kids who hang out as much as possible. I wonder if we’re just never catching them together or if they literally don’t hang out when they don’t have to.

The Hangman is so adorable when he’s like, “I don’t wanna do a shrimp jump but if you ask I will because I love you :(“ Big sad puppy energy. Be nicer to your bike Fabian!

Also, I said this in an ask earlier but despite the fact that Adaien’s financial situation isn’t Fabian’s problem–even if he’s 18 he’s still a child–he can’t be mad at her for not going to his party from his pirate ship mansion with his 5000 gold a month allowance. Come on now. The girl is filtering gold flakes from discounted liquor.

I didn’t mention it in the recap proper because school is also kicking my ass right now but we learn in this episode that the Kristen/Tracker breakup was amicable, followed by 3 months of radio silence, followed by WHO IS THAT BITCH ON HER LAP RAGH??? Curious to know what Nara’s vibe is. I want her to be chill but the little disagreement over whether to be public gives me pause. Not that that’s a relationship ender of course, but I’m wondering if it’s meant to hint at further discord or if Tracker just didn't want Kristen to find out like that or something else innocuous.

Nothing was outright stated but for like a second I felt like I caught a vibe that Ragh maybe felt bad about just being used to buy beer? But I could have imagined it.

I really love Kalina being in this episode to just really cut to the heart of the matter re: things involving Cass. Like it’s hard to use humor to deflect when there’s a steely eyed cat there who will just very evenly say exactly what the situation is. I also really love that Kalina can just be casually encountered at the mall. I cannot imagine being Adaine and getting jump scared by that.

(Sidenote: I wonder what Adaine’s other job options were if she didn’t go for the first one she found or if she’d rolled better.)

I know these are high schoolers, full children, but the idea that you would even be thinking about the shrimp party when your friend’s goddess is going supernova and your other friend is already on sight and in danger is WILD to me. People are dying Kim.

I also already said this in another post but my best guess about what’s happening to Cass is that she’s being affected by Kristen’s whole deal–Kristen has been obsessed with getting jacked, hence the buff wizards. It could be something totally different of course but that’s the best connection I can make with the info we currently have.

I understand why this can’t happen mechanically but it seems pretty low commitment to be a follower of Cass and I don’t think she’d be opposed to giving the Bad Kids a level of cleric for their trouble. Like, literally Adaine calling for a medic for Cass is as much if not more than we’ve seen Kristen for her so far this season. Why not help Cass not die and pick up some free healing spells in the process? Like they don’t even need to become clerics, just give them one low level healing spell like magic initiate for the cleric class. It’s not like any of the Bad Kids seem overly religious/like there’s another god they’re loyal to that would prevent them from doing this. Idk man, if I was in this position Cass would just have one more follower is what I’m saying.

#Dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #d20 #d20 spoilers #fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #spoilers #the report card #hit the character limit AGAIN lol #this is the last thing I wanted to say: Cass is so nice guys. I hope she’s OK :(

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xxavengingangelxx · 4 months

Text

Somewhere Only We Know - Epilogue (for real this time)

Alright, ya'll! Final installment, for now. I've started to work on 2 requests I have from @bellgraves and from @unicorngirly1 now that this fic is done...for now.

Not as bad a cliffhanger, I promise :)

Taglist! @shepgurl, @lily-lily131313, @sharksausages

Triggers: None, really. Graves being kind of a jerk and intimidating.

“My name’s Andrei,”

“Don’t hear that name too often,” you replied. You stepped aside to let him in.

“I hear that a lot here in the US,”

Riley perked up from where he had been lounging on the couch, ears perked up in tight triangles. He growled low in his throat.

“Riley,” you commented. “Stop,”

You thought that his response over repeatedly being told his name was unique only in the US was weird but put it behind you. You also noted his accent. Very unique. He was tall, strong. Too tall and strong to fight off if he tried something. You wondered why that thought popped in your head but then reminded yourself that you sized men up automatically since you had your experience with Shadow Company. “Where you from?”

“Australia,”

“You’re far from home,” you noted. “What brings you all this way?”

“Work,” the large man in front of you shrugged.

Another growl from Riley, who looked ready to lunge.

“Riley, no, sir,” you said sternly. You turned back to your guest, saying, “He doesn’t like strangers, sorry,”

The man had also given another strange response because why would someone come from Australia for this kind of work? Whatever. You led him to where the heating system was.

“Cute kid,” the man remarked of your tiny sleeping son. “Always forget how small they are,”

You huffed a nervous smile.

After feeding and taking care of your son you were nursing a cup of coffee at the breakfast nook, trying to stay awake. One thing no one had warned you about was how exhausting infants were. Thankfully, infants also slept a lot. You had him asleep in a bassinet next to you because you didn’t trust anyone with your son. Especially not a stranger.

Things had turned out okay, right?

You were alive, Graves was alive. You had Graves and he had you. You were both together. You had a son Sometimes you worried about being separated, but there was a low chance of that, right? No one knew where you were. You honestly wouldn’t know what to do if you were separated from Graves or your son. They were your world.

141 was okay. At least, the last time you’d heard from them. Graves had allowed you enough contact only to know for sure that Soap was going to be okay. That man had survived a shot to the head.

Graves had prevented you contact them after.

At first it had bothered you. Something deep inside had told you to get away, that Graves was only going to get more controlling. But that faded. Any doubts or negative thoughts you had about Graves always faded. So you stayed. Besides, you had a 1-month-old at that time. Where were you going to run with a 1-month-old and weak from recently having given birth?

You’d get random emails, texts, sometimes calls. But once Graves found out who they were from, 141 reaching out, he blocked them.

Graves reasoned that if 141 found out where you were, so could an enemy so you had to stay off the grid. It made sense. Graves did all your thinking for you anyway.

You were on the verge of drifting off into a light slumber when someone approached you from behind.

And placed their hand on your shoulder.

And it made you jump almost a mile high. You gasped and turned around, almost ready to swing.

Andrei held his hands out, as if to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Sorry,” he commented. “I didn’t want to scare you. Just wanted to let you know you’re all set.”

Heat coming out of a nearby vent confirmed what he was saying.

“Let me get my wallet,” you replied with a sigh of relief.

The weird thing was, though, that you couldn’t find your wallet.

You sheepishly had to break the news to which the large man said not to worry, that they could send the bill.

And he left.

Graves got home about an hour after.

“Heater’s back up n’ workin’.” Graves commented, grabbing a beer from the fridge. He leaned over Rett’s bassinet and the tiny thing actually reached an even tinier hand towards his father who grinned.

“How was Rob? He didn’t try any shady shit, did he?” He took a sip from his beer.

“Whose Rob?”

“The heating guy,”

“Oh, they sent someone else,” you said dismissively. You turned to open the fridge, trying to figure out what to do for dinner. “What’s important is it’s fixed, right?” you paused before asking, “Did you get that job?” you closed the fridge door and straightened.

Graves stood in front of you, so close and he’d moved so quickly and so quietly that you hadn’t even noticed he’d moved clear across a large kitchen. He was larger than life, still geared, and looked terrifying.

“What the hell?” you whined. “Scared me!”

“I need to know the name of the person who came here.”

“What’s the big deal, so they sent someone else.”

“I’m going to pull up the cameras, Val,” he stepped closer to you, hovering over you and you found yourself stepping backwards because he…he looked like he did…he looked like he did all those nights ago in Las Almas. “And so help me if you’re lying or had someone else over, we’re going to have a problem,”

“Wh-What do you think, I’m lying to you?” you tripped over your words and you kept walking backwards until your back was all the way on the opposite side of the house at the end of the living room.

“Name,”

“Andrei,” you responded immediately.

Graves’s blue eyes grew darker and you flinched when he stepped closer. Riley raised his head from where he lay on the couch but Riley knew better than to challenge his master.

“Did he say his last name?”

“I don’t…” you raked your brain, trying to remember if he had ever shared his last name. But he had! He had, you recalled told you his full name and told you to put in good word for him with your husband. “Nolan.”

Graves’s jaw clenched. “Pack up as much stuff as you can. I gotta make some calls.”

And with that, he turned away.

“If he’s involved with Makarov why didn’t he just take me right then and there?” It had been 12 hours. 12 hours with hardly any sleep and a fussy baby as well as a wound up husband. You thought you were done with black sites but apparently not.

“Makarov likes to play mind games. He wants us to be scared, to the point to where we can’t think straight. Then he lunges.”

“Why me?” you whined.

“Why not? You’re perfect,” Graves replied.

End notes: No, Soap does not die in my fic! <3

#phillip graves #phillip graves x reader #cod mwii #graves x reader #mw2 141 #cod mw3 #john soap mactavish #longwayfromhome #somewhere only we know

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