#I hope we see him sometimes in future :D

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Ooh this episode was great y'all :D

I'm so glad Celina can have this closure, too :')). It sucks that it had to be someone she trusted :((, but I'm glad they caught him and saved the girl 🥰

Also Chenford :'DD themmm 😭 <33

And I really hope Lucy still manages to pass the detective exam 😬 :((

Lastly, Wopez 🥰🥰 my darlings <3 that scene at the end was so sweet 😭 I'm glad we got to see how a case like this would affect them given their trauma with Elijah (though it would affect any parent, any person really) :)

Anyway yeah!! Loved the episode, 10/10 :)

[gatitties]

Hi :D

I was wondering if you would make a tokyo revengers scenarios about bonten Mikey,Koko, Sanzu and Rindou if they had a S/O who showed love through touch? Pretty please!!!

^_^

(Ps love ur work <3)

─Bonten!Mikey, Koko, Sanzu & Rindou x reader

─Summary: you are a person of physical touch as a sign of affection, that's all!

─Warnings: slight mention of drugs, maybe a little angst with sanzu¿

aww ty and sure! this is so cute 🫣

"Not now."

Mikey's firm voice made you step back with a grimace, you had tried to wrap your arms around his waist in an attempt at a hug, but he wasn't such a fan of physical affection, at least not during a meeting with his executives, he would always be more emotional in private.

His eyes glanced at your hunched figure in the side chair. You stopped paying attention to the meeting, doodling on the paper on the table with a pout, Mikey rolled his eyes at your silent complaints, you were a spoiled brat, that's for sure.

You looked up from the paper when you felt a slightly warmer part of your thigh, you exchanged glances with him who had something similar to a hidden smile, his hand rested on you so that you would stop the childish attitude when he couldn't get your hugs now, you settled yourself enough to last another hour listening to the boys even though you had nothing to do with it, you were only there because you were hoping to bury your face in mikey's chest.

"You're too impatient."

"You also get impatient if you don't have your taiyakis when you order them."

You pressed your arms over his abdomen, once out of the public eye you were really clingy considering you couldn't show your affection all the time, Mikey didn't care much, he would let you be on top of him as long as you didn't bother him too much, you usually fall asleep while he finishes some things at his desk and on the nights he can't sleep ─almost all of them─ he caresses your head while you imprison him with your body in a strange hold worthy of wrestling.

He is not a lover of physical contact but at the same time he enjoys it, sometimes he ends up lost in his deepest thoughts, his nightmares, his life decisions, all the shit he has behind him and everything he is doing now, how he came at this point in his life… he always thinks that he should just disappear, erase everything he did or try to change it even though he knows it's too late, but then he feels your arms on his shoulders, your body resting next to his.

"Hey, it's not worth it if I'm the only one who hugs you, you have to do it too!"

His body moved only because you were the one who placed his hands on your waist, he sighed, recognizing your scent as he approached your body, resting his head on the curve of your shoulder, at least, these small moments brought him back to earth, back in your arms, away from all those dark thoughts about his life, whether past or future, he was able to find some comfort in your way of showing affection.

Kokonoi is a busy man, being in one of the most wanted mafias in Japan also doesn't leave him room for a schedule with many vacations or breaks, but you always seem to know when to show up to be on top of him like a tick, wanting to just stay in touch for pure pleasure and what could he do? Despite not being the most interested in love in a physical way, it wasn't that bad.

"Oh, there you are, I knew you had a break."

"Are you looking at my schedules? That's harassment, honey."

"Oh… then I'll just look for another person to give all my love and affection to since you don't want it."

You smiled shamelessly pretending to be angry at his accusations, Koko denied seeing your silly game, he approached you knowing what you had come to do just now that he had a small pause, when you felt his hands on your shoulders you immediately turned around with the widest smile, crushing him in a hug.

"I've missed you."

"It's only been two hours since the previous break."

"Too much time! You were supposed to have a day off and you promised me we would cuddle all day and do nothing else."

He sighed, knowing that he had promised but that due to some problems he couldn't keep his promise, he patted you as he watched as Mochizuki and Ran approached the room to resume the matter they were handling, a grimace on your face from the sudden lack of contact, you knew that Koko didn't like that honeyed side of him to be seen and you respected it because he had a 'tough guy' image to maintain for Bonten.

It was unusual for you to show your affection when he was with the other executives, but you didn't mind, because when you blended into the busy streets pretending to be normal people with an average life, you could hold his hand again while pressing your palm against his several times like a heart pumping blood, it was your demonstration so that Kokonoi knew that you were there, that you would always be there despite everything, he will respond by tightening his grip a couple of times.

"Welcome back, Koko."

Despite the sleep that creeps through your body, you manage to stay awake until he arrives after a long day. Koko can only smile as he shakes his head when sees that as soon as he opens the door of the house you are waiting for him with open arms waiting for a hug. On the way back, knowing that you are more asleep than awake, he takes the opportunity to take you to bed, letting you hug a pillow with his aroma while he ends the day with a hot shower, lying on the bed immediately, waiting for you to get rid of the pillow to surround him with your arms.

Sanzu loves every time your skin is in contact with his, every caress, every hug… he doesn't care about the public, they can watch how you like to show your love for him, at the same time he likes to show that no one should get involved with you.

"Sit here."

He will always ask you to sit next to him, you like to have your arms intertwined, your head resting on his shoulder while you both dissociate from the reality in which you are thanks to the mutual touch, while the conversation becomes a dull noise, all the people at the brothel disappeared from your vision and you only focused on your partner.

While you were enjoying just spending time like that with Sanzu, he was on another kind of trip, not especially tranquility, that is, perhaps self-induced tranquility due to the last pill he had taken, at this moment the whole scene was distant, the muffled voices came and went just like his thoughts, but what he liked most was seeing your face deformed due to the optical effect of the drugs and the heat that your body gave off against his.

Of course, you didn't notice his state until you saw that he was laughing a lot as he leaned his head against yours, almost letting his full weight put you in an uncomfortable position. You enjoyed that Sanzu was just as clingy as you, but you wanted him to do it by his own act and not by consuming narcotics.

"Hey, hey, focus, I'm going to take you home and we're going to get you back to normal."

"But I'm normal now, I'm enjoying your company and your hugs!"

His giggle and his grip on you made you frown, as much as you didn't like it you removed his hands from your waist, standing up as you tried to keep his hands from snaking back up your body to trap you in your seat, you had had many arguments with Sanzu because of this, you had tried to get him to leave that world but you were not his psychologist, at least you asked him not to do it when he was with you.

"Come on, let's go, thanks for everything."

You said goodbye to the Haitani brothers, who had been the ones who planned the night in one of their brothels, dragging Sanzu with a frown, he was muttering apologies here and there while trying to kiss you on the cheeks, and no matter how much you loved that loving side, you felt that he was not sincere, you ended up sleeping on the couch, refusing to hug him in that state.

"Honey… love… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

And the next morning you woke up with a Sanzu curled up next to you ─almost falling off the couch─ murmuring into your shoulder that he would make up for his mistakes, which usually ends with him spending a day exclusively with you smothering him to death with affection so he'll forget consuming things dangerous to his health again.

He lives for your displays of affection like a puppy looking for pets, he doesn't care about the people in front of you two, they don't even have to worry that you have your hands on him all the time, and if someone dares to comment that you're too clingy, they will just get a beating afterwards.

"Then we'll do this and…" Takeomi's voice trailed off until he was silent, watching with expressionlessness as Rindou whispered to you "Can you at least pretend to be interested in what we're talking about?"

"I could, but lying is bad Takeomi."

The older one rubbed his temples, not knowing why the hell he was trying that with the youngest of the Haitani, knowing that he wouldn't get his attention now that you were there, he continued with his talk, at least the others were listening, anyway Ran got the information so he can give it to Rin later.

Rindou put his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to his side as your arm went around his back, your head rested on his chest. You sighed dreamily like in a cheesy movie, but you couldn't help it. You loved showing your affection through tact and that Rin didn't find it excessive or annoying simply made you more clingy.

When you can't be in the boring meetings with him, he will be counting the hours he has left until he can see you again, burying his face in your stomach while he hugs you like a child seeking comfort, it is impossible to resist your caresses, your hands. They are warm compared to his which are colder, you already have to endure a lot at work, all you want is to get home where you can have infinite love without interruptions.

"I'm home!"

The smile quickly disappears when there is no answer, you are not home yet and he has to hold on until you return, he settles for lying in your bed and enjoying the smell you left on the pillow, he gets very impatient and moves to the living room where he can see the entrance directly, waiting like a puppy for you to return.

As soon as you walk through the door you already feel Rin's eyes on you, you let out a giggle as you see how his face lights up, despite being tired, you have enough energy to squeeze and lift Rindou in a welcoming hug, he lets you take a shower before you both end up on the couch arguing about what movie to watch, your bodies not separating at any time during that entire time.

"Ugh- hey, I can't feel my arms, can we change positions?"

"But I'm comfortable."

You laugh when you see his expression, since you were practically on top of him, crushing him, changing positions so that you were both comfortable, although the night would surely end with both of you sleeping on the floor.

[powdermelonkeg]

just saw ur gale/mystra analysis post. im new to the game and dnd lore and honestly… ur take on their relationship feels like the most natural/compelling one??? esp since its all too easy to simplify topics that have many facets and nuance….

thanks for sharing i love analysis and reading people’s takes on narratives : D

My pleasure! (Bee from the future here: congrats, you spawned another meta!)

I love complicated characters, WAY more than I like a clear cut-and-dry case. Flaws, to me, are what make a character compelling and lead to interesting stories about them with choices that can get them into situations. I'm both writing a fanfic and running a campaign where I'm playing as Gale, and in the interest of portraying him properly and in-character, I've gone into SUCH a deep dive into all the decisions and facts that make him him.

It helps to, y'know, also be in love with the fictional wizard, but I digress

The thing about Baldur's Gate 3 is that no character in there is perfect. I've seen a couple analyses about the theme of continuing cycles of abuse vs breaking out of them, but in my mind, in terms of the characters themselves, it goes like this:

The origin characters have just come out of the lowest situation of their lives (Lae'zel being the exception; being tadpoled is a gith's worst nightmare. You're seeing that lowest situation in real time).

Not the lowest point, mind. Gale's lowest was probably the day after he got the Orb. Wyll's was probably the day his father cast him out. Karlach's was the day she lost her heart. But the lowest, accepted normal for them is what they've just left.

They're then thrown out of their depth and forced to rely on you to live. That's #1 priority: living. We get the extremes of these characters before we get their nuances, because they're quite literally at their breaking points.

Then once we get to know them, we see their wants, their hopes, their fears, as they open up to us. Every companion's story is at their own pace, but they all have a moment where they ping-pong between despondency and desire. Sometimes that desire is what we know isn't good for them, like Shadowheart wanting to be a Dark Justiciar. Sometimes that despondency is only for a flicker, like Astarion's realization that he's condemned 7000 people to a half-life of tortured spawnhood for as long as he's been a vampire.

Romance lets us crack all that open more, because if you pursue a romantic partner, they see you as their closest confidant. They WANT to trust you, so they're more willing to explain how they see the world and what decisions they want to chase.

And then their endings. Those often get simplified as good/bad, continuing the cycle vs breaking away from it. But how is Duke Wyll on the same platform as Ascended Astarion? He's not evil, he's not even entirely unhappy. He might even have broken out of his abusive cycle with Mizora, if you played your cards right. And Ascended Astarion is overjoyed, even if he is remarkably more cold.

I think that the endings are less a dichotomy of "this is good for them" vs "this is bad for them," and more one of "bringing out their best traits" vs "bringing out their worst."

Wyll's worst trait is being willing to sacrifice his own wants for whatever people desire of him. His best is standing for what he believes in and ensuring people are safe. Duke Wyll leans into that necessity to turn the other cheek in the name of people who count on him, while the Blade of Avernus has seized that moral compass of his and forged it out of mithral.

Shadowheart's worst trait is blind obedience at the cost of her individuality, while her best is her desire to be kind to things that don't deserve to be hurt. Mother Superior Shadowheart's whole life is defined by Shar. Selûnite Shadowheart's life is defined by her hospitality, especially towards animals.

Karlach's worst trait is how willing she is to accept that things are (to quote her) fucked, letting despair override hope. Her best is her durability in the face of horror. Exploded Karlach would rather die than try to work out a solution in the Hells, because she's terrified of facing Zariel alone. Mindflayer Karlach has accepted her fate and decides to give up her heart and soul to go out a hero, losing who she is. Fury of Avernus Karlach is willing to keep fighting for a solution, and by the time the epilogue happens, she's got her sights set on one.

Astarion's worst trait is his desire for power over people. His best trait is using the tools he has to his advantage. Ascended Astarion has let his powerhungry nature and paranoia lead all of his decisions, with his sights set on dominating mankind. Spawn Astarion has embraced what he is, and carved out a life for himself where he can do as he pleases.

Lae'zel's worst trait is her blind fanaticism, while her best trait is her individual dedication, making her loyalty a marriage of the two. Ascended Lae'zel is a meal for the lich queen, turning a blind eye to all Vlaakith's tried to do to her and literally being consumed by her fervor. Champion of Orpheus Lae'zel has turned her loyalty into something productive for diplomacy. Faerûnian Lae'zel has seized her individuality by the throat and decided her own future.

And then Gale. Gale's worst traits are his hubris and, paradoxically, his low self worth. His best traits are his creativity and wonder for the world. God Gale is the embodiment of ambition, having burned away all but that in pursuit of perfection. Exploded Gale has let his remorse blot out all hope for a redemption in which he does not die, because he thinks he's earned it. Professor Gale leads his life by embracing the school of Illusion and letting his creativity thrive, teaching others to do the same. House Husband Gale has multiple creative projects he's working on, and Adventurer Gale is always finding new sights to see and wanting to share them with you.

There are arguments to be made on which ending the origins are happiest in, certainly, or which one benefits them the most, but each ending represents the extreme of a facet they possess.

So with all that, there's a sort of malleable method to figuring out the ins and outs of a character.

You take their endings—all of them, all variables they can have—and reverse-engineer the flaws and details they carry. Then you start to notice how those work into their approvals for minor things: Astarion approving of your taking of the Blood of Lathander, or Shadowheart approving of standing up for Arabella. Getting a list of approvals and disapprovals is helpful, but having those endings on hand tells you why they react like that to a majority of their decisions.

You take their romance-route explanations of how they act, and apply those to earlier decisions. Astarion's confession to manipulating you and Araj-prompted admittance to using himself as a tool brings to light how he reacts to your decisions, regardless of his actual opinions on them. Wyll's fairytale romance and love of poetic adages speaks to his idealistic nature, and why he takes a sometimes-blinded approach to decisions in which the "right" answer isn't always the smart one.

You take their beginning reactions to stress and use that to measure how future decisions impact them. Lae'zel locks down and gets snappy when she's scared, while Gale immediately turns to diplomacy. Shadowheart has gallows humor, while Wyll turns to quiet acceptance. If they break from these and seem even worse, you know the situation is more dire in their minds than having seven days to live.

And then you factor in all their fun facts and dialogue choices and backstories.

A wizard falls in love with a goddess and her magic, attempts to retrieve a piece of her power for her, is scorned for his attempt and is cursed to die.

Give that backstory to a Tav. Look at how it changes.

A chaotic good wizard fell in love with a goddess, thought retrieving a piece of power for her would be a showy bouquet of love, and was punished for not thinking things through.

A lawful evil wizard fell in love with a goddess's power, snatched the most precious thing she owned, tried to use it to barter his way through to the secrets she kept, and was given a swift retribution.

Same backstory. Same class, same act, same goddess. Wildly different connotations. Wildly different conclusions as to who is in the wrong.

If you take all there is to Gale, all that the game shows us makes up his character, and apply it to this backstory, you get what really happened:

A wizard, enamored with magic, fell in love with a goddess. His desires led him to want more than she was willing to give. In his well-buried fear of inadequacy, he concluded that the reason she wouldn't indulge his ambitions was because he just hadn't proven himself worthy enough. So he tried to prove himself, but he lacked the context for what he was proving himself with. And the goddess, seeing a weapon that had killed her predecessor, saw this ambitious wizard as losing his way and coming for her just like the weapon's creator had. She was angry, she withdrew his link to her, and he didn't know why. So he drew the conclusion that she took his powers to punish him, and let that encompass his fall from grace.

Was he wrong to reach for what was out there?

If you knew that the answers to everything you cared about were not only known, but kept by someone you loved—someone who adored you—what would you do to ask to see them? What if your curiosities were if there were other planets with life out there, or how dark matter worked, or whether or not we could one day travel in the stars? What if it was the potential cure to an illness that's little-understood, or the way to make a program you dreamt up, or the scope of the true limits of your artistic talents? Would your answer change?

Was she wrong to cut him off?

If you were once hurt, and the person you loved—the person who adored you—brought the thing that caused it to your door, believing you'd want it, how would you react to seeing it? What if that thing was someone you thought you'd broken contact with, like a friend or family member you'd been trying to avoid? Would your answer change?

That's the sort of scope that needs to be applied to this, on both sides. You have to take the perspectives of each party, and apply two analogies instead of one.

Gale saw the vastness of the universe, untold wonders, the solution to every question he could ever dream up, and saw Mystra as withholding this from him because she thought he just wasn't worthy enough. To claim Mystra knew his perspective does her a disservice.

Mystra saw a cruel weapon she thought long gone, in the hands of someone who could use it, brought right to her, and thought Gale was willingly following the path of Karsus. To claim Gale knew her perspective does him a disservice.

Should Gale have researched his prize more, so he knew just what he was obtaining? Should he have kept his hands off a cursed book that would devour him? Of course he should have.

Should he have given up on chasing his dreams?

Should Mystra have understood that Gale's pursuit of power was nothing like Karsus'? Should she have communicated when she was angry instead of giving the cold shoulder? Of course she should have.

Should she have given him the benefit of the doubt?

That's the root of their falling out. That's what leads to hurt being inflicted. Understandable, human reactions to the situations they perceive. Unhealthy, unwise choices made afterwards.

You work backwards from this to figure out their dynamic as Chosen and goddess. You work forward from this to understand more of where Gale and Mystra are during the events of Baldur's Gate 3. Gale reached too high, and understands this. His goddess hates him, and he regrets this. Mystra isolated Gale, and understands this. Her Chosen wants redemption, and she wants to make it happen.

Just like we took Gale's character into account, we also have to take Mystra's.

A goddess is faced with a problem. She uses someone who's desperate for approval to solve it, by telling him to kill himself.

An evil goddess is faced with a threat to her reign. She sees someone who's unfailingly loyal and hates himself, and elects to have him tear himself apart rather than do anything about it.

A good goddess is terrified of the future. She sees someone who tried to hurt her, who's going to die anyways, and tells him to use it to save the world.

Same story. Same act, same power, same pawn. Different character. Different perspective. Different outlook on whether or not this is the right thing to do.

Mystra has died, multiple times, to people trying to stake claim to her domain. Someone appears with the very thing that could do it again, right as she's regained her stability.

She does not see mortals the way mortals do. She is timeless. She is eternal. She has a duty to protect billions of people, and one person lost to protect that number is more than worth the sacrifice.

People like to bring up the Seven Sisters as proof of Mystra's cruelty. For those unaware, Mystra asked permission to, then possessed, a woman, used her to court a man (with dubious consent from the woman), and bore seven children, all of whom were capable of bearing Mystra's power as Chosen without dying. The woman she possessed was killed in the process (reduced to no more than a husk, then slain by her now-husband, hoping to end her suffering), and the husband was horrified by the whole story.

Mystra needed Chosen in order to restore herself in the event that she was killed again, to prevent magic as a whole from collapsing and wreaking havoc on the mortal realm, like it had in the few seconds Mystryl had been dead. Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, and the Seven Sisters contributed to this. The more Chosen she has, the better; what happens if Elminster dies? She can't afford to have all her eggs in one basket.

Mystra has Volo (yeah, that Volo) as a Weave Anchor, imparted with a portion of her power to prevent the Weave from shredding itself to pieces in her absence. All Chosen of Mystra are Weave Anchors by nature. The creation of Weave Anchors was mandated by Ao, the Overgod, and Chosen are the best way to make sure those anchors aren't drained by ambitious people hoping for godlike power. Chosen can, and will, defend themselves, unlike static locations (which Mystra also has). The anchors are why the Weave wasn't completely obliterated during Mystra's last death, when the Spellplague rose up, because they stabilized the Weave around them.

Everything Mystra does is in the name of the big picture, to prevent a catastrophe like the fall of Netheril from happening again. Her restriction of magic, her numerous Chosen, her creation of Weave Anchors, her destruction of those who would claim her power, it's all in the name of the stability she's been charged with. Dornal Silverhand's grief and Elué Silverhand's death, while regrettable, were worth it to bring seven more anchors into existence to save all of the Material.

So someone appears with the Crown of Karsus, potentially powerful enough to try to kill the other gods in the name of the Dead Three. She can't risk being a target of them. She can't risk the destruction of magic again.

Gale is going to die. He lives in fear. He begs for forgiveness.

In Mystra's eyes, she's offering him the best outcome. She'll let him die in service to her, to save Faerûn, and she'll forgive him. He's going to die anyways, and if he does this, she'll give him everything (she thinks) he could ever want in her realm. She's asking him to do what (she thinks) is the right thing.

"She would consider what she considers to be forgiveness."

Notably, she leaves the decision in his hands. She doesn't have Elminster lead him to the Nether Brain. She doesn't activate him as soon as he's there. When he lives yet, she doesn't revoke the charm that keeps him stable. And when he declines, when he lets it go and starts pursuing Karsus' path, she doesn't smite him on the spot.

She is (she thinks) being incredibly patient. If Gale is going to try to be Karsus II, she's ready for him. If he decides to walk off and keep the Orb, he's dug his own grave in the Fugue Plane (those who don't have a god to claim them roam endlessly as husks and form a wall of bodies around the City of Judgement).

From her perspective, she's not being unreasonable. But from the perspective of a mortal, she absolutely is.

"Now, I have a question for thee: what is the worth of a single mortal's life?"

This is a question she cannot answer properly.

I think a lot of characterization is lost whenever someone paints one of them as being totally in the right. But I also think you have to be invested in them as characters to want to see that characterization. If you want to write about Mystra, you have to try to get into her head, analyze the decisions she made, figure out why she thinks she was right, and follow the pattern.

Gale's sacrifice is a very predictable thing for her to ask for.

[impactedfates]

Gayly crashes inside here/J

Anyways may I request a Jing Yuan with [platonic] bio-child reader.. Who has the most chaotic personality ever [ft sharing the same braincells as Yanqing] thank youuu

— 🫶🏻 Anon with a teddy bear gift 🧸

A/N: THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT, I’LL TREASURE IT FOREVER 🧸 I HOPE YOU’LL LIKE THIS

Genre/Trope: Platonic + Family (JY, You and Yanqing!) + Crack

Format: Bullet Pointed Scenarios/HC

Warnings: None

Extra: Reader is a teen in this // Single Father JY again but he loves his kids // Yanqing will be your younger brother for this // Reader works under Fu Xuan // Not fully proofread // Some mentions of modern day stuff but time is still taken in the HSR Universe

Loveable Headaches - Platonic Dad! Jing Yuan x Reader

Jing Yuan really does love his children, both you and Yanqing...but you two never seem to give him a break do you? From your brother always buying swords to you deciding to dramatically gasp about the future, causing them to be scared when all that happened was that they trip over a pebble the next day...

On a day where he wished he could be sleeping having done all his paperwork (or...most of them) Fu Xuan comes barging in dragging you behind her, glaring at the man. And although making people scared of their future is rather bad when you're a diviner...he can't help but chuckle sometimes Fu Xuan tries to make him lecture you.

Fu Xuan: General Jing Yuan, your kid started laughing when they saw someone's future. Jing Yuan: Is that so? What did they laugh at? Fu Xuan: A poor guy who got jump scared by a ca- Jing Yuan: Wheeze Ah ahem I mean, they did?

When you and Yanqing are hanging out together. It's either Yanqing being the responsible one and leading you out of trouble, or the other way around. Not one time have you two shared a brain cell and thought logically. At rare times, both of you would have no brain cells and Jing Yuan would have a Cloud Knight knocking at his office and bringing the two rascals who scared the trainee knights.

When Mimi first grew up and the family realised she was in fact a lion, you climbed on her back and began riding her around like a horse.

[Name]: Go Mimi go!! Jing Yuan: Sweetie…please get off her. [Name]: What why? D: We're both feline great Jing Yuan: *Trying not to laugh* G-good one…but you're gonna get hurt.

You and Yanqing probably on more than one occasion tried to go into R rated films when you both were younger. Unluckily for you, everyone knows the Generals kid.

The Dozing General loves his naps and sleep but he also loves you!...But if he hears you playing "We Will Rock You" at 3am in the morning with pots and pans one more time-

Honestly you give Fu Xuan a headache too sometimes. We already said you laugh at a divination you give that scares the other person but you also tend to act disgusted, concerned or any negative emotion when reading future moments...this can either lead to you telling them what happened which is usually such a small thing or you not telling them, simply stating "Can't say, ruins the future"

You probably stole a bunch of things from his room, it worked out for a bit as he wasn't sure where everything was going but you revealed yourself as the lil thief when you tried to steal his heavy sword. (It's a sword right? Or smt??)

You made Jing Yuan wear a powerpuff girls outfit once for Halloween. If he was a powerpuff girl or Dr whatever his name was I forgot, is up to you.

Jing Yuan seems like the type of guy to give kids the big chocolate bars for Halloween, so he needs to hide them from you and Yanqing before Halloween is here or else the kids won't have any as you snatched them with your lil brother.

I see that when you and Yanqing were younger, you tried dressing up as each other, wearing wigs and each other's clothing to try and trick Jing Yuan...however, your clothes were too big on Yanqing, and his clothes were too small on you.

Yanqing tried to jump scare you once when you were using the hose for something, needless to say. Yanqing came back in the house absolutely soaked.

Perhaps one day, the two of you dressed up as Jing Yuan, he found it so adorable!! He took so many pictures of the 'Mini Generals'...he may or may not have attempted to take a day off, gesturing to the 'Mini Generals' and how they would do the work.

Fu Xuan: General…they're kids, they're not ready for your job Jing Yuan: Kids! That want to be me, why not train them? Fu Xuan: General Jing Yuan: Ah, no fun Madam Fu, I'm going I'll do my work, I'll do my work.

He questioned if you were a dog in disguise when you were like 5 tbh. Cuz you bit a lot of things, heck he once came into a meeting with you hanging off his arm...by biting him...doesn't hurt him but he did question where you learnt that.

Yanqing was adopted as a kid, when Jing Yuan first came home with the lil guy, and introduced him to you as your younger brother...you tried to make him fly by throwing him off the kitchen counter, to which THANKFULLY Jing Yuan has the quick reflexes to save Yanqing, he scolded you of course. And hey, good thing Jing Yuan did save your brother as you wouldn't have your partner in crime otherwise.

Idk if I made the reader chaotic or not but hopefully this was alrightwfiof.

Sorry for slow updates (I say as if I didn't mention I'd also be concentrated on other things). I'm going to some resort or something for a school tour(?) and apparently it has no wifi/signal, so wish me luck...gotta bond with my classmates.

[smilesatdawnmain]

I bet you have so much to do with all your great au's and the fanfics and arts you make for them (they are always awesome by the way), but I was wondering if you are planing on writing the Untaken au sometimes in the future or if its going to be a fun idea but there is nothing big planned.

I hope you are happy and healthy. Take your breaks and have a nice day!

I am planning to, yes!! :D I’ve already started too. I just don’t know when I’ll post any fanfic stuff about it. I have written many many things for it however :3 hehe

And I’m happy to share a scene from it

——

Note: since MK was never taken in the UnTaken Au, he would go back to being Xiaotian. (Nickname still being MK)

Taken Xiaotian however, would instead be named Xiaohua. (Nickname still being Xiaoxiao)

It was pitch dark out when Wukong’s eyes popped open, the sound of the door creaking open drawing him awake. Keeping still, he frowned at the ceiling. Mihou was still sound asleep beside him, pressing tightly to Wukong’s side with the King’s arm firmly around his waist. Keeping his mate secure, Wukong listened to shuffling, moving through the room slowly. He couldn’t see them, so they must have been smaller than the bed.

Positive it was one of his children, just not sure which one yet, he waited. He heard the laundry hamper being flipped, pushed against the bed so the child could use it as a stepping stool to make his way up onto the bed. Moving through the fluffy blankets they crawled. Their breath was heavy through their little nose, unaware they were being watched.

Wukong peeked down by his feet when he felt a little hand grab his foot above the covers. He could smell the child now as cinnamon overtook his senses; MK.

His smiles, reaching down to brush his fingers to the toddler's head. MK was startled, jumping a little when he realised his Dada was awake. Immediately MK was nuzzling against his Father’s hands, his wet cheeks evident against his palm.

Wukong’s thumb brushed to MK’s cheek in the dark, his voice soft. “What’s wrong, bud?”

“B-Bad dream.” the child whimpered

“Oh,” Wukong frowned. He patted his chest to draw MK closer to lay against him, “We can’t have that now. C’mere.” MK was quick to scamper up to his chest and nuzzle against his fur. Wet eyelashes closed, cooing.

Wukong rubbed his boy’s back, soothing his little one. He kissed the top of his head, lifting the blanket to cover them both. “Such a brave Monkey Kid.” he murmured. It didn’t take long for MK’s breathing to slow, his little chest rising up and down as he slipped into sleep. Wukong smiled, drifting back into sleep himself.

A few hours later Xiaohua was kicking down the door, a bundle of beheaded fluff. “Xiaotian is missing!” he screeched. He paused when MK’s head snapped upward from his Father’s chest, fur messy and eyes wide. Xiaohua’s mouth fell open in absolute SHOCK!

“Good morning, Xiaoxiao.” Wukong purred. Next to him, Mihou’s head was lifting drowsily, eyes inconsistently blinking.

“Huh…?” he grumbled

“Sleep over?!” Xiaohua demanded. He patted his little chest, clearly left out of such a fun event. “Without Xiaoxiao?!”

Mihou blinked, too tired to really form any words, and just buried his face back into Wukong’s shoulder. He tugged on Wukong’s tail with his own for his mate to deal with this situation.

“Gee thanks.” Wukong frowned at him. He gestured for Xiaohua to calm down, “It’s okay buddy, MK just had a bad dream so he came here. You can come join us right now?” he offered, patting beside him.

He could see the top of Xiaohua’s little head at the end of the bed, heatedly walking back and forth. Grumbling and on the verge of a tantrum. “Xiaoxiao is peeved! Peeved I tell you!” The child declared.

MK and Wukong glance at each other, sinking a bit further into the mattress to try and flatten themselves, hoping if they disappeared maybe they could avoid the wrath of the jealous Xiaohua.

[dewracle]

III's ABC's

PAIRING - III x reader, III x polyves (Briefly mentioned)

WARNING - NSFW! Pantie thief, prostitution, exhibitionism, partner sharing? Sounding

AUTHOR'S NOTE - Honestly, III is a wild card in my eyes. There is a lot of random things he enjoys if you can't tell. I hope yall enjoy these! I might be expanding my III category sometime in the future

WORD COUNT - 1,073

Master List

❥ A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

➛ Can we admit that after he cums he just lays on you or lays there for a while just enjoying the afterglow ➛ He will eventually get up when the cum becomes uncomfortable, quickly getting you a wet rag and some water.  ➛ If it’s bad enough, he’ll drag you into the shower and then just lay his head on you. 

❥ B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

➛ His? He loves his hair tbh, he prides him on it and making it look good.  ➛ Yours? God does he love your neck. Just loves biting into it and kissing the mark, loves the sounds you make. 

❥ C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

➛ I am very sorry but he loves cumming in your mouth, just for you to spit it back into his mouth.  ➛ Will finger his cum into you as well

❥ D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

➛ A panties thief. Dirty panties to be exact.  ➛ Sniffs them while touching himself thinking of you, wanting to bury his face between your legs and consume you. 

❥ E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

➛ Mm he knows a lot, has hired sex workers in his free time just to experience the world. (Don’t worry he was safe)

❥ F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

➛ More on the basic side out of all the positions in the world.  ➛ He likes cowgirl/reverse cowgirl. Loves being under you while you take his cock, use him however you feel fit. But also loves to grab a handful of your ass when you’re in reverse. 

❥ G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

➛ He’s definitely goofy, making jokes the whole time, trying to make you smile while pounding you into whatever surface he is taking you on.  ➛ Does get serious at times, growling softly in your ear because he wants nothing more but to make you scream.

❥ H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

➛ Mm hairless for the most part, if he does decide to grow any hair it's shaved quickly afterward. He just doesn’t enjoy the feeling and mess.

❥ I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

➛ He’s a goofy ball for the most part, does whisper and tell you how pretty you look underneath him.  ➛ Hell if you’re on top of him, he says you are one of the prettiest angels he’s ever seen.

❥ J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

➛ Half the time he doesn’t realize what he’s doing till it’s almost too late.  ➛ He’ll slowly palm at himself, lost in thought, thinking about something he has done in the past. Only gets up and goes somewhere private when he has to choke back a moan

❥ K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

➛ Power play. He likes fighting with his partner to see who can take control of the situation ➛ Voice kink. He mainly gets this from Vessel’s voice but he can and will melt for anyone with a good voice

❥ L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

➛ Kitchen, loves taking you knowing that the others eat there, always bringing up memories every time he’s in there ➛ Others’ bedrooms. Something about dirtying their room with his and your cum just sets him off. 

❥ M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

➛ The adrenaline gets him going. He loves doing things that get his blood pumping… Which gets his cock hard.

❥ N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

➛ I feel like this is obvious with all of my NSFW ABC’s but no scat play… He just, literally makes him gag at the thought.

❥ O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

➛ Please suck this man’s cock, he is a whimpering mess when he’s receiving ➛ He also loves to give oral, he’ll have your cum on his tongue as much as he can. Will try to suffocate himself just burying himself in you 

❥ P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

➛ Medium honestly, doesn’t really have a set pace that he enjoys, just savors the feeling of you wrapped around him

❥ Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

➛ I would like you to understand one thing… He does not mind taking you in front of the others… Quickies happen so much with him, honestly loves them bc he can take you whenever he feels like it.

❥ R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

➛ Oh definitely! As previously stated, he takes you anywhere and everywhere. Has had you on his cock while having a causal conversation with Vessel.

❥ S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

➛ He doesn’t last forever but he lasts a decently long time. If he cums before he beds you, he’ll last longer but then it's sometimes hard to cum.

❥ T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

➛ Has some toys but nothing really interests him as much as you.  Has one set of toys that he’ll never let you or any of the others know about

❥ U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

➛ The biggest tease out of all of them. He enjoys getting you all flustered before dipping to go play on stage. He just can’t get enough of watching you whine after he pulls his hand out of your pants.

❥ V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

➛ Quiet at first but slowly grows louder. ➛ His accent comes through a lot when he’s in pleasure and he’s almost embarrassed about it.

❥ W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

➛ That set of toys I mentioned earlier? Yeah, it's a sounding set… ➛ He loves the feeling of the smooth metal going into his cock

❥ X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

➛ He has his nipples pierced, but it was mostly done as a joke than anything

❥ Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

➛ Bless all of his partners, he is nearly always pent up, always ready to go again.

❥ Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

➛ They barely sleep due to their nature… He’ll fall asleep after multiple rounds and will nap for roughly 4 hours before waking up again.

Master List

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝔾𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕔𝕖 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ @superstar-ethereal request: REQUESTS ARE OPEN LETS GOOOOOO

anywayss can i perhaps have wxs with an orange cat-like reader? (or to give a clearer descriptor: orange cats are stereotypically perceived as being energetic, airheaded, very friendly to everyone they meet, etc etc.) it's fine if not though! :D

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ YAYAYAYAS I love cats hehehehe

I also added some more characteristic hope you don't mind ^^ Just my own little experience with those damn ginger bastards cats~

Anyway! Hope you like it!!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

✧ there are times when Tsukasa has absolutely enough of your crazy ideas...

✧ in fact, he learned to yell "no" so loud your eardrums are ringing and you can't think straight anymore for next few seconds

"Hey what if I-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

"I'm deaf I think..."

✧ he still loves you tho. He just can't believe one person can store so many crazy ideas...

✧ sometimes this boy still has hopes that whenever he sees you waking up from daydreaming, you'll say something sweet and not something that'll make him question your sanity

✧ if he ever sees his locker, shoes, clothes or anything messed up, he'll immidietly call you, knowing damn well who's guilty for that

"... Y/N!!! WE NEED TO TALK!! Where is my- of course you're wearing it... C'mon, it's uniform. I need it or else I'll get detention..."

✧ despite you causing troubles constantly, he'll still get you out of those by either giving rational arguments to teacher or annoying them untill they have enough and let you out. Whatever happens, he still thinks it was the first one

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @wholesaleboi @yulikesminori @alicewinterway18 @hakulivesformusic @sucodelaranja86 - come get your future star!

✧ you get along with Emu pretty well~ She's most likely about to agree to your idea as long as you interpret it as a fun game

✧ you can literally offer most random thing and as long as you say it's "part of the game" she'll be excited to join you!

"Omg YES!!! It sounds so fun!! I'll be sure to win! Hehe~ Game... ON!" RUUUUN!!!"

✧ you two usually take the consequences together... if you won't talk your way out, she most likely won't succeed either...

✧ despite her whole family telling her you're "bad influence for her" she still won't stop hanging out with you and getting into some fun troubles!

✧ she's very social as well so she won't mind jumping around random people just to ask them few questions or even randomly adopt someone into your friend group you may be creating

"Target found!"

"Oh? That introvert? Let's go~"

"HaHaHa! Let's make a good and loud impression! Ready? WONDERHOY!!!"

✧ your dynamic is certainly one to be cherished~ You're definitely matching quite well!

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @hayillaaaaaaa @miguelito-maruti-blog @ravenmoon903 - come get your smiley girl!

✧ Nene sometimes wonders if she's more of a girlfriend or babysitter for you...

✧ whenever you wake up with sudden urge to cause chaos, she must be there to stop you before you ruin too many lives

"Don't do it! Leave the poor child alone!"

✧ she learned to just hold your hand so you wouldn't randomly run off without her noticing

✧ you also definitely made her socialize a bit more... since she usually comes with you on any hangouts just to make sure you'll come back home in one piece

✧ despite her trying to keep you away from troubles, she won't help you if you actually got yourself into ones... or so that's what she says...

✧ if you plead long enough, she may help you clean up but she's definitely NOT talking you out of consequences

"Nene!! Can you clean the floor at corridor for me?"

"Why?"

"I... ACCIDENTALLY spilled some chemicals..."

"You WHAT?!"

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @bl4cktourmaline @ravenmoon903 - come get your shy gamer~

✧ Rui would absolutely love how bratty you are! It all just adds onto the playfulness and he's up for all of it!

✧ he loves how you're "all against world" and wouldn't mind honestly joining you

"Us against the world! Isn't that right, darling?"

✧ if you actually like to knock down things randomly tho, it's gonna make his heart jump MANY times tho...

✧ he keeps an eye on you all the time since he never knows what idea you may get the next second

✧ he also is biggest fan of your random ideas! Whenever he sees you drifting off, he stays quiet just waiting for you to wake up and tell him what you thought of

"... What if you we made jetpacks for penguins?"

"Fufu~ We can try~"

✧ you both are biggest troublemaker duo and kamiyama high definitely fears your next move...

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @bl4cktourmaline @superstar-ethereal @stellas-starry-stories13 @alicewinterway18 @hakulivesformusic @sucodelaranja86 - come get your crazy inventor~

[thesuperiorgenshinaddict]

Angel Dust N$FW Alphabet

AN: i was trying to see what other ppl write abt angel dust for motivation or something but there's like almost nothing. am i crazy??? i found a singular ns//fw alphabet about him. someone please write about him thanks xoxo also for these i'm assuming that you're in a relationship w/ him or at least really friendly fuckbuddies Pairing: Angel Dust x GN! Reader Warnings: Sexual content, Switch! Angel Dust, Valentino mentioned, Self-Hatred, idk it's mainly just sweet nasty fluffy bullshit. actually disgustingly sweet blergh

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) His job revolves around sex. He's done this tons of times, makes sure you're feeling okay and gets you drinks and snacks and whatever you need. Takes a bath with you afterwards and if you're feeling too tired to get up, he'll just carry you over and clean you up and tucks you into bed afterwards. Forehead kisses, woo!

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) Despite him constantly flexing about how attractive he is, I feel like he probably feels disgusted at himself sometimes. Thinks that he's just an object of sexual attraction after a long day at work. Make sure you tell him about how lovely he is. I'm highkey trying to think of a single horny thing to put in here to make him seem less depressed but I can't think of anything. Uhhh, fuck.

He loves every part of you, so I can't really think of anything in particular. Likes holding the area between your hips and waist for support or holding you under him, whatever your preference is. He's versatile.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) The dude's done so many things with cum. Would swallow it and loves seeing it all over your or his body. This was more of a brain rot thought, but I randomly thought about how he's a spider. Hear me out. His cum's like the fucking spider web material but in a more watery form. It's a bit hard to wash out and gets abso-fucking-lutely everywhere. Tastes relatively basic, but the texture makes it a bit strange. Great, just wait until future jobs pull this up and ask me if I'm attracted to spiders. I'm cooked.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) For a second I was just going to type STD with a shit ton of exclamation marks, but we can go hope that Valentino's stars are tested. I really don't think Angel Dust has a lot of 'dirty secrets' considering how his job makes him do a lot of different things.

This is like the second time I've pulled this exact thing where I turn this into a completely non-dirty secret but he loves soft sex. Is this because every character I write presents as a blatantly horny fuckwad? Gee, I might have to switch it up soon with a less horny person. Or demon. Whatever.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) We already knew what was going to be written here. He's seen and done everything. Even though his job requires him to exaggerate moaning and whatever, he knows what feels good and what's not sexy. He would catch on to where you're the most sensitive and target that.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) He doesn't have a favorite one, but he enjoys the ones where he can see your face so he can lean close and give you a little peck on the lips. Angel's main priority is to make sure you're feeling good, so if you're wanting it to be a bit more rough, he's down for doggy style or whatever kinky shit ya throw at him. I'm resisting the urge to just say 'ya' instead of you for the rest of this thing. Fuck, his talking style is worming it's way into my daily conversations too. It's infectious (like the herpes he probably has. I'm sorry the opportunity was just too perfect LMFAO)

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) Leaning more on the joking side. He'll say like twenty sex jokes per round, minimum. I don't even think I'm exaggerating there considering how majority of his script in the show was literally just innuendos. If you're feeling upset, he'd make sure to tone the jokes down and be a bit more romantic and everything. None of the jokes are degrading though, they're always on the lighter side since he knows how vulnerable sex is. There's this drabble I really want to put in but it's way more AMAB! leaning, maybe I'll write a little thing about him later on a separate post. (most subtle self-promotion /s)

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) I'm thinking rather completely clean or trimmed. Since his job needs him to look good, he always makes sure he's in good condition. It's pretty much the same shade as his hair with maybe a slight pink tinge to it.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) Hope ya read the AN part because I'm assuming you're close to him. In that case, he's pretty romantic about it. Tells you how good you're doing and peppers your face with kisses. Overloads you with compliments.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) Honestly, he's exhausted from work so he never really has a reason to masturbate (unless Valentino has it in one of his scripts). Usually just flops down into his bed and cuddles with Fat Nuggets. Although, he'd find some mutual masturbation attractive. If he accidentally walks in on you masturbating to him, he'd totally tease you about it. Maybe. I don't even know at this point. I think my brain's dissecting itself

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) Bondage (Giving or receiving), Body Worship (Giving or receiving), damn this shit is mild asf I'm trying to think of literally anything else and I can't uhhhhhh... Idk oral probably

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) He'd probably prefer somewhere more private. I don't think he'd completely be against public/semi-public sex, but it's more of the fact that he's famous and would rather get paid for giving people a show. Horniness aside though, I think he would rather just be in a cozy place to fuck.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) This one's kinda random but I feel like he'd be super into it if you showed off one of your talents. It doesn't even have to be physical, but like if you did some shit like idk math or something (please not math) he'd call you some flirty ass nickname mildly related to the subject at hand and do some dirty talking.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) He'd definitely get fucking flaccid if you're anything like Valentino. That being if you force him into a situation where he has no control whatsoever or if you're too harsh with him.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) Due to his occupation, he does giving way more often since he's pushed into a power bottom role. He rarely gets blowjobs, so he'd definitely enjoy it a ton, especially if it's more of a soft, romantic mood. His skill for giving is a 9.5-10/10 since he's been doing this shit for decades.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) Oh my god. If I have to write 'oh yeah his job makes him do yadadada buuuuutttt' ONE MORE FUCKING TIME I'm actually going to start bawling my eyes out. I feel like if you've read this far and intended on reading with one hand, you're probably bored out of your mind already. I'm so sorry Buuutttt youuu guessseddd it. Enjoys both, likes slow a lot too cuz he doesn't get intimate stuff often yap yap yap uhghghghghghh im so sorry dude this must be so boring to read i'm sorry reader

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) Quickies are pretty convenient for him, since Valentino makes him work often so he doesn't mind a quick sesh before heading off to work. If for whatever reason he has a break (or he magically quits his job), I think he'd probably prefer taking his time, but if he's in a rush or there's something he needs to do, he'll find a random secluded area for a quickie. I read that as quiche.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) If you can find something he never did before, then yeah, totes. Can't believe I said totes in 2024. Fuck. Anyway, there's no way it's that different from what he's done before because it really just boils down to 'idk just gotta get jizz', which is his talent.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) He's used to taking long ass night shifts so he can go for a ton. I think he'd just go for 3~ when he has time, I don't think he's that desperate to fuck outside of work because he's probably pretty drained already. Thinking of that in the literal sense is lowkey nasty

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) Owns a good bunch because he probably gets gifts from fans which end up just being dildos and vibrators and ass plugs or something. Like I said in the masturbation one, I don't think he really needs to use them that often, but he might use a dildo every now and then. He'd probably bring them out occasionally when having sex.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) I feel like he's teasing throughout the day since all he's apparently fluent in horndog language and only communicates in sex jokes. Slander aside, during the actual sex sesh whenever that is, I think he wouldn't do edging for that long and just skip the foreplay.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) When recording, he heavily exaggerates his moaning and it probably became a habit. Good luck with trying to be subtle because his voice alone could probably blow some poor kid's ears up.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) Dogshit at playing Uno. Wow I'm so creative. Who could've thought of Uno when they read wild card! Haha. Haha. Hah. Ha. Fuck, I'm so shit at writing. Who let me have a computer again?

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) Y'know, when you look at him, I don't think your first though is 'big dick energy'. When he was alive, I think it'd probably have been 5-5.5 inches. Definitely very slim with a rosy pink at the tip. I know he's 8 ft, but I still don't get big dick energy so I'm just gonna go with 6-7 and call it a day.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) Probably still very high despite getting fucked constantly, but if you're not feeling sexual, I don't think he'd try to push it too far. Unless you're looking for angst or toxic headcanons, then push that shit to max. Delicious, painful angst. Yum! That's mainly prior to episode 4 though, since they speedran his entire fucking arc and ended it in like 2 episodes. Thanks pacing, I really appreciate it.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) He doesn't fall asleep easily for a variety of reasons, so he'd scroll on his phone for a bit or something before sleeping with you if he trusts you enough. AN: well that was dogshit thanks i hated it /jk but maybe I just have beef with 'wholesome' things. imo this is probably the type of bullshit they say when 'anthony' and 'angel dust' are different because this was definitely anthony or whatever then. man i gotta make this shit more horny next time, think i'll do val or blitzo or verosika or idk someone who's horny. like and follow for more banger content guys boom (seriously though i feel like this was super lame i'm sorry)

[wri0thesley]

For your ask prompts: Kunzea with Wriothesley? :D

K - Kunzea (power): “C'mon, love, we both know who’s in charge here.”

cw: fem reader ("atta girl"), vague allusions to sexual assault, dub-con, yandere

You're trembling, and you know he can see it.

He has the nerve to smile. He's looking at you like you're a kitten puffing up their tail before being put in a basket for the first time; the kind of smile one has for a poor little creature who's just too silly for its own good. Your grip on the blade tightens.

"Don't come any closer," you tell him, and your teeth chatter.

It had taken you weeks to be able to get a hold of anything that could do some real harm. Watching Wriothesley in his office after he'd called you in for some infraction or another (these infractions always end in punishment; in his hand against your bare rump, in your body bent in half over his desk, in his grip iron tight around your waist as he dances with you and the gramophone scratches through some old love song), memorising where he kept his things in the hope it would serve you in the future.

"Put the letter opener down," he says to you, his tone remaining almost genial, "and I'll pretend that you're not threatening the Administrator of the Fortress of Meropide."

"No," you reply, voice pitching too high, and you make a pathetic little thrust forward at the same time as you take a step back. There's nothing solid in between you - and in your attempt to get away from him and put some distance between his body and yours, you reach the wall, your shoulders bumping against the shelf of books set into the stone. One of them tumbles over your shoulder and you wince as it hits the ground and the fragile binding gives out, the weak glue separating cover from pages. "I-- I won't let you--!"

"That was expensive," he says, mildly. "Another six months onto your sentence for wilful destruction of property? You poor thing."

"I-- I'll serve my sentence," you say to him, and though you wish you sounded sure of yourself, your voice trembles like the needle on his gramophone. "But I won't let you--"

"Won't let me what, sweetheart?" He asks, taking a slow step towards you. The sound of his heavy boot sole hitting solid ground almost sets you into fight or flight - the sound of his handcuffs rattling and his chains clinking makes your stomach twist. "Won't let me take care of you? Won't let me love you?"

"You don't love me," you say to him. He's getting too close to you. You can smell the scent he wears on the air; something like sandalwood and freshly brewed tea. "You just-- you're just a monster--!"

His face twitches. He takes four or five quicker steps, and suddenly his hand is fastened bone-crush tight around your wrist - the one holding his engraved silver letter opener. You cry out, his fingers rough against the sensitive skin - handcuffs in their own right.

"You don't think I love you?" He growls, so low he sounds like a wolf. "You think you'd survive a minute out there without my protection? You think that the inmates aren't just raring to get their teeth into your pretty soft skin and show you what it's supposed to be like for new blood here?"

"You're . . . the things you do to me--" Your voice is clogged with tears.

"Maybe I should let them have you," he snarls. "You'd come fucking crying to me begging for a spanking instead if I let some of the criminals in here lay their hands on you. Could even get your cell reassigned; somewhere close to the tunnels so they have somewhere to take you none of the guards will hear you scream."

Your courage is running out, sand dripping through an hourglass. Your grip on the letter opener is faltering. You think about the side-eye glances you get in the cafeteria sometimes, the whispers that stop when you come near.

You'd always assumed it was because he had singled you out like this. Oh, it's not public knowledge - but there's something easy to work out about a prisoner called to the Duke's office who often leaves it lips-swollen and limping a little.

You had never thought it might be because Wriothesley's favour protects you.

You wouldn't need his protection, if he hadn't started this in the first place.

"Well?" He probes. "Do you want that? Do you want me to stop loving you? I can, if that's what you want. I could stop loving you and watch you get torn to fucking pieces."

Your body is wracked with shivers. The air in his office suddenly feels close and heavy; you are reminded, more than ever, that you are in a prison at the bottom of the sea.

You shake your head mutely, your eyes flashing to the hard-won silver prize in your grip.

He eases up, just a touch.

"C'mon," he says, smiling again. "Put it down. We both know who's in charge here, sweetheart, and it's not the one trembling like an otter with its paw caught in a mekafish corpse."

His fingers loosen up on your wrist and he presents his gloved hand to you, palm up. Those eyes fasten on you with rigid intensity, and you know he is waiting for your decision.

The wolf, or the villagers who are ready to form a mob for you at any moment?

You place the letter opener in his hand.

"Atta girl."

At least the wolf is a monster you know.

[gtwscratch]

Go Home

Summary: Tango and Jimmy are the first ones out in Double Life. They talk for a bit, and Tango says some things he’s going to regret.

This is inspired by @cramblm! She made a comic a while back about these two, and I was (FINALLY) motivated to write something again :D 

This is also part one of a two-part little story!! I’m not sure when part two will be up, but yeah! If you like this one, I hope you guys look forward to the next part!

CW: Team Ranchers angst, that’s about it

Word count: 1,203 words

===============================

Tango looks down at the server, floating above everything. He idly rubs his arm. He can almost still feel the phantom pains of the enderman ripping into Jimmy, and by association, himself.

Huh. So this is what it’s like.

It’s oddly peaceful. Obviously there's still chaos going on below him as the last of the server’s peace crumbles away, but this was… different. Tango had died before in these games of course, but never first. It’s weirdly calm. And lonely.

Tango then hears the sound of rustling fabric, and his heart aches. He doesn’t need to look to know who it is—no one else has perma-died yet. Tango doesn’t want to look; so, he stares forward. They float in silence for several minutes before Jimmy breaks the silence.

“Tango,” the half-avian starts, “I’m.. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“You’re still here.” It’s less of a question and more of a statement.

Jimmy glances away and fiddles with the necklace he’s wearing. It matches the one Tango wears, given to him by Jimmy after the first session. “... Well, yeah. I.. I don’t want.. I, uh, didn’t-” 

Tango cuts him off, his tone coming out harsher than he had intended. “Why are you still here?”

“.. I could ask you the same thing,” he responds quietly after a moment’s hesitation. He looks out at the server and then reaches for Tango’s hand. “C’mon, it’s rough to watch at the start sometimes, we should-”

Tango snatches his hand back, keeping it close to his chest. “We should what, Jimmy? We can’t do anything. We’re dead.”

“We can at least go somewhere that won’t see so much bloodshed.” Despite the tone Tango is taking with him, Jimmy’s own voice remains soft and patient. “We can go back to the ranch.” He sounds a little hopeful. Tango ignores it.

“And then what? Just wait around and welcome everyone as they die? Pretend that everything is fine and that we haven’t just come in dead last?” Tango’s tail flicks angrily back and forth, and the flames in his hair burn a little brighter. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Tango isn’t upset about coming in last. He’s never come close to winning before, and it’s never bothered him all that much. He doesn’t understand why he’s so angry all of a sudden. The blaze-hybrid hasn’t once looked away from the soon-to-be-destroyed landscape. He hasn’t once looked at Jimmy.

Tango releases a heavy sigh. “It’s over, Jimmy.”

They both know Tango is talking about more than just their time in the game.

Tango can almost sense Jimmy tense—can feel the faint panic and hurt spread in his own chest despite their link already being severed and fading. Maybe he just knows Jimmy that well. Maybe Tango doesn’t want to go through with this.

“.. What?? No, Tango, don’t- don’t say that..!” Jimmy raises his voice for the first time. “This isn’t-! I-it can’t be-!”

“It can be, and it is. We don’t know if something like this,” he gestures to the server in front of them, “will ever happen again, and if it does, I don’t see us teaming up again in the future.” What Tango fails to elaborate on is that he doesn’t think he’d be that lucky enough to have Jimmy on his team again.

Jimmy tries to reach for Tango again. “Please, don’t say that. We’re the Ranchers..!”

“NO! We’re not the Ranchers anymore!” Tango finally snaps his head in Jimmy’s direction, the flames in his hair and tail flickering and growing as his emotions do. “‘The Ranchers’ are gone! They were something that the psychos who created these games influenced and forced, and now they’re gone, Jimmy! That wasn't real!” 

But, oh, how he wants this to be real. Somewhere along the way, Tango found himself catching feelings for the half-avian. Despite their situation, he always seemed to be so optimistic and confident. Even when the ranch was burned down and Tango lost it, Jimmy remained (mostly) level-headed and helped get Tango to calm down despite getting burnt by his flames. And yeah, if it had been anyone else he’d accidentally hurt, he would’ve felt bad, but it felt even worse because it was Jimmy. Jimmy, who always found a reason to smile. Jimmy, who always put up with everyone’s crap. Jimmy, who apologized to Tango when they found out they were bound despite Tango being the one to lose their first life and being the reason the two found out they were bound in the first place. Jimmy, who didn’t deserve this kind of fate but received it for a third time now.

Ah, so that’s why he’s angry. Because this cruel, sick game has done nothing but take from and torment this saint of a player.

And maybe that’s why he’d been partnered with Tango. 

Because fire destroys everything it touches, and the expression on Jimmy’s face is proof of that.

Tango quickly looks away. He can’t bear to see the pain and betrayal in Jimmy’s eyes. “Just.. just go home, Jimmy.”

Jimmy’s voice wavers with one last attempt. “Tango, please-”

“Go,” his flames flare up once again, and even in death, their temperature rises. Tango’s arms are wrapped tightly around himself now.

Jimmy hesitates for another moment before floating off in the direction of their the ranch, leaving Tango alone like he’d requested. It isn’t until he’s sure that Jimmy’s gone that he slowly lowers to the ground, kneeling in the grass.

He carefully uncrosses his arms and touches the charm on his necklace, a feather carved from iron. It won’t melt with your flames Jimmy had once said, nervously beaming as he handed it over and showed his own charm to Tango (a flame, also carved from iron). Tango exhales shakily, tracing over the ridges on the pendant. He stays there for a long time, just staring at the pendant and desperately wishing that this wasn’t how things had turned out.

Tango doesn’t know how long he’s kneeling there when the second lightning strike sounds, indicating another two members have fallen. He takes a deep breath and hides the pendant beneath his shirt before getting up and floating in the direction of where he heard the lightning strike. Did it come from the Box..? Yeah, that sounds close enough. 

As he makes his way over there, he risks a glance over to the ruined ranch and sees Jimmy sitting at their graves, leaning against Tango’s. Tango looks away quickly, but he stops, hesitating on continuing to the Box. At this point, his anger has subsided and has morphed to guilt and regret. He wants to go to Jimmy and apologize—to tell him he didn’t mean it, but would Jimmy take him back? Would he want to try for something that was genuinely real and not influenced by whoever put them into this mess? What would Tango even say to make up for what he said??

Tango decides to settle on the plan of giving them both some space. He needs to think about how he’s going to apologize, and, if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t want to see Jimmy again so soon. 

So he continues on his way, scared to give Jimmy and the ranch another glance.

===============================

Hope you guys enjoyed :) I worked on this instead of school work haha

[o-sachi]

─── A Letter for @marushato ✦

If you have received this, it means you signed up for Sachi's Selfship Event !

TWINNNN. We only recently became moots but I alr love you. Thank you for hyping me up and feeding our delusions together. You seriously make my brain melt. I hope to see you annotate my future works as well meehehhheheh.

✉️ Attachment: ABCs with Narumi Gen

[A] Affection He likes to play it cool and pretend to be the nonchalant boyfriend in front of everyone. But who is he fooling? Absolutely no one. Everyone in the first division knows how clingy he is. Yes, that's pretty much 90% of his show of affection—just Narumi wanting to be around you 24/7. He also likes to share his stuff with you (he never shares ANYTHING, so you know you're special). Whether it's food, a game, or something he bought off of Yamazon—best believe that if you asked for it, he'd probably let you have it.

He's a sore loser too. But he'd gladly let you win when you play games together because he likes seeing you smile so widely.

[C] Comfort Narumi's a bit awkward when it comes to comforting you, especially since you're quite good at concealing your feelings. Like he knows you're not okay, but he's not sure what to do (like the vibes are off). At first, he might try to comfort you with his words. But he soon realizes he's not that good at it. So he tries to do things for you instead—like getting you your favorite food or giving you a massage. He gives you absolute princess treatment basically (he'd want to be treated like that if he were sad, so yeah!)

He also suddenly becomes nicer? LIKE who are you and what did you do to Narumi?

[D] Dates Most of your dates are spent indoors, either at your places or in your rooms at the base. You love playing games with each other. Even if all you do is play while talking to each other—y'all are pretty happy with that. But on the rare occasion that you both have a day off that coincides with each other's, you drag him out of his cave. You get breakfast/brunch/lunch together (dinners are too much of a hassle, y'all would rather be in bed by then). But there have been many instances wherein he practically begged you to join him at a convention. You guys buy figures together sometimes!

[J] Jealousy Like I said, he tries to act nonchalant about your relationship, but he's the biggest fake idgafer ever. He gets annoyed for two reasons: 1.) he's a naturally possessive guy, what's his is his; and 2.) the audacity of that person to actually try and take something from THE Narumi Gen? His ego could never. But he'll whine and moan about it before confronting that person. He'll ask you shit like, "Do you really love me or what?" You know it's bothering him when he transforms into the biggest drama queen. However... you don't really have to worry much about him. He naturally repels other "potential suitors" and he's waaaay too loyal to you.

[K] Kisses He almost fell to his knees the first time you kissed. You both remember it well because you two were arguing about something silly at the time before the major event happened. Narumi always gets butterflies in his tummy no matter what kind of kiss you give him. You'll also notice that he likes just about any kiss on the face—cheeks, lips, forehead, nose. Sometimes you still catch him blushing, but he'll start calling you crazy and gaslighting you for imagining things lol. (He was a terrible kisser at first, but you taught him well).

[O] Other People Everyone's a bit confused how the two opposites that used to butt heads all the time are suddenly together now. But through time, people are just glad that there's someone that can handle Narumi. Due to your relationship, he has become a bit more responsible. He attends meetings more than he usually would. Hasegawa is personally thankful that you do his work now (babysitting Narumi lol). But beyond that, they find you two to be the cutest couple ever. Both of you try to be the nonchalant one in the relationship, but you both know that y'all crazy for each other.

[X] XOXO His little act of love is that whenever he orders something from Yamazon (which is pretty much all the fucking time), he always makes sure to get a little something for you. He's confident he makes enough money to splurge on the both of you. Plus, he loves the bright smile on your face as you unbox his packages together. He ordered you matching figurines once (figurines from the same series/game) and he was sooooo proud of himself.

Thank you for participating. I hope you like it :3

Want to participate? Give this a read.

o-sachi © 2024 pls do not translate/copy/reupload my work on other platforms.

[tonberry-yoda]

What about fluff ABC with Gyro? I thought sending about a word first for this, but I realized that he deserves the whole ABC 😩👌

Gyro Fluff Alphabet

notes - fluff alphabet here. YESSS! We love gyro and he does deserve the whole ass alphabet! thanks so much for the request and apologies for taking so long!

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

horse riding

deep convos

and lots of shopping

i just see it

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Everything?????

like he is just in AWE by you

but also your laugh

he can really get you laughing and he just loves that so so so so much

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

he would rub your back and whisper sweet nothings in your ear

if you just need some space, he will give you the space

strangely, i think he would be a good cook and he would make you something to cheer you up

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

he could see the two of you together forever

getting a home, stuff like that for SURE

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

he acts dominant and he actually kind of is

but it's more equal tbh

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

sometimes he just picks fights to be stinky

but those never last long

real fights never usually happen, but when they do he is SO PETTY and will not forgive you until you forgive him first LMFAO

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

VERY GRATEFUL

i mean he sees everything you do and all the hardwork and loves you so much for it

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

he keeps his past a secret

he doesnt want it getting in the way of a potential future

but he doesnt hide much

hes a goofy overshareer for sure lol

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

he didnt change much

he felt like he didnt need to change for someone and that makes him very comfortable

he hopes that you didnt have that feeling that you needed to change because he thinks you're perfect

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

oh yeah

he'll just steal you away from who you're talking to and be all cutesy to make them jealous LOL

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

OH GOD YES

slow, passionate kisses that leave green lipstick marks

he'll whisper sweet things against your lips and pull you close

the first kiss was SO romantic under the sunset and GOD you can't stop thinking about it

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

he would just tell you

but it would be so romantic actually

he would tell you how much he loves you

gives you the "you dont have to feel the same, but I love you more than anything"

you both cry

and have been together since

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

I think so, yeah!

when you have the conversation, he would prep you for the proposal

it would be a while longer to see if it's something you two really want to do

he proposes again under the sunset and the wedding is simple, just close friends and those you love

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

pumpkin

sweetheart

pookie (it gets on your nerves for sure)

love

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

he stares at you with a small smile always

heart eyes for sure

it actually wouldnt be that obvious to others, but he makes sure when youre alone to remind you how much he loves you

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

i think so!

he doesnt hide the relationship

he'll hold your hand or give you little kisses, but nothing crazy or anything that makes you or others uncomfortable

he loves bragging about you though tee hee

saying how much he loves you ALL THE TIME

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that's beneficial in a relationship.

a small weird one, but if you have long hair, he loves to braid it! and if you have black hair, he will learn how to do your hair in ways you love!

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

STUPIDLY ROMANTIC

and like cliche but without realizing it

KISSES IN THE SUNSET DUDE

it feels like a dream tbh

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

oh definitely!

you both have separate dreams and he respects his own and your

he will help you if he needs to, but he wants to see you do this on your own and feel successful without him

and he does that for his own dreams too

but you both help each other if needed

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

he likes crazy fun stuff, but he doesnt need it

he loves asking you on CRAZY dates and if you say yes, it's fun

but again, he likes your chill life and likes having it for sure

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

he knows you STUPID well

like he literally can tell if your upset, sad, angry, happy, etc.

he knows you like the back of his hand and sometimes better than you do

when he sees something's wrong, he will 100% be able to help

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

you mean a lot to him

but he isnt codependent on you

he doesnt need you to feel like a valid person

he just knows that you are a part of him and he loves that sm

but seriously, you are a number one thing in his life for sure

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

his love language is words of affirmation, so before bed, he will always whisper how much he loves you until you both fall asleep

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

YESSSSSS

he loves loves LOVES cuddles

just how soft you are, he cant get over you

Y earning - How will they cope when they're missing their partner?

he just kinda chills

but he'll run into a room, thinking you're there, and then get sad that you're not

you're so used to being together that it's weird when the two of you are apart

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

he definitely would

people he loves mean the world to him, so he would do literally anything for you

~~~~~

jjba masterlist (2) (3) | pinned post | ko-fi

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated <3

~~~~~

[infiniteeight8]

Desperate to see the final installment of the pride and prejudice inspired series!!! (When you get there, of course.) (IronStrange, obviously. 😅) thank you so much for your brilliant writing!

Thank you so much! :D  And here we are! You have been very patient. <3

The first three parts of this series are here. This is the last one!

-

“Hey, Stephen?” Tony says.

Stephen is stretched out on the couch in Tony’s lab, reading while Tony tinkers with… something. They’re both busy people, but sometimes it’s nice to just have someone else around. He makes an inquiring noise, but when he looks up Tony still has his eyes on his work, so Stephen turns back to his reading, though he spares some attention for a follow up.

It comes a minute later. “When we first got back from Titan,” Tony says, and Stephen freezes, “you tried to tell me something, and I cut you off. What was it?”

Stephen’s mind goes completely blank. He’d let his guard down, over these last few months. He and Tony had reached a comfortable compromise when it came to the alternate futures Stephen had seen. There was no more pretending that they hadn’t happened, but neither was there any weight attached to them. They were possibilities, not predictions. Stephen had stopped worrying that Tony might ask. Apparently, a little too soon.

“Stephen?”

Silently, Stephen curses himself. His reaction has torpedoed any chance he has of passing off the original thought, from months ago, as something trivial. He looks up slowly to find Tony has turned away from his work and is now watching him with concern. “It doesn’t matter, remember?” he offers, managing a smile. He suspects it’s not as dismissive as he’d hoped. “Those futures are just possibilities.”

“Yeah,” Tony agrees. “And despite that, there was something about them that you wanted to tell me.”

Stephen drops his gaze, but he’s not really seeing the book anymore. He just can’t look at Tony. There’s no way Tony will let this go. Not now. 

“It wasn’t actually about the futures I saw,” Stephen says quietly. “It was about me. Because even if those possibilities were ephemeral, my knowledge of them, in a way, my experience of them, is real.”

“You got to know us,” Tony says. “The Guardians, and Peter, and me.”

Stephen nods. He takes a steadying breath and looks up to meet Tony’s gaze. “I did. And I fell in love with you. You, specifically, not all of you.” He manages a smile. “I was going to confess, back then. I didn’t expect anything, of course. It just felt… important. To tell you.”

“And I cut you off.” Tony winces. “I told you you didn’t know me.”

“I understood,” Stephen says quickly. “It was for the best, really. It wouldn’t have been right to put that on you.”

“That was one of the fourteen million futures? You and me together?”

Stephen nods. Not one, but ten million, eight hundred and eighty-eight thousand, two hundred and fifteen, actually. It became much more likely after Stephen fell in love, because his evolving knowledge and experience influenced all futures after that. He doesn’t say any of that aloud, though.

“And what about now?” Tony asks.

Stephen frowns, confused. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth curves up just a bit. “Is that still a possibility for this future? You and me together?”

Oh. Stephen stares for a moment. “You would want that?”

“I’d like to try. To see where it goes,” Tony says. After a moment, he chuckles. “Did I break you? It feels like I broke you.”

A laugh bubbles up out of Stephen. “I’m not broken,” he promises. “Just surprised. To answer your question, yes, that possibility is still very much on the table.”

“Good.” Tony grins. “I’m gonna make you forget about any other version of me.”

Stephen sits up abruptly. “You do not need to compete with your hypothetical alternate future selves!”

Tony’s grin broadens. “Come on, Gandalf. You know me better than that.”

Stephen groans theatrically, but he suspects it’s undermined by his own grin.

[coffee-at-annies]

So you’re new to hockey and ppl keep mentioning this big scary thing called the Trade Deadline (TDL).

What is it? It’s the last day of the regular season that teams can make trades and the traded players are eligible to play for their new teams. Trades can still happen but the players can’t play so you only really see it for AHL players.

What are trades? When two teams trade resources between then during off-season, preseason, and regular season.

Resources? Those are human people! You are correct and wrong. Trades come in a lot of shapes in sizes but will usually include one of four things:

the contract for a major league (NHL) player

the contract for a minor league (AHL) player

the rights for non-NHL/AHL players (sometimes considered prospects tho that can apply to any NHL-hopeful players still considered developing)

(prospects include college players under contract, players in lower leagues like the WHL or QMJHL who have been drafted but aren’t old enough for the AHL, players still playing over seas, etc) (and yes usually ahl players but I wanted to be specific)

Draft picks for the upcoming draft(s) (ie eventually a shiny new boy)

There’s a bunch of stuff that goes into trades beyond just “I give you all of our bad players you give us all of your best players” despite the way fans and the media talk about trades. Stuff like roster limits, the salary cap, no trade clauses, etc and this is where you get things like salary retention or conditional picks. I don’t understand all of it. I am not a contract lawyer.

Why trade players? To make your team better or to set up your team for the future.

To make your team better: obviously adding more good players will help push your team from good to great. Especially if you’re trying to make a deep run in the playoffs and need depth scoring or are worried about injuries.

Set your team up for the future: there’s 32 teams and not 32 playoff spots. Many teams won’t make it. Team that think they won’t make it will trade their good players, usually those on an expiring contract to teams that are looking to make a playoff push because they can get a lot of stuff in return. That stuff could be other players that may fit better on their team, but it’s usually also draft picks so the team can draft shiny new boys that could grow up into being the best player on their team.

But wait! Some trades make my team worse! Yeah that’s because of a thing called the salary cap. Sometimes you have to get rid of a player to be able to afford a new player. That’s why trades usually include players going each way, money out and money in. Sometimes this means you make a trade with a second team to make cap space before making that trade with the first team.

What do you mean by expiring contracts? Contracts have limits. They end. At the end of them you have to get the player to agree to sign another contract with you, usually considered an extension of their current contract, especially if they sign the new one before the official end date. This is what a contract extension is. If you don’t think they will sign, then it makes sense to trade them during the season to get a return on investment because otherwise they can say no thanks to any contract you offer and they’re gone during free agency and you have nothing to show for it. (That is if they’re a UFA - unrestricted free agent. RFA - restricted free agent - is a status for new/young players in the league and it means there’s more nonsense around what a team is required to do before you can just walk away).

(Gonna get into pens specific stuff now sorry if you’re on another team and were finding this helpful).

This is why everyone thinks we’re going to trade Jake Guentzel btw. A) he’s a very good player. B) he’s in an expiring contract (1UFA). C) if he doesn’t want to re-sign with us (aka extend his current contract) then we can’t stop him from leaving and there’s 7 years down the drain with nothing to show for it. (that’s a lie he has a cup ring). D) people like to speculate about trades. E) people love to be like what if you gave us your good player and we gave you our bad player and remember Jake is a very good player. F) the pens kind of suck right now. we aren’t playing well enough to guarantee the playoffs. we don’t have a lot of trade capital (prospects and draft picks) to go out and get better players (plus we’re up against the salary cap). and we don’t have a lot of boys who are good that it makes sense to trade away. G) enter Jake Guentzel.

I’m not saying we will trade Jake, just trying to give an explanation of people think we might. There’s as many reasons not to trade him as there are reasons to trade him. A) he’s Sidney Crosby’s favorite winger. B) he’s one of our top goal scorers. C) the modified no-trade-list (m-ntc) means he has a list of 12 teams we can’t trade him to. he can be traded but if the top team that wants him is the top of his no trade list, well that trade isn’t going to happen. D) he’s injured. he’s eligible to come off ltir immediately after the trade deadline but that could discourage interested teams. E) he may cost too much to trade. Dubas may not get a price that he thinks is worth trading Jake for. not every trade is guaranteed. F) finally, we don’t actually know how contract talk is going with his agent. he loves the city. he’s one of the faces of our team. he loves playing with Sid. the reason to trade him is if Dubas doesn’t think we can re-sign him and we don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can answer any questions

[rvllybllply2014]

Oh I can't even imagine what Willem & Samwell's father was like!  I wonder if he really was worse, or if Willem just always had a darker/more violent streak in him than other Blackwoods?  Given that Samwell is calmer & nicer?

Ooh good point! If madness can be inherited then why not other traits? Especially with how certain houses are know for theirs! Anger & quickness to act being inherited by the Blackwoods would just make sense, considering they used to be kings in the more brutal north, dealing with houses like the Starks & Boltons before they were finally forced out of their home and into the Riverlands!

And then we have the Brackens who have raised & bred horses since the founding of their house, and like you said you can't be angry or quick tempered around horses, they need a steady calm hand to thrive. And it takes patience & gentleness to earn a horse's trust, to learn to read their body language. So house Bracken learning to turn their anger into sternness early makes so much sense! Also through all the peace marriages, there's Blackwood blood in every Bracken and vice versa, both houses know this though they'd hate to admit it. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if they'd fear their own anger is the Blackwood blood in them, that it needs to be controlled as soon as possible.. Pff with this in mind, imagine Amos & Aeron sometimes looking at Willem & Davos and just seeing a tempermental stallion? One that just needs to be called with firm-but-gentle touches & sweet words?

Samwell being the one to introduce Willem & Amos is not something I expected! =O Oh that's so bittersweet, you know he'd have had hope for their future children marrying too! How could you see Samwell reacting when he learns of Amos ending their relationship? If he'd know what Willem would do after his death? Did he know just what Bracken his brother killed in the past?

I love how their big fight would start with something so small & petty, something that could have ended so differently if the wrong word wasn't said.. Just like how a simple argument over the boundary stones turned into the carnage of the burning mill D= And to think it's the first time Willem admitted he loved Amos too, oh my heart!

Ah of course it couldn't work out so nicely could it, no Blackwood would willingly let themselves be held prisoner (even if treated well) and Davos likely wouldn't stop to consider if he's treated well or not, or Amos's words to him. At least Amos would be there to hold Aeron, wondering if their family had angered the seven, or if they were cursed by the old gods to love their enemies as punishment for abandoning them for the faith of the seven. (i do find it so interesting that the brackens used to worship the old gods too, i wonder what caused them to turn to the faith of the seven? maybe simply because adaptability is something one has to have while working with horses too? i think more likely is that the brackens of the past worshiped the old gods in a different, less bloody way than the blackwoods, and the blackwoods tainted the old gods for them in their brutality)

Oof I can anderstand Willems bitterness & hurt here, but just like with everything else he takes it too far doesn't he? One thing to spread the rumor, another to actually believe in it. And even if Raylon were a bastard, he wouldn't deserve what the guards do to him, poor boy :( Oh can you imagine if Davos survived the burning mill but Aeron didn't? If he's the one tasked with guarding Raylon? I imagine "it should have been you dead, not him!" would be the kindest treatment Davos would give him.. And when Amos later learns what happened to his son, after Willem is beheaded..well Willem is lucky he's already dead.

Oh this is so sad but perfect in a way? Like I could finally see Willem doing this, even convincing himself the tears in Amos's eyes are of pleasure, that Amos deserves this punishment, needs it even! To remind him of who he belongs to, that he can never leave him again.. And the marks! I can only imagine what the ones on his face & hands look like! And Amos isn't dumb, he know what message Willem is sending to his men when he marks him and makes him howl his name for the camp to hear. The humiliation he'd have to fight down every morning afterwards would almost be too much, but a small part of him might hope he gets executed for treason at Harrenhall, that his son might be sent back to rule their house and be free of Willem. Which speaking of, there's more ways to bring someone to justice than death..and I can't help but wonder if Willem would have planned to ask Daemon & lord Tully to make the Brackens a true vassal house to the Blackwoods, as they always should have been.  With him being allowed to keep Amos for himself and marry Raylon to a Blackwood girl of his choosing before sending him back to Stone Hedge.

And Willem blaming Amos for his own darkness is just so in character for him isn't it? Forgetting that everything he did was still his own choice, because he wanted to.

Ooh I like the thought of them seeing their proof of slavery as proof of what they survived, marking them as warriors! Pff Amos making Willem ride behind him the whole time is fun, up until he feels what is clearly not Willem's knife rubbing against his ass from behind >w> You know Willem gets jealous of the attention Amos gives the horse at some point too =u= Dothraki horses would be pretty damn prized by Brackens wouldn't they? I imagine they'd admire the Dothraki skill with horses, even if they'd hate everything else about them. Makes me wonder what the Dothraki would think of Amos and the horse sigal he wears..

Also got another small idea, this one is less about Willem/Amos, but imagine while checking the border stones himself one day, Amos catches Davos & Aeron spending time together? Amos keeps his calm but the shock of being found jolts both teens and Davos ends up hurting his ankle? Since Davos arrived without a horse, Amos knows he won't be able to limp all the way home by himself, and sends Aeron back to Stone Hedge as he chooses to escort Davos back to Raventree Hall himself? I imagine during the ride there could be a storm, with them having to take cover for the night in a cave for the horse's sake and during this time the two could talk, with Davos learning the truth of what happened between his uncle n& Amos and why? Pff also imagine Davos running his mouth at Amos so much (out of anger at this whole situation) that Amos finally looses his patience! Only rather than striking his face like Davos expects, Amos takes him across his knee and gives him a spanking? Just like he's done to his son & Aeron when they were younger? Of course Davos has experienced far worse than a hand against his bare arse, so it'd be far more humiliating than painful for him =w= 

Ah sorry this got so long btw! I hope you don't mind these essays I'm leaving you ;w;

I love the essays you’re writing. My thoughts under the cut. Once again non con/rape/sexual assault mentioned. And a character delusional enough to believe that it’s all warranted and wanted. Read at your own risk.

I think Samwell and Willems father was like Willem, prideful quick to anger and embraces the darkness. But his wife helps keep the darkness away, she’s the light of his life and her light will chase away some of the darkness. Lord Blackwood only gets darker after his wife dies from an illness, especially if he prayed everyday for the old gods to spare her and they didn’t. Samwell was probably around 10 years old when she died, so she was able to influence his gentler personality while also letting him know that it’s okay to embrace some of the darkness that’s in him, both light and dark are apart of him. Willem was about 7 when she died, she did influence some of the softer parts but with years passing Willem forgets quite a bit of her lessons. Especially if lord Blackwood takes out his grief on him, Samwell was too grown to easily beat whereas Willem is easier to beat.

Yeah the Blackwood anger definitely came from having to try to control the Boltons. They had to teach their kids to be angry and use it to fight against the Boltons, it’s the only way to not become flayed. The Starks were more brutal too, but not as bad as the Boltons. So yeah after several generations of being told that they’re kings and they have to fight off Starks and Boltons by embracing their anger it’s bound to pass down through their blood. The inherited anger/darkness/pride was thrown into over drive after the Starks became the kings in the north and they were kicked out into the Riverlands.

Every Bracken after a peace marriage is worried about Blackwood blood influencing their anger, so it’s a relief when generations pass before another peace marriage is forced onto them. The Brackens are taught from infancy that it’s okay to be angry but they can’t let it control their actions. They need to let their anger turn into a sternness if they want to be useful horse breeders for their house.

Amos sees Willem as the equivalent of a wild untamed stallion and goes I can fix that. It does work for a while but it does take a lot of Amos being stern in meaning what he says to Willem and sticking to it. Amos is used to working with difficult horses, he’s basically a horse whisperer. Aeron also sees Davos as an untamed stallion, but Aeron is not great with taming with horses so Davos just ends up with hurt feelings and being a pouty mess. Aeron does try to apologize to Davos but he just doesn’t want to hear it.

Samwell is heartbroken for both Willem and Amos. He knows how gentle hearted Amos is, and that it would take a lot to make him leave Willem. Samwell also tells Willem that it’s okay to mourn the lost possibilities for his future. Samwell only found out that Willem had killed Amos’s brother Jerrell, years after the fact. Lord Blackwood had bragged about Willems first kill to him but Samwell didn’t connect the dots until after Willem got with Amos. Amos does send Samwell a raven after he breaks up with Willem asking if he knew and why would he let him date Willem. Willem apologizes to Amos telling him that he didn’t realize that Jarrell was his brother until he had already gotten with Willem.

Davos was also told by Willem that it would be more honorable to die than to be held prisoner by a Bracken. Which causes Davos to escape as soon as he can, even if Amos never hurt him or planned on hurting him.

Exactly there’s just something about how a more even head could prevent heartbreak. If only Willem had kept his mouth shut before he said that he killed Jarrell. Then history repeats itself with Davos and Aeron, Davos forgot that Brackens will dare when pushed too hard. It’s also how the messiest break up in history happened, aka the burning mill. But unlike Willem and Amos, Aeron is dead and Davos will never be able to apologize.

Amos probably thinks it’s a curse from the old gods to have Blackwoods and Brackens to love each other in generations. The Brackens switched to the seven, mainly because they didn’t want their house to be wiped out and they can adapt easier to different things just like how they do with different horse’s personalities. And the Brackens wanted to prove to themselves and house Blackwood that although they share blood they aren’t as savage as the Blackwoods.

The first time Davos is assigned to guard Raylon, Raylon is relieved to see his cousins ex. But Davos tortures him psychologically, he tells Raylon that it should’ve been him that was killed at the burning mill. That he should’ve followed Aeron and tried to talk him out of it. That it was bad enough that Raylon could be a bastard, but he was also raised as more of a brother to Aeron than a cousin. He tells Raylon that he failed his house and Aeron by not dying.

Davos never touches Raylon, he only ever wants to touch Aeron but since he’s dead he won’t touch another Bracken. Davos would feel some pity for Raylon when he hears what the other guards do to him, he can’t help but imagine Aeron in that situation and how nobody deserves to be sexually tortured.

Willem does tell Amos that he should feel luckier than his son, Amos only has to fuck him unlike Raylon who is his guards sexual play thing. Amos doesn’t believe it, at least not until Raylon confirms what happened to him. Amos also doesn’t pray for someone to be tortured in death but he does pray for Willems torture in death.

Willem might’ve gotten his wish for the brackens to become his vassals if he hadn’t allowed Raylon to be tortured like he was and if Amos hadn’t looked like Willems personal chew toy. Willem still would’ve tried to convince Oscar and Daemon to force a marriage between Raylon and a Blackwood girl, Daemon would’ve agreed to it but Oscar is disgusted by how horribly Willem treated Amos and Raylon. So no Willem your stupid actions once again killed the peace between both your house and Amos’s. It’s one of the only times Amos is glad that he has visible marks on his body.

Willem is delusional enough to believe that Amos crying means that he loves the brutal way Willem fucks him. Willem also never lets any of his marks heal on Amos, he wants Amos to associate pain with pleasure but the only pleasure that Willem brings him. Well that Willem thinks he brings him.

Thankfully Amos men know that he’s not a willing participant and Willems men are deranged enough to say that of course Bracken cunts deserve to be treated like cunts. It will take some time for Amos to be able to face his men without feeling the burning shame of them knowing that he was raped repeatedly by Willem.

Amos also tells Willem that only Willem is responsible for his actions and how he reacts to situations. That the Willem he knew wouldn’t have hurt him like this Willem does and his Willem also wouldn’t let the Blackwoods hurt Raylon like they are. Basically Amos tries his horse taming techniques on Willem yet again but this time Willems light can’t be reached.

As for the slavery thing I’m working on a separate post with more details, you’re tagged and credited with the idea. But I will say that Willem definitely pushes onto Amos’s ass constantly while telling him that his problem will not go away until he also gets ridden like a horse. Amos tells him to wait until they can get to civilization, if Willem can behave then he’ll get his wish if he can’t then he won’t get ridden and he’ll have to fix his problem by himself. Amos is also seen as an amazing warrior when he gets back to Stone Hedge, he managed to keep a Dothraki horse and now that horse will be bred into their other horses bloodlines making them a lot of money.

If Amos finds out about Davos and Aeron while checking on the boundary stones, he just calmly asks them what they’re doing? But Davos being raised by Willem is terrified that Amos would hurt him, it’s what Willem would’ve done in Amos’s position. So of course in his panic Davos manages to trip over a hole in the ground causing his ankle to twist in an unnatural way. After Aeron helps him up and Davos realizes that he can’t walk let alone make it back to Raven Tree Hall, Amos tells Davos to get on Aerons horse they’ll go back to Stone Hedge to see the maester there. Davos really wants to refuse but with his ankle hurting like it does and storm clouds rolling in,he feels like he doesn’t have a choice.

Even with the amount of pain he’s in and with Amos riding next to them Davos is still rubbing up against Aeron and whispering what he wants to do to him. Aeron is a blushing mess telling Davos to stop, and Amos just finds it all amusing. They’re still pretty far out from Stone Hedge when the storm clouds finally break. Amos tells them that there’s a small cave that they can shelter in. Once all of them are inside Amos tells Davos and Aeron to cuddle for warmth, any wood they find will be too wet to light a fire with. Amos also tells them that he’ll sleep next to the horses for his warmth, and he knows how horny teenage boys are but could they please keep their nighttime activities behind closed doors? There will be plenty of time for that later at Stone Hedge.

If Davos does try to say that he has more respect for himself so expects the same respect towards him from Amos, but in a moody teen way Amos finally snaps and pulls him over his lap, it’s only three quick smacks on his bare ass with the last one hitting him right on his hole, but man it does hurt his pride. Aeron checks up on him later in the night asking if he’s okay, while telling Davos he also used to get smacked on the ass by Amos but it’s been years.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Deeper Through the Wylderness

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Forty

A JSE Fanfic

Who's ready for more Wyldwood? :D The guys continue their journey, encountering a few strange things. Unusual animals, unusual fruits and plants, unusual beings, even. They're making progress, but this strange place might wear on them over time. Yeah this chapter, much like the last, is basically an anthology of weird things that the guys encounter in this magical forest. But next chapter, if all goes according to plan, will be VERY important to the plot :3 Hope you guys enjoy reading!

Previous Part | | From the Start | More AU | Read on AO3: CrystalNinjaPhoenix

Taglist: @brokentimewatch

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

Marvin was woken up by the familiar feeling of something fuzzy against his face. He stayed totally still. The best way to get Draco to stop doing something was to ignore him. But the fuzzy thing persisted, pushing against him. He couldn’t help but groan. “Draco, nooo.” He rolled over, but the fuzziness climbed over him, sniffing at his face. Keeping his eyes closed, he reached out, trying to push Draco away... but felt something odd. The texture—that wasn’t fur. It was more like... feathers?

Mrow. And that was Draco’s meow—coming not from right in front of his face, like he expected, but instead from over by his feet. Draco wasn’t here?!

His eyes flew open. Instead of seeing Draco’s blue eyes and off-white stripes fur, he was staring into a pair of Hazel animal eyes surrounded by orangish-red, its black snout longer than a cat’s—

“What the fuck?!” Marvin shouted, scrambling backwards.

“Huhwhatdanger?!” Next to him, Jackie sat bolt upright, lunging for his swords.

Henrik yelped awake, blinking wildly. Chase was next, lifting his head from the ground. JJ was already awake, though he was blinking blearily.

“Fox!” Marvin said. “There’s a fox!”

Indeed, a fox had wandered into their camp in the Wyldwood... but not an ordinary fox. Its front legs were more in line with bird legs, tough-skinned and taloned, feathers sprouting along the upper length. On its back were a pair of large wings, brown and black striped. It leaned forward, trying to sniff Marvin some more, and Marvin quickly scooted backwards.

“Oh! I know what that is!” Chase sat up, wriggling out of his bedroll. “That’s an enfield!”

“Enfield?” Marvin repeated, puzzled. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“Is it safe?” Jackie asked, raising one sword in preparation.

“Um... as safe as foxes are normally, I think. Don’t bother it and it won’t bother you.”

The enfield stepped forward again, and Marvin continued to crawl backwards away from it. “Why does it want to sniff me?!” He hissed.

“Maybe you smell interesting?” Chase guessed.

Henrik frowned. “How did it get close? Jamie, I thought you were on guard.”

Jameson rubbed his face. I was... I remember hearing this strange flute music. And seeing something... small? Out there? He gestured at the woods around them. The music was trying to put me to sleep, I think, but I threw a rock at the small thing and it stopped. But I still felt really sleepy... He shook his head. I don’t think I actually fell asleep but I must have been really close if I let a fox with wings through. Sorry, everyone.

Jackie sighed. “It’s fine. There was no harm done, I guess. But in the future, we should wake someone else up if something like that happens.

Jameson nodded slowly... his head drooping...

“Jair! Wake up.” Marvin grabbed some magic from his amulet and flicked it at him. He only intended for it to be a shower of sparks. But instead, clouds of bright light slammed into the side of Jameson’s head. He shot straight up, eyes wide, immediately not tired anymore. “Oh—sorry. That was supposed to be a simple wake-up spell, like the one I sometimes use. I suppose it came out a bit stronger than I wanted.”

It’s fine, Jameson said, hands shaking slightly as he spoke. The spell must have shit him full of energy.

The enfield trotted over to Jameson and started sniffing him instead, licking the fading magical light around his head. Jameson looked at it warily. “I think it must be interested in your magic, Marvin!” Henrik chuckled.

“Great. Great.” Marvin clutched at his focus. “Good to know. Be interested in something else.”

Jackie looked around. The group had made camp in a slight clearing in the Wyldwoods. Trees surrounded them—of course—these ones with bark that was so dark brown they were nearly black, which contrasted with the leaves that were a pale pink color. The pink leaves covered the ground in a soft layer, so soft that Chase had inched out of the bedroll over the course of the night and hadn’t even realized that he was on the ground. Large flowers with purple petals and centers the size of dinner plates also dotted the ground, glowing softly. “We should probably start moving, shouldn’t we?” Jackie said. “We don’t want to waste any time.”

Henrik sighed. “I suppose. Though this is a beautiful area. I am reluctant to leave. Where else will you see pink trees like this?”

“Well there’s going to be more amazing things to see as we go deeper,” Marvin said, still eyeing the enfield suspiciously. “I promise you.”

“I know, I know. I am not saying we get lost in the pretty landscape. I am just saying it’s a shame.” Henrik stood up. “Let’s go.”

The group packed up their supplies into bags and headed off, Marvin and Draco leading the way. The enfield trotted after them for a while before some smaller enfields with little fuzzy wings ran up to it—Its children?! Adorable!—and then it diverted its attention to herding them, letting the group leave them behind. This was the morning of their third day into their journey, and if everything went well, they’d only have four to five days left. Almost halfway there! Chase wasn’t sure if he was excited about that, or nervous. Both, probably. No, definitely both.

Just as the last couple days, the Wyldwood was silent, the undergrowth mysteriously moving out of their way as they walked. Two days straight of this meant they were starting to get used to it—which meant some of them were starting to get restless. Jackie constantly wove back and forth through the group, taking up a position on the left before moving to the right a few minutes later, his hand always on the hilt of his sword as he glanced around uneasily. Henrik’s eyes also darted back and forth, and he couldn't help but occasionally reach back to check that Vsevna’s axe was still there. He occasionally muttered something under his breath in Alterdan. Were his symptoms bothering him again?

Jameson kept practicing his fighting skills as they walked, slashing with his knife for a while before reaching back to grab the bow he’d packed and practicing firing it. Chase watched him do that, smiling a bit. “I don’t think practicing without an arrow is all that helpful.”

I suppose, Jameson said, awkwardly gesturing while still holding his bow. But it’s probably not a good idea to shoot wildly in a magical forest. Remember the screaming flowers?

“Ah. Riiiiight.” Chase winced. “The trees might not take kindly to being shot. Well, at least let me help you with your technique. Here, hold the string like this...”

They soon left the section of the Wyldwood with pink trees, and the colors of the trees slowly shifted. The branches began to droop downwards, their dark green leaves becoming long and skinny. For once, it became difficult to walk through the area, as the tree branches didn’t move out of the way like the undergrowth did. Jackie quickly got frustrated with this. After one too many times of being hit in the face with leaves, he growled and pulled out his sword, swinging it wildly. “Out of the way! Out of the way!”

“Whoa!” Marvin’s head whipped back around to look at Jackie. “Hey, calm down!”

Jameson grabbed onto Jackie’s shoulder, trying to stop him. Once he’d gotten Jackie’s attention, he signed, We don’t want to hurt the trees!

“Well what if the trees want to hurt us?” Jackie asked.

THEN we can do something! But we shouldn’t make the first move!

Jackie growled, glaring at the branches around them. “Fine. But still, we’re losing progress.” He gave his sword one final, frustrated swing—

Smack!

Jackie went still. “I, uh... I hit something... solid.”

Frowning, Henrik walked over, grabbing the branches and sorting through them. His eyes went wide. “Oh! Look at this!” He turned the branch around. There was something shiny attached to it. A fruit of some kind. It looked like a plum, but its purple skin was reflective and crystalline, like it was a jewel.

Chase gasped. “Oooo!” He looked around. “Are there any more of them?”

“Let us see!” Henrik continued to search through the branches, and the others joined him, curious about these strange crystal plums. There weren’t many of them, maybe three for each tree, but they stood out for how strange they were. “So fascinating!” Henrik said, eyes lit up. “Can we pluck these? Eat them, maybe?”

“Hmm.” Marvin narrowed his eyes. Then he bent down and picked up Draco, holding him up to one of the crystal plums. Draco sniffed it, then turned away, uninterested. “Well I don’t think they’re dangerous, at least.”

Jackie sighed. “Alright... we can take a break to look at these.”

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re not curious!” Chase said, grinning. “When are we going to get another chance like this?”

“I just... I-I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Jackie shook his head. “Alright. What are these things?”

Jameson is trying to pull the plum off the droopy branch, but its stem is really strong. He pulled out his knife to slice through it, but even that took a minute. Once the plum was free, though, he turned it over in his hands, tapping it. This is practically stone, he said.

“Well plums are stone fruit,” Chase said jokingly.

Marvin blinked. “They’re what?”

“Huh? You’ve never heard that phrase before?” Chase grabbed one of the plums; Jameson was right, the fruit’s skin felt more like glass than fruit. “A stone fruit is a fruit that has a pit in the center instead of seeds.”

“Really? Interesting.” Marvin looked at one of the plums still on the branch. “So these are... literally stone fruit. Or, more like crystal fruit.”

“How do we eat them, if they’re made of crystal?” Jackie asked.

“Maybe we do not?” Henrik said. “Or maybe it is like nuts. They must be cracked open. Here, Jackie. Since you are so concerned about moving, we can take some off the trees and examine them while we walk.” He took his bag off, reaching inside. “Let us put some in my potion supply box for safekeeping.”

They continued walking, pushing aside some of the drooping branches. Occasionally one of their hands would hit a solid crystalline plum. Chase took out his hunting knife and tried to find a weak spot in the solid skin. He was pretty sure there was something inside. He could feel it when he shook the plum. But the whole thing was solid, deflecting his knife like a regular bauble made from jewels. 

When they walked out of the grove of droopy-branched trees, Henrik immediately started looking around for a rock or something else to smash the plum with. But... “Huh. I am seeing something unusual. There... are no rocks anywhere.”

“Oh! That’s right!” Marvin nodded. “I didn’t notice the first time I was here. But there aren’t any random rocks or stones anywhere like there would be in regular forests. The undergrowth is all plant life.”

“Aw. But then how will we open these?” Henrik asked, disappointed. “If they can be opened at all.”

“Use Vsevna’s axe,” Jackie suggested. “It has that spike on the end, maybe it could pierce the skin?”

“Hmmm... perhaps.” Henrik stopped walking and bent over, placing the plum on a spot clear of long grass. Then he pulled Vsevna’s axe off his back. He aimed the spike on the back at the plum, a hand’s width above it, and narrowed his eyes as he concentrated—then brought it down.

Crack! There was a loud sound and the plum went spinning off to the side. A spray of bright red juice covered the ground—and Henrik’s legs. He yelped in surprise and backed up. Jackie laughed. “Well I don’t think any of us expected that!” He said.

“We probably should have,” Henrik grumbled. He walked over to the plum and picked it up. There was a crack in its crystal side, through which dripped that bright red juice. Unnaturally bright red, almost pink even. “Do you think this is safe to eat?”

“Who knows?” Chase said. “I’d be cautious.”

What does Draco say? JJ asked.

Marvin picked up the cat and held him up to the plum again. Draco leaned forward to sniff the juice. His nose wrinkled up and his eyes narrowed. “That’s not a guarantee of anything,” Marvin said. “He makes the same face when smelling that linseed oil Jackie and other warriors clean their weapons with. I think he just thinks it’s a strong smell.”

Henrik sniffed curiously. “It is very sweet. Almost like candy. Hmm... Perhaps we should not eat it.”

“Why were you so insistent on getting it open, then?” Jackie asked, exasperated.

“Just to see if I could, honestly.”

Jackie sighed. “Well now it’s probably going to leak juice everywhere. And maybe it will rot. We don’t want to carry rotten fruit around, even if it’s magical. “Here, just... Give it to me.”

Henrik did so, though he was a bit reluctant. “Are you going to do something foolish?”

“Possibly.” Jackie swiped up some of the juice with his finger and stuck it in his mouth.

“Wait Jackie no—!” Chase lunged over, grabbing Jackie’s wrist and yanking his hand away from his face. But it was too late. “What if it’s poison?!”

“Draco would’ve stopped me,” Jackie said. “Marvin said he would stop him from eating dangerous... um... stuff. Like... fruit and... stuff.” Jackie’s eyes slowly widened. Not as a response to how he was feeling or anything. It was almost like they were being pulled wide by invisible hands. A pink film glazed over his irises. 

“Oh no,” Chase whispered.

How do you... feel, Jackie? Jameson asked hesitantly.

Jackie looked at him. “You’re glowing,” he said slowly. He looked at Marvin. “And you’re like... like really bright. Like really glowing. And whoaaaa, Draco looks strange.” He giggled. “He’s a ghost. Ghooost cat. Glowing ghost cat.”

“Oh elders, it’s like he took amarita blossoms,” Marvin muttered.

You’ve met someone who took amarita? Jameson raises an eyebrow.

“Not anyone who took them regularly, but I’ve been on the run for the last year, practically, I’ve met a lot of people.”

“Guys guys guys, it’s not a problem.” Jackie kept looking around. “It’s all good, it’s like—so good. I feel great, and whoaaaa... pretty.”

Henrik sighed. “Damn it. If only I had my medicine I could snap him out of this really quickly. I suppose we will just have to wait for him to come down normally. He had a small sample, surely this won’t last long.” He took the plum out of Jackie’s hand. Jackie didn’t react at all, spinning in a circle so he could look at everything. “Let’s keep walking.”

Luckily, the effect of the crystal plum didn’t hinder Jackie’s ability to walk—though he did slow the group down a bit because he kept stopping to stare at random spots in the air. But after about two hours, the pink film faded from his eyes, and he stopped looking at stuff. He mumbled some apologies to everyone, but they all assured him that it was okay—though Henrik and Chase did point out how foolish it was to try juice from a magical fruit. Even if Draco didn’t intervene, that didn’t mean they were safe!

Nothing else of note happened on that day. They continued to walk through the Wyldwoods, occasionally swapping stories and memories to pass the time, always listening for sounds that would break the silence. Sounds like rustling, like distant voices, like footsteps that seemed to pass right by the group but without any sign of a person or animal. All of those happened at least once during this day. When they did, the whole group went dead silent for a minute before continuing to talk.

They made camp near a lone hill in the middle of the forest. Though it might have been an advantage to camp on top, where those on guard would have a good view of the surrounding area, none of them dared to get too close. The Fair Folk were said to live under hills. Not always literally. Some stories said that the hills were merely an entrance to a Faerilynd, the world where the Folk gathered. Either way, a lone hill in a magical forest probably wasn’t safe to get close to. Who knew what it could be? They settled down between two tall trees nearby, keeping an eye on the hill but not approaching.

“Maybe we should have two people keep guard,” Jackie suggested as they set everything up.

But then if we keep going in our shifts of three, eventually someone will be woken up again, JJ pointed out. Everyone will have only one shift, but someone will have to have two.

“I’ll take two, it’s fine.”

“No, nobody is taking two shifts at night,” Marvin said firmly. “We all need to be in the best shape possible in case something happens.”

“But—but there was that incident with the party!” Jackie protested. “And this morning, the enfield was able to just walk right in! We need to take precautions!”

“We do, but we need to take care of ourselves too,” Henrik said.

Chase frowned. “Is this because of the fruit thing? Jackie, it’s okay. I know me and Henrik already gave you shit for it, but it’s in the past. And hey, now we know what those plums do, don’t we? You don’t need to make up for an impulsive decision.”

Jackie slumped. “I... I just...” He looked to the side. “I thought that... we’d need to see what they do, didn’t we? Because what if they were harmful?”

If they were harmful then it was even more foolish to taste one, Jameson said. You could have gotten hurt.

“Well—better than losing our doctor or our guide or our oracle or the guy who needs to make it to the end of this journey!”

“Jackie,” Henrik snapped. “Are you implying you are expendable?”

“No,” Jackie said. “Honestly, no. I know I’m not. I’m a Masked Phantom leader and the best physical fighter here. But I...” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Marvin stared at him silently. “Just remember that we don’t want you to get hurt.”

Jackie nodded. “I will. I’ll be more careful, promise.”

“Please do be,” Henrik said quietly. “Now... Let us all get some rest.”

Little did the others know, but Jackie stayed awake as long as he possibly could, one hand out of his bedroll, clutching the hilt of his sword.

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

When the group woke up in the morning, the hill was gone.

“Well that is worrying,” Henrik muttered. “Marvin? You had last watch, what happened?”

“It just sort of...” Marvin held up a hand parallel to the ground, then slowly lowered it, like he was pushing something down. “Sank.”

“When???” Chase asked, concerned.

“Not too long ago, actually. It was surprisingly silent.”

The whole group looked at the space where the hill was, unnerved. We should walk around that spot, JJ said.

“Agreed,” Chase said. 

They started walking again. This section of the Wyldwood had trees with reddish bark, occasionally streaked with lighter, almost yellow stripes. Tall bluebell-like flowers sprouted from between their roots, their soft glow joined by specks of light that floated through the air. As the group brushed past them, the flowers made ringing sounds, like the bells their shapes were named for.

“Do you remember all of this, Marvin?” Henrik asked, fascinated with the flowers.

“I remember it when I see it,” Marvin replied. “Honestly, the whole first journey I had was so strange that it all sort of... blended together into an overall oddness. But now that I’m back in here, I do know where to go and recognize some of this. I didn’t recognize those crystal plums yesterday. But maybe I just didn’t see them. They were pretty hidden in those branches.”

“And... there are truly no records of the Wyldwood at all?” Henrik asked.

“None in recent memory, and no records of anyone going this deep,” Jackie said. “You should know this, Henrik. I know you’re from another kingdom, but you’ve lived here for years now. You know that the Wyldwood is dangerous.”

“Yes, but people make records of going into dangerous places all the time,” Henrik said. “And this is half the island!”

I suppose having the Dragon’s Teeth mountains as a barrier dissuaded exploration, Jameson mused. I’ve heard of other Wyldlands in the world that are more explored. Wyldsands, Wyldmounts, Wyldmarshes... I can see why you’re surprised that there aren’t any records.

“I think that part of the reason people avoid the Wyldwood is because of the Fair Folk,” Chase said. “After all, people say that those who didn’t retreat to their own world live here now.”

“You know a lot of stories, right, Chase?” Jackie asked. “Do you know any about the Fair Folk or the Wyldwood?”

“Hmm... well there are a few,” Chase said. “For example, the story of Lasta and Caba is said to take place in the Wyldwood. Supposedly, when most of the Fair Folk decided they wanted to leave this world for their own, two of them, a leprechaun and a bodacha, refused to stop playing their card game to help the others move. So they were cursed to keep playing forever, never finishing the game. Supposedly, if you join in, you have a chance to win some sort of prize. But be careful, because time outside of the game will pass faster than time around you and them.”

“Fascinating,” Marvin said. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one.”

I think I’ve vaguely heard something like that, Jameson said. I remember the bit about time passing differently very distinctly.

“Well, time being different around the Fair Folk is common in stories,” Chase said. “There’s also the one where a man falls in love with a beautiful Fair One. A princess or prince.”

“There are two versions of the story?” Henrik asked. “So... does that mean it is not true?”

“No, it could be that it happened a long time ago and the details of the Fair One got lost over time. Or maybe the Fair One was both. Who knows? The point is, the Fair One invited the man to their palace for a night of partying, but when the man returned after one night, a year had passed.”

Jackie glanced around nervously. “Do you think that... that same time strangeness affects the Wyldwood?”

Marvin shook his head. “No. I walked through the woods for a week, and when I was out again, a week had passed for everyone else.”

“Oh right. I forgot about—” He paused. “Do you all hear that?”

The group stopped walking, listening for strange sounds. In the otherwise silence of the Wyldwood, it stuck out easily. A thundering sound. But not actual thunder. Was it... hooves? From a horse? Chase frowned and looked at the others, noticing as they all came to the same conclusion around the same time. “Strange...” Henrik muttered. “Where is it coming from?”

“Get to the side,” Marvin hissed. “Out of the way of any open paths!”

They all scrambled to get close to a tree, away from the open parts of the Wyldwood. In the distance, something dark was forming, quickly approaching—

Jameson gasped and fell forward, sprawling across the ground. Jackie spun around. Without hesitating, he ran towards Jameson. The dark thing was suddenly much closer, streams of orange-red light streaming from it as it got closer—within a second it was bearing down on them—

“Jackie!” Chase gasped.

Jackie dove at Jameson and the two of them went rolling across the ground. The dark thing galloped past them, inches from their bodies, smoke and light following it in a trail. It looked like a horse and rider but something was wrong with the rider: he was missing something. By the time Chase realized what it was, the creature was already galloping into the distance.

“Elders!” Jackie breathed, visibly shaken.

Henrik ran forward, and Marvin and Chase were right behind him. “Are you two okay?!” Henrik asked.

“I-I’m fine,” Jackie said. “Jameson?”

Jameson raised his head. His eyes were wide enough to see the white all around his irises, but he nodded. Shaken, he said weakly.

“Wh-what happened?” Marvin asked. “Did you trip on something? What was that thing?!”

“I-I think that was a dullahan,” Chase said.

“A what?! Aren’t those an omen of death?!”

“Huh? No, th-that’s not what I’ve heard about them. Though they are often linked to it... h-having no head, and all. And they, uh, often show up where people died, I-I think?”

Henrik shuddered. “So... someone died here?”

“I have no doubt that a lot of people died in the Wyldwood,” Chase muttered.

Jackie sat up, one arm wrapped around Jameson, bringing him upright as well. “Are you sure you’re okay, Jameson?” he asked gently. “What about your foot? Did you twist your ankle when you tripped?”

“Hmm... I thought the plants were making way for us,” Henrik said, frowning.

Jameson laughed silently, darkly. It wasn’t a plant or root or anything. I just... tripped on... my own foot.

“...ah.” Henrik blinked. “...well that is... unfortunate.”

I suppose I was thinking too much about moving, if that makes sense? Jameson sighed. I’m not hurt, though.

“Alright, if you’re sure.” Jackie stood up, and reached down to help Jameson up. “Are you good to keep walking?”

Are you? Jameson asked.

Jackie laughed. “Of course I am. Come on. We have to keep going. Ideally, away from where that dullahan went.”

And so, with nothing else to do and nobody hurt, they just... kept walking. Until, eventually, it was time to settle down for the night once again.

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

The next day passed normally—or as normally as things could be in the Wyldwood. They continued to pass through vibrant trees and grass, surrounded by glowing flowers, glowing mushrooms, and occasionally glowing insects. Henrik was quickly getting overwhelmed with the variety of plants, and quickly running out of room for samples in his potion ingredient box and other bags. He soon learned that he couldn’t take all of the glowing plants. Some of the samples from the first day had stopped glowing—though not all of them—so he exchanged those for others.

Draco kept walking steadily through the forest, occasionally waiting for the humans to catch up. Chase still wasn’t used to him acting so... smart. But it wasn’t like he was acting oddly human. He was still clearly a cat, with the same mannerisms and behaviors. When some glowing blue dragonflies showed up, he chased them, tail wagging, just like any other cat would. But still... it was odd that a cat was leading them.

Chase’s thoughts started to swirl, thinking about what was waiting at the end of this journey. At this blasted heath that Marvin mentioned. He asked Marvin to tell him everything about what he saw there again, and Marvin told him all he remembered. There was a building in the circle of dead earth, along with some strange trees. The ghost of King Samuel said that this was related to something unspeakable—something that literally couldn’t be spoken of. Something that Chase needed to find out for himself, something that would help them defeat the King. It was frustratingly vague.

He wasn’t sure if anything he’d find in the Wyldwood could help him defeat the spirit possessing the King... but he had to try, didn’t he? He had to help Jack. And so, he kept going on, despite the doubts trying to worm their way in.

Another day of walking passed. Their fifth day. They were almost there now. Just two more days of walking... or was it only one and a half? Maybe a little more than that? Would they have to walk for two days, rest for the night, and then walk a bit more in the morning?

“Hey... Marvin.” Jackie glanced around as the Wyldwood around them started to grow dark. “Maybe we should walk through the night. Or... a little bit into the night, I should say.”

“Huh?” Marvin glanced back at him. “We never walk through the night when traveling.”

“I know, but that’s because it gets too dark to see where we’re putting our feet,” Jackie explained. “With all the glowing things in here, it never gets darker than what would be evening outside the Wyldwood. We could probably keep walking.”

Henrik frowned. “I... wonder if... if there are creatures that come out at night, here. A-after all... that strange party happened at night. The music that Jameson heard, too. And the hill disappeared during the dark. It may be dangerous.”

“It... i-it may be,” Jackie agreed slowly. “But we could protect each other. I... I think the faster we get there, the better, right?”

The others all glanced at each other. Perhaps we can walk a bit more? Jameson asked.

“I really think it is not a good idea,” Henrik insisted.

Marvin looked down at Draco, who was stretching and yawning. “I agree. I think we’re supposed to stop for the night.”

“Just a bit farther couldn’t hurt,” Jackie said. “Chase? What do you think?”

Chase hesitated. “Um... just a bit farther, maybe? Ten or twenty more minutes?”

Henrik and Marvin looked at each other and sighed. “Fine,” Marvin said. “If all three of you want to keep walking for a bit, you take the majority. But... let’s be careful.”

Jackie nodded. “We will be. I’ll lead the way.”

They kept walking. Draco didn’t want to continue, so Marvin reached down and scooped him up, carrying him as they went along. The trees around them rustled, and Chase glanced up into them uneasily, instinctively searching for animals that weren’t there.

After the twenty more minutes of walking that Chase suggested, the group came across something... unusual. A... path. The sort that was worn into the ground from people or animals walking in the same place over and over. It dipped into the earth slightly, the dirt a bit muddy.

Marvin frowned. “I remember this. It was daytime when I came across it the first time. I didn’t want to cross it, but Draco had no problem, so I walked from one side to the other easily enough.” He looked down at Draco in his arms, whose eyes were currently closed. “Hmm... don’t know if I’m comfortable walking across it when he’s not there to make sure it’s safe.”

Chase looked back and forth, tracing the path to the left and right. Then he crouched down to look at the dirt, trying to figure out if there were any tracks in there. No good. Despite the mud, he couldn’t make out anything clearly. “I don’t know if this is a deer trail or a wolf pack or something magical,” he reported.

Jameson blinked. Is it just me or is the air... shimmering?

Chase stood up, and he and the other three guys all stared at the air in front of them. Yes... it was shimmering slightly. Like the air above a heated rock. As they stared, things became clearer. The air was moving. No, not the air. They were... people? Translucent at first, becoming more and more solid, glowing slightly. Jackie backed up, holding his arms out in front of the others as if to push them back as well. But there was no need for that, as everyone was scrambling backwards away from the glowing strangers.

“Wh-what is this?” Henrik whispered. “Are you all seeing this as well?”

“Yes, Henrik, we are,” Marvin confirmed. “Who are these people? What are they?”

They watched silently for a while, tense and waiting. But the glowing people didn’t bother them. They looked at the group, a few waved, but they didn’t stop their procession to attack, or even to speak.They just kept walking. And just as the group started to relax—

Jameson inhaled sharply. He ran forward, running along the path, eyes locked onto something. “Jair!” Marvin gasped, running after him.

“Wait you two!” Jackie rushed after them, and Chase and Henrik glanced at each other and followed.

Jameson came to a stop, staring at some of the people. A man, looking to be in his forties, walking with a woman of the same age, their arms linked together. The woman was smiling and laughing at something, and the man nodded.

“What is it?” Marvin asked, shifting Draco into just one arm and putting a hand on Jameson’s shoulder. But Jameson didn’t even bother to look at him. He just kept staring at the man and woman. What was so special about—

The realization hit Chase all at once. The brown shade of the man’s hair, the shape of the woman’s face, the blue of both their eyes... they both looked a bit like Jameson. And as the man and woman noticed them, the man raised his hand. There was a ring on his finger. A signet ring of some kind. “...oh,” Chase breathed.

Jameson was shaking slightly, trembling beneath Marvin’s hand. Behind the couple walked three others. Young women, all around the same age. The eldest walked in front, auburn hair shorn short. Behind her was a woman with her hair pulled back in a tight braid, a pair of fancy riding pants, the sorts nobles wore for long horse rides. And behind her in turn was the youngest, her light hair curling, smiling as she skipped along. She looked at Jameson and waved.

“Oh... oh no,” Henrik whispered.

Jameson’s mouth formed words, but of course, no voice came out.

And then Jackie’s eyes widened. “G-Grandmam?” An older woman was walking along the couple, using a cane to support herself, bent over with deep lines on her face. 

“Oh!” Marvin started. “There! Isn’t that Miarch? H-he was—we lost him s-so early on... A-and there’s Kieron, and Ilsa, and...” The people he was pointing out all had white plaster masks with them, on their face or hanging from their belts.

Chase tore his eyes away from the procession. It was clear now who these people were, and he didn’t want to see anyone he’d known.

But Jameson... he started to step forward.

“No!” Henrik lunged forward, grabbing the back of Jameson’s shirt. “Do not get too close!”

Jameson spun on him. Why not?! he demanded, eyes welling with tears.

“We do not know what will happen if we touch them,” Henrik reasoned. “What if we... what if we join them? Jamie, please tell me you do not want to join them.”

That seemed to get through to Jameson. He blinked, then shook his head. Of course not. I just... He turned back to the procession. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them. Mam and Dad... Emer, Orla, Mairead... those are their names. He spelled them out in handspeak so that the others would know what to call them. I never got to...

Chase took a deep breath. He walked over to Jameson and put an arm around his shoulders. “Well... this is the time to do it, isn’t it?”

Jackie and Marvin were also staring at the people they recognized in the procession. Henrik, like Chase, is trying not to look, though his eyes can’t help but glance back every so often at the ones with white masks. But they all hear what Chase said. “Y-yes... th-this is the time... to say goodbye,” Jackie whispered.

“I-I don’t think we should actually say anything,” Marvin said quietly. “Just in case... that starts a conversation we... don’t want. W-we don’t know how they’ll... react to us.”

Jameson shuddered. As much as I don’t want to stay silent... you’re right. Best to be cautious. We don’t know what effect the Wyldwood would have. He looked after his family. They seemed... happy. As they waved at him again, he waved back, a slow, sad farewell.

And after a moment, Jackie, Marvin, and Henrik all waved as well. Chase saw no one he recognized... and he didn’t seek them out.

After a while, the friendly faces disappeared down the path. But the procession didn’t stop. They watched them continue appearing, walking left to right, an endless parade. “We... we shouldn’t interrupt them,” Marvin whispered. “Let’s... go back and make camp.”

Jackie nodded. “I-I’m sorry I made us keep walking.”

Don’t be, Jameson said. You didn’t know this would happen. And... maybe it was a good thing, in the end.

“...maybe,” Jackie said quietly. “Let’s... go.”

The group turned and walked back the way they came, setting up their bedrolls around a large tree. The procession was a slight glow in the distance, a line of light. They went to bed, said their good nights... but none of them fell asleep. They all knew they were watching the procession. Watching it until exhaustion caught up to them.

As Chase drifted off, he reflected on who he saw in the procession. The Masked Phantoms. Jameson’s family. Were others in the procession... because of the King as well? Or... because of the spirit possessing Jack?

...He would remember them. Remember why the King must be defeated.

There would be no more of them. Not if there was anything they could do about it.