#it's all just the council handing down jobs to him he hates and getting no praise in return

[muzzleroars]

Hi, i was fighting a boss in elden ring today and my brain short-circuited to your gabriel when i saw the 2nd phase

(https://youtu.be/60F3uPIplxg?t=88 from 1:28)

The overall heavy grace and fighting style is a slight mismatch imo but i blasted my friend's ears anyway when i saw the wings and the tail :)

OMGHHFG....and when i've just started to think about how he might use his tail in battle, as well as hone his wings for short bursts (while he's able to) ;o; also it means so much to me that you'd think of him while playing elden ring because the souls games are such a major inspiration for me - i know i'm stylistically far out from them, but world and character designs are some of my absolute favorites :]

i think of gabriel as being defined by his role as a warrior, and fighting is the very core of his being as god made him – everything about him gives away that nature, from how he moves in fluid but guarded flight, how he carries his weapons with him even in heaven and is encased in armor as a matter of course, and even his gracious nature is that of a knight to the people he protects. he was made singularly for this and it is his whole purpose, he can be nothing else, and so fighting is an integral part of how he defines himself, how he identifies who he is in the host of heaven. for me, gabriel can only feel fully himself when he’s engaged, and his rapture in god is found on the battlefield. it’s one of the reasons why i picture him covered in scars, he fights not just for god but to feel the divine fire in himself, and part of that is the physical pain he experiences in war. all of it comes together to make gabriel, it creates a whole of his constituent parts – to strategize, to show the skill he’s honed for millennia, to be struck and bear wounds yet still triumph. that is who he is intrinsically.

in this gabriel is absolutely a courteous fighter, he wishes to fight fairly because then his technique is fully on display. his radiance shines here, a merciless warrior once engaged but always giving his enemies a chance to bow out before they begin, facing them fully up front and respecting his opponent outwardly (though he rarely does so in his mind) even if he is tasked with killing them, he still maintains his chivalrous manner and confronts them in the way he believes is necessary – he doesn’t do anything to warrant overkill, using only the strength and arsenal he finds appropriate for his current enemy both because he finds it distasteful otherwise and because well...something in him enjoys his own superiority, to know that he’s using only a fraction of his strength and dexterity. plus it draws out a battle, and his praises are full then, his connection to god’s love flooding into him as he performs his purpose. it’s one of the reasons gabriel gives everything he has into fighting, to feel himself and feel god in him too, how he is praised in return and how he is held in esteem for his work. he is a full vessel only then, and so he does anything asked of him with fervor.

when he falls, he initially holds fast to his decorum as it is all he knows, yet the pain in his body has intensified and he can no longer rely on his wings to carry him. sometimes frustration begins to show, the cracks in his once knightly attitude giving way to brutality because while he is still gracious, he is proud. and to not fight as he once did, to feel some stuttering movements as he relearns the steps and to have lost the divine connection that so defined him, causes a viciousness new to his fighting, a cruelty that maybe he learns in part from v1’s ruthless tactics. i think he eventually strikes a balance, knowing he goes much too far at some point in the anguish of his transformation, but never fully returning either to the righteous angelic technique he once bore. there is grace in his movements and there is lightness in his steps but they now deliver a harshness, unforgiving as the hell he now inhabits that doesn’t allow him the luxury he once had. most importantly, however, is that he recognizes how this is now fully his own – not an empty vessel but one creating his very own rapture

given how important battle is to him, gabriel can find opponents he respects, but it is much more difficult to find an equal – naturally tied to music as he is, fighting for him is like a dance and an equal would be his partner. he wants someone that moves in time with him, someone that matches him blow for blow and someone that treats battle with the reverence and near worship he does – a part of themself and foundational, inherent. that’s why v1 becomes his equal – it survives on battle, it engages it as an art form, and its entire mind and body are given over to it. and like i mentioned about v1 with the ferryman, it tailors its strategy for its opponent, it creates a custom dance just for the two of them and gabriel feels how they move together as one yet on opposing sides. and so his equal can only be someone made in the mold he is, that finds battle so core to who they are that they are not fully themselves outside of it. which is a bit odd, as i think he could face an opponent that could best him and yet still not consider them his equal (if that makes sense!!)

i’m sorry this is so long, but this truly is the central facet of gabriel’s character that i’ve wanted to fully talk about. and while wielding weapons is difficult for some time, he is eventually able to at least use the broken forms of his swords and control hell energy in a similar manner as his light constructs in gluttony. as an angel, he of course favored his swords, but i like the idea too that his favorite ranged weapon is a bow (i really do want to design one similar to his true swords). as a fallen his tastes change, wanting to keep in close to his opponents and so scrapping much use for anything long-range (which he mostly relies on hell energy for) his swords maintain their place in his heart, but i’m also interested in giving him something like gauntlets that can work with his claws rather than always having to file them down if he wants to use a weapon. that being said, gabriel knows how to wield almost any weapon and he finds charm in all of them, even highly interested in learning to use guns from v1. it’s a singular joy for him to find out what makes them effective, how he must move with them and respond to their particular forms to make them shine in battle. it’s truly a huge point of pride for him that he gives care to every weapon held in his hands.

[aernx]

under the rearview 𖧷 （ 엔하 ）

[❕] secret relationship w enha maknae line · warnings jealousy in jungwon’s part · genre · fluff, minor angst?, university au · not proofread （hyung line ver ）

001. KIM SUNOO （김선우）

It’s the nth time they asked, yet your answer remains the same. You and Sunoo were just friends, nothing more, nothing less. Well for them, that is. But in reality, you two far exceeds the label of “friends”. It’s been nearly three months since you both started dating and watching your friends remain clueless towards your intwined hearts, made everything more exciting.

Sunoo was your crush friend since high school. With his perfect looks and personality sweeter than the dose of sugar in a candy bar, it was extremely hard not to catch feelings. Not that anyone can blame you, Sunoo’s charms were irresistible.

After endless years mastering the art of pining and denial, you finally mustered the confidence to confess. Much to your surprise, the feeling you held for him did not remain one sided.

Stolen glances across cafeteria tables, intwined pinkies in between lecture halls, you and Sunoo were good at keeping it under the rearview.

Always so cautious, but it makes everything better, more thrilling. Sneakily hiding behind staircases, biting back the smile that crept on your lips as he enters your line of sight.

One day maybe. One day you’ll be able to tell your friends. But right now, you feel content on what was going. Just you and Sunoo, overlooked under the blinding lights, hands joined in the darkness where the shadows loom.

002. YANG JUNGWON （양중원）

Maybe it was an impulsive decision. Maybe you shouldn’t have done it. Hell it was your idea, you wanted to keep you and Jungwon’s relationship private. And you regret every second of it.

You get that Jungwon was popular—hell you are even popular too. But you didn’t think he would be that kind of popular.

There was a difference between you and him. If any guys dared to approach you, you were quick to turn them down. But Jungwon? He’s different. He’s too kind to shoot down girls like that. Especially when that girl is the student council secretary.

As the council president, it was his job to deal with countless of students, and that was no issue for you. After all you yourself knew better. As his vice, it was also your job to attend such matters.

But you knew something was wrong when the secretary never once spared you a glance in meetings, or such. Her eyes basically glued to your boyfriend as he presented the important matters in hand.

You felt like rolling your eyes. Hell maybe you did. Sure maybe it’s not her fault—she didn’t know any better. You had no reason to hate her.

It’s not her fault she developed a tiny little crush on Jungwon. I mean the whole university probably did at some point. But you didn’t like it. Maybe it’s your fault you decided to keep it private. But you didn’t want your relationship spectate any unwanted attention. The council was already busy as it is, there was no need anymore unnecessary stirs.

But once you informed Jungwon of this matter, you knew you did the right thing. He understands, because that’s who he was. You took notice of the way your boyfriend set boundaries with the secretary you were wary of. After all their relationship were just bound to student council matters, nothing more. Unlike you and him, who’s hearts beat in sync in between all those meetings, amidst the busyness of the council. Because you knew he always got your back, and you always got his.

003. NISHIMURA RIKI （西村 力）

You loved it. You loved every second of it. Seeing his eyes searching yours in the midst of the crowd, seeing his friends tease him for having a crush on you while in reality, you were already his.

He loved seeing them completely oblivious with the fact. It’s funny, really. Maybe it’s a bit childish, but that’s just how you and Riki has always been. Light and carefree was the motto of your relationship.

You wanted to keep things easygoing, slow. You both weren’t ready for the others to know just yet. Though, it’s not like you both were trying hard to hide it. Your friends and him was just a bit blind. If one were to pay attention it would be all too obvious.

The way his eyes lights up everytime you pass by was hard to miss, even for a blind person. The sight of you itself made him giddy to the heart. Sure maybe it’s a shame that he couldn’t show you off. That he couldn’t shove the smirks of his hyungs’ face, a clear look of triumph displayed on his features as he tells his hyungs how he got the girl.

It’s a shame, really. But deep down, you both think it’s more intimate. No one knows about what’s happening under the bleachers. No one knows the way you sneak him in your dorm room in twilight, where the moon shines its brightest. No one knows the way his heart is in your grasp, fingers fully intwined, as he held you close, not willing to ever let go.

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© aernx 2023 / do not steal, copy, translate — hope you enjoy my works! let me know if you have any suggestions ! comment ur thoughts n reblogs n likes wld be appreciated !

[nonbinary-eddie-munson]

Steve is Robins beard/no upside down AU where Robin and Steve run away and get married after Robin graduates because she gets outed in the last few weeks of highschool and its the only way to stop her parents from sending her to a christan all girls college.

Originally the cover up plan is for Robin and Steve to tell her parents that they just recently started dating and a girl in band started the rumor about Robin being a lesbian because she was jealous and hoped it would make Steve and Robin break up. They can fake date and then "break up" after Robin goes off to college in Chicago, claiming the distance was too much.

Robins mom is fully ready to accept this as fact, after all it will do so much for their status in town if her daughter marries into the Harrington family

Robins dad, on the other hand, hates the idea of his only daughter being with the son of Richard Harrington. He watched the bastard play with his sisters heart in highschool before running off to marry some rich girl and will be damned if he sees the same happen to his daughter. No it will be better if he put an end to all of this and ships her off to Mount Saint Marys so she never has to see the Harrington boy again.

Cue Robin and Steve aided by Joyce and Hopper making a plan for them to run away because Steve will be damned if all of Robins dreams are crushed because her father wants to be an over protective asshole. They decide the easiest way to stop her dad from tracking them down and forcing Robin to come home is if they get married.

So the night after graduation, Robin sneaks out of her house and steals away into the night with Steve. They drive all night until they make it to chicago as the sun is rising. Joyce has a cousin who lives in the city and is willing to let Robin and Steve stay in her spare room until they get settled.

Carina has the same motherly warmth as Joyce, though she never married or had kids instead choosing to live with her " Capital R Roomate" Marjorie. Of course, the two women know the truth of Robin and Steves situation and as soon as the court house opens, they bear witness as Steve and Robin sign the marriage papers and offically become Steve and Robin Buckley-Harrington

They actually fought quite a bit on last names Steve insisting that he should take the last name Buckley because fuck his parents, while Robin still angry at her father wanted to become a Harrington just to spite him. Carina is the one who convinces them to hyphenate after, to her horror and amusement they suggest combining their lastnames and becoming the Buckington's (Steves idea) or the Harringley's (Robins idea)

Steve and Robin find jobs together at a local coffee shop and after Robins first semester at school working towards a degree in linguistics, Steve decides to apply for community college eventually deciding he wants to become a school councilor, he loves working with kids and hey if he can help atleast one kid all the schooling will be worth it.

Steve and Robin love the city and once they both graduate -Robin ending up adding a teaching degree in with her linguitics- they get jobs teaching at a local middle school Steve as the guidance counciler and Robin teaching French and Latin. They talk briefly about getting divorced after a few years but after almost dying in a fire together when starcourt burned down they're trauma bonded for life, honestly steve doesnt know who he was kidding thinking he'd be fine staying in Hawkins until the kids graduated while Robin went off to Chicago.

Carina and Marjorie introduce Robin and Steve to the queer scene in Chicago and Steve has his bisexual awakening. Robin becomes Steves beard just as much as he is hers. They both date around a bit, but nothing serious ever comes of it theres not many people who can handle the combined force that is "Steve And Robin Platonic With A Capital P Soulmates"

Enter professional substitute teacher/drama club advisor Eddie Munson and brand new lead journalist of the Chicago Tribune Nancy Wheeler, who are both confused, gay and unwilling to be homewreckers but cant help but to be sucked into Robin and Steves orbit all the same

[antianakin]

I keep seeing this frustrating post about how Anakin wouldn't have fallen if the Jedi made him a Creche Master because "babies need attachments!" No. Babies need support and love. Anakin would have SUCKED as a Creche Master. Because the Younglings would LEAVE. I have a feeling he would have sabotaged as many as he could get away with to keep them with him. Because he STILL has the flaw, he believes people belong to him. Not to themselves. He MAYBE wouldn't have killed ALL the Younglings. But he would have taken them to be raised as Darksiders and in Sith teachings so is that really better then death?

Sure I giggle about Creche Master Anakin as an AU. But when people start insisting it's the RIGHT PATH... yeah no. Those kids would have been miserable.

I've definitely seen posts about how the Jedi were terrible people for "forcing" Anakin to be a soldier instead of allowing him to be a Creche Master, as if Anakin wasn't saying from DAY ONE that he wanted to be a Jedi because he wanted to be a big hero who came back to free the slaves. That's not the kind of work a Creche Master does and the kind of work a Creche Master does doesn't seem like something Anakin would be too terribly interested in.

He reacts pretty negatively to being handed a teenaged Padawan and tells her not to "slow him down," so I don't really see him being particularly patient with little kids, personally, or happy to just sit around being nurturing and cleaning up messes and providing enrichment and dealing with temper tantrums. He'd HATE IT. He's honestly TERRIBLE as a teacher to Ahsoka, too. His early attempts at bonding with her suck, his idea of helping Ahsoka overcome a massive fuck-up that caused several people to die is to put himself in danger and force her to be the only leader in charge and if she fails, they literally all die, and he offers her zero support in that. He's late to what appears to be an important Jedi test and when she does well, he doesn't praise her at all and instead tells her that the test is inadequate. And of course the training he ends up giving her involves shocking her into unconsciousness in an unsafe environment for hours upon hours. When Ahsoka ultimately decides to leave the Jedi, his pleas for her to come back are all about HIMSELF and he practically accuses her of being an idiot for refusing to stay.

Nothing about his one relationship with a child in his care really ever shows that he'd be GOOD at handling children as his JOB. Or that he'd even WANT to. And like a lot of people have been saying about going into jobs like that in real life or about becoming a parent, this is the kind of thing you really should feel 100% committed to before making that choice.

I don't think Anakin would've intentionally sabotaged the Order by trying to make its children leave. He does obviously somewhat unintentionally encourage a mistrust of the Council and a judgment of the Order with Ahsoka, but he never wants her to leave. Like I said earlier, he actively insists that she has to come back to the Order when she tries to leave and makes her choice all about himself. He gets accusatory and tells her she CAN'T just throw this life away even though she's already said she feels like she can't trust herself right now. Anakin refuses to leave the Order himself, he doesn't really want to because he does want the things that come with it, he just doesn't tend to like Jedi teachings or the limitations that ALSO come with being a Jedi. He wants to have all of the positives of being a Jedi and none of what he'd consider negatives. So even if we pretend Anakin might've been willing to become a creche master of some kind, I don't see him intentionally sabotaging them. I don't think he even realizes he's doing that to Ahsoka at all, he's completely shocked when she runs during the Wrong Jedi arc and when she leaves at the end.

But I do think he'd have a negative impact on the kids, I do think he'd end up possessive of them. I think he'd probably play favorites and be overly harsh when having to deal with discipline or just actively neglectful towards some of them. I think Anakin would be constantly frustrated and annoyed by the kids if they weren't acting the exact way he wanted them to. I think he'd have a hard time trying to connect to them and would desperately want to pass them off onto someone else to deal with the worst problems. The concept of Anakin stealing some of those favorites during Order 66 to raise them as Sith or Inquisitors of some kind is absolutely devastating.

This is also why I giggle at those silly little board books about Darth Vader the father with baby Luke and Leia, but also like holy shit the concept of Luke and Leia being raised by Anakin, especially once he's chosen to be Vader, is HORRIFYING as a concept. It would NOT be this cute sweet little thing, Luke and Leia would be so fucking miserable and they'd probably both turn out really badly as a result of such a terrible upbringing.

I don't think anything in ROTS really indicates he wants kids, either. His reaction to Padme's revelation that she's pregnant doesn't exactly scream excited or happy and he never really shows any interest in the baby or their future as a family the way Padme does. Padme will wax poetic about how she wants to raise the baby on Naboo and Anakin's response is "you look so beautiful." He'll have a nightmare about Padme dying in childbirth and Padme has to literally prompt him to consider whether the baby survived or not. Palpatine gets him to turn on Windu by saying "I can help you save the ONE you love." What he yells at Obi-Wan on Mustafar is "You will not take HER from me" rather than "THEM." When he wakes up from surgery, he ONLY asks about Padme and not whether the baby survived. At no point does he ever genuinely seem to give a shit about the baby at all or show any indication that he WANTS to have kids. He doesn't fantasize about their future together as a family, he isn't brainstorming names with her, he isn't worried about how to raise a baby in secret.

And obviously the desire for children of your own is not the same as the desire to be a teacher, but I feel like the crechemasters are RAISING those kids, they're not just a daycare worker who passes them back to their real parents at the end of the day. So if Anakin doesn't even show any interest in raising his own biological children in canon, I don't see that he'd have any interest in raising the Jedi children. And it certainly wouldn't save him from going dark. It just means he's on planet more often and so probably spends even MORE time with Palpatine which means he might actually become a Sith even SOONER.

Even in the nicest possible AU where Anakin gets raised by the Jedi from a much earlier age and has no real issues with authority or attachments the way he does in canon, and he isn't influenced by Palpatine at all and genuinely does love being a Jedi etc etc, I don't see his personality as being someone who would be satisfied just being a Creche master. I feel like he'd still want something more thrilling than that, something that allowed him to go out and travel and do "bigger" stuff. I think he'd likely be a better teacher in general, he might be fine coming by the Creche once in a while to interact with the kids, and he'd be a lot better with his own padawan, but a Creche master as a career? Eh, I don't see it. Maybe once he starts getting really old and feels like switching things up a bit. We know through High Republic that this is an option the Jedi can take, they can move away from rougher field work and take up slower positions if they feel like they need to for one reason or another. So sure, maybe in the nicest possible AU, Anakin might one day in his twilight years decide to slow down enough to be a Creche master. But that's probably the only way I can see it actually happening.

[that-sw-writer]

Carpe Diem

Summary: Hondo Ohnaka plays matchmaker for his favourite Jedi, much to Obi-Wan's dismay.

Relationship: Obi-Wan x Reader (fem, no use of Y/N)

Notes: this story is more about Hondo being the bane of Obi-Wan's life than it is about the relationship, it's been sat in my drafts for a year so I gave it a swift ending.

Carpe Diem

'Kenobi, why the long face?' Hondo threw himself down beside a disgruntled Obi-Wan, who was nursing a drink in his left hand as he slumped over the table.

'Because it's been two rotations since I heard from the council and I think another night spent here is going to be the death of me.'

'You wound me, Master Jedi. What is there not to like about crash landing on Hondo's turf?' He grinned, throwing an arm around Obi-Wan, who merely grimaced. He didn't hate Hondo, per se. He just found him... exhausting.

'Perhaps the fact that last time I had a prolonged stay here, I was being held hostage by you. Pardon me if I don't trust your sudden sense of hospitality.'

'Bah! Do not cling to the past, Kenobi. I would never sell you out.' Obi-Wan gave him a pointed look. 'What? It would not be profitable to bring the Separatists here. The Republic, on the other hand, will pay handsomely for your stay.'

'Mm, quite.' Too tired to argue, Obi-Wan returned to sulking into his drink. He had been sure to pour his own drinks whilst in Hondo and his pirates' company; especially after last time.

'Jedi... so boring.' Hondo flapped his arms in his usual theatrical manner as he went off to bother somebody else. A long sigh left Obi-Wan's lips as he drained the contents of his glass. Maker, he must have looked so miserable. The council had assured him that a pickup was imminent, but the nature of war meant that plans were always subject to delays. He knew they were coming for him, he just didn't know when. Not to mention that he wasn't sure how much more of Hondo's babbling he could take. But, he knew he had to remain calm. The Council would be sending someone to collect him and, provided he remained unharmed, Hondo would likely receive his credits as compensation. It was just his luck that he would crash on Florrum. All these pirates did was drink, thieve, drink some more, and create more noise than Obi-Wan had ever thought possible. He had barely slept a wink for the past few nights. If the noise wasn't bad enough, Hondo's "guest quarters," as he had called them, were just a repurposed cell. Obi-Wan had decided that he would never complain about the hard beds aboard Jedi cruisers again.

After too long spent wallowing in his self-pity, he decided to retire for the night and meditate in the privacy of his "guest quarters." What caught his attention before he could leave the room was a voice he didn't recognise, one that stood out from the crowd. Whoever this was, they were yelling at one of Hondo's men in a Coruscanti accent similar to his own.

'Be a thieving pirate all you like, but do not test me. Give me my credits, or you won't make it to the end of that drink.' As Obi-Wan approached, he saw a blaster being pointed at one of Hondo's right-hand men. The woman behind it appeared to be very calm. Despite her cutting words, her tone remained level - something about her demeanour made Obi-Wan believe that she meant her threat.

'I'm not payin' for a job that didn't get completed.' The pirate slurred, his drink sloshing over the brim of his glass as he threw his arms up in protest.

'Are you trying to scam me, or are you just plain stupid?' Perhaps emphasising her point, she tapped the pirate's forehead with the barrel of her blaster. He was about to respond and escalate the situation even more, but Obi-Wan stepped in before he could. He knew it was none of his business, but it was his natural instinct as a Jedi to help.

'I'd assume he's both.' With the same calm tone as hers, but lacking the vicious edge, Obi-Wan caught the woman's attention. She glanced at him, whilst her blaster remained pointed at the pirate. Her eyes scanned him up and down, doing a double-take.

'A Jedi... on Florrum?' Her brow furrowed.

'Yes. Although this isn't my first choice of holiday destination, believe me.' His words made the corners of her lips turn up into the smallest of smirks. Obi-Wan felt an uncontrollable desire to smile back at her. It seemed as though his usual composure had abandoned him... perhaps Hondo had encouraged him to have one too many drinks.

'Are drunken pirates not your thing?' She laughed and his heart rate increased. Why? Why did it increase?

'Are they yours?' He nodded his head towards the drunkard at the end of her blaster.

'Don't get clever with me, Jedi-' she was smirking, but her expression dropped when she spotted movement in her peripherals. The pirate she had been arguing with was trying to sneak away from his impending death. Obi-Wan could tell that didn't sit well with this mystery woman. 'And you,' she launched forward, grabbing the pirate by his neck, 'better have those credits in my account by sunrise, otherwise, I'll make you regret ever being born. Am I understood?' Her last sentence was punctuated by her blaster tapping the pirate's temple.

'Yeah, yeah.' He slurred, flapping his arms as he stumbled away. Obi-Wan could sense that the pirate knew her threat was genuine. Her blaster was finally holstered and she turned to face him properly.

'I hope you're not expecting a thank you.' She raised an eyebrow.

'Not at all, I've come to expect very little from the clientele around here.' His reply elicited a short laugh from her.

'Very wise.' Neither of them spoke another word, but neither of them moved away. Obi-Wan could feel the Force poking at him, pointing out an unspoken desire to keep the conversation going. But, he bottled it.

'Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you, but I was just about to retire for the evening.' He couldn't read her expression, but he thought that was probably for the best. He wished he'd forced himself to find something else to talk about; in his head, he could picture Anakin making fun of him. A snarky comment along the lines of: 'veryyy smooth, Master.' sprung to mind.

'Right, you're a Jedi,' she gave a slow nod and a flash of something akin to disappointment crossed her face.

'Meaning?' Rest forgotten, his brow quirked.

'Meaning... you're a Jedi. Lightsaber swinging, righteous, peacekeeper with morals.' Her nose scrunched at the last word.

'And I suppose spending my evening surrounded by immoral, uncivilised criminals doesn't fit that job description.' His eyes widened as he realised the implications of his words, 'not that you're an immoral, uncivilised criminal. I-I mean, you're... you know, you're...' As he continued to stumble over every syllable he tried to utter, she burst into laughter.

'I'm sure I should be flattered by whatever it is that you're trying to insinuate, Master Jedi. But, your first observation was right: I am all of those things, and hanging around people like me doesn't fit your job description.' Every word that left her lips convinced Obi-Wan more and more that she had some kind of Force sensitivity that was causing him to melt on the spot. There she was, admitting to him that she was a criminal - he had already seen her threaten someone at blaster-point. But, something about her was more intoxicating than anything Hondo had offered him to drink. Silence befell the pair of them again, but this time Obi-Wan decided to seize the moment and stop the Anakin-like voice in his head from mocking him.

'I'm sure one more drink before retiring won't hurt. Besides, since I've been here I've found it hard to sleep with all the noise.'

'Yeah, you get used to that.'

'Would you care to join me?' He really felt like he was putting his life on the line here. Dozens of Battle Droids could be standing before him and he wouldn't break a sweat. But, a beautiful bounty hunter and suddenly his resolve was crumbling. She looked somewhat surprised by his invitation, but a smile soon settled on her face.

'Sure, why not? Drinking with a Jedi isn't something you get offered every day.' Obi-Wan nodded in response and glanced to his left, looking for a quieter spot that would keep him away from the prying eyes and ears of pirates. He saw some empty seats at the end of a long table that was littered with Hondo's clientele, all drinking and jeering with one another. The pair of them sat down, but it dawned upon him that he was out of his depth in this setting.

'I, uh- I'm not entirely sure how you get drinks here.' He exhaled a sheepish chuckle, 'usually, I pour my own.'

'And why's that? You don't seem like the bartending type to me.'

'Let's just say that last time Hondo poured me a drink, I woke up in handcuffs.' He grimaced at the memory... handcuffed to Dooku and Anakin no less.

'Handcuffed?' She laughed, 'that was probably just Hondo's idea of a good time.' Normally he would have rolled his eyes at such a comment, but when it came from her he couldn't help but match her laughter.

'Believe me, these circumstances weren't what anybody would describe as a "good time."'

'Maybe where you're from, Master Jedi, but I think you'll find that there are a lot of things we enjoy here that you might... well, arrest us for.'

'Do my eyes deceive me-' A voice cut through the crowd and Obi-Wan willed the ground to swallow him up, '-or is Kenobi still here?' Hondo threw himself down at the table and looked between the pair of them. 'Socialising nonetheless!' He cackled.

'Hondo, do you not have somewhere else you should be?' Obi-Wan hoped he would pick up on the subtle hints in his tone, but who was he kidding? Hondo wouldn't pick up on it if he had outwardly told him to leave him alone with the outlandishly beautiful bounty hunter.

'Somewhere else? You mistake me, Kenobi. I am here to attend to my very esteemed Jedi guest and his-' Hondo's gaze moved to his companion '-new friend.'

'Hondo, always a pleasure.' She greeted him with what Obi-Wan could only describe as a flawless smile. It seemed almost like a reflex - something she had perfected through years of practice.

'Ah! My favourite hunter spending time with my favourite Jedi - what a surprise this is.'

'You should be thanking him, he stopped me from killing one of your crew.' She shot Obi-Wan a smirk. He willed himself to remain composed, especially with Hondo there.

'If he had died, I am sure it would have been deserved,' Hondo flapped his arm in dismissal before throwing it around Obi-Wan's shoulders. He responded to this with a disgruntled expression. 'Of course, this dashing Jedi Master stepped in to save the day. He is, after all, a hero.' Hondo exhaled a whimsical sigh, and Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. He was never this complimentary without an ulterior motive, only he couldn't work out the angle this time.

'I'll drink to that.' Despite Hondo's odd behaviour, she didn't seem to be discouraged.

'But alas, you have no drink,' Hondo shook his head and tutted. 'Kenobi, how could leave your lady-friend sat here practically dying of thirst?'

'I never-' he began to protest, much to his "lady-friend's" amusement.

'-come come, Kenobi. Let us go and fetch the drinks.' Hondo was ushering him out of his seat before he had a chance to process what was happening. He gave a fleeting glance back at the bounty hunter and decided that this was all worth it when he saw the way she laughed. He followed Hondo over to the bar, where hordes of pirates were gathering to get themselves drinks - many of which were sloshing out over the brim of the glasses as they stumbled away.

'What in the stars are you doing, Hondo?' He pinched the bridge of his nose, only speaking once they were out of earshot.

'Me?' He gasped, holding a hand to his chest. 'Why, Kenobi, I am just trying to enjoy an evening with my esteemed guest. How was I supposed to know that you would be socialising with your new friend?' There was a wry tone to his words.

'She's a bounty hunter, Hondo. We aren't friends, per se.'

'Not friends at all it seems. In fact, Hondo would wager that you're more than friends.' He elbowed Obi-Wan, letting out a loud cackle. As Obi-Wan stammered over his words, trying to make up some kind of viable excuse, Hondo leaned over the bar and ordered a round of drinks. When his attention returned to the Jedi, he laughed once again. 'Now now, Kenobi. There is no need for excuses.'

'I'm not making-' he began to huff, but Hondo didn't even register his voice.

'-what you need, Master Jedi, is a pep talk from old Hondo.' With a roll of his eyes, Obi-Wan attempted to interrupt, but Hondo shushed him. 'Kenobi, listen here. What happens on Florrum, stays on Florrum... mostly, anyway.'

'Wise words, as ever.' He snorted.

'Nevertheless! You must seize the day, Kenobi. That,' he gestured to the striking woman who now sat alone at the table, 'is one of the best bounty hunters in the outer rim. You would be a fool to let her pass you by.'

'You never do anything without an angle. You always have something to gain, I just can't work out what it is this time.'

'This is true, this true.' Hondo tutted, shaking his head, 'but can't old Hondo do something for an old Jedi friend out of the kindness of his own heart, just once?'

'No, you can't.' Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow as a momentary pause.

'Pish posh, Master Jedi.' Hondo threw himself to grab the tray of drinks when it arrived. 'I just want you to have a pleasant stay. Besides, if the Jedi council do ever arrive to collect you, I'm sure they'd be willing to heavily compensate such a... generous host.'

'So you mentioned.' If Obi-Wan had a credit for every time Hondo hinted at the Republic paying for his stay, he'd have enough for early retirement. 

'Come along now, you can't keep a bounty hunter waiting.' With that, he shoved the tray of drinks into Obi-Wan's hands and pushed him back towards the table. As they approached, his companion's face lit up and he swore he had never seen anything that beautiful in his life. 'How generous of Kenobi to buy all of the drinks,' Hondo announced unnecessarily loudly.

'Did he now?' He could tell that she understood Hondo's angle but must have found it amusing enough to play along.

'I told him that as his host, I would pay. But, he has insisted on giving me the credits back, didn't  you, Kenobi.' A hand outstretched in Obi-Wan's direction and he raised an eyebrow.

'Really?' He knew there was no point in arguing. With a roll of his eyes, he tossed a few credits into Hondo's palm. Any excuse to make money...

'You see that? Generous.' Hondo threw himself down beside the woman, opposite Obi-Wan.

'Hm, well that is the Jedi way, is it not?' She smirked over at him.

'I'm sure being generous isn't just limited to Jedi.' He chuckled, taking a long sip of his drink. Over the rim of the glass, he could see Hondo staring at him, as if he was expecting him to say something else. 

'It is in this place, trust me.' She laughed, but he noticed that she was eyeing up his silent exchange with Hondo. After a beat of silence, she exclaimed, 'Kriff, is that a fight over there?' She pointed over Hondo's shoulder and he immediately whipped around, 'shame nobody's taking bets.' She tutted and Obi-Wan had to drink again to hide a laugh at the pirate's expense. Hondo scrambled to his feet and cleared his throat.

'Alas, I have another business venture to pursue. Remember Kenobi, seize the day.' He yelled, before scurrying off. Obi-Wan put his head in his hands and groaned.

'I think I'm in your debt for that.' He withdrew his hands and drank the remainder of his drink at a faster pace than he would usually deem appropriate. 

'I'm sure we can find a way for you to repay me.' Her tone, combined with the words, had Obi-Wan's composure turning to dust.

'What do you have in mind?' He hadn't intended for his tone to sound as flirtatious as it did

'That depends, how attached are you to those Jedi morals of yours?' She paused, 'no pun intended.' Obi-Wan was slightly taken aback - was the forbidding  of attachment that well-documented? Even if it were, why did he care that she knew about it?

'I'm not one to question my morals, but the definition of attachment is... somewhat flexible.' He was losing himself in the thought of it; stranded with pirates, a bounty hunter who seemed as intelligent and dangerous as she did gorgeous, and a desire bubbling up that he hadn't felt in as long as he could remember. Was the attitude of the pirates rubbing off on him, or had he had too much to drink? Either way, he really wanted to kiss her.

'It's funny how spending time surrounded by... how did you put it? Immoral, uncivilised criminals can change a man.' Her teasing statement was accompanied by a sip of her drink, her gaze never leaving his from the rim of the glass. When she lowered her glass she took a bold step towards him, 'define flexible.' She smirked, and Obi-Wan thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest with the speed it was beating.

Maker, it wasn't as though he was going to marry her. He had heard tales of Jedi bending the rules in far more serious ways. For liquid courage, he drew his head far enough away from her to empty the remainder of his drink. 'Do you want the dictionary definition, or the metaphorical one?' Having regained some of his wit, he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

'You talk too much, Jedi.' She laughed, pulling him towards her so their lips would meet in a passionate blaze. He barely had a chance to react, but quickly settled into the kiss. It was safe to say that this was the highlight of his unplanned stay on Florrum - maybe it had even made the trip worthwhile. The pair's lips moved in tandem for a few moments longer before they separated. 'How do you fancy spending the night on my ship tonight? I may even throw in a lift home for you.' Their lips remained close and her voice was low - it was as if it were just the two of them in the room.

'I wouldn't dare decline, I've already seen what happens to those who get on your bad side.' He smirked and the way her face lit up with a laugh had Obi-Wan ready to do anything she wanted him to.

'What was it Hondo said? Seize the day, Master Jedi... meet me in the hanger in five.' Pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, she left his arms and disappeared into the crowd before he could utter another word - something he was struggling to manage. He shook himself off and moved to gather his belongings from the repurposed cell that had been his home for the past few days. This seemed like a win win situation - a night with the bounty hunter and he would be dropped back home.

'Kenobi!' Hondo bellowed across the room causing Obi-Wan to stop in his tracks and take a moment to breathe and centre himself as he prepared for another interaction with the pirate.

'Hondo, I'm afraid I'm retiring for the evening.' He uttered the moment the pair were face to face.

'Tssh, I thought better of you than lying Kenobi.' He tutted, shaking his head in his usual over-dramatic manner. 'Did you think I wasn't watching?'

'I hoped you weren't at least.' He muttered under his breath as Hondo continued his speech.

'Your lady friend is waiting for you, is she not? Now now, I won't keep you long, but it would not be right of me to let you go without giving you some tips-'

'-no no, that absolutely won't be necessary.' Obi-Wan interrupted faster than a pod-race on Tatooine. 'It's like you said Hondo, seize the day, carpe diem, all of that.' He grimaced, giving Hondo a pat on the shoulder as he slid past him and tried to continue his journey.

'Excellent, Kenobi, excellent!' Hondo called after him as he rushed off. 'Just remember, you wouldn't be here without Hondo and his hospitality during a trying time! I expect payment in full Master Jedi, otherwise your next stay will not be so pleasant!'

'Next stay...' Obi-Wan repeated under his breath, rolling his eyes, 'not a chance.' At last free of Hondo's watchful eye, he scurried to gather his belongings and rush to the hanger.

Perhaps, all things considered, crashing on a hostile planet wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to Obi-Wan.

[tempestswing]

Ranking the Dark Council:

hi! I was writing some notes for a piece of SWTOR fiction I am working on, and decided to create this list as a fun way to share that information.

Dark Council Pre-Shadow of Revan:

12. Darth Aruk - we know nothing about this character, other than that they were head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. According to the Wiki, rooting out Revanites was supposed to be their job. What a failure, hopefully they still have a job after Shadow of Revan?

11. Darth Rictus - Also kind of a mystery, which is ironic since he was head of the Sphere of Mysteries. Rictus does appear in a novel called 'Annihilation', but that book is mostly about Theron Shan. All we really know about Rictus is that he's (A) old, (B) dislikes aliens, unless they're murderous enough, and (C) founded the Dread Executioners to take down the Dread Masters. Not enough information to rank any higher.

10. Darth Acharon - at least this guy appears in the game. He's kind of a nothing character though. He defended the imperial occupation of Corellia unsuccessfully. He was head of the Sphere of Biotics. Since he died on Corellia, he would presumably have been replaced by Shadow of Revan, but we don't know who by.

9. Darth Arkous - hate this guy, but he's still technically head of the Sphere of Military Offense after the Hutt Cartel plotline. God, what a bag of dicks he is though. The one good thing about this character is that he's technically Lana Beniko's master? Although she's an advisor rather than an apprentice, so he gets no credit for the existence of awesome Sith wife.

8. Darth Decimus - Also found in game on Corellia! Decimus is actually present in the imperial quests, so you get a lot more interaction with him than Acharon. Canonically, he also trained Krovos! Krovos is really cool, so decimus should get a few points by association. Not enough to bump him up the list though. For the head of Military Strategy, he's not a very good commander.

7. Darth Ravage - You can meet Ravage at the end of the Inquisitor and Warrior storylines, and for all imperials he is present during the cutscenes preceding the Emperor Malgus flashpoints (although does nothing to help?). The main reason I'm putting Ravage so low is that he's a little bit inconsistently written. He'll gladly say "good riddance" to Darth Thanaton's death in the inquisitor plotline, but if you kill Baras in the Warrior plotline, he'll show up at Nathema and be all offended that you claimed power by murdering your master... does he know what a Sith is?

6. Darth Mortis - I have a bit of a soft spot for Mortis. He's got a no-nonsense demeanour which is rare amongst Sith, and he's clearly serious enough about their philosophy to join a secret conspiracy against the alliance if you "squander" the power of the Eternal Throne - a petty move, this man is a bitch after my own heart. He also is the one who snaps Darth Thanaton's silly little neck, which definitely earns him a few points in my eyes. As a point, he's involved in the Macrobinocular missions, which I did not enjoy, but he was a highlight of the questline.

5. Darth Acina - WOMEN IN POWER!!! Empress Acina is better than Emperor Vitiate. Unfortunately Acina is kind of bland, I really don't feel strongly about her either way. I've killed her on Iokath in most of my playthroughs, even if I don't intend to defect to the republic later. I might be lesbian but I just don't like her that much. Her reforms to the Empire are interesting though, I do have to give her credit for making the Empire slightly less racist and Sith dominated.

4. Darth Vowrawn - Silly guy!! This man is genuinely quite funny. He's a blast to spend time with at the end of the Warrior story, after dealing with Baras' grumpy ass for close to fifty levels. His choice to help the Wrath with the Hand on Rishi says... something. He's genuinely an interesting character to me, especially since he maintains that joviality when he becomes Emperor. It's tempered, to be sure, but I think it does show it wasn't entirely an act. Vowrawn could be a genuine friend to the Wrath.

3. Darth Jadus - Sue me, I like unapologetically evil characters. Jadus is not just an evil clown, he's an evil circus. Schemer to the core and melodramatic as fuck. I chose to serve him without a second thought in my agent playthrough. I appreciated the name drop on Iokath and I have 1% chance 99% cope that he will return at some point in the story.

2. Darth Occlus/Nox/Imperius - OCs are fun. No further notes. I should probably drop the lore for my verison of this character, huh... maybe in another post.

Darth Marr - Everyone's favourite tired Dad just trying to keep his society from collapsing as his colleagues bicker about inane bullshit. I reckon he drinks coffee straight outta the pot in the Dark Council's break room. I really wish he hadn't died, but his force ghost shenanigans were neat and I liked seeing him find a measure of redemption. Again, I am on a high dose of copium but if Malgus can return after being killed and abandonded on an exploding space station why can't someone scrape Marr off the floor of Zakuul and rebuild him. I do also low-key ship Marr with Satele Shan?

anyway, that's my totally subjective ranking of Dark Council members.

[cloudycaffeinatedcryptid]

In an Everyone Lives scenario, what majors/career paths do you think all the Hacketteers would end up in? Obviously we have animation for Ryan and physics for Dylan suggested in the game but so many people end up changing their majors anyway, I wonder if the experience would lead them on different paths than they’d originally intended.

thank you for making me think about this, it's one thing i've been putting off but i also think about all the time

so right off the top of my head, i think about Max's major a lot & i end up tossing two things around - law school or childcare/teaching. he seems like a level-headed guy, he breaks down situations in pieces until he understand them ("You remember when I said, 'whoa, look at the moon. it's so big and bright and- it's so cool to see a full moon' and you said "yeah no shit, Max, it happens once a month'?"), & also.... we've all seen his outfit in the 50s pack. but i still come back to childcare bc i grew up working in childcare & he just seems the type for it. maybe he got rejected from Landis for law & pursues childcare or teaching at a smaller school instead & ends up one of those teachers that everyone wants to get on their schedule

Laura, the love of my life, the breath in my lungs, is such a headstrong badass that she prolly still pursues her vet degree, altho i can see her minoring/taking a few psychology classes to coach her & Max thru the rough times

Abi definitely finds her way to art school, i just don't see her changing that. i do think she expands from just sketching & gets into different mediums - pottery, possibly sculpting, using charcoal and paint - bc i think she'd find it calming to work with her hands, cover her skin in anything but red, & she'd lean into it for stress relief

uhh Nick is so complicated sometimes that predicting what the absolute FOOL (affectionate) is going to do is impossible. i want to say culinary school but if i'm being honest, i think he would end up dropping out & just working at restaurant. i don't say this bc i hate him, i say this bc he's a clown. (also i may or may not have done the same thing, minus the culinary part) or maybe he becomes a forest ranger & spends time alone in his ranger tower listening to the forest

Jacob i whole-heartedly believe goes for coaching/athletics or something, but he joins the college sports team (prolly football or maybe hockey) & that's the path he ends up following. he definitely has to get a tutor

i think Emma maybe pursues marketing/advertising or something of the sort, but i also think she def starts loading up her schedule. volunteer work? no worries, she can run it. student council? sure, she'll apply. you know, lacrosse sounds rlly fun all of a sudden, she should join the team! & she kills, obvi. if she never thinks about it, it never happened. if she never has time to think, she can never think about it

Kaitlyn.... she's the one i've been thinking about the most. she's such an odd character bc we see so much of her & yet i still feel like we don't know anything about her. her entire character is kind of just "im mean, i know first aid & i can shoot" & then we love her bc she's a badass. which i don't mind but it makes it kind of hard to make theories on her future. i imagine she IS one who ends up switching her major. she prolly starts with what she had planned - maybe an english degree? - but then switches bc hackett's quarry changed her & she'll never stop thinking about it. i like to think maybe she ends up in enviromentalism, or possibly on the nursing track. something to occupy her mind

Ryan & Dylan honestly seem rlly well suited for their majors so i don't know of i can imagine them doing something else. i do think Ryan starts taking self-defense class & prolly makes Sarah go with him just to be sure she knows. just in case. Dylan takes a part-time job at either the school's radio station or a local one, & if he DID drop out, he would 100% start a podcast. all those fanfics are canon

this was rlly fun to think about even tho i'm not sure how accurate they are - i would love to hear other ideas! thank you for the ask :)

[cursedwoman1859]

Careful What You Wish For (Silco/F!Reader/Finn)

Rating: Explicit (18+, MDNI)

Words: 4.7k

Content: Threesome (MFM); oral sex (M recieving); PiV, light D/s; rough sex; humiliation; genital piercings. No beta we die like finns dignity

Summary: Finn steps out of line at a meeting and Silco enlists your help in reminding him of his place.

AO3 Link

-

Chem baron assemblies weren’t the worst part of your job as Silco’s assistant, but they were up there.

It should have been fascinating, getting to sit in on Zaun’s equivalent of the council meetings. Every person in the room with you controlled their own little slice of the Undercity with an iron fist – whether that meant the chem trade, body mods, brothels, or webs of spies and informants who could find out anything about anybody for the right price. But more often than not, meetings devolved into petty squabbling over territory and who owed what to whom – and you had to sit there and take minutes through all of it.

Your only consolation was that Silco made it clear he hated these meetings as much as you did.

Today’s assembly had dragged on longer than usual, and you were relieved to be packing up at last. You just had to finish the notes you were making, and then you’d be free. A few of the chem barons had already left, though Silco was still hashing out the details of a Shimmer production deal with Renni. Sevika was leaning against the door by the elevator, looking bored out of her mind, and you were about to go over to her when a shadow fell across your notebook.

“I haven’t noticed you here before,” a familiar voice said, and you looked up with your brows already raised. Finn was one of the newer chem barons, and you had to wonder whether his affected swagger and bold fashion choices were compensation for the fact that he had inherited his position and everybody knew it.

“I’m always here. I’m Silco’s assistant.”

“I know,” said Finn, leaning on the edge of your desk, caging you in, “but I never noticed you.”

The desk you used was in a corner of the room, and Finn was blocking the only exit. You sighed, finishing what you’d been writing and capping your pen. You were not in the mood for this, but you plastered a polite smile on your face regardless. “Then I’m doing my job well, aren’t I?”

Not to be deterred, Finn only leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low purr. “I wouldn’t shove you in a corner and make you take notes all day, is all I’m saying. Nah, if you worked for me, I’d have you sat right next to me where everyone can see, and I’d—”

“I like my corner, thank you,” you said curtly before Finn could finish that thought, snapping your leather-bound notebook closed. It had been a gift from Silco, and the black cover bore a bright pink doodle of his insignia, courtesy of Jinx. “I like my job, too.” You glanced over at your boss. He was still talking with Renni, leaned back in his seat with a cigar smoking steadily in his hand and smoke drifting out from his lips as he spoke, but as if he could sense you looking at him his gaze flicked over to you, just for the briefest second. That relieved some of the tightness in your throat. Finn could be as pushy as he liked, and you could handle him, but Silco or Sevika would step in if you needed someone with a little more sway to scare Finn off.

It wasn’t yourself you were afraid for.

“Okay,” Finn said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. His eyes raked over you, and you realised that from this angle he probably had a pretty good view down the front of your blouse. “But you’re done working now, right? How about you come with me and I’ll show you how I’d appreciate having someone like you with the Slickjaws. I’ll buy you a drink.”

You stood abruptly, but Finn still didn’t back off. If anything, he only leaned closer while you packed your things away, and his too-heavy cologne made your nose twitch. “Thanks, Finn, but I’m not interested.”

Finn only drew himself taller, tilting his head as he gazed down at you, a smirk pulling at his lips. The top one, anyway. “Fine, you wanna be like that, I get it. You’re a classy lady, I can see that. Guess that’s why you like working for Silco so much. I’ll take you to dinner first.”

You glanced back at Silco, and your throat tightened when your eyes met his. Renni was reading over some contract with her own assistant, but he was no longer paying attention. You wondered how long he’d been watching, letting Finn dig his own grave. The other chem baron was a dumbass, but he probably didn’t deserve whatever was coming if he didn’t leave you alone.

“Finn, I told you I’m not interested. Now please let me go home.” You tilted your chin up and put as much steel into your voice as you could.

But Finn wasn’t going to be deterred by your words. “Alone?” he said, leaning down into your space, his arm on the desk still caging you in.

“Yeah, alone,” you said, your patience wearing out. Fuck it. It wasn’t like Silco was going to punish you for giving as good as you got. Especially not to Finn. “Now let me pass or I’ll screw your jaw shut.”

To your dismay, Finn only laughed, his sleek curtain of hair swaying as he tipped his head back. “Oh, she bites! I knew you had some fire in there somewhere. I like them feisty.”

Of course he does. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, feeling the weight of your brass knuckles in your pocket. Another gift from Silco – he’d wanted you to be able to protect yourself, even if you weren’t much of a fighter, and he’d reasoned that it would be hard for an assailant to take them and use them against you, so you’d have time to run. You’d never actually used them, and trying them out on Finn would definitely be taking it too far, but they were a comforting presence in your pocket nonetheless.

But a sharp call of your name cut across the lame response you’d been about to give, and relief made your shoulders sag. Silco was shrugging on his coat, his business with Renni concluded (and not to the other chem baron’s favour, judging by the sour expression on her face). “Come. We’re leaving.”

At last Finn stepped aside, his eyes roving over you one last time as you passed. “You know where to find me when the old man gives you a day off, baby.”

Ugh. “Keep dreaming, Finn,” you muttered as you hurried over to where Silco and Sevika were waiting by the elevator, and you didn’t miss the glare your boss shot Finn before he turned on his heel and stalked through the ornate doors of the assembly room.

“Please tell me you weren’t flirting with Finn,” Sevika said once the elevator was rumbling down to street level.

You glanced at Silco before you responded. He was quiet, his mismatched gaze fixed on something in the distance, and you could almost see the plans formulating behind his eyes like clouds gathering before a storm. “No way,” you said to Sevika. “He was just trying his luck. I bet kissing him is like licking a brass doorknob.”

That made Sevika chuckle, and you thought even Silco’s lips twitched up for a second, but it could have just been the lights from outside shifting as the elevator descended. He said nothing on the way down, but you could tell he wasn’t happy. You couldn’t begin to guess what he was planning, but the thought that Finn would soon be feeling the wrath of the Eye of Zaun was more exciting than it should have been.

-

A few days later, you had your answer.

Silco called you to his office towards the end of the day, when the bar downstairs was starting to empty and the sliver of sky you could see from the street was lightening, dawn turning the neon haze that bathed the city sickly green like a healing bruise. Zaun’s nocturnal schedule was one thing you’d always loved about it compared with Piltover. It gave everything that happened in the undercity an air of vice, and when you entered Silco’s office to find him already watching you with sharp eyes that felt like they could peel back every layer of your clothing, you knew your evening was about to get a lot more interesting.

“How do you feel about staying a little late tonight?” Silco said as you approached his desk. He turned his chair to the side, and that was all the signal you needed to round the desk and sink down into his lap.

“Need me to reorganise your filing cabinets again?” you said with an arch of your brows.

Silco took a cigar from the ashtray, and he didn’t need to ask you to light it for him. “Not quite. I’ve invited Finn here to discuss the territory dispute he was having with the Vyx. Tell me, do you truly find him so repulsive?”

“I…” You trailed off, wondering where this was going, but Silco’s ever-schooled expression gave you no hints. “Not repulsive, no. Just irritating.”

“And if I were to ask you to help him remember his place after the Assembly, what would you say?”

Ah. So this was where the other shoe dropped. For Finn, at least. The slow, almost absentminded circles Silco was drawing on your inner thigh (to the extent that Silco did anything absentmindedly) gave you a pretty good idea of what kind of plans Silco had made for the chem baron. “I suppose I could tolerate it for the sake of teaching him a lesson,” you said, keeping your voice light.

A slow, predatory smile spread across Silco’s features, and you shuddered. You’d been on the receiving end of that expression more than once. “Good girl. Now, go sit at your desk and look busy. You’ll know when I’m ready for you.”

-

When Finn arrived, you played the part of the quiet, unassuming assistant with practiced ease. You met him at the bar and led him upstairs, laughing off the flirtatious comments he made and putting a little extra sway into your hips for good measure. You fetched coffee and sat at your desk in the corner of the office, making yourself invisible as you let the scratching of your pen fill the gaps in the two chem barons’ conversation.

If Finn sensed anything was different, he gave no sign of it, sitting casually on Silco’s couch with one foot propped on his other knee, fidgeting with his lighter as he spoke. It was a wonder he ever got to light anything with it after wasting all the fuel.

You watched him from under your lashes as you worked. He wasn’t bad looking, really, just a little…over the top. If he noticed you watching, he wisely didn’t acknowledge it in front of Silco.

It was a little late for him to suddenly get some common sense, but you appreciated the effort anyway.

“There’s one more matter we need to discuss.” The chill that had crept into Silco’s voice made the hair on the back of your neck prickle. “Your transgression at the last chem baron assembly.” You heard his chair creak as he leaned back, but you didn’t dare look over at him.

“My—this is about her?” Finn said, his eyes finding you for the first time.

You could almost hear the unimpressed arch of Silco’s eyebrow in his voice. “My assistant made it quite clear she wasn’t interested in you, professionally or otherwise, yet you continued to pursue her, never once considering if perhaps there was a reason for her disinterest. One might even think you were trying to poach my staff from right under my nose. This was a grave insult towards both of us, Finn.”

For a second Finn’s mouth hung open as his eyes flitted between the two of you. You put your pen down, resting your chin on your hand as you watched the younger chem baron flounder. “I wasn’t—Silco, I would never try to take your staff from you. I just asked her out for a drink, that’s all, I swear.”

“I know,” Silco said, his voice deceptively light, and Finn’s whole body went rigid as he stood up and rounded his desk, but Silco only leaned on the other side, his arms folded as he looked down at Finn. “Just a moment of weakness, the temptation becoming too much for you, right? I’ll admit she can be something of a distraction.” He sighed, letting his words hang in the air, and you caught the exact moment Finn understood the implication, the suggestion that you weren’t just an assistant. By this point his eyes were so wide you would have laughed at the expression if you weren’t distracted by the heat already pooling low in your belly at what you knew was coming. Silco kept his eyes fixed on Finn as he held his hand out, long fingers crooked invitingly. “Come here, darling.”

You rose from your seat slowly, hardly daring to look at Silco as you came to stand between him and Finn. You already knew all the details of Silco’s plan, but you also knew that if you had a chance to dwell on what you were about to do, you’d lose your nerve. And you really didn’t want to back out now.

Finn’s metallic jaw hung loose as Silco’s hands trailed up your arms to the collar of your blouse, deft fingers undoing the buttons one by one. “You know, perhaps this situation is my fault,” he said as he pulled your blouse off your shoulders and tossed it aside. Next came your skirt, and you stepped out of your shoes and socks so you were stood there in only your undergarments. “Perhaps I haven’t been valuing your fantastic work ethic enough, Finn.” He punctuated that sentence by roughly unlacing your bra and tossing that aside too, so your tits bounced free. Your panties soon followed, another victim of the small knife Silco always kept up his sleeve.

Finn’s knuckles were now white, his hands clenched on his knees.

“Maybe it’s time I showed you how much I appreciate your contributions to the cause.”

Your nipples hardened to stiff, pebbled peaks, and you couldn’t tell if it was because of the cool air in the office or Silco’s voice sliding against your ear like satin.

“Fortunately for you, she’s had something of a change of heart. Haven’t you, sweetheart? Would you like to help me remind Finn exactly where he stands in our enterprise?”

You nodded, then hissed as he pinched your nipples in warning. “Yes, sir,” you said quickly.

Finn’s eyes flicked between you and Silco, and you could see his mind reeling, searching for the catch. You could hardly blame him – though he made no move to leave, and his tight pants were doing absolutely nothing to hide his interest.

“Sure,” he said, shrugging in a way that was probably supposed to look nonchalant but would fool absolutely no-one. He glanced towards the door. “We could just—”

“Oh, no,” Silco said, nudging you towards the couch. “I think my office is perfectly sufficient.”

You knelt on the couch next to Finn, your hands braced on his thighs as he slowly shifted to face you. You wondered if he was even conscious of the movement. You glanced up at him, noted the slight flush on his cheeks. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and you could see the exact moment he thought, fuck it. He gave a short, jerky nod and you took that as your cue to free his cock from his jeans. You took him in your hand, already half-hard, but then you stopped, your eyebrows raising as you saw the three piercings near the bottom of his shaft, on the underside. They were gold barbells capped with large, heavy diamonds, and you wondered if they’d come before or after the jaw.

“What’s wrong? Can’t handle a bit of ice, baby?” Finn purred.

“It won’t be a problem,” Silco answered for you. You glanced over your shoulder to find him leaning on the edge of his desk, watching with feigned boredom, though the heat in the depths of his corrupted eye gave him away. “She’s quite capable. Continue.”

You spat into your palm and worked your hand over the head of Finn’s cock. It didn’t take long to coax him to full hardness. When you glanced up at him, you could see he was doing his best to keep his expression schooled (which shouldn’t have been hard for him, given that half his face was metal). His fingers twitched as if he wanted to touch you but thought better of it. Maybe he wasn’t as dense as he seemed.

The couch dipped under you as Silco knelt behind you, and Finn looked up in alarm. “I never said you’d have her all to yourself,” your boss said over your shoulder.For a moment you were sure Finn would object, but he only chuckled, though his laughter was strained. “So that’s the deal with you two.”

“Yes, Finn, that is the deal,” Silco said, and your stomach twisted in anticipation as his hand fisted in your hair. “You got there eventually.”

“Come on, old man,” Finn said, some of his earlier bravado finding its way back into his voice. “You’re the last chem-baron I’d think would be fucking his assistant.”

“I suppose I’m full of surprises,” Silco said dryly, tapping a spot on your back, and you obediently put both hands behind your back so that Silco could pin them in place, your balance now completely dependent on him.

He leaned down, his lips grazing your ear and his voice soft enough for only you to hear. “Still okay with this, sweetheart?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what is our signal? Do you remember?”

“Tap your leg with my foot twice for a breather, three times to stop,” you recited.

“Good girl,” he murmured, and then he was pushing your head down.

For a few moments he only held your head at the tip of Finn’s cock, letting you take your time teasing the tip with your tongue. When you glanced up, your eyes met Finn’s, and you thought you heard him curse under his breath. Then you had to break eye contact as Silco forced your head lower, guiding Finn into your throat as you ran your tongue over the underside of his shaft, earning yourself a shaky, measured exhale that suggested it was taking all of Finn’s willpower not to start fucking your throat at his own pace.

Then Silco was pulling you back up, the sting in your scalp making your eyes water, though it was just the right kind of pain that sent flashes of heat along your spine. The heat between your thighs had solidified into a persistent, heavy ache, and you hoped Silco wasn’t planning for this to end with you simply sucking Finn's cock– and it wouldn’t, if the growing hardness you could feel pressing into your ass was any indication.

You took a breath while you could, before Silco pushed your head back down, this time far enough for you to give the first piercing an experimental flick with your tongue as it passed your lips, which made Finn’s breath stutter and his cock twitch in your throat.

There wasn’t time for such indulgences after that. Once you’d adjusted to Finn’s size and figured out how to avoid catching the stupid diamonds on your incisors, Silco set a more brutal pace that made Finn curse through gritted teeth as your head bobbed on his cock, though it was never more than you could handle. Silco knew exactly how much you could take, and he knew how to toe the line without pushing you over it, seemingly having some sixth sense for the moment your vision started to darken from lack of air. Your jaw ached and tears pricked at your eyes from the pain in your scalp, surely ruining your eyeliner, but not once did you consider tapping out. 

Silco let go of your hands, but you kept them clasped behind your back anyway. The vicelike grip he’d had on them had made his point clear enough; your every movement was to be at his command, your obedience complete. The sound of buttons popping was barely audible over the wet sounds of your mouth on Finn’s length, but it still sent shivers of anticipation along your every nerve. You bit back a desperate whine when you felt Silco slowly draw his cock through your heat, coating himself in the wetness that had gathered there.

“Look at me, Finn,” Silco said, his voice like velvet, and your eyes fluttered closed in pleasure as he sank into you, though the pressure of being filled at last did nothing to soothe the ache in your core. You risked a cheeky thrust of your hips backwards, urging him deeper, which earned you a warning tug on your scalp. You couldn’t see whether Finn obeyed, but he must have, because Silco continued, “This could have been you right now. Had you kept your head down, done your damn job and kept the money coming in, perhaps I would have seen fit to reward you properly.” He drew himself almost fully out of you before thrusting back in to the base, your groan of pleasure muffled by Finn’s cock. Silco had forced you to take him so deep your nose was pressed to his groin, and your mind felt fuzzy, but you still had enough wit to think to yourself, liar. Silco might be willing to allow Finn to indulge in your mouth, but he had an ulterior motive. Anything else was about as likely as a Shimmerhead sharing his fix. “But no,” he continued, his voice sliding into a low, dangerous hiss that made your skin prickle with goosebumps. “You had to poke your head up above your station. You had to get cocky. You had to try to claim what isn’t yours. I want you to remember this next time you think of stepping out of line.” His voice was as measured as ever, his tone bordering on disinterest, but you knew better. You heard the gravelly bedrock beneath the silken surface. He’s close. “Remember who built this nation. Who gave you your own little fiefdoms where you can live like kings, instead of street dogs tearing each other apart over scraps. And remember how easily I can tear you down, just as swiftly as I raised you up.”

As if to illustrate his point, he pulled your head up so you released Finn’s cock and your spluttering gasps filled the quiet, occasionally dissolving into desperate whimpers as Silco fucked you, just a little slower than he knew you liked, the bastard.

When you risked another glance up at Finn, you could see the cogs turning behind his lust-clouded eyes, even as he subconsciously angled his hips up towards your waiting mouth.

“All right, I overstepped,” he gritted out. “I already said I was sorry.” You thought you caught a please whispered under his breath, or maybe it was just the blood rushing in your ears.

Silco gave a low hm of consideration but pushed your head back down regardless, and you obediently opened your mouth to take Finn into your throat once more. This time the pace Silco set was more intense, and you had to fight off your gag reflex as Finn shuddered beneath you.

“Everything you have, everything you are, exists because I allow it. Both of you,” he said, driving into you faster, your tits bouncing obscenely with the force of it. “But look at her, you’re grateful, aren’t you darling?”

You gave a choked moan around Finn’s cock, and Silco chuckled, the sound rich and smoky and tipping you dangerously close to a peak you weren’t sure you had permission to reach. “That’s it,” he said, fingers finding their way to your clit as if to reward your obedience. “Always so well behaved. You could stand to learn a few things, Finn.”

The tight, quick circles Silco was drawing on your clit were enough to send you careening into your orgasm, permission be damned. Your eyes rolled back in your head as you clenched around Silco’s cock, waves of pleasure radiating from your core to the tips of your toes, and the force of it soon pulled Silco down with you, though the only thing that gave him away was the stutter in the rhythm of his hips and the tightening of his hand in your hair.

He pulled out of you and quickly tucked himself away, pulling you off Finn once again. You panted as the aftershocks of your orgasm skittered along your nerves, a string of drool connecting you to the tip of Finn’s dick. “If you want to finish,” Silco said, “you can start by apologising to my assistant.”

“Fuck,” Finn snapped when you gave a taunting little lick to his head when he took his time answering. “I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean – I shoulda left you alone when you said. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, it was just flirting.”

“Acceptable?” Silco leaned down to speak softly into your ear again, and you shivered in pleasure at the attention.

You looked up at Finn through your lashes. His sleek hair was a mess, his cheeks flushed, and his gold eyes had a wildness to them you’d never seen before, like he was balancing on the edge of a building and you were the one holding him up, and he didn’t know if you were about to save him or let him fall.

It occurred to you that you could say no. One word from you, and Silco would send Finn scuttling out of here with balls as blue as Hex-crystals.

That was probably what Silco would have done, if it were up to him. Fortunately for Finn, you weren’t so cruel. Your throat was raw and the words wouldn’t come, so you just nodded. It was enough.

“Very well.” Silco released your hair and sat back against the couch. “You may finish, Finn.”

“In her mouth?” he said as you swirled your tongue around his head once more, this time able to use your hands as well, sparing your abused throat.

There was a click and fizz of a lighter, and you could picture very well the withering glare that Silco had to be aiming over your head. “Well, if you ruin my couch I’ll have you gutted alive. So yes, come in her mouth.”

You hollowed out your cheeks and sucked, and that was all it took. Finn came with a growl he barely stifled, boldly grabbing your hair and holding you in place as he fucked your throat, spilling over your tongue again and again as you swallowed it down. You were relieved when you could finally release him, giving one last flick of your tongue to his tip, making him hiss. It was only fair, you thought, considering the ache in your jaw.

“Get out,” Silco said quietly from behind you. “And never pull something like this again. Next time I will not be so lenient.”

Finn said nothing, only tucked himself into his pants and ducked out the door, his usual swagger gone. You weren’t fooled, though. You knew the look of a man who’d just had the best orgasm of his life.

Sighing, you flopped back on the couch, your head landing in Silco’s lap as your eyes fluttered shut in contentment.

“Was that too much?” Silco asked softly. He stroked a stray strand of hair away from your face, his touch featherlight compared to the iron grip he’d just had on your scalp.

You shook your head, breathing in the cloud of smoke he let drift down over you. “But you’re buying me a wig if I wake up bald tomorrow.”

He chuckled, the rich, dark sound curling out from his lips and settling over you much like the smoke had, sending heat curling in your belly once more. “Deal.” 

[destielbeatlesminibang]

Title: Anna, Go to Him

Author: butterflyslinky

Artist: golby moon

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: Dean arrives at a new (but hopefully last) high school, where he meets overachiever Anna. There may be something going on there...if only she would stop talking up this guy called Cas.

Tags: Anna/Charlie, One-sided Anna/Dean, High School AU, Gaming, Misunderstandings, School Dance, Fluff

Posting on June 27

Keep reading for a short excerpt.

“Hey!”

Dean looked up to see a pretty red-haired girl coming over. She smiled at him and put her tray down across from his. “Hi,” Dean said, a little wrong-footed. He’d known girls before, sure, even briefly had a girlfriend once, but he wasn’t quite sure why this one was sitting down with him.

“I saw you were sitting alone,” she explained as though reading his thoughts. “And thought I should come over.” She held out her hand. “Anna Milton, senior class president.”

Oh, of course. A rah-rah school spirit type. Still, hot. “Dean Winchester,” he said, shaking her hand. No need to be unfriendly, after all.

“I know, Principle Harvelle told me. You just moved here from Texas?”

“Minnesota. Dad’s military, we move a lot.”

“I see. So you’re here for…?”

“The year. Then I graduate and get the hell out.”

“It’s not so bad…why don’t you come to the game on Friday? Get to know people?”

Dean sighed. “Look, Patty Simcox, I know you’re just doing your cheerleader president school spirit job here, but I’m not really interested in making friends right now. I just wanna get through the year so I can go to community college and set up a job.”

He half-hoped that little diatribe might make Anna go away, but it didn’t. She looked at him for a moment, her smile unwavering, then picked up her chocolate milk with a shrug.

“Okay, Danny Zukko, don’t come,” she said. “But your too cool for school bad boy attitude isn’t going to get you very far next year, so why don’t you try not being an asshole and see if it helps?”

Dean stared at her, then laughed. “Yeah, I deserved that,” he admitted. “But I also just don’t care about football.”

“Okay,” Anna said. “What do you care about? Theater, volunteering, music?”

“Um…I play guitar,” Dean said. “Kind of. And I wrestled last year. But I’ve never really been in one place long enough to join any clubs or anything.”

“Well, if there’s anything you want to try, just let me know! We have clubs for everything here, and they’re all great places to meet people!”

“Sure,” Dean said. “Thanks, I guess.” He poked at his food. “Which ones are you in besides student council?”

“4H, Honors Club, student paper, marching band, GSA, and sometimes I go to the gaming club if I have time.” She smiled ruefully. “Which isn’t often.”

“Yeah, sounds like,” Dean said. “When do you sleep?”

“Study hall,” Anna said. “Any of that appeal to you?”

“Not really, no.”

She sighed. “You sound like Cas…he’s also an antisocial drip.”

Dean groaned. “Okay, how’s this–I go to this game, and if I hate it, you let me be antisocial for the rest of the year.”

“Deal,” Anna said. “And if you have fun, you’ll join at least one activity with me.”

“Done.” They shook hands on it, both trying hard not to start giggling. “See you Friday, then.”

“Why don’t you come eat with us?” Anna asked.

“Don’t push it, sweetheart.”

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Loving Discipline and Knowledge

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. 2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of evil devices he condemns. 3 A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved. 4 A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. 5 The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are treacherous. 6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers men. 7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand. 8 A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of perverse mind is despised. 9 Better is a man of humble standing who works for himself than one who plays the great man but lacks bread. 10 A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. 11 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits has no sense. 12 The strong tower of the wicked comes to ruin, but the root of the righteous stands firm. 13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble. 14 From the fruit of his words a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. 16 The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent man ignores an insult. 17 He who speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit. 18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 19 Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. 20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan good have joy. 21 No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. 22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. 23 A prudent man conceals his knowledge, but fools proclaim their folly. 24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor. 25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. 26 A righteous man turns away from evil, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 27 A slothful man will not catch his prey, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. 28 In the path of righteousness is life, but the way of error leads to death. — Proverbs 12 | Revised Standard Version (RSV) Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 49:15; Deuteronomy 30:15; 2 Samuel 15:3; 1 Kings 13:18; 2 Chronicles 22:4; Job 5:2; Job 34:11; Psalm 50:17; Psalm 57:4; Proverbs 1:11; Proverbs 6:19; Proverbs 6:32; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 10:14; Proverbs 10:25; Proverbs 11:30; Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 15:13; Proverbs 16:29; Isaiah 19:14; Matthew 7:24; Matthew 15:8; 1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Corinthians 11:7; 1 Peter 3:13; 2 Peter 2:9; Revelation 2:15

[mugentakeda]

"if uncle is sending gifts and stuff, then lu ten must be alright," zuko says into the silence.

the two siblings are sitting side by side beneath a tree in the garden. the palace is only ever quiet lately, unless azula has her friends brought over.

azula sneers, but it's halfhearted. "i don't know why he wouldn't be. he was holding back from going all this time for no reason. what's the point of reaching your peak and breaking bending records if you're not gonna go out and use your bending?" she mutters. her cousin frustrated her sometimes with his grown up weirdness. training and sparring, but not wanting to actually go and fight? is it just a little hobby or game to him?

you know that's not it, she thinks. lu ten is dedicated. his thing just... isn't fighting. she's seen him debating with fire lord azulon's council of old nutcases from behind the drapes. she's seen the exhaustion on his face after an all nighter in the library.

the pearl dagger is light and cool in zuko's hands. he wonders why lu ten didn't send any gifts or write a letter yet.

"i know he hasn't been gone very long, but... i don't know. i think he didn't wanna go for a reason, don't you think?" he cranes his head.

azula's rolling a sharp pebble between her fingers and glaring at the turtleducks as if they personally offended her. "he told me that uncle wasn't gonna make him. it's just not my style, crabcake," she mimicks his deeper voice and jerks her head side to side in mockery, then deflates. "it's not gonna make a difference, so it's gonna be forever until he gets to come back. lu ten has no war experience. uncle iroh just wanted him there as- as a show pony. someone to make his tea for him because nobody else makes his stupid tea right."

zuko wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. the resentment for their uncle hasn't always been in her tone when she spoke of him, has it? "you thought the letter was funny."

"of course i thought it was funny. i just wish he'd put his money where the mouth is already and finish up out there. almost 600 days and barely any progress," she drawls, gesturing her hands in an exaggerated circle. "i want lu ten back home before our birthdays. we can go down to the city markets and get tanghulu with chili powder and lime."

the two siblings sigh at the thought of all the street food they aren't allowed to eat unless lu ten is at home to sneak it in for them. soon, zuko will get sneaky enough to be able to do that for himself. so when lu ten comes back, he'll get twice as much street food. unless azula finds out and snitches on him. which, she probably will.

it's only a matter of time until he comes back. its just like what lu ten said to zuko about his fire bending.

there's another end to every tunnel in life, squirt. as long as you keep on living and staying strong, time will deliver you to the end of it.

fighting shouldn't have to be lu ten's thing, azula muses next to her brother. she thinks to the future, where lu ten is fire lord and azula is his top general and strategist. her cousin hates the council so much, he'll probably fire all of them. he might hire a new bunch, or maybe he wouldn't, because he'd realize that he has a whole war council of generals wrapped in one person and twice as good in azula alone.

it'll still be decades before lu ten gets the crown, which is a shame. in azula's opinion, the nation would be better off if the crown went to anyone else except the guy that takes almost 600 days to crush a city that's so pitiful it's rationing water. either lu ten or father would be ideal. lu ten has dedication and thinks outside the box all the time. father has willpower and strong authority. both are stubborn as mules but know how to get the job done efficiently.

as far as azula is concerned, uncle has none of those qualities. dedication and stubborness, maybe, but that's only because he even knows how lazy and slow he is, so he has to cut himself some slack.

anger curls in her chest at the thought of the doll. her uncle had no real reason to want her cousin to join, he just wanted him to be there. he's probably stuck in uncle's tent making him tea while uncle is out there genuinely thinking azula would like a stupid toy as a gift. if lu ten was by uncle's side like uncle said he would be, he would've slapped the doll right out of his dad's hands, because he knew better.

a light knock on the door startles her. she's been so wrapped up in her studies the past two hours, reality had fallen away.

lu ten peaks his head in and smiles. there's a tray with tea and a big bowl of azula's favorites- purple sweet potatoes, mooncake, strawberry mochi, a variety of cut up fruit.

'one large order of tooth-achers for my studious little princess,' lu ten chirps.

azula snorts and pushes the scroll away. 'i didn't order anything. you must be going senile in your old age,' she replies. as she comes closer, the scent of mangosteen tea and freshly baked sweet potato eases the tension out of her body.

'that's a big word, i'm proud of you,' her cousin replies dryly, and sits the tray down on her bed. then yelps, as azula pounces and jabs his side at the joke. 'i don't need orders. it's all this cousin's intuiton, you see. i hear these strange voices that tell me when one of my needy little monsters is in dire need to be served and pampered.'

azula rolls her eyes and replies by gracefully jamming an entire ball of mochi in her mouth. the mercy is temporary- once she's done chewing, she'll get right back to hurting his feelings.

[sublimecatgalaxy]

hello lovely!! can i request literally anything with negan please? i’m so glad that you love him as much as i do🥰

side note but i feel so exclusive being able to request lol

Bestie I never get Negan things so I appreciate this. Warning bestie, keeping spoilers as vague as possible and keeping the situation as vague as possible.

Maggie has every right to hate Negan and want nothing but to put in six feet under. She has every right to want to keep him as far away from the little remaining family she has left- Hershel, the people she's met along the way, the original group.

He's grown a lot since his time ruling the Sanctuary, no more minions to oversee, no more countless wives to do what he pleases with. He's a normal-ish guy, working in the fields after a decade in prison. I'd like to say that he's managed to grow and learn a lot, develop a perspective towards the people he's hurt. I've seen it- how he interacts with Judith, how he tends to his job and doesn't stray, how he gives his input but doesn't expect people to care about his opinion.

But sometimes- god- Maggie is unrelenting.

She's very open about the fact that she doesn't care if Negan dies or not, that she would offer him up to a group of walkers without hesitation if it meant she could keep herself safe and the others alive. He's expendable in her eyes but we all, the council, were in agreement that he could introduce himself into society once more and try to make ammends.

"Maggie, it's fine, I just need to head into the city to see if I can find anymore medical supplies. After the whisperers, we're low." I urge but she just looks between Negan and I, not totally convinced. "Like you always say, I'm a good shot but I'm distracted. Negan's not distracted." His head hangs low as a small smile stretches across his lips and I fight the urge to reach over a shove him.

"Except when he's with you." Maggie mutters, reaching forward to pat me on the shoulder. "Take a gun, take a few duffle bags and find us some good stuff." She says before walking swiftly away from us, not giving Negan another glance. I turn to the man with wide, eager eyes, clapping my hands.

"Mom said yes!" He laughs, shaking his head at me before quickly turning to duck down into the car. I follow quickly after him, slipping down into the passenger seat with a huff, kicking my feet up on the dash.

"Now, don't take this the wrong way but," Negan says, putting the car into drive as he sends me a sideways look, "what's got you so chipper today?" He asks as he pulls away from Alexandria, my brows raising teasingly at him. "No offense but I don't think I've ever seen you in this good of a mood, kid-"

"Ugh, kid." I groan, my previous smile I had on my face now fading into a look of disgust, my nose scrunching.

"What? Can't give you nicknames now?" He asks, turning to look at me briefly, his eyes shining in the sunlight that streams down on our vehicle, rays dancing through the sun roof.

"Call me anything but kid- I'm no kid, Negan, you know better than anyone." He scoffs, not taking my seriously until he spots my smirk out of the corner of his eyes, his jaw slacking as my feet sway on the dashboard.

"Goddamn- are you flirting with me?"

"We're out of Maggie's earshot, you can stop pretending you're not wildly attracted to me." I sing, watching him shift in his seat but not because he's uncomfortable, but because, after months of prying his brain open and getting to know him, we're finally alone.

"Wildly huh? You talk a big game for someone who can't get on their damn horse without a knight in shining armor-"

"It was one time." I groan, burying my face in my hands as his laughter bellows through the small vehicle, the sound making my stomach flutter. "Do I need to remind you of all the times you've embarrassed yourself in front of me?" I ask, watching the ways his cheeks darken a bit, his eyes looking anywhere but me.

"No ma'am, I'm afraid that list would be a lot longer and way more mean."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy

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[bookworm-center]

Dirtyhands and the Bloodbender: Chapter II- Rollins' Job

Previous part below:

Dirtyhands and the Bloodbender

Y/n L/n: Rollins' Job

We head back to the Slat, watching for any more Dime Lions around. Kaz made too many enemies, and if I'm honest, so have I.

Luckily- or perhaps it wasn't luck at all- we made it to the Slat without any more mishaps. We make our way up to Kaz's office, Jesper trailing a little further behind, as though he was unsure whether he was wanted.

I perch myself on Kaz's desk, tossing a pen up and down, whilst Kaz sits in his chair and Jesper stands in the doorway rather awkwardly.

"What did Rollins want?" Kaz asks.

I raise an eyebrow. "You're not going to ask how I am? Honestly Brekker, would it hurt to have some manners?" I didn't particularly care to be honest, (I wasn't polite myself) but it was fun to tease Kaz.

Kaz glares at me. "My darling Y/n, treasure of my heart, how are you doing this dreadful evening in Ketterdam?"

I blink. He doesn't usually respond. "Fine thanks." I reply before grabbing a map of Ketterdam and rolling it out on the table. "Rollins wants some documents from the Merchant Council."

Kaz scoffs, annoyed Rollins was wasting our time with this. I was too, but a deal's a deal. "Why can't Rollins get them himself?"

I shrug, rolling the map back up. "He didn't say. He didn't even say what the documents were, he only described them."

"His price?" Jesper asks. Kaz looks at him, before asking the same question himself.

"Ten thousand kruge."

"For a few documents? What did you get us into?" Jesper asks.

I don't answer that. "He wants them tomorrow, so unfortunately Inej can't help because she's on a job."

"Then we'll make do. Meet here tonight. No mourners." Kaz says, making his way to leave his office.

"No funerals." Jesper and I respond, leaving behind Kaz.

Later that night, I head back to Kaz's office, like he had requested. Technically, it was more of an order, as he is a superior, but I don't like to think of that. I knock on the door, to no response, then see myself inside. Kaz sits at his desk, rummaging through papers and maps. He has a look of distaste on his face and I know it's because of Rollins.

"Brick by brick." I say. He looks up, gives me a slight nod, and goes back to work. He knew what I meant as it was something he said to me often. Brick by brick. Brick by brick we will take down Pekka Rollins, the man who ruined each of our lives. Kaz had never told me why he hated Rollins but it must have been bad if he was on the receiving end of the full force of Dirtyhands' wrath.

Jesper strolls in a moment later, slinging his guns and, as always, late. Before Kaz can make this observation and berate Jesper for it, Jesper speaks. "I think we need a demo man."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Jes, you ask for a demo man for every job. We just need to be in and out. A demo man would blow our cover."

Jesper seems to sink, knowing I am right. Poor guy. I bet he just wants an excuse to hang out with Wylan, Kaz's newest recruit. Knowing Jesper, Wylan already had enough on his plate after dealing with the Zemini flirt.

It takes longer than expected to get to the office as we run into a group of stadwatch, but we manage to leave before it becomes a big deal. We enter through the second floor office window, and it's surprisingly easy to find the documents Rollins wants. I begin to suspect it's a trap and from the calculating look on Kaz's face, he's thinking the same thing.

Gunshots ring from every corner of the office building, bursting the walls and windows into smithereens. Kaz curses under his breath, Jesper already loading his guns and firing. I can't see anyone through the haze of smoke. For any ordinary Grisha that would stop them, but lucky for me, I'm not normal at all.

I raise my left hand. A bullet instantly sinks through the flesh. I bite back a shout as Jesper shoots my attacker. It's good that I don't need both hands to use my small science. I moved my fingers in puppeteer like motions, pulling at invisible strings. My eyes are closed to focus more. Our attackers are dead within minutes, stabbing or shooting themselves with their own weapons.

Kaz looked at me with what I'd like to think is an appreciative expression. I shrug, keeping the blood in my hand from dripped with my power. We dashed down the stairs and out the door, running back to the Crow Club as fast as we could. I lag behind, waiting for Kaz. He would never admit it, but today was one of those days when his leg hurt a bit more than usual.

We arrived at the Crow Club sweating and panting. My hand hurt but not so much that I couldn't bear it. The sun begins to set behind the horizon, the street lights coming alive. "You're staying here." Kaz rasped out.

I smirk, patting Jesper on the back. "Sorry Jes. Looks like you're left behind."

"No. Y/n, stay here." Kaz said, drumming his fingers on his cane.

"What? Kaz, I'm your right hand." I protested.

"Not today. Not with Rollins." With that Jesper and Kaz walked away. Jesper shot me a sorry expression, but followed Kaz. I huffed, kicking at a table leg, then leaving the Crow Club to wander the Barrel.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

“Oh.” Pelle put down his slice of pizza, desperately trying to swallow the piece he had started chewing on as quick as he could. There was a long pause until he managed to. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said earnestly. He had certainly not been close to Fabio himself, and Pia gave far from glowing reviews on his behavior at home, but a son was a son.

“I thought it may be best that I tell Pia myself, rather than on the phone as I did with Jolanda,” he explained. “Unless Jolanda has called her herself already…”

“I don’t believe she has,” Pelle said. “She would’ve told me.” He was relatively certain of it, at least. “I’m sure she knows I would want to know.”

“No matter,” Giovanni said. “It made me realize our time is limited and I should spend more time with my children. And grandchildren.”

Pelle nodded. “Family is important,” he said. “I don’t talk even nearly enough to my parents and siblings, even though I should. Life just gets in the way. I’m sure it did for you too.”

Giovanni took another sip of coffee before replying. “Yes,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of work to do on the lab and in my… Other activities.”

Pelle took another bite of the pizza. “Other activities?”

“I’ve been quite engaged in political activities,” he said. “You might’ve seen it.”

Pelle shook his head. “I stay far away from all that,” he said. “Only trouble. I can talk about animal rights, but that’s it.”

Giovanni looked at him, then shrugged. “It’s true,” he noted. “Plenty of trouble.”

“But I know you were in the original city council,” Pelle said. “When Abraham Helios ran the town.”

“Oh, I was,” Giovanni said, smiling. “I was his opponent and his ally both.”

Pelle, pretending to care, nodded along as he kept eating pizza.

“We all agreed on making ourselves as independent as we could from SimCity,” Giovanni continued. “We all agreed our freedoms had to be protected. However…” He clenched his fist as he spoke. “To succeed, we all had to make sacrifices. Agree to disagree. Etch things into the law we might later come to regret. And Salem Bellamy was given way more influence than public opinion should’ve allowed him to.” Giovanni bit his lip as he pondered the past. “Perhaps I wasn’t the most respectful in my criticism of him and Abraham. Perhaps I didn’t hold the most polite tone. But why should I? Why should I be ‘calm’ and ‘neutral’ while he demands outrageous legislations?”

Pelle, feeling uncomfortable with the conversation veering into topics too vague for him to know anything about, stood up abruptly. “I have a job interview,” he lied. “One of many lined up. I hate to leave you all alone here in the kitchen, but I didn’t expect this spontaneous visit, so I didn’t know to schedule around it.”

“No problem,” Giovanni said, taking another sip of coffee.

“It’s a job interview through the computer,” Pelle continued. He picked up the pizza box with one hand and grabbed the laptop with the other. Getting the oil from the pizza on his laptop made him cringe, but he was too much in a hurry to escape the conversation to wash his hands before grabbing it. “Come on, Sigurd, I don’t want you bothering Uncle Gio.”

[aslket]

So I know I read something like this back in high-school on LiveJournal or something, but I reblogged a post about Camilla Hect reading Harrow's letter and I was reminded of Legolas

Because Legolas' dad got asked by Gandalf and Some Ranger to look after this horrible little creature right? Keep it locked up but alive, because it might know about something important. How they acheived this is anyone's guess, because Gandalf wasn't at all forthcoming about what that knowledge was. But however it's done Thranduil agrees, and Thraunduil's a king of his word, so they are apparently going to incarcerate this thing indefinitely. And it's an awful thing, it's so shriveled and cringing and weirdly small? Like a goblin-sized extremely old addict, who's been eating toddlers mind, but who Gandalf just literally tortured. Keep in mind, real goblins exist and the wood elves don't try to rehabilitate them, so they could presumably perceive that he wasn't 100% evil

Anyway this horrid little not-goblin can't eat real food, can't stand the sun, and obviously hates being locked in their cellars for over a year. So they let him out on the darkest nights to climb a tree in a clearing under gaurd. Wood elves aren't monsters, and this small being is clearly suffering, and they'll mitigate that if they can. Right for all sentient beings but orcs, Sauron and Rignbearers says Thranduil

But then. Then that little shit manages to communicate(?) with someone(???) while up a tree in the middle of a clearing gaurded by archers in the dead of night, and a bunch of fucking orcs bust him out. Or even worse, he didn't and they have a critical security crisis on their hands, instead of only an extremely severe one. This is not a great look for Thranduil, and now he's gotta let Gandalf know ASAP what went down because, as previously stated, the reason he agreed to house this weird sounding pitiable creature was presumably because Gadalf gave him some extremely incomplete and alarming info about why it was so desperately important he be safely imprisoned

Regrettably, nobody can ever fucking FIND Gandalf, which makes letting him know kind of difficult. A wizard is never late, because you can never actually pin them down for a fucking RSVP. So Thranduil grabs his son, after all the tracking and reapprehension of this fugitive has failed, and tells him to go to Rivendell and leave a message for Gandalf and That One Ranger with Elrond

This is a shitty job. Legolas' home just got attacked and a bunch of his people killed, and now he's gotta travel over the misty fucking mountains to find a hidden bloody valley and tell a literal 1/16th angel, on behalf of his people, that they've completely fucking biffed it. Jury's out on if Legolas has ever really left Mirkwood before, boy's never even been to Lorien, which is just across the river. The only sliver of a bright side to this is he won't actually have to tell Gandalf himself. If he shows up in Mirkwood looking for the afwul ittle guy, his dad gets to tell him what happened. The chances of "the grey wanderer" HAPPENING to be visiting Rivendell during the same day and a half Legolas spends there, probably just handing off a letter and mooching some supplies in a properly diplomatic fashion, approach zero

Then Legolas actually arrives.

So there's DWARVES here, and the son of the Steward of Gondor, and That One Ranger AND Gandalf. Apparently a council is happening, and Elrond's hosting. You guys didn't get an invite, which is pretty insulting, but apparently NOBODY got an invite and everyone just got up independently and decided to come here because bad shit was happening in their individual corner of the world. That's basically unprecedented, and not a good sign, but this is also a great opportunity for Legolas, and phenomenal branding on Elrond's part, really. All these people ended up here with news, and he's gonna make sure they all leave on the same page, and Legolas gets to take all that info back to Thranduil.

The only wrinkle in Legolas getting to be actually present for this once-an-age get together is that Gandalf and That One Bloody Ranger are ALSO here, and that's a little embarrassing, really. Sucks to advertise the you couldn't manage One Job in front of the DWARVES. But at least it's just that you lost track of one gross little creature, who's probably been eaten by orcs or something by now, so its not the diplomatic disaster it could be.

So everybody gets together, and Gandalf shows up with a pair of hobbits. Obviously Legolas has heard of hobbits, but its perhaps occurring to him at this point that they're Suspiciously small. He's only met one other non-goblin creature that size.

The council starts, and the fucking dwarves go on, but everybody covers the basic situations at home and they're pretty universally Not Great. But then Elrond says ok, now that we're all on the same page, we're gonna cover the important secret stuff. Legolas, at this point privy to state secrets of elves, men and also dwarves, might be puzzled here. Especially when Elrond proceeds to give a lesson on ancient history, starting three thousand years ago. That is a long time ago even for elves, and he's covering what, the fucking rings of power and the last alliance??

Actually, he's covering specifically one ring of power, and it whereabouts. And also that Gollum had it, and it comes up that BILBO did too (what the fuck??) and oh, also, That One Ranger is the lost King of Gondor. Cool. This is fine. Now everyone is talking about how glad they are that Gollum's under lock and key and can't cause any more problems, and Legolas literally leaps from his seat at this point to mention with considerable concern that he's actually not

This is real bad news for all of five seconds, but then Gandalf blows it out of the water when he drops the Saruman's-a-fucking-traitor bomb. And eventually this leads to Legolas agreeing to go on a crazy quest to MORDOR with four hobbits, a wizard, a king, a steward's son, and a dwarf. Literally everything Legolas thought was a huge problem has been revealed to be minor annoyances leading up to the apocalypse

And that's what I love about Camilla reading that letter. She thought she was dealing with some shit. She thought she was going to impossible lengths. She had NO IDEA

[oldestenemy]

lost, losing, loss

The young wizard finds themself in the center of Dragonspyre’s newly rebuilt academy grounds.

Curled up against the statue on the lower level, arms wrapped around their torso which is wet and warm in a way that should probably concern them more than it does.

How they got here is hazy.

They remember…

They remember—

“Dyvim!”

Are they just going to keep losing?

Are they just going to keep getting angrier?

How many adversaries now have they run into—battle won and over—who ask them why they didn’t just request the information they needed? How long has it been since they asked first before defaulting to the deck burning a hole in their pocket? Nothing feels like victory anymore.

All of it is sour.

They are fighting, yes, always fighting.

For what?

For those of the council of light to tell them they are doing a good job? On to the next?

Shadow seeps through them now. Maybe it had always been there, under the surface, waiting for release. Cold and creeping. It feels so different than all their other magic. But then… the Astral schools had felt different too, and the wizard is now well used to the echo of the cosmos on their tongue. That mouse had been right, Shadow was a corruption of Moon. It felt almost the same, like a cold spotlight, like plunging into dark water. Momentary powerful change, with a cost.

A cost to yourself or to those you aim to strike down…

But a cost either way.

They had felt it before it was unleashed.

Ever since Xiablaba.

Those moments where things had gone cold and dark.

When they felt their magic slipping out without direction, without intent.

“What are you doing down there?”

“Duncan?” If it weren’t for the slight note of condescension ever-present in his voice, they might not have recognized it.

“You’re covered in pollen and—” he stops, crouching in front of them and looking at where the wizard’s arms are wrapped tightly around their middle. “—is that your blood?”

It must be. The bugs don’t bleed red and Dyvim was too far away too—

“Stop.” The wizard’s head lifts up and they shoot out an arm to catch Duncan’s as he reaches for his deck. “No necromantic healing. I’m fine.” Eyes shimmer, brown—gold—brown again. “It’s not mine.” Just lie. Just make it easy. Death Heals cause damage. Minimize the damage.

Duncan huffs like he doesn’t believe them. “You’re not actually invincible you know. Here,” He pulls a potion bottle off his belt, “if you won’t let me heal you at least do it yourself.”

The wizard hates the way potions heal.

It’s like an electric burn down their esophagus, like six shots of room temperature grape flavored espresso. They always feel shaky and a little sick afterwards.

But it knits the hole in their abdomen back together.

“What happened?” Duncan asks, kneeling next to them before the statue, using his staff—is that his staff? It looks different—as a support.

“You don’t like me.” The wizard says, handing back the empty potion bottle. “Why would you care.”

“Aside from the fact that I think Ashthorn and Dreadful would put my head on a pike if I left you for dead? I respect what you’re putting yourself through—but I think you’re too obedient for your own good.”

The wizard snorts, and immediately regrets it for how their newly healed stomach aches. But it’s surprisingly earnest coming from Duncan, and they can’t even argue. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Right, savior of wizard city, how many titles has Ambrose hoisted onto you now?”

“Does it matter?” The wizard asks, unable to keep a bitter note from the words. “Everyone needs something to call me.”

Duncan tilts his head slightly, like he doesn’t quite get what they mean.

“What’s my name, Duncan?”

He just stares for a moment, the wizard watches as the frown begins. It knits his brow together and sours his expression. “I— it’s—”

“Right.” The wizard mumbles, slowly trying to push themselves back up.

“—No, wait it’s— it’s something with an… with a, it starts with—”

The wizard just shakes their head at him. “It doesn’t matter.” They say softly, “Nobody can actually say it. You may as well call me Spellbinder like the bugs and mice do.”

“But—”

“—I said it doesn’t matter. I’d really prefer it if you just let it go. I have to get back.” With a wince they remember they hadn’t had enough mana left to mark the hive.

“You’re barely recovered—”

“—So what!” They snap, eyes flaring not flat gold this time but brilliant and shining. “I’m alive aren’t I? I don’t have the luxury of running away for more than a few seconds, I’ve already lost enough—I won’t be the reason another civilisation dies under Morganthe.” The gold glows brighter, shot through with deep purple.

Duncan steps between them and the tunnel that leads back towards the Crucible. “At least let the Life students take a look at you—Sabrina is probably—”

The ground flickers and flashes briefly, an old training duel circle under their feet. “I don’t have time.” The wizard insists, one hand slipping into their deck pouch as though it may quiet the humming in their head. “Get out of the way.”

Duncan’s hands curl tighter around his staff, eyes flickering downward to the circle and back up. “Really?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” They don’t. Desperately. But they need to get back and they’re too exhausted for the teleportation sigil right now. They have to use the doors. “Please, just move.”

Just let me go, don’t make me do this.

When was the last time they’d fought another student?

Had they ever?

Would this even take long?

After a moment that feels to stretch on forever, Duncan steps aside. He’s glaring them down like his very gaze could sap energy and power. Like he’s trying to make them collapse on the spot.

“Thank you.” The wizard breathes, shoulders dropping in relief.

“You’re going to regret this.”

I know. They think, the shadow of the celestial calendar tugging at their mind. I know, I know, I know.

But the wizard doesn’t respond.

They run for the doors, for the Basilica, and for the crumbling ruins of Bastion.

Read more here <3