#although here's another preposterous thought

[naura-speaks]

wdym 5SOS only has four members. like no. each of you should be one second of summer.

[keyotos]

"you know, if being cute was a crime, you'd be guilty as charged!"

you have been at this for hours (it has only been a few minutes) now. wriothesley, who has been idly sipping his tea with a straight face, has not yet wavered at your terrible pick-up lines.

"that one was bad," he sips. you roll your eyes.

you clear your throat, "if fine was a felony, you'd be on death row," you give wriothesley an exaggerated wink.

he gives you a disconcerted look.

you pout, "okay, c'mon! that one was good!"

wriothesley puts his teacup on the table and moves his chair closer to yours, "i don't think death row should be associated with romance," he shakes his head, "that may have been the worse one today."

"i think that was, 'are you a crime? because i'll do you anyday!'" you laugh and grab wriothesley's teacup, taking a drink out of it so ordinarily.

wriothesley basks in this. tonight is a quiet night: the inmates aren't awake, sigewinne has clocked out for the day, and you are here. it's strange how you are one of the loudest people wriothesley knows of, yet you make the world sound so quiet when you're around. whatever your magic is, wriothesley isn't opposed to it.

everything about this scene reads domesticity, even though the two of you have been together for a couple of months. spending late nights together, sleeping in the same bed, drinking out of the same teacup? if someone had told wriothesley a few months ago that he would be doing these things (nevertheless with you), he would have called them mad. but here he is, sitting in his office doing nothing but drinking tea, while hearing you recite horrible pick-up lines.

"wouldn't it be the perfect crime if i stole your heart and you stole mine?" you push the teacup towards you boyfriend.

wriothesley winces, "maybe that was the worse one today."

"what?! i thought that one wasn't bad."

your boyfriend looks to the side, "it was really cheesy."

"clearly, you missed the point of pick-up lines," you lay your head down on the desk, "i'd like to see you come up with one."

wriothesley chuckles. you relish in the fact that you are one of the only people that have ever heard him laugh. it's an unexpected sound, and it always comes out more lighter than most people would think. but it's endearing, just like him; you always think that a light chortle from him would paint your dark skies to a clear blue.

"i'm saving myself from the embarrassment," wriothesley sips out of the teacup, on the same side you drank of, you might add.

"boring," you draw out the syllables of the word.

"what? did you run out of lines?" wriothesley teased you, taking another drink out of the teacup to hide his smile. he watched as your face morphed into a light grimace.

"i did not, actually," you raise your head off the desk, "in fact, i'm thinking of one right now."

"oh no..." wriothesley shivers. you shoot him a petulant look. he backs down.

when you think, you have this habit of sticking your tongue out of your lips, just ever-so slightly. your eyebrows crease just a little bit, not enough to be furrowed, but enough to not be at resting position. your eyes don't narrow, they widen. wriothesley thinks that if someone caught you like this on a kamara, your photos would go down in history.

finally, after what felt like years (it was one minute), you look back up at him. this time, however, your eyes are laced with uncertainty rather than flirtatiousness.

"if being in love is illegal, would you be my partner in crime?"

love. you guys haven't talked about it yet.

was that why your eyes were so full of nervousness? did you think he didn't love you back? if that was the case, then it'd be preposterous, for how can anyone look at you and not fall in love? although, wriothesley supposes that it's a good thing, because that means you're his to have.

one side of his brain is in doubt. it's just a joke, it says, they're not being truthful, it's just a pick-up line. but his heart says otherwise. if they were joking, then why do their eyes look like that? why are they fidgeting with their fingers? why are they gently tapping their foot on the ground?

love has never been a consideration for wriothesley. throughout his life, it has been abandonment and independence. there's only been room for one, not two. but you: you reconstructed his entire mind. so now, when he thinks about drinking tea, he doesn't drink alone anymore. when he's staying late to do paperwork, he doesn't have to be alone while doing so. when there was one, there is now two.

oh.

oh.

oh shit. your confession of love came from a pick-up line. and it actually worked on him, because he loves you back. he loves you back so much. wriothesley loves you back with his heart, his mind, his body, and possibly his soul. and he realized the extent of his love through a pick-up line. from you out of all people.

though, even though he's in love with you, he's not letting you get the satisfaction of your line working.

"i don't know. according to the my close friend, the duke of meropide, he says it's illegal to participate in criminal activities." wriothesley's tone is soft. his eyes are full of endearment. your eyebrows stop crinkling, and your eyes revert back to normal. you know. you know.

you give into an easy smile, "don't you think your friend, the duke, is a little too compliant to the law?"

"sorry, he's not changing his ways. but," wriothesley gets out of his chair and strides towards you. his hand meet your jawline, and his thumb traces the corner of your lip that's turned downwards due to your pout. with his thumb, he guides it upward, making it so you were smiling. he laughs slightly⎯twice tonight, which is something he did not expect to do⎯and moves his thumb to lightly caress your bottom lip.

he uses his hand to tilt your head up towards him. you know what's coming, and you excitedly lean in closer. wriothesley tilts his head down to meet your lips, carefully tracing every angle of your jaw as he does so. you meet him halfway, closing the gap between you two almost immediately. wriothesley can feel you happily grin into the kiss. you grab his shirt collar and pull him closer into you, and he obliges with no hesitation.

you are the first one to pull away, and it takes all of wriothesley's willpower to stop himself from pulling you back in.

"but?" you ask, chest heaving up and down. wriothesley, the bastard, is still breathing normally. "does the duke of meropide have any contentions?"

wriothesley shakes his head, "i think he could make some exceptions," he whispers, grinning while doing so.

he doesn't miss the beaming glow of your smile as leans in once more. and then, he knows that he'll be your partner in crime for a long time.

[maple-the-awesome]

The Chain Meets You, His Partner || 3/3

Part 1 || Part 2

Pairing: Time, Wild, Four x GN! Reader

Requested by @temporarilyablog: i see requests are open still so im coming to you with a thought i had recently:how about a Link from the Chain interacting with the reader, another Link’s s/o from their original adventures, when *their* Link isn’t around. i can see some teasing another Link with the reader that they’ve only known through little stories here and here, or others grilling the reader relentlessly because another Link was so shy about their relationship and partner, and wants to know how that Link is like around someone he allows himself to relax.its kinda like when the Chain met Malon for the first time and interacted with her for stories about old man Timeand as always stay awesome, i love your writing!

Zelda Masterlist 💙Fandom Masterlist

Concerningly delighted or eerily eager - the Chain can’t quite agree on which descriptor best described their teammate the best once he realized they had all landed in his Hyrule. Bubbling with excitement ever since while maintaining a pace some of the other boys have to jog after, Link doesn’t waste breath saying where he’s leading them, although that giddy smile upon his face - as much as he tries to hide it - is plenty for the wiser heroes to get the hint…

The Chain already knew about you - Well, they knew the Old Man was hitched. To exactly who, he'd never say for his lips were always sealed with a mischievous smirk that kept the boys betting against each other.

Some insisted that their leader's mystery lover must be Princess Zelda, but Twilight felt that was a preposterous assumption. He tended to agree with Legend's guess that they had to be someone simple; someone who could make an extraordinary man feel ordinary in the best way possible...which was the correct prediction, of course.

As it would turn out, you are, in fact, not a noble or royal princess. Instead, you're an average farmhand living a calm life on your friend's ranch where you miss your husband greatly after many months of him being gone, so please excuse the passionate kiss shared between you both once finally reuniting at the front of the property.

Time isn't at all shy to show you off. Having been married for so many years, it's only natural for his arm to feel most comfortable wrapped around your waist, keeping you close to his side where he can easily connect kisses to your forehead and cheek. If the boys have a problem with it, it's best not to spoil the mood. Perhaps one day they'll understand the intoxicating love that is felt whenever in the presence of their most beloved.

"You just missed Malon and Talon. They went into town for a few deliveries and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," You explain to your husband while leading the boys to the house. He hums thoughtfully and you don't miss the way he 'subtly' tugs you even closer.

"It’s good timing on our part then. 'wouldn't want to leave you stuck doing all the chores on your own."

"Now Link, you've been off on the road for months. Rest and I'll -"

"- Is there anything I could help with?" A young man from the group pipes in shyly from behind, "I grew up on a ranch myself, so it wouldn't be any bother."

"Oh, no. You boys are our guests. I'd hate to -" You begin, turning to face him with an appreciative smile, however Time is quick to object.

"- Nonsense. They're all capable young men and boys. A little work won't kill them, darling."

"- But -"

"- And it won't kill me, either," He takes your hand, lifting it to his lips where he places a gentle kiss upon your knuckles, "If anything, we could all use the distraction."

"...Well, in that case..."

There is plenty to be done around the farm and you only have two hands of your own, so, aware that you wouldn't win an argument against your husband anyways, you take him up on his offer. The other heroes do seem more than willing, happy to provide their services for tasks that don't involve risking their lives against cruel monsters, you know, minus the cuccos. 

Time and you each take four of the boys with yourselves. While he directs his half to the animals they'll be tending to, you lead yours to the barn, making sure to point out the layout of the ranch along the way so that none get lost when left on their own. 

You're happy to find that they're all very polite, particularly the young man from earlier who remains close on your heels throughout each step. He seems adorably eager to engage in conversation with you, asking many questions and adding comments to whatever you say. It makes sense, you suppose, since he certainly does look to be the small homestead-type based upon his build and knowledge of ranch life.

"You said this is your friend’s ranch. How long have you lived here yourself?”

"Gosh, 'seems like forever. At least since I was ten. It wasn't long before I met Link, I know that."

"You guys have really known each other for that long?"

"Uh-huh...but of course, it doesn't feel that long," You sigh fondly, "'seems like just yesterday we were sitting out there in that pasture as he told me about his home in the forest and all his adventures…Funny how time flies when you're havin' fun."

Speaking of the devil, you spot your husband at the pasture's fence, clearly waiting for you to finish up. Inviting the boys to find you if they have any questions, you leave them to work on the chores they've been assigned while you, yourself, head to join Time.

"Did they give you any trouble?"

"None at all. By the way you made it sound in your letters, I thought they'd be far more troublesome," You cross your arms over the fence, raising an eyebrow with a teasing grin, "But maybe you’ve just been too harsh on them."

"You've only spent a few hours with them. Give ‘em a chance and you'll start going gray, too," He rolls his eye, his lack of amusement towards your playful accusation telling you that those boys really must be a handful sometimes. Either way, deny it as he might, you know that look in his eye. Even as he leans here on the fence next to you, he watches the boys work with a softness hidden in his expression. He certainly cares for them.

"...You know, one of them is a descendant of ours," Time mentions casually, breaking you away from your straying thoughts.

"What?" When you look at him, he's still facing the distance, "...You're joking?"

He just smirks, only glancing at you through the corner of his eye.

"You're serious...?" You blink in disbelief before quickly pushing yourself off the fence, "Which one?!"

"Isn't it obvious?"

You place your hands upon your hips, making your own lack of amusement clear now, "There's eight of them. At least give me a hint."

Time pretends to consider your request, but ultimately shakes his head, "...No, I don’t think so. That would ruin the fun of having you guess."

"Liiinnk..." You whine, although even your pout proves ineffective. Your husband merely chuckles as he pushes himself off the fence and begins walking away to resume his chores, "You better not be lying to me!”

"I would never lie to you, my love. I know better than that~"

"I'm going to find out which one it is even if I have to interrogate them all!" You shout after him, huffing when he doesn't reply.

Part of you is tempted to do exactly as you said by confronting each boy until you receive a proper answer, but you also promised the Champion you'd show him the kitchen to start dinner soon. You'd hate to keep him and everyone else waiting with rumbling stomachs, especially if one of them is your descent in question. 

Now truthfully, you do already have a guess in mind - or more so a hope - however it's too early to decide. You'll just have to keep a close eye on them until this evening and if no one sticks out then, you'll be left to force it out of your husband who should really know better than to mess with you like this.

"Hey, I'm back!" It doesn't matter how long he's been away - days, weeks, months - those three words always seem to take a massive amount of weight off of Wild's chest every time, washing over him with a sense of belonging and domestic bliss that replaces all the strict expectations set for being a 'hero'.

"Link!" This feeling is easily reinforced after one look at you. Your glowing smile as you appear at the railing upstairs, his name sounding like honey from your lips…It's automatic for him to drop his heavy bags and weapons beside the door before opening his arms at the bottom of the steps just in time for you to jump over those last few right into his embrace which you’ve both missed so much.

"...Welcome home..." Sometimes that whisper in his ear is enough to make Wild cry. It's such a pleasant sound and reminder that he does, in fact, have a home because as much as he loves sleeping under the stars or following his heart across the vast kingdom of Hyrule, there will never be a day where it doesn't yearn to be beside you.

It's a cute scene to witness - two lovers reunited after so long apart - although the Chain does have a few questions swirling in their minds, namely who the heck are you? A pretty face just casually leaping into the Champion's arms before sharing a heartfelt kiss? They'd be happy for the guy if not for the fact that he has never once mentioned having a lover and you seem far too well acquainted to be a random friend.

"O-Oh, um, hi," You finally take notice of your audience, breaking away from Wild to send them all an awkward smile which they return, some with a few small waves. 

“Oh, these are the guys I’ve been traveling with,” Wild explains, which seems to put you more at ease.

“Nice to meet you all,” You give the group a bashful nod before introducing yourself. Your name does sound vaguely familiar - perhaps having been mentioned in mere passing at some point or another - but the Chain still can’t say they recall Wild ever identifying you as a partner.

“And are you guys…Um…?” Sky gestures between you both, trying to keep his smile from seeming too surprised. He’d hate to offend either of you.

“We’re dating,” You confirm comfortably, looking at Wild with a smile he mirrors as your hands interlock. 

“Dating? As in romantically involved, right?” Four raises an eyebrow, his question catching you off guard. 

“Y-Yes, well, I believe that’s what dating entails -”

“- How’d you manage that?” Legend interrupts, the question directed at Wild while pointing to you with a look of disbelief upon his face. Apparently he doesn’t share Sky’s concern towards delivering any offense…

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It’s just - You never mentioned being in a relationship,” Hyrule mumbles.

Wild is quick to blush and duck his head in embarrassment, his words defensive, “It’s not like any of you asked! I - I just never thought it was important to bring up! It never seemed relevant!”

“He mentioned it to me,” Twilight admits, taking everyone’s attention off the flustered Champion, but only temporarily. 

“See! I could’ve said something and you just didn’t listen! Did you think of that?”

“Or you only told the rancher. You two are always sharing dirty little secrets and leaving the rest of us in the dark.”

This…goes on for a good moment. Rest assured, the argument does eventually subside after Time knocks their heads together allowing you a chance to swiftly change the subject by inviting the boys fully inside your lovely home. From there, you offer to get started on lunch, figuring it will be an excellent opportunity for you to get to know the other heroes better and spend some quality time with your boyfriend who is always quick to relax in the kitchen.

You begin chopping some vegetables while he gets the soup base shimmering, the two of you humming quietly amongst yourselves as you work. Your tranquil smiles and practiced teamwork is enough to make anyone feel jealous of such a strong relationship, although it’s all in good spirits. The other boys hold no resentment towards their friend, instead reflecting his joy as they eagerly tell you stories about their shared adventures in return for some information about yourself.

As it turns out, you’ve grown up in Hateno your whole life and had met Wild rather early in the beginning of his quest to defeat Calamity Ganon. He must’ve made quite the first impression - that or perhaps you took a lot of pity upon his confused state - because you willingly left your small village to help him navigate an unfamiliar Hyrule. Over the course of your journey, you grew close and never really found a good reason to leave each other’s sides even after the kingdom was saved, thus you’ve been together ever since.

“This house had been abandoned for years before we bought it. It’s nice because it’s still a part of Hateno, so we’re close to other people and my family, but far enough back to have our own peace and quiet,” You explain in a dreamy sigh as you turn to look over your home and admire the work you’ve done to this old place. 

“What’s with the construction back there?” Four asks, nodding his head towards the many boxes and tools that block the wall under the staircase.

“We’re adding another room,” Wild answers simply, not taking his attention away from the soup broth that he frowns at because it’s certainly missing something. More salt rock? Maybe a dash of Hylian herb?

Legend scoffs, leaning back against his chair at the table, “How much space do two people really need?”

Wild and you pause, glancing over your shoulders to meet each other’s eyes before going back to your work with flustered smiles. Clearing your throat, you give a shrug, “...Well, the plan is for it to not just be the two of us forever.”

Many of the boys raise eyebrows at this comment, the realization slowly but surely daunting on them. Their faces explode in shades of red once it does.

Time coughs into his fist, the first to break the silence, "...We'll be sure not to keep the Champion away from you for too long then."

Wild nearly gives himself whiplash looking back at Time with what can only be described as a modified expression of betrayal, his face beet red and mouth agape in shock. You'd be lying to say your own face doesn't feel awfully warm, too, although you humor the Old Man’s promise with a laugh, "You better not. This kingdom’s already demanded too much of his time away from home.”

Four has never been one for unnecessary fanfare, especially not in regards to his personal life. With that said, while he doesn’t mind discussing the intimate details of who he is outside of his role as a hero, he also doesn’t typically go out of his way to spill his guts about it either which is precisely why it took the Chain so long to find out about you.

Their friend had been rather vague as to where he was leading them after arriving in his Hyrule. They had already met his grandfather and even spent some time helping with chores, but Four insisted there was at least one more stop he wished to make before hitting the road again so that he could - get this - drop off a book for ‘someone’...

Now, being entirely honest, the Chain did internally judge his priorities just a bit, but they also weren’t about to kick up a fuss over it. Although Four failed to specify the identity of this mysterious ‘someone’, the other heroes simply assumed them to be an old friend, the gifted book acting as a mere excuse for Four to see them again. It’s only natural for a Link to begin missing his loved ones after adventuring for so long, and their resident smith must reeeally love you if that kiss you share is any indication. 

It happens so quickly that the other boys can barely process what their eyes bear witness to. One moment Four had been standing at the doorstep, book in hand as he assured everyone once again that his visit wasn’t going to take long. Then the door opened to an attractive stranger and next thing anyone knew, their Smithy was standing on his toes locking lips with said stranger - And with no hesitation whatsoever! 

“Link! It’s good to see you…Are these your friends?” You ask the question in such a casual manner as if it’s just an everyday occurrence for your boyfriend to randomly return with a whole new entourage behind him after months of being away.

“Yes. I’d tell you their names, but you know them already,” Four replies with a similarly calm demeanor, although his smile is now much more pronounced than it had been on the walk over, “Everyone here is named ‘Link’.”

“Easy enough to remember,” Even that information doesn’t seem to faze you beyond an intrigued eyebrow raise.

You’re quick to introduce yourself, not only by name, but also by the important title of being Four’s partner. Again, there’s no hesitation towards this establishment and he doesn’t so much as blink at hearing it, showing that this definitely isn’t a recent development for either of you. That little shit’s been dating you for a while, hasn’t he?! They should’ve known something was up seeing how annoyed he got following some of the other boys’ attempts at setting him up with a flirtatious local in the last visited town!

“It’s nice to meet you all. Link - Well, my Link has mentioned you in his letters before, so I was curious if our paths would ever cross.”

“Really? Cause he didn’t mention you at all…” Legend mumbles before getting elbowed roughly by Twilight.

“Will you all be staying? I can make tea or something -”

“- No. We’re only passing by so that I could give you this,” Four turns down your offer while handing you the book he’s been carrying around practically all day. How easily he’s able to do this surprises the Chain further, after all, most would jump at the chance to spend more time with their beloved. Surely just a few measly minutes can’t be enough to fill his quarter around you, can it?

“Ah, come on! You’re just going to introduce us and leave? That’s no way to treat a lover,” Warrior shames through a mischievous smirk. 

“We have a job to do. I wouldn’t want to delay us any longer than needed,” Four narrows his eyes at the Captain in return, yet that doesn’t stop the rest of the Chain from looking to Time who eventually sighs under the pressure of their gazes.

“...It would be rude to simply leave as suddenly as we came. I suppose there’s no harm in staying a short while - only if we are welcomed, of course.”

“Wonderful! I’ll get started on that tea then!” Four grimaces while the Chain cheers and enters your home without needing any more of an invite. Noticing his dampened mood, you place a hand on his shoulder and frown, “Do you not want to stay? I wouldn’t be upset -”

“- Of course, I want to stay,” He sighs, his hand quickly placing itself over your own, “I’ve missed you, I just don’t want them embarrassing me. They can be a bit…much sometimes.”

You chuckle, gently leading him inside, “They can’t be that bad, can they?”

“Hey Smithy! Why didn’t you say anything about having a lover before? After all we’ve been through together, too; we should be hurt!”

“...Can they?” Four deflates, and your smile turns more sympathetic. 

“Was it supposed to be a big secret?” Hyrule asks innocently, followed by Warrior’s scoff.

“I hope you aren't ashamed of them now.”

Four huffs in offense at that last comment, crossing his arms while shifting his weight to one side, “No, I’m not ashamed of them, and it was never a secret, it’s just that none of you ever asked. What was I supposed to do? Randomly start going on and on about my love life as we all ate around the campfire?”

“The Captain has no problem doing it,” Wild mocks, earning an insulted glare.

Hooking his arm around your waist and pulling you closer, Four rolls his eyes sarcastically, “This is my partner and I love them…There, you guys know now. Happy?”

“But we still don’t know any details!” Shy whines, “Like, how’d you guys meet? How long have you been together?”

“Are you married? Do you want to be?”

…Dear Hylia, Four can already feel a headache coming on. Seeing his plight, you go ahead and answer the questions for yourself, “I’m afraid it’s not that interesting of a story. We grew up together and were always close until one day, we simply decided our relationship was more romantic than platonic. That was about a year or so ago. Not sure if we’re going to get married anytime soon since we’re still pretty young…but it’s a nice thought for the future.”

“You seem to have a very comfortable life here,” Time acknowledges, having a look around your home which is cozy and filled with books, many having been gifts from your boyfriend who has always made a point of bringing at least one back after each of his adventures.

“Laidback and uneventful in the best way possible,” Is how someone else describes it, “We can see why you’d like our Smith then.”

“True,” You snort before sharing an amused smirk with Four, “Although he can be quite the handful sometimes.”

The boys raise their eyebrows, not certain what you're alluding to. The Smith a handful? Are you certain you're talking about the same guy now, or does he have a secret polar-opposite twin hiding around here somewhere? Now that’s an actual secret he won’t be telling them anytime soon.

[druidrot]

Oh yes, your Gale was magnificent. Can i get “stay with me” and “just…don’t” from the Powerful prompt list for our favorite wizard?

Oh you like him angsty, don’t you? Worry not, little darling. This is right up my alley although technically it’s pretty soft! Enjoy and please keep requesting. I don’t just write Gale even if he is my favorite. This is on mobile so forgive any formatting issues. This also will have some spoilers for gale’s story in act 2!

“Copper for your thoughts?”

You watch in quiet amusement as the man bristles, wide eyed gaze meeting your own as he whips his head around to look at you. When he registers that it is in fact just you, he breathes a small sigh of relief. His shoulders relax as he offers you a hand, pulling you down to sit next to him.

“Oh, I don’t think you want to know what thoughts I’m thinking,” he jests, nudging your shoulder with his own. “It’s rather grim up here. Preposterously grim, If I wanted to get dramatic.”

You hum quietly, nudging his shoulder back. You’ve spent many nights thinking of what you’d say to him but here, now, you can’t find the words. You lean your head against his shoulder and close your eyes, biting back the sting of tears that suddenly overwhelms you.

“Stay with me,” you whisper, trying to keep your voice even.

Gale turns his head to see you but he finds you’re not looking at him. He wraps an arm around your shoulder, tilting your head up to meet his gaze with his other hand.

“Come now, dearest,” he croons, voice soft. “You know I’ll not let you leave this camp without me.”

You chuckle but it is garbled by the sound of your tears. “That’s not what I meant, Gale.”

He tenses, letting out a heavy sigh as he turns his eyes back to the shadow-cursed forest surrounding the camp. His gaze is heavy, haunted, and it makes the bile in your stomach churn uncomfortably.

“You know,” he starts, voice measured. “If we had any other choice I would not do it, Mystra’a forgiveness be damned.”

“But we do have another choice,” you respond, turning so you can see him fully. “Nowhere did we hear that the absolute is invulnerable or invincible. Sure there’s Ketheric but even his power fails if we find the Nightsong. There’s ALWAYS another choice, Gale, always. The gods deal in absolutes, I don’t.”

He chuckles but it is still pinched, clipped, like he’s forcing it out. “Then what would you have me do?”

“Stay with me,” you reiterate, taking his hands in yours and squeezing. “If you feel the urge to blow up the orb just…don’t.”

“Just don’t,” he repeats, though his tone is lighter. “If only I had thought of that first.”

You giggle as he sighs, shaking his head and pulling your head close to rest your forehead against his.

“You could talk me off any ledge,” he breathes, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. “It is unfair I have been tasked with this burden when I have been blessed with you.”

You smile and kiss him back softly, trying to convey your assurance. “We’ll figure it out, Gale. We will.”

[mothraantics]

Crimson Born

Note: Ive had this idea for basically a few days and bunched the first chapter together, im honestly very proud of it and I hope that this will become better and better in the future :D

Summary:

Regulus was born a pureblood black prince. Second born heir and all he wasn't even close to being the talk of the town, His brother sirius, was first in line, with a whole crowd of young ladies ogling over him, but of course his dear brother had to swing the other way, escape the binds of their parents and be with a man. If the crowd didn't protest in his name Regulus would be the heir to the throne by now. He hated the world for that.

His cousins? Bellatrix, married a duke from another land and is having some unknown affair with whom they call these days the dark lord. Her sister, Narcissia is betrothed to Lucius malfoy and their other sister is missing. No doubt he was the last one to be thought of.

That was all until he decided that the crowd had to focus on him, become entranced with him, so he followed his brother and did one better, have an affair with the blood prince known as James potter.

Of course…with this he has to keep the blood curse hidden from his brand new boy toy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57660256/chapters/146730271 - Find the book also on Ao3

Chapter One - Prince Regulus of Lissara

If life were not extravagant parties, and balls, banquets and fancy little get togethers, Regulus would have no clue how he would escape away from his family. Maybe some boarding school, but in another life he doubted if the magic of their world would even exist? A world where humans can wave silly little sticks and cast spells? It sounded preposterous, where would they find the phoenixes if it weren't for the hole of Vulca, or the unicorns tucked away in the forbidden forest, far off into the north.

He wouldn't have a clue where to start if their world was not this one, then again if it where he would be stuck living a pretty little life just like he was. Possibly. Banquets were his getaway, running off sitting in the gardens were his favourite pastime, he had done his entree a few hours prior and made some small talk with some noble families, but that's all he will try doing. It wasn't worth it, he wasn't the lead heir, his brother was and even so, he wasn't even  near the public eye, his cousin bellatrix married a man from the Lestrange Duchancy and she got her fame through dark power, his other cousin, Narcissia, is going down the same route as malfoy with their wedding on the horizon next spring.

Andromeda? She was still missing, and ran off with a peasant, a muggle. They weren't taught magic these days, peasants, they were too weak to harness magic, and so were the squibs of the noble families, although they can still have a taste of the ravish lifestyle and go off to marry an Earl. Muggles as they called them were just yellow trash to the aristocrats. There would be the lucky one that can harness magic and get adopted into society, but what did they know? They can't even see magic if you waive a wand in front of their eyes and cast serpensortia In Front of them. 

“Regulus?” the cold shrill yell of his mother's voice rang throughout the garden, there goes his peace. “Regulus! There you are!” She says as he picks himself up, her demeanour was cold, “yes mother?” He replies, dusting himself off, “Have you been out here? Mingling with the birds? Get inside we have yet to serve the cake”

Cake? What cake would they mention, Regulus didn't know any important event was happening. It wasn't a holiday or anniversary, nor was it someone's betrothal, and unlike his brother he's less keen on starting his own just yet, unless they started the arrangement process without him. Why would they need him to be there to serve the cake??

He was dragged away by Walburga, soon enough and as they neared the green hall she released him and he followed blindly. By this time he was thinking what had he missed? What family milestone had he missed?

“I'm so happy” Walburga said with venom, “finally it is fine for you to come of age my son” she gives him a half fake smile. “excuse me?” Regulus' stops in his tracks, “Mother I don't come of age until..June!” He points out, what was going on? She stops and looks back at him. “Regulus darling it is june, you are of age” the boy stopped, “oh”

Salazar's saggy balls, how could he forget?! If he was aware it was his 17th he would have stayed longer, made some small talk, against his will sure, but this was already a bad step towards society, the debate was soon, all those who turned 17 by the middle of the year and those who turn 18 of the last half of last year would debutante. His brother being one of them. 

Mabey the golden prince of the Black Empire will overshadow him enough that people won't care. Again. 

—

“-And a toast!-” 

The banquet was full that night, every sitting in their chairs they were brought out, the dark lord was speaking. He was a new upcoming figure in Lissara, many knew him as Lord Tom M. Riddle, the lord of the Parliament that buddied up with the nobles. In high noble society, the snake like-serpentine speaking man was known as Lord Voldermort.

“-To the two Black princes who are debuting with many of your children next week, and a very happy coming of age to the second born prince” 

The crowd clapped, it was filled with dark nobles, evil, corrupted. They kill peasants with a flick of their wrists using one of the curses,  some of the other nations called them death eaters. Herre it was a compliment, in other nations? It's immediately a death trial for you and your family. The world was fucked like that. Very fucked but who was to blame them? The biggest empire made of Purely magical individuals threatened to eradicate the lower class? The class that does all the work? Regulus' would be concerned as well. 

The ball went on throughout the night, with the nobles spinning around nobles. Firewhisky going down like it's water, and a whole new boring world for Regulus. “Something wrong brother?” Sirius asks slipping up near Regulus, “No, I'm okay”

“Is it too rowdy? You can request to go back up?” 

“And leave all of the guests to listen to you? You wish” he laughs as Sirius shrugs, “your loss”

—--

Shrill shrieks ran through the echoing halls. Regulus' cringed as another one rattled his windows. The ink from his quill splattered on his parchment reducing his now ruined homework to just ink, “fucking damnit” he cusses grabbing the paper and trying to dry it with no avail. 

“Useless being! Crucio!” 

Regulus' cringed as he heard those words being screeched from the other room. He sighed giving up, his potions essay can wait another day, the tutors weren't supposed to return till next week anyways. 

He heard the door next to him being slammed shut before his own door swung open, he jumped, Walburga stood at the door. Blood splattered on the hem of her white nightdress, “Rest dear, we have the debutante dinner tomorrow” she says before closing the door. Regulus sighs, he knows that this dinner wont be the usual dinner, just another political agreement, another death eater meeting being covered up, and another way for him to be overshadowed by his older brother.

Because every event he had to be overshadowed. If regulus was overshadowed he would be the second prince, but when theres the second prince there's a first, and that's his older brother Sirius.O Black the heir and now, from discoveries by a certain Bartemius Crouch Junior, that the same heir is with a man from the Crimson Court, a well known as Remus Lupin. 

Regulus sighed and blew out the candle as he sat on the floor, the room darkened as the red light of the moon shone through the window, in other rooms the screams of some family members could be heard, he himself was situated away from the red beams of moonlight, he stared at them, nextdoor he heard sirius shatter a glass nearby, he was probably left near the rays of the blood moon. 

They werent as common as full moons, but unlike the werewolves that roamed the forests and some in higher society, blood moons came in every shape or form, unless new, and they came every two months. Regulus took a sharp breath as he felt his body bubbling as the red streams of moonlight hit his bare feet, and then the night of agony begun.

[thewertsearch]

FUTURE carcinoGeneticist [FCG] 3 HOURS FROM NOW responded to memo. FCG: HEY DON'T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT YOU UNCOUTH PIECE OF SHIT. [...] CCG: IT MUST BE PERIGEES EVE, BECAUSE GET A LOAD OF THIS HUGE BEHEMOTH LEAVING THAT JUST GOT DRAGGED IN. CCG: JADE, OUR DUTY IS CLEAR. WE MUST DECK THIS TURD TO THE NINES. FCG: OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT WAS A CLEVER THING TO SAY. WHAT A DIPSHIT. ?GG: aaauugh what the hell!!!

Honestly, at this point Jade should just close the chat and come back in an hour.

?GG: i cant take this anymore!!!!!!!! ?GG: i dont even know what im reading here but its preposterous and ive had it! ?GG: i am just so angry, i cant believe i let you push me around all those years ?GG: you are completely out of your mind, i was too nice by just blocking you and typing frowny faces and stuff ?GG: i should have let you HAVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Jade Violence has been a long time coming. Unleash it!

?GG: if you want to apologize then great i am all ears! but just mentioning it off hand and then yelling at yourself the same way you yell at me all the time as if i need a knight to come save me from yourself is so lame [...] ?GG: you treat everyone horribly, even yourself, i cant even fathom how awful it is to be you

Several other characters have self-esteem issues, but Karkat's the only one who directly attacks himself in conversation - and I'm not really sure why. You'd expect it to be the Time Player whose issues are expressed through time duplicates - although, come to think of it, Aradia's fatalism was evident in how her alt-selves considered themselves expendable.

Maybe, then, Karkat's own direct self-hatred says something about Blood. We don't know a lot about the aspect - and it's hard to derive much, when your sample size is one Player with an unknown Quest - but we can certainly speculate.

There's a lot that Blood could symbolize. Violence would work, as would pain or injury - but none of these stand out as particularly applicable to Karkat or his issues. Sure, he's been injured before - but in Sburb, who hasn't?

Family is another contender, and it'd be interesting to see how that would map to Alternian culture. Plus, it actually does apply to Karkat, since he's the one who cloned the trolls. Nanna even mentioned that a team's ectobiologist is, in a sense, the 'parent' of the other Players...

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Fun angle to consider basing Lucifer and Alastor interactions on (positive-ish).

Alastor points out that they're both abhorrent disappointments to their fathers, and yet no matter what their failed paternal figures believed, they made something of themselves that no one could ever have anticipated.

For example:

In trying to cheer up the melancholy monarch, primarily because Charlie asked him to, Alastor tries telling a few anecdotes of his life to annoy distact Lucifer.

"...and that's when Mimzy plowed through the bastard with his car, oh it was QUITE the sight to see. Although, afterwards that was the one thing you could not so easily do through the windshield. Ha!"

Side-eying the still flat King.

"Why, your Majesty, I feel almost as if I'm speaking to myself here. Whatever has you so constricted by a bad case of the morbs?"

"...the what? No, fuck you, I'm not giving you more ammunition to throw back in my face later, you smiling bastard." The Royal defences were in full working order.

"If it were my intention to tear you down, I promise you, it would be obvious my miniature monarch. Nor would you have been provided so many little details of my past life, very few have that dubious honour... now you must know almost as much as that obsessive little picture box."

"Why should I care what sick nonsense landed you here? What does it matter now you're trapped in the pit with me and all the other humans I've so thoroughly ruined because of one careless, selfish action?!" Lucifer's voice breaks, tears sitting at his waterline, desperate to fall and absolve at least some of the anguish that weighed on his heart.

In ten thousand years, Lucifer could always recall the day he fell... it made his bones ache and his wings burn, just as violently as his heart shattered once more from the sharp stong of betrayal. An eternal punishment for one little mistake, one misstep, one desire to be more than a mindless little puppet with no thoughts of his own.

"...do you think, perhaps, that everything is in fact a particularly unfunny cosmic joke?" Alastor muses, into the sudden silence of the room. "Why, if you put something in the middle of a lovely room, point to it and say Do Not Touch That Item in Particular... then you are, almost guaranteeing, that that is the first thing someone will do when you turn your back. How ridiculous would it be for an omnipotent allegedly wise creator to put such an obvious trap in place... and then be, what, cranky, that someone fell into it?"

A low hum of almost music wafted through the air around them, like a silken breeze on raw nerves.

"Why, it almost seems like this was a deliberate little game, and it was a matter of time before someone disobeyed. You, my little king, were formed with a set purpose... yet somehow you allegedly failed that. But, if I were to really set my mind to it... I would ask, how?" Alastor tilts his head, slight nausea rising at showing kindness to someone he was in the middle of a pointedly non-erotic (no matter what Angel said) rivalry with.

"You bait a trap, and you put the animal into the enclsure that you wish to fall into it... condition it, even, to make it more likely to do as you willed it. Only to, what? become angry when they did? It's preposterous and cruel, as most fathers turn out to be in my experience."

Lucifer's mind is swirling, heart thundering at the implications. Of course he'd had such blasphemous thoughts in the past, in his darkest moments... but to hear another speak them so plainly. So unafraid of the heavenly lightning bolt that could erase him forever.

"...you think my Father made me to give you humans free will?" he asks, weakly, wings shuddering in phantom discomfort. Invisible flames subsuming them over and over, as nerves fired.

"I-... are you well? You're shivering."

"Just... it's the day I-... you know, created this place. Or should I say cratered this place, hah!" Lucifer huffs, miserably. "It always feels like I'm burning alive again and again, all day long... it's part of the punishment, I think."

"Ah... well, I can't hypnotise you to ignore it, but perhaps this might help?" Alastor suggests, his shades sliding slowly up and over the King's flesh, his wings, cool and soothing like a pool of water. The magical effect seemed to counteract whatever was happening in his head, and Lucifer just about melted in relief. "I have heard that sometimes there is a psychosomatic effect when it comes to traumatic incidents... some Sinners can still feel their deaths on certain dates, because that is simply how their minds assume Hell works. Of course, it could be divine punishment, I'm not discounting the idea your father might be as volatile and self-serving as my own... but, do tell me if that has helped."

"...it has. Not sure how, but... it has." Lucifer mumbles, not willing to admit he was feeling better to this particular sinner. "So I'm punishing myself?"

"Why... perhaps, your lowness, perhaps! What a most effective means of perpetuating cruelty, I must say, than to teach your victim to place the burden of cruelty onto their own shoulders forevermore. Ingenious, sadistic, outright child abuse!"

"Hey I'm not a-..."

"That is neither here nor there, my petite powerhouse. My point remains that the progenitor of your existence harmed you in a manner wherein you spent the last few thousand years self-flagellating, all the while your pain serves to amuse one who does not raise a finger. And all for a mistake you had no real say in, if my theories are correct..." Alastor's grin went rictus tight. "Why else would the so-called Tree of Knowledge be created, if not to tempt disobedience, and the bleeding heart of his most curious creation? How cruel to be the angelic whipping boy, punished for a crime that was not a crime, but an anticipated outcome?"

His claws shredded the couch beneath Lucifer's grip. "But... if it was supposed to happen... why would-... why was I punished? If that's what was planned?" Bile rose up his throat, stomach roiling violently. "Why me, of all my siblings?"

A horrified pause, "Not that I would ever, ever, EVER want them to feel like this... to Fall, to burn and be broken. But I couldn't ever imagine standing there and passing judgement as they did. Tearing out their flight feathers so they would strike the ground and known the error of their ways..."

Images of Michael, of Azazel, of all his many siblings falling and screaming and burning flickered through his mind's eye and constricted his chest tightly. The shadows around his shoulders pressed rhythmically at his tense shoulders, and the pressure points about his throat until he felt able to breathe again.

Alastor didn't look at him as he spoke again. "Little Ma-... Lucifer, I believe that even were you cast in the role of juror, you would have fought against the popular vote. So put that out of your mind. Of the angels, and what little humans ever gleaned about the heavenly host, you were the only one ever made who was filled with a curiosity and compassion your siblings lacked in favour of pure obdeience. But... as I have stated before, when one is singled out amongst the flock for a perceived flaw in their design, in their creation... then there is nothing that that person could ever do or say to gainsay the way they are treated. You were Made to Fall, and... to free humanity of servitude."

"...why would He do that? I thought we were all loved... at least back then?" Lucifer chokes, his wings wrapping around himself, a feathered ball of tears and misery.

"Because you were born. Because you were a catalyst, the one who could provide the gentle nudge that humanity needed to evolve and be of interest to your capricious creator. What fun would there be for Heaven if all they saw when they looked down their noses was kindness, peace and love all over the earth?" Alastor laughed, the sound bone-chilling. "The self-righteous and allegedly holy love to judge others, that's their whole thing. Never lifting a finger to help... but feeling self-importance in their refusal, their perceived goodness, because they followed perceived rules and norms. Of course Humanity would be granted free will, the only question was when."

Another pause curls through the air, heavy with static like a rumbling thundercloud. "You were simply... a convenient way to enforce the Plan, or what I assume of it, Sire. Perhaps it is time to forgive yourself the transgression, if you still think it so. Stop letting your father hold this over you, crippling you, so that you can be a better parent to your own child - Charlotte is grieving for you right now, agonising over how best to help, when she doesn't, and thankfully could never, understand. You are not your father's cruelty."

Lucifer felt lost. "Char Char knows I'm-... all messed up?" he whispers, feeling the crushing weight of poor parenting decisions slam down on his shoulders. Only to abruptly switch to pure anger as a tendril smacks him across the back of the head. "What the f-... you asshole!"

"Leave the self-deprication alone, Majesty, you'll leave little material for when I need to find new ways to torment you at our next bout of rivalry." Alastor intones cheerfully. "And... despite your absence in her life, what I have come to learn of our dear Charlotte, is that you have been a kind father to her when you could. Her anguish is because you were not there, because she knows you are hurting and she wishes to help... not because of any cruelty you inflicted deliberately or otherwise."

"...that was the closest thing to a compliment I think you've ever directed my way. Careful, people might think you aren't the big bad wolf at the door anymore if you keep slipping like this." Lucifer teases, scubbing at the teartracks with his wrist, a watery grin breaking through. "You... think I'm a good father?"

"...now I never said that, did I?" Alastor taunts, and relents at the flash of hurt on the King's face. "Settle yourself, your majesty, I would say with as much honesty as I am capable... that you are an adequate parent to young Charlotte at this time. You have lost time with her, but you are trying to grow into that role, and she appreciates it... even if her blinding optimism makes her challenging to manage on occasion. Unable to see the voice of experience leading her down the safe path, when her heart believes it can change the minds of those above with enough application of kindness."

"Yeah, when she wanted to speak to Heaven I was so afraid for her... she's so like me, what would happen if they cast her out too? I'd-... I'd burn all of Heaven down for her. But I don't want her to wake screaming at the sensation of burning, like I did... recalling the condemnation in their eyes for simply wanting to believe humanity could be better if they had choice."

"...you blame yourself for Sinners, and so does Heaven. However, does that not equally afford you the accolades for each and every Winner that arrives at the Pearly Gates?" Alastor counters, tugging the King from those dark thoughts. Of course prodding at the pint-sized monarch was fun, but not like this. There were those who deserved to be tormented endlessly for all of time; but this broken demi-godling needed to know a kindness that he'd never been given.

At least Alastor had had his own mother to balance out the cruelty of his progenitor and the world at large. The bigotry and hatred, the disgust at his existence. Her kind and soothing hugs, her soft singing voice, her calm in the eye of the storm that was their tumultuous life.

Lucifer had been alone in that storm with no one to help him for centuries beyond measure. Only knowing the rain, even with the love and light that both Lillith and then Charlie had shown him. Believing his role was to stand in the rain and shiver for his penance... not conceiving that perhaps he should be allowed to know warmth alongside those he loved.

"I... hadn't thought of it that way. All I see is Pride bursting at the seams, with more arriving every day, and each one that hits the pavement is somehow my fault. They stem from my original sin, from the temptation of Lillith and then Eve... all this suffering for my sake."

"Oh do get over yourself, sire." Alastor smacks that train of thought down rapidly, earning an indignant glare. "Listen to yourself. For one, we covered this earlier in our little metaphysical chat about how you had been the sacrifical lamb for a capricious deity that needs a Worst Father of Time Immemorial mug slapped in his hands as soon as possible. Secondarily, do you recall what Charlie said when she returned from that meeting with Heaven, hmmm?"

"That they... didn't know what counted towards earning entry into Heaven? They made that list, but it didn't make any sense?"

"Exactly. And if the feathered idiots can't work out what gets you IN as a Winner, would it be safe to assume that... perhaps... the list of reasons to be designated a Sinner may be as ridiculously nebulous and contradictory as Heaven's own rules? Why, there's at least a few Sinners whose only crime was not being of the heterosexual persuasion, and another I am aware of who stole out of desperation to feed their children, and yet they are intermingled with child-touchers, arsonists, murders and all manner of vile beasts.

Take Angel Dust for example. Born to a crime syndicate familia, beaten until he wasn't a 'sissy' and forced to kill on his family's orders. He was who he was at the core, but suppressed it to avoid being caught, using substances to cope until they eventually killed him. His death inevitable, whether by drugs, another family, or his own for daring to be born liking men and shaming their silly moral ideals of masculinity. One could say it was as much a situation of coersive control as the deal he is trapped in with that disgusting moth. It doesn't count the time he helped care for his grandmother as she passed, or stood up to his family, or let a victim go quietly..."

"How do you know this?" Lucifer glared suspiciously.

"He talks quite a lot when he's drunk or thinks no one is really listening. And I rather like to assume I always am. If you're near a radio, or a sound based device, I can tune in. Quite frustrating until you work out how to turn the volume down on a few thousand devices all at once and filter it all." Alastor explains, rolling his eyes. "You cannot fathom how frustrating it is keeping Vox out of one's head given that the demon continues to command half the sound-enabled technology in the city at any given time. He's quite the pest."

"You want me to smite him?" Lucifer joked, feeling at least a little better now they'd talked through the glut of negative emotions in his gut.

"Hah, that would be a true delight to see, but no... I want to swat him back down once and for all like the little gnat he is." Alastor tilts his head, consideringly, at Lucifer. "Little King, has anyone ever thanked you for your gift of Free Will to Humanity?"

"I-... wha-... no?" Luficer babbled, flustered by the sudden return to a sore subject.

"Then, let me be the first... for no one will ever believe you, but we shall both know it happened. Lucifer Morningstar, thank you for providing all of humanity with Free Will, and the ability to determine our own futures, fates and ultimate resting places. What we each have done with this gift is on only ourselves, and you should leave your self-blame and doubt aside. I am here because of my own actions, and I would not have it any other way. My mother was a Winner because of your actions... and I cannot thank you enough for that."

Something hot and bubbly writhed in Lucifer's chest, spilling out of his eyes in absolute confused catharsis. His attempts to speak choke off, overwhelmed.

Lillith had tried to reassure him, but she had fallen with him. Her love and absolution was different, as was his for her...

This... this was... having someone who should revile him, and did in their own weird bantery way, for cursing him to eternal torment... and thanking the Devil for it. Fuck this was not easy to navigate the emotions this whole thing was spawning.

"Would it... be weird to say 'You're Welcome'?" He finally managed, chuckling awkwardly.

"Indeed it would, but it is appreciated all the same." Alastor returns, standing up and straightening his suit. "Do you feel ready to come down to dinner with the rest of the residents, or shall I have Niffty fetch some fare to your room for the evening?"

"I... uh, wow, being around people on a bad day has never worked out well for me. historically."

"You have managed adequately well with myself, your Lowness, so perhaps you should reconsider your current progress towards emotional management. As dear Charlotte might say, you are headed in the right direction!"

As the Overlod steps away, Lucifer grabs him by the nearest wrist, wincing at the sudden squeal of radio signals going haywire.

"Hey, wait... I'm sorry for touching you, but it's the fastest way for me to get a read on a Sinner. You just... you said some things, before, and I wanted to check in that you were alright too?" Lucifer felt awkward, and then ridiculous for the primary emotion becuase he was literally the most powerful being in the realm and part of his power was literally to pass judgement through reading souls. Why should he feel awkward?

"Would you let me... see? You know about what happened to me, but the way you spoke... but you don't have to!"

Alastor's arm twitches, like he wants to pull away... but the wrist remains in the Devil's grip, forcibly relaxing as a curt nod is provided. His thumb touching the slightest patch of skin between shirt sleeves and glove, and thrumming from low-level feedback that wound about the demon's heartbeat as if one and the same.

He would have backed off if the other had asked, had jerked away, had done anything but look at him in confused acceptance.

In a moment, everything is laid out before the King, and everything about Alastor clicked into place. A child born to a mother who should have reviled him, for her loss of choice in the matter and the social stigma it carried even though she was the victim. A little boy who was never fully wanted or loved by either heritage, too busy walking the line between two worlds that had their own views and ideals. A father whose actions went unquestioned, even when his anger bent and broke the people he held power over.

The higher society loved him, and laughed off his disciplining of the lessers, the lower tiers. They joked at the expense of the people he forced, beat down and exploited. For how would they know? Anyone not of their colouration was clearly something beneath them, too stupid to consider anything but liberated property even in those days. And for the people from whom his mother had descended, Alastor was a disgusting reminder of powerlessness, of perceived capitulation to the white man.

Even when he broke down the door, beat and bruised those within and eventually killed her... that was his right. His status made him untouchable.

A creature that hated his progeny for existing, and taking no ownership in what he had made, except in perpetuating cruelty again and again. Though when he was found deceased in the bayou, mercilesly hacked to pieces and half-devoured by gators, the whole town there such a to-do about it. As if he had mattered... as if he was a saint befallen of hard times.

But he was far from the only one of his ilk, and there was only so much time in the world to dispose of them. A neverending parade of people whom police would side with no matter what evidence remained at the scene.

Lucifer did suppress a smile at Mimzy's arrival in the narrative, watching the little lady hoist corpses and help in vivisections with a smile. Of course what the pair did was nightmarish... but... as a bastion of punishment and judgement himself, Lucifer could hardly fault them.

And then, a gunshot in the night and hunting dogs... and falling.

Lucifer had always assumed Sinners falling into Hell was meant as a parody of his own descent into darkness. But he'd never considered what it must be like to creatures who had never known flight, who had no experience with the swooping delight in their gut from diving and twirling through the air. To be tumbling from a height without any sense of bearing must be terrifying... and not all in his realm deserved the harsh concrete embrace of the realm.

Oh, Alastor's actions meant he did, of course... but not everyone.

Though he could empathise with the almost certain first death as they struck the ground. Their own human deaths still lingering in their nervous systems even as their forms changed beyond recognition...

With a wince, the King withdraws from the memories and rubs a concilliatory circle on the other's wrist. "I'm sorry..." he's not entirely sure what for exactly. Things had not had a happy start... how could one make a Winner out of someone who was shunned by society and the Good Christian Peoples from the moment of his conception?

It made the King doubt Heaven's insistance that sinners simply chose this life. What could have gone different for this man before him, for any like him, had they been born into a loving and accepting world?

What kind of people would his sinners be if they had had a different path? If Angel had been born in the current decade, he would just be another person... as would Alastor, and possibly even Husk too. He wasn't sure what the cat's deal was except he had a vice for gambling and drink... not exactly world ending sins.

Niffty... well, the one time he'd accidentally brushed against her skin when he found her sobbing, he got the impression of violence, and immaculate housekeeping and blood everywhere. He hadn't pried further... but it felt like she could have had another, better life, in a time away from the need to force people into marriages and roles from an early age, without anywhere to turn to when things went rotten.

He squints, a phantom ache behind his eyes that feels wildly unsettling. "Do you... sometimes feel the bullet is rattling about in your skull?"

"Don't fret over it. Much like your annual agony, it's only bothersome on certain anniversaries... or when the Devil goes rooting around in your being, apparently." He looks at the open sorrow on Lucifer's face. "Oh please don't strain yourself, Sire... it's hardly the worst way to die. You, yourself, must have been in greater discomfort on your fall..."

"No, I'm sorry that things were like that for you. On Earth. That's not the way we originally designed things at all... and... and it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, Heaven has made it almost impossible for people to be Winners unless they're excruciatingly lucky or very devout. Even then, you need to be born right in the middle of the right family, the right society, the right everything according to that place... the deck is stacked against you otherwise."

"Nevermind, Lucifer, you will find I am quite delighted to be here in Hell... there's so much to entertain me here! Why, I had the delightful pleasure of being able to kill my father TWICE! Not many can attest to such a feat." Alastor grinned, his free hand seemed to stretch out as if to summon his cane and twirl it... before faltering. "Ah, you will get to hear his screams another time then. Now, if you are feeling less miserable after our little heart to heart... perhaps we could, say, find a way to freshen you up for dinner?"

"Alastor... where's your little microphone thing?"

Crimson eyes narrow at him, and it's clear the other didn't want him to notice that little snafu. "Why it's recharging in my tower... overused it recently, after all." The deflection is near seamless.

"Okay..." Lucifer wasn't convinced. He was getting better at reading the perpetual grin, now they'd been up close and personal in an emotional crisis, and it seemed deceptive. "Did you want me to help you with that weird not-headache you have, like you did for me and my not-burning wings?"

"I-... I strongly suspect there's littel you can do, Majesty. There's nothing there to soothe..." Alastor admits, shifting his weight in uncertainty.

"Oh, but I might be able to pull the same trick you did... not sure about the other bites and scars, but I could at least tell your brain to ignore their signals until it stops." Lucifer suggests, sending concentrated pulses of energy up the Sinner's arm. He's just delighting in the shocked expression Alastor's sending his way at the alleviation of discomfort, when he finds it.

In an instant, he's yanked the other onto the couch and is pinning him down by straddling the other's hips. The King's wings ache as the shadows briefly flicker away as distorted radio signals spike through the air about them.

"What the fuck is this?" Lucifer growls, using one hand to pin the Overlord's wristsover his head and ignoring the menacing snarl he gets in response. Other hand tearing through the fabric between him and the sodden bandages. "Alastor, you idiot, do you have any idea how bad this is?"

It takes nothing at all to disperse them, leaving the injury out for all and sundry to see.

"Get. Off. Me."

"No. You came poking in here and harassed me out of my little comfortable nest of pain and self-loathing, so it's time I return the favour... before you drop double-dead." Lucifer grimaces, tracing lightly over the crude stitching.

Someone did an immaculate job initially, but it's clear that the stitches snapped at some point and Alastor had taken to piecing the skin back together himself with what must be a vestige of his shadows. Nothing is neat, not like the stitching Alasotr had managed on those poppets of his. But then, there's a difference between flesh and fabric...

"It's fine. Let me up and we shall not discuss this any further." Alastor attempts to negotiate.

"No, it's not. This is chock-full of Adam's essence... ugh, what a sentence... and it's trying really hard to consume you from the inside out. So just be a good little deer and, in the spirit of your new not-hate for each other as weird co-parents to my adult daughter, I'm going to save your life." Lucifer counters, gritting his teeth as he carefully runs a finger across the threads already in situ to dissolve them. Wound gaping almost obscenely before the edges start to heal so extremely slowly it was almost comical.

As he worked to tug the stubborn grace from the sinner, Lucifer couldn't help but note that for all of Alastor's verbal protesting, his shadows remained in place as a soothing balm on his wings and back. Charlie had spoken at length about how hard it can be to accept you need help, and even more difficult once it's supplied to you. Lucifer's going to assume that's what's happening here, it fits the narrative.

Carefully, he collects the golden glow and traps it within a swiftly summoned jar. That would need to be properly sealed later, to avoid someone else having it break free start poisoning whichever sinner was closest.

"It's okay, I'm nearly done... promise..." he mutters, automatically soothing like he used to with Charlie and sometimes even Lillith, when the everyday became fraught with illness and injury. "Just a little longer..."

With gentle persuasion, the last of the wound sealed itself from the inside out, finally drawing the whole situation to a close. If the Devil left his hand on the soft fluff of the other's chest a moment too long, well, perhaps he was merely checking that the slight scar remaining was the best he could do in terms of closing the injury.

"I don't think I can erase it completely." He apologises. "Angelic weapons always leave a mark, no matter how well you heal them..."

A sharp bark of laughter replies, startling the King, who finally realises he'd released Alastor's hands some time ago but had yet to be clawed, eviscerated or otherwise shoved off.

"Another scar to the collection is hardly something I will lose sleep over, little king... as you can see, I have been quite the connoisseur." Alastor retorts, and it may just be Lucifer's tired brain playing tricks like it so often did, but there seemed to be a new sparkle in those red eyes. The energetic nightmare was once more back to his normal high spirits.

"Oh, uh, you're welcome I guess?"

"Yes, how impolite of me... thank you for your unexpected gift of healing, that is... not how I anticipated our little chat to go, in all honesty." replied the demon, who then looked pointedly at their positioning. "Now, is there perhaps a... fee for this service that you are suggesting with our current arrangement... or shall we both make an appearance at dinner so dear Charlotte will not assume we've murdered one another?"

"I-... what-... You-... hold up a second, I wasn't implying anything... it's just easier to make sure I can reach the injury and stop you from hurting yourself while I did so. Unless you WANT something else to happen, but that's a whole other coversation and I'm way too tired to even consider it." Lucifer groaned internally as he heard his own rambling, why couldn't he get his mouth to stop?! "And also, let's get this straight... I would be hiding your body from Char Char, not the other way around, because let's be real... if Adam got you this bad, then you certainly can't take me."

"Ah, again with the propositioning, little King... I'm certain that I could take you. However, you couldn't handle me, I would love to show you your place, one day..." Alastor retorts, seemingly oblivious to the double entendres spilling freely from that sharp-toothed mouth.

Lucifer groans in exasperation. "Do you hear yourself? You need to stop talking before someone does something they'll regret..." He exhales in frustration. "Okay, okay, table that for another time. Where's your little staff? Did it get broken when you fought Adam?"

There's a petulant pause. "...yes."

"Can I see it?"

"Majesty, I thought we'd just gone past this and you're back to asking to see my majestic staff..." Alastor allows a dramatic yelp as he's whacked across the ear for that one.

"Stop it!" Lucifer is barely containing his laughter now.

"You're the one who wants to take my staff in hand, after all..."

"Keep it up, smartass and I'll fuck you!"

"...it's fuck you up, majesty."

"That's not what I said."

The room goes dead silent as the tell-tale radio noise fades out. Alastor looks, aptly enough, like a deer in headlights.

"What?"

A very amused grin creeps across Lucifer's face. "Oho-ho, so I've finally found a way to catch you off-guard, little buck..."

Despite how awful this initial interaction had started out, Lucifer found himself relaxing into the familiar pattern of banter, turnabout wordplay and now... victory, with the Overlord. Today could have gone worse, and historically always had... but this, this was enough to make his brain settle.

"Unsportsmanlike conduct, seducing the other team without fair warning." Alastor threw out, clearly having no idea where to go with this. "Might I remind you that we have a dinner engagement in..."

"Five minutes, if that clock's right... yeah, yeah you're right. I need to look less like I've been a sobbing mess all day, and you... need to cover that body up before I decide to have dessert before dinner." Lucifer mumbled, absently, staring at the fluff his hands were wrist deep in. It was so SOFT.

He momentarily wondered if Angel Dust's was the same, or thicker. The arachnid sure had offered to let him pet it enough times since he started living here. And shook the thought free, feeling odly disloyal, despite not being in a relationship with Alastor.

He yelped slightly as Alastor shadow-stepped to the side, appearing upright behind him as the Overlord began to rebutton his shirts.

"Well, we mustn't keep the others waiting. It was Angel's turn to cook tonight, so we may have something edible for once, and I for one am famished after that little heart to heart." Alastor adds, his static skipping as Lucifer snaps his fingers and both demons get a magical once-over. Skin clean and feeling freshly showered, attire back in place immaculately.

"True. I-... hmmmm." Lucifer pauses as he eyes his wings. "Can your shadows follow my wings into their dimensional pocket, if I put them away?"

Alastor thinks a moment. "I don't see why not, we can but try."

Slowly, braced for an outcome wherein the shadows slip away and the pain returned full force, Lucifer retracts the wings... with minimal fuss. The back of his shirt did have an unusual black backing where normally pristine white reigned supreme. However, that was it.

"It worked? It Worked!" Lucifer crowed. He whirled, enthusiastically, on Alastor. "Now, give me your stick!"

Predictably, with a hand to his brow like an offended dowager, the sinner replied, "Why Majesty, we're not even officially courting yet and you make such crude demands of-..."

"Oh come off it, you dork, now hand over the microphone and I'll fix it before dinner. We're got like ninety seconds and counting..."

Alastor's shadow swirled up from the floor to deposit the broken staff in the King's hands. The microphone lay dead and unresponsive in his grasp.

"Well, that's pretty fucked up... let's see if I can get it working again." Lucifer said, his nebulous power swirling about both fists as he clenched the staff tightly. With a snapping twist, he slammed the halves together in a thunderclap of sound and brilliant light. Forcing the tiniest trace of residual grace out of the item.

"Here you go, I think I fixed it. Been a while since I needed to coax a foci back to life like that, but what can I say? Always been talented with my hands."

Alastor took the microphone reverently, lighting up as the little eye opened again and power surged between the two like a closed circuit. "Hello old friend, it appears the show is able to go on after all... thanks to his little Majesty."

"Hey, enough with the Littl-...mmmph?!"

As swiftly as the kiss came, it was gone.

"Thank you, Lucifer. You have brought back something of great value. Without my foci it has been difficult to provide the defense that the hotel required, so I'm sure it will benefit us all in time." Alastor smoothed over the moment. "And as for those magic hands..."

Lucifer was going to have the first angelic heart attack if the other didn't finish his sentence.

"...would they care to come to my room later, to share in a duet with me? I noted your fiddle skills were quite advanced, and I have had few opportunities to play the piano in company these past few decades."

Lucifer's heartbeat skyrocketed, joy filling the former angel. With a bright grin, he nodded enthusiastically.

"It's a date, then!" he grinned.

Alastor paused by the doorway, glancing back for a long moment as if considering what had just happened. Finally, he nodded, a truly delighted grin sliding into place under the false smile on his face.

"Indeed it is. Now, let us head to dinner before an emergency hug therapy intervention is called, and the whole staff burst in here. You do not wish to be on the receiving end of one of those, trust my word on that one." Alastor advises, sauntering out.

Lucifer trailed behind him, slightly giddy... but also now questioning what in the seven rings the aforementioned intervention would look like.

Ah, he loved his darling daughter... but she had some very strange ideas sometimes. Must take after Lillith then, hthe King of Rubber Ducks thought, with no hint of irony.

---------

End

Just a random story that was meant to be like a four line headcanon that spiralled wildly out of control.

[dolphin1812]

 I highly recommend looking through @everyonewasabird's analysis for this chapter, particularly the title and the issues present for Cosette, as it’s extremely insightful.

Valjean is continuing the trend of poor decision-making by the characters after a sleepless night (he is also the one usually making these decisions).

Seeing Marius call Valjean “father” hurts because it would be so nice for him to have a living father figure! But it’s about to go so badly! 

And the future Marius imagines is actually beautiful! When he speaks of his relationship with Cosette, he always says “we” and “our” here (“we” don’t want you staying in the old house, for instance). His phrasing suggests a partnership where he and Cosette make decisions together. He’s trying to make Valjean at home, too, and he’s also pointing out how he can be a part of her life (their walks!!). The idea of a Gillenormand-Valjean friendship is so preposterous that it’s almost funny, but he has good intentions.

. . .  But of course, Jean Valjean can’t accept happiness, so he has to tell Marius about his true identity. I understand why Marius is shocked, but I still hate how he immediately thinks of his own future rather than the man in front of him. The tomb comparison is concerning.

It’s so frustrating how Valjean downplays his relationship with Cosette, too. He’s so much more than a “passers-by” to her, and although it’s true that he loves children in general, he doesn’t love Cosette in the way he’s a “grandfather” to all children. He loves her as his daughter specifically. He’s trying to reason Cosette into the place of the random people he’s rescued, but it doesn’t work, and not only because he actually does end up building relationships by his kind acts (as seen with Fauchelevent, who was offended that Valjean didn’t recognize him after impacting him so deeply). It doesn’t work because Cosette is the most important relationship in his life.

Another sad detail: if this isn’t the longest amount of time Jean Valjean has ever spoken for, then it’s certainly up there. The rambling style is how the misérables speak (the references to Champmathieu are probably incomprehensible to Marius), but the content is purely his self-hatred as he projects a stereotypical bourgeois perspective onto himself and then projects that view onto others.

Deciding that he must be miserable and arrest himself out of “duty” is also the most Javert thing he has ever done. 

Cosette! Marius is trying to save Valjean here, but it’s so clear that Marius’ ideal has already fallen apart. Cosette is completely excluded from decision-making. Her protests at their treatment of her and their secretiveness are ignored. Valjean may not be able to stick with his initial thought of avoiding her entirely, but she’s still marginalized in the household, and it’s only been a day.

[professorathena-pokemonexpert]

The Convoluted Mess of Revavroom's Anatomy

"If we were going to make a Pokémon based on the motif of a car, for example, what would it eat? Would you make it able to suck up gasoline? How would it use the energy it got from that—how would it use that source of power? Even if the design is based on a car, a Pokémon is a living creature, so we would work over and over how to express its "car-ness" and what its source of energy should be."

Does this sound familiar? Probably not. This is a quote by Ken Sugimori, illustrator for Pokémon. In an interview for Pokémon Ultra Sun & Pokémon Ultra Moon Edition: The Official National Pokédex (yes, that is a mouthful), Ken was discussing the process of designing a Pokémon. Nearly 5 years after the guide was published, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the Nintendo Switch were released, and among the 102 new Pokémon first spotted in the vast Paldea region, we got two Pokémon that live up to Ken's point.

Varoom, the Single-Cyl Pokémon, and Revavroom, the Multi-Cyl Pokémon.

As you can tell by their designs, Varoom and Revavroom... certainly are genetic anomalies. A lot of people may be confused as to their digestive biology, but no fear, trainers! After having to rewrite this entire post after accidentally deleting it, I, Professor Athena, am here to tell you all about these mechanical marvels.

#0965 - Varoom

Before we can properly dissect what Varoom's diet consists of, we must first ask an important question regarding it...

..what is it exactly?

Well, in terms of origins, Varoom seems to be based on an internal combustion engine, a heat engine used in gasoline and diesel vehicles to convert gasoline into fuel for the car to run.

This actually ties into a small tidbit that we know about Varoom from Pokémon. According to Varoom's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Violet, the metallic part of Varoom is its actual body, the part that controls Varoom's movement and thought patterns. Meanwhile, the deep purple rocks that it carries around are supposedly its source of energy, converting the minerals of said rocks into energy.

While it may seem preposterous for a biotic creature such as Varoom to feed off of abiotic materials, this is an actual behavior present in numerous species of microorganisms. These microorganisms, often referred to as lithotrophs, use the energy of inorganic substrates to feed. Varoom does the same thing, but generalized to the rocks it will carry around with it

Although, while this does answer one question, it raises another all the same:

If Varoom feeds solely off the rocks that lay on its underbelly, then why does it have a "mouth" (which is truthfully a crankshaft)? It can't speak, and it's easy to assume that Varoom as a species doesn't rely too heavily on emotions for communication.

Well, there is a simple explanation for this: It does. The way that lithotrophs turn inorganic materials into energy isn't an evolutionary choice based on effectiveness, but rather necessity. What I mean is, lipotrophic means of consumption are much less practical than the things you and I are able to consume. While this low energy intake works for the sessile microorganisms, there are much better methods of intaking energy, rendering lipotrophy useless for more complex organisms, let alone Varoom. Despite what its in-game mechanics may suggest, Varoom is capable of long-term levitation and floats around the player at impeccable speeds. In order for a 35-kilogram-heavy being to be able to levitate at such speeds, it would require much more than occasional lithotrophy to rely on.

That begs the question of what Varoom actually eats with its "mouth". Since Varoom is devoid of teeth (thank Arceus for that decision), there are one of two reasonable conclusions that we can draw.

Varoom feeds exclusively off liquids and the energy it absorbs from rocks. Seeing as it's a car engine, while animalian in biology, it's still likely that it possesses some traits of IC engines. Given its Poison-typing, it's likely that poisonous/energetic liquids (slime, mucus, gasoline, fuel, etc.) are its main source of energy, leaving it motile for hours on end if it consumes enough.

It has an organ inside of its body that helps properly digest the food it eats once it swallows it. Avians (birds) have an organ for this purpose, being the gizzard. Once the avian swallows its food, the gizzard breaks the food down until it's safe enough for full consumption. A similar thing could be present within Varoom's anatomy, and there's a likely chance that this organ is Varoom's equivalent of a piston. In an IC engine, the pistons move up and down along the crankshaft, generating torque. This could be Varoom's "gizzard", breaking down the food it eats with its up-and-down movement. As for what it would digest if this was the answer, I suspect that its diet would consist of some of the many rock-like monsters that make up the vast world of Pokémon.

There is one more problem, with a plausible solution that could help to decipher the entire anatomical structure of Varoom as a whole, but we will focus on that as we talk briefly about Revavroom.

#0966 - Revaroom

Now, our discussion of Revavroom is going to be very brief, seeing as much of what we said with Varoom doubles for its evolution. However, there is one part of Revavroom that concerns me but will make the whole evolutionary family make a lot more sense.

Do you see anything off?

If you were pointing to the very ominous and out-of-place tongue that Revavroom has on its air filter mouth, you would be correct! This singular detail raises heaps of odd questions, all of which make the anatomy of this Pokémon an absolute mess.

Why is there a tongue in its air filter mouth?

Why does its actual "mouth" not have a tongue?

Why does it still consume energy from the rocks that are magnetically connected to it?

Does this mean that Revavroom could hypothetically eat three meals at once? And if so, why?

I almost gave up trying to decipher this, but then, in the throes of confusion, a paranormal answer spawned. I mentioned Varoom's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Violet but had completely neglected to look over its entry in Pokémon Scarlet; an entry that would explain everything.

Varoom's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Scarlet states that Varoom is said to be an inspirited car engine, with Varoom actually being an unnamed poisonous Pokémon controlling and powering the host, which is what we see.

This... explains it all! Sure, the wording does make it seem like nothing but conspiracy hokum that trainers use to gossip around the campfire with, but this could actually make perfect sense.

All Varoom are born from a parasitized mother, and many from a parasitized father as well. The parasite transfers to the offspring through their genetics (similar to some real-world examples). From there, Varoom is now fully controlled by the spirit possessing it, explaining the levitation and the ability to display lithotrophic traits despite being a complex organism (the spirit is sucking out the energy of the minerals).

Over time, the parasite grew stronger, thus growing a second, actual mouth. The spirit tries to grow past the confines of what we see with Revavroom. Revavroom, now having two mouths to feed, has to get as much energy as possible to sustain the energy it's consuming. Furthermore, tongues and ghosts in Pokémon are symbolic of each other, with the move Lick being one of the first Ghost-type Pokémon moves ever created.

This... was a lot. And yes, I did have to write most of this twice. But, trainers, I'm glad you enjoyed another lesson from Professor Athena! Tune in next time when they go over more burning scientific Pokémon questions! Ta ta!

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #585

Top Ten Games I’d Like to See at Not-E3

Welcome to the latest edition of David’s Hastily Rewritten at the Last Minute Top Ten!

So here’s a little peek behind the curtain. I’d planned to do a couple of weeks of gaming-themed Top Tens (Tops Ten) leading up to a “prediction special” before the Xbox summer showcase in late June. And I am still doing that, more or less – except, with the announcement of the PlayStation showcase this coming week, I decided late in the day to switch gears a little bit. I had thought, well, I don’t really play on the PlayStation – or even on the Switch that much, to be honest – so making bold predictions was rather daft. But then maybe trying to make any kind of predictions was a bit daft in any weather.

It used to be that E3 was a big deal, with all the major platform holders having a showcase and revealing their big news – alongside smaller, indie news nuggets too. But during the last console generation that stopped being as much of a thing, with multiple events spread across the year now dispensing news more evenly. Plus it feels like journalists – and Reddit – have gotten smarter at predicting what the major players are doing. For instance, they know when Nintendo are ordering processors or whatever, indicating they’re producing new hardware. That sort of thing. This detective work, although kinda cool, also robs us of a lot of genuine unexpected surprises. We knew Playground Games was working on a Fable reboot for, what, a year or two before it was announced. That’s just how these things happen I guess, and I don’t even feel I’m trawling for news or anything. I quite like to be surprised.

So anyway, I did have some Xbox-specific predictions written down but they seemed perfunctory and slight and, crucially, mostly unfunny. So instead I’ve once again cast my net industry-wide and rather than making bold and preposterous predictions – or even accurate ones – I’m just going to talk about what I’d like to see. Closer to the time I might go over some of my Xbox dreams, but it’ll be body text and not in the list. For now, here’s a list of ten games – some real, some imagined! – that I would love to hear about in the various shows and presentations over the next few weeks.

And that’s it!

Fable: we know it exists, we know Playground are making it… and that’s about it. What form, exactly, will Fable take? I assume it’ll be a third-person RPG as per the previous games. But Fable had such a distinct style, not just in art but also in tone and gameplay. Even if original developer Lionhead still existed, would it be possible for new people to recapture the magic of (especially) the first two Fable games? Will there be a dog? Will there be the simplistic one-button combat? Or breadcrumb trail? Will it be super-accessible but also really naughty? And just when can we play it? I’m hoping, with a tiny touch of realism, that it might be out by Christmas 2024, and we’ll get a bit of gameplay or at least an in-engine trailer this year.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2: a game that feels like it’s really taking its sweet time but which – I have decided to believe – will be out this year. Maybe. Anyway, I’d like to see more gameplay – a proper extended live playthrough, right there on stage. And I’d like it to end with “November 2023” or something. That’s it!

Ara: History Untold: I’m fascinated and intrigued by Microsoft’s Civ-a-like. We’ve had a sort-of cinematic trailer and a few ambiguous screenshots, but I really want a serious deep-dive into what it’s like, how it plays, and why it’s different to the all-conquering Civ. I’ll be playing this regardless – Game Pass, natch – but I want to see it in action, and I want some seriously detailed articles from embedded journalists.

Mass Effect: another game that’s taking its sweet time, and one we’ve seen even less about than Hellblade 2. The first Mass Effect trilogy is tremendous, one of the best game series of the 360/PS3 era – and that’s really saying something. After the misfire of (slightly underrated) Mass Effect: Andromeda, we’re all rooting for this new game, especially as it looks like it’ll have some returning characters from the classic trilogy. I’ve no idea when it’s due, but it’d be great if EA could show it off a bit this year.

Indiana Jones: another one that’s shrouded in mystery, but surely with Dial of Destiny in cinemas now would be a good time to see the first Indy game in an age? I’ve no idea what to expect – presumably a third-person action-adventure, hopefully one that puts as much emphasis on Indy’s wits and smarts as it does on his ability to punch Nazis. It’d also be great if it was due in the next eighteen months. One thing I’m not looking forward to is the inevitable console war it’ll kick off: produced by a Microsoft-owned studio, but featuring a huge global franchise, I genuinely could see it going either way vis-à-vis its appearance on a PlayStation. And whatever happens, some people are going to be very vocally annoyed.

Quake 2: “but Quake 2 has been out since 1997,” I hear you cry. Yes, but not on Xbox Series X/S. After Quake’s surprising (but delightful) console remaster, I want Quake 2 to get the same treatment. But – here’s the thing – I want to see them implement the fantastic ray tracing effects you can get on PC. There just isn’t enough ray tracing on console, people! I know this would be smaller potatoes than some of the other huge fries in this list, but then I like a bit of retro fun.

Civilization VII: I mentioned Ara above, but the daddy of the genre is obviously still Civ. I’ve played Civ VI a frankly unhealthy amount – 1,700 hours on PC and another 200 on Xbox by last count – so even though there’s still (still!) a lot to do I’m ready and willing to see what’s next. Now, I’m certainly not expecting a deep dive filled with gameplay; they’ve only recently released DLC for the latest game. But a proper announcement and maybe even tentative release date (2024?) would be enough. Although I’d love a screenshot.

Mario Kart: now, realistically, I’m not expecting a new Kart – or a new Mario – until the Switch’s successor is released. But maybe that’ll happen soon! I’ve seen some prognosticators assuming that the “Switch 2” (please, please call it the “Super Switch”) will be out by next March. If so, they’d better start announcing games soon, and one I’d love to see would be a brand-new Mario Kart. Where do they go from here, is the question? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was almost a best-of package of the entire Kart saga. What more can they do, really? I’m fascinated to find out. And – selfishly – I’d like it to still come out on the old, original Switch too.

Lego… Something: yeah, vague. I dunno. After last year’s Skywalker Saga – a bit jaggedy round the edges but still excellent overall – I’m hankering for more TT Lego action. The company has a long history of making these fantastic, immersive, damn fun little games filled with Lego renditions of your favourite characters. I know they’re working on a new game – rumours have swirled about Marvel Super Heroes, Batman, and a general “Disney” game featuring Disney Animation and Pixar characters – but rumours have also swirled about development hell and projects being cancelled and rebooted. I hope they’re working on something, and I hope it’s in a good enough state to show, and I hope – for my own personal satisfaction – it’s either a DC or Marvel project. Adopting the open world hubs of Skywalker seems cool, but I’d rather they kept the actual missions tighter and more focused. And, personally, after revisiting their first success (Star Wars), I think they should go back to their second success (Batman). How about a multiversal mashup – Lego Batman: Infinite Crisis perhaps?

Lemmings: look, a guy can dream. I know Sony are working on some cool things – I’m very intrigued to see Wolverine – but they’re also sitting on Lemmings. Not literally, that’d be uncomfortable. But after the recent success of EA’s Command and Conquer remaster, I would love – love – for Sony to give the first two Lemmings games a spruce up with 4K graphics. Just make them inherently more playable and accessible on modern hardware; stick them on Steam, Epic, GOG, whatever. Hey! Howsabout you do some funky VR shit and put them on PSVR2 while you’re at it? I don’t care; I just want to easily play Lemmings 2: The Tribes on my PC. And after all my old wishes – new Fable, new Perfect Dark, Ron Gilbert returning to Monkey Island – actually went and came true, I’ve got to find another unrealistic aspiration.

So I tried to be more-or-less realistic here – Lemmings is the only one that’s truly out-there and very unlikely – but I could pluck from my ether several more games that I would like to see. A remaster of Fate of Atlantis in the manner of LucasArts’ other graphic adventures? Yes please! A new Banjo Kazooie? Seems inevitable at this point! More Crackdown? I doubt it! But all the same, the next few weeks should be full of incident and – hopefully – some of those surprises I mentioned before.

Zool on Game Pass! Red Alert 2 remaster!! HALF-LIFE 3!!!

[thetoxicgamer]

Don’t Know Which LCS Spring Playoff Team to Root For? Our Casual Fans Guide Can Help You Decide

Six of the top League of Legends teams in North America are about to begin the playoffs after three months of thrilling LCS competition. These playoff contenders have earned their spot by excelling in both incredible teamwork and individual skill. But now, when they embark on a complete best-of-five series on Summoner's Rift, their inventiveness will be put to the test. From championship favorites to dark horse contenders, there are plenty of different options for fans to support when the bracket begins on Thursday, March 23. But for any other fans who haven’t kept up with the LCS over these past eight weeks, here is a quick crash course on which teams you’ll want to stand behind when the sparks begin to fly. If you’re looking for the best bandwagons… For those looking for a surefire bet on a future champion, get ready to put on your favorite Cloud9 or FlyQuest jersey. Both of these teams have remained relatively consistent over the 2023 LCS Spring Split and also boast some of the most talented players in the league. During the first half of the season, FlyQuest were the scariest team on Summoner’s Rift, boasting a seven-game win streak fueled by their star-studded lineup with names like Spica, Impact, and their explosive AD carry newcomer, Prince. Although they cooled down significantly through the second half of the spring, FlyQuest still have incredible firepower to go with their experience. In a similar fashion, C9 have plenty of explosive, veteran talent. Whether you’re banking on an MVP-level jungler like Blaber, a consistent force like Fudge, or the team’s dominant bottom lane duo of Berserker and Zven, you can count on this team to push far into the playoffs—especially after riding into the final week of the regular season as the top team in the league. If you’re a fan of ultimate comebacks… Nostalgic LCS fans will want to root for 100 Thieves, especially if they were fond of the Doublelift-Bjergsen era when these two legends took over the league years ago. Many people thought that this roster wouldn’t be able to stand tall among the other modern lineups of the league, and for a quick moment, this looked like an unfortunate future come true after week six. Heading into the last two weeks of the season, however, 100 Thieves activated some sort of magical force that suddenly elevated them to a seven-game win streak, including huge victories against Golden Guardians, Evil Geniuses, and CLG. Although they didn’t face off against either C9 or FlyQuest during this span, this momentum cannot be understated. The Thieves are ready for another preposterous heist, and they have some of the best players in the region’s history as the masterminds. If you’re a fan of building from within… Hard work and dedication are cornerstones for any successful organization, and in the LCS, no other team represents these keystones like CLG. While other teams looked toward the free agent market this past offseason, the coaching staff at CLG stood put with their squad from 2022 and built on the successes they found. Although CLG might not have as much firepower on paper as other options, their commitment to building with what they’ve got is an admirable quest that has shown steady growth. This split, for example, they finished in fourth place for the second time in a row, compared to the constant bottom-three finishes they’ve suffered between 2020 and 2022. They also have wins against every team in the league—except for FlyQuest—and could take some teams by surprise through the early stages of the playoffs. If you’re an underdog believer… No one thought that Golden Guardians would be a serious contender for the playoffs at the start of the split. In fact, many people believed they would be a bottom-three organization by the end of the regular season. After a seven-game win streak and some incredible performances from Gori, River, and Stixxay, however, these underdogs have booked themselves a golden ticket to the postseason. This roster is the perfect example of equaling higher than the sum of their parts, since individually, these players haven’t been considered absolute superstars during their careers. But with great teamwork and coordination, Golden Guardians could stun some fans, analysts, and teams when the postseason begins. The only issue is that they finished the regular season with three straight losses, and since most teams have now studied their playstyle, they could run into some flexibility issues when it comes to drafting and strategies. Read the full article

[thecallafrica]

Focus and distractions

I had my phone stolen today. A boy came up to me pretending to sell tissues while another tugged at my t-shirt sleeve asking for food. My first instinct was to walk faster, run away even, but the boy pulling at my shirt was pulling quite hard, making me slow down to tell him off sternly to stop. Never did I think that that was a ploy for his friend to pick my phone from my bag while I was telling him off!

Although I wasn't hurt, it was still a horrible experience to realise that the phone that my church friends gave me as a farewell gift, with many precious photos of my first 2 months in Ethiopia, was gone just like that. Simply because I was distracted, because I had complacently and proudly thought I'd been really careful with my belongings so far in Addis.

That one moment of distraction, when my focus shifted to the wrong thing, had cost me. And it is a reminder that I need to focus on the right things while I'm here in Addis - the reason God has brought me to Bingham, the reason I'd left material comforts, the burdens of the world that God had wanted me to put down. In the past few weeks, Satan had shot arrows of doubt, negativity, and pride at me, making me question if there's any real purpose for me to be teaching here at Bingham and whether Ethiopia or missions is really where God wanted me to be. All these distractions were threatening to drown me, the way Peter lost his footing on the water when he shifted his focus away from Christ. This lost phone is perhaps God's way of reminding me to focus back onto Him, of depending on His protection rather than my own wisdom.

This incident also showed me different facades of Ethiopian society. A group of beggars near where I'd lost my phone actually tried to comfort me (at least I think so since there was a language barrier) when I started tearing up and trying to look for help; another Ethiopian man tried to take advantage of the situation by pretending to give me a ride back to my apartment, all the while in the car trying to proposition to me and then wanting a preposterous fare when we arrived.

Regardless, I thank God I'm safe and nothing more than my phone was taken. Lessons, albeit painful, are perhaps best learnt this way.

[dreamersparacosm]

I’m in NEED of some rooster blurbs, imagine you two being all sweaty because your air conditioner stopped working in your apartment and you’re both hot and bothered so you take off clothes to get comfy and he’s turned on

it’s getting hot in here - rooster (top gun)

note ; i have been RABID for rooster since i saw this movie. i am so happy y’all share the love because the way i am imagining rooster being a little brat because it’s so damn hot and he doesn’t know how else to cool off.

warnings ; cursing, suggestive language

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

“this is fucking ridiculous,” he wiped another droplet of sweat from his forehead. he was standing up again after being sat down on the leather couch for about .2 seconds. how was he supposed to be comfortable when the air conditioner wasn’t working in 100 degree weather? it was preposterous, if you asked him. to save on rent, you and rooster had moved into a loft that had more problems than it was worth. to make matters worse, california was enduring a massive heat wave.

“baby, relax. complaining about it isn’t gonna make it any better,” you fanned yourself off with a nearby magazine you were reading before. you were too sweaty to focus on anything else but unsticking your thighs every three seconds. rooster wasn’t always in a bad mood, but when he was, he really was.

“you know, you would think our landlord would hop in his car because at least it has fucking air conditioning,” he was referring to your landlord’s attitude towards coming to your apartment to fix your issue. however, he seemed reluctant over the phone to budge.

“he’s probably sitting on his couch eating a fucking popsicle,” you agreed as you put your wet strands of hair up in a messy bun. “the only good thing is at least i’m shedding calories here. i feel like i’m in a damn sauna.”

“that’s it. i’ve had it up to here,” and with that, rooster took off his tank top, his abdominal muscles glistening with sweat. you had to look away, because you were just going to make yourself more hot if you stared at him. the last thing you needed was another part of you being wet.

he collapsed down next to you on the couch, sprawled out in refusal of letting any of his body parts touch. you were still trying to maintain minimal eye contact. wrong time to be horny, and you knew it. he knew this was going to be a problem for you, especially because your favorite pastime was commenting on his physique. the first time you noticed him at the hard deck, you thought to yourself damn, this guy works out. so, keeping your hands to yourself in this situation was not an easy one. “what happened, cat’s got your tongue?” he joked.

“oh, shut it,” you rolled your eyes. “i’m not in the mood.”

you couldn’t help but realize that the only way to play this game fair and square was to also take off a piece of clothing. “you know what, it is actually getting a little too hot in here,” you said as you began to remove your crop top. underneath was a black lace bra that normally wouldn’t have been worn on a day like today, but your breasts would have sagged without it. now, they were perked up and right in front of his eyes for their viewing. “god, that’s much better.”

“you’re kidding.”

“what? i feel like this is fair,” you quipped. he was practically drooling, eyes glued to your chest. you were well-endowed and he made sure you knew it. this time, however, they were covered in sweat and although that might sound disgusting to the normal person, that was a meal to him.

“don’t do this to me, [y/n],” he begged. eyes had not moved once. you weren’t even sure if he was blinking.

“if you play your cards right, bradley, i might even let you touch them,” you smirked at him before picking up your magazine once more and reading where you left off. oh, he was absolutely going to lose his mind today.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

keep your ideas coming here!

[binniesthighs]

cherry knot | reader x ryujin

a/n: you may be thinking to yourself, ro! a gg fic?? how unlike you!! well, boy do i have news for you 😂 truthfully, i’ve always been toying with the idea of writing a lil somethin’ (esp for ryujin god i love her) so i thought why not! if this isn’t your cup of tea, that’s totally okay <3 those who do read, thank you so much for reading and i hope that ya like it hehe and let me know what you think of it! :D (thank you @dom--minnie​ for enabling me too ;) 

cherry knot | reader x ryujin 

🍒 Pairing: self insert, female reader x shin ryujin 

🍒 Genre: fluff n’ a lil bit suggestive 

🍒 Tags: friends to lovers, high school au (everyone depicted is 18+), all girls school au, high school crush!ryujin, shy!reader, confession of feelings, that good, good makin’ out, ryujin being flirty and smug as hell bc i love her, yeah this is just me gushing about shin ryujin, ro trying new things on the blog :) 

🍒 Word count: 2.9k 

🍒 CWs: mentions of food and eating reader included

The grass felt sticky and uncomfortable under your crossed legs, and when you swiped your hand against the skin, you could feel the indentation from the blades. Your knee-high socks felt itchy too; everything felt itchy. Even the cotton of your shirt felt like it was suffocating, and the bow tied around your neck which hung loosely should have hung even looser. 

To distract yourself, you plucked up the blades of green and tied them into knots absentmindedly. It was easier to pay attention to your idle hands compared to paying attention to her. 

Could she even tell that you were looking? Could she see out of the corner of her eye when she threw her cotton-candy pink hair behind her ear? Could she tell that you watched as she gulped down the lemonade and caught a glance at the peachy fuzz of her neck exposed by her collar? 

Stop looking. Stop looking. 

Your other friends tied up their hair in clips and with lazy hair ties to free their sweating necks from the sun. No matter the sweltering heat, it was always tradition for your picnic just before the summer vacation. One of them had brought a cake and each of the girls attacked it viciously with small forks and smeared bits of frosting on each other’s noses. 

“Come here!! You’re next!!” They beamed while launching themselves in your direction to dot your nose with the white cream. 

A flurry of high pitched giggles peeled out from each of you once another frosting victim had been dubbed. Your cheeks felt furiously hot knowing that she was looking; and that she was laughing along with the rest of them. 

“Awwww cute.” She adored with a smile that turned her dimples into whiskers on her cheeks. 

You quickly wiped it off with a handkerchief that settled into your damp hand.  

She’s looking, she’s looking…

The other girls pranced around the checkered picnic blanket in their white socks--undoubtedly painting them with green that their mothers would scold them for later. Their careless steps made a mess of the food wrappers and canvas backpacks that held down the corners of the thin fabric. The joyous cheers of the girls seemed to harmonize with the song of the cicadas in the trees; both sounds reminded you of the coming of the summer and the humid weather that makes the air dense. 

One of the girls brought out her phone and played loudly from it one of her favorite songs which she knew every word too, regardless of the fact that her tone was far from the singer’s. 

You and your friends never cared much for how others would view you. Even at school when you would march through the hallways arm-and-arm, others would stare at the way that none of you batted an eye at those who would glare. 

They were just jealous was all. 

“Be careful!!” You found yourself scolding, “What if you fall running around like that?” 

In response, your friends promptly stuck out their tongues in your general direction. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryujin coolly popped another cherry into her mouth from the bowl by her crossed legs. “If they fall, let them! It's funnier that way.” 

She threw a wink right at you, which you almost didn’t catch because you had quickly averted your eyes to become much more interested in the tiny tea-cakes. 

“You’re always worrying Y/n! Its summer!”

“I-I do not.” 

Ryujin chuckled in that way that always made you feel like your heart was just about ready to leap out of your chest. 

“Lighten up! Come on!” 

Before you could process it all, your friend patted down the wrinkles in her skirt and threw off her shoes. She rose, and neared your corner of the blanket with hands outstretched. 

“Stop worrying about things or if people are watching!” She scolded you with a cute and tiny pout, “Get up!” Ryujin wriggled her hands with emphasis to show you that you could take hold of them. 

“W-what…?” 

The other girls giggled on, hardly even noticing the two of you over their singing. 

You grabbed onto her hands, already loathing how damp your own felt against hers out of your own nervousness. She still held onto you tightly, saying nothing of them and helped you to your feet. Immediately she brightened once you played along and started to swing your arms in tune with the song. Your friend lip synced to the rap part and you felt just about ready to swoon from how cool she looked saying the words with ease. 

“Dance with me!! Don’t pay attention to people walking by or anything like that!” 

Ryunjin led you by the hand to the patch of grass with little white and pink flowers laced into it. You really did try to pay attention to dancing, but everything else seemed to be distracting even when you tried hard enough. She brought your hand up higher to spin her, and when she twisted, everything seemed to happen in slow motion: the billow of her plaid shirt, her rosy-pink hair which swiped just at her shoulders, even the way that the sunset melted behind her into swirls of sunburst yellow and vibrant orange. It was like she was all a part of it. 

“Your turn!” She said, twisting you too. 

You didn’t realize that you would have been as dizzied by it as you were, but when you lost your footing, she was just as quick to help you with her hands carefully grasped onto your shoulders. 

“You okay?” Ryujin asked, out of breath, but still genuine. 

“I’m fine!” 

Your knees wobbled with barely any strength to them, but you mustered every bit of confidence that you had to keep being this close to her. You surprised yourself when you reached back for her hands to continue swinging them between you. 

The other girls collapsed back onto the blanket in a pile of shallow exhales and airy laughs that they exchanged between them. 

“No more dancing, I-I can’t do any more…” One of them announced while leaning against the shoulder of another one of your friends. 

“I forgot! I brought this!!” One of your friends with pigtail braids dove deeply into her backpack and pulled out nearly all of the contents before finding the small cube-case which was decorated with an obscene amount of keychains. “My camera! We have to take some pictures so that we can remember this!” 

The other girls squealed in agreement and ganged up on her to fit into the frame of the white Polaroid camera that she had also splattered with stickers. 

“Here, I wanna show you something.” Ryujin drew your attention back to the blanket where she settled back down with her own bag draped over her legs. 

“What is it?” 

“Ryujinnie! I wanna take your picture too! Your pink hair is so pretty…” One of your friends cooed with a sad downturn to her lips, “I hope that you never change it.” 

“Hmm, I don’t know. We’ll see. My cousin has been saying that she wants to see what I would look like blonde these days.” 

The small talk didn’t concern you too much, you were more concerned with what it was that your friend had to show you. 

“I’m going on a trip with my cousins soon so we’ll see what happens.” 

Your friend sighed, and skipped over the mess of the blanket to pull Ryujin by the wrist to the walkway a little farther off. “You’d look so cute over here!” 

She pardoned her, and stumbled after the eager girl to let her take a Polaroid of her. Even from far away, you could still hear the two of them admire the picture with happy little expressions of “ah! I told you that it would look good!” 

The two girls returned, and you began to worry if your friend even remembered what she had said in the first place. 

What is it? What does she want to show me? 

“Shoot!!” Another one of your friends huffed out while looking at her phone, “I forgot that I have to tutor the middle schoolers today!! I’m late!!” 

The girls went to action in a mere matter of seconds sweeping up the picnic assortment and shoving the leftovers into their backpacks. 

You helped them and tried to look over to your other friend who didn’t return your glances. Perhaps she really had forgotten. 

You let your imagination run wild for just a few moments, although the more that you did, the more it all just seemed preposterous. Maybe it was a confession letter, maybe she had written for you one of those poems like she had liked to do, maybe she had rather wanted to talk to you about something...say something that you wanted to say back…

“I’m going to stick around.” Ryunjin said suddenly with her hands on her hips. “Y/n, you’re welcome to stay too if you want. We don’t exactly have to go home yet since the sun’s still up.” 

Your friends looked to you for your answer, to which you stammered out an, “O-okay…” The best that you could. 

“See you later!!” They called after with their shoes only half-slid onto their feet. 

You waved them off, but the farther that they walked away, the more the realization started to hit you that you were alone with her. The sound of your heartbeat echoed in your ears, and you calmed it trying to think about anything else but the fact that now her attention was truly undivided upon you. 

“You said that you wanted to show me something?” 

Your friend nodded, and patted the grass beside her for you to join her. She gathered up the small bundle of cherries left behind and positioned them into her lap. 

“I learned this trick a little bit ago and I wanted to show you!” 

“A trick?” 

She nodded, and plucked from one of the crimson berries a stem which she put directly into her mouth. 

“What are you doing?!” On the surface, it didn’t seem like the most sanitary thing to do. 

Ryunjin stifled a laugh and lightly hit you on the arm to chastise you. “Just wait a minute!” 

You watched in your confusion as her face contorted a little, and her eyebrows twisted like she was thinking. Her cheeks puffed a little too, and you could tell that she was doing something with it in her mouth--it was only then when you realized that you had been intensely observing her mouth. 

In your embarrassment you threw your eyes in the other direction, but it was no use one you heard her start to giggle at how flustered you had become. 

“It’s okay, you’re supposed to look.” She assured you. 

“What-what is it?” 

“Annnnd done!” Your friend proclaimed proudly and you struggled to meet her again without feeling like your whole face and the tips of your ears were burning up. 

Right on the pink of her tongue she had tied the stem into a tiny knot which she displayed proudly. 

“You...did that with your tongue?” 

“Mm-hm!” 

Your hands reduced back to their clammy state, and they found the grass between your own folded legs to find something to do. 

“That's...that’s pretty cool…” 

“I know right?!” 

Back came your friend's little dimples, and this time your chest started to feel like it was swelling with heat. 

Stop looking, stop looking…

“I can teach you how to do it some day if you’d like.” Ryujin’s tone dropped lower, and more serious in the way that some had thought to be intimidating. To you, there was nothing more that could make you feel the beat of your own heart more obviously. 

“Teach me? How??” 

The question felt like a butterfly in your lips, fluttering and ticklish, light and uncertain. You met her eyes the best you could; even though you knew that there was nothing about her that you didn’t already know, or that was threatening. 

Your friend tilted her head, inspecting you and the way that you could barely keep your glance away from her lips--stained just a little red from the cherries--then smiled. 

“W-what? What is it? Why are you smiling?” 

She sighed, and craned forward on one of her hands in the grass, bridging the distance between the two of you to caress down the side of your face, all the way to your jaw with the back of her fingers. 

“You’re just too cute.” 

“Hm?” Your chest threw itself up and down, and you could thinly feel the breath that tried to fill your lungs when she was this close. 

“I just can’t handle it any more.” 

“Me?” 

Ryunjin nodded, softening her eyes until they were nearly closed, and rid the two of you of all space, leaning over just so you could feel the weight of her chest nearly pressing into yours. At first, she placed the lightest of kisses into you, so light that it barely brushed against your lips, but merely imprinted upon them. She leaned back, leaving you with the ghost of a feeling of her upon you. It felt a bit unfair how fleeting it was, and how she looked at you like that: smug as ever, but as blissful as she always was. 

Your breaths tried to make sense of it all, if it had just happened, and what to think of it. As quick as it was, all you could want was to feel it again. 

“Ryu--” 

She cradled both sides of your face in hers, leaning in with more fervor and parting your lips with hers, leaving you to squeak from the sudden movement. You couldn’t figure out how to kiss back at first, or if you should hold her too. Your head felt like it was spinning in circles from your disbelief when you could taste the tiny tang of the sweet and sour cherries which lingered on her lips. She rubbed her thumbs into your cheeks, and angled you better to let her growing smile paint your own mouth from corner to corner. 

At last, you were able to find a rhythm which suited you, and you kissed her right back. She giggled at your stroke of confidence and the vibrations made your whole body tingle. Your feet had surely fallen asleep where you had folded them beside you, but the numb feeling of them dissolved once her hands fell to your shoulder where she held to you tightly. The pressure from the tips of her fingers made you shiver, and you too smoothed down the pink shine of her hair. 

The warm and ticklish feeling of her tongue grazed your lower lip where she changed her approach and deepened her kiss. The heat of tongues finally met in the middle testing and learning more of the other the closer that you became, and tiny airy gasps got stuck between both of your curiosity. In your lap, her hands found yours and they laced together and held tight; each digit wrapping the other and becoming one with the eagerness of her thumb rubbing little circles into the squishy parts of your hand. 

After the heat of your passion started to melt, you found yourself hiding your giddy laughter the best you could once she started to peck at your lips over and over until you felt like she had kissed you so close to the brim that you would overflow. 

“I said that you’re cute and I mean it!” She snuck the phrase in between a couple more kisses, eliciting you to fold up in your giddy embarrassment from the compliment. 

Ryunjin pulled away, and popped another cherry into her mouth from the bundle, then threw her arms around your shoulders. You simply let your hands rest in her lap covered by the plaid of her skirt; shaking from the release of the endorphins and the adrenaline. 

“Ryujin...I wanted to tell you that I’ve had a crush on you for a...really long time…” You shied, but she brought your chin back to look at her directly. 

“Good. Me too.” 

You couldn’t even process the combination of her words for them to make sense. White noise filled your ears, even though it should have been obvious from the way that she had kissed you like that. 

“Oh! Here. I wanted to give this to you too. Something to remember me by.” 

She reached for her bag, and pulled out a white-out pen from the front pocket. The Polaroid had faded into its full color, and she focused with her tongue peeking from her mouth as she wrote the message: 

see you soon <3 

- ryujinnie 

Over her head in the picture, she doodled a few hearts, then she blew on the ink to dry it. 

“For you!” 

You took the picture with your hands still thoroughly shaking, and all you could utter was a “thanks” while you took in your friend looking as gorgeous as she always was. You knew then that you would treasure the image forever, and the day which it was taken. 

“Who knows,” Ryujin started, and let her head fall to your shoulder where she nuzzled in, “This might be the last that you’ll see of my pink hair too.” 

You turned the picture over, already sensing how it made your heart feel like it was aching sticky and sweet, just like the cherries. 

~🌹~

Bunch of (Ro)ses! 

@minaamhh @dazzlehoseok @synnocence @jjewibeans @hyunsluvv @unexceptional-h @bobawithchaitea @lechanters @sailorhyunjinz @silencefavarchive @lunarskzzz  @yourdaddychan @bubblelixie @spnobsessedmemes @cherrychngkyn @iwanttobangchan @dom--minnie @waterthemoon @pastelracha @mistakensilence @hotgorloikawa @bowlofblueberries @lmhmins @eunaeiekim 

[elysianfiction]

"Can I kiss you?" for Elias pls if possible. I'm a simple woman , a poor soul who lives in depravity. It's a poor choice in love but my MC can't help it 😔

If you don't like "villain" smooches, don't come for my ass. 🤔

You try to hold yourself perfectly still as the maidens help you with your new garments, as they brush your hair without muttering a word. Stolen gentle smiles but nothing more.

They're not usually this quiet, if anything you've come to think of some of them as friends—or something close, at least—but you can't blame them. Not today.

Not when the emperor himself is watching their every move, standing near the balcony with his arms crossed at his back. Without uttering a word himself, if for muttered suggestions every now and then.

Richer fabrics, different colors, lighter jewelry meant to accentuate features without looking too preposterous. And throughout all, you keep quiet.

Not to play the pliant part, the gods know you haven't come here to play as another pawn on the chessboard, but simply because he seems to know your tastes like the back of his hand. Infuriatingly enough, you have no complaints.

Elias raises one hand and the maidens stop at once, bowing elegantly before leaving the two of you alone with a deafening click as the doors to your rooms are pulled close.

Neither of you say anything, not at first. You stare at your reflection in the mirror and Elias stares at you, something extremely pleased in his eyes.

"Am I up to your kingdom's standards?" You ask, only half in jest, getting up from the plush seat you've been forced on for almost an hour now. "Or should we start again?"

His smile widens slightly. Not quite a grin, but something close and just as sharp. He moves away from the balcony, the light seeping through it clinging to his back like a golden cape, stopping in front of you.

"As much as I would enjoy playing a little longer, I don't think we have time for that."

Your lips thin into a straight line, eyes wandering fleetingly toward the outside world, where people are singing in celebration. Ready for tonight's grand event.

"Is all of this necessary?" You ask, feeling for the first time the weight of uncertainty on your back. "Won't the rest of—"

"Taking care of annoying pest is something I shall take care of. You need not to worry about that," he says, gently grasping your chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I have waited a long time, just for this moment. Nobody will ruin your night, this I swear."

And see, this right here is exactly the problem.

You've always known, long before coming to the kingdom capital, Elias to be a man of words. A silver-tongue of careful deceit, hefty threats hidden behind flowery words.

You've been warned times and times again, albeit only from the other side of this conflict, and yet here you are. Held in his grasp, heartbeat fluttering beneath your ribs.

Throat suddenly as dry as the deserts just past the kingdom's borders, hands pressed tightly together over your lap.

Perhaps you've let your inner turmoil show, perhaps he's somehow read your thoughts, all you know is that something visibly shifts in his gaze, in the way he grazes your skin.

"May I kiss you?" He asks and for a moment you're sure you have misheard, but your heart rages on all the same.

You must have misunderstood, but then you catch his eyes drop to your lips for the fraction of a second, something scorching in his otherwise glacial gaze.

You can only nod, clever tongue made a fool of by four simple words, heat eating at your skin the longer he keeps still.

A chaste press of lips, strangely soft even as his beard slightly tickles your skin, so fleeting and undemanding perhaps it never happened at all.

Maybe you're still sleeping. Now, wouldn't that save you from your own poor decisions?

"How am I supposed to deny you anything?" He asks, smiling when you step away from him with heated cheeks. "When you ask oh so sweetly... Although, this will have to suffice, for now."

You're saved by a knock at the door, signaling the arrival of some of the more important guests. Elias, of course, doesn't miss your relieved sigh.

"We'll have to continue this... Conversation later in the evening. You know how to find me, your Excellency."

You bite back a groan, fleeing the room with the sound of his muffled laughter haunting your escape.

[battinscn]

LIGHTS DOWN LOW — draco malfoy x f! reader

CONTENT WARNING: injury

SUMMARY: draco’s in st mungo’s after an incident and you wait outside patiently to get your chance to see him. but how patient is too patient?

WC/ AVG. READING TIME: 2497 words/ 13 minutes

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IT WAS NOW the summer holidays, y/n was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling daydreaming. there was a timid knock on the door, snapping y/n out of her thoughts.

"come in!" y/n said. the door creaked open to reveal debbie, the y/l/n family house elf.

"miss y/l/n, mr and mrs malfoy are here for you," debbie informed, before y/n could thank the elf, she quickly scurried out of the bedroom to continue with her house chores.

her heels echoed as she descended herself on the grand staircase, only to see the malfoy parents and her parents conversing in the sitting room.

"cissy? mr malfoy?" y/n called out as she walked towards the four adults.

they turned their heads attention now on y/n.

"dear, mr and mrs malfoy have to take you somewhere," mrs y/l/n walked up to y/n, placing a comforting hand on her lower back.

"where to? where's draco?" y/n asked confused.

"we'll explain when we get there," mrs malfoy placed another comforting hand on y/n's shoulder.

y/n noticed there was something off about narcissa. her hair was, although still neatly pinned up, a few more loose strands were sticking out than usual. and her porcelain white face was frailer than usual, her eyes puffy almost as if she had been crying.

mr malfoy was also different. his usual confident stance which consisted of his shoulders being pushed back, chest puffed out, and legs shoulder-width apart, was now replaced with a slightly hunchbacked man, resting all his weight on his cane.

"wh-where's draco?" y/n queried once again.

y/n, however, earned no response from any of the parents, instead, narcissa had linked her arms with y/n's, and mr malfoy had linked his arms with his right.

"hold on tight we'll be right there," mr malfoy instructed. by this point, y/n realised they were about to apparate somewhere, and she hated apparating, it made her feel sick. she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the familiar sickening feeling course through her body.

when she opened her eyes she found herself on the third floor of st mungo's hospital, the 'potion and plant poisoning' floor.

"draco was out by the woods when he got bit by a teething venomous tentacula," narcissa explained as tears spilled from her eyes, "he was stunned by it and has fallen into a coma."

y/n looked through the window into the hospital ward and saw a restless and unconscious draco lying on the hospital bed. a healer was attending to him.

the healer walked out of the ward and informed the three.

"we are still unable to heal mr malfoy, he seems to be too far in the stage or unconscious to be brought back. we will continue to try and bring him back, we are unsure of how long this process will take. i am sorry to tell you this but there is no absolute guarantee we can save the boy. but i can assure you all of us are trying our best. i feel that i also need to add that because of his condition, we advise that only one visitor be in the ward at all times."

"this is absolutely preposterous! do you know who i am? you are going to wake my son up or you will be hearing from the minister himself." mr malfoy seethed.

"lucius...that's enough...thank you sir," narcissa tried to calm the angered father down.

y/n felt as if her world had just shattered, her knees gave in as they buckled and she fell to the ground. she let out loud sobs as she buried her face in her hands. her best friend was now lying unconscious in the room behind her and there was nothing she could do about it.

mr and mrs malfoy, unsure of how to comfort her, as they themselves were in a vulnerable state, could only stand by and watch as the frail girl in front of them crumbled.

as y/n stayed in her position on the floor crying, narcissa made her way into the ward to be with draco.

by now y/n was too numb to cry, she no longer had the water content in her body to do so. she made her way to the bathroom and splashed her face with water, cleaning herself up.

she looked at her reflection in the mirror and forced a smile as she patted down her clothes.

as she approached the door, about to reach for the door handle, a pink finger-nailed hand beat her to it.

y/n looked up and made eye contact with astoria greengrass, draco's girlfriend.

"oh, i'm sorry go ahead," y/n quickly shot her hand back and watched as astoria opened the door and entered the ward, closing it behind her.

y/n dragged her feet to the bench that was outside the hospital ward and took a seat next to narcissa. y/n and the two parents sat in silence.

before they knew it, visiting hours were over, and astoria stepped out of the hospital ward and quickly left after bidding a short goodbye to the three. y/n was disappointed she didn't get to visit draco today, but she guessed she always had tomorrow.

y/n woke up bright and early the next day, with the help of floo powder, she found herself in the hospital. however, she was one minute too late as when she walked to draco's ward, she saw that astoria was already inside, holding onto draco's hand.

y/n once again found herself situated on the same bench as before, bouncing her leg up and down in anxiousness. the malfoy parents soon came and accompanied y/n by the bench. astoria didn't leave the ward until the end of visiting hours, she didn't even leave to eat or to use the toilets.

y/n signed as she made her way home. another day of not being able to visit draco had passed.

the third day came along, y/n woke up extra early. she even went to her family's garden to pick a bunch of daisies to bring to draco.

but much to her dismay, astoria was already in the room accompanying draco when y/n arrived at the hospital. y/n found herself on that oh-so-familiar bench and sunk herself into the seat. almost as if it was a repeat of yesterday, the malfoy parents took their seats by y/n. mrs malfoy and y/n engaged in a conversation for the first time in a few days, catching up with each other on their lives.

y/n perked up from the bench when she heard the wardroom door click open as astoria walked out of it.

now was y/n's chance to visit draco. y/n was about to step into the room when astoria pulled her back.

"what do you think you're doing? i'm gonna be back later, i just need to use the toilets," astoria frowned at y/n.

"oh, i'm sorry i was just hoping i could visit draco," y/n twiddled with the stems of the daisies in her hands.

"you don't deserve to see draco," astoria snapped.

"i'm sorry what?" y/n baffled at the words that just came out of her mouth.

"i said, you don't deserve to see draco." astoria repeated herself.

"are you serious? you've got to be joking," y/n felt her face feel hot, unsure with fury or with upset.

"i haven't even seen you shed a single tear while draco's been here," astoria scoffed, grabbing the bunch of daisies in y/n's hands and throwing it on the ground, stomping on them.

it was like something in y/n snapped.

"you don't think i've been crying myself to sleep every night? every single painstaking moment i'm awake all i can think about is how draco is lying in that damn hospital bed unconscious and there is nothing in my willpower that i can do!" y/n practically shouted as she felt her eye twitch.

"you've known him for 8 months astoria, 8 fucking months and i've known him my whole life! i've loved him for 18 years, that's 18 fucking more than you have been! hell. i've been in love with him for 18 years!"

it was true. y/n was indeed in love with her best friend. she just never said anything in fear of ruining her friendship with draco. and she didn't even want to think about it when draco started dating astoria, it pained her to see the man she loved in a relationship with someone that wasn't her.

"you don't think i'm hurting as well? draco's parents haven;t even had the oppurtunity to see their own son because you've been selfish, and here you are talking about who doesn't deserve to see draco. fuck you. fuck you astoria greengrass. maybe take your head out of your fucking arse and realise that the world doesn't revolve around you. we're all grieving as well." y/n spat, her fist clenched as her fingernails dig into her palms, causing them to bleed.

astoria burst into tears and immediately ran in the direction of the hospital exit.

y/n picked up the now ruined flowers as she too, burst into a puddle of tears.

"i'm really sorry" a crying y/n apologised to the two as she hung her head down low.

"it is ok" mr malfoy tried to comfort her.

y/n immediately gave mr malfoy a tight hug, crying into his chest. the older man didn't reciprocate the hug, but he didn't push her away either. instead, the awkward man gave her two pats on her head, "there, there," he said, as he did so.

as she pulled away from mr malfoy, y/n turned to face narcissa, who now was teary-eyed. guilt instantly rushed over y/n.

"i'm really sorry for what i said back there, i was in the wrong i shouldn't have shouted at astoria. i apologise," y/n sobbed out.

"dear, come sit," narcissa sat on the bench and patted the seat next to her, inviting y/n to take the seat.

"what you said about being in love with draco...did you mean it?" narcissa asked.

"um..i-i..i'm..yea...i meant it, please don't tell draco," y/n stuttered out, burying her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"well my dear, i think draco shares the same feelings towards you. i've seen the way he looks at you, he looks at you like you're the most beautiful thing in the world."

"mrs malfoy, and i mean this with the most amount respect possible, but i don't think so, i mean he's dating astoria for merlin's sake," y/n let out a sarcastic scoff.

"y/n, dear, all ever draco does is compare astoria to you. 'astoria doesn't get my jokes like y/n does'. 'astoria talks too much, she doesn't listen to me like how y/n does'. 'astoria is boring, she never wants to do anything, if it was y/n i bet she'd be up for it'. i could go on and on sweetheart, but i think i know my son well enough to know which girl he truly loves" narcissa sent me a warm smile. "go on y/n, go be with draco."

"but still there's no way he actually loves me," y/n mumbled under her breath but not loud enough for narcissa to hear.

y/n got up, picked up the bunch of stomped-on daisies, and opened the door to the hospital ward.

this was the first time y/n had actually seen draco this close. he was laying there, looking as sickly as ever, but to y/n, he was still as beautiful as ever.

y/n took a seat in the chair next to draco, she ran her knuckles down his face and held his hand in hers.

"hey baby boy," y/n sighed out.

that was y/n's pet name for draco, ever since they were little kids. as much as draco pretended to hate it, deep down, he loved it when y/n called him that. but it's been a while since she did because y/n wanted to respect his and astoria's relationship.

"you have to wake up you stupid git. i miss you, i miss you and your goofy smile, and that stupid smirk you carried around everywhere," tears littered y/n's face.

y/n took the only daisy that wasn't ruined from the bunch. she twirled the daisy in her hand, before she started folding and weaving it.

"remember when we were 5...and...and we were in my parents' garden, and you made me this ring out of a daisy...a-and then you asked me to marry you and i said no and ran away. i take it back. yes draco. a million times yes. i'll marry you. you have to wake up, please, you have to," y/n hiccuped as she held onto the ring she had weaved from the daisy.

"wake up so you can put this on for me. i love you draco malfoy...i love you so much you don't understand," y/n put the ring in draco's restless hand, and rested her head on the edge of the hospital bed, letting her tears fall continuously.

she felt draco's hand twitch beneath her as raspy chuckles filled the room. y/n slowly lifted her head up and saw that draco's face was red, trying to hold in his laughter.

"wh-what? draco? should i go get the healer?" y/n hopped out of her seat but draco pulled onto her hand causing her to fall back in it.

"no, we can do that later," draco's hoarse voice said.

"how much of that did you hear" y/n's face turned beet red.

"if i'm being honest, i was awake before you came in, but i saw you open the door and pretended to be asleep. so...what were you saying about this ring?" draco let out a cheeky smirk, twirling the leafy ring with his fingers.

"oh merlin, i'm sorry, i take back what i said. i don't want to ruin our friendship, nor do i want to ruin your relationship. just forget what i said," y/n's cheeks turned rosy from embarrassment.

"y/n, you just don't get it don't you. it's you i love, it's been you. it's always been you" draco reached out for y/n's hand and slipped the ring onto y/n right finger, before intertwining their hands.

a smile crept on y/n's face as she wiped the tears away. they embraced in a tight hug, y/n resting her head in the crook of draco's neck.

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