#dear the infinite abyss....

[nturlbrunette]

I wish I didn’t give you my heart.

It turns out, you didn’t deserve it.

[actual-changeling]

crowley with chronic pain that gets worse whenever he is forced to return to hell is actually so dear to me and it provides excellent angst material

as someone who had chronic migraines and headaches (not anymore luckily, getting away from my abusive parents solved a lot of issues in that regard) i know exactly how irritated and taut it makes you. the pain never goes away and it never stops hurting, at some point it simply becomes your new normal because it's either that or dying.

so crowley returns from an unplanned trip to hell after doing one good deed too many, and the first and only thing he wants after that experience is aziraphale. his angel is familiar, comfortable, and, most importantly, safe; there's no place he feels and is more protected than in the bookshop with aziraphale by his side.

at first, it's one wave of relief after the other, aziraphale hasn't said anything about his slightly unusual behaviour and silence, just brought him a cup of tea and shooed him towards the sofa. crowley is desperate for a nap, he closes his eyes and blocks out what little light still gets through his shades, every ray of sunshine a piercing knife in his optic nerve, and tries to doze off.

just that aziraphale is chatty today. very chatty. crowley loves listening to him, he really does, but hell is noisy, he is completely overstimulated, in pain, and by god he wants quiet. but he's in aziraphale's home, he's a guest, so he can't ask him to stop talking, can he?

light-headed and with increasing pain, he attempts to ignore it.

it doesn't work.

after about an hour, every muscle in his body is as tense as metaphysically possible, his head is a pulsating drum of pressure and agony, and the next time aziraphale's voice intensifies with excitement, crowley snaps.

"for FUCKS sake angel, can you shut up for one minute? please?"

he regrets it immediately. there's no need to look at him, he knows exactly which expression is spreading across aziraphale's face, and he is not going to cry, he won't, he's a demon.

crowley breathes in the silence, once, twice, three times, each inhale more shallow than the last, and then the frayed thread holding him together snaps, too.

he has miracled himself home before aziraphale can open his mouth or he can make it worse, and his flat is dark and quiet, comfortably cool, and he curls up under his sheets. tears run into his silk pillowcase, the only texture that doesn't exaggerate his migraines, and he spirals down an infinite abyss of guilt and self-hatred until he falls into a fitful sleep.

the pain of loneliness far outweighs that of his migraine, and crowley years and regrets and loves like he always does, like he always has, always will.

(if crowley had waited a moment longer, aziraphale would kneeled next to him, concerned)

(if crowley had tilted his head to look at him, his angel would have gently pressed his palm to his forehead and asked what's wrong?)

(if crowley had stayed, aziraphale would have listened to him talk about hell and the pain it causes him, and he would have understood)

(but they're not like that, are they?)

(but they could be)

[angelismmm]

—﹒⟢ The Way I Think (of you~) ft diluc, kaeya, tartaglia

summary: they caught you in the act, but you're too close to stop now!

a/n: ill probably make a pt2 of this but,, this is my apology post for u guys i promise ill come back soon 💔💔

warnings: nsfw, use of toys, sub!reader, dom!character, gn!reader, fingering (no not implied fem!reader)

diluc did mention he wasn't gonna be home early again.. so what was the harm of missing your boyfriend in a.. different way? you barely have seen your diluc all week other than small notes he leaves behind. but turns out he wasn't gonna be out all night, finishing off the last hilichurl camps nearby plus any abyss mages with them. the thought of you both finally cuddling in bed, to his surprise though, it wasn't like you didn't miss him, and wouldn't do something about the feeling.. but this way of missing him was.. truly interesting. through the candle lit hallways of the 2nd floor in dawn winery, he heard something. like you calling out his name, "dear, are y-" coming into the room, weeing you sprawled out on the bed, small tears im your eyes, giving a hint you were close, "i'm so sorry lo-" "j-just help me out please, close, i need you luc.", but oh well, let's just say you got what you wanted, a million times over

kaeya your wonderful superb boyfriend, sad he's been away for a bit too much, well 2 weeks certainly is alot. nothing else but him would be on your mind at dawn, when would he come back, when would he make you feel ethereal again, wanting that isn't so bad right? oh well, a human's imagination is infinite. he didn't mention when he'd be back, so.. what was the harm in missing him in a special way? waiting around doing nothing gets you nowhere! what about a headstart? just that, you didn't know he wanted to surprise you specifically today. "mmfー faster.. close so close" you said to yourself, vibrator remote scattered on the bed, fingers thoroughly in and out, a fast pace, you heard the door opening, (oh by the way his scarf thingy is like on your neck basically, don't ask me how ❤️) "hey i'm ho- oh my..." he says, slowly putting down the chocolates he'd bought from who knows where, "iーi'm sorry! i couldn't wait and y-you weren't there to help this, ha-hagh.. please i'm so c-close!" kissing your forehead oh so lovingly, "i'll treat you better than those toys.. don't you worry your pretty head about it anymore, i'm here."

pretty boy childe.. ohh pretty boy childe. unbeknownst to him, his cute (and fuckable) partner was quite the lonely wolf tonight. maybe the way you howled out his name at night really did it. but out if all timesー he comes home now.. childe comes through the door awaiting you to wrap your arms around him and smother him in affection again. but you didn't seem to be there at all. he wondered where you were, coming up the stairs calling your name, but being cut off after coming close to your guys' shared bedroom. and it didn't seem like you were trying to hold back, as he slowly peeked through the slightly open door, you were so close, he could sense it. seeing you so vulnerable, so sensitive for him. so adorable, just for him. the tent in his pants becoming more visible, seeing you slowly moaning out his name, mewling, in such a cute state, as he described, "my, my, you really couldn't wait could you beautiful?" he said, slightly looking up to see your lover's hungry eyes, devouring the sight of the scene you both are in the moment. "a-ah! a-ajax, p-please 'm close!" you said, your head bowing down in embarassment, "fine, just keep moaning my name out that pretty little mouth of yours."

i hope i ace my exams

[aphroditelovesu]

Yandere Persephone love letters! Heart me out!

🌸🦋🌸

Dear mine,

Today, as the flowers woke up to greet the dawn, my heart was filled with a sweet melody that only you are capable of playing. In every petal, I see the reflection of your smile, and in every gentle breeze, I feel your gentle touch. Like the goddess of flowers and spring, my world comes alive with your presence.

On the days when I walk through the fields of daffodils and jasmines, it is your voice that echoes softly in my ears, like a heavenly song that lulls my soul. Every step I take is a step towards you, my beloved because it is at your side that I find the fullness of my being.

From the moment I laid my eyes on you, my dear, my heart was consumed by a fiery flame that burns eternally for you. As the Queen of the Underworld, my love for you is as deep as the darkest and most infinite abysses. My every thought is dominated by your presence, every sigh that escapes my lips is an invocation to have you by my side. My dear, I feel compelled to protect you, to guard you from any evil that dares to approach.

I am the goddess of spring, but for you, I would be able to make eternal winter fall upon the world, just so that we can be together forever, in a kingdom where only the two of us reign.

May our souls be intertwined like the branches of an ancient tree, growing together in harmony and eternal devotion. For, my beloved, in you I have found not only a companion, but an echo of my own essence, a radiant light amidst the darkness of the universe. Nothing and no one will ever take you away from me, my love. If anyone dares try to steal you from me, they will meet only the fury of hell.

With all my eternal love and devotion,

Persephone.

[inked-night]

Tartaglia could barely stand. Blood dripped from his mouth as he desperately tried to suppress the tremors shaking his body. He knew he was on the edge of his limit, that every movement brought him closer to unconsciousness. Even so, with the last of his strength, he tried to summon his Hydro daggers again.

But it was useless. Every attempt was stifled by sharp pain, a cruel reminder of his wounds. His vision blurred, and black spots danced before his eyes, making him question if he could withstand another attack.

It was then that he felt a presence in front of him, a dark energy that made him shiver, not just from fear, but from something deeper, something that came from a place buried in his subconscious, a hazy memory he couldn’t reach. Someone crouched in front of him, and before he could react, a cold and powerful hand grabbed his chin, forcing him to lift his head.

The face he found belonged to no being of this world. Luo Binghe looked at him with a mixture of satisfaction and disdain, as if Tartaglia's weakness was a spectacle he enjoyed every second of.

"How pathetic" Luo Binghe said, clicking his tongue with a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. They were dark eyes, infinitely deep. "It’s a shame to see my dear Shizun reduced to this"

Tartaglia tried to look away, but Luo Binghe’s hand held him firmly. A distant scream cut through the air, pulling Tartaglia from his confused thoughts. It was Teucer, his younger brother, calling him with a mix of panic and desperation. Tartaglia felt as if a dagger had pierced his heart. He wanted to turn towards the sound, but the iron grip on his chin prevented him.

"Don’t worry, Shizun. I won’t hurt him… yet" Luo Binghe spoke in a softly threatening tone, a tone that sent a shiver down Tartaglia’s spine. "But maybe you should give me a good reason not to"

Tartaglia felt a primal panic, one he hadn’t felt since he fell into the Abyss, grip his insides. The image of his siblings, defenseless against this monster, made a primitive fury begin to boil within him. He wouldn’t allow Luo Binghe to touch them.

"Don’t you dare touch them!" Tartaglia spat the words with fierce intensity, clenching his jaw so tightly he felt his teeth might break. His eyes, usually filled with icy indifference, now brimmed with a dangerous mix of hatred and desperation. A spark of Electro briefly flickered in his pupils, a reflection of the intensity of his emotion.

Luo Binghe observed the transformation with interest, his smile widening slightly. "Ah, there’s the look I remembered. But it’s still not enough, Shizun" His thumb caressed Tartaglia’s cheek with a tenderness that felt completely out of place, almost reverent, while his other hand slowly slid towards the hilt of his sword. "Maybe I should teach them a lesson, just to make sure you understand your place"

Tartaglia felt his body move on its own, fueled by adrenaline and desperation. With his injured and trembling hand, he grabbed Luo Binghe’s arm with all the strength he could muster. "Don’t you dare" He repeated in a trembling voice, but it was loaded with such deep hatred that anyone else might have recoiled. But Luo Binghe was not just anyone. There wasn’t a trace of fear in his expression, only cold amusement.

"You seem so concerned about them, Shizun…" Luo Binghe murmured, almost as if speaking to himself, as his eyes lazily drifted towards the place where Tartaglia’s siblings were. "Alright, how about a deal?" He suggested, his voice like sweet poison. "You come with me, no complaints or more fights, and I won’t touch a single hair on these people who seem so important to you. Does that sound like a good deal?"

"Tartaglia, no!" Lumine’s voice rose, breaking the tension of the moment. There was concern in her eyes, and Tartaglia could see how tightly she gripped the hilt of her sword, ready to act at any moment. He knew what she was trying to do, buying time for Zhongli, or any other ally, to arrive. But he also knew that, like him, Lumine was on the edge of her limit. He couldn’t ask her to endure more.

"Do you promise you won’t do anything?" Tartaglia’s voice was low, barely a whisper, but each word was laden with a desperation he hated to feel. He was helpless, and there was nothing he despised more than that feeling.

Luo Binghe smiled, a smile that was as sweet as it was lethal. "This disciple would never lie to Shizun" He murmured, as if the mere idea were absurd. "I only need you. The others don’t interest me in the slightest"

Tartaglia looked at him, trying to find any sign of deceit in those words, but all he saw was unshakable certainty. He had no choice, and he knew it. He couldn’t risk Luo Binghe harming his family or Lumine. He had no choice but to surrender.

"Fine" Tartaglia murmured, letting his hand drop and allowing all traces of resistance to fade. "You win…"

Luo Binghe observed the change in Tartaglia, and for a moment, his smile softened, but only a little. "That’s more like it, Shizun. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me. You’ll never have to worry about anything or anyone else again. I’ll protect you… from everything" His voice became softer, almost affectionate, but Tartaglia couldn’t help but feel a chill of revulsion.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Hunter of Love.

Every decision made or not made branches off and creates new realities. There are a countless number of those realities.

Worlds of infinite choices—he will glimpse them all.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

Rook dances through the darkness, unburdened and dauntless. Not a single step produces a sound—though if it had, the sound would no doubt be absorbed into the abyss. He glides effortlessly, a swan upon still water.

There is no road for his feet to follow, only a plane of darkness. Heels strike it, eliciting a clear clack-clack-clack, as if the floor is marble.

The walls—if they can be called that; there's nothing solid when he sticks his arms out to test the environment—are laden with full-body mirrors. They're mounted up upon nothing, floating in place, their reflective faces clean, clear, and free of cracks.

He is drawn to them, tugged along as if compelled by the red string of fate.

In each, he is presented with a novelty.

Familiar places and people, refracted and twisted into something new. Something beautiful.

An ethereal art gallery for his own amusement.

He turns his head, taps fingers along the frames of each realm in turn.

A Night Raven College with as many as fourteen dorms. A Night Raven College set upon a stage, scripts in the hands of every student. A Night Raven College of young women, not young men.

Jade with his hair styled up in a mohawk, a plethora of piercings studding his face. Kalim with a monkey upon his shoulder, sharing a platter of fruit. Young Epel in a pair of glasses, mouthing the lines to a play. Idia, smaller than even his younger brother, in an oversized sweater, playing on a mobile gaming console.

Rook imagines a great tree, its roots ever-growing, expanding deep, deep, deep into the soil and continuing still. Endless choices, endless possibilities.

C'est la vie—such is life.

He stops.

His hand now hovers over the glass casing of a tragedy.

Rook stares at a version of himself, collapsed beside a bottle of apple juice. Its caustic contents ooze out onto the ground, bubbling as it eats away at the floor.

The common man would be repulsed. Chilled to the bone. Frightened.

But Rook Hunt is not the common man.

"Comme c'est magnifique," he marvels. “Willingly consuming poison, wishing so desperately to believe that his queen was free of sin… Here lies a foolish dreamer in the aftermath, still having faith in his dear friend's integrity.”

Rook lingers, drinking in the details of the morbid work of art.

He does not move, does not breathe. Ignoring the bottle, it is as though he had been laid into a peaceful sleep. Lips arranged in a soft smile, long lashes cast over his cheeks.

A beautiful queen weeps for him, tears colored black as the night. His clothes are tattered, his crown tarnished. He is a flower of evil, stripped of his petals.

The next mirror, the mirror after—all horrific ends, varying shades of gruesome. Visions twisting, distorting.

A king dressed in roses slaying their victims, peasants who dares to defy their rule. A hyena dissolving into sand. Students trapped in constrictive tentacles, stripped of their talents.

Mindless drones lumbering around a seized castle. A reality dyed in ink, ruled by blue flames and Phantoms. And… a tangle of briar knitting over the world.

To him, they are just as lovely as the rest.

Heartbreaking, but lovely.

As that thought strikes him, the area ahead brightens. He spots color dotting the darkness.

They start as scribbles, clumsy trails of crayon left by a child's hand. Further along, the crayon gains dimension, turning into yarn threads. Eventually, they weave together to form a coherent path marked by cobblestones made of newspaper clippings.

It leads to a thicket unlike any he has ever seen.

Every glade of grass, every leaf and stem, is painted in a glistening coat of silver. The flowers are crystal, the fruit, plump jewels. The sky, a watercolor masterpiece of brilliant blues, white clouds dabbled on with an artist's sponge.

A tower rises in the distance, fine and thin like a needle. Its pointed roof pierces the heavens, and there is but one solitary window embedded in the structure.

Rook gasps, and a thousand or more reflected Rooks gasp too.

The leaves tinkle, a melody of wind chimes and bells. He feels as though they are beckoning to him, drawing him deeper and deeper into the forest.

His feet have a mind of their own; they start moving, as if bewitched by the majesty of the enchanted wood, by the mystery of the tower. Beads of dew upon the grass are left untouched as he swiftly passes.

A call reaches out from a place far, far away. It's not quite speech, but vocalizations resembling speech--someone grasping for the right words, the right feeling.

There is a haunting hollowness to the siren song. A longing so immense it makes tears spring to his eyes.

It must be seeking its other half, Rook realizes. A harmony for its melody, to form a duet.

But the longer he tries to focus on the sound, the more he tries to parse out its parts, the more confused he becomes. The voice is contradictory: familiar and yet unfamiliar, happy and yet sad.

His pace quickens, as does his heartbeat. It's an anomaly for him, for whom calmness comes easily.

I must go to them, he thinks, unsure of why. I must.

Is there a yet-to-be-discovered wonder on the other side? His queen, whom he has sworn his undying loyalty to, in danger? Is it from the strange tower? A stranger requesting his aid?

Curiosity thrums through him.

Hurry.

The tower seems to drift farther and farther away with each step. The voice, fainter.

Hurry...!!

Rook runs.

The building accelerates. The trees expand as if to fill in the space where the tower had fled.

Wildlife carved of glass watch, some racing with him. A deerling on limber, elegant legs, a rabbit bouncing as high as it can. Even the fish skip atop the river that runs concurrent with the forest trail, and a flock of birds soar upon their crystalline wings.

They trill, they coo, they sing.

His run becomes a sprint, and the sprint becomes a gallop. The call to adventure, loud and clear in his ears.

He is one with nature, and nature is one with him.

I must see for myself what lies at the ends of this world--and beyond it.

His spirit brims, burning with determination.

Chasing something he doesn’t know the true nature, the true face, of. For that... is the thrill of the hunt.

[nem0-nee]

ANOTHA ONE... Behold, new blorbo 2 electric boogaloo: Altair Stratus! Twisted from Mike Crew.

[ FILE #XXXXXXX - Dreary Heights ]

Do you know that feeling that whenever you look over a ledge, you have this... urge to lean in further?

You could easily topple over to the abyss with just one nudge.

Many have claimed that the exterior architecture of Diasomnia can be quite... nauseating. Its geography consists of steep landmasses that seem to float over a foggy abyss. These literally breathtaking characteristics are highlighted with the dorm's entrance: a bridge with a concerning lack of guard rails. Quite a nightmare for acrophobic students, especially to those who unfortunately have to reside in this building.

Unsurprisingly, there have been instances where one or two students have strayed from seemingly safe paths into the infinite depths below. Witnesses claimed to seeing a Diasomnia student being the one to push them to their doom. However, such testimonies were remarked to be hearsay by the Headmage, therefore not being taken seriously.

One witness claims they were a close victim of this student.

They say that they had a heated debate with their friend regarding on whether the foggy pit below Diasomnia was bottomless or not. The witness was on the side arguing that it wasn't bottomless at all, however their friend was headstrong with their opinion. Thus, the only way to settle this was to actually observe the abyss itself.

The answer was clear even without close examination: there was definitely a visible bottom in the pit. Despite everything, the other remained stubborn and refused to acknowledge the obvious truth.

Then, an uninvited guest came over— A Diasomnia student with a green scarf. He claims to be there to settle a score for the bickering pair.

"You should take a closer look."

With one nudge, the two were pushed over the ledge.

One held for dear life, while the other accepted defeat.

Turns out, the foggy pit below Diasomnia wasn't bottomless at all.

All it took was one nudge to find that out.

[ END OF REPORT ]

[cho-aaacho]

(Flufftober 2023) Cooking Together

Main Masterlist I Archive of Our Own

Flufftober 2023 Masterlist I Prompts List

Tags : Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Cooking Together, Baking, Flufftober 2023, Reader is genderless

(Flufftober Day 12)

Your eyes grazed relentlessly between the table set with flour. A delicate tension is drawn softly above your temple.

A gleaming spark in your eyes faded, replaced by an abyss of darkness. Your motivation fell into the pit of despair. The nightmare started swallowing your very mind.

With a gentle gesture and almost desperate movement, your hands danced to the recipe book. Scanning them in panic, revisiting the words with your eyes, hoping that you could find your mistakes.

But you found nothing. Nothing. Only an echoing emptiness envelopes you. What's wrong with me?

Struggling. You sank on the chair as the frustration started to fill your whole soul.

Your mind traveled to a charming chef you saw on TV a week ago, deftly baking a cute birthday cake.

At first, you desired to recook the same masterpiece, and you would brag about it to someone special. With your excitement, you brought the finest ingredients, imagining Luis' face when he found you baking a cake for him. A sunny cloud is unwavering above you like a pixie.

But... as you can see, your fate seemed to be teasing you badly. You failed on the first try. The cake emerged from the oven marred by scorching, its flavor mysteriously absent.

"Oh, my darling needs a helping hand?" With a mysterious melody, his voice broke the silence. But Luis' arrival makes you more pained.

He was observing how unmotivated you were. He approached you, his gaze swiftly tracing your face. Finding an unmotivated halo that surrounds you.

"What's up with your face?" he inquired.

"I'm trying to bake a cake," you admitted, your gaze drifting to the table and his eyes following your sight. "But I failed."

"Huh? Let me see."

A warm, comforting aura emanates from his thoughts. His tender fingers ventured into the recipe book. A delightful giggle escapes his lips as he reads every word in the recipe book.

"Oh, my dear," he chuckled softly. "You've chosen the wrong flour. That's why the cake looks... weird."

"Oh! So I chose the wrong flour?"

He winked and touched your nose with his index finger. "That's fine, I have a solution!"

Luis delicately selected a new bowl. A cloud of flour fell on the light blue bowl. His movement was so smooth, almost like a gentle waltz in a romantic February. The way he gracefully wielded that bowl and handled his hands to clean the baking dish suggested that he was the master of his craft.

He lovingly pats your head until your smile turns into tears. "No one is an expert at first, my dear and no one is good at everything. You may have failed, but I guess... with practice, you would be mastered in baking!"

But he, in his infinite kindness, didn't mock your skill in the culinary world; rather, he filled you with warm encouragement. His love radiated like a sunny day in the summer.

"Come closer," he whispered, bringing a gentle, cozy smile to your eyes. You stood before him, your gaze rendering on the light blue bowl. With mixed feelings, you touch the edge of the bowl, and you freeze for a few minutes.

"Let me guide you," he whispered, his smooth voice entering your earlobe as his arms enveloped your waist, guiding your fingertips to the rubber spatula. Confused waltzing in your head, but everything was gone after his chin now found rest on your shoulder.

A red hue on your cheek is starting to paint your face. In this distance, you could sense his delicate heartbeat resonating profoundly.

Instead of starting to mix the flour and eggs, you gently traced your fingers to his face, allowing your lips to meet in a tender kiss.

Luis was confused at first, but he touched your chin and embraced you with another kiss.

As he pulled away from your face, he asked, "What... what is that for?"

"Well... finding my motivation to bake... Can't you taste it?"

A joyous laugh escaped his lips. "No way! Don't tell me you're just making fun of me, aren't you?"

[cheritzteam]

[The Ssum] Submit Your Desires for the Start and End of a Year for a chance to win The Ssum Merchandise! New Year Desire Collection Event Announcement

Hello, dear lab participant.

As the year is ending, you might have seen in the Forbidden Lab the emotion desire!

“I’m going to do □□ this year!”“Starting from the new year I’m going to start □□□!”

Perhaps you have heard or said something similar, our dear lab participant?

Then, bring up your courage and share your honest desires!

To study the strong desires that never cool down even through the chill of winter, the Forbidden Lab is starting the Desire Collection Project!

Make New Year Desires on the Root of Desire and grab the chance to win not only Aurora Batteries but Official The Ssum Merchandise as well♡

📌How to Participate

1. Enter the Root of Desire through the Infinite Universe!

2. Create a Desire! (Make sure to tick that event checkbox🧐)

Q. How can I go to the Infinite Universe? A. If you go to the Main Menu and check all the menu icons, the “Forbidden Lab” will open on the left. Tap the Spiral Galaxy Button at the bottom left to enter the Infinite Universe! Q. The Root of Desire is not in the Infinite Universe! A. Go to the Emotion Incubator and produce 20 Strong Desires to unlock the Root of Desire. If your Incubator is not accessible yet, go to the Infinite Universe and tap the Flask Button!  

🎁 Event Rewards

♡ All Participants ♡ - 5 Aurora Batteries

♡ 3 Lab Participants with the most supported posts + 3 Lucky Lab Participants from the raffle ♡ - 50 Aurora Batteries + PIU-PIU’s Love Bundle + The Ssum X-mas Photo Memento Tapestry (1 random design)

📅 Event Schedule

- Event Deadline: January 31st, 2024 (Wed) before server maintenance

- Winner Announcement: February 7th, 2024 (Wed) KST* *If you have been picked for a merchandise prize, we will send you a message through Lab Support.

※Please read※ - To ensure a fair event, every account will have a limit on support and presents they can send for a post - Tick the checkbox on top of the Abyss of Desire page and My Desire page so you can filter to see only event posts. - Merchandise prize winners should respond to us within 14 days of the winner announcement to secure their prize. - Inappropriate posts will be disqualified regardless of the number of support they receive. - Random event posts may be uploaded on social media platforms for promotional purposes.   - Got questions on the event? Please contact support@cheritz.com😉

With the Forbidden Lab’s Desire Collection Event, have a great new year as passionate as your desires, dear lab participant!

Thank you.

Cheritz

[nturlbrunette]

Happy Thursday tumblr.

#friendsinlowplaces #nostagia #canicallithat #brooklybrewery #stillthebestbeer #idontbelonghere

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 30 - FIX-IT

MASTERPOST

Here are all the fics I recommended this week. For the more thorough recs, see the posts by clicking the corresponding numbers:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

World Enough and Time by Eowyn315 (1)

The Butterfly Effect by itsallAvengers (2)

Bright Things and Fair by sheron (2)

An Infinite Number Of Monkeys At Typewriters (Or, Steve and Tony Finally Get It Right) by JenTheSweetie (2)

Post-Infinity War Snippets: Series by romanoff (3)

Rainbow's End by fohatic (4)

Dear Tony, by sirona (5)

The God of Solid Life Advice by kehinki (5)

The Good or Bad Thing by petreparkour (5)

Five Seconds by nanasekei (5)

The Future is Yet in Your Power by FestiveFerret (5)

ishipallthings (6)

where you already belong watching seabirds fly (Nightcap Remix) ever be afraid to say want you when things go wrong Your Mouth Gives Me Bad Ideas (Kidnapping Day Remix)

The abyss by amaryllis (Lillyo) (7)

from you, me by seadawnknight (7)

It Hurts Like Hell by agathaharknness (7)

What If... by Starlitverses (7)

Conductivity by felisnocturna (7)

[nikiabella]

If

If I had paid attention to the yellow flags

I would’ve been closer to you sooner

If I wasn’t wrapped up in teaching someone else how to love, I would’ve been out with you, talking about life over shark bowls

If I wasn’t draining my energy worried about why so and so was texting my lover, I would’ve been on FaceTime with you all night

Always the big “IF”

But if I had not been dealing with these things

You would be occupied with your own love story that was coming to an end

Is it bad to say I’m grateful?

Grateful that we’re no longer in our previous love stories

That we’ve found each other

The ones that gave too much and received so little

I’m grateful our stories didn’t work out

I’m hurt that it had to happen to us for us to end up here

With all that we learned

Now having to apply it to each other

With a hesitancy

We’re giving in

Very slowly, but beautifully

Two wounded beings patching each other up

Willing to shield the other when it’s time

We take care of each other, like a game of ping pong

When I am weak, you are strong

When you are weak, I am strong

Balanced

As things should be

As we should be

I truly love you my dear and I know you love me

I hope I get to build with you, if only you’d bless me

My love always comes with fear

But this fear is far too great this time

It is far too great

My heart sinks into an abyss just thinking about losing you

Because you have balanced me

And I know I have bounced back from heartbreak before

Now phony heartbreaks to me

But this one will leave me cold for a long while

My infinite love would be locked away

And wouldn’t see the light of day until you were in my life again

But, my love, I love you

And if your heart desires

I must set you free

[blakeswritingimagines]

Dear Y/n.

You are the sun, my darling. When I feel your beautiful, kind eyes upon me, my heart fills with fire. You are the song of the sunrise- a bright and glowing melody of golden beauty, with all the warmth and power of the summer sun.

You are the light to my darkness. You are my Morningstar, my evening star. You are my world's delight. You are pure joy and wonder wrapped up in an alluring package.

We started our story when the universe was small. The first light had not yet appeared. It was dark and empty. The vastness of the universe was an infinite, timeless abyss. Then, as light began to appear, you were the very first thing to glow and become illuminated.

You are a pure, unconditional love. You are everything to me. Every star, every galaxy, and every sun is a part of your beauty. You give life to the universe. To me, you will always have been and will always be the most beautiful thing in the universe. You are my everything.

I love your smile and the way your eyes twinkle with excitement and joy, even as you face difficult challenges. I am proud of the person you are and the person you are becoming. You bring laughter and happiness into my life, and I want to do the same for you.

Y/n, you are my sunshine on a rainy day. You are the song that makes my heart sing and makes my soul smile; you are the person who helps make this world a little brighter. I love you with all my heart and soul, and I always will.

There are not enough words to convey the depth of my feelings for you. You are my other half, the missing piece of my heart, and the person who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you more than anything in this world, and I just want you to know that you are always on my mind and in my heart.

Even when we are apart, I always think of you and our life together. Your warmth and affection have brought me so much comfort and happiness in both the good times and the bad. I will always be here for you, Y/n.

My love for you knows no bounds; it stretches beyond this planet, beyond this world, and into the heavens. You are the sun that shines and brings light into my life, and you are the moon that brings peace and comfort when I am weary. My heart will always beat for you, and you are always in my thoughts. I love you with every fiber of my being, and even when we are not physically together, I still feel your presence deep within my soul.

-Jacaerys Velaryon

[ladychiffa]

Overprotected

Chitose Fujinomiya’s thoughts || Chitose/Eiji || Chitose/Ichiban || Infinite Wealth spoilers

Read this on AO3

“Chitose, darling! How are you doing?”

“Fine, mom.”

“Oh, dear, why is it always ‘fine’ with you? Tell me what’s going on, how’s your day been so far…”

“It’s been… fine, mom.”

It hadn’t. The last couple of weeks had been the worst in Chitose Fujinomiya’s life. And the one she had been blaming for this was herself.

“Well, darling, you see,” mom said, and Chitose got the sense that the woman was uncomfortable even talking about this to her daughter. “I’ve been contacted by the dean’s office a few hours ago. They say you haven’t been attending your classes recently. They tried to reach out to you but had no luck. Are you okay, sweetheart? Is there any trouble?”

“No, I’ve just… I’ve been quite sick recently. Decided it was better to stay at home and focus on healing…”

“Oh, gosh! You should definitely see a doctor!..”

“It’s okay, mom. It’s just a bad, bad flu. I’m fine, just need a couple more days.”

Mom’s voice subdued at the end of the line.

“Well, if you say so…”

Chitose was lying. Physically, she was rather fine. However, ever since meeting Ichiban Kasuga, she started viewing the last three years of her life as a fever dream.

It all started with a simple DM. “Hey, Tatara! I've been a huge fan of yours ever since that exposé of the Fujinomiya business. Can we chat?” How easy it would have been to say no! “Do not chat with strangers on the internet,” her mom always said. But Chitose felt lonely. Upset. Invisible to her own family. So she tapped “Respond.” And only now did she realize this had been the biggest mistake of her life.

“Chitose, darling… You can talk to me. You know this, right?”

No, she couldn’t. She had made this mistake enough times in her life to know the true meaning of these words. If she were to let anyone in her family in on the truth, it would backfire instantly. No pocket money, no freedom to move around the city, no sympathy whatsoever. And a ton of accusations. “You’re a grown-up woman, you shouldn’t trust some stranger you barely know!” Yeah, she already knew this pretty damn well.

“Yes, mom… I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later…”

“You’ve gotta go where?” Mom's voice got louder. “You’re sick, where are you heading?”

“To bed, mom, to bed,” said Chitose rubbing her forehead as her brain felt like splitting in half. “Bye.”

“Hope to see you soon, darling,” a confused voice said from the speaker of a trendy smartphone.

Chitose swiftly pressed the red icon and lowered the hand on top of her knees. She wouldn’t want to see her mom. She wouldn’t want to see anybody.

It was starting out too well. Chitchats after every stream. Praises, and flattery, and all the gaudy understanding a twenty-three-year-old girl may want. In no time, she found herself shivering at every DM beep. Day after day, all she’d been looking forward to was crawling under her blanket and reading what her mysterious follower had to say.

His profile barely had anything. There was a nickname, an edgy picture, and the interest: drama and exposé videos. That was it. Soon Chitose found herself lacking the means to feed her imagination. So she turned to the internet. She entered the nickname into a search engine and dove deep into the abyss of useless info. On page six, she found an account on another social media website. It had the same nickname and profile picture. But that wasn't all. There was also the age (twenty-nine at the time) and more old profile pics. Scrolling through them one after the other, Chitose found one that caught her eye. A dark room, a window lit by the streetlights outside, and a grim silhouette of a man standing sideways. The most striking was that, unlike all the other profile images, this one looked less quality, as if not appropriated from the net but taken on someone’s cheap smartphone.

Can one fall in love with a single grim profile picture? Chitose didn’t know. If only she had a friend to ask! But she was all alone, staring at a dim silhouette of a man on the little phone screen night after night. And it did feel like falling. As if she had lost her footing and was crashing down with no landing in sight. And then… then she got the message.

“Shall we meet?”

Her palms got sweaty in an instant. Her mind, confused between the images of a gleeful meetup and the scolding she’d get for going out without permission, was in a state of utter shock. Without even realizing what she was doing, Chitose typed, “Yes.”

She remembered entering the café they chose together. There were five tables, and all of them were occupied by different men. But for Chitose one glance was enough to send shivers down her spine. She knew it was him. It was the same old silhouette she was used to seeing on her screen. Disheveled hair, an oversized T-shirt, scruffy stubble and a cheeky smile on his handsome face. Barely feeling her toes, Chitose made a few steps towards the table. And was met with a blank stare of these deep brown eyes.

”Can I help you?” the man of her dreams asked quietly.

“Yeah…” she uttered in confusion. “I’m… Tatara Hisoka. We’ve agreed to meet here…”

She noticed a spark of curiosity in his eyes. He scanned her appearance in one thorough gaze, skimming her look from the short black hair to the sweatshirt and baggy jeans, vaguely smiled, and said to her face:

”I didn't expect you being this… It’s nice finally meeting you, Tatara-chan!”

Only recently had she remembered this first phrase. For years, she had been suppressing this moment in her memory. Trying to forget she was never what he wanted. And almost succeeding.

He introduced himself almost instantly. Eiji Mitamura. In person, he had no intention to hide his face or his name. This was what got her hooked on. For the first time, she had someone totally honest with her. And she felt that she could be honest with him. What a mistake…

It became their secret. Meetings in tiny cafés. Them sharing channel design and content ideas. Innocent chat at first, it swiftly turned into actual videos. Chitose was grateful for Eiji’s input. His ideas were bringing in hundreds and thousands of viewers. Numbers she couldn’t even dream of just recently. And, naturally, she was too excited to notice what actually mattered.

Eiji liked it hot. The new character design he brought for Tatara was a lot more revealing than her original drawings. He always had a quip on Chitose’s looks. Her hair being short was too boyish, her sweatshirts being huge were too ugly, her coy attitude wasn’t steamy enough. She was never enough. And that was what changed her.

She was used to thinking it was for the good. She was becoming a better person. Less repressed, more open-minded. Thinking critically. Turning into a woman she would admire. A strong one, the one to never be manipulated, never be pushed over by anyone, including her family. Funny… Isn’t this exactly who she became to him? Just a pushover, a puppet he would ventriloquize from?

But she didn’t notice. She was in love. With the dim image on the avatar, with the silhouette at the café table, with the quiet laughter and loud anger. And she hid it as well as she could. Meaning… it was painfully obvious. Her trying to seize his attention. Her grasping at straws to make him like her. For months, she would be giving herself up, little by little, thinking that she was being smart, and strategic, and doing everything to win him over. Little did she realize: it was his plan all along. To tease her, to make her betray herself, to make her easy to string along. And that first kiss in the dark alleyway at midnight… it wasn’t her winning. It was him accepting her as his voluntary slave.

It had always been bittersweet. Those sacred kisses no one would see. Those careless words that would make her shiver. That night she called her mom lying that she was staying for a sleepover at a friend’s house while half-naked on the floor in Eiji’s apartment with him running his fingers down her chest. It felt off, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. So she decided to focus on what felt sweet and ignore the bitter.

Chitose didn’t expect what would come next. One day, she spent almost eight hours DMing Eiji with no response. On the verge of tears, she finally saw a new message: “I’m sorry, baby, I’m in Hawaii. Don’t know when I’ll be back. Don’t miss me too much!” Soon, she realized that she did. She could almost sense his absence. The emptiness where he used to be. Chitose was quite used to her life feeling empty. But for the first time, no amount of online videos was able to cover it.

Eiji would fly in and out of Japan every now and then, leaving Chitose feeling like she herself was switching between two different countries: one with him in it and one without. And, little by little, the second one started to consume the other. Even when Eiji was in town, he had no time to see her. No time for chatting. No time to answer her DMs. No time to even open them sometimes. Chitose tried asking her mom of what this might even mean, but the suspicion in her eyes made Chitose stop questioning. She didn’t want mom to find out. Or, maybe, she didn’t want to know how deeply off these relationships actually were.

Chitose never cared much for her studies, to be honest. There was never a purpose to it. Just… having a degree would be nice for a promising young lady. She was attending classes and passing exams in order to simply be busy. Only when Eiji once again left for Hawaii she found a motive to get better at studying. No, it wasn’t an unexpected urge for knowledge. It was an exchange program she found in one of the many leaflets passed around the campus.

How proud of herself she was when she got accepted! It was as if all the hard work she put into it was paying off. Chitose imagined herself arriving at the Honolulu airport, calling Eiji’s number…

He didn’t pick up. Didn’t read her message. Utterly confused, she arrived at her dorm with other exchange students. She didn’t feel victorious. It was as if the finish line she was running towards and almost reached was getting further and further away.

Chitose raised her head, put the phone on the nightstand, and went to the bathroom. A tiny room with a shower, a toilet, a sink and a mirror above it. It was the latter that caught her attention. Or was it the image of a confused girl reflected there?

A glance in the mirror reminded Chitose of how she started to realize how wrong this whole thing was. She was standing right there with a phone pressed to her ear, listening to Eiji’s voice begging her to fetch something from the house of some old lady. “Please, I have no time to explain, just do what I’m asking you.” It was off. Eiji never needed her help. He was never asking her for anything. Especially anything illegal. And this venture seemed totally against the law. But the suspicion wasn’t enough for Chitose to refuse. She nodded, put the phone down, and ran off looking for a taxi.

Everything was going fine. She sneaked into the house, started flipping through stuff, trying to find anything that resembled the necklace Eiji described… and then she heard a door knock. There was someone outside. Someone out there to catch her. Panic went up Chitose’s throat. She couldn’t even breathe. She knew – now she was going to jail. What a fitting end to her stupidity…

She had to calm down. She forced herself to inhale, slowly filling her lungs with air. Then, she briefly exhaled and ran downstairs. Whoever was there, she was going to find her way out of this. After all, she was actually smart. And witty. And quite hot, if this comes in handy.

When she entered the hallway, she almost froze in fear. The uninvited guest… she recalled his image immediately. A yakuza. A former yakuza, to be completely frank. But still… When Eiji brought her that expose, she wasn’t actually betting on it doing well. But the video went viral in just a couple of hours. Chitose was over the moon when she saw the viewer count. She never expected the man in question to show up on her doorstep. Well, it wasn’t her doorstep, but nevertheless… It took her courage to smile at him, and nod, and keep talking as if everything was normal. Inside, Chitose was full of fear and panic.

When the man went to the bathroom, she instantly grabbed her phone and called the number on the speed dial. A familiar voice responded:

“How’s it going? Have you found it?”

“No!” Chitose whispered hastily. “I don’t know what happened… That yakuza from the video last month – he’s here somehow! I don’t know what to do!..”

“It’s okay,” Eiji didn’t sound troubled at all. “Do something to him. You’re good at martial arts, aren’t you? Just knock him out!”

“This musclehead?” Chitose’s eyes went wide. “There’s no way, he’s… huge!”

“Oh, come on!” The man was clearly annoyed. “Check the kitchen out. The old hag must have sleeping pills somewhere. Just drug him! And then drop him off somewhere…”

“Eiji… can’t you just come and help me? I don’t know how I would drug him…”

“I can’t,” he sounded dead-set on this. “Too busy.”

“Eiji, please!” Chitose started begging. “I‘ve never wanted this! Please, you have to help me!”

“Fine,” said Eiji reluctantly. “I’ll be there in two hours. Knock him out.”

“Eiji…”

But he had already hung up. Chitose sighed in frustration and ran to the kitchen.

Drugging Ichiban was much easier than she expected. He had no suspicion whatsoever. On the opposite: he was very open, and lively, and funny… It took strength for Chitose to not get charmed instantly. And, when he finally collapsed from all the pills and alcohol, she could rest easy and think.

This felt off. Digging through stuff in some else’s house. Lying her way out of being discovered doing this. Feeding sleeping pills to a stranger. She never wanted any part in this. Her only hope was Eiji arriving in time. So when the front door screeched again, Chitose ran to it as if her life depended on it.

“Is he unconscious?”

“Yes…”

“Good.”

Eiji didn’t seem okay. He could barely move his feet, pressing his shoulder against the wall and slowly making one step at a time. Chitose’s heart went out to him. If only she knew he was so unwell, she wouldn’t have called him.

“I’m sorry I made you come all the way here. Are you alright? Is there anything…”

“I’m fine,” responded Eiji with annoyance. “Where is he? We need to get rid of the guy.”

“He’s… in the backyard…”

Swearing through his teeth and stumbling, Eiji headed across the room. Chitose followed him, trying to decide if she could offer him her shoulder to lean on. The man was coping pretty well. It even seemed that every next step was getting less shaky than the previous one.

Eiji left the house and approached the guy lying face down on the porch. Barely maintaining the balance, he kicked the man on the ribs. The ex-yakuza was unresponsive.

“You fucking moron,” she heard Eiji’s voice. “Your rush to get here just ruined everything for me.”

“What do we do now?” Chitose asked nervously.

“Help me over here…”

Eiji sat down and tried to lift Ichiban from the floor. But the guy was way too big for him to handle, especially considering the tremble in Eiji’s legs. Chitose dashed towards him and grabbed Ichiban under the other shoulder. Together, they managed to lift the man from the ground. Still swaying, Eiji made a couple of steps towards the ocean…

“Where are we taking him?” Chitose asked, hoping her partner had a plan.

“We’ll drop him into the water,” Eiji replied, barely standing. “In this state, we won’t even wake up before his lungs fill up…”

Chitose froze at her spot. No way. Yeah, this Ichiban was a yakuza with a terrifyingly huge build, he was a dangerous man to be around. But just the few minutes they spent together were enough for Chitose to truly believe: he hadn’t deserved such a cruel fate.

“What’s wrong, Chitose?” Eiji turned his head and graced her with an annoyed glance.

“I can’t,” she said, unable to make a single step towards the water.

Eiji turned his body towards her, almost dropping Ichiban back to the ground. His angry stare made Chitose wish she had never picked up her phone that day.

“And what’s your suggestion, Miss Help-me-Eiji-I-don’t-know-what-to-do?”

Indeed. Wasn’t it her who begged for him to come and solve this? Now things were different. She wasn’t ready for every solution Eiji could come up with. So she had to make her own choice.

In the end, she actually convinced him to help her undress the man and drop him out on a public beach, hoping for him to get arrested and sent to jail. It took Eiji quite some time to consider this alternative, but he agreed, finding it much more promising.

“This idiot is lucky. If we keep an eye on him, we may even find what we’re looking for.”

Chitose was happy to agree. She never wanted blood on her hands. Especially the blood of a relatively nice guy who had done nothing to hurt her.

This was almost two weeks ago. It was then that she started to get the sense that something was wrong. And now… she knew exactly what.

But back then, she didn’t have all the intel. She only had what Eiji was willing to share. For the first time in their relationship, he seemed to be truly interested in her help. His instructions to Chitose were extremely hard to follow. She had to infiltrate Barracudas’ main office and get as much info on this Akane lady as possible. At first, Chitose thought that he was joking. It wasn’t an easy fit to sneak into a place guarded by one of the most fearsome mafia groups on the island. But when Eiji leaned towards her from the driver’s seat of his car and graced her cheek with his warm breath, Chitose felt her knees trembling.

“Please, Tatara-chan. Be a nice girl for me.”

A single kiss on the cheek sealed the deal. Now she was ready to die just to get a speck of his approval. Stupid, stupid girl… At least now she understood this.

She made it. She actually got into the heart of Barracudas’ operations. She would never share with anyone what she had to go through. There was no minute she felt safe. Not with Barracuda officers, not with Dwight, not even alone in the room he gave her. Scooping through the headquarters, she was finding more information about the situation with Akane. But nothing she saw there was as surprising as the appearance of Ichiban Kasuga.

His personality deeply shook her. At first, she naturally expected him to get furious, to harm her or let his two buddies do it for him. But he was… calm. Good-willing. Even stopped this Tomizawa guy from getting at her with his nosy questions. He offered his help in getting out, with just a simple expectation of guiding them through the building. Chitose had every doubt in his sincerity at first. But soon… soon she saw something she couldn’t forget or ignore. She saw the real Kasuga.

He was kind to everyone. Generous. He always tried to understand, not judge. It was as if, for him, there were no bad people in the world – there were just those he wasn’t on the same page with yet. This criminal named Ichiban Kasuga was everything the good guy Eiji never was. For her or for anyone.

Chitose fell hard. Once again, she found herself in love with her own perceived image of a human. But this time, this image wasn’t an avatar, it was real. A real, breathing human being she barely knew anything about. Every flaw she saw in him was turning into a hidden gem. He wasn’t stupid, he was honest. He wasn’t immature, he was energetic. The height and build she once found terrifying were now the reasons she found it hard to fall asleep at night. Just a thought of these big, strong arms holding her tight and pressing closer to this sculpted chest was enough for Chitose to elicit a barely audible moan. “Chi-chan,” said his imaginary voice in her head. No one ever called her that. It was weird at first, but soon she couldn’t get enough.

She felt that she needed to calm herself down. A relationship between an heiress of a wealthy family and an ex-yakuza was destined to head nowhere. With Eiji there was at least an illusion of a happily ever-after. With Ichiban there was nothing. He was old enough to be her dad, for god’s sake! Chitose had heard of the term “daddy issues” before, but only after watching Ichiban dive headlong into the ocean waves was she ready to admit she had some of her own.

Ichiban gave her everything she would never get from Eiji. Honesty. Acceptance. Approval. Sympathy. Wisdom, if one could call it this way. And what did she give him in return? Chitose sighed, looking pitifully at her image in the mirror.

Happiness just couldn’t last forever. Chitose realized this when she looked at the video platform profile she created for the clip of Ichiban. There were views, and likes, and comments. And a DM. Just one DM with a familiar avatar.

“Missed me much, Chitose?”

Of course, it was Eiji. He had been keeping an eye on them and now decided to join in. A humble smile, a clean look, a wheelchair… He looked so different from what Chitose was used to. But the core was the same. And she started seeing it as clear as day.

This was the moment Chitose finally realized what she’d lost because of Eiji. He gave her confidence, just to take it back whenever he needed to. He gave her strength, but only for it to be used in his interest. But what he’d taken altogether was the innocence and the faith in humankind. He even took Tatara, her alter-ego, and made it his puppet. She didn’t know this world was so cruel until she met Eiji. And she might have never known without him. But now it was too late to change a thing.

She betrayed Kasuga. She should have exposed Eiji from the very beginning, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Recalling the list of consequences he promised her for treason, Chitose felt trapped. Her heart was ripping in half every second she was in the same room with Eiji. And when she finally shook the feeling off, it was too late to make things right.

“Ei-chan…” Kasuga said, looking at Eiji in confusion. In an instant, Chitose found herself barely seeing anything through a thick layer of tears.

Ei-chan… Even when the man betrayed him, putting his mother in danger, Kasuga couldn’t bring himself to hate the bastard. He looked confused, not saddened or furious. And for Chitose this was the last straw.

She would never be able to look Ichiban Kasuga in the eye. Knowing what she did to him. Again, and again, and again… She felt like the worst kind of person ever existing. A traitor to everything she believed to be good and admirable. A foolish girl played by someone bigger and better at the game. So, so much better…

Chitose lowered her gaze, so hard it was to keep staring at what she’d become. She used to be so different from this version of herself. She valued honesty over the facade, comfort over looks. She used to wear clothes because she liked them and not because they made her waist look unrealistically thin. She used to be so comfortable with short hair instead of these annoying braids…

The last thought truly caught her attention. She remembered that first meeting with Eiji, that first look of his, and those first words:

”I didn't expect you being this…”

Now she knew what they meant. These were the words that made her change herself. Her image, her life, everything around her. Including these long braided strands, she couldn’t keep her eyes off.

Chitose’s fingers combed through her hair almost intuitively. A second – and she dug the very tips into the intricate braiding on the side. She freed her hair and combed through it once again. And then her hand reached out to the scissors on the shelf. Strand after strand, the long pitch-black hair started falling into the sink, taking away the persona Eiji had been imposing over her own for so long…

When Chitose was done, the girl in the mirror truly seemed like a different person. A grown-up woman, but with a soft flair of the innocence she used to possess. Her eyes were glistening with tears of grief and happiness. She was finally free. Her mind was free of the ideas Eiji had installed. Her image in the mirror was free from his influence. It was Chitose’s turn, and she would be the one to show: she was no longer afraid of Eiji. That time was gone. Now she was stronger and wiser. And not for Eiji’s benefit.

“I’m sorry, mom,” Chitose said out loud. “I will tell you everything one day. But let me have just one more chance to become myself. I will be wiser this time. I promise.”

[monstersdownthepath]

Milestone Monster: Nocticula, Our Lady in Shadow

CR 30

Chaotic Evil Medium Outsider

Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous: The Midnight Isles, pg. 86=87 (image taken from Elena Kononenkos’ artstation; it’s officially used in the Wrath of the Righteous video game!)

I put off reviewing Nocticula for the longest time for one specific reason: it’s incredibly hard to find art of her that could potentially bypass Tumblr’s ban on things which could cost them advertising money. Now, with those restrictions.... ?somewhat? ?lifted?, I feel as though I can finally star her in an article while using the best possible piece of art to represent her. I feel like no other piece before this one does justice to the Queen of the Succubi; every other piece shows off her Succubus side, but only this one shows off the Queen; The infinitely scheming and domineering presence in the Abyss, apex of demonic power, and voted Most Likely To Be The Next Demon God for a millennium running due to her penchant for stealing power from everyone who makes the mistake of allying with her and thinking they’re going to survive her wrath if they disappoint her.

To anyone who got into Pathfinder via its 2nd Edition (or completed the WotR video game), it may come as no surprise to you to find out that Nocticula succeeded in her quest to shed her evil nature and ascend to divine status as she did so, but it may come as some surprise to find out just what kind of cocoon the Redeemer Queen emerged from, which is what we’ll be covering today; not what she is now, but the powerhouse she was.

While a great many Demon Lords can claim to have body counts exceeding three or four digits thanks to their actions, directly or indirectly, Nocticula not only has a considerable body count of mortals, but several DOZEN other Demon Lords. Her Abyssal realm, the Midnight Isles, is literally built on the corpses of every Demon Lord she seduced and betrayed, taking their power and their bank accounts for herself. You would think after the first three or four, people would get wise to it. Perhaps they would... if Nocticula’s wings weren’t covered, back to front and top to bottom, with the names of still-living allies she’s chosen to bless, each benefiting from her Profane Ascension, a boon she can grant to any willing creature she lays with (or just kisses). Not only do the recipients get a +6 to one ability score of their choice, +4 to a second, See in Darkness, and a constant telepathic connection with dear Nocty (across any distance, even interplanar), but at any time they can request any of her spell-likes and she can grant them the power to use them. With this attractive blessing the LEAST of the gifts she can grant anyone she deems worthy of her time, it perhaps comes as no surprise that everyone wants a piece of her empire for one reason or another.

That she can revoke her Ascension at will and strike the victim with an unavoidable, no-save-allowed 4d6 Charisma drain and 1d10+10 negative levels is of little consequence. Everyone believes they’ll be the ones to remain permanently on her good side by being perfect little servants, that they have something unique only they can offer her, and the especially bold think they’ll be the one to finally betray and overwhelm her. They rarely ever consider her thousands of years of practice, her intelligence and patience, and her raw, ego-crushing power, dismissing each as below their own practice, patience, and power.

And then they end up as another corpse in her collection. Yet another divinity made humble and reduced to pavement by one of the most powerful demigods in all of Pathfinder.

Let’s get the first and most important part of her kit out of the way before we talk about literally anything else: Noticula’s Seductive Presence. Every other Demon Lord has an aura of supernatural terror, sending their lessers fleeing before them and paralyzing some opponents with overwhelming fear... but not Nocty. Dear Nocty can activate her Seductive Presence by merely speaking, forcing everyone and everything within 180ft of her to make a DC 43 Fortitude save. Success sees the victim immune to the Succubus Queen’s presence for a full 24 hours, but failure is incredibly punishing: ALL immunity to mind-affecting effects, charm effects, and compulsion effects is ignored so long as they remain within 180ft of her. No matter what the source of the immunity is, be it magical, racial immunity, or immunity as granted by divinity, it no longer applies while Nocty is in the room.

Suddenly, everyone falling head over heels for her makes a little more sense. if she can seduce machines, plants, oozes, and demigods, what hope does an actual mortal humanoid have? Many demigod-level entities have full immunity to mind-affecting effects, meaning they may be caught by complete surprise when they find themselves hanging onto her every word without realizing it. Fun aside: With a save DC of 43, none of the other statted Demon Lords automatically succeed; the highest Fortitude save belongs to Xoveron, who has +38, meaning he fails if he rolls less than a 6. 

Failing the save against her Presence causes the victim to become fascinated for 5d4 rounds, which typically gives her enough time to decide how she wants to deal with a particular impediment. Equally skilled in diplomacy and violence, Nocticula can skip the middleman and basically use both with gaze alone: At will, as a standard action, Nocticula can simply Dominate a single creature she can see unless it succeeds a DC 43 Will save. The Dominate ability can act as either Dominate Creature or Dominate Person depending on if she’s aiming it at a Humanoid or not, and in the latter case? It becomes a swift action instead of a standard one, meaning she can do it twice a round against a party of Humanoids (or a party with at least one Humanoid). And remember that any hope of no-selling her mental powers is suppressed if you fail that single save you need to make before the fight even begins! This, ironically, means boosting your saves is more important than becoming outright immune to her tricks, as Seductive Presence has no effect on anything bolstering saving throws.

Provided her 3/day Quickened Mass Suggestion didn’t convince the whole party to willingly fail their save against her Presence and thus end the battle before it even started, an actual slugfest with her is so god damn difficult your party may wonder if working for her would be easier than working against her. Starting with the most obvious: Time Stop is a scary spell for a creature as powerful as Nocty, though she has no buffs to make it particularly worthwhile to do so... but what she does have is a 3/day Summon Demons, conjuring upwards to three CR 20 encounters to fight alongside her. While any party able to contend with the CR 30 demigoddess herself isn’t likely to be significantly inconvenienced by even the most powerful of demons, suddenly having to contend with thirty extra bodies between them and a ranged-attack specialist that can fly (not to mention Blasphemy and Chaos Hammer being thrown out with no fear of friendly fire) will, if nothing else, force the party to expend time and resources getting through them.

With the ability to both see in and create supernatural darkness (via at-will Deeper Darkness), Nocty can also use extra rounds of Time Stop to plunge the arena into pitch black she can easily navigate through. Whether it’s through summoning flankers or through the party not being able to see her (or both), Nocty has two separate ways to tack her +4d6 Sneak Attack damage to her dizzying array of damage dealing limbs, three if you count her Greater Feint letting her throw an opponent off-guard as a move action... and four if a DM feels clever, using either her at-will Shapechange or her ability to assume the form of any Humanoid as a free action to pose as a harmless pet, blend in with the crowd of summoned demons, or even hide among the party members. That last one is especially insidious, as who’d call foul about the party Cleric stepping over to slap a new buff onto someone in the middle of combat to counter the darkness or the demon swarm? Unfortunately, a single touch could potentially allow Nocty to get in for a debilitating kiss, her Energy Drain sapping 2 levels from anyone she kisses or caresses with no save... Unless, for whatever reason, they’re not Mythic, which means they take 1d6+4 negative levels instead. But, come on, if you’re fighting Nocticula, you’re gonna be Mythic, right? Or at least have Death Ward up, for god’s sake! NEVER grapple with a succubus without protection!

there i made the joke so no one else has to.

Anyway, I talked about her Sneak Attack before I talked about her regular attacks, didn’t I? She’s got quite the menagerie, and every attack but her two wings (1d6+4) inflicts a different debuff. Her two claws (1d8+12) inflict 1d4 Cha drain as she tears away the victim’s sense of self; her molten hooves deal 1d4+6 damage, 1d6 Fire damage, and set whoever they stomp on fire for 3d6 damage every round; and her trio of whipping, barbed tails deal 2d6+12 damage and afflict victims with a ferocious poison that deals 1d4 Wisdom drain and paralyzes the victim for 1 round if they fail the DC 44 Fortitude save. Failing two saves in a row inflicts permanent blindness, adding a fifth way for Nocty to reap the benefits of her Sneak Attack.

Something special about Nocty’s poison is that it has no cure save. It WILL last 6 full rounds and cannot be prematurely ended by making any number of saves; if you want it ended early, it needs to be via magic. This makes being exposed to repeat doses extremely dangerous, each one adding +2 to the save DC and +3 rounds of duration, but Nocty has no way to bypass poison immunity of any sort (except via Greater Dispel Magic versus magical means), so acquiring a means to stop her from driving you and your party insane should be top priority. Especially since we haven’t even covered something I alluded to three paragraphs ago: Her ranged prowess.

Her unique hand crossbow, Shadowkiss, is her comically undersized but disproportionately damaging weapon of choice--think the Noisy Cricket but without the dramatic recoil. Less of a kiss and more of a ‘hit you with my car’ type of deal going on. This +5 Unholy Hand Crossbow deals 1d4+20 damage and carries Nocty’s tenacious poison with every single shot, and if you’re wondering where that titanic flat damage is coming from: +5 from the enchantment, and +15 from Nocty’s Charisma modifier, as her Cruel Shots ability adds her Cha mod to all ranged weapon attack damage. Furthermore, each time Shadowkiss deals damage to a creature, it gains Bane against that creature’s type until it damages a different creature type, so that’s +2 to attack and damage rolls and +2d6 extra damage. Against a Good-aligned foe she’s already attacked, that means Shadowkiss is dealing 1d4+2d6+22 damage with every shot (+4d6 Sneak Attack if they’re impaired or tangled in melee), of which she can make five a round if she takes a Full-Attack thanks to her Rapid Shot feat. That’s not the only feat she has to empower her ranged attacks, either; she also has the standard Point-Blank and Precise Shot, as well as Flyby Attack because why wouldn’t she, but Rapid Shot is definitely the star player, giving her not only more damage (of course), but potentially giving Shadowkiss one extra chance each round to critically strike, which it does on a 17~20 (which lets her add Staggering Critical to deny your own Full-Attacks).

If all five shots from Shadowkiss land and each dose of poison is successfully delivered, that means the poor soul has to make a DC 54 save every round for 18 rounds to avoid taking drain and being paralyzed...  Y;know, if the 5d4+100 damage didn’t kill threaten their life enough. And obviously, between each Full-Attack, she’ll be burning her swift action firing off Dominate at every opportunity that arises just because she can, which your party will gradually become more and more vulnerable to because of her poison.

I like to think there’s a great many beings in the cosmos that breathed a sigh of relief when Nocticula shed her demonic heritage, but no greater a sigh was heaved than the one exhaled by the denizens of the Abyss itself, if only because now the Demon Lord that other Demon Lords feared was gone.

You can read more about her here.

[writingmoth]

word find tag

thank you @avrablake for the tag!!

my words: doubt, notice, force, and important

your words: abyss, ordinary, prey and thorn

tagging @i-can-even-burn-salad @treesandwords @duskforged

doubt (from fantasy romance wip)

He doesn’t answer. He can’t. They stare at each other, the seconds stretching, the silence growing heavy, uncomfortable. Ada opens her mouth, almost as if about to ask him to not do something so stupid, to stay, go to bed and sleep, that tomorrow they can figure it out, whatever it is. But she doesn’t. She hesitates, then closes her lips, a hint of confusion, of doubt, shimmering in her brown eyes. The abyss swelling between them is too deep and far too wide for her to jump, and she has been listening to the villagers talk for years. Rowan knows better and yet he is surprised to taste the bitterness of disappointment coating his tongue. 

notice (from fantasy romance wip)

“Lorna was the first one to notice,” Moira is saying, voice distant, faint. Rowan shakes his head, trying to do away with the fog clouding his thoughts. She offers him one of the apples. He focuses on it, struggling to understand what he should be seeing. It’s an average apple: a faint red with a twinge of green, small enough to disappear inside Moira’s small hand if she should close it, nothing out of ordinary. Then she turns it just so, and a crack in its skin makes itself known. Dark green, crossing the fruit right down the middle, a gash from which a single vine escapes, twirling around itself, small tiny thorns shining with malice.

force (from my dnd character sorn's background/short story)

“Uh,” he says very eloquently. The three Willowdews stare back at him, a wolfpack circling its prey. They make for a striking force, all raven black hair, pale skin and bluish purple eyes, the mark of the Willowdews that aren’t named Sorn. Tuiia keeps her locks short and Aninn’s are straight, a contrast to Arqwe’s waves, but the Willowdews make a point of looking like a particularly sharp matching set of daggers, usually sitting nicely at Lady Sylvyre’s belt. Sorn has never been fond of blades himself.

important (from the VERY ROUGH ZERO DRAFT of antisnowwhite)

“I listened to you then, my dear hunter,” the queen says. “It might sound hard to believe to you, but as I’ve told you many times I investigated all of your claims. None of them turned out to be something important or to be something at all. Sarestya’s resources are not infinite and I use them only when I’m sure they are needed. With your claims, they weren’t. But the princess is far more dangerous than Ivory ever will be and if what it takes to have her gone is to give you what you want, then so be it.” She smiles. “They are needed now.”