#it is in progress. right now. you can go to my den you can see it

[theskymother]

i love stealing other people's den ideas and putting them in my own den

[bonesy-doodles]

TELL US ALL OF YOUR GHOUL HEADCANONS ‼️🙏💕

I mean, you asked for this!!! This is probably not all of my headcanons, just the ones I could remember off the top of my head, as this is all still a work in progress for me!

I will also include the Ghouls pictures again so people can refer back their designs cause I do touch on design choices for them as they, to me, are included in headcanons as every makes their ghouls unique on some way.

Okay, first up!

DEWDROP!!

There’s a lot for this man. So, Dewdrop used to be a water ghoul, however he’s not a multighoul like Swiss, Sunshine and Aurora because his element was transmuted during the binding ritual when he was passed from Terzo to Copia. So, my brain thought “what is water-like fire” and it landed on magma! So that’s why he looks volcanic. His gills closed over and became lava cracks, his fish scales became reptilian, and now he runs hot like a furnace. His ears are pointed like fire ghouls, but have points kinda like fish fins still. Dew also has fire manipulation and can essentially ignite fires (commits minor arson constantly) but that’s how he lights his cigarettes. He still has retained a great lung capacity and can hold his breath long enough to almost rival Rain’s infinite breath. The biggest trouble maker of the Ghouls and the worst influence on newer ghouls (i.e Phantom). He’s the shortest of the dudes, but makes up for it by setting you on fire if you make short jokes.

Also!!! I am a defender of the dark-hair Dewdrop design!! I know it’s very common for him to have blonde or white hair, but it was just not giving for this design. I tried, I promise! (I’m glad I’ve been seeing people love it though! My agenda is spreading!)

For fire ghoul visuals, I definitely focused on emulating glowing flame visuals, using red, orange, yellow, and white to give that effect with browns and blacks to make them look crispy. Scales and long pointed ears that go upward are also common for fire ghouls.

PHANTOM

Quintessence Ghouls are basically space and/or ghostly types of ghouls, as quintessence to me is everything between the elements and makes up everything (like stardust!!) Phantom, as a Quintessence ghoul can “see beyond the elements” with what I call aura reading at the moment, like seeing vibes and emotions. They can also float! Or slow their falls essentially. Not really fly like air ghouls. Phantom is actually, to me, one of the three most chaotic ghouls, alongside Dew and Swiss, and causes a lot of chaos at the Ministry. My favorite joke with my two wives who I discuss all this lore with often is that Phantom once pissed in the Unholy Water Bowl in the West Chapel right before a midnight mass, which caused a lot of problems for the Ghoul Den Overseer. Just to illustrate the shit Phantom pulls at the Ministry.

But specifically for Phantoms visuals, he reminds me of the moon, the tone of gray, his swirling vitiligo-esc patches. He has really dark eyes which is not very common for Quintessence ghouls.

AETHER

The second tallest and most beefiest of all the Ghouls. I mean, have you seen the arms on that man!!!! Like Phantom, Aether has the aura reading ability and is the expert at floating and slowing his falls (it’s how he achieves all the wild jumps on stage, like dude gets air time). His freckles actually form constellations, and on his shoulder you can see the Big Dipper cause he’s a big guy (yes that’s the joke, that’s why I gave him the Big Dipper). Aether acts as one of the minders of the Ghoul Den, kind of like the exasperated dad of the group. Tries his best to fix the chaos the other Ghouls cause to lessen the work of the Ghoul Den Overseer, put out Dew’s fires, etc. Also a fuzzy guy, which is uncommon for Quintessence ghouls, like he’s so soft somehow.

For Quintessence Ghoul designs, I really wanted to focus on the space aspect. All of them have space freckles, and their horns all swirl in some way (Phantom and Auroras swirling physically, and Aethers have swirling grooves/markings on them). Also, their ears are bovine-like in someways, cause I’ve always categorized Aether as like a space cow in my head. Their color palettes usually veer towards magenta, purple, and indigo (cause those are my favorite colors and Quintessence ghouls are my favorite).

RAIN

As a water ghoul, Rain has gills, fins on various parts of his body, and webbed fingers and toes (it’s a bit freaky). Also, serrated teeth like a piranha. If you’ve ever touched a fish, that wet feeling of their scales is how it feels to touch him. He can breathe underwater with his gills and will often be found in the lakes on the Ministry’s grounds when he needs to chill. His tail is a bit thick than other ghouls, as well as finned to help with swimming. Also water manipulation abilities! (It’s giving Cleo from H2O). He’s also bioluminescent! His scales and the lighter markings on him all glow

He does participate in problem causing sometimes, but is also exasperated mom of the group (cue his disappointed mom pose of hands on hips). Aether and Rain are the duo that hold Dew up by his arms while he’s trying to sprint towards trouble. Rain often has his hair pulled back in pony tails, or braided as he has a lot of hair, and it’s gets in the way while he’s swimming.

Water ghouls in general have everything above that I’ve already mentioned for Rain, all the fish like aspects. They tend to be blue toned and have a variety of scale coloration, often green, blue and purple in tones (duochrome, iridescent, pearlescent, etc).

MOUNTAIN

Biggest of the Ghouls and third beefiest! He’s also fuzzy! Mountain has a connection with the earth (duh, all earth ghouls do), which allows them to feel the “heartbeat of the earth”, gives them that killer rhythm on the drums. He’s big into growing plants and taking care of the Ministry’s gardens, which he excels in as Earth ghouls also can affect plant growth as well as other earth things like soil. The flowers behind his ear in the art are actually Belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade!

Mountain also has two ways to shift himself, one being normal legs and his most natural ghoul state is hoofed/goat legs, which is why he doesn’t like wearing shoes (it’s a weird feeling). His horns are gigantic as Earth ghoul horns tend to be, and have a cracked earth/clay patterning (his very first design iteration had cracked clay skin, but I did not like how it looked). His coloration and markings are very deer like, along with his ears. Mountain is very quiet compared to the rest of the Ghouls, he gives cryptid energy while at the Ministry.

Earth ghouls in general tend to lean towards more green and brown tones, with the previously mentioned giant horns. They can also have a variety of mammal like variations to them, but the most common is forest animals like deer, beer, wolves, coyotes, etc. They tend to be the fluffiest of the ghouls, and also the biggest. It’s just natural for them to be tall.

SWISS

Being a multighoul of all elements, he basically is a shadow ghoul (mix all paint colors and you get dark brown/black was my idea). He’s the third tallest and the second beefiest ghoul. Swiss has shadow manipulation abilities and can kinda merge into the shadows, which he uses to sneak around, cause problems and prank people. Also as a multighoul of all elements, he can kind of emulate abilities of other elements, like him being able to hold his breathe underwater longer than natural, his singing voice is siren-like similar to air ghouls, etc. He’s also fuzzy!!

Also, Swiss is the biggest accessorizer and has the most piercings of all the ghouls. He likes how it gives him some pizzazz. Also has gifted every ghoul at least one set of jewelry they are ornamented with (thought it was funny to get Dew the upside cross earrings).

And Satanas, the shit this man gets up to. There is a reason he’s on his stage of shame most of the time. Swiss enables all of Dew’s chaos with a giant smile on his face. It’s like winding up a toy and letting it spin.

Little side note about Multighouls, there are only two all element Multighouls in the Ministry, one being Swiss, the other actually being Phil! The Special Ghoul! He was once seen playing several instruments, signifying his elemental range, but tends to keep to himself compared to Swiss.

AURORA

The newest multighoul, and second multighoulette! Aurora is dual elemental, Air and Quintessence which together makes her embody an Aurora Borealis (her name sake). With her two elements, she gets her skin coloration and patterning, eyes, and swirling horn from her Quintessence aspect. Her space freckles are a bit more on the bluer side due to the air aspect however, as well as her second set of horns as air ghouls often have two sets of horns or two pronged horns. Her ears are bovine and bat-like. She has smaller wings compared to a full air ghoul, but her floating ability also helps. It’s a very interesting combo to watch. Also, her hair is just naturally like that, no hair dye involved. Don’t ask her how it changes color as it grows, she doesn’t know.

Aurora is probably the most energetic of the Ghoulettes, and is besties with Swiss. Is constantly helping him get into shit. In general is an accomplice to Swiss and the Ghoulettes. She loves being involved in the shit they all pull. And despite her stature, as the shortest of all the Ghouls, she will body a bitch (the shorter you are the closer to hell you get)!

CUMULUS

The biggest, fluffiest hair. It’s so long and so much and it’s her pride and joy! It’s how she got the name Cumulus because of how much it reminded Copia of cumulus clouds. As an Air ghoul, Cumulus has large bat-like wings that allow her to fly. They can be folded and retracted if need be as they can get in the way. In the Ghoul Den, the Air Ghouls have a loft only accessible to those with wings, or if you tempt fate and get someone to throw you. Cumulus’s air ghoul horns formed in the shape of crescents, so she doesn’t have two sets, instead is categorized as two pronged.

As previously mentioned, Air ghouls have siren-like voices (referencing Greek myth sirens being bird women) and Cumulus is the epitome of this ability. Can get people to do her bidding just by whispering sweet words into their ears.

Cumulus and Cirrus are a duo, as they were summoned together and bonded over being Air Ghoulettes, if you see one of them, the other is not far away or far behind.

CIRRUS

The tallest of the Ghoulettes and somehow the chillest comparative to the others. She’s still a ghoul though, so the chaos scale is broken anyway. As previously mentioned, she is Cumulus’s other half and visually is opposite of her on many ways. Darker, straight hair which is uncommon for Air ghouls, along with darker eyes. She also has the biggest wing span of all the Air Ghouls, and is the fastest with Sunshine a close second. Her vocals are second to Cumulus’s however. Not nearly at the level of controlling, but she can still bring anyone to their knees if need be.

Truly, Cumulus and Cirrus are a power couple amongst the Ghouls because their siren abilities affect Ghouls as well, just to a lesser degree, so if need be (with a good enough bribe) they can put a pause on the chaos if it gets too out of hand. The bribe has to be really good like, they like watching shit get crazy.

SUNSHINE

Finally, Sunshine. The first multighoulette summoned, and her dual elements are Air and Fire. Her fire like appearance veered away from volcanic like Dew to being like Sun Spots (areas on the sun that are darker than the rest of it) and that’s why her scales are rounded compared to Dew’s. Her wings are also smaller like Aurora’s, still bat-like but also gives dragon because of the reptilian aspect of Fire ghouls. She does have two sets of horns which she likes to ornament like Swiss.

Sunshine and Aurora bond over being air based multighoulettes and also have joined the multighoul secret club with Swiss and Phil. What do they do there? Well, it’s a secret of course. It wouldn’t be a secret club otherwise!

Also, there have been several cases of arson that have been committed that were blamed on Dewdrop, but were actually done by Sunshine, but she’s a great liar and loves getting Dew in trouble. She like orchestrates that shit.

Now that I’ve touched upon all of the air ghouls, basically, air ghouls tend to be either teal or yellow in tone, usually with cloud like markings (however Aurora and Sunshine’s dual elements change that). Their ears tend to be bat shaped, along with them sporting the large bat wings that give them the ability to fly. There have been cases, however, that air ghouls have feathered wings, the only known case being the first summoned keyboardist, aptly named Air. No one knows why he’s the only one, he just claims it’s cause he’s cool like that. Also mentioned the siren like voices, it’s not a universal Air ghoul ability, some more attuned with it than others, but it’s quite common seeing as all four Ghoulettes along with Swiss possess the ability to some degree (Air does not because he’s not cool like that).

GHOULS IN GENERAL

Kind of wanted to go into some general stuff for the ghouls within the Ministry and the Summoning process.

When a Ghoul is summoned by a Papa (the only person really sanctioned to summon ghouls with some exceptions of course), they are bound to that Papa, with some sort of mark to signify this binding. For the Papas, they each use their individual grucifixes as this marking (Copia’s ghouls were for a while marked with the basic Grucifix because he was initially a Cardinal. Technically, during that Era, the Ghouls should have been bound to Nihil, however Sister Imperator pulled the exception card for her little Cardi. Once Copia became Papa, the binding ritual was redone to remark them with his new grucifix). All of the ghouls do have grucifixes essentially tattooed onto their body in different locations, but there’s a lot of development for that and some still undecided so that can’t wait until I’ve drawn full bodies for all the ghouls.

Also, mentioned a few times in this was the Ghoul Den Overseer, who is actually a Sibling of Sin character of mine (because I over indulge myself and this is my lore interpretation anyway, I do what I want). Their “confirmation” name (christened? Sataned?) is Rigoria/Rigorian, last name Mortuous. Yes, it’s a play on Rigor Mortis but my name is literally Bones. I will be drawing them as well at some point so I can show you guys my interpretation of the Siblings of Sins in different Papal Eras.

[gremlinmodetweeker]

Murder on the Mind

So, we begin the plan to make König our mate in this one. Little Octopus Reader is determined to win. I will say, significant progress is made in this fic! Also, I suck at writing action scenes, please forgive me. I need to figure out how to write them for the future.

Tws: killing a crab for food, violence,

Wordcount: 3.3K

Art from This Post

Rest of the Story Below the Cut

Murder on the Mind

The one thing you hadn’t planned for in your epic showdown with a spider crab to win over König’s heart was how incredibly obnoxious König could be about letting you go out on your own.

“Are you sure?” König hovered around you nervously, “I really think I should come with you.”

“Yeah, but then you wouldn’t let me do my thing,” you complained as you put your bag over your shoulder, “I just want to see if I can find some new treasures.”

“But you have all of these treasures!” König gestured to the shelves upon shelves of trinkets, “are they not enough?”

“They’re more than enough,” you assured him, “I just want some that I found. It’s not the same when they’re all yours.”

“But we share everything,” König insisted, “and it’s much safer if you stay by my side. Why won’t you let me come with you?”

“Because I don’t want you taking them from me!” you huffed.

“You know I wouldn’t do that.”

“But you might!” you puffed up angrily, “let me do this!”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” König curled his arms nervously.

“I won’t!” you pinned your earflaps to the sides of your head and flared your arms out.

König took one look at you and sighed.

“Go,” he turned and slunk back into the nest, “don’t come back until your bag is full.”

You notably didn’t mention that he was going into the nursery rather than the den as you hurriedly left the nest.

Now that you were free, you could actually get the job done. That, and think about how you were going to get the job done. That part you still weren’t sure about. You’d gone over the method a few times in your head, but you still weren’t fully sure. You had an idea though.

You had the feeling that if you managed to get the crab on its back you might be able to get to its weak spot. That was, if it didn’t pinch you in the process.

It wasn’t that you couldn’t handle a crab. At least, you thought you could handle a crab. Crabs weren’t that bad. Up near the surface they were pretty easy to kill. The hard shell made a nice little dish to hold things too. You’d used them to hold some of your piles of trinkets, like that lovely set of gold coins you’d once found. Unfortunately, you’d lost them all when your nest was taken over. A shame. You really liked them.

If you were lucky, König might be willing to give you some of the shells once he was done. If he knew you’d used them for trinkets before he’d surely hand them over. He was too sweet to do otherwise. König was just too good sometimes.

With your heart set on your goal, you headed out to where you knew the spider crabs lived.

When you’d travelled with König to meet up with his friends, he’d taken you over a small circle of stones. If you were right, it wouldn’t be far until you stumbled across them. The path König had taken had been practically straight the entire time, so you didn’t have any worries about getting lost. Rather, your only concern was something unfriendly finding you.

In the depths of the oceans, there was no such thing as playing fair. It wasn’t uncommon for hardfought prey to be snatched right from your fingers. In the gloom of the midnight zone, the only fish that survived was treachery. To survive, you had to be as cruel as the waters you lived in. It wasn’t a place for softness or kindness.

It wasn’t a place for you and König.

You shook the thought from your head. You’d find a space to make your home. There was still space for you. You just had to find a way.

Currently, that way just happened to be in the form of killing crabs and giving your partner their corpse as a trophy. Maybe your soft and tender love wasn’t so sweet after all. You’d have to unpack that later.

As you pondered the morality of merfolk mating traditions, you didn’t notice how the sea bed flew past you. The scenery changed as you passed over the rocks covered in tubeworms and over the various creatures hiding from view in the sand. The silence was broken occasionally by the call of a far off prey, then followed by a sickening crunch. Sometimes a lone whale song would split the night. Once, you’d gotten chills each time you heard them, but you’d learned there was no point being afraid of something that could easily be miles away.

Finally, the circle of rocks came into view.

You grinned and rushed forward.

When you got to the rocks, you noticed that they were notably absent of any large crabs. In fact, it seemed like all the crabs had completely vanished. It hadn’t been that long since you’d been there, had it? Had they really all disappeared? It couldn’t be.

You scanned the sand once more, trying to see if maybe they had buried into the sand. Nothing. Not a single sign of life. You’d have more luck with the tubeworms at this point. A part of you wondered if this was a sign to give up. Maybe you weren’t meant to do this. It was entirely possible that this was a suicide mission. And yet, you wanted to keep trying. Going home empty-handed to König simply wasn’t an option.

The only reasonable thing to do, in your mind, was to wait and see if any crabs came back to this site. So you did just that. You waited in the dark and hoped that a crab would return.

The waiting gave you time to think about what you wanted to about the upcoming mating season. König was the most obvious choice, but could you really win him over in such a short span of time? There were at most three weeks until it started, at which point you’d migrate to the twilight zone to join your kin. Cephalopod merfolk from all strains of life would come together to join in on the gathering.

Mating seasons usually began and ended with lust. That was the entire point of the gathering, after all. However, the ulterior purpose of mating season was to find a lifelong mate. Most cephalopod merfolk didn’t tend to take a singular mate, with many taking a harem to themselves. However, a few lucky merfolk would find their lifelong partner in the throng of tentacles. It was rare, but it was possible.

Most of the time, it was during the early part of the mating season that couples were formed. That was when most mer would do their best to court potential mates, but their attempts were painfully paper thin. It was obvious that most of them only wanted a steady partner for convenience rather than genuine interest. You’d had a few try and propose to you before, but you’d happily declined them each time. You’d rather be alone than be in a hapless partnership.

A partnership with König would be nice though. He had all the potential of being a good partner. You had to wonder why he didn’t have a mate already. Was there something about him you didn’t know? The thought had crossed your mind before. From all you’d seen, König was a perfect mate. Or at least, the perfect host. He had been nothing but hospitable to you. A bit more than that even if you let yourself read between the lines. You didn’t even need to go that far. At this point, König was practically begging for you to be his mate. At least, not with words.

The sounds he made in the nursery were more than enough to let you know what was happening. The lust of the upcoming mating season had started to cloud his mind. He was already losing control and you were privy to how his resolve steadily dissolved. Merfolk were creatures of instinct, and König was no different. He could be strange and reserved all he liked; König couldn’t fight his inner nature. The lust he held was a part of him that had been passed down through countless generations. It wasn’t something he could fight forever. It was only a matter of time before he cracked.

Normally, you would’ve been appalled for thinking such thoughts. From a third party, you might’ve thought you were taking advantage of König. In regards to taking his meals and home, that might have been true at one point, but as time passed you realised you simply enjoyed his company. He was a comfortable companion through conversation or silence alike. Simply being in his presence was enough to make you feel at ease. Not only that, but you knew he felt the same way.

It was in how he looked at you when he thought you didn’t notice. Hungry, wanting, and sad. So sad to see what he felt he couldn’t have. Not only his eyes were a giveaway, but also his lower arms. The way he held you when you met his friends was more than enough to tell you how he felt. He’d caged you in his lower arms like he was afraid of letting a single part of you be exposed to the predators he spoke to.

König had made it clear to you that he was interested. If it weren’t for his yearning for your touch and his desperation for your company weren’t clear enough, it was shown in his newfound interest in the nursery. He hadn’t explicitly banned you from the room, but there was an unsaid observance of the rule. At least, that was the case until he had left to go hunting recently.

As soon as he had left your sight you had gone back to explore. Just as you expected, you’d found a cluster of deflated eggs. The sight of them had shivers travelling through you. Soon enough, König would be expecting you to carry those for him. Or at least, you hoped he would. If he’d just ask you, you’d have been glad to take them. They might have been bigger than you were used to, but giant squids didn’t lay large clutches, so the possibility of carrying them wasn't out of the question. In fact, the thought of being pumped full of eggs had you squirming in your spot.

You looked around the sand. There still wasn’t a crab in sight. The thought of giving up passed through your mind again. It wasn’t too late to back out. It wasn’t  like König would care either way. The prospect of showing up with a crab was steadily declining.

Just as you were about to give up and go home, a twitch caught your eye.

Off in the distance, a crab was crawling along the sand.

Maybe giving up wasn’t in the cards after all.

Slowly you swam up and over to the crab, doing your best to avoid being detected by the animal. As you did, it dawned on you that the crab was bigger than you expected. This thing was a beast of a crab. The creature was picking away mindlessly at the sand with gigantic claws that could easily snip off one of your lower arms if you got too close.  The damn thing was so big that you were questioning whether or not you were willing to go through with it at all.

The crab moved slowly as it preened the sand for prey, completely oblivious to how you hovered above. If you struck now… Fuck it.

You dropped down on the crab like a bomb and wrapped your arms around its shell and crushed down. The crab immediately writhed and thrashed underneath in sheer terror as it tried to claw at you again and again with its giant pincers. You dodged them left and right as nimbly as you could but you were only so quick, so clever, and you watched in horror as the crab grabbed onto one of your lower arms. You screamed and squirmed in its crushing hold but it wouldn’t budge despite how you tried to get away. The crab pinched tighter and tighter as you desperately pulled against it. The pain shot through you like a lance through your nerves the more you tried to break free of its grasp. You looked around wildly, and then you saw it.

You reached out your hand towards a small rock, but seeing what you were trying to do the crab scuttled away. Your fingers left rake-like tracks through the sand as clouds of the stuff blew up into the water like a smokescreen. Without another thought in mind, you grabbed down on the crab’s body and rolled over onto your side. The crab immediately let go of your arm as it flailed wildly on top of you and rubbed its rough shells against your skin hard enough to dig into your skin. You watched clouds of blood bloom into the water as the crab pinched for the ground around it.

You wrapped your lower arms around each of the crab's legs to try and immobilize it but the crab was too strong for you. You were too weak. You ducked your head as the crab reached up to slash your face and rolled again with the crab in your arms.

As you rolled, the crab managed to squirm in your arms and grab onto another arm but missed by an inch. You couldn’t keep fighting like this. You needed to find an opening.

The crab’s belly was just out of reach. You wormed your way across the crab’s shell and slammed it back into the ground. The sand kicked up around you, giving you just the chance you needed. The crab splayed its legs wide and you took the chance to bury your fangs deep into its soft belly. Once you’d bitten down, you hauled the crab off your body and pushed up into the waters above.

The crab tried weakly to chase you up, but the venom was already working its way through its body. The animal weakly tried to pull itself up to its feet, but it quaked and fell back to the earth. Its pincers clasped once, twice, then never again.

You’d won.

You sighed and flopped on top of the crab. The pain in your arm felt like it had been ripped clean off, but when you pulled it up to check it looked like the crab had only just pierced the skin. It looked bruised and it bled, but it could heal. Relief washed through you and you lay your head back down on the crab’s shell.

Once you’d rested for a moment, you brought yourself together and pushed up. You looked down and frowned. How were you going to transport this thing?

—

It turned out the only way to transport the crab was to haul it on your back and swim as far as you could before you collapsed and rested again. The trip back was agony, but it was worth it as soon as you hauled the body into the nest.

“Hallo?” you heard König slowly crawl out of the nursery, “what are you-WHAT IS THAT.”

You pulled the crab through the whole and dropped it on the floor. You puffed up your chest and put your hands on your hips.

“I brought you dinner!” you crowed.

König slowly approached and looked down at the crab. He used his tentacles to adjust the crab’s limbs and marvel at your hunting prowess. His eyes went wide when he looked down at the pincers.

The awe and pride couldn’t be more evident. He was obviously so impressed by your skill. As he should be, seeing as you nearly lost your arm for it.

You waited eagerly for his response.

“Little octopus…” König said as he flipped the crab onto its back.

“I got it for you,” you said earnestly.

He glanced up at you and then back at the crab.

You leaned against the wall of the cave and said, “Wasn’t too hard either. I could’ve taken on a hundred of them.”

“Mhm,” König glanced down at your lower arms.

You quietly hid your injured arm.

“Little octopus, why did you do this?” he asked as he settled down on the floor.

“Because I wanted to show you I could hunt?” you shrugged and followed his example, “I can provide for you too.”

König crossed his arms silently.

“Is… Is that a problem?”

He sighed and reached over the crab to take your hands in his.

“Little octopus,” he said softly, “you’re so… So…”

“Amazing?”

“Stupid,” he bonked you on the head with his tentacle, “you didn’t need to do this for me. I told you I was going to hunt for you.”

“What?” you puffed up like a balloon, “aren’t you proud of me!? I took this thing down myself!”

“I know, I know,” König assured you, “but you could’ve been seriously injured. Consider those scrapes on your chest a warning for what could’ve happened.”

You looked down at the scratches on your chest. You’d honestly forgotten about them by the time you got back to König’s nest.

“And your arm, too,” he muttered as he used one of his lower arms to wrap around your injured arm, “you got a bad pinch there. You’re lucky this one was too old to fight back.”

“Too old to fight back?” you scoffed.

“This one is old,” König glared at you, “if it were younger, you wouldn’t be here. You’d have been torn apart.”

“I would’ve been fine,” you huffed and crossed your upper arms over your chest.

“You would’ve died,” König stated flatly.

You looked down at the crab and lowered your ear flaps.

König sighed and deflated, then quietly used his tentacles to pull you to his chest and hugged you tight. He bent down and pressed his face into the crook of your neck and hummed.

You were frozen. It had been ages since you’d been this close to König and the proximity was overwhelming.

“I’m sorry little octopus,” König wrapped his tentacles around your back.

“Sorry?”

“For.. For touching you,” König admitted, “I just can’t believe you’d do something that dangerous! I could’ve lost you and... I don't know what I would've done if I lost you like that.”

“It’s okay,” you finally melted into his touch and rubbed your cheek against his chest, “I’m okay. I like it when you hold me like this.”

“You do?” König pulled back to look into your eyes.

You giggled, “Of course I do. Why would you think I didn’t?”

“Well, ah, ever since that…” König cringed, “the massage I-”

You put a finger over where his lips would be, “You’re an idiot.”

“I am?”

“Sometimes.”

König’s eyes flickered through confusion and relief before settling into mild annoyance.

“You’re saying I’m the reason we haven’t been close,” he said slowly.

“Yep,” you nodded sadly, “sorry.”

He groaned and pulled you tight into his lap.

“I’m so stupid,” he grumbled into your skin.

“You are,” you pet the back of his hood, “but it’s okay. I forgive you.”

König held you tight and then relaxed to look over your shoulder at the crab. He took off an arm and pulled it up to offer it to you.

“To your success as a hunter,” he said.

You gladly took it from him and bit into the meat with a content hum.

“I’m not letting you hunt on your own again,” König drawled.

“That’s fine,” you swallowed.

König shook his head and took a crab leg for himself. He slid you down onto his lower arms and wrapped a tentacle around your waist.

Your first attempt hadn’t worked so well, but you had gotten your cuddles back. Just a few more steps and König would be wrapped around your little finger, you were certain of it.

Konig Dump

Konig Alternate Universes

Mer!Konig Page

[occamstfs]

Ugh, I Hate Bongs.

Switching it up slightly! Here's a more subtle TF as a straight edge busybody finally tries to stick it to his stoner roommate. -Occam

Chris was not going to let his roommate smoke in their apartment anymore. He was tired of the couch smelling like smoke which is reason enough, but beyond that his roommate, Nate, had fully broken two bongs in the past, getting their ashy water all over papers Chris had left out in the den. Hearing a telltale gurgle coming from the living room could only mean Nate had now brought a third bong into their shared space. Chris felt almost bound to act.

As soon as he opens his bedroom door he feels a wave of thick smoke blow through him, clearly getting the skunky smell he hates so much all over his clothes and bedding. This was something Chris could not let stand. It’s bad enough that he’s doing this in the apartment at all now it’s now going to start seeping into the only place he had left. He sees Nate on the couch taking in a deep breath preparing to lay into him. But? What was he mad about anyway?

Standing there continuing to breathe in smoke from Nate’s session he remembers there was definitely something he needed to do. He was in his room, then he heard his roommate, and now he is in the living room? As he continues to aimlessly circle through these seemingly insignificant events he doesn’t even notice as he stops smelling the weed in the air, before seeing Nate take another massive bong hit on the couch. Seeing him out of his room Nate smiles, breathing another wave of smoke into the room.

“Yo dude! Are you coming to join?” Nate’s eyes are bleary and red as he offers the bong and lighter to his roommate.

That’s what it was, Chris remembers as he sees the bong. He was pissed that his roommate was using a bong! It was, annoying for some reason? I mean it looks a little dirty right? “Didn’t I say no bongs dude?”

“Oh yeah dude! That’s why I rolled you a joint?”

This throws Chris for a loop. What a kind thing to do but he can’t help but feel something amiss going on. The smile briefly fades from Nate as he grows concerned seeing Chris struggle. “Woah everything good dude?”

“Yeah, sorry? My head just feels like it’s pounding,” Chris rubs his face in discomfort feeling his face grow flush and his eyes begin to dry.

“This’ll straighten you right up dude, come on just try a hit.”

Chris, upon being directly asked, puts out a hand for the joint and immediately lights it up like he has done it a thousand times over. He takes a hit like an expert, breathing slowly and naturally as to not cough. Only after doing so and realizing he had no discomfort he starts a coughing fit. Of course, he has been breathing progressively more and more smoke since stepping out of his bedroom, so this fit is almost performative. Something he is doing only because it is something he should be doing, or he thinks he should be doing? He doesn’t usually smoke, right?

This thought quickly flashes out of his head as feels lightheaded, collapsing onto the couch right next to Nate. His body growing leaner as he almost liquefies into the cushions, “See Chris what did I say, one hit and you’re already cured.” His glazed eyes look over to his friend as he takes another hit. He sees his friend’s stubbled face and wonders if he should grow one of his own. Shaving is more effort than it’s worth anyway. He exhales as he too starts to add to the pervasive smoke filling the room.

He scratches at his face as a scraggly beard starts to push out. Pausing to feel as much as he can in his body before taking another hit. Pushing his back against the couch, rubbing his arm down his chest and stomach, Nate watching as his roommate finally lets loose. Chris takes a third hit as Nate sees his hair get greasier as his pubes push out beyond the bounds of his holey underwear.

Chris launches into another coughing fit as, unbeknownst to him, he finishes the joint and starts to burn the filter. Seeing this Nate reacts as quickly as he can, clumsily putting the bong down on the table reaching out to check on Chris, rubbing his roommates back in a way that seem decidedly intimate. “Y’okay dude? Your hits were way too big but ‘s chill ‘s chill. You didn’t want any more did you?”

Sluggishly working through the words Nate just asked him he finds he doesn’t need to search for his own answer. Why wouldn’t he want more? Everything just feels so much better as he stretches, feeling his tendons and muscles expand and contract, “Mmmmm yeah I could do a little more.” Before he remembers that with his joint now impossibly consumed in three hits the only weed ready to smoke is in the bong’s bowl, still vaguely unpleasant to him.

Nate then has a masterful idea. He would shotgun the weed to Chris! Why would he be averse to that? They’re friends right? Chris, numbed beyond reason, is more than happy to give it a try. He’s sure that he's drunk after Nate before right? Or? Have they kissed before? It’s hard to tell, the benders they go on its truly impossible to say.

Chris watches as Nate takes a massive hit of the bong. Water gurgling for full seconds before he reconsiders, one last time feeling unease, he isn’t the to go on benders right? He’s so type a he wouldn’t even think about it. Continuing to question himself as he leans towards Nate, finishing his inhale as he too leans towards Chris. He opens his mouth letting the cloud of smoke leak out of his mouth, lazily gazing into Chris’ eyes expecting him to finish the job.

Seeing this Chris is unable to resist as he stumbles forward pressing his mouth to Nate’s.

Nate falls backwards, once more narrowly placing the bong on the table, as Chris crashes into him. The playful second hand smoking quickly dissolving into an aggressive grinding session as Chris hungrily slobbers over Nate’s neck. Maybe he is this type of person. Nate pulls Chris’ shirt off letting their torsos touch skin to skin as Chris begins dry humping his roommate. The two stoners continue in this regard as their cocks swiftly demand attention as sweatpants are pulled down and the two have at each other outright. Lean arms flailing in the air as they pull on each other's unwashed hair. Faces shove into hairy pits in lieu of smoking any more weed, besides of course the haze still filling the apartment. The pressure quickly mounts as Chris is inches from finishing all over his roommates’ hairy chest before he shifts and his left leg flings into the table knocking over bong number three. “Shit dude!” he cries as he does indeed finish missing Nate’s chest for his face. Coming down from their ecstasy the pair stumble off the couch narrowly avoiding glass shards as they try to clean up Chris’ mess.

“Maybe no more bongs yeah,” Chris giggles at something he can quite understand as he watches Nate struggle with a broom. His eyes shift from the unground weed on the table and his still unclad roommate as he starts to work himself up once more. Hungrily awaiting what comes next, he prepares for session two.

[cherrrydragon]

➤ find something worth saving (it's all for the taking)

CHAPTER SIX: MAKE OUT FAKE OUT

← back to chapter list

SUMMARY ↳ An unlikely ally appears! “I know you’re Spinnerette.” . . . What. The. Fuck. pairing: jon kent x gn!reader x damian wayne warnings: (the non-existent) threat of blackmail wc: 4.4k

Victoria’s been acting weird. You suppose it’s normal given the events from last week. Since then, multiple articles have come forth speaking of Robin and Spinnerette saving the day. The people of Gotham seem to be taking to their new arachnid friend well.

But back to Victoria—she struggles to maintain eye contact with you for more than a few seconds. It doesn’t stop her from being a stern teacher though, so you guess nothing other than that has changed. Whatever, you have better things to worry about.

Progress has been… progressing with the badassium. You’ve begun assembling the makeshift particle accelerator, but Karen estimates that you’ve only built three percent. And it took you that long. Have mercy.

You’re currently in the Den, looking over your creation.. The walls are lined with various tools and blueprints, and the centerpiece is the skeleton of the particle accelerator. You sigh, wiping sweat off your brow. This is going to take longer than you thought.

Karen’s voice chirps in your ear. “Perhaps taking a break would help clear your mind, [Name].”

You glance at the clock. It’s already past midnight. Maybe she’s right. “Yeah, I guess so.. Let’s call it a night.”

Robin meets you on the rooftop you’ve perched yourself on. He crouches next you, watching the streets below. Robin’s eyes follow the movement below with a practiced vigilance, his dark cape fluttering slightly in the breeze. The city's nightscape is a blend of lights and shadows, with the occasional sound of sirens breaking the relative silence. He glances at you, his expression giving nothing away.

“Long day?” you ask, breaking the silence.

“You ask, why?”

You groan, stretching out your stiff muscles. Robin tracks the movement. “Surely you wouldn’t come hang out with me just because you felt like it. I doubt one night of ass-kickin’ makes us friends.”

“This is not ‘hanging out’,” he grumbles, making you nod your hand in a ‘you’re proving my point’ fashion. “I am simply taking a short recess, you happen to be in my resting spot.”

“Yeah, uhuh.” You don’t believe him for a second, but you can’t bring yourself to really care.

“Batman wants you on the team.”

You damn near fall off the rooftop. “What.”

“Perhaps you are older than I thought, if your hearing isn’t on par,” he smirks.

“First of all, my hearing is way better than yours, fuck you,” you quip, quickly righting yourself. “Second of all…” you hesitate, “can we take a raincheck on that?”

Robin looks at you. “I… am busy right now. And do not have time for a team… yeah. Also, I just prefer to be alone.” The words come out choppy, as if you’re coming up with them on the fly (you are). That last part is a straight lie, you love your Avengers.

You know Robin obviously is skeptical, but he says nothing. “Why does Batman want me, anyway?”

Robin shifts slightly, his expression unreadable behind the mask. “You share the same goals we do. It only makes sense to join forces.”

Robin's words hang in the air, punctuated by the distant sounds of the city below. You shift uncomfortably, trying to process the unexpected offer. Joining Batman's team? The idea both excites and intimidates you. You've always admired the vigilantes of Gotham from afar, but becoming a part of that world was another matter entirely.

You don’t belong here. It was different when you were asked to officially join the Avengers, but fictional comic characters turned real? Your mind wants to melt. You don’t want to drag them into your mess.

“I really do appreciate the offer, but…” you sigh, and lean back. “...not right now.” And probably never. You clear your throat and stand up, Robin following. “Well, it’s been awkward. See you!” you rush out, quickly swinging away. Robin eyes you until you swing out of sight, thinking.

“They denied.”

Bruce sips his tea, humming. “Did they say why?”

Damian comes to sit next to his father. “Their reasoning was that they were ‘too busy for a team’ and preferred to be alone. It was very obvious they were hiding something, father.”

Bruce sighs, putting down his cup. “We’ll keep trying to convince them, slowly,” Bruce adds as he sees Damian moving to get up. “Stay cautious, but also stay amiable, Damian.”

Damian scoffs. “I am amiable.”

Bruce chuckles as Damian leaves.

Ms. Varley announces a project at the end of class the next morning.. The class groans loudly, of course. “It should be fun for you young folks,” she emphasizes, like it disgusts her. “It is a partner project,” the class lights up for a second, “with your tablemate.” You swear you see a glint of satisfaction in her eye as the class slumps. You and Damian look at eachother. “Together you will explore unconventional perspectives on any known superhero or vigilante of your choosing.”

The projector shows a powerpoint labeled “Hot Takes”. A few snorts are heard. “I want you to to challenge yourselves boldly,” Ms. Varley states, walking around to pass out the rubric. “You’ll select a figure that intrigues you and craft a thesis that challenges the traditional view. Support it with thorough research and present your findings in a persuasive manner."

“It’s not about being right or wrong, it’s about being able to defend your point.” Ms. Varley takes her place in front of the classroom. “This is your final project. From now until winter break, we will be spending our Fridays working on it. Only Fridays, so I suggest working on it with your partner outside of school.”

She sits down in her chair, signaling that she’s done talking for today. Buzz fills the classroom immediately, peers chattering and making plans. You scoot your chair closer to Damian. “I know what I want to do,” you declare.

“As do I,” says Damian, facing you.

“My take is better,” you challenge, crossing your arms.

Damian scoffs. “I sincerely doubt you are capable of coming up with something adequate to the challenge.”

“Don’t be a hater Damian, it makes you look jealous,” you tease.. The bell rings, filling the class with sounds of hustle and bustle as students pack up. “Oh! Before you go,” you say, grabbing Damian’s wrist. You hold out your phone. “Number?”

Damian looks at your phone in confusion. You huff. “Your phone number, Dames. So we can contact each other and plan our project?” you clarify in a ‘duh’ tone.

You watch as he stares for a moment, before taking your phone and putting in his contact info. “You will come home to the manor with me,” he declares.

You blink. “Huh?”

“We will start working on it today,” he elaborates, handing you back your phone. You fumble with it for a second before shoving it in your pocket. “The faster we get it done the better.”

“Um, ok. Yeah, makes sense,” you gulp.

This time you’re the one distracted in ballet. Victoria huffs and snaps at you multiple times, so you figure she must be back to normal. Art class proceeds as norma, Ms. M making you practice your color theory. You hold back on designing new iterations of your suit, something you did a lot of back home out of sheer boredom.

Damian guides you out of the school with a hand on your back, like he did at homecoming. You wonder what exactly he is doing, since you know he feels the eyes and points at the two of you from other students. You sigh, hopefully nobody bothers you about it.

Alfred greets you at the gates, this time you make sure to actually get his name officially. Damian gets in the car first, pulling you in by the hand. Your shoulder bumps into his as you land with an ‘oof’. The ride to the manor is silent, leaving you twiddling with your thumbs. Thankfully, the ride isn’t too long.

The manor looks imposing, standing here looking at it. It’s different from seeing it from WEBBERs point of view or from an inked page. Damian grabs your arm, snapping you out of your daydreaming. He leads you through the grand halls of the mansion, his steps confident and purposeful. The interior is as opulent as you imagined, with rich furnishings and tasteful decor that speak of wealth and history.

"Your family's home is... impressive," you remark, trying to break the silence as you’re dragged along.

Damian nods curtly, saying nothing. You sense there's more to his demeanor than just his usual aloofness.

He leads you to a spacious study lined with shelves of books and a large, fancy desk at its center. Papers are neatly organized, and a computer hums softly in one corner. Damian gestures for you to take a seat. You do, placing your bag down beside your chair. Damian sits next to you.

You take out your laptop and open a new powerpoint. “My idea was that we do it on Batman,” you state, turning to Damian. “I think Batman is part of a cycle of violence. I think that he does help and protect people, but he also enables a lot of the behavior from criminals.” You stand up and begin to pace the room.

“He inadvertently contributes to a culture that normalizes violence as a means to solve problems. I mean, all of his criminals eventually break out of arkham. Scarecrow literally attacked our school a while ago! Criminals respond to Batman’s intervention with heightened aggression and increasingly dangerous tactics, which results in a cycle where each side justifies escalating their actions in response to perceived threats.”

You pause, stopping your pacing. Damian is staring at you. You cough. “That’s all to say, violence begets violence, hurt people hurt people, yadda yadda,” you grin sheepishly.

Damian nods intently. He leans back in his chair, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the armrest. After a moment of silence, he speaks, his voice calm yet decisive.

"Your perspective is not entirely without merit," Damian begins, his tone measured. "Batman's methods have indeed perpetuated a cycle of violence in Gotham. His reliance on fear tactics and physical force against criminals often leads to heightened retaliation and more extreme measures from his adversaries."

He shifts in his seat, eyes narrowing slightly. "However," Damian continues, "one must consider the broader context. Gotham City is a cesspool of corruption and crime, where conventional methods of law enforcement have repeatedly failed. Batman's presence, while controversial, fills a void where the justice system falls short."

Damian stands up abruptly, pacing the room with a controlled energy. "His actions, while extreme, have prevented countless tragedies and protected innocent lives. The criminals he faces are not ordinary. They are deranged, relentless, and would wreak havoc unchecked if not for his intervention."

He stops in front of the window, gazing out at the expansive grounds of Wayne Manor. "Batman's commitment to justice is unwavering. He sacrifices his own safety and personal life to ensure that Gotham's citizens have a fighting chance against the darkness that plagues our city."

Damian turns back to you, his demeanor earnest. "Our challenge will be to present a balanced argument," he concludes, returning to his seat. "Acknowledging the complexities of Batman's methods while critiquing their consequences. We must delve deep into both sides of the debate to craft a compelling thesis."

You nod, absorbing Damian's perspective. You’re impressed, but yeesh. He could’ve been more subtle, in your humble opinion.

“I’m impressed,” comes a voice from the doorway. You and Damian turn around to see–

Bruce Wayne. You sigh deeply inside your mind.

“Father,” says Damian, looking a bit lost. “How long…?”

“Since your friend started speaking. I apologize, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I only meant to introduce myself when I heard your compelling argument, I didn’t want to interrupt,” he says, looking awfully apologetic. Of course, Batman himself heard all that.

He turns to you and sticks out his hand. “Bruce Wayne, Damian’s father.” You shake his hand humming in affirmation.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” you smile. Alfred comes in with some snacks and refreshments, placing them down on the table. You and Damian thank him, seemingly on autopilot. Bruce smiles at Damian.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” he says, and then he’s out the door.

You rub your palms on your pants. “Welp,” you hum, sitting back down and pouring yourself a cup of tea. “I think he likes me.” You pour a cup for Damian and pass it to him. He sits back down as well, accepting the cup.

“I think he does, as well,” mutters Damian, sipping his tea.

The rest of the evening is spent refining your argument and laying out the skeleton on your powerpoint. Despite Damian's initial reservation about your abilities, you find that you complement each other well in terms of ideas and research methods. You check the time, it’s a little past nine.

“I should get going, I don’t wanna leave Nari alone for too long,” you say, beginning to gather your belongings. Damian raises a brow. “My cat,” you clarify.

Damian's eyes brighten very subtly. You know what he’s thinking, so you show him the picture you took of Jon holding Nari. “He’s cute, right?”

Damian analyzes your picture like it’s an art. He nods in approval. “You shall have to bring him over to meet Alfred.”

“The.. butler?” you question, as if you don’t know better.

“The cat.”

Damian walks you out of the manor where you find Bruce. His eyes spot you two approaching and nods in acknowledgement. “Alfred is already waiting outside for you,” he tells you. You nod and step outside, feeling the cool air hit you. You thank Alfred as he opens the door for you, stepping inside. Damian and Bruce are standing together on the porch. Bruce is telling Damian something, but he is only looking at you.

You send him a hesitant smile, and he nods at you.

Bruce watches the car drive off. “Still suspicious?” he asks.

“Nothing of note has happened,” Damian begrudgingly tells him. Bruce warmly chuckles.

“Well,” he starts, looking at Damian. “I like them.”

Damian narrows his eyes. “I do not like what you are insinuating.” Bruce shrugs innocently, stepping back inside the manor. Damian stands in the cool air for a moment, before following him inside. 

The dance instructor has a headache, so she says that you all can do whatever you’d like, as long as you don’t bother her. You sit against the far wall, laptop on your legs. You’ll use the time to finish the assignments you’ve been procrastinating on.

Victoria surprises you by sitting next to you. She surprises everyone else to, if their wide eyes are anything to go by. They quickly look away at her glare. “Hey, Vicky,” you mumble, unbothered.

She pretends to look interested in what you’re typing. Her eyes watch your fingers as they rapidly move across the keys. She clears her throat.

“I would like to practice some more after school. I expect you to be there,” she says primly.

You raise a brow, still looking at your screen. “There’s no practice today.”

“Obviously,” she scoffs. “I wouldn’t be asking you if there was. I just think… it would be beneficial to us.”

You look at her. She’s crossed her arms and is looking down at her lap. You exhale and nod. “Yeah, okay.” You didn’t have anything planned after school anyway. Victoria nods, sitting beside you for the rest of the period.

Damian suggests that you come over again to work more on the presentation, but you have to deny. “I have a ‘special’ practice session with Vicky,” you wink.

Damian ignores your innuendo in favor of furrowing his brows. “You don’t have practice today.”

“First of all, what do you know?” you huff, putting your pencils away. “Second of all, you’re right. However, Vicky has ordered extra practice. Just the two of us.”

Damian grips his bag a little bit tighter. You wave goodbye as you leave the classroom, heading to the dance studio. Victoria’s waiting for you, still in her uniform. You place your bag down, suddenly tense. Victoria crosses over to you, grabbing your hand. “Shut the door,” she demands.

You obey, curious. “Something wrong?”

She fidgets with your web-shooter-turned-bracelet, like she’s looking for something. You’re not worried, the form it’s in right now gives nothing away, but you are really confused right now.

“Vicky?” you implore, trying to catch her eye.

“I…” she hesitates, before straightening her shoulders. “I know who you are.”

You furrow your brow. “What exactly does that mean–”

“I know you’re Spinnerette.”

.

.

.

What. The. Fuck.

You blink, because that’s all you can do. “What?”

“Don’t try to deny it. There’s no use,” she crosses her arms.

“Vicky, this is crazy. I’m not Spinnerette! Was it the Scarecrow attack? Are you still scared? Maybe you should see someone–”

“Spinnerette called my Vicky!” she snarls, pointing a finger at your chest. “No one calls me that but you.”

Your tongue pokes your cheek, stepping back. You never would’ve thought Vicky would be the first to figure you out. Though you suppose you haven’t been as careful as you thought. Fuck, how could you be so careless? Do you still try to deny it? Surely it won’t be that hard, but clearly Vicky is smarter than you think.

“Perhaps she could be a formidable ally,” suggests Karen. “She may have access to resources we need.”

You straighten at Karen’s voice. She’s right, of course. Victoria’s loaded. She can throw money at people to get you the materials you need. Expensive, high quality material. There’s just convincing her…

And maybe… it’ll be nice to have someone else know in this universe.

You sigh and hold out your arms. “Fine, you got me. I’m Spinnerette.”

Victoria smirks victoriously. “Show me.”

“Show you…?” you mutter.

“Show me some proof.”

You blink at the audacity. She was just accusing you of being Spinner, and when you admit that you are, she tells you to ‘prove it’ to her!? You sigh, tired of it all.

You walk to the wall of the room, placing your foot on it and climbing up. It’s a comical sight, the way your body completely changes rotation effortlessly. You walk along the ceiling, moving back to Victoria. Jumping down, you purse your lips and spread your hands. “Happy?”

Victoria’s got a glint in her eye that makes you nervous. She nods, and you set your hands on your waist.

“Okay listen, you know now, there’s no going back from here. If you tell anybody–” you begin, voice taking on a threatening tone.

“–I want to help you!” she blurts.

You blink. “Pardon?”

“Let me help you do your… saving people thing!” she says, waving her hand around. She steps closer to you, eyes shining. Huh. Well, you were going to threaten her and her parents' credibility as members of society. Rich people always have some skeletons in their closets, and you sure as shit are capable of finding them. This is a surprising turn of events.

Still, you scoff. “This is insane–”

“I can be your sponsor! Like whoever makes all of Batman's stuff!”

“I would’ve never expected this from you—why do you want to help me?” you ask incredulously.

“Nothing I do satisfies my parents!” she growls. Oh dear, backstory time. “They literally left me the company to inherit, but doubt my ability to run it. I pay attention, I get good grades and I do everything they say, but they still doubt me. I even try to get with stupid Damian Wayne.” She throws her hands up. “I don’t even like him!”

“I know I can’t tell them you’re Spinnerette, but if I can successfully help you do what you do…” she curls her hands together. “Then at least I would know that I’m good at something.”

You’re left speechless. It’s like you’re listening to a brand new person. You place your hands on her shoulders. “You already are good at something, dance!” You gesture to the room. “You work harder than anyone else here!”

“Dance isn’t my future,” she scowls.

You purse your lips. You have no idea how she feels. The adults in your life have always let you be yourself. Even if they didn’t you’ve always had the backbone to tell people to step off and let you do your own thing. Rich people like Victoria’s parents can get pretty extreme. You wouldn’t be surprised if they disowned her for not wanting to inherit the company.

You sigh, running a hand down your face. “Okay,” you mutter. Victoria stiffens in anticipation. “You can help.” You’ve been evaluating her this whole interaction. She’s a sheltered rich kid looking for adventure and on a weird journey of self discovery. She isn’t looking to rat you out (she kind of needs you, anyway).

She squeals and claps her hands, before clearing her throat and composing herself. “I look forward to our partnership.”

Arms crossed, you grumble out, “uhuh.”

“How do they work, anyway?” she says, grabbing your wrists, pressing around your bracelet.

“Uh, it won’t work in the state that it’s in–” a web shoots out of it, sticking to Victoria’s blazer. You guffaw. “Karen!” you gasp, knowing in the web-shooters’ bracelet form it wouldn’t shoot unless she made it.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” she asks cheekily. Traitor. God, she’s been waiting for someone else to talk to, hasn’t she?

 Victoria looks mystified by the web actively attached to her. “Who’s Karen? she asks as she tries to grab the web.

“Do not–!” you grab her hand. “–touch it.”

“Why? Oh, right. It’s sticky, huh?”

“Yes, Vicky. The spider webs are sticky–” the door to the dance room opens, and you stiffen. Shit, the web–

Victoria closes the distance between you two, jumping on you and wrapping her legs around your waist. You instinctively hold her thighs to support her, looking at her in alarmed confusion.

“What–” she silences you by pressing her lips against yours. All coherent thought goes out the window, because literally what is your life?

Her hands wind around your head, and her lips caress yours with a soft yet firm pressure. Your heart races, pounding in your chest as you instinctively tighten your grip around her legs, pulling her closer. The warmth of her body against yours and the taste of her lips make everything else fade away.

After what feels like an eternity, she slowly pulls back, leaving your lips tingling. She gazes at you with a mix of mischief and satisfaction, running a hand through her hair to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. You stare at her in awe, your breath coming in short gasps. She's got balls of steel, no doubt about it. You just gained a whole new level of respect for her.

She looks to the side. “Oh, hi Damian.”

Oh god. You look to the entrance of the room and sure enough, Damian’s there. He’s looking at the two of you with wide eyes, unable to school his expression. He’s stopped dead in his tracks with your phone in his hand.

Wait… your phone!

You shift so Victoria’s back is facing him. You balance her with one hand, reaching between you two to get rid of the web that’s squished between you. You do it quickly, balling it up in your hand and setting down Victoria on the floor and heading over to Damian.

“Thanks, I didn’t even notice I left it,” you smile casually, internally screaming.

Damian says nothing as you take your phone from him, stuffing it in your pocket. You place your hands on his chest and guide him out. “Okay. Bye now. Talk to you later!” He seems to finally realize what’s happening, brows furrowing and looking at you before you close the door in his face. You lean against it, listening. There’s no sound for a bit, before you hear Damian walk away. You sigh.

“Holy shit, Vicky. What the hell?” You can’t help but laugh. You throw the balled up web in the trash, making your way over to her. She’s got a cheeky smile on her face, hands behind her back.

“It’s like I don’t know you anymore,” you tease. She’s looking at you.

“I like you,” she says, making you freeze for probably the tenth time this afternoon. When will it end?

“I have feelings for you,” she elaborates, pacing. “I know that you don’t feel the same. I just…” she stops, turning to face you. Her eyes peer earnestly into yours. It crushes your heart. “...I know your secret. Now, you know mine.”

You whisper, painstakingly soft, “oh, Tori…”

She sniffs, swatting your shoulder. “Don’t flatter yourself, I’m not in love with you or anything.”

Still, you feel like the worst human being ever. It’s not your fault you don’t have feelings for her, you know that. And yet… you’re probably the first person she’s ever shown this side of her to. Dare you say, her first real friend.

You pull her into your arms. “I’m so sorry.”

She melts into your arms, gripping you tightly. Her light sniffles fill the room.”I’ll get over it,” she promises. You only hold her tighter. After what feels like an eternity, she withdraws from you, wiping her tears.

“Okay, some ground rules,” you say, hopefully providing a much needed topic change

“Number one, you can’t tell anyone.”

She nods. “Obviously.”

“Number two, I call the shots. If I say do something, do it. I know better, it’s for the best.”

“Number three, this changes nothing. We can act like friends if you want, but if your grades start dropping or people start noticing you acting strange, we’re done. Got it?”

“Got it,” she agrees. You heave out a sigh. “Go home, Tori.” You web over her bag and hand it to her. She goes sparkly-eyed again.

“Will you patrol?” she can’t help but ask.

“I think I deserve the night off. The Bats can handle it.” You grab your stuff and turn towards the door. “I’m gonna take a long nap when I get home.”

“Let me take you home then!” she blurts.

“Jesus, do all you rich kids have chauffeurs?” you ask. She shrugs. “Yeah, sure. Whatever. I just wanna lay down and not wake up for three years.”

Victoria bids you goodbye as you make you enter your apartment. You drop your bag, groaning at your stiff shoulders. You sag your way over to your bed, flopping face first into it. You knock out almost immediately, letting the stress of the day leave you. Spideys never have it easy, do they?

notes: y'all i've had that tori scene in mind since i first made her LMAO

[oh-koenig-my-koenig]

Fit for a King - WIP - “Sit” (Dual POV)

Fit for a King - Masterlist

a/n: this got kinda long, progressing their relationship

(nsfw, almost pure smut, some secrecy, overstimulation)

Everybody's getting on the truck after we stow away all the stuff in the other one. I'm the last one to jump in and 9 pairs of eyes are looking at me (the rest of their faces are covered by the masks) as I'm left standing. "Are you kidding me?"

Nikto is the first one to chime in. "I don't think they factored in the median size of a KorTac operator when saying that these trucks can carry 10." Some of them chuckle. "And I'm supposed to stand now?", I ask them, pulling up an eyebrow. There's a little scuffle as they rearrange when the man right next to me catches my wrist and says: "Sit."

The scuffling stops as the remaining 8 pairs of eyes land on the one offering me his lap to sit on. Even sitting down he's almost at my eye level. Aksel clears his throat and says: "We made some space on the bench." Between him and Nikto was now a hand’s breath of bench unoccupied. It isn't even enough space to fit a small child.

König scoffs and pulls me into him, so I land on his thigh. "Gonna talk to Horangi.", he says, so everybody hears it. "It's unacceptable not to have enough room for every operator." I put my hands on my own lap as he stabilizes my back with his hand, for the others not to see.

Nobody says anything else and I just try to ignore the situation. And how it makes me feel. How he makes me feel.

Last night when I was this close to him, two of his fingers were inside me and I was seeing stars. Now I can feel his thigh against the very same parts and I will my thoughts to steer away from the path they're heading down now. (Also ignoring the fact that he stole my fucking panties.)

______________________________________________________________

She's sitting on my lap.

She. Is. Sitting. On. My. Lap. Again.

The options were limited. I wasn't gonna let her sit between Aksel and Nikto, those asswipes. The gaze I shot them when they offered her the small spot between them to squeeze herself into, lesser men would've cried. I saw the reactions on their faces and I realized: I need to calm down. I gotta pump the breaks. Like the truck is doing right now and her ass gets pressed into me, onto my thigh. I grit my teeth as I feel the plump curve of her booty against me.

I said I wasn't gonna do anything, that we couldn't do anything. Then I had to go and finger her yesterday because I thought, oh, it's only for her pleasure, to give her comfort, make her feel a bit better. And then I had to taste her because I couldn't help myself. And then I wanked myself to sleep with the same hand that has been inside her.

Jetzt haben wir den Salat1.

And now what. Now she's sitting on my thigh, looking like a personified angel in tactical gear, even with the mask on. Her faint scent makes me want to eat her up, throw her down on the floor, tear her clothes off and fuck her, right here and now. Give the others something to really turn their eyes away from. I can feel my blood starting to boil as I look around the truck, every one of my mates looking away as soon as I meet their gaze on us. I'm getting annoyed and we still have some way to go.

Suddenly I feel a hand on my knee and another pair of eyes on me. I meet her eyes as she leans down a bit whispering: "Everything okay?" I can't form any words that's why I only nod. She hesitates for a few moments but accepts my short answer and looks to the front again. Her hand stays on my knee though, softly stroking ever so often, until I feel how it calms me down having her touch me. Herrgott2, I'm so fucking touch starved.

_____________________________________________________________

I'm in my room reading the dossiers for the next mission. My head is already swimming from all the information and I'm already tired. When we got home from the mission and I could finally hop off König's lap (Schoß, that's what they call it in german), everybody scrammed in an instant, something better to do than to linger around.

I went for a shower, worked out and then I went to the shooting range, to drop some more dummies. When I was content with the shots, I got back to the room. The two operators with whom I share it are still out on another mission. And now I'm studying the dossiers. And I catch my thoughts steering towards König again. I even thought about looking into my old stuff from school when I learned german. More than about german vocabulary I thought about the last few days and how it confused the shit out of me, the way he is behaving with me.

On cue or talk about the devil if you will, he comes into the room without even knocking. I turn around on my chair to look at him while he closes the door and just stands there for a moment.

His tall figure dwarfs the small room, the tactical gear is gone and he's wearing a simple black sweatpants and t-shirt. The helmet is gone, but the hood is still on. Yesterday I only saw his hands, today I can see that there are tattoos on both his forearms. Mostly black and grey shapes, I can't make out what they are in this lighting.

"What are you doing here?", I ask him which seems to pull him from his frozen state. With three quick strides he's right in front me and drops to his knees. "I need another taste of you.", he says looking me into my eyes and the lust burning in them makes it unmistakable how he means that.

"I-" His brazen offer has me at a loss for words and when I don't finish the sentence, his hand trails up my thigh. "Please, it's been driving me crazy all day, I need to feel you on my lips." My chin is making its way to the floor as I look at the man in his hood, who had been domineering before, comforting yet unapologetic yesterday, and now is begging me on his knees. "Are you begging me to let you eat me out?", I ask him for clarification. He nods. "Yes." – "Okay.", I say and he doesn't need more than that. His hands are pulling at my pants and I help to get them of, reminded of what we did not that many hours ago. He drops the pants on the floor and doesn't waste any seconds to get to my panties. They're gone and I can anticipate the moment when he finally looks at me. His eyes are glued to the spot between my legs as I open them and drop my knees to the side. I see his brows furrow and his gaze flicks up. "Don't say anything.", I tell him. I shaved when I was under shower after coming home. A little treacherous sign. Of expecting to maybe or maybe not get laid. At least that's one possible interpretation.

I can't see the full expression on his face, but just his eyes speak volumes. He doesn't say anything, just chuckles and then his fingers grip my thighs and his head dives down between my legs. There is no hesitation, no teasing, no soft lead into it. He doesn't waste a single moment and eats me out like he was starving before.

It's his mouth on me, his lips pressing against me, his tongue pushing inside me and circling my clit. My hips buck up when he does this for the first time and all I get is a soft grunt and his hands gripping my thighs even tighter, so I can't escape a single one of his touches. It's everything all at once and I'm losing my mind fast. Soft whines and moans escape my throat and as he sucks on my clit for the first time, I come. Holy shit.

"Again.", he growls, not stopping any of the movements as I still feel the waves of pleasure crash over me, and my sounds get louder and louder. Before I can even register what he's doing, he pushes a piece of fabric between my lips. My panties! "Sssh, Prinzessin3, we don't want the others to hear.", he says, his voice hoarse, his mouth not really leaving my pussy, so the huffs of breath are tickling me as he speaks.

The moans and mewls are muffled by the fabric now, but it doesn't make the sound in this room less erotic. König's kisses, the hungry licks and laps, my muffled cries, the way it sounds when his knees shuffle over the floor as he tries to get even closer. I look down at him and the sight in front of me paired with his restless licking almost makes me come again. His head is framed between my naked thighs, his hood is spilling over my stomach, obscuring the view on what he's doing, his big hands are gripping the curve of my ass moving my hips to his rhythm. Suddenly he looks up and meets my gaze as I feel his tongue dipping into my wetness again and again. I can only feel and imagine what it must look like when his tongue dips down into me. And then he fucking winks at me. I come on his tongue hard, harder than the first time, and if it hadn't been for his arms holding me up, I would have toppled off the chair.

By now I'm also glad that he stuffed my mouth with the panties because of the sounds I'm making. Someone walking by would've surely heard me. Hot tears are running down my face as I whine about how it is too much. "Please, Liebes4, only one more, I wanna be soaked in your juices.", he tells me as one of his hands finds my pussy and one of his fingers sinks into me. He chuckles, the soft sound sending shivers down my spine. "Mmh, so wet again.", he recalls his comment from when he first pushed his fingers into me.

I’m so overstimulated already, but he is not letting up. Stretching me with an added digit, finding a rhythm with his mouth and his fingers that is driving me crazy. His fingers curl inside me, pressing into the most sensitive spot inside me with every move of his hand. His tongue is mercilessly licking over my clit, the pressure being too much and not enough at the same time.

And he is right. I’m so wet, I can feel it on my inner thighs. His fingers in my pussy, his grunts and moans, the flick of his tongue, my muffled cries fill the room once again and as I see stars form in front of my eyes, the almost porny background noises keep stoking my arousal. My hips move restlessly, searching for the friction that finally sends me over edge again. I think I almost pass out, screaming incoherent ramblings into my panties, and I’m sure I’m dropping his name somewhere during my sensual high. Good thing that that is damped by fabric in my mouth, because saying his name while I actually came, out loud and clear… that would have made it all too real. Closer than it already was.

I’m shaking from all the overstimulation and orgasms as he finally lets go of me and I slump down on the chair again. He gets up, just standing there, towering over me, looking down at me. I can’t say anything, just breathe to regain some kind of composure again. He leans down a bit, sending another violent shake over me in anticipation, but he only pulls my panties from my mouth and the relief on my jaw makes me sigh.

The sight of him is sinful, godly and perverted at the same time. His muscles are taut, no doubt he's as turned on as I am. His boner is tenting the sweatpants, the outline clear against the fabric even in the dim light. His hood is stained from my arousal, wet patches from the eyes down. His chest is heaving as he takes in big breaths. His hands are formed into fists, the knuckles white like he needs to restrain himself.

It would be an easy thing to reach for his pants, free his dick and I'm almost a 100% sure he would fuck me. But the same thought that seemingly has him just standing there, looking at me, also halts me, his words “We can’t do that” in the back of my head. Without another word he turns around and leaves. The door falls shut and I’m spent and alone again. Only when I get dressed again, I realise that my panties are missing. Again. God damn it, König.

_____________________________________________________________

Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Verdammt. Ah, des is ja wieder super gelaufen5. I tell myself sarcastically in my head as I basically run down the hallway. I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking! At least not with my brain. I can feel the weight of my boner between my legs with every step, and my balls are aching because they're so fucking blue. It almost physically hurts.

The way she was looking up at me, sitting on the lousy chair, her chest moving up and down, making her titties bounce just the slightest bit, her nipples hard against the fabric of her shirt. Her knees dropped to the side, her legs spread open, her pussy wet and ready for my cock. The wetness on her thighs glistening in the low light. The mental picture is clear in my mind, like if I still had her right in front of me.

I wanna be between her legs again. Her thighs hugging my face, my mouth pressed to her lips, my nose nudging against her clit with every eager lick. Fuck, I can still smell her. The way she tastes, smells, moves when she comes on my tongue is engrained in my brain now. After licking her taste off my fingers, it was hard not to think about her; now it's downright impossible.

I groan and the echo being thrown back at me and reminds me that I’m currently making my way down a very public hallway, sporting the hard-on of the century. Great. I take the next door right, heading to my quarters, when I almost run into someone. I curse under my breath. But it’s only Horangi. He wants to greet me, when he sees my state and just bursts into laughter. “Don’t. Fucking. Say. Anything. If you want to live to see tomorrow.”, I say between clenched teeth. Half-joking because the Korean is probably one of the few people who could actually take me. “My guy, what happened to you?”, he asks with a broad grin on his face. “Don’t fucking ask.”, I bark at him. He’s narrowing his eyes as he inspects my hood. ”What are those stains on your hood?” I freeze for a second, then I pull the hood down. Horangi is one of the few people who know how I look underneath. I groan as I see the wet patches on the fabric, they’re from… her. “Himmel, Herrgott nochmal6. Fucking hell.”, I curse in two languages as I try to push past Horangi. I see him shaking his head in the corner of my eyes as I pass him and I hear him saying something in Korean. I practically sprint to my room, shutting the door behind me with a bang and sliding down to the floor (which is a long way to go for a guy like me).

My hand dives down into my sweatpants, gripping my dick, freeing it, groaning when my fingers close around it and I just imagine that it is her touching me. My other hand lets go off my hood and pulls her panties from my pocket that are soaked in her spit. I wrap them around my base and move them along my length as I start to jerk myself off. I just need the release. Or else I’m gonna go back and take her. The pictures start to form in my mind all on their own. How it’s not my own hand that’s jerking me off, but hers. How she would kneel in front of me, taking me in her mouth, and I’d come all over her face. How I would pick her up and fuck her against the wall, burying myself deep inside her. How she would ride me, with me pulling her down on my dick. My own personal imagination porn only stops when I come all over my hands and her panties, staining my sweatpants and leaving little puddles of cum on my stomach. I sigh and curse again. I do a haphazard job at cleaning myself up, take my clothes off and just drop onto my bed, letting the post orgasm haze take me out.

Jetzt haben wir den Salat: literally 'Now we have the salad', a german way of saying: 'look at the mess we're in'

Herrgott: 'dear god'

Prinzessin: 'princess'

Liebes: 'lovely'

Verdammt. Ah, des is ja wieder super gelaufen.: 'Damn, that went well... NOT.'

Himmel, Herrgott nochmal.: 'for heaven's sake'

[euphorial-docx]

the last of us season 2 rant incoming

(some spoilers for the show and the game!)

i get that shows and movies adapted from other mediums can have differences, and i’m usually cool with that as long as it expands upon the original ideas… but tlou season 2… these changes are expanding on exactly nothing and i am disappointed.

what is going on in that writers room??? (craig maizen and an unchecked neil druckmann are what’s going on. someone please put child locks on their pens.)

maybe i’m being too protective of the source material, because tlou2 is one of my favorite games of all time, but i feel the show is severely failing as an adaptation right now. maybe it’s good for audiences unfamiliar with the games, but to me— someone very familiar with the games— the future is looking even worse than the present.

the pacing is just god-awful for what i know is supposed to happen. where is ellie’s ANGER!!! her anger wasn’t a slow burn in the games. her anger was always there from the second she saw joel beaten on the ground in that lodge. i don’t know why the show is building up to her anger so slowly to point that it interfers with the progression of the story and her as a character.

nora is one of my biggest issues. because ellie killing nora wasn’t the introduction of her anger. it was more of the rising action.

by that point, ellie is supposed to already be losing herself to revenge. by that point, ellie had already brutally murdered one of the guys (jordan) who killed joel and massacred wlf groups, but in the show she just… didn’t? jordon doesn’t exist in the show, so instead her first actual revenge kill was nora— an event way later than jordan’s killing. ellie’s anger is constantly being pushed down and down and down…

when ellie kills nora in the game, she’s already too far gone. but in the show, ellie killing nora is the first time we’re ever really seeing ellie with her mean face on (we should’ve been seeing her mean face since episode 2!)

also everything with dina is just annoying me. i don’t get why they had to jumble the timeline between her and jessie’s relationship and her getting with ellie. it wasn’t confusing or anything in the games. it already made sense. you don’t need to fix something that wasn’t broken.

dina was never unsure or confused about her feelings for ellie, at least not while the story takes place. she is always certain and she is always, right from the get-go, ride or die for ellie. i don’t know why the show made her do the whole “i’m not gay” bit when that was never EVER something she expressed in the games.

and selfishly, i just liked their getting together l in the game so much more. for those unaware, ellie and dina were partnered together for patrol instead of dina with joel and ellie with jessie. in the game, ellie and dina find eugene’s weed den and they talk more about the kiss at the dance and get together. the nature of their relationship is never a question after that. dina’s feelings and intentions are clear.

i do not think pairing dina and joel together for patrols, having dina be present for joel’s death instead of tommy, added or rectified anything. dina already had motivation to get revenge for joel in the game without witnessing joel’s death— and that motivation was ellie.

as i said: dina was committed to ellie. she went on the revenge journey because she loved ellie. i personally don’t think there needed to be an additional or bigger reason. i think love is more than enough.

it’s been said before that the first game was about love, and the second about hate. i think dina’s motivations being love and ellie’s being hate only reinforces the themes of revenge. dina’s love for ellie is what (spoiler!) eventually drives her away, and ellie’s hatred for abby is why she pushed dina away in the first place. (spoiler over!)

and dina is supposed to be jewish.

you’d never know that if you just watched the show because they literally never mention it and didn’t even bother to cast a jewish actress. they straight-up erased dina’s religious background and her ethnic features, and i can’t for the life of me understand why. it’s just strange.

anyways.

moving on.

let’s talk about the pregnancy reveal, because that also pisses me off :)

ellie being HAPPY about dina being pregnant??? even in the show’s canon that doesn’t make sense!!! ellie is taking dina on a suicide mission to a city crawling with infected and trained soldiers… why the fuck would she be smiling when she’s told her girlfriend is pregnant in the middle of their suicide mission? makes zero goddamn sense.

besides it being weird, it takes away from ellie’s character because— again— ellie is already supposed to be going too far by that point. her reaction in the game is worse than it would be in other situations— would still be worse than if dina just told her earlier in their trip— because ellie was so entrenched in her need for revenge by then. there was no going back for ellie anymore, but suddenly dina needed to go back: unstoppable force meets immovable object.

ellie saying such mean things to dina when she told her about the pregnancy was yet another signal to the audience that something was not right with ellie. but the show disregarded that to make her anger a slow-burn for no reason, and getting rid of her being upset over dina’s pregnancy didn’t reinforce the idea (that should have been reinforced) that ellie’s anger is starting to take her in the direction of a very steep cliff.

before i talk about joel’s death, i want to talk about abby.

more specifically, her casting.

caitlyn dever is an incredible actress. i don’t mean this as hate, but she isn’t good casting for abby. part of what made abby so intimidating and a challenging foe for ellie was her size and strength. abby is supposed to be able to knock ellie flat on her ass with a single punch, but caitlyn dever and bella ramsey are essentially the same height and build. i am not convinced that this abby has spent the last 5+ years of her life training herself to be a top soldier that can snap necks with her bare hands.

abby and dina were characters that needed to be casted very specifically to help support the story and their characters. abby needed to be visibly and physically strong because her character felt she needed to be visibly and physically strong, and dina needed to be jewish because of how important that culture was to her character. the show disregarded all of that for what i can only assume is making them more palatable for the audience, which is fucked up.

now: joel’s death.

the reason joel’s death in the game was so harrowing and shocking and anger-inciting was because it was so sudden and not so personal. there was very little build-up, and absolutely no knowledge of who abby and her people were and what their motives were. we felt that was something off about abby and her people, but we didn’t know what until abby shot joel’s kneecap off.

the suddenness of it all was what made it effective. the show having abby slow down and have a villainous monologue about her motivations took a lot away from the scene and made it more intimate. abby and her people didn’t really care about who joel was, who he loved or who loved him. they didn’t care about joel as a person at all, they just hated joel for what he did. it was impersonal. Joel The Person, was inconsequential.

with abby’s villain monologue, it was no longer shocking or sudden. it was dragged out. the urgency of abby’s revenge was lost, and her motivations came across as just sadistic, thanks to her snide comments and mocking towards joel.

in the games, joel’s death— while also including torture— seemed more of like a “we came here to do this. let’s do this right now.” abby’s friends weren’t hesitant. they wanted joel to die. they wanted to see joel die. their parts in his death being downplayed in the show was crazy to me. they weren’t helpless bystanders, they were facilitators and active participants. they hated joel as much as abby did. they only ever wanted abby to stop torturing him when ellie came in, making them realize the whole town of jackson would come after them soon.

in the games, joel’s death made me feel physically ill because of how shocking and cold and violent it was. abby killed joel in some dark basement during a storm, but in the show he died in a well-lit living room with a beautiful view of a snowy landscape. nothing about it felt cold or shocking. nothing about it made me react viscerally the way i did in the game.

and joel trying to get up… i hate to say it, but that took away from the emotions of this scene.

joel was not getting up in the game. ellie was crying and begging him to, and his eyes were the slightest bit open, but he was never going to get up. he was dead in the game, and we just had to accept it and watch it happen with ellie.

that’s what made it so difficult. that’s what made the players want to go on this journey for revenge— ellie never got any closure. he was taken away unfairly and with no agency in a dark basement by the hands of strangers.

additionally, changing abby’s method of killing him to stabbing him in the neck was a cowardly one, in my opinion. his death was supposed to be brutal. it was supposed to haunt ellie and the audience. i think having abby hit his head so hard with that golf club that it broke open his skull was brutal in a way that was necessary for the story. the show pulled back in the one place it never should have.

i’m just… so disappointed. while the show has always been at a disadvantage because of the way gameplay tells the story in the games and puts the audience right in the front seat, i believe there is a better way to translate tlou2’s story into a show.

but this is just not the way to do it.

[bonefall]

Now this had me thinking... Would Willowpelt die in the same way as canon (although to another creature im assuming since bb!badgers aren't as dangerous as they are in canon)? If she's getting kept around longer, maybe Cricketclaw is the one who sacrifices herself instead? That sounds like a fitting way for her to go, considering she couldn't protect her own siblings?

I feel like I should add a TM to anything that I'm working on in my drafts that has significant progress and is blog-plot-relevant, that will explain something exactly like this LMAO

Forgive me I am, at heart, a bear that eats half a salmon and then forgets I had a fish at all

Willowpelt's brush with death is staying, and is actually a bit plot relevant in Firestar's Quietus! I have a very specific scene which is actually totally written out-- actually fuck it, I'll just post it here

Context and narrative purpose of this scene:

Firestar is informed of a boar on the territory, and gathers a little scouting patrol to try and figure out what sort of hog it is.

VERY IMPORTANT SEGWAY. Because of how Willowpelt gets bitten here and Firestar loses a life saving Sorrelpaw, they all end up in the Cleric's den where Ferncloud is telling a story both to practice her new job as upcoming Educator and to comfort everyone.

The fact Willowpelt is not dead is how I get Littlecloud away from Runningnose and Firestar

Runningnose has a hunch, in this moment, that goody two-shoes little Firestar might be the perfect person to help Brokenstar, and teases the visions and revelations he's about to have

Establishes that boars are the new Big Bad Beastie of BB

Presents Sorrelpaw's epilepsy and demonstrates how it is a danger to her safety

(this is a lot of buildup but this is actually pretty short lmao)

So anyway before I let you go on to the readmore and a preview of Firestar's Quietus, no one takes Willowpelt's death here, and Willow is going to hang on for longer. I wanted to make sure I have a good amount of cats to kill off in the carnage of the White Hart's destruction.

Wherever Cricketclaw dies, it will be for a purpose. Either to show how bloody the TNP conflicts are, or in a greencough epidemic because I'm trying to make sure those aren't just "Kill a bunch of randos offscreen" disease anymore.

WILLOWPELT'S BOAR

The patrol is Sandstorm and Sorrelpaw, Willowpelt, Longtail and Sootpaw, and himself. It's just supposed to be for scouting, hence why the apprentices are coming along.

Unfortunately the hog has other plans, lunging out of a bush and going for Sootpaw

Willowpelt jumps in the way and gets bitten instead

Sorrelpaw acts quick, slashing its sensitive nose, drawing its attention and bolting as fast as she can

RIGHT as she crosses the Thunderpath, her body goes limp and she falls to the ground

She is having an absence seizure, and fallen flat on the road

The hog is hot on her heels, bowling after her, when a monster screeches to a halt out of nowhere

The hog is frozen in the headlights, Firestar bursts into action to pull Sorrelpaw out of the road

(i hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums) BUMP BUMP

The boar and Firestar have been hit by, have been struck by, an automobile

When he sees StarClan, they're about to greet him with love. But their faces turn to shock and fear, the scenery becoming sinister and trees falling down.

A fifth oak tree is crashing down towards them. Firestar stares at it, dumbstruck.

Just before it strikes him, his eyes snap open

Firestar resurrects with a burst of energy, dragging Sorrelpaw off the road and into the safety of a fern on the ShadowClan side

The humans are coming out of the car to examine the boar they struck, but Firestar doesn't have time to consider that or his vision.

Littlecloud's head pokes out of the foliage and he springs into action, checking them both for injury. Breathless, Firestar points behind him and rasps, "Willowpelt!"

Littlecloud nods and bolts across the road.

Runningnose saunters out from a different angle-- one where he would have been able to see the road. Everything that happened.

His gaze is unsettling as ever, pausing, eyeing the leader up and down.

He starts tending to Sorrelpaw, then mumbles,

"Brave of you."

"It's what any leader would have done."

"No. It's what you always do."

Firestar doesn't know how to respond to that, but he's glad Runningnose isn't staring at him anymore.

But continues, "You will learn terrible things in the days to come, Firestar, and StarClan will not answer the questions that find you. If you seek the truth, meet me by the mothermouth on the night after the next gathering."

Sorrelpaw is leaning up now, her eyes dazed and confused, as if she's trying to figure out what happened.

[rebornologist]

Attn: 💫 shooting star anon! ₊˳⁺✧

♡ Your match is… Hayato Gokudera

୨୧ The vibe is… end-of-college sweethearts moving in together!!

I really like the thought that y’all ran in just slightly overlapping circles in university, with a couple of your most extroverted friends being close to Haru and Yamamoto. You and Gokudera would have known of each other for a while, then finally formally introduced to one another at something like a small study circle. Even then, it was an awfully slow burn process because neither of you really cared about the other for over a year after that. The spark moment was when y’all bumped into each other while at a clothing boutique, going for the same accessory. One of those “what if our hands touched while we both reached for the same techwear harness” moments! He was surprised to see you there because he hadn’t seen you in that style before (what are the odds?) and it definitely piqued his interest. Your shared difficult-to-approach vibe made it so y’all hadn’t really thought of interacting in group settings, but somehow this coincidental run-in at a small boutique was perfect for some fashionable introverts to nerd out together. Y’all had a little chat over appreciating the same designer, and the rest was… a slow burn history?

The two of you have similar social batteries, from the way that y’all are usually up for a fun gathering with friends for karaoke, to the way that y’all somehow decide at the same time that you’re done for the night and ready to go home, get comfy, put something on TV, and wind down for bed. The pros of having a fellow introvert as a partner is that he gets it when you need alone time, but there can be a little bit of worry on his end when the “it’s my alone time.. yes, even away from you” hits for either of you. It takes time to adjust to that feeling, but Gokudera is a ride or die that’s definitely not going to give up on a relationship over something so small. As a result, y’all have a living arrangement with plenty of space for alone time: he has an office (more like his nerd den) and you have a sewing and crafting nook that he knows not to pester you in.

He’s a fairly responsible and ‘acts of service’-oriented man, being Tsuna’s right hand. It’s very appreciated when you’re used to shouldering emotional labour and always being there for other people that he at least picks up other tasks to take things off your plate.

He didn’t know how to flirt with you at first, but once he did so accidentally, simply complimenting you (from the heart) and your reaction was so much better than he anticipated. From then on, he started working on his mental formulas for how to fluster you because he thinks it’s cute (and to get back at you for the way you never fail to make him blush.. and sometimes even pop an emotional boner, unfortunately)

He love love loves going to the arcade with you! It’s soooo awesome having an engineer for a significant other because he will math out every way to get the crane game prizes, and y’all end up with a big box of date gifts to display in your new space.

Speaking of new space, how sweet it is to move in together after all these years!! It took a lot of coordinating post-graduation life plans to do the big move, but there’s nothing sweeter than calling it a night together every night (mafioso activities permitting) in your shared space and knowing that it’s a routine now! Not just a weekend sleepover amidst busy student life.

There’s a lot of photos to put up by the books, and the top shelves are lined with his gets from the arcade. You have to sit through Gokudera’s perfectionism in making sure everything is perfectly level and the furniture is arranged in ways that are both streamlined for utility and according to the rules of feng shui. It takes a while, but you trust his process.

Just because the move is still in-progress doesn’t mean that he won’t take the first chance to christen the space with you, though.

✧⁺˳₊ Runner-ups: Basilicum, Fran

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

2024 Tumblr Top 10

I was tagged by @my-rose-tinted-glasses​. Thanks, Rose!

go here to see your top 10 posts of 2024, share them and tag people!

1. Watch Tracy Chapman Start a Quiet Revolution. 11,874 notes - Feb 5 2024

After watching Tracy Chapman perform with Luke Combs at the Grammys I thought: SHE’S STILL GOT IT. So I dug out a video of the first time I’d ever seen her (which also happened to be the first time I’d heard Fast Car) -- a live performance at Wembley Stadium in 1988. It’s life-altering. No joke.

2. Re: Love in the Air (Japanese Version) First impressions. 273 notes - Nov 2 2024

I am enjoying how the tighter script in the Japanese version is making it even more obvious that Payu/Arashi really did have...

3. In which I lose my mind over the current state of QL and Asian Gay Dramas. 194 notes - Jan 10 2024

There's so much diversity on our screens right now! My currently airing favorite queer dramas include a hot af trans chic and...

4. Unknown - Ep 11 - That Scene 187 notes - May 11 2024

The opening scene of episode 11 landed differently for me than it did for others. I was going to just keep it to myself since I have a minority opinion, but when I rewatched it last night I fell even more in love with it!

The structure!! It’s so good! Let me explain...  (gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul​)

5. Re: The main characters’ names in A Killer Paradox. 169 notes - Feb 10 2024

THEY BOTH HAVE SUCH CUTE NAMES!

당 = Tang = Nickname for Sugar and used at the end of words to cute-ify them.

난감 = Nan Gam = Embarrassed. Impossible. Awkward. Because you’re at a loss, in a sticky situation, or facing a conundrum, a paradox. His full name Jang Nan Gam means Toy, and can sometimes be slang for ‘Are you playing with me?“....

6. In Defense of Dee’s choices in Wandee Goodday as the fandom got progressively more and more frustrated with him. 162 notes - Jun 1 2024

I 100% understand Dee’s behavior this episode. He’s aware of his own feelings, aware that they’re growing, and sometimes he can’t help himself. He crosses the line because of those feelings. Yet every time Yak says or does something that seems a little over the line in return (like introducing himself to Dee’s parents as his boyfriend), Dee feels like...

7. On the nifty Korean wordplay in the opening and closing credits of Love Next Door. 145 notes - Aug 24 2024 THE THIN LINE BETWEEN HATE AND LOVE. Just putting this out there because it was a cute visual! At the end of episode 2, we see the episode title written in the stars... (This ended up being something I posted about for at least half the episodes, but I never did collect the posts into an easy-to-find series. Hmmm....)

8. In which I got my hopes up after watching the first 2 episodes of Wedding Impossible (before they were dashed against the rocks later...) 145 notes - Feb 27 2024

It’s probably too early to be putting this out there, but Wedding Impossible has a gay male lead, a lavender marriage plot between said gay lead and his high school bestie who beats up homophobic bullies and acts as his beard during their school years, and said bestie falling in love with the gay lead’s younger brother (so a noona romance?)...

9. Just another day of simping for Gun Attaphan and sharing a host of his pics. 140 notes - Feb 5 2024 THE SERVE! My favorite flavor of Gun Atthaphan looks is when he dresses like a U-haul Lesbian.JUST LOOK AT THE MAN!...

10. A 4 Minutes Theory that was only kinda right. 135 notes - Jul 27 2024

4 MINUTES - DEATHBED REGRET THEORY

So @biochemjess put forth the idea that both times that we have seen Great see 4 minutes into the future were times he failed to take responsibility for his actions.

We also have the account of the cardiac arrest survivor that Dr Den is interviewing who says that she did not know she was having a cardiac event, but instead experienced it like living her past memories again, and....

Tagging @bengiyo​ @absolutebl @telomeke​ @usertoxicyaoi​ @spicyvampire​

[axl-ul]

The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter Nineteen

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey to the West which can be also found on AO3 under the same name)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

The stars shone brightly. Their watchful gaze glided from stone to stone, from one den to another, even to the sturgeons and minnows that hailed from a great distance to pass the Tiger Leaping Gorge in order to meet the splattering waters of Yangtze. Where their everlasting light couldn’t reach, the wind did its job instead by checking the deep burrows. Under the soil’s thick green hair, rabbits came to run around. Frogs and toads made their way out of the waters and added to the charm with their ribbit - an idyllic scenery perfect for an artist to admire and to immortalise in his craft.

The valley’s lowland, a blessed child of Heaven and Earth’s union, offered peace and rest to anyone except one poor soul.

Wukong twitched and trembled several times that night. His dreams started with the humming of a waterfall which progressed into screams. Amber eyes like his own glared at him from the shadows surrounding him and yet when he followed them, they vanished. Instead of them, hands grabbed onto him like shackles. A person stood behind him and put something on his head. She hissed in his ear and the jungle around transformed into a palace chamber with a chaise. The air was filled with burning poppy seeds. Yawen was sitting atop of him while the chaise pressed into his back. Her slimy fingers crept into his hair. Her pretty face was beyond recognition - unnaturally angular and long with unblinking eyes that carried a horrifying mockery. She flickered her tongue before her lipless mouth drew nearer to peck his forehead. “Only a fool thinks they can escape Death or Fate. Are you a fool, Dasheng?“

He fell into the dark of the night. Momentarily, he came back to his senses to see Márgerdra laying on her back next to him, the sheets around a complete wreck. The sun hadn’t rosen yet. At first glance it seemed she was fully awake and observing the details of the ceiling above like those of a temple’s roof. Listening closer, the Monkey King discovered her lovely voice hummed something. At least so the macaque deducted in the dark. Their fingers, no matter how stiffened, remained inweaved. Not even Wukong’s unusually cold skin made her let go.

Wukong slowly blinked before his vision went blank. He woke up only when the sun’s first rays flew inside the bedchamber. His head must’ve slipped as his pillow sat beside, not to mention the thud still travelling through his skull.

The Lady Wolf Witch, combing her hair with one hand, turned. Remains of the night’s fleeting touch reflected within her gaze.

“Good morning. Hopefully, it’s not painful as well.“

“Morning. Did you…“ Wukong changed his mind at the last second,“You could’ve let go. The brushing’d be twice as fast.“

“It was the only option to calm you down. Just please, don’t yank those fingers.“

He shot a confused look. Following a long strand, he came to understand. When changing his position, Wukong’s right hand had entangled in blonde hair and had been grasping it since.

“Sometimes, there’s more than meets the eye. It’s not just the aesthetics. However, I can’t deny I’m proud of my mane.“

“Mar,“ Wukong’s hand moved from under the yellow veil. It gently directed Márgerdra’s face to meet his. Her expression seemed flat and disinterested. Only when they drew closer, he noticed her subtle delight but also sadness whenever he spoke the name. “Yesterday-“

“Don’t think about it. It wasn’t your fault. You’re safe now.“

The demon took a deep breath - there was almost no trace of her perfume, yet her smell was still lovely; he yearned to pull her into his arms and cradle and soothe her there,“Thank you for everything. For having my back. And that you allowed me to know you better.“

They laid in silence until the matrace beneath heated up again.

Márgerdra helped the monkey demon to adjust on his pillow. Her bloodied fingers left behind fingerprints on the white glaze but the witch quickly wiped them off. The headache came back. Fortunately, those were barely remains of what her restless mind would experience.

“Is your knee fine? Do you really dare to go and participate in the match?“

“And to make myself look like a coward? Blondie, it’s as good as new anyway.“

Arched over Wukong, her empty stare darted between him and the door shut behind her back.

“You truly see me as your friend?“

“Where does this come from? I don’t think I can follow.“

“Does our relationship have any value to you? Yes or no.“

“Of course, it does.“

“I misunderstood at first, then. It’ll be fine. A broken twig means nothing if the trunk with the roots lives further. Why fight something that’s already decided anyway?“ she whispered but continued before he had any chance to ask,“Wukong, promise me one thing. Whatever happens, you’ll follow your Master’s path. You’ll protect the boy just like you defended your tribe and the people around. The whole world. You are one of the Pilgrims. Together, you’ll travel to the Western Paradise and retrieve the scriptures. Even if it means to move on.“

“Mar, what are you-?“

“Promise it. Swear it. One day, you’ll understand.“

Wukong shot up on the bed, grabbing and pulling Márgerdra closer until her palms rested on his cheeks,“What if I want to know now? I’m no hero, if that’s what’s on your mind-“

“There’s too many of those. Just somebody who learnt what’s right. Somebody who doesn’t give up easily. Or forgets about the others. Buddha taught your Master and he taught you. Now it’s time to teach the rest.“ The breeze slithered down the shutters. It crawled above the floor until it hit the two with the freshness from the peak of the mountain while the birds gathered there to fly again, freely, unbound to meet the sun while their shadows nonexistent on the land far underneath.

The woman said before he had any chance to reply,“Let’s go. We better hurry up.“

****

The numerous banners wafted in the wind under the cloudless sky. Since the earliest of the morning the sun hadn’t given up on its strength. It already provided so much heat that the local folks waved around with fans as colourful as a peacock’s feathers or used the very fabric of their robes to cool down.

The courtyard needed only the last few touches to be fully prepared. Considering the size and the number of the guests, this strange organised chaos erupted. Tables were breaking under the amount of plates and bowls being brought. Mere fanning wasn’t enough, the servants had to use spells to repel the annoying insects. Despite the initial sulky mood, the servants, officials and nobles whose heads and bodies were covered not only in fine clothes and mesmerising jewellery but in antlers, trunks, fur, feathers and scales and even bones, too, or possessed a human skin of an intriguing texture and colour soon came to enjoy themselves. Even a young handmaiden with a glass-like skin paid no attention to the amazed monk.

“This is a real deal. What do ya reckon, Shifu?“ Bajie, chewing on an apple he’d grabbed from the glass servant passing by, whispered to the man in a light blue robe with a round collar as they passed by a group of female dancers rehearsing their opening number.

“It’s truly fascinating, to say the least, Wuneng,“ Sanzang casted a worried look at Wujing, who ran around asking about the purpose of the pillars and excitedly noted down in his journal the process of building the different stages,“To be fair, I’m quite nervous.“

“Shifu, don’t say you’ve got a stage fright. You’ve spoken in front of many crowds before!“

“But those were either prayers or lectures. Not poetry. And there certainly weren’t demons but humans,“ the young Buddhist halted, his gaze fell to the floor,“Wuneng, I didn’t mean it. It’s just that… I know we’re in great danger. I don’t want anything to happen to anyone.“

“Shifu,“ Bajie hugged him around the shoulders,“we, the yaoguai folk, are scary. Yeah, we for sure have strange customs and can be rougher sometimes. It’s natural for you to be worried. But we’re here, your disciples, fine?“

“You’re right. By the way, speaking of you all, where’s Lie and Wukong? It’s never good when they aren’t around, especially the latter one.“

“Afraid we’d cause trouble again?“ Two heads popped behind the monk. The monkey and the dragon horse were visibly in a great mood, bumping into each other like two little boys. Soon, Ol’ Sha jumped at them and hung on their necks causing them to playfully fight.

Once they calmed down, the monk used to their advantage that the group distanced itself to a far southern corner and continued in a hushed voice,“Disciples, we may not have enough time and trust me, I’d like to say more. But all of you taught me that even the big words can’t sometimes reveal what the mind and most importantly the heart yearns to say. Therefore, I’m grateful and honoured that Bodhisattva Guanyin elected you four to be my bodyguards, my companions, sometimes even teachers.“

The four disciples looked the monk up and down. Only when Sanzang started playing with his sleeves did they break the act. They launched at their master and made sure to squeeze him tightly altogether.

“Shifu, we’re just as glad to have you,“ Lie started.

“To be honest, you were annoying at first. Too strict for us.“

“Also we truly needed some time to adjust to the different schedule,“ Wujing added to Baje.

Lastly, the eldest disciple finished,“But you proved to be brave and kind in your heart. Now, let’s go. The Dragon’s hour approaches and you with Brother Lie shall perform.“

Lie grinned,“You’re saying this like your fight won’t be the cherry on top.“

The disciples briskly ran up to their places, yet the Master and the senior disciple remained.

As the monkey was about to turn to follow his three juniors, the monk tapped on the blue ornaments dancing on the striking golden silk. It made the young man think of the tapestries with the Tang Emperor and, admittedly, with the wide sleeves flowing around, the demon would easily blend in such scenery with his decisive posture. All that Wukong was missing was a crown with a pair of phoenix feathers. And yet, Sanzang could no longer associate such a possession with his beloved disciple, not until the monkey stopped carrying the untraditional calmness in his deep gaze.

“Wukong, I wanted to thank you personally. Yes, I’ve repeated myself that we ought not to be bound to earthly matters as they’re but a fleeting touch, a reflection of the stars on the pond’s surface. But as you once asked about my parents, about my…“ although it was only a buzz of a tiny bee flying past him, Sanzang thought fingers, rough due to the hardships of life but also as tender as only a mother could ever have, caressed his ruffled hair,“As your Shifu, I should be both your teacher and father, guiding you through the teachings to achieve understanding. However, it’s often the opposite - you taught me a lot as well. I’m sorry I judged you harshly.“ Sanzang caught himself at the last moment; his lips dried out while rethinking his words. “Thanks for everything.“

“No problem, Shifu,“ Wukong’s uplifted spirit shone through and through,“you can count on me the same way I count on you. The same goes for my brothers. We won’t ever let anyone hurt you. We’ll get to the Western Paradise and bring the sutras to enlighten everyone.“

“Yeah, exactly,“ the monk rubbed the side of his eye,“Anyway, where’s Her Highness and Lady Wolf Witch?“

“No idea. She said she’d get prepared with the princess. She really thinks they’ll get here before the start,“ the monkey snorted and put his hands on his hips.

“Wukong? Aren’t those two…?“

The Monkey King turned in the direction of the Tripitaka’s pointing finger. In front of the main entrance, two women walked out of the palace’s shadows and ascended the stairs tanning in the sun’s gold. Even from the great distance, the demon and his master recognised the hopping pattern of the smaller woman whose pomegranate skirt flailed around as if it were a cat’s tail. Two pearly hairpins peeped from her tied up hair, mimicking a pair of ears. Her waistcoat added to the impression of a tigress given the turmeric dye and rubies sewed on the shoulders in several rows of stripes. Even the petite woman’s voice ringing with heartfelt cheerfulness made her seem not childish but charmful, especially when her feet firmly landed on the last stair. Mei, at last, straightened her spine and with a subtly stuck out chin stepped out. “Hello there, gentlemen!“ she waved at them.

It took plenty of effort for Sanzang to stop staring. Listening to his instincts, Sanzang turned his head just to scowl at drooling Bajie. He bumped into Wukong, too, whose legs turned stiff and made the demon persist in his place, unknowingly mimicking his master.

Despite the monk’s effort, the disciple couldn’t tear his eyes off of the demoness.

Like any other day, Márgerdra outshined other women easily yet today was somewhat different. Elegance and grace radiated from her. The hidden passion burnt so much it became a perfect contrast to the cool colours of her blue scarf where gold bits shone like tiny tears. Her skirt waved whenever her slim legs in fine mauve slippers moved as if she floated through air. Although of a quite loose cut, the garment still did her curves justice whenever the breeze picked up as a moderate wind and outlined her figure.

“Are you alright? Don’t tell me you caught something. A flu perhaps? I told you to take the whole blanket for yourself!“ When neither of the men responded, Mei waved again and briskly pressed her palm against the monk’s forehead. Sanzang distanced himself but quickly assured both were as healthy as a fish.

Mei and Sanzang surely chirped like sparrows on a roof as they made their way towards the rest. However their protectors couldn’t follow without a moment of privacy.

Wukong bowed his head. “It really suits you.”

“You don’t look that bad either.“ Márgerdra squinted as she sized up Qitian Dasheng. Suddenly, he felt smaller than ever. It all went away the moment she spoke in a voice that could melt the coldest ice. “Let me fix your collar,“ the small wrinkles retracted as the she-wolf faintly smiled and ran her hand by his neck,“now you look perfect.“

“Careful there, I may outshine you any moment soon.“

“I’d love to see you try. Honestly, however, I can’t complain much.“

He cackled and offered his forearm. The demoness caressed it and let her arm settle there like a swallow,“What a gentleman. Anyway, the servants told us your match got delayed. You and the captain shall fight by the evening. I was thinking I may help you to get prepared. I guess it would be more believable than if I stayed in the crowd. Besides, I’m afraid that Yawen and Golden Wind may strike soon. I highly doubt they’re going to wait for the full moon.“

“What makes you think that?“

“I haven’t heard a word about her this whole morning. I guess I don’t need to remind you twice that she isn’t one of the quiet folks. No way she wouldn't make herself known. Am I allowed to make sure your armour won’t loosen upon the first strike, then?“

“You’d made your way there even if I told you no,“ the disciple whispered back,“Plus, I’m not sure whether I wanna risk anyone getting a black eye or broken ribs like myself in case they stand in your way.“

Márgerdra took the hint, yet acted as if having no clue. “Like who? The captain?“

“Perhaps. Maybe a few soldiers as well.“

“You’re saying it like it’s a bad thing.“

Wukong threw his head back as he laughed at Márgerdra’s pretended innocence. 

At first, those were but foolish words echoing within the dead space of his mind. Alas, the Monkey King caught himself too late and replied out loud,“Quite the opposite. It’s that irresistible part of your charm.“

The Wolf Witch halted. Her eyes, so bright till that moment, lost their spark. Her teeth vanished behind her lips that formed a thin line as her nose wrinkled. She untangled their arms and continued forward keeping merely a former proximity. Neither she or the Monkey King uttered anything until they reached their seats.

****

The sun opened its eye to the fullest and blessed the earth beneath with the sacred light. Upon her arrival, Queen Shufen seemed to become the personification of that light. Her face was bright and clearer than the horizon. The phoenix crown’s gold, thousands of pearls, sapphires and rubies, the shining kingfisher feathers emphasised the unearthly look of the Immortality Crane whose blackest eyes were like soft velvet trying to hug the world and give it all the care she held within.

Musicians and dancers amazed the spectators as well. The sword dance left a trace of bliss behind. The colourful robes painted the air whenever they twirled around. Such a vibrant mix reminded of butterflies that visited the courtyard. Even the queen’s elephant was brought to perform with acrobats before standing next to her owner.

Shufen caressed the grey hide. “Look who finally showed up, Xiao Tao. Are you excited, my little girl?“ the queen gave her another apple and pointed to the young erhu player with white streaks in his hair. Immediately, the elephant threw her head back to trumpet.

Lie didn’t mind. Quite the opposite, he smirked upon seeing the majestic creature play with the queen’s crown during his number. Later, she directed her attention to the young captain who sat next to his aunt. It cost Lie a great effort not to burst into laughter when Xiao Tao tucked on the crane’s coat. Despite such a bold move, the captain himself smiled and scratched Xiao Tao on her trunk and let her rest it on his shoulder.

As he changed the upbeat tunes with more melancholic ones for the actors to finally join and introduce the story of a celestial bird meeting a dragon, the crowd calmed down and eagerly dived into the play with their interest. The story was longer than what the Pilgrims expected, yet they found themselves enjoying it. Márgerdra let the princess hide into her chest when the dragon showed up for the first time, scaring Mei with its long whiskers and flaming antlers despite being merely an impressive costume carried by half a dozen of skilled actors. Sha Seng briskly joined and soothed her along with the witch.

The play continued long into the late evening. At last, Ao Lie positioned himself next to the actors and welcomed the young monk. The disciple reassuringly squeezed his teacher’s shoulder. The Tripitaka felt the courage waking up inside although the sun had disappeared behind the bumpy horizon. It flared up even more when he saw all four disciples and even their companions from the Great Tiger Kingdom waving at him. Suddenly, the need to use the scribbles he made under Mei’s supervision left him disappeared. Instead, he turned to face the queen. His voice, at first a flock of cracks yet now a sound as nice to hear as the sandalwood to smell, spoke of high mountains, ravishing lowlands and the souls freed from pain that found happiness in the compassion their hearts treasured altogether. “Because the people are the world’s mirror as well for the ocean is too a myriad of droplets, each as significant as the other so as to nurture each other.“ A small pause and the monk started his last few verses not noticing the silent ruffle behind.

“I better get going,“ Wukong whispered once he noticed Jun standing up from his seat behind his master; he vanished behind a thick curtain that had to hide a stairway to the stage hosting the royal family,“See you soon.“ He nodded to the Wolf Witch, hoping she would eventually come to see him at the arsenal.

****

Márgerdra surely began to think she got lost in the vast space where the sole residents seemed to be the racks with spears, swords and bows. Soon she realised that in her hurry she passed by the corridor she was looking for. It was long yet the supporting pillars made Márgerdra hunch down after she accidently hit her forehead. As she scanned the corridor poorly lit with torches and the stone walls overgrown with mould and moss clumps, the witch doubted a mere human would find their way around the place. The air was heavy and moist, hard to breathe in. Hence her lungs significantly enlarged whenever she took a deep but calm inhale.

She didn’t mind the eerie space nor the noise of water dripping from the ceiling here and there. The arsenal was, after all, located under the courtyard and thus carved into the mountain itself. Yet, she couldn’t lose the feeling of not being alone. Still, she was certain nobody had followed her. Only when she walked to the crossroad did she stop. The main path was narrow and straight, the second one crooked like a worm. The woman was prepared to set out into the tight space ahead when somebody bumped into her.

Both stumbled down with grunts and curses. Márgerdra quickly got on her knees and started brushing off the dirt. Annoyed, she took a good look at whoever it was. Although the person had a hood, it was rather easy to conclude the identity due to the hunched stance and scrawny figure. After shuffling closer and seeing the brown eyes glowing with an amber hew, she was sure. “Wukong, are you crazy?! I’m no wooden dummy to train crazy stunts on!“

The demon drew closer, trapping Márgerdra between his body and the walls. She shivered when his wild look settled down on her - malicious, dangerous and filled with an unmatched curiosity. As if he were recalling something he passionately hated but couldn’t bury.

He dived into the curve of her neck. He sniffed deeply, sharply. The rough fingertips ran up and down her shoulder. He seemed not to realise that Márgerdra could hear his muttering. “You did not change a bit. The same ghostly woman that matched the cool forest all too well. I…scared you back then, didn’t I?“

She thought he already finished, then he snarled again. “How come that he was allowed to lie his head next to yours and be lulled like a newborn while I had to sleep in places where vermin dug into my skin and hair? A stranger bound to me yet should I forget the scriptures? My Shifu? My destiny?“ he growled,“I… He’s such a fool. But what else to expect? That coward could never bid farewell. One must forget to ascend.“ He brushed his lips, colder than that stone around, against her skin, still hugging her tightly despite his trembling hands.

The initial shock remelted into a letdown, then sheer anger from witnessing the gall.

While still in the hug, her hands shot up. Her claws dug into the back, tearing the cloak and shirt first, then mercilessly attacked the flesh.

The macaque hissed. Márgerdra couldn’t afford to hesitate further. Kicking him off of her, she sent herself back to her upright legs. Yet his tail slammed and put her back to her place.

Márgerdra’s vision went black.

Thankfully, she regained her senses, yet found herself to be alone. The only evidence of other presence was the hood she was clutching and an image of the demon before Márgerdra collided with the wall.

****

Finally, she reached her destination. Upon entering, the witch discovered there were four doors in the arsenal, an octagonal room of a moderate size inlaid with wood that was appropriately lit up with lamps. The first door was the one that she’d just used, two on the opposite walls that connected to other armouries and one the right which surely led outside to the courtyard. Looking around, the number of weapons and armour pieces wasn’t inherently great. Yet each impressed the witch with its simple though flawless iron and steel.

Wukong was standing in the centre. He’d already changed his robes for a tunic and much looser trousers. The boots he’d been previously wearing were now thrown under a bench since the monkey found the simple legwraps more suitable for his style.

Tying the last knot on the legwrap, the monkey turned around to greet the much awaited she-wolf who watched him from the entrance,“Blondie! What took you so long? I nearly started thinking you aren't coming. Anyway, could you handle that shoulder pad for me? The one on the right with a dragon head.“

Márgerdra let out a fume. She grabbed the shoulder pad and in less than four long steps stood in front of the Sage. Her movements when securing the straps were rough. By accident, she yanked the monkey’s fur, at which Wukong scowled,“Watch that!“

“I’ve tolerated your pranks too long. You better stop it immediately! You were scaring me! I almost thought you were after my neck again.“

“Blondie, listen, I don’t know what happened on your way here. I got no witnesses to have my back. But I’ve been here the entire time. Are you sure you didn’t meet a servant?“

“Wukong, I swear I know who I saw.“ The Wolf Witch took notice of him when he faced her. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed until a thin line remained while the demon tilted his head. He wasn’t lying, only equally confused. There was a question they didn’t need to pronounce out loud, but surely understood from each other,“If it weren’t you, then who?“

One of the doors slid open. Two guards followed the captain, whose garbs were similar to that of Wukong. The two opponents only differed in the colours they chose - Wukong stood tall in brown, yellow, red and black while Jun proudly kept to white, azure, purple and green.

Jun politely bowed to both before asking,“Prepared, Huang?“

“Like never before in my life, captain,“ Wukong nodded.

Just as the captain marched out to the courtyard, he changed his mind and turned on his heel. Facing the imp, the captain’s face relaxed as he bowed once more,“Keep this to yourself. But I want to apologise for the childish quarrel. You all were a great help.“

“What made you change your mind, captain?“

“I’ve never seen my aunt this excited or happy. Besides, I got my evidence on your… innocence. I also saw that you truly are a master of your craft. Please, let’s fight like opponents, like two fellows in martial arts, not enemies.“

Wukong bowed his entire upper body, then helped Jun to regain his stance with a broad smirk. “Aye, I guess that could be doable.“

Jun returned the friendliness, but he sheepishly retracted after looking behind the monkey. “I think you may want to talk to Miss Yaling. I’ll wait outside. Don’t take too long.“

Wukong let out a chuckle when the door behind the captain and his retinue shut tight.

“Oh man, have you seen his sour face? Priceless! I bet you secretly growled at him!“

Márgerdra took her time. Uttering nothing, she chose a pole that Wukong had prepared for himself on a rack and closed the distance between them. Shivers conquered her heart and soul but she brought herself to speak at last,“Say only one thing. That you’ll come back in one piece.“

“Blondie, am I not the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? The disciple of the Golden Cicada?“

Márgerdra’s voice trembled, yet not a single tear glistened in her eyes,“Please, promise that you’re coming back. Returning to your Shifu and brothers. Just like always.“

Wukong’s palm encircled the witch’s hand, the one grasping the pole. Uncertain about the idea at first, the demon then let his forehead rest against hers and replied,“I do, Mar.“

The two no longer hesitated. The witch threw herself around his neck and the disciple clutched his powerful arm around her back. Neither let go for a while, unsure whether breaking such a moment would shatter them both became equally fragile like the two old lion statues guarding the courtyard.

Márgerdra’s words marched out with Wukong, giving him hope and reassurance, although he caught a strange tint of alien sternness there,“Good luck, Qitian Dasheng.“

****

The silver threads of the full moon glided down onto the Jade Valley and the agitated guests in the courtyard. The moment they saw the tight knot with a crane hairpin, they all started cheering and welcoming the queen’s nephew. The leather scales on his armour were as white as snow, it made the crane look as if he shone in the evening’s gloom.

Jun stuck out his chest and bowed deeply to his aunt and then to the crowd as the drums picked up on the rhythm.

“Dearest guests!“ Shufen stood up in her seat and proudly began,“Once again I’m thanking you for your wishes. All the presents are lovely, yet two warm my heart the most. The first - the presence of my beloved nephew that never ceases to amaze me with his loyalty and capability. Since the sun has embraced this little boy, I knew he shall achieve great things. He’s been protecting me, this city, our whole kingdom. He’s fought against our enemies and traitors. One of which has impudently shown up right here, in our fortress!“

Simple whispers and speculations from the smug nobles and servants soon turned into an uproar when ten guards dragged chained Golden Wind Viper from the darkness of the palace. The muzzle kept the snake from spitting his venom just like the enchanted iron collar prevented his neck from elongating. Despite the precautions, the guards struggled to walk in a straight line as Golden Wind Viper was putting up a fight. He only stopped twitching when a cangue was put around his neck.

Golden Wind Viper no longer snarled. Scorn emitted from his very core when he cast gaze on Shufen. The fact that his spit landed right in front of him instead and splashed him didn’t take away his boldness as he exclaimed,“Your Majesty! How lovely to see you! It felt like ages I dare to say. I bet you must’ve been missing me. Has anyone replaced me as your general?“

In spite of his tone, his effort to gain attention went ignored. Shufen was far more calculated and chose an approach that made Golden Wind Viper turn even greener than what he already was from envy. “Captain of the Royal Guard kept to the promise. After being informed by the eldest of the Huang brothers, he heroically dived into the danger and arrested this scoundrel once and for all. At last, we may rest at peace. For everything that Captain Jun has done, I, Queen Shufen, a woman of my word, proudly announce that from this day on you shall be recognised as my general!“

The crowd applauded while Jun gracefully, yet with easily recognisable pride, bowed to show his gratitude towards the congratulations. Once he spotted the golden-haired woman walking up the stairs and reclaiming her seat, he grinned.

Yet, Márgerdra paid little attention to the man’s parade. She and Mei wondered,“Brother Monkey helped him, jiejie?“

“I’m confused, too, little plum. I don’t remember him mentioning a thing.“ Márgerdra lightly tapped on her chin. Something still made her come back in thoughts to the strange interaction she’d with Wukong. Neither her or the princess had enough space to think, however. The queen’s following statement took their breath away. Sandy and Lie’s jaws dropped as well. Bajie choked on his drink while Wukong almost stumbled back to the armoury.

“Master Huang Shui has helped us significantly with his whole family. Your intelligence, compassion and now the poem you wrote, such gentleness and affection towards everything living can’t be found anywhere else. With you, I realised my happiness. Although your family would like to venture forth towards their further research, I must ask one thing. A simple offer where our lives would seal our fates altogether. Not only do I promise you immortality coming from Golden Cicada’s flesh, Master Shui. Would you like to become my husband, too, and rule this country with me?”

Sanzang’s throat went dry. He felt as if the whole world was watching his every move.

He briskly stood from his seat below the queen’s throne. The Dragon Prince had to grab the monk under his armpit to prevent him from collapsing.

The young man’s lips opened and closed several times without uttering a single noise. He did not dare to guess the consequences if he rejected the proposal, although he didn’t find a single hint of malice. Yet, aware after countless Wukong’s warnings and lectures, the monk didn’t let his eyes be deceived by the first glance this time. What now seems to be a curiosity can easily turn into a vengeance from a broken heart.

The guests started whispering to one another when he gave no reply. Even Xiao Tao stumped her heavy foot as if the animal hoped for the noise to bring the man back to his senses.

Fortunately, it did. Even more, it gave Sanzang a bright idea. Although it didn’t solve the Pilgrim’s problem immediately, he managed to buy some time anyway. “Your Majesty, it was all lovely to meet you as well. Please, don’t doubt my manners due to my long answer. You see, the question came so suddenly. At first, this sounds like a simple question. Yet I am no simple man and I dare not to reveal my decision right away. My beloved brother is about to fight your nephew, Your Majesty. Hence I suggest we let them fight first as the great news could affect their thinking, judgement and so their decisions within the match! Please, let this fight be fair not for their own sake, not ours.“

His dance around the words seemed to have worked as Shufen nodded,“Master Shui, I expected no less from you. Your reasoning provides a sober mind to where my heart sings. Of course, as you wish.“ She deliberately waved her hand at the drummers to resume their rhythm. “General Jun of the Azure Crane Dynasty. Master Huang Wei. May the skill of each decide tonight, not the luck,“ Shufen sternly let out and lifted her palms to face the starry sky.

Meanwhile Jun and Wukong bowed to one another for the last time, effortlessly ignoring Golden Wind Viper’s cackle in the background.

The Azure Crane General unsheathed his sword and rose the ringing steel above his head.

The Monkey King responded by lowering himself till his front calf became parallel with the ground. The tip pointed at the opponent.

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @morganmaietto @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51

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List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

[thatwritingho]

Hiiiii I know you're goin thu things so take ur time but pleass please please share a wip of next chapter to tide us over

Yeahhhh I am going through it rn🙃 I'm still working on the chapter, it's just slow progress.

Here's a taste of some sizzling Relish from next chapter ;) enjoy🥒🫒

.

"...can I suck your fingers?"

A wide grin slipped onto his face, "Oh, fuck yeh, babygirl."

Gripping her chin, his middle and ring fingers prodded at her lips. Wide open and eager, she welcomed them with her tongue, Pickles' cock aching, throbbing at the sound of her shuddering moan. Warm fingers fondled her tongue, pumped in her mouth. Facial hair tickled her ear, breath heating her skin, his voice low and husky, "Yeh, you like dat, baby?"

Gooseflesh bloomed across her entire body. God, his voice made her feel fucking feral. She wanted to cry. Beg. Plead. Bite. Scratch. Claw. Fuck him until she passed out, then start right back upon waking. Fucking wasn't enough. Cumming wasn't enough. A deep craving consumed her — she ached in her fucking soul, its hands reaching out to him, her body screaming moremoremore.

Trembling, she mumbled out a muffled "Mmhm."

"Yah like when I fingerbang all yer holes like dis? Fuckin' slut."

A whine around probing fingers at the debasement, wet schlick sounds joining the music as the digits inside her pussy and ass stroked her walls.

"Mm, yeh, such a little slut, babygirl… Jest lookit yerself. Heh," breath fanned hot over her ear as Pickles whispered, voice low and husky, smirk shaping his words "Wonder what dat rich old man a' yers would think if he could see yah now? Naked and spread out in the lap of a rockstar, beggin' him to fingerfuck yer mouth…"

Olive shuddered, clenching around his fingers, Pickles grinning big at her reaction.

Bingo.

"Heh. Bet I'm richer den he is, huh, baby? Think I can get yah to call me daddy?"

"Mmhm!" Enthusiasm bled through her muffled reply, tongue eagerly lapping at his digits. Dark eyes clouded with lust cracked open to meet his, sultry and inviting.

Double Bingo.

"Atta girl. Tell daddy how much yah like his fingers, baby."

Her mouth was freed, face on fire, "I-I love when you- ahh… when you fingerbang all my holes like a slut, daddy."

The word on her lips made him tingle, Pickles exhaling shakily as fingers delved back in her waiting mouth.

"Good girl."

[thistledown-au-warriors]

fire and ice - chapter 24

< Chapter 23 || Index || Chapter 25 >

The days leading up to the next full moon dragged by slowly for Fire Heart. It seemed ages since the last Gathering. Rain clouds had kept the moon covered the last time, and the Clans had stayed away from Fourtrees. Meanwhile, patrol after patrol reported scenting RiverClan warriors at Sunningrocks, and ShadowClan scent had been discovered again by the Owl Tree. It had been two moons since WindClan's return. 

He’d given up trying to make Gray Stripe see sense — they’d hardly spoken since Fire Heart had brought Cloud Tail into camp. Even when Fire Heart thanked him for his words on that night, Gray Stripe acted dismissive about it.

Finally the full moon appeared in a cloudless sky. Fire Heart came back from hunting early. As he neared the ravine, he noticed Stone Pelt walking in the same direction with a freshly-caught mouse in his jaws. The large tom seemed to freeze as he noticed Fire Heart. 

"Good day for hunting, isn't it?" Stone Pelt meowed through the fresh-kill, not meeting Fire Heart's eyes. Before he could reply, the tom hurried into camp. What was that about?, Fire Heart wondered, following him at a slower pace.

He passed the fallen oak, deserted now that Swift Bird had recovered. Fire Heart’s throat tightened. Mistle Drop had, unfortunately, gotten feverish overnight one day and quickly passed away, leaving Hop Speckle having only one kit left.

Stone Pelt was nowhere in sight, his mouse placed rushedly on the fresh-kill pile. Fire Heart dropped his own catch and headed toward the healers' den to visit Blazing Cinder. Even the threat of greencough had left the camp, for now. Only the small gray molly remained with the healers.

As Fire Heart padded through the tunnel he could see her in the clearing ahead. She was helping Violet Fang prepare some herbs. Fire Heart winced as he watched Blazing Cinder limp heavily toward the split rock with a mouthful of dried leaves.

“Fire Heart!” Blazing Cinder spat out the herbs and turned to greet him as he emerged from the tunnel. “I could only just scent you through these disgusting things!”

“Those disgusting things helped cure your leg!” growled Violet Fang.

“Well, you should have used more.” retorted Blazing Cinder, but Fire Heart was glad to see she had a mischievous glint in her eye. “Look at this!” She twitched her twisted hind leg. “I can hardly reach my claws to wash them.”

“Perhaps I should give you a few more exercises to loosen it up.” meowed Violet Fang.

“No, thanks!” mewed Blazing Cinder quickly. “They hurt!”

“They’re meant to hurt! It shows they’re working.” The old healer turned to Fire Heart. “Perhaps you’ll have more luck persuading her to do them. I’m going into the forest to dig up some comfrey roots.”

“I’ll try.” Fireheart promised as Violet Fang padded past him.

“You’ll know if she’s doing them right.” the healer called over her shoulder. “Because she’ll complain!”

Blazing Cinder limped over to Fire Heart and touched her nose to his. “Thanks for coming to see me.” She sat down and grimaced as she tucked her bad leg under her.

“I like coming to see you,” Fire Heart purred. Seeing the young molly's progress brought him peace of mind, and he genuinely enjoyed her spirit.

A wistful look clouded Blazing Cinder’s eyes. “Sand Storm doesn't come around as much. I miss training with her." 

Fire Heart stared at her, his heart sinking. Sand Storm had been working harder than ever after being allowed to leave camp, but it seemed like her guilt still kept her away from her apprentice. “I know. Perhaps if we try some of your exercises, it’ll help you get back to training with her faster." he meowed gently.

“Okay.” mewed Blazing Cinder. “But just a few.”

She lay on her side and stretched out her leg till her face was twisted with pain. Slowly, her teeth clenched, she began to move it backward and forward.

“You’re doing really well.” Fire Heart meowed encouragingly.

Blazing Cinder let her leg drop and lay still for a moment, then she pushed herself up. Fire Heart watched her quietly as she shook her head. “I’m never going to be a warrior, am I?”

Fire Heart stared at her. She seemed so defeated. Something lit up inside him. He couldn't bear to see her in such low spirits. "You will." he meowed.

Blazing Cinder sighed. "Fire Heart—"

He interrupted her. "You want to be a warrior, right?"

She stared at him, there was a tiredness in her features that he never thought he would see in the gray molly's blue eyes. However, she closed her eyes shut and nodded.

"Then we'll find a way." Fire Heart stretched his muzzle toward her and licked her head. "Keep doing your exercises. Get stronger. We'll figure it out, okay? I'll talk to Sand Storm, and we all will put our heads together so you can be the best apprentice like she was."

Blazing Cinder opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Bu-but- what if I can't hunt anymore? Or climb trees? I can't even run!"

Fire Heart met her gaze, measuring his next words carefully. "Every cat has their limitations. Some more than others. But that's normal." he meowed. "Your mother has half her hearing. White Eye, the elder, actually did have a blind white eye before it was lost — I asked once. They both managed to live as warriors despite that."

Blazing Cinder looked at her paws, frowning thoughtfully.

The warrior then looked over his shoulder, making sure Violet Fang hadn't returned yet, then turned back to his apprentice with a whisper. "Then there's Violet Fang."

The apprentice looked up again, wide-eyed. "What about her?"

"She has half the temper a normal cat has."

Blazing Cinder looked at him, silent for a moment, then purred in amusement.

Fire Heart purred back at her, but there was a question that had been nagging at him since the accident. “Blazing Cinder.” he began. “There's something I must ask. Can you remember what happened when the monster hit you? Was Tiger's Claw there?”

Blazing Cinder's eyes clouded with confusion. “I d-don’t know,” she stammered. Fire Heart felt a pang of guilt as he saw her flinch away from the memory. “I went straight to the burned ash where Dusty Earth said Tiger's Claw would be… I think I heard Sand Storm call for me… and then there was the monster and… I don’t really remember.”

“You wouldn’t have realized how thin the verge was there.” Fire Heart shook his head slowly. “You must have run straight onto the Thunderpath.” Why wasn’t Tiger's Claw where he said he’d be? he thought with a flash of rage. He could have stopped her from running out! Princess’ words rang ominously in his head. Was it a trap? He pictured Tiger's Claw, crouching downwind, hidden among the trees, staring out at the verge, waiting—

“How’s Cloud Tail?” Blazing Cinder’s mew cut short his thoughts. She clearly wanted to change the subject.

Fire Heart was happy to oblige, especially if it meant talking about Princess’ son. “Getting bigger every day.” he meowed proudly.

“I’m dying to meet him, Bracken Leaf told me he's a super cute kit. Are you going to bring him to visit me one of these days?”

“If Brindle Face lets me.” Fire Heart answered. “She won’t let him out of her sight at the moment.”

“She likes him, then?”

“She treats him just like her other kits. Mossy Patch too, actually.” Fire Heart meowed, “Thank StarClan. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if they would take to him. He looks quite different from their other kits.” Even Fire Heart couldn’t deny that Cloud Tail's snowy pelt of soft long fur looked a bit out of place beside the other — older — kits, with their forest-colored coats of shorter, mottled gray-and-white fur. “But Brindle Face says he looks like Mossy Patch. And at least he gets on well with his denmates...” Fire Heart’s voice trailed away. He stared at the ground, feeling a twinge of anxiety.

“What’s the matter?” Blazing Cinder prompted curiously, but gently.

Fire Heart shrugged. “I’m just sick of the way some of the other cats look at him, like he’s stupid or worthless.”

“Does Cloud Tail notice these looks?”

Fire Heart shook his head.

“Well, don’t worry then.” Blazing Cinder mewed.

He parted his jaws to speak, then just looked at his own paws fretfully instead. "I suppose." He murmured, but his mind was turbulent. What if someone tells him before he's ready? He doesn't even know he isn't a Clanborn cat! 

Blazing Cinder sat up. “There’s a Gathering tonight, right? Are you and Sand Storm going?”

“I don’t know.” Fire Heart admitted, raising his chin again. “I’m going to ask Blue Fur later. She probably will go, but I’m not exactly popular with the Clan at the moment.”

“They’ll get over it.” Blazing Cinder promised. She nudged his shoulder with a paw. “Shouldn’t you go and find out if you’re going, then? They’ll be leaving soon.”

“You’re right.” Fire Heart replied. “Will you be okay till Violet Fang or Stone Pelt gets back? Do you want me to fetch you some fresh-kill?”

“I’ll be fine.” Blazing Cinder assured him. “And Violet Fang’ll bring me something. She always does. I’m going to be the fattest cat in the Clan by the time she’s finished with me.”

Fire Heart smiled. He was tempted to stay and keep her company, but she was right — he should find out if he could go to the Gathering. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” he meowed. “There should be plenty of news from the Gathering.”

“Yeah, and I want to hear it all. Bye, Fire Heart!"

“Goodbye, Blazing Cinder."

Fire Heart stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked around for Blue Fur. She was talking with Willow Branch outside her den. Fire Heart reached them just as Willow Branch stood up to leave. The slender gray warrior nodded to Fire Heart as she padded away.

Blue Fur gazed at Fire Heart with knowing eyes. “You want to go to the Gathering.” she meowed. The ginger warrior opened his mouth to speak, but Blue Fur interrupted him. “All the warriors want to go tonight, but I can’t take every cat.”

Fire Heart felt disappointed. “I wanted to see WindClan again.” he explained. “To find out how they’ve been getting on since Misty Step, Stone Pelt and I brought them home.”

The leader narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need reminding of what you did for WindClan.” she meowed sharply, and Fire Heart flinched. “But you’re right to be concerned.” Blue Fur went on. “You may come to the Gathering tonight. And Gray Stripe too.”

“Thank you, Blue Fur.” Fire Heart meowed.

“It’ll be an interesting Gathering.” Blue Fur warned him. “RiverClan and ShadowClan have much to explain.”

Fire Heart felt his ears twitch nervously. Blue Fur clearly meant to challenge Crooked Jaw and Night Pelt about their invasions into ThunderClan territory, after all this time. He dipped his head respectfully to his leader and padded away.

As he collected two voles for Brindle Face from the pile of fresh-kill, Fire Heart noticed Violet Fang trudging into the camp. Her paws were muddy and her mouth was crammed with fat, knobbly roots. Her search for comfrey had clearly been successful. Stone Pelt followed behind her, a couple comfrey roots between his jaws, pelt clean.

Fire Heart carried the fresh-kill over to the nursery. Brindle Face was curled up inside feeding Cloud Tail. The other kits had just given up their mother’s milk, finally healthy enough to move on to solid food, and wouldn't take long for Cloud Tail too to have his first taste of fresh-kill.

Brindle Face looked up as he entered, her eyes shadowed with concern. “I’ve just sent for the healers.” she mewed.

Fire Heart was instantly alarmed. “Is there something wrong with Cloud Tail?”

“He’s been a little feverish today.” Brindle Face leaned down and licked the kit’s head as he stopped feeding and began squirming restlessly. “It’s probably nothing, but I thought I’d see what Violet Fang thought. I… I don’t want to take any chances.”

Fire Heart hoped she was just being overcautious because of her previous losses. But Cloud Tail did look uncomfortable. “I’ll come and see you after the Gathering.” he promised.

He ducked out of the nursery and headed back to the pile of fresh-kill to pick out his own food. Brindle Face’s news had spoiled his appetite, but he knew he should eat something before the journey to Fourtrees tonight.

Pale Tail and Dusty Earth were already standing over the pile. Fire Heart sat down and waited for them to leave.

“I wonder how that Cloud Chick is doing.” meowed Pale Tail. Fire Heart felt a familiar ripple of frustration at Pale Tail's snide comment.

“Probably missing his Twoleg beddings and dreaming with Twoleg slop.” mewed Dusty Earth.

“I’d like to be there when he tries hunting for the first time. The prey’ll spot him coming a tree’s length away with all that white fluff.” Pale Tail sneered.

“Unless they mistake him for a puffball mushroom!” Dusty Earth’s whiskers twitched as he threw a sideways glance at Fire Heart.

The ginger warrior flattened his ears and looked away. Bullying a kit! Such great warriors , he thought bitterly. He watched Stone Pelt hurry into the nursery with a mouthful of feverfew. Unfortunately the two warriors noticed too. “Looks like the kittypet's caught a chill. What a surprise.” meowed Pale Tail. “Probably not for the last time. Living in the woods is too much for soft kittypets like him!” The tabby warrior turned and stared at Fire Heart, waiting for a reaction, but Fire Heart ignored him and walked over to the pile of fresh-kill. He chose a thrush and carried it away to eat, feeling drained by the endless spite.

Gray Stripe was sharing his meal with Fleet Foot by the nettle clump. “Hi, did you have a good hunt?” Fleet Foot called as Fire Heart passed.

“Yes, thanks.” Fire Heart replied.

Gray Stripe didn’t look up.

“Blue Fur said you could go to the Gathering." Fire Heart told Gray Stripe.

“I know.” Gray Stripe answered, still chewing.

“Are you going?” Fire Heart turned to Fleet Foot, not bothering to get Gray Stripe's attention any more.

“You bet! I wouldn’t miss this one for anything!”

Fire Heart padded on and found a quiet spot at the edge of the clearing. Pale Tail's words echoed in his head. Would the Clan ever accept the little white kit? Fire Heart closed his eyes and began to wash himself.

As he turned to lick his side, his whiskers brushed against something. He opened his eyes to find Sand Storm standing beside him. Her orange pelt glowed silver beneath the rising moon. “Thought you might like some company.” she mewed. She sat down and began to wash Fire Heart’s back with long, soothing strokes.

Through half-closed eyes, Fire Heart caught a glimpse of Dusty Earth staring from outside the warrior's den, unable to disguise his envy and amazement. Fire Heart turned his head away from the brown tom. “Are you going to the Gathering?” he asked Sand Storm.

The ginger molly paused. “Yes. You?”

“Yes. I think Blue Fur's going to challenge River Crooked Jaw and Shadow Night Pelt about their hunting.” He waited for Sand Storm to reply, but she was staring up at the darkening sky.

“This will be our first Gathering as warriors.” she murmured. Fire Heart realized she was right, they'd been made warriors soon after the last Gathering. "I… wished it could be Blazing Cinder's first Gathering too." She continued.

Fire Heart looked at her. Her green eyes were sad as she gazed at the Starpath, and he doubted she was even looking at the stars anymore. "I'm sure she'll get to go once she stops limping. It's only a matter of time." When the other warrior didn't react, he went on. "I visit her whenever I can, but she seems to miss you a lot."

"I…" Sand Storm inhaled sharply, looking away. "I don't deserve to be her mentor. I don't deserve to go see her."

"What do you mean?" Fire Heart asked.

"I failed her. I failed as a mentor. I failed everyone." she whispered.

"You didn't fail anything! Blazing Cinder will get better and will make a great warrior like you." Fire Heart meowed, nudging Sand Storm's shoulder. "She really wants it. And she really looks up to you."

Sand Storm sighed, and gave herself a shake. "It's just hard to look at her and not think that I could have prevented this had I been a better mentor. Blazing Cinder didn't deserve this. And Blue Fur and Tiger's Claw and Frost Shine trusted me, and I failed them too. I know I did." She murmured. More quietly, she added. "I know they think Red Tail wouldn't have made such a mistake."

He shifted to try catching her eyes. "You're never going to be Red Tail, you're Sand Storm. But that's not a bad thing. I never met Red Tail and I think that you're a great warrior." Fire Heart meowed. He regretted not thinking his words more thoroughly when he saw her shifting her pose, shrinking. "I-I…" he began to stammer, but she cut him off.

"Thanks. But I don't deserve that coming from you." Sand Storm meowed, finally turning to look at him. "You know. When Red Tail got pregnant, many cats thought that it'd turn out to be Tiger's Claw's kits. But then when my littermate - who didn't make it - and I were born without a hint of brown fur and his stripes… they dropped that hope." She then looked back at the stars again. "I grew up not having any idea who my other parent was, just growing up with mostly Hop Speckle taking care of me. Red Tail was too busy. But everyone loved him and respected him. I'm all anyone has of him now. It's a lot." 

"I understand… I think. Misty Step was my mentor. Well, also with having to prove I'm more than just a kittypet." Fire Heart meowed, trying to relate to her. He thought he saw her face contort for a brief moment before she looked at him.

"Think Blue Fur will make you train Cloud Tail when he's old enough?” she asked suddenly.

Fire Heart blinked, then stared across the clearing at the nursery, wondering if Stone Pelt had finished treating Cloud Tail. “If he makes it that far.”

“Tch. Of course he’ll make it!” Sand Storm meowed confidently, tucking her paws under her chest.

“But he has a fever.” Fire Heart let his shoulders sag with worry.

“All kits get fevers!” Sand Storm retorted. “With his thick fur, he’ll recover in no time. That coat’s going to be handy in leaf-bare, perfect for hunting in the snow. The prey’ll never see him coming, and he’ll be able to stay out twice as long as thin-pelts like Pale Tail! I mean, look at White Flower or Frost Shine.”

Fire Heart purred and felt himself relax. Sand Storm had lifted his spirits again. He stood up and gave her a brisk lick on the shoulder. “Come on.” he meowed. “Blue Fur will call the cats for the Gathering soon.”

They joined the other cats beside the camp entrance, a silent, purposeful group.

Blue Fur soon appeared and signaled to them with a flick of her tail, then led them through the gorse tunnel and out of the ravine. The forest glistened in the cold moonlight as they sprinted toward Fourtrees. Clouds of breath billowed from Fire Heart’s muzzle, and the forest floor felt frozen beneath his paws.

For the first time since Fire Heart had joined the Clan, Blue Fur didn’t hesitate at the ridge above Fourtrees to prepare herself for the meeting. 

Instead her cats followed their leader wordlessly as she plunged straight down the slope into the clearing.

[frostehburr]

The Most Ninja AAA Game (so far)

Aside from recent trauma I've been going through, I managed to complete Ghost of Tsushima as well as its DLC Iki Island. I know, I know, super extra late to that party but I had it on the back of the shelf and didn't think of it until last month.

The setting of the game is really old Japan, like I think the date was 1275 or something close to that. All I know is that Mongols invaded and the main character, Jin Sakai the Last Samurai of Tsushima, has to do everything he can to drive out the invaders. Which means sacrificing his honor... I think...

Yeah, I know little to nothing about the honor thing. It's apparently a big deal in the game and I assume eastern countries.

I think the idea behind the game was to have an origin story for ninjas and how iconic/legendary they became. In turn making this game about a samurai becoming the first ninja out of desperation to defeat an overwhelming force.

So you see a lot of ninja stuff as you progress through the game. Such as a grappling hook, poison darts, and of course the classic smoke bombs.

I've been playing Sucker Punch games since Sly Cooper (I missed out on Rocket for N64). It's quite nice to see the developers go from 3D Platformer to Full Open World RPG over the years. They may have gained a lot of experience with the inFamous franchise. You can see a lot of Cole in Jin's parkour movements.

Speaking of Sucker Punch's past games; there's a few references via murals in Iki Island. I caught Delsin's karma birds and a very Japanesey Cold from inFamous 2 on some rocks.

The combat is fluid and smooth as are the stealth mechanics. Variety in choices on how you take out enemies is super fun. One camp you can pop in and out of cover until everyone is dead without knowing they were being killed off. Another camp you can charge in with a flaming sword, throwing bombs and knives at people for immediate action. All play styles are thought of.

Outside of combat, the environment work is gorgeous! For a moment I was sure the developers programed real photos of Japan to place in front of you at all times but nope they really did model and textured everything that well. Certainly hit the peak of 3D software with this one.

The plants, mud, and water was all so breathtaking I spent a long while walking around the colorful landscape. Even the fire and snow was super good! I took a screen shot of this one scenery where the blacken earth from a fire met the white snow because it looked like a museum painting and I wanted to keep that image. Also there was a lot of yellow plants. I mean a LOT of yellow plants. Despite what Goombah sensei says, I'm convinced real ninjas wore yellow if they lived with so many yellow plants like what I saw.

Much like all good open world games, the majority of the fun is exploring to find cool collectables. My millennial brain obsesses over finding things! I have to have collectables in my game to really enjoy it! And Ghost of Tsushima delivers on that promise. Artifacts, fox dens, haikus, and hot springs are all over. It's all so worth seeking out and never feels like a chore. What I listed wasn't all there is, either, there's more out there.

Jin Sakai's story in both Tsushima and Iki Island were as dramatic as a hollywood film... a good hollywood film. One that would get an entire fanbase for. Maybe a tumblr sexy man. Hey, I'm certain someone has the hots for Kenji.

Anyhow... Ghost of Tsushima was a thrill to complete and I'd make another account to do it all over again. But for now, it's the shiniest platinum on the shelf and I look forward to the next experience.

oh right, there's the Legends Mode... eh, some other time, maybe never. I hate multiplayer trophies.

[matthew621]

The Truth Is.

The truth is I still get lonely At times when laughter filled the room A painful echo resonating the words "They are happy when you're not around" The voices that torture knowing none can hear it but me

The truth is I still get envious When the softness of his voice envelops the surroundings only it was not meant to calm me but for another the lingering thoughts that maybe I do not deserve his serene voice

The truth is I still get angry A feeling that I tend to invite when things don't go my way Blood rushing through my head, immobilizing my rational thoughts The feeling of rage that covers the love I have nurtured for quite a while

The truth is I still get impatient The thought of how things seem to favor everybody but me Doubt creeping in as I continue to ask the question when? When will it be my turn?

The truth is I still get insecure For every woman who has embraced the flaws and scars they have Insecurity is creeping in like a beast tearing every piece of acceptance I have within me I ran as I chased the reflection of the person I wished and longed to be

The truth is I still feel jealous When I feel like I am enough, the world drops its bomb on me Whisper and echo of voices telling me "There is someone better than you." The question of how long it will take before the man I love gets stolen by another woman

The truth is I still sin A hypocrisy I tend to embrace every inch of my being questioning the real reason why he chose me That his blood was shed for a person like me who still sin

The truth is I don't know why Why had he saved me from eternal separation and why He had to be the sin that I cannot resist and I don't know why but he still chose to save me

The truth is I am not perfect For even if I was created in the image of God Sin has stained my very being from the beginning and I know it will be a form of pride if I say I was blameless because I am not.

Because I am not near to being righteous And if God's glory comes down to meet me right now I will vanish like I never existed For my very being does not deserve His presence

The truth is I am nothing without Him My life will lose its meaning the world would not make sense and I would have never felt the guilt for every action that does not equate to His kindness

The truth is I am still a work in progress A fire within me awakened that day that you hold me dear save me from the den and embrace me as I weep For I know I had run away home and you have waited for so long

The truth is no one can ever love me like you do The calmness in your voice stopped every storm in my head A love that does not get tired, You are sufficient You are the wind that rocks me as I slowly surrender life's baggage

The truth is I am a sinner clothed with his righteousness A savior crucified on the cross, spotless, blameless, guilty for the sins he didn't commit The lamb of God died and was resurrected He said in his words, "It is finished"

The truth is I would stumble and fall People will throw stones at me as they laugh, dare me to call on the God who changed me They will see me as a failure but He will remain He will remain spotless, pure and perfect He will remain as a shepherd, a carpenter, a perfect sacrifice

The truth is I will still feel this negative feeling Weep as I kneel and ask forgiveness for these things was not meant for me to keep Genuine forgiveness as he ran to pick me up Glued me piece by piece and call me His Friend

The truth is He is enough Enough to stop the madness in my heart, his hands reaching out to me saying "I am all that you need." His perfect timing, his perfect will, enough for darkness to flee in my thoughts Lights engulf my body as I now understand why I had to wait

Why I had to get lonely, for in my loneliness I sought the Lord and found love in His presence Why I had to be envious, for in my envy I had focused my eyes on his warmth, not on man, and followed a path that led to Him

Why I had to feel angry, for in my anger I appreciated what He had done in the cross For His wrath is greater than mine but salvation was his response Why I had to be impatient, for my impatience I understood the value of trust for my every step is built with trusting God

Why I had to feel insecure, for my uncertainty I had found the fullness of my being to the Lord His companionship took me to greater heights

Why I had to be jealous, for God is a jealous God He showed me the intensity of how we tend to disregard him and cling to other things I no longer detest his jealousy, I recognize that I am his possession.

Why I had to sin, for in my transgression I can come boldly to Him and humbly ask for his aid To change me, to mold me, to walk the path he intended me to be

The truth is I am unworthy The world has cursed me, I was born carrying an inheritance of sin But He died to overcome the world, The truth is He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life I can come to the Father because the truth is I have been saved by my Savior Jesus Christ.