#but here you go!!! lmk if anything needs a change

[saulweissberg]

availability / @cassiewestwood setting / la galleria; tuesday, july 16th, around seven pm.

was he having a stroke? truly, was there something wrong with him now that he was over the age of fifty? being ambushed by terry a few weeks ago had been startling, knowing that they had moved to blue harbor and lived within ten miles of him for the first time in twenty-five years, and he had many run-ins with thalia since their divorce two years ago, but he figured the universe had meted out enough punishment for his transgressions. having his second wife—the only ex-wife left in new york—walk into la galleria that night made him feel like his sanity had finally snapped. either he was having some sort of breakdown, or cassandra had a midwestern doppelgänger, albeit with darker hair. like when terry first arrived, the idea of that doppelgänger had been ludicrous, but was it any more ludicrous than his second wife appearing in blue harbor randomly? at least terry had the excuse of micah, and blue harbor was thalia’s hometown. there was absolutely no reason why cassie would be in town. none that saul could think of, at least. g-d, he hoped she wasn't moving to illinois, too.

getting up from his table, he crossed the restaurant in an effort to catch up before she could sit down elsewhere. “ginger!” saul called out the nickname he used to call her—if it was truly cassie, she’d respond to it—and his voice was tinged with affection, but there was clear confusion in his eyes. approaching her and the hostess leading her to a different section of the restaurant, he smiled politely at the young worker before turning his attention back to his ex-wife. “though i see you’re not so ginger anymore.” his hand reached out to brush a strand of hair off her shoulder, the locks no longer the deep auburn she had when they first met. “what’re you doing here?” he asked, struck by how often he was saying that exact phrase this year. who else was going to show up in blue harbor, he wondered. was his third grade teacher waiting in the wings to surprise him, or maybe his freshman year boyfriend? “i mean, not that i’m not happy to see you… but where’s vaughn? and your kids?”

[cagenewman]

WHO: Cage & @xalecjacobs

WHERE: The Meadows, countryside

WHEN: Earth Week (April, 2024)

"Kinda miss the days we could do that," Cage gestured towards the playground, just off of the field that they were standing in. "Then again, I feel like we never had playground equipment that cool." It had been a little more rundown, basic, less interesting... probably a whole lot less safe, too, but that was besides the point. "Remember when we used to cherry bomb each other on the seesaw?" at that memory, he grinned, winding his arm back and letting the football in his hand fly towards Alec.

[eievuimultimuse]

@eyeknowmayhem LIKED THIS FOR A STARTER ( from stockfly, for leatherhead ) !!

     “ JUST OVER THERE should do, thank you, “ the father says to his child. Though he has two smaller arms with which to point with  ( his primary pair preoccupied with lugging a fairly hefty piece of machinery over his shoulder ), he nods his head towards the empty space on the floor of his labs to indicate to them where they could place whatever apparatus they’d taken from that warehouse.  ( It still takes some getting used to, remembering that he has these extra parts now to assist him; he’s spent over 50 years with two arms instead of four, so who could blame him. )  It still seems so SURREAL, performing these numerous heists. He’d shocked even himself whenever he robbed TCRI of their property and fled for the hills to start a new life, nearly 15 years ago; he certainly never expected that it would become a semi-regular routine.

     ( But, if nothing else, he’s a man of PURPOSE. All of this — what he was doing — was for a GREATER GOOD. In the grand scheme of life, this chapter will eventually close, and by the end of it, everything will have been worth it. So he keeps telling himself anyway. )

     Baxter carefully removes the machinery from atop his shoulder and places it on the floor with a small clunk. As soon as he does, he stands upright, arching his back with one hand placed on the small of it, wings twitching as he stretches it out. “ Really need to start warming up before these things, “ he mumbles, mostly to himself. Once he’s done that, he unsheaths an empty canister from his coat  ( oversized for him normally; perfect for him while he’s like this ).  “ It can do a number of things, but it can’t hammer out my creaky back for me, “ he jests.

     ‘It,’ of course, being the OOZE — the substance that created his children and also the same substance that transforms him into the fly mutant that he currently is. Often, he would enter their target areas as an unsuspecting human — then, when they’d least expect it, he’d change, catching them off-guard. This recent warehouse trip was no different.

     At his workbench, he stands the empty canister up beside several others  ( evidently, he’d have to make more at some point. Ah well, wouldn’t be the first time. Running out of mutagen is comparatively less concerning than the alternative ). Beside it, there’s a rack of other canisters with layered liquid. Pressing a button on it, the rack started spinning them; the liquid swiftly began adopting an azure hue.

     He exhales a small sigh while he waits, though green eyes find themselves wandering towards Leatherhead. He usually didn’t involve his kids for little more than an extra pair of hands, though there certainly have been times where they served as worthwhile BACK-UP. He usually makes an effort to avoid the latter, but it can’t always be avoided. And those moments were never NOT concerning for him, being a father and all, but it was fair to say that, given the WIDE ARRAY of creatures he was dealing with, some of them were more concerning than others.

     Leatherhead was one of them. Just…not for the same reason as others. Nothing had escalated when they were out — actually, it was incredibly TAME, all things considered. Probably because they’d been there. Turns out, the threat of JAWS is far more intimidating than that of an insect. But— aw, hell. He can’t help the feeling of GUILT. This simply wasn’t what Baxter WANTED for them. Which was why he was going to such GREAT LENGTHS in the first place.

“ . . . And how was that for you ? “ he inquires gently at first. Then he simply asks what is on his mind: “Are you okay ? “

[aintashes]

‘ should only be another day... maybe two. they're startin' to thin out. ’

daryl lowers his binoculars, looking over to @fortrauma if only to confirm that he'd been listening. this companionship of theirs is still fresh— they've only been moving together for a few weeks, at most. but when you spend even that much time around someone you don't know, it starts to become clear, at least to daryl, whether or not traveling side by side is going to work out.

they have a few things in common, at least. neither of them are particularly uncomfortable with silence— something daryl is grateful for. he doesn't know if they would have gone as far with one another if leon were the type to fill quiet moments with his own voice. and beyond that, they're both tactical; they excel in combat and work well as a team, especially when there's a goal that needs to be met.

so their partnership has worked thus far. daryl can't say he would be particularly distraught if leon suddenly decided to go his own way, but he must admit that it's been nice to have someone he feels like he can trust around. with a small gesture to leon, daryl slides his binoculars back into his bag. if the herd is clearing and they're moving on soon, they'll need to start packing up their little camp.

‘ — you figure out where we're headed? ’

[deiscension]

﹄ ◇ ; @futurefind / stands at tempest's edge

     ⌜◈⌟    ▌ ── 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐤, draped in unassuming cultivator's robes. Subdued winds whisper through their sleeves as they fan their face. Just for good measure, they huff and puff as though they've run a great distance. All that oxygen swirls about uselessly within their chest before catapulting their voice out in breathy admonishment.

     "𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲? Just because this isn't any particular ghost's territory doesn't mean it's not dangerous! Actually, that makes it even more dangerous. If there's no big fish to keep the smaller fish at bay, then the smaller ones will swarm." Not that they seem too terribly concerned with heeding their own warning. The sheer white of their robes is a violent rend against gathering shadows, their voice a siren's call for any sordid beings that might lurk within those shadows. They pay no mind to themself or the quiet they've disrupted. Their focus is on her. Stormy eyes flick from Sasume's weapon to her stony expression. Behind the plain white fan shielding their mouth from view, a smile forms. This cultivator really is just too adorable for her own good! Whatever will they do about her? They snap their fan closed.

     "𝐀𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝: 𝐈'𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩. It's good to have someone watching your back even if you think you don't need it." Their gait quickens to match hers. To walk with weight, to recover lost breath, to wipe sweat from the brow; all a performance art they've mastered, if only to assuage the ache of not needing any of it. They wonder if she'd praise them for their efforts. Not likely. Hers is a mouth unaccustomed to delivering niceties, or so Shi Qingxuan suspects. A stinging sense of familiarity lights their stomach on fire. They smother it by asking, "Fill me in on the details, pretty please?"

[acefms]

( closed started for Daphne | @evnoia )

D r e a d. It was all that Ace could bring himself to feel as he prepared to meet the stranger who had reached out to him via social media to inform him that she had information about his father. The father he hadn’t seen in almost twenty-three years. Truth be told, he could barley even remember what he looked like, or sounded like. The only true memories he had were of raised voices and glass shattering. If there were any happy ones in his subconscious, they’d been long overshadowed by thoughts of abandonment.

As he approached the coffee shop, he wondered why he had even bothered to come. He didn’t care anymore, right? He hated his dad. Practically hated his mother too nowadays. Family, aside from his grandfather, seemed to do nothing other than cause him pain. Yet, he could only imagine that maybe he was coming here to be told his father was no longer around, and for some reasons he found himself in this spot, glancing at all the faces that occupied outdoor seating as he tried to match one up to the profile picture of the girl that shared his last name. A distant cousin, he presumed. Upon finally locating her, he sucked in a deep breath, trying as best be could to prepare himself for whatever was to come. And with that, he made his way towards her, smile painted on. Though it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time. “Uh, hi… Daphne? I-I’m Ace.”

[beseojun]

ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ

for @behaneul

now seojun didn't know exactly what he wanted to dress up as for the halloween market so he was grateful that his best friend was there to brainstorm ideas with him. sure there were many ideas they could do together as a "couples" costume which he wasn't trying to overthink about but it seems they instantly went to their favorite, howl and sophie. it meant one of them was going to wear a dress. at least haneul was okay with that. there would be too much embarrassment for seojun to ever consider wearing a dress -- he didn't think it would look good on him if anything.

at least he could say that he did one thing that was on his list and he got to do it alongside one of his favorite people ever.

getting his costume on, he gave himself a once over in the mirror that sat in his room. his hair was slicked back and he decided to just leave his black hair to fit with the characters hair color later in the film. he may or may not have twirled around a bit to see the cape move but he wasn't going to say a thing. he was happy and glad to have someone to dress up with otherwise he would have ended up just dressing as a vampire or something simple. simplicity was his strong suit when it came to his clothing choices at least.

stepping out of his room, he went to look for his best friend. they were leaving together plus he wants to show him how he looks in the costume. "hannie! look!" the smile on his lips was bright, his body tingling with all the excitement he was feeling.

[behyejin]

ᴇᴀꜱʏ ᴘᴇᴀꜱʏ

for @bexmatt

finding out that there was another fellow australian around made hyejin giddy. sure she should have expected it but it always was a surprise hearing that distinct accent that she had as well. after her little exchange with mattheo, it seemed they both easily became close and set up a time to go apple picking. it wasn't something hyejin thought she'd ever do but there's a first time for everything plus it would surely be fun with company.

making sure to dress for the cooler weather, she eagerly made her way to the apple orchard that they could pick from. the leaves had already begun changing, the different colors making the area pop with the apples peaking though. after tearing her eyes away from the scenery, she spotted her companion easily. briskly walking, the fallen leaves crunched under her feet. she came to a stop near mattheo, a small smile spread across her lips. "you ready to pick some apple? hopefully it will entertain us enough." she spoke the last sentence in english, glad to have someone else she didn't need to use korean with constantly.

[lyriccl]

Life in this city certainly wasn't easy with the devil attacks happening without warning, and even less so when she encountered them personally. It was absolutely a good idea to carry some kind of weapon with you in Red Grave, and luckily for Emma she did have her pistol.

Unluckily, however, this particular demon was quite large and her bullets only served to make it angry as opposed to doing any damage. She swore under her breath, before aiming a shot at one of its beady eyes. She knew that its fury would only rise, but if her aim was correct she may be able to run and put a safe distance between them.

The bullet struck true and she ran like hell, the thing roaring in anger and pain. She knew this would only be a temporary fix, the regeneration of demonic creatures was nothing to scoff at, but at least now she could get her bearings and perhaps find something with more firepower.

Wait... wasn't there a devil hunting business in the city? She thought there was, but fleeing from this thing and placing a phone call at the same time was definitely a non-ideal situation. Desperate times and desperate measures and all that.

She carefully hid in the shadow of a building (hopefully this thing wasn't bright enough to find her in time) and dialed. "Come on, come on... Pick up...!"

@scarlxtleaves

[mmriesoftvat]

@mcuntainbcrn​

Xiao doesn’t often pay attention to what humans do. He’s usually more focused on what Rex is doing, or keeping to himself on a good day. So it’s not entirely surprising when Xiao learns of a strange human living near the Karst. He would disregard said human, even do away with them if needed, if not for the whispers among the adepti that she’s different.

Just how different this human actually is, Xiao doesn’t know. But it bears investigating, so off he goes to investigate.

Xiao doesn’t exactly have a pinpointed location or even an accurate description, so he’s moving from peak to peak, trying to spot any humanoid figure nearby. It doesn’t take long, she’s not exactly hidden.

Xiao doesn’t land right away, more content to stay on his perch and watch her. Suspiciously.

[higaneion]

axing for a friend

𝗥𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗮 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 a nose up at and the sun’s rays banding across the water only added to its view. All the villagers were at ease and spoke with kindness, as if they had known each other for years. There were moments while on this trip she had to remind herself they were assigned on a mission, not a vacation. 

          The request for firewood for the evening and nighttime was simple enough to snap her out of thoughts that were a bit too lax. She happily volunteered, though, she truthfully didn’t have much knowledge on foraging for wood. Any wood would probably do, right? 

          Lilina doesn’t think much of the warning that heeded them. They were in an unfamiliar setting and nightfall was quickly approaching, but of all volunteers, did she have to be partnered with Roy? 

          She had harbored no ill will towards him, and they were on good terms last they had spoken, but she was hoping to distance herself for a little while longer to sort out her own feelings. Though, another part of her was quietly pleased to see him again and was grateful it was someone she knew. 

          Regardless, Lilina found it difficult to swing back into a rhythm and wanted to avoid as much awkward small talk while on their task. It was only until the woodsy paths had split off into two that she stops and turns to him to ask his opinion.

          “...They look the same, but... did you have a preference?” Surely, they would find enough firewood without much issue, right? 

@lionsword

[softersinned-arc]

@koschyei said: ❛ You know, this is an interesting and efficient method of murder. I need to write this down. ❜

The smile on her lips doesn't meet her eyes, and she tries to ignore the churning in her gut; she knows better by now than to trust anyone, let alone another politician, but she wants to, and badly. She can feel it in him, some sort of power that is at once old and incomprehensible to her, and there is a part of her that wants to sit at his feet and learn, and another part of her, a greater, a louder part of her, that wishes there were some way to sink her fingers into his chest and rip it out of him to keep for herself.

She has been powerless before and has learned to survive, even to thrive, in spite of it, but it did nothing to dull her hunger. She imagines power sometimes like an organ and she imagines what it would feel like to tear the power from another person and swallow it hole, blood staining her teeth, magic burning her tongue. She is a creature of want above all else. She always has been.

"I'm afraid I'm little help to you when it comes to the Anchor's power." Not technically a lie, but certainly not the truth. Astoria's left hand pulses a gentle, glowing green, and she thinks, not for the first time, that her blood sounds different now that it's been infected by the Fade.

But it was not the Anchor's power, this time; it was her own, and a power she understands plenty well. One need not tamper with the blood as a whole when one can tamper with the things that make it, and there is plenty of water in blood. To manipulate. To move. To boil. Not technically blood magic, but she knows enough by now of the chantry to trust that not technically blood magic is hardly a solid defense. She takes in a deep breath and immediately regrets it as the euphoria of battle fades and she feels the sudden and sharp pain in her chest that means her ribs have broken again.

The dead men at her feet steams like cooked meat, their skin reddened and bursting from the heat that had poured out of her and into them. Around them, the snow has melted enough to reveal the hard, barren ground beneath it. Had she known Koschei was near, she would have been more cautious, but the Venatori had caught her by surprise. Astoria tucks her hands into her sleeves and shrugs apologetically.

"If I knew better how it worked, I would use it better. Unfortunately, much of Solas' research into rifts is beyond me. I never received a formal training in magic and I'm afraid the theory seems rather muddy compared to what I learned at the augur's knee." She raises her eyebrows, retracts her left hand and holds it out to him, palm up, as if in invitation. (In challenge.) "Though if there's knowledge in Buyan that has yet to cross the Wilds, that could guide me, surely you would know it...?"

[pyolyuja]

hat trick ft. @sunkissedalyx

it may have just been a loud place full of annoying kids to some people, but to im yunseong, xpixel arcade was his kingdom. many hours spent within its walls actually featured him working rather than playing the machines, but the general feeling of the place filled him with comfort. it was a lot like the hotel pool in that way; little shades of the home he missed. the home he wanted to take with him everywhere, but couldn't. he could bask in the faint glow days if they'd let him, and if his roommates weren't, you know, counting on him to come home.

another shift was passing with yun playing street fighter instead of manning the snack counter like he was supposed to. the benefit of working there meant he could easily flirt his way to the keys typically used by the machine attendants to empty the tokens out. to be fair, yunseong emptied them out too, but he also used them to play the games while he was on shift rather than returning them to the front counter. the arcade wasn't exactly bustling that day, so he didn't have much else to do to make the shift go by faster. he figured that was justification enough. after achieving yet another victory as ken masters, yun decided he'd had his fill of the game.

this was when someone caught his eye by the air hockey table. it was alyx, candycakes' resident baker; one of the mall employees who often frequented the arcade. "well hey alyx," yunseong greeted the younger man with a casual smile. "i could just feel your vibes from over there, i'm getting a sense that....yeah," yunseong's hands were out erratically, his eyes closed as if he were reading the very energy of the room. "you want to play me in air hockey," he concludes, opening his eyes atop a toothy grin. if anyone could be counted upon to be a complete idiot about everything, it was yunseong.

[inionnarequiem]

Sea of Problems

Plotted Starter with @decinisinfedeli

[Uladh]- Jaysus Mary and Joseph but it was still feckin' freezing out. Spring may be just around the corner but the nights in Ireland were still laden with Winter's frost. Especially by the coast. Victoria wouldn't be here unless it was for something important.

And that would include their freakishly tall toothy- acquaintance?- needing their help with this coastal beast that was terrorizing the local populace. Victoria had to tear their eyes away from their view of the town to glance at Utheric. Normally, Vick would only collaborate with one or two vampires to a certain degree, and only one she would consider a friend. Perhaps she felt a sort of kinship, not every day one comes across another quasi-immortal supernatural being who hunted the supernatural in turn.

Plus, with his head of hair almost similar to her own, she wondered if he had any of her countrymen's blood in him.

"Fuck, this hill is not great on me back," they grumbled, reaching under them to remove a branch that had been poking their leg for the past ten minutes and throwing it far away, "y'sure it was this town?"

[lowenzahhn]

@aeternussilere -- ;

It was an uncanny idea, to be sure, but with Venti having succumbed to a deep hibernation following her ascension and her contemporaries--Dvalin and Andrius--too detached from humankind to bridge the divide between her (former) humanity and newly attained godhood, Vennessa was forced to seek... unconventional measures. Though part of her had wondered if she'd be turned away due to the scandal that had erupted during the Rebellion that Venti had orchestrated that framed Rex Lapis, she was surprised to find that she wasn't.

"Yes, of course, Zhēnjūn!"

Dashing through Cloud Retainer's territory on Mt. Aocang in a relay race to activate devices the Adeptus arranged seemed like an odd way to train for godhood, but Vennessa didn't seek to contradict the much older immortal's wisdom. Yet, when the crane barked for her to land due to the presence of an important guest, Vennessa alighted back to the ground, Cloud Retainer instructing her to bow reverently as she'd been taught.

"Greetings, Mein Hochwohlgeboren! Please don't mind me, I'm simply one of Zhēnjūn's students!"

Belatedly realizing she'd slipped back into her native Mondstadtian, Cloud Retainer sighed and addressed the Yaksha directly.

"General Alatus, was there something you needed?"

[madeimpact]

@gravitasfatum || Plotted starter

Things weren't looking good in the Realm of Darkness.

The search for Sora brought him, Terra, and Aqua here, and where there's darkness, there's Heartless. In this case, a whole swarm of them. It wasn't their first time facing a foe like this one — a vortex that almost behaved like a hive mind — but this was their home turf, and it had been enough of an uphill battle to separate Ven from his friends, landing him in the remains of...he thought this place looked a bit like the Enchanted Forest, but he couldn't be sure.

This place was unnerving without the security of Terra and Aqua to keep him grounded, and it was easy to get lost amid the twisting, turning paths and impossibly dense thickets of thorny vines. Gummiphone service was a total bust out here, too. He would just have to retrace his steps back until he found his friends again...

Ven thought back to the Wayfinders, now placed together at Master Eraqus's grave. In times like these, having his on him might have been nice as a physical comfort...but he didn't need it to know that he would find his way back to his friends.

Footsteps brought him away from the thoughts that swirled in his mind like that brewing storm of Shadows. Ven's stance became defensive, but his eyes betrayed the hope that those footsteps might belong to Terra or Aqua.

He was disappointed to find an unwelcome black coat and eyepatch instead.

❝ What are you doing here? ❞