#at least my main character looks sick as hell

[memoryofmurder]

my question to the CMBNATJLIOHTGEFIANSTLOD (Comic Makers But Not Actually They Just Live In Our Heads To Get Elaborated For Infinity And Never See The Light Of Day) of tumblr, what's your personal record of "days since unwillingly redesigned my main character instead of making refs for my 178 underdeveloped characters"?? mine was going strong on 3 but apparently i'm on fucking square one again.

[gourmetjello]

nikto x reader : intimidated

oh gosh loves it feels so good to be back after such a long break! i’m sorry i disappeared for over a month. sickness, late trainings, writer’s block, studying and barely hanging on by a thread took a toll on me but i’ll try to be back ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜

i know it sounds unusual but i’ll try my best to write for other characters too. i know i’ve teased a little list before but now i’m starting to see a pattern form and these are the people i’m most likely going to write for : könig, krueger, ghost, ‘09 ghost, nikto, roach, soap, capt. soap, ‘09 makarov (•̀ᴗ•́ )و

hopefully you all are satisfied with the list! if you have any more suggestions just let me know somehow. now hope you enjoy the fic! ♡

tw ; alcohol, mention of drugs.

—

“drink up, drink up!”

a voice yelled from behind you and all you could hear was the sound of shot glasses being knocked against each other once again. the sound was so familiar by now that you even made a mental note on how glasses sound different when they’re filled and when they’re empty. actually, why was someone raising toasts with an empty glass?

“bottoms up, y’all, don’t be pussies-“

but you didn’t have a glass in your hand, not now. you just stared at the people that were having fun and you couldn’t help but think about how you even ended up here.

there was a friend that you shared with this one guy, that’s quite literally all you were one hundred percent sure about — basically nothing. you could be looking at them directly and you would have no idea who they are, thanks to the cliche ‘friend of a friend’ circle going around this whole party. nobody knew each other, but friends and relationships don’t exist when you’re just drinking, right?

so there was that guy. and when you finally saw his face for the first time, you got the chills down your spine. he immediately seemed like someone you shouldn’t really be messing with — like he was planning something evil? or maybe he already did something bad, it felt childish to think about things like these at your grown age and you couldn’t even put your finger on what your senses told you about this person. just leave him alone and get the fuck out of here as soon as possible.

just as that thought crossed your mind, a yell broke through the happy little murmurs and drunken words.

“y’all, what the fuck! get outta’ here! right now! cops outside! holy fucking shit!”

cops outside? what the hell? why?

before the panic settled in, you blinked outside and you were amost immediately sure this wasn’t the fucking police. at least ten men dressed in black tactical outfits stood right next to the huge outdoors pool in the nicely maintained backyard. the well trimmed trees gave them an even scarier look too, painting shadows in the night all over their already dark forms.

you could even see from the corner of your eye that some were equipped with ballistic shields like it was some kind of movie. you have never seen one of those in real life before, and now it gave you a really bad feeling (pretty obviously). their faces were hidden and they were coming closer and closer to the main building all of you and your.. acquaintances were inside.

the guns hanging from their torsos.. wasn’t a nice sight, to be honest. you were convinced that these men were probably legally allowed to do anything as long as they got a bit closer to what they wanted to achieve. and for that, you weren’t exactly sure what it was. come on, shutting down a (not so) little house party with people who look like came straight out of a counter-terrorism organization? isn’t that a tiny exaggeration?

you could have sworn that you only looked away for a few seconds but the next moment you looked around the whole room was empty. fuck. well that’s a situation coming your way for sure, because one of those monsters was heading right towards your direction with a slightly wrinkled paper in his hands.

you wanted to yell and scream at him, to let him know that you absolutely had no clue what this whole thing was about and that you weren’t involved with whatever stupid drug smuggling anyone around you did — since you were sure that you weren’t the target, and they knew that too. but they had to listen to anyone they could catch.

“party’s over..” a deep voice mumbled with a heavy accent. you could recognize it anywhere. a russian accent, gosh.. you’re fucked.

and soon the paper was pressed right into your face. your nose was rubbed against the thin material, not even allowing you to see whatever was printed on it. but it was most likely a person, or at least that was what you could make out when he held it a little further away from you.

“missy, you know this fella?” the man asked.

you had no idea who was on the photo. it was a man with a beard and he seemed way too damn old to be right here, in a house party with some silly college students? he couldn’t be here, you’ve never even seen his face before.

you hesitated a little, not knowing which answer would get you out of here quicker.

“do not keep that mouth shut, come on. you’ll get outta’ here faster, come on.”

your brain immediately sobered up and a small whine left your mouth as you finally took the time to examine the terrifying person that was standing right in front of you. face mask made of kevlar, a gun hanging from his side and a pistol on his right thigh. bulletproof from head to toe. ballistic shield placed next to his other leg.

this guy was going to kill you. one hundred percent. or at least le looked like he would try to do that.

“come on, we don’t bite?”

he tried to speak normally but his statement sounded a lot more like a question, like he wasn’t sure about it either. it could have been the fact that it probably wasn’t usual for them to talk to people that look like they don’t even know where they are. and you were just like that right now. lost as fuck.

you stared up at the photo of the man once again. the black and white printing was so bad that you were barely able to make out the details on it.

“i- um.. no idea w-who’s on the photo.”

“do not lie, missy.”

“i really- i don’t know!”

“well, then let me tell you so you maybe remember, hm? this dude right here,” he gently knocked the face of the man on the paper, the material gently crumbling under his heavy, gloved finger “whose house you’re at right fucking now, has a fuck ton of cocaine under these,” now he kicked the flooring, “these little tiles.”

your eyes widened and to a person who had no clue that you were just as lost here as they are, it would probably come across as some realization. but no, it wasn’t any kind of realization — you really didn’t know about any of this! and it was hard to believe too. you didn’t even see a single line of coke on this party, it was too expensive to be wasted on little college student get-togethers?

“s-sir, i really don’t-“

“we know you know.”

“but i don’t!”

the man’s eyes widened as you started losing your shit. he probably heard the unsure shake in your voice as you slightly raised it — which was probably a stupid idea, but the situation was already bad enough when you’re locked into a burning hot little room that smelled like alcohol with someone who’s straight up dressed in carbon from head to toe? this was getting out of hand.

“missy, i’ve got the legal right to shock you, and if you refuse to give out any information then i’ll just have to do that..”

you were becoming annoyed. you were intimidated as hell and you knew that you couldn’t do anything in a situation like this, you were shaking scared. this man was making you feel so uneasy.

maybe he did it on purpose because as you stayed silent he just stared into your eyes, like a madman. he wasn’t even blinking behind that mask, the black face paint covering the area around his eyes making the color of his irises pop out from the black atmosphere around it. you just weren’t sure why he was doing this.

he placed a hand on his gun now, like he was about to slip out his pistol. but he didn’t have the right to kill or shoot you or anything like that, right? right? panic was filling your brain and goosebumps were running up and down your body as you had no idea about what these men could and could not do to an innocent civillian that actually had no clue about whatever was going on!

“we can play this game, missy. but you won’t like it.”

“i’ve said everything i know! nothing.”

“for fuck’s sake, just say something, anything.”

“but i don’t know! i accidentally ended up here, too.”

“whatever. fuck you, missy.” the man grunted as he finally let his pistol down, letting you back out from the corner he had held you in this whole time. it felt like you could finally breathe again and the cold sweat running down your temples felt like a normal reaction again.

“get the fuck outta’ here and if you know anything. keep your mouth fucking shut. am i understood?”

“y-yes sir.”

you were breathing heavy as you finally made it out of that room. it was a feeling you never wanted to experience ever again — you almost got yourself killed. and you were 99% sure that if you said the wrong stuff he wouldn’t have hesitated to use that pistol. what is wrong with humanity..

the man peeked above his shoulder to look at you walk away. he didn’t take his eyes off of you until you finally exited the whole damn house. you’re never ever coming back and that’s for sure. holy shit.

—

sorry about how bad and rushed this was! :(

[strawhatkia]

love you more when the day is new.

INCLUDES ! katsuki bakugo, eijirou kirishima, and hitoshi shinsou x black!fem!reader

GENRE ! fluff

SYNOPSIS ! weekend morning antics or, what it's like to wake up to the boys !

WARNINGS ! y'all live in an apartment (not the dorms), characters have been aged up, if i miss anything let me know (it's so fcking late)

WORD COUNT ! i have no clue...

A/N ! imma do a pt.2 because i wanted to add sero and izuku but i can't fucking focus so y'all have this for now !

SONG SUGGESTION ! breakfast in bed by rayana jay, breakfast by fana hues, one love by cleo sol

reblogs and comments are welcomed and loved, so leave some please ! i will respond ! 🤍

MAIN MASTERLIST | BNHA MASTERLIST | TAGLIST

— ☾⋆⁺₊🧨💢✧ KATSUKI BAKUGO !

with how early this boy goes to sleep, waking up before him is quite literally impossible

usually it's you waking up to him on his phone as he rubs your side with his free hand, tucking you in closer to his chest while looking the most relaxed you will ever see him

he always knows when you're about to wake up, and og i am not kidding, the boy picks up on when you're heart rate changes

but there's a reason, i promise ! kats is vv afraid of losing his hearing one day due to his quirk so he kinda asked recovery girl to teach him how to pick up on someone's pulse from their neck

after that, he always positioned himself so you would be laying on his arm and his hand would be on your neck some how cute right?

this is the best time for cuddles because he is so pliant and peaceful and warm

the moment you look like you're getting up, he immediately puts his phone down (he really didn't care for it but he was bored waiting on you to wake up)

he quietly accepts your hug, tangling his legs with yours and tucking his head into your neck with a sigh as you slowly wake up

"morning suki" "g'morning" "did you sleep okay?" "hm...i was bored waiting on you" "my bad, how long did you wait?" "not long...go to bed early" "not everyone is an old man like you kats" "shut up, talking shit this early- don't laugh-"

his arms tighten around you when you shift and he continues to rub circles on your back and rub your sides in hopes of you getting to relax more so you don't get out of the bed

"babes, we gotta get up" "hm." "we can't stay here all day" "like hell we can't" "kat-"

prepare for some soft kisses to shut that nonsense up because he ain't hearing none of it

i feel like if you had a scarf on and the knot was pressing into his face, he would just snatch that shit off in the middle of your sleep and either redo it or put a bonnet on for you

"kats...where's my scarf?" "hm? i took it off" WHAT-" "the damn knot was hurting my face" "...i oughta whoop yo ass" "oh shut up, i know you feel that damn bonnet on your head ! it's not like i left your head unprotected !"

how he gets away with taking it off without you noticing is a mystery (and a profound skill)

when it comes to breakfast, he is definitely making it and no you can't help

"one of these days you'll get tired of making breakfast every morning we have off" "dumbass, if that day comes i'm either sick or you need to come knock some sense into me" "i can cook, kats, you do know that right?" "i didn't ask, you do know that right?" "aight, nigga-"

he'll never say it out loud, but you're his girl and he's supposed to take care of you so breakfast is the least he can do; plus you're still sleepy, he doesn't want you to burn yourself (never mind the years you spent making breakfast for yourself)

big on french toast with brioche bread just because he can and he loves the way you struggle a lil to bite into that thick ass piece a bread ; you stuffing your face with food he cooked always makes him happy

(if you're the type of person that dances or hums or makes a face when eating good food, just know he's looking for that cue and won't be satisfied until sees it)

also food = love pipeline !

— ☾⋆⁺₊🐈‍⬛🌀✧ HITOSHI SHINSOU !

you always wake up first, always

toshi has trouble sleeping most days and with him being a stealth hero, sleep often alludes him

sleeping with you helps as much as it can but he still struggles sometimes so in the morning, you let him sleep as long as he wants

i'd like to think that he runs a little cold most nights so the bed being warm is important to him sleeping peacefully so in the morning when you wake up, you don't get out of the bed too quickly

he's such a cat, even in his sleep, so cuddling with him will get you an immediate response; if you tuck him into you chest and rub his back, he'll snuggle closer to you and sigh, relaxing even further into your hold ; if you kiss his forehead and rub his side, he'll roll into your touch; if you try to spoon him and nuzzle into his back, he'll hold your arms in his hands, stroking his thumb against your forearm

blankets *

it's getting out of bed that is incredibly hard because there's a chance he'll wake up which we don't want= mf needs sleep ; even if he sleeps for a little while long, he'll notice the bed get cold almost immediately

technically, this is the morning but y'all don't roll out the bed until noon because toshi needs sleep and you'll feel bad if you wake him before he actually gets up

great cuddler tho !

— ☾⋆⁺₊ 🦈🪨✧ EIJIROU KIRISHIMA !

one of the few times, his hair isn't trying to impale everything near it

despite how much gel the boy puts into his hair, his hair is very soft and fluff (also do to the fact you make him take better care of his hair bc whew-)

smooth, silky, and soft ! it's hard not to touch as soon as you wake up because it's just right in front of your face and so you run your hands through it (kiri definitely wakes up the moment you start stroking his hair but like hell he's moving away, to relaxed to move)

when he does want to wake up, he stretches very slowly before letting out the loudest groan and popping every bone down his spinal cord

"well damn, kiri, you good" "never better" "okay well don't break your back, old man, we ain't even got out the bed yet" yea haha very funny"

another cuddle bug but definitely more aggressive, pulling you on top of him and wrapping his arms around you while kissing your cheeks multiple times, laughing when you groan or yell at him to put you down

he doesn't

i envision kiri as the type to just go back to sleep as soon as he's comfortable again so getting out of the bed is a very long affair

even so, he does not stop trying to kiss you anywhere he can reach (ofc a lil softer than before) and humming when you kiss him back

he's just so soft and loving in the morning, shit is almost overwhelming

just letting you know, i fully believe that if you let him start or start it yourself, he'll kiss you the entire morning and start tearing up because he just loves you so much

©STRAWHATKIA ━ all rights reserved. all content published on this blog belongs to starsoir. please refrain from copying, stealing, profiting off my works, or using my works for asmr related work. i don’t allow my works to be used or adapted in any way without my permission.

reblogs and comments are welcomed and loved, so leave some please ! i will respond ! 🤍

wanna read more ??

boyfriend. | f. | katsuki bakugo

lip gloss, lil mama. | f. | bakugo, sero, shinsou, hawks, and mirio.

taglist : @mypimpademia @sevvnt @cosmiles @megurulvr @dreampurpledreams

eijirou kirishima taglist: @cosmiles

[bas-writes]

a lot has happened lately, but so far i haven't made any official statement about my decisions and the path i want to take as a writer. it was a long road of trial and error & detailed examination of conscience in regard of my bad habits, gained experience, and goals and expectations. there are some massive changes that i need to address, followed by explanation of my decisions. i know i don't need to explain myself but i feel it's only fair to my loyal readers to share at least little insight into the context.

I. One Piece goes on indefinite vacation...

not going to lie, i was falling out of this fandom for years. it's started in 2021 when i fell victim to bullying and stalking, initiated by a widely-known (and still active, as far as i am aware of) x reader writer. it's the biggest reason for my slow withdrawal but not a sole one: pressing discourse around my comfort characters, toxic environment i fell into when looking for a relief from relentless bullying, forcing myself to write for topics and characters i didn't even like, readers overstepping my boundaries over and over again, falling into a trap of purity culture...oh, the list is long. way too long.

i still love one piece but i don't want to create for it en-masse anymore. right now it's just a wound that's far from healing, i need to treat it at my own pace. aside from an occasional poke at sapphic topics and my fav trio, i doubt it will appear in other way than commissions or gifts for friends. and some characters (kid, sanji, marco, katakuri, shanks & a few more) will never return.

II. ...but new fandoms arrive!

jujutsu kaisen is right now the main love of my life & will remain as the main fandom for long. but i found more series and characters i adore enough to feel that creative spark buzzing in my veins. soon you should see fics appearing for: demon slayer, chainsaw man, haikyuu and hell's paradise!

i'm keeping my head low rn when it comes to requests but i want to hold at least a kinktober open for them so you definitely will have an opportunity to see your faves from those series from me!

III. It's a gender neutral & afab Y/N sphere now!

it's something that was inevitably floating over me and my fics (and some of y'all definitely caught the whiff of it already), but i couldn't quite find courage to put a hard limit. we all know how it is in the y/n circles: way too many people expect from writers to cater to everyone, and treat it as a personal offense if you prefer to play in your own sandbox. as if writing y/ns was "activism", not a fandom activity like any other.

so, i won't force myself to write against myself anymore. i feel the most happy and comfortable when i make my y/ns gender neutral and when i'm giving them vaginas (and sometimes boobs) when i'm writing smut with them. i don't want to battle my weirdly-veiled dysphoria to force female reader out of myself. i don't want to stress myself while writing amab y/n, from the sheer biological fact of being unable to relate via lack of penis, to being sick and tired of the toxicity and misogyny that m!reader circles reek of.

so, gender neutral and afab it is. sometimes i will stray towards afab nonbinary or transmasc direction, if i feel like i need some good gender vibes coming from my fics.

it doesn't mean i will never write different y/ns. commissions, gifts for friends, exchanges, random ideas for a plot that requires a specific kind of y/n, sapphics feels, and such will appear here and there. i will also interact lots with f!reader fics, since it's what i see lots around & don't mind reading, if i feel more fem or if it's from a writer i like and trust.

incoming ino x reader (that i hope to publish tomorrow) will be the last non-sapphic f!reader that will appear for a long while. all requests i'm keeping in my drafts right now will be turned into completely gender neutral or from fem to more general afab reader (i don't have any requests for amab readers rn anyway). unless you really don't want to have f!reader taken out of your request - then please, let me know, i will delete it so you can head with it to a different writer.

IV. Never miss a fic again - sign for a tag list!

and now a little treat! if you don't want to miss a fic about the topic that might interest you, you may sign for a tag list by filling a simple form!

V. And what am I going to do now?

write, write, and write even more! i wanna write the in the heat of spring drabbles before the spring is gone, have three fully-fledged multichapter fics outlined and itching to be written and posted, and an interactive event with which we will welcome the summer 💦

in june i want to publish a few sapphic fics that i had in mind for a while now & later towards the second half of summer (think august-september) i'll smile at you again with a kinktober i really want to complete this year!

there might be a few smaller events on the way, depending on how busy i'll be. there's an idea for dilf enjoyers and for a chubby y/n, as well as many others that still didn't take a clear shape.

i also didn't forget about the kiss event and nonsexual acts of intimacy for the fluff enjoyers!

if you survived this wall of text (or just scrolled down here lol understandable) - thank you for your patience, understanding, and support. whether you're here with me since the very beginning or clicked the follow recently, i'm happy to have you here ❤ if you have any questions or just want to talk, my askbox is open for any kind of interaction! and if you want to support a poor writer who has way too many health-related spendings lately, you can buy me a ko-fi ❤

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

Oh, Minglan.

This is what happens when you take the attitude of "It's no big deal if my husband sleeps with morally questionable other women." 🙄

I am fully on his side on this issue but I feel like hasn't done a good enough job of expressing just how disgusting he personally finds these concubines that everyone keeps trying to force on him. Minglan has been brainwashed by the patriarchy and it will take her a while to find her ground and feel secure enough to put her foot down, but what is stopping him from advocating for himself?

My guy, just say NO.

***

LMAO, he's the ruthless and stupid one?

Chang'er's death is his fault? I cannot with this evil narcissist.

***

Fuck you.

Maybe if your garbage ass had not kidnapped him, he wouldn't have gotten sick. And if he had, they would have been able to afford a doctor.

***

I hope he really rips her limb from limb.

The more I see of her and of Lin Qinshuang, the more valid I find Mo Ran for deep-frying fucking Song Qiutong.

***

Unfortunately, Minglan talked him out of torturing her to death 😕

***

LOL, let's hope that at least the piece of shit maternal uncle gets tortured.

***

Please tell me we will get to see a beheading 😭

I am so sick and tired of these people. They have been trying to murder Gu Tingye for fifty episodes now. I am so done 😭😭

***

I love it when cats make guest appearances in dramas 💙

***

Hell person.

***

In general, I am not pleased with how this story has handled Manniang and her children. It all seems sanitised and on easy mode for Minglan because the true circumstances of him having this whole family before marrying her diminishes the romance as it is and making it any more realistic would probably have snapped a lot of people out of rooting for the main couple because they could no longer idealise it.

I mean, look at this:

If this show was realistic, the odds are that Rong-jie, with a vindictive, abusive, neglectful biological mother who abandoned her like this, would have taken all that trauma out on Minglan because this is how kids tend to react in such situations. She would have given her stepmother hell because she was there and a convenient target, while the narcissistic, toxic, neglectful bio mother was not.

Also, killing Chang-er is the writers taking the easy way out because now they have eliminated Gu Tingye's eldest son and possible heir from competing with Minglan's children for the title and the wealth. It's such a cop-out. With Chang-er in the picture, the only way Minglan's children could inherit would be if Gu Tingye refused to acknowledge him as a son, which would absolutely destroy his image and tank the character in the eyes of the viewers.

This way, Minlgan's children get all the benefits without her having to fight for them at the detriment of Tingye's older children and Tingye gets to preserve his image of a doting and responsible father, putting all the negative connotations of his irresponsible first common-law marriage onto the evil Manniang. Gu Tingye and Minglan maintain their noble images and Manniang is scapegoated to enable this. It just leaves me feeling a lot of ick.

It may be unfair of me, but I respect the writing on this show a whole lot less because of these decisions. The truth is, overall, this drama is better written than 99% of other dramas so I feel extremely weird getting hung up on this and letting it get so magnified in my head, but I feel like the fact that the rest of this drama is so realistic and well-written works against them here. There are standards here that were set and I am expecting the rest of the story to proceed on that level, but these standards are no longer being met because meeting them implies compromising the untarnished image of the main characters. It is so convenient and such an obvious cop-out, that I genuinely feel swindled and somewhat salty about it.

***

So selfish and so fucking evil.

What did Rong-jie ever do to her?

She is the one who abandoned her, she's the one who took the boy out and caused his death. She will just blame anyone except herself for her shit selfish decisions.

***

WTF.

Rong-jie is going to need so much therapy, which is unfortunately not a thing in Song Dynasty China.

***

Fucking finally, some good decisions.

***

Oh, yeah, Xiaotao and Shito are definitely a thing.

***

So gorgeous 🧡

Definitely a potential reference pic.

***

She is the poster child for an untreated personality disorder.

I'm so glad I live in the XXI century where mental health care is available, not that it prevents a whole lot of people from still acting like this and blowing up entire lives.

***

Don't you worry, evildoer, your comeuppance is also coming!

[pixelatedraindrops]

Hello everyone!! Today I grow a year older :3 (and I hate it lmao) FEEL FREE TO REPLY BIRTHDAY WISHES IF YOU WANT :3

So, over the time I've come back here, I've become pretty confident and proud of my once hidden passion about sick characters, sickfics and sick comfort/whump... 🌡️

And you all have been so supportive and sweet despite my weirdness so I thank you for that. You helped me feel more confident in my otherwise weird fixation <3 So, for my birthday I thought I'd try and make up a little drawing challenge for anyone who wants to give it a try... There are soo many talented artists on this site (and in this fandom)

So... It's your turn to target your faves now. You will see how fun it is and hopefully understand why I love doing it so much. 😈🌡️

(plus it's my birthday and I require some sustenance LMAO JKJK)

But yeah anyone can join in. This is just for fun though! You don't have to if you don't want to! I think its okay to ask for some food on my birthday though...right?? X'D So if you wanna do sth for my birthday...then... 👉👈 💦

CHALLENGE BELOW~

DRAW YOUR FAVE ON A SICK DAY CHALLENGE🌡️😷🥵🤧

~~~~

(Mmmmkay, I am lying to myself when I say this isn't mostly aimed at the RainCode community... X'D Can't help myself. But anyone can join regardless of the fandom!!)

So here's the challenge and the rules!! (featuring my two main lil targets ofc :3)

Regardless of who it is, put your fave through some sickness hell >:3c I'd love to see it! Make em' as miserable as you want!

destroy them 😈 jkjk XD

If you're in the RainCode community you can target anyone, but as you know, my main targets are Yuma and Makoto. If they're also your faves and who you decide to use, that will make me extra happy!

Some tips for anyone new to drawing a sick day scenario art. A few things that make it look convincing are the following:

Pajamas or Loungewear

Messy Bed Hair

Fever flushed face w sweat or at least a red nose

Tired Eye bags

Shivery body

Ice Pack or a Compress on the head

Thermometer sticking from their mouth

LOTS OF BLANKETS

Tissues or medicine surrounding them

Tea or Soup (or both)

Those are just to name some from the top of my head. If you'd like some pointers on how to make a character look ill, check out my Fever Coloring Guide. This is for digital artists but traditional artists can try it too!

You can add injury or angst to the scene but I'd like illness to be the main focus of it.

The scene can be anything you want to, it can be fluffy and wholesome (with a caretaker) it can be angsty, or it can be silly. Its all up to you! Do it for the sake of fluff! Caretaking scenes are the best for any kind of relationship >w<

Either way, have fun with it!! I look forward to see what people make if they decide to give it a try! It doesn't even have to be a full on picture! Doodles and sketches are fine too! Just show me something >w<

(feel free to tag me and say happy b-day and mention my challenge, I am proud to be known for this and would love for many to participate :3) I wanna see you take a go at it :3 Show me your style! :D

~

~~~

(wow look at me misspelling the word writing on text when I did it fine with my own hands lol)

Now, I know not everyone can draw...

Well never fear! I accept writing as well! ✍️✍️✍️

(hi vivia lol sorry for giving you a cold, at least you have an excuse to read and do nothing now haha x3)

Sickfics are one of the biggest things I live for! Any little drabbles or full fics with more than one chapter are welcome! Again target who you want any fandom you want, but I'll def be super happy if you make a RainCode fic. And even happier if you target my faves as well, but again, anything will do! Just make a cute story about your fave being miserable and being tended to! Trust me, it's super fun!

You can add injury or angst to the scene but I'd like illness to be the main focus of it.

Feel free to post your writing here and tag me or mention my AO3!

If you need a start to your fic, look on my blog for illness prompts! Maybe it can help give you a good start or give some inspiration! (thats why I share 'em :3)

I look forward to anything you try to write!

~

That's about all!! I hope you decide to participate! ✨

Good luck, have fun, and godspeed you future whumpers! 😈

(nah jk XD)

AGAIN THIS IS FOR FUN! NO PRRSSURE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO!

[questionableratatouille00]

𝕺𝖚𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝕿𝖎𝖒𝖊

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader

Summary: Whenever Steve was sick before the serum, you were there for him. But all these decades later, he finds just how much time he wasted back then.

Note: This is my submission for day one (drugging/sick/poisoned) of @ailesswhumptober! Does this count as whump? Probably not! Either way, I really wanted to be able to put something out, so here we are!

Warnings: Sickness, technically main character death (??), mention of medicine.

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

ʙʀᴏᴏᴋʟʏɴ, 1930ꜱ

“For fuck’s sake, Steve. You’re sick. Now sit your ass down.” Bucky sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. The three of you, you, Bucky, and Steve, had been a trio since practically birth. You’d helped each other through a lot. Bucky always had his sights set on some beautiful lady, and your sights were set on Steve. You know, if he’d notice it. 

“‘M not sick.” Steve slurred out, and you resisted the urge to laugh. His fever was high, and the pain medication only amplified the effects.

“Steve, you’re burning up and shivering at the same time. Just..at least sit on the couch.” You attempted to bargain with him. “Please? For me?”

“Fine.” He grumbled, plopping down on the couch. You glanced at Bucky, who was looking at you. Bucky shrugged slightly, not sure what to do. 

“Thanks. Buck’s gonna go get you some soup, okay?” You sat down next to your smaller friend as Bucky walked a few steps away to the kitchen.

“M’kay.” Steve yawned. 

“Are you feeling better? At least, compared to earlier?”

He nodded, still a bit loopy. Bucky came back with a bowl of soup, setting it down on the coffee table. “Eat up, punk.”

After he finished eating, you walked him to his bed, hoping that he wouldn't resist. And he didn’t, opting to quietly lay down. You sat on the edge of the bed, staring into his beautiful blue eyes.

“Stay?” He asked quietly, his small and ice-cold fingers finding their way to yours. 

“Course I will, Steve.” Rubbing circles into the back of his hand with your thumbs, you let out a sigh. “I always will.” 

He smiled at that. “I like you a lot, Y/n.” 

“I like you too. A lot.” 

He drifted off to sleep, his hand tucked in yours.

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

ɴᴇᴡ ʏᴏʀᴋ ᴄɪᴛʏ, 2016

Steve’s eyes drifted away from his notebook at the faint sound of sneezing. A younger couple, maybe in their early twenties, walked hand-in-hand down the street. A woman and a man, the man significantly smaller than the woman. Steve noticed the way he looked at her, eyes filled with love and admiration. Her eyes were bright and excited, and she looked at him every so often as she talked about something. 

They were both dressed in their cold weather clothing, scarves and gloves and hats and jackets. Steve smiled softly, imagining you like that. 

The man coughed, more of a wheezing, painful sound. Steve winced. He didn’t have to imagine himself like that. He could remember it clearly, the struggle to breathe, his throat feeling like it had been clawed by a raccoon. 

He missed you. He misses you every day. He was lucky to have Bucky back, and he was grateful. But that didn’t stop him from wanting you. Your kind smile, your gentle gaze. The way you made him feel less…less. 

But you weren’t coming back. He was sure of it. Hell, he’d found your gravestone. You’d died unmarried, with no children. You’d become a nurse at a children’s hospital, which he'd found out from Natasha searching for information about you online.

Steve felt a pang of sorrow as he watched the couple walk farther down the street. With them, it felt like his past and everything he knew was walking away too. He wished he’d had more time to spend with you, to tell you how he’d really felt about you back then. He yearned for you, to be able to take back all of those times where he could’ve kissed you, yet didn’t. Before he knew it, he’d run out of time to spend with you. He couldn’t replace you. Not with Sharon, or Natasha, or Sam, or even Peggy. In a world full of people, people who idolized and adored him, people who dedicated their lives to collecting his trading cards, he still felt alone. 

He truly was a man out of time.

[oldmemoria]

hate the ultimate guide. heres a few reasons why.

reused art: I understand how hard it is to make art, especially at that calliber of detail. I'm an artist, I get it. but the charm of the original ultimate guide was that we had these hand painted, unique pieces of art of these characters, it showed a little personality too.

How stale and lifeless the art is: This is a complaint that I've had with the current western artist for years, the art is just... boring. the colors are pretty, yeah, like wow hyperrealistic cats. cool. but what else? can we see their personalities? what's the book gonna be like? the old covers had that charm, but not these ones. at all. (also is that even... i could not tell that was runningnose and littlecloud. i mean. runningnose has water in his snout, thats not what cat snot looks like but go off. he just looks a little soggy ig, not in a perpetual state of sick.)

Lack of Personality: this is a different complaint I promise. I dont like how the art seems to take away the personality of every character so theyre staring stoicly at the camera. some of these characters arent all that stoic. I never liked the firestar art in the last hope because I deadass thought it was mapleshade until someone told me it was firestar. firestar isnt this scary, stalky cat in the shadows. not to normal people at least. if i can mistake your main character as one of the villains in your cover art that isnt fucking good. I don't want to see these cats staring bug eyed at the camera, I want to be able to tell what they're like JUST from a glance at the art. Who is that- harestar?? why doesnt he look nervous?? he looks almost noble here, which is the opposite of who he's supposed to be, he's a wuss and a loser and i love him for it. like girl that is NOT mudclaw thats some random cat i saw at the shelter once, WHERES HIS ANGER? WHERES HIS FUCKING RAGE??? RISE RISE RISE RISE RISE RI

the Characters are hard to recognize, even with the title cards: Who are these cats. who. who the fuck are they. I can recognize a few cats, sure, but thats if I can pick out a defining trait. Squirrelflights tail, Scourges Collar, Ravenpaw's white chest, those are things that are explicitly told to us that these characters have, but everyone else??? WHO??? Like that was supposed to be leafstar?? HUH?? Wait that's supposed to be Oakheart? I cant even tell if hes red, its so YELLOW OUT I CANT FUCKING TEL WHO HE IS. Sagewhisker is described with yellow eyes, yet she has blue ones in the ultimate guide (i dont usually get pissy about eye color but not only are these cats supposed to be distinct from each other but i really like sagewhisker and i would die for her, yes i will gatekeep her from the artist fucking fight me), Bluestar is barely recognizable, i didnt know who half of these cats were before i read their nameplate. thats not a good thing.

Red mapleshade. Why she red. WHY SHE RED.

Leafpool. I didn't even know that was you at first but man they did you dirty.

sol. dude that is not sol no matter how much you stretch it- why is he a tabby?? hes supposed to be a tortie, why does he look like lionblaze?? and even then he doesnt look that lionlike, even though hollyleaf literally thought he was when she first saw him like what?? HUH???

mothwing. why she anger. also why she not fluffy

squirrelflight. i always hated her SE art but seeing the whole thing makes me angrier. like she isnt not accurate to canon or anything i just... hate it. i hate it withe very fibre of my being. ALSO WHERE IS HER PERSONALITY I WANT TO SEE HER BEING ENERGETIC NOT STARING 😐 AT THE CAMERA FUCKING HELL-

yeah, so im not gonna buy this book. i dont even want to know how they wrorte any of the female characters to make them somehow evil or how they somehow make a completely irridemable male character a sweet uwu baby. and everyone has talked about the ableism to death so im not going to beat this clearly still living horse, im just gonna let you find it yourself.

[lastoneout]

After watching the show twice and thinking about it way too hard I'm starting to think Bee was created, at least in part, to protect the island/spaceship.

Like I do love the theory that human Bee died and the current Bee is a replacement, I def agree that her talking about getting really sick one time isn't just a throwaway line, plus her hatred of the ocean/water seems too important to be nothing but a personality quirk brought on by her being a robot(like how she says she's waterproof but also that she doesn't even like looking at the oceans bcs it makes her "think about things" seems suspicious), and as sad as it is the first time we see baby Bee she is trying to stick a fork in an electric socket...so yeah lots of hints/references to Bad Stuff happening in her past, BUT I also could see her having a greater purpose in the whole system thing that's going on with the spaceship/island.

It seems like one of her main skills is being Really Freaking Strong, and several times we see her consciously activate some parts of herself that specifically make her stronger, and I can't stop thinking about how two times in the show her main consciousness seems to go "offline" and is replaced by some kind of combat focused sleeper-agent mode and how when she's in that mode she can keep fighting even when parts of her are severely damaged. Sure, her dad could have added all that just to protect her, but on top of all that the show also goes out of it's way to show that helping and supporting people is clearly one of the main things she does, and I think that's important too.

Like we see pictures and flashbacks of her with other characters when they were babies, she mentions being familiar with taking care of babies in the new first ep, Deckard and Cas talk about how she's been around their family "forever", and she starts to prioritize taking care of Cardamon once she realizes he needs help. We see her remeber what people enjoy and go out of her way to get things they like/want, take them places she knows they'll have fun, and to support them even when it's hard(the peach bread, evergy drinks, and laptop for Cas, taking Crispin to the clown planet, ordering food from the cat Cafe despite clearly not wanting to be there just to help Howell, pushing Deckard to pursue his dream, going crazy trying to fix Puppycat when he's all squishy, ect.), Hell the show even starts with her wishing she had someone/thing to take care of. It's clearly something that she's drawn to doing, even if she isn't always the best at it.

And yeah that could all just be her(or human Bee's) natural personality, but even the little stuff is Important in this show and so I think it's more than that. Like maybe Bee's dad programed in the "helpful" stuff just to make sure someone was looking after Violet and Cardamon(even if they weren't awake) and that just spilled over into the rest of Bee's life, or maybe he genuinely wanted her to care for the island residents, but it really does seem like Bee's real job is being a protector.

Anyway I know some people were saying Lazy in Space was labeled as "part one" so I'm hoping we get more and if we do they go into why Bee exists, but until then this is my theory.

[saintseiya-thoughts]

ALRIGHT SO !!

Shiryu as Hadès and How His Character Could Have Had More Screentime (this is going to be long and like...not even half of what I have to say sorry)

First of all : Shun is actually a good character for Hades, the whole kind guy turning into World's End Maker was a good plot twist BUT character wise he was already pretty central and full fleshed, Shiryu otherwise....erm (I rlly love Shiryu but he gets so bad/forgattable after Sanctuary...sick) + don't forget those are the main plotlines !!! I have a whole developpement in my head but you don't want to read a whole novel so please bear with me

I feel like he was tossed a bit of the side after the first arcs and it genuinely makes me sad, his character is a bit alike to Shun's on some points but except losing his sight every five episode well...he's not as well developped as Shun lmaoo 😭 that's why I believe it could have been interesting, even without the whole developpement points who are hard to add in a show like this, his character could have been a little more than what he is...Shun has a pretty shiny role, Seiya is the mc, Hyoga has a familial story or something like this every arc, and Ikki also has meaningful parts in fights/story, while I feel like Shiryu was often here because well he had to, but doesn't have a role that big (minus maybe in Asgard, but here he was a bit of an ass with fenrir for no reason so um 😭)

Anyway so ! First of all, Shiryu is the only one without a known family member (Seiya -> Seika, Shun -> Ikki, Hyoga -> his mom), no real backstory, nothing (thanks Ohko for trying at least, genuinely it made Shiryu's character rlly much cooler) so I decided to change it to give him at least something ! Also the necklace trope is also included but I won't extend myself on it, you guys know how it works

Changed his whole non existent backstory in the AU, basically, instead of being an orphan with the other kids, he would have been taken home by Dohko, who would have protected him from Pandora and Hades when his parents died from their attack (I always saw Shiryu as Chinese, I scrapped the whole brothers trope bc I don't like it + it's manga only) Dohko is a powerful Saint and could have done that.

I feel like he'd know Shiryu was like...different, his job is looking at the reincarnation of the Specters so yeah, he felt it. But killing a child, right after Athena was taken away and almost killed ? Yeah...no...he'd feel too bad, and would take Shiryu with him instead, keeping it to himself in hopes a good teaching and keeping an eye on him could prevent anything bad from happening (almost worked ig, oops)

It could make an interesting plot point with Shiryu and Dohko's dynamic, because as much as Shiryu likes him as a parental figure and master, he knows he's keeping secrets from him, and would feel some resent when learning about the truth y'know ??

After that it doesn't change much from the plot, except when it comes to dynamic within the Bronze group : Shiryu is sent to check what the hell is going on with the Galaxians Wars (a bit like Hyoga did in the manga), Ikki makes a whole ass mess, etc etc. Also it'd "explain" how Shiryu was so eager to end Ikki's life : he doesn't know him like the others do. For him he's just a threat to put an end to, which would be interesting dynamic wise too...Seiya would try to integrate him to the group, Shun, while understanding his view, would feel some kind of discomfort BEFORE trying to learn to know him better (I love their friendship srry), and I feel like he'd connect with Hyoga with the whole "My dad is a Gold Saint and while I love him well sometimes he tends to be a bit weird with me" and with Ikki I have a whole another plotline but I can't sum up that. This post is already long enough. Anyway the dynamics would have been changed and I think it's interesting to learn to know characters through someone who doesn't know them as much as they do know each other ?? Honestly most of the developpement is made in my head here are just the big lines

ANYWAY, back on track, nothing changes that much from the og anime before Hades (or it does change in my head because Shiryu was badly written in those ‼️or not written at all idk) and...yeah 😭 whole big mess...Dohko has to explain to Shiryu how and why he kept like...HUGE stuff from him all his life in order to protect him, also to Shion because "why the fuck didn't you say anything" (he cares for the kid and was afraid Sanctuary would take him from him), also I don't really remember how the whole Pandora plot point was made in the thread I made with the person on discord (sorry it was in march but I remember Pandora has a different plotline than in the og anime) but starting here it's just, yeah kinda the same I guess !! Except for the Ikki part/dynamic with Shiryu, but ONCE AGAIN it's a part of my Shiryu/Ikki plotpoint and it'd be too long (before some ask, YES, Ikki stops himself from killing him, because YES, Ikki cares about his friend group), also if it sounds silly sorry, but he sometimes (in the og anime) had a bit of extreme reactions, was willing to go pretty far to protect the people he cares about (Fenrir, Ikki...) and it could be a bit of a hint to his soul sometimes awakening to his Hadès self... He's not like, cruel or really mean, there's just sometimes something off about him, he sometimes "shifts" slightly and ppl can't really pinpoint what it is (not sure about this one does it make sense ???? Idk)

The most important parts of this AU are basically the developpement of his character through that "newcomer" lenses, learning to trust the others, and overall develop a more meaningful dynamic with them and giving him a bigger role !! I know it sounds a bit "Saint Seiya, everything is the same minus Shiryu is Hades" but there's more to that I swear, it's just hard to explain like this without making huge walls about dynamics

(Can you tell I'm shitting myself. Please don't be rude rlly, if you don't like the idea just ignore !!)

[hood-ex]

Finally finished all of Voltron. Some thoughts:

The last seasons actually weren't as bad as I thought they'd be based on what I heard. I mean, yeah the Lance/Allura ship was unnecessary, and yeah the final episode wasn't super satisfying or good lmao, but all in all, the plot still kept me invested. Only time I felt truly bored was during those god awful filler episodes. Genuinely only liked one filler episode which was the carnival one where Shiro was arm wrestling people.

Wish Shiro had a heavier presence in the show after he got his conscience shifted into the clone body, but at the same time, it was cool to see him captain Atlas. I was so glad they at least included him in the final battle with Honerva.

Lance and Hunk definitely felt like they took more of a backseat in the character focus department. Like yeah, they had arcs of sorts though not super obvious ones imo. Lance was a big flirt who could be cocky, and he matured and became a reliable second hand. Hunk ended up showing more courage and willingness to bring people together, and he did have a passion for food, so I like that he had least had a hobby/passion of sorts. I just feel like I didn't really know them quite as well as the other paladins, Lance especially. I'm honestly very surprised Lance didn't get more focus as say Shiro or Keith. He seems like the type of character to have a bigger focus.

My main beef with Shiro is that he didn't really have any flaws over the course of the show. He was always the loyal and caring leader. Of course, we got to see him lose his patience with Slav which was really fun. Other than that... he was almost just like... too nice. Too perfect. The change for his character mostly happened through life events. I think if they had fleshed out that side of Shiro more, Shiro would've been my favorite character.

It wasn't until maybe Season 3 or so that I finally got over the fact that the paladins were flying lions around. I'm sorry but I thought flying lions were so lame when I first started watching it. These are supposed to be made by King Alfor, an Altean, so why did he choose an Earth animal as the design for Voltron? Like huh? Allura and Coran didn't even know what a cow was, how did they know what a lion was alkdjsa. Whatever, I got over it eventually. (Edit: I just remembered that the white lion is a thing that exists and that Alfor knew about it sooo I suppose he got inspo from that).

"Form Voltron!" and then the long ass sequence of all the lions forming together. I got so sick of seeing that every single episode. Voltron actually would've been cooler had the paladins only transformed into it like once or twice every season rather than every episode. Like only bring Voltron out for the biggest baddies. I found it so much more fun when the paladins all fought separately. And a lot of the time, the paladins had to end up dissolving Voltron to win a fight so like??

Black lion my beloathed, red lion my beloved. Nah idc, I have beef with the black lion. The red lion was by far my favorite lion, but I liked it more when Keith was with the red lion. Feels like they could've done more with the red lion as well with it being the fastest and all.

The Blade of Marmora was cooler than Voltron to me. All their fight sequences were sick. Also, Keith looked so good in that uniform, hello. I definitely enjoyed the hand-to-hand combat in this show possibly more than I enjoyed the lion fights.

Lotor/Allura was the only ship I enjoyed until Lotor went off the rails. Idc, Lotor was a fun character with an interesting backstory. It's too bad his character arc had to go the way that it did. Also not totally opposed to how it ended up though.

Matt gave me the ick as soon as he started fawning over Allura in an obnoxious way. Felt kinda ooc for him as well. But after that was over with, I enjoyed him well enough. That one episode where Pidge went to the memorial planet with all the graves... that was heavy as hell. Kinda wish Matt actually had died for the full weight of that episode to hit bc that was such an intense moment.

Loved how Pidge was shown to do basically anything to get cool video games in some episodes lmao. I also thought it was interesting how she was the most tech savvy of the team, but she formed a connection with the natural world, as did her lion.

The first 2 seasons were definitely funnier than the rest. The first season had me laughing at least once every episode. The jokes tapered off later on, which I suppose makes sense bc the plots got heavier.

Loved the Hunk and Shay relationship. Balmerans were pretty cool in general.

Tbh, I didn't really care that Shiro's boyfriend died because we only saw him in a short flashback. I do think they should've given Shiro a longer or better reaction to finding out that his boyfriend died though. Also, speaking of Shiro and men, it was so fruity how the last scene of the entire show was Shiro kissing his husband. Voltron said gay rights for space dads.

Kosmo was cool, and I especially liked how he was Nightwing color coded. Plus teleportation powers?? Nice.

Keith and Shiro's bond was really touching. I just wish they would've divulged their shared backstory together earlier on in the series to help me understand why Keith had so much respect and loyalty to Shiro from the jump. That goes for a lot of the paladins, actually. A lot of their backstory info should've been released earlier on in the series instead of shoved into the last few seasons. The only ones who didn't suffer from this were Pidge and Allura.

Some seasons were only 6-7 episodes which was wack.

Keith definitely had some good moments giving advice to Lance or Hunk. He had a pretty satisfying arc overall. Well, out of all the other characters anyway. He's gotta be my favorite character in the show. He had flaws that he worked through, and he came out as a strong leader. I also can't forget how he and the Blade of Marmora planted bombs to destroy the Galras in line to rule the Galra empire, but when Keith realized Shiro was with the Galras, he immediately raced back to deactivate the bombs. We love a loyal man who will do anything for his brother.

Shiro took on a lot of damage and trauma that just wasn't addressed in any satisfying way, especially in regard to his arm. He did make one sarcastic remark to Lance about how he wasn't in tip top shape because he got his arm cut off/his conscience moved into a clone body. Wish they would've touched on the loss of his arm more. And not just his human arm, but his other arms as well.

Allura's death was just like... I don't remember what she said to Keith before she decided to give up her life, but all I could think about was when she was cold to him because he was half Galra.

I thought it was so funny in the last episode when they showed all the realities in every universe and there were just like... 50 of them or something lmao. Like Honerva really didn't have to do much to end them all. They really did rush the ending, huh?

Even though I haven't watched the original series this was based off of, I enjoyed the small references I did catch like with Sven and such.

All in all, I had a fun time. Will I rewatch it any time soon? No... but I will definitely be reading fanfics of it going forward.

[ao719]

Vancross

Vancross - They Never Showed You Love (Chapter 12)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.

Title inspiration: Matilda - Harry Styles

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window.Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

“Mom …” 

Inside her room, Liam’s eyes snapped open when he heard Croía’s voice. He slowly lifted his head from the pillow. Did I just hear her right? Surely not, he thought. Croía’s mother couldn’t even bother returning a phone call to her daughter. Why the hell would she just show up on campus?

“Stop being rude and invite your mother in. I know I raised you better than that.” 

Holy fuck. Liam scrambled up in the bed, looking around for his shirt; he got up and grabbed it from the floor, quickly pulling it on over his head before creeping towards the doorway. He discreetly peered around the door just as Croía stepped aside to allow someone in. 

Standing as straight as a statue with her nose in the air — literally and figuratively — Viktoria Thorne came striding into Liam’s line of vision. She was tall and slightly aged with long brown hair and was dressed impeccably in an all-black ensemble. She looked … frigid. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she slowly walked further inside, glancing around the room with what seemed to be a very critical eye. 

Liam’s gaze shifted to Croía when she shut the door; when she turned to face her mother, the look on her face could only be described as panic-stricken. She stood slightly slouched yet she was tense at the same time. He then noticed her hands; she gripped her thumb with one hand, pressing her other thumb over the knuckle, brushing it back and forth, back and forth, over and over. It was a telltale sign of her anxiety. 

“Wh-What … what are you doing here?” Croía asked.

“Pit stop,” Viktoria replied coldly. 

Croía’s brows furrowed. “For what?”

Viktoria turned to look at her; the uneasiness and trepidation were rolling off Croía in waves. It brought her some gratification knowing she still had that effect on her; that was the entire purpose of this godforsaken visit after all. “I was on my way back from a trip and decided to drop in.”

“Oh …” Croía slowly nodded. She felt sick to her stomach with nerves. Her mother didn’t make pit stops, especially not on her behalf. “Where … where were you coming from?” she asked.

“Nowhere that concerns you,” Viktoria spat. “Where is your suitemate?”

“She’s, uh … Alia isn’t here. She went home for the weekend for her sister’s—”

“Birthday, yes,” Viktoria hummed as she looked her over; Croía was dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and her long hair was tousled. “Were you just getting out of bed?”

“Uh, I … yes,” Croia answered. Liam watched her run her fingers through her hair, swaying self-consciously. “Classes this week were … they were kind of busy, and I had papers and … I just … I slept in …” 

“Hm.” Viktoria eyed her coolly. “And you expect me to believe that you didn’t have some late night with this apparent boyfriend of yours and that’s why you slept in?”

Croía stiffened at her words, and Liam noticed from his spot behind the door. They didn’t have a late night … at least not for the exact reason Viktoria was assuming. And it wasn’t that late in the morning anyway. It’s barely 9 am, he scoffed to himself. He took a step back, thinking for a moment, wondering if he should just go out there. What was the worst that could happen? They were both adults and it wasn’t as though they were doing anything wrong; anything they were doing was none of her business anyway. And he hated the thought of leaving Croía out there while he skulked in her room; she had only told him bits and pieces about her family, but one thing he knew for certain was that her relationship with her mother was rocky at best. 

Taking in a breath, Liam slowly let it out before pulling open the door and stepping out of Croía’s room; both women glanced over at the same time. Croía’s eyes were a mixture of surprise, worry, and relief. Viktoria’s expression was inscrutable as she stared at him. 

Croía’s eyes darted between Liam and her mother, feeling her heart start to race faster than it already was; when he came to stand beside her, she swallowed thickly as she looked up at her mother. “Uh, this … Mom, this is Liam. Liam, this is my mother … Queen Viktoria …”

Without hesitation, Liam bowed before meeting her gaze with a polite smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.” No, he technically didn’t have to bow or use her title there on neutral stomping ground, but his parents always told him to respect other monarchs no matter where he was. 

“Charmed, I’m sure …” Viktoria eyed him up and down with a steely glare.

“Liam was, uh, he was just — he was — he was here — I mean, he stayed here last night, but he … he’s getting ready to leave,” Croía said, and her voice slightly cracked. 

Viktoria snapped her eyes back to Croía. “Stop stuttering,” she admonished. “How many times have I told you how utterly obnoxious and unbecoming that is?”

Liam fought the urge not to react to her insult as he slid his eyes from her to Croía, watching her cast her gaze downward as her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. “Sorry,” she said just above a whisper. He then watched her hand grip her thumb again, doing the same pattern as before, just slightly harder this time.

Viktoria looked back at Liam at the same moment he looked at her and the two locked eyes. The fact that there was a Rys standing in front of her was irritating. The fact that one of her children was having a dalliance with one made her blood boil. She needed to keep her cool, however, remembering the task at hand. “So you’re the one who’s been splashed across the tabloids with my daughter for the last couple of months?”

“I don’t usually have stunt doubles, so I guess so,” Liam joked with a quiet chuckle. When Viktoria didn’t so much as crack a smile, his expression fell; he puffed out his lips with a small breath. Tough crowd. “Uh … yes, ma’am,” he nodded. “That’s me.” 

Viktoria continued to stare at him as her lip slightly curled; she was unimpressed. “Don’t let me keep you from running along on your way.” 

Croía let out a quiet breath at her mother’s words; why she felt the need to be so rude was beyond her, but at the same time, she wasn’t surprised. Not at all. When Liam nodded and turned, walking back toward Croía’s room to grab his bag, she glanced up at her. “I … I’m going to shower once he leaves …” 

“I’ll wait.” Viktoria walked to the living area of the suite and lowered herself down on the edge of the sofa, scrunching her nose as she looked around.

Croía turned and hurried toward her room; when she stepped inside, Liam looked up from his bag, raising his brows as she met his gaze. “I take it you didn’t know she was coming …” he whispered. She shook her head in silent response. He stood upright, studying her for a moment; she was gripping her thumb again as her eyes darted around, clearly on edge. He walked up to her and reached out, gently grabbing her hands to stop them from fidgeting. “Hey …” She looked up at him and he could see the consternation in her eyes. “Are you ok?” 

Croía shook her head. “I don’t know why she’s here,” she whispered, but he could still hear a hint of worry in her voice. Liam pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her; she closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort his embrace gave her, even if it was fleeting. 

“Do you want me to stay?” Liam asked. 

“No.” Croía stepped back. 

Liam nodded. “If you’re sure …” He turned back to the bed, zipped up his bag, and slung it over his shoulder before turning back to her, cupping her face in his hands. “It’s gonna be ok …” He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a lingering kiss before drawing back. “If you need me, just shoot me a text.” 

At his words, a thought came to her. “Wait …” Croía rushed over to her purse, digging through it for a moment before pulling out her phone that was for Trystan. “Can you take this? She can’t see it …” 

“Yeah,” Liam nodded, taking it from her and slipping it into his bag. He looked at her once more. “You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

Croia nodded, “I’m sure.” She wasn’t going to subject him to her mother. 

Liam kissed her once more before slipping out of her room. When he stepped back into the living area, Viktoria was eyeing him from her place on the sofa. “It was nice meeting you,” he nodded. When she didn’t respond, Liam pursed his lips with a small wave before heading for the door. 

****

After taking a shower, Croía stepped out of her room, dressed in a pair of jeans and a cream-colored sweater; her mother was still seated on the sofa when she entered the living area. “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry …” Croía finished the braid in her hair, securing it with a small elastic as she stared at her. “How, uh … how long are you staying?”

“In a hurry to get rid of me?” Viktoria asked derisively. 

Yes. “No,” Croía shook her head. “I was only curious. Dad didn’t go on this trip with you?”

“No,” Viktoria scoffed. “He and Lydea stayed behind … handling some things for me.” An uncomfortable silence settled between them — uncomfortable for Croía, anyway. Knowing her mother, she was probably relishing in it. Viktoria stood from the sofa. “I hope you have something to drink in this place …” 

“Uh, yeah …” Croía turned and hurried to the kitchen as her mother followed; she opened the refrigerator, pulling out two bottles of water. When she turned and handed her one, she noticed her mother eyeing the sink and the dishes from last night. “I … didn’t get a chance to clean up from dinner last night.” 

“You cooked?” Viktoria asked before taking a sip of her water.

“No … Liam … he cooked me dinner …” 

Viktoria slowly lowered the bottle from her lips. “What you could possibly see in him is beyond me.” 

Croía looked at her. “He’s kind and sweet. And he makes me laugh. And he … he cares about me …” 

“Please, Croía,” Viktoria scoffed with a dry laugh. “You sound like a puppy, clinging to the first person that shows you any sort of attention. It’s rather pathetic.” Croía dropped her gaze, chewing the inside of her cheek. “And the attention this is drawing from the press is not something I wanted to deal with.”

Croía sighed. “I called … to ask you how to handle the press because I-I’m not … I wasn’t sure … but you never answered or returned those calls.” 

“I’ve got more important things to do than to tell you which side of your face looks better for the cameras,” Viktoria snapped. “And the last thing you should be focused on right now is finding someone to hold your damn hand. You should be focused on your lessons.”

“I am focused,” Croía said. “I have high remarks in all my classes.” 

“Well, hopefully, they’ll be of some kind of use to you when you leave this place.” 

The tone of her voice caused Croía’s brows to furrow. “What do you mean?”

Viktoria shook her head, clearly vexed over what she was about to say. “Out of your siblings, you’re the only one left who hasn’t destroyed their own reputation. At least not yet.” 

“Lydea didn’t …” 

“Lydea is weak,” Viktoria spat. “She gave up her entitlement to the throne to play dress-up as a guard, which was only agreed to so she didn’t turn out to be a complete embarrassment. Had I known all of what was to come, I never would have allowed it. Your other siblings are nothing but sorry excuses, especially your older brother.” Croía imperceptibly tensed her jaw at her dig at Trystan. “And then there’s you.” She looked at Croía disapprovingly. “While still a sorry excuse and bordering on being a complete lost cause … there’s room for potential … very little room, but it’s there.” 

Croía dropped her gaze, not wanting her to see the flash of hurt in her eyes that would be sure to bring her joy. The words were nothing new, but it didn’t make them sting any less. It felt like reopening a wound that had only just begun to heal. She’d gone the last few months without having to hear her mother disparage her daily, and then she showed up out of the blue and had done nothing but degrade her since she opened the door.

“Who would have thought that out of all of you, the mistake would end up being one of my last hopes for keeping my bloodline on the throne? But you have a long way to go and much to prove to me first …” 

Croía lifted her gaze to her again, unable to hide both the surprise and uneasiness in her eyes at what she was hinting.

****

After a hot shower, Liam stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His mind was still on Croía; it had only been an hour since he left her suite, but he wondered how she was faring with her mother. 

As he made his way to his dresser, the phone Croía had given him started to ring on his desk. There was only one person who would be calling. Liam glanced at it, hesitating, unsure if he should answer; from what he knew, if it went unanswered, he would just call again. 

Not knowing how long he’d have the phone in his possession, Liam turned, grabbing it from his desk to answer it. “Uh … hey, Trystan.”

“Liam?” Trystan questioned on the other end. 

“Yeah …”

“Why are you answering Croía’s phone?”

Liam cleared his throat. “She, um … asked me to hold onto it.”

“Why?”

“Your mom showed up at her suite this morning …” 

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah,” Liam sighed, running his hand through his damp hair. “She was banging on the door bright and early.”

“Shit,” Trystan grumbled, trying to ignore the fact that he was pretty certain Liam had just inadvertently admitted to sleeping at Croía’s place considering he was with her ‘bright and early.’ There were more pressing matters at hand and he really didn’t want to think about that at the moment. “Did she say why she was there?”

“No,” Liam answered. “And she didn’t look … pleasant.” 

“She never does,” Trystan scoffed.

“Croía gave me the phone before I left and asked me to keep it so your mom didn’t see it.” 

He definitely stayed the night. Trystan shook his head, forcing himself to focus. “That was a smart move on her end.” He sighed. “How did Croía seem when you left?”

“Honestly? She looked … terrified.” Liam rubbed his hand over his mouth. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but is, uh … is your mom as mean as she looks?”

“No disrespect taken. And no, she’s not as mean as she looks,” Trystan answered, falling quiet for a moment. “She’s worse.” 

Liam’s brows knitted at his answer. “What?” 

“You think I’m kidding …” 

“No,” Liam said. “Not based on Croía’s reaction to seeing her. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.” 

“Look …” Trystan sighed. “I can tell since being there at Vancross that probably for the first time in her life, Croía is genuinely happy. But if our mom senses that, she’s going to do anything she can to strip it away from her.”

“Why? Why would she do that?”

“Because she takes joy in making others just as miserable as she is,” Trystan scoffed. “Myself and my other siblings, while we certainly took our fair share from her, knew how to stand our ground. Croía doesn’t. And because of that, our mom has the ability to very easily get inside her head.” 

“Inside her head, how?”

“By making her feel as unworthy and useless as possible.” 

Liam sighed as he thought back to when he first met Croía; she was extremely shy and quiet, she didn’t speak unless spoken to, and she was unsure of herself even when it came to making the most basic of decisions. And while she was still a little shy and quiet, she had started to come out of that shell she hid inside when she first arrived. She smiled and laughed more, she was a little more outgoing, and every day Liam felt like he was seeing more and more of the person she really was. He didn’t want to see that disappear. 

“What … what can I do?”

“Unfortunately … nothing.”

“What do you mean?” Liam scoffed. 

“I mean that it would probably be best for both your sakes if you just kept your distance until she leaves,” Trystan answered. “Trust me when I tell you that my mother’s bad side is not one you want to get on, Liam. You have no idea what she’s capable of …” 

****

In the living area of her suite, Croía stared in a daze as she sat across from her mother on the sofa. This is how it had been all day; bouts of uncomfortable silence in between harsh and critical words. 

Pulled from her thoughts by a ring, Croía’s eyes subtly shifted up to watch her mother glance at her phone. “I need to take this,” she said before standing; she walked to the door, stepping out of the suite into the hallway for privacy.

Croía took the welcomed moment alone to head to her room; she shut the door and leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling as her eyes began to blur with tears. Her anxiety had spiked. She attempted to take in a deep breath, but it hitched in her throat instead; she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as the tears began to fall. 

Having a break from the barrage of criticism and insults, while good at the time, had somehow made this time feel even worse for Croía than it ever had before. She was still unsure why her mother was even there but was informed that she planned to stay the remainder of the weekend. If the sole purpose of her visit was to drag Croía down, she’d already succeeded, and there was no need for the extra two-day stay. She didn’t know if she would be able to take two more days of it. 

Croía lifted her trembling hand to her cheek, wiping the tears only for them to be replaced by more. She knew she needed to calm down, however. Her mother took joy in seeing her that way and she didn’t want to give her that satisfaction. She took in a few shuddered breaths, letting each one out slowly as she attempted to compose herself. 

Pushing herself off the door, Croía walked into her bathroom; she splashed some cool water on her face and patted it dry before covering up the redness with some powder. She glanced at her watch; it was almost 4 pm, and she supposed she should find out exactly what her mother wanted to do for dinner so they had time to make arrangements. 

When Croía opened her bedroom door, she paused in the doorway when she saw her mother standing in the living area. “Who was on the phone?” she asked.

“None of your business,” Viktoria chided. 

Croía let out a quiet breath. “It seemed urgent,” she said, earning a look from her. “Sorry, I … I was just making sure everything was ok. I thought perhaps you were needed back at home.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Viktoria smirked.

You have no idea. “No, I … I was just …” Croía trailed off with a sigh. “Actually, I was wondering what you wanted to do for dinner …” 

“If lunch was any indication, I doubt they have anything halfway decent around here, but I should eat …” 

“Whatever you’re in the mood for is fine with me,” Croía said. “If you want fine dining … there’s a place I’ve heard others say great things about, but I haven’t personally been there myself.”

“Oh? I guess that means Liam doesn’t think he can take you anywhere nice,” Viktoria scoffed. “Not that I can say that I blame him.” 

Croía bit down on the inside of her cheek hard to keep her expression neutral and not show the sting her words caused as she gripped her thumb with her hand. “I’ll call … and make a reservation.” She turned and walked toward the kitchen to grab her phone from the counter. 

“Speaking of Liam,” Viktoria smiled sinisterly as Croía looked back at her. “Why don’t you give him a call and invite him to join us …” 

****

Sitting in the back of the SUV, Liam drummed his fingers against his thigh as his guard drove him to Blue Chandelier, a swanky restaurant just off campus where he was meeting Croía and her mother for dinner. 

When Croía called him a couple of hours ago, Liam was surprised by the invitation to join them, but he wasn’t going to turn it down. Despite Trystan’s earlier warning to keep his distance, when he spoke to her, Croía didn’t seem like herself; he both needed and wanted to see her to make sure she was ok. 

The SUV pulled up along the curb outside of the restaurant; Liam shot Croía a quick text to see if they were there yet, and she responded, saying they were about to pull up. He slipped out of the vehicle onto the sidewalk, standing away from the doors, waiting. 

When another SUV pulled up behind his, Liam watched Croía’s guard get out of the driver’s side and open the back door. Viktoria slipped out first; she traded her earlier black ensemble for a black knee-length dress. Croía followed behind her, and he smiled when she looked up and met his gaze, but that smile slightly fell when he realized hers wasn’t as genuine as she was trying to make it appear. 

When they approached, Liam nodded in acknowledgment to Viktoria. “Ma’am …” 

“Hm,” Viktoria hummed before brushing by him and walking inside. 

Liam watched her for a moment; her response made him question why she even invited him along. He then looked at Croía, who still had her gaze down. “Hey,” he said before leaning down to kiss her cheek. 

“Hi …” 

“Are you alright?” Liam asked.

Croía finally looked at him; her eyes were heavy, and he didn’t need to guess why. “Yeah …” 

“You don’t have to save face for me,” Liam said quietly, reaching out and taking her hand in his. 

“Croía!” Viktoria barked from the entrance. 

Liam watched her stiffen. “I’m ok,” Croía nodded. “Let’s go …” She went to walk by him, but Liam’s hand remained wrapped around hers; she glanced over her shoulder at him, feeling him give it a squeeze before they walked inside together. 

****

Liam’s jaw imperceptibly ticked as he stared across the table at Viktoria, watching as she casually sipped her glass of wine while waiting for her dessert. His exasperation was at an all-time high, simmering just below the surface as he struggled to keep himself from saying something he might regret … though he doubted he would truly regret it. 

The entire dinner Liam had listened to Viktoria do nothing but condemn Croía, making one snide remark after the next. When Viktoria wasn’t nitpicking everything Croía did from the way she was sitting to how she was holding her fork, she made personal attacks about how inept she thought she was. Everything Croía had told him about her mother and their relationship was clearly dumbed down; she was far worse than he could have imagined. 

What shocked Liam even more is how Croía just sat there and took it. She didn’t speak up about any of what Viktoria was saying to her. In fact, she hadn’t spoken at all unless asked a question.

“So, Liam … how are your parents?” Viktoria questioned. 

Liam stared at her, keeping his expression inscrutable. “They’re fine … why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” Viktoria shrugged. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen them.”

“I didn’t realize you knew them …” 

Viktoria offered a smile, one that made him feel wary. “We have a bit of history. Nothing you need to concern yourself with, however.” She took another sip of her wine, holding his gaze over the rim of the glass. “And what do they think of … whatever this is between you and her?” she asked, gesturing between him and Croía. 

“Of our relationship?” Liam asked, emphasizing the last word with a small bite in his tone before his eyes shifted to Croía next to him. He noticed her hands fidgeting in her lap as she gripped her thumb, rubbing her knuckle like she had been earlier. He reached out, resting his hand on top of hers to get her to stop, offering reassurance and a genuine smile when she met his gaze. “They think she’s wonderful.” 

“They clearly don’t know her very well then,” Viktoria scoffed. “But then again, they did always strike me as a bit charitable.” Liam snapped his gaze back to her, biting his tongue as he narrowed his eyes. “You know, I’d have thought someone like you, especially considering you’re now the future King, would have gone for someone a little more … polished,” Viktoria added. Liam furrowed his brows at her words before his gaze shifted to Croía; she remained silent, staring down at her plate with a dejected look in her eyes. “Someone a little more poised, smarter, perhaps more experienced in life and capable of standing on their own. None of those things describe Croía.” 

“Enough is enough,” Liam said calmly yet with a thundering command in his tone as he looked back at Viktoria. He couldn’t take it anymore, unable to bite his tongue any longer. Croía’s eyes widened when she looked at him, and his expression was full of indignation. “I listened to you belittle her this morning, and now, the entire dinner you’ve done the same. You’ve done nothing since you’ve been here but tear her down and go out of your way to purposely demoralize her. What the hell is wrong with you?” 

Croía’s heart was racing as she stared at him, stunned. “Liam, please—”

“Let’s not interrupt his little rant, Croía,” Viktoria admonished. Now she’d be able to truly see exactly how far gone from under her control Croía was, so she wanted him to keep going. She needed to ensure Croía was in thrall to her still, knowing that any future plans she had depended on it. 

“It’s not a rant,” Liam spit back. “It’s the truth. You’ve treated her like garbage, and I’m sick of listening to it.” 

“I allowed you out to dinner with us only as a courtesy—” 

“A courtesy for who, exactly?” Liam bit back.

“You will not sit here and tell me how to speak to my daughter. If you don’t like it, then leave,” Victoria chided. “And may I remind you of our difference in rank—”

“Someone needs to tell you how to speak to her,” Liam interrupted, “because everything that has come out of your mouth has been one malicious comment after the next, each one solely intended to cut her down and humiliate her! And as far as your rank versus mine, we’re not in Drakovia, Viktoria. We’re here on neutral ground. And me treating you with respect to your title earlier? That was a courtesy.”

“Liam,” Croía ground out, finally pulling his attention to her. “Stop, please.” Her words earned an unseen smirk from her mother.

“No, I’m not going to sit here and listen to her lambasting you anymore, Croía. And you shouldn’t either.” She let out a breath as she stared at him, her expression pleading, and his brows knitted in confusion. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He watched her glance in her mother’s direction, almost as if she were seeking permission. 

Croía looked back at him when she heard the sound of his chair against the floor as he pushed himself away from the table. He stood, looking down as he waited, and she could feel her mother’s eyes boring into her from her other side; they were both staring at her expectantly. She turned to her mother, but wouldn’t meet her stone-cold gaze. “I-I’ll be … I’ll be right back.” 

Liam walked away from the table, and Croía followed him. They stepped outside and he moved away from the door before he turned to look at her. 

“What was that?” Croía asked.

Liam shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how you can sit there and listen to that!”

“Liam, you—”

“And then you tell me to stop when I’m trying to defend you?”

“Because you’re only making it worse!” Croía retorted. 

“I’m making it worse? Me? Not her and the constant barrage of insults she’s been slinging at you all damn evening? You don’t deserve to be treated that way, Croía! By anyone! Least of all, your own mother!” 

“Liam, please … just let me handle my mom.”

“But you’re not handling her! You’re just sitting there taking it when you don’t need to!” When he saw her wince at the raise in his voice, Liam stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. “I’m sorry, but you’re a human being, Croía. No one deserves to be treated the way she has treated you.” 

Liam didn’t get it; he never would, but Croía understood that. He didn’t grow up the way she did, so he couldn’t possibly understand why she would just sit there and take it. She bore the brunt of her mother’s vitriol for as long as she could remember. Unfortunately, this was nothing new, and she was very much used to it. And simply taking it is what Croía did; she sat quietly and let her mother say whatever it was she needed or wanted while trying — and usually failing — to not let her words get to her. It was easier that way; if she rebuked anything, the onslaught would only worsen until Croía was reduced to tears in front of her because that was the only thing that brought her mother enough gratification to stop. There was no sense in trying to reason with the woman about anything. 

“I know you were trying to help me, but it … it’s not helping. I just … need to get through the rest of her visit, and then she’ll be gone.”

Liam’s brows furrowed as his hands fell away from her face. “You’re really just going to take more of her … abuse?”

“Liam, you don’t get it. And that’s ok. I just … please, let me handle this on my own … by myself …” 

“Croía—”

“I have to go back in.”

“No, you don’t!” Liam threw his hands up in frustration. “Why are you so afraid of standing up to her?”

Croía took a step back, casting her gaze downward, and Liam’s brows raised in surprise. He couldn’t help but notice that her mother’s arrival had done nothing but pull her back into that shell she’d spent the last few months breaking out of. She was despondent, her confidence shaken, standing before him like some scolded child. 

“I’ll talk to you later,” Croía said just above a whisper, not looking at him. Without another word, she turned and headed back inside.

****

Liam was still seething as he stepped through the gates and back on campus; he opted to walk back, needing to clear his head. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the way Viktoria spoke to Croía. No, perhaps he should have just kept his mouth shut, but he couldn’t sit there and listen to Viktoria anymore, and it was clear Croía wasn’t going to say anything. 

Thinking back on his talk with Croía caused a flood of even more irritation to course through Liam as he walked down the pathway back toward his building; he never expected them to end up in a tiff over him speaking up, on her behalf nonetheless. 

As his temper flared, Liam let out a loud growl and flung his leg out, kicking a metal garbage can that sat underneath the lamppost before continuing down the path. When he glanced over his shoulder upon hearing the clunk it made when it hit the ground, he watched wads of garbage roll out of it onto the grass. He looked straight ahead again, but slowed his pace with a heavy sigh; he looked up at the night sky when he came to a stop and shook his head, mumbling obscenities under his breath before turning back. 

Liam bent down, picking up the garbage and tossing it into the can before pulling it upright and shifting it back into its position under the lamppost. As he started back down the path, his phone rang; he quickly pulled it from his pocket, hoping to see Croía’s name on the screen … but it wasn’t her. He wasn’t in the mood to talk at the moment, but he hadn’t spoken to them all week and knew they’d just try again. He slid his thumb across the screen before lifting it to his ear.

“Yeah,” Liam answered, not pleasantly.

“Hello to you too,” Eleanor replied, glancing at Constantine beside her, who furrowed his brows at his son’s more than unusual greeting. 

Liam let out a breath. “Hi, Mom …” 

“That’s better,” Eleanor quipped. “What are you up to?”

“Walking.”

“To?”

“Back to my building.”

“From?” 

“Dinner.”  

Eleanor took note of the way Liam not only sounded upset but how short he was being with her as well; that wasn’t like him. “What’s the matter?” 

“Nothing.”

“Liam …” 

With a sigh, Liam closed his eyes; his mother always knew when something was bothering him, no matter how big or small or how hard he tried to hide it, not that he was trying to hide it now. “I just … had a little disagreement with Croía … it’s nothing.” 

Eleanor hesitated for a moment, not wanting him to feel like she was trying to pry, but her curiosity got the better of her. “What about?” 

“Her mom is here …”

Eleanor stiffened, meeting Constanine’s gaze as he sat forward with a tense look in his eyes. “Oh?”

“Yeah …” 

“And … why would her mother being there cause you and Croía to have a disagreement?” Eleanor asked, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible.

“I know I shouldn’t be speaking ill of anyone, but, Mom, she is … she’s awful,” Liam said. “I have never met someone so cold-hearted in my entire damn life.” 

“What happened?” 

“She showed up at Croía’s suite this morning, completely out of the blue, and as soon as she arrived, she started in on Croía, making these snide comments,” Liam explained. “She didn’t seem to like me at all, though I was nothing but polite to her. I asked Croía if she wanted me to stay because she seemed really on edge by her being there, but she said no, so I left. She called later on, though, and said her mom invited me to join them for dinner …” Eleanor and Constantine shared a look. “So I met up with them at the restaurant. And the whole damn time, she did nothing but berate and belittle Croía, saying the most awful things to her … and I just … Mom, I snapped …” 

Eleanor let out a quiet breath. “What do you mean? What did you do?”

Liam sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “She made a comment, basically saying that she figured someone like me would want someone better than Croía, and she says it like Croía isn’t sitting right there!” He started to get worked up again just thinking about it. “And I just said enough was enough, that I was sick of listening to her humiliate Croía. She said that I didn’t get to tell her how to talk to her daughter and that if I didn’t like it then I could leave, and then reminded me of our difference in rank, to which I politely reminded her that her rank didn’t matter here. Croía finally jumped in, but she told me to stop … so I asked if I could talk to her. We went outside and she said that I wasn’t helping by sticking up for her, but that I was making it worse. Which makes no sense! How is my trying to defend her against her mom’s barrage of damn insults making it worse?” He tensed his jaw, shaking his head. “She told me that I didn’t ‘get it’ and I just needed to let her handle her mom … by herself … and then she walked away and went back inside …” 

“Liam …” Eleanor sighed, sharing another look with Constantine. “You need to be careful. You can’t just lose your temper with people … especially people like Viktoria Thorne …” 

“She doesn’t scare me,” Liam scoffed. “She’s a piss poor excuse for a human being. The things she said were completely out of line and—”

“Liam,” Eleanor admonished. “I’m just saying that …” She trailed off, trying to make sure she worded what she wanted to say properly without saying too much. “I’m saying that you will someday be sitting upon the throne, and if you let your emotions get the better of you the way you did tonight, that’s something others are going to remember. You’re the future King and you need to act as such. And as far as Croía … I understand, as I’m sure she does, that your heart was in the right place … but she’s right. You don’t get it. You were lucky enough to not grow up being treated the way she obviously has, so you don’t know what it’s like. You don’t know how to handle something like that because you’ve never been through it.”

“But she’s not handling it, Mom! And that’s exactly what I told her! She just sits there and lets her talk to her that way, and I can see how much it was hurting her, but she didn’t say anything to stop it!”

“You don’t get to judge how she chooses to handle it, Liam,” Eleanor chided. She let out a breath, softening her tone. “That is not your place. And you certainly don’t get to tell her how she should handle it or that she’s doing it wrong because it’s not the way you would do it because, again, you don’t know what it’s like. The last thing she needs is you criticizing her on top of what she’s already getting from her mother. What she needs from you is for you to just be understanding … and to be there when she needs that shoulder to lean on.” 

Liam’s irritation slowly ebbed away as his mother’s words sunk in. She was right, of course, like always. He let his emotions get the better of him and didn’t think about how he could be adding to what Croía was already feeling and going through. “Well, great,” he dropped his head back. “Now I just feel like an asshole …”

“I doubt she thinks that way about you,” Eleanor replied. “As I said, I’m sure she knows you meant well and she’s not going to hold it against you. Maybe you can reach out to her in a little bit …”

“She said she would talk to me later before she went back inside the restaurant …”

“And when she does, you need to apologize,” Eleanor said.

Liam sighed. “I know … I just … I hated seeing her sitting there looking so dejected. She just … she’s come so far out of her shell only to be sucked right back into it by Viktoria.” 

“Again, I’m sure she knows your heart was in the right place. And just … remember what I said about being careful, Liam. We don’t know much about Drakovia or the Thornes … only that they’re not exactly the friendliest bunch …”

Liam’s brows furrowed, remembering what Croía’s mom had mentioned at dinner. “Well, Viktoria made it sound like you guys have some kind of history …” 

Eleanor and Constantine looked at one another. “Not so much history, just … correlating affairs, so to speak …” Liam found the answer odd, but he didn’t question it further. “So … are you calmer now?”

“For the most part … I guess,” Liam replied. “I still think her mom is a fuc—”

“Liam,” Constantine warned before he could finish. 

Liam’s eyes slightly widened. “Oh, uh … hey, Dad …” 

Eleanor tittered as Constantine shook his head. “Well … tell us how your week went …”

****

That night, after her mother had gone to her hotel, Croía lay in bed inside her suite, staring out the window. Her breath hitched as a tear rolled from the corner of her eye, down over the bridge of her nose. 

Just last night, Croía had been on cloud nine, but one day with her mother had made that cloud dissipate. 

When she had gone back inside after speaking to Liam, her mother had laid into her about what she called his “disrespect” to her. Croía didn’t see it that way, but she couldn’t tell her that; she wouldn’t take lightly to disagreement. 

Croía knew Liam’s intentions were good, and despite asking him to stop so she could avoid any further revilement from her mother, she did appreciate what he was trying to do, more than he knew. Standing up for her was something no one had ever done before. 

After their conversation, however, and seeing how worked up and angry with her Liam had gotten over her inability to defend not only herself but him as well, Croía wasn’t sure he’d even want to talk to her. It’s why she didn’t reach out when she returned to her suite. She wouldn’t blame him. Seeing how her mother was, she fully expected Liam to run in the other direction, as far away from her as possible. 

*******

Late the following morning, Liam’s feet thudded against the pavement as he ran along the pathways across campus grounds, still trying to clear his head. He had waited up the night before to see if Croía was going to call or send a message, but he hadn’t heard from her. He figured she was still upset with him and decided not to reach out himself in order to give her some space. 

As he rounded the corner on the pathway that bordered the entrance gates of the university, Liam spotted Croía; she was coming up the path from the opposite direction. 

“Croía!” Liam called out.

Glancing over when she heard her name, Croía slowed to a stop in front of the gates as Liam jogged towards her. He stopped in front of her, catching his breath as the two stared at one another. “Hi,” she finally said.

“Hi …” As they continued to stare, Liam couldn’t help but notice how downhearted she appeared. He glanced down at her hands, seeing them start to fidget the same way they were yesterday as she gripped her thumb with her hand. His brows furrowed when he noticed the red mark on the knuckle of her one thumb; she had been so anxious, she had rubbed the spot raw. He sighed, glancing up to meet her gaze again as he reached out and took her hands in his. “Croía, I’m sorry about last night.” 

“You don’t have—”

“I do have to apologize,” Liam interrupted, knowing what she was going to say. “You were right … I don’t get it. I never meant to pile on to what you were already going through and I didn’t mean to make things worse.” He watched her eyes begin to glisten as she stared up at him. “I just … I hated seeing you hurt …” Her lip began to tremble and her breath hitched before she dropped his gaze. “Hey …” Liam sighed, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her as she cried. 

“I’m sorry,” Croía choked out. 

Liam drew back enough to cup her face in his hands; he tilted her head so her eyes met his, brushing his thumbs gently across her cheeks to wipe her tears away. “You don’t have to be sorry … and you also don’t have to allow someone to make you feel this way. I’m not trying to tell you how to handle it,” he shook his head. “All I’m saying is that you’re here now. You’ve been away from that … and you’ve been better for it. Everything she is saying to you and filling your head with is wrong. And I just want you to see how amazing you are, Croía. Because you are.”

Croía’s brows furrowed as more tears began to fall, and he pulled her back to him as she allowed his words to sink in. And then, Trystan’s words started to mingle with his. “You got away, Croía. And you can stay away … if you choose.” And Liam was right … she had been better since being there, away from her mother and her constant degradation. She’d been more relaxed and carefree. She’d made friends. She’d been happier than she had ever been before. 

“Croía!” At the sound of her mother’s voice, Croía stiffened; she was supposed to be heading to breakfast with her. “Let’s go!” she barked. 

Croía slowly drew back away from Liam’s embrace and looked up at him; he looked at her with understanding and encouragement in his eyes. And suddenly, both his and Trystan’s words became louder in her mind. 

They were right. 

Perhaps it was being away from it and surrounded by people who treated her with kindness and empathy for the first time in her life. Maybe it was the strength that Liam gave her and the solace she found with him. Whatever the reason, something finally clicked inside. Croía realized at that moment that the way she had been treated wasn’t something she deserved or had to put up with, regardless of who it was coming from. 

Turning to see her mother standing near the SUV on the other side of the gates with her usual scowl, Croía shook her head. “No …” 

Viktoria’s brow arched as she approached the gates. “Excuse me?”

“Why did you even come here?” Croía’s voice trembled as she wiped her cheeks. “Because it wasn’t for me …”

“Croía, get out here and in the car.” Viktoria’s gaze flickered up to Liam behind her. “We can talk about whatever this is alone.” 

“No,” Croía said, standing her ground. “I-I’m not … I’m not going with you. I don’t want to be your verbal punching bag anymore. I won’t be,” her breath hitched. “I just want you to leave.” 

Viktoria’s jaw visibly tensed as her eyes narrowed. “Croía—”

“Go home, Mom.” 

Croía stared at her mother for a tense moment before, for the first time, she turned her back to her. Without hesitation, Liam slipped his hand into hers, and the two walked down the pathway, away from the gates. He couldn’t help but throw one last glance over his shoulder, seeing Viktoria rooted in place with her arms crossed, clearly seething as she watched them. He turned back, shifting his eyes to Croía; a small smile played on his lips as a swell of pride filled his chest. 

When they rounded a bend in the pathway, finally out of view from the gates, what just happened hit Croía. “Oh my god …” She slowed her steps as her hands palmed her temples. “What did I just do?” 

Liam looked at her, seeing the panic in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, gently pulling her hands away from her head. “You did what you needed to do for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that.” 

“She’s going to be furious, Liam. And she-she’s—”

“Croía,” Liam said, and she looked up at him. “It’s going to be ok. She’s going to go home and you’re going to be here, and you’re not going to have to deal with it.” 

Croía dropped his gaze as she took in a few breaths, slowly nodding. He was right. “Ok …” 

“And, hey …” Liam said, and she looked back up at him. “I’m proud of you,” he smiled. “I know that wasn’t easy for you … but you did it.” His words earned a small smile from her, and he leaned down pressing his lips to hers in a lingering kiss. “Come on,” he said as he drew back and slung his arm over her shoulders. “I’ll make you breakfast, and then we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want.”

****

Viktoria slammed the door of the SUV shut when she slipped out, stepping onto the tarmac of the airport where her jet was waiting. She pulled up a name in the contact list of her phone and tapped her finger to the screen before lifting it to her ear as she made her way toward the aircraft. 

“How’s the visit?” a voice answered a moment later.

“I’m getting on the jet. Does that tell you anything?”

“I take it that it didn’t produce the results you were hoping …”

“No,” Viktoria spat. “I told you her being around him was going to be a problem, but you didn’t listen.”

“Around him, yes, perhaps, but how was she when she was alone with you?”

“The same piddling girl she’s always been,” Viktoria grumbled. “But we’re never going to be able to use her for our bidding. Any hope that you had that the two of them being together would be a way in for us, you can forget it.”

“Well,” the person scoffed. “I guess we don’t have a choice but to go the other route then …” 

Viktoria smirked triumphantly. “I was hoping you’d say that.” 

***************************************

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[dlartistanon]

I have to be honest, after everything I heard I went into Lone Trail anticipating Muelsyse character assassination-- nay, *annihilation*, for the sake of Doctor-sexual fanservice and I was ready to be disappointed. But having finished reading Lone Trail myself now... What? Her homescreen lines are utter horseshit, I completely agree, but her actual character writing in Lone Trail fits that really good analysis post by meeblo so accurately that I can't believe meeblo didn't read LT before writing

"The more I think about Lone Trail the less I like how they executed the story."

So, let me preface this with with preemptive TL;DR: If you are a fan of Silence as a character, you probably really enjoy Lone Trail.

If you are a fan of any other character, especially Muelsyse, and ESPECIALLY if you don't like or don't care for self-insert pandering, you're likely disappointed and/or frustrated with Lone Trail. I am the latter.

Let me just copypaste what my friend has to say (plus my own replies and commentary) since they can articulate the feeling better than I can:

I'm sorry. I just can't imagine a world where Saria, who means so much to Muelsyse, is nearly assassinated and in awful shape, and *she knows that* and is like "wassup doctor, heard Saria's in trouble but lets hang out"

Me: Exactly. This does not make sense with what we know of their relationship. Especially since she's later worried sick/almost breaks down at the thought of losing Saria for real

I'm just going through the story and so much of it doesn't make sense to me. And it's (I'm not done but getting there) just *so depressing* how much of the event is eaten up with kind of pointless/uninteresting doctor babysitting? She should be front & center in all of this. There's so much to work with and play with but so much of it does not make *any sense*. Muelsyse did not need to be hobbled by this. Hell, so far as I've read, Doctor didn't need to be there or could have done it on their own. Fucking frustrating.

Me: I'm not that familiar with Guide Ahead, but I can't help but imagine how much better/more concise Lone Trail could've been had they handled Samuelsten in a similar way to GA's central trio. Don't shove Muelsyse to the side, make her an active agent in the story, with the people who matter to her

I mean I’ve made it to CW-7 and as someone who’s in the middle of all of this (often by design) I’m puzzled that she’s one of the least interesting parts of the event? Kristen, HoHo, Nasti, Jara are great. We know why it matters to her but she’s on the fringes the entire time. This should have been done like guide ahead but guide ahead was much better and leaner by virtue of not needing to dedicate half the fucking event to talk about how great and interesting the doctor is. There’s no reason doctor couldn’t have been with Kal’tsit the entire time. That would actually make sense. But nope.

"It's Saria you want to see, It's Kristen who you're looking for" but why don't we just stick you with Doctor the entire fucking event and you can act like you're just on a little adventure. Cannot believe I have to rely on the furniture to give what the event should have.

This might be a controversial take, but I wish all this giant lore dump with Doctor, Priestess and Kal'tsit had been relegated to another vignette or main chapter with just mentions of Kirsten/Kristen and Rhine Lab. It's taking up much too much of Rhine Lab's event. Instead of *way too many flashbacks* with Doctor/Kal'tsit/ whoever, we could have had this building up Saria/ Kirsten/Muelsyse with their past instead of the one 3 second glimpse we got. I am so mad at this stupid fucking decision. Rhine Lab Event: featuring Rhine Lab as glorified cameos

Reply: Yeah its so annoying. It takes up sooo much god damn space and for what? And for what ? It doesn’t belong. I swear to god i wish we focused on, idk, the main relationship between saria and kirsten (and mumu but my faith is lost) instead of kirsten only showing up at the very end

Yeah, I'm sure glad FERDINAND got the most screen time out of all Rhine Lab. Just *what*. But the lore dump, while *fine* is just fucking egregious and does not belong here. This could have been referenced elsewhere and they could have fleshed out everyone else.

I have finished Lone Trail! Cumulatively, I love about two chapters worth of it! I definitely had high expectations but even if I'd had mediocre expectations I would have been let down. Not enough of the Rhine Lab founders, needless lore dump that could have gone elsewhere. It felt fragmented and like a hodge podge of things. Saria, Muelsyse and Kirsten felt like cameos in the entire event. And I'm sure the intention of this was to elevate just how goddamn special the doctor is, but the way it was written, it felt like no one at Rhine Lab gives a single solitary fuck about Muelsyse in any real capacity. These are the people she's had and adores. Yes, her loneliness was a sort of focus of the event, but the way it plays out does make it feel like "yeah, you're right to be lonely. Thank god for doctor!"

So much of my irritation is not only was she reduced to a love interest for Doctor, treated poorly by everyone at RL, she had zero agency in the whole event. She really was just floating passively for the most part. Muelsyse in Lone Trail: 1. Looks for Kirsten/ doesn't find Kirsten/ abandoned & not said goodbye to by Kirsten. 2. Looks for Saria (eventually) stopped by Saria. Saves Saria, doesn't talk to her again/ is not acknowledged by Saria. 3. Nasti tells her she's a crybaby & to get lost I mean, it really is no wonder she wanted to off herself. She built Rhine Lab with them from the beginning and this is how the event chooses for all these people to treat her? It's unbelievable.

Me: All that to make Doctor look better in comparison, right? It's jarring bc it's such a far cry from the brief concern Saria showed towards her in DV and doesn't even follow up with her claim to want to save Muelsyse in LT. Where's the consistency? She remembers that Mumu is fragile, but we don't even get a scene or mention of checking up on her after crashing back down to earth?

At least in Kristen's case, she remembered Muelsyse exists afterwards with the plantlife onboard, but it's not even presented as wrong or a character flaw how Saria ignores Muelsyse in the end, even though she literally saved her life. Just... nothing. This is the defender who protects others? The one that she fell for?

Yeah “when you’re emotional you forget that you’re fragile” & okay this is a devastating day for her so fuck her very much! No need to check on how she’s doing losing a long time friend and colleague, how she was in a thing that literally crashed but she saved *her*. And this isn’t even about Samuels in particular! This is how she was treated by the people with an established history that matter to her. Obviously the game is pandering, but given how literally everyone in the game, from the actions she can see, treats her like she is disposable trash. It’s no fucking wonder she’d be like “oh wow doctor!” Because at least they treat her like a human being who has feelings and who hurts? The fact that Saria doesn’t even reach out, that she has treated her like a stranger for the most part doesn’t track. Why did they make Muelsyse the “hero/ star” of the event banner? She’s forgotten and mistreated by everyone, gets almost zero game content, her file and voice lines are a mess and she doesn’t influence the story in any way at all. This event as a Rhine Lab story was trash.

Me: It felt so much more like a "Silence" story with Rhine Lab as window dressing. They clearly didn't have any editors around because how can you SAY that these people matter to Muelsyse but then not PROVE it? The lack of care, the disrespect towards her and other characters in relation to her is just astonishing

I like Silence a lot but wtf was she leading this? The whole thing is the conflict with Sarsten w/ Muelsyse in the middle. She got a new outfit, talked to Parvis, rehashed a conversation w Saria for the 10th time? This should have been all Muelsyse / Saria/ Kirsten but they barely existed in the event. And who the fuck polled whoever else to decide that Ferdinand and the creep Josh should get the rest of the time!Why so much build up with Jara / her closeness to Kirsten to not have any interaction with them? WTF were they doing.

I could probably write an essay about all the things I felt didn't work as a Rhine Lab event. This might have worked better as a vignette just to keep it tidy. But I think the other thing for me is that… hrm this event almost assumes that all you've seen of Silence is the manhua and thus wow! Growth! She loses the glasses and gets a new style to show that off. But the Silence of this event is the Silence we've had in the game since day one. The one in Mansfield and in Dorothy's Vision who is kind of certain about what is wrong and what is right and will stand up for that. So to me there wasn't any growth there. Because we'd already seen that growth/ that was the person we've known since the start of the game. A lot of this event kind of relies on… either not having read the manhua or exclusively having read the manhua. Because if not for the manhua you don't know/ understand why there's that Kirsten/Saria divide and how much it means. It's all very weird.

And kind of to add to my little rant… DV and the manhua allude to Muelsyse being extremely close to Kirsten and being her sidekick. But in neither the manhua or any of the events do we see any of that. Instead we get Nasti (who I like a lot) in that role and--- I just don't get it. You'll be less disappointed if you don't read the manhua. lol A ton of Muelsyse's character development and her relationship with Saria is highlighted there and this event just kind of decides to burn all of that to the ground. But if you want to see why the final chapter matters/ is special/ yes, read it.

Me: Nasti's in the role bc we had to have our self-insert fix with the hot new playable op :/

yeah. with the same motivations. but all of that should have rightfully been hers I really do think they just gave Muelsyse's role to Nasti And the cherry on top of all of it was at the end when Muelsyse is like "Huh did the three of us actually dance together or did I make all of that up?" I just can't with that final slap in the face to Muelsyse and all of them. Like her talk about loneliness is fine and well done and the little history but so much left a lot of questions.

Me: yeah… it's just. wow. there were nuggets and seeds planted that had potential, but they didn't bother to actually cultivate and develop those relationships and dynamics at which point why even include them at all

Yeah, I’ll include that in my rant, but my last point on that end is Saria’s “I would do it over again” doesn’t make sense if you haven’t read the manhua— and just doesn’t jive with what is presented in the events with her that is much more clinical. And I’ve said this about multiple things— but a story should be able to stand on its own without having needed to read a manhua for additional context— and especially when having read the manhua you’re left with ??????

[abyss-presence]

Note: this is from the perspective of my own cult (like in-game cult), so it will include the traits that the characters got in my game, my followers and ect ect; the yellow cat is called Nael and uses he/they pronouns; 3rd person pov; swears included

@aniflowers

Broken bones and blooming flowers

Another morning, another day. The cult runs like a broken clock: sometimes the handles don't turn and get stuck in place, sometimes they go too fast and mess up the time. But the main point is, it's working.

This time around, Lamb returned early in the morning, before everyone woke up. At the sermon they announced this day to be a holiday, so everyone got a chance to rest from the relentless work they do around the base, in the glory of the Lamb.

Typically, the Leader of the flock would stay put for a couple of days, taking care of their place and interacting with their followers, but today was different. When their usual routine after giving a sermon was done, they suddenly left again, whether to play knucklebones at their dad's house or to crusade again remains unknown.

Leshy watches them leave in silence, slightly confused by this new development, but it was not his place to worry about such unnecessary things. So he shrugs it off and goes over to the farm to tend to the crops. He's been doing this ever since he got indoctrinated into the cult. However...

"Hey, you're Leshy, right? Whatcha up to?" Oh, there he goes again, that yellow cat. What was their name again? Nael, was it? A "gift from God"... Huh. How pathetic.

The Lamb dares to make a mockery out of him by bringing this... this mockery of a follower to their cult! Oh that was a crime, a crime specifically directed at Leshy! A "gift from God"... How dare they!

"...Leshy?" Oh right. The cat's still there.

"...I'm just tending to the farm."

"Ah, I see, I see. You do seem to like working in this field huh..." Leshy could hear the sound of Nael's robe flattering with the gentle breeze, and smell the faint hint of blood on them. How badly this stupid cat irritated him, yet how much he desired their company...

He couldn't help himself. Come on, the first thing Nael did upon his indoctrination was start a fight with Narinder, how could he not at the very least admire them? Moreover, so far Nael is the only one who hasn't been treating Leshy like some kind of suspicious traitor. Not that Leshy isn't suspicious as hell, and not that he doesn't think that Nael is naive and stupid for trusting him so easily, but it's the thought that counts, right?

While Leshy was spacing out again, something caught his attention:

Aside from the main farm where Lamb planted crops that went into the cult's food later, there was also a smaller one, all consisting of Camellia flowers. They've been ready for harvest for about a month or two now, yet the Leader never harvested them... and they weren't there for the sake of decoration either, because there were several potted plants around the base already. Leshy would know, there is like a thousand of flowery scents around this wretched hell hole. And so, despite himself, Leshy interrupts whatever it is Nael was talking about (he wasn't listening anyway) and instead asks:

"What are the flowers for?"

"And then they– Oh, huh? The flowers?" Nael looks around before spotting the farm that Leshy was referring to. "Oh these ones? Leader grows them in case we run out of medicine to cure the sick with."

"Cure...? Are they... they're Camellia flowers, right? I can feel their scent even from here."

"Oh yeah, they are! Man, you got a pretty sharp nose, eh? Although I don't really... you know, see a nose on you?"

The only thought that ran through Leshy's mind in that moment was a single word: "Stupid." Sure, maybe he was a bit mean, but at least he didn't say it out loud!

"You're dumb." Oh well, nevermind then.

"Haha, maybe I am! Still, what do you smell with? I'm not exactly familiar with the anatomy of a bush." Nael reached out his hands, placing them on Leshy's surprisingly fuzzy cheeks and feeling his face with zero shame. Leshy was about to burst from irritation and chomp this sopping wet cat to death, until he realized something.

From what he heard from the Lamb, Nael was one of the hot tempered butch, hence the constant fighting with Narinder. But he literally called them dumb – and yet they didn't react negatively at all... it even seemed like they were trying to flatter him? Why?!

"Hands off," Leshy slapped their furry paws away from his face, subtly readjusting his bandage, "I don't need– Did you just call me a bush?!"

Nael erupted with laughter once the realization hit Leshy. That was exactly the response they were hoping for, and it was fantastic! He had to take a moment to calm down and get himself together, all the while Leshy was repeatedly bonking him on the head with his plush arms.

"Have you never seen a worm before you stupid cat?!" Leshy looked like a pouty little kid despite probabaly being centuries old. And maybe at heart he was. Just a pouty little child who wanted love and attention. But he was grown up now, and although no longer a God, he was still a man of pride.

"I have! You just don't look like one!" Nael was struggling to breathe from how hard he was laughing, which earned him another bonk on the head. "You look like a mix of a bush and a worm. A... borm! Or a wush!"

"You–! You are an ignorant and infuriating mortal piece of scum! Don't you dare to call me either of those stupid names!"

"But we had a worm in the cult before and they looked nothing like you! You only look similar to the other bushes from Darkwood!" Nael was still quite hysterical after his laughing fit, and he was clearly struggling trying not to laugh again, barely holding himself together.

"THAT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO WORMS YOU UNCULTURED FUCK." All the sudden yelling caught others' attention, making them turn towards these two. Of course, Leshy couldn't exactly see that they were staring him down, but oh how well he could feel the judgemental stares burning into his body and it pissed him the fuck off. So his natural response? Cause chaos. And, in this situation, that meant beating the shit out of this yellow motherfucker.

Before Leshy could process what he was doing, his hands were already wrapped around the cat's neck, their claws in turn scratching at his back.

This was a first time experience for Nael too, usually Leader broke up any fight he started before anything real could happen, but now they're not here... and it is already getting bad. Nael was slowly starting to see stars in his vision as more and more oxygen left his body. But he kept on persisting, kept on trying to break free from Leshy's deadly grip.

"Stop it this instance you two!" One of Lamb's disciples chimed in, breaking up the fight and butting themselves in between the two to act as a barrier. "What has gotten into you, Nael? This is the sixth time this week that you started a fight! And now you're targeting Leshy too? Leader will have to put you in prison if you keep behaving this recklessly." Nael was smiling while being scolded by the spider, his uneven breathing getting interrupted by an occasional cough or two. Leshy didn't understand... why was the cat just accepting the blame like this? Technically he was the one who attacked first, so why were they allowing him to get out of responsibility? This Nael guy must be stupid, just like Leshy thought. Of course he is, Leshy is never wrong about people!

Yet still he couldn't help but become more and more curious of the strange yellow cat. He wanted to know more.

[resizura]

hi, i am putting this on anonymous because i am shy. what are some themes you would like/wish the remakes to expand on?

I'm answering this late I am very sorry

SO this is a lot for me to think about and hopefully i can keep it concise because I tend to ramble

Put under a 'Read More' because this will be super long

To start, I think that I just wish Capcom wouldn't be so lukewarm with its themes. This is probably the biggest problem because (to me, at least) it can't focus on what it wants to tell the audiences.

They are obviously trying to make the series way more "serious" and yet they completely tone down its foundational messages. Sure some of that has to do with the more actiony tone it took after RE4, but let's just back up to the original trilogy.

RE1, RE2, and RE3 were essentially a three-part and yet self contained story that followed a small cast of police officers (save claire and carlos) during the zombie apocalypse. An apocalypse that was caused by corporate greed and the need to capitalize and profit off of scientific research for militarization purposes. While a little silly and outlandish in the final product, the three games (especially 2, IMO) have great storytelling and execution of its themes. Umbrella and Raccoon City Police are corrupt, and there are terrible ethics surrounding BOWs.

Now compare that to the remakes. Now, RE1make is my favorite remake because it kept the original feel and look to the game, kept the story relatively the same, and improved on it in terms of voice lines, graphics, and gameplay. The only major change is adding Lisa Trevor, who I think is a great addition because we get to follow the Trevor family through the game and get a look at how Umbrella exploited them and made them into monsters, a personal touch on something hard for us to comprehend.

RE2make and RE3make on the other hand.... well now we have around 20 extra years of Resident Evil to influence these and if you're familiar with my blog, you'll know that story wise, I do not like these games (especially RE2make). These games changed so much of the original story to make them more "realistic" and in the process, sort of lost the plot. Too many times in the modern remakes, things happen that hint to something from the original games but overall? It's not there.

As an example, I want to go over specifically how the police chief Brian Irons is portrayed. In the original game, the player learns little bits about him through files. We know he's dangerous, violent, and has been taking bribes from Umbrella. The bribes are to help him have control over the city. He was highly influential in the Spencer Mansion cover up, where his main role was shutting down STARS so they wouldn't be able to investigate the incident. He worked directly with William and Annette Birkin and took bribes to prevent police from investigating the sewers so their lab work was undisturbed. In RE2, we see him spiraling because "Umbrella destroyed his beautiful town." He traps and kills police officers and innocent civilians, basically rants to Claire about how power hungry he is and he is the one who gets to choose who lives and dies in his police station. Basically, we see point blank that Irons is egotistical and wants nothing more than to keep that power for himself. A corrupt police chief who shows how money and power twist a person for the worse.

In RE2make, he is reduced to just a sick man who physically beats up the young female characters and just wants to torture people. While the bribes are still (briefly) mentioned in this game most of Irons' character is now "Look at how sick this guy is! Isn't he scary? Wow! He's so scary isn't he?" There's nothing about his need and desire for power and control over his city and police station (hell, he leaves the police station 3 seconds after he's introduced!). Sure, you could argue it's implied, but this is a perfect example of Capcom not really committing to something it strongly depicted in the past.

Looking at RE4 Remake, a similar issue occurs! The original game was vehemently anti-American. The file "Our Mission" is the most explicit you can get. Yet the remake tiptoes around it and honestly ends up more patriotic! Leon's role as a government agent is glorified, Ashley wants to be an agent, Krauser gets told off by Leon for not trusting the American government, and the lack of Saddler appearances all contribute to this! Death Island and Infinite Darkness had similar problems of Capcom calling out the American government but then backtracking at the last second. I want them to just stick to a theme for once! Not alluding to one or tiptoeing around it. Say it!

Next on the list is one that I've stated before but the actual ethics and humanity that organizations like Umbrella toy with. A lot of the BOWs feel just like monsters you fight when a lot of them were real people with their lives taken from them. This is also why I liked Lisa Trevor from the first game's remake since she was a human experimented on and we got taken through her and her parent's journeys. OG William Birkin and Remake William Birkin are also perfect examples of this. In the original game you feel like you're fighting Birkin, but in the remake it just feels like a depersonalized monster.

Similarly, I do wish some of the themes were done more tastefully, such as the whole eugenics stuff with Spencer and the Wesker projects. I don't think it should be completely scrapped but I feel like you can't just throw that into your games and barely talk about what it means lmao

This is not really a theme but better perspectives on the female characters. This is purely a personal opinion but I think horror with female protagonists is way cooler than ones with male protagonists, and weirdly enough I think this shift happened when RE4 came out. Jill and Claire were more fleshed out and important characters than Leon and Chris when the OG trilogy came out, but now their roles have been greatly reduced to practically nothing. And why was RE6, a game where a creepy man cloned Ada Wong more about Leon, Chris, and Jake than it was about Ada herself? Also, I wish we could've had either of RE7 or RE8 actually have Mia be the protagonist instead of Ethan because I think either of those games from her perspective would be super cool to experience.

Now that I think about this, I blame this purely on the action shift because even for the male characters, I greatly prefer OG2 Leon, OG2/CVX Chris, CVX Steve than OG4 Leon, OG5 Chris, and DSC Steve (although Remake Carlos is definitely above OG3 Carlos). I want to learn more about Jill, and Claire, and Ada, and Rebecca, and Mia, and pretty much most of the female characters, and I'm so sick of seeing the male characters who are only there because they're cool action heroes.

I wish RE focused more on small communities and small isolated things. I think RE is too big now. Like starting out in a small suburban town affected by murders and experimentation and now like we've gone to multiple parts of the globe and now there's a mold baby with mold superpowers in the future and that mold is actually what started everything (totally not retconned)?? Like let's dial it back.

For the last thing I'll mention is that I wish the remakes focused on the themes of horror rather than just the aesthetics of it. Like yeah, the games are a bit darker and scarier, but they're still more action games now. I loved RE7 because of this, because the Bakers were a good horrific family both in the looks and what they represented!

I think all in all I have a lot of wishes for the franchise and I know it's completely unrealistic to wish about them and sorry for bombarding everyone with this huge wall of text! I have a lot to say lmao

[sugarand-everythingnice]

Heya! Glad you liked the song! Sometimes songs can be a really good source of inspiration, haha) I have another music recommendation — "Rise" and "Gods" by League of Legends. These ones are cool too!

Got me an idea of Wheeljack vs Predaking fight. Like Jackie fighting him in his hybrid form or full beast mode if he ever goes through full transformation. I imagined that his beast mode like Night Fury being really fast and shooting plasma at the enemies.

And damn... When I think about Miko and Bulkhead I wonder how would they both feel when they see Wheeljack's mutilated body. How would they react? How would they feel about it, especially Bulk? Would they be scared of him? And what would Jackie think when he sees their fear of him?

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong in some things, I'm just sharing my ideas with you 😉 Who knows, maybe it will help you to get your own ideas for your AU)

P.S.: tried to send this ask before but network error decided otherwise, haha)

Hey!

Sorry for the late answer (life ya know)

But I'll definitely be giving those songs a listen >:)

I won't lie, I'm gonna be .... what's the word.

Channeling? Ya know when like someone expresses their emotions through a character by fanart or fanfic? I don't remember, lol

But yeah imma be channeling alot of anger and rage into BeastJack >:]

1, because yeah

2, because yeah! It makes sense! Who wouldn't be upset at being painfully experimented on and coming out not recognizing yourself because you've been so disfigured

That's one of my main focuses with this story, to be honest. Channeling that rage that Wheeljack should have had the liberty to express more freely. Not only because of everything he's gone through pre-experiment, but because of what he'll inevitably go through and have to face afterward.

He'll have to face the fact that he no longer looks or acts like himself before. That his friends are more than likely going to be afraid of him (maybe not Miko, I think she'd find his new form sick as hell).

It's going to be a lot. I don't doubt that at least one of the bots is going to shoot at him upon first sight. It can trigger a pretty nasty fight or flight response.

And it'll more than likely leave Wheeljack as a rogue. The only people I see going after him would be Miko and Bulkhead (Bulkhead after some convincing by Miko because of that belief of his that "Jackie always comes back").

It leaves room to explore the idea that these bots are so out of tune with emotions because of so many years living and surviving a war that has ultimately led to them pushing their feelings aside for the sake of the battle.

(P.S. I got all of your asks lol, I admire your determination ♡♡)