#just as snazzy as his robes!

[0mornings-dawn0]

Today I found out Taliesin looks amazing in this armor, behold Tally-hoes!

In that last image he's absolutely lecturing my LDB on the importance of not looking like a sad wet rat.

Sauce:

[corroded-hellfire]

AYW request where Reader graduates from college so Ryan, Luke, and Eddie come to her graduation. And then Eddie gives her a little graduation gift of his own...

+ Eddie eating Reader out under her gown right after her graduation ceremony. Like, the moment she walks across the stage, he’s dragging her to the bathroom and diving in.

I am dedicating this to Dr. Bug! I'm so proud of you @munson-blurbs 💚

Warnings: smut, p in v, unprotected (wrap it up), oral f receiving, age gap

Words: 5k

[As You Wish masterlist]

The polyester robe that hangs on your shoulders sways in the breeze as you fetch your cap out of the back seat. The cerulean regalia is a beautiful shade, but it was a pain in the ass to find something to wear beneath it that didn’t clash. The white floral summer dress peeking out now from your unzipped gown was a lucky find that caught your eye while out having lunch with Max one day. 

Cap with a golden tassel securely in your hand, you shut the back door to your sister’s car and walk around the backside to stand next to her. 

“I can’t wait to meet your boyfriend,” your sister teases, as if you’re twelve and not twenty-two. 

You roll your eyes as you lift a hand to shade your face from the blazing sun above. It’s not even officially summer yet but Indiana is coming in hot with those high temperatures this year. 

“Don’t be weird,” you say.

An exaggerated gasp leaves your older sister’s lips, and she presses a hand to her heart, fresh yellow nail polish glinting in the sunlight. 

“Me? I’m never weird.”

“When I was fourteen you told Connor Donald–”

“But you were going to the bathroom!”

“You don’t tell that to a boy when he calls!” Somehow you feel like that teenage girl all over again.

“I just had this feeling about him,” she says with a shrug. Your sister crosses her arms over her chest. “And I was right.”

“Yeah, he was a creep,” you admit. 

The smug smile on her pretty face is annoying enough to have you turning away from her. At the other end of the parking lot, you see a familiar group of men headed your way, and the littlest one breaks away from the herd and races your way, yelling your name. As he gets closer, you spy the hat perched atop his chocolate curls and the cuteness devastates you.

With a gleeful chuckle, you catch Luke as he flings himself into your arms. Using the momentum, you swoop the almost-seven-year-old up and hold him against your hip. Your back and arm muscles protest the effort, but you do your best to ignore them. Truthfully, Luke’s getting heavier and too big for this now, but you can’t bear to stop picking him up—he’s still that baby boy to you. 

“Hey, you,” you greet him.

“You look so pretty!” he tells you as you begrudgingly set him down.  

“Thank you!” you say. “You look pretty handsome yourself in that snazzy fedora.”

Luke giggles and adjusts the brim of the hat so he can see you better. 

By now, the rest of the gang has made their way to you and Ryan is the next one to launch himself towards you for a hug. Wayne goes next and you can tell your boyfriend is purposefully waiting to be the last one. Indeed he was as he brings you into his arms and presses a soft, sweet kiss to your lips. His hands slip below the graduation robe and rest on the soft cotton of the dress that hugs your lower back. 

“Hi,” he whispers against your lips.

“Hi,” you reply just as softly. 

If it weren’t for your sister clearing her throat, you very well might have forgotten that you were at your graduation, let alone there were other people standing around you right now. Such is the power of Eddie and his touch.

“Oh,” you say, face heating up as you take a step back from your boyfriend. “Right. Um, everyone, this is my big sister, Gin. Gin, this is Eddie, Wayne, and the little monsters Luke and Ryan.”

Both boys make silly faces at you in retaliation for their introduction, which you have no problem doing right back to them. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Eddie says, extending his hand.

“Likewise,” Gin replies as she shakes it. 

“Nice to meet you, sweetheart,” Wayne greets your sister. They shake hands as Eddie comes closer to you again, standing behind you and resting his hands on your hips.

“Heard that if it weren’t for you, these two wouldn’t even know each other,” Wayne says, nodding to you and Eddie. 

Ryan’s nose scrunches up in confusion. “Huh?”

“It’s true,” Gin tells the boy with a smile. “My old roommate is friends with your mom. One day I overheard something about someone needing a babysitter and I knew my little sister was available.”

Luke walks over and wraps his arms around your sister’s hips, giving her a big squeeze.

“Thank you for hearing that!”

The adults chuckle and you lean back into Eddie as he rests his chin on your shoulder.

“I don’t wanna go in,” you say with a sigh.

“Where are you going?” Ryan asks.

“I have to go inside with everyone else who’s graduating,” you explain as Eddie’s arms wind their way around your waist. He isn’t making this any easier. “That way you guys get to watch me when I walk across the stage.”

“Ed, would you let the poor girl go?” Wayne says with a sigh, making Gin let out a tittering laugh.

“Don’t wanna,” he says like a petulant child. He presses a kiss to your shoulder before whispering in your ear. “I like your dress.”

“Thank you,” you hum softly.

Silently, Eddie presses his body flush up against yours and you feel his half-hard cock pressing up against the top of your ass. A strangled gasp leaves your lips and Eddie has to bury his face in your neck to hide his smirk.

“I really like it,” he mumbles against your skin.

Sitting in the small arena, in dark green retractable seats that are usually reserved for someone watching a school basketball or hockey game, Ryan and Luke start to grow restless as they wait for the graduation ceremony to begin. Eddie knows they won’t exactly be captivated once it starts either, but he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. 

“Luke, can you please sit down? I don’t want to ask you again.”

“When is she coming out?” Luke asks, craning his neck to look around at the stage as he does as his father asked.

“When everybody else does,” Ryan says, also bored, but annoyed by his little brother as well.

“But when’s that?” the six-year-old whines.

“You know,” Gin says with a smile that looks suspiciously like one of Luke’s or Ryan’s when they’re up to something, “I have some pretty funny stories I could tell you about her.”

Eddie is also clearly intrigued by this, a spark of mischief gleaming in his own eyes. 

“Ooh, like what?” Luke asks, already engrossed even though your sister hasn’t begun yet.

“Well, one time,” Gin starts, “she thought she could be like Mary Poppins and fly. She grabbed an umbrella and wanted to climb up to the roof. Our dad followed her into the garage and asked what she was looking for. When she said a ladder so she could go up to the roof, he put an end to her plan. She cried the whole day because she wasn’t allowed to try and fly like Mary Poppins could.”

Luke laughs, tilting sideways until he’s leaning against his big brother. Ryan’s chuckling as well, picturing you being mad because you can’t fly. 

“Are you the big sister?” Ryan asks.

“I am,” Gin says.

“How many years?” Luke asks. “Ryan’s two years older than me. I’m the baby.”

“I’m six years older than her.”

“I’m six years old!” Luke shares excitedly.

“Do you have any more stories?” Ryan asks. 

Eddie and Wayne share a smile between the two of them. Ryan is usually never so open with people he’s just met—he’s always been the shyest in the family. But there’s something about Gin being your sister that has Ryan feeling comfortable enough to be himself. The two of you aren’t identical, though it’s easy to tell that you are sisters. Gin is slightly shorter, and her face holds more roundness than yours does, but there’s a clear resemblance. Especially around the eyes, Eddie notices. They aren’t the exact same shade, but the shape of your eyes and arch of your eyebrows are very much alike. 

“Hmm,” Gin hums as she thinks of another story to entertain the boys with. Eddie can’t help but notice she purses her lips when she’s thinking the same way that you do as well. 

“Oh, okay. She used to make us watch her sing and dance all the time! Especially to New Kids on the Block.”

“Who?” Ryan asks.

Before the stab of feeling old has time to sink in for Eddie, Gin, or Wayne, the lights dim and a blanket of quiet falls over the crowd.

The faculty takes their places on stage and Pomp and Circumstance begins to play over the loudspeaker. Soon, a rolling wave enters the floor of the arena as all graduates file in towards the rows of chairs laid out for them.

Both Ryan and Luke stand, the younger Munson on his tippy toes as he tries to look as far and wide as he can to spot you in the crowd. 

“Where is she?” Luke groans. “Everyone is so blue!”

“Ugh! I can’t find her!” Ryan follows up. 

It takes Eddie a few moments to find you as well. Everyone is matching so he can’t go by what you’re wearing beneath your gown, and it’s even hard to see your beautiful hair with the cap restricting his view. But it doesn’t take your boyfriend very long to spot you, as he’d be able to find you anywhere—even if he was blindfolded. 

“Look, look,” Eddie says, gesturing for his sons to step closer to him. “She’s right there. Next to Aunt Jess.”

Ryan and Luke do their best to follow the direction that their father is pointing in, but it’s hard–even when the graduates all stop walking once they reach their seats. But as Ryan wrinkles up his brow and really tries to examine his dad’s line of vision, his eyes catch on you.

“I see her!” A grin lights up Ryan’s face and it fills Eddie with a warmth that the outside sun could never hope to aspire to. 

After a few more minutes, and once the speeches begin, Luke spies you as well and becomes just as excited as his big brother. Their joy quickly wears off as speaker after speaker comes up to the podium to give some of the most boring speeches Eddie has ever heard in his entire life. He can’t blame his boys for practically falling asleep slumped against one another. 

Finally, the names of the graduates begin to get called and the boys muster up their energy reserves to wait for you. There’s a good chunk of graduates who have their moment before a name is called that the boys recognize.

“Jess Arnold.”

The boys excitedly cheer but become even giddier when they see you’re next up. 

Nothing could have prepared you for the emotion of walking across the stage to receive your diploma. Hearing your name called over the loudspeaker was cool, being up on the jumbo screen for a moment was pretty surreal, but the sounds coming from one particular section of the audience have you choking up as you accept the rolled up piece of parchment from the Dean.

The claps of two small pairs of hands and cheers from those same boys send goosebumps shooting up and down your arms. Luke hadn’t even shouted that loud in excitement when he saw the real-life Hot Wheels cars. Wayne’s whistle joins the noise, that piercing sound making you chuckle as you try to swallow your emotions. Gin’s voice is unmistakable in her cheering—you heard that yelling every day growing up, you’d know it anywhere. But the sound in the cacophony that makes a few tears spill over your lash line is Eddie’s proud and happy “Woo!” that he repeats as you make your way across the platform. You just wish he was waiting for you as soon as you stepped off the stage so you could run into his arms. But as you step down and are about to head back to your seat, you look up and see where your family is up in the stands.

When they realize you’re looking at them, the boys wave excitedly, both hands flapping over their heads. Wayne and Gin both give you waves as well. Your eyes are glued to Eddie though, as he presses his hand to his mouth and then extends it towards you, blowing a kiss your way. A girlish giggle bubbles out of you at the gesture and you blow one right back to him. 

It feels like ants scurrying out of an ant hill as you exit the arena and try to find familiar faces amongst the thousands of family members and friends who are here to support their loved ones today. 

Jess comes up beside you and loops her arm through yours. You flash her a quick smile and the two of you fight your way through the crowd, searching for your people. 

Your name catches your attention and your head whips to the left to see Luke’s small hands cupped around his mouth. It’s a swim upstream as you tug Jess in that direction, but you finally make it to find Eddie waiting with a bouquet of carnations in his hand. 

More tears threaten to spill over as he hands them to you with a smile so full of admiration and pride on his face.

“Congratulations, sweetheart.”

The wrapper around the flowers crinkles in your hand and you make sure it’s held tight in your fist as you throw your arms around your boyfriend’s neck and hug him as close as you can manage. Eddie doesn’t hesitate for a moment, his arms encircling your waist and holding your body up against his.

“Thank you,” you say loud enough for him to hear over the crowd. “I love you so much.”

“They’re from us, too!” you hear Luke say.

With a soft chuckle, you pull away from Eddie who is raising an eyebrow at his boys.

“Are they, now? I must’ve missed the part where you chipped in,” he says.

“You must’ve,” Luke agrees with a shrug.

You laugh and hand the flowers to Eddie so you can pull both boys in for a big hug. Each of them gets squeezed in an arm but they cling to you just as tightly. 

“You were on stage!” Ryan says when you let go.

“And I heard you cheering for me!” you tell him. 

“Can I wear your hat?” Luke asks.

“Oh, I need a picture of that,” you say while nodding your head. 

That leads to dozens of pictures being taken. You with everyone at once, you with everyone individually, you and Jess goofing off before she went off to find her family. Luke takes a handful while wearing your cap but Eddie plops it back on your head so he can take a few more with you. 

Both boys make gagging noises as Gin snaps a picture of Eddie giving you a kiss. Their groans only grow as you wrap your arms around Eddie’s neck and sink further into the kiss, another snapshot being taken.

“Please tell me that one isn’t going to get hung up anywhere,” Luke gripes. 

For the next picture, Eddie wraps his arm tightly around your waist and dips you, causing you to let out a mixture of a squeal and laughter as your hands cling to him for stability. You’re aware of the flash of the camera going off but it’s nothing compared to the brightness of Eddie’s grin as he looks down at you. It makes your heart pound faster than the adrenaline from the feeling of almost falling could ever do.

Once multiple roles of film have been used, the camera gets tucked away and it’s time to get going. Eddie offers to drive you back, just the two of you, since Gin drove you here and she’s headed straight back home. Wayne can take the boys back to give you and Eddie some time alone.

“Thank you for coming,” you say to your sister as you pull her in for a hug.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she tells you. “I’m so proud of you.” “Thank you.”

It makes you smile to see how the Munsons all hug her goodbye as well–even shy little Ryan. With one last wave, your sister heads towards the parking lot and Wayne ruffles the hair of the two boys.

“Ready, knuckleheads?” he asks.

“Can I wear your cap home?” Luke asks.

“Sure.” You hand the blue piece of regalia to him and instead of switching it out with his fedora like he did for the pictures, he just stacks it on top of his own hat.

“That’s a great look,” Eddie tells him, to which Luke winks in response. 

“Will you take these for me, Ry?” you ask, offering the eight-year-old your bouquet of pastel-colored flowers.

“Of course!” The wrapper crinkles as the boy situates the long stems against his shorter frame.

You press a kiss to both boys’ cheeks before they head towards the parking lot with Wayne. Eddie laces his fingers with yours and you go to follow in the same direction the others just went, when Eddie tugs you back and smacks a kiss to the back of your hand.

“How about a little campus tour before we go?” he asks.

“Oh?” you ask, raising your eyebrows. “Anywhere in particular you want to see?”

Eddie shrugs. “Your favorite spots. Somewhere there’s no one else, maybe.”

“Right,” you say, a smirk tugging the corners of your lips. “Let’s see what we come across.”

Hand in hand, the two of you take a leisurely stroll through the quad of campus. Where there are usually people studying or picnicking during the semester, now there are graduates and families taking pictures and celebrating. The warm day outside leads you to the cool shelter of the student center at the far end of the yard, where you spent a lot of your college days having lunch. It’s mostly empty now, no one having any real need to be in here other than to escape the brutal sun. 

An empty hallway catches Eddie’s eye, and he leads you by the hand to follow him in that direction. His boots squeak against the white linoleum tiles and your heels clack as you step behind in his wake. There isn’t much down this way except for a few offices that are now empty, a room full of vending machines, and some bathrooms. 

Your boyfriend takes advantage of the latter, the empty hallway leading him to believe there will be no one in the men’s room. His gamble is correct as he pulls you in behind him. He moves quick as lightning to turn the lock on the bathroom door, assuring that no one will interrupt the two of you. 

Eddie’s lips are on yours a heartbeat later, both his and your hands going to the zipper of your graduation gown. Neither of you can get it down blindly, but Eddie’s too impatient to make another go at it. Instead, he grips your hips and helps you sit on the peach granite counter behind you. The gown gets rucked up your body, the dress he’s so fond of joining it until they’re both up around your waist.

“Eddie,” you whimper.

“Shhh, shhh, baby,” Eddie croons as he sinks down to his knees. Soft, plush lips trail hot kisses from the inside of your left knee all the way up to the apex of your thighs. Large, strong hands massage up and down your legs as his lips never leave your skin, touching and teasing everywhere except where you need him the most. 

Eddie lets his eyes slip closed not only to let himself enjoy the feeling of having his hands and lips worship your soft skin, but also because if he gets one more look at the wet patch on your purple lace panties, he’s going to rip them off of you and the fun will end far too soon. 

“Eddie, please,” you beg.

“I’ve got you, princess,” he says softly. 

Torturously slow, Eddie’s mouth comes closer to your center, the heat of his breath making you curl your toes before he even comes in contact with you. Brown doe eyes open to look at you, darkened by lust as he finally presses his mouth against your core, kissing against the wet patch of your panties that’s driving him so wild. Pleasure flutters in your pussy, your hole clenching around nothing as Eddie opens his mouth and grips the material of your panties with his teeth. As quick as he grabbed them, he lets them go, letting the wet lace smack back against your clit. 

“God, I need you,” Eddie growls. 

Calloused fingers work themselves up the outside of your thighs and grip the purple material at your hips. You arch your back, head resting against the bathroom mirror, to assist your boyfriend in ridding you of your underwear, which he shoves into the back pocket of his pants. 

Now with nothing between him and your soaked pussy, Eddie eyes it greedily and the way he stares at your bare sex turns you on even more. You choke on a breath as he dives in, tongue instantly running from your hole up to your clit. He decides to keep his attention there, flicking the sensitive nub with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. 

“Fuck,” you moan. Eddie’s responding moan reverberates up your core, adding another layer of pleasure to his mouth on you. 

He hitches your left leg over his shoulder to open you up even more for him, going in to devour you like his life depends on it. His hot, long tongue glides through your folds as he licks at you, not stopping even for a moment to catch his breath–not giving you a moment of reprieve as his mouth works against your pussy like it was made for this.  

You never want this–him–to stop but Eddie’s too God damn good with his mouth for you to last long. 

“E-Eddie, please.” You’re not sure what you’re pleading for as you reach down and grip the curls on the top of the older man’s head in your hand. It takes all of your control not to rut your hips against his sinful mouth. 

Even though you’re not sure what you’re asking for, Eddie somehow knows what you need—he always does. He slips a finger inside of you, quickly followed by a second, as he keeps his mouth working on your clit. His eyes are trained on yours, not breaking contact for a second as his tongue laps at your clit and his fingers pump in and out of your greedy pussy.

If the feeling alone wasn’t about to bring you over the edge, the sight before you was.

“Oh, I’m gonna, I-I’m gonna–”

You don’t have time to finish your thought as your orgasm rushes over you, pleasure sparking throughout your body and leaving a tingle in your veins that only Eddie can give you. Thick fingers continue to work you through it, his tongue not giving up its assault on your clit until he’s wrung every ounce of ecstasy he can from you.

Once your muscles relax and you’re panting above him, Eddie slips his fingers from inside of you and stands up. He wastes no time slipping them into his mouth, moaning as he savors the taste of you. You’d come again just from that if you had the energy. 

“Eddie,” you whisper between labored breaths.

“I love how much you say my name,” your boyfriend says as he leans over your body and presses his lips against yours. 

The sound of Eddie’s zipper being pulled down shoots a thrill of excitement through you as the two of you exchange easy, lazy kisses. His hard cock nudging at your hole has you breaking your mouth away from his, a whimper tumbling from your lips. 

“Yes,” you whine, the only word in your otherwise blank mind.

His initial push into you has you gripping at his shoulders, throwing your head back, which Eddie takes full advantage of and attaches his lips to your throat. The deeper he sinks into you, the harder your nails dig into the back of the button up shirt Eddie wore just for the occasion today. 

“Shit,” Eddie huffs with a small laugh. “I’m not gonna last long, baby. Fuck, been hard since I saw you this afternoon. Couldn’t stop thinking about how bad I wanna fuck you since then. How bad I needed to taste you. Feel that tight, perfect pussy of yours squeezing me so fuckin’ good.”

You lift your head up to look at him through heavy-lidded eyes. 

“Even though m’not your college girl anymore?” you ask through your shallow breathing.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Eddie growls, gripping your hips tighter and adjusting the angle that he pushes into you. “You’re my college graduate. My smart girl. My smart girl who gets so dumb on my cock, doesn’t she?”

“Uh huh.” You nod, your head heavy as the familiar pressure builds up in your lower tummy.

“That’s my girl.”

“So close,” you whine.

“Me too, baby. Come on. Be my good girl and come with me.”

One of Eddie’s hands leaves your hips and his thumb presses against your clit, making tight circles just the way he knows drives you crazy. 

“Fuck,” you groan.

“Let go, princess.”

“Shit, I-I’m coming!”

Eddie spilling into you, coating your walls with his warm seed elevates this orgasm as you hold onto your boyfriend for dear life. Lightning sparks everywhere his body touches yours and pure bliss washes over you like a wave on the surf. 

It takes a few minutes for the two of you to catch your breath. Eddie’s body hovers over yours and, if you’re honest, you’d be fine if he never moved. Eventually, he has to though, which also means pulling out of you. Though you whine at the loss, Eddie is right there to help clean you up and press sweet kisses to your mouth.

“I love you,” he whispers against your lips.

“Mmm, I would hope so,” you tease, throwing your arms around his neck.

Eddie has one arm draped around your shoulders as you walk down the hallway to his apartment door. He keeps pressing kisses to your temple and running the material of your graduation gown between his fingers. 

“What’re the odds the boys will be asleep?” Eddie asks when you’re one door away.

“Slim to none,” you answer with a bark of laughter. “It’s still light out.”

“Details, details.” Eddie grabs the doorknob and tosses the front door open, allowing you to step inside first.

But you don’t even get one foot over the threshold before your eyes take in the sight before you. A large banner reading “Congratulations!” hangs in the archway that leads to the bedrooms and the apartment is crowded with people. Your jaw drops and it takes your brain a few moments to recalibrate. Once it does, you spin around to face Eddie and swat at his arm.

“I told you I didn’t want a party!”

Eddie shakes his head, a shit-eating grin on his face, as he leads you into the apartment and closes the door behind him. All six Harringtons are here, Max, Lucas, and their daughter Tiffany, and Wayne with both boys, who look more mischievous than ever.

“Oh no, this isn’t a graduation party,” Eddie says. 

Nancy steps forward, a sly smile on her face, when you narrow your eyes at Eddie.

“Nope,” she echoes. “It’s an employee performance review.”

You stare at her for a moment, not comprehending her words.

“What?”

She can’t help but let out a small chuckle so Steve steps up to her side to help her out.

“You’re our employee, right? Watch the kids? So, we reviewed your performance and determined it was excellent.”

“Which of course calls for a party,” Nancy explains, gesturing to the living room full of people around her.

“And the fact that it happens to be on the day I graduated college?” you ask, tilting your head to look at Eddie.

“Complete coincidence,” he says with an innocent shrug. 

“Look, look, look!” Luke bounds over and grabs your hand, leading you over to the counter that separates the kitchen and the living room. 

A large sheet cake with vanilla icing and blue piping rests there, bearing the words “Congrats Grad!” in gold lettering.

It brings a smile to your face, but you smile even wider as you look down at Luke and then over at Ryan.

“Did you two know about this?” you ask.

“Maaaaybe,” Ryan drawls.

“I can’t believe you kept a secret from me!”

You pull Luke in against your chest and start to tickle his sides. He squirms, trying to get away from you as he howls in laughter. 

“Ahh! Ryan! Help me!”

Ryan rushes over and tries to tug his little brother out of your grasp, but you’re quicker. You pull the older Munson brother into your clutches as well and he becomes another victim of your tickling. They both shriek and try to run, but you cease your tickling to wrap your arm around each boy and press a kiss to the top of their heads. 

“You little sneaks,” you say.

“Can we have cake now?” is Luke’s only reply. He doesn’t wait for a response before posing another question. “Do you make a wish on graduation cakes?”

“What would you wish for, babe?” Eddie says as he walks over to you. He looks like he’s trying not to laugh, and you furrow your brow. “Would it be to fly like Mary Poppins?”

Your eyes widen as all the heat in your body rushes to your face.

“I’m going to kill my sister.”

[ventique18]

Papa 🐉 with triplets HCs

When going overseas for official duties, he prefers not to be cooped up in that weird iron bird creature (it's an airplane, hun). So he instead flies to the country in his dragon form. Imagine people's awe when this gigantic, magnificent creature lands gracefully, lowers his head down carefully, and out of his mouth hops not one, not two, but three little dragons. They're so tiny you could swear they're cute little dogs.

He always goes to meetings clad in heavy robes. More often than not though, his mysterious cloak has a peculiar feature: it produces three sets of giggling voices every once in a while, especially when the room goes deadly silent.

Once an hour passes though, three little tykes get magicked out of the cloak like how a bunny hops out of a magician's hat. The wyrmlings like to climb on and off papa's back and munch on his horns. Everyone could only glance in amazement at how strong their Majesty's neck muscles must be to withstand the weight.

The three siblings still have very small wings but would always attempt to fly. 🌸 always almost has a heart attack when they inevitably come crashing down from their disproportionate weight, but 🐉 would save them the last second with his magic. He'd laugh loudly and hug 🌸 to reassure them none of their babies would get into accidents while he's alive.

I say accident because the three would frequently get hurt on purpose anyway. Their parents don't understand why, but one of their hobbies seem to be beating each other up in any way they could think of. 🐉🌸 would often wake up in the dead of the night because one sibling hurled another off the bed, simply because he/she was hogging 🌸's chest apparently. 🌸's chest is their favorite snuggle spot.

While 🐉 frankly doesn't have all the time in the world, he strictly employs a 8-5 work hour like a regular person. He doesn't really mind working but ever since he's started a family, he believes this is finally his god-given grace so he'll do it properly. His spouse is very capable in assisting him so they never really had problems with this arrangement.

So he likes to be closer to his babies and feeds them personally while it's still normal. He kinda just force-feeds them mashed food with a spoon in a row though. "Can't you make it more fun? Like, open wide, here comes the flying broom!" "I am simply not a sappy person." "You feed me while saying cheesy shit though..." "I cannot very well say those kinds of things to my children."

When he bathes them, he makes them line up and dunks them into a pool one by one. When they're in their dragon form, he scrubs them with a brush like he's doing laundry.

He hangs them on a clothesline to dry them on a sunny day lmao. "What are you doing to our babies??" "What? They enjoy it." Fair enough, the little gremlins are giggling.

When 🐉🌸 gets one those snazzy refrigerators with a water faucet and ice dispenser in front, the siblings like to sit on top of each other's shoulders so they could steal ice cubes for themselves. Or lap at the running water like thirsty dogs.

Grim has dedicated water bowls all over the place because he finds it hard to pour from a pitcher, and the feral siblings actually prefer lapping from those than go to the refreshments table to fetch a drink. The first time 🐉🌸 saw this, they were so shocked they kinda just stared blankly.

"Are... Are they actually dogs..." "I do not know, at this point." "Did you do this too when you were little?" "We did not have any semblance of a pet so I do not think so." Lilia reveals later though, that 🐉 drank from the damn toilet once.

He likes teaching them all manners of things. He gets a bit too intense sometimes though, what with them failing over and over again on what he thinks to be simple tasks, so 🌸 has to remind him gently that they are not him and shouldn't ever be him. He lets up and smiles. Yes, this is what children are supposed to be.

He legitimately doesn't have any ounce of experience with fatherhood and was suddenly thrust with three, so 🌸 honestly thinks he's a bit clumsy when it comes to taking care of them. Really clumsy and callous, actually.

But when 🌸 chances upon their three babies curled up against him, with him napping soundly and still holding an illustrated book on gargoyles and their history (goodness, he never changes), they thought he wasn't so bad after all.

Thinking harder about it though, what with him carrying the weight of the country while carrying the weight of three chubby babies and a feral cat, he might be the best father ever, after all.

[vivwritesfics]

Set The World On Fire

Chapter Twenty

Lando Norris had been incredibly angry when they met. Incredibly angry, but sweet enough to help her. Turns out he just needed somebody to talk to, somebody to be there for him.

He was easy to fall for, and that put her in a world of danger

Mafia AU

3.4K

Warnings: smut, p in v, kidnapping

Series Masterlist

His arm was over her waist as light filled the bedroom. It was weird, wasn't it? The apartment had no sort of protection, but the two of them had never felt safer.

She moved closer to him and pressed a kiss to his bare chest. In the months since Oscar had died, Lando hadn't been back to the house. Any work he'd had to do had been done from the comfort of the apartment. That was when Lando was working.

The money he'd gotten from selling his club should have gone back into the Norris Family, but Lando kept it. He kept it for them, kept it to renovate the apartment. The decorations were much the same in every room but the bedroom. No, they'd made the bedroom their own. They'd bought a new bed, a new wardrobe, put new carpeting down and got new carpets.

Lando let out a groan when she removed his arm from her waist. "Baby," he grumbled, eyes still shut as he turned towards her. "Stay." He tried to wrap his arms around her again, but she quickly removed herself from his hold.

She leaned down and kissed the top of his head, easing his frown. "I'll be back in a moment, Lan," she whispered and kissed his lips. His slight moustache and the hair decorating his chin tickled her skin as she kissed him. But that was nothing compared to how it felt when his face was buried between her thighs.

Wrapped up in her fluffy robe, she walked out of the bedroom and through the apartment, heading for the kitchen. Lando hadn't redecorated the kitchen. He'd fixed the sink, gotten a new microwave, oven and coffee machine.

The hand towels she had picked out. They were cute with little green flowers that matched the rest of the kitchen. They went with the theme even more once she'd bought all of the plants. Lando didn't have a green thumb, yet.

She made herself a coffee and leaned against the counter as she waited for her mug to fill. Life had been bliss in the few months since they'd left the Norris house. There wasn't that constant fear that came with being surrounded by dangerous men and weaponry.

She'd never ask Lando to leave the Norris Family. It was what he'd been groomed to do his entire life; she didn't know what he knew anything outside of the Norris Family. But he'd been so much happier since he'd stopped working.

Releasing a sigh, she grabbed her coffee mug and heading back towards the bedroom.

Lando was sitting up when she walked in. He stretched his arms up and released a yawn from his lips. "I've got four missed calls from Max," he mumbled and rubbed his hand over his face.

She leaned against him and sipped her coffee. "Are you gonna see him before you go to visit your sister?" She asked as Lando ran his hands through her hair. It was so damn soothing that it had her shutting her eyes.

"I should," he mumbled and kissed the top of her hand. His arm settled around her, holding her against him. "I'm gonna," he said with a nod. "Yeah, I'm gonna."

They got themselves ready for the day. Lando didn't get dressed into his jeans. He got dressed into a pair of jeans and a white wife beater, snazzy jacket on top. He looked damn good with a chain around his neck and round sunglasses covering his eyes. Mouth wateringly good, actually.

She pulled him in and raked her hand through his hair, pushing it back. "I love it when you're not in suits," she whispered and kissed him.

His hands were on her thighs as he dropped her back onto the bed. He climbed on top of her, crawled between her legs. Immediately, she wrapped her legs around him, holding him against her. "Lan," she whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. "C'mon, you gotta get going."

"I don't," he mumbled and kissed down her neck.

But she pushed him. "Well, I do," she replied, smile playing on her lips. As she walked around the bedroom and got herself ready for the day, Lando trailed after her. He zipped up her skirt with teasing touches and stood behind her as she sat at her vanity, brushing through her hair.

Wrapping his arm around her, Lando walked her out of the apartment. "I'll drop you off," he said and took her down to the parking garage. She kissed him as the elevator took them down to the parking garage.

As Lando drove her to work, he kept his hand on her thigh. The windows were down and the music was loud. It was pure bliss.

She kissed him before she climbed out of the car. "I'll see you later," she said and backed out of the car before she could change her mind and return home with him.

Lando watched as she walked towards her office. He didn't know if the sway of her hips was intentional or not, but she was all his. All his.

Once she'd disappeared, Lando drove out of the car park. He didn't know what to do with his left hand now that she wasn't in his car, now that he couldn't put his hand on her thigh. She'd been gone for all of two seconds and he already missed her.

God, he was pathetic, and he loved it.

He drove through the gates, to the Norris house. The pink, flowery air freshener swung from his mirror, a little piece of her in his car. He killed the engine and climbed out, keys jangling as he shoved them into his pocket.

Nothing could kill his good mood.

There was slight chaos in the Norris house, but he didn't know that. He didn't know that everything had fallen to shit without him to lead.

Pulling his sunglasses from his face, he knocked on the door of Max's office. "Come in!" Max shouted, his voice strained.

Lando strode in. As soon as he saw the mess of Max's office, his face dropped. "What the hell did you do?" He asked, hooking his sunglasses over the neck of his wife beater.

"It's been a fucking mess since you took off," he said as he searched through his mess of paperwork. "Debts haven't been collected and we haven't been able to pay off the police so they're no longer on our payroll!" He stressed and pushed his hand through his hair. It did little to sooth him.

"Relax," Lando said and sat in the seat opposite Max. "I'll get someone to collect the debts. Did you do that thing I asked?"

Max glared, but he gave a nod. "Down in the kitchen," he said and Lando stood up.

He clapped Max on the shoulder and walked out of the office. He didn't miss this place. It might have been where he grew up, but he didn't miss it. This wasn't his home. Home was wherever she was.

***

The candles on the table were lit and something was bubbling away on the stove. She'd never walked in to a scene like this before. "Lando?" She called, dropping her bag by the front door. "What the hell is this?"

He quickly left their shared bedroom, shutting the door before she could get a glimpse inside. "Hi, baby," he said and marched towards her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in and kissed her. "How was work?"

She looked towards the kitchen table. "What're you doing?" She asked, reaching up to gently tug at his curls. The moment she did, Lando let out a whine.

He pulled away, took her hand and pulled her towards the table. "Well, I thought we could have dinner before I go to Spain tomorrow," he said and pulled out a chair for her.

She didn't sit down immediately, not before throwing herself at him once again. Her lips touched every part of his face. "I love you, I love you, I love you," she said between kisses.

Lando gently sat her down. "Do you need any help with the cooking?" She asked when he returned to the stove. He checked his phone quickly and checked the spaghetti.

"I got it," he said and turned off the stove. He brought the spaghetti into the pan with what else he was cooking and added the sauce. "If it tastes like shit, I'll get us takeout," he promised and dished it up.

It wasn't the worst thing she'd ever eaten. There certainly was room for improvement, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Do you remember our conversation about getting a dog?" He asked her as he finished his dinner. It wasn't as good as he thought it was going to be. So much far Carlos's help.

She placed her fork down on her plate and grabbed her glass of water. "Uhm, I remember us saying that getting a dog was impractical until we know what's going on in our future," she answered.

Lando's expression dropped from his face. "Wait, really?" He asked and she nodded. "Well, shit. Shit, baby. I swear I remember that conversation ending different," he said, fiddling nervously with his fingers.

"Lando," she said gently, reaching across the table for his hand. "What did you do?"

She asked it so softly, so gently, that it had him standing up and walking over to their bedroom door. "I didn't want you here with no protection while I was in Spain," he explained with his hand on the door handle. "So, I had Max get us Bruiser."

"Bruiser?"

He pushed open the bedroom door and the dog running out.

Bruiser didn't much look like a guard dog. He didn't look like Bruiser. The Beagle came running out of the bedroom, a toy carrot held between his sharp teeth. His tail was wagging as he trotted up to Lando and sniffled him. Lando petted his head but Bruiser turned to investigate her.

"Hi," she said with a beaming smile as she let him sniff her hand. She turned that beaming smile to Lando as she scratched behind Bruiser's ears. "Oh, he's gorgeous, Lan," she said as his tail hit the table leg. "I love him!" She slipped onto the floor and Bruiser dropped his toy carrot in favour of licking her face. "You're such a lovely boy," she said to him. "Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Lando watched on. God, it was such a site. He'd been so worried, having Bruiser in the bedroom while they ate dinner. But she loved him, and that was all that mattered.

When she stood, Bruiser picked up his carrot toy and trotted after her. "You're the best," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think I'm gonna need to give you something for this."

His hands were on her back as she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his neck.

Lando pulled away from her. "Sorry, boy," he said as he walked past Bruiser. He blew out the candles on the table and filled Bruisers bowl. "You're gonna have to stay out here." He whistled and Bruiser walked over to him. "Go on boy, get in your bed," Lando said and Bruiser did just that.

Lando pulled her into the bedroom. He pushed the door shut behind her and immediately had her against it, his lips kissing down her neck. "I'm gonna miss you so much," he grumbled against her neck, his knee between he legs.

The noise she released was so damn desperate as she ever so slightly rocked her hips. Her hands travelled over his shoulders and up to his hair. Every time she tugged on his curls, it had him whining against her.

She pushed him away, pushed his hand enough that Lando fell back against the bed. Well, he could have stopped himself, he could have stayed standing up, but he didn't want to. As soon as the back of his legs touched the bed, he sat down and pulled her on top of him.

His grip on her was so damn tight as she kissed him. She held his face, help him still as her kisses barely touched his lips, teasing him. God, if she didn't stop soon...

She pulled away entirely and pulled her shirt over her head. Dropping it to the floor, she reached back and unclasped her bra. Fuck, he'd never get used to the site of that, the sight of her.

As soon as her bra was on the floor, he kissed down her chest. His teeth grazed her skin and he sucked a patchwork of bruises across her chest. "Love your tits," he mumbled with his eyes shut as he kissed down to her pebbled nipples.

Her back arched as Lando pulled them between his lips. "Oh fuck, Lan," she hissed, hips squirming as Lando paid each of her breasts special attention. He went from the left to the right and back again. Back and forth until she was using his curls to tug him away.

"I need you to fuck me," she whispered as she reached for his jeans. "Right fucking now."

Lando was only happy to oblige. He laid her down and pulled her skirt down her legs. There was no better site than this, than having her laid bare for him. If he could have, he would have had a picture of her like this, a painting of her commissioned to hang in his office. His gorgeous girl.

His touch was so gentle as he climbed on top of her. She wrapped her legs around him desperation clear, but Lando needed a moment. Just one moment with her before he railed her. He touched her, hands on her waist, thumb brushing over her skin. "You're so pretty, baby," he whispered, his expression so soft and affectionate as he looked at her.

"Gonna miss me while you're in Spain?" She whispered as she gazed into his eyes.

He dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "So damn much, baby."

Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, she pulled out his phone. "Well, we're just gonna have to do something so that you don't miss me so much." She unlocked his phone and opened the camera.

His eyes were sparkling as he sat back and snapped pictures of her, looking so pretty in their bed. In their bed, in their apartment, with their dog in the other room. His life was fucking perfect.

Tossing his phone to the side, he pulled off his shirt and dropped his jeans. Still in his underwear, she could see just how much his cock was straining against the material. He climbed back on top of her, this time grinding himself against her.

"Lan," she whined, trying to push down his underwear. "It isn't fair."

He just laughed and dropped kisses to her chest. "Hang on, baby," he whispered, hips still moving against her.

Finally, he pulled away. He stood up and there was an undeniable wet patch on his underwear. "You're fucking soaked, baby," he whispered as he looked at her, looked between her legs. What a fucking sight.

He pushed down his underwear and climbed on top of her. Gripping himself, he nudged his tip through her folds, caught her clit. Even just this had her gasping for more. "Please," she whispered again and again until he pushed forward, sheathing himself inside of her.

The feeling of him was indescribable. She squeezed her eyes shut, legs clamping around him, holding him against her. His hands were so gentle against her face as he pushed her hair behind her ear and dropped kisses to her face.

Sex had gone like this since they'd moved into the apartment. It was loving, as if it was going to be the last time. It wasn't the last time, and the both of them couldn't help but feel silly after. But they couldn't help it.

His hips gently rocked against her, pushing himself in further. He pulled back only slightly before pushing back in. At no moment was she not full of him.

With his face buried in her shoulder, he sped up. Every time she moaned, every time she pulsed around him, Lando groaned against her and sped up. His hand fell into her own, lacing his fingers between hers as he held them above her head.

She cried his name over and over and over again. But that soon turned into incoherent noises, her legs squeezing him even tighter. Lando grunted against her skin as he hips began snapping against her own.

The bed creaked and squeaked, the headboard hitting the wall. It was so damn close, but neither of them cared. Lando kept going as her whines and cries became more and more high pitched. That coil tightened until she snapped, sending her over the edge.

"Holy fuck," Lando choked out. His thrusts slowed as she squeezed him. "I..." He choked out something of his own, something she couldn't understand, before he came, hips stuttering. He tried to keep moving, tried to stuff himself inside of her, to keep her full of him, but exhaustion was dragging him under.

Chest heaving, he fell against her. Lando unlaced his fingers from her own and repeatedly gave her kisses. "My gorgeous baby," he whispered, breath coming out in short puffs.

***

Lando was in Spain.

He'd jetted off two days ago, and she missed him so damn much. Her evenings after work had been spent on the sofa, cuddling up with Bruiser.

"Your daddy is the best," she said to Bruiser as she scratched behind his ears. "I can't want for him to come home."

The empty apartment was filled with the sounds of Bruisers tail hitting the sofa. He was perfectly content to lay there with his carrot toy, his head against his owners thigh. (Max had found Bruiser at a rescue centre. His owners had died and that was how he found himself at the rescue centre. The moment Max laid eyes on the Beagle, he knew he was the one for Lando. Bruiser was just happy to have a home again).

Her fingers itched as she looked towards the window. The sun was setting, the sky painted orange. She turned towards Bruiser. "Should we go on a walk?"

Immediately, Bruiser was on his feet as she grabbed his lead. She clipped it to his collar, grabbed her keys, and left the apartment.

Bruiser led the way. He didn't pull against the lead during their walk, but he stayed in front of her, taking her down the streets and to the park. The park. In the few days since Lando had brought him home, Bruiser loved the park. He'd met other dogs, sniffed their butts and chased them around.

He loved the park, loved the pretty Collie that was apart of the dog walking group he and his mum sometimes saw.

But the dog park was empty when they arrived. Bruiser let out a whine, sitting there and looking around as his mum unclipped the lead. As soon as he was released, he went trotting off.

His friends had been there, he could tell by the scents left behind. He sniffed at the trees, at the lampposts, seeing which of his friends had been there. Polly the pretty Collie had been there, as had Perdy and Pongo. Tim the Dachshund and his Pug brother, Ollie. All of his friends had been there, and he had missed it.

Bruiser did a little more exploring. There was another dog he had never met, but she snapped her jaw and her owner pulled her away. Defeated, Bruiser turned and went to find his mum.

He picked up her scent, followed it to the bench he had left her sitting on. Her scent was strongest there, but she wasn't there. But it wasn't just her scent. There was something sour, something unfamiliar, starting at the bench and leading towards the park exit.

His mothers scent went in that direction, too. Bruiser let out a whine and followed her scent towards the park exit.

But when he got there, a white van sped off, taking her scent with it. Bruiser barked, but his mum didn't hop out of the van, didn't come back for him. He couldn't do anything but bark and howl until somebody found him.

a/n: I'M SO DAMN SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!! buuut we're almost finished with this one. idk how this update was so big but i hope you guys like it!!

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[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

iirc I think you said you don’t like Trey and Malleus’s hair but somehow excuse Rollo’s hair 😨 so where does everyone else stand if you were judging them based only on physical appearance?

Disclaimers: I'm not including any Yuus (like, from the manga), mob students, reused assets (ie ghosts and pixies), or characters that we've only gotten the silhouettes for (that means no Mrs. Rosehearts, no Farena/Falena, no Zigvolt parents, etc.). I am only giving my thoughts on the looks of named characters with fully realized designs. If there is a significant variation of their hairstyle I like, I'll make note of it. Additionally, I will be commenting on general style rather than on individual outfits. This also involves official in-game artwork only; it is NOT inclusive of merch artwork or fan art since those can vary widely.

These are my opinions, please don't take them too seriously. I think all the designs work as is to convey the background and personality of each character, but everyone will have different tastes and preferences in terms of visual design; these are just mine! (And remember, just because I may like how a character looks doesn’t mean I like the character overall!!)

***PLEASE NOTE: This post contains spoilers for the main story and events that have yet to be released in EN!!***

Pretty

Jade - I'll admit that it took me a while to get used to his haircut (I typically don't go for the super short bangs), but it grew on me! I really like his face in particular; it can be very calm and pleasant but also mischievous and sinister. When he's angry or upset, it's much more subtle and hard to read in his face. That's something I can really appreciate. It all works very well with his neat, tidy, and unassuming appearance.

Jamil, Najma - THE VIPER FAMILY HAS SUCH GOOD GENES, just look at their luscious hair and mysterious, dark eyes... They dress so well too, I love all the hair accessories and flowy fabrics the Viper siblings have.

Meleanor - Malleus's mom has got it goin' on 🙃 She really kills the warrior princess look! Very imposing, yet elegant. I can totally understand why Lilia used to crush on her.

Fellow - Not usually a fan of gingers (and nor do I simp for fox man), but there's just something so charming about Fellow's face. I think it's the eyes and his self-assured, fun-loving smile. His outfit's snazzy and he makes it work so well! I especially like the cravat, spats, and the cape hanging off one shoulder.

Cool

Leona - OKAY FINE I'LL ADMIT HE'S HANDSOME, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW????? 😭 As much as I want to wrestle Leona, I have to admit that he has a very striking face (especially when he smirks) and powerful presence. He knows how to command a room (and he’s just about the threshold of muscle I’m willing to accept). I'm not really into hair past shoulder length or how he usually dresses, but what I think is the coolest about him are his eyes. It feels like they'll follow you everywhere. Ponytail Leona is the best Leona, in my opinion.

Ortho - I was debating between putting Ortho in "Cool" or "Cute", but ultimately went with "Cool" because he by far has the most unique look of the entire cast. I love learning about his different Gears and their functions, each one different than the last. I don't find the pale skin and blue hair as off-putting on Ortho as I do on Idia, and I think that's because Ortho's more child-like.

Crowley - His aesthetic is nice! I find the bird mask really goofy and his hair a literal rat's nest (DON'T @ ME, IT LOOKS LIKE LIMP SEAWEED), but his suit and cape are so dapper! All the keys and mirrors would look gaudy on any other character, but they fit so well for Crowley. The extra shiny details give him an air of mystery, like threads of light peeking through the dark.

Trein- Trein's robes and cravat make him look so classy and regal! The colors also remind me of Edgeworth from Ace Attorney-- He looks very stern at first glance, but when he gives his little smiles you can tell how much he really cares.

Sam - He's way overdressed for running an on-campus school general store but hey, it works for him. There's lots of little details I enjoy in his design, from the stitching on his top hat to the locs he sports.

Cute

Lucius, Grim - LIL' KITTY CATS 🥺 I especially think Grim is adorable whenever he gets a new themed bow or a whole ass outfit like in the Halloween events!

Chenya - His haircut is so uneven but I commend his style. Chenya's look isn't too busy; his jewelry and decorative patches are spread out so they don't crowd for your attention. Gotta love those callbacks to Alice in Wonderland! This might sound weird, but there's power in his plain white shirt half-buttoned and loosely tucked into his pants; it gives the right amount of casualness to feel "accidentally stylish". There's also just something really whimsical about how cat-like his facial expressions and gestures are. It's quite endearing!

Ruggie - His hair looks perfect for ruffling! The fact that he often dresses in hand-me-downs and Leona's oversized clothing makes him appear "small" and even cuter. Pair that with Ruggie's crooked little smile, and it's perfect. I like that his build is lankier than those of the other Savanaclaw students; it makes him appear less intimidating on an initial evaluation.

Cheka - Have you SEEN Cheka?????? How does your heart not melt at the sight of him 😭 I adore his little :3 face and how he shines when he's innocently asking Ojitan to hang out with him...

Floyd - I feel like I kind of have to put Floyd in "Cute" since he's Jade's twin. Floyd just places lower because I find his eye shape less cute and his personal style doesn't really align with my tastes.

Kalim - This type of hair isn't usually my jam, but Kalim dresses it up well with a headband/scarf (?) and jewerly. When he moves, I imagine that the jewelry is jingling its own song. Kalim always seems to be smiling, so just looking at him puts me in a good mood too. His fashion choices tend to be extravagant and not very viable for everyday wear, but it's fine as long as Jamil stops him from making impulsive decisions.

Rook - I actually don't like his bob (I prefer it in an awkward little ponytail), but his face--especially the mouth--is beautiful. I BEG OF YOU, LOOK AT HIS CEREMONIAL ROBES GROOVY. Rook can be so expressive, it's like he's a one-man play. Alas... He looks naked without a hat :(( but I appreciate the mystery of covering up his limbs for the most part so we can’t see how truly muscular he is.

Lilia - Peepaw really stands out from the rest of Diasomnia; he doesn't come off as scary right away, he just relished in how adorable he is and is confident in that. Lilia's shorter stature and more experimental style certainly plays into that uniqueness too. It's fun to see what he comes up with! I especially love that he wears more traditionally feminine things like tulle skirts and gathered fabrics, and even dyes his hair and paints his nails in various colors. The cut itself is a bit of a clusterfuck when I first saw it, but I've really grown fond of it over time. It's such a bright expression of who Lilia is. I can't say if I prefer his long ponytail or the shorter trim; both are good!

Sebek - Like Jade, Sebek is also very well-put together. I like him with both his hair up and down; each has its unique appeal! With his hair up, Sebek appears much fiercer. With his hair down, he reminds me more of a puppy drenched from the rain. I feel like even though his face can be menacing, his smile overpowers how scary he can be. It feels so pure, clashing with his usual attitude... (His pathetic/sad expressions are also cute, but don't let him know I said that.)

Marja - Sweet granny... She looks so kind and cozy, I just wanna give her a hug.

Rollo - I’m a bowl cut apologist, what of it 😭 I like how he's so straight-laced and proper in his dress. It goes together with his face very well. Moreover, the dark eye bags and pinched, stern mouth only add to his charm. Rollo can go from neutral to devious smirk to a flash of anger--it's so interesting to observe how his face contorts.

Gidel - He looks like a mix of Ruggie and Cheka, so by default Gidel goes in "Cute". His oversized sleeves, patchwork pants, and mismatched socks give him such character!

Dylla - ANOTHER ATTRACTIVE MOM!!! Her clothing is more on the tomboyish side, but she still wears them well. Dylla's face in particular is really stunning; I get a mature big sis vibe from her.

Mid

Ace, Deuce- The most generic hair styles of the entire cast. I don’t have much else to remark on. What I will say is that I prefer Deuce’s hair slicked back (which happens in a lot of gan arts) more than his standard hair.

Azul - I don't know how else to say this, but I think Azul is handsome but in heavily regulated manner... to the point where it doesn't feel natural?? Like yes, he obviously cares about his appearance, it just feels "too" controlled of a narrative to me. The same goes for his smiles. Like Eliza says, he does it too much, so it feels fake.

Crewel - His hair and mostly monochromatic color scheme with splashes of crimson is cool, but I'm not into his clothing. It's very jarring to see his hair and vest color blocked, and I don't find his big flashy fur coat appealing.

Neige - He's wearing such an ugly sweater, but the innocence of his face evens things out. I find Neige cute in that generically sweet way, and for that I cannot place him higher than "Mid".

Epel- Same "generically sweet" cuteness as Neige. I do like his colors though.

Silver - Also has very generic hair. Silver just looks like Some Guy to me (although I will say his lopsided smile is cute). I’m slightly put off by the super muscular arms in his PE uniform too.

Eliza - I think Eliza could be a lot more appealing if they hadn't presented her to us in such a different style. Like the generic ghost NPCs, she's drawn more like a western cartoon rather than like an anime so she feels "off" from the rest of the named cast. Because there isn't unity between her and the characters she is shown with, Eliza sticks out like a sore thumb. I gotta hand it to her though, she still slays in that tattered wedding dress.

Fairy Queen - Love how the buns in her hair resemble roses, and how her entire body looks like it's golden and glowing from within. I wish her dress was more detailed though, more fitting for a queen.

Don't Like, but Could be Worse

Riddle - ROACH ANTENNAE........ . .. ... . . .... . ...... . .. . . . .. .... . .. Oh, and he looks so funky when he gets all red in the face.

Vil - For as much as we're told he's beautiful, I don't find Vil's brand of beauty to be digestible. He comes off too strongly, if that makes sense??? 20 cm heels, face beat to the gods with makeup, carrying himself at all times like there's a camera pointed at him and he has to pose 24/7 (look at most of his groovies)... It's hard for me to get behind that, it feels too overwhelming.

Eric Venue - My guy has the same sort of severe-ish facial structure as his son. Also not a fan of facial hair.

Seven Dwarves - I find most of the dwarves way too cartoonish, and not in a cute way. I think the only design I genuinely find okayish is Timmy (the timid dwarf).

Ambrose - He's an older gentleman in his wizard Halloween costume. I find his design sort of... generic??? But I'm knocking him down a little because I also find his overall appearance to be goofy and unflattering.

Idia - I DON'T CARE WHAT THE MAGICAL ARCHIVES OR ELIZA SAY, MAN LOOKS LIKE A WALKING CORPSE AND THAT AIN'T CUTE 😭

Shroud parents - Cool helmets, but I wish we actually got to see their faces.

Baul - I find Sebek's hair color more pleasing to the eye. Baul has a lot of other elements that Sebek doesn't (due to Baul being full fae and Sebek being half), and I find that they overcomplicate his design. It's hard for me to focus on his face because there's just so much to take in, from the scaley beard and more voluminous hair to the fangs and pointed ears.

Dawn Knight - This is the "bro, can I copy your homework" / "sure, but be sure to change it a little so the teacher doesn't notice" meme. I wish the Dawn Knight wasn't just long-haired, recolored Silver (with the exact same voice actor too). I would place the Dawn Knight in "Mid", but that armor is not doing him any favors. It's way too excessive with all the wings.

Kifaji - The big brows and the really long goatee make me go "???"

Actively Dislike

Trey - His hair reminds me of a freshly mowed lawn. Trey's design is otherwise inoffensive to me, but that hair color and cut are bringing him down so much. The only memorable thing about how he presents are those rare moments when he whips out his one brow raised smirks, and even then I think he looks slightly silly and it's hard to take him seriously.

Cater - Again, it's the hair for me. I like it better when it's all down (like in his Club Wear card). In his usual hairdo, there's a middle segment that's weirdly pulled back from the rest of his face in a... scruffy ponytail??? That really bothers me. I don't vibe with his usual style of dress or how he presents himself either, it's a bit too... lax?? (I know I said the same thing about Floyd, but he looks similar to Jade and therefore gets a pass).

BURN WITH FIRE

Jack - He commits the sin of having a confusingly styled mullet and has a muscular physique which don't bode well for my tastes. I guess he does have those "looks intimidating, but is actually a softie at heart" vibes going for him, but I just cannot look past the haircut I'M SORRY.

Malleus - I'm not into super pale emo/goth guys, and Malleus somehow presents as even more of that than Idia. He dresses in mostly black (and while there is a lore reason for this, that doesn't make me like the color any more or less), has a sort of mopey face (I guess it's supposed to be elegant, but I don't perceive it as that), and dear god that haircut and the ashy grey lips… It doesn’t help that the expressions he makes (particularly on his birthday cards) give really strong “are u lost bby ghorl” energy and that weirds me out 💀 So many things about him just don't work for me.

Vargas - Too muscular. Also not a fan of facial hair or athletic wear. Vargas doesn't seem to have a very keen fashion sense either, judging by the outfits he put together for his camp events.

Heinrich - His face is very grotesque and twists into making some of the most comedically evil and smug expressions I've ever witnessed in all of TWST.

[allgremlinart]

Top 10 Zuko Outfits Cus I Can Do Whatever I Want

he's like the only character in the show with this kind of outfit diversity so like of course I'm going to do this. also yeah there's a lot of ponytail ones on here who the fuck do you think I am YOU are ??? . let us begin ->

10. The Rip Grandpa Fit

rip grandpa 🥰

9. The "Hey Wait He Looks Different Here"

hey wait he looks different here ?

8. Workout Wifebeater

you know he had to have smelled crazy you know it would have been fucking awful to be stuck on that boat with him.

7. Book 3 Daddy's Boy

look its probably just because he was so fucking miserable all the times he was shown wearing it but yeah

6. Tea Boy

Tea Boy...

5. Big Pink Idiot

he's pink and bald like baby mole rat. he's about to get tricked by his sister Charlie Brown and Lucy style. can you even ask for anything fucking else ?

4. Towel Boy

we see him in this exactly once for about 30 seconds. like you needed a whole character model for this ?? for Towel Boy ?? well I appreciate it. cus he looks like a vulnerable square.

3. Date Night

so fucking snazzy but I'm pretty certain his uncle dressed him for this so it makes sense

2. Book 1 Extraneous Robe

again why did they need a whole character model for this why was it important to let us know that this villain also sometimes had a cute off the clock outfit he wore around the house. what was the reason.

1. Tea Boy 2.0

Tea Boy... he looks so feaking cozy and I'm gonna throw up.

[vespaer77]

Something hilarious happened tonight

So I updated my mods, and either I'm having an issue with one of them, or I'm having a fever dream.

OR.

I've installed a new holiday in Faerun.

The one where all the men take their d!cks out and paint them blue.

And really, I feel like I've been waiting for this day all year.

(Gratuitous d!ck p!cs below the cut)

Speaking of cut, Gale of course was first, in all his uncut glory:

Just... lettin' it all hang out. Doing its own somatic components. But it's okay. It's been painted blue. So it's fine.

Astarion, naturally (and oh so very naturally indeed) was not to be outdone:

He looks proud of himself, imo. And I'm proud of him too. Big step, lil' buddy!

And Wyll, the proverbial son of a diplomat, is always one to encourage the celebration of holidays. Even if it means d!cks out. But it's okay. It's painted blue. That makes it fine.

His pants aren't doing his full girth the justice it deserves (like the rest of the game), but look at that color coordination! Snazzy!

It's a little known fact that Boo loves exploring new and interesting cultural practices and ideas. He's something of an anthropologist. But because Boo is also famously shy, Minsc decided to join him in jumbo-sized solidarity. Well, not too solid-arity. (But it's painted blue, so it's okay.)

What a friend, what a guy!

Halsin, however, found the blue paint to be harmful to the environment, so he settled on the much more eco-friendly option of just rolling in some dirt and mud:

But it's okay. It's the freedom of nature's gifts. That makes it fine.

My old tav, a drow paladin named Quilfryn Baenund, dropped out of obscurity to pay us a visit and show us how they do things differently in the Underdark (and I mean this in a very literal and complete sense):

Shadowheart clearly wasn't going to indulge his nonsense until he told her that in the Underdark, it was really more commonly celebrated by the women, and was regionally known as Blue Bush Day.

And who was she to not stand by her man?

And because I know we all wanted to know, here's Gale in the Wavemother robe. Just because.

So anyhoo, happy Blue D!cks (or Bush) for Baldur's Gate Day, everybody! I hope you keep it real, I hope you keep it safe, and I hope you keep it real safe.

Because it's okay if it's painted blue. That makes it fine.

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 S03E16 War Without End: Part One previous episode - table of contents

From the preview image that Tubi chose for the episode I see that Sinclair's back?? My old friend!! As well as our first glimpse at Minbar outside the Grey Council chambers, I believe! It's beautiful: very sculpted in a sort of sci-fi Rivendell way which fits the Minbari's space elf vibe. 

Entil'Zha is being presented with a sacred box, which has waited for over 900 years..in which there is a letter for Jeffrey David Sinclair! Dun dun dun. Prophecy is real, Babylon 5 is a high fantasy as much as it is sci-fi. 

Another prophecy, this one of the sci-fi variety: Babylon 5 gets a transmission of Ivanova calling for help, saying "they're killing us." 

This show gives me so many fanfic ideas and I haven't looked to see if anyone else has done them yet, because I'm avoiding spoilers. So I really don't go looking for info on B5 or interact with fandom works much. But this episode reminds me that I keep toying with the idea of an AU where Sinclair never leaves at the end of s01 and the whole plot plays out with him. I miss him, he got into my heart so fast and I had no inkling he was leaving the show till well after I was attached. 

It's nice to see Sinclair has had Minbari friends in his time running/recruiting/training the Rangers from Minbar. 

Partner just asked me what my predictions were for Sinclair and then when I went on a ramble just stared at me and told me to write it down. So here: my prediction of Sinclair's fate. In a separate post, because it's a bit too much of a tangent.

I've paused for long enough for only being six minutes into, so we're going to move on now, but if you wanna hear meta thoughts on what I think might happen with other characters end games, I could ramble about it.

Ivanova: this recording is fake. my analysis is based on logic: I didn't do it, ergo it is fake. Garibaldi, living for some sci-fi shenanigans: what if it's time travel.

They have Garibaldi positioned poorly before a dark path in the backdrop and it looks like he has one, huge pouf of hair sticking out one side of his head, lol.

Sinclair's back on Babylon 5! Zack Allen is in plainclothes, so perhaps all staff have the option? Or Zack wasn't invited to their special senior staff matching uniforms? 

Delenn being a drama queen. It's one of the qualities they hire for on the Grey Council. 

Lennier: "It must be done or the dream will die, and countless others will die."

o m in o u s

Eight days since the last Vorlon attack, per Marcus. 

Sinclair looks so good in Sci-Fi Rivendell clothes. Eeeek, I missed him, I love it. 

Oh it's Zak? Zap? Zathras? Yes! Zathras! Wow, I wasn't sre he'd be back, let alone that he'd be in shenanigans with DraalPlanet, OR that DraalPlanet would be doing something with time travel! 

And Sheridan! Is also wearing Minbari fashion! Some very snazzy robes over his uniform. 

Ivanova's message from the future is so grim. The captain is dead. "They" are coming in all over the place. External cams: Shadows. The Shadows have weapons lock. Explosions. Seems pretty straightforward and I bet it'll play out exactly like that with no twists. :P /hah

As Sheridan is doubtlessly about to find out, it's always going to be a normal evening when you are asked to swear you trust someone with your life before events can commence. 

Delenn has a powerpoint presentation about the Shadows. And a battle where the shadows were driven from their home, Zha'Dum. But the Minbari were losing at the time. Until Babylon 4 appeared! Delenn says without Babylon 4, they would have lost the war. 

Even while Babylon 4 was in construction, the Shadows attacked to destroy it. And the White Star was there! Delenn says they must go through the temporal rift that Draal is widening, protect B4, steal B4, and send B4 around in time. End Presentation! Everyone agrees with her flawless logic. And because she brought receipts in the form of video archival footage from DraalPlanet's surveillance system: Epsilon 3. 

That I didn't see coming, either. But like Garibaldi, I am so on board for the sci-fi hijinks. 

Oh, Delenn's plan goes farther! She and Sheridan will take B4 on the entire time travel trip and personally fight in the historical fight against the Shadows. Ten thousand years ago, right??? Damn, Sheridan and Delenn are going to stride through time and strike titanic, decisive blows in a war that felled entire species of sci-fi space gods!! That's so fucking epic. 

Ivanova is floating the idea that she was calling for help from an alternate timeline. But Garibaldi thinks it's the timeline they're planning now, where they take B4. 

I'm sure that SInclair's quippy references to Sheridan are super funny, but sadly I do not get the references. 

Zathras is here again. I...don't get Zathras. He's ehh funny. But extremely plot useful! Sinclair is meeting Zathras for the second time, but for Zathras it's the first time. But Zathras is well-informed, because he's very super honored to meet Sinclair and Sheridan, but also that's on the list of things Draal told him not to mention. 

Ahh, this Sinclair has already lived through the destruction of Babylon 5! He's already experiencing the world nonlinearly and is trying to do differently on this loop - damn! Or he's having visions from an alternate timeline but at some point you gotta agreee those are almost the sme thing, structurally, experientially, and thematically.

Time travel requires the use of devices that act as anchors. Zathras is handing them out and they're all being clipped visibly on a belt or sash, thus guaranteeing that someone will lose theirs. Sinclair? 

Aww, Sinclair sees Delenn and Sheridan holding hands and smiled. That makes me wistful for the Sinclair/Delenn endgame that exists in my personal, unwritten AU. 

Garibaldi is due an arc of making good, upstanding decisions and not doing police brutality so it hits extra hard when he blows up with Babylon 5. Or he makes it two more seasons, idk. I wouldn't mind if they lost a few characters and he was one of them.

Especially not if we could swap him for Talia back. I can't decide if I think she (or her personality that got overwritten) will be back or not. 

The White Star has been ugraded with Vorlon skin, so it deflects attacks better, which Sheridan affects to be unimpressed by.

Garibaldi guesses "Hello, old friend," as the password which Sinclair used to lock a goodbye/sorry video Sinclair left for him. Which makes me softer for Garibaldi. That's what I think of when I think of Sinclair, too! 

Oooo, Sheridan's time stabilizer got hit and now he's unstuck in time. Space is big. Hope he lands on something with an atmosphere. Delenn can pick him up later, I'm sure.

Sheridan always automatically turns to Delenn for backup, but Sinclair automatically turns to Ivanova, and I love that. 

Sheridan just time traveled to the future where Londo is the Emperor of Centaur! And it's "just in time to die."

Are they currently losing a war in the future? Perhaps Centaur is now a holdout in the war for existence against the Shadows in an alternate future and Sheridan will be meant to save the future as well as the past? 

So funny how taken aback Delenn is that Sinclair speaks Minbari now. He lived there! Marcus, who was being trained as a Ranger there learned Minbari as what he implied was a necessity. But Delenn is so surprised. Their heart to heart is so sweet. *shipping intensifies*

Back to the future! Sheridan and Londo seems like he's blaming other people for his own support of the Shadows' agenda coming back to bite Londo and Centaur in the ass. "Ohhh if only you'd joined me in collaborating I wouldn't have had to face any consequences!" He'll get everything he ever thought he wanted and learned that being Emperor lost him everything he'd ever cared loved.

That's a pretty good hook and a cliffhanger. And a ton of interesting information was revealed! It's too late for Part Two tonight but I pinky-promise I will watch it tomorrow. I wrote up some predictions after I did a Sinclair one and an other-characters one before I watched...

War Without End: Part Two

[twstmagica]

Magical Girl Yuu's First Day pt 2

It doesn't look like Fire Dude (Idia?) is gonna speak first

“So what did he mean by orientation?”

Muttering: “WTF are you stupid, how do you not know?”

“What was that”

“Ahhh, nothing”

Yuu gets the sneaking suspicion that this guy isn't going to be super helpful.

Fire Dude hunches further in on himself.

So orientation. That's like an introduction event for group stuff.

But what's with the robes?

Oh geez, is this a cult thing!?

Okay Yuu, gotta stay sharp. Play cool. Don't let him know you're onto them.

“Soooo will the leader be at orientation?”

Nailed it

“Huh?”

Did not nail it

Muttering: “what's with this weirdo.”

“Umm the headmaster will be there.”

bluff check passed

“Oki-doki, then I'll just save my questions for them. Please lead the way.”

Muttering: “I thought it couldn't get any worse than Malleus, but now I’m stuck with an escort quest for this newb.”

Well sorry Fire Dude. I didn't want to be kidnapped by your cult but sometimes these things happen.

They do eventually make it to a giant room with heck-ton of people in robes

Actually all these people seem to be guys.

Huh. That probably means something.

Yuu doesn't get a chance to ponder this mystery before a tall figure captures her attention.

Dressed differently from the others, this man has a snazzy tophat and bird mask hiding his identity, and wears a fancy suit and feathered jacket combo.

But the sleeves are hanging off his shoulders? Why not just wear a cape??

Uh oh. Bird-mask-top-hat man is heading straight for them.

Crowley is *!!!* at sight of the missing new student while Idia absconds the fuck out.

Fire Guy nooooo! We grew so close, why would you abandon me!?!

Birdman is gesticulating wildly as he talks.

“The nerve of kids these days!”

Ugh. This Birdman is squawking at Yuu about impatient students and she can't get a word in edgewise.

“I wasn't the one who-”

“Really, it seems each year students get worse!”

“No listen, there was this flaming raccoon-”

“Despite my hard work there's always something!”

“Bruh”

The child keeps trying to make excuses, but Crowley won't have any of it.

Fortunately the Headmaster of Night Raven is so generous, and only sends the delinquent to the back of the sorting line as punishment.

At this point Yuu is just going with the flow. Surely if the strange cult meant her harm they would be more menacing?

Yeah the birdman is super rude but he isn't actually hurting anyone. 

And if Yuu was listening right this is apparently some kind of school, so there should be staff or teachers around who can actually help.

Yuu figures she can just wait until another, less wacky adult, shows up.

Oh hey! Horn Guy from earlier is standing with Fire Dude and a few other fancier cultists (students?).

They make eye contact and Yuu smiles and gives a little wave

Horn Guy nods back with a slight smile.

Smile plus a nod means we’re basically allies now.

Yuu is pretty sure that's how this works. If this is a school then the same technique used for choosing a worksheet partner should apply here as well.

Meanwhile the other dorm leaders are wondering why tf this freshie is waving at The Malleus Draconia 

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

This Rotten Work Playlists: Daiyu Edition!

As @evelynhug0 so kindly requested, I'm going to release each of the main character playlists (and one for the main ship, Rachel and Daiyu) once a week leading up to the release of the book!

Second up is Daiyu Nightbane, our dear archrival of the main character draped in fire symbolism, severely repressed sapphic feelings, and a whole lot of trauma (aka the lesbian Baz Pitch or Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor of this story). The "fell first" part of the "she fell first, but she fell harder" equation, she is the daughter of the evil Headmaster of their magical school but had to repress that shit deep because the very person her father was replacing her with as his heir is the very Chosen One that she has a crush on, but that Chosen One is Rachel, aka a girl, and that is very much a no-go. Daiyu just wants to live a normal life, enjoying Shakespeare and coffee (her two favorite parts of the Normie world), but plenty of people see her as a bargaining chip or want her to atone for her father's actions. Oh, and Rachel would rather fight her than give her the time of day.

As Rachel describes her in Chapter 15:

"Daiyu's sitting on the window seat, staring out over the cityscape. Her hand is casually flung over her knees, mug clasped in her fingers. The streetlight outside the window throws dim, orange light over her features, illuminating the red rimming her eyes. I can smell something stiff sloshing about in that cup, something that closely resembles the bottle of vodka in my nightstand. Maybe the huangjiu, maybe something stronger. In Daiyu’s free hand, hanging by her side, tiny fire sylphs dance, little yellow flames throwing flickering shadows across her face.

By HaShem, she is gorgeous.

Despite the solemnity in her expression, she’s so beautiful. She was called the golden light of the Rising Sun, and that title wasn’t wrong. Even without her spangled red robes or gold ruqun, even without her crown, she is captivating, elegance and allure arrayed about her. Her posture is perfect, her spine lined by power and strength, even in Normie clothes with a half-working wand."

@snazzy-hats-and-adhd @blufox3542 @neshatriumphs @khruschevshoe @weedpoop @thesirhandsome-tepalehuia @sillylittlecheeto @nefertittti @henrythepug @meet-me-behindthemall12 @aboutblankpages-blog-blog @artemisiaarm @profiterole-reads @marchionessdebrannas @harrietmjones @thearcaneuniversity @little-bloodied-angel @artemisbones @jacksope-lives @fleuranna @shehungthemoon @spacecatrainshell @celestedeluna @thefiresofpompeii @gerardway-jpeg @fleuranna @henrythepug @smokecloudsandrollingpapers

[plasmaandsandstorms]

Sunday, 11.03.2281 - 6:17PM

(The audio log begins with a quiet sigh, followed by the pop of a cork and the sound of gulping before, at last, Lydia speaks.)

So...it was a trap, based on my Pip-boy's chronometer I've been at the Sierra Madre for...five days. In that short time I slept maybe once, the rest I spent juiced up on adrenaline and jamming stimpacks into my arm every half hour. Some crazed asshole, father Elijah of the 'brotherhood of steel' slapped an explosive collar on my neck and forced me help with his idiotic heist to rob the casino. He'd even put together a little crew, a Nightkin, which is apparently a type of 'Super Mutant' spawned from something called 'FEV,' which indicates to me that I was correct in considering them to have once been human. Anyway, he had split personality disorder, the obedient 'Dog' and the controlling 'God' were the splits. Thankfully, by the end of things, I was able to help them realize their similarities. Dog and God are no more, something new is there...he doesn't recognize me but had a feeling that I'm trustworthy.

There was Dean Domino, as well, he's some old singer from before the War. Real piece of work, he was trying to do the same heist as that old bastard during the Pre-War age. Blackmailed some poor actress named Vera Keyes into getting with a guy named Sinclair, makin him fall in love with her and so on and so forth. Stupid...petty bullshit. Anyway, I did what I could...he survived so here's hoping he figures his shit out and lets go of the past. Ugh, that fucking phrase, 'Let Go' I have heard it more times than I care to at this point. It seemed to be the whole goddamn theme of this little excursion, if it had a theme. Hm, interesting way of thinking about it. Anyway, the last member of our little team was a woman named Christine. She was mute when we met, Domino had locked her inside an Auto-doc, just one of many things that make me wonder if I shouldn't have just blown his brains out. Anyway, I got...kinda attached to her but she stayed at the Casino after everything went down. Elijah is dead, with the others' help I was able to take down the turrets and kill him...he never even got to see the inside of the Vault he'd been so desperate to get to. The despair on his face as the last of his life drained out of him will be a memory I hold dear for a while yet. The vault was impressive though, full of useless gold bars and pre-war money...tons of gear too. Nothing I needed, I'd found all I wanted in the villa around the Casino. Including this snazzy little stealth suit, it's pretty solid stuff for being light armor so I'll definitely be keeping it. That and Elijah's Gauss rifle...and his robes. I took everything off of him before making a run for it out of the casino, the area the vault was in was blowing up and I just barely made it out. Thankfully, once I did, the explosive collar deactivated and I tossed it into the fountain as I ran through the gates. Turns out the place I got snatched from? It's some old Brother Hood of Steel bunker, that's what the symbols on the walls are. So, it'll be my secluded little home now. There's a radio too, used to broadcast the sierra madre's call, but now? Now it's just Christine's voice, which is Vera's voice now, speaking to me a last goodbye. Maybe I'll go back one day to be with her, but for now? For now, I am going to sleep good and hard in the comfortable bed Elijah left me...inside this secure bunker that he no longer needs. He couldn't let go. But I could. Oh, and one more thing...he and Christine mentioned a place called the Big Empty...and another courier who had a score to settle. I think it's the same one Mr. Nash mentioned, the one who gave up the job so I could have it. I wonder what the story is there...but I get the feeling I'll find out. (The audio log ends with a long yawn from Lydia, then silence.)

[georgi-girl]

Trolls Character Fusions

I love the idea of trolls fusing together through dance like in Steven Universe. 

Here are some Troll fusions I thought of. Some of which are inspired by SU fusions. Note that when trolls from the same tribe fuse, they just become a bigger troll. When trolls from different tribes fuse, they gain extra limbs and appendages. 

Poppy + Branch = Treetop: Violet skin, dark purple hair streaked with rainbow colors, left eye is blue, right eye is pink. Name is inspired by another fan fusion on Deviantart. Treetop use plural pronouns, and their cloths are similar to Poppy’s “hippie” outfit in the TWT climax; crop top, bell bottoms, snazzy leaf jacket. They’re inspired by SU fusion Stevonie, they even have their own jungle adventure. Personality is both adventurous and cautious. Their preferred song style is Broadway showtunes, such as Let Me Entertain You and Seasons of Love. 

Quincy + Essence = Quintessence: Blue and violet stripes divided by metal tinsel with a magnificent hairdo. Uses plural pronouns. Clothes are gold and silver robes. Heavily inspired by Garnet, I even imagine them to be voiced by Estelle. Personality is calm at all times. Preferred song style is classic R&B. 

Cooper + Darnel = DC: Giant pink Funk troll with gold and silver tinsel. Dreadlocks are short on one side and long on the other. Uses he/him pronouns. Sounds like both brothers speaking at once. Personality is impulsive and super friendly. Basically, a long-necked puppy. Preferred song style is Hip Hop (of course) 

Snack Pack (Bigs, Smidge, Guy, Fuzzbert, Suki, Satin, Chenille, Cooper + Darnell) = Prism: Every bodypart is a different color. Blue torso, pink head, yellow left arm, orange right arm, red left leg, silver right leg. Has two extra limbs that are pink on the left, blue on the right.  Hair resembles a colorful pinwheel. Uses plural pronouns. Likes to scuttle around on all six limbs like a bug. Mad Hatter-type personality. Often repeats themself and talks to themself. Poppy and Branch will sometimes join the fusion, and Prism will become longer and extra segmented. Their clothing is a colorful one-piece disco suit. 

Poppy + Barb = PopRocks: Two queens that want to prove themselves in different ways, this fusion is reserved for emergencies. Black skin with pink freckles and pink eyes. Extra long mohawk that starts out red and fades to pink. Three arms, two on the right side. Uses she/her pronouns. Her clothing is a blue tube top and leather shorts. Personality is bombastic and unpredictable. Speaks in a Yiddish Brooklyn accent. Preferred song style is poprock ballads, hence the name. Inspired by Smokey Quartz from SU. 

Darnel + Trollex = Tritan: any fusion between Funk and Techno resembles a Chinese water dragon. Tritan has purple and lilac stripes with long flowing teal hair. He uses he/him pronouns. His personality is cheerful and playful. Song style is eighties movie soundtracks. 

Val Thundershock + Gust Tumbleweed = Sherrif Storm: (because gust, thunder, you get it) Country Rock centaur with orange skin, purple hair and black haunches. Uses both she/he pronouns. Very passionate, sometimes overzealous. Favorite song is Hoedown Throwdown. 

Minuet + Blaze = Figuero: Inspired by Sardonyx from SU. Very tall, and elegant, with yellow skin and purple curly hair. Clothing resembles a black tuxedo. Has four eyes and bat wings. Very showy and stylish, like a magician. Uses she/him pronouns. Song style is classic rock (lots of Chuck Barry and Buddy Holly) 

Brozone Fusion = Brother Blue. However different the individual brothers are, their fusion is the most quintessentially chilled-out dudebro. He’s blue, with five colored hair arranged from oldest to youngest. He’s got aspects of every Brozone member, such as JD’s goggles and Floyd’s earring. He’s voiced by Jerry Trainor and calls everyone Bro or Bra. Song style is (naturally) boy band songs. 

Trollstopia Fusion (Synth, Laguna, Dante, Minuet, Gust, Holly, Milton, Meadow, Rythm, Blues, Lownote, Demo, Val, Blaze) = Spectrum. All the tribes combined into a six-armed, Bergen-sized giant. Skin color changes depending on mood. Hair resembles the Lady GlitterSparkles wig, except it waves around like octopus tentacles. Inspired by Fluorite from SU; laidback personality and slow way of speaking. Uses all the pronouns. Song style is any style. 

More to come later on. 

[silvanils]

A Reason to Stay

A prompt fill from @blossom-adventures​​ over at @nirnwrote​​!

I had so much fun with this one! For story-context, this would be after Eira becomes Thane of the Rift but before her ill-fated mission with Mercer... So Niruin’s smitten, but has not quite realized he’s in love just yet!

Rating: T+ (language, mature themes, off-screen sex - no explicit smut!)

Word Count: ~850

You can also read it on Ao3 here!

“Look at all this space, Niruin!” Eira says, gesturing around the kitchen. “There’s room down below for me to put up some displays of my favorite, uh… acquisitions. What do you think?”

Niruin’s not sure why she’s asking, or even why she invited him over for dinner when they’re just friends with a few extra side-benefits, right? They’ve always kept their meet-ups fairly brief.

But she’s staring up at him, now, with her too-pretty eyes — and damn it all, she always leaves him feeling foolish and tongue-tied. He’s been staring too long. “It’s a beautiful house, Eira. Much nicer than my tiny apartment, anyway.”

She flashes one of her knowing grins at him, then, and reaches out to tug him closer by the lapels of his coat. “Just wait until you see the bedroom,” she teases. “And the heated bath! It’s absolutely decadent.”

.

“Perhaps we should have eaten out,” Niruin sighs, later, poking at his half-burnt dish. “Not that I doubt your cooking abilities, of course, but…”

“I blame you,” she huffs, her cheeks all dark and ruddy. “This recipe is supposed to be foolproof, but you showed up in those snazzy clothes and distracted me!!”

Niruin can’t help but laugh at how stupidly adorable she looks when she’s embarrassed. No one’s perfect, I guess. “Oh? Well, I had to look my best! You live in the nice part of town, now! I can’t strut down these streets looking like a… a… you know!”

“...A thief and scoundrel?” Eira offers, raising an eyebrow. “That’s fair. Honestly, I’m surprised you clean up so well — where did you find that coat?”

Niruin tugs on the end of his sleeve. It’s one of his nicer possessions, a wine-red coat lined with fur. He hasn’t worn it in years. “Valenwood,” he finally says. “It was a gift, and… one of the few things I kept from my old life.”

It feels like a lifetime ago, now: his father’s verdict, all the frantic farewells, the hasty packing… and his older sister showing up, teary-eyed, this coat folded up in her arms. ‘Don’t forget this, you dumbass. It gets cold where you’re going.’ 

He’d only found the note she had tucked in the pocket much later: instructions on how he could get in touch with her if he ever needed anything. But he’d been to stubborn, too proud, to reach out. And when he had to buy an even warmer coat for the thick of winter, this one had gotten shoved into the bottom of a chest where it had stayed until… recently.

“It really suits you,” Eira says, snapping Niruin back to the present. “You should wear it more often.”

“Well,” Niruin says, coughing and flushing as he sits up a little straighter. What man wouldn’t preen a little when someone looks at him like that? “Perhaps, if I were to go out more…”

“That could be arranged,” Eira teases, standing up so she can move closer. “But tonight, I’d rather you stay in.”

.

Niruin is used to brief, quick affairs that end before the night does, usually with him picking his things up and slinking out a window feeling only a slightly better than before. He’s not used to staying until morning, or waking up to a sight as lovely as this.

Eira is still fast asleep, surrounded by her collection of soft, down-filled pillows. At some point during their coupling, his fingers had tugged her hair free of it’s binds — leaving it all mussed up, now, fluffed out around her face and curling up around her neck and shoulders. 

Niruin can’t help but grin as he hears her soft, barely-noticeable snores, watches the slow rise-and-fall of her bare chest. No one’s perfect, he thinks, but she comes pretty damn close.

He slips out of bed carefully and tugs on a robe before heading upstairs again. “Foolproof, huh?” He sighs, flipping through the recipe book on her counter. “Well, we’ll see about that.”

Soon enough, the whole house smells of warm cinnamon and baked apples, and Niruin grins when he sees Eira pad up the stairs just as he pulls the tray out of the oven. She’s only wearing a thin shirt, her hair still a fluffed-up mess… and she’s pouting.

“Still trying to one-up me, aren’t you?” She mumbles, grabbing one of the fritters and shoving it in her mouth before Niruin has time to warn her not to. “Ow! Fuck, that’s hot — !”

“Yeah, no shit! It just finished baking!” He huffs, setting the tray down. But his curiosity wins out as she keeps chewing, her cheeks growing flushed. “Well? What do you think?”

She glares at him. “They’re good,” she concedes. “Much nicer than mine, anyway. Oh, and we should get  some wine-colored curtains.”

.

Somehow, impossibly, they spend the morning together as well. And when they head out to have lunch together in the market, the falling leaves make Niruin think of autumns at home but… for the first time in ages, it’s not a feeling that leaves him sick with longing. Just a warm, cozy sense of nostalgia.

Maybe our luck is changing, he thinks, his eyes lingering on Eira’s snow-bright hair. One thing is sure, though. You’ve given me a reason to stay.

[safyresky]

Winter's Rage Room

(aka, In Which Winter Invents the First Rage Room)

"What are you wearing?"

"Winter, you're not gonna believe this," Blaise said, turning on his heel excitedly. "It TURNS OUT when you let the royal tailor use her gift of future sight when making clothes, you get some really snazzy options. I mean look at this thing!" He said, whooshing his blazer out with an almost childish grin. "You love it, right?"

"You look sharp," she said, hopping down from the smooth, marble banister of town hall. She peeped up at him, smoothing the material on his shoulders. "And very attractive," Winter said, smiling when he flushed, a few sparks popping off of his fiery head.

"Don't think I haven't noticed your legs," he said, low, his breath warm on her forehead. "I see that you've also visited Sabine. What are you wearing?"

"She calls it a flapper dress," Winter said with a grin. "And I quite like it! It’s nothing like my usual cozy warm layers of skirts, but I thought it would be a fun change of pace. I mean, it’s not like the cold actually bothers me. And I was right! I feel fabulous. Look at the skirt! It's asymmetrical. And all of these beads!" She said, gleeful, plucking at one of several clicking necklaces hanging down her neck. "And it takes well to frost," she added, grabbing the skirt and pulling it out a bit. The frost she had added to the dress glinted blue in the sunlight.

"It looks great," Blaise said, admiring her. "You look great."

"Oh, stop it you," she said, with a little bit of pomp and a look that said actually, don't stop it, I quite like being fawned over.

"I will not," Blaise said.

"Good," Winter said, sizing him up. "So why red? It's not really your colour," she finished, finger on her chin.

"I know. I was impatient, and red was what she had on hand. There is an orange one in the works, though! And the shirt is orange too. I made do. But anyway, watch this. You're gonna love this. Ready?"

Winter blinked. "Sure."

Blaise's brow furrowed in concentration. The temperature went up quite a bit; and with a crack and a pop, the red of Blaise's blazer (ha) began to fissure, glowing a bright orange through the cracks.

"Ta-da!"

"Did you just lava your clothing?"

"Technically it's below the crust, so I think it's more magma right now, but yes! I did!" He said, fists on his hips, looking very proud of himself.

Winter giggled. Gently, she raised her hand, glowing white with her wintry magic, and touched a section of his jacket. It froze instantly, turning dark blue very briefly. There was a hiss, and a pop, and the ice melted off, the lava once more glowing on the jacket.

"Oh, that's rather fun, isn't it?"

Blaise threw his head back and laughed. "For you I imagine it's oodles of fun," he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. Pants that were tapered and fit well! No baggy pants covered by tunics, or worse, TIGHTS. No tippets, no boots (though he didn't mind boots all too much), his hair on FIRE and NOBODY telling him to put it out or else! "It's amazing, the things Sabine is creating," he said, starting forward again. "That everyone is creating. Together."

The town square buzzed. The magibeans looked so happy. They waved as Blaise walked by, sharing pleasantries and chattering amongst themselves. They were a colourful bunch; sprites with their hair elementally charged, giants in suits, a few fae breezing by in loose clothes that seemed to be one large swath of breezy material folded over itself creatively to create flowing, gorgeous, robe like gowns. Dwarves were taking kindly to a thing Sabine said were called jeans, excited at the prospect of a tough material to withstand the tough stuff they did—and that was just a smattering of the fashions that had begun to spring up all around the country.

Some magibeans carried various building supplies towards the hall; others rushed towards the shops with brightly coloured buckets of paint, chattering excitedly about how they were going to customize their storefronts, now that they could. Dryads and centaurs planted the most colourful assortment of plants you ever did see. Cobblestones were slowly being laid down, colourful as can be, the mist from the springs sparkling in the afternoon sun as it drifted through the city.

A weight, that the entire continent did not know it had been carrying, had been lifted. They could all breath again.

"You should see what my sisters have been doing in the new provinces," Winter said, following beside Blaise, her hands behind her back as she nodded politely at the magibeans walking by. Her head roamed back and forth slowly as she admired all the changes they had made since she had last come by to bother her partner after work. "Have you been south west yet?"

"No, not lately."

"Well, Spring and Summer have worked wonders on the border between those two provinces. The groves, the orchards, the fruit trees, the vines! Oh Blaise, it's gorgeous. And it's all over, too! The farmland in the east is suddenly flourishing; Autumn is beside herself with happiness! The scab is still scabbed, of course, but everything everywhere else is healthy and happy. Mother says that almost all of the vegetation on the continent seems to be flourishing, as are the people. Everyone is growing together. I'd almost say the entire continent is sparkling like it's a brand-new place. The Springs especially look as glittery as I have ever seen them. And we all have you to thank for that."

Blaise chuckled. "Well, it’s not just me. There’s a whole team of magibeans getting things in order. And…all of this? Well, it's the right thing to do," he said.

"Yes! It is! So why are you so sad?"

"Sad? I'm not. I'm not sad."

"Yes you are. I am very good at seeing sads, Mister Frost. I am an expert, after all."

Blaise stopped, glancing down at his feet, his face darkening. Winter stopped beside him, watching him carefully.

"They forbade her from using her future sight when working. Did you know that?" Blaise finally said, looking up in the distance at the springs.

"Oh."

"Queen Frost apparently had a certain aesthetic she wanted to keep to, and she made sure it was enforced." He huffed, steam coming out of his nose.

Gently, Winter grabbed his arm, hugging it tightly. She felt his muscles flex in her little arm embrace. She squeezed back.

"It seems there's quite a bit to unpack there."

"Not really. Queen Frost was always just. Like that," he said with a shrug, Winter releasing her hold on his arm. She rested her hands in the crook of his elbow, looking up at him. "What more is there to unpack?"

"Do you ever think about yourself, Blaise?"

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean," Winter said, letting go and stepping in front of him, a little hill of snow happy to come into existence and give her a boost so she could stare directly into his eyes. "You put everyone first," she said, smoothing the round lapels on his jacket. "Everyone. But what about yourself? When do you have time for yourself?"

"When I'm with you," he said, gently caressing her face.

"Oh please," she replied with an eye roll, gently taking his hand off of her cheek and holding it in hers. "We both know that you always put me first."

"I thought you liked being the centre of attention," Blaise teased.

Winter laughed. "Pish posh. I like attention, yes, but I like you even more," she said, booping his nose. "And that's why I waited for you after work today! I am taking you on a date," she said, confidently, crossing her arms with a satisfied smile.

"Oh really?"

"Yes," she insisted. "I even dressed for the occasion," she reminded him, readjusting her arms to make sure all the bracelets she was wearing clinked.

Blaise smirked. With a tap of his foot, the snow below Winter melted.

Her smug exterior dropped; with a cute little meep, she found herself stepping down rather forcefully. She grimaced, already dreading the horrid feeling in her ankles that would rattle around for a bit when she hit the ground.

But, before she could even brace for impact, Winter was suddenly engulfed by a pair of very warm arms right around her waist, and pulled forward. Unscrupulously twirled about, she found herself pressed into Blaise's just as warm chest. She looked up, ready to bite, Blaise's bemused look stopping her in her tracks.

"I'm sorry, was that a-did you just meep?!"

"You melted my snow step!" She said, flustered.

"That was the cutest sound I've ever heard!"

"Blaise, my snow step!" she said with a cute little pout.

"Gods above. That meep could soften the hardest of hearts!"

Pouting, Winter squirmed, pulling herself up and seating herself on Blaise's forearms. He adjusted accordingly, supporting her as best as he could while trying not to think of her...well. Butt. Her butt.

She crossed her arms, still pouting. "I'm trying to be all suave, like you usually are, and you are making it very hard to do so!"

"You think I'm suave?" Blaise asked, genuinely.

"I think you are many things," Winter replied, her gaze softening. "And suave is one of them. Smooth, too. And sculpted. And sweet and kind and caring and also, very annoying. That poor snow step never did anything to you!"

Blaise chuckled. "It got in my way of you," he said, placing her down gently.

She cleared her throat, flushed, and dusted off her dress. "Now then. May I continue?"

"Go right ahead," Blaise said with a wave, shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"Great, perfect, thank you." She shook her arms, the beads and bangles clinking back into place. "You look out for everyone, but I don't think you look out for yourself much. This latest undertaking of yours has been lovely! Very lovely. Look at how this world is breathing now! There's so much colour, and laughter, and freedom...but I'm sure it's been bringing up all sorts of feelings for you, and I have just the thing for processing them," she said, excitement lighting up her delicate little features.

Blaise looked down at his shoes, thoughtful. Dismantling the monarchy and the, frankly, insane rules they had enforced had been a very long road. A century in and they had barely scratched the surface; eager to breath new life into the city, Blaise and Mother Nature had decided to tackle the "etiquette" rules, for lack of a better term. The governors of the new provinces had agreed, and things were going swimmingly.

But Winter was right, though Blaise didn't want to say it. Saying it would make it all real, and he didn't think he could weather the emotions all of that would bring up. The LAST thing he needed was his political career tarnished by an angry outburst when it had only just started.

"How did you know?”

"Your shoulders," Winter said, tilting her head. "They're more squared up, as of late. And you've been clenching your jaw. And all of you is so tense. I mean, you are rather muscular—"

"Oh ho ho, am I now?"

"Shut up," Winter said, flushing and looking away.

"Muscular, sculpted—"

"Annoying," Winter reminded him, still looking away.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll...tone it down a notch."

"Not stopping, though?"

"Nope! Never."

Winter laughed. "Good. I like when you tease. Just not when I'm trying to be very very nice to you!"

"You're always very very nice to me."

"Well. You're worth it," Winter said with a little shrug.

Now it was Blaise's turn to flush and look away. He cleared his throat. Winter rubbed her arm. They glanced back at one another; opened up their mouths to speak. Realized the other was speaking. Laughed.

"You, uh, had something in mind?"

"Mhmm," Winter said, nodding a little too fast, fingers pressed together. "Come along with me?" she asked, holding out a hand.

"Always," Blaise replied, grabbing it.

"Excellent!" And, with strength he had no idea the season possessed, Blaise was dragged away from town, towards the North.

---

"So I started doing this thing, many many centuries ago," Winter began, running alongside the trees, dragging Blaise behind her, “when it all became too much," she finished. She stopped briefly, glancing around the snowy paths in the foothills, pulling Blaise along once more when she found the path she was looking for. "Though I barely recall it now, it was very hard after the Call to go from the life I knew to the life I have now."

Blaise tugged her hand, stopping her in her tracks. Squeezing it, he looked at her softly. "What was it like?" he asked. "I never...things didn't change much for me at all after the Call. I can't imagine what it was like…would’ve been like...I kind of envied you and your sisters, in all honesty."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Blaise replied, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. "I, uh. Well, you see what I've been doing. With everyone. And I've told you about my family. It's not that I don't love them, or anything. It's just. Not the same as what you have. I’ve always wanted that.”

"I can hardly blame you. Mother Nature is a wonderful mother, and I love all of my sisters dearly. Even Spring. I'd never consider them anything but. Nevertheless," she said, taking a careful step forward. "It was a hard adjustment to make, especially when you're so little and don't quite know what's going on."

"Tell me about it," Blaise said, genuinely, as they continued at a much more reasonable pace. "Please. That is, if it doesn't, ah. You know. Upset you, or. Or anything."

"Well, I can hardly recall them now, but I…I loved my parents. My mother was…she was as cold as her title, and she kept that cool facade up to everyone she interacted with. Except for my father. She let her guard down with him. He was rather silly," Winter said with a soft laugh. "My memories are so faint now, but I remember he'd do such silly dances, make such funny noises, and he'd have the most pointless spells at his disposal, that did nothing practical—but they made me laugh. They made her laugh. And I suppose for him, that was all he really needed.”

"He dressed silly too, if I recall correctly. I think he came to the castle more than once in slippers."

Winter laughed. "They were bunnies! With ears! The Snow Queen hated them. But I think that just made the Winter Warlock love them more! And I do believe that deep down, Bianca found everything he did endearing. Otherwise I'm sure she wouldn't have named me after him. It was nice, I think. I don't remember feeling not nice," Winter said with a thoughtful frown as the path twirled upwards, hand still clasped in his. "Not until after the Call."

She stopped walking, looking out at the valley below them. It sparkled in the sunlight, the snow fresh. The trees were weighed down with blankets of snow, bowing low to the ground as the wind whistled in that calm, peaceful way it did in the winter. Off in the distance, one of the four rivers that branched out from the Springs sparkled, ice chunks floating along it. Everything seemed so much more...beautiful, in the winter, Blaise thought, eyes settling on the top of her head.

"It was scary," she continued, taking a seat on the edge of the path. Gently, and quietly, Blaise sat beside her, squeezing her hand and paying full attention.

She smiled up at him, squeezing back. "Bianca carried me out of her castle so fast. Winter followed behind us. I remember watching the pink light hit our home, and the towers tumbled; my little room was gone in the blink of an eye. The pink light bounced off of everywhere. Winter hurried us along, but he couldn't keep up. Bianca tried to go back for him, but he wouldn't let her stop. It was the fastest goodbye I'd ever experienced with him. And the final one, to boot. Whoosh!" she said, lifting her hands. "Pink light engulfed him, and he was gone. Just like that." She sighed. "I hid in my mother's shawl the rest of the way."

"I'd be scared too, if I were you."

"Really? You'd be scared?"

"Uh, yeah. What, do you think I don't get scared?"

Winter tilted her head, surveying him with a mix of curiosity and thoughtfulness, the corners of her mouth twitching as she tried to hold back a smile, eyes alight with mischief. "Perhaps," she finally said, the grin peeking out.

Blaise laughed. "I've been scared before! Plenty of times! Honest!"

"I'm not so sure I believe you," Winter said. "But we'll dig into that later."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you can't wait to tear me apart, but not in a fun way! In a sort of I need to study you kind of way."

"Is that not fun?"

"Well, I don't know! I'm the one being studied! And not in the fun way!"

"Which is?"

"Y-you know," Blaise said, blushing. "Your place or mine? Let me get a closer look at your face? With my whole face? That sorta thing?"

Winter choked back a laugh, a hand covering her mouth, her face fast turning red. "Blaise! You absolute scoundrel."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"I take them as I go," he teased, squeezing her hand.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm not going to dissect you. As much as I love all your muscles, I quite miss the soft bits that are around when you're not holding a ton of tension in your everything."

Blaise sighed. "I know you do. So do I,” he admitted, scooting closer to her. Finding comfort in the cold press of her skin against him. “What happened next?”

"Hmm?"

"After your dad..."

"Oh! Right! Well, my mother brought me to the little hideaway they made for me, to keep me safe. You know, just in case. And she made sure I was cozy and set for the long term and, well, the Call caught up to us. She gave me a kiss, a smile, and uttered last words I don't remember because that's when it took her, too,” she said with a sigh, laying her head on his shoulder. “I was alone. And of course, after that, when the sky turned back to stars and the pink was gone, I wandered. Went back home—it was gone. Wasn't sure what to do until Summer started melting all the snow. Their snow, that I had watched them place down together. Helped them with, even. It was very upsetting, and I stopped Summer in her tracks and told her so right then and there! Her reply? ‘Oh snap! I found you! Let’s get going!’ And she brought me home to Tara and the other seasons, and now here I am, quite happy with Mother Nature and my sisters."

"But between that?"

"I was very unhappy. It was the very first time I ever experienced a frozen heart," she said. "I was sad. Sad that my parents were gone. I'd never see them again. And I resented them for it, the older I got. I was so sad, and post thaw I was so upset and angry, so...I found an outlet for it," she said, hopping up. “And that’s why we’re here!”

She stepped into the air, almost falling before ice formed just below her foot, stretching down the mountain. “Race you, hotshot,” she said, and down she went. "Try to keep up!" she shouted back, as she formed ice path after ice path, zig zagging down the mountainside.

Blaise grinned. He hopped up, took a few steps back and, with a running start, jumped, landing on the ice and sliding down just as fast as Winter. The pair laughed, twirling around one another until they landed in the valley, clothes dishevelled, hair windswept, and faces flushed.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine! I do this all the time! I’m the professional." Winter said. "Oop! Careful dear, it's slippery," she added, grabbing Blaise's arms.

"I'm good, I'm good," Blaise said, steadying himself and looking out at the wide valley before them, clinging to her forearms. "It's beautiful," he said, breathlessly.

"I know! I do great work and all anyone ever does is complain about how cold it is. Where's the respect for a season, hmm? My sisters don't get half the sleet I get!" she huffed, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, while the view is lovely as I do quite the amazing job, that's not why I brought you all the way out here. Watch," she said, placing a finger up in the air before Blaise could speak.

He let go of her arms, holding his up in surrender. Stepping back a pace or two, he gestured Winter forwards with a hand.

A grin, an absolutely feral grin that Blaise adored (he loved how unhinged she could be) slowly spread across her face. He stepped back again for good measure, watching as Winter cracked her knuckles, tilted her head side to side (cracks coming from her neck), and turned around, facing the pristine valley.

She stuck her arms out to her side, her fingers outstretched. She bent down a bit, her legs wide in the snow. She inhaled; held it, then exhaled. Her fingers curled in, hands glowing, and the ground below her began to shake.

The rumbling grew louder; the shaking stretched out farther and farther, until the snow all over the valley was bouncing around, the undisturbed blanket of white splitting.

There was a crack, and a shink; then another, and another, until the valley was echoing with low thrums and hums, and up Winter’s arms went, the snow exploding below her as giant pillars of ice burst out of the ground. They intersected with each other, tall and crooked, some forming arches with one another, others nearly colliding as they stopped moving, settling in their new places. Snow gently fell off the tops of the pillars, landing on the ground with multiple muffled plonks.

Winter turned around. "Ta-da!" she said, presenting the handywork.

"Look at that. Wow," Blaise said, with a low whistle.

"I know. I'm a gift to magibean kind and so underappreciated in my time."

"Not by me you're not," Blaise said, kissing the top of her head, and gazing over her at the mess of icy stalagmites, chin resting on her head, her shoulders trapped in a hug.

"So. Ah. An outlet, eh?"

"Big time," Winter said, squirming out of Blaise's embrace. "Watch and learn, hotshot," she said, skipping into the minefield. "I'd come out here, and I'd think of everything that had happened. I'd think of how rude it was that my parents just left me alone, how AWFUL it was, how they couldn't just say no to all of the stupid fae and their different factions and their dumb war, and I'd get all worked up and then, BAM," she said, with a flawless roundhouse kick into the nearest ice block. It cracked. "And then again," she said, kicking it with her other leg. The fractures deepened. "And then I'd finish them," she said, pressing her hands together and driving them right into the middle of the fracture.

In seconds, the ice shattered, fractals falling down to the ground. The top of the pillar came crashing down, shattering the little icicles that remained until it all fell into a heap, icy dust fanning out from the impact zone.

"Oh wow," Blaise said, his hair, embarrassingly, briefly flickering. He cleared his throat. "Is that how you got all, you know," he said, gesturing to Winter. "Slushy again?"

"Not at all. It's how I processed things," she said, grabbing the ends of his jacket and pulling him closer. "The slush was thanks to you," she said, booping his nose with hers and hopping backwards, leaving Blaise significantly flustered. She grinned.

"Oh," Blaise finally said, a goofy grin splitting his face. "Oh wow."

"So now it's your turn!"

"My-what? My turn? For what?"

"Property damage!" Winter said, chipper. "And I know just where to start," she said, pushing him towards the closest slab of ice. "Sabine."

"Sabine?"

"Yes. Royal tailor, gifted with foresight and forbidden to use it."

Blaise's face darkened again.

"Ou, yes, there we go. Tell me about that," Winter said, hopping up and sitting in the air, a pile of snow twirling up to meet her halfway.

Blaise placed a hand on the pillar in front of him, flat. He frowned at his reflection, looking away. He cleared his throat. "My brother and I were always held to such impossible standards. Exactly the same ones, too. And if I did something wrong, he got the blame for it too. And vice versa, though the former happened a lot more than the latter. And it’s not like I was doing anything wrong!” he said, smacking the ice below him. “I was just trying to be my own person, but goddess forbid I didn’t act exactly like my twin.”

“And then Sabine…”

“Yeah! The fuck!” Blaise finally said, the source of all magic choosing to ignore the swears sure to continue coming from this section of the country. “I thought it was just Pyros and I that had to keep up appearances,” he began, pacing back and forth, hands waving about as he spoke. “But apparently it WASN’T just us! It was almost the entirety of the royal court! And I had no fucking clue!” he said, a flaming kick shattering the icy pillar in front of him.

Blaise blinked, watching the pieces melt into the snow.

“Huh. That did feel kind of good.”

“Right?!” Winter said from her perch in the snow. “Keep going darling. The field’s yours.”

“Finding out everything my parents banned or forbade unnecessarily has been exhausting,” Blaise continued, pulling his hands down his face. “Sabine not being allowed to use her sight? Tip of the iceberg! Dave wasn’t allowed to float because goddess above forbid he appear higher than the King! And! Queen!” he said, both titles punctuated with a flaming punch, whoosh, CRACK, pop-pop-pop to the next pillar, the ice melting quickly and collapsing in on itself. “All sorts of magibeans employed within the castle weren’t allowed to do ANYTHING!” A hot slice through the air, the pillar beside him split in half, falling down on its now severed bottom half with a smack. It slid down to the ground slowly, in an almost comical fashion, landing on its side in the snow. “There was NO intermingling between stations and levels, no talking to the court unless they spoke to you first, and that was just within the castle walls, LADY of the Springs!”

One, two, three more icy pillars went down, the shards of ice hitting the snow with dulled thunks. Chest heaving, Blaise paused for a moment, back against a pillar as he focused on his breathing. “It was no way for anyone to live,” he said, quietly. “I know that because it’s how we were living! And just knowing that it wasn’t just us?” Blaise looked up. “It’s infuriating.”

Behind him, the pillar he was leaning on started to crack. It looked a bit shiny; wet. So did the ones beside it.

“How I was living,” Blaise realized. “Because that’s the thing, isn’t it?” he said, straightening up. “Pyros was fine with the way things were. I mean, you saw what he did! After I quit my studies, he just—he was fine. Just fine with the way they ran things. He saw no problems with it at all. But I did! But every time I spoke up or had a thought or reacted differently from Mom and Dad and my brother, it was an immediate lecture. That’s not how things work, they’d say. Or that’s just how it is. Or we do these things for good reasons. Like hell they did!”

He sprung off the slowly melting pillar really suddenly, his staff appearing in his hands. He stabbed it into the ground; it glowed brightly, and with a high-pitched squeal, a torrent of flames burst from the blue gem at the center, absolutely annihilating the pillars within its radius.

“Woo. Toasty,” Winter said, standing beside Blaise now. “I didn’t know staffs could do that!”

“They can do a LOT of things, when you’re actually allowed to experiment. Watch this,” Blaise said, pulling his staff out of the snow and giving it an exuberant (and definitely unnecessary) twirl. He grasped it by the base. The wood began to shift; slowly, it morphed, until it resembled a club.

“Oh, bravo!” Winter said, with a delighted little clap. “I bet you can’t get a hunk of ice across the valley.”

“Bet you I can,” Blaise said with a grin.

“Kisses if I win?”

“You mean when I win?”

“You can talk the talk, Mr. Frost, but can you hit the hit?”

“Isn’t it walk the walk?”

“Well, yes, but you will be hitting one of these lovely pillars, will you not?”

“Watch and learn, Ms. Winter.”

She stepped back, gesturing Blaise forward now.

With a grin, he hefted the bat staff in his hands, giving it a preemptive swing. Satisfied, he tightened his grip, and, bringing it as far back as he could, whacked the pillar in front of him.

It shattered; chunks of ice went flying. With another quick swing, Blaise hit one before it could fall. It went soaring across the valley. Shading his eyes with his hand, he watched as the chunk arced in the air, sunlight sparkling off it, before landing in a heap just before the riverbank.

“Boom,” he said.

Winter laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners, face flushed. Blaise shifted his weight; he watched her fondly, his staff returning to its default form just in time for him to lean on it as he watched the season laugh. She exhaled, finally, flushing when she noticed him staring at her.

Briefly, she looked down, smiling very big at the snow for a moment before composing herself. She cleared her throat, glancing back at the fiery man she absolutely adored, and tilted her head. “I know that what your parents did wasn’t fair to any of the magibeans.”

“It wasn’t. And I just let it happen,” he admitted, kicking a piece of ice that had settled by his foot. “And it wasn’t just within the castle grounds. It was the entire continent; every subdivision, every noble under their charge, they all had to adhere to these impossible standards, stifling their very essences just to keep two, quite frankly, useless magibeans happy! And I just let it happen.”

“Oh, Blaise. You are so very silly.”

“Excuse me?”

“What could you have done? You were so young, and as much a victim as everyone else was,” she said, stepping closer. “It wasn’t fair to you, either,” she finished, resting her head on his chest.

She could feel him sigh, the weight finally falling off of his shoulders. “It wasn’t.”

“And nobody blames you, darling! Nobody. You were just trying to survive.”

Dismissing his staff, he grabbed Winter, pulling her in tightly. “I know,” he said, trying hard to keep the tears out of his voice. “I know.” He gave her one last squeeze before breaking the hug, his hands resting on her shoulders. “But it still wasn’t fair. And the worst is, you know, they had the ability to make things fair for everyone! But they didn’t,” he said, his face darkening, his hair burning higher.

“But you do,” Winter said with a soft smile. “And you are. And it’s most definitely going to be a very long road ahead, but you’re doing what you can now. It is enough. I know you don’t feel like it is,” she continued, shrugging his hands off of her shoulders and grabbing them in hers, “but it is. I promise. So you should stop beating yourself up about it all, alright? And instead, beat up all of this,” she said, gesturing with both her hands and his, towards the field of half melted ice pillars.

Blaise smiled, squeezing her hands tightly. “You are so good to me.”

“I know,” she said, with a silly little grin.

Blaise laughed, sweeping her right off of her feet and pulling her into a tight hug. “Thank you,” he said, quietly in her ear. “And I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered back, pecking the side of his head (since that was what was closest to her). “I understand. And I’m here for you, Blaise. Always,” she said, giving him a little squeeze. “You don’t need to take responsibility for everything; you don’t deserve to. You deserve to treat yourself better.” She pulled back enough to look up at him and smile. “And you’re already working wonders, now that you no longer have to survive. Now that you have the opportunity to make a difference, and can make a difference, you are.”

“And everyone who can help is helping,” Blaise said. “It’s…nice.”

“It really is! We’ll all be okay, Blaise dear. You’ll be okay.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. And I’m always right,” she said, with utmost certainty. “Now then. Property damage?” she asked, gesturing out to the field of pillars.

“Property damage,” Blaise agreed, grabbing her hand. “Shall we go misplace a bunch of aggression?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said, taking his hand and launching them both into the field.

---

Time passed; hours, minutes, neither really knew. Time practically stood still when they were together. And certainly it felt as though it was now, as they lay down face by face in the snow, surrounded by tiny little beads of half melted ice chips. The moon glowed in the sky, the stars sparkling brightly. The once smooth blanket of snow was well trodden, now, flattened to the ground and frozen solid in some places.  

They had collapsed together, catching their breath as the remnants of the last few pillars melted away, feeling a lot lighter now that they had exploded a ton of ice while venting about everything that had happened. A shooting star passed high above them, chests finally slowing down as the pair caught their breath.

“I believe someone owes me kisses?”

“Oh yes! I do, don’t I?” Winter said, springing right up and throwing herself on top of Blaise.

“Oof,” he said, reaching up and pulling her in close. “You take my breath away.”

“That’d be the body slam I just did,” she said, kissing the tip of his nose. And then his forehead. And then his cheek. And then the other cheek, and then any itty-bitty speck of space she could find on his face. Nowhere was safe. Nowhere.

Not that he minded, of course; he only minded when she stopped her onslaught.

“Excuse me. I was promised kisses? Plural?!”

Winter laughed, crossing her arms on his chest and leaning on them. “I am aware.”

Blaise quirked an eyebrow, throwing his hands behind his head and staring at her, suspiciously. She was plotting; he knew it. “Well, where are they?”

“Hmm. Good question! Either at your place, or mine, I should think,” she said.

“OH! Nice throwback,” he said.

“Thank you kindly,” she replied, watching as his brow furrowed in thought for but a moment.

“Yours is closer,” he decided, hair igniting as, with a devious smirk, he grabbed her around the waist, wasting no time whatsoever in poofing them right into the pile of blankets and plethora of pillows that covered her bed.

---

(The next morning, he found himself awoken by Summer’s very loud barge into Winter’s room. His fellow summer sprite’s eyes grew wide when she realized he was right beside Winter, and she screamed, excited.

“Ou, Winter! You go girl! Get it!”

“Get out get out get OUT!” Winter yelled, throwing a bunch of pillows at her sister.

Summer cackled, running right out of the room. “WAIT UNTIL I TELL SPRING AND AUTUMN!”

“DO NOT!” Winter yelled back, hopping out of the sheets and giving chase.

Blaise chuckled. He loved staying over at Winter’s place).

---

I started writing this a month ago?? According to my drafts??? I was coping with some HORRORS and using Blinter to do it. Finally finished it today! It is DELIGHTFUL and I am HOPING that the horrors that INSPIRED this are finally finished for now. Or at least getting better. RELATIONSHIPS ARE HARD, ESPESH WHEN UR PARTNER IS VERY BLAISE CODED AND HAVING A ROUGH GO OF IT AND YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY MAKE A GIANT FIELD OF ICE FOR THE BOTH OF YOU TO SMASH UP BUT GOD YOU WISH YOU COULD!

Anyway.

This is roughly a century or so after the War of Succession (Millennia War, Civil War, I've given it like 70 names lol). So they've been together for a hot (pun intended) minute! I imagine they get hitched shortly after this and, well, you know, this happens >:).

Enjoy the fluff!

[baihujun]

So what do you think of Jason Todd’s canon Green Lantern design from his Dark Crisis run? I like it but I also don’t like it because I would have never known it was Jason from that design.

Ps. Your Green Lantern Jason is absolutely gorgeous and I can tell with one look that it’s Jason and not some new character!

It's weird. I get the feeling that they wanted something very distinct and eye-catching for the Green Lantern/John's bubble world, so they gave the marquee characters these crazy design overhauls (see: Jason, Kyle).

What I love about the Lantern Corps suits has always been their iconic simplicity. Like, the suits are distinct enough between each lantern (who isn't just some background mob character) to give personality, but similar enough that they look good together and give the sense that they're a united corps. They're sleek, stylish, and striking, and hug each curve. Even Guy's suit with his snazzy little jacket still fits this.

Jason's Dark Crisis: World Without A Green Lantern outfit just feels so mismatched and clunky in comparison. And for some reason his duster coat and khaki shorts and scarf are like... brown? With red accents because god forbid you don't get that this is Red Hood lol. It doesn't help that the rest of the corps still has their normal sleek suits so Jason sticks out like a sore thumb. Kyle's full fantasy robes look is also odd but at least it sticks to the color scheme. It's kinda giving a bit of Guardians-chic. Kinda.

I get it. They wanted something bold and fresh for the crazy illusion world. Still feel like the execution could've been better, IMO.

Natasha Irons' Green Lantern look is pretty sick though.

[autiponi]

Jeremy...?

...

A-1 and Master Daiki awaited directives to enter the conference chamber, where they would divulge any initial findings regarding Agreas' slayer to the demon queen.

-Do you remember what you're supposed to say?

-Yes master.

-Stick to the plan at all costs. I need her alive.  If Aj finds out about her, everything will be... Difficult.

-Master, please be aware that it is not just us who will be there, but all four of us. It may be difficult to control them.

-Just, remember what you have to say. If everything goes according to plan, they will only find out as much as we want them to.

-I understood.

Then they heard footsteps behind them. Turning around, they saw that it was Tenebris behind them. It was another one of the creatures who was

-Ah, as  I see Daiki and Miss A-1 came faster than expected! Respectable attitude as always... However, I assume that you have not found as much as we have. How unfortunate...

Daiki hated him from the moment they met. The arrogance and nasty self-confidence put Daiki in a very bad mood. He felt like getting into a deeper discussion with the puppet king again, but for the success of the mission, he put his pride in his pocket and just turned his head quickly.

-That will be seen, Mr. Tenebris. Nothing is known yet, and besides, this is not a race, but a serious investigation for .... serious beings.-You haven't changed a bit since the last time we met. The same proud, wonderful and calm Master Daiki. With his wonderful disciple too, of course.... I think I'm going to throw up.

Tenebris looked at A-1, showing his razor-sharp, holly-nasty teeth as he smiled even more than before. Seeing this, A-1 quickly turned her head away, feeling a new sense of disgust for Tenebris. She looked at the window and impatiently began to touch her katana with her finger. When the master saw this, he drew his pupil a little closer to him, causing her to move away from Tenebris.

-To you, I am MASTER Daiki, and she is MISTRESS A-1. And for now, please step aside. Your ugly teeth are not what we want to see today before we meet the queen.

Before there could be a bigger fight between them, the gates opened behind which stood a guard in snazzy armor and Aj herself, clearly tired with big bags under her eyes. The robe she wore could be seen to have belonged to Agreas before, her father's blood was still quite visible on the garment. The blood itself was black and shiny, it looked as if there were pieces of further shining stars in it.  In that one moment, she resembled her father even more than before.

-Please come in... The other two representatives from other worlds unfortunately can't come today. Therefore, we will start the meeting without them. So I welcome you Tenebris, Agreas, and.... you, whatever you are.

-This is my best student queen. Thanks to her alone we can have as much information as we have.

-I am A-1, my queen Aj. Nice to meet you.

A-1 tried as much as she could, to smile kindly while making a big bow. Aj, despite her attempt to remain neutral, was clearly disgusted.

-No matter what is… this. Come in and let's not waste any more time.

Aj took a seat at the end of the table and asked the rest of those gathered in the room to sit next to her. At least one of the guards also stood next to everyone in the room , for reasons of security and slight paranoia. However, they were not the standard demons that you would usually see in the H-666 dimension. They were a variety called "Primitive" or "Hollow" by the residents, depending on who you asked.

-Let's get straight to the point. Master Daiki, did you find out anything about the killer?

-Unfortunately. As is usually the case at the very beginning of such cases, I have little information to offer today. However, I have speculations about the person who would certainly be willing to kill Agreas. I am so sure of this that I think it would be a waste of time to look for someone else to blame. This... individual has already revealed himself more than once, not only to me, but also, for all I know, to your father. I hope he told you once, and do you know who I mean?

-Apparently he didn't. .... So tell me who you mean.

-Mike Insidios. A fanatic, a person out of this world, literally! He is a vicious murderer, a scumbag who is not only responsible for this case! And in addition, a great manipulator in his own right. I am more than sure that he is connected to this case. Agreas had something in him that this psychopath has been looking for for years, it was only a matter of time.

-But what was so special about my father that he decided to kill him? Please explain, Master Daiki.

-Mike pursues throughout the multiverse the children of Apollyon. They are creatures that have a piece of the soul of the ancient first creator within them. Legends once said that only one of the children can survive, and by then this one, in his quest for power, will destroy everything else that opposes him....

-Wait, my dad was a pure of fire and ashes demon, just like me. He couldn't have been that.... something you are talking about now. He was also never like you are telling, he never tried to destroy anyone. I'm sorry but this is absurd Master Daiki.anybody, I'm sorry but it's  ridiculous Master Daiki.

Aj was about to ask Tenebris  for his evidence, but Daiki  quickly cut her off.

-Your father didn't tell you much about what he did during the war, didn't you, Queen AJ?.

Saying this, he gently rose from the table and approached Aj with a slow but firm step. The queen, clearly confused by the Spar's question, also moved slightly away from the table and the guards were ready to attack if necessary.

-Didn't you ever wonder... that Angels in ours are in fact already practically an extinct species? You can only see them in armies of a fairly high category, but something strangely, you don't see their universe on star maps.

-What are you-.

-Also, perhaps you were not puzzled by the fact that Demons now tower over Angels in terms of species for some reason? This is not a normal thing, a few hundred years ago it was completely different in this regard.

-Master Daiki-.

-Something peculiar must have happened that demons no longer have a problem with the rather cocky, but still angels. Queen, your father, before he started taking care of you, was very fond of winning in all kinds of battles and fights on a scale that the universe has not seen, and probably never will see again. He was able to win definitively, without any victory on the other side.... he spared no one. He didn't even spare the universe itself.

Aj fell silent and began to look down bewildered. Daiki, seeing this, continued the argument while increasingly toning his tone to one resembling that of a snake.

-He, he must have had something special in him. Something that gave him so much strength and vigor in these battles. Do you know that during the war he was able to kill three pairs of troops without the help of anyone? No one ever won, every time! Your father, he must have had the soul of Apollyon in him. This is the only explanation why he was so strong, charismatic, yet aggressive and murderous. In addition, my Queen, he had all the syndromes of being... someone different from the rest of the demons. This "purity" you are trying to make us believe is only a half-truth.

-He was not like that... No...

-He was certainly not like that with you, that's obvious. But he had something left of it, however, this time instead of winning the war, he decided to successfully raise his daughter! Isn't that beautiful Queen Aj?

-...

-...No matter who he was now. It matters who he was before!  Before, he perfectly showed that he had the soul of Apollyon in him, that's also probably why Mike hunted him. This is my theory.

Master Daiki patted Aj gently on the shoulder and sat down again. The atmosphere became even more tense than before, Aj began to breathe more deeply and was visibly distracted. Her mind was still on the words she had just heard. She shook herself free and reluctantly sat down on the seat.

-...I will think about it, but so far I will not take too hasty conclusions. In any case, thank you Master Daiki.

Tenebris looked at each of them with his usual clear and unrestrained disdain, then laughed heartily.

-That is an interesting theory, moron. But I think I have a slightly better one! And best of all, it comes with proof!

-Then please show it.

Tenebris after making a couple of turns in his chair out of excitement took out quickly from the pocket of his fur what he had around his neck, developed photos of the party at which Agreas was murdered.

-Look and learn woodenly how to do an investigation! So, as we all probably know here, during such parties it is common to take all sorts of pictures of guests, they went around and took pictures, right queen?

-well-.

-YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER! I KNOW THEY DID! So, I decided, through the hands of my servants, to ask some of those willing to help for photographs of that awful evening. And, this is the part when you can start clapping, I noticed an interesting thing....

Tenebris pointed a big sharp finger at the silhouette of a woman with red and white hair with obvious excitement. Daiki recognized Blackjack in her, which immediately caused great trepidation in him as well as in A-1.

-This beautiful lady's face is obscured... but she still seems distinctive because of that gorgeous hair! She was talking to Agreas before the coup, and then left with a bunch of other guests afterwards! I think it's her, FOR SURE IT'S HER! As well as these others can be connected to this! It is very strange that then they had to oh so go, don't you agree?

-Sounds pretty convincing, even for you Tenebris. Did you perhaps find out who these creatures were before they left?

-Unfortunately, no, at least not everyone because I'm guessing that maybe the Queen AJ can associate some of them... but the ones that didn't can be found too, right, Master Daiki? Or in other words. MASTER OF POOR EVIDENCE! HA!

Master Daiki did not know what to answer because of the shock he had just experienced. A-1 seeing this quickly joined the conversation, she wanted to improvise before her master thought of something.

-It would be possible, you're right Mr. Tenebris. But if we don't know if those definitely did something, it could be a very big waste of time. That's why I suggest focusing on those we know who they are.

-...I understand your reasoning. However, there still may be truth behind those we don't know here!

-Maybe, but I still think it will be better to focus on those about whom anything is known. Unless you want to prolong the investigation unnecessarily.

-I agree with my student. Queen, it will make things easier if you show us who of them you know, maybe they are the ones who just threatened your father? 

-I can check....

Tenebris quickly slid the photograph under Aj's hands. after a moment of intently looking at the silhouettes of the exiting guests, she saw a certain, specific person.

-I recognize one of the demons here. He is wearing the coat of arms of the Magids, those, to say the least, have never gotten along with our family. They are a close family, having risen from the same flame as my parents' parents, and so on...

-You think, Queen, that they might have had something to do with his death?

-... Yes. Definitely yes. They always wanted to take over my father's throne.... maybe-

-Maybe they were trying to pretend to be innocent through this? And in a moment they may attack again, it's dangerous to keep such people at large!

-This is the first time I agree with you, Master Clown Daiki! This family may not want to wait for power anymore.... MAYBE THEY ARE ABOUT TO COME FOR THE WHOLE-

-After my speech, Urana, one of the Magids, came up to me. She said directly that I am not fit for power now, and can she.... help?

-TRAITOR! TRAITOR TO THE NATION! KILL, KILL! KILL- ULTRAKILL-

-Silence Tenebris! But I agree that you need to keep an eye on them, they can attack at any time.

-What about the rest of these individuals? I guess we won't ignore them oh just like that!

-I think you can let the rest go for now, let all forces focus on the most suspicious ones.

-I completely agree queen.

-Well, then, we have the first clues where to look. I am glad that you have approached this matter with due respect, you will certainly be rewarded.

-This is our duty.

-I will notify the other representatives of our discovery. You, I ask you to continue searching and.... possibly check on the Magid family. I authorize you to spy on their every move.

...

Blackjack was sitting anxiously in the cab and breathing heavily. She was looking around and trying to reach Jeremy incessantly. Mike, seeing her in such a state, worried himself, tried to calm her down.

-Blackjack... It won't help if you keep calling. We'll be there in a while and see what happened.

-Maybe, maybe she will answer something after all. Maybe he will at least give a damn signal. Why doesn't he answer... FUCK!

-He's definitely ok, we'll get him out of there if we have to.

Mike gently hugged Blackjack in a further attempt to calm her down,she did not resist however she still looked concerned at the tear-drenched phone screen.

-...I, really don't want anything to happen to him. What if it has already happened. Just, not Jeremy... 

-He's not a stupid guy so he's more likely to manage.

-... Do you promise?

-...Yes.

-...Are you sure?

-...Definitely.

-... It doesn't help anything, but thanks for your efforts.

Blackjack reciprocated the hug very strongly. It lifted her spirits slightlyodź her fear for Jeremy's condition did not diminish one bit.

-Thank you...

...

They arrived near the hospital as quickly as possible. From the outside, it was obvious that something was wrong; a black, glistening ooze could be seen behind the doors of the building. The bright red light from the alarm and the scarlet blood could also be seen from the once clean windows. Blackjack ran straight into the building without hesitation after quickly getting out of the car. Mike was barely able to catch up with her, he tried to call her to him, but that had no effect either, and so they finally separated in the dark and gloomy hospital.

The sound of an alarm siren could be heard everywhere. All the doors to the patients' rooms were ripped open or thrown wide open. There was an intense stench of blood and medicine scattered throughout the facility. The medicine themselves and their smell had an intoxicating effect on Blackjack, but even though she felt weak, she didn't care. The only thing she was looking for in the midst of all this was Jeremy, the only one who mattered right now.

-Who the hell could have attacked him...demons...? No, they don't know about me after all....probably. Wait...that slime looks familiar.

Blackjack knelt down to take a closer look at the smear on the floor, but her vision was too blurred to draw any conclusions. Just as she rose from her knees, she heard heavy metallic footsteps. They moved slowly toward her, giving her time to take cover behind a vine; she had no desire to face her potential attacker any closer.

She tried surreptitiously to see what it actually was, but the light and darkness did not help very much. The thing itself, whatever it was in the corridor was making sounds, surprisingly for her, instead of aggressive and wild sounds, they were sobs and crying whispers.

-No... no... NO NO NO NO NO, this is totally not how it was supposed to be! THIS IS NOT HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! I'm sorry.... sorry... sorry... all of you.... I'M SORRY! I-

-...Jeremy?

Only after a while did it occur to her that she recognized that voice perfectly, she couldn't mistake it for anyone else. She slowly left the place of her hiding place and with a slow step approached Jeremy. He, seeing her, began to shake visibly harder from fright. Blackjack, shocked by such a state of her friend, lightly grabbed his face while gently stroking his cheeks

Blackjack tried to get a little closer to him, but he was clearly moving away in fear.

-There was no one else here.... no one attacked us.... it's my fault.... it. is. my. fault. that. I. called. you. is. my. fault. 

-This... you did this to yourself...? these implants.... Why?

-I... didn't... want... you... to... know... I... .... have a problem... a disease. The ability to move me is slowly disappearing....it cannot be cured, Amelia, I had to do it to myself, this, it can help me....

-This is not your kind of technology, Jeremy.... what are you hiding? I could-

-YOU COULDN'T! you couldn't...the only thing that could help me was...the redemption I got.

-What are you talking about?

-From the sky... on my head .... fell a being that helps me understand, everything. Even what I really am... what I need.... Amelia, you were never there when I needed you, I was the one who always had to help you! You took away the meaning of everything for me when you left. SELFISH! I lived for you, Amelia, I hid it from you.... My life is slowly losing its meaning.

-Jeremy, try to focus! You are not thinking rationally right now! What has fallen on this head is why you are not yourself!

-I am myself. More than ever!

Jeremy's attempt at an attack on Blackjack was a hard fall to the ground, and it was obvious that his whole body was panting as if he was fighting with himself. In the midst of it, he began to repeat one word louder and louder.

-Run... RUN!

Terrified and shocked at the same time, Blackjack began to run down the hallway she was in before. After passing through the first door, she noticed that the next hallway was completely different from the one before. She didn't have much time to think about it because she heard screams and Jeremy's footsteps getting closer and closer. She started to run in any direction she could, getting completely lost and limping through the door, which was lying on the floor. Not knowing which side of the hospital she was on, she hid in one of the patients' rooms, thankfully escaping with her life. With that rather tenuous moment of calm, her emotions finally let go and tears came to her eyes of their own accord.

-Why... why exactly he!? .... Or, no... no... no! There must be a way to save him.... MUST BE!

She sat on the cold floor, helpless. She felt that if she didn't find a way to get Jeremy back to normal, she would probably lose him forever. She wanted to avoid that at all costs, but at the same time she could not think of a possible solution to the problem.

Her thought of a solution was interrupted when she heard footsteps slowly approaching her direction, at which point she realized that she had been talking to herself all this time due to stress.She quickly pulled herself together, picked up the metal tube that was close to her hands, and waited for the right moment...when the footsteps would only get closer to her.

-OU, YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND?!

It was… just Mike.

-I'M SORRY! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to hit you! I...

-I know, I know, I understand. Who were you trying to hit with that? My head is bursting through this pipe. ....

-Head... head! Yes, the head! He mentioned that it fell on his head, we need to get to his head!

-What are you talking about? Are you okay?

-I... I saw Jeremy.

-Oh, that's probably good then, so where is he?

-He...

Blackjack threw the metal tube on the floor and told Mike about the meeting with Jeremy, trying to hold back her emotions and tears. Mike was clearly shocked to hear more and more of the story.

-Something fell on his head.... and it made him "redemption"?

-That is what he said. That something probably also made him put those implants on, strange what was going through his head... he sounded like a complete lunatic. Mike, he was never like this before. Is it still him at all...? what happened to him?

-It could be the fault of a parasite.

-Parasite? No normal parasite takes over the brain, right?

-No, but there is one that specializes in it. Maybe you know Veranders?

-No... what does this thing do?

-In a nutshell, it gets into your brain and weaves a second personality into it. This abomination uses the worst traits of its victim so that the victim often becomes frightened and wild and very aggressive. In such a state, you are not fully aware of everything and cannot control your own body to a large extent. At the same time, the victim has characteristic eyes, the kind that are all black and dilated.

-Sounds familiar... very familiar.

-What do you mean?

-I had to tell you about it. Last night I was attacked by a strange woman. At first she was quite normal, I helped her not to freeze outside, she seemed scared but at the same time quite calm, she did not seem threatening... or crazy. But then she clearly wanted to eat me alive.

-Maybe she is the same spice, this creature does not take over the brain all the time, the victim can regain control, but only for a while... and then it is practically irreversible.

-So if Jeremy has it, we need to get rid of it now! We will find him quickly and...

-Careful Blackjack, it's not as simple as pulling it out like a tick and you're done. This thing, especially when you pull it out, can attack you and start controlling you. This is very dangerous, especially in the current situation.

-I'd rather it control me than him if something happens, he doesn't deserve it! I can get out of it somehow, he can't necessarily....

-...

-Mike, you promised to help, right?

-...And I will keep my word, but we still have to think carefully about how to get to him. Remember, he's still got implants that make him bigger than me and definitely stronger. Which, combined with being a lunatic, might make .... uninteresting.

-Yes, but for that you are stronger than me, and bigger! You'll give me a lift up to him when we stun him with this or that....it's stupid....or I know!

-And then what?

At the same moment she got the idea, Blackjack began to search vigorously through all the shelves of medicine, taking specific packages and vials. After gathering everything she needed, she sat down on the cold tiles and began to mix everything together in exact quantities into a vessel.

-We will drug him. Once he's anesthetized, it'll be easy to get the stuff out of his head.

-You took-

-Yes, I took ketamine plus prolofol, we need ketofol. except for a little pain at the puncture site, he should be fine. 

-I don't have a better idea, so I'm relying on you.

-It's the only way, but he'll need a very small dose. I don't want anything to happen to him, so I'll take care of injecting it into him, you'll have to take cover in the meantime so he doesn't kill you.

-I can go scout for him, you finish it and...

-Something is wrong with this place and everything is not where it should be, I found that out while running away from him.

-So I was right that something was wrong with this hospital. .... What could have caused that?

-Isn't the parasite responsible?

-No. The only thing the parasite is responsible for is the black goo that is spilling everywhere. The parasite is strong, but it can't interfere with anything but its owner. ....

-We will deal with this matter once Jeremy is safe.

After an intense moment of putting it all together, Blackjack poured what she had made into the smallest syringe so that there would only be a decent dose. After tucking it into the pocket of her sweatshirt, she and Mike made their way through the dark corridors of the hospital, listening for Jeremy. After walking down a similar corridor several times, they began to get the uncomfortable feeling that they were walking down the same corridor over and over again. In frustration, they tried to go the opposite way, which turned out to be necessary, for only then did they finally hear the unmistakable, shrill crunch of metal. Jeremy was somewhere nearby, Blackjack heard it, and with an anxious step she went behind Mike's back and began to hold him lightly by the hands of his coat.

-Are you scared?

-...No...No, that's not the point....

-Worried?

-More than ever, I don't want anything to happen to him. 

-Better worry about yourself now. Even if you help him, it will not be better if you have this parasite with you.

-What a sudden worry.... I do not care what happens to me.

-And for me it is the opposite. I've already lost a close friend once, so I don't want to lose the only person I have left of him now.

Mike smiled gently and stroked Amelia's dishevelled hair. Although she did not usually like to be touched, it gave her a surprising amount of confidence, which was needed at this point if everything was to go according to plan. They began to approach the source of the noise. However, they approached slowly enough to avoid any unnecessary footsteps. They could hear a faint scream, which they found extremely frightening in the current situation. Jeremy sat in the middle of the wrecked dining room.

The dining room reeked of fresh blood. The bodies of humans and various creatures were crumpled and twisted into horrible and unnatural poses that made one want to vomit. It was easy to guess that Jeremy was responsible for all this apparent carnage. Worried, Mike turned his gaze to Blackjack, whose face was painted with all sorts of emotions.

-J-Jeremy...why...why you?

-Remember this is not his fault. All he could do was watch....He can't control himself.

-Let's deal with him quickly, I can't see him like this anymore.

-I will go and distract him. Wait for my signal and then do the right thing quickly. Are you ready?

-...Ye, I'm ready.

Mike entered the dining room with an uncertain step, only now realizing what he had just gotten himself into. He started to search the floor for something to hold onto to get Jeremy's attention. He picked up a piece of shabby flooring and after a few steps threw it right at his head.

-YOU... NASTY MONSTER! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD KILL EVERYONE LIKE THAT YOU.... YOU... KANALIO... Damn, I'm terrible at this.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mike felt an inner humiliation after what he had said.  But he stopped thinking about it when he saw that Jeremy slowly stood up with anger in his eyes.

-GET. OUT. OF. HERE!

Mike was attacked with razor-sharp claws, which he dodged quite gracefully, even though he felt he was barely able to do so. After a few more dodges, Mike managed to grab one of Jeremy's hands and momentarily knock him to the ground with a thud. Jeremy was in the perfect position for Blackjack to finally take him down, so without a signal and with strong emotion, she moved to take him down. Mike, seeing this, was lost, so he was finally hit by Jeremy, who hit him behind the door of the dining room with a loud bang.

Jeremy got up and slowly started to walk towards him, but then...

He felt Blackjack hanging on his back, holding him with great force. Without further hesitation, Amelia took the syringe and stuck it into the back of a distracted Jeremy's neck, but even after that, he still managed to grab her leg, causing her to be thrown onto one of the tables. Seeing her, Jeremy began to shake slightly, clearly trying to keep his body from killing her, but only avoiding the inevitable.

-S-Sorry, Amelia... .... I really don't want to do this! I warned you!

Jeremy was already swinging his claws over her. But suddenly they heard a huge roar. Something was running. Very fast.

The strange creature knocked Jeremy to the ground, but instead of focusing on him, tearing him apart, or simply killing him, it moved on in a frenzy. Blackjack was shocked, but seeing this as an opportunity to save Jeremy, she quickly woke up and ran over to him, covered in bruises. Before checking his head, she made sure he was definitely unconscious. After determining that he was stunned, she began rifling through his hair in search of the parasite.

-Rip it out and put it in the jar. -Rip it out and put it in the jar. After all, murder with pleasure. EASY.

She grabbed the tip of the parasite's tail a little hesitantly, and after a moment of hesitation and repeating to herself over and over what she had to do, she was ready for the operation.

-One... Two... THREE!

She grabbed the parasite with a powerful movement. A foul-smelling black goo began to fly from Jeremy's head, and the parasite itself, clearly wondering what was happening, tried to wrap itself around Blackjack's hand. Amelia managed to quickly finish it off, slapping its writhing body with her metal hand and dropping it into the jar without a second thought. It was all over now, she managed. She sighed in relief and began to look at the parasite in the jar as it wriggled madly and began to threaten Blackjack with its teeth. This creature was, in her opinion, far too conscious for a mere parasite.

-... What a nasty abomination, and on top of that, ill-mannered. May you die as soon as possible. Anyway, it doesn't matter now.

She put the glass down and looked worriedly at Jeremy. There was already an immediate improvement in his face, it finally seemed to be the same as before, she gently removed the syringe from his neck, laid his head in her lap and began to stroke him.

-It's all right Jer...it's going to be okay...you're safe now.

She snuggled his head against hers, her emotions already overtaking her, and she was flooded with tears, but this time they were of happiness. Although she had always appreciated Jeremy, this was the first time she felt so strongly how much he really meant to her, and every moment she couldn't be with him hurt even more. She sat with him for a long time, thinking and waiting for him to wake up, but suddenly she heard footsteps coming towards her.

-Mike? Is that you? I managed to save Je-.

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt something hit her hard. It was a heavy metal tonfa, glowing with electricity. It knocked her to the ground almost instantly.

...

-General, we managed to find a suspect .... However, there is another problem.

~Is her accomplice with her?

-Not exactly. I just found our decoy with her. She snatched Vandere from our bait. Anything we can do about that?

~I advise against it Lieutenant, it can be dangerous, leave the bait and bring the target, the accomplice will be taken care of later.

-I understand, out.

Yey! I did it!