#and I need to do character quests too URG

[shamera]

okay, FINE, I will catch up on the Fontaine Archon Quest in Genshin.

(so there are, like, a dozen gmvs for Genshin to the song Gods and they are all FIRE??? Literally the perfect song for the game.)

[animentality]

I see a lot of BG3 fans saying that they need to add a married with children ending for all the companions or add a Zevlor/ Dammon/Roland whoever romance option, but with all due respect... you're all wrong.

You don't need a fucking domestic life scene with all the companions, you don't need those random npcs to fuck you (that's what mods are for).

What they need to fucking do is finish the upper city.

Give Karlach actual fucking quests and the option to fix her heart.

Give Wyll fucking quests in the upper city and more romance scenes because his number of fucking unique scenes is ridiculously lower than Gale or Astarion's and gee I wonder why.

Please for the love of God, fill cazador's palace because that space is way too fucking big for how little is in it. It's actually kind of embarrassing how empty the palace is.

Fill the temple of Bhaal which has the same fucking problem.

Also while we're fucking at it?

When you're doing all that shit, why don't you attempt to give Orin and Gortash any of the same weight and respect you gave Ketheric???

The entirety of act 2 set him up as a major villain and made him intimidating and then sympathetic and then back to intimidating, and then back to tragic.

He had a whole descent into villainy story arc, with entire quests dedicated to understanding what happened to him.

He's a rich character because of it.

Gortash and Orin??? I mean come the fuck on.

Gortash either dies or dies, and Orin is literally your SIBLING if you're the dark urge, but all you can really do is kill her after she says the same shit to you that she says to a Tav.

You can't talk to her or learn more about her or your past, aside from talking to her dead mom.

She and Gortash come across as mini bosses. They almost feel like optional fucking side quests with how not involved they are.

Also remove lady jannath's house entirely from the game, thanks.

[lucrezianoin]

Dark Urge and Astarion romance (spoilers for both quests)

So I have a lot of feelings about the Astarion romance route while playing Dark Urge. A LOT. I feel like the two (and in general Shadowheart's personal quest too actually) feel very complementary.

TW for everything involving Astarion's past, and general violence.

Keep in mind that this is going to be a long post and it is going to have SPOILERS for the whole game, till the very end. In general this is a long happy rant about how happy I am about Dark Urge path and Astarion romance together. Also keep in mind that this is about my feelings of the two, not about "which one is objectively the best romance for Dark Urge". This is more of a "please if you liked astarion romance as tav romance him as dark urge too" than a "if you play as dark urge you need to romance astarion".

Also keep in mind this is ONLY about redeeming Dark Urge and their good path! In the post I will only talk a little bit about the bad ending.

General points

In general, I just wanted to talk about the theme of the urges/hunger, the theme of family and escaping from your family, a little bit about the evil choice and the whole theme of rebirth that both characters have quite explicitly. In this order!

Urges

The first point of connection between the two characters is the fact that they are (sometimes) both driven by a certain hunger for blood or violence. As Durge you will be able to see how your companions react to these black outs, and you will worry about it, and Astarion seems to be among the most accepting. Maybe it is just his need to keep on Durge's good side, or maybe it is just the fact that he has experience on it.

In later scenes, Astarion will draw parallels between Durge's experience and his own. If Durge is cursed to succumb to his own urges, then Astarion will directly connect that to the times Cazador's has driven him feral and mad with hunger.

During the extra Durge specific romance scene, Astarion makes another direct connection to the violence in Durge and what he previously did. He does not have a completely clean conscience (that is clear, and not just because of Cazador), and he is not as "good" at making the good nice choice as other companions.

He understands the hunger and losing control over his body more than others, so he can empathize with Durge and what they are going through. He jokes about it, sure, but he is genuinelly worried.

Another option in the dialogue has him saying "If anyone understands an internal voice forcing your hand, I do. But that's not who we are now. We make our own choices, and you made the right one last night." He is the only companion who uses the "we".

Other points of overlapping are, of course, the fact that both characters have gaps in their memories. Astarion because of trauma and Durge because of physical trauma (torture and well, violence). Their past is one of violence, for both of them, and while Durge operated it a little more voluntarily than Astarion, this NEW Durge, the blank state we get at the start of the game... well, in a good playthrough they try to resist their need for violence just like Astarion is resisting his hunger and his thirst for power.

Reciprocal saving

Astarion is literally introduced as a damsel in distress. He is the only companion whose quest NEEDS to be completed before the tadpole is removed or he will become a slave again (other companions might have other consequences, but nothing that cannot be solved after the tadpole removal, and in case of Karlach there is no limit, she is destined to die or return to Avernus). He does need help, he cannot face Cazador alone, so we all know his plan for protection.

The first scene he appears him is literally him asking for help to try and lure the player and get some answers out of them.

As a player with companions characters, we are all used to helping them in their quests. But as I said, Astarion's help is kinda on a ticking clock based on the end of the game... and well, he is the one who is clearly less involved with abilities and fighting. In story, he is the only one who is out of place. Gale is a great wizard and Mystra ordered him to take care of the brain, Wyll is a legendary hero, Karlach is a legendary warrior, Shadowheart is on a mission for Shar, Lae'zel is also a warrior and she will be on her mission for Orpheus soon, Halsin is a powerful druid who wants to break a curse directly connected to the brain etc. etc.

Astarion is... a guy. Who was a slave. By accident he has been chosen by the mindflayers and freed. His only connection with the group is the tadpole, he could not care less about, well, the "mission". His own mission is remaining free and getting rid of Cazador. And he needs the player character for that (we know he is recaptured if he leaves the group).

I could go on a rant about the angst of it all and the power imbalance this create and the fear that surely drives him through act 1, but for now I wanted to talk about this "be saved by the player character" and how with Durge it finally becomes reciprocal.

This is more than "let's help each other on a quest". This is two characters who are on a path of possible evilness and destruction, promising to save each other.

I think some of the imbalance in a Tav's playthrough, where Tav is good and helps Astarion out of their good heart, disappears in a Durge one.

Durge NEEDS Astarion as much as Astarion needs him. Astarion directly promises Durge to save them from becoming a slave to their urges. One of my favourite options as Durge is replying "I will be the person you want to see in me". Because for ALL the complaining, all the times Astarion says he wants power... the person he wants to see in Durge is still someone sweet and kind, a good heart.

You have two possible bad people who end up being each other moral compass and saviors, equally. And I think it makes the story so much richer. Of course, in the case of Astarion it is a direct persuasion check from the player (as long as you make him face the consequences), in the case of Durge is more metagaming, given it is the idea of wanting to be the person Astarion sees in you (and your friends and companions).

Both Astarion and Durge need to be seen for the good parts they have in them.

After the Durge questline, when they refuse Bhaal, Astarion will say "But somehow by your side I still only ever saw you", which echos what he says to Durge (in his romance scene) that he feels seen by them.

Family

For all the violence and the horror, the quests of Durge and Cazador are presented as family. Durge's family was what led them to violence, their father basically cursing them to a life of hate, then they were betrayed by their "sister" and made into a blank state.

Cazador constantly swings between considering his spawns as children or pets/dogs, putting himself in the role of the almost father. The spawns call each other siblings.

While the two families are quite different, they both end up with Astarion and Durge having to make a choice about choosing or refusing the "father"'s power, one to be stolen and the other offered.

You were also both made by them. Cazador often remarks on Astarion being his and being made/his creation. Bhaal directly considers Durge a puppet he made, and if Durge does not agree with his plan then he will make another.

The evil choice

I found it pretty interesting that there is only one quest among companions that have a full on evil choice, and that is Astarion's. Shadowheart's two choices are both painful and very hard to decide upon, Gale's choice of giving back the crown is seen generally as a good choice but it also involves giving back to Mystra who abused her power on him. Karlach, Minsc and Jaheira don'r really have choices. Lae'zel's choice of queen vs Orpheus is a clear path to Orpheus (as in, I think she decides that on her own if she sees him) but the real choice happens at the end, where she has to choose between Orpheus and living for herself - what is the good choice there? Helping free her people or live her own life? Wyll's choice is also hard and almost equal in pain/gain, one is saving his father and being stuck in the pact, and the other is freeing him but knowing Mizora will come for his father again (even if you save him in game). I think it is telling that the choice is hard because Wyll never says he regrets making the pact in the first place, it was a hard choice he had to make.

Astarion and Durge are the only personal quests that have a clear and defined evil ending, and interestingly enough it is similar...

Both glowing in red light while accepting the cursed power given by their "fathers". Both will come out of it with glowing eyes and evil smiles. The bad choice makes them the worst version of each other, as they both failed to be anchor for their good selves.

I really dislike ascended Astarion, and he clearly has a bigger impact on his personality, given Durge is a player character, but I still found it a good parallel, just the fact that these are the two in the party who can be REALLY evil, who can truly go towards the worst possible path. And not a path of "evil together", but a path of domination and reciprocal destruction.

Astarion becomes everything Cazador's was and wants to take control of Durge, and Durge has to follow Bhaal's plan and take control of the brain... which ends up with Astarion just where he started, as a puppet controlled by that person who (as the Butler once said) he should have feared the most.

Rebirth (the good choice)

NOW TO TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITE POINT. Both stories, both quests, end in an explicit rebirth symbolism.

We have Durge literally dying, and being resurrected by another god of death, coming back to life to find out that he has been given a second chance. The urges have gone, they are free, they are a new person forged by the experience they went through during the path to Baldur's Gate.

In the same way, Astarion is also forged by his experiences with the group and Durge, by what they all went through. So much that if the player does not allow him to confront Sebastian and show him that he is driven by fear, that he, deep down, feels compassion for the spawns... then the player will lose the ability to persuade him to stop the ritual.

Astarion is also reborn, so much that we have a whole scene where he writes a new date on his tomb, it cannot be more explicit than this.

In both cases not only the theme of rebirth but of responsibility is stressed. Astarion talks about freedom as a place where he (and his siblings) are responsible for their choices, good or bad. And the same can be said about Durge.

So yes, I think playing as Durge puts so much more into Astarion's romance, because creates an almost parallel path of these two people who could easily become the worst version of themselves, and if Durge pushes to stop their urges, in a good playthrough, they do become each other's anchor and key to break the cycle.

[liillyliilly]

Anything For You

nishinoya yuu x reader words; 1309 synopsis; he'll do anything for her, it's as simple as that

Second hand embarrassment would surely be the death of her. Had it not been for Yachi and Yamaguchi being there with her, she might have just melted into the ground. Standing on top of a lunch table was Nishinoya Yuu, and he was singing, no, more like serenading her.

With burning ears and a pit growing in her stomach she tried to urge Nishinoya down from the table.

“Yuu, please get down from there.” She rapidly and repeatedly motioned her arms to the ground next to her, but Nishinoya just shrugged, smiling brightly at her as he took a deep breath and practically screamed the lyrics of the song.

“I love you baby, and if it's quite all right, I need you baby, to warm the lonely nights.” His singing voice wasn’t half bad, it was just that his dancing and singing on top of the table warranted a lot of undesired attention for her. Trying to make herself seem smaller, she crossed an arm over her chest and tugged on her earlobe with her other hand.

Eventually he got down from the table once he had finished singing, the students in the courtyard clapping and whistling for him while he gave numerous and boisterous bows to accept the praise. She tugged on his hand, the action asking him to sit down at the table.

“Did ya like the song?” Nishinoya put his face up close to hers, once she gave him a small peck on the lips he nodded and straightened up his back in satisfaction. He slipped his fingers in between hers and began eating his lunch with one hand, not wanting to let go of her grasp.

“It was a very nice song Yuu.” In response to the words Nishinoya brought her interlocked hands to his lips and he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

Nishinoya felt pride swell within his chest, the joy of both making her flustered and happy with his energetic performance seemed to be the cause of his sudden burst of confidence. The rest of the day running by without any problems, people seeming to forget Nishinoya’s effort to make her flustered.

Once she had gotten situated at Nishinoya’s house, sipping on her mug of hot chocolate, he felt the urge to sing again. Much quieter this time. His head resting in her lap, scratching and playing with his hair softly while the TV mindlessly hummed by.

“I love you baby, and if it's quite alright,” He lets out a yawn before pulling a blanket over his body a little bit more, continuing his mumbled singing in his tired state, “I need you baby to warm the lonely nights.”

“I love you Yuu.” She leaned down and kissed his temple and he grinned before rubbing his face into her thighs a little bit more.

No one quite understood Nishinoya and his girlfriend, an amazingly talented 3rd year volleyball player with his side character girlfriend. Nishinoya never made her feel like a side character though. With all the side quests he takes her on, she feels like the main character in her life.

The theme park date probably wasn't even in the top ten best dates she and Nishinoya had gone on. And she raved about that one for at least a month. However, sometimes, his drive surpassed her's when it came to unique and life altering experiences.

Really though, sometimes, his energy was just too high for her.

Nishinoya really liked having a girlfriend. He especially liked all the benefits that came with having a girlfriend.

He had someone to pour his love and attention onto. But at times he found it difficult to give her just his attention, instead of his teasing. In hindsight, she really should have told Nishinoya what was acceptable for him to do in public. One of his favorite things to do was to nibble and bite down on her neck and ears. Especially when she was just casually talking to her friends.

It was the Friday before a short break from school, but she was busy chatting with her fellow club members. Nishinoya had finished volleyball practice over an hour ago, but his girlfriend was still talking. He admired her ability to keep a conversation going, but he really wanted to go back to her house to finish their show. It was the finale episode and he had to know if the main character would finally kiss the love interest.

Nishinoya walked up behind her and wrapped her up into him, resting his hands on her hips and gripping them slightly.

“Hey.” He mumbled into her ear, before starting his attack. Starting at her ear he started to toy with her earlobe by biting down on it softly with his teeth. Y/n’s friends had stopped talking and had started to slowly back away. But she kept talking so they felt obligated to stay, even though she was getting visibly flustered. After getting bored with her ear, Nishinoya started peppering kisses all along her neck.

When he started to lick her neck, Y/n waved goodbye to her friends. Nishinoya muttered a ‘finally’ under his breath as he kept biting and licking over the expanse of her neck and shoulder. Turning her around to hug her better and have her pressed against him, Nishinoya slowly backed up against a wall. Unsatisfied, he spun them around so she was against the wall.

“Yuu!” She pushed him away lightly, he still kept digging his hands onto her hips. He rolled his eyes before slipping his hands to the small of her back.

“What?” He brought one hand up to pinch her cheek and then hold onto the side of her face. His pinkie finger tracing her jawline.

“You can't do that in public.” She whined. Nishinoya knows she wouldn’t have lasted much longer as soon as he started to run his tongue along her neck, wanting her to bid her friends a goodbye so he could better access her mouth.

“Do what exactly?” Nishinoya tugged her back into him before talking into her ear, “What did I do that was so wrong?”

At this point, Nishinoya completely forgot their show, this was a much more entertaining episode in his own life than the fake lives on the television.

She felt her whole body heat up. Her mouth gaping as she tried to come up with a retort. “You, well, you, I was trying to, well, you kissed me!” She stuttered.

“Like this?” Nishinoya rubbed his nose against her neck before moving up to softly kiss her face, evenly spreading them across her cheeks and forehead. “Or like this?” He sunk his teeth onto her shoulder, licking and drawing his teeth across any open space.

“Neither of those Noya.” She held back a grin as she ran her hand through his hair, the gelled down strands somehow breaking out of their gel cage and becoming soft. Nishinoya licked his lips before he went to bite down on her bottom lip. Tugging it lightly and looking at her with his big brown eyes, she opened her mouth to grant him access.

“Thank you.” He whispered before slanting his lips over hers. He sneaked his tongue into her mouth and ran it along the slick inner lining of her cheek. He had to stop kissing her so he would smile against her lips. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, now please Yuu, keep kissing me.” She impatiently rushed the words out, trying to get him to hurry up. She put both of her hands into his hair and yanked it backwards to mess with him. The action causing Nishinoya to hiss, the air pressed tightly out between his teeth.

“Anything for you.” He pulled her shirt so she bumped into him. “Anything.”

[hana-no-seiiki]

COMME ON FAIT SON LIT, ON SE COUCHE.

⟣┄─ ˑ 𝐈. ✧ PAIRING: YAN! NEUVILETTE x SCUM! READER (ft. yan! other characters + mystery major pairing)

⟣┄─ ˑ 𝐈𝐈. ✧ TW/CW: Typical Yandere Themes: Stalking, Delulu, Yun’s vv broken French. Canon Divergence.

⟣┄─ ˑ 𝐈𝐈𝐈. ✧ SYNOPSIS: When given the power to flood the world with your admirer’s tears and skip work, who were you to reject it? | This happens prior to the Archon Quest

dedicated for le sims ( @o-tears-o-tides ) , aka the object of my platonic love and affection. happy birthday employee!!

Fucking with Neuvilette was your lifestyle. Figuratively that is. You wanted him to work harder if you were to provide him with the more literal definition of the term but regardless —

— making him suffer was your favorite hobby.

You held the prestigious role of documenter at the esteemed Palais Mermonia, where the dramatic tale of "Furina's Courtroom Crying Sessions" unfolded under the watchful eye of Neuvilette. In addition to chronicling these legal theatrics, your literary talents blossomed, weaving novels and insightful commentaries based on the trials you meticulously transcribed. This dual creative and professional endeavor earned you a devoted following throughout Teyvat and established influential connections with prominent figures across the nation.

Your relationship with Monsieur Neuvilette started off differently than what many would assume. Those privy to your early interactions could discern an undeniable enchantment on your part towards this man. Undoubtedly, he exuded an aura of elegance, elevated prestige, and an unwavering work ethic, all of which captivated admirers across the spectrum of society. His demeanor possessed an intoxicating allure for young ladies and gentlemen alike, leaving an indelible mark of respect and awe upon those fortunate enough to witness it.

“Monsieur Neuvilette.”

You greeted him with a slight bow, resisting the urge to smile at his presence. He reminded you a bit of someone from back home. A man that you’d do anything to receive a single praise from.

“Ah, Mx. [Y/N] to what do I owe you the pleasure?” He looked up from his documents. He too had to resist the urge to beam at your form. After all you were one of if not the only person he felt like he could never have enough time with.

“It’s just that I thought you’d be home by now. In any case I have this coffee a friend gave me but I can’t drink it . . .” You looked to the side, breaking off eye contact from your superior. He would have frowned at the action had it not been accompanied by a sweet gesture of yours. You always excused your good deeds with some nonsense about self-interest but he knew you well enough that he could see through it all.

“Thank you.”

Then, you realized that it rained whenever he felt sad.

And when there’re intense rains there would be no work.

And when there was no work, you could stay at home or go out and do whatever the hell you want.

Also he liked you and whatever but that was besides the point! You could slack off and fulfill your sadistic needs.

And so began your journey to find what made your senior co-worker tick. Most of the time it was when you gave other people your attention ( aside from Furina for some reason ). A single headpat towards either Freminet or Lynette caused some light rain. Rejecting his advances caused the skies to stay blanketed for hours. Whenever you were absent it poured cats and dogs.

And lastly, when you and Lyney were practically fucking with words it was as if the Raiden Shogun herself was here to cry alongside him.

The man practically saw you as more valuable than the water he drowns himself with.

It was all you ever wanted and more.

Despite your excessive amounts of free time, you still found yourself to be stressed and tired. Due to your high profile job and connections, it was a must to move from place to place frequently as to avoid paparazzi among other dangers to your health and privacy.

You were planning to check the Fortress of Meropide that day to . . . have a date with Lyney. Don’t look at me like that! You two are the ones with the weird taste in scenery.

“Oh! Your Grace. How do you fare?” You bowed politely. You could feel the glare from the magician beside you burning as bright as his vision.

The man was a menacing person from looks to begin with, but there were also other reasons you often felt something crawl up your spine whenever you two met.

He always stared at you like you had done something wrong. When he was the former criminal between you two! Really, what a crude man. His trial was one of the biggest hits of your career so at least you had that to owe to him.

You still remove the chills you felt when he simply admitted his guilt.

“Mx. [L/N]. I was told to deliver this to you.”

“Oh? I didn’t know that the Duke of Meropide also worked as part-time delivery men.”

“Trust me, this is works for my own self interest more than the sender.”

You gave him a pointed look. Well those words didn’t seem suspicious at all. You shrugged as you examined the object. A letter. Cold pressed paper — the expensive kind too, bound together by stamped blue wax and what seemed to be a miniature lakelight lily.

Inside — in the most elegant cursive you’ve ever seen — was . . . a poem. It read as follows;

Ma gouttelette du ciel,

Telle une étoile dans la nuit,

Ton amour est mon miel,

Dans ton regard, tout est infini.

Tes sourires, doux rayons du jour,

Illuminent mes jours comme un phare,

Dans ce monde, tu es mon seul séjour,

Ton amour est ma plus belle fanfare.

La tendresse de tes mains,

L'éclat de ton rire mélodieux,

Sont pour moi de précieux biens,

Qui éclairent ma vie, radieux.

Ma gouttelette du ciel,

Dans ton amour, je m'égare,

Ton essence est mon miel,

Chaque moment avec toi est un phare.

It only took one line for you to recognize Neuvilette’s work. His water tasting hobbies was somewhat common knowledge to the public, and Lyney was less of a poem man and more of a showy partner.

And so, after making sure his eyes were on you, you ripped it apart.

“That’s a bit too harsh is it not?” Lyney spoke with a nagging tone, yet his eyes were filled with the utmost delight.

“Monsieur Lyney. You know of its contents? Has your father ever told you not to pry into other people’s business?”

“Perhaps. But we’re friends aren’t we? Friend’s don’t hide anything from eachother.”

You sighed. You hated it when he knew where to hit. “. . .Then can you do me a favor and use your vision for its disposal?”

“My pleasure.”

Orange flames barely appear for a moment before it is doused by the sky’s tears. But even then it was enough to destroy the letter.

“Your Grace—“

The clock was ticking.

A few months after you’d heard his screams, you found out that the traveler would be arriving to their next destination soon. There was only a small fragment of a moment to lose for preparation. The rain was getting unbearably strong. You could not count the amount of times you’ve had to replace your umbrella.

In any case, you had invited Charlotte for a chat at the cafe. Partly because of her vision which helped with the rain, and mostly because you wanted to gossip with her as you usually did when slacking off.

Those works of yours outside of your actual career at the Palais Memornia don’t make themselves after all.

“Rumor has it that young women of have been disappearing of late. Do you have any clues on this phenomenon yet, Charlotte?” You leaned unto the table. Your signature smug smile on your lips as you presented your question to the young lady.

“Not yet. Wait — aren’t I the journalist here? Why are you asking the questions? Don’t tell me you missed another deadline again.”

“I just want to get ahead on my writing. The Steambird must have gotten a lead, no?” You dipped on your tea as you spoke, gaze directed at its reflection of your face and the dark skies above.

“So you can slack off some more?”

“T’was what my doctor had prescribed. I need to take care of my mental health too, yknow.” You smiled, poking your cheek in a cutesy manner.

This was no good. You were getting nowhere in your investigation and your anxiety bit at you as time could only pass by. You bit your nails. What would he do? How would he bypass such a situation? Oh, how useless you were without him.

“[Y/N]!”

You almost don’t react to that name as you were overtaken by your thoughts. It seemed that you spent too much time worrying that Charlotte wasn’t even at your side anymore.

“Ah, Lady Furina. How may I be of service?” You stood from sit in a jolt. You were guilty of looking down at the archon from time to time but appearances must be kept in public.

“I came to personally escort you to Palais Memornia. We have a case that requires your presence.” She coughed. An unusual shaken demeanor on her. Not that she was a completely confident person all the time, but this look on her particularly screamed fear.

But what would an archon be afraid of?

“Urgently.”

“A case? But with this rain. . . surely — “

The rain abruptly stopped and with its sounds disappearing, a deep voice makes its way into your ears.

“It is yours, [Y/N]. You’re under arrest for suspicions of colluding with the Fatui.”

“Monsieur —“

He looked away from you before you could finish your call. You feel metal touch your skin as none other than Wriosthesley himself puts cuffs around your wrists.

“Stay put, Mx. [Y/N].”

You eyed the Iudex from beyond the ‘glass’. This chamber had not existed the last time you visited the Fortress. Yet here it was, almost an exact same replica of your room — yet it did not feel like home at all.

You supposed Fontaine in its entirety was not home at all.

“You framed me.”

You were lazy. Incompetent even. But you would never collude with those miscreants.

At least, those were the lies you fed yourself in order to feel better about the betrayals you made in a day to day basis.

You could imagine the looks on your colleague’s faces. Would they be surprised, neutral, would they even care at all? Or would they be so utterly hurt by your actions that they fall into a spiraling abyss of despair?

You yearned to witness it all.

“All you had to do was to accept me.” His gloved hand touches the material between you two, a ripple forming from his touch. You were surrounded by what seemed like primordial water.

“I would have forgiven your sins. I would have made you be reborn anew. Innocent and pure as water.”

The water parted for a brief moment but you do not dare do anything foolish. You stayed put, remained still as Neuvilette reached through, and allowed the dragon to drag his thumb across your jaw and lips.

“All you did was push me away.”

And then — he pulls your head through the opening.

You close your eyes. One smallest movement would have your neck turn into foam.

“[Y/N], ma gouttelette du ciel.”

Perhaps, you had no need to see all the other’s fall into hopelessness. After all, the man who put the most trust and adoration into you was right here with you.

If only you were able to empathize with him. If only you were able to return his feelings and live a fulfilling life filled with love.

If only you weren’t cursed to feel nothing for him at all.

“Comme on fait son lit, on se couche.”

After all, what the Doctor wills is what the patient gets,

and if you must sleep in your deathbed this day and suffer the Iudex’s judgement — then so it shall be.

⟣┄─ ˑ IV. ✧ DIVIDER

[ TRANSLATIONS ] [ MY FRENCH IS VV RUSTY SO PLEASE TELL ME IF THERE ARE BETTER REPLACEMENTS/TRANSLATIONS FOR THESE] :

Ma gouttelete du ciel- My droplet from the sky/heaven/my droplet of heaven etc.

Comme on fait son lit, on se couche - You made your bed, sleep on it / You dug your own grave.

[icarustypicalfall]

Commander's Last Love

chapter 2 ★ fem reader★ masterlist ★ ao3

fic masterlist

summary Each tidbit fuels his curiosity, pushing him to unravel the enigma that has taken hold of his heart.

warnings:push to wall, fight, small one, phil is in denial

note: got first one deleted yey hope you enjoy<3

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“Honey, when you kill the lights and kiss my eyes. I feel like a person for a moment of my life.”

Mission [A2626]

Location: [CLASSIFIED]

Time: 04:19:00 - 10/10/2022

He couldn't close an eye. The urge was too strong. Phillip couldn't contain his fascination with you. There was an air of mystery surrounding your character, and he was not one to appreciate riddles. He despised those games from his childhood, when people would challenge him and mock his abilities for their own amusement. He detested it.

Your enigmatic nature felt like a challenge to him, awakening a long-lost sense of excitement. For the first time in a while, he desired to uncover your true identity. Every little detail seemed to hold significance, though he chose to ignore the reasons behind his curiosity. At least this time, he would use his powers to gather information without any immediate plans for harm.

He yearned to unravel the enigma that seemed to overshadow his perception of reality. No one had ever treated him with such disregard, leaving him behind with just a cold stare.

Those eyes, those damned eyes, had power over him. He needed to know more.

Plan A: Act like a fool.

That's what he had been doing for the past two hours. Phillip couldn't sleep, consumed by the scent of someone's boots and his restless tossing. He decided to put his plan into action. To discover more, he had to access the files. He could have easily obtained your file from Colonel Farah, pretending it was for an "abilities check" - a flimsy excuse, but he lived for the thrill of danger. It made him feel like a young man again, sneaking a smoke behind the fence or stealing a sip of alcohol at his parents' party.

The base was quiet, with only a few scattered soldiers. He managed to make his way to the heavily secured archive. The room was pitch dark, but he pressed on, carefully sifting through the piles of papers, searching for your file.

To his dismay, he couldn't find a trace of it. It was as if it had vanished into thin air. Phillip sighed in disappointment, gazing down at the scattered papers on the floor.

Phillip yearned for a deeper connection with someone he can't help but be drawn to. Consumed by his longing, he embarked on this quest to uncover your mystery. Only to be left with nothing.

He couldn't understand his behavior and chose to not to.

A steady noise could be heard, he stopped in his tracks.

A low voice, filled with both sarcasm and curiosity, broke the deafening silence.

"Looking for this, commander?"

Startled, Phillip panicked, attempting to hide the mess he had made. It was futile. Your eyes were fixed on him with a curious gaze, your face concealed behind a mask. He couldn't help but recall the lieutenant he had encountered before, whose face bore both beauty and scars. He wondered if yours was the same.

Plan B: Continue acting like a fool.

"No, doll, I was just looking for .. past mission documents... you know, to reminisce," he stammered.

You held a document in your hand, and he gulped nervously, looking at you in desbilef. "Looking for this? You could have asked," you said, with a hint of mockery in your voice.

As he stared at the prize, a sense of anger welled up within him. It felt as if you were once again mocking him. He couldn't resist taunting you in return, "No, maybe I was looking for the respect you never show me, doll."

Tension filled the air, your hands curling into fists. You uttered coldly, "You don't deserve it."

He had to strike back, hit where it hurt, to test the limits. He needed to know how far he could push. "Someone like you can't climb up the ranks without being an obedient little cat, can you?" he taunted.

Oh, a faux pas. A very wrong move for the audacious Phillip.

You pushed him against the wall, a mix of fire and anger in your eyes, tightening your grip around the collar of his shirt. You spoke through gritted teeth, "Say that again, and I swear on my life, and you'll be headless before you can blink."

Phillip smirked, utterly unfazed by your display. He could feel the coldness of your touch as you held onto the fabric of his shirt. He whispered, "Oh, the cat has claws."

You released your grip, stepping back and slamming the file onto a nearby table. Then, just like that, you were gone.

Phillip held the file in his hands, his excitement turning to disappointment as he realized it was empty.

Everything was classified or nonexistent. From your name to your health check, there was nothing. No picture. This file was as useless as his brother Luke. He sighed, tucking the papers into his pocket and meticulously returning each file to its proper place.

As he finished, he noticed something peculiar. Something peeking out from under a large shelf. He picked it up, suspecting it might have slipped from one of the archives.

It was a picture, taken in the early 2000s, he assumed. Nine people dressed in military uniforms, all smiling. The hand of the camera man, holding a huge scar on the front, formed a silly peace sign.

He tucked the strange picture with your file, deciding it was time to leave. It was almost 6 am, and he needed to eat and attend to his duties.

The incident had only intensified his longing to uncover more about you. He had to know.

[vigilskeep]

Why Wynne as the werewolf tho?

short answer: it would fix her

long answer: dao companions ideologically vary from highly valuing survival (at the expense of principles) to highly valuing their principles (at the expense of survival), and wynne is probably the most firmly on the side of principles and self-sacrifice. she has multiple occasions when she will turn against the warden on moral grounds and fight them to the death, she objects to prioritising even a loved one’s survival over the greater good, she advocates for the circle as a necessary sacrifice of freedoms, and she herself is functionally already dead and believes she only continues to exist to serve a purpose. the latter is also how she already struggles with whether or not she has retained her humanity. that’s why i think she’s the most interesting character to suddenly have the immediate, primal, ugly, hungry, and irresistible urges of a werewolf

i also think that wynne’s quickness to judge people and events, and then to announce those judgements as universal truth including directly to the faces of the people they’re about, is the biggest obstacle in her ability to understand the other companions. (justice and anders-justice suffer from this too lmao. a spirit’s black and white view of the world combined with an educated andrastian human’s condescension does have this poor result.) in, ideally, a wolf form that is at least initially unable to speak, i think she’d get some really fascinating and much needed perspective. entire wolfwalkers sequence in my head with wolf-wynne getting violent and morrigan turning into a wolf to lead her on a chase into the woods to burn it off and wolf-wynne regaining control not with “humanity” as such but with finally, with these eyes, seeing the beauty in wilderness that morrigan knows so well, and suddenly they’re having fun and they turn back into human form laughing. or smth along those lines. i also think you can do a lot that’s super fun with wynne and zevran in this scenario, especially because i’d love to have our elven companion at the forefront during nature of the beast. i love their dynamic it’s hysterical and chewy (i think i see it misinterpreted a lot but that’s another post) but also with scientific curiosity i’d love to see what happens if a) we’re in an area that highlights zevran’s few moments of seriousness and b) wynne is actually forcibly stopped from giving him so much ammunition for five minutes

on the note of still keeping focus on the elves for notb, the brecilian forest is also the centre of her very quickly resolved personal quest with aneirin, so i’d love him to have a fleshier storyline. i’d briefly consider combining his character with lanaya’s, for instance?

admittedly the spirit of faith might get in the way, i haven’t ironed that one out yet. but if nothing else it’s a cheap answer to being able to alter the canon symptoms of lycanthropy a little for whatever serves plot convenience best

[wilchur]

Sceleritas: Oh Master, consider the tiny mishap with the bard you had the last time we met.

Sceleritas: Your unconscious, clever mind hungers for extreme violence.

Sceleritas: Who knows you might kill next if you do not satisfy your Urge?

This bit of dialogue from Sceleritas fucks me up so bad. As Durge (unless you're metagaming for a particular outcome instead of going full roleplay) you're being placed before an impossible choice. Do you kill dozens of people by taking out Isobel or risk taking the blade to one of your companions again?

You know you can't control yourself fully so the threat is not empty. And you definitely care about your companions more than you do about a bunch of Harpers you've just met. But there may also be the tieflings involved, mostly children. Sparse in numbers now, but still people you've once saved. Was all that for nothing because now you might need to sacrifice them all? Do they tip the scale? How much is too much? What price are you willing to pay for your friends' safety and your own peace of mind?

"What is the worth of a single mortal's life?"

You and your companions are fighters, you have a mission. Fate of legions more people depends on you taking out the Absolute. Can you truly afford the risk? Whose survival is more important? Yes the Harpers may be valuable allies, but you are the ones with the prism. Without the party they don't stand a chance.

I hate how that's not ever touched upon properly in the game.

Killing or sparing Isobel is the only path-defining choice for Durge until the end of their personal quest and is treated as reference for their entire attitude towards being a bhaalspawn in act 3 no matter what other dialogue choices you make. Kill her and you more than embrace your heritage, you revel in what you are. Any other choices made up to that point are immediately voided.

But what if you did it out of fear? What if the "prize" you were awarded for it in the form of the Slayer terrifies you even more than the Urge itself? Which is a feeling you are able to express, but it holds exactly zero value because there's only two paths for you to take and nuance is not allowed. Why are you not able to express regret and have that matter? Not to mention that if Isobel dies due to unforeseeable consequences of other actions, it's still treated as if you went up the stairs and dug a knife in her back when nobody was looking because you simply felt like it.

Yes sacrificing Last Light is not the choice of a perfectly good aligned hero, but it is also not something only a villain would do. People make terrible choices when there's an axe raised over the nape of their neck and where the Urge is concerned Durge has absolutely no close confidants or support system who could help them make a better one.

The foundations of a complex character are there and every time I notice the game fumbling like this, railroading into an evil/good binary despite that, it ruins my fucking day.

[megamuscle885-blog]

A little obsessed with an idea I had for a necromancer who is carrying a whole bunch of disembodied souls around with her. Potential to scale it anywhere from just her close family all the way up to my first thought which was her carrying an entire city-state worth of souls and bones around with her. Pieces of bones working as anchors, three or four intact skeletal guardsman. A gigantic golem made out of the blood soaked earth of her homeland, reinforced with wood from the throne, stones from the barbican, iron from the twisted remains of the armory, inhabited by her liege lord and lady. Her family, her friends, her neighbors, people she met daily, people she had never seen before that ill night when she survived the total ruination of her home and summoned their ghosts to her. Her totems, fetishes, charms and foci are all from her people. The skull of the court wizard transformed into a quasi-demi-lich, incapable of spellcasting under it's own power, but able to teach her what he can. The knucklebones of the thieves that ran the dockyards, granting her luck and foresight depending on how she rolls them. A thousand thousand rib bones from the footmen and guards, which now serve as her armor, protecting her. The femurs of her father, joined together, to serve as a walking stick and club. All of this and more to equip her, but not enough, never enough, that she had managed to scavenge from the rubble. Too much left behind to crack and splinter in the heat of the fires, or buried too deep to recover, or stolen by carrion feasters before she could steal them for herself.

And all around her swirls the dead souls of her city. Some urge her to carry on, one step infront of the other. Some spur her to complete her quest, as vengeful as she. Some beg her to lay down and rest, to move on and forget. Others howl at her to let them die and stay dead. They curse her for carrying them. They are horrified at her mission.

Her mission is vengeance. She has sworn absolute vengeance upon the King and his bloodline, his generals and their armies, his nation and its people. She has sworn to kill every man, woman and child born on the soil of this nation, and any who would shelter them, sworn to desolate the soil itself with the same dark magics she wielded to grant herself the army she needed to enact her revenge. To melt every city within it's borders to ash, burn down every forest, dry up every river and lake, salt every field with tears and corruption until nothing is left except a desolate grey-brown wound is left on the face of the world. And that's her name. "Wound." For what she's suffered, who she is, and what she is going to do. (A bit goofy but I liked it when I first thought of it. Wound, the Necromancer.)

I'm not sure what makes a compelling character. It isn't always their tragic backstory or personal goals. I'm not really sure what it is that really digs a character into my mind and won't let them out. I think it might have something to do with their agency. Behaving like an implacable, unreasonable force of vengeance. Or maybe something to do with their fanbase. I can hear people hypothetically crying out right now about this character, not even written. In tandem with her ghosts, they might decry her genocidal campaign. They might support her, since she was a victim of one. Or a few steps inbetween. I can certainly see this kind of emotionally charged character at the table of Critical Role or Dimension 20, with the fanbase and fellow party members balking at the idea that she'd even cut down children to satisfy her oath.

All of this is because I came across a short saying that in Pathfinder 2e you could get a little ghost bauble that would let you have a ghost pop out and scare someone mid combat. I think it was a Ghost Ampoule. A necromancer with a reason to load up on trinkets like this would be cool. They say you should dig two graves when setting out on a quest for revenge, but this way she won't even need graves at all!

[patrickjanebrain]

Red Hot: The Slow Slow Burn of Jane and Lisbon (Walter Mashburn Edition)

I just finished re-watching Red Hot (3x07), and I have some thoughts about Lisbon and her aborted love affair with Walter Mashburn.

I admit that I didn't like it that [spoiler] Lisbon had a one-night stand with Mashburn. I enjoy the character. Mashburn was entertaining, charming, and likable in a whimsical sort of ruthless way, and Currie Graham had great chemistry with both Simon Baker and Robin Tunney. It would have been interesting if he had made more appearances on the show. But I felt it was out of character for Lisbon to just take him for a quick spin and then never see him again. And obviously he's a horrible romantic bet. The writers make that clear when they introduce him.

And then I realized that's the point.

During the 7 seasons of The Mentalist, in the course of their investigations, Lisbon and Jane meet hundreds of people, and Walter Mashburn is quite unique among them. He and Jane hit it off right away, despite the fact that Jane suspects him of being a possible murderer. Mashburn immediately understands exactly who Jane is ("You're a psychic, aren't you?").

He succinctly sums up Jane's entire raison d'etre the second time they meet.

Walter Mashburn: Oh, I know you're a charlatan as I said. You lost your wife and kid to a serial killer, your fault you think. And now you're on this hopeless quest for redemption. Battling evil and injustice, right?

Patrick Jane: Close enough.

Walter Mashburn: You play mind games with people. You size up their weaknesses, and then you give them the rope to hang themselves.

Patrick Jane: Oh, you make it sound so cool.

Mashburn happily goes along with all of Jane's schemes because he's essentially bored being the smartest, most danger-seeing, risk-taking person in the room all of the time. He enjoys new experiences.

Mashburn also has a thing for revenge. When we meet him a second time it's because he's in the process of destroying an old enemy, Yuri Bajoran. He's maneuvered a hostile buyout of his business, Yuri's "baby," because Yuri once stole the woman he loved away from Mashburn.

Playful. Ruthless. Brilliant. Charming. Hedonistic. Risk taking.

You get where I'm going here. He's Patrick Jane. Minus the trauma.

Mashburn is what Jane was trying to become before his wife and child were murdered. He was chasing fame and fortune. He was ignoring his wife's desire to live a straight life because he was having too much fun indulging himself.

And then, because of Jane's arrogance and carelessness, Red John deliberately targeted Angela and Charlotte for destruction, and Jane had to do a massive internal restructuring of his priorities.

When we first meet Jane, he's still playful, charming, ruthless, brilliant, and risk taking. But now he has a mission, and that suicide mission for revenge takes precedence over ever other thing. He's no longer self indulgent. He's sublimated his hedonistic urges, including his sexuality, to give himself greater focus. The only thing that matters is hunting down and killing Red John.

Then he meets Teresa Lisbon.

Lisbon is a soulmate. She has survived her own crucible of trauma, and she has a critical understanding of (and empathy for) broken, hurting men. She understands that Jane is off-limits romantically. He's shut down. He may flirt and charm out of habit or need, but the part of him that could give something to a relationship is no longer operational. There is an attraction between them, but it's impossible.

That impossibility is the reason they allow themselves to get so close and eventually care so deeply for each other.

Because Teresa is extremely skittish. She's a bolter. She left Chicago because she felt tied down taking care of her father and brothers. She abandoned her fiance when things got too serious between them. She's afraid of commitment. To her commitment feels like slavery, and she doesn't want that. She's afraid of that.

But that doesn't mean that she's not attracted to Mashburn. She has a type: she likes charming, ruthless bad boys who don't follow the rules. She knows they're bad for her, but she can't help it. That's her thing.

When she meets Walter, he immediately tells her he's attracted to her and available.

He asks her out. He says he'll fly his plane to Sacramento to see her. Jane finds all of this amusing. He agrees with Mashburn's assessment of Lisbon's appeal and compliments him on his style. And later he tells Lisbon that she should have taken him up on his offer, that a little empty glamour would be good for her.

When you realize that Mashburn is a stand-in for Jane, the whole thing is quite funny, really. Lisbon being attracted to Jane. Jane telling Lisbon that he'd be good for her, loosen her up a little.

When they meet again in Red Hot, Lisbon does take Mashburn up on his offer. She enjoys herself, and then like the skittish filly she is, she never sees him again. It's too much. Too tempting, too out of character for the person she wants to be. And Mashburn could overpower her emotionally. She doesn't want that.

The trauma, their mutual trauma, is what Jane and Lisbon share and bond over. It's what keeps them apart, and what eventually, after that slow, slow burn, brings them together. The attraction was always there. It's takes time to build that complete understanding and utter trust, and it never would have happened if Jane had been available to begin with.

@tmsource @robntunney @tresalisbon

[dripsoupp]

In honor of ao3 being down 🫡 i give yall…

CHAPTER 1 of God’s Plan (1.7k words)

main pairing: Lloyd/Javier

tags: time travel, mlm, minor original characters, dual pov

Back in time

All was going as planned. Developments were swiftly underway and some new cargo was set to arrive in a few days. Lloyd couldn’t help but grin himself silly. Things were finally looking up, looking stable. About damn time! A hum escaped his mouth, satisfaction plastered on his face.

He shouldn’t get too comfortable though if his past life was of any remembrance and indication. It’s at times like these where he should work himself to the bone. To ensure his future. His life. His wealth.

This was no time to slack off. Lloyd was ready. Ready for whatever life had to throw at him. He would face it head-on.

He and Javier were entering the manor when a sudden alert came through. He was used to randomly seeing them but this one was different. Instead of its usual blue or red color, it was purple.

Ding!

[You have been selected to carry out three major ‘canon event’ tasks. Denial of participation costs 179 RP points but a successful completion rewards you x100 your current points. Would you like to participate?]

“What’s this? So suddenly?” Lloyd muttered under his breath. No, the system had always been random. He was used to expecting the unexpected. He glanced over his current RP points and laughed. He had exactly 179 points. If he were to reject the offer he would be left with zero but if he were to accept and complete it…179 multiplied by 100 would be, what, 179000 points? Whoa. He’d be able to do so much with that amount.

Still, he needed to make the best decision. He didn’t have much and couldn’t risk it all for some PR points. Or could he?

“Can’t I at least know what the three tasks are?” Lloyd asked curiously.

Ding!

[Nope! Haha.]

He frowned, “Tsk, I should’ve known…”

“Master Lloyd, is everything alright?” Javier, who was holding the door open, asked. Mild concern was painted over his striking features. Though if anyone else saw his knight, they wouldn’t know any better. He and Javier had been around each other so much so that he could, without fault, read him like the back of his hand.

He didn’t want to explain himself so he shrugged, “Yup, let's get going. Dinner’s getting cold.” Lloyd prompted himself to decide after eating. A full stomach made for better decisions, no? That’s what he said but a voice in the back of his head kept nagging at him. He took in a deep breath and opened the message box again, forcefully pressing ‘Accept’.

Ding!

[Talk about having no self-control! (Laughs) – Anyway, your side quest journey has begun!]

This was it! Lloyd continued walking as the messages kept popping up. The waning light of the sun fully disappeared as he entered the manor. The door shut with a force behind him.

Ding!

[RP System is being updated. You can now earn RP points by correctly following the given steps. Failure to do so will result in ‘???’]

Lloyd nodded, urging the system to continue.

Ding!

[Current RP Total: 179]

That was the last message he saw standing up.

Lloyd’s surroundings turned blurry as he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Both his arms and legs turned to jelly, heavy almost. His vision tunneled and his eyes threatened to close shut on him. Shit! He shouldn’t have trusted that fucking system!

His breaths came out ragged, Lloyd didn’t know when it had become nearly impossible to breathe. Shit shit shit! Speaking took extra strength, and his voice threatened to crack but he forced words to come out, “Javier...” His whisper went unheard as his bodyguard also crashed next to him. Or at least it sounded like he did. Lloyd couldn’t even crack his neck to the side to reassure himself.

If his knight had spoken back to him, he didn’t hear. He could barely hear his own heart throbbing in his chest. Unconsciousness took over his body as a terrible headache throbbed its way into his head. ‘Is this how I die? No way.’

One final notice came through before he passed out. Barely audible.

Ding!

[Good luck Lloyd. You’ll need it.]

Lloyd was ready for whatever life had to throw at him, right?!

Lloyd awoke in his bed with a jolt, his bedroom looking the same, nothing out of the ordinary. Birds chirped outside as the sun shone through his window.

Had everything been a realistic dream? His throat was a bit dry but aside from that he patted himself down, and he felt pretty damn alive. In fact– he felt light. Too light actually…

He instinctively called out for Javier. His voice sounded foreign to his ears but that wasn’t what concerned him the most. His knight, his most trusted person, was nowhere in sight.

Whatever, maybe he was taking a shit or something. Lloyd shook his head, he wasn’t some baby that needed his knight after a stupid nightmare. He wasn’t…

He leaned back into his pillows but something still didn’t sit well with him. Lloyd’s eyes widened as he finally felt it. His chest wasn’t heavy. It was very very light.

Always, his summons would sleep right on top of his chest. Always. Ppodong had started that trend and the rest of the summons followed suit. Lloyd gritted his teeth the first few times they did so but quickly accepted his fate. His user manual said to ‘treat them with kindness’ anyway.

“Guys? Are you playing hide and seek?” Lloyd began patting around the bed and finally looked down at his hands and began chuckling nervously. “Did I shrink overnight or something? Haha, this must be a joke.” His hands seemed to belong to those of a kid. A small fucking kid.

Something was wrong.

He rushed to the nearest mirror he could find and gasped. Staring right back at him was the ugliest fucking kid he had ever seen. “My god…” Okay, maybe the kid wasn’t the ugly one, but the facial expression he was making made him pretty fucking horrid.

He pinched at his cheeks, full of baby fat, and groaned at the pain. He wasn’t dreaming, this was the real deal. Lloyd’s mind ran. It began filling to the brim with theories.

The system's final words rang in his head, ‘Good luck Lloyd. You’ll need it.’

“By ‘good luck’, is this what you meant?!” Lloyd nearly pulled his hair out as he screamed, “GAH! DAMN YOU SYSTEM!”

The family’s physician burst through his bedroom door at his screams. Lloyd nearly gave himself whiplash as he turned to face him. The physician also looked younger, his hair still brown with only a few grays. A white coat hung from his shoulders and a smile bloomed over his stressed-ridden face. What was his name again? Damn, Lloyd couldn’t remember for the life of him.

“I thought my ears were deceiving me! Young Master Lloyd, you’re finally awake! I’ll be right back with the baron and baroness so get back in bed!”

And with that the physician left, leaving Lloyd to his thoughts again. Seriously, what was his name?!

“Did he say ‘Finally awake’?! Where is Javier?! Just what the hell is going on?! Hey stupid system! Mind filling me in?!” He dragged himself back to his bed and lay there.

Ding!

[You have been sent back in time to complete three major ‘canon event’ tasks for the recompense of 179000 RP points. Complete all tasks to successfully return to the present!]

“WHAT?!” Lloyd fell out of his bed, just what the hell had he gotten himself into?!

He took in a deep breath and analyzed the situation. Ignoring the whole 'time travel' thing, all he had to do was complete three easy tasks. Right. No biggie. “Alright! I have no time to waste. Let’s see, how hard can these tasks be…?”

Ding!

[First canon event: Destroy Javier’s precious wooden sword and maniacally laugh in his face!]

He dragged his hands down his face, “Shit.”

Lloyd didn’t even have enough time to process what his parents started saying once they frantically entered the room. Even as they hugged him tight, all he could think of was Javier. Javier, Javier, and Javier.

Were the three ‘canon events’ just Lloyd tormenting Javier three separate times? His chest tightened at that thought. Hopefully, he was wrong.

His parents left once they saw his complexion better. They were busy during this time of the year and Lloyd was thankful for that. He needed time to process, plan, and execute.

But this damn physician wouldn’t leave him alone.

“You heard what they said, right Young Master?” The physician asked for the millionth time. Lloyd couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “Yes, I heard them loud and clear.”

Little kids are stupid. The Original Lloyd surely would’ve drowned if it wasn’t for Javier’s rescue. What made a little kid who couldn’t even swim jump into a large body of water? Delusion maybe?

The physician still looked somewhat skeptical and Lloyd huffed, “I promise I won’t go anywhere near water.” Lloyd reassured. Even though he wasn’t the idiot who couldn’t swim, he still swallowed his non-existent pride and made empty promises.

"And?" The physician raised an eyebrow.

Lloyd sighed in a defeated tone, "And I'll thank Javier." It was the least he could do for the physician as he had nurtured him back to health.

The physician hummed, “Good.” He turned his back to Lloyd and began packing his medical stuff.

Fucking finally!

Ding!

[Good boy!]

Lloyd whispered, “Oh shut up.”

It was all the damn system's fault for not explaining things properly.

Ding!

[I just wanted to remind you that there’s a time limit on this task but, (sigh), it seems as if you want me to ‘shut up’.]

“I apologize. Please continue.”

Ding!

[Every task has a time limit. This one has a 48-hour limit. You were asleep for 28 hours. Do the math.]

48 minus 28 was 20. In other words, he had less than a day…

Lloyd swatted at the blue floating square in front of him. “Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?!”

Ding!

[I tried to but you were asleep!]

As if that were a good enough reason. First things first, he needed to find Javier. To make sure his stupid face was okay. Then his wooden sword and then– and then…

The door to his room slightly opened and someone peeked through. The action was done very discreetly but Lloyd still caught it. He dryly swallowed. Never mind, there was no need to look for the boy. It seemed as if Javier had come to him.

[sktsnation]

title: open secret summary: they're not really doing a good job of hiding it characters: atsumu, kiyoomi, msby words: 2,234

meian knows what's up.

he'd seen the glances. heard the whispers. witnessed the stolen moments when they think no one is looking. meian knows, but he respects sakusa and atsumu's decision to remain a secret if they're not yet ready to tell the team.

the secret becomes an open secret within a short period of time, which then becomes a burden too difficult to ignore, especially when every single person in the team is highly aware and conscious of the fact that their spiker and setter are, in fact, very much in love.

i.

barnes is the first to know.

he finds out by chance when he steps into the gym, thinking he is the first one to arrive, only to find out that atsumu has already been practicing his hybrid serve for quite a while, if the dozen or so volleyballs scattered on court were any indication.

the taller man stands near the gym's entrance, poorly hidden behind open doors, rightfully captivated by atsumu's form and power when he serves a volleyball that cleaves through the air, landing perfectly on the boundary line.

while atsumu cools down, barnes decides that now is the right moment to show himself.

he moves to take a step but falters at the last minute when atsumu's phone rings, startling that blonde setter who rushes to pick up his device from the bench.

"omi-kun. what's up?" barnes overhears atsumu, eyes growing wide at the direction of their conversation. despite his challenges in living as a foreigner in japan, the lilt and tenderness in a person's voice when they speak on the phone with their loved ones remains universal.

"oh, that? you left it at my place."

"no, i most certainly did not steal it."

"fine, pick it up on your way here—hey, i washed it!"

"why are you asking me that? i gave you the key to my apartment for a reason, omi-kun."

"since you're there, can you grab me some chocolate?"

it's the gentle rise and fall in atsumu's voice, mixed with his kansai accent, that lights the proverbial light bulb over barnes’ head. sakusa is most definitely on the other line—as if there are other sakusas within the vicinity who atsumu interacts with—and he is at the receiving end of his tender tone which, frankly, sounds fucking endearing to barnes’ ears.

he follows the couple (or what he assumes are a couple) for the rest of the day, feeling zero guilt at the way his eyes would flicker over to them to see if they are, indeed, what they are. in his quest, barnes accidentally catches meian’s gaze, his captain’s eyes knowing and his brows raised in a silent question: found out huh?

barnes could only roll his eyes.

ii.

bokuto finds out second, and this time, it’s due to sheer dumb luck.

he’s on his way home, one more turn before arriving at the bus stop, when the sky dims and rain starts pouring. he realizes then and there that he had forgotten his umbrella in his locker. on a completely normal rainy day, he would have said fuck it and boarded the bus, but he had plans later that evening which includes meeting up with akaashi for dinner, and thus the umbrella is needed.

call it fate or destiny, but bokuto wouldn’t have witnessed the scene before him if not for his umbrella.

the first thing he notices while walking along the corridor is that the door to the locker room has been left open. there a

re sounds coming from within, which means someone is still inside, and judging from the voice, it’s most likely atsumu.

the blonde’s post-practice ritual is the longest among the team—which rivals even sakusa's own—which shouldn't strike anything odd with bokuto if not for the obvious fact that it’s been an hour or so since everyone has left.

bokuto is paces away from the door when he realizes that atsumu is not alone; he’s in a conversation with someone, voice too low to make out whom, and it’s due to pure curiosity that urges him to toe his sneakers off and slide quietly across the floor, just to peek through the small gap in the door.

bokuto bites his lips to keep the strangled scream from leaving his throat.

sakusa is dozing off by the bench while atsumu sits comfortably between his legs. he's struggling to keep himself awake; eyes unfocused and eyelids drooping. his arms are wrapped loosely around atsumu's waist whose mellow chatter continues to fill the air even after sakusa lays his forehead on his shoulders when the spiker finally surrenders to the sweet call of post-practice siesta.

"aww, omi~" atsumu croons, pausing to place a kiss on sakusa's cheeks. "wait just a bit more."

sakusa turns his head and hides his face against the crook on atsumu's neck. "i'm tired atsumu…"

pause. fucking pause. everyone (bokuto) needs to shut the fuck up because he (bokuto) is this close to screaming his head off.

sakusa had just whined. whined!

oh god, their silent player is a baby. their 193 cm opposite hitter is a cuddle bunny teddy bear with a heart made of clouds and rainbows.

bokuto could feel tears pooling at the corner of his eyes at the sight before him. he feels like a stalker, watching his two friends like this, but he literally has never seen them act this soft with anyone during practice, much less to each other!

talk about a gap moe.

(no he did not learn that term from akaashi's editor job.)

atsumu's humming now, mindful of the silence as sakusa falls asleep on his shoulder. sakusa's hand is cradled in one hand while the other one files his nails, caring for them in the same way he cares for his. bokuto slowly creeps away and scurries to the exit, forgetting his umbrella and braving the rain.

iii.

inunaki and tomas ties at third and it's not by choice.

no, it's definitely not by choice. it's never a choice when it comes to getting roped in the younger members' shenanigans. sakusa is the traitor in this case; the silent chaotic soul hiding behind a trio of loud chaotic souls.

like all good things, their day ends with alcohol.

hoping for a good time after practice, bokuto spearheads the idea which was instantly seconded by hinata and supported by atsumu. the final nail in inunaki's coffin comes in the form of sakusa nodding his head, bag already slung on his shoulder, as he tells the team the name of the bar they're going to.

it's over tomas' seventh bottle of heineken when sakusa places three bottles of smirnoff on the table and slips inside the booth, trapping atsumu between him and bokuto. their ace is halfway gone, regaling stories to hinata who's equally halfway gone, nodding at everything he says.

alcohol is not a problem; tomas' bloodstream swims in both caffeine and alcohol, creating a tolerance which the setter before him clearly lacks.

atsumu's already red in the face after his first bottle. asian flush—sakusa explains, which is a concept the foreigner still couldn't wrap his head around. atsumu's head is swaying from side to side, a soft toothy grin adorning his face. his eyes are unfocused, blinking lazily and darting everywhere, and tomas thinks: fuck asian flush, this kid's just bad with liquor.

he shares a look with inunaki, two pairs of wide eyes yelling 'are you seeing this?!' over the sight before them. atsumu pouting when sakusa pulls the bottle away from his hands, telling him the drink is not for him. atsumu whining as he shakes sakusa's shoulder for being mean to him, arguing he can drink another bottle. sakusa sighing and flicking atsumu's head for not knowing any better.

inunaki sees bokuto glance at them—deadass nonplussed—and it suddenly clicks in his head that bokuto knows what's happening.

what inunaki doesn't know is that bokuto knows more than him because right now, at this very moment, he sees sakusa tracing circles along atsumu's upper thigh from under the table. bokuto consciously ignores the way goosebumps rise on atsumu's arms, his eyes turning back to hinata, ignoring the couple shamelessly flirting next to him.

inunaki is floored. barnes and meian most definitely know; no one can stop two grown, married men from gossiping with each other, especially if it's about these children they're supposed to be looking after. looking back, barnes and the captain have been sharing a look since over a month ago, like they're watching the punchline of an inside joke unfold.

"omi~" atsumu purrs, his shoulder pressed against sakusa's. the spiker just rolls his eyes, but let's the setter hook his arm over his neck, pulling him closer until they're face to face.

tomas' hand stays frozen, hovering over his beer. bokuto chokes on his fries. inunaki is bouncing on his seat. hinata is gone, head on the table, snoring.

what the fuck? how did they miss this?

-i.

hinata is actually the first to know.

not meian.

not barnes.

him. he's the first to witness the intricate dance between sakusa and atsumu. the ribbing. the heckling. the half-hearted glares. the high-fives.

on one unassuming night, around 11:00 pm, he and atsumu meet by chance in the convenience store which is the midpoint of their apartments. atsumu's surfing between the aisles, picking up junk food and toiletries which he carries in his arms, when he bumps into hinata.

"—shit" he says when hinata accidentally topples the pile in atsumu's arms. before his volleyball reflexes could even shoot into action, sakusa's hand is already there to catch the bag of chips with his hand.

"shouyo-kun?" atsumu's jaw drops, surprise coloring his features.

"m-miya-san—" hinata mirrors his expression "sakusa-san!" his finger points to the taller man who just looks unamused by the whole exchange.

"hey." he greets hinata before turning to atsumu. "i told you to use a basket."

suddenly, hinata's presence becomes invisible as the two continue to exist within the same bubble. there's an exasperated slope to sakusa's eyebrows which matches atsumu's pout, which curiously disappears when the spikers flicks his forehead. the young spiker's eyes (who's learned to discern the most minutes details on the court) instantly picks up on two things.

first is the too-large black hoodie that seems to swallow atsumu's entire torso. it would have been irrelevant if not for the fact that hinata knows he's seen sakusa wear that in several casual occasions.

second is the hickey on his neck—and really, hinata doesn't need anything more than this to reach the conclusion.

"oh." he breathes, not realizing his teammates were in that kind of relationship. atsumu seems to realize where hinata's eyes are pointed at and consciously tries to turn away so his neck remains hidden from his sight.

"we'd appreciate it very well if you don't day anything yet to the team." it's sakusa who speaks up, which makes everything more surreal because the moment he opened his mouth, atsumu's face burns in an embarrassing shade of red like he'd just realized they've been caught together.

"uh, okay?" hinata's unsure why he's being sworn to secrecy right now, but he agrees nonetheless.

"thanks, hinata." sakusa gives him a small smile and pushes the basket towards atsumu again, silently asking him to drop everything inside. the setter obliges and rushes to the cashier with their purchases, leaving them behind.

"uh…?"

"he doesn't want anyone to know yet."

"but i know?"

"if there's a way for you to forget, i'd have done it. we'll tell the others in our own pace." which means the ball is in atsumu's court and it's his choice when to come clean with their relationship.

"okay… congrats i guess. if you look at your left, there's some cond—"

"good night hinata." sakusa turns away and follows atsumu to the cashier.

to be painfully honest, the secret turned open-secret turned shared-team-burden continues for a long while. it actually takes the young couple months of failed attempts at hiding, because at this point, every one knows and are just despairing for atsumu to tell them.

so when the fated day comes where atsumu is finally ready, he asks the team to stay behind after practice for a special announcement, and everyone just beams.

everyone gathers at the locker room as they wait for both the two to show. meian shoots barnes an ugly look, hands fisted in his pocket, begrudgingly holding a few thousand yens as payment for a bet they both set up between themselves. inunaki looks bored as hell, feet swinging over the bench, wishing to go home instead of waiting for something they've already known for months.

hinata and bokuto are chatting by the corner, arms gesturing wildly in the air over an interesting story. tomas is watching the door for either atsumu or sakusa to make an entrance.

because they are tired as hell.

hinata had to run away just to avoid seeing sakusa kiss atsumu.

inunaki had to restrain himself from eavesdropping when the two talk about what to eat for dinner or if atsumu should just cook for them instead.

so when atsumu enters the room with sakusa in tow, hands together and fingers intertwined, their only reaction is to cry because finally, finally, they can give them their congratulations.

[motheatenscarf]

I keep telling myself I'm being too harsh and that other expansions must have been this slow as well, but actually, no, I'm on level 92 stuff and by this point in EW, the Tower of Zot had been done and in SHB, fucking Holminster Switch had come and gone.

This is just not economical storytelling and the pacing's off.

I was momentarily excited when Gulool Ja Ja summoned up the WoL to meet. The duel was cute and it felt like I actually got to do something, it was reminiscent of the duels with Raubahn and Zenos where the player character is given the chance to just. Have a fun fight for glory's sake and nothing else and revel in it.

I'd noticed that people had been prompting the WoL a lot for their input on how to proceed, but very little in the way of introspection and how they might feel about things or what their motives might be. Which, yeah, actually, that's been a little disappointing given how Endwalker was literally an expansion about, hey, how you feel about things matters, and how Shadowbringers was, hey, why people do things matters.

Like. I don't need the WoL to be the main character or the main focus of the story right now, I acknowledge that Dawntrail is Wuk Lamat's story and our role is, as stated in text, to guide her and mentor her. That's fun! That's new! That's different!

...

Let me do that! There's a difference between not being the main character and feeling like a non-entity in a story. And like. Kinda everybody here feels like a non-entity except for Wuk Lamat. And she's fine as a character, she's just. There's not a lot to her. There are no real flaws that aren't cute or endearing, and like, that's fine, not every character needs to be Oops! All Flaws, Aymeric is one of my favorite characters in this game, but the narrative isn't challenging her and her convictions beyond tummy hurty and alpaca's stinky. Aymeric was STABBED and spit on and had to watch people scorn his name and nearly watched children be murdered in opposition to his dream of peace. He got put through the ringer! Wuk Lamat gets motion sickness and isn't taken very seriously and she feels inadequate when comparing herself to her brothers. Cool. That's relatable, sure, but not compelling. I also get motion sickness and don't feel like I'm as smart as my brother and know that my mom likes him more than me. I'm not the protagonist of a Final Fantasy game! And if I was, I'd hope someone would make that family dynamic the FOCUS of the story at the very least.

Everyone else is like. Why are they here? The twins have nothing to do here. The WoL has nothing to do here. Krile in theory has a quest but she doesn't seem particularly driven or excited about it and we've learned almost nothing of consequence regarding it. We now know she was an orphan but she isn't interested in who her parents were or why they left, and also her earring is special, I guess.

Thancred and Urianger have more to do than this group. Koana and the other one are kinda one-note but they've at least got the advantage of like. Being withholding and letting me interpret the things they say and do sometimes, rather than telling me.

I keep thinking, god, maybe Erenville will be interesting but he's starting to feel a little one-note in his interactions with Wuk Lamat. We know a little more about him now but it's like. Trivia. He was from this village and his mother tasked him with finding the Golden City. Cool. What does that mean to him? How does he feel about it? Why did he obey her instructions to become a gleaner to search for this city? Nothing we've learned is of substance.

I'm... frustrated. We're at 3/7 of these Feats completed and I do not have any greater understanding of these characters and their reasons for being here or their roles in the narrative than we had at the start of the contest. We're still just establishing the setting 1/5 of the way through. It's frustrating. I've been pretty patient, but I don't think my continued urge to fuck off and do something else every hour or two is misplaced. I've almost finished grinding fates in the first 2 zones just because I wanted to take some time to sit and think and digest what I'm feeling about all this and why.

[yanderes-galore]

And one more for the Outer Worlds, as you likely expected someone to ask, could you please write a romantic rivalry with Felix and Vicar Max? I know they don’t even have solo concepts yet, but their relationship in the game is too fascinating to not expand on. Two men who are already down to toss each other out an airlock as soon as the captain looks away? Surely adding romantic tension won’t hurt anyone!

- 📸 anon

Ohhhh, I like how you think! Here you go :) I hope everything is in character! Sorry if it's short, I didn't have a lot of plot ideas ^^;

Yandere! Felix vs Yandere! Vicar Max

Pairing: Romantic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Jealousy, Yandere rivalry, Violence, Threats, Drug use mentioned once, Blood, Sabotage mention, Dubious relationships.

I will admit these two have a very interesting relationship.

Usually it seems to stem from Felix's hate for the Corporation and Max's religion.

As a result they often argue with one another.

Now imagine the chaos caused when the two fall for the same person?

Could be with the captain... could be someone the captain hired...

Either way the two start to develop feelings for you.

I will admit the rivalry would be worse before Max went on his spiritual enlightenment journey.

Before Max's companion quest, he was much quicker to resort to violence and more irritable/arrogant.

This version of Max would pick fights with Felix more.

Except Felix is actually the one picking the fights more.

Max tries to be more mature in front of you, but it irritates him when he hears Felix run his mouth about you.

Felix thinks you'd want more of a rebel as a partner, while Max feels you'd want a more intellectual partner.

Felix definitely tries hard to impress you with his physical fighting capabilities.

Meanwhile Max helps you see the science side of things.

Honestly who's "right" for you comes down to preference.

Not that it stops them from fighting.

Regardless on what you prefer they definitely still pick fights.

It rarely gets overly violent but I feel it can border on it.

Felix likes to taunt Max, telling him how you definitely prefer him over the Vicar (even if you don't)

Max usually retorts with something back, ever so slightly holding back his rage and urge to deck the younger companion.

If you are a companion of the captain, the two try to convince the captain to take you and one of them on a mission.

That way one of them gets alone time with you and a chance to impress you.

If you are the captain and you happen to have them both as your companions, they're bickering.

You'd have to tell them off if you want peace.

The two probably fight if you leave them alone, maybe one time you come back to The Unreliable only to see them have a bit of blood on them.

The two know better than to kill one another, hopefully, but they never seem to get along when it comes to you.

They also don't consider kidnapping you, they care about you so there's no need to stress you out.

They still are... but whatever.

After Max's trip to enlightenment with the aid of drugs/incense, he's calmer but still shows irritable behavior towards Felix.

Especially if Felix keeps taunting him about you.

Even if you do choose one or the other, who's to say they won't keep fighting?

Now the game has changed slightly, who can ruin the other's relationship faster.

It's still a game of sabotage... one that feels never-ending to you.

When it comes to a rivalry between them... there won't be any peace...

Especially if one keeps the fire of the fighting going continuously (Felix).

[onboardsorasora]

lmao when i saw the "To protect your ✨peace✨ it is okay to:" self care post you reblogged i thought it was a fic prompt list?? fully ready to be like

"7. Do things that make you happy and relaxed + maxiel"

Lolol Nonny that's what I thought it was when I saw it too! 😅😅 of course when I read this my brain went 'absolutely!' This isn't edited so I hope it reads ok! (Edited to add more in this universe and here is some more apparently)

Daniel shifted on the couch, tucking his knee closer to his chest. He was in full concentration mode; his tongue stuck out of his mouth as his fingers flit over the buttons on Max's controller.

"Try jumping before you get to the edge, maybe." Max muttered at his side. He was curled up against the armrest, stroking Jimmy's back so he had something to do with his hands.

"I'm trying but he keeps tripping over that stupid rock. And I…can't like jump over the rock but still have time to like jump before the edge." Daniel muttered, frustrated that his character on the screen refused to do what he wanted him to do.

They'd been playing this RPG for weeks now. Well, Daniel had been playing in between Max's games of FIFA and COD. He could play when Max was streaming or playing iRacing, maybe, but that wasn't the point. This was the only game Daniel wanted to play.

The open world concept called to him, it wasn't a linear path to the story and he quite liked roaming around and finding all the random shit he could do as mini games and side quests. This was also a game that Max didn't want to play– but he enjoyed watching Daniel play.

Currently he was trying to complete a mini game, it wasn't exactly necessary but he had looked up the walkthrough and the prize at the end was more than satisfactory.

"Fuck yeah!" Daniel cheered once he was able to do the move he had been trying for way too long. The walkthrough claimed it would have been easy but it absolutely wasn't. It was fine though because it was all the sweeter when Daniel's character opened the winner's chest.

"Oh! Isn't that the thing you need—" Max chattered excitedly.

"Yup! That's why I wanted to do this one so badly. It's gonna make that next quest so much easier." Daniel grinned at him, leaning in and pressing his shoulder against Max's for a second.

"Well let's go! I wanna see the cut scene!" Max urged him on excitedly.

Daniel happily agreed, this was his favourite part of off weeks, where they could unwind and disconnect from everything. And sometimes that meant slow days playing a RPG that's been out for years on the couch with Max and the cats.

[swampbrick]

played the Joseph: Collapse dlc for FC6 tonight and wow do I have Thoughts About That!

spoilerish content below the cut I suppose, about something that’s been out for a hot minute (but I digress)

As a Jacob Seed Girly™️, I have nothing to say except: Ow. Really, this was so painful on his end that I could hardly react from emotion, rather, I was literally just getting nauseous anytime we’d get backstory with him. I have nothing bad to say about the Jacob sections of the memories and visions, which speaks volumes because I always critique extra hard about characters I love? But nah, he was great. Broke my heart a little extra, but great nonetheless. I feel like, even if this DLC isn’t hard canon, it still solidified a lot of my headcanons for Jacob and really added some extra umph to his characterization. 10s across the board, 5/5 stars, but at what cost?

As the best friend of a John Seed Girly™️, I was also a bit disappointed? As far as we found, John didn’t have his own “big moment” like Faith and Jacob did, outside of the family excursions where you’d see stuff with all of them, or have to fight/find/save all of them. We need to go back and replay, because we missed one thing we for sure know about on our first play through, but it seemed like he didn’t get his own set aside event/memory with a big bad John fight at the end of it, the way the others did. I guess it could be excused if you were to say that Joseph felt less guilt there due to XYZ reasons or what have you, but that feels kind of like a cheap copout. That aside, I do think it’s likely that we could have just missed it somehow due to the nonlinear gameplay style and how there aren’t quest pickups/you don’t have to complete everything to beat the DLC. We did think that we had scoured every inch of the map, but it could be worth combing back over more finely. I WILL SAY…. The John crumbs we did get sprinkled throughout the group stuff??? Delectable. All his talk of “the urges” had me rightfully unsettled. Once again; GREAT addition to characterization here, I have to say that they really gave us more personality with all of the guys.

That being said…….. while the guys got some great new depth to them, I wish that, if the DLC was going to focus so heavily on Faith, we could have gotten more FAITH. Not Rachel. Or a mix of both, perhaps? I would have loved to have seen Rachel being brought into the fold of Eden’s Gate, or material with the past Faiths, or even the ORIGINAL Faith- and what she meant to Joseph, and the Seed Family overall. I feel like everything we got from Faith in this is DLC, was stuff we already knew about her from FC5. We didn’t really get any new depth to her character here, it just felt like her storyline from FC5 rehashed, which sucked a bit considering that so much of this DLC seemed to revolve around her.

Do not get me wrong, I LOVED this DLC. As a Jacob fan, I was eating it up (and by that I mean choking on my tears before they could even form). I just like to pick at things and critique them when applicable, and I feel like maybe this DLC struggled a bit because it was a bit too focused on trying to paint Joseph as being irredeemable and awful, and it missed out on really truly digging into why he was the way he was, or at the very least his family dynamics. Which… to me, kind of seemed like the whole point of a DLC about the mind of Joseph Seed? Not to paint him to be an awful terrible person and sling bias on him, but just to take a sterile approach to his life and see it though his eyes- his mind?

Anyways all that aside this DLC has hella replayability and I will be diving back into it at least 50 more times before all is said and done with.