#i will not be given days to recover . so bear with me here please

[theokusgallery]

who else out there straight up feelin it

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Hi I enjoyed your writing! 😃 I have a scenario in my head that I want to request:

Wife!reader has given birth a few months ago; she and Aemond haven’t been intimate during at all during that time and she misses him. She feels maybe he isn’t attracted to her anymore and loses a bit of confidence… truthfully the reason why Aemond hasn’t initiated anything is because he felt it would make her feel pressured and he figures she must be tired from the baby. All this time Aemond has been craving her, but his has been fighting his desires for his wife’s sake. Can you make it turn fluffy/NSFW please?

Thank you for sending this in. I got massively carried away writing it lol I will admit there is not much fluff to be had here, but plenty of NSFW.

Warnings: Mild angst, masturbation, smut, lactation kink. NSFW. 18+ Word count: ~1300

She stands in front of the mirror in only her small clothes. Her fingers trace the curves of her body as she looks at herself. Her waist is thicker, her breasts are fuller, there are lines and scars where there used to be smooth skin; all signs of having carried and birthed a babe; her beautiful son.

In her mind, her body is not unrecognisable from how it looked nine turns of the moon ago, yet Aemond has not touched her since she gave birth. At first, she was grateful for the space; her husband’s sexual appetite was ravenous and there was not a night that had passed where he hadn’t ravished her thoroughly since they were wed. A long and painful labour had left her tired and sore. She had dismissed the suggestion of a wet nurse, wanting to ensure she bonded with her precious little bundle. As such, many sleepless nights had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

However, it had now been three full moons since her and Aemond had last been intimate and she was desperately missing his touch. Her body was fully recovered from her pregnancy, so she could not understand why he was abstaining from her.

He still slept beside her each night, still held her close, but had not moved beyond a chaste kiss to the lips. She was beginning to wonder if he no longer desired her. Had her figure really changed so much that she had become unattractive to the man she loved?

Aemond slips into bed that night and presses his lips softly to her hairline. He then rolls away, his back to her, and she allows silent tears to slip down her cheeks. What if he has taken a lover? Her heart cannot bear the thought.

The notion lingers in her mind, still plaguing her thoughts the next morning. When Aemond does not join her to break their fast, she decides she will confront him.

Rising from the table, she strides back towards their shared bedchamber, in search of her husband. 

As she enters the room, she catches sight of him sitting on the end of their bed. He is hunched over, his breathing is ragged. She is unsure of what he is doing, until she ventures closer and gasps at what she sees.

Aemond’s right fist moves furiously over his hardened cock. The small clothes she wore the previous day are bunched up in his left hand.

Her gasp alerts him to her presence and his head snaps up towards her, his right eye wide with shock. He hastily moves to stuff himself back into his breeches, standing and backing away, his cheeks pink with embarrassment.

“My love…I-I did not mean for you to see this…”

Confusion is at the forefront of her mind as she focuses on the undergarments that Aemond is still holding.

“If you have no wish to lay with me, husband, pray tell, why are you using my small clothes to pleasure yourself with?”

Aemond’s brow furrows, he appears almost offended. “No wish to lay with you? You are my wife, the thought scarcely leaves my mind.”

“And yet you have not touched me since I birthed our son.” She states, trying and failing to keep the bitterness from her tone.

Realisation washes over Aemond. He drops her small clothes to the floor, taking both of her hands in his.

“Forgive me.” He says softly. “It was not my intent to make you feel as though I do not desire you. That has not changed. But I am aware that there are consequences to our more…lustful actions, and your labour was not easy. I could not bear to lose you because I cannot control my urges.”

“Aemond, we are going to have more children eventually.” She reasons. “Perhaps not right away, but there is no reason why we can’t enjoy each other in the meantime. There is always moon tea, if you are that worried.” “I do not expect you to have to do that just to sate my urges.”

He gives her hands a reassuring squeeze.

“They are not just your urges!” She replies exasperatedly. “I want you. I ache for my husband. Please-”

Her words are cut off as Aemond presses forward, capturing her lips hungrily with his own.

She shudders as he gropes harshly at her body, forcing her backwards. Heated desire pools in her core. She would be embarrassed at how wantonly responsive she is to his touch, if she were not so desperate to have him inside of her.

Aemond breaks away from her lips, placing wet open mouthed kisses to her neck. He backs her up against the chest of drawers, before lifting her onto it, and her hands reach eagerly for the laces of his breeches. The movement sends the contents placed on top of the chest rattling to the floor.

Her mind feels foggy with want as he tugs harshly at the neckline of her dress, bringing it down to expose her breasts. She cannot escape the brazen moan that tumbles from her lips as he takes a nipple into his mouth, sucking greedily.

Her hand pumps frantically at his cock as he continues to suckle at her and it is not until he pulls away that she realises exactly what he had been doing, too lost in her own pleasure to notice.

A thin line of breastmilk trickles idly down his chin. A shiver travels down her spine. She fears she may pass out from the anticipation if he does not take her soon. 

 His darkened eye stares her down. He pushes her hand from his cock.

“I will not last if you keep that up.” He says huskily.

He bunches her skirts above her hips, before hastily yanking down her undergarments, leaving them to dangle from a single ankle. 

Pushing forcefully inside of her already soaking centre, Aemond’s jaw goes slack as he groans in unison with her. His eye screws shut as he sheathes himself fully inside of her. 

The overwhelming sensation of fullness is something she has missed greatly, but she has no time to revel in it as Aemond immediately begins to thrust, his pace is fast and hard. With every snap of his hips, the chest of drawers slams heavily into the wall behind them.

His mouth returns to her breasts, this time giving some much needed attention to the other. He drinks frantically as he pounds into her. 

The sounds she makes are lewd, she is certain half the Red Keep must be able to hear them and yet it does not matter to her. Her only focus is Aemond. Her fingers tangle into his long, silky white hair, tugging gently.

The grunt he emits causes her to tighten around him and in an instant he is gasping, pushing deeper inside of her, his hips stuttering as his cock pulsates and fills her full of him.

He goes limp against her and she strokes his hair as they both take a moment to compose themselves. Aemond’s breath comes in hot puffs against her neck as she feels him softening inside of her.

She could swear she is drunk on the experience of what has just transpired. Her reverie is broken somewhat when she hisses in discomfort as Aemond pulls out of her.

“That…was a lot quicker than I had anticipated.” Aemond confesses, his face flushed.

She huffs a slight laugh. “I enjoyed myself. It is fine.”

“It is not fine.” He corrects her. “I have not touched you in ages and when I finally did you did not peak.” “So what do you propose we do about that?” She asks, excitement fluttering in her belly.

“I propose…” He begins, a predatory glint to his eye. “You rid yourself of your clothing, lay on the bed and allow me to keep trying until you do.”

[itwasntimethatdidit40]

Happy Birthday, little finch.

Gif credits

Pairing: Jackson!Joel X AFAB!reader

Words count: 6731

Rating: +18 NSFW, Minors please don’t interact

Summary: Everyone forgets your birthday but you receive an unexpected invitation (wink) that will change the fate of the day.

Warnings: POV second person, smut, little power dynamic, little brat taming, begging, unprotected P in V (please, always use protections in real life!), Reader's age is intentionally unspecified, you can imagine an age gap between her and Joel or not, oral (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), nipples play, Joel comes on reader's tits, just a little of pulling hair, soft!Joel, grumpy!Joel, pet names (little finch, honey, baby, babe), mention of fasting as a sarcastic joke (I don’t condone joking about no one’s eating habits), reader has hair (It is not specified how long they are or what they look like), reader can be lifted by big and strong Joel, reader has a able body, breasts and vagina and she wears a dress, apart from that no other description is given, reader is part of the Jackson community, I don't know anything about Jackson, I only know a few details about second game’s plot (including that detail, yes) so everything I describe is purely from my imagination and may have no bearing on the original Jackson, brief appearances by Maria, Tommy, Ellie and Dina, drinking, swearing, Joel calls reader “little finch” (I came up with this nickname just because my grandpa used to call me with a bird name when I was little and I always found it sweet, so here we go ❤️), Joel can draw (I don't know if it's true but for me it is, okay, allow me). I hope I haven't forgotten anything but if I do I'll add it as soon as I notice.

English is not my first language so please be kind, I always try to do my best, no proofreading (sorry), very little editing, I apologize for any mistakes. I'm writing on my phone, I hope the formatting isn't too bad 🥲

Thank you so much to anyone who will read this, I really hope you’ll like it, kind comments and advices are really appreciated ❤️

I've been listening to Hozier's "Talk" heavily while writing this so here it is, I'll let you know. It's such a beautiful song and I love Hozier so much 🫠

You wake up struck by a ray of sunlight that enters faintly through the half-closed shutters and dies right on your face.

You have no idea what time it is and your head feels heavy and confused, you turn over in bed thinking that maybe you can give yourself another 5 minutes but then you hear voices outside already awake and ringing and then you think that maybe it's really late. You sit up and retrieve the clock from the bedside table, it's 7 in the morning.

You get up and go to the kitchen to make some coffee and from the window you see some people already busy doing their work. Some children head towards the building designated as school in Jackson, happily laughing while they chase each others.

You yawn and open the cabinet in the kitchen where you keep the coffee filters, a precious supply recovered during an exploration that you jealously preserve.

The coffee is also the result of a find and therefore it was carefully rationed with the other members of the community.

You are grateful that it exists because this morning you really need it, last night you slept badly, continuing to toss in your sleep and always dreaming of the same thing again and again. You being swallowed up by a hole in the ground and no hand reaching out to help you. Just a great dream.

The coffee maker burbles a few minutes later, releasing the drink you crave.

Temperatures are milder in this season so you no longer need to put on a heavy jacket and snow boots, there is a bit of fresh wind but nothing compared to the harsh winter that has just passed.

Today in particular you feel like dressing better than usual, you go back to your room and open the wardrobe, carefully inspecting the few clothes hanging there.

You obviously don't have much choice because they're all salvaged second-hand clothes, but Maria gave you a nice pair of denim shorts a month ago and they look very nice on you.

You take it out of the closet and place it on the bed along with a white tank top that highlights your boobs just right, it’s nothing particularly fancy but it makes you feel good, you head towards the shower humming softly.

The shower helps you wake up, you dress and you leave the house feeling a bit better.

You meet a couple of people who greet you as you make your way to the library.

You enter, smelling the familiar smell of books and immediately get to work cleaning and dusting the shelves and the floor, like every day.

The morning passes peacefully, only a couple of people come in to borrow books, so after doing your chores you took the opportunity to rearrange thriller’s books section.

You're a bit shocked by the fact that no one told you anything particular but you don't mind, these people have a lot to think about and a lot to do.

When you leave it's lunch time, so you head to the common room.

The crisp air caresses your face and the sun gives you a little warmth that you missed so much, you really love this season in Jackson.

You enter the room filled with chatter that echoes off the walls. You take your place in line and once you have had your portion you sit at one of the tables.

No one reaches you yet. You're alone in a room full of people.

You see him in a corner, sitting with Maria and Tommy and you get lost for a while observing the way he moves his large hands, how his hair rests at the base of his neck, his big brown eyes, so communicative, the way his flannel shirt - which has practically become a distinctive trait of Joel - hug his muscles, the way his lower lip slightly twitch while he’s talking.

You’re totally captivated.

You can't help it and you know it.

Every time he spoke to you, even for just a few minutes, your body reacted unequivocally at his deep low raspy voice, his proximity always caused you trouble.

You like this man, much more than you are willing to admit.

Joel Miller.

You're friends, you might say. As much as it is possible to be friends with a man like him.

He's friendly, but always with an undertone of detachment that you can't define, as if he's afraid of letting himself go with someone and let his feelings flow freely.

And just as you're thinking this, he turns and looks at you for a moment.

You are sitting, yet your knees feel weak and you feel your cheeks redden knowing you've been caught.

You turn your eyes back to your lunch, quickly finishing your meal and bringing your tray back. You leave the common room feeling in a bubble.

It's stupid that he makes you feel like a little girl with her first crush but it always happens, by now you're resigned to always making a fool of yourself with him.

You walk home to do your household chores and then go to the patch of garden you've been assigned to take care of.

You meet various people along the way but again everyone just say hello, you see Ellie with Dina and they both wave at you and nothing more. In the meantime, Maria has left the common room and the only thing she asks you is how the courgettes you planted a month ago are coming along.

It's strange, but you shrug your shoulders and think that deep down today is not such a relevant day for others even if you hoped it would be because you now consider these people as your new family.

You stop thinking about it and focus on the things you have to do but a tiny piece of your heart hurts a little, just a little.

What the hell is wrong with people today? Only a month ago they throw a big party for Tommy and now nothing, not even a hint.

Okay, Tommy is higher rank, he is married to Maria, everyone sees him as a guide just as they see his partner.

And he goes on patrols, certainly offering others a greater sense of security and protection, unlike you who deal with less dangerous things.

That's probably why, you're just a minion in Jackson's pecking order.

You let off some steam by plowing your field with more force than necessary, small drops of sweat slide down your forehead and you end up hot and with your arms aching from the effort.

Stupid girl, stop thinking about it, it's not that important to have a birthday, not in a post apocalyptic world where everyone is struggling to get ahead.

But still, they acknowledged every single special day of everyone’s here before, except yours and nothing particularly relevant is happening, it’s been a couple of quiet weeks.

You're wiping sweat from your forehead with one hand when you hear a voice behind you.

"What are you doing tonight?" It's his voice, you'd recognize his among a thousand.

You turn around stuttering “uh, what?”

And there he is, flannel shirt, curls slightly blowing in the wind, mouth curved in a smirk, dark piercing eyes.

Fuck.

“I asked…what are you doing tonight?”

You feel the nervousness rising in your chest, it's the first time he's spoken to you in a week and you weren't ready in the slightest.

“Uh…oh…nothing special, I guess, I think I'll read a book and go to sleep early”

you say trying to maintain a certain apparent nonchalance.

“You didn't mention dinner, are you going to fast?” Oh, great. Sarcastic jokes, classic Miller behavior.

“No, of course not,” you reply, rolling your eyes.

He chuckles “okay, so, would you like to come to my house? I cook”

Fuck. Is that, a date?

You instantly feel your mouth dry as you try to reply “Well, it’s not like I have something better to do so yes, why not”

You don't want to make it obvious to this man how he makes you feel. There are worse things to worry about in this world, but letting yourself go with someone who always shows restraint only to be rejected - on your birthday, no less - doesn't seem as pleasant.

And that's how you usually communicate anyway, bickering.

Maria often laughs about it, you are both stubborn and neither of you ever wants to agree with the other.

One day she told you that she thinks you'll end up together and you practically laughed in her face. Not because you don't want to, but because you thought Joel didn't even see you that way.

Maybe Maria was right all along, who knows.

“Good, see you at 7”

And he goes.

You watch him walk away for a while, still with spade in your hands.

Suddenly this day became interesting.

You run into the house and take off your dirty clothes throwing them in the basket you keep in the bathroom and go to the shower.

While you're soaping yourself up you wonder what came into his mind.

As you rub your hair, you think that maybe he's making fun of you but Joel doesn't seem like the type to make a prank, he's always quite sarcastic but not a proper prankster.

It's part of his charm, he always looks grumpy but you know he's not bad, the way he looks at Ellie or his brother says everything about him.

He would do anything for the people he loves.

And he’s not mean, he was kind to you too.

You've spent more time looking at him, analyzing every chat you had with him than you like to admit, so yeah, you're pretty sure he's okay.

Once you get out of the shower you open the wardrobe and find yourself contemplating the usual clothes with which you have to make the best of things.

There is a cute dress that you have never worn because you have never found a particular occasion. It's quite short and low-cut, definitely not suited to Jackson's lifestyle, here everyone wears jeans and sweaters or t-shirts.

You think that maybe tonight is the time to dare even if you don't want him to burst out laughing and ask you what you've got in your head.

It's just a dinner.

He never mentioned anything romantic.

You're obviously nervous, because you like him and if it doesn't go well you should continue to see him every day anyway.

In the end you decide to wear the dress anyway but to tone it down with a cardigan and a pair of boots, so as to make it look less like "please fuck me" style.

You shake your head, how much trouble are you going to for Joel Miller.

However, you have to admit that it's the first really exciting thing that's happened to you since you've been here. You thought that surviving was enough so you obviously never complained about it.

You fix your hair after drying it, you look at yourself in the mirror and you think that you're not that bad after all.

It's almost time, you leave the house and walk the few meters that separate you from Joel's house with your heart beating wildly in your chest.

You climb the few steps to his porch feeling insecure and stupid for accepting, who knows what you expect from this lonely man.

You shrug and knock on the door, snuggling into your cardigan in the cool evening air.

You consider going back and pretending you had a mishap, but Joel opens the door.

“Hey, come in” he smiles at you. You cross the threshold timidly as a delicious scent invades your nostrils.

Who knew Joel Miller could cook?

You follow him into the kitchen and Joel pours you a glass of wine.

“Where did you find this?” you ask in surprise. Wine is a luxury that you haven't been able to afford many times in Jackson, usually the only thing they bring back after searches and patrols are bottles of cheap whiskey.

“I found it two km from here in an abandoned shop. It was stuck under a shelf, probably for years”

“Oh, great”

“Well they say that aged wines are better. Like men, don't you agree?” He smiles, winking at you.

He winked.

Fuck.

You try to hide your surprise by taking a long sip from your glass.

While Joel is busy checking on the stew you take a look around the living room.

It's a nice house, simply furnished like all the houses in Jackson, tidy and clean.

There are some sheets with drawings on the coffee table in front of the couch. You know Joel made them because you've seen him several times on his porch busy drawing animals. A squirrel, a deer, a small bird. He's really good at it.

And obviously his guitar, resting on a stand in a corner near the couch.

In a totally cheesy way you would love to hear him play something for you.

“So, do you like wine?”

You turn and see that he is a few steps away from you, glass in hand.

“Uhm, yeah, it’s good”

He gives you a smile “stew is almost ready”

“Can I help you with something?”

“No, don’t worry, you’re the guest”

You see him linger with his gaze on your legs and up to your breasts and you think that the dress wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He is wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans and is breathtaking.

You scan each other for a few seconds, without speaking. You are like two predators sniffing each other to see who will give in first.

“That dress looks good on you” he finally says and for the first time you notice that he is slightly embarrassed. He looks down at his glass and stares at it harder than necessary.

You still don't know why he invited you tonight but honestly at this point you don't even care. He's more handsome than ever, his hair still slightly damp from the shower and pulled back, that little scar on his cheek that you'd be eager to find out the story of, that smile he's giving you and his hands nervously gripping the glass, everything about him draws you in like a magnet.

"Thank you. You're not bad either." You giggle and you know that it’s definitely what you needed tonight. To feel attractive. To feel seen.

He comes back to the kitchen and after a few seconds he calls you “Dinner’s ready”

You sit at the table in the kitchen and he places a plate in front of you that smells of home, of memories and takes you back to when you were little and your mom cooked for you.

It's like Proust's madeleine.

Evoking sweet feelings with food is one of your favorite things to remember who you were, who you loved, and what was before this debacle.

It's melancholy but also comfort in a certain way, it's like holding on to the truest and most authentic part of you, the one that made you who you are today and probably allowed you to survive.

You take a bite as Joel looks at you in anticipation.

“Wow, this is good!” you exclaim “extremely good. Who knew that you were a chef”

“Ha! I’m really not, it’s just a stew and I’ve done it so many time that I can’t get it wrong at this point”

“It's still the best I've had in years, I need to get invited to dinner more often”

You chuckle and then you blush, because you've made it clear that you hope it's the first of many times.

Damn you.

You hadn't had a love interest in years, obviously, there wasn't time to think about that while the world burned and you had to fight to stay alive. But here, in this little bubble, where people have welcomed you and you have recovered crumbs of normality, it doesn't seem too stupid to feel something for Joel.

Is he grumpy? Sometimes. But he is also incredibly generous, to be honest. When you asked him, a formal contractor, to help you create the library he snorted, he told you that it wasn't necessary, that no one would ever go there anyway.

You shrugged and said that you would have done it anyway with or without his help, Maria had already given you permission.

The next morning you got up early to go and clean up the designated building and found him there, he was repairing a damaged window that wouldn't go up or down.

He grumbled when you asked him ironically what he was doing “someone has to stop you from opening a crumbling library”

You smiled, feeling your heart warm.

And so it was every day until the place was ready. Joel showed up early in the morning or in the evening, spent a few hours fixing the steps, eradicating moths, building shelves and cabinets, even a desk for you.

You've never talked in depth about your lives but you still know something you've heard through the grapevine. He's very secretive about his past so you never asked him any uncomfortable questions, the last thing you would want is for him to never share anything with you again.

The time he helped you with the library was the most enjoyable time you've had here so far and that's when you realized that your crush was more serious than expected.

“Do you want another glass of wine?”

“Why not, i don’t have to drive home”

He laughs “Yeah, no fines for you”

“At most a headache, but I'll think about that in the morning”

“Were you surprised when I invited you?”

he leaves you speechless for a moment and then you find, you don't know how, the strength to use irony, like you always do "I've known for a long time that you want me" you giggle and brush your hair away from your face while you say it.

"Oh yes? How strange, I actually thought it was the opposite” the smirk and the deep chuckle he gives to you goes straight to the most private part of you. Right there. It sits on your clit and you feel it tingling.

Fuck, this man.

You never experienced a flirty Joel Miller before and you were actually quite sure he wasn’t even capable of being so but he is.

“Oh shut up, finish eating” you scoff, feeling your cheeks turn on fire.

He lets go for a while and watches you amusedly fill your mouth with his stew.

“It's a pleasure to see you eat, little finch”

He started calling you that when you couldn't move the furniture in the library on your own. "I don't know how you thought you could manage on your own, little finch."

At first you hated it, now you pretend to hate it but you actually like it.

“Stop calling me that!” you still have to keep up a facade after all.

“Oh come on, finch is the cutest bird, don’t be offended”

“I’m no bird” you pout.

“Yep you are, finch. Delicate. Elegant. Pretty. You walk like you’re floating in the light air and your voice is a lovely chirping sound. It gets on my nerves sometimes, but I actually like it. A lot.”

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

You can't believe he said that.

You feel your heart melt like snow under the sun, your lips involuntarily curl into a smile, your hands tremble with the desire to touching him and between your legs a lustful heat invades you all over.

His face is relaxed, his eyes sparkle mischievously and his smile…his smile pins you to the chair.

You raise your glass in an attempt to drink some courage while he doesn't stop looking at you silently.

Just enough time to bring your lips close to the glass and you find yourself coughing, you're too distracted and the wine goes sideways.

Obviously.

You can't help but look like a fool in front of him, you don't even know how he thinks you're elegant.

“Jesus, are you okay?” he asks in alarm as he reaches up to wrap his arm around your back and pat you lightly.

To your surprise, his large, calloused hands can be very gentle.

“Oh my god, yes, yes I’m okay” you reply between coughs "I'll get over it now"

Now that he knows that you will survive he sits back down to his chair and scrutinizes you with an amused expression.

“Did I go too hard on you?”

“What? No, not all” you reply red-faced, while trying to regain some composure.

“Okay, if you say so” he places a hand on yours gripping the table “Has it passed?”

“Yeah, I think it is” You pour a little water into the other glass he has set and drink, this time slowly.

Finally you feel your breathing return to regularity and your cough gradually subside.“Thank goodness, little finch, think if I should have taken you to the doctor in that lovely dress” and laughs.

You've never seen him laugh so much.

He is intelligible most of the time but tonight he is an open book.

“What's wrong with this dress, Miller?” you ask, ironically, you may be clumsy but not to this point and you want to try to get back at him.

"Nothing. You don't see many of them in Jackson, that's all."

“It doesn't look like anything special to me,” you say, as you realize he's staring insistently at your tits. “Do you see anything special, Miller?”

He shrugs “It’s pretty low cut for nothing”

You bend over slightly, resting your forearms on the table smiling at him, exposing your boobs even more. He is sitting in front of you and still watching at them.

“You're pretty good at it after all, little finch” his eyes have become darker and it's as if a small flame is burning inside them.

You feel a certain pride rising in your chest.

“Now you look like the embarrassed one, Miller, have you seen how things have changed?” Your smirk doesn't go unnoticed by Joel who squirms in his seat as if it has suddenly become uncomfortable.

"Can you tell me something? Why did you invite me tonight?” you’re pushing him, and you know it. And actually, you like it, for once you feel like you have the upper hand.

“Isn't it obvious, finch?” he mutter.

“Maybe, but I'd like to hear it from you. Use your words, Miller, I know you can."

“When you asked me to help you to arrange the library I thought you were crazy. Then I realized I was wrong. It was a nice idea. It was a great idea actually. No one here can go anywhere anymore, and in any case there is nowhere you can go so it is comforting to know that there is always a way to take refuge elsewhere, at least for a few hours, reading a great book. So yes, finch, I like you. I like you because you gave us back some beauty.”

“Fuck Miller, you can make speeches whenever you want”

“It's just one of the reasons I like you, you’re also smart and thoughtful and gorgeous but yeah, that’s it, I’ve said it”

His gaze is languid, you'd almost say longing. Maybe you managed to scratch a small piece of the invisible armor he built to protect himself.

One moment you were bickering as usual and the next Joel fucking Miller left you speechless.

No sarcasm, not an ounce of irony, he sounds sensitive and vulnerable.

It's so strange to see him in this light, the only other time it happened to you you were in the library, he found a children's book and held it in his hands looking at it in silence.

For a moment you could have sworn you saw tears in his eyes, he looked helpless and hurt and then it was the usual Joel, complaining about the mess and the weight of the boxes you had made him lift that gave nightmares to his back.

You get up from the chair without even realizing it, as if it were an involuntary movement that your body needs.

You stop in front of him, who is still sitting, his arms abandoned on the table, his gaze following you questioningly.

You put a hand in his hair and let it run through his dark curls while he instinctively closes his eyes, abandoning himself completely under your touch.

You would like to say something but you don't want to ruin the moment and in any case you can't find any words suitable to describe how you feel.

Moved, yearning, grateful, overwhelmed?

All these things together at the same time.

You let your hand linger on the base of his neck, stroking softly

“Look at me” you whisper.

And his gaze turns, his whole body turns, and you've never seen him so clearly. He rests his large hands on your hips and his gaze pierces you as he lands on yours.

You feel his grip tighten as you lean over him and leave a shy kiss on his lips. Small. Brief. And another, instinctively. And yet another.

And another until his lips part on yours and fit perfectly in a long sigh. He tastes like wine and loneliness and desire.

It’s manly but tender and demanding for more.

Your tongues meet and it's like an electric shock that surprises you but at the same time it's inevitable like when two surfaces rub together generating energy, it is an unwritten physical law that holds you together despite having used all your strength to keep each other at a distance for months.

Now, all you can do is give up.

You kiss him like it's the last thing you do in your life, his eager hands roam your hips, gripping your ass and squeezing tightly.

He part from your lips just the time to stand up and wrapping you entirely in his arms, his mouth searching for yours again, eager, his hands stroking your back while you feel just like a little finch in the most comfortable nest you could find.

“God, I want you” he mutter in your ear nuzzling at your sensitive skin.

“Take me. Just… take me, Joel”

It’s a dreadful need that you feel deep in your bone, the last shred of love you could find in this broken world, a sweet feeling of release that you desperately wanted.

You can’t think straight and don’t want to.

He take off your cardigan and reaches for the hem of your dress and lifts it up roaming your thighs feverishly, squeezing and stroking, his fingers digging into your flesh as you moan softly into his ear. He pulls it up to your waist and you help slide it off your head.

He bends down to take off your boots and throws them on the floor in an unspecified place, then he gets up and takes you back in his arms. He's still dressed while you're almost naked and exposed in a pair of black lace panties and a matching bra. You might be intimidated but you're not. You let yourself be held and explored by his hands. His calloused fingers, rough but gentle, touch you everywhere, giving you goosebumps. He lifts a hand to one of your breast and squeezes it through the fabric.

You can't help but let out a muffled moan while he is filling his hand with your flesh.

“Do you like it, finch? Me squeezing your boob?” he says in a whisper, looking into your eyes.

“Y-yes” you mumble “give me more”

There's a smug, lecherous smile painted on his face as he reaches for your bra and unclasps it with a single gesture.

He slides it off and drops it on the kitchen floor. Your nipples stiffen in an instant, hit by the air, he takes one between his fingers and pinches it, pulling it gently and then his mouth is on it swirling his tongue and sucking it. You squirm at the sensation, digging your hand into his hair again, pushing his face into your breast “more, more” you stammer. You feel his smile spread across your skin and his teeth bite lightly into you.

“You’re ravenous, aren’t you?”

You pull his hair and tilt his face slightly to regain eye contact. “Do you mind?”

“Absolutely fucking not.”

“Good, you can continue doing what you were doing” you smile defiantly. You like to provoke him, especially now.

“You're bossy for a little finch, I like that”

he smiles back, his eyes shining bright with thrill and anticipation.

He returns to greedily licking and sucking like a thirsty man on your nipples, another loud moan escape from your lips.

“Fuck, you’re so good”

“I just started with you, you have no idea what awaits you” he whispers.

“Mmm then less talking, Miller, show me”

Without having to be told twice, he picks you up, much to your surprise, and places you on his couch in the living room.

“Woah, Miller, easy”

“You told me not to waste time talking” he shrugs. chuckling.

He pulls you to the edge of the couch “spread your legs”

You open your legs a little but he is visibly not satisfied, he takes your knees and opens them more "Like this. Now stay still” he orders.

He kneels between your thighs and pulls your panties aside.

You feel his fingers trail up your thigh, slowly, taking the time to slide lightly over your skin, causing you a mixture of tickling and excitement.

You writhe when you feel his index finger grazing your pussy lips, wandering up and down caressing for a little bit before sliding it between them and wetting it completely in your juices.

“You’re soaking wet, baby”

You can literally feel your cunt dripping when he keeps going up and down, briefly sinking into your hole with the tip of his finger and then on your clit, moving in circle with two fingers over your bundle of nerves.

You’re whining again, you’re growing impatient and he perfectly knows that

“Joel…”

“Yes, Finch?”

“You're doing it again”

“What”

“You know what. Do you want to torture me?”

"No. I just want you to beg me."

“God, you’re impossible” you roll your eyes out of exhaustion and arousal.

He stops completely.

“So are you, babe. Can you please let me do what I know best?”

He presses on your clit with two fingers and you squirm.

“Fuck. Okay”

He starts teasing your clit again, moving his fingers up and down to gather your wetness and spread it all over your lips.

“The thing is, finch, your pussy is so good. Look at her, I can’t rush it. She deserves to be loved nicely and slowly”

He is sitting on his heels just taking his time with you and you can’t be more eager to have him in your hole but you breath, resigned to wait for his pace.

He teases your entrance again, this time with two fingers, pushing in a little deeper.

His thumb is still taking care of your clit, moving a little faster than before.

“Eyes on me, babe”

And you do, you lock your eyes with his and you see hunger and lust and wonder.

He’s admiring you and you feel flattered.

He brings his face closer and sticks his tongue out, licking you from bottom to top and then again, letting it slide between your lips.

His beard is scratching you, his tongue stops on your clit swirling around it, jerking it slowly, again and again until you see him closing his lips on it and sucking gently.

He’s devouring you at this point and you mewl and cry and scream for more.

“Jesus - fuck - oh my goodness”

Your fingers are entwined into his curls and you’re pushing his face against you as much as you can, his tongue is fucking your hole now, he delves into you and lick all he can and you start to feel an incredible warmth rising from your core, in your tummy, to your chest.

He finally lets his index and middle finger sliding into you, pumping slowly in and out of your dripping wet cunt.

“Joel, oh my God I - ha! - I can’t, oh God”

“Yes, you can. Just like that, baby, give it to me” he whispers softly against your skin.

You’re on the verge of coming, the most incredible orgasm is knocking at your senses, overwhelming and brutally crushing into you.

“I’m com - oh GOD - yes,Joel, fuck”

He praises you again “come for me, soak my fingers, come on”

And you do. You gush all over his fingers like it was the last thing you do in the world, your legs shake and your heart reach an impossible pace that leaves you breathless.

He keeps licking and pumping into you until you calm and you can’t take your eyes off him bowed between your thighs, he drives you wild.

He stands up grunting at his poor knees and you giggle, he raises an eyebrow at you

“I wouldn't laugh considering the fact that I just made you scream my name”

He sits down on the couch next to you, circling your waist with his big strong arm and pushing you against him.

You bury your face in his chest “Aw, you’re so touchy, Miller” and you giggle again.

“You’re such a little brat.” He says, stroking your hair “But see? I wasn’t lying. It's been many years since I last did this but I still know what to do”

You raise your eyes at him “yeah, I give you that. You’re fucking good” and you place a kiss on the hairless part of his beard “but I-”

“What?” he interrupts you, looking at you maliciously

You bite your lower lip, feeling hot again just for the way he’s holding you tightly watching you with lust in his eyes.

“I want your cock”

“Oh. It’s time to beg, baby”

“Joel…”

“Beg for it, little finch” he’s smiling but his voice is firm and slightly authoritative

“I never beg” you scoff

“You will start now, sweetie, if you want to see me naked”

You look at him with exasperation, rolling your eyes immediately after “okay, Jesus. Can you please give me your cock?”

“Manners, babe. Ask gently”

You ask yourself what have you done wrong to fall for such an unbearable man “Good Lord”

“Beg with conviction”

“Joel Miller, could you do me the courtesy of fucking me? Please?”

You’re smirking hard. You definitely love to get on his nerves.

“You’re getting into trouble with this attitude, you know that?” He reaches one of your nipples and pinches it hard making you whimper into his arms.

You turn serious, looking him in the eyes intensely, licking your lip before saying “Fuck me, Joel. Please.”

“Mmm yes, just like that baby, it didn't take much”

He finally stands up in front of you. He takes off his shirt, revealing a strong, broad chest.

You can see a thin strip of hair disappearing under his jeans but apart from that he is almost hairless, his skin is delightfully dotted with freckles that make your mouth water.

He throws off his shirt and bends over to remove his boots.

Your eyes linger on his back, on his tense, rippling muscles, you can't believe how gorgeous he is, after all you think it was worth begging for this but you will never tell him.

He unzips his jeans and takes them off, remaining in his boxers. The sight of his deliciously soft tummy drives you completely insane. You’re craving him like you never did with anyone before.

“Kneel on the couch for me, baby” he orders and you immediately do, you turn your head just in time to see him taking off his boxers, freeing his already hard and swollen cock. Your knees sink into the pillows and your hands rest on the armrest, you are completely exposed to his will.

He gets behind you on his knees, gripping your hips and pulling you towards him.

“Fuck me Joel, please, fuck me now” you cry

“Such a good girl, begging for my cock like that. You learn quickly, little finch”

You only feel the tip poking at your entrance, he slides his cock against your dripping folds “Beg once more, babe”

You writhe, it’s more than you can take right now, you want him desperately.

“Please, Joel. Please” your voice sounds distraught but you don’t care, not now.

He enters you with a single thrust that makes you scream “Fuck!”

He’s big, so big that his cock burns in your center.

“I told you you were getting into trouble, baby, if you wanted me to be gentle you should have behaved better”

It's a small punishment you can bear, after a few seconds you already got used to his intrusion, you never felt so full before and right now you couldn’t ask for anything better.

He begins to move slowly, in and out of you, sinking deeper each time and reaching that spot that makes you see stars.

His loud grunts numb your head, his fingers dig into your hips as he thrusts into you, maybe he will leave some marks and the thought excite you even more.

“Oh God, please don’t stop, please”

He’s pounding into you incessantly, every thrust more deep leaving you short breath, you’re so wet that every lewd sounds coming from your cunt is making you feel like you’re on the brink of falling apart.

“Fuck, you look so pretty like that, babe, the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, so perfect for me”

You whine even more at his praises, feeling your pussy clenching hard around his cock.

“Joel please I’m-”

“I know baby, I know, I can feel you, squeezing my cock just right, God you’re taking me so good”

You basically spasm on his cock right now, legs trembling as your sink your fingers in the fabric of the couch desperately trying to hold your posture.

He holds you tightly by your hips, grunting with each thrust into you, hitting your cervix again and again.

“Come for me baby, come all over my cock”

You’re quivering so hard that you almost think of being on the verge of losing your mind.

You cry his name feeling so full and dazed while your orgasm explodes inside you.

He pumps into you until you calm down but he’s still throbbing against your walls “Where do you want me?”

“On my tits - please”

He comes out of you and you lie down on his couch, his throbbing cock is in front of you, he takes it in his hand, milking it a couple of time before releasing his cum all over you. He moans loudly as he paints your tits and chest with his pleasure.

He lies down on top of you, groaning “God, this was amazing”

You feel his sticky seed spreading on your skin but you don't care, you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him softly.

He moves to the side so as not to weigh you down and takes you in his arms again.

You hide your face for a moment in the crook of his neck, inhaling his woody, citrusy perfume, with a hint of the natural sweaty scent of his skin. He smells amazingly.

“I could get used to it” you giggle

“Me too, little finch” and he leaves a kiss on your hair.

“Oh, you made completely forgot about it, do you know what day it is today?”

“No, should I?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you. It’s my birthday.”

His eyes widen, “Really?”

“Yep”

“Well then happy birthday. Did you like your present?”

“It’s the best I’ve ever received”

You kiss him again, knowing how true it is.

“We should take a shower,” he laughs.

“Yeah, you’re… well…all over me…but to be honest, I like it.”

He smiles widely “Come on little finch, I might have another gift for you in the bathroom”

“Oh, then I can’t wait to unwrap it”

[purpleberiii]

"Payback"

☆Part 2 of the Nightingale fic

☆Prompt: After the talk with chief, you decided to make up for the way you treated nightingale, even going as far as changing for her.

☆Warnings: None

For the last two weeks, you and Nightingale had been living separately. She was renting an apartment, while you lived in your shared house. To say it was heartbreaking was an understatement; but you had to bear with it until she was ready to face you. After that night with Chief, you returned the money to Chelsea and Chief gave her a stern warning to stay away from you.

It was a very busy day at the MBCC, the chief had just destroyed a black ring at Keylan Square and is now recovering from the severe injuries. All of the work was left on Nightingale and she didn't ask you for help, nor did she inform you. She took all the responsibility without letting anyone know but luckily Chief called you and told you which is how you're currently in chief's office, finishing out the rest of the paperwork at 2 in the morning, normally people didn't come that early.

You were so focused on the paperwork you hadn't noticed that Nightingale walked in with a confused expression on her face. "What are you doing here?" She asked, that voice you had come to love even more resounded in your ears.

Through the busy facade, you gently smiled at her before replying, "I'm helping-I don't need your help. I can handle things on my own." Your words were caught in the back of your throat at her harsh tone but you knew it was coming.

"Please let's put our differences aside and work together. Chief's not here, we need to keep the MBCC off the higher ups radar."

"I can handle-no you can't. Look at those bags under your eyes. You clearly haven't been sleeping well. I know you're worried about Chief but she's okay."

"Why shouldn't I? Chief has been more of a lover to me than you." Your eyes widened when she said that and you could see a tinge of regret in her eyes. She walked towards you and collected the papers, before walking out. "I'll be in my office working."

As she left, you sinked down in the chair, lost for words. Maybe she did love chief all along. Either way, you were going to give her a choice to make. A divorce or your marriage. But you were going to give her after chief returned.

Chief did come out of the hospital a few weeks later, all ready for work and Nightingale'a mood had increased and brightened. Through the course of chief's absence, you tried so hard to earn her forgiveness, declining money right in front of her, helping her do little things, you name it but nothing seemed to be working.

These worries had been making you lose sleep, and you've been sleeping on the job. Nightingale gently shook your figure, a tired groan leaving your lips. When you realised it was her, your eyes shot open. "What's wrong?! Are you okay?!" Those questions shot out of your mouth quickly because she had a soft expression on her face.

"Why are you sleeping? Have you not been sleeping at home?"

"Ah yes... but I... we need to talk..."

"I-please listen to what I'm saying. For the last few weeks I've been trying to earn your forgiveness but nothing has worked. You've been sour to me but as soon as chief came, your mood somehow brightened up. I know I made a terrible mistake and I'm trying to fix it and to change. I want to be better but I feel like you're happier with chief so I'm giving you a choice to be free."

"I'm not divorcing." Her gaze was stern and intimidating. "I've noticed the efforts you're making and I was only sour because I was tired," she chuckled. For the very long time, you heard her laugh and your heart fluttered. "I know you've made a terrible mistake and I've already given you Payback for that. I'm willing to give us another try but..." she gripped your collar and pulled you close, "if you mess this up we're done."

You gulped before nodding enthusiastically. She smiled, pleased at your answer before kissing you. Her lips fit perfectly with yours and you couldn't help but sigh into the kiss, wrapping your arms around her waist whilst hers went around your neck. She pulled away, gasping for air and rested her forehead against yours. "Please don't do something-I won't do it again. I promise. It was so fucked up that I had immediately regretted it."

Nightingale chuckled before patting your cheek. "I've seen your behaviour as changed. You've gotten more soft spoken with your colleagues and more gentle but tell me... has your attitude in bed changed?"

"I will be more gentle."

"Don't be..I like it when you're rough."

She winked before walking away, leaving you a flustered mess. Now that things have resolved, you could now get a good night's sleep, with your wife in your arms.

[angeltreasure]

Hello,

I have an oral surgery coming up in a few weeks, can you please pray that everything goes well and I can heal fast? Also please pray for the doctor doing the surgery, he is still recovering. God bless you, and thank you so much to you and everyone else in advance!

Prayer for Personal Healing

Loving God, I come to You in prayer, seeking the blessing of good health, that I may serve Your Divine Son more faithfully and love Him with greater sincerity.

I wish to be well and strong, that I may use the talented and gifts You have given me, in Your honor, in service to my family, and for the good of others. Help me to bear patiently with illness, upcoming surgeries, and to always grow in Your wisdom and grace. Amen.

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

[savage-rhi]

hey uh .. I saw an Ashley x leon request here and I was wondering if I could request something about them . like imagine if Leon's leg got stuck into a bear trap and he got injured and then they had to find a shelter so he could rest for a while. (make it smutt if you want) but if you want to write something fluff please write something that would give me butterflies. like I just wanna see them literally fall in love thank you :)

Sure thing! Coming right up!

"You're doing great! Keep leaning on me, it's okay." Ashley cheered softly while Leon adjusted his weight against her right side. She felt his left arm tighten around her shoulders. Sensing Leon was still unsteady, Ashley stopped them both from walking further and her right arm wrapped around Leon's waist, giving more support.

"T-thanks," Leon winced. A throbbing pain shot up and down his left leg as it pulsed. He groaned, biting his bottom lip while his face turned red. Leon couldn't recall the last time he was in such misery. Being shot was one thing, he had experienced that time and time again, but getting caught in a bear trap was a whole other game that even a seasoned agent would never get used to.

"I promise this will be over soon," Ashley reassured, and coaxed Leon to continue walking. Words couldn't express the guilt she felt making him go the extra mile, but given who the enemies were, it wasn't safe to be in this area for long. They had to find shelter outside of the village territory. It was the only shot Leon had to recover in peace.

"I should be--the one telling you that," Leon chuckled weakly.

"Sorry to bust your bubble, Mr. Hero." Ashley sighed, shaking her head faintly. She furrowed her brows and focused on their surroundings. "If we go around the outpost, I think we'll be okay."

"Sure," Leon nodded and groaned once more when he felt another wave travel down the wounded leg. He heard Ashley whisper a few apologies, but the rest was a blur while his consciousness began to fade in and out. Despite being patched up, Leon knew he was going into shock. He hoped that Ashley would have the strength to handle it, knowing it was not a matter of if but when at this point.

A few hours came and went, but eventually shelter had been found and Leon had been resting. Ashley sighed while glancing out of the window to the abandoned house they resided at. There was luckily no signs of anyone, let alone infected. She silently prayed to whatever was listening, that this peace would remain.

"If you keep scouting, you'll only get more paranoid." Leon grumbled while stirring from rest. He smiled lopsidedly when Ashley turned her attention to him, looking startled.

"Don't scare me like that." Ashley mocked and made a face. Relief began to make its way upon her expression as her eyes traveled over Leon's leg. She scooted closer to him. "Are you holding up?"

"Barely," Leon mused, lifting the upper half of his body from the floor. His eyes combed over the tattered blankets Ashley had thrown upon him and smiled. "I see me passing out didn't scare you off."

"You'd be wrong there," Ashley sighed with a laugh. "I thought I was going to wet myself when you fell. I thought you died until I found a pulse."

"I'm sorry," Leon said sincerely then offered a shrug. "What can I say, I love being theatrical."

They both laughed at the ridiculous remark. It seemed to be the only thing keeping them alive these days. At least that's how Ashley saw it once the antics died down.

"You okay?" Leon furrowed his brows, noticing Ashley's eyes were on the verge of tears. It was so sudden, he thought it might've been the joke and was about to say an apology until she spoke up.

"The bear trap---it was my fault," Ashley sobbed. "I wasn't paying attention cause we were arguing and---that should've been my leg. You shouldn't have had to--"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." Leon grunted, ignoring the sting in his leg and wrapped his arms around Ashley. He could feel her face nuzzle into the crook of his neck while she cried. Leon's right hand pat the back of her head a few times. He wished he had more energy to offer comfort, but this would have to do.

"It's not your fault Ash," Leon shook his head. "I promise, it wasn't your fault."

"But I--"

"Shh," Leon murmured. "I don't blame you for any of this. It's okay."

"Leon, I don't--"

"Do you trust me?"

Leon felt Ashley nod against him and he smiled. The grip of his embrace grew tighter. There was no way he'd fail the mission, nor would he fail her. It would take more than a bear trap to ensure both their fates.

"Trust me when I say, this wasn't your fault."

The words echoed throughout Ashley's mind as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the hug. The monsters and the creatures that were set on destroying her were far away. All that mattered right now, was that Leon wasn't out of the game. He was alright, and that was enough.

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[dreadfutures]

Welcome to Blue's Blog

Artist, fic writer, and admin @thedragonagebigbang | @thedasincolor | @dadrunkwriting | @dragonagefanevents —but science is my day job!

Things I've Made:

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Read Fics I've been gifted

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Content related to Dragon Age: Veilguard, tagged:

▸ #DA4 (thing) - "DA4" "DA4 gameplay video" "DA4 theory" etc ▸ #DA4 Hype - excitement in the leadup ▸ #DA4 Spoilers - anything related to specific gameplay, plot, or other elements that would count as spoilers ▸ #DA4 Speculation - based on spoilers from news/showcases, but not confirmed

▸ #DA4 Preview Event- spoilers released after Sept 19 ▸ here is a list of other people's tags to block

Currently Promoting

Please check out my murder mystery Dragon Age fanfiction:

it ends, or it doesn't.

Rated T | 7 chapters | 45k. | Complete | Felassan finds himself investigating a murder with a ragtag group of three outcast Dalish, uncovering an ancient ruin hidden in plain sight and the ugly secret trapped at its heart. Illustrated by Adurna-0 with additional commissioned art by sbeep and crunchyncrumbly.

Feel free to make fanart, podfics, and derivative works of mine, as long as a heads-up & credit is given. I always appreciate the creativity of this community. See my full use statement here.

Banner credit.

Characters & AUs

▸ Shadows in the Sun DA4 World State ▸ Bloodied and Broken Fix-It World State ▸ Elvhenan AU ▸ One Wild and Precious Life AU ▸ The Mirrorverse Collaborative AU - OPEN! Halevune Mahariel | [Garrett Hawke]() | Ixchel Lavellan

#Shadows in the Sun - DA4 World State

My official DA4 world state! A Fereldan feral child stumbles across the Hero, Halevune Mahariel, and he helps her find her name: Ixchel. Eventually she flees Fereldan to the Free Marches, where Clan Lavellan takes her in. Fearing that she will never truly fit in, Ixchel volunteers to attend the Conclave as a spy for her clan and prove herself to be useful. Instead, at only 16 years old, she becomes the Herald and then the Inquisitor. She is pulled in many directions by her advisors and companions and generally has a really fucked up world state. By the time Corypheus is defeated, Ixchel comes to think of the Inquisition as her family—a family that no longer needs an Inquisitor. With her clan massacred, Ixchel has no purpose and no place in the world. She travels with Kieran, Morrigan, and Mahariel for a while, but once Mahariel grows too sick to travel, Ixchel leaves, for she thinks that she's intruding on that little family's grief. She doesn't know that they considered her family, too. She attends the Exalted Council in the midst of a deep depression made worse by the Anchor's destabilization and the tension of politics surrounding the Inquisition. Solas's revelation—and his refusal to let her join him—drives her nearly to the edge of her sanity, and she never fully recovers. She spends a few years trying to thwart his plans or come up with an alternative, but she views it as a hopeless cause, and she leads a lonely existence in an empty Skyhold. In my Bloodied and Broken world state, she dies at this point. But in my DA4 world state, Kieran comes to her and pleads for her to help him find his mother, who bears the Well of Sorrows and has gone missing. Ixchel, now 26 or so, sets off with Kieran, now 21, to find the very farthest edge of Thedas—and what lies beyond it. (Assuming the Inquisitor does not make an appearance in DA4.)

Fics in this world state:

Mahariel x Morrigan & Kieran drabbles: #old blood older still

Other drabbles and prompt fills: #shadows in the sun

Bloodied and Broken - Fix-It World State

My longest Dragon Age series. It follows Inquisitor Ixchel Lavellan and her battle to find hope for herself, and hope for Thedas. As the world ends, Ixchel is resurrected under mysterious circumstances and is sent back in time to the Conclave. Ixchel is furious, convinced of her own futility, and yet she cannot give up again. These are the stories of how she gets better. ▸ TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ? (A summary of Dead Pasts and Dread Futures, if you want to get caught up. ▸ COMPLETE Fic Reading Order.

Fics in this world state:

Her story begins in Dead Pasts and Dread Futures—with her suicide.

Her journey to find hope and share it with the world continues in The Brave Guide.

Complete World State Fic Collection including things friends wrote.

Stories about Halevune Mahariel, Morrigan, and Kieran: Rust and Bone.

In-continuity tumblr drabbles found under #bloodied and broken bits.

Ships from this world state:

Solavellan: #broken mirrors

Mahariel x Morrigan & Kieran: #old blood older still

Platonic: #cage of the ribs

#Elvhenan Au

A resurrected Ixchel gets sent back not to the Conclave but to Elvhenan, with a fragmented memory. This is not Solavellan but rather Dirthamen x Lavellan.

Fics in this AU:

Tumblr prompt fills: #Elvhenan AU and #Arlathan AU

The Inexorable Tide - [kittynomsdeplume]. | Oneshot | A beautiful gift. Ixchel appeared in Elvhenan in an explosion that leveled Falon’Din’s temple. Dirthamen takes her in, for she wears his vallaslin, and slowly teaches her the Elvhen language…and they fall in love.

#One Wild and Precious Life

Solas and Inquisitor Ixchel Lavellan defeat Corypheus, heal the Veil, and thwart the Evanuris, but Solas falls into uthenera again. He wishes that now-immortal Ixchel would live a full life, and to her own surprise…she does. She falls in love with the widowed Prince of Starkhaven, and he with her.

Fics in this AU:

Tumblr prompt fills: #one wild and precious life

The Mirrorverse Collaborative AU

The Dragon Age Fanfic Writers Discord Server anniversary (Aug 2021) generated a bunch of crossover-type gift fis and introduced the idea of a multiverse connected by eluvians. Thus, the Mirrorverse was born. ALL ARE WELCOME!! If anyone wants to play in this sandbox or read OCs interacting in each others’/an in-between reality, I have an OPEN collection for fics that have any Dragon Age OCs crossing universes via mysterious eluvians! They’re fun to play with and people are making gifts for their friends or just having their own OCs interact, it’s great! We love seeing this device, please use it and tag us/submit to the collection! This isn’t limited to friends-of-mine/members of any server. We just love this gimmick and would love more multiverse interactions out there. It’s such a fun way to play with OCs.

Mirrorverse fics with my OCs:

The Bar at the End of the Multiverse - [CrackingLamb] | Oneshot | Multiple Inquisitor Lavellans wander through mysterious eluvians and find themselves at a bar for some bonding time.

Walkers of the Lonely Path | Multichapter | Complete | A gift fic I wrote for six Lavellans and one Mahariel. It’s essentially a dungeon crawl, with lots of lore, angst, and elven bonding.

a butchered tongue still singing - [RosellaWrites] | Oneshot | Rhiannon Mahariel travels to Halevune Mahariel's world just as Tamlen dies.

i want to share your mouthful - [RosellaWrites] | Oneshot | Virelan Lavellan post-Trespasser struggles to let go of the weight of her responsibilities as Inquisitor and mother. Ixchel helps with sparring, bathing, and some sex.

turning stones to look for light | Oneshot | A gift fic I wrote for Rosella-Writes, where Ixchel holds Virelan’s Solavellan baby and muses about whether Virelan’s version of Solas has any hope of redemption.

to call for hands of above (to lean on) - [RosellaWrites] | Oneshot | Tulin, Virelan and Solas's son, wants to receive his own vallaslin but is afraid to ask his father. Virelan asks Ixchel to speak to him, since she took the vallaslin for reasons beyond dedication to the gods.

the eternal now of experience | Oneshot | A gift fic I wrote for Rosella-Writes, where Ixchel comes through the eluvian and witnesses and elderly Virelan and Solas sharing a peaceful and loving moment.

The Brave Guide's Friend - [ExaltedDawn] | Oneshot | Talenna Ethera faces the end of her world and knows she must save her children. She brings them through the eluvian to Ixchel's world and says goodbye. Heart-wrenching.

tell me if i drown - [Lalaen] | Oneshot | Gethrael Lavellan, reeling after a horrific experience in Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts, goes to the Bar at the End of the Multiverse and runs into Ixchel.

to all who feel rain - [inquisimer] | Oneshot | Neria and Ixchel share a warm drink and a moment of peace.

Death is an Open Door | Oneshot | A gift fic I wrote for AmmoniteFlesh, where Ghila Mahariel and Halevune Mahariel step through separate eluvians in search for the source of the Blight in the world. They find each other, and more than they'd bargained for.

Unbreakable, Unbowed, Unyielding | Oneshot | A gift fic I wrote for WarpedLegacy, in which her Theresa Trevelyan and Cullen stumble into the dragon that calls the Emerald Graves home. Ixchel appears and fights alongside them.

[worriedvision]

Back to square one - Tighnari

Gender neutral reader, reader has a vision and is from Inazuma. They escape Inazuma during the vision hunt decree, and someone suggests the idea of going along to ‘Master Tighnari’. One day, you lose your vision.

--

“Excuse me sir!” You call out, a tall eared man turning when you call out. Nobody was around other than him at the time, it was midnight. 

“Oh, hello. Are you lost?” He asks, borderline condescending when he finishes the sentence. 

“I am looking for a...Master Tighnari? Could you tell me where he is?” You ask.

This man had the audacity to waste an hour of your time, taking you on a long walk that involved hiking and fighting fungi before he decided to tell you that he was the person you were looking for. 

“Well, I finally ‘found’ you, so I suppose I should get to my reason for looking for you.” You sigh out, holding back your anger. “Do you know of the vision hunt decree that is happening in Inazuma?”

Tighnari nods, encouraging you to continue. 

“Well, I left. Well, more accurately, I fled Inazuma.”

“I don’t see a vision on you...” Tighnari hums in thought. You lift up your shirt slightly, revealing your vision that was hidden behind your attire.

“Well, we are desperate for forest rangers... and you have shown your ability to keep up with me...” He thinks out loud, seeing your expression growing more and more hopeful. “I suppose we can keep you.”

--

Over time, you still kept hiding your vision out of habit. You couldn’t bear the idea of Sumeru experiencing a similar predicament where peoples visions were being taken forcefully. Nobody forced you to show your vision, and the only person that actually saw your vision. You grew to love your new life as a forest ranger, you finally feeling like you were being useful. You finally stopped treading in fear. 

One day, however, someone stole your vision when you were sleeping. You couldn’t find your vision, but before you could tell Tighnari someone took it, you forgot about it. Along with the vision went your memories with the forest rangers. 

Unsure of where to go, you started to wander towards where your route always conveniently started. You wandered into a withering zone, passing out as you no longer remembered how to clear the zone and the fact you had no vision did not help.

You were lucky that Tighnari even saw you, and you were thoroughly confused when you met eyes with him, him clearly concerned.

“_, How are you feeling?” He asks, preparing a medication for you.

“...Who are you?” You ask. “How do you know my name?” You continue, starting to get up as you look for the exit. “What are you planning?” 

Tighnari’s ears droop when he begins to ponder the possibility someone else has taken your vision during the night. 

“You passed out in a withering zone. I came across you, and after clearing the zone I brought you here for treatment.” He explains. “I know this is quite a bit of information to take in, but I recommend you stay with us until you recover.” He finishes. 

You slowly nod, falling back to sleep as Tighnari begins to carry out an investigation of his own.

--

You found yourself feeling more and more useless by the day. Tighnari refused to clear you for travel, you heard the other forest rangers ask about you and Tighnari kept watching over you, too closely for your liking. 

You had enough of feeling so useless and weak, and you saw an advert for buying delusions. The poster had flashy words, saying it would change your life for the best (with an asterisk you didn’t see explaining the delusion had drawbacks) and a price.

You were just about to buy a delusion from a lovely man who empathised with your situation, only for Tighnari to yell for them to leave you alone. You turn to him, fists clenched, and you start to tear up out of frustration.

“I want to be useful, please! I need to buy a delusion!” You argue, Tighnari frowning at you before placing his hands on his hips.

“Absolutely not. A delusion wouldn’t be ideal, given it would only give you a quick death.” Tighnari explains. “Someone has stolen your vision, and I have some close connections looking for the whereabouts of the item.”

“How do you know so much about me, huh? Are you going to buy one of those delusions under the guise of it being my vision?” You walk towards Tighnari, fake intimidation in your steps. “Don’t you want me to be useful for once?” 

“Stop that.”  Tighnari doesn’t back down, seeing right through you. “I can assure you I have your best interests at mind.” 

--

Meanwhile, Cyno had gotten in contact with Alhaitham. An unlikely pairing, but Cyno figured if anyone was logical enough to find your vision, it would be him. 

Alhaitham managed to discover a vision that was being sold by Dori. Of course, she never showed for him, so Alhaitham had to be wise about this. He informed Cyno of this, and in turn Cyno was the one to obtain the vision. It was clear this as an Inazuman vision, and Dori was more than happy to hand the vision over once Cyno coughed up the mora without complaining of the price. 

Cyno couldn’t help himself when he asked Alhaitham if he wanted to go with him to give your vision back, and he thought the walk wasn’t going to be too bad when Alhaitham nods. 

But then Alhaitham starts asking Cyno if he had any idea as to who it could have been. Dori wouldn’t have been one to steal someone’s vision, and someone must have known the vision bearer long enough to steal it without you suspecting a thing. Well, until it was already long gone. Cyno argues back, insisting if he started interrogating Dori he would have lost the chance to purchase it. Then, Alhaitham argues back by stating that Cyno could have bought the information, bribing Dori with a price and even clarifying that he would have been happy to pay Cyno back. 

The duo stop arguing when Tighnari is there, arms crossed and frowning lightly.

“You know, I heard all of that.” Tighnari sighs out before looking at the vision Cyno had bought. “Is that the vision?” Tighnari asks, hoping the answer was an agreeable one. When Cyno nods, Tighnari lets out a sigh of relief. 

Before Cyno could speak, however, Alhaitham talks.

“I need to talk to the individual this vision belongs to.” Alhaitham states. “I would appreciate if you would bring me to them.”

Tighnari and Cyno turn to look at Alhaitham, silently judging his thought process, but Tighnari agrees. 

“Alright. However, you cannot go in without my permission.” Tighnari states. “I am sure you understand the mixture of reactions getting a vision back could give.” 

--

“_, I think someone might have found your vision.” Tighnari cheers, Alhaitham standing outside as he reads a book as he waits. Tighnari extends his hand, you reluctantly reaching, before he pulls back when you have your vision fully in your hands.

It takes a moment, but your vision comes back to life, you audibly gasping as you remember everything again. You remember Tighnari taking you in that first night when you had nowhere to go, you remember him training you up, you remember your knowledge when it comes to tackling withering zones. 

After you fully process it, you can’t help but beam happily at Tighnari. 

“Thank you.” You leap out, hugging Tighnari before he pats your back.

“I can’t take credit for your vision coming back-”

“No, the first day without my vision.” You  mumble into Tighnari, before you pull back. “Oh gosh, sorry. I should have controlled myself.”

Tighnari shakes his head, before he spots Alhaitham now waiting eagerly for the okay. 

“Someone’s going to ask you some questions. Is that alright?” Tighnari asks. When you nod, Alhaitham enters the room, not wasting time on waiting for Tighnari to let him in, and he sits down with a notebook before he begins to ask you about what happened. 

--

After an interview that wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be, you give Alhaitham the advert that you conveniently saw. Alhaitham nods, asking if he could take it with him. You insist he can keep it, saying you’d rather not remember the time you almost bought a delusion, and Alhaitham leaves with the information he gathered.

You look down at the vision you were holding, and you go to hide it on yourself again, but you feel an urge to wear it proudly.

A newly found determination, you tie a bit of string around the vision before placing it on your neck.

[meraki24601]

Whumptober 2023 Masterlist

I successfully completed Whumptober! Woohoo!!!

I never thought I would actually make it to the end between work, making my Halloween costume, and prepping for NaNoWriMo, but here we are! Here is a list of all my posts for the challenge with short descriptions of each.

All of my posts have OCs. Please don't use or repost any of my writing, but you're welcome to use the prompts as inspiration. If you do, I would be grateful for a short shoutout. I'd love to see your work!

Fast List:

Not Sick (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8)

Prompts (Dialogue, Concept)

Accidentally Triggered

Pulling Punches

You're a Liar

Dawn (Part 2 and Part 3 written after the event)

Cliff (Part 1, Part 2)

First Mission

Quotes

New Collar

Taken Away

Not Tonight

Thief (Version 1, Version 2) (Part 2 of Version 2 written after the event)

Just a Fever: Part 3 (Part 1 and Part 2 written previously)

A New Pet: Part 3 ( Part 1 and Part 2 written previously)

You Look Awful

Don't Look at Me

Scented Candle

Held

Empty

Day 1- Not Sick: Part 1

Prompt: “But now this room is spinning while I’m trying just to fill in all the gaps.”

Content: sickfic, refusing medical care, collapse

Whumpee is sick, dizzy, and completely in denial. Could they ask Caretaker for help? Yes. Are they going to hold out until Caretaker finds out on their own? Also yes.

Day 2- Not Sick: Part 2

Prompt: thermometer

Content: Sickfic, fever, touch starved, touch aversion, weak whumpee

A continuation of part 1, Caretaker is taking care of a very sick Whumpee. They'd never seen Caretaker so kind. It was kind of nice.

Day 3- Accidentally Triggered

Prompt: "Make it stop."

Content: Panic Attacks, learning triggers

Whumpee was just trying to research the symptoms of a panic attack. They didn't expect it to trigger their own. It's a good thing Caretaker was there to help them through it.

Day 4- Not Sick: Part 3

Prompt: "You in there?"

Content: Sickfic, fever, hiding, weak whumpee, found, protective whumpee

A continuation where Whumper comes to bring Whumpee back. If they weren't sick, maybe they could have done something to make sure Whumper could never find them or Caretaker.

Day 5- Pulling Punches

Prompt: Pinned down

Content: Hiding injuries, nongraphic blood, passing out, protective Villain

Hero has to fight Villain with injuries from another enemy. Of course, Villain doesn't know this. They can't let Villain know. Villain would kill them in a heartbeat, wouldn't they?

Day 6- Not Sick: Part 4

Prompt: Made To Watch

Content: Sickfic, fever, vomiting, implied self-harm, non-graphic torture

A continuation where Whumpee makes a deal with Whumper. If that deal happens to involve watching as Whumper hurts their friend, well, they don't really have a choice, do they?

Day 7- Not Sick: Part 5

Prompt: “Can you hear me?”

Content: Sickfic, fever, blood, mentioned blades, past torture, passing out, restrained

A continuation where Whumpee and Caretaker deal with the immediate aftermath of Whumper's visit.

Day 8- Dialogue Prompt

Prompt: Outnumbered

Content: Dialogue only, impossible situation

A few lines with two characters discussing the future.

Day 9- You're a Liar

Prompt: “You're a liar.”

Content: traitor, confrontation

Sidekick has betrayed Hero and given Villain their plans. Hero needs to gather proof before Sidekick realizes they know.

Day 10- Not Sick: Part 6

Prompt: broken phone

Content: Sickfic, fever, touch aversion, weak whumpee, injured, checking for injuries, refusing medical care

A continuation where Whumpee and Caretaker attempt to help each other recover now they both have a bit of their strength back.

Day 11- Dawn

Prompt: “All the lights going dark and my hope’s destroyed.” and animal trap

Content: Vampire Whumpee, trapped, left for dead

Whumpee is caught in a bear trap. Will their only hope (a human hunter) save them, or leave them there to die in the morning sun?

Day 12- Not Sick: Part 7

Prompt: “I haven't slept in days, but who's counting?”

Content: Sickfic, fever, blood, insomnia, injuries, ptsd, weak whumpee

A continuation where Whumpee and Caretaker are finally able to rest. Whumpee fully intends to do so, but they have to do something first. They can't rest until their job is done.

Day 13- Not Sick: Part 8

Prompt: “I don’t feel so good.”

Content: Sickfic, fever, weak whumpee, falling asleep, talking about mental health

The end of Not Sick. In this, Whumpee and Caretaker talk about what happened. Maybe if they're honest with each other, they'll both make it out alright.

Day 14- Cliff

Prompt: water inhalation

Content: drowning, falling, knocked out, passing out, rescue

Villain threatens to kill Civilian by dropping them off a cliff. Can Hero save them, or will they die trying?

Day 15- First Mission

Prompt: “I’m fine.”

Content: injured, worried, getting advice

Mentor is worried about Hero. Hero is worried about Sidekick. Can they talk it out or is there a reason for greater concern?

Day 16- Quotes

Prompt: “Don’t go where I can’t follow.”

Content: Hospital, LOTR quotes, hurt/comfort

Whumpee is a nerd. Their love of quotes means more when they're dying.

Day 17- New Collar

Prompt: Collar

Content: pet whump

Whumper is buying their pet a new collar. A friendly sales associate stops to help them find the perfect one. It amuses Whumper to know they don't know the collar is for a human, not an animal.

Day 18- Taken Away

Prompt: Blindfold

Content: Kidnapped, chloroform, knocked out, betrayal

Whumpee is terrified as they're taken from their own home. The heartbreak of being betrayed by the ones closest to them only makes it worse.

Day 19- Not Tonight

Prompt: “I’ll take one final step, all you have to do is make me.”

Content: Suicidal ideation, mind control, protective villain

Villain is ready to fight, but Hero is ready to die. When Villain realizes this, what will they do? Will they take advantage of the situation or force Hero to fight to survive?

Day 20- Whump Prompts

Prompt: Blanket

Content: Whump scenarios

Whumpy situations to put your favorite Whumpee in.

Day 21- Cliff: Part 2

Prompt: “Don't move.”

Content: Drowning, secondary drowning, waking up, rescue

Civilian and Hero survived the fall, but can they make it back to safety before anything else goes wrong?

Day 22- Thief Version 1

Prompt: “Watch out!”

Content: homeless, stealing, hiding injuries, framed, protective villain

Villain catches Hero stealing from their store. What happened to their rival? Is this the end for Hero, or do they deserve to be saved?

Day 23- Just a Fever: Part 3

Prompt: Stalking

Content: Sickfic, stalking, weak hero, kidnapped

A continuation of a series started before Whumptober where Hero finds themselves at the mercy of Villain. Taken from their home, can Hero even stand or will they anger Villain?

Day 24- Thief Version 2

Prompt: neglect

Content: homeless, stealing, hiding injuries, framed, protective villain

A second version of the story where Villain catches Hero stealing from their store. What happened to their rival? How is Hero even still alive? What will Villain do about it?

Day 25- A New Pet: Part 3

Prompt: Storm

Content: Pet whump, related caretaker and whumpee, injured, blood, training, kidnapped, previous torture

Caretaker has been reunited with Whumpee. Now, they just have to get Whumpee away from Whumper before they're killed.

Day 26- You Look Awful

Prompt: "You look awful."

Content: Sickfic

Whumpee is sick. Caretaker is ready for dinner.

Day 27- Don't Look at Me

Prompt: Scars

Content: Scars, Hero x Villain, panic attack

Hero is weak. They're not strong enough to be worthy of their enemy. Not in battle, not as a lover, not at all. Unsurprisingly, Villain disagrees.

Day 28- Don't Pass Out

Prompt: “We might not make it to the morning, so go on and tell me now.”

Content: Stranded, non-graphic blood, injury, trapped, rescue

Hero and Villain are both stranded in the middle of nowhere. Will Hero follow their new orders regarding their enemy?

Day 29- Scented Candle

Prompt: Scented Candle

Content: Panic attack, flashback, triggered, hurt/comfort

Whumpee is triggered during their birthday party. Caretaker helps.

Day 30- Held

Prompt: Bridal Carry

Content: Injured, waking up, carried

Whumpee wakes up in Whumper's arms.

Day 31- Empty

Prompt: Empty

Content: Depression, ptsd, dissociation, threatened

Whumpee is scared, and the only way to deal with that is by making sure they're numb any time they're around Caretaker. Unfortunately, Caretaker isn't a fan of that plan.

[athena-writes-i-guess]

Hi it’s me again can I request 9 pls

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Prompt: “Please, don’t cry.”

A/N: Hello friend! I’m so sorry this took so long! It’s been so hard to find time to write on my vacation and I really wanted this to come out good! I hope you like it! Thank you for your request

You sighed deeply as you collapsed in your bed trying to hold back your tears as you processed the day. It had been long and emotionally draining, you had a test that you were sure you failed, had a nasty fight with your best friend, and to top it all off, you hadn’t seen your boyfriend, Eddie, at all that day.

You just wanted him to hold you and to make it better, even just a little, like he usually did. You picked up the phone next to your bed and dialed his number. It rang and rang, but you were met with Wayne’s voice as he asked for you to leave a message. So Eddie wasn’t at home either. Where was he?

You changed into shorts and one of his Iron Maiden shirts he had left the last time he was here. It smelled like him and that comforted you, you then crashed into bed again, clutching the large stuffed bear he had won for you at the 4th of July fair the year before. He’d never admit it, but you were sure he sprayed his cologne on the bear whenever it started to lose his scent so you’d always think of him when you hugged it.

You were just about to let go and start crying when you heard a knock on your window and your heart fluttered. Eddie. You jumped up, still holding the bear, and opened your curtains to see his smiling face as he balanced on your garage roof.

You opened the window for him and he clambered in clumsily, almost face planting into your carpet before recovering and pulling you into a tight embrace. “Hey, baby. I missed you today.” He chuckled as you clung to him tightly. You breathed in his comforting scent as you buried your face into his curls and felt yourself relax into him.

“I missed you Eddie. So much.” You mumbled into his skin, you sniffled lightly as you felt your hold on your emotions start to break.

“Hey, sweetheart. You okay?” He asked gently, rubbing his hands up and down your back soothingly.

“I just had a really bad day and I wish I could have seen you.” You said, sniffing again as you held onto him tighter.

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.” Eddie cooed as he swayed the two of you back and forth comfortingly.

“It’s okay, you’re here now. Can we just watch a movie and cuddle?” You asked softly. Eddie gave you a quick squeeze before trying to pull back to look at you, chuckling when you held on tighter and made a soft whine of protest.

“Of course we can sweetheart. I have something for you though.” He informed, smiling brightly as you pulled apart to look up at him. He grabbed your free hand and pulled you over to your bed and you both sat down facing each other.

Eddie dug in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small wrapped box, beaming as he handed it to you. You unwrapped it and pulled the lid off the cardboard box. There, laying in a small pile of fluff, was a red guitar pic with a little hand painted bat on it on a silver chain. “I worked on it all day. I just wanted to give you something so you always know I’m close.” He said with a small, bashful, smile. You felt the dam that was holding your tears back break as a stream started to fall.

“Oh baby. Please, don’t cry.” Eddie said gently as he brought his hands up to cup your face and wiped away your tears with his thumbs. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You don’t have to take it if you hate it.” He added with his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“I don’t hate it Eddie. I love it. This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever given me. Thank you, honey.” You choked out through your tears. “You’re the sweetest Eds. I love you.”

You watched as Eddie beamed before kissing away the tears on your cheeks. “I love you sweet thing. So much. Here, lemme put it on you.” He said as he took the necklace out of the box. He leaned forward to clasp it around your neck, kissing your cheek again in the process. He leaned back and admired his work as it hung on your chest. “Looks good on you, beautiful.” He said, shooting you a wink and smiling widely as you giggled lightly. “Let’s watch that movie and snuggle with Mr. Bear.” He suggested, leaning back into your pillows with his arms open for you.

“Sounds great honey.” You smiled. You sniffed back your final tears as you crawled into his waiting arms and hugged your bear to both of your chests, happy to be with this sweet man who seemed to always know how to make you feel better.

Taglist: @srapalestina @yvonneeeee @cityofidek @anaisweird @mayahawkewife

[fuckingloginwall]

✎ Creation

✴ Convalescence✧And✦Corpses

—☵☵☰☰☰☵☵—

There exist two timelines. Two timelines where Teyvat hosts it's Creator. Two timelines where they are little more than mortal.

Both of them await the return of their divinity as they tremble under the obsession of their creations. Both of them enact the same choices. Neither of them reflect the other to perfection.

Despite their differences, nothing seems to change.

—☵☵☰☰☰☵☵—

⌡ 🔏 Heed my warnings oh Reader from Faraway, for the innards of this tale may leave you less than pleased ⌠

⌡ 🔏 Your death, Genocide, Human sacrifice, Xenophobia, Captivity, Obsessive behavior, Cults, and Religious themes mingle within this fable, so do beware of the contents before you open up ⌠

⌡ 🔏 If I have failed to caution thee against other horrors in this work, or have been far to vague, just let me know so . . . ⌠

—☵☵☰☰☰☵☵—

What ̷̣̹͉̞̊ ̵̧̟͉͊ ̵̣͚́ ̸̡̲̃̅̑̊ ̵̹̼̳́̌̉̈́ ̴̡͕̔̌͆̚ ̷͍̝̇̓͒̉ ̴͕̟̯̜̕T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ ̸̨̤͖͙̑́ ̶̼̔ ̴̭̬̳͚̎̊̋ ̸̖̀͛ ̵̅̓̈́̌ ̶͕͉͈̮̔̔ could only call the highest form of Divinity once gazed at an Earth; its endless creatures, cultures and creations. Such a lush world brought light to a seed, germinating into a Wish of the highest form.

A Wish to cultivate a world as flourishing, empyrean—no, more glorious than the Muse.

And create such a world the Newfound Creator did.

✧ But the Act of Creation was not without consequences . . .

✦ Reveling in creation, sweat and tears met disregard . . .

✧ Divinity so small, so limited unlike the greats of the Earth . . .

✦ And not even Divinity can escape their own sins . . .

✧ If not for the craving to see the fruit of their cultivation, this world would be their corpse . . .

✦ The Divinity's body demanded hibernation to remain, but their soul howled to stay awake so as to revere and bear witness to their ̷̣̹͉̞̊ ̵̧̟͉͊ ̵̣͚́ ̸̡̲̃̅̑̊ ̵̹̼̳́̌̉̈́ ̴̡͕̔̌͆̚ ̷͍̝̇̓͒̉ ̶͕͉͈̮̔̔T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ ̵̹̼̳́̌̉̈́ ̴̡͕̔̌͆̚ ̷͍̝̇̓͒̉ ̴͕̟̯̜̕ ̴̝̑̆̕ ̸̨̤͖͙̑́ ̶̼̔ ̴̭̬̳͚̎̊̋ ̸̖̀͛ ̵̡̲̗̅̓̈́̌ ̶͕͉͈̮̔̔ . . .

✧ Instead, The Divinity became little more than mortal, with only stardust flowing through their veins showing their holiness . . .

✦ Thus, The Divinity crafted an ageless body, mortal just like those of ̷͍̝̇̓͒̉ ̴͕̟̯̜̕ ̴̝̑̆̕ ̸̨̤͖͙̑́ ̶̼̔ ̴̭̬̳͚̎̊̋ ̸̖̀͛ ̶͕͉͈̮̔̔T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ ̷̣̹͉̞̊ ̵̧̟͉͊ ̵̣͚́ ̸̡̲̃̅̑̊ ̵̹̼̳́̌̉̈́ to bask in their P r i d e and J o y . . .

Here we stand, crafted from, standing on, breathing the flesh, the lifeblood, the everything of Our Creator. They've given up oh so much for us, so that we may bask under the heat of their sun, wish upon their starlight, and live our lives.

What are we if not their most holy children? Their scions. Even mere mortals could cull Our Creator where they stand.

But as the loyal, filial children we are, we must show our thankfulness, our worship, and above all else, our L O V E to The Creator. We would be nothing without them.

We hold one, singular mission:

Protect Their Grace, mortal as they stand.

✧ . . . Divinity gone and spent . . .

✦ . . . A comatose body . . .

From the Dawn of Our Completion, to the Midnight of Ascendance, Our Creator by night and day recovers their power, so slowly that we all dread that once Midnight has come, none will be left to witness their

A S C E N T

We dread Their Grace will not remain to ascend.

For Our Creator who could never bear to see our starlight extinguished, for we who can never bear having Divinity perish whilst under our care, a sacrifice will be made for the good of us all.

Traitors of Our Creator, the Underground Heresy, refused to serve Divinity, who gave them life, the world, a reason to march towards another day, even as all seemed hopeless. For this, they were marked for eternal death, bound to the Abyss, until the Midnight of Ascension Came and Their Grace judged their souls.

✦ But Our Creator learned of our offer and at last raged . . .

✧ The remains of retribution were brought to The Divinity, lifeblood to flow through their veins, but the sacrifice was met with screams, despair, and c o n d e m n a t i o n . . .

✦ They would not have blood spilled in their name, traitors offered at their feet, "the joy of creation concluding with the grief of annihilation . . . "

. . . no . . .

. . . NO!!!!!!!!

This wasn't how it was supposed to go . . .

We love you! We worship you!

Why was serving you a sin? What did we do wrong?

Our Creator rejected the offer in whole, instead regarding their us with scorn. No matter what we did, whatever favor we held with Their Grace had been lost forever, all because of the Underground Heresy.

But a contract between The Creator and Gods was made . . .

"I wish to revisit my muse, to see how far it has come. I will bask in its eminence, and in turn spread the word of my Creation, from the greatest feats to the most depraved genocides. My stay will last until every soul has heard of my people unless circumstances out of my control force otherwise. Lastly, I will grant thee eyes, to witness the spread of knowledge, the awareness that ̷̣̹̊ ̵̡̲̗̅̓̈́̌ ̶̶͕͉͈̮͕͉͈̮̔̔̔̔T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ ̷̣̹͉̞̊ ̵̧̟͉͊ exists. Those are my conditions."

We cheered for Our Creator trusted us again. Trusted us to witness the birth of new worship.

And witness we did.

Awe at their descent and blood . . .

Faces full of wonder . . .

Failure to care for Divinity . . .

Their Grace perished to the pestilence of their Muse, the land merely meant to be the beginning was instead their end. They were repaid with the most glorious funeral the Emperor could arrange, but even if the entire Muse was at the Empire's finger tips, it would never be worthy of The Divinity. Not when their disease killed Their Grace.

From then on the land Divinity last touched would spread tales of Our Creator, expanding the knowledge of Their Grace, but the Gospel was reduced to bedtime stories told to the children of few families.

There was vitriol towards these families, keeping the words of Divinity all too themselves, seeing them as but more than Fairytales, for denying their obligation of Worship to Their Grace.

But there too was gratefulness for keeping the memories of Our Creator alive in the world who owes them everything for their death.

✧ Desperate to not end up like the Muse—without Our Creator and their glory reduced to mere fantasie—each and every soul was to be educated on their holiness, ensuring that this wisdom shone upon all of Teyvat.

✦ Desperate to not end up like the Muse—Our Creator's holy corpse being all we had left—we sentenced the Underground Heresy to eternal sacrifice, in prayer that they would return to Their Grace and give them the strength to resurrect and return to us.

If one day, the Earth was to be judged, may Their Grace come to forgive these families, for never forgetting Divinity.

That was our belief until the most recent descendents, those who shared the memories, came together one by one under the name of miHoYo. Learning of their shared knowledge, strived to build an imitation of T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ which would spread across the whole world . . .

Another split. Do we give thanks to miHoYo, for reviving the mission of basking the Earth in The Creator's magnum opus? Or do we criticize them for reducing it all to profit and entertainment for the masses, lending credit for the makings of T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ all to the mortals instead The Divinity?

That decision was not made by Their Grace, nor we, but miHoYo. miHoYo, who dared to defile the Muse's view of T̵̩̒͐ͅë̵͉̊y̶̤͖̒v̸͙̲́a̷͖͋̏t̴̫̭͊͒ for monetary gain, annihilating the belief of countless denizens in the glory of Our Creator!

Their depiction of the fourth chosen nation, Sumeru, butchered our faith in the Earth.

Their Grace had been mistaken to revisit the Muse . . .

There was only one act miHoYo had done right, and it was reconnecting us with The Divinity. Reborn a human, they lost all memories of their history, and we hadn't even learned of their rebirth until they too learned of Genshin Impact.

Although our pale imitation was a mockery, Our Creator latched onto it, coming to rediscover and fall in love with us all over again.

"I wish Teyvat was real . . . "

Soon Your Grace . . . We will be reunited . . .

—☵☵☰☰☰☵☵—

What the fuck just happened?

Glad you asked, I'll explain and go further into detail about the lore!

Creator/Reader, Pre-Rebirth

The ✧Stars✦ signify what timeline I'm talking about, the Convalescence✧Timeline or the Corpse✦Timeline.

Planet Earth being the Reader's muse is my explanation for how Earth and Teyvat shares so much in common despite being different planets. Just like Real World HoYoverse, Reader took ideas from Earth to make Teyvat here.

Anyways, it took a lot out of Reader to create Teyvat, making a whole universeis taxing and they weren't all-powerful. They used nearly all their powers and essence forming their existence to make Teyvat, but how they used those powers differed in both timelines. That, or Corpse!Reader is stronger/has more power.

As a result, Conval!Reader almost ceases to exist while Corpse!Reader's body just needs to hibernate. Different approaches are taken by The Creator to dodge this. In Conval' they used what remains of their divine powers to become a mortal, with their blood showing otherwise. In Corpses they made a mortal body to placed their soul in it, rendering their divine form a corpse, since uh, that body has no soul.

This does not stop that body from rejuvenating it's powers, in time, the body will be fit to wake up again, and Reader can put their soul back in. Their body still won't be back at full strength anytime soon though.

The Cult is in possession of Reader's divine body in Corpses.

Conval!Reader steadily regains their power, plain and simple, just much more sluggishly than Corpse.

Conval!Reader's body is mortal, so the rate it can regenerate their divinity is gonna be hampered by that, but Corpses Reader's divine body is still divine, so it recovers faster whilst in stasis.

In both timelines, Reader's divine powers take a long fucking time to recover, not only because they were almost all spent creating an entire planet, with gods, demons, magic, and other jazz, but because divine powers and divinity (at least on Reader's scale) takes a long time to recover in general. Reader's ability was pushed to it's limits making a whole universe.

The Midnight of Ascendance (fully recovery of divine abilities) is far, far away from now.

While only Corpse!Reader's body doesn't age, neither can die by natural causes.

The Creator can get almost the entirety of their spent divinity back by destroying their whole creation and absorbing the divinity it was made from, but the Creator will never choose to do this, and the reasons differ from reader to reader.

Conval!Reader learns of Khaenri'ah's genocide after the deed is done and dead bodies among stolen items are presented to them for absorption. Of course the Creator is livid at their cult, refuses to interact with them, and refuses to absorb the remnants of Khaenri'ah.

Corpse!Reader learns of the planned genocide before it happens and shuts it down real fucking quick. Of course, after regaining their memories, they're gonna regret not putting in contracts that put a full stop to any genocides completely.

As for why they left to Planet Earth? The Cataclysm or plans for it was the Creator's final straw, they need to break away from their cult badly. Even if only temporarily. What better escape than the Muse? Their inspiration for their lovingly made world, their world that became their cage? They to need to remember why they made a personal hell full of victims for their Cult again.

As for how they manage to convince their Cult to let them go alone? idk about that one either, I'm scratching my head at it too

The Cult

As you may have guessed, this is written from the POV of a very, obsessive cult, specifically the Celestia-led sect. Unreliable narration is woven into the text.

And the Creator is unfortunate enough to not only be the centerpiece of their religion, but powerless as well. The Cult will frequently deny the Creator autonomy, put words in their mouth, "speak for them" and believe themselves the Highest Order of Worshippers.

Also the Celestial Cult of The Creator is very delusional. They straight up called their genocide of Khaenri'ah "love" for the Creator and asked themselves why said "love" was a sin, as if they didn't massacre an entire people.

The Creator has little say in even their own personal life. They can eat what they want, dress how they want, pursue interests yes, but the places they can and cannot go, people they may interact with, and any changes they want bring to the world, is restricted/banned by Celestia.

So they also have little control over their own influence and interaction with Teyvat.

Celestia's Cult says they love the Creator and act in their name, but they don't. The Celestial Gods act in their own interests, and are merely obsessed with the Creator, obsessed with their status and advantages it brings being close to them, or see them as nothing more than a tool just like Religions involving the Creator.

The Creator, little more than mortal, can only give Celestia so much influence. But a more powerful one who accepts sacrifice to rejuvinate their divinity and preform miracles? Miracles that could outshine Celestia's once the bodies start piling? That'll get the people under them and willing to give up their lives, and what better sacrifice to start off with than those who do not follow the Sacred Texts? They're no real loss to Teyvat!

Conval' and Corpse make a scene of Celestia's massacre or plans for it respectively. For once it works in favor of the Creator. It spreads that Celestia has enraged the Creator, acted or planned against them, and Celestia's influence over the people plummets.

It's why Celestia has little fuss against the Contract. They need the Creator's favor back, their influence back. Letting the Creator have their way for once will "prove" that they aren't tyrannical and the likes. Plus the faiths of Teyvat will spread across a whole 'nother world, including the faith of Celestia!

The Creator's death is bad because their pawn is gone for an indefinate amount of time so they can do little to manipulate a grieving Teyvat, and they can only watch as their own religions wither away.

On the plus side for them, they can use their death to convince Teyvat that the Creator is best left locked away kept safe if once they come back. Look! The minute the Creator left our protections they perished! Do you see why the mission of protecting the Creator is oh so preached?

While the Creator is away, they shall shape Teyvat as they see fit and present it's new state to them.

Celestia seeks to control Teyvat to it's entirety, and uses the beloved Creator to do so.

What will they do once they have it under control? idk maybe start a Celestial war since the gods could have clashing agendas.

The name Teyvat is all messed in the text because the actual name of the whole planet/universe was scratched out. Teyvat is a continent, not the whole planet. This reigion, particulary Celestia's Cult is keeping the Creator all to themselves.

Also there's more Cults dedicated to the Creator than Celestia's but only their sect is relevant here.

Also Celestia heavily curates/manipulates what the Creator is told of the world outside of their cage and what the public knows of the Creator.

Outside of the Celestia's Cult or even within it.

Teyvat of the Corpse Timeline might not even know about their God doing the whole body-changing, or that the true divine body that's comatose. They might think that the Creator's body is weak and became mortal just like the Convalescence timeline.

They also don't know their real blood color. Some people think they bleed gold, others think they bleed starlight or the night sky, depends on who you ask. Some think their tears are those colors or even their eyes. Other potray them as having inhuman features since it's the Creator.

Those who ascend to godhood and thus Celestia are beneath the hierarchy imposed by the first generation of Celestial Gods as a whole, aka those who founded the Cult.

Planet Earth, The Muse

To escape Celestia and live without them dictating their every step, a contract was made.

According to its terms, the Creator would walk all of Earth to view it's progress. Not only that, but they would tell the world of everything they knew about Teyvat, and not leave until the tales reaches everyone's ears.

Additionally, should anybody discuss, write, draw, look at, etc., anything related to Teyvat in any shape or form, they'll see it through themselves through the person's eyes. This excludes thinking going up in the head. This ability is refered to as Eyes.

This includes Genshin Impact, being based off of the Creator's tales of Teyvat. Oh boy are the divine going to be in for a surprise when their Eyes suddenly explode in what they can see. They'll be going through it for days!

Every single God in Teyvat gets these Eyes. All of them.

You know how Reader was isolated? You know how isolation leads to ignorance about the world? Lack of exposure to infections especially with Deities with powers™️ to keep themselves clean of illness 24/7, hoarding them all the time?

Earth and Teyvat being different worlds will have different infections, infections the Creator's already inexperience immune system has no experience with. Fun!

So the Creator descends onto Earth, specifically on China during an era when they had Empires, I imagine, and after proving their divinity with their blood, they tell every story they can of Teyvat and have fun exploring Earth!

Maybe they can do actual divine tricks to if this is the Conval' timeline. Corpse!Reader's divinity is stuck in the comatose body up in Celestia still.

But that all changed when the Viral Nation attacked

Creator gets done in 6-feet-under by Earth's diseases, but silver lining in that they shot up so high in status thanks to just their blood, the current Emperor himself arranged their funeral!

With no weakened Deity with divine blood to prove the validity of their godly existance or Creations, the stories spread, yes, but they dwindle in popularity and memory.

Only a few families continue telling these stories of a Foreign God Fallen To Our World's Plague.

Cut to modern day and Reader's divine soul has reincarnated them onto Earth as a human. No memories or special blood, so life is normal.

Around the same time, miHoYo is formed. Be it one, two, or all three of the founders, or employees under them, staff of the company come to realize that "hey, all of our families told us the same stories as kids (with differences here and there), why not make a game based off of them?"

They make the game. Teyvat was split on how miHoYo got all the credit for their Creator's crafts, others applauded them for striving to complete what the Reader began whilst making it fun in the form of a game.

Then Sumeru happened and yeah, everyone was against them just like that.

In Celestia's case, what little tolerance they held for miHoYo vanished. In their eyes they were only good for reintroducing Teyvat to Earth and reestablishing the Creator's love for Teyvat.

But how can that happen when they're presented with such misintepretation of the real thing?

So uh, yeah, Genshin Impact is not a 1:1 depiction of the real Teyvat by a longshot. Teyvat's Sumeru is dirastically different from Genshin Impact's, as are other aspects between the two.

Celestia and some others obsessed with or devoted to the creator do not fucking like Earth, especially China where the Creator died.

Sorry China.

But Celestia still takes advantage of all the fucky wuckies going on over there.

miHoYo failed to properly potray Teyvat, and that company is within the same country their God-to-trump-all-Gods died in? The high emotions this event will stir are going to be used by Celestia manipulate Teyvat and reelevate their positions in the eyes of the people, rallying them under their faith and the Creator faith.

Perhaps even sway Earth's populace to their side should a gateway between two worlds ever be established

If the events of Genshin Impact are unconnected to the actual Teyvat, what's going on up there?

IDK, maybe the devs of Genshin Impact who got told stories of the Creator somehow got some of the Creator's divinity? Like after death, somebody had to hold onto the teeny tiny godhood and what better than the families bothering to remember the faith?

Once Genshin Impact gets worked on, the divinity activates (maybe cuz of Reader's rebirth) and those devs can now see into Teyvat to see wtf is going on like seers. But they think it's their imagination like their actual imagination.

Course they ignore some visions for monetary or other reasons.

But why wouldn't it stay in the Reader's soul and new body? Cuz too much Divinity isn't good for a pure human body w/ no experience w/ holding magic cuz Earth has none of it? So spreading it out across multiple people is the best choice it can make?

Or maybe they're not special and are coming up with whatever they can based on the stories of Teyvat meaning Reader will be wholly unprepared once they end up in actual Teyvat since it's nothing like Genshin Impact. The characters, the cultures, the timeline? Totally different!

I'm stumped here.

All that is certain is that Genshin Impact has no supernatural connection to Teyvat. Everything is working as intended. No vessels no nothing.

Even if Teyvat doesn't like Genshin Impact, some Allogenes maybe try to use their Genshin counterpart being favored by the Reader as a "checkmate" sometimes, or take advantage of it.

Time dialation may or may not be inconsistent between timelines as Conval' came to Earth at a much later Teyvatian date then Corpse. Or is it the Earthan date that differs? Hmmmm . . .

Yeah that's about it, if you wanna send an ask or submission, go on ahead.

Also if anything I wrote was in poor taste or mishandled, please let me know and tell me exactly how I fucked up. I don't want to hurt anyone with my writing nor do I want to mishandle delicate topics. Knowing where I went wrong will help me big time in avoiding those mistakes in the future.

[kitsumidori]

FIRST FANFICTION!!!!! But seriously I've been wanting to write fic's for a while and I'm still debating if I want to get an ao3 account, but for now I'll post it here.

This is based on my recent post with Angel and Claptrap, and this show how the two became more closer.

And like I said, this is my first fanfic, so please go easy on me, I'm already nervous about posting this.

(also I may have accidentally written Angel as autistic, mainly with mentions of routine's and sensory overload)

Slight trigger warning for past trauma and past abuse

The sound of an alarm clock went off, a hand reached out to turn it off, and a small figure rose out of bed.

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

beep beep beep

"New day, same routine" the girl said to herself.

Jack is gone, Dad's gone, and she wants it to stay that way.

After the siege in the control core, Angel thought it's all over. The pumps are destroyed, the vault hunters take the key, Jack loses his catalyst, and she's free from her imprisonment….or so she thought…

It wasn't until she woke up that she found herself in an infirmary, siren tattoos still intact, fearing that it's Hyperion's and that Jack succeeded, until she was greeted by Dr Zed, with Lilith Brick and Mordecai accompanied by…. but no Roland.

Roland was killed, Jack shot him in the back like the coward that he is. Jack then kidnapped Lilith and used her powers to charge the vault key and awaken the Warrior. But luckily Maya and her team were able to kill the Warrior, save Lilith, and stop Jack once and for all by a buzz ax to the head.

When Lilith used her Phasewalk on the vault hunters, a comatose Angel was transported to Sanctuary as well and was rushed to Zed's where she's currently residing. After Jack's downfall, the people of Sanctuary started to recover from Hyperion's influence, with Angel being affected by him the worst due to Jack treating her as a battery as well as almost killing her.

During her time spent in Sanctuary, the cybernetics have since been removed, even the failed echo eye that Jack implanted and never fixed, started to gain a more healthy weight, and is starting to use her legs again.

Right now she's starting her routine, one of them is to practice walking again before heading for breakfast. Most mornings, one of the raiders would come in and help keep her balanced, most of the time it's usually Lilith or Gaige, other time's if there too busy, one of the other vault hunters would come in instead, and today it's-

"GOOD MORNING ANGEL!"

A loud voice echoed the room, and Angel winced due to her sensitive hearing. She looked over and saw Claptrap, wearing a paper nurse hat.

Angel sat on her bed, confused because she wasn't expecting Claptrap of all people to assist her. "Uhhh, good morning to you too Claptrap" Angel said, still confused.

Angel then asked "Umm, I don't mean to be rude, but I was expecting Lilith to come by."

Claptrap then answered

"Oh, well Lilith and the gang got caught up on some Hyperion soldier's attacking, and everyone else is busy, so Lilith reluctantly put me in charge of your routine" Claptrap said a bit to proudly.

"Oh…ok" said Angel most of the time, change is something that would upset her, but it's a small change so she can handle it.

Angel then hopped out of bed, grabbing the cane that was sat beside. The cane also has a cute little bear charm that Gaige gave to her on the handle.

And with that, Angel got on her feet, Claptrap stood beside her, making sure she doesn't fall, Angel did her best to lean on Claptrap given that he's shorter than her. Slowly she starts walking laps in her room with Claptrap follow beside her.

Angel can't help but feel bad for the funny little robot. Not only he's the last of his kind, thanks to Jack discontinue the product line, but almost everyone treats him pretty badly, from insulting him, to threatening him with violence if he doesn't shut up. Considering this is the same Claptrap that helped Jack with the Helio's problem and help Jack with retrieving the H-Sorce, which almost led to his death, she can't help but feel guilty with what her dad did, especially with the advice she gave him when he was installing the VaultHunter.EXE program.

After silently walking around for a few minutes, Angel decided to break it and asked Claptrap "Claptrap, you uh….do you still remember when you helped Jack with the Helio's situation?"

It took Claptrap a breff second to answered "Kinda…. honestly, most of that memory was kind of fuzzy after retrieving the H-Sorce for Jack. I mean, I still remember Athena, that ice lady, that one guy that looks like Jack, having a stair climbing wheel, having to kill Felicity, Jack killing those sciencetist because he thinks there a mole" Claptrap's voice starts to trail off, sounding like he's about to cry.

Angel took notice, understanding the self guilt that she's been struggling with. "You know, before Jack imprisoned me, my life was pretty normal. Until my powers started to develop, and I accidentally turn on one of the turents and….and…."

Angel was on a verge of tears, trying to explain that traumatic memory of her mother's death.

She then continued "After that, Jack hooked me up saying that it's to restrain my powers. I was scared and I asked him where mom was, all he said was that she's not coming back. From that point I was no longer his daughter, instead I was his prisoner"

At that point, Angel broke down, even though he's dead, the physical and emotional scars would last a lifetime.

Claptrap stood by, trying his best to comfort the poor girl. "Well, you're still alive, and that's what matters…I guess?" Claptrap say's, trying to reassure her. He then continued "And do you want to know the best part? That loser of a father is dead, believing that he lost everything that's important to him"

Angel looked up at him, seeing that there's more to him than just some funny little robot. She then smiled and Claptrap said "So, do you want to continue with your routine?"

Angel noded, and the two continued.

[siderealdei]

Whumptober 2023 - Day 7

Original fiction for Whumptober Day 7.

No. 7: “I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.”

Alleyway | Radio Silence | “Can you hear me?”

Can you hear me?

….

…

Guess not. Fuck. Well, there’s nothing I can do from my end, so I guess I’ll just – wait. See if you get the radio working on your end. Fuck!

Ow, ouch, shit. Shouldn’t have punched the wall. There’s just nothing at all to do in this fucking tomb – joking, joking.

Well. Hell. Maybe it will be my tomb. If you can’t get that radio working again, I’m probably going to die in here. No one will be able to find this place without a link, so I’ll – well, I’ll probably suffocate. If I don’t go crazy first from lack of space and lack of contact and –

Yeah. Yeah, shutting up now.

…

Still nothing, huh?

Hey, you know, I read somewhere that when you’re in a cave, deep below the earth, where there’s no light, eventually your brain just starts making up shit, pretending you can see shadows moving or something like that. Just, giving itself input. Like a glitching computer. I’ve kind of experienced that, I think. At night, when I’m asleep in my room. The soundproofing’s so good I can’t hear anything – except maybe I can. The house settling, or the neighbors playing music. But what if that’s just all in my head?

I wonder what I might hear this time. If I start hallucinating again.

Hah, sorry. Said I’d stop this line of thinking. I just can’t seem to help it. Anxiety or paranoia. The lack of anything is just really getting to me. I’m so used to you responding as soon as I start babbling or even before. You always know right when to interfere, to say something when I’m too wrapped up in my own head or the readouts.

Do you think that’s why they deployed the EMP? Or whatever it is I saw on radar right before everything went black. Do you think they knew what it would do to me and everyone else on watch to have things go silent like this? For all the readouts to go dark and then to plummet to the fucking ground like an amusement park ride?

Thank fuck all the failsafes for that part of the balloon-tombs are mechanical.

…is someone outside?

…

…

Hello? Is someone out there? I can – I can hear you, scratching away. Please don’t be a bear, please, please, do not be a bear looking for food, shit, that’s the most terrifying thought I’ve had yet, I do not want to be eaten, come on, I’m a city girl, this nature shit is for other people.

Yeah, that’s why I’ve never taken you up on all your crazy backpacking invites during our mandatory rest periods. I’m much happier in the city, only ever seeing all this greenery and these animals on TV or from way up high. But now I’ve crashed back down in the middle of nowhere, whatever was underneath my nice safe pod, and there’s probably a fucking bear or three trying to get through the tin can to the delicious meat inside –

No, wait, not delicious. I’m, uh, stringy and lean and my shitty diet means that I’m junk food, unfilling –

Huh. Huh, I think the scratching stopped.

What –

Shit, what’s that? There’s a different sound now. I don’t – shit, I really don’t like this. I’d go so far as to say I purely hate whatever the fuck is happening and only like fifty percent of that comes from the fact that I have no clue what’s happening. Please, please just be me hallucinating, that’s honestly the best outcome here –

Hey, uh. Hey, if you can, by some fucking miracle hear me, or if you recover the recording, provided there is one given that I still don’t know why I crashed, hey, would you – you’ll remember me, right? We were honestly friends, right? It wasn’t just us being partnered for the Watch. It wasn’t just in my head.

Right?

If that’s true – you know what I want you to do. If there’s anything left of me. But also with my – with my stuff, and notifying people, and – yeah. Yeah, thank you.

Fuck, I’m so scared, and I don’t even know if I should be.

…

I love you. Not, uh, not romantically. I can’t. I don’t. You know. But yeah. You’re – I love you. I just want to say that, before.

I don’t know if the mic can pick it up. Shit, I don’t know if this damn mic is even working. But. I can hear them. Cutting through. It’s definitely – I mean. No assumptions. But it doesn’t sound like our people. And. And it hasn’t been long enough, I don’t think. Not from what I remember seeing on the map before everything went dark.

I’m so scared. I’m so, so scared. Please. Please, just –

 I love you. I love you. I love you. I –

[talesfromsiteredacted]

Testing: Phase One

My first test post discovery of my new abilities. Or, as Dr. Clef explained to me, just how much control over everything do I really have? I'm nervous. I have no idea of anything anymore. I do know nothing good lasts forever, so I might not be around for long. Worse, it might be my own boss given the order. I'm not going to lie, I'm terrified inside. Outside, I'm desperately trying not to show it.

I wake up in a dark room. Not just dark, but DARK. Night vision required dark. I'm on the floor, but at least in my clothes this time, not the molecule thin D-Class onesies. I'm barely given a chance to get my bearings when an intercom barks out instructions. The voice is vaguely familiar, but not much else is.

"Rabbit, wake up. Test begins. You're in a dark room. There's a candelabra in the room on a table in the chamber. Illuminate the room, please." I start fumbling around for a table, but get stopped. "Not like that, although some of the staff appreciate the visuals more than I do. Use your pyrokinetic properties only." O-okay. I light my right hand on fire, just a fingertip really. Ah. Target sighted. But... it's a bit low for a candelabra. Weird, but I light the wicks in the candles at once, going for the impressive method. There's a few claps over the intercom, but more importantly, light. And, apparently cake. I read the words written in blue frosting.

"Congratulations! You may live another day. Just don't eat this cake." The lights come on, sure enough I'm in a testing chamber. I blow a quick cold breeze to extinguish the candles. I throw a deathglare at the one way glass. I can't see them, but I know they can see me.

"Very good, Rabbit. Once Dr. Clef recovers from his giggle fit, we can continue." I hear Clef's failing attempts to stop laughing at his own dumb joke in the back. "Okay, we established she can do both cryomancy and pyromancy. Now, onto the next part of the test. Rabbit, throw the cake in the trash, but do not touch it."

"It's clearly a Mabel. Don't touch it? I probably could throw it in Mount Doom and it'd still be exactly the same after some confused future backyard geologist in Middle Earth finds it in his garden." I create a cake sized hole to nowhere, and watch as the cake falls in.

"Portal generation, interesting. For the record... Waste Management just reported a cake falling by itself into the grinders. One worker was mildly concussed by cake debris, but otherwise a successful disposal. Good work. Onto the last part. We're sending in Dr. Clef now, give him a toy." My boss walks in, gives a nod and a wink, then waits to see what I come up with.

I open a tiny rift into someplace, root around, find something plushie-like, and pull my hand out. It's a beanie baby snake, long with blue fabric but mismatched eyes like my boss. Only... it's not his color. I wave a hand over it, and as I do, it changes from blue to red with gold bands. I hand it over to my boss with a bow. He bows, and drapes the silly thing around his neck like Iceberg does his scarves. Haven't seen him this smug since our first shift of Keter Duty after giving Bright the beans.

"Test successful. We'll begin phase two next week, same time. Dr. Clef, please take Rabbit to her quarters, then both of you... back to work. Usually anomalies do not study or contain themselves." A nod at the glass and we head out.

We're walking down the hallway, neither saying a word. Out of nowhere, Clef wraps his arm around my shoulder. I stop, confused. Dr. Clef is... well, a whole lot of things, but touchy feely isn't one of them.

"You okay, Boss?" I look him eye to mismatched eye.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just wanted to be sure you are, Bunny. Not going to lie... O5 has no idea what to do here. I advocated for training, but they're still debating. Bunch of useless bloody wankers anyway. So, while technically obeying orders, we're also conducting our own tests. Test number one... how do you manage to make a lasagna so good it'd make an Italian grandmother envious?"

"By having a sort-of Italian nonna of my own. Mrs. DiLuka down the street from me used to babysit me, and as your standard grandmotherly type, a lot of it was in the kitchen. Didn't care it was child labor, I was just happy to hang out and learn. My folks didn't care, I was safe and happy, and very well fed. You left the DiLuka house hungry for only two reasons, either you couldn't eat gluten or they weren't home when you knocked. Washed a lot of dishes, but learned a lot of stuff." We head on, his arm around my shoulders.

[ailendolin]

Thanktival 2022 - Day 2 - BBC Ghosts

Title: The First [Part 1 of 2, AO3]

Characters: Thomas/Nigel, the Captain, Julian, Fanny, Robin

Prompt: Mistletoe

Summary: Thomas once again waits under the mistletoe and ends up getting a kiss he doesn't want.

A/N: Part 2 will be posted on December 27 for Day 8's prompt "First Kiss".

————

The First

Chapter 1: Mistletoe

Thomas sighed. He had been standing in the doorway for almost an hour now, waiting, hoping, praying to be noticed by the one person who lately made his heart flutter every time they shared a smile. It had crept up on him, this warm fuzzy feeling that left him unsteady on his feet and made him feel faint. He hadn’t recognised it for what it was at first – not until Alison had interrupted him mid-sentence one day and said, “I think you might be in love, Thomas. Like, actually, properly in love.”

She had looked happy for him but the revelation had left Thomas reeling. He had spent so many years pretending to be in love with unreachable people that now that the feeling was real and could potentially be reciprocated he had no idea how to go about expressing it. Love letters like the ones he had written to Isabelle two centuries ago weren’t an option for him anymore and he had no other real experience in courtship he could draw from apart from that. In life, it had only ever been Isabelle for him and in death – well, there had been Alison but no real feelings had been involved there. It’s why it had been so ridiculously easy to declare his love for her over and over again. Nothing had been at stake and her rejections hadn’t been able to truly hurt him.

Now one single shake of a head and a quietly whispered, “I’m sorry but I do not love you,” held the power to break his heart and Thomas wasn’t sure he had the strength to recover from such a blow once again. His heart was barely held together as it is and he feared it would not be able to bear any more cracks – any more pain.

With a sigh, he glanced up at the mistletoe. A kiss under it had seemed like the safest way to make his feelings known. If they were not reciprocated, he could always laugh his actions off as tradition. It might hurt but it would not break his heart and make him look foolish in front of everyone else – something he’d sworn himself to never allow again. No matter how well he knew them or how kindly they had treated him, he would never leave himself that vulnerable around other people again and leave himself open to their ridicule and manipulation.

So far, nothing in the way of kissing had happened, though. The others were avoiding the mistletoe he was standing under like the plague – the irony of which was not lost on Thomas, given for whom his heart was beating these days – and seemed happy enough to leave him alone with his morose thoughts.

That is, until the Captain suddenly made an annoyed noise and turned away from Fanny to glare at him from across the room. “Bally hell, will you please cease that incessant sighing, Thorne? One can hardly hear himself think let alone have a normal, civilised conversation.”

Fanny nodded in agreement as Thomas crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I can’t very well move the mistletoe, can I, sir? You on the other hand can hold your conversation elsewhere so I’ll ask you to do just that if my sighing bothers you that much.”

“What about me and Robin, eh?” Julian asked, looking at him over his shoulder. “Can’t play chess anywhere else so I’m afraid it’s you who will have to move.”

“I was here before you and I will not leave this spot until I have been kissed,” Thomas declared, standing his ground under the mistletoe.

Something flashed in Julian’s eyes then, something cunning and dangerous that made Thomas falter.

“A kiss, you say, eh?” Julian asked, making it sound like a dare. Thomas took an involuntary step backwards when he pushed himself to his feet and strode over to him. “Nothing’s easier than that.”

With that, Julian leaned forward and Robin’s, “Julian, no!” got lost in the rushing of blood in Thomas’s ears as lips pressed against his for the very first time in his existence. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still and in the silence that fell, Thomas realised that he’d had it all wrong. His heart could very well break from a kiss.

He was such a fool.

When Julian pulled back, all the noise came rushing back in at once. It was overwhelming – as was the devastating emptiness Thomas felt when it dawned on him what he’d just lost, what Julian had just taken from him without a second thought.

“See?” Julian asked without a care in the world. “Easy. Problem solved.”

Thomas’s eyes began to burn.

“Why would you?” he breathed, bringing a hand up to touch his lips. His fingers were trembling.

The smile slowly fell from Julian’s face. “What do you mean? It was just a kiss, Thomas. Get over it.”

Thomas shook his head, feeling like someone had just drowned him in icy waters – or betrayed his trust in the most callous way.

“It was my first kiss, Julian,” he whispered. “My first.”

Julian’s mouth fell open. “Your first – seriously? You’ve gone over two hundred years without getting any action whatsoever?”

“I was waiting for the right person,” Thomas said defensively while desperately trying to keep his emotions at bay. His eyes flicked to the other side of the room, past Robin and the Captain to–

“Him?” Julian asked incredulously, following his gaze. “Plague boy?”

There was a moment of stunned silence as wide and brilliant blue met broken brown before Thomas wrenched his eyes away.

“His name is Nigel,” he managed to choke out before he couldn’t stand it any longer and turned around and fled from the room, not keen on Julian or anyone else witnessing him falling apart. Tears blurred his vision as he ran up the stairs past Alison, past his room, past her room until he finally phased through the closed door of the attic no one ever used because it was dark and gloomy and full of cobwebs. Thomas pressed himself into the darkest corner and pulled his legs up to his chest. It was only when he was sure that no one had followed him that he finally allowed himself to cry and mourn what had always been doomed to remain wishful thinking.

Pathetic, his cousin’s voice muttered in his head as it so often did in moments like this. Utterly pathetic. You’ve never been worthy of love, cousin. You’re not even worthy of friendship.

Thomas squeezed his eyes shut and, pressing his hands over his ears, shook his head. The cold December wind whistled outside, heralding the arrival of a winter storm that was nothing compared to the tempest raging inside him. When the first roll of thunder echoed over the grounds, it almost felt like a blessing – a permission to let go. Thomas stopped trying to stifle his sobs and allowed his grief to get lost in nature’s fury as all his hopes and dreams came crashing down on him.  

He’d ruined everything.

[shepherd-to-the-stars]

lifting your partner off the ground

It felt like an age since they had to part. Knowing that Y’shtola had been injured as badly as she was during the attack on Rhalgar’s Reach, to the point that she could not come with them, had nearly been more than she could bear. But she had to press on. If they wanted to make a difference, then the Scions needed to step up. No matter the hits they’d taken. She had truly wanted to wait until she was well enough to travel again, given how they always did their best work as a team, all of the Scions together, but…

She knew better. And she knew Y’shtola would be cross if she waited day in and day out at her bedside. 

Even then, when she’d heard the news that she had recovered considerably enough to get out of bed, Kaleh had been quick to return to the medical wing and to her lover’s side. She’d barely taken a moment to make sure the white-haired woman was on her feet and stable enough besides before she closed the distance and enveloped her within her arms. 

“Shtola!” That was all the warning she was given before she had an armful of the Warrior of Light to contend with. 

Usually, such actions were reserved for the privacy of their personal quarters. She hoped the Seeker would forgive this one moment. Especially when she took to pulling the woman off her feet as she spun about, pure delight and joy on her face. Understandably, Y’shtola had a look of surprise and shock on her face, though once her feet had touched the ground again and Kaleh’s forehead rested against her own, she relaxed some. 

“And here I thought you knew better than to overwhelm a patient. Should I expect to hear a nurse come and scold you away?” She teased, resting one hand against the Keeper’s cheek. 

Kaleh’s face turned pink. “I… may have been a touch caught up in my own thoughts to realize what I was doing.” 

A fond chuckle left her lover’s lips, and the smallest hint of a smile graced her face. “And what thoughts were so all-consuming for you, pray tell?” 

“That I was glad to see you on your feet again. That I wanted to be sure I wasn’t dreaming.” She answered, squeezing Y’shtola tighter. “And that I hope I never have to see you like that again.” 

Her eyes had been closed this entire time, and it was only when she felt the pressure of lips against her hair and forehead that she finally looked back at Y’shtola, eyes wide. “If this is the sort of welcome I can expect from you, then I’m not sure I can promise this will be the last time. Though I could do with a touch more warning.” 

The response gets a pout and moan, but she presses her head into the crook of Y’shtola’s neck. “Please… I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.” 

“You won’t. I think we’ve both discovered I’m quite hard to be rid of, as Master Matoya can attest to.” She assures, resting one hand at the back of Kaleh’s head. “It will be alright, no matter what happens.” 

⊱ ━━━━.⋅❈⋅.━━━━⊰⊱ ━━━━.⋅❈⋅.━━━━⊰

A lone figure stood at the side of a cot. The sleeping figure of a white-haired Miqo’te was bathed in the glow of a Carbuncle that looked up at its creator with what could best be described as worry. In the figure’s hand was a pair of goggles, gripped tight enough to hurt. 

“You told me I wouldn’t lose you again.” She mumbled, crashing to her knees. “Please… Shtola… I’m going to find a way to help you so just… don’t go anywhere I can’t reach, promise me.” 

She grips the hand of her lover tightly, presses a kiss to it, and takes a deep breath. 

There was work to be done, and she knew Y’shtola would scold her if she left it unfinished.