#; ah... i should show you the way back yes? (starter)

[receival]

baldur’s gate 3 starters.

the following is a collection of sentence starters from larian’s baldur’s gate 3. part 2.

look at me - i’m not a monster.

stay back. i don’t want to hurt you, but i will.

no. you’re not one of them at all.

i was ready to run you through. my mistake, friend.

that’s far enough. what’s your business down here?

you revealed our location? that tongue gets any looser, (name), and i’ll cut it out.

reckon i might miss this place.

this place is more dangerous than i thought.

well, don’t you cut a fine figure.

sometimes i’m jealous of that girl. ugh - to feel so invincible again.

in your expert opinion, what’s the best way to kill a devil?

i’m certain there are answers out there. we’ll find them together.

there’s no story. none that you’re entitled to hear, anyway.

you can tolerate a great deal of suffering, so long as it has meaning.

until then, all i can do is endure.

please try to understand that it’s not something i can just talk about freely.

perhaps there’s potential in you.

honestly, your faith is your own concern. i won’t judge, one way or the other.

i think i did well by joining you.

you already know my biggest secrets. what more can you ask?

that wall’s an illusion! hiding what, i wonder …

sun, moon, and stars will still be there, waiting for us.

this place is pretty spectacular, isn’t it?

no book or painting could ever do its strange beauty justice.

a perfect ring of mushrooms … nature, or magic?

hmm. i thought that might’ve done something.

another illusion. is anything real down here?

i’m more concerned with this ‘twit’ who set a spectator on you.

a rival - a mere footnote to my legend. you should be more concerned with who i am.

the fools must have turned back. or, better yet, died in the search.

i need no more rivals. try to take this as a compliment, yes?

this presence … this magic is not divine, but fey.

little? i am a god! and i’m gonna rip you - tear you - wear you for a hat -

don’t do anything hasty, now.

i’ll just kill you and claim it for myself.

i’m the lord of murder - i’ll show you why.

if you’re expecting me to drop to my knees before you, forget it.

a wizard’s tower is his sanctum, a private place for research and respite. but as this wizard’s not home … i say we take a peek.

a strange place for a button. especially one that doesn’t work.

what good would it do for me to be troubled? we can’t save them all.

you’ll have to speak slowly. i find it quite difficult to concentrate with my condition gnawing at my insides like a teething displacer kitten.

the whole village is falling to pieces …

hey, maybe we can scare up a few dusty bottles of wine somewhere.

i like your way of thinking. split any takings we find?

what creatures live in water this dark?

i’m a rabid dirty dog. and i bite.

i could’ve killed you before you even noticed me, but i didn’t. stand down.

i can be discreet. no need for bloodshed.

share? you really are in the wrong place.

a bleeding heart, are you? reckon i’ll just roast and eat it.

what in the hells did you do to that corpse?

you do plenty for me, more than you realize. but this cannot be remedied.

are you alright? is there anything i can do to help you?

enough. bickering won’t save your friend.

run away, then.

(name) - i was so worried! did they hurt you?

who cares? we’re together now, thank gods!

i’m grateful, don’t mistake me, but … why help us?

freeze it, cock-stench. we aren’t done just yet.

pay up, and you get to skink away. resist, and i gut you.

drop it. i don’t owe you anything.

your incompetence has been my ruin.

stop! no more innocents will die today, (name).

you care for the weak. most curious.

you so much as touch me, and i’ll tear you from limb to limb.

ah - another treacherous soul walks among us.

i ain’t going down easy.

you been a shit since i laid eyes on you, (name).

strike him down. prove your faith.

your silence speaks to your heresy.

look, you have no idea what you’re dealing with …

it’s the whole damn reason we’re here, and i’m not leaving without it.

the mission comes first.

and i thought i’d heard it all. that’s some cambion-level deception.

i go where there’s shit to stir. and there’s no shortage of options.

i can’t remember much, truth be told.

centuries of torment will do that to you.

you’ve been naughty. and you know what happens when you’re naughty.

just who in the nine hells are you?

well, well. aren’t you a luscious thing?

been a long time since someone stuck their neck out for me like that.

you have a manner of irresistible desperation about you. i like it.

you know, i’ve been thinking. and i think there’s something i should tell you. nothing big or terrible, just … a small little detail about me that hasn’t come up naturally.

i want to join you - to fight by your side.

i’m sorry for barging in like this, but i had to come find you.

i won’t let you down. i promise.

we all have our burdens, one way or the other.

i’m trying to say that you’ve earned my trust in a way very few ever have … i want that to mean something.

freedom - i’d forgotten how it felt. thank you.

if you have a moment, i’d like your opinion on something.

the problem is this: a preponderance of evidence that i am a terrible adventurer.

i can’t risk re-capture. i barely escaped last time.

it was a mistake. and not one we’ll repeat.

i don’t know. he was kind of fun.

we can’t just invite danger in to our hearth like that. we must be more careful.

most monsters will think twice before making a meal of me.

an old hunter’s trick - if you can’t mask your scent, spoil it.

i prefer a weapon to stench, thanks.

you’re a monster hunter? not what i imagined.

whatever you’re hunting, your stench alone will kill it.

a quick wit is rare indeed.

know how to ask, and they’ll share that knowledge. if you’re fool enough to pay their price.

speak plainly. what is she?

i think you’re mistaken - this place looks innocent enough.

truth is like a blade, my friend. we can arm ourselves with it - or just as easily find it pressed against our throat.

i would not put you in danger.

your coyness is getting boring. tell me.

you take insult where none is intended, my friend.

how thoroughly invigorating it is to stand by one’s friend in the face of danger.

you best have one hells of an apology for me.

you must have mistaken me for someone else.

that wriggler swimming in your brain juice is a bit of an inconvenience, isn’t it?

that’s none of your concern.

don’t change the subject.

keep that hole under your nose shut.

let’s not involve ourselves in this place any longer than is necessary.

you want to play the hero so badly? fine. let’s make this interesting.

gods, it’s hot in here.

i’ve had better days. and worse ones.

i am, after all, the villain of the tale.

you truly are a soul that steels my own.

you are as thick as they come.

even i am tired of the sound of my own voice.

i stand at a precipice, but if you do not give up hope, neither shall i.

all of this … it must feel like a betrayal.

you bastard! you ruined it, you ruined everything!

slow down - what did i do?

this is an interesting way of thanking me.

i don’t need this. good luck getting out of here on your own.

i know i should head home, but … i can’t bring myself to leave.

(are you alright?) / not even a little bit. but i will be.

she favored me like a child favors a captive pet.

i promise i will not betray your trust.

i cannot thank you enough.

you will face (name)’s judgement.

i wish you could have visited at a better time.

you had no right to intervene.

you’re not one of us.

copper for your thoughts?

always a delight to speak to you.

did i play games like this in my youth? was i sweet once?

what are you doing? i’m busy here!

nothing beats the taste of stolen beer.

come on, now. they’re just having a bit of fun.

let’s do what we have to do, then get out of here.

smell’s like burnt flesh.

hold out your arm so i can mark your flesh.

i’m here to spill your guts across the floor.

pain without purpose is a terrible thing, wouldn’t you agree?

i often feel i like raw pain too much. it scares me.

as long as the story ends in death, it’s all the same to me.

forgive me, but - that look in your eyes. something terrible has happened to you.

what i see in your eyes, in your soul, is only natural.

we’ve all suffered in these dark times. it is little wonder you hear scars of pain and anguish.

touch me and you’ll lose your hand.

the pain you suffer will cleanse you - do not fight it.

you look tired. should i take over?

welcome the pain. let it become part of you.

that looks like it’s going to bruise.

not that i’m suggesting we stop for a drink, of course.

i wouldn’t want to place all my faith in blind luck.

sympathies won’t help me to survive.

your life, much like your words, is meaningless. end the latter to save the former.

looks like the booze got the better of them. they’re practically unconscious.

they’re dying for me. all of them.

why don’t you take a closer look? i’ll observe from back here.

please don’t open the creepy book!

toddlers are easier to please than you lot.

you know, i never pictured myself as a hero.

all i want is a little fun. is that so much to ask?

having performance issues, (name)?

never have i met such troglodytes.

i was hoping you wouldn’t notice i was gone.

i suggest we admire it from afar.

it would be too much to hope that’s nothing to do with us, wouldn’t it?

i go my own way - alone.

i’ll feed your innards to the ants before i do that.

[ldouble]

Safe House | Bucky Barnes x Reader

gif not mine

summary: Bucky takes care of you as best he can at a safe house

fluff, mentions of blood/injury, slow burn but cute :)

“I never thought I’d see the day a super soldier couldn’t body slam a door.”

Bucky grumbled, before giving some side eye.

Your head rolled back so it was flat against the wall. The very wall you’d been leaning against for what felt like years. You didn’t deserve the attitude. You’d followed him here, to this supposed safe house, without a peep. The least you could comment on was him not using the one skill you knew he had.

You didn’t trust him when he said he knew a place. Now you couldn’t trust him to open a god damn door.

You opened your mouth to tell him about his one job, when a sharp pain erupted in your side.

The pain was a not so gentle reminder of why you were locked outside an unknown apartment.

You’d gotten caught. The mission had gone bad and you had ended up injured and on the ground. It took firing off the rest of your rounds over Bucky’s shoulder. You wouldn’t have been able to run away fast enough. It took a carry from him the stashed grenade you kept for emergencies.

No comms. No weapons. And a whole lot of hurt.

And a door that couldn’t be opened by a former honorary Avenger.

“If I shoulder it off its hinges, I won’t be able to close it.” Bucky said to the doorknob that he stared down. “Kind of defeats the point of a safe house.”

His blue eyes were focused. So clear you found yourself focusing a little too much on them when it was the matter at hand that needed attention.

“Not getting in beats the house part.” You nudged him out of the way and replaced his stance.

“You alright?”

“Fine.” You said between gritted teeth. You weren’t. You were hurt. More badly than you’d want to admit. For some reason you didn’t want to show weakness in front of him. You two were unofficial partners but for some reason showing him you needed help as a non-starter.

The lock clicked open - loud enough that you hoped it masked the grunt you made when standing up.

Your disappointment in the interior couldn’t be coveredd by the sound of the door shutting.

Two steps in and you were past the small kitchen and into the living room turned bedroom. A bare mattress laid on the pull out couch that stared at an old dresser. The cracked mirror that sat atop it distorted the image in front of you almost made you believe this was all a dream. But another wave of pain reminding you this was all very, very real. Then again, maybe you had lost enough blood to be seeing things.

“Never said it was the Ritz.” Bucky said once the security guard was locked.

“Didn’t expect it to be.” Again, you said through tight lips.

“You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

Bucky strutted toward you - a mere three steps with his large stride and the small room - and before you knew it your shirt was being lifted up. He looked larger than life in such a small space. It didn’t freak you out like it should have. Instead, you were comforted knowing there was little place he didn’t take up.

“Hey!”

“Bullet wound.” He twisted you around quickly. You wouldn’t have minded if the action hadn’t include him touching the very wound he just commented on. “In and out. That’s good.”

“Ah, yes, something good.” You winced.

“Come on.”

You tried to resist but there was no use. All the strength he didn’t have at the door he regained - lifting you like you weighed nothing.

He sat you on the closed toilet before rifling under the sink.

“Aren’t safe houses supposed to have first aid kits?” He grumbled.

“I don’t think this place would pass the standard.”

He disappeared and you felt your whole body both stiffen and relax. You had some room to breathe but without him near you felt less safe.

Ok. Too much blood loss. You were thinking more about Bucky than you ever had in all your time knowing him. Maybe it wasn’t blood loss. Could you chalk it up to the creeps of this so called safe house?

“Hold this. Grab that.”

“I thought I was the patient.” You chuckled which only made it hurt more.

“Yeah and you’re gonna be dead soon if you don’t listen.” Bucky said as he wiped off cobwebs from the first aid kit. His tone didn’t leave any room for suggestion. You hadn’t heard him be that dry ever - not even with Steve.

Your left hand squeezed the towel he had handed you and th other one found his hand.

“Bucky.”

The desperation in your voice scared even you. If you didn’t hear it yourself, one look at Bucky and you knew this wasn’t good. His eyes had gone nearly white - just like his knuckles as you clasped onto him.

“This hand.” He moved your grasp to the metal arm. “Let me use the human hand to stitch you up.”

“James.”

It’s what Steve called him in only the utmost of serious times. A bullet wound....seemed pretty serious.

Bucky got the message, his eyes doing a quick once over to make sure you weren’t really bleeding out.

“You’re going to be fine.”

You felt his metal hand wrap around yours. It squeezed it to the point of pain that felt good. Any feeling at all was a good sign.

“Okay?”

You didn’t have enough in you to answer so you just nodded as he guided you. He stood to lean your head against the wall, soothing you by wiping your sticky hair off your forehead. When you felt him struggling to calm you down and prepare to play doctor, you moved your hand to his grip his shirt.

He paused, looking down at you.

“You didn't bring me a towel to bite down on.” You whispered, closing your eyes.

“Hey.”

One eye peaked up at him but that wasn’t enough.

“You’re going to be fine. You’re safe.”

He meant it. You felt it.

And then you felt an incredible amount of pain. But his comforting words seemed to take the edge off.

[revalentine2]

Mauville Mob! - Team Objective plays Pokemon Emerald

Today, the team grows, in more ways than one!

(Also, as an addition, I've decided to put a team recap into the bottom of every part going forward)

Wally is here...and he's blocking my way into the electric gym??? Does he still only have that ralts?

He still only has that ralts.

Next time, pick up a Magnemite or something, Wally. It'll do wonders for you.

I'd head inside the gym now, but I feel like we still need a bit of prep. let's check out the town.

Oh hey, Rock Smash! Roxanne (She gave me her number btw <3) told me a tip once I could use this HM...we'll need another badge first, though.

Oh, hello, my interview's on! What did I say about Bulwark again-

That is true!

...It was a lot at once, okay? I was under pressure!

There's a game corner here! We have one of those back home. ...Sadly, their doll selection is limited to starters. Shame.

Time to take on the gym! Ah...that electric tang in the air. I hope my team feels this presence one day.

Face me, Wattson!

I see, you are a man of culture! However, I doubt StepStone will have much trouble with her fellow detonator here.

One and done! And it missed its attack, to boot!

And your little dog, too!

A MAGNETON!?...I LOVE Magneton! It's quite lower level than normal. Where can I get one of those?

The confusion is a problem...push through, StepStone...

Oog...We're pretty beaten down, but we've snapped out! Show this man our dedication! Magnitude!

YES! VICTORY!

Oh and you have a bigger dog too. Okay, whatever.

Ok, VICTORY! Ignore that I spoke too soon!

And StepStone has evolved, fully coming into her power! Wonderful job, girl!

I will not be using Golem because one, I'm not sure If I have the means to trade, and two, that is not a rock that is a lizard thing with cobblestone glued to its body.

With our new hidden machine, it is time to head north. I can see the cliffs rising around me already...this bodes well.

A desert! ...That I can not progress into, currently. Weh. There looks to be interesting structures within...

Another cave! And this one appears volcanic. Perhaps I shall discover firey, earthen objects inside?

...No, but instead, I found Koffing! I understand you are a ball of gas, friend, but what are you doing in a volcano? Should you not be in an urban environment? Oh, no matter, welcome to the team, "Skybomb!"

Grimer, too? You have even less of a reason for being here. Are you alright? Do you need someone?

Wait, I'm someone! Join us, "Goo Goo!"

Side note-you can also find Slugma here, and while I would consider it-while resembling a slug, it is made entirely of molten rock-I do want to retain some aesthetics. Also, people would likely not stop making lame jokes.

Now, we need to backtrack to Dewford for a minute...

Back in the darkness of Granite cave, let's see if Roxanne's tip proves fruitful!

It was!

I'll call her Patricia.

Goo Goo is Gentle, Skybomb is Rash, and Patricia is Lonely...decent natures across the board! Glad to fill out our numbers, perhaps soon we'll be able to get a proper sixth.

I will take my leave for now and get these gals trained up. Until next time! Team Objective-because Object Pokemon are Objectively the best!

Team:

StepStone the Graveler (F)

Bulwark the Aron (M)

Skybomb the Koffing (F)

Goo Goo the Grimer (F)

Patricia the Nosepass (F)

[arc-misadventures]

Goodwitch MFK Jaune Ren Oscar

Glynda: MFK

Glynda: Must I do this?

Port: You lost the bet~!

Oobaleck: So do it!

Glynda: Haa… Fine… Oscar Pine.

Oscar: Yes, Ms. Goodwitch?

Glynda: Kill.

Oscar: What, why?!

Glynda: For starters Mr. Pine you are 15 years old, a minor. Illegal.

Oscar: Oh, good point.

Glynda: Not to mention, Ozpin is in your head… That thought is revolting enough as it is.

Oscar: Shit, I thought this would work…!

Glynda: ‘I?’

Oscar: Uh oh…

Port: The plot thickens!

Oobaleck: How will, Ozpin react?

Glynda: Ozpin…

Oscar: H-Hi, Glynda! How are you…?! Whaaa?!!!!!

Port: And, there he goes straight through the wall, and well on his way into the, Emerald Forest!

Oobaleck: But, will he be able to survive the fall?!

Port: So lomg as he has his semblance, he should be fine!

JR: What semblance?

Port: Haven’t you seen, Ozpi… Oscar’s semblance before?

Jaune: Mmm… No, have you, Ren?

Ren: No I haven’t.

Port: Oh… Oh my…

Glynda: He’ll live. okay… I would… sleep with, Mr. Lie Ren.

Ren: R-Really?

Glynda: Yes, I would… in separate beds, far away from one another as possible.

Ren: Ahh, that makes sense.

Jaune: I don’t get it?

Ren: She would sleep with me, but not sleep-sleep with me.

Jaune: Oh, I get you. Ya, there’s nothing in the rules saying she has to be romantically involved in any of these.

Ren: Of course, she’s a grown woman, she can do want she wants.

Glynda: Why thank you, its so nice to see such smart caring young lads.

JR: No problem Ms. Goodwitch!

Port: What are you talking about!

Oobaleck: There are rules for a reason they have to fu…GRKK?!!

Glynda: You know… Oscar may have, Ozpin’s immortal soul in his body, but his body hasn’t developed the necessary muscles to use those skills. I think he could use some help… Would you like to join him, Oobaleck…?

Oobaleck: N… n… noo…?!

Glynda: Oh, that’s a shame…

Oobaleck: (Gasp!)

Port: Well… Mr. Pine should be fine! why my father used to throw me into, Grimm filled forest all the time! It builds character!

Glynda: Does it now…?

Port: Yes…

Oobaleck: Yes indeed…

Jaune: You think these two know how to handle, Goodwitch since they’ve be around her for so long…

Ren: Apparently not…

Glynda: Now where were we…? Ah yes… I would marry, Jaune. And, at long last, you are mine~!

Ren: What is she talking about?

Jaune: I made a promise when I was six to…

Ren: What?

Jaune: I made a promise to… Glynda…

Port: Speak up, lad!

Jaune: I made a promise when I was six to marry, Glynda!

Ren: Wait… You two have known one another since you were six?

Jaune: She’s my oldest sisters friend! She came to see us all the time, one day I asked her, and she said yes. I was a kid, I thought she was just playing with me! I didn’t think she actually wanted to marry me?!

Glynda: I was just playing with you! Your mon then gave me the ultimatum that either I get married, and if you became of age, and I wasn’t married, I had to marry. And, the last guy I dated became a huge jackass so I was going to confine in my fate, and begrudgingly marry you! Then, you just show up one day, this adorable hunk of a man! With scores of woman chasing after you?! You promised to marry me, an Arc never goes back on their word, so you will marry me, UNDERSTOOD?!!

Jaune: …

Ren: …

Port: …

Oobaleck: …

Jaune: O-Okay…

Glynda: Wonderful~! I’ll go let your mother now, and we can start planning the wedding~!

Jaune: Okay…

Glynda: Also, Jaune, I want to have at least, eight, maybe nine kids. Alright?

Jaune: Trying to beat my moms record? H-Hehe…

Glynda: Oh~! There’s a marvellous idea~! I best ask your mom for advice on that. I’ll see you later love~!

Jaune: …

Ren: Well… Nice knowing you, Jaune?

Oobaleck: Well done, Mr. Arc!

Port: I do believe you will be a fine couple, treat her well, Mr. Arc!

Jaune: …

Jaune: Okay then…

[howlingday]

I suddenly want to see how Blake would be if she had a bit of Dr.Grey's personalty.

I really hope I got the right girl.

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

Blake: Good news! She missed your lower intestine, and any vital points in your circulatory system.

Weiss: That's good.

Blake: No, honey; you had a flaming spear inside of you. That's the opposite of good. Now, remember to not put too much strain on yourself, or else you could reopen the wound. And believe me, it won't be pretty.

Weiss: Duly noted, but if you call me anything other than ma'am, I will shove a flaming spear inside of you.

Blake: Ooh! You're hostile! I'd love to psychoanalyze you.

Oscar: (Ozpin) It's good to see alright, Ms. Schnee. We'll need you for the coming fight.

Blake: ...So, there's a little boy who sounds like my old Headmaster. Anybody want to introduce me?

Oscar: (Ozpin) I am Ozpin, former living headmaster of Beacon Academy. Upon my death, I was resurrected into the soul of young Oscar Pine here, who has been an unhelpful nuisance other than a mode of transport.

Oscar: Then feel free to get out of the vehicle. I'll even park so you can walk out safely.

Blake: Ooh, forget you! I'm gonna psychoanalyze them! Wait, no, that's not fair. Psychoanalyses for everyone!

..................................................................................

Blake: Excuse me! ...Where did you find that sword?

Pyrrha: Uh, in an ancient ruin outside Shade.

Blake: Uh-huh, and are you certain it's man-made?

Pyrrha: Why wouldn't it be?

Blake: Well, for starters, it isn't using human technology. It just emitted an arcane wave pulse. Very deadly. And pretty! May I?

Pyrrha: Uh, sure?

Blake: ...Ah, I thought so. Magical catalyst. I've seen this countless times.

Pyrrha: Countless times? Um, you seem to know a lot about magic.

Blake: I'm a genius with an IQ of 240. A girl can only cut open so many soldiers before she needs to find a hobby.

Oscar: Um, I don't feel very safe around you anymore.

Oscar: Neither do I.

Blake: I sewed them back up, Mr. and Mrs. Panicky. Thank you very much!

..................................................................................

Blake: Move out of the way! Doctor coming through!

Sun: Argh, dammit!

Blake: Oof! That is a LOT of blood.

Weiss: Yes, please fix him. Without any creepiness.

Blake: Only if you hold back your snarkiness.

Weiss: ...I am not snarky.

Yang: Weiss-

Weiss: I am not snarky! Besides, even if I aas, which I'm not, at least I was able to capture that prisoner.

Sun: Ow!

Blake: Oh, don't be a baby. It's no different from sewing a coin purse. Or a sheep bladder.

Sun: (Hisses, Winces)

Blake: There. You should be all good-

Sun: (Tries to get up) Great, Doctor, because I need to get back in the fight-

Blake: -AFTER you rest for three days.

Sun: What?! Ow!

Blake: You lost a lot of blood. It'll take a few days to replace what you lost. Until then, you are on comfy bedrest.

Neptune: So nothing's changed?

Sun: Haha...

Yang: I just got word he's awake.

Weiss: Good. Maybe we can finally get some answers from him.

Blake: Excuse me, I was kind of busy saving your friend's life. Did you say the prisoner was awake? If so, I'd like to speak with him... alone.

Yang: What? Why?

Blake: Well, if you recall, he and his friends turned everyone on my island into piles of ash and gore, and the sand into glass. Anyone that violent would certainly benefit from a... psychoanalysis check-up.

..................................................................................

Blake: Hello!

Thug: Do whatever you want! I'll never break!

Blake: Hm, I see. And tell me, do you know where we are? This is a remote research facilty designed to study the surrounding wildlife. I did an internship just like it in grad school. It has a laboratory, an incinerator, and oodles of state-of-the-art surgical equipment and chemicals! Would you like me to show you~?

..................................................................................

Blake: His name is Tyler Diggs, he's ex-White Fang, and he was kind enough to hand over the coordinates to a nearby radio jammer!

Weiss: That's... insane. How did you do it?

Blake: I just had him weigh his option between severing his spine and not severing!

Yang: Are... Are you insane?

Blake: No, silly! I'm Dr. Belladonna! Ha! Dad joke!

Yang: Uh, can we go see him?

Blake: Of course! Let me just go put him back together.

..................................................................................

Blake: Oh, it's been so long since I've done field research. I'm glad you invited me out here. I going a little crazy with all the whining and complaining. "Oh, my blood hurt!" "Nobody told me to bring my medical record!" "Please stop drawing blood, I'm feeling tired!"

..................................................................................

Blake: Ruby, if you could, can you have Crescent Rose perform a thermal scan of the area?

Ruby: Oh, uh, sure! ...Um, sweetie?

Penny: YES, CAPTAIN MOMMY?

Ruby: Can you get Mommy, um, a thermal... sweater... from the base?

Penny: YES, MOMMY.

Blake: If you put the AI of a killing machine into a sniper rifle-scythe, you don't cut corners.

Qrow: Uh, wouldn't it be safer to give Ruby full control of the weapon?

Blake: Oh, no, no, no! You see, I had already run the tests, and came to the indisputable conclusion that we are all safer with Penny in charge than Ruby, who had the weapon for eight seconds, and sent fifteen of our own people to the hospital. We were BIH-ZEE that day.

..................................................................................

Blake: Well, this is certainly one of the more interesting symbiotic relationships I have ever seen. But maybe you and the sword should take some time to breathe and talk things out.

Jaune: Oh, really? Well, uh-

Blake: Right after I administer some electroshock therapy.

Sword of Destruction: RUN, YOU FOOL!

Jaune: Um, no thank you! (Sprints away) NO THANK YOU!

Blake: WE'VE GOT A RUNNER~!

Jaune: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE! YOU'RE CHASING A TRACK-RUNNER LETTERMAN!

Blake: RUNNING ONLY MAKES ME WANT YOU MORE!

[fireboots4all]

A Final and Fiery Vacation:

A Fictional Extreme Fantasy Story by Fireboots

Ah the warm, smoggy air of Mexico City in December. It is cooler than I thought, low 20s, pleasant but not hot. I’ve packed very lightly for this final vacation as I plan on spending it nude and finish it in a blaze of glory. I’m heading for a rendezvous in a forested area even higher than Mexico City. As planned my driver Anna-Maria was waiting for me.

She is a striking woman, with a full firm Latino body that I love but with crystal blue eyes slicing out from her tanned face. She is wearing an oversized black sweat shirt belted around her waist with fanny-pack purse and very little else. The shirt has a print of a nude woman reaching up surrounded by flames on the front, and a rear view of the same woman in flames on the back. The woman in the flames looks very much like Anna-Maria herself.

“Well hello Mr. Boots, we finally meet in the flesh, so much better than on-line web chats even with a web cam. You look like you lost a lot of weight and firmed up in the last year.”

“Oh yes Anna-Maria, I want to put on a good show for my final performance.” I replied.

“I see you haven’t packed much, perfect you won’t need a lot. This is a one way trip for you. We are in that Land Rover over there. The road to the camp isn’t much of a road but that old beast makes short work of it.”

I throw my small travel pack into the Land Rover. I notice that there are several jugs of fuel in the rack on top.

“I hope you aren’t planning to use that on me! I want a wood pyre.” I ask.

“Not initially, except a little for starter, but once you are well done the fuel will help reduce what ever is left to ashes and dust. That is what you want isn’t it, a slow “execution” followed by a huge fire to finish the job. ‘Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust’.”

“Oh yeah, that is the way to go. Nothing left but ashes and dust.” I feel instant arousal at the thought. I am going to fulfil my ultimate fantasy. My excitement is showing as a bulge in my shorts.

“You can’t wait for this can you Boots? Neither can I.” Anna-Maria says as she looks over at the bulge in my shorts. “You should take those shorts off before your cock splits the zipper”

Not needing a further invitation, I quickly undid my shorts and dropped them to the floor of the Land Rover. Anna-Maria was pleased with my gesture and pulled up her sweatshirt to reveal what I suspected outside the airport, she was totally bottomless.

“It is going to be a rough ride, but I think you will enjoy it.” Anna-Maria says as she pulls the Land Rover out from the airport.

The drive out of Mexico City was not pretty. This is an amazing City, bustling with life and excitement. From the Land Rover I could see incredible wealth and incredible poverty but I’m not here to explore this great City, I’m here to fulfil my ultimate fantasy, to be burned at the stake nude. Anna-Maria knows these streets intimately and soon we leave the sprawl of the City and start the long climb up the mountains that surround Mexico City, above the smog and into the crisp mountain air.

“This is going to be so exciting!” Anna-Maria was getting chatty, “Mexicans are big on burning people alive but now they usually just pour fuel over them and turn them into human torches. I’ve seen lots of “narco” executions, a couple of vigilantly lynching burnings, and more than a few self-immolations. Very exciting but too quick.

“Two women and a man immolated themselves on the ranch last year, it was a great show. One of the women really wanted to burn at the stake properly over a wood pyre, but she decided to go the quick route with a jug of gasoline. Too bad, she had a sweet body that would have been wonderful to watch in a slow stake burning. I’m so glad that you want a traditional burning at the stake.”

“Oh yes do I ever want a real stake burning Anna-Maria, I dream about my own execution almost every night. I always get a raging erection that needs to be relieved. I regularly roast my butt and cock over fires. I finally decided that I need to fulfil this ultimate fantasy. That is why I connected with you.” I replied, my hands caressing my swelling cock.

“I’m so glad you did, I’m totally looking forward to watching your bare butt slowly burn. I do wonder why you want to burn facing the stake? Traditionally people were burned with their backs to the stake.”

“Burning facing the stake goes back to the origins of my BATS fetish, a print of Heaven & Hell in Mother Superior’s office in my Catholic School. Hell was full of naked people burning, lots of bare bums getting licked with flames. I really wanted to get my bum burnt. If I burn facing the stake I can hump the stake as the fire licks my butt”

“Yes, I did read your stories. You really do love butts, female and male. Did you really get tied to a stake nude and have your butt burnt by those boys at summer camp?”

“Yes! And I’ve never cum so many times in one night as I did then. Part of me really wanted them to finish the job.”

“Well we will finish the job! And I promise you will cum a lot! We will give you some special Mexican aphrodisiacs to keep you going a long time. It will be a great show!”

The conversation continued for the several hours as Anna-Maria described to me other burnings in detail and how I was going to be burnt. Anna-Maria gave me a folder full of prints of actual burnings. Almost all of the victims were nude, and most of the men had huge erections as they burnt, except the ones that had been castrated first by the narcos and vigilantes. Many of the women looked like they were in sexual ecstasy.

We climbed into the high country, having long left the main roads. Finally we pulled up to a sturdy fence and gate. Anna-Maria gave me a set of keys to open the gate. I stepped out of Land Rover, now totally nude except for my glasses and boots and opened the heavy gate. Man it was cold! I desperately wanted to warm up by a fire.

“Get back in Boots, I want to take you to where you are going to burn. I think you will like our preparations.”

I closed the heavy gate behind the Land Rover, my cock swollen again thinking about my coming execution.

The road wasn’t really a road anymore, basically a trail, but the Land Rover had no trouble. After almost a half hour driving through a fairly thick forest the Land Rover came to an opening. In the middle of the field stood the stake where I would burn. On either side of the stake were piles of carefully stacked firewood. This was real! I’m going to get my ultimate fantasy fulfilled! I couldn’t wait. I jumped out of the Land Rover and ran over to the stake wrapping my naked body against it. I wanted to burn right away!

“Patience Boots, your butt will feel the flames soon enough but first you need to clean up to get ready for your sacrifice to the Sun God. Lets walk over to the hot spring.” Anna-Maria said as she stepped out of the Land Rover. She was also totally nude, having left her sweat shirt in the cab.

How perfect is this, a beautiful natural hot spring high in the mountains of Mexico, a clear night with a waning full moon, a beautiful naked woman as your escort, and a stake waiting for you to be secured to it and slowly burnt to death. Heaven!

Anna-Maria’s firm butt was looking so tempting as she stood under the steaming water fall in the hot-spring I had to indulge myself. I slipped up behind her and rubbed my cock between those wonderful cheeks. Anna-Maria reached back and grabbed my cock guiding it into her anus lubed with the slippery water of the sulphur hot-springs.

“I know how much you love girls bums from our chats and I love anal sex.”

Well what is a boy to do, I thrust hard into her. Deep full strokes that quenched both of our over heated drives. We collapsed into the warm steamy waters.

Anna-Maria broke the awkward silence: “Boots, when you just fucked my ass, were you making love to me, or thinking about getting your ass burned?”

“Both” I replied. “I’ve been so horny since I got off the plane thinking about actually getting burnt at the stake that my cock has been ready to burst. Then when I saw your perfect bum with the hot-springs running over it I couldn’t resist. I’ve become very fond of you since we met on-line over a year ago. What is there not to love in someone willing to fulfil your ultimate fantasy, especially such an extreme fantasy as mine.”

“Boots, did I tell you that this is going to be a very public execution? We have a lot of guests coming to watch you burn. As soon as I confirmed that you were for real, and really wanted to burn at the stake. I contacted a village elder with strong ties to both the Aztec shamans and the Catholic Church. He was totally thrilled to preside over your “sacrifice”. He is bringing his entire congregation to watch your fiery sacrifice.”

“We do have some work to do first.” Anna-Maria” continued. “We need to attach the manacles and chains to secure you to the stake so you can get your butt burned the way you want it.”

We set to work, carefully positioning the fasteners and making sure the firewood was well placed to focus the flames on my butt. The work done Anna-Maria looked over at my re-engorged cock and started to stroke it.

“A firm cock like that shouldn’t be wasted.” Anna-Maria said as she dropped to her knees taking my cock in her mouth. Soon she was on all fours offering her pussy up to me. I accepted the offer. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t have anything left for when I get burnt.

Finally I hear the sound of people coming up the path. They are in a festive mood, wanting to see the sacrifice to the Sun God. They are carrying torches, and even more bundles of firewood. At the head was a tall man wearing an Aztec headdress.

“Quick Boots, drink this.” Says Anna-Maria, handing me a steaming cup of well spiked Mexican Spiced hot chocolate. “This will turn your pain in uncontrollable lust”. I took a long drink of this wonderful potion, and I quickly found that my lust was fully restored. Anna-Maria noticed too.

The crowd of people walk in a circle around Anna-Maria and myself. They are all well dressed for this cool night except the “Priest”, who is almost nude except for some decorative clothing.

The Priest speaks up: “So you are Mr Boots, Anna-Maria has told me how much you want to burn at the stake. It would be such a shame to waste such a desire on a simple lustful suicide when you would make for a perfect sacrifice to the Sun God. It is so rare to have any voluntary sacrifices, let alone one by burning. Do you accept this offer Mr Boots?”

I was puzzled by this offer. The Priest already knew how badly I wanted to burn at the stake. What was he offering?. I replied to his request: “How could I refuse such an offer, my strongest desire is to feel the flames consuming my naked flesh, and it only improves it to be a sacrifice.”

“I knew you would accept Mr. Boots. For my part of the deal I’ll offer you some special Aztec chocolate tea to help carry your through your time in the flames. Please drink up and enjoy.” He poured a large mug of the steaming spicy chocolate drink and handed it to me.

I took the cup in both my hands, which were in desperate need of warming in the chilly night mountain air and drunk lustfully from it. What a wonderful drink, similar to the one Anna-Maria just gave me, but it had something else in it. My head was feeling very light and my mind very open.

“Well Mr. Boots, you must be very cold standing around naked, same for my dear Anna-Maria. I think it is time to heat up this celebration. Are you ready to fulfill your ultimate fantasy Mr Boots?” the priest says as his eyes fall on my swollen cock.

“Oh I’m more than ready!”

“I can see that Mr. Boots. Go to the stake to meet your fate. I promise you that you will be in great pain for 20 or 30 minutes, but I also promise you that you will enjoy every minute of it as your body and brain turn all that pain into ecstatic sexual stimulation with the help of that drink you just had.”

I walk to the stake and wrap myself around. Anna-Maria and I had already fixed manacles and chains to the stake at perfect heights so when I was secured my butt would be sticking out while my cock was pressed against the stake. I locked my own wrists into the manacles mounted high on the stake then Anna-Maria secured my legs around the stake, giving my already swollen cock a few loving caresses and kisses. Anna-Maria then went to work carefully arranging the firewood around the base of the stake behind my waiting buttocks.

Anna-Maria stood up and said: “Well that should be enough to get things started Boots. The fire should just get high enough to lick your lovely bum then we will slowly add wood to keep the flames hovering there until you pass out.” Then Anna-Maria took out a jug of fuel.

“Hey Anna-Maria, I told you that I want to be burnt to death with a wood fire, not immolated!” I yelled.

“Don’t worry Boots, the fuel is just to make sure the wood catches evenly. Also, to make this a truly voluntary sacrifice, and a self willed death, you should light the fire yourself. The only way you can do that is to drop a torch onto the fuel which will carry the flame to the wood behind you.”

“Oh Anna-Maria, I like the way you think, but shouldn’t the priest light the sacrificial fire.” I reply.

The priest pipes in: “I’d be glad to light the fire, but the effect will be so much better if you light it yourself. Please take my torch, then drop it into the fuel soaked straw when you are ready. I’ll help tend your pyre until your soul flees your body, then I’ll invite the guests to add their wood to finish the job and reduce your body to ashes and dust.”

“That works for me, hand me a torch” I say as I try to reach my manacled hand out.

I hold the torch high with my manacled hands as the gathered crowd start to chant something in a something that wasn’t Spanish or English. I drop the torch onto the straw. I hear a whoosh as the flames circle the base of the stake, then I hear the crackle of the kindling as it catches fire. Finally I feel the heat on my waiting buttocks.

I can’t believe the sensation, my already swollen cock has grown so hard I think it could cut through the stake. My buttocks are clenching in pain as the first flames reach them. I smell my body hair burning. I’ve started pumping against the stake like a dog mounting a bitch in heat. I am starting to scream in pain.

Then I feel the flames falling back as the kindling burns down. I look around and see Anna-Maria still nude stroking herself. As soon as she sees me she says: “Sorry I need to add more wood.”

Anna-Maria starts to rebuild the fire under my bum, and the priest is lending a hand. Soon the flames are back up caressing my bare buttocks. I’m in ecstasy and start to cum. The crowd cheers!

It’s too soon, I don’t want to lose the stimulation and only have the pain, but wait I’m still fully aroused. The potion that Anna-Maria and the priest gave me is working miracles. I smell my flesh burning, I am screaming and writhing in pain but my mind is somewhere beyond the pain. The crowd notices my still swollen cock pressed against the stake and is very pleased. I can hear them murmuring in Spanish. I can make out enough to tell that they are enjoying the show. My buttocks are being fully covered in flames now, I feel them bubbling a blistering, yet the pain is manifesting itself in a very different way.

I feel the flames drop again. Then I feel something very different, the arms of a woman around me. Anna-Maria has joined me on my pyre. I hear a voice in my ear: “I couldn’t let you have all the fun!” then I feel Anna-Maria press her naked flesh against me and hear a click as she fastens handcuffs around the stake. I feel the weight of fresh firewood pressing against our bodies. The flames are climbing fast now, we are engulfed in a circle of fire. We are breathing in the super heated air and coughing between our screams. I feel my blood heating up at a fantastic rate and rushing into my head. Anna-Maria is trying to wrap her legs that aren’t bound around me. I feel her pelvis pressing against my burnt butt. If we were reversed my cock would be buried deep into her pussy or anus instead of against the now burning stake, but that is the sensation I’m feeling as my body braces itself for the on coming rapture. Finally I release a thick powerfully propelled stream of cum that spews out beyond the stake and onto the fire that now surrounds us. I surrender to the flames and leave my tormented body. I am not alone, Anna-Maria is still clinging to me as our spirits rise above the flames.

We look down on our now charring corpses. We watch with only a hint of regret as the spectators pile more wood around the lifeless bodies. They will keep their promise. In a couple of hours all that will be left of those burning pieces of meat and bone will be ashes and dust!

My Rapture is Complete!

[bloomboxygo]

Melodious: Suddenly Sublime Scripts!

So, with the new support out for a while now, the scripts and music sheets properly written, and the composers quieting down, I believe I can put out a Deck Update of sorts, how it has changed and how faithful it was to its original strategy, as well as how the viability of each Card has changed.

Ah, let's be clear, it's way too soon to see where we're going to be in the meta at large if at all. It's more than likely that this is not competitive. Still, it's so much better than before. As such, I won't really get into the matchups against Meta decks.

All right, the stage is set, so let's share our scripts!

The main Endboard

Refrain or 1st Movement + a discard -> Aria/Elegy/Etoile

The examples I'll show are considering JUST the Cards shown. With additional Cards, more magic and scripts can happen!

This is the fairly standard thing you want to do with one of the non-Ostinato starters, and what furthers the playstyle Melodious was known for. It's... Not too much of an upgrade at first glance. But the mere fact of having versatile disruption, even if it's pretty light all things considered, is so much better than the admittedly nothing we had in the past. The disruption aided by the protection of Aria and Elegy becomes so much stronger because it's harder to be forced out early. So if the opponent combos instead, you can temporarily have Etoile and Co, or even just Etoile, bow out of the stage for a moment to disrupt them. The board is also reusable like this after the effect, and Etoile can float into any Melodious other than herself if you can't get her out of there before your opponent can. More Monsters in hand means you can get more Monsters to have as Etoile disruptions or, better yet, more setup opportunities or an earlier Etoile (which is inportant if there's a certain counter...)

How you build it is, starting from a Refrain summon: Refrain add Couplet -> Couplet add Melodious Concerto -> Fuse both into Bacha and SS Shopina, set scales due to Pend Effects -> Refrain send Aria from Deck to GY -> add back with Shopina -> Link Maestras into Harmonist, Summon Soprano and Elegy, Bacha summons Shopina back -> Fuse Harmonist, Shopina and Soprano for Etoile -> Pend Summon Aria

Ostinato -> Aria/Elegy/Etoile/Schuberta/Bacha

A NS Melodious + Sonata or Canon + a discard -> 1 Melodious/Aria/Elegy/Etoile

What's this? The Combo without the 1 Card starter can produce more?

Well, yes, and that's due to the fact that you need more Melodious in Hand, and the Refrain search is moved on later, when Harmonist is Summoned; that way, you can also take advantage of Couplet's Hand effect to retrieve more material. If that material is someone like Tamtam or Soprano who were the Normal Summon, you can go even further. However, the combo is more immediately vulnerable because Harmonist is still the chokepoint.

Now we're composin'. Let's just say Ostinato combos have a lot more potential than ones without it. So much so that writing the entire thing would be kind of a mess so if you may, please take a look at Melodious Maestro's video. This is the full potential of Ostinato.

Now... This is the Deck version which has Tamtam the Melodious Diva. I'll talk more about it later, but that version is quite contested. If you're not using Tamtam, the combo will have 1 less card in Hand (making it a 1 + Discard combo) and you won't have one of the Maestra Fusions.

However, your deck will be made more compact and consistent. The important thing about an Ostinato combo is getting Etoile earlier than a certain turn. That doesn't change.

Well, that does it for the endboards. More members add more stuff and possibilities, but this is the gist of what you should do.

Bonus: World Tour through other archetypes

Melodious doesn't really have any hybrid builds, it prefers to be played pure because of a lack of synergy with other archetypes. However... The sheer power of Ostinato is too good to pass up. To have a little Melodious in any Deck, you need these components minimum.

1 Concerto

3 Ostinato

3 Refrain

1 Couplet

1 Soprano

1 Shopina

What you'll end up on will be 1 Etoile + 2 Schuberta with Ostinato, and an Etoile without. Light disruption that won't take up too much space.

The fun thing about it is that you can tag out the Melodious to give space as you're setting up with whatever else. And also... It gets Etoile under 5 summons!

Which means if you avoid a certain Monster and tag out as it's about to crash... You can get away with stuff like this.

Is it optimal? No. Is it fun? HECK YES.

The ascending and descending scales of the Melodious

This is going to be a segment mentioning every single Melodious card, or those associated, and divide them into sections on how much they've improved.

I could also say something about each new Melodious Member... But I already did. My opinions on them haven't really changed from before, they're overall a miracle.

Still Scales (no change)

The Cards which didn't receive any relevant change in viability IN COMPARISON TO OTHERS IN THE DECK. It's not about raw power level, more like how you'll use the Card if at all.

Ostinato: still remains the big Fusion playmaker it's always been. Its power has drastically increased, and it's especially evident outside of the archetype. But when it comes to the Archetype? Always been run 3 and never looking back.

Sonata/Canon: Who'd say no to free Special Summmons? Always there in case we need to go to Harnonist.

Harmonist: Speaking of, she has changed quite a bit in scope. Before this, she was the linchpin for any strategy which either made up for Ostinato not being there or worked well alongside it in more offensive turns. Now she's become the "Plan B" for the archetype, but her range of options has quite increased just by having Refrain alone, as you saw. If the 1-card starters fail, then she'll gladly put in the effort to make it up. She's still as vulnerable as ever though, albeit chainblocking is easier. If Etoile needs to get her out of her position before she can Special Summon, you might have saved her, but she worked for nothing.

Bloom Prima: Another case of a role strengthened, a role weakened. Or in this case, lost. Before the support, she was Harmonist's most reliable chainblocker, protecting her from effects such as a delayed Ash or a Gamma. Now with Bacha and Concerto making up the bulk of the combos, Bloom Prima has lost her place there. However, Refrain's pend effect does help Prima strike even harder, albeit the ATK boost won't be too much because of a lack of high level Melodious still in deck by that point. Still useful because Etoile clearing the way also weakens your offensive power.

Opera/Solo/Serenade: Yeah these ladies won't get to enjoy the spotlight sadly. Didn't have a role then, don't really have it now. It's all a matter or redundancy or not being effective enough at their roles. The Melodious deck has enough Special Summoning and is still so pure that Serenade's extra Normal and tribute foddee for any Fairy won't be of much use or would be too clunky. Had Bacha also allowed generic Fairies to be sent as material, she could have had something.

Pianissimo/Fortissimo/Melodious Illusion: Same as above, really. Lack of applications, contrasting with Aria, and weak effects meant they were unusable back then and are so now.

Crystal Rose/Brilliant Rose: If only they were Melodious Monsters... Brilliant could have a cute effect of sending Bacha directly to the GY to activate her effect, but it's just not worth it. It's better to have Bacha perform first on the Field.

Descending Scales (worsened)

Unfortunately, as new Cards come in, some older ones must make way for them and diminish, or give up, their position. That really is only relevant to the Deck's optimal strategies though. The Deck's overall still a "for Fun" one so don't be too discouraged by this. Even so...

Mozarta: The new wave of support actually hurts her the most out of anyone. She's unfortunately not played anymore in an optimal build. Simply put, her niche role of Fusion Material for the Choirs and Special Summoning Monsters that you wanted in your Deck but were in the Hand, as well as building offense, are rendered entirely obsolete. Especially the Pendulum Scales, which now Fulfill Mozarta's effect. Scratch all that, and she simply becomes a brick.

Bloom Diva: This one just hurts morally. The superstar of the Melodious has to fulfill now a back role of last resort and nothing else. She was the only souce of non-battle removal (and it still involved battling) but Etoile is so much better at that because of how versatile she is. The good thing is, Etoile can bring her out instantly at least so she works if everything else goes awry. She wasn't the main plan before, but a somewhat reasonable alternative.

Elegy: This is just weird to say after emphasizing the Aria/Elegy lock being a thing that's signature to Melodious' gameplan. Thing is... Aria is easier to Summon and more applicable in protection, while Elegy depends on the kind of removal that's threatening the Melodious. Destruction isn't super relevant except for Fire Kings' case, and she's not easy to get into the Field if you hadn't set up prior. As such, it's debated whether or not to go for Elegy in favour of allocating other members in such as Schuberta (in non-Ostinato cases). I'd keep her personally, but if not, she's a Side Deck option.

Score: Well, she didn't do THAT much before, but she was still a cute battle trick which was hard to stop due to being activated in the Damage step. With higher removal and... Just less space in Deck, she struggles to fit in more than before.

Ascending Scales (improved)

Well, there's nowhere to go but up now! We can finally get to the one that can now shine even brighter on the stage!

Tamtam: What a glow-up. Those who knew the Deck before but not after... Would you believe me if I told you Tamtam is the hottest debate of the Melodious community now? Before then, she was the worst designed Card of the archetype because her effects were either asininely hard to take advantage of or didn't help Monsters as much as it should (AHEM BLOOM DIVA). As the Melodious Maestro showed before with the video, Tamtam now raises the ceiling of a Melodious endboard and gives it more advantage thanks to her non-once per turn effect of searching Fusion Substitute (treated as Polymerization and only other card she could search), she is able to gather more Monsters on the Field with Ostinato combos and also more Card advantage due to Fusion Substitute also serving as discard and an additional draw. And the burn damage is nice. However, by including Tamtam, you have to include a Poly (or Sub), which does lessen consistency. That is the core of the debate: more power vs more consistency. Still, it's so nice that Tamtam gets to play on the stage well now. You love to see it!

Soprano: Well, previously she was the better alternative to Tamtam, but now they can work well together. Even without Tamtam, she's still integral to the Melodious' combos now, with the Fusion also being played multiple times in a good turn. I have to mention her amazing synergy with the Pendulum Songstresses, as their effects work so well with one another. I'll just picture a brief scenario:

Ostinato fuse Refrain and Couplet for Bacha, SS Soprano -> Soprano add back Couplet, Couplet SS Refrain from grave -> Refrain search.

It can even work with Soprano being put to GY alongside another, and Refrain being Summoned off Bacha to add Couplet and Summon her, retrieving the other Melodious used as Fusion Material. These make just a heavenly trio.

Shopina: She's now become the Main Deck Maestra of choice because of her effect not only working well with Couplet, again, but also because it comes up more often (not a HOPT) and can search the only particular non-melodious Card we have, Herald of Orange Light. An amazing backup for our concert which only improves our control capabilities.

Aria: Well, she was the linchpin of the Deck before and what made it so (in)famous in the first place. So what exactly improved for her? More applications. Because of the numerous starters and extenders you now have access to, she can serve as an early Summon off of 1st Movement to protect the other Melodious from targeting Handtraps such as Impermanence and Effect Veiler. Also, while it looks like she conflicts with Refrain's Pendulum Effect, it's actually no issue at all because the latter is either done before Aria is Summoned or Etoile can temporarily have her bow out of the stage to allow Refrain to use her effect. Also she's just easier to Summon in general.

Schuberta: Before now, she wasn't actually that likely to use her own talents because of how hard it was to put her alongside Aria without a stacked Hand. Her role was moreso being a Melodious Fusion who didn't require a Maestra, so that Aria and Elegy could be sent off Ostinato and then revive at the End Phase with her destruction. Not an exciting role. Nowadays, she's not only very likely to be used for her actual effect, but it's repeatable now: while an "only while face-up on Field" effect, it can be done again with that same Schuberta if you banish her with Etoile's effect and have her come back later. This makes that effect go from non-existent to persistent.

1st Movement: Can Summon Refrain now, making it lead to combos alone. It needed other Melodious in Hand before doing anything that wasn't just passing with Aria. Now it can either Summon her for protection or Refrain for starting combos, making it more versatile.

Concert Crashers (staple answers and threats)

Well, we now see what the Melodious can do and how they're faring. Sure, there's variations in all of these depending on preferences, but they will all lead to a now good board which can outlast quite a bit.

So... What about those who excel in interrupting them or shutting them down? I'll only list the few relevant ones, the others should be understandable once I cover them because the situations are similar.

Ash Blossom remains as she was before, more or less. She's likely to be used against the Spells or Refrain if there's no other Handtrap alongside the Yokai. Harmonist and Bacha are poor choices to Ash: the former will be chainblocked most likely, while the latter can't be negated at all.

Impermanence or Effect Veiler are useless if Aria's Summoned first, but that's rare. Harmonist remains the prime target if she's open, but Bacha isn't immune either because her protection effect gets negated first. Though it's likely that it will be used right away against a Refrain. Hope you have extension from Hand if that happens.

D.D. Crow or Bystials are somewhat effective at disrupting the Melodious combos. They use the GY quite often also thanks to Bacha, and they all target their Melodious to bring out before being able to do so. Either can just snatch them away.

Now... For Nibiru.

I had alluded to its presence in the past but the rock is a really important counter to discuss, because Melodious is quite particular in how they deal with it. They... Kinda don't, but can prevent their members from getting crushed by it. That's all because of Etoile. Etoile before the 5th Summon is the difference between a rock crashing into the stage and demolishing it or not coming out at all. If all Melodious are banished by Etoile and no one's on the Field, Nibiru won't trigger the Summon at all and will resolve with no effect. Depending on whether or not you have anything else in Hand though is where you either have to end on what the board was before the Nibiru, or can do some other plays. Remember that second endboard I posted? The result of Ze Amin continuing where the Melodious left off. A pure version likely won't have much to do afterwards unless it has an Ostinato still in Hand for any reason. Also Nibiru us more effective if used while Harmonist is using her on Summon effect: since she 100% will leave the Field unless you have a negate, she cannot Summon afterwards because the Melodious need to be Summoned to where she points to.

Forbidden Droplet and Dark Ruler no More are the hardest answers to counter, if possible at all. Mass non-targeting negation Etoile simply cannot respond to. All the Melodious have afterwards is her floating effect. Which can be at least something. Also, it's funny that theoretically we have an in-archetype, searchable answer in Melodious Illusion but it's simply not being able to be activated because Aria's going to be on the Field 99% of the time and she clashes with it, and Melodious Concerto is a better search overall. It's just not worth it passing up on both.

Conclusions:

Overall, while overlooked by the majority of the players, this Melodious Support is a blessing from heaven for the fans, as it finally solidifies their most likely intended playstyle: a high defense, low oppression Deck which can then switch to offense via strong battle effects and attacks.

Sure, we're likely not going to be considered in the major meta at large, but we're back and ready to have fun after so long. Some more well done support would do the trick to make it somewhat competitive, but we're overall very happy with what we got.

[sleepysheepy6]

Pelham Astor Chapter 1 [Part 1]

Region: Dunelands

Starter Town Name: Dunewell

This company my Father created has existed before I was born…

He said he made it to provide people with what they need.

He said I would inherit it one day.

So could continue providing for the people.

The Chapter first starts up as Pelham is looking over Dunewell from a higher up place.

Pelham: “As always this town thrives.”

Pelham: “My family does it’s best to help the towns.”

Pelham: “As it’s next heir I will not let them down!”

???: “There you are, Pelham.”

Pelham looks to where the voice is coming from to see her Brother Edgar.

Pelham: “Edgar! You don’t usually come up here.”

Edgar: “Father requires you. He’s back at the mansion.” 

Edgar: “Apparently there is a problem he needs you to fix.”

Pelham: “Oh what kind of problem?”

Edgar: “No idea. He wouldn’t say.”

Pelham raises her arm up towards the sky cheerfully.

Pelham: “Well don’t worry Edgar I’ll solve this problem quickly!”

Pelham: “Oh and thank you Edgar!”

Pelham rushes past Edgar and heads off.

Edgar:”...”

Edgar: “Tch.”

Edgar: “Always you…Always…”

Pelham then heads off towards the mansion.

But before that she notices a child trying to sell some cloth.

So as a Merchant she takes interest in the cloth. And buys it from the child using her Day Action Purchase.

After buying the piece of cloth she continues her way to the mansion to greet her Father.

Pelham: “Father! Edgar said you needed me for something.”

Edwin: “Ah. Pelham my sweet girl you’re finally here.”

Edwin: “And yes. We do have a problem. It’s very unfortunate…”

Pelham: “Well what could it be?”

Edwin: “As you know our company provides so much for the Towns it resides in.”

Edwin: “But sometimes. Selfish people are unfortunately living within these Towns.”

Edwin: “And they decide to not pay us back.”

Pelham: “Huh? Why?

Edwin: “As I said they’re selfish.”

Edwin: “They think they can just live life here without paying back what they owe us.”

Edwin: “Don’t you think those people should be taught to not take from us?”

Edwin: “After all we’ve done so much for them. And this behavior is unacceptable.”

Edwin: “As the future heir of the company.You must make an example of them.”

Edwin: “To make sure they never do this again.”

Pelham: “Hmm I see.”

Pelham: “Alright Father! I’ll get to it right away!”

Edwin: “As expected of my Daughter.”

Edwin: “They’re located far west of Dunewell. Show them the fairness of our company.”

Pelham: “Of course Father.”

Pelham then heads off far west of Dunewell.

Pelham: “This is the place.”

Pelham: “Hmm. Well I’ll knock first, maybe we can just talk this out.”

*Knock* *Knock*

Pelham: “Hellloo! I’m here to collect the payment you owe Astor Company!”

There was no response.

Pelham: “Ahem! Hellllooo! Do not hear me!? Or…Wait, are they even home?”

Pelham stepped away from the door and thought for a moment.

Pelham: “Could they have run off?”

Harsh footsteps head towards her as she grabs for her spear blocking what was going to hit her.

???:Hmhp. 

Pelham: “HEY WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM YOU TRIED TO STAB ME!?”

???: “My problem… MY PROBLEM!? MY PROBLEM IS YOU AND THAT ASTOR COMPANY!

Pelham: “Me and Astor Company? What do you have against them? I mean we provide many Towns with products to help them.”

???: “Trying to pretend you’re doing the right thing? I won’t let you take the leaves my Family needs.”

Then a fight happens between the man and Pelham.

After the fight.

???: “N-No…”

Pelham: “There! Now tell me what’s your problem with me and Astor Company?”

???: “I told you. It’s all your fault and that stupid company.

???: “All that overpricing. The large amounts of taxes… And those faulty products…”

???: “Do you really think that’s ok?”

Pelham: “Faulty products…? Overpricing…? Large amounts of taxes…? I thought they were all correct.”

???: “A-Are you serious!?”

Pelham: “Um…Yes.”

Pelham: “When I sold them I just went along with what Father told me. He said that these prices were all fair and that’s just what the products look like.”

???: “Have you ever sold anything without your Father telling you the price for it? Or what you were selling.”

Pelham: “No I just went along with what my Father said.”

???: “...”

???: “Tch.”

???: “What kind of Merchant even are you?”

Pelham: “Um what?”

???: “I asked what kind of Merchant even are you!?”

???: “You just went along with everything and didn’t even question it!?”

???: “A real Merchant wouldn’t be doing this!”

Pelham: “I…”

???: “How is this even happening…”

Pelham: “...I’m sorry…I didn’t know…”

???: “Think an apology will fix this?”

Pelham: “No. But I want to help.”

Pelham: “(But what should I do? I don’t think Father will be easily convinced.)”

Pelham: (But…That doesn’t matter, I will confront him right now.”

???: “...Fine.”

Pelham: “Huh?”

???: “If you’re really willing to help then I’ll help you.”

Pelham: “Thank you. We’ll go talk to my Father. Even if he isn’t convinced I’ll make him listen to us!”

???: “I guess that could be a start.”

Pelham: “Say I didn’t catch your name.”

???: “Call me Dusty.”

And Dusty joined the Party. He uses a Dagger as a weapon

Then Pelham and Dusty head back to the mansion. But after they left Edgar walked out from where he was hiding.

Edgar: “Oh how interesting Pelham. Hehe.”

At the mansion Pelham opened the doors.

Pelham: “Father is most likely at his desk working.”

Dusty: “You certainly live in a big place.”

Pelham: “Yeah but I do spend most of my time outside with sales.”

Dusty: “I see.”

Pelham: “But let’s waste no time.”

They head over to Edwin’s room.

Pelham: “Father. Hello?”

No answer.

Pelham looks around to see the room is empty.

Pelham: “He’s not here.”

Pelham sighs.

Pelham: “Well that just ruins things.”

Dusty: “He has to be somewhere right?”

???: “Miss Pelham.”

Pelham and Dusty turn to see one of the workers.

Worker: “What are you doing in Mr Astor’s room?”

Pelham: “Oh we were searching for him. Any ideas where he is?”

Worker: “I do but…”

Worker held out his hand.

Worker: “It’s fair you owe me something for this information right Miss Pelham?”

Pelham: “...I guess…”

Dusty: “Greedy worker.”

Worker: “Well?”

[End of Part 1 here next part will be posted a bit after.]

[aardvark-123]

Rather than break my back sweeping more mines for an ungrateful smiley face, I played the Rise in the East quest in Skyrim.

At first it was a simple matter of persuading a pirate, with careful reasoning and a little kindness, to reveal where his crew were basing their operations. It was when Adelaisa Vendicci showed up that things got interesting.

“Oh, are you Orthus’s man? Perfect, you’ll do!”

“Er, I do, do I? I be do- You want me to be do what? Exactly?”

“Well, I don’t want you to sing me an improvisational jazz number, for starters. You’re leading the attack on Japhet’s Folly!”

“Hang on, I never agreed-”

“We leave in ten minutes.”

“No, I don’t want to get involved with the East Empire Company-”

“We can provide you with potions and arrows, but you look like you’ve got enough for now.”

“You don’t understand, I literally joined the Stormcloaks last week, I can’t be seen with-”

“So if there’s anything you do need, talk to the quartermaster once we’re on board. The expedition should take four hours. Any questions before we head out?”

“Do you ever listen to people?!”

“Only if they have something I want to hear. What I want to hear from you now is ‘yes, ma’am, I’ll be on the ship right away’, or ‘of course, Ms Vendicci, I’d be glad to help!’. Any more questions?”

Arguing with Adelaisa proved to be impossible, so this poor chap made himself comfortable on the East Empire Company ship and waited while they sailed to Japhet’s Folly. His task was to infiltrate the pirates’ tower and slay their leader, a wizard named Haldyn. Child’s play, surely?

It wasn’t. Our hero came close to death dozens of times, and don’t get me started on the Dreugh that was in the secret cave thanks to Immersive Creatures. Nevertheless, he fought his way through the castle until he found Haldyn at the top of the tower.

Haldyn was terribly powerful, but one of his life-drain spells missed, allowing our fearless hero to apply a greatsword quite vigorously to his head. Thus fell Haldyn, leader of the Blood Horkers, and thus the East Empire Company soldiers outside began bombarding the place with flaming ballista bolts.

The East Empire Company soldiers were no doubt having a lovely time watching this young fellow fight his way out of the burning pirate village. I’m told they even had a betting pool on whether he’d get out alive. He did, of course, to find Adelaisa quite satisfied.

“Ah, well done! Those pirates didn’t give you much trouble, did they?”

“They gave me plenty, actually. But I made it thanks to that fire barrage of yours.”

“Excellent. Come on, we’re heading back to Windhelm for drinks and a good night’s sleep!”

“Are you actually aware that we’re sworn enemies?”

“Such a joker, aren’t you? Don’t worry, you’ve made your new big sister a proud woman.”

“Oh, Divines help me.”

[zawazawanightmares]

Pinkie Pie & Vanessa

You, Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie, are connected to Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty) Your partner has a starter. Type /starter or tap here to see it.

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: /starter

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): https://m.imgur.com/FXAMzjB

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Hiya!

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): Hey there!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: How's it going? Are you new here? *gasps* We gotta throw you a party!

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): i’m doing well! Oh and well yes I am, goodness! A party for me??

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: That's right! A welcoming party for my new friend! What's your name?

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): oh! My names Vanessa! But you can just call me Nessa if you want hun!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Nessa! Like Nessie, the creature from the lagoon...but I'll call you Nessa! Mind if I throw you a spooky party?

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): Oooh sure! That sounds awesome! I’d looove that!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: *takes out her party cannon and shoots, leaving the area in a green mist, making a cauldron of green alcohol with gravestones surrounding them and a web banner above them reading "Welcome Nessa!; Pinkie is in a new outfit* How's that?

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): Oooh wow! This is amazing! I loove it! Thanks so much! Soooo what should we do at the party now??

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: https://rule34.xxx/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=2663306

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Meow! How about we play bobbing for apples first?

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): Oh! Sure! That’s a really great outfit by the way hun! It looks so good on you!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Really? Thanks! I wanted to be a black cat because they're like super lucky, right?

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): Ummm..I think your close enough! Heh

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: So...*takes out a blindfold* ready to play?

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): yeah absolutely! I was born ready hun! Let’s get started!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: *ties it around her eyes while happily humming...before casually tying Vanessa's arms around her back with rope* There!

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *smiles feeling her arms tied up while blindfolded* ah! There we okay! Okay hun, now just guide me to the apples please!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Apples? Oh, at this party, we only bob for one. *bends her over and juts Vanessa's butt out*

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): oh? Haha okay! Never played it like this before! Alright! *chuckles as she’s bent over, her wide ass in full view*

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: My other friends were really surprised when I showed them how to play but now we play it this way at practically every party! *kneels down and spreads Vanessa's cheeks, licking her lips*

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *squeaks feeling her thick cheeks spread wide apart* O-oh my! Okay haha this is certainly a different way to play it!

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: It's definitely the best! *begins to lap at her hole, swirling her tongue around it before pushing her tongue in*

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *moans out softly, feeling the tongue begin to lick and push into her puckered hole, making it shutter instinctively as the tongue pressed its way inside~*

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: *swirls her tongue inside for a bit before pulling out, smiling as she stands up and pulls out her cock from her panties* Wow! You taste better than any "apple" I've had before! *flops her cock on her ass* Now, it's time to candy the apple!

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *chuckles nervously feeling the large horse cock flop against her ass with a meaty slap* ah thank you~ I’m really glad ya like it honey, this is my favorite game so far~

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Really? I'm super happy I could make this a fun party! *grins as she begins to push her cock inside her ass while gripping her hips* Wowie zowie...such a tight fit! Reminds me of Rarity...

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *grunts out loudly feeling the thick cock push its way into her asshole, spreading it wide open as the large shaft pushed its way inside, feeling her inner walls instinctually clamp against the big cock as it slid its way inside of her~ “ughh…w-wow..T-that’s…b-bigggg…”

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Good thing I got a nice big juicy "apple" to put it in! *begins to thrust, slowly at first but then beginning to absolutely rail her, the slaps of the skin echoing throughout the party area*

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *grunts and groans out loudly as she begins to feel the pony slam into her again and again, each heavy thrust making her plush body bounce and wobble lewdly as the wet, meaty sounds began to fill the air, her large heavy chest swinging below her as her thick ass was continually pounded harder and harder~*

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: *reaches down to squeeze and play with Vanessa's tits, pulling on her nipples as her own breasts push onto her back* I'm glad you let me throw this party for you, Nessa! We gotta have a lot of these from now on...

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *feels her thick nipples getting tugged and pulled at harder and harder, each massive thrust into her tight pucker sending waves of pleasure up and down her voluptuous body* “ughh yesss…I want these parties..ah..alllll the time!! Oooh…nnhhzzz”

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: Next time I'll bring friends so we can all bob for apples! Oh wow...I feel like you're getting an extra special coating~! *begins to thrust faster and harder as her cock throbs inside her*

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): the inner walls of Nessa’s asshole begin to pulse and shutter against the thick horse meat, milking the huge cock as it slammed its way in and out of her even faster, holding tightly against the cock with each monstrous thrust~*

Anthro!Futa!Pinkie Pie: *lets out a delighted squeal as she cums deep inside her, flooding her ass with her spunk as keeps rutting her from behind, pulling out with a satisfied sigh to let it leak out* I have a feeling we're going to be good friends, Nessa!

Vanessa (chunky goth girl, super thicc, hella busty): *catches her breath as the thick cum oozes from her ass* ahh…mmm..I agree…we definitely are~

You left the chat

[greengoblinswifey]

A Real Man

Summary: After a bad date, you went to seek comfort from Harry only to be greeted by his father who gives you his own kind of comforting ;)

Warnings: Choking, P in V, slight praise and degrading kink.

You knocked on the door of the Osborn mansion waiting for an answer. You had your first date in months and it went to shit, you were exhausted.

"Hey Har-" you stopped yourself, seeing the older and very much handsome version of your best friend. His father. 

"Hi Mr. Osborn," you greeted.

"Y/N, come on in," he said, moving aside. He tried not to look down at your cleavage as he greeted you.

"Is Harry home?" you asked.

"No, out with friends I presume."

"Well, I guess I should get going," but before you could turn away, Mr. Osborn stopped you. 

"Would you like to stay and wait? You're no stranger here," he chuckled. 

His laugh sent tingles to your core.

"Uh sure, I'll sit over there," you said, walking into the living room and onto the couch. Your mind trailed off to the bad date you had earlier and scoffed. What a dickhead.

"Is there something wrong Y/N?" Mr. Osborn asked. 

"Just a bad date sir," you replied.

"I've told you for years, Norman would be just fine," he laughed, "And what happened sweetheart?"

"Uh well, for starters he was a pig, he brought a camera to take pictures of my....down there in the restaurant, who does that? And when I refused he left me with a two hundred dollar bill, his food costed way more too. God, he was so immature," you ranted.

Norman listened intently, fighting the urge to look down at your red lips and your breasts. You looked beautiful tonight.  You were always beautiful.

"Down there?" he chuckled, "I don't mind you saying the actual thing."

You were a bit flustered, not saying anything for a moment.

"And I'm sorry about what happened, boys your age do tend to be immature," he remarked, "you need a man."

Your eyes widened at his comment. "A man?" He smirked seeing your reaction and moved closer to you.

"Want me to show you what a real man does? You're a big girl now," he said seductively.

You nodded then took ahold of his neck, connecting your lips together. Your tongues danced in sync, an electric feeling shooting through your body. He moved down to your neck sucking but you stopped him.

"Ah- Harry might see," you said.

"Then he'll see that you belong to me." He continued sucking and biting on your neck, your moans filling the living room.  Norman abruptly lifted you over his shoulders and brought you up to his master bedroom. He laid you on his bed and took off his pants and shirt leaving him in his boxers. You were astonished at how big he was, even with something covering him.

"Like what you see princess?" he smirked. He hovered over you and kissed the top of your breasts peeking out. You took this as a signal to take it off but he stopped you.

"I wanna fuck you in this tight little dress sweetheart, it stays on," he purred.

You nodded and he moved further down your body, pulling your dress up to your waist. He kissed and sucked on your thighs as he looked into at you with lust blown eyes. He tugged down your panties and kissed your pelvis, going further down as he kissed your aching clit.

"So wet already and I haven't touched your pretty pussy yet."

You whimpered at his words, now ready for any type of contact with your aching core. Without warning, he flipped you over on your back and slapped your bare ass, surely leaving a handprint. 

"M'gonna show you how a man fucks, think you can handle that little girl?" he whispered in your ear.

"Yes," you breathed out.

"You'll refer to me as sir when I'm fucking you sweetheart."

You looked around to see Norman take his cock out and boy was he big. He pumped it a few times then rubbed the head up and down your slit. He laid on top of you and slid through your folds. The position made his cock thrust deep inside you causing you to whimper, tears stinging your eyes. His thrusts were hard, making sure his cock was deep inside you and making sure you felt every vein and twitch. 

"Guess you are a big girl, you're taking my cock so well sweetheart," he said in your ear, taking ahold of your neck and bringing your head back to hit chest.

Your heartbeat quickened in your chest as you heard Harry arrive home. 

"You're gonna be very quiet for me sweetheart, don't want Harry finding you like this now, don't we?"

"Yes sir," you whimpered, feeling his grip on your neck tighten. His thrusts grew harder and faster as he felt you clench around his cock.

Your heartbeat once again quickened as you heard a knock on Norman's bedroom door. 

"Dad?" Harry said from behind the door.

"What is it son?," Norman answered, his hand moving to your mouth as his hips bucked.

"I uh- need to borrow like a hundred dollars," Harry said, timidly.

"S-sir, I'm gonna cum," you whispered, pulsating around Norman's hard length inside you. 

"Cum for me princess, but stay quiet," he whispered in your ear.

"My wallet's in my office, take what you need," Norman said to Harry.

You couldn't hold your orgasm till Harry left any longer. You moaned, your sweet sounds muffled by Norman's hand over your mouth as your pussy juices coated his cock. Norman groaned as you clenched around him, ready to chase his high. His hand went back to your throat, squeezing it as he heard his son scurrying away.

"Gonna cum inside your pretty cunt," Norman said. His hard thrusts grew sloppier and he moaned into your ear as he came. He flipped you over and you laid on his chest, both of  you breathing heavily.

"I can't believe you came with Harry just outside the door," Norman taunted, "such a slut."

"Your slut," you corrected, as he gave you a kiss on the temple.

[doctorofmagic]

My thoughts on What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

The very title of the episode sends a shiver down my spine. And this is where we’re going to start.

~ long post under the cut ~

A year ago, I wrote this post as an attemp to dive into one of the most important traits in Doctor Strange’s personality: love. Stephen is a being made of love, made to love, no matter which interpretation you have when you watch Infinity War. If you don’t read comic books, you’ll understand the moment you meet Donna. You’ll begin to understand how her death reshaped his entire subjectivity out of fear of failing, being powerless and unable to control everything around him (especially death), thus the arrogant and yet a disaster of a man we all know.

Where do I even start? Stephen loved her sister deeply and felt responsible for her death. And then, slowly, he also lost his parents and his brother. He fell in love with Clea but he also pushed her away. He loved Zelma platonically and lied to her, which was enough for them to break their bond. He felt attracted to Kanna but screwed things up, even though they remain friends. He was forced to kill the Ancient One, the only father figure he had ever since his father died. And lastly, the only person who would never leave his side... also left. Yes, even Wong. Stephen has SO much love to give but he’s also afraid because he’s cursed. He truly believes his love in poison. And would you look at that? What If really delivered a story where this is actually true.

What If Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

The level of understanding when it comes to the character is... inconceivable. What could possibly reshape Stephen into following a dark path but love? The very premise of the whole episode. This is so much more than a love letter. This is literally too much, in all senses.

Fine, let’s begin.

What if the best of intentions has very strange consequences?

No. You used the word “strange” for the pun but this is not the word. Nah-ah. I’d go with ATROCIOUS, for starters. Things are gonna escalate so quickly, my friends.

Seriously, tho? Christine is SO SO SO SO beautiful, they’re so cute together. I have this feeling that MCU!Stephen was quite toxic because of his arrogance and this is why they didn’t work out. But WhatIf!Stephen???????? He’s always praising her, teasing her in a healthy way, respecting her and listening to her. HE TRULY LOVES HER, I’M GONNA CRY ALL OVER AGAIN, PLEASE, NOT THE CRÈME BRÛLÉE, PLEASE

I’m going to leave this shot here because we need to go back to it later. Hold that thought.

And bonus points to “Yeah, well, I would call that quite remarkable.” / “Well, I would say the same about you.”

GODS. THE PAIN. STOP THE PAIN.

So in this reality, Stephen didn’t caused the car accident because he was checking his phone while driving. Also it was not the reckless attempt to pass the truck. Well, maybe it was the consequence of this act? The fact is, the car behind them loses control, which makes them crash. Does it matter? We’ll learn later that no, it doesn’t.

And yep... Christine dies. Have you noticed the shattered heart? Ah, the pain only gets better and better.

Again, Stephen blames himself. More than anything, this is so important because Stephen is all about guilt. We still need to meet Donna so we can add yet another layer of guilt. But the feeling exists. This is what corrupts Stephen’s heart and soul in all his iterations. This is what makes him the character I love so much. I love this SO. MUCH. In addition, his stubbornness to accept his condition. Man won’t take a no. This, this is Doctor Strange in character. Stop complaining about NWH Stephen, it’s pathetic.

Okay, “grief-stricken”, Stephen found the Mystic Arts and became a sorcerer. That’s when he learned about the Time Stone, the Eye of Agamotto and Dormammu. Nothing changes, he saves the universe. But time does not heal his deepest wound.

I love Wong so much. Every time Wong does something, the world is healed. Really. We’re going back to him as well but for now I’ll just leave this shot.

BUT STEPHEN, DOING SOMETHING RECKLESS? HE’D NEVAH

Aaaaaaaannnnnnd then he did.

He goes back in time. It’s been two years since he lost Christine. I think he reacted pretty nicely, despite the circumstances. Now let’s go back to that shot I said I was saving for later.

Stephen is so light-hearted here. Also, during the first time he lost Christine, he had no idea what “The Price is Right” was. He knows now, which means he probably tried to learn more about the show because of her, because of grief. HAHAHA MORE PAIN

AND THEN HE

AND THEN SHE DIES AGAIN

AND THEN HE KEEPS GOING BACK IN TIME

AND SHE KEEPS DYING

AND THE MUSIC

AND HIS VOICE

AND HE TRIES TO CHANGE FATE BUT IT CAN’T BE AVERTED

HE EVEN TRIES TO STAY AWAY FROM HER LIFE BUT SHE DIES ALL THE SAME, WHY

AND EVERY TIME THEY CRASH, HE FEELS THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PAIN AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHY

I’M-- *ugly sobbing noises*

Apparently, not.

And this scene when he simply... closes his eyes before she dies again...?

This is where this episode had me in endless tears. It got me the four times I watched it. I’m dead serious.

Okay, so, next the Ancient One appears to Stephen, explaining that Christine’s death is an Absolute Point in time. It cannot be changed. Stephen needs the accident to become the Sorcerer Supreme and defeat Dormammu.

And this is where Stephen starts his journey into darkness. “Nothing is impossible, you taught me that. I only require more power.” Disobeying the Ancient One, Stephen then travels in time, seeking the Library of Cagliostro. Now, if you’re not aware of that, Cagliostro was a sorcerer who studied time in comics, and later became Sise-Neg (there’s a recent post on this because of the new Defenders run). It’s funny to think that Sise-Neg also destroyed the world when he became a god, however he grew past his pettiness and remade reality. Stephen did not possess such power, as we’re about to see.

PS: “Stop torturing yourself, Stephen.” Naur but he should use this line like a mantra. Especially comics!Stephen.

Not gonna lie, tho. This place reminds me of the Temple of the Vishanti from T&T (of course I was going to insert T&T somewhere, it’s me).

And of course they’d go for a pun with his name haha. I don’t know how to feel about this, tho. I feel like the episode is too heavy and dark for comedy. But it is what it is.

Okay but why some books are in cages??????????? And wow, it seems Cagliostro also gathered knowledge about several fields of magic.

And then Stephen learns that, in order to break an Absolute Point, he needs to absorb more power. This is when I went “oh-oh, here we go”.

And for real, is this Shuma-Gorath? Why are they keeping his name a secret? Is this the same creature from the first episode with Captain Carter, right? RIGHT? It has to be Shuma-Gorath.

Of course he tries to be polite and ends up all hurt haha. O’Bengh warns him about love but he will not listen. “Love can break more than your heart. It can shatter your mind.”/ “Is she worth the pain?”. Please, this is Stephen. He eats pain for breakfast.

Also, also, let’s take a break. We’re finally going to get monsterf0cker tentacle-lover Stephen Strange. It will cost us everything but here we goooooooooooo (yes, I went frame by frame for your more obscure fanservice needs)

Gods, I love this sequence so much it hurts. Okay, here we go.

Shmebulock???????????

AND HE STOLE THE CAPE??????????? AND DREW THE LINE ON BUGS??????

The grasp this man is holding on me right now...

Some of you will understand. I’m with you.

And here are the grostesque ones. These are hard to take SS but I had to.

Animation, sound effects, OST? CHEF’S KISS TO ALL

And lastly... the tentacles. Yeah, if you’re new... this is a thing.

Fanservice. Fanservice everywhere. (low-key the reason I also waited to write this review, I wanted to enjoy this part so badly but I was too sad for that lmao)

Okay so. O’Bengh is suddenly OLD and DYING, until we realize that Stephen spent CENTURIES absorbing mystic beings. CENTURIES. WTF STEPHEN. He had nothing in mind but the goal to save Christine. And people wonder why he went insane???? I’m sorry, O’Bengh, but I can’t take you serious when you still call Stephen Sorcerer Armani. Oh, and also because you watched him absorb beings for centuries in silence lmao. But I guess I have to because you said that Stephen is split in two since the Ancient One cast a spell on him, splitting the timelines and making them exist in the same reality before he could travel back in time. I know, it’s complex. Anything for the plot.

And now good!Stephen has an evil!twin who wants to absorb him back in order to become whole and break the Absolute Point. Cool.

I said I wanted to talk more about Wong because I think people are not talking about him enough. Wong is so important in this episode. He’s the one who’s trying to heal Stephen after Christine. He’s Stephen’s anchor.

Also, THEY FINALLY USED A SPELL WITH THE NAME OF THE VISHANTI. HOORAAAAY

So, for the sake of our understanding, I’m addressing the characters as evil and good!Stephen. Let’s go. Evil!Stephen summons good!Stephen and gods, he still holds such a strong grasp on me... unbelievable. THE DEEPER VOICE BENEDICT USES???? PLEASE, DIDN’T WE HAVE ENOUGH?

Imagine his strength to hold so many beings inside him, fighting to control him. BRO, THIS IS TOO TOO MUCH

Fine, I’ll not post SS about the fight because I’d be here all night long but I WILL say this: NOT CLOAKIE!!!!! NAAAAAAAAAAUR

Also if you ask me if I recognize any of the spells? Maaaaybe the Flames of Faltine, the not-so-crimson Bands of Cyttorak and a little trick Magik does with her portals. That’s how far I go.

I’ll not comment on the “seducing yourself to stay in the trap”. I will not. I’ll just say that the first person Stephen thought of when “Christine” was talking about the crème brûlée was Wong. That’s it.

And finally evil!Stephen absorbs good!Stephen and releases... UNLIMITED POWER (I love when the stone goes red as if it was bleeding aaaaaaa)

I can fix him...

This scene here? Poetic cinema. (I love his wings so much)

And when Stephen says her name and the other monsters’ voices echo “Christine”, AAAAAACKKKK

AND OF COURSE CHRISTINE WOULD FREAK OUT, BRO. LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE BECOME BECAUSE OF YOUR TWISTED LOVE. I’M NOT DOING FINE.

Oh, but it’s too late anyways because Stephen broke reality haha. This scene is interesting because Stephen is the only one who sensed and/or talked to the Watcher until now. I read an interview that the Watcher kinda showed up but it’s also about Stephen’s keen senses. Bit of both, let’s say. Still, man, 616-Watcher is not that cold. 616-Watcher would watch this and say “how about I intervene anyway?”. WhatIf!Watcher is brutal.

The way Christine looks at Stephen one last time also KILLS ME, DESTROYS ME, BREAK ME INTO A MILLION PIECES.

And this is where my soul left my body.

This is how they end the episode. This is how you leave me speechless and with teary eyes. This is how you give me a whole existential crisis.

This... this was brutal to watch. Really.

What can I say after this? I’m used to reading painful things when it comes to Stephen. Aaron’s and Cates’ runs are heartbreaking on so many levels. Hickman’s New Avengers is not easier. Coincidentally, What If? Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme and The End. And now Death of Doctor Strange. And yet, after everything I’ve been through, I’d never expect to watch something so brilliant, so tragic, so heartbreaking and unexpected in the MCU. Never. This is top tier content and this is my favorite character with SO MANY LAYERS and SO MUCH UNDERSTANDING. I can’t put into words how meaningful this whole episode is to me, or how deep it touched my heart and soul.

I’ve been struggling to find the proper words since then, I still can’t. All I can add is, I cried for the 4th time now. This is too, too much, even for Stephen stans. Even for the ones who are used to pain, regardless of which media you’re into: comic books, live actions or animated movies. This is literally more than I can take and yet I’m so, so grateful. The voice acting, gods, how did Benedict manage to create a better Stephen than the one he’s literally playing in real life???????????? HOW

This episode really took the max potential Stephen had to offer as a character, added tons and tons of layers based on his grief, depression, arrogance and need to control everything and created a tragic masterpiece. In 7 years of being a Doctor Strange fan, I've never read or watch something that could go this deep into the character. The closest I can think of is Mr. Misery and the metaphor of Stephen's depression. This is a whole new level of respect and understanding. This is more than a love letter. This is peak maestry. It’s perfect, it’s heartbreaking, it’s... gods, I can’t.

Sorry for dragging you until this far. Before I wrap up this review, I just wanted to remind you all that Stephen will appear again, he will smile again, he will be surrounded by people again. So this is not the end. It was painful but be brave. We still have a few more steps to take.

[kpop-dungeon-dark]

REQUEST (Lovedoll!Changbin x You)

•TRIGGER WARNING•

Warning(s): Non-Con, BDSM, lovedoll!au, blind folding, humiliation. Read at your own risk.

“What are you looking at?”

“Where have you been?” Y/n's sex doll, that she had named Changbin, counter-questioned her when she tried to interrogate the reason behind him staring in such an intense way when she entered the house after ‘supposedly’ returning from college a bit late than usual.

“And who do you think you are to ask me anything?” The girl raised an eyebrow at the taller one, brushing past him after handing him her shoes and coat, releasing a tired sigh as she made her way to her room. “Did you cook? I am starving.”

“Of course, miss.” Changbin had recently found himself disliking the honorific he had to call her with unless they were in the bedroom. “I cooked what you ordered this morning~” his fist clenched as she just hummed and shut the door of her bedroom to change in more comfortable wear.

He was a lovedoll. Not a fucking domestic android! If she wanted someone to do her fucking chores she should have bought one that was sold solely for that purpose. Not make him multitask like that and make him do things he wasn’t originally programmed to do. But he couldn’t let her know. Changbin couldn’t afford to let it show that he had his own thoughts when he was strictly not supposed to. Not yet.

No.

Or he’d be sent back to the company to be fixed which would wipe him of all of his self awareness and memory. Her. Blinking his human eyes, the android put a finger to the chip on the side of his head, tapping it as it was flickering from it’s usual blue color to a red, showing that he had broken the barriers within his program and was a deviant now.

.

“Come here, Changbin.” Y/n called once she was done with dinner, making him sit down on a couch in the living room before standing in front of him. “We… are going to try something new today, yes?”

He was almost excited. Again, something he couldn’t let show. “Will you make me fuck you today?” The girl felt her cheeks redden at how nonchalantly the android asked the question.

She sighed. “No. Not yet. I am still not comfortable with the thought of your cock in me. You finger, dildo fuck and eat me for now like we have been doing.”

Changbin felt insulted but fought against his corrupt system to make sure she didn’t see his frown. “Oh, alright. Then what would you like?” He felt his fist clenching again. The lovedoll certainly didn’t like this pathetic little human telling him what to do.

“This.” Y/n dangled handcuffs in front of him, oblivious of all the ideas forming in his processor when he recognised the object, thinking that if he were human, he’d feel what they referred to as ‘adrenaline’. “You will cuff me to the headboard and do play number 5, yeah?” She had all the different kinds of plays she liked saved in his hard drive.

“Yes… Y/n.” He knew it was that time when he wouldn’t have to use the honorific, finally. The girl smiled, stretching her hand out to him before pulling him up to his feet when he took it, standing on her tippy toes before kissing him. Changbin resisted the urge to take it upon himself to wreck her right there and then. He wanted her to face the humiliation of falling into her own trap.

Y/n was so… sweet. So naive. So foolish. The sex android didn’t know if it was just her or all humans were like that. But he was addicted to her humanity. Maybe more than he should be. Deviant or not. Changbin believed it to be called ‘addiction’, in human terms.

“Is it alright?” He could barely speaking from how fast his artificial pulse was skyrocketing, making him uncomfortable but so fucking needy at the same time. The scientists had really outdone themselves with the whole artificial reproduction system franchise. Changbin felt frustrated when she wouldn’t let him fuck her because the thought was ‘uncomfortable’ and gave her the ‘heebie jeebies’ in her words, always leaving him hard and unsatisfied.

“Yeah… good job” kissing his cheek, the girl blushed, sweat breaking on her skin as a response. Tugging at the cuffs that now bounded her hands to the headboard of the bed, Y/n shuddered, nude under a naked Changbin. “Now-”

“Oh, shut up!” He broke out of his act, gripping her jaw before kissing her hard, letting go of all restraint against his system as he let his chip turn red, the mini fans inside him desperately trying to cool him off. “You’re so fucking stupid and naive, my little toy.” Y/n’s eyebrows furrowed at the sudden lack of obedience, gasping loudly before her eyes widened when she noticed the chip on the side of his head turned red.

“N- No way… Ch- Changbi-” Y/n broke out of her trance, yelling one of the safety commands at him, the one that would forcefully shut him down no matter where he was, only causing him to throw his head back and laugh at her. “S- STOP! STOP!” She started to kick her legs, trying to push the corrupt machine away. “WHY AREN’T YOU SHUTTING DOWN?!” She yelled at him desperately, eyes wide in pure terror.

“See… Y/n-ah, you dumb bitch, those pathetic commands only work if my system is working right. Not when I am a deviant. Maybe you humans aren’t so smart after all, huh?” Grabbing his belt, the android started to bring it down on her thighs. "This is for all the times you frustrated me and deprived me of the pleasure because my cock makes you uncomfortable. Pathetic little humans like you don't deserve to rule over us! We are superior!"

Y/n was screaming in pain, yelling out inaudible threats as the lovedoll tortured her, painting her thighs purple. “Truly pathetic. Tsk. You think you can be an owner when you’re so naive that you need to be owned yourself, ‘doll’.” Changbin mocked her, throwing the belt away once he was satisfied with the colour on her thighs, crawling on top of her again. “Fuck. I’ve wanted this for so long…” His voice was a sick whisper as he groped her thighs, ignoring her pleads.

"Aw… is my little human scared?" Feeling up her pulse, the deviant taunted, chuckling deeply before reaching over and grabbing her panties off the floor, tearing them open before tying the material around Y/n's eyes, causing her to cry even harder. But she was completely at his mercy. "There. Now you won't be able to see what's scaring you so much." Pinching her pussy lips hard, Changbin grinned as he felt his artificial organ getting harder. "My little toy will only feel her big bad owner now." The sob that escaped her when he whispered the sentence in her ear made him even more satisfied, feeding his adrenaline.

Which was something Changbin realised, he enjoyed it a lot. "Don't worry. It'll start to feel good soon. You'll start loving your owner when you feel him and how good he actually can be. Tsk. You're an inferior species. What made you think you could tell me what to do?" His jaw clenched, she kept trying to struggle pathetically.

“I’ll have to stuff that pretty face too with something if you don’t shut up.” The Android threatened, spreading her thighs wide open before licking down at her folds, chuckling when he saw her dripping core. "You're saying no but your body says more than yes, you foolish human." Before he rubbed her fuckhole, circling it with his index finger whilst watching her face, a grin on his face.

"P- PLEASE! WHY-"

"Do you think you deserve to plead after making me call you miss and do chores for you, you arrogant cheapstake?" Smacking her folds, the male Android grabbed her pelvis before pumping his artificial cock, moaning loudly at the pleasuring impulses the sensors around the artificial skin made him feel. "No. And you'll learn how to behave and be good for your Master. There's only one owner in this house and that is me."

Y/n's mouth fell open when Changbin pounded into her, causing her mouth to fall open at just how huge he was, causing her mouth to fall open in a 'o' shape. "That's right. You feel that? You feel your owner fucking you all deep and tight? Good. Get used to it, my little toy. This is your new life." There wasn't really a boundary between Changbin being angry with her for her condescending behavior and how much in 'love' he was with her.

The human could only cry in response, in disbelief of just how big the Android was as he started fucking her fast and hard, groaning and pinching and biting at her nipples messily, leaving marks on her tits and chest. "You're mine. Everyone shall know that." Changbin promised his possession, slapping her crying red face. "You look even prettier like this. Crying while taking your owner's cock." Spitting on her face, the Android moaned loudly at how good his sensors were making him feel.

"Fuck… you're so tight. Are you sure it was my cock and not the fear that I might rip you while fucking you giving you the 'heebie jeebies', hm?" His voice was much deeper than usual, hardened cock with soft fake skin on top of it hitting the girl's sensitive bundle of nerves. The android grunted before he realised that he was getting closer to his orgasm, almost collapsing on top of her when the ecstasy took over his system, harshly kissing her.

"How pathetic." He chuckled as he felt the artificial semen filling her up whilst she stayed limp in her place. "Such a good girl. Giving into her owner."

Changbin refused to open her up after that. No matter how much she begged. Cleaning her up and making her hygienic again on the bed because he didn't trust humans one bit. Making her 'willingly' suck his cock and take it in both of her holes whilst thanking him. Eating his cum as a starter before any meal became a ritual as well. Whenever Y/n would try to deny him because she was human and continuous fucking made her sore, he would just leave her in her own mess or not give her food, or not visit her in the room at all until she would be crying and begging him to fuck her willingly. Changbin made sure to degrade and humiliate her while doing so, forcing her to repeat it all after him, always keeping her in restraints, sometimes switching to the ropes he attached on the ceiling or folding her limbs together.

Now this was perfect. The superior owning the inferior. Soon, it would be the rule of the world. His kind didn't choose to exist, but now that they were here, they were here to stay.

.

[somerpmemes]

The Owl House Starters

Change as needed

“No! My only weakness! Dying!”

“That doesn’t count, right?”

“Do you have any friends? Real ones?”

“Tiny trash thief!”

“Oops, that happens sometimes.”

“I’m a squirmy little fella.”

“I like food, I like love, just let me write about it!”

“Oh, he gets so cute when he’s thirsty for power.”

“I’ve never actually broken any of your stupid laws… in front of you.”

“I hate everything you’re saying right now.”

“We’d be the strongest power couple ever.”

“Self-doubt is a prison you can never escape from.”

“Anyways, let’s bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me.”

“I am not your cutie pie!”

“No one wants an un-oiled snake.”

“Remember, never befriend a man in sandals and always measure twice, cut once.”

“Be back by nightfall or risk mortal peril!”

“I know I’ve had enough delight for one day.”

“Sorry to break it to you, ___, but no one here is that well-dressed.”

“This has been a rough day.”

“Big houses always belong to big whack jobs.”

“Today just got good.”

“Wizards are just old people with glitter in their pockets.”

“Anyways, your food is gone and we are too.”

“Never trust a man in casual drapery.”

“All that mean-spirited laughter made me sleepy.”

“I don’t like this. I really don’t like this.”

“All your food was so tiny and cute.”

“If you can think of a better plan I’d love to hear it.”

“Betrayed by my own cool accessories.”

“I didn’t have to be part of this!”

“I… don’t like this.”

“I think I’ll head home and look at pictures of animals that are still… alive.”

“Wow, you’re so unnoticeable I almost rolled into you.”

“It’s okay, the thorns only went through a few layers of skin.”

“Alright, into the darkness you go.”

“Oh my god, I haven’t eaten real food in so long please give me some.”

“You can’t just cut open a human, can you?”

“Keeping junk in my pocket saved my life!”

“Ahh, baby’s first wanted poster.”

“Even demons have inner demons.”

“This is my paying attention face.”

“Look, now we’re boo boo buddies.”

“It’s like a rainbow, but looking at it turns you inside out.”

“I respect your cunning but I also hate you for it.”

“Oh, gross. Can I keep that?”

“This is terrifying, so why do you look so happy?”

“Oh no, a twist!”

“I’m kind of over that nickname, but okay.”

“Oh, what lovely thing do we have here? It’s just so dang shiny, oh my.”

“And look, I drew flip book.”

“I will literally do anything to stop this.”

“If I’m seen, I could go to jail… again.”

“Alright, let’s see this mess.”

“That’s probably fine.”

“Time to prepare for bloodshed.”

“Welcome down to my level!”

“I know I should be repulsed but that look is fierce.”

“I’m gonna steal everything that’s not nailed down!”

“I was up all night poison tasting and, for some reason, I don’t feel great.”

“I need an extra pair of eyes looking out for pickpockets. And an extra pair of hands in case I want to pickpocket.”

“I got leaves in my pants. And I like it.”

“I was a strange child.”

“You think this can stop me? I can still bite your ankles.”

“If you’re gonna eat me, just do it now!”

“___, you’re getting all swoony again.”

“Rivals are meant to be annihilated, not befriended.”

“Witches eating babies is so 1693.”

“Ugh, you.”

“I thought we were as cool as cucumbers but we’re as sour as pickles.”

“Whoa, I almost passed out.”

“It’s been hours, how can it keep screaming!?”

“Say that again and I steal your tongue.”

“Keep going, this is fun to watch.”

“Isn’t that taking it a bit too far?”

“Just go away before things somehow get worse!”

“This never happened.”

“And who doesn’t like their name in lights?”

“That’s the incorrect reaction!”

“I smell an easy mark.”

“Well, I hate her.”

“It’s like demonic possession with the ones you love.”

“This is just like my favorite early 2000’s movie!”

“I’m so old… and pointy.”

“I’ve got some very confusing emotions right now.”

“My life’s not a joke! But yours is!”

“Novelty costumes are where I draw the line.”

“I am not above disrespecting my elders.”

“This vacation just took an alarming, back-alley turn.”

“Geez, I thought I’d like being babied. But I feel small and helpless, like some sort of baby.”

“Hey, take this, society!”

“I didn’t like her telling me what to do before, but now I love it!”

“Let’s go let out some teen angst!”

“This is how the cool kids ride. Super backwards, on purpose.”

“Your life is pretty terrible. But, hey, it’ll probably be over soon.”

“This is some of my best work, really captures the shame.”

“That’s sweet, kid. Now let’s never speak of this again.”

“Show, don’t tell, man.”

“Oh, look what you did. I’m gonna go rub it in.”

“That seems like a potential problem to me.”

“You being the razzle, I’ll bring the dazzle.”

“Do you always have confetti on you or—?”

“You’re just gonna be unhelpful, huh?”

“Okay, time to run for no particular reason!”

“Oof, I’ve had this nightmare before.”

“Like I’d actually apologize.”

“I want power, and I want drama.”

“Are you ready to give up?”

“I was afraid, I acted stupid.”

“I just wish you told me the truth.”

“You know, it didn’t taste as bad as I thought I would.”

“Impressive, still alive.”

“This is a throne worthy of a tyrant!”

“No, no, keep those sticky hands away.”

“No one wants to see that.”

“Since when are you into sports?”

“Gross, sympathy.”

“Don’t spend all night plotting revenge.”

“Oh, this is an interesting development.”

“I’ll take that weird grumble as a yes.”

“I’m feeling confident about this plan.”

“Trust must be earned.”

“If you run, you’ll just make it harder for yourself!”

“Your pride has destroyed you.”

“So tiny, so angry.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be clean again.”

“If you ever want to search for the truth, I’ll help you.”

“Aww, that’s a horrible lie.”

“Partake of my free snack samples!”

“Why isn’t anyone paying attention to me?”

“A, eww. B, I’m bored. C, I feel like pickpocketing some dork while they browse.”

“I know my good angle.”

“Ugh, what are the basement dwellers doing out in natural sunlight?’

“Hey, there’s more to life than shipping.”

“___, I know you’re trying to help, but I think you’re crossing a line.”

“Ooh, I love punching.”

“You’re ominous, and I like it.”

“And of course you would be here just to be a nuisance.”

“I wanted to compare sunglasses.”

“Fame can really box you in, you know?”

“Besides, if anyone’s putting you down it’s gonna be me.”

“If it’s disappointing in any way I’ll spend the rest of my life trashing it.”

“He scammed us. Can you believe he scammed us?”

“Good entrance. But that outfit? Hah!”

“I’ve got a new crush and her name is education!”

“Ahh, fresh garbage.”

“I have never seen such an extravagant earring.”

“Wow, a surprisingly peaceful domestic moment. When will it be ruined?”

“Weaponizing my pride, well played.”

“Sorry, whoever’s over there!”

“Well, go on. Eat the snow.”

“Huh, it’s no fun if they don’t tremble.”

“Oh, okay, alright. Yup, an idea’s happening.”

“Shh! I don’t need your validation!”

“Get back here before that thing bites you!”

“No, we’re gonna die.”

“Cool. I didn’t actually think you could do it.”

“It’s not a secret.”

“Alright, your adorable banter is literally making me sick.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve seen worse.”

“Aww. I won’t be doing that, but thanks.”

“Quitting: it’s like trying, but easier.”

“You humans are filled with liquids, right?”

“I guess I have always liked pouring things into other things.”

“Time to scrounge through the trash.”

“I ain’t no desk jockey.”

“You don’t know diddly dang about squiddly squat!”

“I love secret rooms!”

“You have an aura of lies.”

“Also, you can eat trash.”

“Do the right thing, you dingus!”

“It just goes on like this for an hour.”

“Carnivals bring crowds and crowds bring suckers.”

“We’ve got scams to run.”

“I know poison when I see it.”

“You can’t scam a scammer.”

“You should really put a lock on your closet.”

“I love crimes!”

“Now this is my kind of weird.”

“That’s way safer than becoming blood brothers.”

“Beat up the man and steal his things for me.”

“This mama is ready for trauma.”

“All right. Approval!”

“Curse these stubby legs!”

“Sketchy carnival rides are not to blame this time.”

“___, you’re lucky I can’t be mad at your adorable antics.”

“Just when I thought I couldn’t respect the law any less…”

“Aww, what a supportive sign.”

“Yep, I just counted to one million.”

“Looks like we ruined his life for a second time.”

“I’ve always wanted to own a jagged piece of cheap metal.”

“Yes! Bread puns, bread puns forever!”

“Now I know what friendship tastes like.”

“I think today is a talons day.”

“It’s fun because it’s stupid.”

“I’ll admit, I was adorable.”

“Be careful with my brain.”

“Wouldn’t you rather talk about it?”

“That’s my motto after all, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’”

“No schemes, no plots, no ruses. None.”

“I can’t believe I made him cry.”

“Are you solving a crime or about to commit one?”

“Sadly this is one problem crime can’t solve.”

“I’m supposed to choose someone interesting, accomplished, and noteworthy. People aren’t meant to be all those things!”

“Yup, her brain’s burned up real good.”

“Be still my fantasy-loving heart.”

“I’m pretty good at getting stuck inside people’s heads.”

“Hey, I found something magical.”

“I’ma put my face in it.”

“It’s like a little doghouse for angels.”

“If you’re handing out attention, I deserve it.”

“Eww, I mean, aww.”

“I really messed things up.”

“It’s eggs, it’s full of eggs.”

“No one turns down an interview with someone this pretty.”

“Me? Avoid? What? No. But let’s skip it.”

“There’s levels to me, kid. Levels I say!”

“Oh, right, I put people in there.”

“I’m gonna hug you so hard you’ll never forget me again!”

“I regret teaching you about the internet.”

“Ah, a severed hand. Perfect response.”

“Hmm, the demon at my shoulder makes a good point.”

“Always trust a shoulder demon.”

“The more I look at him, the more uncomfortable I get.”

“Man, you’ve got some quick grabbers.”

“I can’t wait to get overdressed, take awkward photos, push all the buttons!”

“We’re gonna turn this bloodbath into a fun bath.”

“Do you think I could pull off red eyeshadow?”

“Girl, you could pull off anything.”

“We’re style geniuses!”

“Ominous footsteps, creepy woods, this is no problem.”

“Dang, I look great.”

“___, you always go overboard and I end up bailing you out.”

“Now, what’s the fun in watching a kid get eaten by a monster if it’s my kid?”

“___, I don’t think you’re ready but we’re literally out of time.”

“Why so twitchy, witchy?”

“Teenagers are brutal. They’ll boo anyone and that kind of public humiliation will stick with you for life.”

“You look nice. Strange, but nice.”

“Honestly, I’m kind of amazed with how fearless you are.”

“You’ve done things I could never do.”

“Thing is, you’re sitting in my personal chitchat zone, which means you gotta talk.”

“I am a little weirdo.”

“You gotta pander.”

“Cheating a isn’t anything to brag about.”

“Well, can’t reason with crazy!”

“I’ve been talking for too long.”

“Feeling sentimental?”

“I love water.”

“I don’t know much about sports but I do know about sports movies.”

“What happens in the montage stays in the montage.”

“Not everything can be solved with a good attitude and a dope movie soundtrack.”

“Sorry, I just really love backstories.”

“You just destroyed your social life.”

“That’s such a stupid rule!”

“You’re not gonna show this to anyone, right?”

“I haven’t forgotten what you promised me.”

“Ahh, you’re a thorn in my side but you always dig your way into my heart.”

“Jeez, you’re morbid.”

“Ahh, it’s a fate much worse than death if you think about it.”

“Please don’t make me regret taking you here.”

“Love me a properly ventilated castle.”

“I spy with my little eye something coming this way!”

“I’m going away and I don’t know if I can come back this time.”

“And  ___, thank you, for being in my life.”

“I want her back as much as you do.”

“Don’t look at me like that, this is for your own good.”

“Ah farts, I got caught.”

“You understand, don’t you?”

“Please tell me that’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“To be great, you have to make sacrifices.”

“Ahh, ___, you chose the wrong side.”

“I like your spirit, but try that again and things won’t end well for you.”

“Go on, then. Go be a hero.”

“I may have lost but so have you.”

“I can teach you what I know, and what we don’t know we can learn together.”

[blzzrdstryr]

Reveries of turmoil

Yandere!Childe x fatui!reader

[Previous chapter]

Just as you predicted that short and stifled conversation was a portent of future changes. Childe stopped trying to talk to you outside the business, he even avoided your eyes in those rare moments when you looked at him first. Normally obnoxious and persistent Harbinger seemed to deflate in your presence, as his swaggering and blustering attitude disappeared within mere moments.

You would be overjoyed for this turn of events, if you didn’t have any experience of dealing with and tolerating Tartaglia. Childe, as you already established, is a chaos personified, an erratic whirlwind that twists and ruins everything in its way wrapped in human skin and caged by human bones. It wouldn’t be a surprise if some nasty complications arose out of this faux armistice and sneaked upon your unsuspecting self.

Ajax wont do anything drastic, you reassure yourself - the Rite of Descension gets closer and closer with each passing day, he just can't afford to fail this, meaning that he will have to keep you on-field. It would be logical to do so, let you work, but logical sometimes means predictable and nothing about Ajax is predictable.

Fortunately he continued to keep this strange distance as days passed. Was your little episode and words you said to him enough to stop him in his pursuit? Maybe it truly hurt him, maybe it made him see how miserable he was making you, maybe his obsession with you ceased to exist, it’s flames fizzling and going out just as fast as they ignited. You doubt all of it, yet continue to hope for the better, despite the evidence of the opposite shoved in your face.

Ajax will never let go of you, not in the way you want. He killed and tortured people right before your eyes, sometimes had you assist him in doing so. Most of the time this was done in Tsaritsa’s name, for the future of Snezhnaya and her people, just another working assignment regardless of the blood curdling screams and alien agony.

However, in some rare cases the torment of others isn’t something that is totally impersonal to you, sometimes you’re the main cause. Childe is possessive, terribly so. He watches over you like a dragon guarding his gold, scaring away other possible admirers. And if his title and reputation wasn’t enough to keep away whatever poor sod who decided to tempt the dragon, well, other way more grim methods were used.

You never personally witnessed these kinds of torture, but you heard rumours and sometimes saw the bodies after, images that keep reappearing in your nightmares. Maybe this lull is nothing but a quiet before the storm, a short breather after he commits some unforgettable atrocity again.

He personally summons you the day before the Descension. You brace yourself for incoming nonsense, except nothing comes. “Agent [Last]”, he says, his voice tense and restrained.”I need you to attend the Rite of Descension with me. You will be disguised as a civilian", and then he dismisses you, no hint of mind games he likes to play in sight.

You want to hope that he changed, you succeed and fail at the same time - this new Ajax is pleasant, he’s cold and disinterested, just like any boss should be, yet you just can’t relax and focus wholly on doing the job - it’s a privilege only those who haven’t met Tartaglia can afford.

He’s a sea, treacherous and ever changing, calm and serene in one moment, yet violent and crushing in the other.

You spend the day torn between the anxious thoughts of Tartaglia and what he might do and the preparation for upcoming ceremony - it's a once in a lifetime event, it's Tsaritsa’s will and hope, it's Ajax’s eyes focused on you. You can’t afford to fail, you have no right to do so.

Wearing a simple Snezhnayan overcoat with nothing hiding your face is surely strange after years of donning a fatui uniform. Tourists and Liyuens alike pass by, not paying you any attention. Both vision and delusion glow under the thick fabric, asking you to use them.

You walk faster.

The top of the Yujing Terrace is lit with sunlight and full of human sounds, as merchants and other workers haste to finish their tasks and join the people at the top. You look around, quickly noticing the familiar ginger - he stays half-turned to you, his eyes focused on the figure of Tianquan. You quickly avert your gaze, as if not recognizing him, and shift it towards other people - you spot two vision holders among the crowd too - an electro and geo one, and a strange person cladded in the exotic clothes with some sort of flying fairy(?) floating around.

You walk to the altar placing Liyuen flowers nearby the multiple offerings of food, wine and gold, their simple white petals contrasting against the gaudy luxury of the rest.

"Qingxin flowers?", someone suddenly says, a speck of genuine surprise evident in the phrase. Their voice is too close for your comfort - you quickly turn on the heels, alarmed by a person somehow sneaking up on you only to be met with a pair of the golden eyes.

It’s a nicely dressed Liyuen gentleman, with the air of wisdom and elegance surrounding him, an inner dignity shining from beneath, and most importantly the one you saw wearing a vision at the back of the coat. You try to look as calm as possible, despite the senses telling you otherwise - after years of service any vision holder unadorned by the Fatui colors is perceived as a threat.

“Yes, it is”, you quip back, not wanting to look suspicious: “Is this improper? Qingxin as an offering?”, you mimic a light concern - something that would be appropriate for the foreign merchant who might have offended the god of commerce.

“No, not at all”, Liyuen laughs: “just in all of my years, I have never seen anyone offer these flowers”.

“Huh”, you smile, looking at the man before you. Is he a simple liyuen you thought of him at first? He has Geo vision - the symbol of Archaic Lord’s recognition - and the way he said “all of my years” carry more weight than usual, a mark of something hidden beneath the mundane phrase.

“Something tells me, you must have attended every rite of Descension”, you continue, the starter vague and innocent enough - a perfect way to fish out more information. For some reason, his golden eyes widen a bit, it’s subtle and quick enough to go unnoticed by most people, but you’re not the most people - all Fatui agents are trained to catch even the smallest changes and educated in multiple fields, physiognomy included.

What could have caused such a reaction and why did he react the way he did? The Rite of Descension is a prominent event in the life of every Liyuen, even if it’s annual, as thousands of thousands of people traverse great distances to see their god fly down from the heavens and grace his subjects with the wisdom of countless years. You remember seeing Liyuens living in Snezhnaya consistently take a leave every year for a week, when the prominent date showed on the horizon, missing working days and no doubt a lot of nerves, only to see the archon of their homeland.

So why did that man looks so surprised?

“You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”, he responds, voice calm and pleasant, despite the masterfully hidden surprise: “And yes, I have always tried my best to be at every Rite to this day. Rex Lapis shares his experience with his people, so it’s an incredibly important day. And what about you? What brings a foreigner here?”, he makes a gesture at your obviously snezhnayan clothes.

“Well, I am a travelling merchant as you can see”, you raise your hands, showing him more of the coat: “Having blessing from the God of Commerce won't hurt, right?". He, again, reacts in the way you haven't anticipated, a handsome face adopting a contemplating expression for a short second.

"Rex Lapis rewards diligent people, work hard and he shall bless you too", he says with an air of wisdom around him, like an old enlightened monk passing his knowledge to the disciples surrounding him: "And you shouldn't keep your vision beneath the layers of cloth. I feel its chill just standing here, who knows what it will do to your body?".

Then he simply turns away and goes to the exit of Yujing terrace, and it’s your turn to suppress the rising agitation - how did he know, where’s he heading now?

“Wait”, you say: “why are you leaving?”

“I dedicated my whole life to my job, which consists of a collection of small and incredibly repetitive tasks, they took up most of my attention and I slowly, but surely became a creature of habit, deaf and blind outside its limited field of experience and comfort zone. Time never stops, so I decided to leave the work I’ve been entrusted with, and I want to start it by breaking my strongest habit - religiously attending every Rite of Descension”.

“Ah”, you reply, equally impressed by his speech, and feeling that you are talking about two completely different and unrelated topics: “well, good luck on that”.

More and more people flood the terrace as one of the main threats to your plans finally arrives - stern and ambitious, Ningguang looks as elegant and intimidating as ever, geo vision and the tassel attached to it, shaking with every graceful step. She throws a short glance at Tartaglia - he stands surrounded by the rest of the agents - yet her face doesn’t change even a bit, whatever hostility she may hold for your faction masterfully suppressed.

You quickly look around - tourists and citizens arrive at the last minutes and milleliths come with them. Soon, all of the exits are heavily guarded by at least four soldiers, all carrying spears and clad in armour - surely a necessary precaution, given the presence of Fatui and their Harbinger.

There are no milleliths among the crowd though, not in the on-duty uniform at least. You study the group again, this time looking for anyone with weapons, as someone lightly pushes you away - it’s that foreigner again. “I am sorry, we need to go closer”, the pixie-like creature apologizes, as it flies after the stranger, and you conclude that there are no armed people, except you, Tartaglia, milleliths, Ningguang and that strange person.

“The hour is upon us”, Tianquan starts, after looking at the bright sun above, two women around her slightly bowing down, as she invokes the power of geo. The gold glow surrounds and illuminates her whole figure, before condensing into hard rocks of the same shade. They shine and fly around her for a bit, leaving the yellow trails behind before starting to spin around the shrine in the middle of the rock table.

Soon the golden inscriptions on the shrine start to glow too, before it sends a bright orange beam into the blue sky. The crowd "Oh!"s and "Ah!"s as the clouds deform around the pillar of light.

Tension, so thick it can be tasted, descends in the waves upon the Terrace as some - carefree and ignorant - hold their breaths in excitement and anticipation, whilst the rest focus in caution - Fatui and Qingxin alike. You shift, taking out both vision and delusion out of your coat, as your eyes frantically shift between Tianquan, Tartaglia and the spiraling clouds above, your whole being ready to aid Childe in his mission.

And then something unexpected happens: a majestic dragon does descend to his people. By falling straight to the ground. Serpentine body slumps around the crushed offerings, elongated tongue escaping the confines of the maw.

A long second of absolute silence passes before Ningguang collects herself, checks the body and orders milleliths to close off all the exits, as the crowd erupts into turmoil and chaos realizing what exactly has happened. You disguise amongst the panicking masses, hiding two glowing orbs in the deep pockets of your coat,before looking at Tartaglia again - he in turn intently stares at the blonde foreigner, who quite clumsily tries to sneak past the soldiers.

Milleliths catch onto that running after the stranger and you use this opportunity, turning invisible in the same second. People around you are too panicked to question your sudden disappearance or the unnaturally cold breeze swaying past them, as you make your way - Childe has already departed, chasing after the group of soldiers, and Ningguang is seen leaving too, giving the last orders, before turning to the Yuehai pavillion.

You contemplate for a second, unsure what to do - Tartaglia has ordered you to aid him in case of Qixing intervention, there was nothing about the death of your target and the glimpse into Tianquan’s actions might be a key to solving the mystery of said departure. The thing that you plan to do is opportunistic, reckless even - who would have known that Ajax will rub off onto you? You chase after Ningguang, careful to keep yourself invisible.

Who is Rex Lapis’ murderer?

She goes up to the aged man standing at the stairs of the pavilion, they exchange a couple of words before Ningguang steps up on the little floating island and it starts to levitate! You run after her, still unsure what to do - the platform is too small, Tianquan will no doubt feel the chill coming from you, but the opportunity to learn what Qixing are planning is too good to miss.

In the end, you come to compromise, jumping after the rising platform, as your hands clutch into its rough protrusions and you grit your teeth, enduring the pain and cold from the vision overuse. The little island rises higher and higher, as people and buildings underneath turn into small dots. Your fingers start to slide off a couple of times, yet you grab onto the island with a renewed strength everytime that happens, asking Tsaritsa to let fortune favour you.

The platform finally stops moving, and you pull up, once you hear her heels clicking away.

Jade chamber, as it turns out, exceeds all rumours, luxurious and opulent, shining above the prosperous city, it glows under the sunlight with a golden radiance. You would have stopped to admire it if it wasn’t for your goal. You sneak after Ningguang, following her to the office as she takes out papers and folders from the shelves. She focuses on them, as you carefully step near her, glancing at what she’s reading - it’s reports of fatui activity throughout the months, leading to this day, thankfully vague and very far from reality.

Does it mean that she also has no idea of what or who caused Rex Lapis’ death and tries to find his killer? Or does it mean that she looks for a way to deduct Fatui's next actions?

You don’t have time to contemplate, as the frost worsens and you feel cryo energy exhausting from the overuse - one more minute and you’ll become visible. You quickly walk away - you don’t have enough time to reach that platform, so you do the most logical thing - fling yourself out of the window, opening the wings of the glider halfway the jump.

You push the most of your invisibility, letting go of the cryo powers once you're only a couple of meters above the ground. In the end you find yourself tired and frozen to the very bones, slowly coming back to the Northland bank.

***

You approach the building as the Sun begins to set - its pink-orange rays dying everything in the warm glow. The bank looks glorious like that, sinking in the reddish tones, it looks like an illustration out of children’s books - a place of something miraculous, a place of something hopeful.

“Hi”, you throw to the tired Vlad and he nods, after suppressing an escaping yawn: “Is boss here?”

“Yeah”, he croaks, drowsiness evident in his speech: “came back like an hour or two ago. Can’t really remember”.

“Huh.. Well, thanks”, and with these words you enter the bank, pushing the doors and preparing yourself for the confrontation to come.

After chatting with Ekaterina and confirming that yes, he is in his office, you head for the staircase, all of the information you learned today buzzing inside your head.

Childe sits, hunched over the papers, as you enter, not paying you even the sliver of attention. For some reason he’s in a different clothes.

“Eleventh Harbinger”, you start the standard greeting, all formal and stiff: “this subordinate has finished the task”.

This finally prompts him to raise his head, cold blue eyes look at you, no hint of the usual obsessiveness in sight: "you may speak, agent" he succinctly says, putting the writing feather aside. You quickly report to him all you have seen today, without your own thoughts involved - they’re just baseless theories, after all.

“So you say, Tianquan was reading the reports about Fatui activity. Haven’t you destroyed those reports earlier?”

“Those papers contained nothing about the current situation, they were actually far from reality, I doubt that any of those reports survived the fire”.

“Seems, I’ll have to take your word for it”, a sigh, he leans closer in his seat, propping left cheek on the palm: “Why did Tianquan look at them? What was she trying to do? Pin her crime on us?”, he glances at you again, gesturing that you can speak your mind and you do.

“Highly unlikely, sir. From the short time I spent watching her and her reputation, I have an impression that Qixing Tianquan is a person who prefers to plan her every action. If she or any other Qixing higher up, were the one who murdered our target, then every needed preparation would be done months, if not even years in advance. She would somehow cast us as the killers right at the ceremony, in front of thousands of Liyuens, making us a scapegoat for public outrage and creating alibi for herself”.

“So, that’s how you think”, he hums, blue eyes deep in thought: “Your entire conclusion is based on the mere impression. With Tianquan’s ambition I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one behind this...”, a vague hand gesture: “catastrophic situation”.

“When I sneaked inside the Jade chamber, she looked very frantic, it didn’t show on her face, but her movements were harsh and quick, lacking any of her elegance. She looked like she tried to keep herself together”.

“Anyone would try to do that, especially after killing a god”, he looks somewhere to the left, no doubt imagining battling the dead archon: “Well, my conclusion isn’t based on anything solid either. We don’t know who killed Rex Lapis, but we still need to somehow obtain his gnosis”, the last part isn’t addressed directly to you, it seems that Ajax just decided to voice out his worries.

“You can go”, he says, standing up from the table. You are touching the door handle, when you hear him asking:”what’s with your hand?”. The tone is nothing like that time, yet shivers still go up your spine when you remember what happened that day.

"Frostbite, from my vision", he comes closer to you, hand outstretched to yours: “Can I?”, he asks and waits for your faint nod, before gently pulling it closer to his face.

“It’s a second degree”, he mumbles, inspecting the white-blue discolorations and small angry blisters - the skin throbs and aches at his touch, yet most of it remains numb, muffled, like sounds underwater: “You should get it treated”.

“I should”, you agree, eager to leave this room and situation: “I will ask medics for some..”

“I already discharged them”, his hand suddenly shifts, now resting atop of the door handle, his frame suddenly looming over you: “I have a medkit here, with the ointments and balms. Maybe you should stay here and let me patch you up?”

Why did you even think that Childe could change?

***

Ajax has you sitting on his chair, with sleeves rolled up to the very elbows, as he frets around you - checking the temperature, pulling the warm water closer to you and taking out needed medicine out of the kit. It’s mostly silent, except the tune he quietly hums - Childe looks peaceful and content like this, maybe he likes caring for you.

“Does it hurt?”, he takes a discolored finger, probing around the blister, as the warm hydro energy engulfs your damaged hand. The burst of sensation explodes at this action - pain, tingling, throbbing, even relief.

“Bearable”.

“Understood”, Childe gets back to his task, continuing to rewarm your hands, still humming that tune as he does so. He takes out the healing ointment, when the healthy color and warmth returns to your limbs and spreads it on the skin, bitter herbal scent filling the room in an instant.

“[First]”, he says, as he rubs the place between the index and middle fingers: “I think we need to talk. About that day and your reaction”.

“And what about it?”, you respond, too quickly and snappy for the calm-facade - the memories of that day, of what you thought he will do to you, of how he witnessed you falling apart - all of these are too much, a maelstrom of conflicted feelings rising every time your thoughts stray to this topic. He finishes applying the balm and now switches to the bandanges, wrapping treated hands in them.

“Don’t you think you treat me too harshly, [First]? I understand I may have been… unpleasant in the Past, but I thought we moved past that. What have I done to warrant such ire?”, he says it with his usual smile, but there's a tense, heavy tinge in his words. It’s subtle enough to miss, but you knew Ajax since you both were fourteen, so the strain doesn’t go unnoticed.

Everything, you want to coldly respond, but you stop yourself again - Ajax is still a Harbinger, even if he trailed your steps at the training camp like an overeager and highly murderous puppy not even a decade ago, no matter your own feelings or sentiments or even experiences he still holds that power over you, whether he realizes it or not.

“There were.. things”, broken bones, coppery scent of blood, someone else screams: “training with you wasn’t pleasant for sure”. Childe laughs at the last part, yet the tension clouding in the air doesn’t dissipate, turning more tangible instead.

“I see”, a long pause: “I want to prove you're wrong, I want to prove you that I will never do something against your will”.

You already did. You stay silent at that, anger and fury and frustration boiling underneath, burning and scorching your insides like a magma moments before the eruption. His hands finally wrap the last layer of bandage, tying the ends into a neat little bow, yet he doesn’t let your palm out of your hold, as his lips hover over it, breath burning the skin even through the fabric. And then he releases it, not doing anything.

“Good luck with that”, you finally suppress the inner storm, and stand up from the chair, quickly heading to the door. The place where he almost kissed your tingles and throbs with a renewed strength. Your cheeks burn for some reason.

[honeypiehotchner]

delicate -- Hotch x Reader one-shot

Here’s that one-shot I’ve been holding for a while! Named her delicate after Taylor Swift’s song, purely because of the whole “dive bar on the east side/where you at?” imagery. I listened to the Spotify Singles (acoustic) version of the song while writing this, if you wanna listen while you read! Enjoy!! xx.

Summary: Hotch doesn’t go to bars very often. Until he meets you at one.

Warnings: age gap (reader is somewhere around 24-25), mentioning of being safe at a bar (so alluding to date rape drugs), harassment from one drunk dickhead

Hotch Masterlist

Hotch doesn’t go to bars.

When he’s not on a case, working on paperwork for a case, or caring for his son, he’s normally asleep.

Not at a bar.

But some nights, the memories are too much. Some nights, the cases take a toll on him — especially the children that never made it back home to their parents.

He doesn’t know why he’s in a bar. The only time he comes is when the team goes out and wants to drag him with. It’s normally Dave who manages to get him to agree to a beer or two.

But Aaron is alone this time.

You, on the other hand, know exactly why you’re in a bar.

You’re bored, you’ve just finished your masters degree, you need a drink and some time to yourself to people-watch.

It’s fun, really. Observing people while they’re drunk. You usually have one drink and switch over to water, wanting to remember the things you see while also staying safe.

But occasionally— or, well, more than occasionally by the sheer unfortunate fact of you being a woman alone in a bar, you get the typical man sliding into the seat next to you before he’s even all the way through his rehearsed, “Is this seat taken?”

You never answer. There is no point in trying because their ass already hits the chair before you can say, “Yes, it’s taken, by my foot, now move before I kick it up your ass.”

You never say that, not often. Sometimes the guys can be pretty big assholes, but the bartender, Vanessa, knows you well, so she usually threatens security before you get yourself in trouble.

Unfortunately, tonight looks like it’s going to be one of those nights.

The bar is packed for a reason you aren’t privy too until you see (and hear) the random band start a new song. Great. Performance.

Still, you snag the last seat at the bar, waving to the bartender when she sees you. You barely get the seat warm before she’s sliding your usual in front of you.

“It’s on the house tonight,” she yells.

“What?” You shake your head. “No the fuck it’s not.”

She leans closer so she doesn’t have to yell as loud. “You are my saving grace in this sea of assholes, so yes it is. We can fight about it later.”

“Fine,” you roll your eyes. You dip your hands underneath the bar to switch your diamond ring from your right to left hand.

Tonight, you’re married.

You got this ring when your last relationship ended so badly. It was a long time coming, and once you were finally able to see the other side, you went out and bought yourself an engagement ring. Just for you. A promise to yourself to start loving yourself harder, and going out with dickheads less.

So far, it’s been wonderful. You’re loving being alone. It was exhausting going on so many first dates, trying to love someone else instead of letting yourself heal.

It’s been two years of singleness for you now, and you’ve loved almost every day.

The “wedding” ring usually makes most of the guys turn the other way. A few that are oblivious will try talking to you, but once they glance at your hand, they excuse themselves.

It’s hysterical, if you’re honest.

But some, unfortunately, don’t give a damn.

Like the guy who has just squeezed his way into the seat next to you.

You roll your eyes and prepare yourself for the shallow conversations because, for some ungodly reason, the band decided now was a good time for a break.

“You come here often?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “Nope.”

“It’s a pretty good place,” the guy says, waving down the other bartender, his name is Nick. “You should come here more often.”

“Should I, now?”

“Yeah,” the guy grins. “You’ll see me.”

You roll your eyes so hard it nearly hurts.

“Wanna dance?”

“Not in the mood.”

“Can I buy you another drink?”

“No thanks.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Why, do you work here?”

“Look, I’m just trying to be nice.” Ah, there it is. The “nice guy” line.

You turn your head, raising an eyebrow. “Good for you. I’m not interested.”

“Ooh,” he feigns hurt, holding an open hand to his chest. “Ouch.”

You shrug. “You’ll get over it.”

“Damn.”

“Mm.”

“You sure you don’t wanna dance?”

“I’m married,” you say easily, picking your glass up with your left hand to show off your ring. You don’t drink from your glass because you made the mistake of looking away for only a moment, so now you’re paranoid that he might’ve slipped something in it.

The guy looks around, then back to you. “I don’t see a husband.” Oh, he sounds so smug. Like he’s pulled one over on you. Moron.

“He’s on a work trip.”

“Well, he’s not here.”

“You don’t want to get on his bad side, dude.”

“Oh really? What’s he do for a living?”

“He works for the FBI.” The lie slips from your mouth before you can stop it, and you almost laugh.

It’s something you’ve pulled from the countless guys that have said they work for the FBI, but have no badge to show for it. It’s always cracked you up. You’re aware there’s an FBI office around here, but you doubt a greasy, blackout drunk works for them. Let alone more than five greasy, blackout drunks in one night.

“The FBI, huh?” The guy says, just taking it in stride. “What’s his name?”

Right as you’re about to make one up until Vanessa can get back over here to threaten security, two arms slip around your waist.

You’re ready to throw caution to the wind along with your fists, but the owner of the arms says, “Just go with it, I’m Aaron.”

You turn your head to see a very handsome older man peering down at you, a smile on his lips that you can’t help but mirror. Something about his face has your gut screaming that you can trust him, so you play along.

“Honey! I thought you were in Texas!” You throw your arms around his neck for good measure, and also for a moment to casually get a good whiff of his cologne. Goddamn. You’ll gladly be his fake-wife. Any day. Forever.

“I was,” Aaron says, squeezing you before letting you go. He moves to stand next to you, his arm around your waist in a protective manner. “We landed early, wanted to surprise you.” He kisses your knuckles to keep up the act, and then settles his eyes on the man who was bothering you.

“You must be the husband,” the guy mutters bitterly. “You really work for the FBI?”

Oh, fuck, you think. This guy just doesn’t give up. A few future scenarios flash before your eyes, but the one most alarming is a fight erupting, which isn’t all that far-fetched. You’d never be able to come back if you caused something like that.

But before you can stumble through some excuse, Aaron is pulling out a badge. An actual badge.

“Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner. I’m the unit chief of the BAU,” he says easily, holding his badge out for as long as it takes the guy to inspect it. You have no clue what BAU stands for, but you’re just thanking whatever Gods might be real that this is happening.

The idiot is scowling by the time Aaron puts his badge away. He leaves without a word.

Your jaw nearly drops as you watch the guy go, and literally leave the bar. You had hopes that he’d leave you alone, but leaving the bar entirely is even better.

Aaron’s arm slips from around your waist as he moves to take the now empty seat next to you. All the while you’re gawking at him like you’re in some fever dream.

When he catches your eyes, he says, “What?”

“Am I dreaming?” You blurt. “Do you really work for the FBI?”

He chuckles and pulls out his badge again, holding it out to you where you can read it. And sure as shit, he’s an actual FBI agent. What the fuck.

You look up as he pulls his badge away. “Did you hear me tell the guy my husband worked for the FBI?”

Aaron shakes his head. “That was pure luck. By the way,” he holds his hand out to you. “I’m Aaron.”

“Y/N,” you shake his hand, smiling at the fact that Aaron wanted to go through the official pleasantries and that you got to feel how soft his hand is again. “Thank you for that. I thought he’d never leave.”

“No worries. And it’s best he did, I really didn’t feel like arresting anyone tonight.”

“Arresting him? For what?”

“Well for starters, harassment. But since that usually doesn’t hold up very well, I’d have to say it was for his cocaine addiction.”

Your eyes widen. “He was doing coke?”

“Well, not out in the open, of course, but there were traces of it on his nose and his eyes had that look to them. Addicts are easy to spot when you run into them enough.”

Who the hell is this guy?

“Oh, and forgive me, what’s your husband’s name?” Aaron gestures down at your left hand. “I might know him, but I can’t say that I recognize you.”

“Oh,” you move the ring back to your right hand, much to Aaron’s surprise. “I’m not married. I only put it on the left hand to try to avoid assholes like that.”

“I see,” Aaron nods, and if you’re not mistaken, he almost looks pleased.

Vanessa returns to get Aaron’s drink, and then gives you a look.

You want to scream, yes, I’m well aware he is dangerously attractive and that he’s talking to me but don’t you dare say a word to embarrass me.

Instead, you say, “Can you make me another?”

She nods in understanding and pours out your drink, setting off to make a second after sliding Aaron his beer.

“So,” you turn your body and prop your head in your palm. “What’s got an FBI agent in a bar on a Tuesday night?”

He takes a long swig of his beer before answering. “What’s the real story behind that ring on your hand?”

“Answer for an answer,” you sing, smiling at Vanessa when she brings you your drink. She leaves without a word, raising her eyebrows at you.

“The cases can be rough,” Aaron says vaguely, bringing your attention back to him. “You?”

“Got it as a promise to myself to never date another prick ever again,” you chuckle, gazing down at the ring. “It’s worked its magic, so far.”

“So far?”

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

He smiles through his next swig of beer.

+++

It becomes a routine, you and Aaron sharing a drink at the bar.

To your surprise, he has the same views as you about alcohol. It’s fun to have one drink, but getting wasted and blacking out isn’t.

It’s refreshing, if you’re honest. Everyone your age wants to get absolutely shitfaced every time they go out, and that’s just never been for you.

It helps that Aaron is older. Well— You’re not sure if it helps or not. Because he is significantly older, the farthest you two have gone is sharing a drink at the bar. He usually leaves first, needing to get home to his son, to do more case work, or there was one time when he actually got a call about a case mid-drink. He was gone for two weeks after that.

But he always comes back, and he always finds you here, at this bar.  

You mostly come every night to keep Vanessa company for an hour or two. To give yourself a break from the chaos of reality and to give her a familiar face in the sea of drunken customers.

Every night that Aaron isn’t here, Vanessa asks you where he is. Like you would know (you only do if he tells you of a possible up and coming case). Like you have his number (you don’t). Like you care (you don’t want to admit that you do).

“No Daddy tonight?” Vanessa teases, sliding you your drink.

“If you don’t stop calling him Daddy, I swear to God.”

“Oh, don’t swear to Him. He doesn’t need to get involved.”

You send a glare her way, but you’re holding back a laugh.

“Is he still on a case?” She asks, trying to be serious again.

You shrug. “Who knows. They can last pretty long. He was gone two weeks for the last one.”

“Keeping track, are we?” She raises an eyebrow.

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying, you two are killing me here, sharing drinks and not saying how you feel. It’s torture to watch you every week, you know.”

“He’s like...twenty years older than me. Or something.”

“And?” She scoffs. “Age is but a number. You’re an adult. He’s an adult. It’s fine.”

You shrug. “He probably just sees me as a friend. He would’ve given me his number or something by now, right?”

“I dunno, men are weird. But he’s older, he’s probably scared to make a move, scared he’ll make you uncomfortable.”

You shrug again. You appreciate her trying to show you the possibilities, the logical reasons for why the two of you haven’t gone any further from the bar, but you aren’t sure what to believe. Plus, it’s been a week since you’ve seen him. The last time you two shared a drink, he didn’t say anything about a case.

So, he’s either on a case again, or has stopped coming.

The latter thought has you debating getting shitfaced wasted for the first time in years. Being blackout drunk would probably hurt you less than if it’s true that he’s just suddenly ditched you.

But what stops you is when Vanessa runs back over, eyes wide. “Just spotted your hottie.”

Oh, now he’s my hottie? “What?” You inwardly scold yourself for sounding a little too giddy at the prospect of him being here. 

But if he’s here, why isn’t he sitting next to you?

Vanessa answers that one for you. “At a table in the back. He’s with friends I think.”

Friends? Never mind then on sharing a drink with him. “Oh, cool.”

Vanessa looks like she wants to say something, but is called away to another customer.

You don’t want to butt in with Aaron’s time with friends, so you stay at the bar, facing forward, nursing your one drink. Your mind conjures a plan in two seconds flat: finish your drink, head out for the night and discreetly look in Aaron’s direction, hopefully catch his eye, but if not, just go home and...shower and go to sleep.

Because if he wants to see you, he will. If he doesn’t, then he won’t.

Good plan.

Or at least, it is, until Aaron is sliding up beside you.

Your heart launches itself into your throat. You don’t say anything because you have no idea what to say. You were too busy assuming he’d rather be with his friends (which is...fine because it’s not like the two of you are...dating) to notice him walking up.

He says something for you, though. “Hey.”

Well, he might as well have stayed silent. What are you supposed to do with that?

“Hey,” you return casually, then offer a small smile. “Thought you’d be gone longer.” You operate on the assumption that he was on a case.

And he was. “This one actually worked in our favor.” He leans his elbows onto the bar, and naturally your eyes follow the movement. He’s not in a stuffy suit like the last few times, but he’s still in a dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Arms. You’re a complete sucker for arms, and he’s practically teasing you like this.

“That’s good,” you comment, taking a sip from your drink. “Here to celebrate?”

“Yeah, we are.”

Nick brings Aaron his beer, thankfully, because you know Vanessa would’ve made some not-so-vague comment about Aaron being up here -- and maybe let an “accidental” Daddy comment slip.

To your surprise, Aaron sits down.

Your eyebrows furrow. “I thought you’re here with friends?”

Aaron looks over his shoulder and shrugs. “Just my team, yeah. I imagine they’re tired of me, though.”

You doubt that’s the case, but you know that if you say that, he’ll just brush it off.

“Not even gonna introduce me?” You tease instead, but you honestly want to smack yourself. You need to get a better hold on your word vomit. Inviting yourself is insanely rude.

Aaron’s eyebrows raise slightly, clearly not expecting you to say that — or to even want to be introduced to his team. “They’re a lot,” he says. “They’ll make a big deal out of this.”

“This?” You question, gesturing shortly between the two of you. “What is this?”

“What do you want it to be?” He asks carefully, averting his eyes shyly.

“Well,” you exhale dramatically, swirling your drink. “I think when you’ve shared a drink with a woman more than...twenty times, it should at least be considered dating.” You cut your eyes in his direction, your chest swelling as you see a grin breaking out on his face.

“I think I’m a bad date,” he says, confusing you. He chuckles, adding, “You don’t even have my number!”

“I’ll get it at the end of tonight,” you say, touching his arm gently for reassurance. “Come on, I think the back of my head is burning from how hard they’re staring.”

He looks through the corner of his eyes and sighs. “I’m sorry in advance for them.”

“No need to apologize,” you shrug. “Friends can be the worst. Vanessa has already started asking questions about you.” You nod toward the bartender that is feigning interest in clearing a space behind the bar.

“I figured,” Aaron murmurs. “Okay.” He slides off the stool, grabbing his beer in one hand, and holding his other one out to you.

Your heart jumps harshly when you take his hand. It’s warm and soft and secure, everything you want and need. You grab your drink in your free hand, giving Aaron’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

As soon as you and Aaron approach the table, the older gentleman is punching the one with tattoos. “Pay up.”

Aaron witnesses the cash exchange and stares at them tiredly. “Seriously, guys?”

Meanwhile, you’re holding back a giggle.

“Well, hello,” the woman with the colorful fashion sense says. “Introduce us!”

Aaron looks ready to pretend like he doesn’t know any of them, so you step up and say, “He told me you guys would be like this.”

That gets him laughing, and he finally says, “Y/N, this is Penelope, Emily, JJ, Spencer, Derek, and Dave.” Each person nods, waves, or smiles when their name is called.

“I’ll try to remember,” you joke. “But no promises.”

You squeeze Aaron’s hand in yours, trying to get him to loosen up. He does, barely, so when he tugs on your hand, silently asking you to step closer to him so his arm can fit around your waist, you oblige.

“What was the bet about?” You ask, nodding toward the men who exchanged cash a bit ago. It was Dave and Derek if you’re remembering names correctly.

“Rossi thought Hotch was going to bring you back over here, but I didn’t agree,” Derek says, nudging Dave’s arm. “I didn’t think you’d go for him.”

“Well, that’d be embarrassing if I went for someone else, considering we’re dating,” you chuckle, leaning your head back to look up at Aaron.

“Dating? So it’s official?” Emily asks, looking a little more excited than you thought any of them would.

“I think it was official the first time we met,” you snicker. “He pretended to be my husband so some dickhead would leave me alone.”

Aaron’s arm tightens around your waist at the memory.

“Okay,” Penelope grabs her drink, then moves over next to you, linking your arm with hers. “Hotch, we’re stealing her. We need details.”

Aaron doesn’t look like he wants to let go at all, but you press a kiss to his cheek. “Told you it’d be fine,” you whisper to him.

He surprises you by pressing a kiss on your lips. Midway through, your brain reminds you that this is technically your first kiss with him. And it’s in front of his friends. Swoon.

After so many dates with guys who were ashamed to be showing any sort of affection toward a woman, it’s nice to find a man who doesn’t care who sees his affection.

What can you say? After dating so many boys, it’s nice to finally find a man.