#LILIANA I AM CHEERING YOU ON ...

[erstwhles]

the original: derya and liliana deserve friends outside of their group of loud and obnoxious hockey players / @marimelwrites

As she makes her way down the hallway, Liliana feels what is perhaps an unwarranted set of nerves settle in her stomach. It isn't like she will be the one on the ice (Thank god. Not even Taner's enthusiasm had been enough to make up for her lack of balance last time she tried), but she knows how important tonight's performance is in order to qualify for the first post-season competition. She also knows that without Taner, Adem, and Joel in town to cheer Derya on, there are some big shoes to fill.

Not that this is a role she minds filling in for. Given their mutual friends, the two have ended up spending plenty of time together. She has gotten to know Derya well and to consider her a friend even without the Kavas brothers there to bring them together.

"Hey!" Her smile is automatic as she comes to a stop. "Wow, you look amazing. I'm glad I found you before you went on. Joel left very specific instructions about your pre-skate routine, so here I am," Liliana says with a fond roll of her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

[the-panda-writes]

The Siren of the Inquisition

Chapter 13

Aiduin POV

When dawn breaks, the rest of the Inquisition’s forces and people set out to find a new place to rebuild and recoup.

Aiduin leads in the front, his advisors and the rest follow behind him as they walk through the snow-covered ground.

Scout to the North. Be their guide.

Aiduin recalls the conversation with Solas before they set out, hours of traveling toward an unknown place.

There is a place that waits for a force to hold it. There is a place where the Inquisition can build, grow.

Cullen POV

As they traverse the mountains to find this place, Cullen catches himself looking for the maiden and child, as if by instinct to be sure they are alright. Finding them, he walks over to them.

“How is he?” Cullen asks again.

Ashe smiles at him, placing a comforting hand on the boy’s back to make sure he doesn’t slip. “He’s awake, but he hasn’t spoken since he has. I guess that’s normal for someone that has witnessed something so traumatic. He hasn’t let go of me since.” She then turns her head to place a small peck on Peter’s head to help soothe him.

“I am sure he is in the most capable of hands.” Cullen tells her, making Ashe blush. “Do you need a break from carrying him? I can take him if you are.”

“I’m fine,” Ashe says with a comforting smile. “I’m not sure if he’s comfortable for someone else to touch him yet. At breakfast, he flinched at the cook who was just offering a bowl of porridge.”

Cullen just looks at the woman with a sad smile, but then notices out the corner of his eye that they are about to reach the peak of the mountain, seeing the Herald and Solas coming into a clearing.

“It looks like we are about to reach the peak of this mountain,” Cullen says, offering his hand to the woman. “Take my hand so you don’t slip.”

Ashe looks at him in shock and blushes but slowly takes his hand. He smiles and then leads her up to the peak.

Once they reach the clearing, they see a magnificent castle. It seems to be right at the border of Orlais and Ferelden, but its strategic point will definitely help them rebuild the Inquisition.

“Tarasly’an Te’las…” Ashe barely whispers.

“What does that mean?” Cullen asks out of curiosity.

“The place where the sky is held up.” Ashe says, translating it to him.

“I thought only Solas knew of this place?” Cullen asks.

“I read about it in Minrathous…” Ashe says, blushing in shame. “I may or may not have snuck into the restricted section of their…. Imperial Chantry…”

Every time Cullen finds one thing to try to get to know this woman, there is more about her that he has yet to discover.

“You are an enigma, my lady.” Cullen chuckles. 

They both head towards the Castle, entering its courtyard soon after. As soon as they are settled in, Cullen excuses himself and goes to meet with the other Advisors. 

Ashe POV

Ashe is settling into Skyhold with the rest of the Inquisition, helping with healing and cooking whenever there is a need for help. Skyhold is now becoming a pilgrimage for those who wish to be a part of the Inquisition. Peter is always near, scared to be away from her, clinging to her for comfort. 

Ashe knows he will do this for a while until he is comfortable to try and socialize with the other children of the Inquisition as well; but for now, she just needs to be patient.

She then notices that people are starting to gather around the staircase to the main castle, seeing Aiduin, Cassandra, and Liliana. Ashe also gathers with the crowd, Peter in hand to see the induction of the Inquisitor. 

Aiduin picks up the Inquisitor’s blade, promising to do what is right because the Inquisition has an enemy and they need to stand together, fighting for all of us. 

“Have our people been told?” Cassandra calls out.

“They have, and soon the world!” Josephine answers.

“Commander, will they follow?!”

Cullen turns towards the crowd, noticing Ashe and Peter. “Inquisition, will you follow?” he asks, riling them up. 

The crowd cheers in acceptance, Ashe along with them. 

“Will you fight? Will we triumph?”

The crowd continues as Cullen yells, unsheathing his sword, “Your Leader. Your Herald. Your Inquisitor!”

Cullen POV

“Send men to scout the area, we need to know what’s out there!” Cullen commands his scouts.

“Yes sir!”

“Commander. Soldiers have been assigned temporary quarters.” Another scout reports.

“Very good. I’ll need an update on the armory as well.” He says as the scout just stands there. “Now!” he commands. 

The morning has not been well to him after the Induction of the Inquisitor. His headaches have become more severe. I need to speak with a physician about getting another drought for my headaches. Cullen thinks as he sees Ashe and the boy walk up toward him.

“We set up as best we could at Haven, but never prepare for an Archdemon or whatever it was.” He says, rubbing his neck. “With some warning, we might have-”

“Cullen,” Ashe says, placing a hand on his arm. “Have you gotten any sleep?”

“If Corypheus strikes we may not be able to withdraw. I spoke to the Inquisitor about this, and I wouldn’t want to withdraw.” He says, leaning over the table with concern. “We must be ready!” 

“I’m sure we will, with you as their Commander,” Ashe says. “But you can’t be running yourself ragged to be able to lead their forces.”

Cullen just smiles. “Work on Skyhold is underway. Guard rotations established.” 

“I feel safer already.” Ashe giggles. “How is morale been?”

“It was low, but it has improved greatly since Aiduin has accepted the role of Inquisitor.” Cullen states, looking over the plans.

“How did Aiduin take to the title?” Ashe asks.

“He took it as well as expected, given he is an elf.” Cullen says, looking at the woman. 

“I’m sure he is more than capable, but do not put too much on his shoulders.” Ashe says as she walks to the front of the table. 

“Have you found accommodations for you and young Peter?” Cullen asks, looking down at the child as he hides behind Ashe’s skirts. 

Ashe chuckles. “Not yet, but I think the apartment above the building over there,” Ashe points to the schematics of the castle, the small building that is across from the tower where he wants to put up his office. “I think that would be good for the both of us.”

“I believe that building is going to be built into a tavern,” Cullen states noticing the building on the schematic. “I believe Cabot will be taking over bartending and running the establishment.”

“Has he thought of a name yet?” Ashe asks out of curiosity.

“I’m not sure. Any suggestions, my lady?” 

Ashe smiles. “The Herald’s Rest?”

Cullen looks at her and smiles. “I will pass it along to him. I will give him a good word and see if he would hire you into his staff and accommodations.”

“Thank you, Commandow.” the boy suddenly speaks. 

Both are shocked as Ashe bends down to his level to speak. “That's right, Peter. We say thank you to those who help.” she picks him up. “Those are the first words he’s ever spoken since he has woken up. You should be honored, Commander.”

Cullen smiles as he walks to the pair. “You’re welcome, lad. Be sure to listen to Lady Ashe. She is an amazing woman and will take good care of you.” Cullen says, rubbing the boy's head gently.

“Thank you, Cullen..” Ashe says with a smile, thinking back to the fall of Haven suddenly, making her sad a little bit. “Our escape from Haven… It was close, I’m relieved that you - that so many made it out. Along with this little one.” Ashe says as Peter lays his head on her shoulder.

“As am I.”

They look at each other intensely, the tension so thick, a knife could cut through it.

“Well, I think we should go and get something to eat and then I should put this little one to bed. Good evening, Cullen.” Ashe says, turning away.

But before she could get far, Cullen speaks up.

“You and the Inquisitor stayed behind. You could have… I will not allow the events at Haven to happen again.” He says to her, grabbing her unoccupied hand. “You have my word, my lady.” He kisses the back of her hand, sealing his promise to her. 

Ashe blushes at the gesture, allowing him to hold her hand for a little while longer.

“Thank you, Cullen..”

[razieltwelve]

Trouble (Final Rose x MTG)

"Oh.” Jace took one look at Diana and turned to run. “It’s you!”

Alas, the mind mage didn’t get far before a rocket-propelled raccoon grabbed onto him and tackled him to the ground. The raccoon gave Diana a cheerful wave, and the other planeswalker ambled over and hauled him up to his feet.

“Please, tell me you’re not here to drag me off on another adventure,” Jace muttered. “I almost got eaten on the last one.”

“You almost get eaten on all our adventures!” Diana put one arm around his shoulders and struck a pose, gazing epically into the distance. A pair of her raccoon minions waved banners to mimic a dramatic sunset. “But the point is you never actually get eaten.”

Jace sighed. “Look, just tell me why you’re here.”

“Fine, fine, be all grumpy.” Diana grinned. “Honestly, I’m here because the others were worried you’d get all mopey after finding out about your past.” She held up her hands placatingly at his glare. “Look, you’ve got every reason to be mopey, but has it occurred to you that it might be better to be mopey around your friends?”

“I -”

“And we are your friends, Jace,” Diana insisted. “Sure, we’re all a bit weird, but we’re your friends, and friends help each other out. I know you need to sort through your past, but I don’t think wandering aimlessly and spending time in depressing places like this...” She gestured vaguely at the dreary, twilight swamp around them. “Is going to help much.”

“Then what would help?”

“I know his great noodle stand,” Diana said. “On this fantastic plane. You’ll love it there. There’s technology, nature, and I might have the favour of the person who runs the place.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. She used to planeswalk without meaning to all the time. I threw together a personal planar-stabiliser for her. With it, she can choose when and where she planeswalks to.” Diana nodded sagely. “So I’m basically welcome there for all eternity or something.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad...”

“I also invited Vraska,” Diana said. “So you won’t have to feel all lonely.”

“...” Jace sighed. “Fine. Who else will be there?”

“Just people you know and actually like,” Diana said. “So, no, Ugin won’t be showing up to be all ‘listen to me for I am an elder dragon’ and stuff.”

“Sorin?”

Diana shuddered. “I decided not to invite him since he and Nahiri are still trying to kill each other. I did suggest making some kind of cage for them to fight in, but Nissa vetoed the idea.”

“She can veto your ideas now?” Jace asked.

“Not really, but she got Chandra to agree, and then Gideon pointed out that cheering on while two people we know try to kill each other was probably bad.” Diana paused. “But Liliana was cool with it.”

“She would be.”

“Anyway,” Diana said. “You going to come?”

“I guess I can...” Jace nodded. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Diana handed him a raccoon. “I don’t know if you’ve been there before, so hang onto my buddy here. They’ve all got devices to help them make the jump back since Kamigawa is where they’re from originally.”

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e34: for whom the bell tolls

oh god it's less than 4 hours — ~3h30m accounting for intro, ads, & recap

the fuckin' NordVPN ads are getting lore recaps now??

I mute these because my secondhand embarrassment goes off the charts but just watching it is enough of an experience I feel like

I..... hm. I'm definitely feeling some kind of way about what, if anything, the Bells Hells merch releases say about who's going to survive this episode.

//

WHO'S IT GONNA BE

ooooo everyone's at the table

"Fresh Cut Grass. In this pure, endless void of all color, you feel the psychic pulse opens a flood of memories... older memories. An endless cloudscape, a skyline of lavender spires, prismatic cobblestone streets, thousands of metallic beings cheering, celebrating. A dark room, a man you fear of short gray and blonde hair shouting, none of this imagery makes sound — but you know there's anger in his heart, the intent, the defiance... a kindly, older noblewoman. You like this woman. You grant her understanding — she smiles. She frowns. She is gone."

"Chetney. Within the endless light, you feel your very soul pried open, memories spilling forth, gentler times... Diana and her laugh, Freudel and her patience... within your belly, a hunger stirs. An itch hits your skin. An iron smell fills your nose, a howl pierces your ears, you look up to the full flowing red moon of Ruidus above you, from its ruddy light streaks a single beam of pure crimson light that envelops you. You let it wash away the sadness and you give in to the beast... it sees you now, and it's found common ground."

"Ashton. Enveloped in shadowless infinity, too bright to blink, you're a child. You were worried as others rush to finish something, you do not hear your elven father as he shouts orders excitedly. Your mother kisses your head, points ahead as the many people take their places around the vibrant glowing gateway. Your father places leather mask and headdress on his face... it begins."

"Laudna. Here beyond the edge of death, the light envelops you. You remember, soundlessly, the lush forests of the Parchwood, you remember the warmth of the fire under the hearth... dinner. An impossibly long, decadent table. Watchful guards, the dark lord and lady speaking wordlessly, the dread, her gaze meets yours. A gaze that never stops. You see her at the edge of your vision, always, her shape creeps beyond every blink and her words linger with her own. You fear you may lose yourself. Are you yourself? Or just her, incubating? I am of his blood. I will endure. My will is unrelenting. You are my vessel in life, unlife, and beyond. I will endure."

"Imogen. Your entire body and spirit shakes into energy, a cosmic mass of vibration and power. You feel your ody burn, unstable, wanting to explode, you wince and hold yourself with all your might. You're walking, toppling over a rock, a hand catches your clumsy form. You cry loudly, silently, as your eyes meet hers, her lavender hair tied up over her ears. Her smile calms your tears. She speaks to you, wordlessly, in your mind you know everything is alright. She looks concerned, her face snaps away into the distance, an intensity. You open your eyes and there in this vacant space, crackling before you, you see Otohan, staring back. Her body crackling with the same type of energy as yours. You are a true predator. A gift in their image. Few can be as strong as we can. To deny your nature is to be consumed by it. To embrace it is to master your own fate. I am proud of you. The voice of Liliana echoes in your mind — run, Imogen. Run."

"The bell tolls, and looms soon enough. Come, and create something beautiful with us. [I reach out and try to blast her.] She blinks away into the light darkness, and the white blinks out. The void envelops you. You hear the sound of a thousand, ten thousand stones and bricks hitting the ground. The wind hits your face, the sand as you come down to your feet. Looking around you, you stand in the streets of Bassuras once more. In the vicinity, where a number of buildings stood, most of them are gone. There is a circle of earth pushed away. And in that moment, your companions appear where they were, as they were."

ASJHGDKJSHDGFSKJLFJDLSKGH

MATTHEW MERCER

Natural 1 death saving throw on the Ruidus die.

That's it. Someone's dead. They don't have enough spell slots.

"I imagine it would be... confusion. Flashes of all the powerful women in her life. Imogen. Fearne. Her mother. Delilah."

"As the darkness carries you to whatever threshold lies beyond, as the dark curtain begins to fold in, you feel her arms wrap around you as Delilah embraces you from behind. Worry not, child. Death is but a waiting game."

Okay. FCG is getting Fearne up. Thank fucking god. We have a chance here.

The first two rolls of the episode were a 1 on a death save and then a 20 on a perception check. If that doesn't embody this entire sequence—

Imogen has the gnarlrock. She has the gnarlrock and Delilah is still in there. I swear to god if this is some kind of repeat of Laerryn gifting a spell slot to Quay—

Thank you, Travis, for the mental image of a revivify cockring.

oh my FUCKING god

FCG rolls a 7 + 3 WIS against a DC of 10.

She felt herself being pulled by the Unseelie who "were following [her] through mirror after mirror." Behind her, she sees a "dull green sliver of a moon, a blackened hills cape of tangled jungle and thorns, brambles and eyes, so many wicked hungry eyes waiting for you. And behind those eyes, darkness. Uncertainty. Cold oblivion." And Fearne's up.

"Can you call Jiana Hexum?" "Fuck Jiana Hexum!" "Call her, tell her I'll do anything. Tell her whatever she needs."

Liam just fuckin' chugging the rest of his coffee is such a mood

GNARLROCK TIME LET'S GO

"I know you're there you bitch, I know you still want her." The rock is on Laudna's chest.

Fearne doesn't have a diamond, but Ashton does. 18 seconds remain.

I hate this. I hate it. I HATE it. But it's so good.

12 seconds remain.

Sending to Delilah: "You better bring her back. I know you want to be in this world, and she's your only way here. Get your ass down here and bring her back!" Poor thing. I would if I could. But I ask you to bring her back too — for both of us.

The coin has spoken. (I'm not convinced that Fearne didn't lie about the coin flip.)

Fearne rolls a 13 + 4 against a DC of 10.

"Orym. The tension has passed, and a calm peace comes over you. There's this shadow, this looming darkness of regret and anxiety... it gives way to the sounds of the soft breeze of Zephrah. You feel a presence you've missed for a bit. As you turn from the shadow, amongst the various cherry blossom branches and the wind that blows in this soft dreamscape before you, you see Will. Just looking at you. And you want nothing more than to stay here. And in that moment in relinquishing to whatever the next life may be, you hear Fearne's words echo out from above. The soft dream begins to fade a moment and you glance up into a shaft of light. Her words call out to you, and you're torn. You look back down to Will who looks back to you, and his voice echoes, you're not done. [I really wish I could stay.] I'll still be here. [I miss you so bad.] There will be a time. I look forward to it. [Say hi to Derrig for me. Say hi to dad.] I will. He reaches out and embraces you. Like a hot spring that just envelops you, you feel the warmth and light of the connection you've missed for so long. Now, go. And he throws you up towards the light. As you drift upward, you watch the tree begin to fade, you see his face begin to fade, and you feel the sting of dust and sand against your cheek." And Orym's up.

Sprigg, the Vecna fights, Vax's mother, Scanlan, Molly, Caleb and Essek, Caleb at his parents' graves, Cad's divine intervention — nothing. But Orym got me, man. He got me.

To Joe's!

And to the break.

//

Liam: *pats Orym on the head* this halfling can fit so much survivor's guilt in him

Ohohohoho, Imahara has a secret cellar! It's a little storage space with raw materials, parts, tools, etc.

Man, the perception checks this episode have been on point.

....there's a hidden door in the basement that hasn't been opened in a very long time. Overgrown with roots.

Aaaaah. So Treshi hired Ira to create dangers in the city, which in turn was intended to spur the Quorum to hire the Paragon's Call. Ira came to him, but Treshi was getting pressure from Otohan to establish the Call in Jrusar.

23 intimidation from Orym!

Treshi was doing it to rise in the ranks of Jrusar's nobility structure, and if he did all the shipments successfully, Otohan would clear his name in Jrusar. The shipments were coming from Wildemount by way of the Menagerie Coast to the Osmit Sea to Jrusar, where Treshi took charge of getting them to Bassuras. So that shipment wasn't going to Jrusar — it had come from Jrusar, and was going to an external site.

Hexum held on to the Cerberus Assembly crates and the crates with the dunamis potions until it was time to ship them to Bassuras, to disrupt the chain and make it harder to trace.

It began slowly "years ago" and had been ramping up in recent years.

The secret door appears to be locked, but there's no overt nob, just a pull handle. Chet opens it with a 26, and there's a tunnel beyond that smells musty, like minerals. It reminds Chetney of the part in the Deathwish Run when they went into a cavern.

The crates labeled "Treshi" contain a whole bunch of dunamis potions.

The vials are roughly the same size and shape of the things inside Otohan's backpack. So these things are most likely advanced forms of the potions of possibility.

I love the fact that they've just..... collectively forgotten that Fearne has proficiency with thieves' tools.

.........oh. Matt's reaction to FCG mentioning that Percy and Vex might be able to bring Laudna back makes me absolutely certain that neither of them would hesitate for a moment to kill Laudna if they knew about Delilah. Especially when compared to his reaction to Orym mentioning Keyleth.

Hm. So Orym definitely knows that Keyleth can bring people back, and that it's not super expensive to her (500gp and a 5th level slot). Which begs the question— why wouldn't he ask her to bring Will back? Did something happen to Will that made that impossible, like with Evandrin?

Oh. Or maybe she did try and the ritual failed. The ritual that Orym would've been a primary contributor to. And that'd just add more grief and guilt.

Chetney literally crafting new thieves' tools out of wood scraps instead of disabling the trap is so on-brand

The box is opening

It's refined residuum. A precisely calculated and exact amount of refined residuum.

Keyleth has been working with Percy and Vex to make sure that residuum doesn't fall into the wrong hands, so the fact that it's here is very concerning to Orym. He also knows that it's used in the amplification of certain forms of arcana.

So, what? Is Otohan using this to create very specifically sized weavelenses? To amplify the effects of the potions of possibility? Or is this something like what Delilah was doing with Ioun's temples, trying to amplify a summoning ritual? And where the fuck is the Cerberus Assembly getting it from?

Okay, somebody remind me to come back to this later — but this residuum is an absolutely perfect allegory for the Bells Hells as a party, especially the way Matt described it.

Chetney did hard drugs in Hupperduke, canon

Holy fuck, another nat 20 perception check! Chet is on fire with these!

Identify on the gray liquid: "This is a potion of possibility. When you drink this potion, you gain two fragments of possibility, each of which looks like a tiny grey mote of energy that follows you around a foot away from you. Each fragment lasts for 8 hours or until used. [Mechanics are the same as the Fortune's Favor spell.]"

Sooooo potions of possibility + residuum = whatever Otohan had going on? Yeah?

The crate they got has 6 more potions, so they have a total of 8.

FCG has never encountered dunamancy before — the vials don't fit into any established school of magic, it sort of sits and drifts outside the standard schools.

Oooooh. Imogen didn't have a dream about Laudna walking into the storm. And she "feels a buzz lingering that doesn't quite subside, like the faintest of butterflies that continues to turn in your stomach." Bro. Matt remotely added a feat to her D&D Beyond profile.

Now that is super interesting. That means that every single one of these people has a chance to gain additional feats through "fateful moments" (which Matt details in EGtW) that happen during the course of the campaign. That's super fucking cool. I bet it's a homebrew, because she already has telekinetic and telepathic wouldn't make sense (she already gets very similar abilities from her class), but also, mystic conflux or spell driver could be really cool.

Oh my god that's amazing, FCG built a toolbox for Chetney and Sam actually bought (/made?) one to give to Travis adkjfhsglsdjl

In that memory, Ashton's father's vestments for whatever ritual that was is exactly the same as the Hishari armor they found in the Twilight Mirror Museum. The headpiece looks slightly damaged.

"shari" is a suffix with roots in a word pertaining to general elementalism. The root could pre-date the Calamity, or it could be derived from the Gau Drashari name.

In Zephrah, the Hishari village is used as a tale to spook people from toying with the elements when they don't know what they're doing. It was a village of people who delved into things that they didn't understand and couldn't control. "What the Hishari village did was reckless, and they paid for it." Ashton was too young to remember what happened on that day, but they watched "everything go, everything rip apart... wind and light and people flinging through the air, cracking, breaking. I woke up wandering the dead lands outside the city [Bassuras], and they put me in the Greymoore home."

Which means that the Hishari village was somewhere in the Hellcatch Valley close to Bassuras — e.g. there is potentially a massive elemental rift in the Hellcatch, where a leyline nexus may be moving, and where the Paragon's Call might be shipping construction materials, residuum, and dunamis potions to.

"Power is power. What you do with it is up to you. We're gonna leave, we're gonna lick our wounds, but you've got us. Let's just get our of here and help her."

Somebody get FCG a component pouch please

"You focus on her body, her corpse, whatever earthly connection remains with the absconded spirit. You complete the ritual and there's a flash of orange light around her, and none of you pick it up, but you do: a weird sense that the spell definitely headed something off at the pass, and now she rests for the next 10 days."

o h n o.

I can't tell if that means her body would decompose faster than normal to a point where raise dead wouldn't work due to her being a Hollow One, or if Delilah was slowly trying to take over her body slowly. Either way, gives a completely different meaning to "death is a waiting game."

That thing is definitely going to be attached to the front of the flask/can next week

[lovetorn]

all for the game [dream]

Exy player!Dream x Reader

summary: dream runs into trouble when the florida falcons play the edgar allan ravens.

w/c: 3.4k+ :D

warnings: violence, blood, swearing, ha typical exy shit

a/n: an au based on my favourite book trilogy, all for the game. idea by 🍀 anon <3 i wrote this for my own enjoyment AHHAHAAH. if u don’t understand the rules etc of exy, it’s basically hockey, soccer and lacrosse meshed together, but if u have any questions, send me an ask!

—

Exy is a bastard sport, an evolved sort of lacrosse with the violence of ice hockey. Dream loves every aspect of it. It is vastly different from the usual college football, and it certainly gives you more bruises. Maybe a little too many more bruises. Played in a stadium, on a soccer-sized basketball court with plexiglass to protect the crowd, it brings Dream immense joy.

Scooping the ball into the net of his racket, Dream looks at the wall before he uses his body to launch the ball towards it. The ball is quick to bounce back and plop into Dream’s net. He adjusts his grip on the stick and tilts his head, deciding where his next shot should be.

“Dream?” The dirty blonde turns around and sees you push through the plexiglass door that leads onto the court. “Hey!”

Dream smiles from under his helmet. “Hi, Y/n!” You don't play Exy, choosing to watch your best friend from the sidelines instead. He grips the grate of his helmet and slides his head out of it, his hair sticking up in every direction. “What are you doing here?”

You throw your arms up. “Coming to see you practice the great sport that is Exy,” You laugh before spinning around and looking up at the highest seats of the stadium. “Haven’t broken a bone yet, I assume?” This made Dream laugh.

“No, not yet. Saving that for the game against the Ravens.”

Dream’s determination for Exy scared you a little bit—it was almost like he wanted to get hurt. “Easy, tiger. We all know what happened last time we played them. Never again, please,” You shake your head, walking closer to him. The last time the Florida Falcons played the West Virginia Edgar Allan Ravens, Dream got a concussion so bad he couldn’t walk for a few days. You had sworn they would pay for their damage, but Dream went against you.

Dream rolls his eyes, lightheartedly. “That’s the way the game goes, Y/n. No way you can stop it,” he said that back then, too. You throw him a glare before taking the racket out of his hand to gain his full attention.

“Just, please be careful.” You practically beg. Dream’s eyebrows raise slightly, surprised. He didn’t see that coming.

“Yeah, always,” He follows your eyes as they trace the scar that runs from his temple to the middle of his forehead. You sigh and pass his racket back to him.

—

The dark purple Edgar Allan Ravens bus pulls into the Falcon’s home stadium car park that Friday night. Fans from all over the state and West Virginia crowd the entrances and surprisingly, there are a lot more supporters in purple and black than green and white.

Dream looks down at his forest green Exy uniform and smooths out his jersey. He rolls his neck in a circle to release the building tension. A hand clamps down on his shoulder as Dream slips his hands into his green and white gloves.

“You’re gonna be fine, dude. We all are,” Sapnap says, although Dream can hear the waver in his voice. Dream shakes his head and Sapnap inhales sharply.

“Nah, we won’t be.”

Sapnap slides his hand off of Dream’s shoulder and turns around, probably going to the bathroom to calm his crippling trepidation. The locker room is silent as the team moves around, changing and preparing themselves for the game ahead. Dream tries not to think about the team on the other side of the stadium, who are most likely already warming up despite the game starting in an hour.

Dream opens his locker and fumbles around for his phone. He needs to know that you’re here. Opening his messages, he’s frozen from the notifications coming through.

I hope your little friend prayed for you last night.

You got lucky with that concussion. Take this as a warning.

Dream’s fingertips trail up to hover above the scar on his forehead. He clenches his fist and throws his phone back into the locker, not flinching when the dark green metal dents. Dream leans his head against his forearm that rests on the locker.

“Dream! Dude, calm down,” A voice calls from across the room. Footsteps come up behind him and Dream has to stop the tears collecting on his waterline. “It’ll be fine, Coach said he might put you on for one half.”

George’s comments do nothing to soothe Dream’s anxiety. Dream has told nobody about the threats he’s been getting for a few days leading up to this game. If he told you, he wouldn’t even be here. You.

Dream ducks down to find his phone. George furrows his eyebrows as he watches. “Wha—?”

Grasping his phone, Dream then stalks out of the locker room. He walks down the hallway towards the inner court, presses your phone number on his now-smashed phone, and brings it to his ear. Pick up, pick up. “Dream?”

The sound of your voice makes Dream exhale deeply. “Where are you?” He asks desperately.

Dream can hear the crowd chattering through the phone as he scans over the stadium trying to find you.

“Uh, section 4, row 38, where I am every home game. Why? Is everything okay?” The worry in your voice is evident and it fails to calm Dream down like he thought it would. And when he sees waves of purple instead of green, his anxiety grows.

“I—Y/n. I need to see you, I don’t—I can’t,” Dream screws his eyes shut and tries to breathe through his nose slowly.

“Dream, I’m coming. I can see you in the inner court. Stay there.”

Y/n hangs up after that and Dream looks at his phone.

Scared? A text says from an unknown number.

Dream presses his tongue into the inside of his cheek and blinks a few times. A knock on the plexiglass behind him startles Dream. He turns and sees you smiling. He lifts his hand in a small wave and you do the same, laughing at him. At least he has a way to take his mind off of the shit with the Ravens.

A bell signals the start of the line-up announcements and Dream throws his thumb over his shoulder. You nod, understandingly, and blow him a kiss. Dream smiles shyly, his cheeks growing pink before he turns to leave.

You make your way back up to your seat, your legs bouncing in anticipation as the Ravens walk on the court one by one while the announcer calls the line-up. Once the Ravens are in a line on the halfway line, the Falcons are announced.

Since teams are co-ed, the variances in heights differ greatly. The Ravens are much taller than a majority of the Falcons, which gives them an advantage, to an extent. Dream had told you that being shorter allows you to move around the court with more agility, but being 6’2’’, Dream chose to be a striker instead of a dealer or a backliner.

“Number 2, Dream Tucker.”

At the sound of your best friend’s name, you stand and cheer, earning a few dirty looks from Ravens fans. As the remainder of the team is announced, you grow more nervous than you thought possible. A warning buzzer sounds and both teams go back to their benches.

“Alright, guys, this is our biggest game of the season, again. The last game against these idiots wasn’t ideal, but don’t let that deter you from doing your best tonight. That goes for you too, Dream," Coach looks towards Dream and he nods. Dream draws his bottom lip between his teeth from under his helmet and looks down at the ground. Sapnap’s hand slaps Dream's back in support and then the rest of the team is in agreement.

At his teammates’ words, Dream huffs. He can do this. The starting team goes onto the court, the doors closing behind them with a thump and then the scrape of a lock.

Dream sits on the bench next to Punz and Liliana. They hear the buzzer go off again and then watch as Sapnap flicks the ball into the air and slams it with his racket. There’s a distinctive crack as both teams race off their lines to find their preferred place on the court along with the players they need to mark. Three bodies crash into each other and the ball pops out on the other side, rolling silently.

At the sight of violence, the stadium roars. A Ravens backliner throws the ball and it hits the plexiglass in front of Dream who jumps in surprise. The ball is picked up off the floor by another Ravens player. He throws it to a girl who is running across the court and it lands perfectly into her net. Dream sees Tegan bodyslam the girl into the wall, the glass shuddering under their weight and Sapnap throws his hand up in a thumbs-up at Tegan, who smiles under her helmet.

The ball sails high in the air and players push and shove each other under it. As it comes down, George gets pushed to the floor, skidding to a stop a few feet away. The Ravens striker looks George dead in the eye and smirks as he catches the ball. He then tosses it powerfully towards the home court goal and the Falcons' goalie, Gabby, hits it up the court and away from herself. Dream, Punz and Liliana cheer from their spots on the subs bench.

“Nice one, Gabs! Falcons down the court!” Coach yells through the plexiglass.

Dream wears a smile when he turns back to look at you. You grin back, give him a thumbs-up, and nod. That’s when Dream knows he’s ready.

But, ten minutes into the game, the Ravens break the Falcons defensive line. The ball slips through the gap between Gabby’s torso and racket and lands in the back of the net, the siren above the goal going red and blaring a high-pitched sound. The Ravens don’t hug or cheer and return to their places on the court. Their fans, however, throw insults and middle fingers up at the Falcons while screaming and hollering.

“Fuck’s sake,” Dream mumbles. Punz slaps his pair of gloves against the bench and Liliana shakes her head.

The game went on like this for the rest of the half—the Ravens scoring 6 more goals, the Falcons scoring none. At half-time, Sapnap throws his helmet on the floor of the locker room.

“I fucking hate these guys,” He curses, pacing around the room. Coach sits on a chair, his elbows on his knees.

“We all do, but complaining about it isn’t going to help us win,’ Dream says. “Coach put me on.”

Coach looks at Dream for a moment. The tension in the room is thick and Dream knows he’s pushing his luck by asking. Nonetheless, Coach sighs before nodding stiffly.

“Dream goes on for Peter, Punz on for Drew, Liliana on for Tegan.”

And so it’s decided. Dream’s thumbs fly across his screen as he texts you. You pull your phone out of your pocket at the sound of your text tone and see the message. I’m on.

You smirk softly at it and message him back before you tuck your phone back into your pocket. The warning buzzer sounds and then both teams are back on the court: the Ravens with a whole new line-up and the Falcons with their three new subs.

Dream’s heart pounds in his chest, sending shuddery heat through every inch of his body. He holds his breath in anticipation for the serve, and then it starts. The Ravens are clearly a lot more experienced than the Falcons, but that doesn’t stop the team in green from giving everything they’ve got.

The ball hits the far wall and comes soaring back, thanks to the Ravens goalie. Dream jumps to catch it before it can fly over his head and it lands safely in the soft net of his striker racket. He looks around for opponents and takes 7 steps of his allowed 10, and passes it to George who is open further down the court. George catches the ball, then twists and passes the ball across to Punz. His mark collides with him a moment later and George goes sliding, his arm out with his racket to help him balance. Punz runs down the court, stops, then throws the ball to Liliana. His mark slams his racket down violently on Punz’s in retaliation. The backliner shakes his head in annoyance and continues running.

Dream is already near the goal by the time it gets to him again. He gets the ball and only has two steps to aim and shoot before a Ravens player crashes into him. Dream hits the ground so hard, he rolls. But, the crowd holds their breath as they watch the ball sail past the goalie and into the back of the net. The siren glows red and all Dream can hear is his ears ringing. Sapnap runs up to Dream and helps him up, congratulating him in the process. Dream looks around confused before realising he scored a goal. The entire team rushes towards him, cheering and laughing.

“Good job, Dream! Let’s do that again!” Coach yells. Dream’s surprised he can hear him over the crowd.

The game starts again with Falcons serve. The Falcons’ are fired up and back in the game, even if it is 6-1. And as soon as George throws Dream the ball, he dodges his mark and flies up the court, unguarded and ready to score again. The Ravens’ goalie isn’t prepared for Dream’s throw and misses the ball as it’s thrown at him, making the score 6-2. The crowd gets impossibly louder and Dream looks up into the sea of people to spot you. The smile on your face gives Dream newfound confidence and then everybody is back at their starting positions.

The Ravens are angry, there’s no doubt about that. Sapnap gives the striker a boyish smirk and a snide comment, which Dream can’t hear. He guesses it pisses them off because the second the ball is thrown from the Ravens dealer, the striker goes straight for Sapnap. The younger boy is thrown against the wall of the court and continues to spit insults at the Ravens player, despite his situation.

“Sapnap! Get out of there, bro!” Punz yells, collecting the ball from the ground and throwing it back to Gabby to hit up the court. Sapnap laughs and shakes his head, his lips still moving. Dream sees, out of the corner of his eye, the Ravens player drawing his fist back before punching Sapnap in the nose. The Falcons fans in the crowd start booing at the unnecessary violence and the referees unlock the doors to intervene. Dream meets Sapnap’s eye and raises his eyebrows when he sees Sapnap laughing, blood dripping into his mouth and coating his teeth. The referees pull the Ravens striker off of Sapnap and give him a red card for throwing the first punch. The Ravens fans boo and start swearing at the referees, but their cries are drowned out by the sound of the home crowd.

Due to the incident, the teams are to go back to their positions to start the serve again. Now that the Ravens are down a player, Dream knows the ways to get around them, especially when Sapnap is unguarded.

“Dream!” Sapnap calls when Dream catches the ball. He spins around a little too quickly, loses his balance slightly but throws the ball anyway. As he watches it fly across the court, Dream feels his entire body get crushed against the wall of the court. His head rebounds off the wall from the impact. There’s a heavy weight that pushes him into it more and he can’t breathe. Dream flails his arms, drops his racket, and attempts to push the Ravens player off of him. There’s no doubt that Dream hit his head again. He knows he did. A helmet can only do so much.

Dream can only hear ringing in his ears as he feels the Raven get pulled off—and it isn't the same ringing he heard when he scored the Falcons first goal. He tries to scramble to his feet before he crumples to the ground. Dream blinks a few times, disorientated, but still fails to gain a conscious mind. His eyes start to close when he feels his helmet being tugged off and then someone’s slapping his cheeks. “Stay awake, Dream.”

Dream can barely hear the sound of someone slamming their fists against the plexiglass behind him and then the person in front of him nods. He thinks it’s Sapnap. “Come on, bro, it’s only a few steps and then you can lie down.”

Dream’s head lols to the side, eyes half-open and a lazy grin on his mouth. “Sappy,” he slurs. Sapnap lets out a laugh for the first time since his best friend got knocked out and smiles at him.

“Yeah, dude, it’s me. We’re gonna get you fixed up, okay?” Dream nods before he closes his eyes. “No, no, Coach!” The world fades out around him and Dream falls unconscious.

—

The light is so bright above him. Dream closes his eyes again after he opens them and groans softly. The sound is almost too quiet for you to hear, but you do. And when you do, you lift your head from where you were resting on the edge of his bed. The chair you are sitting in is uncomfortable, so when you stand up, your muscles ache. “Hey, baby, how do you feel?”

If Dream was fully conscious, he would have blushed immensely at the sound of the pet name, but for the moment, he feels like he’s in a dream. His mouth is dry and he struggles to keep his eyes open for longer than 3 seconds. “You don’t have to talk, it’s okay.”

Dream feels pressure on his hand and moves his head slightly to see that your fingers are wrapped around his. You hear him murmur something, and lean down.

“Hi,” He whispers. You furrow your eyebrows at his greeting and look him in the eyes.

“That’s all I get? Hi?” You let out a breathy laugh and use your other hand to brush his hair away from his forehead. But, Dream can’t feel you on his skin. He hesitantly lifts his other hand to touch his forehead and feels a bandage.

“Surprise! Another scar,” You joke. Although, Dream can hear the edge to your words. Your smile disappears from your lips and then you sigh. Your eyes scan over Dream’s face, noting the dull green of his eyes and the pale of his skin. “Oh, Dream. I was so worried about you.”

Dream opens his eyes from when they had fallen closed again and sees the silent tears dripping down your cheeks. “It’s okay, I’m here, I’m fine,” His voice is scratchy and the sound of the word ‘fine’ does not sound fine. You smile sadly at him, then huff, wiping at your face.

“I almost forgot…” You trail off, rounding the bed to the other side to pick up a bowl and a cotton ball. You sit on the edge of the bed and dip the cotton into the antiseptic. You turn Dream’s head slowly to get a better look at the cut on his cheek. You drag the medicine over the gash and watch as Dream doesn’t flinch.

Once you are done, you place both of the things on the side table of the medical bay in the Falcons home stadium and look at Dream. He gives you a lazy smile and his fingers twitch against yours. “Thank you.”

You nod, eyes wide. “Of course, you know I’ll always be here to clean you up.”

Dream can feel his skin heating up. You get a concerned look on your face when you see the rise in pink on his cheeks. “Oh my god, are you heating up? Do you have a fever?”

He wants to laugh so badly. “Y/n, I’m okay. It’s not a fever. I’m blushing,” Dream says bashfully.

You realise why and then grow embarrassed. “Oh.”

The air isn’t tense, but there’s something there and you want to stick around to find out what it is.

Feedback is always appreciated xx

[calswildflcwer]

21 + 31 with camilo >:))

Your friends stared at you, “Come on y/n! It’ll be fun!” Your best friend, Liliana told you.

“Guys, I don’t know.” You sighed, still unsure.

“What have you got to lose?” Liliana asked you.

“Plus, you’ve turned down every guy in Encanto.” Your other friend, Andreas, told you. “Including me.” He muttered under his breath.

“Plus, we’ve set up the perfect guy for you!” Liliana told you.

You sighed, throwing your head back. “Ugh! Fine.” You groaned.

Your friends cheered in victory, glad that you had agreed to go through with it.

Now, here you were in your bedroom, pacing around the floor muttering things to yourself that seemed incomprehensible to your sister. “Dude, chill out!” She told you.

“How am I supposed to chill out, Rosa? I’m being set up on a blind date with someone I don’t even know. Plus, I’ve never been on a date in my life!” You sighed, throwing your hands in the air dramatically before letting them drop back to your sides.

“Okay, chill.” She rose to her feet and placed her hands on your shoulders, leading you towards your bed and pushing you to sit down. “Listen to me…” She said as she leant down to your level. “It’s gonna be okay! From what I’ve heard, it’s just gonna be a low-key picnic by the river. No big deal, right?” She told you.

You took a deep breath before nodding, “Yeah, yeah you’re right.” You said, smoothing down your dress.

You approached the spot that Liliana had told you to go to, you headed over nervously, your hands shaking at your side slightly. In the clearing by the river you could see a yellow picnic blanket on the grass with a basket on top of it and two glasses of juice on the blanket.

“Hola, y/n right?” Somebody asked, making you jump slightly.

“Sí.” You nodded, before turning your attention to the boy. Your eyes almost bugged out of your head as you stared at him, “Y-you’re Camilo Madrigal.” You stuttered slightly.

“In the flesh!” He grinned.

You began stepping back, “Th-this is a bad idea. I should go.” You mumbled.

Camilo watched you, “Don’t go. Please?” He mumbled, his eyes going wide like doe eyes.

You sighed, your friends had set this up and you knew they’d want you to report back to them. You took a deep breath and headed towards the blanket, “Okay, I’ll stay.” You nodded. A smile graced the boys face as he joined you on the blanket.

The date went a lot better than you could ever have imagined. You laughed and shared stories of your life and even laughed some more. You were digging into the empanadas that he had brought with him before smiling, “You’ve got a little something…” You mumbled, gesturing to your own lips, hoping he’d get the memo.

He tried to wipe his mouth, completely missing the pastry that was hanging off his lips, a giggle left your mouth, “Here, let me.” You smiled, leaning towards him and wiping his lips with your thumb, getting the pastry on your thumb before wiping your hands on a napkin.

Camilo’s cheeks flushed red at the close contact.

Her hands are so warm, he thought. He sent a soft smile your way, “Heh, thanks.” He mumbled as he rubbed the nape of his neck slightly.

“You’re welcome.” You grinned his way before sipping at your orange juice.

The night soon became darker, Camilo packed up the food and the blanket before holding his hand out, “May I walk you home, madam?” He asked you, putting on a posh French accent.

“Ay, you may, kind sir.” You grinned, linking your arm through his as he began walking home with you.

It didn’t take too long to arrive at your home, “Well, this is me.” You mumbled as you stopped outside your gate.

“Oh. Well, I had fun tonight, y/n.” He mumbled, as he stared at you.

“So did I, I’m gonna have to thank Liliana for this.” You chuckled.

“Well, maybe next time we can have a date that isn’t set up by our mutual friends?” He suggested.

“You want to go on another date with me?” You asked in shock.

“I want nothing more.” He told you.

“I would love to, Camilo.” You sent a warm smile his way.

He nodded as he leant down, “Until next time, y/n.” He whispered, planting a soft kiss to your cheek before turning and walking away.

You watched him go, lifting your hands to your cheek where the feeling of his lips seemed to linger. You could feel your cheeks heating up as you watched the teen being enveloped by the darkness.

A soft smile graced your features as you headed towards your front door, “I’m really gonna have to thank Liliana and Andreas.” You whispered to yourself before walking into your home.

You took a final glance over your shoulder, staring out into the darkness one final time.

“Until next time, Madrigal.” You whispered as you closed your front door, a warm smile stretching across your face.

Prompt list here!

[ladiesofoldalexandra]

S1E1: Welcome to Old Alexandra

(Previous) | Next | Season 1, Episode 1

transcript below...

[LADY CAROL CONFESSIONAL]: I love hosting! So I gathered a few Ladies together for lunch to celebrate the start of the Social Season. The theme is garden party! Everyone in Old Society loves a good theme.

[Lady Carol]: Here's to the start of the Social Season! And reasons to eat, drink, and gossip with my favorite Ladies (laughs). Cheers to us!

[Lady Keely]: Yes! Now when I drink wine at 11 AM, I have you and Old Society to blame (laughs).

[PRODUCER]: WHAT IS OLD SOCIETY?

[LADY CAROL CONFESSIONAL]: It's lineage. Old Society is made of all the original families that helped form the Union of Five Kingdoms and Alexandra. All of our families are 500 to 1000 years old.

[Lady Gretchen]: I agree. It's always nice to be around old friends and Lady Liliana. Although, it would be nice to see ALL of our friends, Carol.

[LADY KEELY CONFESSIONAL]: It's obvious that Gretchen was waiting for the perfect...or imperfect moment to let Carol know how she feels about Lady Gee not being at the lunch. Here we go!

[Lady Keely]: Come on, Gretch! You know why Carol couldn't in--

[Lady Gretchen]: Don't start defending her, Keely! You know Gee should be here, among friends, especially now. So no, there's no excuse for this. I'm sick of it, honestly. Who knew Carol, Lady Octavia, couldn't afford to add another seat at her table? You all know this is ridiculous! I'm just unafraid to say it.

[actress4him]

Querencia 7 - Breakfast

I originally thought this would be fluff with a sprinkling of angst, but it’s more like vice versa. It’s me, what do you expect.

Taglist: @darthsutrich , @inky-whump , @lave-whump

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Warnings: lady whumpee (no whumper), referenced homelessness, referenced panic attack, referenced noncon microchipping, mild self harm (hair pulling), referenced starvation, emeto mention, self-deprecating thoughts, brief sensory overload

.

.

Liliana wakes from a restless night of sleep on the floor of the unfamiliar bedroom. She’d be startled and confused about where she was if it weren’t for the fact that she’d already gotten that over with, more than once in the middle of the night. Now she only rolls over and looks at the digital clock by the bed, twisting a few kinks out of her neck and back along the way. Six am. She vaguely remembers someone saying they were usually up by seven before they left her here for the night.

She’s not going to be sleeping anymore, though, so she gathers herself up off the floor, picking up the blanket and laying it neatly across the bed so that the superheroes wouldn’t be able to tell what she had done with it. It’s not that she didn’t appreciate being given a bed. It was just...too soft. She’d been sleeping on the ground for a year, and her bed at the facility had been like sleeping on a board. Maybe, eventually, if she stayed long enough, she’d be able to get used to a real bed again. But last night the only bits of sleep that happened were on the floor.

She’s not planning on being here long enough for that, anyway. The whole situation is completely surreal, and there’s no way that it can last. Yesterday wasn’t her first time seeing the team fight, they’re a pretty standard sight around the city, and people are always talking about them. Electric Eagle, Fantasia...the other two can only be Phantom and Xtra. They were always far off, though. Unreal. Celebrities and heroes that she’d never thought she’d end up meeting, much less that she’d find out they’re so...human? and nice? And the fact that they’d actually invited her to join their team is still blowing her mind.

Of course, then she’d had to go and make a terrific first impression by having a panic attack in front of them all. It was just...for a moment, she had been back there, back in that building of white walls and white tile floors and long hallways and cold shoulders and threats to suppress her powers.

The last year of living on the streets has been terrible. But at least she’s been free.

Glancing down at her arm, she rubs her fingers across the tiny white dot of a scar inside her elbow. Relatively free. As free as she can be while being watched, both by those who put the tracker inside of her and by the wary eyes of those she encounters from day to day. 

What if they’re the same? What if they tracked me down using the microchip and they work for them and they’ve locked me up again and all the nice things about being on their team and coming and going as I please were lies and they’re going to keep me here and

Liliana folds over herself, grabbing double handfuls of her hair and pulling, hard. Stop it. Cállate. The sharp pain on her scalp halts her racing thoughts, and she pulls in deep breaths to calm herself. When did I become such a paranoid person? She knows the answer to that, but gives another tug on her hair to stop those thoughts in their tracks, too.

The superheroes seem perfectly nice, much nicer than anyone she’s encountered since leaving home. There’s no real reason not to trust them for now, or at least to proceed cautiously, playing along and seeing if she can gain their trust so that they really will let her come and go if she wants. She can do that. She’s good at blending in, at being invisible, at playing whatever role she needs to play in order to not get hurt.

Needing to get her mind off of everything, Liliana unzips her backpack and pulls out one of her worn, falling apart books. She’s read it dozens of times already, but new reading material has been a bit scarce for a while now.

At seven-fifteen, someone knocks softly on her door. “Um...Liliana? It’s Jamil. Hope I’m not waking you. I thought I heard you moving around in there earlier.”

Silence falls, and she suddenly realizes she’s expected to give an answer. “Oh. Um. Yes? You...you didn’t wake me.”

“Good.” He sounds like he’s smiling. She’d almost forgotten what that sounds like. “I just wanted to let you know that I made some breakfast, so you’re welcome to join me if you want.”

Breakfast. Her stomach suddenly feels more hollow than usual at the thought. She hasn’t eaten since...yesterday morning? Maybe? Yeah, she’s pretty sure she had half a bagel yesterday morning. It didn’t last very long. 

Standing on trembling legs, Liliana crosses to the door, flips the lock, and eases it open, peering out. The guy from the hall yesterday is standing there, the one who had stayed back next to Electric Eagle - Quinn. He smiles at her, dark brown eyes crinkling behind his glasses. 

“Hi. Kitchen’s this way, if you want to follow me.” He gestures with his head. “Or, you know, if you wanna shower or something first, that’s fine. The others aren’t up yet, so you won’t be late or anything. Alex never gets up and eats until like, nine.”

A shower sounds amazing, but not as amazing as food. The words to tell him that don’t seem to be forthcoming, though, so she simply steps out the door and shuts it behind her. Jamil’s eyes flick over her, and she’s suddenly far too aware of the fact that she’s wearing the same clothes as they found her in. She’s so used to living and sleeping in them by now that it hadn’t even occurred to her that it wasn’t normal.

Her cheeks flush and she’s about to open her mouth to try to explain when his smile widens again and he turns to leave. “This way!”

The smell of bacon assaults her nose while they’re still in the hallway. It makes her stomach grumble, and she presses a hand against it in an effort to keep it quiet. She hasn’t had bacon in...years. Since the time that she doesn’t like to think about, the life that she pretends never existed. It’s too painful to remember what she had and lost. 

The kitchen is open and sunny, a big window over the dining table that looks out onto the river, and a sky light illuminating the main part of the room. Two cobalt blue plates are already on the table, filled with not only bacon, but fried eggs and buttered toast. Liliana’s stomach gives another growl. 

Jamil gestures to one chair as he takes a seat in the other. “I guess I could have asked you how you liked your eggs and stuff, but, uh...hope you like over medium. Oh!” He jumps back up and Liliana, just having sat down, jolts. “I meant to get out jam and stuff. For the toast.”

She takes a deep breath as he rushes back to the refrigerator, trying to settle herself. Her fingers itch to pick up the bacon. Soon he’s back with an armload of jars and squeeze bottles, unloading them all onto the center of the table.

“We always have way too much of this stuff. Everybody likes their own kind, and then Nari is always changing what kind she likes before she finishes the first bottle.” Finishing the task, he sits again. “Anyway, feel free to help yourself. And you can eat, you don’t have to wait on me.”

She still waits until he’s picked up his fork before snatching up the first piece of bacon and biting into it. Flavor bursts across her tongue, and she shuts her eyes, almost moaning in delight. It’s so good. Despite her best efforts to savor it, she’s so hungry, and it’s gone before she knows it. Liliana eyes the second piece, but forces herself to pick up her fork, instead.

“So, Quinn told me your name is Liliana, right?”

She looks up with surprise, still not used to this whole ‘conversation’ thing, but nods.

Jamil nods, too, waving his fork as he speaks. “You’re what...twenty? Twenty-one?”

She has to muster up her voice again. It’s not used to being summoned so often. “What’s the date?”

A flicker of confusion crosses Jamil’s face. “Uh...October nineteenth.”

So she was right, it’s been just over a year since the facility had kicked her out. She nods again. “I just turned nineteen, then.”

His expression then is something she can’t read, but whatever it is quickly gets covered over with a smile. She can’t remember the last time she’s seen so many smiles in such a short period of time. “Guess I’m not the baby anymore! I’m twenty-four, and I’m - I was - the youngest. I mean, only by a couple of years, but they never let me forget it.” He waves his fork some more. “Not like, in a bad way, of course. They just like to tease.”

Liliana just nods again. She’s only taken one bite of egg, but her stomach is starting to feel less hungry and more queasy. Jamil is still eating, and there’s still so much food on her plate, and if she wastes it she might get in trouble. But she’s not sure that she can make herself eat anymore right now, no matter how much she may want to. So she focuses on cutting her egg into pieces and swirling the white through the yolk, hoping Jamil doesn’t notice. Maybe in a few minutes she’ll be able to keep eating.

“Everything okay?” Jamil asks, and boy, isn’t that a question. Everything hasn’t been ‘okay’ in a very long time. But Jamil is looking at her and her uneaten food, and her cheeks heat up at being caught. 

“Yeah. It’s...it’s really good.” She stabs a piece of egg and quickly stuffs it into her mouth. It settles in her stomach like a rock.

“Liliana, you...you really don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it. You’re not gonna hurt my feelings.”

She shakes her head. “No, no I do. It’s good.” She wants to force another piece down to prove it, but she’s afraid she’ll throw up. 

“Good morning!” 

Nari’s cheerful voice grabs both their attention, but while Liliana quickly looks back to her plate, she and Jamil seem to have some kind of conversation with only facial expressions. A second later Nari has crossed the room and is dropping into a chair across from Liliana. “Everything okay?”

Liliana wants to laugh aloud, but she presses her lips together and gives a quiet, “Mm-hm.”

“You look like you don’t feel well,” Jamil points out. “If the food -”

“There’s nothing wrong with the food.” Immediately she winces. She’s not supposed to interrupt people, that’s rude and it makes people angry -

Nari breaks into her train of thought with a soft question. “Jagiya...how much food have you been getting lately?”

Oh. She’s so stupid. Of course she can’t just eat whatever she wants after practically starving for a year. She’s not going to tell them that, obviously, but a glance up at their faces tells her that they’ve already started to figure it out.

Jamil shoves his chair back and stands. “Right. Okay. See, I knew I should have asked you what you wanted. Okay, so the toast might still be alright. No, scratch that, I’ll make you a new piece with no butter, and you can put some jam on it instead. And...maybe scrambled eggs? Or do you just want to start with the toast and see how you feel?”

Suddenly it’s all just too much. Too much noise, too much conversation, too much kindness. Liliana pushes her plate back with a hand that shakes and stands quickly, eyes anywhere but on the two pitying faces watching her. 

“No, it’s...I’m just not very hungry, I’m sorry. Th-thank you. It was...it was good, I’m just...not hungry. I’m gonna...can I go back to my room now?”

“Of course, Lili.” Nari’s voice is still so soft, and it makes something twist inside her gut. “You don’t need permission for that.”

“Lo siento,” she whispers. “Thanks.” She exits as quickly as she can, back to the safe haven of the unfamiliar bedroom where there’s dark and quiet and a lock on the door.

————————————————

Translations:

Cállate - shut up

Jagiya - sweetie

Lo siento - I’m sorry

[alainas-sims]

Dear Mamá and Papá,

I await the day that you can come and visit our farm and meet your grandchildren. Carolina in particular is growing to be such a sweet and charming little girl. Not a day goes by that I do not find myself cheered by her presence. She is getting better at communicating, too, and asks a lot of questions.

Liliana told me that she felt quite unwell this morning and announced that she is pregnant again! We told Carolina she is going to have another sibling and she  lit up in excitement! I am glad. I love children and fatherhood and seeing our expanding family makes me beam with pride.

— Alberto

[inexplicifics]

fanfic writer ask: 3, 10 and 38 :D

3. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter? 

Random number generator says story # 31, which is All My World Is In Your Arms (counting backwards from the most recently updated). Favorite scene from that...honestly I really enjoyed writing the bit where Lambert is teaching Ciri how to braid, using Milena and a very patient Liliana to practice on. Ciri is a delight to write, she’s such a force of cheerful chaos.

10. What is the line you’re proudest of from [Fanfic Name]? 

Random number generator says story # 23, which is The Debt Is Terrible That Must Be Paid In Song (counting backwards from the most recently updated). I have to admit that from that story, I am proudest of making most of my readers truly despise the phrase “Father says.”

38. What story of yours are you surprised that people liked as much as they did? 

With a Conquering Air! I was pretty sure when I posted it that it might get a couple of dozen kudos, maybe a comment or two...

[atomic-taco-muffin]

Kingdom High Chapter 6

Warnings: Some more fluff

Rating: SFW

Up in Mount Olympus, Cupid's residence, Cupid was known as the famous love show presenter back in the Monster High universe.

Behold C.A. Cupid, adopted daughter of Eros, the god of love.

She currently attends Monster High, but is about to discover that another school is in need of her very special talents. 

Cupid walked through a mirror and had entered the Ever After High world. She found a troubled couple and went to work.

Fairy tale destinies are now anything but certain. 

She handed a prince a bouquet of flowers and he handed them to a princess.

Will princesses end up with their princes? Will the Rebel students now find true love?

Cupid founds Ashlynn and Hunter. Hunter was playing games on his MirrorPad while Ashlynn was trying to spark up a conversation. With a flick of Cupid's wrist, Hunter stopped gaming and turned to Ashlynn.

These relationships will need Cupid's help to end Happily Ever After.

Underneath a bridge, a lonely troll found his soulmate thanks to Cupid.

~Small Time Skip~

Cupid was at her locker. At the sound of Hopper's voice, she turned around.

“Hello, fair lady of love! I am Hopper Croakington II and I am in desperate need of your counsel,” Hopper said.

“I know just what every frog needs to become a prince!” Cupid said as she pointed at Hopper. She picked him up in his frog form.

“No milady, wait!” Hopper said. Cupid kissed him and he turned back into a human prince.

“Hey there, you're Cupid!” Hopper said, pointing at her.

“ I think they should call you Cute-pid. Ah! When I get tongue-tied I turn back—” He turned back into his frog form.

“Blast! If only I possessed my poetic skills while in human form! But so flustered I become near the beauty that is Briar!” As he was talking, Briar flicks her hair by her locker while talking to Sakura and Liliana. Cupid crouched down to Hopper.

“You know what?” she winked.

“I got this,” she said. She took out her MirrorPad.

“Tell me how you feel about Briar,” she said as she recorded Hopper.

“Well, there is none that can...” Hopper said. On the balcony late at night, Hopper was waiting for Briar who soon entered as her "secret admirer".

“Hopper! Wait, you're the secret admirer who wanted to meet here? I mean, look, first, you send me a basket of chocolate-covered flies, then a smelly bouquet of swamp grass. I'm sorry, but I just don't wanna go to the dance with you,” Briar said. In the background, Cupid played the recording of Hopper's poetic confession while in frog form. Hopper lip synced it.

“My sweet Briar! The beauty of this night is naught compared to the beauty you possess,” he said.

“Hopper? I've never seen this side of you!” Briar said. From below the pile of furniture Cupid was standing on to the balcony, Dexter entered and waved to her.

“Hey, Cupid!” he said. Cupid looked at him and sighed dreamily.

“Dexter,” she said. From that point, Cupid's furniture stack started wobbling.

“Oh!” she said.

“Anything else you wanna say?” Briar asked as she walked closer to Hopper. Hopper was dependent on Cupid but found that she's having her own problems.

“Oh! Ooohhh! Oh no,” she said. Eventually, Cupid fell down into Dexter's arms.

“Oops!” she said.

“You're just so hooooot―” Hopper said. He got pushed back by Briar.

“ I mean! I mean―!” He soon turned back into his frog form.

“Blast!” he said.

“Eww,” Briar said, disgusted.

“Oh, ribbit!” Hopper said.

~~~~

It was Valentine’s Day at the school in Radiant Garden and all of the students were decorating the place for the Valentine’s Day Ball. Sakura was helping Liliana and Dawn with the banner. 

“A little higher!” Sakura said. 

“This is as high as I can go!” Liliana groaned.

“Me too. My arm’s starting to lose feeling!” Dawn groaned. 

“We’re almost done. Just a little higher.” Dawn and Liliana raised their arms higher but fell of the stepladder before they could pin the banner. Thankfully they were caught by two students.

“Heh, thanks!” Dawn said. 

“No problem.” The two students set Dawn and Liliana down and walked away. 

“Okay. Let’s try again,” Sakura said. Dawn and Liliana groaned and climbed back up the stepladder. Meanwhile, Yui and Hana were setting up the tables in the gym. 

“So, do you have a date to the ball?” Yui asked.

“You kidding? All of these boys here just want to get in your pants. No thank you,” Hana said. 

“Can’t argue with that.” The two girls giggled. Akaya and Lisa walked in holding some decorations. 

“Hey, where do you want these?” Akaya asked. 

“Uh, put those on the stage!” Annna said. Akaya nodded and the two of them headed towards the stage. Ena and Eimi were busy drawing some posters to hang around the school. 

“Hey, what do you think of this?” Ena asked as she showed Eimi a drawing of Cupid.

“I like it. Maybe put a heart behind it,” Eimi said. Ena nodded and went back to drawing. Pretty soon, the whole gym was ready for the ball. The students heard the doors open and saw the principal walk in.

“Great job, students. I think that this is gonna be the best ball we have had in a long time,” she said. The students cheered and stopped working. Pretty soon, school was over and it was time for students to go home.

“Hey, have you picked out your dress yet?” Elena asked.

“No, not yet,” Yami said.

“Should we go find some?” Kaji asked.

“I think we should. My dad knows a good place,” Sakura said. 

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Daicha said. The girls ran out of the school and headed to the dress shop to pick out their dresses. 

[secondgenerationnerd]

Speeding Arrow + this great quote from my lovely best friend: "Is Minnesota in Indiana?"

Oh man, if y’all thought Flash fam dinners were chaotic XD

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

Over 30 years since it welcomed that rag tag team of misfits, and Omega tower still finds itself filled with half-arguments, laughter, and wrestling matches.

“Get’em, Loo!” M&M Kent laughs, watching her younger sister, Laney, wrestle with Luke West and Max Wilkes. Luke’s older twin sisters, Lily and Milly, cheer him on. Ben Wilkes snorts as Laney puts his little brother in a head lock, nudging Peter Kent as they fill their plates again.

“¿De quién está tu dinero?“

Peter glances over and grins, “Mi hermana pequeña. Tu hermano no tiene ninguna posibilidad contra un Kent.”

“You sure about that, Peter?” Colin snorts, sitting at the dinner table with the original members of Omega as the chaos unfolds. “Mil has definitely kicked your dad’s ass a few times.”

“That’s Uncle Jon though, Uncle Collie.” Asha West-Wayne notes, “Not really a fair comparison.”

“Do I need to remind you how your parents meeting went?” Charlie Kent reminds her best friend. The meta’s eyes flash multi-colored as a much younger Damian and Irey grapple over the table. Asha throws a roll at Charlie, who drops her illusion with a laugh.

“Need I remind you, Kent, of how many times Baba has fought and won against Uncle Jon?”

“God, you sound like Damian,” Lian laughs. “Right down to the last name thing.”

Laney throws Luke into Max, both boys hitting the couch. The youngest grins, looking more like her grandfather than either of her parents. “You two should know better than to mess with royalty.”

Max groans as he pushes Luke off him, “The only royal you are is a royal pain in the ass. ¡Lo siento, Mamí!”

Milagro laughs, “Don’t be, mi amor. I’ve said the same thing about her mother before.”

“And yet here we are.” Mar’i teases, winking at her friend.

Laney makes a face at Luke and Max, “I’m the leader so—“

“Bullshit! You’re not the leader! If anyone’s a leader it should be me!”

The youngest disolve into a fast arguement, one they’ve had a hundred times and their parents laugh hearing.

“We really just raised mini versions of ourselves, didn’t we?” Colin snorts.

“Dad, there’s an issue with us being mini versions of you,” Ben laughs, gesturing to his dark skin and mismatched eyes.

“Hmmm...yeah, you boys are way smarter than I was.”

Jai grins into his cup, “I think most the kids are smarter than we were.”

“Speak for yourself, West.” Lian sticks her tongue out at her husband. “I was always this smart.”

“That’s a shame—“

“Shut it, Damian.”

Jai looks over at his wife, “Really, babe? Because I distinctly remember you asking me a question right after the girls were born.”

It takes Lian a second to realize what he’s talking about. The kids all see her expression change to embarrassment and zero in on the conversation.

“Jai Bartholomew—”

“I mean you were sleep deprived—”

“I won’t kiss you for a week—”

“But I’m still curious why you needed to ask ‘is Minnesota in Indiana?’”

Lian throws a crumpled up napkin at her husband as the room roars with laughter.

“Really, Mom?” Lily snorts, holding onto Milly’s shoulder as they laugh.

“Liliana, I have heard you and your sister bicker about who’s the prettier twin.”

“I am the prettier twin.” Lily and Milly say at the same time, then look at each other, “No, I am. No, I am!”

“Dolls, you’re identical!”

[bladesrunner]

tagged by the precious @buckybarne thanks Liliana 🧡

rules: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch small animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me FIRE i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favourite season / my radio is always playing WATER i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love dimly lit diners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids’ shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colours not words EARTH i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humour is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love the chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life AETHER i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

✨ tagging @smilecapsules | @gwil-lee | @lostgods | @dobrien | @fordsharrison | @myellenficent | @luluwangg | @crowleys | @themyskiras 

[voicesofchaos]

VOC’s Review of the art of Magic The Gathering Core 2021

I an no art expert. Never studied art professionally. But I do consider myself a Vorthros (someone who appreciates the art, story, and flavor of Magic The Gathering). So I have been wanting to this for a while so let’s try it. If this is liked then maybe I will do it again for Zendikar Raising. I’m not going through every card in the set. Just a handful that really stood out to me and I just want to talk about.

Indulging Patrician by Miranda Meeks

Normally I like to save the best for last but this one is so obviously the best art in the set that I need to lead with it. When I first saw this card revealed my jaw dropped. It is purely captivating! It embodies what vampire artwork wants to be. From the powerful dominant vampire woman in the center, to her poor powerless victim, to the beautiful blood moon behind her, to the swarm of ominous bats, all highlighted with blood. Of course the traditional gender role reversal feels so perfect and not forced here. It is a beautiful artwork and you should want to play Magic just to look at this card. 

Liliana's Scorn by Josh Hass

We are not moving away from the gothic horror yet though. This is sadly a card that most players will never see as it isn’t in the Core 2021 booster packs but is in the Liliana planeswalker deck. Making this art very easy to overlook but quite impressive when examined. You really feel the struggle of the victim as he fights a losing battle against a horde of zombies. Being in the center you might think he is the protagonist that we cheer on to escape but Liliana even in the backgrounds steals the scene and you know she wins this fight. This is just a great group piece where each individual zombie displays a surprisingly amount of depth which truly makes this piece feel even more hopeless for the poor victim and even more empowering for Liliana.

Basri's Solidarity by Paul Scott Canavan

Basri Ket is a new planeswalker in the set but instead of looking at him directly let’s check out his magic instead. This is a piece that perfectly embodies cooperation and teamwork, Each figure looks quite a bit different, has a different background, and a different specialization. Yet they are all subtlety bonded together through the sand that basri controls. The way it wraps around and protects them all it a cool and powerful effect.

Obsessive Stitcher by  Joe Slucher

And we are back to dark and creepy. But I can’t ignore in crazy details in this artwork. On Innistrad, the doctor Frankenstein-like scientists that create ‘zombies’ though alchemy and science rather than straight-up necromancy are called “Stichers”. And this one piece explains all that without any words (except for the 1000 words a picture is worth). The corpses all have different faces showing that this is not simply a construct made from a generic stock but instead were actual living human beings at one point. The ominous green vat behind her is hooked up to them pumping them full of something that can’t be good. Plus we also have ominous test tubes in the background to really hammer in the point of “evil mad scientist”.But then her actual clothes has lots of handy tools to show a devoted craftsman. As she literally stitches thread through not only her diabolic experiment but also her passionate artwork. And finally I did not even notice until seeing the enlarged art but she is missing her right hand! I assume this counts as positive disabled representation right?

Village Rites by Bud Cook

I promise this is the last dark and creepy card (maybe) on the list but I have to give this one a shout-out. It is a throwback and homage to the card Village Cannibals from Innistrad. Even the same artist. Definitely one of my all-time favorite MTG arts so I am very happy to see a remake of that art! It is nice when Magic throws in the little nostalgia winks randomly.

Tolarian Kraken by Svetlin Velinov

Magic will often use what they call “Scale Birds” to show how big something is. These are tiny birds near a creature to show how much bigger the creature is than the birds and give a size comparison. Sometimes birds are too small and they use something like “”Scale Deer” or other mammals. Well then those are still too small we now have a “Scale Castle”! What is more terrifying than a Kraken this big! As if that isn’t bad enough it’s brain is actually visible and has like lightning coming from it or something. This feels like a very epic piece where you can feel the motion and terror from it.

Daybreak Charger by Forrest Imel

The next several arts are going to be under the category of “Things MTG does all the time but needs to make it new each time.” I feel it is most appropriate to start with this unicorn. You see unicorns take occupy a very unique position in both general fantasy genre and pop culture itself. Unicorns are very recognizable so they are very much a great fantasy trope to include. But they also have a reputation of being aimed at “young girls” and in the process made to seem very soft and non-threatening. MTG is a game about combat! You don’t want to summon a gentle non-threatening creature to fight for you but it wants to have unicorn cards. Meaning it wants “badass unicorns!”. Well they absolutely succeed here! But the beautiful thing is they need to over-correct. It wasn’t necessary to paint it all black and cover it in blood. We don’t need to put it on a heavy metal album cover to show its fierce side. Instead bright light is used in a way that makes it seem comforting but also powerful and not to be messed with. This is a unicorn that you are relieved to be on your side and terrified of seeing on your opponent’s side. That takes serious talent to bring it all together! 

Chandra's Incinerator by  Craig J Spearing

First I apologize that this art is a little cropped from the original. What is another thing that shows up all the time in fantasy art? FIRE! It gets hard to draw fire so often and make it feel different. This is a fire elemental so that is a bit different but still something we have seen a lot. The card Fire Elemental was in the very first Magic set. That card has had 4 different artworks and 3 other cards have some for of Fire Elemental in their name (Deepfire Elemental, Firefiend Elemental, and Wildfire Elemental). This one is clearly meant to be a nostalgic nod to the original art and it works so well! The fire is so detailed and intimidating but the creature is very expressive. It is very refreshing to see yet another Fire Elemental in such a new fashion and perspective.

Terror of the Peaks by Andrey Kuzinskiy

How many times have we seen a dragon in MTG? Over 200 times!! This set alone has 3 dragons! We have seen zombie dragons, skeleton dragons, dragons who breath lightning, dragons that breath frost, dragons covered in metal, and all kinds of other dragons. But sometimes you just need to go back to basics. But basics do not need to be boring. As we see here this is an awesome basic dragon that embodies everything you think of when you think of dragons yet still blows you away with how awesome it is! This is quality dragon art

Shacklegeist by Igor Kieryluk

Ghosts and spirits are again a common trope that gets redone a lot. I really like how this piece can just take a mundane object with some symbolism behind it and just make an entirely new creature from it. This is basically a giant lock with ominous chains attached being held by a specter and it all works so well together! This art style being more watercolors is a nice final touch to give this piece a spooky feeling but also a really cool feeling too.

Rousing Read by Campbell White

I am going to end this with a bit of a weird piece but I didn’t want to leave it out. This is apparently a follow-up to the card Hard Cover from the core set before. This guy has magical wings made from the pages of a book! Like I don’t have anything else to add. That is cool enough by itself.

Special Mentions

Alchemist's Gift, Chandra Heart Of Fire, Garruk’s Uprising, Peer Into The Abyss, and Sanguine Indulgence. All cards with awesome art but I don’t want this post to go on forever (and some of them I couldn’t find good clean versions of just the art). Please tell me what art from Core 2021 I missed that you really liked!

[wolfthebard]

*A post from my Twitter* Hey all. Been a while, right? Kinda taking a long break from streaming/ blogging. Not unusual, but it's more so personal than for outside issues. My Girlfriend brought to my attention that I don't seem to enjoy streaming. "I show how much I love the game, but not streaming itself" 

"Always treating it as a job. A job that doesn't pay." For many, streaming is their livelihoods. It is indeed their job, and I respect it. I did and still do consider it one of mine. My Girlfriend is right though, by doing that I've built it up as something to dread. 

Like my own job, I just wake up and "do it". It's like punching in and just reciting the same thing over and over. That I don't want. My goal for streaming, has always been building a community. I've always been the guy who loves talking to people, hearing about peoples days 

Getting to talk about the latest things, and trying to cheer people up. Streaming allowed me to do that. I was slowly building up a fun community who got to share my experiences with games. Working on articles. Unfortunately, outside things happened. 

Too many to count, and I went from doing 7 days a week, to 6, to 5, down to almost nothing. I lost my community, and along with that I lost some friends. I mean, I don't blame them. My schedule is as reliable as the U.S Healthcare system...probably too dark of a joke. 

I had decided I was going to change my name and re-brand (my Twitch name). Thinking I could use what I went to college for (business/ English) and establish myself as someone. Anyone. Finally thinking I could be a better self. I would do what I loved, and not follow trends 

That part I enjoyed. I played games I loved, talked about things I loved. I wasn't setting stupidly hard goals like I did before (weekly articles and daily streams). I look back at how foolish I was, but I still didn't learn. A failure that haunts me. 

I still wasn't me. I look back at even my more recent stuff. I'm stiff, cold almost. I keep telling myself that I have failed. That in two years I have managed to do nothing in life. I know damn well that isn't true. I've grown, but I'm still hesitant to admit it. 

When it's easier to take in failure than success. Kinda fucked up in a way. It's holding me back, and I hate it. So I'll be on a break for a while. Finding myself, and material to work with. I'll come back, stronger, most of all emotionally charged. 

My goal for 2019 was simple. I wanted to better myself. I have in some ways. I have to learn that I have. In some areas I've improved greatly, others not so much. I'll be working on those. 

I know this is coming off as crying about numbers, and it isn't supposed to be. I just wish I knew what I wanted, and could be happy with that. Could see all the success and accept them. Along with the failures of course. Cause it's not just luck, but a whole bunch of stuff that leads to success and such. I just need energy, and through rest I hope to get it. Hopefully I'll find "me" along the way. I want to thank a few people. I might miss some, but you’re all bamfs to me. @wolvenmonarch You’ve been such a great person. Always warm and welcoming. Supporting, encouraging, and just amazing. One of my first followers under the old name, you’ve been there through it all. Thank you. You’re working so hard, and I hope it all pays off. You’re amazing! @teanecromancer All the chat’s we’ve had. Watching all your creations come to fruition. It’s inspiring. Seeing all those mini’s pop to life, it always brightens my day. Thank you, for brightening my day. @aseroerubra Thanks to you, I have some of the most amazing art. My channel has something people can identify. Thank you. Your art is simply astonishing. You have a craft that you’re mastering. I’m glad I get to show it off.  Thank you for all the smiles. You got this, and you’re going to kick life’s ass. @sekkuar-swagkeeper You’re almost always in my chat. Helping me along with the game, and keeping me awake. Thank you for that. You’re going to go far. You have a kindness that is truly a strength.  @follower-of-liliana Bright, encouraging, and you make some awesome cards. I’m so happy that you trust me for a review, and that you ask me questions. Keep going beyond, you got this! @debaiser Strong, a storm of fire in a person. Inspiring and kind. Thanks for cheering me up and listening to me when I rant. You’re a good person, and I hope one day you get to see that. Keep being you, and keep the weird strong!

I know I'm missing people, and I'm sorry. This is pretty long. I just want to say, thank you all. The love, support, laughs, and memes. You're all fantastic. You know what? So am I. Sooner or later I'm going to have to accept that. I’ll still be here, still be commenting and sharing things. It’s just a break from streaming. See you all soon. -Wolf

[takaraphoenix]

And before you decide to friend-break-up with me, this is the second one on the pairing because I am just greedy in that matter, they just deserve to be written about. 95. “Why’d you hug him? You love him?” for Christian/Mason

Advent Calendar: Day 18

Honestly, if not for the unnatural force of Mason, Christian would have set at least half a dozen parents on fire already. Those people were aggravating. With their stupid questions, each and every single one of them acting as though their child was Really Very Special And Talented. While yes, a handful of Christian’s current students were indeed rather talented, it never were the ones with the parents who thought their kid deserved special treatment for being super special.

Officially, Mason might be the trainer of the dhampirs. Inofficially, he was there to protect idiots from Headmaster Christian Ozera, because Christian had little patience for idiots.

“If you’d excuse me and my husband, we should check in with the ball. Make sure no one is doing anything inappropriate”, chimed Mason in with a charming smile, grabbing Christian.

Mason had gotten scarily good at reading Christian and realizing when Christian was five seconds from setting someone one fire. Glaring fiercely at the idiot parent who had just complained about his kid’s bad grades (maybe if your kid would actually study instead of getting high all the time, those grades would be better), Christian allowed for himself to be pulled along.

“You’re such a buzzkill”, grunted Christian.

“We do not need another complaint about someone catching fire”, chuckled Mason.

Smiling at his husband, Mason leaned down to kiss the annoyed brunette. Christian looked particularly cute when he was annoyed. Which was a good thing, considering just how often Christian was annoyed. Mason slipped his own hand into Christian’s and squeezed.

“O—oh. Look at that”, whispered Mason delighted.

Christian frowned, confused as to what his husband was talking about. Their children Andy and Lily were standing with their friends, Anastasia and Edward Dashkov. Edward had an arm around Lily’s shoulders, while she in return had one arm wrapped around Edward’s waist.

“Childre—en”, chimed Mason, loud enough to hear them. “Having fun? No drugs or alcohol?”

Edward laughed awkwardly as he took a conscious step away from Lily. “No, sir.”

Mason smiled amused, one eyebrow raised as he stepped up to Lily. Andy rolled his eyes, knowing their dad well-enough by now, while the Dashkov kids stepped away a little.

“Come on, we should check in with mom and dad, before mom embarrasses us again”, offered Anastasia and grabbed Edward by the arm.

“So—o, princess”, chimed Mason innocently. “Why’d you hug him? You lo—ove him?”

“Urgh, papa, stop”, groaned Lily embarrassed, shoving Mason. “Dad, make him stop!”

Christian huffed at that. “Liliana, if I knew how to stop Mason from doing anything…”

“Hey. I think I take offense to that”, grunted Mason.

“Lil, come on. I want to stop mom from strangling Nico’s mother”, grumbled Andy.

“Wait. Rose gets to strangle Mia but I can’t set her on fire? That’s just unfair.”

Christian squinted, while his son groaned and left, together with Lily. Mason chuckled fondly at that. If there was one thing Christian and Rose could agree on it was hurting Mia Rinaldi. The faces both of them had done when Lily and Andy first came home bringing Mia’s son along had been simply priceless. Grinning to himself, Mason tucked on Christian’s hand.

“Come on, babe. You’ve done your fair share of socialization. Dimitri and the other teachers will be fine answering all of the parents’ questions”, offered Mason gently.

“That sounds good. Very good”, sighed Christian relieved.

Another perk of being the headmaster was that he had the most luxurious and spacious rooming arrangement on campus. Within less than five minutes did they reach their private flat and as soon as they were inside, Christian shed his jacket and went to their bed to collapse on it.

“Social events are exhausting. Remind me why I do them”, sighed Christian.

“Because it’s part of the job”, chuckled Mason and started tugging on Christian’s pants.

He helped his husband into something more comfortable and then also changed himself. When doing so, he paused because he had Christian’s Christmas present hidden in his closet.

“You want something to cheer you up a little bit, Chris?”, asked Mason.

“Mh”, hummed Christian in confirmation.

Much to Mason’s amusement did Christian take that far differently than Mason had meant it, because as soon as Mason was within reach, Christian wrapped his arms around the ginger’s waist and pulled him close enough to cuddle. Christian Ozera was a secret cuddler.

“Merry Christmas”, whispered Mason and handed the little present over to his husband.

“…Kinky bastard”, grunted Christian doubtfully when he opened the lid.

“W… What? No!”, sputtered Mason red-cheeked. “It’s a dog-collar. For a dog. You asked… You wanted to keep that yappy, tiny ankle-biter… so…”

“But you said you don’t want a dog”, argued Christian with a cautious frown.

“And you found a stray dog and fell in love with it”, sighed Mason dramatically. “And I’m not gonna take the tiny monster away from you when it makes you happy.”

As if on cue did the yappy, tiny ankle-biter run into the bedroom and start yapping. It was a long-haired, small, white dog that kept growling at Mason but totally adored Christian. Which might be why he kept growling at Mason, because Mason had that annoying habit of hogging Christian.

“Hear that, Sherlock Howlmes? You get to stay”, whispered Christian with a genuine smile.

He grabbed the puppy and lifted him up onto the bed. That was why Mason could never say no to Christian. A genuine smile from Christian was worth so much and being the one who put it there filled Mason with so much pride. The ginger had to grin when Christian rolled over to lay half on top of him. Leaning down, Christian kissed Mason slowly and deeply. Sherlock had been roaming the school grounds for weeks, a weak, starved, tiny thing and… Christian had kind of identified with the lonely little puppy, so he had started feeding it, had given it a bath and then ‘it’ became 'he’ and then 'he’ became 'Sherlock Howlmes’, after one of Christian’s favorite book heroes. Smiling down at Mason one last time, Christian turned around to put the collar around the puppy’s neck.

“Welcome to the family, Sherlock Howlmes”, smiled Christian, ruffling the dog’s fur.

Sherlock whined and cuddled up to Christian, while Christian cuddled up to Mason. The look on Christian’s face was definitely worth getting growled at in his own home. Pulling Christian closer, Mason kissed his husband’s temple. Christian was worth absolutely everything.

Read this here on FFNet & here on AO3!