#he’s a master of both distraction and deception

[cynicalmusings]

based on NOTHING in particular... assassin Lyney? He's charming with words and can pull anyone into a conversation long enough to slip a poison in their drink 🤭

assassin! Lyney x assassin! reader?

or

assassin! Lyney x immortal! reader? who may or may not know Lyney is trying to kill them

the assassin x assassin one has my attention… being hired by different people to kill each other, and you’re both dancing around each other, trying to find a weak spot and strike, unaware that the other is doing exactly the same…

eventually, you both realise that something isn’t right here, because you really should have made some progress by now, and then it develops on from there.

(bonus if one of you get hurt from some external factors and the other rushes to help them, justifying their reason for doing so with ‘the only person allowed to kill them is me’, but they can’t bring themselves to fully believe that…)

[princesscait26]

A Unlikely Friendship: 2

Summary: The two rivals wives are caught (I’m really bad at summaries)

Alastor x reader, Vox x unnamed wife, Vox’s wife x reader Platonic!

Part 1

At the Hazbin Hotel, Y/n sat at her vanity, meticulously getting ready for the day. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the soft glow of the vanity bulbs. She was applying her lipstick when she noticed a familiar shadow in the mirror's reflection. Without turning, she spoke with a slight smile curving her now red lips, “I know you’re here.”

The shadow shifted, and in its place stood the Radio Demon himself. Alastor’s crimson eyes and broad smile fixed on his wife with a blend of curiosity and suspicion. “Where are you going today, my darling? It’s still only the morning,” he inquired, his tone deceptively casual.

Alastor was known throughout Hell for his malevolence, but in the presence of his wife, he was softened, almost vulnerable. Her absence left him feeling incomplete, a sensation he loathed.

Y/n turned, meeting his intense gaze with practiced ease. Avoiding his question, she picked up her purse and leaned in to plant a light kiss on his cheek. “I’m going out. I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t forget you have a meeting with Charlie today, dear!”

Before Alastor could react, she slipped past him, the reminder of his meeting momentarily distracting him. She made her way to the door, her heart pounding as she sensed his gaze burning into her back.

The moment the door clicked shut, Alastor’s smile twitched, replaced by a look of steely determination. His possessiveness gnawed at him. Where was his wife off to, and what was she doing? His mind raced with possibilities, none of which he liked.

He could not simply let it go. Summoning his shadow, he issued a silent command. "Follow her. Report back to me."

As Y/n exited the hotel and stepped into the bustling streets of Hell, she felt a chill, a whisper of unease that she couldn't quite shake. She knew Alastor's nature all too well, knew he wouldn’t take her abrupt departure lightly. Yet, she couldn’t let him control every aspect of her life.

Back at the hotel, Alastor paced his room, the meeting with Charlie all but forgotten. His thoughts were consumed by his wife’s mysterious outings. Though he trusted her, his darker instincts drove him to ensure her safety and loyalty.

———————————————————————

Y/n was blissfully unaware of Alastor's shadow trailing her as she made her way to the café. Believing she had successfully slipped away, she pushed open the door and was immediately enveloped by the comforting aroma of coffee and pastries. The gentle hum of conversation filled the air.

“Y/n!” a familiar voice called out. She turned to see Vox's wife, waving enthusiastically from a corner table. Y/n smiled and waved back, weaving her way through the tables to join her friend.

"I ordered your usual," she said with a warm smile as Y/n sat down. "Late again, I see. Did Alastor give you a hard time leaving?" She laughed, the sound bright and infectious.

Y/n giggled, sharing in the inside joke that both women held—how their husbands never made it easy for them to leave. "You know him too well," she replied with a chuckle. "It’s like trying to escape a shadow."

Vox’s wife’s eyes twinkled. "Well, we manage. It’s nice having these moments to ourselves."

Y/n sighed contentedly, her expression softening. "I enjoy your company so much. It’s rare to find someone who truly understands. You’re a great friend."

"You're too sweet," Vox’s wife replied, her smile widening. "If only our husbands knew how much they actually had in common."

The two women laughed, their voices mingling with the ambient sounds of the café. They reveled in their shared moments, finding solace and camaraderie in each other's presence.

Unbeknownst to them, Alastor's shadow had witnessed the entire encounter. It slipped away, returning swiftly to its master. Alastor listened intently to the shadow's report, his expression shifting from curiosity to shock, then to anger. How dare his wife meet with Vox’s wife, of all people!

On the other side of the city, Vox had grown suspicious as well and decided to follow his wife. When he arrived at the café, he was surprised and annoyed to see Alastor approaching from the opposite direction. Their eyes locked, and both men bristled at the sight of the other.

"What are you doing here?" Vox demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Alastor sneered. "I might ask you the same thing. I have every right to be here."

"As do I," Vox retorted, stepping closer. "However, it seems we have a more pressing matter at hand."

Their attention turned toward the café’s interior, where Y/n and Vox’s wife were laughing and chatting, oblivious to the storm brewing outside.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Alastor's tone is dripping with amusement, but his eyes betray a flicker of something darker. He stands at the entrance, his silhouette casting an imposing shadow over their table. Next to him, Vox's eyes blaze with barely contained rage, his screen flickering.

The café falls silent, the patrons' eyes darting between the two imposing figures and the women. Y/n's heart skips a beat as she locks eyes with Alastor, his usually warm gaze to her now cold and penetrating.

"Alastor," Y/n starts, attempting to keep her voice steady, "This isn't what it looks like."

Vox's wife stands up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Vox, I—"

But Vox cuts her off, his voice low and seething. "You think I wouldn't find out? That you could hide this from me?" His words hang heavily in the air, his fists clenching at his sides.

Alastor steps closer, his smile never wavering but his eyes darkening. "My dear, I am not so easily deceived. And to think, you two have been meeting behind our backs. It seems our rivalry has taken a rather... unexpected turn."

Y/n can see the hurt beneath Alastor's facade. Despite his charm and confidence, there is a sting of betrayal in his eyes. She takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Alastor, we just wanted a break from the constant fighting. It was never meant to hurt you two. To be with someone who understands."

Vox's wife nods in agreement, her eyes pleading with her husband. "Vox, please understand. We needed to escape the endless cycle of your battles. We needed each other."

But Vox, his pride wounded, steps forward towards the two women, his voice cold. "You think I care about your excuses? This betrayal is unacceptable. You think sneaking behind our backs was a good solution" He glares at Alastor, as if blaming him for this newfound alliance between their wives.

Alastor, ever the performer, turns his attention back to Y/n, putting a hand up stopping Vox from getting closer to Y/n. His smile returning but now tinged with bitterness. "It seems we have more in common than we thought, Vox. Betrayed by those closest to us."

Vox scoffs, his gaze never leaving his wife. "Don't lump me in with you, Alastor. This changes nothing between us. If anything, it intensifies our rivalry."

Y/n steps forward, her voice firm. "Enough. Both of you. This isn't about your rivalry. It's about us, your wives, who have had enough of your childish antics. We wanted peace, but it seems that's too much to ask for."

Vox's wife joins her, her voice soft but determined. "We love you both, but we can't keep living like this. It’s exhausting. All of your time goes to your fight with him, Vox. Something has to change."

The tension in the café is palpable, the silence deafening as Alastor and Vox process their wives' words. Finally, Alastor speaks, his voice softer but still edged with frustration. "Perhaps we do need to reassess our priorities."

Vox, his anger simmering down to a low boil, nods in agreement. "For once, I agree with Alastor. This isn't over, but maybe it's a wake-up call."

Alastor's eyes flicked to Vox, surprise flickering across his face. "You're suggesting we... call a truce?"

"Temporary," Vox clarified, his tone grudging. "For the sake of our marriages."

Alastor considered this, then nodded slowly. "Agreed. Temporary."

Relief washed over Y/n and Vox’s wife as the tension in the air finally began to ease. The initial shock and anger on Alastor and Vox's faces had subsided into something more manageable, though still simmering beneath the surface.

Alastor, ever the gentleman, extended a hand to Y/n. “Come, my dear,” he said softly, though his eyes still held a hint of possessiveness. “Let’s return home. We have much to discuss.”

Y/n took his hand, squeezing it gently. “Of course, darling,” she replied, casting a reassuring smile over her shoulder at Vox’s wife.

Vox, meanwhile, wrapped a protective arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We’re leaving,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. “We need to talk as well.”

She nodded, leaning into him slightly. “Alright, Vox,” she murmured, her eyes meeting Y/n’s with a mixture of amusement and solidarity.

As the two couples moved in opposite directions, the two women turned back to each other, sharing a silent understanding. Their eyes met, and both broke into large, conspiratorial smiles. They waved goodbye, their hands lingering in the air as long as they could see each other.

“Until next time,” Y/n mouthed, her smile warm and genuine.

“Definitely,” she mouthed back, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

The café doors closed behind them, separating the two women physically but not in spirit. As Alastor and Vox led their wives away, the men’s grips firm yet gentle, the women’s thoughts lingered on their cherished friendship, silently vowing that this unexpected encounter wouldn’t be their last.

In the bustling streets of Hell, amidst the chaos and constant noise, two friendships stood resilient, bound by shared experiences and a mutual understanding of the complicated men they loved. For now, at least, the truce was a step toward peace—a fragile, tentative step, but a step nonetheless.

———————————————————————-

Taglist

@that-dumb-bitch

@alastorthirsty

@generalthirsty

[nightmarerodent]

i have a hc that kung jin has glasses but normal wears contacts and the kombat kids don’t know. can you do them realizing jin actually needs glasses after he loses his contacts so he has to wear his frames?

(i’m literally projecting none of my friends know i have glasses)

You are in luck because I headcanon that Takeda actually started needing glasses after Reptile shot him with acid and got really insecure about it so let’s play with both.

“You’re over thinking this,” Jin said for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour, “I may not be able to read minds, but even I can hear you spiraling in that pretty little head of yours.”

“I’m being realistic. What use am I in a fight if I can’t see?” Takeda continued complaining.

The shinobi had been holding himself up in his room for the last few days sulking, mourning the loss of his once perfect vision. After Reptile gave him an eye full of acid in Outworld, his vision had begun to blur. Luckily Jacqui was right there with an eyewash solution that prevented any serious permanent damage. His vision would hopefully return to normal with time, but for now glasses were needed to get around.

“Well, your dad-”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Takeda snapped, cutting the Shaolin off. It would seem the topic of Kenshi had gone back to being a sore subject.

“Alright, alright,” Jin put his hands up in surrender before taking a seat next to his friend at the foot of the bed, “Just pointing out the obvious.”

“He has Sento. It’s different.” Takeda insisted.

“Didn’t you fight him off blind though? With just your hearing and telepathy?”

“Not the point…” Takeda sighed dejectedly, “I’ve trained my whole life for this, it’s the only thing I know how to do, and now because of some stupid mistake I… I feel like a liability now.”

Jin remained quiet after that confession. It was true. Takeda has only ever been trained as a warrior. He couldn’t be reassigned like the girls or become a sage like himself if injury prevented him from doing his job effectively. The Chujin would be rendered useless and fifteen years of training would be washed down the drain. His friend was way over thinking this, Jin knew, and Grandmaster Hasashi would mold a position within the Shirai Ryu to fit his favorite student regardless, but the idea that he was now something to be pitied was a daunting feeling Kung Jin was all too familiar with.

That’s when the idea struck Jin. A genius play he knew his friend would appreciate. He’d just have to convince the shadow warrior to come out of his hide hole and rejoin the rest of them for training tomorrow.

“Your contacts should be here in a few weeks though, right?” He asked casually.

“Yeah, I guess,” Takeda mumbled, “I’m benched from any sparring until then though.”

“I still think you should show up though. I mean, did you catch how Jacqui was looking at you yesterday? It’s like she wanted to take everything off you but the glasses.” Jin snickered.

“Yeah, well- Wait, really?” Takeda’s cheeks turned slightly red with blush.

This was so easy. He’s a genius. The great Kung Jin’s masterful deception strikes again. He’s so clever it’s almost unfair.

“Absolutely, and since you do owe me a favor, I’m thinking about using this to my advantage. Have you distract her tomorrow so I can hopefully pull out a win.” Takeda opened his mouth to say something but Jin swiftly cut him off, “You don’t need to do anything. Just be your normal, sexy self, yeah?”

“You want to use me as a psychological weapon against my girlfriend?” Takeda did not sound impressed.

“Absolutely. You game?” Jin gave him his best award winning smile.

Takeda just rolled his eyes.

Still, Takeda found himself walking into the training room the next morning, geared up a ready, even though he knew the General would have him sit out so he doesn’t brake the only thing giving him clear sight. Cassie, Jacqui, and Mr. Cage were already there and chatting amongst themselves. Jin, always fashionably late, was nowhere to be seen. Jacqui was naturally the first to spot him, her face immediately brightening.

“Hey you,” she walked up to him, not at all hiding her wandering eyes or even attempting to conceal the less than PG thoughts that briefly flashed through her mind, “I was worried I wouldn’t be seeing you today.”

“Jin convinced me sulking in the dark wasn’t doing me any good.” He confessed.

“Good,” she gave him a quick peck on the lips before dropping her voice to a whisper, “Because if it were up to me, we’d both still be in there.”

Takeda found himself burning up at that confession, and he probably would have said something if General Blade didn’t decide to walk through the training room doors at that moment. Instead Jacqui pulled away with a wink and Takeda was left standing there dumbly and reeling. He recovered quickly however once Sonya’s booming voice brought them all to attention.

She reminded Takeda that though she appreciates his enthusiasm to train today, he was barred from doing so until further notice. He bit his tongue and said nothing. Then she demanded to know where Kung Jin was.

“Here Ma’am! Right here!” Jin’s voice rang out as he rushed in, “Sorry, got caught up with something.”

Someone probably would have told him off for being late again if everyone wasn’t so caught off guard by his appearance. Right there, standing before them and a bit out of breath, was a Kung Jin wearing glasses. Fucking glasses. Takeda did even know he needed them. They’ve known each other for how long? And he’s never once realized?

“Jin, what the hell?” Sonya demanded.

“Lost my contacts. Can’t find them anywhere. It’s going to be a few weeks until I can get some replacements. Sorry.” Jin explained.

General Blade rolled her eyes and all but dismissed him, not wanting to deal with the Shaolin’s antics any more than she already had to, and directed Cass and Jacqui to square up and prepare for their sparring match instead. Not before Cassie could snap a quick pic of the boys in matching specs first though.

Johnny patted Jin on the shoulder before making his leave. His ex may not be amused by Kung Jin, but Johnny could clear as day see this was Jin’s attempt at making sure his friend wasn’t feeling left out and he appreciated the young man’s efforts.

With a smug smile, Jin took a seat next to Takeda and upon notice that his friend’s eyes haven’t left his face since his dramatic entrance, snickered to himself.

“You’re staring Bug Boy. Got something to say?” He smirked.

Takeda floundered, “I uh… I just- I didn’t know you had glasses. How long have you uh, when did-”

“-I start needing them?” Jin finished for him, “I’ve always had them. Nearsighted since I was a kid. I just usually have my contacts. I guess that’s why you’ve never noticed.”

Takeda just assessed him for a moment before cracking a small smile, “And this is your big reveal? Stumbling in late, pretending you’ve lost your contacts?”

Jin mocked offense, “Excuse you! I did lose my contacts, thank you very much. Spent all morning tearing my room apart looking for them.”

“So this isn’t you trying to make me feel better?”

“Absolutely not. Couldn’t give two shits about you.”

Takeda actually laughed at that and playfully punched him in the shoulder, “Shut your dramatic ass up. I hate you.”

Both were left smiling for the rest of the day.

[fiddlepot]

miner dee en eye (kinda nsfw) go do your homework losers /neu same thing for ageless blogs. Cease.

Me when brain suddenly "kokudoma"

Like. It's honestly such a crackship but they're fuck buddies only bc kokushibo is an edgy ass bitch

But doma is like actually fond of him and won't leave him tf alone so koku goes "fuck it" and edges him with like small doses of attention only to fuck him senseless later, and y'all know they can both go for literally forever bc stamina is not an issue for demons at all

Anywhoooo 🤣

Drabble under the cut. Once again, nsfw = get the FUCK out if you're a minor plz thx ❤🌹🙏

Tags; nsfw (duh doy) kokudou, doma being a bottom bitch, degredation, little to no aftercare tbh koku don't got time for that, impact play, blood play, biting, belt bondage, humiliation, one sided affection, koku being sassy, demons being freaks lmao!

oh yeah, and before I forget to mention uh. my bad if there are like, issues in the writing. I don't rlly write smut like that so it may be like, finnicky or whatever.

His Affection

As the second-in-command, the moments bestowed upon Upper Moon 1 were of the utmost significance—a privilege beyond measure to partake in even the slightest morsel of his precious time, perhaps more so than the demon king himself.

And it seemed Muzan thought so too.

Doma's relationship with the highest Kizuki was, put simply, a distraction for them both. His lordship already didn't like him—and it was evident that the progenitor fancied the prospect of hearing his cries of pleasure bounce about the sprawling walls of the Infinity Castle even less. Or having the ability to see him unfurl anywhere, for that matter.

Yet he tolerated it all, much as he tolerated the myriad eccentricities that defined Doma's existence—solely because Kokushibo didn't bear any particular fondness of the man. If there was any semblance of favor beneath his veneer, it was a masterful deception, concealed with an artistry that left no room for doubt.

“How exceedingly unbecoming of you... Upper Moon Two,” Kokushibo taunted, his tone laced with derision as he continued to torment Doma. A single thrust of his knee into Doma's perineum reduced him to a huffing, mewling, wanton mess that could do nothing but writhe beneath the relentless assault. “Pathetic.”

“For you, I...” Doma began to croon in response, but his sentiment was summarily disregarded by his superior.

Indeed, the kanji branded into Doma's very being served as a constant reminder of the wrongness that tainted their actions. Yet he grappled with the notion of whether it truly constituted wrongdoing, when he was held captive by someone of superior strength. It could have been worse, but the act itself, while undeniably indulgent, left him yearning for more.

Three pairs of amber eyes encased in bloodshot sclerae bore down upon Doma's kaleidoscope orbs, middle eyelids lifting with a sadistic mirth as the latter struggled to gather his bearings. Yes, if nothing else, he was a rather fine instrument—a myriad outlet of wanton and eager reactions to every strum, stroke, and tug of Kokushibo's own.

Another forceful thrust, and Doma's fists, ensnared by the constricting uwa-obi, trembled with impatience. His hitherto unrewarding quest for gratification danced in macabre synchrony with Kokushibo's unyielding onslaught of ruthless stringency. Stringency he trusted Doma could handle, just as he had many times before.

Indeed, he bore an unparalleled capacity to endure the most precarious of circumstances. Stripped bare and vulnerable, entangled within Kokushibo's grip that paradoxically bore both pain and pleasure to his bruised wrists, all within the sanctum of his private chambers where the prying eyes of servants loomed over him as a threat to his image—his affection for the elder demon had endowed him with a remarkable adaptability. That which Kokushibo quite appreciated, even while he didn't do so typically.

“Please,” Doma keened, not entirely sure of what he was begging for. His legs flailed above Kokushibo's hips, the capriciousness of his knee now replaced with a rhythmic cadence. In response, Doma's own hips danced to accommodate, all under Kokushibo's unwavering gaze.

“Please?” The elder demon withdrew his knee just as he noticed Doma's thrusts growing more frantic, bringing about a plaintive whine of protest. One that he ignored. “Please what?”

Cruel, Doma surmised, his furrowed brows betraying a sensation akin to frustration—though it was more related to a profound sense of bereftness. The feeling soon gave way to astonishment though, as his superior's calloused, unfettered hand ventured toward his most intimate regions. In a tantalizing journey that brushed past a multitude of erogenous zones, Kokushibo commenced a painstakingly leisurely rhythm of strokes upon the taut, erect shaft. “Lord Kokushibo,” Doma moaned, the words escaping his lips in yet another impassioned plea. He couldn't bite back his grin at the pleasure as the ministrations increasingly focused on his tip.

“Hmm?” He pressed.

“I...”

“Out with it, now.” With a low, knowing hum, Kokushibo continued his torturous ministrations, the shadow of a wry smile playing upon his lips. He reveled in the unfolding tableau, and were it not for the undeniable evidence concealed beneath his hakama, Doma might have failed to discern Kokushibo's own mounting desire. His digit, now shifting its focus to Doma's taint and then his quivering slit, brought about a gasp and a shuddering buck of his hips from his suboordinate.

“Oh, you intoxicate me,” was what Doma wanted nothing more than to convey at that moment—but he was thinking with the brain in between his legs now, and just choking out the phrase “I want you to fuck me” was a hassle on its own. So in lieu of those words, his body needily leaned into Kokushibo's tantalizing caress, eliciting a flinch, a fervent yelp, and the shadow of a chuckle as he was duly rewarded with the electrifying sting of a strike to his thigh.

“Out with it,” repeated Upper Moon One, eyes lazily trailing downwards towards Doma's slit. The hand on his thigh never quite ceased its position there, but it did gingerly slide upwards, halting just shy of his hip. “I much prefer hearing you mewl and beg...” Kokushibo leaned back, moving to take the awaiting bottle of oil beside them in his hand with a mumur, “...than I do seeing you throw your hips about without any abandon or shame... like a cheap harlot.”

Or perhaps he preferred a combination of both.

His movements were deft and fluid, and soon enough, Doma found his thighs tensing in ecstasy as his superior slid a slicked finger inside with ease. With a single thrust, followed by the benevolent curl of Kokushibo's digit, he effortlessly conducted a symphony of squirming, whimpering, and shuddering glee from the younger demon.

“Oh, god, yes— more of that,” he finally cried out, his moans now reaching crescendos of reckless abandon, “Please, I need— I nee-he-oh...!”

Something between a laugh and a keen leaves his mouth mid plea, and Kokushibo lavishes a hot tongue on his nipple. Simultaneously, the hand that had lingered on his upper thigh ventured upward to cup his pectoral—soft and sumptuous enough to rival a woman's bosom, and apparently just as sensitive as one, too.

“Go on,” Kokushibo rasped, following his words with a bite that sent his suboordinate gasping for air that he hardly needed to begin with. Doma seemed so caught up in the feeling of wet hotness lapping his erected nipple that he hardly had any reaction to the second and soon, third finger of Kokushibo's adding to the mess of oily slick that was his entrance. A wicked spectacle it was, to witness the unraveling of Doma's customary demeanor. Kokushibo, savoring every moment of it, traced a peppery path of kisses along both pectorals, infusing his actions with a deceptively sweet tenderness before descending upon the other nipple. “What do you need?”

“I need... I need your cock— inside me,” His own cock jumped as the pinching sensation returned at a sharper intensity, one that drew forth his blood. Blood that erupted upon his superior's taste buds—blood that was lapped up hungrily until the wound inevitably fizzled away.

To this, Upper Moon One withdrew his fingers, either deeming Doma loose enough or in an effort to keep him on the edge of release.

“Just inside you?” probed the demon, withdrawing his mouth and cupping hand to do away with his garments.

“Mnhh” with a hitch of his breath, Doma lowered his eyelids, and then his gaze. Seemed the man had a sword in between his legs too, he joked to himself. “I wan—... I need you to fuck me, Lord Kokushibo.” The latter cupped the back of Doma's left knee in response. “Please,” he added. There was a period of silence between the two after that.

“Turn around,” Kokushibo finally commanded, to which Doma obliged. A small part of him contemplated praising the man silently, for although he relished the act of instructing him to get on his knees, this time, the younger demon had done so without being expressly told—a noteworthy first.

Doma's body quivered in anticipation as the sizable tip of Kokushibo's arousal prodded at his entrance. It greedily swallowed up the intrusion alongside the thick shaft that followed, and he could've sworn he saw stars once their hips converged with a wet slap. Another exploratory snap of his superior's hips, and he wails with delight—All things considered, it quite pleased Kokushibo to know this wanton little orfice remembered him so very well.

Kokushibo maintained an unwavering grasp on Doma's hips, savoring every subtle contour of the younger demon's form and the symphony of beguiling sounds that flowed from his parted lips. There was no respite, no pause in the relentless storm that were his ceaseless thrusts, each one propelling his length to greater depths within Doma's quivering core. The younger demon, overwhelmed by the overstimulation, sought solace by burying his head into the silken sheets, his eyes cast upwards, and his mouth a veritable cascade of desire, saliva pooling in his abandon. His muffled ries and moans, somehow still unbridled and unrestrained, reverberated through the room and likely the halls beyond it. And it was always at that point that Kokushibo knew his conscience had been wholly eclipsed by the arduous affair.

In all sincerity, Doma was at his most endearing in this state. A harsh sentiment, perhaps, but in such moments, there existed no space for artifice or his foolish banter. In such moments, he was malleable, receptive to reminders of his place.. Just as he should be.

As Kokushibo's hand traversed the expanse of Doma's nape and traced an affectionate path along his back—perhaps the sole form of praise Doma would garner from his superior this night—he basked in the tender sensation, finding solace in the fleeting respite his dampened pillow couldn't hope to provide on its own.

However, that interlude of affection was destined to be brief. His hand, which had previously caressed Doma's back, now ventured to entwine itself in the younger demon's tousled locks. With a firm tug, akin to that of a leash, Kokushibo elicited a high-pitched squeal from Doma—a sound that he found utterly delicious, a brief indulgence before he shifted his focus.

At the crook of Doma's neck, Kokushibo bared his fangs, and with a savage bite, he drew forth yet another long bead of blood to be lapped up with grace. Kokushibo's lips closed around the wound, savoring the metallic tang of Doma's essence. From there, the rolling of his hips only grew more intense, and Doma's moans only grew louder.

“Such a piteous mess,” drawled Upper Moon One, muffled by his own painful ministrations. Doma threw his head back with whatever room he was allowed. “Merely a handful of thrusts, and you're wailing and contorting... like a desperate animal in the throes of heat.”

A well-placed blow to his rear incurred a yowl of pleasure from Doma—a response not born of wrongdoing but a delicious opportunity to chastise him in such a manner.

“M'sorry,” He babbled mindlessly, “M' a mess for you, Lord Kokushibo, I—mhn~!—feels so good, I'm...”

Kokushibo tore his fangs from the yielding flesh, savoring the yelp that ensued, along with the metallic tang of blood that tantalized his lips. He took a moment to relish the essence, licking it away with a deliberateness that bespoke his hedonistic enjoyment at that moment. As anticipated, the wound healed swiftly. He leaned back, drinking in the sight of Upper Moon Two, stripped of his dignity and forced to his knees within the confines of his own domain—a place where his image held paramount importance.

“You don't appear to be contrite in the slightest.” Kokushibo crooned, his voice oscillating between panting breaths and lascivious groans as he skillfully coaxed another cascade of mewls from Doma. His free hand deftly moved to stimulate the other's arousal, further heightening his pleasure. “I wonder,” he continued, his tone dripping with malice, “what might occur... if one of your devoted followers were to stumble upon this debauched scene... while you're ensnared in such a stupefying state?”

With another resolute thrust, Kokushibo's hand deftly manipulated Doma's frenulum, unleashing a searing tidal wave of pleasure that sent the younger demon reeling, stars dancing before his vision. In that moment of rapturous intensity, his brain grappled to process the words uttered, and when comprehension finally dawned, the thought alone made his cock twitch with fervor.

“How crassly forthright.” Kokushibo remarked, his grip on Doma's arousal tightening briefly, only to unleash a punitive slap upon the hypersensitive tip. The sharp sting gave rise to an immediate yelp of pleasure-pain, Doma's breath quickening with a sharp hitch as he teetered on the precipice of rapture and torment.

It was a sound judgement to have him face the door then, Kokushibo supposed, basking in the sounds he choked out of his suboordinate. Doma's vocalizations ran the gamut, ranging from rasped vulgarities to squeaky cries, and if there was one facet that Kokushibo genuinely admired about him, it was his voice—a mellifluous tenor that he might not have deserved but undeniably possessed. In the throes of passion, Doma made the most delectable sounds, each note growing more exquisite, more impassioned, as his inevitable climax approached.

And Kokushibo, true to his intent, was resolute in granting him that release, if not the preservation of his dignity. After all, he was exceptionally well-behaved tonight—and he had put the man through more than enough.

In that chamber, a tumultuous tempest of blurred ecstasy unfurled its rapturous banner. Devoid of ardor's solemn vows, bereft of any whispered oaths, release finally came. As Doma, his frame a symphony of ecstasy, ascended towards the zenith of his sensual reverie, Kokushibo, without much delay, joined him. With one last fervent thrust, Upper moon one stilled his hips, and the demons' release converged in sinewy strings of white amidst their frenzied sounds of pleasure, until there was nothing left to give.

Doma was the first to succumb to a semblance of exhaustion, his body yielding as Kokushibo's length slid out of him, leaving him in a languid sprawl as he finally had a moment to revel in the intoxicating fluids that now clung to him—an unapologetic mess of his superior's warm spent and his own perspiration that existed despite his naturally low body temperature. Kokushibo, his gaze fixated on the visage of Doma in his post-coital haze, contemplated the notion of a potential round two, had he the luxury of time.

With a sigh, he carefully removed the obi that had previously bound Doma's wrists, freeing the younger demon from his constraints. He proceeded to dress himself upon sliding off the bed as if nothing happened—although his apparent discomfort at his own perspired state was palpable.

“It would be prudent for you to summon your servants to attend to this... aftermath,” he remarked in a hushed tone, his words laced with an air of formality. “If there is anything you require me to procure for you... now would be the time to inquire. If not.. I'm taking my leave.”

“A kiss would be-”

“No.”

Doma grumbled, shuffling up to the edge where Kokushibo stood. Like clockwork, his perpetual smile returned, and of course, so did his cheekiness. Kokushibo, who had been facing the door, turned to look at him, utterly unamused.

“Would it kill you to give me just one...?” he pouted. “You said I could ask for anything I wanted just now... You're always so mean to me.”

“No,” Kokushibo repeated, adjusting the sash of his kimono. “...I said I'd give you whatever you needed. You don't need what you're asking for.”

Kokushibo reached for his sheathed katana and slid it into his obi with practiced precision. He was preparing for his departure, to which Doma deflated onto his bed in silent resignation.

“...Nor does it seem like you need anything from me at all,” he remarked stoically, turning his gaze forward. “So I will take my leave now.”

And with that, he was gone. Doma rolled over unto his back with a dramatic sigh. Maybe it was a need. His affection.

＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊

Wowzer, that was a long one. Sorry for the long wait. I've been meaning to get this out for a whole week, but my perfectionist ass kept editing before the damn piece was actually finished. Anyway.... yeah, I'll probably post more of these two lol. Their banter was fun to write for sure.

[tohwitchesduels]

REQUEST BATTLES OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 31: Matt Tholomule vs Gus Porter

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Matt Tholomule:

Mattholomule specializes mainly in construction and illusion magic.

Matt is known to be quite underestimated by those around him, but he does possess the skill, even if gloats to be able to bite more than he can chew. Matt is however pretty smart when it comes to the usage of his powers, even if he doesn't use them too offensively. He can however be pretty hopeless at times, being taken out easily if his opponents prove to be more formidable than him. He does lack drive and fighting spirit if he does not have confidence in his abilities.

Matt originally was looking forward to battling Gus in the semi-finals or maybe even during the second round, but life ultimately got other plans making it Matt almost impossible to meet Gus within the tournament in an official match-up so it ended up being a request battle which did not do well for his ego. To gain some confidence and compensate for the humiliation he felt over losing constantly he started to act extra cocky and once again put Gus down and his skill just to feel good about himself, even if he's not sincere in the slightest.

Matt does not possess any known palisman, nor showcased any on the screen. Because of this anyone fighting him would also not be allowed to wield a palisman

Size alteration - Matt is capable of altering the size of any of his body parts. This displayed first during Covention with his head.

Construction Tool - Matt is capable of creating tools made out of earthen materials as displayed TTLGR when he created a key/blade to cut Gus free. This ability during battle can manifest as Matt is capable of creating any kind of tool or weapon to help him during the battle.

Geokinesis - Implied in TTLGR that Matt can telekinetically move earthen materials as displayed when he helped clean the graveyard by moving the broken parts of the statues placing them back and making them stick together. During the battle, Matt would be capable of throwing rubble at his opponents.

Rock Wall - as displayed in LR, Matt is capable of creating walls to block attacks. The walls are thin so can be broken through enough force, but Matt displayed pretty great reflexes with those walls and they are still fairly durable.

Rock Dummy - as displayed in FTF, Matt is capable of creating a rock dummy of himself to appear wherever he feels like it.

Camouflage - Displayed in its full glory in FTF where Matt made Amity completely disappear. During the battle, Matt can turn himself invisible temporarily and other people as well (battle royale-exclusive)

Cloak - I'm allowing this ability because with Gus's clones running around amok, it would certainly become effective here. Matt can take the form of anyone that can be used to confuse his opponents. He doesn't however gain their abilities.

Smokescreen - Matt is capable of releasing a smokescreen that can disorient his opponents.

Link to more of Matt's capabilities here

Gus Porter:

Gus Porter is a prodigy when it comes to illusion magic. Prodigious enough to skip a few grades and even defeat the coven head of illusions with his sheer raw power. Gus displays insane potential and a big imagination when it comes to his magic. Now his powers are still limited by his own imagination and creativity meaning his illusions for the most part can be used mostly for deception and distraction, but during this tournament, Gus finally revised his own skill to find even offensive capabilities of his powers. While Gus did display the willingness to study other tracks, he ultimately never did due to his reassurance in being a master illusionist how easy it comes to him, and how much he can do with illusions alone.

One must know how intelligent Gus is during his battles. He can easily fool and toy with his opponents thanks to his illusions and Gus is also not afraid to either mock or straight-up torture his enemies during his battle just to get the results he needs, and has more than enough raw power to pull his schemes to their fullest. It's worth noting that when Gus feels extreme emotions, his magic only gets amplified, however, the side effects could be that Gus actually loses control over his own powers and gets to be the victim of them too, though thankfully to the magical amplifier from Graye, the risk of that is lesser.

Gus was originally looking forward to facing off against Matt in the official battle of this tournament as they had very ongoing frenemy situationship with one another but figured that Matt most likely wouldn't last that long, which certainly didn't do well for his self-esteem (something something toxic Yaoi something something the first write of this was better but it's gone because fuckin Tumblr 🤬🤬🤬 something something). Gus did not take it well however Matt becoming extra cocky and putting him down when Gus was certainly doing better in the tournament than Matt did as while Matt kept on losing to everyone within the losers bracket, Gus won almost all of his matches except for one, and even that one loss was 1. To his friend who he's proud of. 2. An honorable loss and well put-up fight 3. Said loss didn't completely close doors to advancing further in the tournament for him, unlike Matt's case which made it downright impossible for them to meet officially. Therefore Gus decided to not hold back in the slightest and put Matt right in his place.

During this battle, Palismen are not allowed.

One of the artifacts I allow Gus to have independently regarding whether or not his opponent also has any supportive gear is the looking glass earring he got after he defeated Adrian. The magical amplifier allows Gus to further concentrate his raw power into specific abilities he has a hard time pulling on his own and even enhancing them in the process, growing more powerful.

Light Spell - as proven in UW, Gus is capable of utilising light spells. Gus can use it to either illuminate the terrain or blind his opponents with it. He can produce multiple blinding orbs at once with his power and will usually use it in tandem with absolute darkness to make the light orbs all the more effective. He can also create quite large orbs of light.

Illusion Perception - Gus can see through the illusions of others. He can however be taken by surprise.

Illusion Cancel - Gus is capable of completely canceling the illusions of other people with no real effort.

Telekinesis - Gus displayed the capacity to move multiple objects with his mind. Usually, the objects are rather small and it appears Gus can't use telekinesis on a person, but he can utilise this ability offensively to throw projectiles at his opponent or to potentially deflect incoming attacks if they're little projectiles too.

Glamour - Unlike other examples of battle-royal glamour, Gus can use his glamour in 1v1 scenarios thanks to his ability to create clones and entities of any kind. This means Gus can easily disguise himself among the crowd as he can create a crowd himself. Gus is capable of taking the form of anyone he desires or merely amplifying the form he already has (like putting on additional clothes or features like devil's legs).

Mini Clones - Gus is capable of creating mini clones of himself (usually up to 3) that can be used to nag his opponents as seen in TTLGR.

Illusion Clones - Gus is capable of creating huge numbers of clones. The clones can take either the shape of himself or even other people. The clones usually don't display the capacity of the people they were cloned from but can develop a personality of their own. They still remain obedient to Gus and can be used as a great distraction, This ability also allows Gus to use his Glamour ability. The close will disappear upon impact.

Strength Enhancement - Gus is capable of enhancing the strength of his illusions, himself, or even others and the magic of others as proven in the First Day when Gus created buff arms for Willow's plant monster. The enhancement is still illusionary in nature.

Camouflage - as proven throughout the series, Gus can disguise himself and remove himself from the sight of his opponents. He can also do it to large chunks of areas or other people. As seen in KT he can also make his disappearance cover in flying birds. He could also potentially create bushes to camouflage as shown in Hooty's Moving Hassle.

Illusion Teleport - whether it's camouflage hiding his movement or true teleport, Gus can reappear wherever he pleases with a puff of smoke. The range of it doesn't seem big though. It was demonstrated during Covention.

Light Construct - Gus is capable of creating constructs of poor light. Usually unlike the illusions, they don't necessarily look like real objects but energy taken shape of objects, but can be used as effectively by creating tools Gus needs during the battle.

Illusion Construct - a stronger version of light construct, Gus is capable of creating constructs that seem like real objects. Gus showcased it throughout the series.

Illusion Beast - a stronger version of his illusion clones, where Gus is capable of creating living beings that are illusions. Said beings can take any form, be it mirror and gender-inverted versions of their opponents, or completely unrelated beings. Usually, however, the said beings don't necessarily have the true power of their own and are nothing but a mirage, though Gus potentially could create the illusion of damage they cause thanks to his strength-enhancing ability.

Absolute Darkness - Gus is capable of covering the entire battlefield in absolute darkness that can camouflage him and disorient his opponents. The darkness can be dispelled with enough force, though it's usually more durable than most of Gus's illusions. Gus can utilise this ability to hide his true intentions and sneak attack.

Illusion Terrain - Gus is capable of changing the terrain with his illusion magic however he pleases, taking the shape of anything from Gus's memory. Be it his room, the carnival, the graveyard, whatever. Said technique can be used to confuse and disorient his opponents. Gus is also capable of making the terrain switch from one imaginary to another. Sometimes the terrain can actually perfectly match the terrain that is beneath the illusion. It is also very difficult to cancel.

Illusion-Shifting Terrain - amplified version of the previous attack, in this case, the terrain is constantly shifting and moving, completely covering the battlefield that can disorient and confuse the opponent. Also, so many details at once constantly changing could give people some serious headaches with sensory overload.

Magic Cancel - not real magic cancel but with the help of Illusion Terrain, Gus is capable of making people believe their magic circles have no effect.

Sensory Confusion - as proven in TTLGR, Gus managed to somewhat successfully convince Bria that her hands were missing.

Traumatic Re-memory - Gus is capable of using his magic to get inside the heads of his opponents to make them re-live their worst memories. Gus can use this ability to learn the weaknesses of his opponents or render them completely useless as they are stuck in their own heads. The only person that is known to be able to resist this ability is Hunter as in some cases could stick for a long time depending on how strong-willed Gus's opponents are. This is Gus's most painful attack.

Trauma Bubble - a technique of traumatic re-memory. Rather than focusing his magic to invade the mind of someone, Gus creates a bubble of pure magical energy that anyone who touches it would begin to re-live their worst memories. The side effect of this shield is that Gus could also potentially be stuck inside the bubble for some time before managing to dispel it.

Mind Illusion - a variation of traumatic re-memory that isn't necessarily harmful but is the ultimate culmination of Gus's illusionary prowess by making his opponents be stuck in the maze of illusion that is solely inside their heads. Demonstrated by Hunter who was completely disoriented by Gus's illusion not being capable of seeing where Gus truly is and wandering from place to place that did not even exist. The illusions could be Gus's memories, his opponents' memories, or just illusionary images.

Link to more of Gus's capabilities here

Return to Masterpost

[dracobrooklyn]

OKAY I managed to get a screenshot of my Tav, Loreleia (ended up doing a Durge run myself with this character lol). Loreleia is a 247 yr old High Elf who is both an Archfey Warlock and Bard. Considering her background of growing up in nobility and her Charisma, I like to think she's not only charming, saying honey tongued words to sweet talk her way into things, but can be really deceptive and manipulative. She does love to dance a lot and does tend to use her magic from her patron to basically grab attention from her crowd whenever she plays her music or dances to basically be a distraction for her companions. Sorry if this is a lot >///< I just really love your writing sm

//I can finally cook, lemme get the goodies

|| MDNI || 18+

Want more Durge content check the Masterlist

How you both met:

I rolled a d10 for this and the both of you met at the Grove actually. Fighting off the Goblins and worgs that attacked. Durge appreciated the help and the courage you brought into the fight.

How do you both get along?:

Oh absolutely, Loreleia has a good charisma so it makes sense you gain the Dragonborn’s trust how Durge feels drawn to you while getting to k know the party members. You actually both talk through out the night a lot. Even when he is trying to remember his memories it’s all a blur to him. You even tried your best to help him but it’s all dead ends.

Who confessed first?:

Loreleia did, Durge was honestly surprised you thought of him as lover material. Honestly some of your party members notice Durge was pinning for you but the DragonBorn was too nervous to say anything especially when you flustered the helm out of him. You told him at the party when you finally defeated the Goblins. He was pretty happy to hear you like him that way. Now did you both have sex that night.

Yep after the party absolutely. You actually invited him and you both snuck out into the woods. He actually let you top while he was the power bottom. He was still in charge but he loved seeing you bouncing off his lap while you took in his large DragonBorn cock. But after awhile he just pinned you onto the ground with your knees folded over his shoulders and finished inside you biting your shoulder leaving a mark. Ouch~

Adorable headcannons?:

Durge loves to hear you sing, it soothes him and calms him down. I like to imagine he rests his head onto your lap and you stroke each horn on his head singing a soft song and he definitely falls asleep loving the sweet melody in his ears. You also taught him to dance with you. The way Durge was nervous at first but you were a good teacher. Maybe when they reach Baldurs gate you both should go to parties and dance.

He does give you pet names like “little sparrow.” Is one of them. Itov will always be a pet name (it means love in DragonBorn) and another would be “sia gra'kul” (it means my heart).

How does Seleritas feel about you:

The master choose a high elf as his mate? The thought, why couldn’t it be something vile that would worship Bhaal? The Butler accidentally thought you were Drow but Durge told him you were high elf. Ew really master? Cringe. But the butler kept his mouth shut, he don’t reveal himself to you until the time was right. Though he can see through your pretty face and charm. Nothing but a manipulative deceptive young woman… could try to convince the master to shape her to be a fine concubine maybe?

Good or bad ending?:

I assume you want Both so here are my thoughts

Good: Durge didn’t accept the gift of Bhaal and was no longer cursed. Being a noble family you had to introduce your new lover to your parents. It’s hard to tell if they were okay with the match making or not. Who to expect they’re daughter made love to a DragonBorn oh gods… but was their any marriage on the table? That’s up to you, after all you both are going to be together… also your parents expect grand kids cause you are a noble… Durge does have that breeding kink 👀 how many you want?

Bad: Durge finally getting the respect he deserves, killing Orin, takin the Slayers form. And claiming you as his consort. With a little convincing you definitely took his side. How he controls the Elder brain. “In Bhaal’s name.” He definitely has a short leash on you. Your on his lap on the throne, a hand definitely on your thigh close to your core not being subtle about it either. You’re his wife, his consort of enslaving Baldurs Gate. No one is to have you… anyone tries to even compliment you, he makes you watch grabbing the person’s head, breaking their jaw and taking a knife cutting their tongue off as the victim drowns in their own blood. Watching them suffer. They should know better

Hope this was good!!! I am so happy someone did this!!! Please if anyone want to know send your Tav’s please!!!

[riftwirecrystal]

Project Sekai - Sons of Yoisaki; Episode 1: The Mask of Deception

AO3 Link! https://archiveofourown.org/works/56695393/chapters/14412321

Our Current Team:

Shinonome Akito - Master of Fire

Kamishiro Rui - Master of Ice

Aoyagi Toya - Master of Earth

Tenma Tsukasa - Master of Lightning

Yoisaki Kanade - Master of Energy

Shinonome Ena - Master of Water

Akiyama Mizuki - Technology Manager

Episode 1 - The Mask of Deception

Kanade did not wake up thinking this would be anything but a normal day. Even if it was the Dragon Day celebration.

She had already commenced her daily search for her missing master, but nothing had come up. She had been in this apartment for an entire year.

The rest of her team had split, doing whatever they could, wherever they could.

Kanade remained.

Of course, she wasn't entirely alone. Mizuki kept her company from within the databases of the computer systems. They would speak to her; as that was the only way they could do so.

All Kanade thought about was how she couldn't fail someone else. She had to save them.

“I must keep searching,” was the phrase she repeated everyday to herself. Nightfall is when the topic finally drifted out of her mind, but not of acceptance. More so of distraction. Police officials had reported six suspicious individuals outside Akiyama Tower. Civilians hadn't noticed as they were partying in the streets.

Kanade’s head immediately shot up at this relay. A chance to do something, to contribute to something again, rather than endlessly searching for someone who might never be found.

“Perhaps this will give you something exciting to do! At least to take your mind off of… y'know,” Mizuki chimed through the speakers. Kanade smiled, even though they couldn't see it. Mizuki remotely opened the cabinet towards Kanade's right, and Kanade grinned at the sight of her uniform.

Six strange individuals working their way up Akiyama Tower. Six strange individuals. Six. The number was familiar to Kanade. But it couldn't be the rest of her friends; she was not with them. Peering over the edge of the top of the tower, she caught a glimpse of what they looked like. Six people wearing matching outfits, each had a differently colored biker helmet.

Not them, she thought to herself. As if there was any chance that they were. They hadn't contacted her in a long while, and she wasn't sure if they would respond if she reached out to them instead.

The one in green seemed to be the leader. Green like her. Whoever it was, he unsheathed the two red katanas on his back and sliced along the glass in the shape of a circle. The glass fell away.

Kanade couldn't see them after they went inside the building, but she waited above the glass windows until they came out.

After about a minute, the alarms sounded and the group ran out, holding a strange red mask.

Kanade smirked. Maybe today would be interesting for her after all.

Jumping down from the overhang, she took the group by surprise. “Nice masks,” she started. “You could almost pass for a ninja!” The six of them weren't amused, and they unsheathed their swords.

Kanade smiled and unsheathed a blade of her own. The ones in the white and gray helmets lunged at her first. She easily parried both of them, locking blades, before launching them into some of the glass windows.

The red one was the only other one to attack her, before the rest of them set up a zipline and rode away. Kanade powered up her spinjitzu and quickly disabled him.

She peered over the edge, along the zipline. Climbing up onto the ledge, she took a deep breath.

“Been a hot minute, huh?” she asked herself.

And she slid down the rope.

“Mizuki, lock onto my location. I'm going to need transportation,” she said through her earpiece.

Mizuki laughed. “Ah, you're actually getting exercise, huh?~”Kanade did not say anything.

The leader was now at the end of the rope. One of his followers was still riding, but it seemed to Kanade that he didn't care.

He cut the rope.

Kanade grabbed onto the end of it and swung around to catch the falling member. Smirking, she dropped the gray masked thief into the arms of a police officer before dropping to the ground herself.

“I could really do with that transportation right about now!” By now, Kanade felt a little annoyed.

Mizuki giggled in her earpiece. “Relax! Incoming transportation in three, two, one!~”

Kanade stopped right as headlights shone down the alley across from her. The cockpit of the car swung open as it came to a halt right in front of her.

Jumping in, Kanade immediately took control of the wheel, and the cockpit closed in on her. The systems fired up and the car swerved to chase the rest of the thieves.

She passed two more members in the custody of the police. Guess they actually did something for once, she thought to herself. The leader was the only one left.

“Locking on to whoever this guy is, now! You can thank me later,~” Mizuki chimed. Kanade groaned. “I'm tired already. My legs hurt. Who am I even chasing?”

Mizuki paused for a moment, presumably looking through files. “Well, he or she isn’t in any of our records, so I'm not exactly sure. You'll figure it out!”

Kanade sighed. “I hate you sometimes.”

The leader overlooked one of the freeway edges, the mask in hand. He had removed the green helmet, and now sported a black helmet with a red visor. In the street lighting, the bag on his back was more visible. Kanade opened the cockpit and dashed towards the mysterious individual.

He jumped.

The bag on his back turned out to be a parachute. Gliding down, he landed on a passing boat, and floated under a tunnel.

Kanade stopped. She didn't follow him.

“What's up? You had that guy right there!” Mizuki exclaimed.

Kanade stuttered. “There's… there's something wrong. That parachute…”

“You know I can't see, right?” Mizuki asked, annoyed.

Kanade paused for a few seconds. “That parachute. The words on it… it read…”

“The Sons of Yoisaki.”

Mizuki didn't laugh, didn't giggle, and they didn't even add a fufu~ into their response. “Shall I contact the others?”

Ena didn't realize just how hot it could get out in the countryside. The farmers must be exhausted everyday.

Recently, there’s been rumors of rogue warriors forcing the farmers to work for them. Ena was suspicious about these so-called rumors, and had decided to investigate the fields, mainly because of the abundance of water there.

That didn't stop Ena from complaining. Although she was right about the warriors, Ena complained all the time. It seemed her negativity was infectious, because the farmers she stayed with were starting to complain too. Mainly about Ena.

Today she decided to do something, for once.

The fields nearby were occupied by a few farmers and three warriors. Ena could easily get rid of them.

Picking up a long stick and two water buckets hanging from it, she hauled the load over her shoulders and set off towards the field.

“You, peasant! Fetch me some water!” The first thing she hears, and it's an order.

Ena doesn't really like following orders.

She smirks, and tilts her head up towards them. “Oh, what's that? Thirsty?” Ena asked, smiling.

They seemed to recognize her now. "That's the Master of Water!" The two other warriors backed up, and eventually ran from the hills, leaving their swords. The one who told Ena to bring him water stayed.

“I'll take you, ninja,” he proclaimed.

Ena dropped the buckets and swirled the two masses of water around her, pressing it into a vortex. Spraying it outwards was as simple as breathing to Ena. She was one with the water; and the water one with her. Feeling the force of the water, she pushed it towards the warrior, like expelling a sneeze.

The warrior didn't stand a chance. Flying into the watery rice fields, he splashed and knocked over a few stray weeds, before grimacing at Ena and leaving. The farmers cheered.

Ena smiled. Her enjoyment wasn't long-lived.

“Ena, we have a new task for you! I'm sure you'll enjoy the excitement, ehehe,~” Mizuki chimed through her earpiece, almost shouting.

Ena sighed. “Here we go again.”

Tsukasa didn't understand how Toya was possibly this dense. It was so simple! Even Akito could probably understand it. They had been talking about it all the way up the mountain, and they were now past the doors. The air was cold outside and Tsukasa wanted shelter.

“All I'm saying,” Tsukasa started, while pushing the temple doors closed, “is that if someone brought us to another universe when we were babies, no one would even know the difference!”

Toya sighed. “Really, Tsukasa. You need to get your brain checked out.” They heard that an old master who had lost their memory had been taken in by the temple on this mountain. They were hopeful in their search this time.

“Excuse me,” Toya started. “I'm Toya, the Master of Earth. This is Tsukasa, Master of blabber.”

“Lightning!” Tsukasa cut in.

Toya ignored him. “We're looking for a lost master who we heard wandered by. She's about yay tall with twin pigtails and blue hair?”

The monk frowned at them and pointed towards the other side of the hall.

“THANK YOU!!” Tsukasa yelled. The monk flinched.

Strolling into the room across the way, Tsukasa was excited. Not just because of the possibility their master might soon be found, but at the possibility that maybe the search would be over, and things would go back to normal.

That all shattered when they walked into the room.

The “master” they had been pointed to was a bulky, crude-looking, and metal version of their master. How it existed, Tsukasa had no idea. He didn't question it either.

Toya started the argument. “I told you she wasn't going to be here!”

“Well, if only you had been better at convincing me!” Tsukasa yelled back.

The fight between the two went on for a while until one of the monks butted in. “Will you both stop fighting??”

Tsukasa stopped, surprised at the monk's loud interjection. Toya did too, confused. The monk covered his mouth.

Another monk yelled “HA! I told you you wouldn't be able to keep your vow of silen-” He realized his mistake and cut himself off.

Soon the entire temple was filled with the shouts of the enraged and angry monks. How this happened, Tsukasa and Toya had forgotten.

Tsukasa's earpiece buzzed amidst the chaos. He moved his hand up to press the button.

“Tsukasa,” it started. It was Mizuki's voice. “We have a mission for you.” He looked up at Toya.

They both nodded and ran out of the temple.

Akito didn't really know why he had chosen to go on this mission with Rui. Rui, of all people.

Honestly, that was probably the worst of his concerns right now. Highest on the list, let him think about it for a second, might just be getting scorched by a beam of fire.

“Honestly, do you ever get tired of this?” Akito asked. It was a genuine question. He didn't know how the Mechanic found joy in scorching random objects and being arrested in a looping cycle.

She laughed. “Of course not! Specifically because of the fact that I get to annoy you!”

Rui cuts in. “Airi Momoi, you are under arrest for arson and vandalism. Please hold where you are until police gets here unless-”

“HA!” she cries. “Unless what? You two ‘ninja’ can hardly work together, so unless-”

Rui, annoyed, returned her favor by encasing her completely in ice.

Akito begrudgingly walked back over to Rui. “Well, at least I wasn't right behind her. Getting frozen by you is no fun,” Akito lamented. Rui chuckled.

Akito sighed. It could be worse. In all honesty, he'd rather be with Rui instead of Tsukasa. He couldn't stand being on a mission with him, despite being good friends.

His thoughts were interrupted by an incoming transmission from Mizuki. Rui answered it on his comm first, so Akito just listened to what they were saying.

“Rui, Akito,” they started. “We have a new mission for you.”

Rui glanced up at Akito. Akito rolled his eyes.

And they took off towards downtown.

Kanade walked into the designated meeting room last. Everyone else had already arrived.

“Well, well! If it isn't our little Miss Kanade!” Ena greeted her with a hug. “It's been a bit, hm?”

Kanade smiled. “I guess so.” A few seconds of awkward silence before Kanade realized they were all smiling and staring at her still.

“Erm,” she struggled to get the words out. “What is it?”

Akito spoke up first, with a smirk on his face. “Your voice. It's more…”

Tsukasa chimed in next. “Commanding! Loud? Maybe just a tad more confident!”

She blushed, not knowing when this had exactly happened. Ena chimed in first. “Any word from your mother?”

Kanade shook her head. “She's been missing for a while. I'm not sure where she is, or what happened.”

Toya put his hand on Kanade's shoulder. “She'll come back, Kanade. I'm certain of it. As will Miku.”

Kanade brushed his hand off of her. “Not everyone comes back, Toya.” The rest of them nodded silently. “However, that isn't the reason I've called you here. You're all here because of this. Amia?”

“Here. Pulling up the display,” Mizuki confirmed.

Kanade held her phone out as a projection emitted from the screen. It showed a picture of the parachute from the heist that Mizuki must've captured through the camera recordings in Kanade's mask.

“The Sons of Yoisaki?” Akito asked.

“A growing crime syndicate that's been more active and prominent in recent months,” Rui explained.

Kanade nodded. “About seventy-two hours ago, a group of criminals from the Sons of Yoisaki stole a powerful relic from Yuuki Akiyama. Some mask-”

A figure walked into the room and cut Kanade off. “Not ‘some’ mask. An Oni mask. There are only three in existence.”

“Wait,” Tsukasa started. “You just said there were three masks, but I thought you also said it was the ONLY mask??”

“Not only, dipshit! Oni Mask,” Ena corrected.

“The Oni are said to be extremely powerful beings of destruction that predate our realm itself,” Rui explained.

“Each mask wields different powers of the Oni. When united, they could unleash a terrible power upon the world.”

Kanade moved over to beside the newcomer. “Guys, this is Shiho Hinomori, the Master at Arms and Counsel to the Royal Family. I've personally asked her to be here.”

“Wait, we have a Royal Family?” Akito asked.

“Apologies if you aren't familiar,” Shiho started, in a rather condescending tone. “They like to keep their matters to themselves.”

“Let me guess,” Toya started. “They have an Oni Mask too.”

“NOW THERE'S TWO??” Tsukasa yelled. Ena covered his mouth.

Shiho continued. “The Emperor will be speaking out to the public tomorrow, and I'm worried that an advance on the Oni Mask may happen during the celebration. We could use your assistance, if…” She looked at Tsukasa. “You could keep a low profile.”

Rui smiled. “We're ninja. That's our job.”

Kanade nodded. “Just let us know the time and place.”

At the venue, the ninja could hardly focus on the speech. Not because they were actually doing their job, but mainly because it was so utterly boring. There were tons of decorations and loud noises all over, which Tsukasa took a liking to.

Ena groaned. “What's the point of making such a public speech if you're supposed to keep to yourself all the time?”

Tsukasa jumped in. “Obviously they want their words to reach the masses! JUST LIKE A WORLD FUTU-”

Mizuki cut off his earpiece per request of Akito.

“Why all the hate? Not like you really care about whether they're public or not.” Akito asked.

“Well, for starters, they don't even have any power to begin with. What's the point of all this show for nothing?” Ena retorted.

Rui stepped in. “Their purpose is to be sacred and protected, as like our other traditions we celebrate.”

“I guess,” Ena grumbled.

“A-ha! I think I finally turned it back on. CAN YOU HEAR M-” Tsukasa was once again shut off.

Looking up at Kanade, Rui chuckled to himself. “Looks like someone has eyes for the princess! Fufu~”

“Betting her favorite color is green!” Ena exclaimed. They all burst out laughing.

“You know I can hear literally everything you're saying,” Kanade finally replied.

“Finally defending yourself?” Rui asked.

Kanade sighed. “Let's just do our job, alright? The speech is almost over, so-” Kanade cut herself off, as she saw a balloon with the words Sons of Yoisaki on it. “Guys, I saw-”

Cracking sounds filled the venue as the crowd dived into a panicked frenzy.

Thinking quickly, Kanade turned her attention towards the Royal Family and tackled the Empress and the Princess to the ground. Shiho made sure to do the same for the Emperor.

“Is the threat all clear?” Kanade asked after the sounds resided. Ena searched around the area before her glance fell on used firecrackers. “It was a false alarm. They were firecrackers.”

Shiho got up, and brushed her shoulders off. “Well, you protected the Royal Family. You have their respect and gratitude. They have invited you to stay as guests in the Royal Palace.”

Tsukasa lit up. “Wow! No one ever gets to be invited into the Palace! Are you SUUREEE they meant us??”

“Eh,” Ena dismissed. “It's just a palace. I've definitely seen my first share already. Seen one, seen ‘em all.”

Kanade rolled her eyes. “We'd be honored.”

Walking up the stairs to the outer gates, they met with Shiho once again.

“Welcome to the Royal Palace, also known as the Palace of Secrets,” Shiho introduced.

“Wait, why do they call it the Palace of Secrets?” Akito asked.

“If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret now, would it?” Shiho responded.

The ninja, minus Ena, all gasped in astonishment at the sheer scale and glamor of the Palace.

“Would you look at that,” Akito said, surprisingly impressed.

“I already feel like I'm ROYAL!! AS A WORLD FUTURE STAR SHOULD!!” Tsukasa exclaimed.

“I agree, fufu,~ it's quite beautiful,” Rui remarked.

“Mhm. I could really get used to living in a place like this,” Toya said.

Kanade shut them down. “Well, don't. We're only here as guests, and then we get to go back to protecting the rest of the city.”

They muttered to themselves in disappointment as Ena voiced her complaint. “Too much shine, in my opinion.”

Shiho opened the Palace doors. “I present to you, the revered Emperor and Empress of Ninjago, and their daughter, the Jade Princess, Princess Mafuyu Asahina.”

The Emperor stood from his throne. “It is our honor to be in your presence.”

“The honor is all ours, your majesty,” Kanade said.

The princess seemed excited, almost to the point where it seemed like over-the-top acting, like Tsukasa. “I've read all about you,” she said. “Your heroics are already legendary!”

She turned her attention to each of them, one by one, starting with Akito. “Akito Shinonome, the Master of Fire. Your drive and passion fuel your love for protecting innocent people.”

Akito smirked. “Sounds like me.”

“Toya Aoyagi, the Master of Earth. Your responsible and grounded mannerisms anchor the team, and act as their foundation.”

Toya smiled and nodded.

“Tsukasa Tenma, the Master of Lightning. The loud, imaginative one, your sense of humor adds life and depth to your team.”

Tsukasa took it upon himself to strike a pose.

“Rui Kamishiro, the quick and empathetic Master of Ice. You may be an android, but that doesn't stop you from helping wherever you can.”

Rui chuckled. “I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves, after all, fufufu~”

She continued. “Ena Shinonome, the girl ninja,” she started. Ena scowled at her with disappointment before she continued. “The Master of Water, and the girl I've always looked up to. With her flowing mood, powerful voice, and skill that could rival any other master.”

Ena smiled at this. “I like this one,” she announced to the rest of them.

“And last but not least, Master Kanade Yoisaki. The legendary Green Ninja. The smallest of them all, but by far the most powerful. It's not just you who has parental issues… I lost my parents too,” Princess Asahina said.

“Erm, what?” Tsukasa asked. The Emperor cut in. “We adopted Mafuyu and raised her after her parents passed away.”

“Well, thank you for inviting into your home,” Kanade said, changing the subject.

“You have our daughter to thank for that. It was her idea,” the Empress said.

“And she said that she'd like you to stay until the threat is over,” the Emperor added. “These are most troubled times, and as long as we have an Oni Mask, we feel we may be in danger.”

Princess Asahina continued. “The masks must never be united. Please help us.”

Kanade nodded to confirm. “You can count on us.”

The Emperor nodded and waved Shiho off as she motioned for the ninja to follow her with her hand.

Shiho took them to a separate banquet hall, where she continued to explain. “While staying as honored guests, you'll have full service to the Palace's amenities, including the banquet buffet bar, and the large amount of information in the library.”

Rui beamed at the mention of the library. “I'll definitely be studying up, fufu.~ Never know what I might find, eh?”

Shiho nodded. “The buffet bar has a large selection of foods, with exotic fruits and vegetables, main courses upon request, and of course, all-you-can-eat cake.”

Toya laughed nervously. “I, uh… I gave up cake a while back. Bad cooking disaster,” he explained.

Ena burst out in laughter. “You mean that biohazardous excuse for a ‘cake’ that gave Akito food poisoning? I loved that thing!”

“I didn't,” Akito remarked. Toya motioned that he felt the same as well.

As they walked into the library foyer from the banquet hall, they started talking again. “Of course, a Palace of Secrets wouldn't be so without secret passages. Unfortunately, guests don't have high enough clearance to learn what those are, so banish the thought from your mind,” Shiho told them.

“Wait,” Tsukasa started, confused. “What was the point of bringing it up if you won't tell us? A-HAH! Doesn't matter! I'll find them all myself!”

Kanade flinched at his proposal. “Tsukasa, please don-”

She was cut off by maniacal laughter and Tsukasa pulling several books off of the shelf next to them.

Ena sighed. “You better clean up your mess afterwards,” she started. “Or I'm going to whoop your ass.”

“I thought you didn't care about being guests here,” Akito pointed out. She didn't have a good response to that, so she grumbled to herself.

Mizuki chimed in over their earpieces as Shiho left the library for the next room. “Anyone else getting a feeling she might not be entirely truthful…?”

Ena responded first. “The princess might've sold me, but she sure doesn't.” The rest of them mumbled in agreement. “There's definitely something she's hiding. But who's to say it's bad?” Kanade asked them.

“Are you coming?” Shiho asked from the other room.

They all followed Kanade and Shiho out of the library and into a secluded room with a singular glass case in the center.

“This is the reason you are here. To protect the Mask of Deception,” she explained.

Akito looked a bit closer, then made a face at it. “Jeez, could that thing be any uglier?”

“Guess you could call it a face only a mother could love. Hey, just like you!” Ena teased. Akito flicked her head, which shut her up.

“If this is the Mask of Deception, what was taken from Akiyama Tower?” Toya asked.

“The Mask of Vengeance. And although the third mask, the Mask of Hatred has yet to be found, it's hardly a comfort to the Royal Family. Which is why you are tasked with guarding this mask,” Shiho responded curtly.

During her explanation, Kanade wandered a bit off. Exploring the rooms and halls around the mask, making sure to note all possible entrances.

Curiously, she opened the door down the hall from the mask. It opened into a room, or rather what looked like a suite of some sort. Peering inside, she noticed a figure behind the folding wall. It was slim and tall, so she assumed it was the princess. She struggled to make out what she was doing until she saw a piece of clothing be draped over the top of the folding wall.

Embarrassed and flustered, she closed the door before Princess Asahina could notice.

Walking back into the conversation, she heard Shiho finish up her speech. “We are trusting you are capable of guarding the mask and the Royal Family,” Shiho told them.

“I assure you, we'll make sure to do our job as best we can,” Kanade confirmed.

“Eastern outside perimeter is all clear,” Akito reported.

“Same with the Western side,” Ena added. As she finished her sentence, she spotted Shiho looking around the courtyard suspiciously. She waved at Akito from the other side and pointed to her. He nodded in confirmation, but Shiho saw their exchange, and returned inside to the palace.

“Hm. Who's watching who?” Ena asked herself.

“Akito and Ena are on perimeter shift, so you're allowed to have dinner,” Kanade told Tsukasa.

“Finally! I was waiting to have a taste of that cake!” Tsukasa announced. Toya still shook his head and insisted for Tsukasa to take his portion.

Rui chuckled. “I'm not required to eat anything, but it's still nice to have dinner with you all.”

While the rest of them were occupied, Kanade was in the display case room, studying the mask. It seemed intricately designed and colored, the bright orange working well with the muted gray and black, and felt like a strange aura emitted from it, even through the display case. The face, ugly as it is, was brilliantly designed and seemed to give off an intimidating vibe.

“So you're the Mask of Deception, hm?” she asked herself. As she stepped back to get a better look, the sound of glass breaking filled her ears. It seemed like it came from the hallway that connected to the princess’ room. The princess!

Rushing towards the closed door, she tried to open it, but it was locked shut. She tried to see if she was perhaps in there. “Princess? Are you in there?” No response. Kanade pushed her body in the door to get it to open, and after the third try, it did. “Princess Asahina?”

No one was in there. Glancing around the room, she noticed the broken glass window, rummaged belongings, and torn curtains that hadn't been there earlier. She dashed up to the open window to see a hooded figure in green carrying a sack that seemed big enough to fit a person inside.

Not thinking twice about herself, Kanade jumped out the window.

She had to save her.

And that's the end of the first episode/chapter! J didn't expect for it to be this long, but here it is. It'll probably take me a while for the second one, but I promise it'll be out eventually

Hope y’all enjoyed!

[burnwater13]

Din Djarin holding Grogu, while Peli Motto stands next to them, on the Streets of Mos Espa, Tatooine. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 7, In the Name of Honor. Calendar by DateWorks.

Grogu wondered how Peli knew that the Force was mysterious. Most people who weren’t raised by the Jedi thought it was pretty straight forward. It’s energy just waiting around to be used by anyone trained to use it. Like a light source or a power supply. It seemed simple because the explanation of the Force being energy that was created by every living thing is pretty simple. 

That’s what the Jedi told people who weren’t Jedi. Simple. Neat. Packaged. Easy to digest. No mystery there. 

So how the heck had Peli Motto found out that the Force was actually deceptive and complicated? Who told her? Someone blabbed and Grogu knew it wasn’t him. He also didn’t think that it would have been Obi-Wan. Master Kenobi was happy to let folks think the Force was like electricity. Not complicated but dangerous if used foolishly. 

But Grogu knew that the Force was complicated. It was also dangerous, but that wasn’t just because someone was being foolish. Nope. You could be doing something in a very serious, thoughtful manner, and the Force would put you on your butt and tell you not to get up until you learned to respect it. That had happened to Grogu more than once or twice. 

He thought about his first lesson with a training saber and how focused and thoughtful he was trying to be, but to no avail. He had tried holding the small wooden saber as the other younglings did, but it was still twice his height, so when he held it down it thumped on the floor. The master teaching them had frowned at him. Then they were commanded to brandish the weapon in front of themselves and he accidentally hit the youngling standing to that side. They fell down because of course Grogu had hit them right behind the knee. Oops. 

The younglings were commanded to take two more steps away from each other. Grogu didn’t move at all. He was standing in the middle of an empty circle. None of the other younglings wanted to get hit by him. They had taken three steps. He remembered trying to focus again on not hitting himself, the floor, or anyone in the room. That’s when the Force decided that the lesson was not going the way it wanted things to go. 

The lesson started up again. A simple request to hold the wooden saber horizontally, centered across your body. Grogu did that and was quite happy about it. No thumping against the floor. No whacking a fellow student. No floating above the floor… Oops! He was definitely floating above the floor. He hadn’t meant to do that. 

“Youngling Grogu. Empty your mind. Return to the floor immediately.”

What? Grogu was confused. Was he supposed to empty his mind or return to the floor? Or did he have to do both and in that order? He guessed that he was so supposed to do both and in that order, but the Force had other ideas. 

When you are using the Force and empty your mind a couple of things can happen. You can stop everything you’re doing and return to some base status, like standing on the floor. Or… you can float up until your head hits the ceiling of the room, drop anything you’re holding and then fall to the floor like a rock, landing on whatever you dropped. Grogu did the ‘or’. 

The thump was awful. But it wasn’t worse than a couple of the other younglings rushing over to check on him and slipping on the wooden saber that his coverall was partially covering because he had landed on it when he fell. The ‘oof’ and ‘ouch’ were almost as bad as the thump. And the clatter of their sabers falling filled the room with an awful sound. He wondered why the Force thought that was a lesson he needed to learn. 

Of course he got back to his feet. Apologized to the two who had fallen on top of him and then apologized to the whole class for causing a distraction. Their instructor asked him to go to the back of the room and simply sit and watch the rest of the class as they were instructed on what to do. Grogu had agreed and trotted to the back of the room, sat down and held his practice saber across his lap. If this is what his instructor wanted then that’s what he would get. Except the Force didn’t agree. 

Grogu was simply watching the class go through the various poses and saber positions, and tried to remember the names that their master was calling out so he could match them to actions he would take when it was safe for him to practice. 

“Swing Down Right”, “Thrust Upward Left”, “Quarter Turn, Thrust”, “Half Turn Slash”, “Block Left”, “Block Right”, “Jump”. 

That last command to “jump” was something the Force had been waiting for apparently. All of the other younglings jumped. Only Grogu remained on the ground. But instead of landing, the other younglings remained in the air. Floating. 

Grogu didn’t know what the heck was going on, but it didn’t matter. At just that moment Master Yoda entered the class. 

“Mysterious the Force is. Unpredictable. Do not forget this lesson.”

Then the Jedi Master raised one hand and the younglings began to slowly descend to the floor. Grogu was very impressed, until he looked over at his own left hand and realized that he had been the reason the other younglings had been floating. He slowly lowered his hand. 

Master Yoda called to their instructor and they both walked over to Grogu, who was quite embarrassed about what had happened. 

“All students must learn and you must see them all to teach them. In the front he shall be placed.”

“Of course Master Yoda. My apologies.”

“Learn we all through life. Patience he will teach you. Thoughtfulness. Padawans we all are when new masters we find.”

Was that it? Was Peli really a master? And Din Djarin was her padawan? If that was the case, then the Force really was mysterious.

Din Djarin holding onto the back of a mech driven carriage, while Peli Motto aims a blaster at a Scorpanek Droid, on the Streets of Mos Espa, Tatooine. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 7, In the Name of Honor. Caption reads: The Force works in mysterious ways.

[yakool-foolio]

Any idea of how your OCs would interact with the canon characters?

I actually was gonna write up a whole post about my OCs dynamics with canon characters on my own, but I greatly appreciate the ask! I'll list off Ringo and Lieu's dynamics with their respective groups (NDA detectives and peacekeepers, of course)! Buckle your seatbelts, fellas, it's gonna be a long ride!

Ringo and the NDA detectives

Yuma - If there's one person who's the easiest to rope into Ringo's spontaneous plans, it's Yuma. As much as Yuma worries for his and Ringo's safety, he can't deny he's just as excited to go on stake out missions to catch criminals. Unfortunately, Yuma ends up being the bait in the schemes most of the time. But Ringo doesn't give the rookie any chance to argue before they spring into action. Outside of their detective work, Ringo and Yuma form a loose friendship, both yearning for companionship, but aren't quite used to each other's energy levels. The mirage detective can't help but confide to Yuma about their negative experience with the WDO; partly to get their own feelings out to someone willing to listen, and also to test if talking shit about the organization will spark Yuma's memories somehow, but no dice.

Halara - With extensive knowledge about the WDO's history to improve their standing within the organization, Halara is aware of the Ignis family's once outstanding presence dwindling into obscurity over time. They originally use this information on Ringo's family's relation to the WDO to judge their character and have the upper hand in discussion. This leads to them starting off on the wrong foot, Ringo standing firm against Halara's harsh judgment of his family due to something out of anyone's control other than the organization that started their downfall. But after many tense arguments, the two eventually give in and reveal their motivations for being a part of the WDO. They both want to raise money earned from their job toward good causes, such as the charity to save cats and funding research to treat and cure the Ignis bloodline's hereditary disease. Their interactions slowly start to turn to the positive as they share in a love for reptiles. Animals mend all strained ties.

Desuhiko - Putting these two together is like releasing two dogs with a bad case of the zoomies into the streets. They work exceedingly well as a duo for investigations, utilizing both their Fortes to the fullest potential as masters of deception. However, they are also prone to getting so far off track from their original objective it's like swerving off a cliff. They're easily entertained and distracted by anything that catches their attention. Desuhiko also helps Ringo understand that their illusions might not be as powerful as they wish they were, but they can still be used for a lot of good, even if all they are are distractions. They're the agency's entertainers, making sure everyone's spirits are lifted by their jokes and gags.

Fubuki - In an inverse of what would typically happen when ya put someone next to a scheming Ringo, Fubuki is actually the one who comes up with adventurous plans to take them on first! Getting up to even stranger shenanigans than Ringo is used to, it's always a pleasant surprise when he's around her. They sympathize with Fubuki's isolation at home, even if they're on different sides of the coin. Ringo's isolation being purposeful on their part, while Fubuki's parents kept her inside without her having a say in the matter until they kicked her out. No matter what, they both enjoy each other's company after years of confinement.

Vivia - Oops, they're narrative foils! With Ringo's tendency to overwork himself due to their acknowledgement that he could die an early death, he prefers to appreciate life as fast as possible and do as much as they can. However, once Ringo inevitably tuckers themself out from their work, he finds an unlikely companionship with Vivia. The phantom detective indirectly teaches Ringo about enjoying life in the little things and taking it slow, but not all of his ideology gets through to them. Ringo is still quick to criticize Vivia for his laziness and wish for death, which he doesn't budge on. They may not entirely see eye to eye, but if the right conditions are met, they make for good company.

Yakou - As much as the chief loves having someone around willing to do chores for free, he can't help but worry about Ringo overworking themself and their knack for getting involved with cases the detectives' aren't focused on. Yakou was informed of Ringo's lineage before they arrived to Kanai Ward, but he could hardly prepare himself to take on the task of working with an Ignis--a younger and spritely one at that. Despite the initial fears, Yakou is just as protective of Ringo as he is with the rest of his detectives. Yakou tends to refer to Ringo as 'Jazz', since he'll often encounter the mirage detective doing chores at the agency while listening to jazz on the radio.

Lieu/Sylvester and the peacekeepers

Swank - Since Lieu's a bit higher in the pecking order, they always try to have one over Swank by consistently challenging him to gamble with them. He never gives them the satisfaction of winning, however, far too attached to his money to ever risk the chance of losing it to a former street rat. Swank is the one in charge of handling bounties on whistleblowers, so he's usually the one to rake in the cash from Lieu's missions. As much as they bug each other, he can't deny they're an efficient moneymaker.

Seth - While Yomi has direct ownership of Lieu as one of his hitmen, Lieu works alongside Seth most often. Seth runs his own botanical garden within the corporation, and Lieu voluntarily assists him in taking care of it since they use many of the poisonous plants grown there for their missions. While it may seem like the formation of a friendship, Lieu doesn't make it easy by making Seth their (thankfully metaphorical) punching bag when they're having a rough day. It's an unfortunate side effect of being around Lieu the most after Aide died. Seth learns to not be so intimidated by them since they never actually have any plans to harm him, far too needy of his garden to sour things any further.

Dominic - In a surprising turn of events, Lieu respects Dominic the most out of the lower rungs of the higher-ups. And by respect, it means they know not to fuck around with him. Ever since Lieu heard of Dominic surviving a war and still being just as strong as if it barely even mattered, they understand why he's not to be tested as someone's who's scraped by many of their own fights when they were younger. Lieu can help but wonder what it'd be like to arm wrestle with him though, yet they know better than to sign themself up for a death wish. Since Lieu doesn't mess with him, Dominic doesn't mess with them either. They're on equal footing.

Guillaume - On the other hand, Lieu detests Guillaume. She pesters the hitman without fear, since she's well aware that they can't lay a finger on her unless they want to be punched into the next decade by a protective Dominic. Lieu avoids her at all costs if they can help it, and they will usually end up trudging back to Seth's office to let off some steam by yelling about their frustrations to the gardener. Guillaume has no business with Lieu, but she still insists on getting under their skin. Maybe it's some sort of secret technique to make Lieu all the more ferocious during their missions, but it's purpose is doubtful at best.

Yomi - While Yomi is the one who took Aide and Lieu in to work as his hitmen, Lieu's view of him decayed over time. What once was admiration and respect fell into jealousy. Yomi paid far more attention to Aide and gave him everything he wanted, all while Lieu was left with scraps. Yomi kept pulling Aide further and further away from Lieu, which fueled their sentimentality and other emotions that Yomi ordered them to discard as a hitman. And after Aide's death, both of them are far more outwardly aggressive toward each other, Lieu despising Yomi's choice to assign Aide to that mission, and Yomi wishing he'd sent Lieu on that train instead. Lieu lost a lifelong friend, Yomi lost his right hand man.

Martina - The two first meet each other over (nonpoisonous) drinks, venting about the ones closest to them slipping away to be with another guy. They quickly find common ground, realizing that they're being abandoned by Yomi and Aide. When the ones they love continue to leave them, they learn to rely on each other instead. It's shocking how quickly they form a tight bond, fueling each other's artistically violent desires, as if spitting in the faces of the two that gave up on them just as fast. When Yomi sends Martina away to be cubed, it's Lieu that witnesses her being dragged away and contacts Makoto about it first. If Lieu couldn't keep Aide by their side, they'll do what they can to make sure Martina is there instead. Martina swears she'll find a way to take Yomi down, not just for her sake, but for Lieu's as well. Yeah, they're fruity.

[reashot]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while I been busy. And yes part 3 is coming don't worry.

But anyway here is an excerpt from a fluff fic I'm currently writing on to sate my followers both old and new. This the part where Jaune finally realize his feelings for Ruby and then forces himself on her... Just read it explain the entire thing.

_____________________________________________

...

'Wow, so they do sell a smoothie so large people can't possibly finish it.' Jaune thought seeing Ruby gulping the strawberry flavored drink. And upon seeing the way she drinks it. Jaune can't help but to compare her to a hamster with how her cheeks puffed out every time she takes a drink from the straw, this caused a smile to appear on his face. 

Ruby, confused by seeing Jaune smiling. Ask him a question. "Jaune, what's so funny? 

Jaune simply answered "It's you Ruby. The way you drink is so cute." 

Ruby quickly removes her mouth from the straw and blushes after hearing that Jaune called her cute. "Jaune! You say you won't tease me anymore?" 

"I'm not teasing you Ruby. I'm telling the truth. You are incredibly cute." Jaune said without a hint of deception. 

Ruby's face turns brighter and brighter as more blood starts to pump into her face. She then remembered something about a bet she made. "Ah hah! I'm on to you mister. You are just saying I'm cute to distract me from finishing my drink so you don't have to give me the reward. I can see right through you buster!" 

"I said I wasn't kidding Ruby. In fact I think you are actually quite… " Jaune then sees Ruby in a different light. In the literal sense. He sees a ray of sunset lights shine on Ruby. Her features that Jaune sees on the regular basis are now highlighted. Her beautiful silver eyes, her adorable nose, her blushing cheek, her kissable lips… Jaune then shook his head after thinking that. 'Dang it Jaune you stupid horn dog! Get a grip, she's Ruby, she's your friend for Oum sake. And she doesn't see you like that, but after seeing her entire face Jaune can't stop whatever feeling he keeps feeling for some reason. Is it love? Before he even realized it Ruby had become a woman. He can't help but want to know whether the feeling he felt is true or not. But then he remembered Clover's advice. "Discovering what I like…" He said to himself quietly hoping that Ruby would not be able to hear him. 

"Did you say something, Jaune?" Ruby unfortunately however is still able to hear what Jaune just said.

Of course Jaune never expected for Ruby to hear him. But Jaune, ever the master tactician, used the opportunity to check the water first, before taking the dip as people like to put it. 

Here goes nothing Jaune prepares himself for what he's about to say next… "Ruby, I said you look beautiful…" Jaune then readies himself for the aftershock. 

"Eh... Come again?" To say Ruby was shocked by what she heard was an understatement. 

"I sa- I said. You look beautiful, Ruby." Jaune stuttered as he repeated those words to Ruby. 

"I'm beautiful... What are you saying Jaune?" Ruby does not know how to take this information. 

"I'm saying you look pretty, Ruby! Not only that you are cute, gorgeous, wonderful, awesome… " Jaune continues adding as many positive expletives to Ruby. 

Ruby's face then turns redder and redder as she hears Jaune continues to pile praises on the poor girl. "Stop it! I don't understand Jaune, what are you trying to say?"

Jaune then decides to take that dip… "Ruby I - I - I, li- lik." Say it you coward! "I LOVE YOU RUBY!!!" Jaune finally said the words he wanted to say to Ruby.

"No! You're lying to me! You didn't mean that. You're just messing with me!" Ruby vehemently denies what just happened. 

'How could I Ruby.' He thought to himself. "No! I really meant it, Ruby. I love you!"

This caused Ruby to drop her smoothie in shock. "Why? What on remnant makes you think that!? I'm not anything you used to describe me. I'm not cute, I'm not beautiful. I'm not anything. I'm… nothing." She pulls up her cloak to cover her entire head. "There's nothing I have that you would like. So if it's just a cruel attempt at a joke. Please don't do this to me Jaune…" 

Jaune however scooted closer over to Ruby's side of the ledge. "Ruby, may I touch your face? Please..." He offered. 

Ruby, not understanding Jaune's intent can only respond in silence. "..." 

"I swear to you Ruby. I will not do anything, you don't want me to." Jaune tries to assure her. 

"... I know you won't Jaune. You will never do anything to hurt me. It's just I don't understand what you're trying to do here." 

"Then, may I have your permission? I swear I will tell you if you do." Jaune asks her again. With a much softer and kinder voice. "But if you don't want to then it's okay, I'll understand. I don't want you to think that I'm pressuring you or anything like that." 

If she thought she can't respect Jaune any further Ruby has been proven wrong. Surprised by how considerate he is of Ruby, she responds by slowly nodding to him. 

"Then, excuse me…" Jaune's hands slowly reach to Ruby's hood and gently let the hood fall down to reveal her face, her beautiful face Jaune might add. "See, there's nothing to worry about. And may I touch your face Ruby?" Jaune asks for permission again. 

Again she slowly nods, but her face looks like she's entranced by Jaune's action. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkled waiting in anticipation for what came next. Jaune then gently grabs her cheek with both of his hands. 

Now close enough to admire Ruby's features. Jaune then says something to cheer Ruby up. 

"Ruby you are not nothing. I will say this over and over again. You are beautiful, you are cute, you are kind, you are brave and you are wonderful. If you're nothing. Then I'm less than nothing. And you don't think that do you?" 

"No! Of course not. I would never think of you like that." Ruby protested loudly at Jaune. 

Jaune laughed a little. "And that's the reason why I love you, Ruby. You always see the best in people. You believe in me when I don't. Just like that time at Beacon Academy." Jaune recollects the time the two of them spend on Beacon. 

"That's enough. Jaune." Ruby stops Jaune from talking. "Look I get it, it's all just a joke. Ha, ha." Ruby forces herself to smile. "You don't have to force yourself to lie like that. I know you must be forced to do it by someone, but that's okay you don't have to pretend to like me anymore." Jaune can see a streak of tears flowing down from Ruby. 

Despite the smile she showed to Jaune, as dense as a person that he is. Even he can see that she's visibly hurt. He wants to say so many things to Ruby, but he's afraid that words are no longer enough. And so just like Ruby, he decides to go for the nuclear option. He decides to kiss her… 

"Ruby… Forgive me, for what I'm about to do."

Ruby, confused with what he just said, is stunned to see Jaune moving in close to her lips, Ruby too intoxicated with whatever emotion she's feeling right now. Does not resist Jaune's advances when he comes for her lips. And when their lips finally touched each other it does it surprise Ruby, still she didn't resist it, in fact she welcomed it. She can feel a trace of the banana flavored smoothie that Jaune drinks from his tongue. And Jaune can also feel strawberries from her tongue. 

Lips touching one another, saliva are exchanged and their tongues swirling with one another. Both Jaune and Ruby can't seem to stop kissing each other since they started. It is as if a dam broke and all the feelings they felt for each other are finally being released. Unable to contain themselves, the two continue to keep kissing until Ruby comes down from her high and finally realizes that she's kissing Jaune. 

Panicked, she pushed Jaune away. Jaune, concerned with Ruby, asks Her if she's okay. And what he saw freezes him on the spot. Her expressions are a mix between scared and confused. Ruby, clearly in distress, runs away from him leaving Jaune. Leaving him all alone to think about what he did.

[darsynia]

Trust Fall | ch1 'Sunlight'

(MCU, Tony/OC 'terrorists made us fall in love,' IM1 timeline)

Summary: Emory Autumn works as a PA to pop star Rory Fall. While they’re in Afghanistan performing for the troops, Emory is taken prisoner along with billionaire Tony Stark. The terrorists think she’s Rory, and they’re expecting a ransom.

When they discover her deception, Tony instinctively steps forward to demand the terrorists keep the feisty redhead alive as a ‘distraction.' She challenges his narcissism, he questions her self-sacrificing nature, and in the process, their attraction to each other heats up.

Length: 3,133

Note: This chapter is not explicit, but this story WILL end up in 18+ places. Minors, please do not interact. The story itself is long, has explicit sex, banter, and many heated kissing scenes. 'Trapped in a room' but it's a cave in Afghanistan. Romance, Humor, Personal Growth, Flamethrowers; you know, the fun stuff.

My Masterlist | Trust Fall Masterlist | Next Chapter

Chapter One: Sunlight

“Oh, wow! You’re like, a pocket sized version of Rory Fall!” the soldier says, looking down at Emory. She smiles, sweet and insincere. The kind of person who makes remarks like that never catches that her reaction is condescending. Then again, the kind of person who makes ‘pocket size’ comments probably doesn’t think it’s possible for a five foot, two inch woman to be condescending.

Emory Autumn had always been small for her age. As a baby, her level of nutrition had been a concern; as a toddler, she’d wowed everyone who thought she shouldn’t be able to walk or talk at her size; in elementary school, she was always seated in the front of the classroom and in photos. By middle school, she discovered that the ‘growth spurt’ she was hinging her hopes on was going to be centered on her chest rather than anywhere else, with the possible exception of her hips. In high school, she’d embraced her looks. Emory grew her wild, wavy red hair just past her shoulders, learned how to use makeup to enhance her ‘sultry sweetheart’ aesthetic, and stopped buying shirts that didn’t have a scoop or a vee neck. 

If they were going to garner so much attention, ‘the girls’ needed to breathe.

Emory’s parents got divorced when she was seventeen, and she became the bait in a really frustrating fishing expedition on the part of both of her parents. Her only joy during that time was music. Maybe nothing else about Emory’s body had worked out the way she’d wanted it to, but she could sing. After her parents dragged her from school district to school district in a mad bid for control over the child support money on offer, she’d ended up at a high school with a really great music program. 

A really great music program and a really great friend to enjoy it with.

Natalie Poricofsky had pretty much everything Emory wanted, save for the singing voice. Tall, blonde, popular, and reasonably busted, Natty could have been another one of the snooty girls who shut Emory out when she’d first walked in the door. Instead, they’d become really close. Emory had taught Natty everything she knew about music, and Natty had taught Emory everything she knew about men.

Namely, that they’re almost never worth the time and effort. 

Nearly eight years later, Emory is sweltering in her shiny black blouse and miniskirt. She’s grateful that she’d worn the knee-high black boots for the solid, reassuring sole and sharp heel. Even though she’d never actually do it, it’s comforting to think about digging that heel into the soft parts of someone who refuses to take her seriously.

She’s done it before, metaphorically and physically.

A lot has changed over the years. Natty is now Rory, a consequence of their appearance on Make U A Star, a singing competition show on the now-defunct United Artists network. The producers had taken blonde, sweet-voiced Natalie Poricofsky and turned her into Rory Fall, a redheaded siren with a sultry alto her friend still couldn’t quite master, even after years of Emory’s patient voice coaching.

It wasn’t that Emory hadn’t seen what they were trying to do. Best friends show up with enough talent between them to make one pop star, one winner for the one and only season of UA’s breakout makeover/voice competition. Of course they chose the tall, willowy one. Hair could be dyed. Voices could be faked.

“I don’t know how to do this, you HAVE to help me, Em!” her friend had begged. Emory was always a sucker for begging. She’d read the Harry Potter books and immediately saw herself as a Hufflepuff, through and through. Loyal, patient, generous? Absolutely.

Lately, though, entertainment writers are starting to write articles about Rory with seasonal puns (Is Rory Fall Heading Out of Summer into FALL With Her Latest Antics???), and Emory is starting to describe herself with adjectives far less positive than she used to. Doormat. Steamrolled. Lonely. Being her friend’s Personal Assistant is no longer like being in Rory’s corner. It’s more like being a handler, the handler, whose absence means catastrophe. Everyone relies on Emory’s gentle, steady hand on the tiller to navigate Rory’s ship through the dangerous waters, but no one wants to keep her from getting saltwater in her wounds. No one even acknowledges that the wounds are inflicted by Rory herself.

Something is going to have to give, Emory knows. She’s not looking forward to it.

“Are you kidding me?!”

Emory holds back her eye roll with over half of a decade’s practice. Their own private USO-style tour is going well so far, which hadn’t been a given. But there are protocols involved with traveling in a war zone, even if the fighting is nowhere near their current location. Rory brought her current boyfriend with them, and there is a minimum number of soldiers required to travel in each Hum-Vee. Hank had offered to switch to a different one before the main caravan group arrived to satisfy the regs, but Rory won’t hear of Hank riding anywhere but with her.

Hank means well, but he doesn’t quite know how to handle Rory. Their trip is a career rejuvenating tour at its core. They need this to play well, with the troops they are interacting with on the ground, the ones Rory performs to, and most importantly, the people who will report on the first two. Leaving Rory Fall alone in a Hum-Vee with just Hank to keep her from saying the wrong thing is like tuning a piano without a tuning fork and expecting it will work out fine.

There’s a small percent chance it will! But not a realistic chance.

“I don’t care what my assistant said. You go back there and you get my fucking boyfriend and put him in the car with me, okay? Okay.”

Shit, Emory thinks to herself. Rory’s image may be that of a redheaded siren, but her audience is preteen girls whose parents control the purse strings. They’d never been able to break into the more adult listener base, college students and young professionals. They would understand a frustrated young woman swearing at the person standing in the way of ‘true love,’ but those preteen girls wouldn’t ever hear about the scandal, if it got out. They’d just be told that Rory Fall wasn’t an appropriate role model by their parents, and that would be the end of it.

“What can I do to make this better, Diva mine?” Emory calls out, speaking the magic phrase she’s getting really sick of having to say.

“You can take your fat ass and put it in a different vehicle, Em,” Rory says, her eyes completely covered by sunglasses that cost about as much as Emory’s current rent for a month. “Because not only do I refuse to ride with you at all, there isn’t room anyway, because riding with Hank is non-negotiable. So either you stay behind, or you ride with the weapon tycoon’s people. Kay?”

Insulting Emory’s looks is a new thing since Hank. It’s such an obvious way of trying to damage her value as possible competition for Rory’s boyfriend’s attention that Emory is usually able to slough it off. This time, though, Rory is saying it in front of other people. Their uncomfortable expressions show a range of pity and disgust, which makes the whole situation worse.

“That’s brilliant, actually,” Emory says brightly. “I didn’t know there would be room with the other convoy. Thanks for the suggestion. Do me a favor, though?” As she says this, Emory hands over one of the last of her supply of Rory’s favorite candy. It makes her feel gross to treat her grown friend the same way a parent might treat a toddler, but when you’re trying to handle one of the most volatile stars in the business, you do what you can.

“Just this once, and only if I want to. Tell me,” Rory demands.

“The commander in charge of the unit we’re traveling with today told me one of his guys’ daughters absolutely loves your music. He got called away after that and didn’t tell me which one. It’s really important we don’t make this guy unhappy with the idea of letting his kid listen to you, okay?” Emory holds up her phone and wiggles it a little. “You remember that Reddit thread where people talked about the famous people who are jerks in real life?”

Rory makes a groaning sound. “Ugh, yes. Okay. You always take such good care of me!” she says in a girlish, squeaky kind of voice, leaning over to kiss Emory on the top of the head. “Have fun with Stark. You remember him, right? Man was fantastic in bed, but way too into kissing.”

“Oh, sure,” Emory says. She can’t picture that ever being a problem. “Keep Hank safe, okay? See you when we get there.”

“Bye-eee!”

Emory doesn’t want to watch Rory hamming it up for the nonexistent paparazzi cameras, so she turns away. The group commander must have been standing right behind her, because she almost walks into him.

“Excuse me, sir,” she says politely.

“Young lady, you need a raise,” the man says bluntly. “I recognize combat experience when I see it. But when we tear down, we build back up. Keep that in mind.”

Emory looks down, embarrassed by the praise. There is one thing she hopes he can help with, though. “By any chance, do you know if there’s space in Stark’s caravan? I was told there was an addition to ours that leaves us one person over the number of spaces we have.”

“Come with me,” the man says.

The best way to impress people with opulence is to look like you’re not affected by it. Tony takes the cold glass of amber liquid from the custom-built liquor enclosure and waves a dismissive hand.

“We’ll be throwing one of these in with every purchase of--” he pauses for a fraction of a second, thinks up a ridiculous number. “Five hundred million or more.”

They won’t, of course. It’s his own private ‘Tony Stark turns everything into a vehicle for pleasure’ show-off piece. His people will pack it up once the troops get a gander at it. 

Tony takes another sip and answers his phone. Obie’s encouraging as usual, and Tony hurries him along as quickly as he can. The work part is basically over, and he wants to put that behind him. Hang out with a few of the troops, get to his plane, get back into the air, and maybe find out what the new blonde flight attendant’s lip gloss tastes like.

He gets into the waiting car and an obliging soldier shuts the door for him.

As Tony’s eyes adjust to the darkness in the Hum-Vee, the first thing he sees is a pair of black leather boots with a killer heel. They go up higher than he expected they would, but what he really appreciates is the strip of skin between where the knee-high boots end and the black miniskirt begins. Tony traces his eyes up some more and tightens his grip on the glass. Her black blouse is snug, lovingly cupping a pair of breasts that his connoisseur’s eye tells him are probably magnificent.

Please be blonde, please be blonde, he thinks to himself, tracing his eyes upward. The woman’s eyes are focused on the phone in her lap, so he can’t see what color they are, but her hair, which is tightly pulled back in some kind of horrible professional bun-thing, is flame red. Hell yes, that’s even better.  

“Hey, Tony?” Rhodey says, reaching for the handle as if he’s going to get inside with him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, this is the Fun-Vee,” Tony says, wondering if Jessica Rabbit will hear him and understand he’s referring to her. He leans out of the car to block Rhodey’s view inside, just in case. “The Hum-drum-Vee is back there.”

“Nice job,” Rhodey says, the corners of his lips tightening in disapproval. He definitely saw her boots, at least, Tony thinks. 

“See you back at base,” Tony tells his friend. Rhodey doesn’t respond, simply pats the metal door in silent acquiescence. The sound breaks Boots’ concentration, and she looks up, sees Tony, and makes an unhappy face.

Hmm, he thinks to himself. It’s too dark inside the HumVee to see what color her eyes are, and he wants to know. If he’s honest, he wants to know a lot more things about her, inappropriate things, but that expression she made is one he’s seen before. She disapproves of him, Tony thinks.

He likes that. It’s more of a challenge.

“That was quite a face,” he says, holding his drink up near his lips. He wants to see what her reaction will be if he touches his tongue to the glass before taking a sip. That’s usually a great indicator of whether a woman’s interested, because they often don’t even realize that they’re following that movement with a touch of hunger in their eyes. To Tony’s disappointment, she doesn’t look back up. It could still be a good sign, though. The ones that want to resist him have a tendency to deliberately avoid looking at him, to prolong it.

Tony knows he’s handsome, knows the effect his confidence and open interest can have. There’s no shame in being obvious, he’s found. Of course, that’s probably connected to his wealth, but that’s not going anywhere, and he’s all about appreciating his advantages.

The soldier in the front passenger seat turns around. He’s got a camera, and as soon as he lifts it, the young man beside Tony grins and makes ‘photo, please?’ puppy dog eyes at him.

Tony leans over. Both soldiers are almost giddy, the one posing for the photo, the other snapping it.

“What about you, sweetheart, you want to tuck in over here for the picture?” Tony asks. There’s… practically no room for that, which has all sorts of pleasant implications for the precarious nature of the buttons on her blouse. She’s obviously never been told that the body retains some water in heat like this, and to bring clothing that allows a little extra space.

Not that he’s complaining.

“‘Sweetheart?’” she repeats, one expertly plucked red eyebrow lifting.

“Boots, Buttons, whichever. Come on, don’t disappoint the man with the camera.”

Her breathing is quickening with her outrage, just as he’d hoped it would.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” she asks.

“Woahhhh,” at least two of the soldiers say, watching the exchange.

“Well, it is dark in here, but I am certain I would have remembered a chest like that, so I’m going to say nope, no idea.” If she gets mad enough, Tony’s certain one of the buttons will let go. He thinks he recognizes the make of the blouse, and he’s done the movie-move of ripping one of them open after an awards party once. The buttons gave way like they were snaps.

“Typical,” she says.

“Ooooohh,” Tony says at the same time as one of the male soldiers. “One of those.”

She looks up at him, then, and he takes a sip of his drink, touching his tongue to the glass. Her eyes follow the movement. Excellent.

Emory thinks that Stark is totally Rory’s type. He’s got the kind of insufferable confidence that was always like a red cape waved in front of her friend, as if catching that kind of a man’s eye means more. She looks up after he implies she’s some kind of a man-hater, and catches him taking a sip from the glass.

The way he moves his tongue reminds her, incongruously, of the comment Rory had made about kissing, and her face heats up. She’s grateful for the darkness of the HumVee.

Suddenly, the vehicle in front of them explodes. Emory is facing backwards, so it’s behind her, and when she turns to look, it’s almost like every single angle of escape bursts into fireballs around them.

“What have we got?” Stark says, freezing in his seat. She slips down onto the floor, listening to the sounds of gunfire and shouting voices. This is the worst-case scenario, the thing she’d been most afraid of when she and Rory had first talked about coming to sing for the troops. Emory’s shirt is too tight; her lungs are full of fear. It’s spilling out into her chest cavity and making breathing practically impossible.

She catches the eye of the young man who had been making a peace symbol in a photograph with Stark just minutes earlier. The look on his face is that of deep regret, as if he knows it might cost him his life to have to worry about their safety as civilians right now.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. He flashes a brief smile, instructs them to stay put, and then climbs out, lifting his gun.

Immediately, there’s a burst of gunfire that cannot possibly have missed him. The side of the vehicle is punctured by what has to be twenty holes through which the harsh, bright light of the desert sun is now shining.

Emory never thought she’d be horrified at the sight of sunlight before, but she is now. Gunfire is a temporary, momentary shock, but those rays of light are part fearful memorial, part penetrating promise: the HumVee is not safe. The desert outside it is not safe. Nowhere is safe.

“Should be fine if you--” Stark says, sounding ill. He gestures with his hands that she should lay flat to the floor, but the next thing she knows, he’s opening the door and practically falling out. All Emory can think of is that his business suit and the HumVees are probably the most expensive things in the entire area, two objects that are from two vastly different theaters.

There’s more yelling outside, a man’s voice clearly yelling, “Get down!” She decides that she doesn’t want her body tangled up in the metal of this car that was filled with life only ten minutes ago. Emory pushes open the door Stark had used and crawls out, her body low to the ground. She can see him, his black suit so obvious against the desert sand, embarrassingly so-- until she remembers that she, too, is wearing black.

She starts crawling toward him, mostly because there are rocks to hide behind.

There’s a loud ‘thunk’ nearby that brings to Emory’s mind a podcast she’d listened to about World War I and artillery. Then there’s an explosion, a slicing pain in her legs, and the air is sucked from her lungs, leaving only the fear to expand into blackness as she falls unconscious.

Next Chapter, Emory meets Yinsen, who cares for her wounds and Tony's, and Tony wakes up.

[solemn-siren]

Deception - villain!Huntedskelly drabble

I’m going to be honest, I have no idea what possessed me to write this.

I guess I just felt like it?

I also decided to write a more fight oriented story to practice for upcoming stuff and since I recently watched the bad guys, I decided to go for a spy AU to not only balance out Siren’s powers but because.. why not.

“The golden dolphin is right here in this room. Do you copy, Agent Amulet?”

“Copy.” Was my answer as I descended into the dark room. Agent Viper had already disabled the traps that were placed in the room, and hacked the security system down. Even if by a miracle one was working, they would only see the shadows of a humanoid shape with two pairs of cat ears on their head, descending down into the hall that had our target.

“And how is the distraction going, Agent King?” Nephya, our digital assistant and our leader, asked, her soft calm voice dancing through my ear via an earpiece. I’ve known both Agent Viper and Agent Storm even before the whole spy mission thing, and we made one epic trio.

Agent Viper, or Kenpo, was our hacker. He was our safety net, although a kind of safety net you throw first. He made sure all our plan went smoothly, by shutting down camera after camera, altering data, and being our eyes. There was nothing that could hide from him and his snake like eyes.

Then there was Agent King, or Storm, who was not only our charisma master, but for missions where distraction isn’t needed, he was my partner in crime, and trust was placed in us. He could pull off various disguises, stay undetected and when the stakes are high, mentally mess with the mind to keep them off my trail. His purple gaze was calming to the ally, but haunting to the villain.

And then there was me. The action lady, the daredevil, Agent Amulet. But all I’m doing is the fancy, action focused stuff in an environment altered to the best condition in the background by Viper and King. They’re the ones who deserve the recognition, I’m the person they see when the golden dolphin is stolen.

“Oh wonderful.” Storm answered as I landed inside the room, pulling down the purple tinted goggles over my eyes. With a single button press on the side, the purple gradually transitioned to a lime green, and the room became clear as day.

In front of my eyes, meters away on a pedestal, stood the golden dolphin, a shimmering gold statue in the shape of a dolphin that was famous for being the top target of criminals and spies alike, every one failing to steal the valuable treasure. We were going to be the first to successfully steal it, and we would be famous for it.

“Oh imagine the riches when we sell it to the black market!” Nephya beamed as I silently dashed through the trap less room to the dolphin. Picking it up, it felt like a dream come true. Immediately I smuggled it inside a bag that was slung around my shoulders, and I celebrated in silence.

“Boys, we did it.” I whispered, resting my hands on the pedestal. “Viper, how’s escape looking?”

“All clear.” Kenpo answered, and Siren could faintly hear the clatter of a keyboard behind his excited voice. “Stick to the plan and you’re good to go. We’re gonna be rich in no time-“

There was an explosion ringing through our ears. I turned around, where there was a cloud of dust and debris from the explosion falling down in the other end of the hall.

“Viper, we’re not alone.” I told Kenpo, flicking my wrist to bring out a sword. In the darkness of the shadows, the blade glimmered in a faint purple, with the handles shining brighter than the golden dolphin. “Specifically, I’m not,”

From the dust, our unwanted visitor emerged. They were tall, taller than Storm towering over the much shorter me even from a distance. They wore an all black jacket with a hint of blue hidden in the shadows, with steel toed boots and what looked like a sword on their back. Their face was concealed by a hood, but when they pulled it back I immediately recognized who it was,

“Huntedskelly?” I gasped, lowering the sword down just a little.

“Oh it’s you, Siren.” Hunted growled, spinning a knife in his hands. His Storm grey eyes stared back at me, piercing a bolt of lightning through anyone that looked directly at him. The weight of the golden dolphin didn’t bother me, I was more worried about what he was doing here. “A nice surprise to see you here. I think you have what I want. The golden dolphin.”

“Amulet? What’s going on?” Kenpo asked as Hunted drew his dark sword. I was still trying to process what was going so answering Kenpo was the least of my worries.

Hunted cackled in the dark of the room, his insane face illuminated by the glow of his sword. His eyes shined silver, showing signs that he was crazy for violence. With the glowing sword in hand he charged forward, his cackling laughter echoing in the hallway.

“Amulet?” Storm asked as I dashed away from Hunted’s sword as it was brought down, the point of impact unleashing a spark of cyan that lit up the dark room. “What’s going on? Who’s attacking? Do you need assistance?”

“It’s Hunted!” I answered in panic as Hunted pulled out his sword from the ground, glaring back at me. My sword was still in my hands, and as he charged forward to strike again, I blocked the strike with my sword, a spark of blue and purple clashing in the night. I dashed backwards, pulling back a hidden mechanism on my right glove, revealing a hidden hand crossbow in enchanting blacks and purples.

”Agent Amulet, I’m sending King to you as backup.” Nephya commanded as I fired several shots from the crossbow. “Viper, continue monitoring the guards. We may need to escape.”

Kenpo didn’t answer. Hunted dodged majority of the shots but one of them landed dead center on his arm, forcing him to drop the sword. Taking the chance I lunged forward, tipping my balance off enough to swing under his arm to grab the still ignited sword. Before I could fully grab the sword, Hunted suddenly grabbed the ends of my hood, throwing me to the side.

“Backup would be appreciated.” Was all I could manage to say, and I heard Storm make a sound of reassurance. Before I could stand up a hand slammed me back into the wall, holding me there. A quiet hum of a laser shut me up, as Hunted’s eyes pierced through the veil of darkness.

“What do you want the dolphin for anyways? Profit?” I asked, flicking the glove again, revealing a set of crystalline knives embedded into the scales. The shining pointed ends stood inches away from Hunted’s neck, and I was ready to strike whenever.

Hunted smiled, drawing the sword closer. “What do you think I want it for? Fame? Hah that’s stupid.” He answered, tightening his grip on his sword. “There’s something mystical about it, and it’s not just some gold dolphin. There is power inside it. Now where have you hid it-“

He was interrupted by a hidden force tackling into him, knocking him into the ground. A second punch by a clocked figure sent a sharp bolt of lightning that shocked him, sending his screams across the room.

The cloaked figure took off his hood, revealing a set of familiar calming eyes and silver grey hair with a small braid at the end.

Storm.

“Can’t believe Hunted would just attack you like that…” He muttered as he helped me back up. I nodded in agreement. “Come on let’s get out of he-“

“Not so fast.”

Hunted, using every last of his strength to stand up, glared at us, his sword in his hands. Storm pulled out a trident, pointing it at his brother.

“We can end this peacefully.” He growled as he circled Hunted like a lion and a cheetah. “We can leave in silence, because I’m not going to hurt any of my brothers.”

“Well I’m not going to back down without the dolphin.” Hunted answered, staring back at his own brother. “I’m not going back, until the world is mine.”

There was a second of silence, before the brothers charged at each other and began the never ending fight of death, while I just stood there doing nothing. The bright blue of Hunted’s sword and the azure cyan of Storm’s trident clashed in the darkness, as I only watched from the distance.

During the fight I finally noticed why Hunted was so quick to attack, and why he raised his sword against his own family. In the silver pool of his eye, there was a glint of red.

There was something altering him.

Hunted slashed his sword, leaving a long scar across Storm’s eye as he screamed in pain. The room was illuminated in a bright red, and I tapped a single finger on the earpiece to connect to Kenpo. “Viper, don’t tell me this is-“

“A real alarm? Yup.” Kenpo answered, as Storm scrambled away from Hunted, covering his injured eye with his hand. Grabbing his free arm, I hit another button on my gloves, revealing a different hand crossbow that fired a grappling hook that pierced the ceiling, hooking onto whatever random pipe was there. Another button press and the grappling hook did its marvels, and we were on our way out.

Hunted’s red eye was clearly visible, as he hissed at the sight of our escape. Something told me this wouldn’t be the last time we’ll be seeing him.

[invinciblerodent]

And now that I'm talkin' act 2, I'm very preoccupied today by thinking about how Iona (with her high charisma and crooked morality) had the innate potential to be such an incredibly toxic, deeply unsettling presence in the party -especially to Astarion-, without even meaning to be.

Like. She's a liar, and an accomplished one, a legitimate master of the craft (with her +14 to deception on even a bad day), who's had decades to hone her craft by living in her lie and not breaking (in both the sense of not breaking character and the sense of not breaking herself)- there's no two ways to spin that. But most of the party seems to be able to accept that she isn't going to turn this talent against them, and they seem to believe that their own conversations with her have either been honest, or close enough to it to count as such. She says nice things and is perfectly pleasant, she's generally kind and understanding towards them, follows through, and if she is uncomfortable with a question or a topic, she'll more readily tell them "don't ask, and I won't lie" than deceive them, so they mostly just accept that: they seem to be able to trust a liar that's at least honest about being a liar.

But Astarion? Sure, he's the most like her in the group, but the main difference between them is that she's not going off a playbook perfected by centuries of experience, she's just actually good at this, and there's little way for just how scary that is to take root in his mind until like... early- to mid-act 2.

Sure, she's spun many a pretty tale for goblins, cultists, zealots, and other assorted people desperate enough to believe anything before then, but his very own unexamined biases prohibit him from seeing those people as anything more than simple idiots. There's no harm, those people would have always been convinced by the obvious, bare-faced lies she had told with almost a wink and a smile in his direction. Hell, their very own little game of flirtation was conducted with a very subtle undercurrent of mutual understanding that their bullshit is bullshit, at least in part, and the give and take of it was trying to find the other's limits on where the bullshit ends, and the truth begins. She had him off-balance and forced him into going off-script for the first time in centuries, and while that's of course uncomfortable, it's also... kind of fun, in its way. Novel.

But then, once they get closer to Moonrise... it starts getting a bit intimidating.

She talks a mad drider into giving over his only means of protection and walking willingly into the deepest depths of the Shadow Curse.

She goads the surgeon into letting his assistants murder him by spinning it as teaching, and he dies with a smile on his face.

She bargains with a cambion for Wyll's soul, and comes out on top.

She talks an orthon into wiping out his followers and then killing himself, in part as a favor to Astarion specifically.

And while that's all profoundly impressive, there's still something in the way that tiny hint of an impish smile is still playing in the corner of her lips that just... makes his brain prickle with unease.

But in such a deeply vulnerable moment, as he's requesting her aid with Cazador, admitting feeling fear, weakness, damn near everything he loathes the most in himself, when he looks at her... He can see nothing but utter sincerity. She tells him "Of course I'll help. We'll hunt him down and kill him." as if it was the simplest damn thing on the plane, and he believes her.

He's stuck stewing with that odd feeling and trying to figure out what to say for the entire next day, distracted and oddly quiet. Either way, that night, before he'd know it or could stop it, I like to think that the words -however much he would prefer to stay cool about it- are just spilling from his mouth like that because he just needs her to understand that the game is over. He wants it to be over, and isn't over essentially admitting defeat, admitting that he's not lying to her anymore, that he hasn't been lying to her for a while now if he's to be really honest, and that he needs her to not lie to him anymore either. "I want us to be something real."

(I wish I could use the tadpole connection to let him into her head, AND hug him, AND say "we can be together without sleeping together" all at the same time tbh. But the hug will suffice for the scene, the rest can happen in just m'fic. <3)

[crimsonfacets]

@ebonyxwhispers asked: "Mey Rin." Came a firm, but soft voice from behind the redhead. A voice that said 'I know what you did' but also flavored it in honey distinctive to Sebastian's usual charm, "Would you care to explain what precisely happened in the parlor?" He's already reached his hand up to press to his temple. Eyes closed and a heavy sigh presented in disapproval. Like he already knows the answer. She was trying to get to something. Something slipped and chaos ensued. A tragic tale befitting the young woman. That was his theory, and he'd wager that conclusion was probably accurate. "What ever will I do with you." [ ebonyxwhispers <3 For Mey Rin of course. ]

It was a strange, strange sensation to be both startled and flustered. Had he sounded more annoyed, Mey-Rin might have shot right out of her shoes through the ceiling and hoped she would make way to one of those constellations she overheard the young master and his Lady discussing. But no, Sebastian chose to lacquer his words with saccharine deception and keep her firmly planted here on Earth, making her only jolt and jitter in place like a mouse cornered by a cat; water pail shaking against its metal holdings to the point of vibration.

"S - S - Sebastian!!" Mey-Rin stuttered, turning on her heel quick as a whip and clutching her cleaning tools even tighter for dear life, as if they would keep her safe from a lecture. Oh sudsy bucket, we're really in it now. Her mind mind raced. She had finally gotten herself so pleasantly distracted by her chores that she forgot about that.. and yes, she tried to forget it, get her mind off it. She was intending to return to it eventually with a clear head, she swore! "Well - I - y'see, it started with - I mean - it BEGAN - it was, I, mm!" Now, though, she stammered, trying to catch any sort of fleeing, rational thought outside of babbling that screamed and ran about in her head in sheer panic and escaped her grasp.

Then, Sebastian hit her with the 'What ever will I do with you' and made it all stop; every frantic brain cell stopped and slumped ashamedly in synchronization with Mey-Rin's frame.

SiiIIiIiIIiiIiighHhHhh.

"It was an accident, Sebastian.." Mey-Rin confessed, guilt pouring from every word and breath. "M'glasses, they got funny on me when I was fiixn' up the display cabinet. I couldn't see anythin' properlike. I got the dizzies and I tried to stay still, I really did!" Really, she did! "But I tripped over m'own two feets and.. the plates and the tea set, the cups.. But the little dog statue's okay! I did save that, I did!" She pulled out the little porcelain dog from her pocket, holding it out semi-triumphantly with a crooked smile to the heavily disappointed black butler. "S- See? N- Not everything's broken.."

[tohwitchesduels]

LOSERS BRACKET OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 18: Bria vs Gus Porter

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Bria:

Bria specializes in construction magic without any signs of being interested in other tracks, especially considering she considers them "inferior".

Bria is an absolutely skilled witch who prefers brute strength and talent over anything. She isn't however easy to fool or intimidate. She's daring and adventurous along with being ambitious. She can also be two-faced and deceitful by appearing nice and fair only to drop the facade the moment she has high ground or no interest in playing nice. She may however struggle from PTSD caused by Gus, so while she's not easy to intimidate, she could potentially end up being triggered by events considered "supernatural" or near Gus, or if she feels like losing her powers.

Since she's battling Gus, she is visibly shaken but tries to play it off cool. Guess this is a rematch without Palismen involved.

Bria's tool in this tournament, independent of whether or not other competitors also possess it is her sword. She can utilise it in combat or to cut through things standing in her way like bushes.

Bria may or may not have galder stones with her to enhance her magic.

Rock Spike - Bria is capable of creating a rock spike that can be used for offensive purposes. It is also proven to be quite destructive as seen in TTLGR.

Rock Pillar - Bria is capable of creating rock pillars of various lengths and sizes. She's also capable of creating pillars within the pillars she created. Said ability could be used if Bria needs a high ground, for defensive purposes to block attacks, potential transport, or even offensive purposes.

Earth Capture - Bria is capable of encasing her opponents on Earth as she demonstrated in TTLGR when she restrained a Slitherbeast. The move could be considered a finishing blow unless Bria's opponent has enough brute force (and by that, I mean a lot, stronger than Slitherbeast) to burst through her trap. She would usually utilise said ability if she assumes her opponent can't fight back, however.

link to more of Bria's capabilities here

Gus Porter:

Gus Porter is a prodigy when it comes to illusion magic. Prodigious enough to skip a few grades and even defeat the coven head of illusions with his sheer raw power. Gus displays insane potential and a big imagination when it comes to his magic. Now his powers are still limited by his own imagination and creativity meaning his illusions for the most part can be used mostly for deception and distraction, but during this tournament, Gus finally revised his own skill to find even offensive capabilities of his powers. While Gus did display the willingness to study other tracks, he ultimately never did due to his reassurance in being a master illusionist how easy it comes to him, and how much he can do with illusions alone.

One must know how intelligent Gus is during his battles. He can easily fool and toy with his opponents thanks to his illusions and Gus is also not afraid to either mock or straight-up torture his enemies during his battle just to get the results he needs, and has more than enough raw power to pull his schemes to their fullest. It's worth noting that when Gus feels extreme emotions, his magic only gets amplified, however, the side effects could be that Gus actually loses control over his own powers and gets to be the victim of them too, though thankfully to the magical amplifier from Graye, the risk of that is lesser.

During this battle Palismen are not allowed but it doesn't stop Gus from trying to put Bria in her place again.

One of the artifacts I allow Gus to have independently regarding whether or not his opponent also has any supportive gear is the looking glass earring he got after he defeated Adrian. The magical amplifier allows Gus to further concentrate his raw power into specific abilities he has a hard time pulling on his own and even enhancing them in the process, growing more powerful.

Light Spell - as proven in UW, Gus is capable of utilising light spells. Gus can use it to either illuminate the terrain or blind his opponents with it. He can produce multiple blinding orbs at once with his power and will usually use it in tandem with absolute darkness to make the light orbs all the more effective. He can also create quite large orbs of light.

Telekinesis - Gus displayed the capacity to move multiple objects with his mind. Usually, the objects are rather small and it appears Gus can't use telekinesis on a person, but he can utilise this ability offensively to throw projectiles at his opponent or to potentially deflect incoming attacks if they're little projectiles too.

Glamour - Unlike other examples of battle-royal glamour, Gus can use his glamour in 1v1 scenarios thanks to his ability to create clones and entities of any kind. This means Gus can easily disguise himself among the crowd as he can create a crowd himself. Gus is capable of taking the form of anyone he desires or merely amplifying the form he already has (like putting on additional clothes or features like devil's legs).

Mini Clones - Gus is capable of creating mini clones of himself (usually up to 3) that can be used to nag his opponents as seen in TTLGR.

Illusion Clones - Gus is capable of creating huge numbers of clones. The clones can take either the shape of himself or even other people. The clones usually don't display the capacity of the people they were cloned from but can develop a personality of their own. They still remain obedient to Gus and can be used as a great distraction, This ability also allows Gus to use his Glamour ability. The close will disappear upon impact.

Strength Enhancement - Gus is capable of enhancing the strength of his illusions, himself, or even others and the magic of others as proven in the First Day when Gus created buff arms for Willow's plant monster. The enhancement is still illusionary in nature.

Camouflage - as proven throughout the series, Gus can disguise himself and remove himself from the sight of his opponents. He can also do it to large chunks of areas or other people. As seen in KT he can also make his disappearance cover in flying birds. He could also potentially create bushes to camouflage as shown in Hooty's Moving Hassle.

Illusion Teleport - whether it's camouflage hiding his movement or true teleport, Gus can reappear wherever he pleases with a puff of smoke. The range of it doesn't seem big though. It was demonstrated during Covention.

Light Construct - Gus is capable of creating constructs of poor light. Usually unlike the illusions, they don't necessarily look like real objects but energy taken shape of objects, but can be used as effectively by creating tools Gus needs during the battle.

Illusion Construct - a stronger version of light construct, Gus is capable of creating constructs that seem like real objects. Gus showcased it throughout the series.

Illusion Beast - a stronger version of his illusion clones, where Gus is capable of creating living beings that are illusions. Said beings can take any form, be it mirror and gender-inverted versions of their opponents, or completely unrelated beings. Usually, however, the said beings don't necessarily have the true power of their own and are nothing but a mirage, though Gus potentially could create the illusion of damage they cause thanks to his strength-enhancing ability.

Absolute Darkness - Gus is capable of covering the entire battlefield in absolute darkness that can camouflage him and disorient his opponents. The darkness can be dispelled with enough force, though it's usually more durable than most of Gus's illusions. Gus can utilise this ability to hide his true intentions and sneak attack.

Illusion Terrain - Gus is capable of changing the terrain with his illusion magic however he pleases, taking the shape of anything from Gus's memory. Be it his room, the carnival, the graveyard, whatever. Said technique can be used to confuse and disorient his opponents. Gus is also capable of making the terrain switch from one imaginary to another. Sometimes the terrain can actually perfectly match the terrain that is beneath the illusion. It is also very difficult to cancel.

Illusion-Shifting Terrain - amplified version of the previous attack, in this case, the terrain is constantly shifting and moving, completely covering the battlefield that can disorient and confuse the opponent. Also, so many details at once constantly changing could give people some serious headaches with sensory overload.

Magic Cancel - not real magic cancel but with the help of Illusion Terrain, Gus is capable of making people believe their magic circles have no effect.

Sensory Confusion - as proven in TTLGR, Gus managed to somewhat successfully convince Bria that her hands were missing.

Traumatic Re-memory - Gus is capable of using his magic to get inside the heads of his opponents to make them re-live their worst memories. Gus can use this ability to learn the weaknesses of his opponents or render them completely useless as they are stuck in their own heads. The only person that is known to be able to resist this ability is Hunter as in some cases could stick for a long time depending on how strong-willed Gus's opponents are. This is Gus's most painful attack.

Trauma Bubble - a technique of traumatic re-memory. Rather than focusing his magic to invade the mind of someone, Gus creates a bubble of pure magical energy that anyone who touches it would begin to re-live their worst memories. The side effect of this shield is that Gus could also potentially be stuck inside the bubble for some time before managing to dispel it.

Mind Illusion - a variation of traumatic re-memory that isn't necessarily harmful but is the ultimate culmination of Gus's illusionary prowess by making his opponents be stuck in the maze of illusion that is solely inside their heads. Demonstrated by Hunter who was completely disoriented by Gus's illusion not being capable of seeing where Gus truly is and wandering from place to place that did not even exist. The illusions could be Gus's memories, his opponents' memories, or just illusionary images.

Link to more of Gus's capabilities here

Return to Masterpost

[xtruss]

On the island of Sardinia, the flowers of mirror orchids (Ophrys speculum) perfectly mimic the reflection of blue sky on a female wasp's wings. Male wasps, beguiled by the flower's sight and scent, are lured into service carrying pollen from plant to plant. Photograph By Christian Ziegler, National Geographic

How To Photograph An Orchid! These Fascinating Plants Are Worlds Unto Themselves.

— By Alexa Keefe | Photographs: Christian Ziegler | Published: March 21, 2017

There are over 25,000 wild species of orchids on six continents around the globe, not counting thousands more hybrids cultivated by horticulturalists. Orchids come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and in almost every color except true black. They live in soil, atop rocks, or on trees, gleaning nutrients from the moist air.

Orchids are also masters of manipulation, using the full arsenal of their anatomy—color, textures, and smells—to trick insects into spreading their pollen. Their diversity—and adaptability—are what enthrall photographer Christian Ziegler. "Every place I have been, there have been orchids," he says, from the woods of southern Germany where he first discovered them on nature hikes as a boy, to the rainforests of Panama where he now lives.

Ziegler spent two years traveling the globe on assignment for National Geographic and for his book, Deceptive Beauties. He finds that the plants make fascinating subjects, and he has tips for anyone who wants to photograph their seductive flowers.

Courting bees and beetles, the nectarless pansy orchid impersonates a nutrition-rich neighbor, the pea flower.

Courting bees and beetles, the nectarless pansy orchid impersonates a nutrition-rich neighbor, the pea flower.

Do Your Research.

More than 90 percent of orchid species grow in the tropics, but that doesn’t mean there aren't some near you. North America alone is home to more than 200 species. (One resource for finding orchids near you: Go Orchids, a geographic database run by the North American Orchid Conservation Center.)

If a greenhouse or botanical garden is your best option, find out when the next orchid show will be and whether there are rules about photography.

Christian Ziegler photographs orchids in field in Sardinia.

Pack Light But Bring The Essentials.

When Ziegler goes into the field, he typically takes his digital SLR camera with a macro lens (2.8/100mm), a wide-angle zoom lens (2.8/16-40mm), three off-camera flashes, and a small tripod. "With the macro you can focus in on a small flower and easily isolate the flower from the background," he says. The shallow depth of field also blurs the background, so you get the colors of the surrounding environment without distracting from the star of the show.

Male flowers of tropical Catasetum orchids conceal a pollen-loaded slingshot, which fires its sticky bundle when a prospective pollinator jostles the trigger. Bees are prime targets. (Top)

Each mottled flower two inches across, a Prosthechea prismatocarpa bows from a moss-encrusted rock beside a mountain stream in Panama. (Bottom)

Show Them In Their Natural Element.

The landscape can be as much a part of the story as the orchid, Ziegler says. When he wants to incorporate the setting, Ziegler uses a wider lens. "The image turns into a landscape with the orchid as the focus, which works especially well when the flower has a strong color to help it stand out from the forest backdrop."

Snail orchid flowers photographed in a mobile studio in Western Australia (Right)

A crab spider orchid photographed in a mobile studio in Western Australia (Left)

A blue velvet orchid photographed in a field studio in Western Australia (Left)

A bird orchid photographed in a field studio in western Australia. (Right)

Play To Their Strengths.

"Both the shape and color of orchids are crucial. Everything depends on them," Ziegler says. "Sometimes I like the straightforward look of a simple portrait—just the flower—especially when it is small and you need to drive attention to it."

"I always use flash to highlight the orchid flower. I keep the flash low so it's hardly noticeable, but it helps to highlight the colors." He also uses a soft box to diffuse the light source.

If he is going for more of a portrait, he might photograph the plants against a black background in a makeshift field studio. "I use a large piece of black velvet and it's important to arrange it evenly. Then I set up three or four flashes on brackets and put my camera on a tripod. All without disturbing the plant." This enables us to focus on the beauty of the flower without distraction.

Following a perfume trail to its source, male wasps in Australia ravish a king spider orchid. Every orchid has a petal modified for pollination, some theatrically so. (Top)

Flies—one with a yellow pollen sac already attached to its back, in a spot it can't reach—visit a Masdevallia orchid in Central America. (Bottom)

Spend Time To See What Other Creatures Light Show-up.

Orchids are masters when it comes to attracting pollinators, even mimicking scents, colors, and textures of female insects in hopes of attracting males—who will unwittingly picking up tiny pollen packets in the process. Bees, butterflies, wasps, and hummingbirds are all lured by the orchid and can help tell a more complete story.

A lilliputian orchid, each flower under half an inch long, blooms brightly in the highlands of Panama.

Get Creative With Your Camera To Add Something Extra.

To photograph this lilliputian orchid, Ziegler tried a different approach. "I used three off-camera flashes combined with available light. Then I took a longer exposure for the picture, around one-tenth of a second, and moved the camera a little to create the washed-out effect around the edge of the flower." The macro lens creates a blurry background, which focuses all the attention on the flower.

Leave Them As You Found Them.

Like any wildlife, wild orchids are part of a larger ecosystem and disrupting them affects not only the plant, but also insects and creatures that rely on it. In some cases, orchids are also protected by law. And, chances are if you are enjoying the experience of finding and photographing an orchid, others will too.