#far from the tree for their flirtatious nature

[nighhtwing]

guys WHAT is going on here ??!??!?!

[cookierunauprompts]

AU Prompt #6 💓♪

Time slowed to a full stop around you as you focused, the chaos surrounding the silver tree all brought to a halt. Not even Pure Vanila Cookie or White Lily Cookie could move a singular fiber of their being. Such is the perks of having Dungeon Master Cookie as your patron. And, speaking of your patron, she stared down at you with her huge, white eyes. " So, the seal upon the silver tree has broken, thus releasing the five Fallen Heroes into the land of Earthbread once more. Now, Reader Cookie, I suspect you want to do something before I have you roll initiative, yes?" " That's correct, Dungeon Master Cookie." You reply, staring up at the holy, towering figure. However all the seriousness of this moment was thrown out of the window with a few, simple words. " I'd like to roll to seduce the Jester." Your patron seemed... unamused? Yet also as if she were expecting this. After all you did the exact same thing with Dark Enchantress Cookie, but that was just for the funny(plus, you got a nat1 that time). You were completely serious about attempting to woo Shadow Milk Cookie, maybe even another one of the Beasts if they showed themselves. " Are- Are you seriously doing this again?" She asked exasperatedly, to which you eagerly nodded. With a sigh and a wave of her hand, a D20 appeared in your arms. " Fine, fine, give me a Charisma check." And once again, fate blesses you. With a natural 20. " ... NAT 20 LET'S GOOOOO!!!!" You can feel the tired aura from Dungeon Master Cookie. " Alright, alright... I'll let you have this." She sighed as the world faded back into motion. You stood tall and proud next to Pure Vanilla Cookie + Gingerbrave and Friends before you stepped forwards. You're pretty sure that you gave PV war flashbacks with the expression on your face. " Reader Cookie for the love of the Witches-" He attempted to plead, but it was already far too late. " Shadow Milk Cookie, hm?" You began, your tone flirty as it always was when you did shit like this. " What a fine name for such a clearly ever so powerful cookie~" You hummed flirtatiously, batting your eyelashes at the gigantic jester before you. " Oh?" Shadow Milk Cookie hummed, leaning down to get a better look at you. " My my! I didn't think I had such an adoring fan of mine waiting for me here~!" He chirped, a subtle yet bright blue hue taking over his face. " Lord have mercy on us all..." Pure Vanilla Cookie mumbled to himself almost desperately. If both you and Shadow Milk Cookie are flirts... then you'll probably be here, locked in a battle of the heart for a while.

....

Or, You, Reader Cookie, have a Patron named Dungeon Master Cookie. Cue DnD shenanigans brought to the world of Cookie Run. And of course, the natural chaos a nat20 brings when you decide to flirt with the bbeg of the current adventure.

[nyxhaven]

Beneath the peaches (halsin x gn tav)

As Halsin's concern for Tav's absence deepens, he embarks on a search through a vast peach orchard, the worry gnawing at his heart. However, what he discovers beneath the shade of an ancient oak tree is far from what he expected. Amidst the lush surroundings, a playful rendezvous unfolds, filled with laughter, flirtatious banter, and moments of stolen affection, all against the backdrop of the beautiful orchard.

(SMUT 18+ minors DNI. s!ze d!fference, breed!ng, oral (halsin receiving) teasing, loving)

(had this on repeat while writing😣🙃.)

Halsin's initial worry had been a heavy weight on his chest as he paced the camp mid-day, inquiring with his fellow companions about Tav's whereabouts with a furrowed brow, but no luck. It felt like an eternity since he'd last seen them. double-checking Tav's tent still nothing. he noted a small footpath that leads down the backside of the hill. His heart lightened when he ventured out of camp and stumbled upon the breathtaking sight of the seemingly endless peach orchard.

The leaves above cast dappled patterns of sunlight and shade as he wandered through the orchard, Halsin enjoyed seeing every part of nature, a reason he’s been so happy traveling with Tav. The canopy of leaves made the whole place feel like a hidden sanctuary. Halsin's relief swelled as he finally spotted Tav, their form a small silhouette against the massive tree.

Tav was nestled comfortably under the shade, sprawled out on a soft blanket with one leg bent at the knee, engrossed in a weathered tome. Halsin couldn't help but smile at the sight of his beloved, their hair catching the sun's golden rays.

Approaching quietly, he bent down and pressed a tender kiss to Tav's forehead. "My heart," he whispered, his voice a gentle caress. "I've been searching for you. It's been too long since you've graced our camp with your presence."

Tav's eyes lit up, their smile radiant as they closed the book. "Darling, you know I can't resist a good book and a quiet spot when the world gets too loud."

Halsin settled down beside Tav on the soft blanket, his fingers brushing against their hand. Their bodies lay close, fitting together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Tav's laughter was like music to his ears, and the worry that had clouded his mind earlier now felt like a distant memory. Halsin lay with Tav as they read aloud to him.

Gazing up at the colossal oak tree, Halsin spoke with sincerity, "The beauty of this tree reminds me of you. Strong, enduring, and a source of endless wonder."

Tav chuckled, their fingers tracing patterns on Halsin's arm. "Flattery will get you everywhere with me, my love."

As they continued to chat, their banter turned into a playful flirtation, their words filled with affection and desire. The soft rustling of leaves in the breeze and the distant calls of birds added a symphony of nature to their conversation, deepening the connection between them.

Halsin's eyes sparkled as he plucked a ripe peach from a nearby branch, the sweet fragrance of the fruit filling the air. "I think the Oak Father would appreciate this offering from his bountiful land."

Tav accepted the peach with a smile, and with the skill of a seasoned adventurer, they sliced it open with a dagger. "And I appreciate you, darling." Leaning in, they offered Halsin a piece of the peach, Halsin's lips brushing against Tav's fingers. he pulls his finger back, and a small string of saliva and sugar breaks. Tav leans into the golden embrace of Halsin. Their kiss was sweet, tasting of juicy peach, Halsins armed snaked around Tav's waist pulling them onto his lap and straddling him. His hands held the back of Tav's head pulling them in. Tav's small hips sit in his wide pelvis. The size difference between them was shown in the intimate moment.

Halsin's large hand wraps help Tav's head snuggly. His legs bend coming up to hold Tav on his lap as they make out. Tav pulls back from the kiss resting his weight back on Halsin’s hips, placing their hands on Haslin’s barrel chest Tav takes a breath. Halsin pushes his back out of his face taking his shirt off. “sorry love these clothes never help anything you know that.”

Tav waits for Halsin to take his shirt off before holding their arms up. Halsin gets the idea and undresses tavs top. the warm summer breeze flows down the line of peach trees cooling off the sweat beads down Halsin's body. Tav can’t help but stare at Halsins bare chest and how his hair all trails down his body past his navel into the bush of hair peeking out his waistband.

Halsin's large biceps wrapped around Tav flipping them, Halsin lay on top of Tav, Holding himself up on his elbows. his hair falls in front of his face. Halsin grabs the peach and takes a big bite letting the sugary nectar drip down his lips and chin. Tav licks the trail of nectar off his face placing a kiss on his lips.

Tav isn’t unaware of the growing bulge in Halsin’s pants but likes to tease Halsin by prolonging anything as long as they can a small bit of foreplay they enjoy. Halsins is always so quick to give in to nature's instincts. Halsin lays deep hickeys on Tav's delicate neck. Tav’s moan purs as Halsin’s sweet lips pressed to their skin.

Halsin's neediness urges him to grind his bulge along Tav's thigh. Tav bites halsins bottom lip pulling their face away “Don’t be too impatient, be patient for me and I’ll make sure my cub gets rewarded.” Something about Tav's words sends halsins breath into the next gear panting wanting more, his eyes begin to glow a bright yellow the same golden light that shines through the canopy above you. “calm” Tav whispers, caressing halsin’s cheek and temple.

Halsin's eyes fade back to his natural soil brown. Tav slightly giggled blushing a fair red. “What's the matter my heart.” Halsin wonders.

“Nothing, just seeing you get heated up like that is cute. I’m so proud of you for staying under control.” Halsin's cheek turn a merry red from the praise. “now

lay back down for me please.” Halsin follows the command and lays on his back. Tav gives him a look at his pants that those are not staying on. lifting his hip, Tav pulls the waist of his trousers down. springing out, halsin’s cock slaps against his skin, his musk of the day's travels waft in up in the air. Tav's mouth salivates at the sight of halsin’s erection. Halsins cock was thick and olive-toned with a set of strong balls on him. surrounded by a full bush of dirty blonde hair.

Tav lays between his large thighs, licking from the bottom of his shaft up to the under of his tip. Halsin’s legs wraparound tav holding them in place. Tav licks, kisses,

tempts but never actually yet takes halsin into their mouth. placing his head on their lips tracing it along the bottom lip up to the top. laying his cock in their face. “my god it’s like half my face.” tav teased knowing Halsin’s doing everything he can in him to keep calm and not beg. Throbbing at this point, precum soaks the tip of him.

“you’re just being mean at his point.” Halsin whines.

Giving in Tav takes the head of him into their mouth. Starting at the underside of his crown and dragging his tongue around wetting the tip and collecting the precum, before bobbing on the penis. using their hand tav jacks the shaft off halsin off while focusing on the tip with their tongue. removing their lips with a pop. Tav takes a big bite from the peach before using its juice to place sticky sweet kisses along the shaft and balls of halsin. rec tracing their steps with their tongue. they take halsin into their mouth fully.

Halsin feels the stick kisses so tenderly on this hot summer's day, As Tav takes him into their mouth halsin feels a sudden sense of being star-studded. his hips begin to rock into Tav's mouth pushing himself in. “good job, just a little more.” he says pushing in till his nose is pressed into his pelvis. letting out a deep roar of pleasure. Halsin releases the first wave of his orgasm pumping warm semen into the back of Tav's throat.

“That's right my heart, swallow it…all of it”

Tav pulls back swallowing the first of Halsin’s load, Tav is in a sense all loving pleasure is ready for more. Halsin grabs the small frame of Tav and flips them onto their back, resuming the position they started in. Halsin's figure moves downwards. He forms his hand into a sharp claw before using its talons to gently cut away your trousers. gods how much Halsin hated the confines of clothing.

Tavs sighs as their clothes are cut away, thinking not again. halsin’s large hands spread across their hips. delicately holding them. he wraps his legs around his hips pulling them closer he leaves small nibbles and love marks down their chest. marking them as his, he wants your companions to know what he can do.

"Mark me. Mark me so everyone knows who I belong to." tav says purring to halsin’s touch.

His cock still hard and ready he teases Tav's hole the same way they teased him dragging it along their folds, rimming your hole with his head. still sticky from your lips he enters you, stretching you out taking his time, halsin knows he’s large.

A loud moan escapes Tav's lips as they grind their hips trying to get deeper, Tav closes their eyes riding the wave of pleasure as Halsin starts to set a strong pace.

"Don't close your eyes, baby. Look at me."

Tav opens their eye to Halsin thrusting in them as he ties up his stray hair behind his head. grabbing your leg he lifts it to his shoulder. going in further, Tav moans loudly as Halsin places sweet kisses on their neck continuing to fuck Tav, Tav's breath quickens, and their knees begin to buckle, Halsin holds their lower back for support as he stretches Tav out. a strong breeze blows again cooling the sweat built up between you too a nice respite during the moment.

Halsin leans back, pushing his hips in more bringing himself to his hilt inside Tav, a small bulge in your stomach appears as Halsin’s large member thrusts into Tav, and a sudden rush of pleasure comes over Tav making their orgasm come crashing in, a flurry of moans slips tavs mouth. “Wait—uh—do…do that again.”

Halsin follows, slamming into tavs pleasurable spot. another orgasm follows through Tav. “don’t hold back” Halsin whispers.

halsin’s breath becomes more haggard, barely out together. his hands clench your hips as he slams a final couple of times releasing himself into Tav. filling tav with warm fluid. he pulls out spilling his fluids out of Tav before pushing them back in with his twitching cock. halsin plays with his overstimulated cock pushing his cum back into Tav watching their knees buck at the pleasure. another small load pulses from Halsin soaking the outside of tavs hole in my semen from the druid. Halsin and Tav cleaned up and laid under the tree together. before halsin remarks "I wanna go again." or "One more time! Please!"

“we’ve been gone a while let’s make our way back to camp eat dinner see the others and maybe tonight” Tav suggests chuckling

As Halsin and Tav stumbled back into camp, their clothes in disarray and their hair an unruly mess, Gale couldn't resist a chuckle. "Well, it seems like someone had a wild time out there," he quipped, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Astarian, grinning mischievously, added, "I see you've been having your own kind of adventure. I hope you remembered to bring back some souvenirs." Both of them blushed but couldn't help but join in the laughter, knowing they'd just returned from an entirely different sort of escapade.

A/N: so I just needed! to write this, I have the next gale fic lined up already! like always dms are always open, i’d love to take request.

[darethshirl]

It was only after Astarion had finished the kill—after the gut-deep slash, the satisfying spurt of blood—that he realized he was being watched.

He looked over his shoulder. Cassiopeia stood in the midst of all the post-battle carnage, bright-eyed and slightly out-of-breath, a single streak of soot marring her forehead. The remnants of her magic still surrounded her, the tingling scents of ash and ozone tainting the air. The corpses of her enemies were spread out in a semi-circle around her, but she paid them no mind. Her attention was focused entirely on Astarion, her gaze sharp, appraising, and approving.

“You weren’t lying,” she said, a pleased curl to her lips as she approached him. “You really are stronger when you feed.”

Astarion let a smirk grace his face, making a bow that was so theatrical it wrapped back around to mocking. “Nature’s perfect killing machine, at your service.” He looked up from under his eyelashes, teeth sharp on his lips. “Aren’t you glad you kept me around, now?”

Cassiopeia’s smile twitched wider, though whether that was from amusement or some other hidden thought Astarion couldn’t tell. “We should make it a regular occurrence,” she said, ignoring his question. “You feeding on me, I mean.”

Astarion paused. He flicked a careful glance at her, shaking the blood off his dagger with a practiced motion. “Is that what you want?” he asked, then made his expression sweeten into something flirtatious. “All that delicious blood running through your veins—surely we shouldn’t squander it, hmm? It wouldn’t do to tire you out too much, darling.”

“I have blood enough,” Cassiopeia said, with all the supreme unconcern of the truly confident, “and I have power enough. The point is, why shouldn’t you be the strongest version of yourself? This is an advantage. We’d be fools to ignore it.“ She tilted her head then, her brow slightly furrowed, and for the first time since this conversation had started she looked less than perfectly certain. “I thought you’d want this.”

Astarion laughed darkly, hunger and resentment swirling in his belly. “Oh, I do.”

“Well, then.” Cassiopeia gave him a nod, graceful in her decisiveness. It seemed that, in her eyes, the conclusion was foregone. “Tonight.”

Later that day Astarion repaid her by observing her just as closely, keeping to the shadows of his tent as he hunted for her weak points. She and Gale lounged in the middle of the camp like highborn aristocrats, as if the wilderness around them was not mere trees and grass but Baldur’s Gate’s most fashionable parlor. Gale was leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs, his grand gestures animated by the strength of his own convictions. Cassiopeia sprawled back on her seat of stone and moss, loose and indolent like the elven nobility she in truth was. She stayed mostly quiet during Gale’s onslaught of words, with her chin resting carelessly on her palm and an air of indulgence to her silence, until—there: Astarion caught the moment where her smile turned from polite to haughty, the way her gaze flickered, just once, with benign contempt. 

Her breathtaking arrogance, her effortless superiority—it all tickled a memory buried deep inside Astarion’s mind, farther back than Cazador’s first cruelties. Far back in his misty, half-forgotten youth, Astarion had rubbed elbows with the same-such nobles, and he’d been drawn exactly to that type: men and women who wielded power like a deadly scalpel, their every smile a disdainful caress that sliced through skin. Astarion had thrilled at the challenge of catching their attention, posturing and flittering and pushing past boundaries like a suicidal moth diving straight into the flame. He hadn’t managed to conquer any of those untouchable beings—he hadn’t had the time—but the remembered warmth of his occasional victories still glowed within him. His flirtations had drawn blood in their own right. Once upon a time, he’d held influence too.

He’d been lost in reverie for too long; Cassiopeia caught his gaze from across the camp and kept it, staring back with no outward sign of discomfort, focused and nonchalant at the same time. Her expression was inscrutable, too polished for cracks or flaws.

Astarion scowled, and pushed all thoughts away.

(Keep reading on ao3)

[animezinglife]

Btw I'm dying to know your nsfw Elucien headcanons.

Ask and ye shall receive.

In all honesty, I probably have spent less time thinking about this than others. I think they're also probably all exactly the same or very similar to everyone else's, and they're really not that spicy by this fandom's standards at all.

For whatever reason, I have it thoroughly burned into my brain that these two would definitely be the nature couple (in many capacities). I think being out in nature and away from prying eyes would make Elain in particular feel alive. Her seeing him in that element (let's be real, this guy goes from a 10 to about a 50 when he's in the woods in particular), that mutual freedom, both possibly running a little hot would lead to plenty of "dallying" in the wild. With some form of decent seclusion, of course--they're not total animals. No annoying family members or friends just a wall away or breathing down their necks. No politics. Just the sun, moon, stars, flowers, or trees as their witness. This is my polite way of saying I have a strong suspicion they'd be the couple to fuck out in the wild. Yes, I know Nesta and Cassian did too, but this is different.

Fire in his blood or not, I definitely don't think he'd let himself go that first time. It's Elain who unravels them both completely: she sets the tone, and she makes the decision. After the first time or two, she earns herself a wicked gleam in that tender, still-in-disbelief gaze he's giving her by asking what else he can show her. She tells him she wants him, all of him, exactly as he is. Feyre doesn't know her sister as well as she thinks she does.

That mouth of his is good for so much more than diplomacy and wit. We all know this. We can safely accept this as canon. I'm under the impression we already have as a fandom.

A good greenhouse can keep more than just plants warm in the winter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They spend the full two weeks together after she accepts the mating bond. This in itself isn't NSFW, but we know how it goes. Elain instigates a shocking amount of it (and boldly--use your imaginations). Lucien is by far one of the funnier males after the fact in that he tries the hardest to not act like a complete moron. Naturally, Cassian or someone else intentionally tries to provoke him. Maybe Elain's even picked up on one of his habits and catches him, bringing him back to himself with a simple, flirtatious, "Easy."

Thank you for the ask!

[soupandsorcery]

In the morning, her neck hurts. It's like a bruise, throbbing and irritated, and whenever she turns her head, it flares up, reminding her of what she let Astarion do last night. Probably not one of her better ideas, but it worked out in the end. Which was for the best, because it would have been a pity to have to stake him. Astarion's funny.

Vesper stretches and then winces, getting dressed quickly. She checks her appearance in the little mirror she keeps on her, and there on her neck are two little fang marks. They're dully red and neat, evidence of the clean bite. When she presses her fingers to them, they feel warm, and the pain flares just a bit.

Hopefully they'll behave like any other scars. They'll trouble her for a bit and then fade away in time.

"Good morning."

Astarion's voice makes her turn. There's a brightness to his eyes that wasn't there before, but there's something guarded too. Like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Good morning," Vesper says back. "How do you feel?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

She shrugs. "My neck hurts. How do you think I feel?"

His eyes look her over from head to toe, but for once, it lacks all the flirtatious teasing he's been pulling for the last week or so. It's just...curiosity. A different sort of interest.

"There's something...different about you," Astarion says. "About your blood."

Vesper raises an eyebrow, keeping her face neutral. Now that is something she didn't consider. It's been easy enough to hide her true nature from her new companions, and any slips she might have made have gone unnoticed with the tadpoles and the ticking time bomb they represent taking priority. But Astarion has been closer to her than anyone else. Intimately close, one could say.

"Different from rats and boars you mean?" they ask, affecting lightness.

Astarion picks up on it instantly. Takes a liar to know one, Vesper supposes. "No," he says, lifting an eyebrow. "Well, yes. But that's not what I mean. Your blood was...intense. Almost spicy in a way."

"Spicy?"

"Well, I don't know how else to describe it! It burned, but it wasn't an unpleasant heat. In fact, it was downright delicious. But definitely not normal."

"And how would you know? You said yourself you've never fed on a person before. Maybe this is just what humans taste like."

It's a poor attempt at deflecting, and Astarion brushes it aside easily. "It isn't. I can smell it now that I know what I'm looking for. You don't smell anything like Wyll or Shadowheart or even Lae'zel. A bit closer to Lae'zel, now that I think about it, but still. You're hiding something."

He sounds almost gleeful to say it, one hand on his hip, the other pointing at her with all the sass at Astarion's considerable command.

And all of a sudden, Vesper is tired. Tired of hiding, tired of the subtle disguise spell that changes certain parts of her. This far from Waterdeep, no one's heard of her, and while she'd been worried about Gale knowing, even he hadn't shown any sign of recognition. They'd relished the chance to shake off the mantle of their old life and be someone else for once, but she hadn't considered the burden of hiding so constantly.

She sighs and rolls her shoulders, the bite on her neck twinging with pain again. It keeps her head clear as she regards Astarion and makes a snap decision.

"You're right," they say. "And I suppose fair is fair. Come with me." They turn on their heel and start walking, pacing away from camp.

"I--wait!" Astarion calls after her, then scrambles to catch up. "You can't just say that and then walk away."

"I'm not doing this here," Vesper hisses. "Not where everyone can see."

"See what?" Astarion asks.

Vesper doesn't answer. They just keep walking with purpose towards a little cluster of trees, far enough away from the camp that they don't have to worry about anyone seeing this. She can only imagine what Shadowheart would have to say, if she knew. No, that's a bridge to be crossed later. Maybe much later, depending on how this goes with Astarion.

Astarion, who is waiting, tapping his foot with impatience that seems at odds with the rampant curiosity in his eyes.

"Well?" he drawls. "What have you dragged me out here to see? Oh--is this where you reveal that you've been in disguise all this time? Because I did wonder, you know."

"You...wondered?"

"Naturally. No one is that beautiful. Except me, but that's different."

Honestly, Vesper can't help but laugh. It tickles her down to her bones, and she goes with it, letting the spell she's had up almost constantly since being abducted finally drop.

It feels like breathing. Like taking the first true, deep breath she's had in days. Her wings spread out behind her, shimmering iridescent and white in the morning sun. She flaps them once, twice, and then lets them fall closed against her back. Her eyes shift from the plain, muddy brown they were magicked into, glowing silvery pale with radiant fire. Everything else, her face, her hair, her stature, remains the same.

Some people, apparently, are just that beautiful.

Astarion stares at her, mouth slightly agape. It's the most stunned she's ever seen him, and she grins, feeling suddenly, incredibly amazing.

"I think this is the longest you've gone without saying anything, Astarion. No witty quips?"

"You're an aasimar," Astarion breathes, and he sounds well and truly shocked. "Gods below."

"It's not as exciting as it seems," Vesper tells him. "I'm not some celestial messenger or anything. I'm from Waterdeep, and I was snatched out of a fighting pen by a bunch of mind flayers. The wings are the coolest part, honestly."

"They are quite impressive." Astarion is still staring, but he shakes himself, letting some of the wonder retreat behind his usual haughty pout. "Well, well, we are an interesting group, aren't we? At least that ship full of tentacled freaks had taste in their victims."

Vesper snorts. "Small comfort, but I guess you're right."

"My question is why trust me with this?"

"You trusted me."

Red eyes roll as Astarion scoffs. "That's different. You caught me in the act, and I got something out of it. What do you get out of this?"

"Last night you said you felt happy after feeding on me. Was that just because of the blood?"

There's a pause as Astarion thinks that over. "Mostly the blood, I suppose. Although, there is something to be said for not having to hide it anymore."

Vesper inclines their head to him. "Exactly. I just want to be me."

"It would be hypocritical of me to argue with that."

"It would," Vesper agrees cheerfully.

"I don't suppose you're feeling in a sharing enough mood to explain the fighting pen thing?"

She laughs at that, shaking her head. "Not right now. Maybe next time I let you feed off of me, I'll tell you."

"I'll hold you to that. Am I right in assuming you don't want the rest of our cohort to know about this just yet?"

"You are. I'll tell them eventually, but for now, you're the only one who can know."

"Dangerous, trusting the vampire spawn with a secret."

"Why, Astarion, just last night you told me I could trust you," Vesper says, pressing a hand over their chest dramatically.

He rolls his eyes again. "And I don't think you believed me for a moment."

"Not true. You're here, aren't you? Seeing this." She spreads her wings once more, enjoying the freedom to stretch them out while she can.

Astarion blinks and then glances away. "So I am. Well." He doesn't seem to know what to say to that, and Vesper figures she's pushed him enough for one moment.

She sighs and works her spell once more, hiding the wings, turning her eyes back to mundane brown. It feels worse now, than it did before, and she resolves that she's going to tell the rest of the group soon. And anyone else they encounter will just have to deal with it.

She's free of the pens now, and she doesn't plan to spend the rest of her life hiding. However long that might be. But for today, they have things to do. A druid to find, goblins to kill, and who knows what else.

It feels good to have someone know, though. To have at least one person see her. Vesper would not have assumed it would be Astarion, but somehow it works. It feels right in an odd way.

They're not going to delude themself that this is going to be some kind of turning point where she and Astarion become best friends and start sharing all their secrets, but...it's a start. It's something.

And Vesper has learned to take what she can get.

[thecameronchronicles]

Misbehavior

*Requested

TW: Smut. Violence. Language. Degrading Language. 

SUMMARY: Being rude to your boyfriend, Rafe, leads him to teach you a lesson on behaving…

WORD COUNT: 3400

Misbehavior

Your already thin patience pulled transparently fine as you attempted to fan yourself beneath the heat of this particular summer day. Despite the attempts made to cool your skin by the use of a condensating water bottle, a change of location now placing you beneath the natural shade of a black tupelo tree, and a gaze of desperation pulling to your boyfriend from across the cluttered party, none of these endeavors would actually prove fruitful. Instead, you were now perspiring from the August heat and annoyed; a dangerously lethal combination for the specific way you could misbehave. 

Crossing the stone patio harboring the large pool managing to cool off a range of fellow peers to both you and your boyfriend, you stopped at his side before taking his drink directly from his hand. With a quizzical gaze, he watched you down it completely, small streams of beer leaking from the edges of your gluttonous sips until you’d wipe yourself dry, looking at him as if to challenge him. 

“I’m bored…” You whined to him as Topper and Kelce entertained themselves with distant comments of your behavior as you and Rafe held a conversation all your own away from the earshot of anyone nearby. 

“Don’t be a brat, m’kay? We’ll leave when I’m ready…” Seemingly dismissing you as if you were nothing more than a wasted accompaniment to which he could pick and choose when he accommodated, that pull to misbehave was now accepted against your usual demure existence. Yet his eyes would follow you as you walked away from him, but only for a moment, before you disappeared into the crowd. 

Within a matter of seconds, however, the entire collection of friends and strangers had made their way around you as you held up a bottle of Tequila in one hand and red solo shot glasses in another. 

“BODY SHOTS!” You invited as each and every soul in earshot would line up to either witness or partake in this activity-among the masses, a very irritated Rafe Cameron. A line of salt drawn on your skin, lime held in your mouth for any who consumed the trail on your body, and the final pour of alcohol would prepare you for use before a guttural growl tore the collection of curious eyes to dissipate. 

“Show’s over-” He played almost coy to anyone nearby as you wiped yourself off and moved to your feet with a groan, muttering how he was ruining all of your fun. 

“What the fuck are you trying to do, huh?”

“Well if YOU won’t entertain me…I need to find something that will…or someone…” You looked just beyond him to where Topper seemed to always have his eyes on you. A flirtatious wave apprehended by Rafe. 

“You think I won’t take you over my knee in front of everyone right here? Show them what happens when you misbehave?” You scoffed, rising to the tips of your toes to tease his lips before cocking your head. 

“You wouldn’t want to embarrass your family name…” You tormented him with a roll of your eyes before evading his reach as you joined his gaggle of friends set on the opposite side of the patio. 

After he had managed to ease his aggravation enough to return without his clenched jaw and matching fists, he now sat on the far wicker bench, patting his leg as if to offer some sort of olive branch to you. Shaking your head for the moment having passed, you simply moved closer to Topper, making an excuse to touch his arm while asking if he’d been trying a new work out as it ‘seemed to be working’, while Rafe clenched his teeth and stared at you with a warning you knew all too well. 

Once alone…you’d pay for this…

Having established this silent threat, you realized you would make it completely worth it. And so when the opportunity presented itself, you took it. 

“So have YOU ever skinny dipped?” One of your friends asked as you looked to Rafe who was now too blazed in his annoyance of you to notice the question having been asked, as you leaned forward with a wide smile of premature victory as he would stare at you in analysis. 

“Rafe took me to this hotel for our first anniversary and he wanted to show off and all…so he stripped down and-”

“They don’t want to hear about that…” He attempted to speak politely despite the words coming from behind teeth ground to a tension palaple for those nearby. 

“But it’s rude not to answer, baby…So…he rented out the entire pool for us to make sure we had it to ourselves and all…but the water was SO cold because there was this miscommunication that it was closed instead of rented so they didn’t turn the heaters on. Anyway, poor Rafey, “ He tensed to such a name spoken in a purposeful patronizing tone driving him to rage deeper, “Couldn’t…show me what he wanted to. He just stood there unable to make himself hard-” This was the last straw for Rafe as he moved from the chair, took hold of your wrist, and carried you beyond the crux of the party before you were in one of the guest rooms of this nameless kook’s house. 

“You done? What the hell are you trying to do, huh?”

“I told you…I was bored…” He slowly scoffed. 

“You egging me on, sweetheart? Because I think you like pushing my buttons…” He glared at you, a smirk hidden at the side of his dominant line of contentment set across his face. 

“I think you want to be punished…” His words sent your bottom lip between your teeth as you slowly nodded, the sudden feeling of his hand set in a wrap at the back of your neck igniting that fire only he could cause to burn within you. 

A soft nod came from your head held within his grip as he smiled victoriously before leading you into one of the guest rooms. Before the door even connected to its frame, you were taken over his lap, skirt lifted to expose your ass and the revelation you were without any panties. 

“Fuck! Could you BE any more desperate? Walking around all day without any panties just hoping I’d fuck you?” His hand crashed to your ass, the sudden yet familiar sting sending a yelp from behind your lips. 

“You’re gonna count for me. If you whine or move, I’ll start over.” You nodded. “Tell me you understand, God dammit, I’m already losing my patience-”

“I understand.”

“Good.” The first slap in this series had you repress your moan in fear of him starting over as you knew the strength behind each blunt force was anything but kind-yet it worked in favor of this specific kink you had come to learn had excited you early within your relationship. 

“One.”

“Good girl. Again.”

SMACK. 

“Two-”

“Mhm…”

SMACK.

This continued until the fair skin of your ass was now brazen with the evidence of your choice of behavior. And yet beyond the pain, you never lost count, and managed to keep any whimpers and whines at bay as he began to rub over the skin left raised and crimson by his cruel palms. 

“If you wouldn’t have told that little story, I’d kiss away the stings, baby…” He tore you upwards, hand within your hair as you were lowered onto your knees, his second hand unlatching his belt as you were forced to support yourself on the backs of your heels. 

“But you just HAD to push that envelope with me, didn’t you? Just HAD to be a fucking brat…So…” He pulled your hair until you looked up to him, him having lowered just enough to tease a kiss he never intended to give, as he smirked between his words. 

“Show me how fucking sorry you are…and for the love of fucking God, shut up while you do it…” He licked his lips, looking down to you, those words of cruel and crass need only feeding your kinks as you inched closer on your knees and took his shaft with your hand as he quickly swatted you away. 

“Whores don’t get to use their hands…You’re gonna work for it for acting like such a bitch. Embarrassing me. Tormenting me…” Your eyes stayed to his as you pulled him into your mouth by slick motions as a moan of approval came from behind his lips. 

“You can do better than that…” He growled as you brought him deeper against your throat, the immediate connection of his crying cock’s head and your gag reflex sending him back to the tip of your tongue as he laughed. 

“You must not be sorry-” You were pulled from him, cock still close enough to your face to touch if sought out to do so, teasing you with its thick girth and pulsating vein wrapped around its length. 

“I am-”

“I-I don’t know if I believe you…I’ll let you have my cock and you’ll just act like that again in five minutes because you got what you wanted…I don’t think you deserve it…” He was cruel, eyes sharpened harshly as you whined to him. 

“I want it, Rafe! I’m sorry! I’m sorry I acted that way but it was BECAUSE I wanted this-”

“And I should give you what you want because you whine? Because you’re pretty on your knees? Because you beg? What will that teach you? ”

“Because you love me…” You spoke softly, a hint of mischief still flickering in your eyes as he lowered to you, grip tightening in the back of your hair to pull him into you. 

“Yes I do. I love you enough to teach you between right and wrong. To behave when we’re in public so I don’t have to hurt you in private…but you’re pushing every one of my fucking buttons right now-”

“Please…Let me show you how sorry I am…Please, Rafe…” He narrowed his eyes, allowing you back down to your knees before motioning for you to continue. 

You resumed your actions with eagerness, your tongue taking stock of each inch you could labor beneath your skilled mouth. His lips pulled apart to expel his unsteady breaths while you made yourself choke on him with enough vigor to coat your chin in lines of drool all while he chuckled to your suffering. The sight of your cheeks and jaw a mess with a mix of his precum only added to his own kink to see you this way as the way your eyes were drowning in tears from taking him expertly allowed a silent forgiveness to you. 

“You sorry? Yeah? You so fuckin’, sorry, you cryin’ for me?” You nodded as he took himself even deeper, holding the middle of head with his grip of your hair and fucking deeper into yoru mouth. 

“Breathe through your fucking nose-” He ordered upon hearing you gag against him, your throat tightening in the rejection of such unkind thrusts. 

“You know how to take me, you’ve done it before when you’ve fucked up…” You nodded. 

“Make me cum baby…Make me fucking cum-” You nodded, his grip loosening just enough for you to claim dominance of the situation. And with every ounce of enthusiasm you could muster with your jaw heavy and sore from using its sole reliance and a lack of stability in a rejected touch, you found him cursing your name following a series of words of approval, coating your throat in the ribbons of his release. But as you moved to stand, his grip tightened in your locks once again

“Did I SAY you could stand? You have a mess to clean up now…Makin’ me cum with that whore mouth…” You nodded, whatever remnants of his climax now layered on your tongue in consumption. 

“Swallow.” He ordered, aware you would, but simply wanting to give you the command as it deeply aroused you both. 

“Good…Now get on the bed.” He lowered to his knees, giving you a breath of relief for the release he would now offer you. The quiver of your thighs having pressed together to try and formulate any sense of friction would now be quelled by his expert tongue. 

“Let me see my pussy, baby…” You groaned to his words as his fingers pulled the skirt from your hips and you made yourself available to him, glistening cunt available for his eyes only. Licking his lips, he shook his head before lowering to his knees. 

“So fucking needy.” 

“Always- '' You agreed as your eyes rolled in the back of your head once feeling his tongue attack your clit immediately. The penetration of three fingers, one allowed at a time to stretch you for him, pumping your back into an arch, made him smirk against you. 

“Fucking whore…” He spit against your cunt, your whimpers echoing behind your clenched teeth as he could feel you shake before him. 

“Gonna cum for me slut? Huh? Gonna give me what I want?”

“Yes, Rafe! OH FUCK!” You roared before feeling him suddenly retreat from you, breathless and smiling in victory with his lips glossed in your slick, licking himself clean as he observed you. 

You suddenly realized THIS had been his torment. 

“Rafe…” You pleaded. 

“No. You wanted to act like that today…impatient. Needy. Rude…So NOW you’re gonna stay in here and think about what you’ve done until I decide to come back-”

“Rafe, I’m sorry-please! PLEASE! I NEED to feel you!”

“I know you do…but I gotta teach you a lesson baby…You need to have some personal accountability here…” His hands rose to his temples as he spoke. 

“And if you even think about making yourself cum, your ass will be indented with my hand. No matter if you’re crying or screaming and that poor little throat will be so fucking bruised with how much I’ll use it…and when you’re begging-even more desperately than now…I’ll fuck you. But not for you. For me.” He lowered even closer to you. 

“Over and over again. Edging you. Making you hoarse for how badly you’ll scream for me…” He now pulled back away from you. 

“Behave and I’ll reward you, sweetheart…” A soft kiss to your head left as more of a tease would prompt him in the gait needed to distance himself from you as you whimpered to his abandonment. 

All you could do now was wait as you knew he was a man of his word. But the thought of keeping your touch above your waist became more difficult with each attempt of your clit pulsating at the memory of his tongue, your entrance beckoning to finish the work he started, as you kept yourself otherwise entertained for what felt like a lifetime. 

Midday had fallen slowly into night as the windows no longer illuminated with daylight as this was exchanged for the moonlight now kissing the wood that held your gaze. How you had managed to obey was beyond you as you kept your thoughts on anything but Rafe. And when your body attempted to remind you of him, you thought of how angry you were-but when this proved to only deepen your want, you thought of your life’s stresses, global warming-hell, the stupidest of conundrums, just anything BUT your cruel but sexy boyfriend who knew just how to get to you. 

The majority of the party had died down by the time the bedroom door came open again, your heart nearly leaping from your chest as you watched him enter with a greedy look of focus on your more intimate exposures. 

“Did you behave this time?”

“I promise…” You whimpered as he moved to the edge of the bed, tracing his fingers from your knee to your inner thigh before taking a swipe of your folds, taking the slick between his lips. 

“Good girl, saving the best parts for me…But I’m still not entirely sure you learned your lesson-”

“Rafe, please…I’ll do anything…” He grinned in approval. 

“Because you’re so desperate…I know, sweetheart…But how can I be sure you won’t do it again?” You knew you couldn’t guarantee anything as you planned to do it again as you favored the rough sex that always accompanied these misbehavings. And he knew this. But you both played into the role as if you had learned your lesson. 

“I promise…” You lied, wincing at the attempt to adjust from the welt left behind by his ringed finger connecting harshly to your cheek. 

“Maybe a compromise?” You nodded viciously. 

“I’ll fuck you, okay?” You breathed a sigh of relief, “Even let you cum…BUT if you touch yourself anywhere that you know is rightfully mine, then you don’t get to…instead, I’ll spend all night marking up that flawless ass…and then you’ll parade it in front of Topper so he’ll remember who you fucking belong to. Don’t think I forgot about that shit you pulled either…But I need your pussy baby…” You nodded as he slowly bobbed his head in agreement, tongue playing against his cheeks as he paused to consider. 

“You know how I want you…” You nodded, turning onto your knees and palms as he positioned himself behind you, the head of his cock teasing your folds. 

“I don’t like hurting you…” He spoke while rubbing the roughened skin of your ass. “But you HAVE to learn your lesson, you know that, right baby?” You nodded. 

“Thank you for teaching me…” You whimpered as he nodded, pulling you against him at the same moment he penetrated into you, his fingers wrapped around your neck stabilizing you, as he thrusted into you to savor the clench of his well beyond average cock stretching you in delicious reprieve to your impatience. 

“Oh God, poor baby so desperate for my cock…you’ve got me in a vice, sweetheart…gotta relax…” His fingers now came to your clit, slow rolls rubbing you closer to your release having driven your eyes into a close. His second hand lowered from your neck and to your breast, moving beneath your top as he fondled each breast, pinching each breast for a magnified reaction, as your breathing became interrupted by these small motions. 

“You gonna let me cum in that tight little pussy? You gonna take all of me and still be my good little whore?”

“Yes-”

“YES WHAT?” He asked beyond clenched teeth. 

“YES DADDY!” You belted as he growled into your ear, a name he only liked to be called when you were teetering on that precipice, his cock claiming you as if it had been the first time, while his fingers wrapped dominantly yet cautiously around your neck. 

“Then take it!”

“YES RAFE! OH FUCK!”

“That’s right! EVERY. INCH. EVERY. GODDAMN. INCH!” He pounded into you, never losing tempo as you became erratic in front of him, his arm forced to hold you to him for stability. 

“You gonna cum? Huh? You gotta tell me-let me hear it…come on…come on…I know you can still use your words…let’s hear it-”

“I-I-I’m gonna cu-cc-cum!” You strained as he grinned. 

“Then fucking cum.” He squeezed in spasms over your throat, those very actions sent directly between your thighs as you were now bent over back onto your palms. The new angle was now for him, his fingers eating into your hips as he pounded into you with enough force and speed to carry you into the bridge of a second release. 

“Goddamn, you’re needy today! UGH! But you’re not gonna cum again…okay? Consider that your punishment.” You whined but weren’t allowed to try and convince him as he pulled your hair, cutting off your ability to speak by how far back he carried you. 

“I LOVE pounding my baby girl…always so fucking good for me, aren’t you? Takin’ me like a whore but you’re my good girl, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” He smacked your ass once again, the echo pulling your lips apart in a silent moan. 

“That’s right…My girl’s taking me so good! Always takin’ me so good-” You nodded, his thrusts suddenly made sloppy from the revelation of his orgasm, verified by his own pleas, “I’m gonna cum baby! Too fuckin’ good, gonna make me fucking cum-” With a sharp inhale, the insides of your well trained cunt were now coated in his release. And yet, you rose to the feeling of his hands falling slack off of your body, doing so in a way to now be in control of his overstimulation. 

He warned you with only the utterance of your name as you grinned proudly at how he began to convulse behind you. 

“Too much-Stop…Please…” He grunted as you rolled your hips into him until feeling his half hard cock pull from you by his own force, throwing you playfully at his side. 

“Fucking brat…” He teased breathlessly, readjusting at the bed beside you before kissing you before you could retort against him. 

“But I’m YOUR brat-” You validated as he nodded. 

“That’s for sure…” One final slap to your ass sent you rooting up against him, deeper into his chest. “This blazed ass is mine…”

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid

[flutefemme]

"The Minstrel and the Prince"

*A Zelink Week 2023 Fanfiction* for @zelinkcommunity

Chapter 1: Yearning

“Your Highness! Are you even listening to me?” The sharp tones of the resident Master of Music cut through the prince’s daydream like the infernal screech of an ungreased wagon wheel. Link started back into reality with a sharp sniff, a nervous hand gripping his bow as he scratched the back of his neck and looked up at his teacher with a sheepish grin, shrugging his shoulders.

“By the light of Hylia’s divine power, boy, if you spent as much time practicing that instrument as you do off in the clouds, you might have actually improved your bowing technique over the last week!” His admonishment was punctuated with a melodramatic eyeroll and a withering sigh. “I said, let us begin again at the thirtieth measure and this time, flatten your wrist and widen the spaces between your fingers!”

Reluctantly, the prince obeyed. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the violin, but rather all the rules and litanies of technical requirements, posture, and formality of it all. It was stuffy, pretentious, and altogether exhausting, and it sucked the joy out of the music entirely. Kind of like the insufferable man standing next to him, scowling.

Two agonizing hours later, Link nearly ran out of the castle music hall and headed for the gardens. The gardens bordered the woods, which was the prince's sanctuary. Trees were quiet, and woodland creatures did not boast the judgemental streak of their human counterparts. Playing second fiddle to his elder sister, Aryll, heiress apparent and far superior to him in both rank and courtly manner, took a toll on him. She never treated him that way–they were always close friends–but nearly every other member of the court looked down their noses at his quietness and painfully shy nature as stupidity. He was far from a simpleton, and Aryll tried to remind him often that he exceeded her in nearly every academic area. 

"You are one of the wittiest men I know, brother," she would say with her charming smile, "Far less stuffy than all these other supposed 'gentlemen' of the court."

He smiled as his mind wandered back to their most recent conversation. He could get lost in his daydreams out in the forest. Nobody was there to chastise him back to reality with a frown. As he would do nearly every week after his violin lesson, he opened the case and plucked the instrument out of its nestling place. There was a folk tune he had learned some months ago to teach him compound time signatures, and it called to him like none other of his classical pieces ever did. He began to play, getting lost in the meter and lilting, informal melody. The Master of Music had introduced it to him with a derisive sneer on his lips, saying while the tune was "more bohemian than he preferred", that "it was the simplest way to teach my nearly hopeless student the necessary musical knowledge."

As he played, he danced. It was here he felt truly free, truly himself. Nobody to judge him, to tell him his bowing was off, that he was slightly flat—

Bright, wide, viridian eyes peering between two large tree trunks caught his own. He was jolted from his musical reverie as if he'd been electrocuted. He froze as the figure slowly moved out from the trees and toward him. His brain flooded with wisping, golden tresses framing a delicately featured face, a confident, curious, and playful gaze holding him captive as her head cocked to one side slightly as she observed him.

"Hello there," the green-eyed goddess broke the silence. Her long, flowing skirts jingled softly as the dangling, bejeweled belt swayed along with her hips. All Link could do was breathe. And even that was difficult. He blinked several times more than was necessary, prompting a flirtatious smirk from her, eyes twinkling. She stepped closer, placing her hands behind her back. Link's senses were hit with cinnamon and honey and he took a step backward.

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you, truly. I promise I don't bite," she grinned wickedly as she added, "hard…" and laughed as his reaction changed from shock to pure panic. "Okay, okay, calm down, I'm just kidding. My name is Zelda. What's yours?"

Link just stared at her, swallowed, and blinked.

With a slightly curious look, she waited. When he still didn't speak, she smiled at him reassuringly.

"You're going to make me guess, then, aren't you! Hm." She tapped her chin as she began to  circle him, looking him up and down. 

"Felix."

Link shook his head, his eyes following her every move.

"Ferdinand!"

That earned her a smile and another shake.

"Shoot, well, how about Percival?"

Link fought back a chuckle, his anxiety dissipating as he shook his head once more. He tucked his violin under his arm and raised an eyebrow at her, following her more confidently with his gaze as she walked around him.

"Give me a hint. Throw me a bone…something!"

Link thought. And thought. With a quick inhale and a twinkle in his eyes, he met her eyes with his and thrust his first finger into a pointed gesture to capture her attention. He looked around for somewhere to write, and frowned when there was only grass at their feet. He looked back up into her eyes and his cheeks went red as he signed for her to hold out her hand. With a smile, she slowly extended her hand toward him, palm up. He traced a letter into her palm with nervous fingers enclosing around her hand to steady it.

“Oh!” She exclaimed softly, “The letter Z!”

He traced a number.

“Twenty-six?” She thought about that. “Oh, as in ‘Z’ is the twenty-sixth letter of the alphabet, I see!” She was rewarded with a toothy grin from him as he nodded.  He wrote the number again, and then held up two fingers, and then slowly traced ‘2’, and then ‘6’. 

“Ohhhh. You’re teaching me a code, aren’t you. Two, then six. Alright. I’m ready.” She flashed a brilliant smile as she readjusted her posture into something more confident. She looked at him expectantly and a rush of adrenaline hit him in the chest.

He pulled out his violin, and began to play a scale, slowly. He added an additional note to the end. Then signed the number ‘9’.

Zelda nearly squealed with excitement. “Oh, you’re using the scale as your code! Each tone represents a number. I understand, I understand!” 

He played the second and sixth tones of the scale like eighth notes, then smiled.

“Z!” She exclaimed, and he nodded in affirmation.

A single fifth tone, then another smile.

“E! Oh, yes, I know what you’re doing now!” She clapped her hands together as she cracked the simple musical code. He played the rest of her name with the eighth and quarter note rhythms, then paused, and laid a flat hand to his chest and tapped it twice. She clasped her hands together in anticipation as he picked up his violin and played the first letter.

“L…” She began to guess each letter, a look of determined concentration on her face while he slowly played each one.

“I…”

“N…”

“K…Link? Your name is Link?” She raised her eyebrows as she waited for confirmation. He nodded with a smile, and leaned over to set his violin and bow down into the case at his feet. 

“Well, Link, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m actually traveling with some friends to Castletown for Hylia’s Day, and we’re staying not far from here. I was taking a walk and heard one of my favorite folk songs and was just compelled to find the source. I’m…tickled that it led me to you!” She smiled almost shyly as she looked him up and down from head to toe. It sent another wave of electricity through his legs and up through his neck. Without thinking, he signed back.

So am I.

Zelda tilted her head at him curiously as he signed. A look of understanding crossed her face and her eyes once again met his, a softness in them that wasn’t there before.

“You can’t talk.”

 Link shook his head quickly in disagreement and took in a deep breath. He never had the courage to speak to anyone so quickly after meeting them, and his audible words just wouldn't come out.

I can, I just prefer to sign. He mouthed the words as he signed them. She seemed to follow.

“I see. Well, in any case, Link, I feel fortunate to have met you. I can see why this grove is a place you’ve chosen for your quiet place. I’d have chosen it too.” She smiled fondly as she looked around, taking in a deep breath. A flash of hesitance crossed her face, and she placed her hands on her hips as if she was building up the courage to say something. Link continued to watch her, his lips turned up slightly into a pleasant sort of smile.

“Well, actually…” She paused, glancing down at his instrument and then back up to his awaiting gaze, “I’ll be here for several days. My troupe has traveled in for the Hylia’s Day Festival and we’re performing throughout the week as a part of the festivities. Tomorrow night we actually have our first performance. Would you…be interested in attending? It would be lovely to see a familiar face among the crowd?” It was then she looked completely vulnerable, her cheeks a slight shade of pink, and her body swaying slightly as if she was a bit nervous for his answer. She quickly added, “We’re going to be performing in the square on the stage next to the Mercay Tavern, if you’re interested. Eight-thirty in the evening.”

Without hesitating, he signed and mouthed, I’ll see you there, Zelda.

She was beautiful when she smiled. She was beautiful regardless, but her smile made the world around him shine with the radiance of a goddess. 

“Excellent! I look forward to seeing you there. Until then, Link! Oh! And wear comfortable clothes. No need to wear any of that fancy stuff,” she waved her hand around in the general direction of his person.

He laughed and signed, All right. No fancy stuff. 

She smiled and disappeared into the woods as quickly as she came. That night, his dreams were filled with golden tresses, emerald green eyes, and smooth, tanned skin. There may have been soft lips, too, but that was between him and the trees.

Chapter 2

[undiscovered-horizon]

<I do not condone two adults riding a horse, it's dangerous.>

Imagine Rhett taking you for horse rides.

You knew you were going to experience some serious thigh soreness the next day when you got on that horse with only a saddle blanket separating you from the sable gelding. But you had a good reason to stay glued to Rhett's back for the next hour or two, so it was all worth it in the end.

The conversation wasn't going too well in the sense that it was majorly dismembered - questions unanswered or answered after a significant amount of time, reflections or memories shared without context or connection to the previous subject. Truthfully, both of you were busy thinking about other things: Rhett couldn't keep his mind off the feeling of your hands wrapped around his torso and you were a little too focused on your arms holding onto Rhett and the wonderful views spreading across the horizon. A pang of jealousy struck your heart - Rhett Abbott got to see the picturesque panoramas any time he wanted, he practically grew up staring at them.

Rhett halted the horse when you had found yourselves on a low hill, staring at the mighty mountains looming in the distance - blue and unclear as was the water inside a delirious man's oasis. The mountain chain seemed to be unending, spreading from West to East only to disappear beyond the horizon, threatening that their wall is unending. The pine trees looked so small this far away, nothing beyond moss green toothpicks that melted into one puddle of wilderness that begged to not be left uncharted. Then there were the fields, wide acres of golden and green grass, their arises long and untamed, intertwining with wildflowers and herbs. It seemed as if you could run through those fields of untouched beauty and scream your lungs out into the sky, while Mother Nature would remain greatly unbothered. The view was so very lonely but also divinely heartening - that a human might be alone in the world but as they are part of the miracle of nature, they can never quite be lonely.

"This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," you said quietly. Looking over his shoulder, Rhett saw the fascination painted on your face. Although his heart forgot its usual rhythm while he admired your own admiration, the man himself couldn't pinpoint the reason for the sudden hot flash that spread under his skin.

"Maybe I should get you a mirror, then?"

His flirtatious remark earned an honest laugh from you and Rhett nearly felt pleased that he was the only one hearing it - someone else might have fallen in love with you too.

"So, Rhett, you take every girl here?" you teased him. He had a curious habit of saying honest and often heartfelt things when slightly jabbed.

"No. You're the first one, actually." Rhett's voice had a hint of unsureness to it as if he was letting you in on a secret you might not take well.

To be honest, it felt good - to know that the guy known for sleeping around could, after all, be lured into something more akin to commitment. In a way, you were quietly gloating, believing that something about you made Rhett change his ways and you weren't wrong to think so: your proud ego couldn't be more right.

"Alright, you got me. I feel special."

Maybe it was Rhett's imagination or maybe you did actually hold him a little tighter than before.

"You should," he said and you felt your own heart starting to beat in an irregular, frenzied rhythm. "You're not just any girl."

He didn't look at your face to see your reaction - he couldn't, he was too nervous. What a great loss that was for him! Had he seen the flustered blush on your face, all of his doubts and anxieties regarding your feelings towards him would have disappeared instantly.

[morgana-ren]

What’s Astarion’s favorite position(s)? What do you think are some of his turn ons?

A lot of this depends on the dynamic and stage of their relationship. If you want a post that takes a deeper look at the more power heavy BDSM aspects, I'm happy to do that too, but I assume this is earlier relationship type of deal before he's fully taken control or grown entirely comfortable. I won't go into his nastier kinks unless that's what y'all want, and I'll keep it simple for now.

I imagine he likes to start with ones that make him feel powerful and manipulative. Basically egging her on while she technically does all the work for him. Frustrating her until she gets that determined 'I'll show you' face he finds so cute. It seems like he starts out relatively playful about the whole ordeal-- at first, anyway.

Letting her shove him against a tree only for her to fall to her knees shortly after; pushing him down on a bed of leaves so she can crawl atop and ride him; Putting his back against a wall so she can force her hands down the front of his breeches; things of that nature.

He views it as kind of cute. Gives her a simpering sort of look that says 'You're adorable when you take control, my love, but you know I could snap you like a twig.'

It works remarkably well to get his engine revving, but when he decides he wants the power, there's no brooking that argument. Eventually he's going to want to take the reins back and unleash his inner monster a bit.

Their sessions almost always end with her beneath him, mewling and begging for him to fuck her harder, faster, more; His hand threaded through her hair, cranking her head back to expose the column of her neck while he gently scrapes his teeth along her sensitive throat. Burying himself deeper and deeper inside with every thrust whether it's from behind or on top or however he chooses to take her.

Not to say he doesn't enjoy her "being in control," and I put that in quotations because in his mind, she never truly is. Even if she's the one riding him, he knows he could flip the situation in a split second if he so wished it.

He enjoys it when she gives him control, but don't think for a second that he's above taking it.

As for turn-ons, it feels like most things are fair game. A simple conversation can turn flirtatious rapidly. After that initial night together, he figures that it's open season now. He doesn't see a problem outright slinking into her tent in the dead of night and crawling atop her, but he is capable of being a bit more subtle.

If his partner is a bit more reserved and coyer, he'll happily take the lead with innuendos, double entendres, and suggestive conversation. After all, he does enjoy the chase-- particularly when he's the hunter. The more she shrugs off his advances, the more persistent he becomes. Within reason, at least. He is needy in that regard and needs to feel wanted and desired.

If she's more aggressive sexually, that also works perfectly fine for him. Being dragged off into a dark corner of some decrepit ruin on a moments notice is far from the worst thing to happen to him.

He'll probably keep his darker turn-ons secret until he's really grown comfortable with her. Being freshly fed, biting her, even just fighting are things that can get his blood-- or someone's blood, technically-- racing. As he said, he's a man of tremendous appetite, so he's it's relatively easy to pique his interest.

[nukritus]

How ‘Immortal Desires’ could have ended to give at least a bit of closure (Part 3)

Several words from me, before you read this part:

Sorry in advance for those who love Gabriel more, this part is with Cas and MC only. This one was quite a big challenge to me, as English is not my first language, but I tried my best to picture a scene of Cas’s turning preparation. I hope you’ll find it interesting. Thanks for everyone who is going to read this! :) It is quite a long one this time.

Playing as female MC named Stella, male Cas:

PART 3

You look at Cas attentively in silence, not wanting to make him change his mind in this vulnerable moment. Seeing your favorite vampire boy trusting you to share about his past is something special and new. Your heart fills with warmth and love looking at Cas's beautiful features. For a moment, studying your face and finding curiosity in your eyes, he smiles and continues to speak, never leaving your gaze. while holding your hand, fingers interlaced.

'Practically speaking, each vampires' coven have a goal to maintain similar amount of members through centuries, to keep its stability for holding traditions and laws, and also to have enough fighters to defend home lands, these safe, magical territories enclosed by ley lines.'

With these words Cas said, you turned to look around. Before, with your human's eyes, you couldn't see that every tree in this mysteriously beautiful land have a golden pulsing aura, which is floating in the air and filling your whole body with welcoming warmth. Sensing all of this somehow struck you mind-blowingly, that never in your life you have ever felt this strongly what it means to be at home, as if all nature around Crimson Beech is a part of you, beating its heart together with you.

With the corner of the eye you see Cas looking at you, smiling. 'I know how you are feeling. Beautiful, isn't it?'

You meet Cas's eyes again still with disbelief how many hues of blue you can see in them, enjoying the view of him and the nature around.

'It is like heaven really. I can understand now, why you all were so determined and brave to do everything to win against those monstrous vampires, even to pay an ultimate price. This land is like the life essence itself, like there is no point in existing, if this magic around has died. Not only because it protects all vampires from toxicity of sunlight, but there is something way more to it.'

Cas slowly nods to your words. 'Now you actually see it. Crimson Beech is our home and our life in a way that no human could ever understand.'

‘I still can‘t believe it... I never felt anything in my existence this strongly...‘

‘Oh, believe me, New girl. Vampire‘s life is truly unbelievable in so many ways, and you are surely going to enjoy it. Especially when you have someone amazing as me by your side.‘ Cas rises up eyebrow flirtatiously.

‘My favorite, cocky vampire.‘ you respond while mimicking his expression. ‘Okay, but I still want to hear your turning story.‘

’Ah yes, I promised that, so here it goes...‘

Around 60 years ago, now playing as Cas:

1964 October 24th.

You were a young 19 years old boy, who just finished school this year and worked at ice-cream shop in summer. After saving a bit of money, you decided to leave for a hiking trip around New England‘s woods, camping near lakes at night.

That day you were walking around not far from Crimson Beech, planning to make a stop there and buy some supplies for several coming days at a local groceries shop. Last met people told it was a nearest town. Even with relatively blunt human‘s senses, you could feel there was difference about the air around this city, as there was something welcoming and magical about it. You were so mesmerized about the atmosphere in those woods, that you stopped paying attention where you set your feet. The ground in some places of the forest was covered with dense layers of moss, you made one wrong step on a moss hanging above deep pit and you fell hitting your head quite hardly on a way down, might have broken several bones too. Your vision blurred, you were laying there in the bottom barely conscious, not being able to move as your head and your sides hurt badly, it was hard to breathe. So you just laid there in a bottom of the pit, trying to hear or see anything what‘s happening on a top. But nothing happened, after a while you blacked out.

Suddenly, you came back to consciousness, as you felt a gust of the wind near you and then two female voices. After a short chat, one of them lifted you as you weighted nothing and hanged your numb body over her shoulder, then in a second you were flying together in the air and landing on the edge of the pit. You were too weak to think what was just happening. Then the stranger who was holding you started running incredibly fast. It was several minutes when pace slowed and became nearly normal speed.

Air around has changed – there was cool humidity floating around, you must have gotten somewhere underground. Then walking stopped and you felt your body being put on a cold stony ground. It was quiet, but you could sense that room is not empty. Your eyes are shut, your weak body is lying unmoving. You are just waiting for what is going to happen next.

Then you heard one of the female voices in another end of the room, same one from the forest.

‘Astoria, we brought someone, as you said I can make a choice for our new member.‘

‘ That I did.‘ Astoria answered and without any noise came to you and lightly touched your neck, checking your pulse. ‘ He‘s still alive, but must have lost some blood, his pulse is quite weak.‘ She stood up and walked away. ‘Lewyn, please come with me gather everyone to the Nexus. If we want a new member among us, we must hurry to start a ritual. And Val, Margo, as you brought him here, this is your task to keep him alive for a bit longer, give him some water.‘

You heard some quiet footsteps around in the room, and then there was a cold glass on your lips, and a gentle hand on the back of your head, helping you to drink. You opened your eyes and saw two unusually pale faces with piercing blue eyes. You couldn‘t understand if they were exceptionally beautiful, or terrifying, or maybe both. If you could, you‘d run away, but you were way too weak to move, so you tried to stay calm, looking at them and taking several gulps of water.

One of the girls taking care of you was with short black hair and trying her best to put on a friendly smile, while another girl with ginger hair looked annoyed. She turned to the black haired girl.

‘If not you, Val, I would have gotten a nice meal today. Now it is too late to go back to hunt again, and I have to please myself with that cold bag of blood. Ugh, those are the worst..‘ she stood up, leaving the other girl, who still holds a glass next to your lips and puts your head on her lap.

‘Please, just don‘t mind her. She is nearly always grumpy like that, no matter if she ate enough or not.‘ she quietly chuckled to herself.

‘What did she mean really?‘ you asked with shocked expression, but not being able to turn away your gaze from Val‘s face.

‘Well, I suppose there is no point to hide the truth about who we are, as you going to be one of us soon or dead. We are vampires, and when we found you, we were hunting for human blood. I think you‘ve read about us in some fictional stories, didn‘t you?‘ Val said it in such an easy tone, almost with humour, as if it was a totally typical thing to say. Then she continued. ‘We could have killed you, but I had a right to choose a human who could join us, and I picked you.‘

Feeling a bit better and mind clearer after drinking water, you try to rise your body from the ground a bit, but pain in the sides was so sharp that you fell back on Val‘s lap.

‘Calm down, mortal. You don‘t need to worry about this pain and weakness you feel now. If you accept our invitation to join us, all your pain will be over soon, now just stay still on my lap.‘

You looked around trying to understand where you are at. You were lying in the middle of the big round hall, surrounded by half-circle amphitheatre with some rows of seats and two big thrones in front of it.

‘What is this place, really?‘ you asked returning your eyes back to Val.

‘This is the Nexus, vampires‘ central gathering place for meetings to discuss important matters. We often use it for trials when someone breaks laws, or when we welcome new members, as in your case.‘ Val said and stroked your dark brown hair, looking at them with wonder.

‘What? Is there something wrong with my hair?‘ you asked, studying Val‘s face. She definitely was plotting something.

‘Hmm... I was just thinking. Did you ever imagine yourself having light hair? I‘m sure it would suit you. I have some ideas already.‘ she seemed weirdly excited.

‘ I don‘t even know if I‘m going to survive today, and you are asking me about my hair colour? That was unexpected.‘ You nearly laughed, but hurting body stopped you, all you let out was a short cough.

‘No, don‘t laugh, just answer me!’ she chuckled.

‘Fiine!’ you answered with a smile. ‘I never thought about it, but I guess I wouldn’t mind to try. Why do you ask really?’

She seemed very delighted. ‘Ha! You asked for it. After you are turned, the first thing we are going to do is to bleach your hair!’

‘Ahem.’ Astoria cleared her throat, standing behind you. ‘Val, your job is done here, now join the others.’ She demanded. Val’s face became serious and she nodded to Astoria, then carefully unloaded your head from her lap and stood up joining other vampires around.

You haven’t noticed, that the Nexus suddenly became quite crowded, while several moments ago it was nearly empty. 

Astoria came close next to your laying body, and snapped her fingers to get everyone’s attention.

‘Listen up, everyone! We are having a special occasion today. As most of you have heard already, Val and Margo brought here a human, who might join our family.’

While Astoria was speaking, several other vampires went to end of the hall, opening big door behind the two thrones, while others encircled you both. Some of them were standing there confidently and observing you with curiosity, others looked with big worry as they were really sorry for your situation.

Then Astoria turned at you, with her piercing blue eyes. ‘Mortal, this is your last chance to say your will. Would you become one of us, or you’d rather die?

For a moment you couldn’t tell a word, stunned. This mysterious underground place like a mansion, those pale vampires and their hungry eyes, everything seemed so unbelievable, so overwhelming, you nearly fainted.

‘I don’t want to die.’ It was everything you could say without actually thinking about the consequences of the first option.

‘That’s everything I wanted to know. Lewyn, it’s time to take him to the altar.’

One of the vampires separated from other spectators, taking you in his hands with ease, you yelped as you felt a sharp pain in your broken ribs. Lewyn with you in his arms went in front, behind him Astoria and then the rest of the vampires, making it into some kind of procession. Everyone went in silence through opened door in a smaller chamber, which looked like a chapel. It had an altar in the middle, all room was dimly lit with candles. Lewyn put your body on the altar, stepping away and waiting for others to take their places around it. Then he addressed to everyone, with authority in his voice.

‘Before we start ceremony, giving an important reminder to all of you.’ He looked at everyone around with serious and worried face, making sure that everyone is listening. ‘As you all know very clearly, a venom of a single vampire would be enough to turn a human being into one of us or even kill them, but we all participate in this ceremony to make a bond with our new member. That means, we have to stay very careful not to inject too much of venom, and don’t bite deeper than necessary to keep it safe, and minimize the suffering. Is that clear to everyone?’

You saw everyone nodding to Lewyn’s words. This speech struck you with realization, that turning ritual is dangerous and might cause you a lot of pain. Thought of it made your body trembling, cold sweat covering your forehead. Though even if you were horrified with what’s coming soon, you realized that there is no way back from it and panicking might just make things worse. You use all your will power to collect yourself and try your best to lay there as calm as possible, waiting for your inevitable fate.

(to be continued)

[safic4-m]

🚬💔She’s not my girlfriend.

Pairing: Karen x Fem Lector

Author’s note: I feel like Karen would need something like this.

Word count: 738

~Master list~

One-shot

Wattpad

It was nice to reconnect with nature, to breathe clean air, away from the city and all the hustle and bustle of it. It had been a long time since you had been camping, back pain and the imminent danger of an animal approaching while you sleep, all part of the experience.

Your dog was enjoying this the most, running through the trees and the dirt beneath his paws. In the distance you hear your furry friend barking and you follow him hoping it’s not another dead animal, but what you find is far from a dead animal.

In front of you lies an unconscious woman on the ground, your attempts to wake her up are in vain, nothing you do wakes her up and you question what you should do.

On the one hand you could leave her there and go, but on the other hand you could take her with you to your little camp and run the risk of her doing something to you.

You decide to take the risk and take her with you, when you arrive you gather your things to go to the hospital, because in a moment you realized that she had a head wound and was bleeding.

-She has a contusion and a head wound that will need stitches, I need to do analysis and x-rays to rule out if she has other affectations,“ you say arriving with the first nurse you find holding the woman in your arms.

The woman stays in place for a second before complying with your request, they take the woman away and you stand there helpless. The emergency room is in chaos, so many people coming in for different problems and you can’t just stand there and watch.

You offered your services as a doctor at the hospital and they accepted you only because there was a lack of staff, luckily you had been able to leave Kaiser a friend who lived nearby. you missed this, the adrenaline of the ER felt so good.

_-_-_-

You walk into a room and find the mystery woman conscious, you finally take the time to admire her, high cheekbones, shaped nose, brown eyes and pink hair, shaved from a lake because of stitches.

-Those damn doctors shaved me,- says the woman angrily.

-I think you look beautiful,- you say, making her aware of your presence.

-Who the hell are you?

-I found you unconscious in the forest,- you say checking her clinical sheets.

-I appreciate it, but it wasn’t necessary.

-You had a concussion and needed stitches,- leaving the chart in its place.

Before she can say anything, a nurse comes in to check on the woman.

-When can I leave?- asks the pink-haired woman while the nurse checks her intravenous line.

-Well…we will keep her under observation for a while and then she can leave,- writing something down on the sheets, -it’s a good thing you have a girlfriend who is a doctor and brought her in on time.

-She’s not my girlfriend.

-Not yet -you don’t say flirtatiously

-I’m sorry, it’s just that she brought her and refused to leave, I guessed as much,- apologizes the nurse before continuing with his rounds.

-Why did you stay?- he asks, looking at you as if you were something more interesting.

-I don’t know your name,- you say ignoring his question.

-Karen, now answer.

You had no idea why you stayed but there was something that told you to do it.

-What were you doing in the forest?- you ask wanting to know why she was in the area.

-I wanted to commit suicide, I went to the forest to do it, but I fell and lost consciousness,- he answers simply.

-Maybe it was good,- you answer knowing how it is to be in his place.

-What’s so good about that?- he asks angrily.

-Even if things don’t seem to be getting better, you can always start from scratch in another place.

-Your great advice is to run away and start from scratch…wow you are a genius,- she says sarcastically rolling her eyes.

-Hey, I’m not going to lie to you saying that things can get better and that you should keep fighting because it’s not like that,- you say laughing from your own experience.

-I have to go, but if someday you need someone to help you to disappear and start from zero… this is my number-, writing and handing her the piece of paper.

Karen is still analyzing the paper and you hear her calling you before you leave the room.

-Yes?

-What is your name?

-Y/n- with that you leave the room.

[writer-sedai]

Thoughts on Wheel of Time 2x06

For the first time this season it really felt like every minute of screentime was used for a purpose, multiple plotlines are coming together, and this is exactly the feeling I got in the back half of the books when shit really started to go off the rails so let's goooo

Literally everything about Egwene's storyline was perfect (I can't help it if I like my faves tortured okay). It's been about two years since I last read TGH so it's not super fresh in my memory but it feels like so much of this sequence was lifted wholesale from the books

Her punching Renna and feeling the pain twice as much! Having to truly BELIEVE the water jug was not a weapon before she could touch it! Looking out at the courtyard and the tree and FREEDOM only a couple feet away but it might as well be the moon for how possible it is for her to get there.

And Renna was...perfect. she's horrible but she's not a monster, or at least she doesn't believe herself to be...she doesn't hate Egwene with the intensity of the Whitecloaks, she only believes wholeheartedly that Egwene is damane and the faster she realises that, the happier they'll all be.

The emphasis on damane being separate from woman, or Aes Sedai, or human really drives that belief home...Egwene is no longer any of those things and as far as the Seanchan are concerned, she never was. She is only and will only ever be damane.

Seeing it onscreen in the cell, I understand why they got rid of the physical leash between adam and wristband. In a visual medium it would just take up space and be distracting, not to mention hindering movement. They've still made it clear that a link is there and Egwene cannot move too far away from the bracelet, it's just invisible most of the time.

There's so much going on in the scene where Renna links with Egwene: the absolute euphoria on her face as she's made "complete", using Egwene's power to destroy something beautiful because destruction is all the Seanchan know how to use the One Power for...and of course, her disbelief and anger when even after that experience, Egwene still wants to hurt her.

I was not expecting a Rand/Egwene reunion in a dream this episode but ohhhh boy was it ever good. Lanfear using Rand's existing feelings for Egwene to fully manipulate him into going to Falme, where of course he needs to be to fight Ishamael in the sky and fulfill the Dark Prophecy... and then Egwene! Waking up from the dream and believing it was nothing but a dream because as far as she knows, Rand is dead!!! Like, way to play on the bond between two characters to make both their situations actively more painful but also drive the plot forward. Beautiful work.

While we're talking reunions...Rand and Mat! The way Rand has told all his friends he's dead and gone as far away from them as he can to protect them, but when he sees Mat his first thought is to go to him!

And Mat's reaction at seeing him - Mat knows Rand is the Dragon Reborn and everything that comes with but he's still just so happy to see him that he doesn't care - or maybe he stopped caring a long time ago, while trapped in a dark cell for months with no one to talk to but Liandrin.

Mat's relationship with Min continues to exactly capture his flirtatious but not creepy nature. It really feels like he flirts with Min because he thinks it's fun, but they really are only friends.

I know Min's reaction upon them reaching the Foregate can be chalked up to her feeling guilty that she's followed Ishamael's orders, but I also immediately thought that she was having visions of the Foregate's destruction. In the books Trollocs get into the Foregate by blending in with all the costumes and I'm not sure if they'll end up using that plotline in the show but it would be interesting if they did.

Interesting that Ishamael knows about Min's vision of Mat (how??) and that it's the reason he think Mat will be easiest to turn to the Dark. It makes me even more certain that the vision is from an alternate timeline or that Mat will actively choose to change his future by not picking up the dagger now that Min has told him about it. Either way, I think Min's visions will be less guaranteed than they are in the books, which can only be a good thing.

I really liked the scene with Lan, Alanna and her Warders...it felt much more concise than the scenes in 2x04. The fact that (FOR ONCE) no one in the scene was a Darkfriend but they were all suspicious one of them was? Delicious.

I'm still going with the assumption that Logain's Talent is seeing the power of channelers. Otherwise I will go insane with the inconsistencies around how a) he was able to see Nynaeve channel and b) twice now he's been able to see/sense Rand's power despite already being stilled.

Tbh it happening 3 times now makes it more likely it is intentional and not just repeated plot holes so I can hope.

Most of the cast is in Cairhein now and I'm assuming they'll be leaving at the end of the next episode (by Portal Stone? I sure hope so). I do wonder what remaining parts of the Cairhein plots will be kept and which will be cut/moved. Will we see Barthanes marriage? Destruction of the Foregate? Run into Thom again? Meet Aludra and her guild? I can't see all of it or even any of it happening in the time they have left... especially since they've moved Rand's introduction to Suian to Cairhein instead of having it in Fal Dara.

And perhaps most importantly - will Mat run into Liandrin again?!

Given that travel at this point in the series is still Slow there must have been a time skip somewhere in here - enough time for Lan to find Suian on the road, go back to Tar Valon (?), put together a retinue of 14 sisters, and make it to Cairhein. Which means Egwene has probably been captive for some time already.

Lanfear immediately trying to get Liandrin on her side was very interesting. It feels like she and Ishamael are already maneuvering for the position of Nae'blis.

VERY interesting how Ryma was able to use a different technique to get Nynaeve to channel...I wonder if Nynaeve's block won't be as much of a thing in the show as the books, or if she'll be able to get around it more easily. A bit sad if that's the cause because so much of the books' humour came from Nynaeve desperately trying to rile herself up in order to channel.

But I also loved that with one short burst of power Nynaeve was able to intuit what the adam needs? Ryma as a full Sister couldn't do that! It just shows HOW powerful she is compared to most Aes Sedai and her natural understanding of how to use weaves without being taught.

The last sequence was everything to me. Seeing Ryma go crazy when her bond to Basan was snapped and her outburst of power...how it seemed like she was using healing weaves to kill instead. Her assertion that she'd rather be dead than captive.

I knew Maighain was the Blue who had been captured but it was still absolutely chilling to see her on the other side of Egwene's wall, absolutely broken. So now we have three characters who have been taken, all in various stages of being broken into damane.

God I really hope Ryma doesn't get the same ending in the show as the books. Since Maighain is already broken maybe she'll be freed? If the girls don't go back to the Tower someone will need to carry the news (though if they don't go back Elayne and Egwene won't become Accepted and I don't know how I feel about that).

I saw someone speculate that the way the girls pretend to be full Sisters is by wearing the rings of Aes Sedai who have died or been taken...and tbh I think that's likely, since there's a visible difference in the ring of an Accepted vs full Sister, unlike in the books.

Hmm while thinking about how much Stuff has to happen next episode in order to get everyone in Falme for the finale, I think we probably won't actually see much of Egwene's captivity next episode...she's already started to break and it would be heartbreaking to step away from her a bit and then come back in EP 8 to see how much worse she's gotten.

[bakuliwrites]

Gentle, Chapter 1- Jeritza x OC

Rating: 18+ (MINORS DNI) for Eventual Smut

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses/Hopes

Relationship: Jeritza x OC

Summary:

She is soft. And in her softness, she dissolves whatever sharpness, whatever edge I have. In perfumed sheets and gilded sunlight, I am, for a moment, vulnerable. My gentility clambers out from where it's been buried deep for so many years. The Death Knight dies in her embrace, and from him blooms a new creature.

Jeritza finds himself drawn to one of Garreg Mach's newest professors.

Read here in this post or over on my AO3.

A/N: Hello, all! I've been experimenting with first person POV lately. I don't typically write them (I have a Castlevania fic in first person POV but that's about it), but I've been wanting to mix up my writing a bit lately. I thought it would be fun to write a fanfic from Jeritza's POV in the form of journal entries. Enjoy :)

6th of Great Tree Moon

It’s been a long while since last I wrote in any journal. I was probably a young boy when I recorded anything in a diary, one that is sure to be lost to time now. I’m not sure what has compelled me to begin one again. Maybe it’s an inane attempt to hold on to what little humanity I have left.

Much has plagued me and made it difficult for me to find the time to write. I’ve been far too preoccupied with the demon that has woven itself so intricately into my soul. It stalks me at every waking moment, hides in my psyche, lurks in my dreams. I barely sleep anymore. His grip on me is iron tight. For years, I have been unable to rid myself of him. It seems for ages he has been a part of me. Emile fights for dominance, but this demon beats him down time and again. I have claimed the name Jeritza. I have become a creature unseen by the likes of any history book. A dual being, of two minds. But slowly, these two minds are merging and I suspect that, eventually, they shall be one and the same. Until then, I have this diary to record Jeritza’s thoughts. This journal shall be my canvas, while the battlefield is reserved for the Death Knight. Ink is my medium, and blood is his. 

10th of Great Tree Moon

I’ve begun my professorship at Garreg Mach Monastery on the recommendation of Lord Arundel. My leader, whose name I will not divulge in the case of prying eyes, has felt it best I secure a position here. Their machinations require me to be close to the subjects involved in our plans. I remain ever loyal.

On a side note, there is little of interest here. The students are quiet around me, and I around them. As the monastery’s fencing instructor, I have little to say to them other than corrections of their technique. Some are quite talented, others are better suited for the magical arts. The other professors are cordial, though Manuela grates on my nerves. Her flirtatious manner is most irksome to me and I am not receptive to her advances. Hanneman is constantly bothering everyone about crests. I don’t dare let him anywhere near me. I enjoy sparring with Catherine and Shamir. I cannot stand Alois’ jokes. Seteth is stern and leaves me well alone. Rhea is overbearing, but lets me do as I please. I’ve not much else to say at the moment.

11th of Great Tree Moon

Mercedes… She doesn’t recognize me. I wear a mask to conceal my face. She eyes me with intrigue, as if she knows me but can’t quite place from where. Things are better that way. I long to speak to her, but I know better than that. 

16th of Great Tree Moon

I don’t speak to many people here. I often feel out of place. At odds with the serenity of this religious institution. It feels as if I marr its sacredness with my very presence. In me, I contain a darkness, unmatched. A demonic entity that claws its way out of my body at every chance it gets. I eat alone. I do not attend student/faculty mixers. I don’t have the capacity or patience to make friends. The myriad cats around here seem to understand me, however. I respect their solitary nature. Their independence and self-sufficiency are things I greatly admire. They are quiet and gentle. I enjoy their company in my off time.

20th of Great Tree Moon

The Death Knight grows hungry. His bloodlust is strong. It has been so long since last he was able to partake in such violent delights. I feel him itching at my skin, desperate to be released. But I must remain composed. I cannot risk losing my valuable position. The one I serve would be most disappointed were I to cause any complications in their plan. I know the demon will not be sated in the upcoming mock battle for the students. The one I serve promises that soon the Death Knight can have his fill. I must be patient. Emile, Jeritza, whoever I am grows weary holding him back.

***

We have just received word that a couple of mercenaries and a magician will be passing through the monastery in the next few days. They are, apparently, an impressive group. Rhea plans to recruit them. We are missing two professors and in dire need of replacements. I do not intend to get to know them beyond their skill in battle. I hope at least one of them can give me a good fight.

21st of Great Tree Moon

Our newest additions to the staff are intriguing, indeed. Jeralt was a member of the Knights of Seiros long ago. His physical age is suspicious to me. More on that later. I have watched Byleth in the practice arena and she is a force to be reckoned with. The Death Knight will enjoy fighting her, and Jeritza will no doubt delight in sparring her for practice. Rhea has decided that Byleth will lead one of the houses, allowing her to decide which one she will be the head of. Byleth has chosen the Black Eagles. An excellent decision. Perhaps she will decide to join our cause. 

The third addition to our staff confuses me. It seems she will become the head of the Ashen Wolves, the four students that have made their home in Abyss, underneath the monastery. Ashani seems- delicate . She is a skilled magician, though I have yet to see her in action. Her demeanor is vastly different from her other companions. Both Byleth and Ashani are rather quiet. But there is a gentler air about the latter. She doesn’t seem nearly as battle-hardened as Byleth or Jeralt. Her motions are elegant, practiced. She is prim and proper, nothing I would have expected from a woman having traveled with a band of mercenaries for the last several months. She seems to be of little threat. I am unconcerned about her presence. 

23rd of Great Tree Moon

I have closely been observing our new staff members. I look forward to seeing their battle prowess in next week’s mock fight. Jeralt will not be participating, but Byleth and Ashani will be. Ashani’s class will be split up amongst the other houses, as there are not enough members to make up their own team. I await this mock battle with great anticipation.

28th of Great Tree Moon

Byleth and I have been sparring the last several days. She puts up an excellent fight. If I were to die by her sword, it would be a glorious death, indeed. Or vice-versa. The Death Knight aches to meet her on the battlegrounds. Ashani watched from the sidelines, her gaze curious. She prances about in the monastery’s summer uniform. She smiles softly at me when we pass in the halls. The woman is unreadable to me. I cannot fathom her in any capacity. Byleth’s silent stoicism speaks to me in a language I understand. But Ashani’s gentility feels so utterly foreign. 

Today, I watched her at the training grounds. She was instructing a group of students from each house about how to effectively use offensive magic. This was the first time I bore witness to her skill. Her motions are swift and sure. What she lacks in strength, she makes up for in wit and cleverness. Perhaps I judged her too quickly. Her shyness and tranquility led me to believe she would be of little threat. But there is something knowing in Ashani’s eyes. She caught me staring, an impish smile tugging at the corners of her lips before she turned back to her instructions. I plan to stay clear of her. Something about her makes me fear that she might see underneath the mask I have worked so hard to compose.  

30th of Great Tree Moon

The mock battle was a success. Both Ashani and Byleth have proven to be excellent tacticians. Black Eagles won, which was no surprise. Manuela and Hanneman’s plans proved to be no match for the combined efforts of Ashani and Byleth. Afterwards, the students celebrated, but I did not participate. I chose to spend my time practicing in the training grounds. And it was then that the most curious thing happened. 

I enjoy going when no one else is around. I find serenity in the pale light of the moon, after everyone has gone to bed. I can practice my fencing without any disturbances.

Apparently, Ashani enjoys practicing during late hours, as well. I was startled to see her already there when I arrived. She greeted me softly before turning back to her practice. I watched as lightning bolts and bursts of fire lit the grounds around us. 

I told her she did well in today’s mock battle. I’m not sure what compelled me to do so. She thanked me graciously and we spent several minutes practicing separately, in silence. 

“Can I practice with you?” her voice rang out in the night. The request surprised me. She often shies away from opportunities to battle her colleagues. She seems to prefer to spend her time reading, I’ve noticed. Linhardt has taken a liking to her. The two of them will sit in the grass and leaf through novels and textbooks, occasionally having heated debates about Crests and other such topics ( Goodness, I didn’t realize how much I observe this woman ). That’s not to say she shirks her duties as a professor. She’s merely not inclined to spend her free time dueling. Hence, her request came out of the blue for me. But who am I to deny a plea for battle?

Our duel was exhilarating. Long has it been since I battled someone that could potentially best me. Between Byleth and Ashani, I have two opponents that give me a true challenge. Ashani is fast, light on her feet as she flits around the arena. We are evenly matched in agility. While I am all offensive, she leans on the more defensive side. But her head-on attacks are vicious. She can’t afford to be anything but. Ashani is a viper and I am humbled. My judgement of her has proven to be most incorrect.

When we came to a draw at the end of our fight, we were both out of breath. She beamed softly at me.

“Thank you, Jeritza,” she spoke, giving a little bow, “I hope we get to fight again soon.”

Now, in the comfort of my quarters, I can write that I do, indeed, hope we get to fight again. I know in my dreams I will have visions of battling her.

[ofhope-a]

@xamassed sent in this prompt:

💋 ( yoimiya & itto 'cause I'm WEAK )

"Okay, soo - I had this all planned out, right?"

Murmured from the split branch of a tree, Yoimiya's typical zest was in full swing — albeit, an air of defeat fanned her features.

Itto was big on displays, Yoimiya worked on displays so by nature, big on them as well, so: she knew a spectacle had to be made regardless of the intimacy of the moment. Fireworks was a no-no because of that, so, scenery set-up it was. The ideal location took some time, Yoimiya opting out of their favored spots, but wherever it was, no matter which island it was on, Yoimiya wanted color. Were she to describe Itto, it would be with palettes of varying shades, of eye-catching reds and piercing purples, cinched together with broad strokes of pristine white.

Which, admittedly, wasn't the difficult part, Inazuma was bursting with life every season of the year (Yashiori Island being the most literal) the difficult part was, well, just about everything else. It was weird, wasn't it, the shift from casual rivals to friends to oh-no-I-think-I-like-you-and-I-think-you-like-me-too-but-I-don't-want-to-make-it-awkward? Yoimiya was no stranger to rejection, neither was she a stranger to acceptance, but rejection in this case... she would stand it, respect it, distance herself, but... Itto, once a blip in her radar, made up so much of her daily life. Could she say goodbye to play-testing pyrotechnics? Could she say goodbye to mixing powders and seeing what color plumes? Could she? She would, should Itto desire it.

However... she really, really, really didn't want him to. Really, super, super badly. Nerves ate at her with every fleeting brush, the flirtatious musings, the once mischievous battles now flared with a sort of tension. Never one to hide her cards for long, she opted for ripping off the band-aid!

So, once the location had been finalized, her stomach was less unsettled, her mind was less abloom with fuzz, and she was at least 87.06% certain that Itto would, at the most, tease her about it and not unlike water off a duck's refined feathers, it would be forgotten. She would learn to be okay with that.

Surrounded by a field of green, a Yumemiru amidst it, and a conveniently placed stone bench, prime for listing off confessions! Except the bench was only there temporarily for a test shoot of someone's new Kamera contraption, and just so happened to not be there. Were Itto to partake in her wooden throne, he would be just shy of towering three heads over her, and that would just make this whole confessing thing worse.

(Yoimiya could hear the "I can't hear you from all the way down there!" comments already.)

"But some guy stole the only seat here, and I even had it timed! As soon as I said 'hey, Itto, I've been thinking,' I would've turned to you, and you would've been like," here, her voice took on a deeper timbre, missing Itto's tone of voice by a mile, but she had made it this far darn it, "'Hey, wha'sup Firecracker?' and," again, her voice shifted, more Yoimiya less Itto-impostor. "I would've... eugh, here, it's hard to do this from all the way up here."

Dropping to her feet, their usual distance returned; but...

"Itto Arataki! Arataki Itto! Leader of the Arataki-once-whatevers-now-Gang! III..." with an incriminating point, the tip of her finger poking at the very center of his chest, her boisterous threatrics settled down. "Kinda like you. The kind of like that involves like-liking someone. And you don't have to, y'know, return that sort of thing, but I just -- ugh, just looking at you makes me want to just..."

Hand coincidentally placed near one of the several bands decorating his chest, she gripped tight the closest one, hauling Itto downward. There, their noses just brushed, each puff of breath ghosting along his lips. I mean, sure, she had thought about this before, but... well. She had made it this far, hadn't she?

There, the last sliver of space was preoccupied by Yoimiya herself, her kiss as light as the scent of Lavender Melon dangling overhead, but there nevertheless. She wondered at this distance, if the thump-thump-thump of her heartbeat could be heard, whether or not Oni had superior senses, whether or not the touch was registered.

Releasing her grip, Yoimiya's hands returned to her sides.

"So, there. That's what I called you up here for. Uh, the first thing, not the kissing thing, even if I definitely had a kiss somewhere in one of my drafts. But that was back whenever the bench was still in the cards, so..."

It was out in the open, at least.

"Next time, I'll bring a stool! IIIIf- there is a next time?"

[the-helixverse]

So I’ve talked plenty about some side projects, but now it’s time to discuss one of the people who helped make this world what it is:

Alice Yuvchenko

Original art by My_Cookies_Were_Stolen

Birthday: March 2nd, 1952 Height: 160 cm Weight: 44 kg Blood Type: B+ Nationality: Stateless (Formerly Soviet) Affiliation: Helix Gens Orientation: Bisexual (No preference) Likes: Food, Art, Having fun Dislikes: School, depressive episodes

One of the founding members of the vigilante organization, Alice is best described as a ball of energy; she’s outgoing, friendly, playful, flirtatious and almost always upbeat, someone who always wears her heart on her sleeve. She enjoys everything from parties to spending time with her friends watching classic sitcoms.

She’s also quite talented artist and seamstress, often making her own clothes. She was actually the one who designed the costumes for the Helixes, with some guidance from each of them and what they needed most.

As a social butterfly, Alice enjoys making friends at every opportunity, and also has a reputation for her many relationships, both with boys and girls (very scandalous in the 60′s). Many people describe her as a hedonist, but Alice counters that she doesn’t know what that word means.

Of course, under all that, Alice has a long and troubled history, having fled from the Soviet Union at only 14, spent time as a refugee wandering across Europe and America before arriving in the small town of Lithium in October 1966, where she found a family who took her in. While she tries to keep a positive attitude, many of her experiences have stuck with her ever since.

And while can seem carefree, Alice can get quite serious and resourceful when she needs to, be it helping someone else or engaging in a fight. She remains one of the Helixes’ heavy-hitters under her codename:

Lupa:

Alice’s vigilante identity is, funny enough, the easiest to hide due to her nature as a werewolf.

Werewolves in the Helixverse don’t truly transform; while their skeletons- particularly the arms and legs- may slightly distort, the excess mass is the product of the rapid division and differentiation of oligopotent stem cells. This process essentially creates an exoskeletal mass of muscle, bone, nerves and epithelial tissue linked to the original brain.

The werewolf body is essentially more of a suit than a one-to-one transformation. As a benefit, any damage done to the werewolf is easily ignored or healed quickly, to the point that severed hands and even the head can be reattached.

Additionally, rather than fur, the werewolf from produces structures similar in strength and chemistry to spider silk, which can easily be produced and adds layers of protection. For Alice, the coloration is actually the product of her having Oculocutaneous Albinism; as the new tissue typically has melanin, most werewolves are brown or black in color.

As a consequence of all this, while werewolves have nearly cancerous levels of cell division (with far superior DNA repair systems), but their body temperature elevates. Transformations can’t occur instantly, but require several minutes of gradual and painful modification, which leaves Alice vulnerable and so she has to find a place to hide beforehand.

To meet these demands, her nutritional requirement also massively increases, and so Alice is incredibly hungry before and after transformation, and has to almost constantly eat whatever’s available, be it human food, things like dog and cat food, tree bark, etc. She’s even eaten neocytes mid-combat.

As Lupa, Alice can fairly easily hide her identity, and uses her strength in everything from open combat to natural disaster relief.