#long pike hollow

[arclundarchivist]

Pike awakens after a soft kiss on the forehead, deep in mourning and a whisper, “I am sorry my dear one, but you are needed.”

Kash’s arm itches, as a dark whisper that he has long ignored breathes directly in his ear: “One last job, my husband.”

Opal cries in her sleep as cold hands cup her chin and wrap around her sister's mouth, "You wanted me to do some good, didn't you, little one? Help me then."

Dariax stares into the fire, feeling a hollowness he can't quite explain. There is something bad coming.

Jester gets a knock at her door as a panicked man dressed in green barrages into her home: “Jester! We’ve got trouble!”

A continent apart, two brothers look skyward, one amidst softly lapping waves another under curse dapples leaves, a soft feminine voice stating, “My children, I am sorry but you must stand again.”

Thunder booms, she sits in her garden, her heart mad with worry and grief.

“Rise, and take up your blade. The fight has come.” He booms.

And as she thinks of her love, she rises to face the oncoming storm.

The Red End Comes.

Rise Warriors of Exandria.

For Hate Batters at the Divine Gate.

[howtofightwrite]

(Apologies if this is outside your normal ask) why weren't weapons like spears and pikes made entirely out of bronze/iron/whatever metal the army used?

Since (depending on the army) many of them are already given a sword as a sidearm, is also having a spear made out of iron (so it won't break as easily) too expensive? Or is it a weight issue?

I'm pretty sure I've seen a few that were, but they're fairly rare. Weight is a serious consideration, especially for bronze weapons, but that wasn't the real problem.

Ironically, the wooden shaft is sturdier than an equivalently sized iron or bronze shaft would have been. A major problem for longswords in the early iron age was that they tended to bend from use. There's even a Roman account from combat with the Celts, where the Celts were using bronze longswords, and had to re-straighten their weapons on the battlefield because they were becoming bent and breaking.

In fact the Romans specifically designed a non-reusable javelin (the pilum), which exploited this issue. The pilum had an abnormally long head (roughly 60cm) When the pilum struck its target, the head would bury into the target normally, but the weight of the grip would cause the iron shaft to deform, rendering the weapon unusable.

The other side of this is that, as mentioned, wood is a lot tougher than people seem to think. I'm not sure where this idea that you could just casually chop through someone's spear with a sword came from, but as anyone who's ever tried to chop down a tree can tell you, yes in a fight between wood and metal, metal will win, but it takes a lot of effort to get there. Cutting through someone's spear with a single slice just isn't happening. That's not how wood works, and that's not how swords work. Though, attempting to do so is a good way to mangle your blade.

Wooden spear shafts were reasonably durable, and easy to replace. Bronze or iron shafts were neither.

Eventually, I think this was the 19th century, hollow steel shafts were used by cavalry. At that point in time you were looking at shafts that were significantly more durable than the wooden ones, and were cheap enough to produce that they could be easily fielded. Unfortunately, this only lasted a few decades until the proliferation of fully automatic firearms ended cavalry charges definitively. In another bit of irony, the technological advancement that allowed for effective metal spear shafts, is the same advancement that rendered them obsolete.

I think there were some iron reinforced shafts used by some cavalry forces before that, but I can't remember (nor can I quickly find) who might have been using those.

These days, hollow aluminum shafts are pretty common in javelins, and arrows, and they are generally superior to wooden shafts, however, the method to produce metallic aluminum wasn't discovered until the 19th century.

So, the short answer, wooden shafts were better. They were sturdier and easier to replace.

-Starke

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[absurdthirst]

Kinktober 2023: October 24th

Day 24: Bratty Sub, Anal/Oral Training, Caging

Marcus Pike x F!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 812

Warnings: Caging, collaring, dom/sub dynamic, nude reader/clothed Marcus, oral (male receiving), praise

|| Kinktober List || MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

There’s always a slight rattle to the door, giving you time to look over. To reposition yourself the way that you know he prefers you to be sitting. The way a good girl greets him. 

The bars of the cage are wide enough for you to stick your hand through. Comfortable enough that you can lay down when you curl up or sit up without feeling cramped. It was a very nice enclosure. You could definitely have worse. 

Your collar tinkles slightly, the bell at the hollow of your throat is one that you had been embarrassed about when he had clipped it around your throat. Making him aware every time you move. It’s impossible to keep from moving when he’s thrusting into your body, filling you with his cock so hard you rock forward. 

Coming to your hands and knees, you tilt your head down, keeping your eyes on the space right in front of the cage that he will be standing in just a few moments. The door swings open quietly, just a whisper of sound and then a pleased hum makes your cunt clench. He likes when you obey him without any reminding of what you need to do. Obviously today you had been positioned perfectly. 

“Good girl.” Your entire body lights up, listening to the praise and the soft sound of his steps as he comes closer. He always moves so quietly, it’s not a heavy tread to make you wary but a soft step that has you yearning for his presence. His feet come into view, still wearing socks but he’s obviously removed his shoes. Still dressed in his smart suit pants and you wonder if he has to leave. 

He is probably looking down, most likely is. Admiring the way your naked body is presented to him. You don’t move, trying to keep the bell quiet and be the door girl that he had praised when he walked in. 

Your cage is your safe space. All the anxiety from the outside word is left outside the door of the metal crate. The lock protects you from what is beyond. Your worries are limited to just what pleases him and nothing else. 

“Eyes up.” You eagerly start to lift your eyes from where they were focused on his socked feet. Sliding up his thighs and over his groin, his cock already hard underneath the layers that separate him from you. Your pussy throbs and he must know that because he hums again. 

Continuing up his chest, covered in a snow white dress shirt and a tie that’s already been pulled loose from the knot at his throat, the tails hang loose, making him look even more handsome and slightly disheveled. The slight stubble that he complained about growing out because it itched, but he also preferred it over the smooth cheeked look that he had sported for a long time. You think that either look is sexy on him and say so when he asks you. 

Over the aquiline nose that he hates and you adore, up to his warm, melted caramel eyes. Eyes that can appear darker when he’s upset or angry, but now they are soft, focused on you and betraying the lust that is swimming in them. 

“Hello, pet.” He chuckles as he reaches down and flicks open the belt around his waist. “You have been so good for me today, haven’t you?” 

You nod, eager to show him that you will continue to be good. “Yes sir.” You whisper quietly. 

“It’s so good to see that you didn’t try to escape.” He smirks slightly at the lock that is on the door, preventing you from getting out even if you wanted to. “I always love when my good girl stays put. Enjoys the nice little spot that I’ve made for you. Isn’t it nice?” 

“Yes sir.” You nod quickly again, agreeing with him. 

Marcus pulls his cock out and pumps it a few times in his hands as he shuffles closer and slides it through the opening in the bars of the cage he has you in. “Continue being a good girl and suck daddy’s cock and I’ll let you out to fuck you this time.” He promises, deciding that he won’t fuck you through the cage like he had the last few times. You deserve a treat for not trying to get out. You deserve to come out for a few hours. 

His cock twitches and he looks down expectantly. “Open that pretty mouth, sweetheart, daddy wants to cum.” 

You moan and open your mouth obediently, eager to do exactly what he wishes so Marcus will let you out. He will keep his word. He always does. Despite the fact that Marcus Pike keeps you in a cage, he treats you like his perfect little pet and you love it. “Good girl.” 

[sushisocks]

Okay, another Sean and Lenny meta post, this time also featuring some stuff about Javier. I wanna talk about why I think Sean and Lenny would side with Arthur at the end of RDR2, and bring forth all my reasoning as to why I will die on this hill.

Rant under the read more to spare my mutuals. (Fair warning this is a LONG one babes, there is so much meta)

So, to start, I don't actually think the story of RDR2 would look the same, if at all, were Sean and Lenny not to die their scripted deaths. Even in a version of things where they survive and they go to the same camps, the unfolding of events would by necessity be different due to the impact their personalities and frames of thinking would have on the people around them. However, let's for arguments sake say that in this hypothetical, things are mostly the same, and we're down to that last scene in Beaver Hollow, the last showdown, with Dutch and Micah on one side, and Arthur and John on the other. We know where Javier and Bill go, but where would Sean and Lenny gravitate?

I've already made my stance on the matter clear, so let's really get into why I think Lenny and Sean would choose Arthur's side over Dutch's.

First off, I think it's important to remember that it isn't JUST Dutch vs Arthur, in this scene. In its essential form, it is Dutch & Micah vs Arthur & John. Arthur points at Micah as the rat, and Dutch believes Micah over Arthur. John arrives and accuses Dutch for leaving him to bleed out and die, and Arthur believes John -- not that Dutch denies it.

The point here is, though, that it's not JUST Dutch or Arthur, they're choosing. It is also the people who side with those individuals, whom we must take into account.

Sean and Lenny are canonically Micah-haters, if you will. There are several instances throughout the game, while the two are alive, where they loudly proclaim their dislike of Micah. Sean calling him an 'oily turd' and getting offended at being compared to him, is a near and dear line from the game, for me. And I doubt I have to explain why Lenny isn't besties with the most outwardly racist member of the gang.

"Oh, but Teki!" I hear you say. "Javier is also shown to dislike Micah, and yet he sides with Dutch in the end!" And, see, now you have activated my trap card, so let's really take a look at Javier, before going any further.

Javier is among the most loyal members of the gang -- Arthur literally says this as a camp interaction with him, long before chapter 5 or 6. The fact that Arthur is the one saying it, should tell us something -- this is coming from the man whose loyalty is such a strong character trait it turns into a flaw, and ultimately leads to his demise. And if you think about it, Javier being exceedingly loyal - to the gang, to Dutch - should not be surprising!

When Dutch met Javier, Javier didn't even know English. Javier was starving, on the run, with no safety or know-how, in a country he didn't know nor understand. Javier's story with the gang literally STARTS with Dutch saving him. He is brought into the gang, and in the four years he's there, he is taught English and also shown more respect and compassion than many other places in the US at the time. There are many examples of how Javier is treated as a Mexican in the US, throughout the game, and he, like the other POC in the gang, is allowed to stand up for himself and punish other gang members who slight him (Micah and Bill, in particular). In many ways, Dutch provides through the gang a safety net Javier probably didn't even dream of achieving when he crossed the border.

And then Guarma happens.

I, personally, cannot overstate enough how much I think Javier's experiences on Guarma reinforce his loyalty and blind faith in Dutch. He is tortured, ridiculed, and humiliated, and who is it that opens that cage door and literally pulls Javier out of it all? Carries him over his shoulder out of a compound of Cubans that would rather see their heads on pikes?

You guessed it, it's Dutch. Yes, Arthur does a lot of the heavy lifting, but let's be real - Dutch is the one who gets the credit, as usual. He made the plan, after all, and notably, he IS actually the one grabbing Javier and hauling him out of there.

That means, that the two times we know of, where Javier has been at his absolute worst, Dutch is the one who has saved him. Javier, who is so loyal even Arthur acknowledges the immensity of it. So who is then surprised that he doubles down even harder, when they return to the US, and things take a turn for the worse in Beaver Hollow?

In that moment, at the end of chapter 6, Javier cares more about siding with Dutch, than he cares about Dutch siding with Micah.

And I'll argue a similar case for Bill; he has speeches, camp events, where he straight up says Dutch saved him, saved the people of the gang. This is literally The Thing, with these two, that makes their choices at the end really make sense, in my eyes.

It's also important to note that Javier is literally the most clueless among them when he makes that choice. He wasn't there for most of the conversation leading up to it -- he literally just came from being on watch, to warn them about the encroaching Pinkertons. And, as everyone knows, he doesn't point his gun at Arthur and John, and he nor Bill are there for the horse chase scene, blah blah, those points have been done a million times, you already know them.

"Okay, but Teki," you say, trying to reason with my rambling fanatic self. "How do you know Lenny and Sean wouldn't go down similar paths, if they survived past their scripted deaths?" And I say onto you, verily; because neither of them really have similar savior stories with Dutch, thematically.

I mean for goodness' sake, Sean tried to ROB Dutch and Hosea, upon meeting them intially. They just liked his guts and invited him along, and Sean was like, 'shit why not, aint got nothin better to do!' - paraphrased, of course, but in my heart of hearts that's what he said.

All we know definitely with Lenny is that he joined the gang while traversing the Grizzlies, the year before the events of the game. Whether it was a savior situation or a mutually beneficial situation, isn't actually fully known. We can make assumptions and speculate until we're all blue in the face, but I have stronger points for Lenny's case so let's move on.

So, as I've talked about before, Lenny is acknowledged as among the smarter members of the gang, despite his youth. He is one of the only ones who intellectually challenges Dutch, and he is clearly not afraid to criticise Dutch's ideas and ideals -- when prompted.

(Side note, as I said at the start but want to really emphasize here, I really think chapter 6 is the one that would be the most impacted by Lenny's survival. He has shown himself remarkably aware of societal issues contemporary to his time, so look me in the eyes and tell me you genuinely believe he, as a black man, wouldn't attempt to intervene in some way when Dutch starts fucking with the Wapiti. That kid has balls of steel and audacity up the whazoo, and he's excruciatingly aware of how black people in the US have been royally fucked over by white men. You think he'd see the Wapiti struggling, Dutch scheming, and be like 'oh yay more white man shenanigans! lets go!' ?? bffr!)

Lenny ALSO is among the newer members of the gang; it provides him safety and respect that's hard found outside it, yes, but in my opinion he straight up does not have enough cost sunk into this fallacy, for it to fallacy properly in his head, if you catch my drift. I think if it's not for the fact that he has genuine bonds with people in the gang by the time chapter 6 rolls around, like Charles and Sadie do at that point, he probably would be smart enough to dip, like other characters do.

And that's sort of the thing, too, with both Lenny and Sean. They don't actually have daddy issues in the same way Arthur and John do.

Lenny and Sean are very similar in that they had good relationships with their fathers, and are proud of their parentage -- what wisdom and teachings their fathers managed to impart upon their sons before passing, has stuck with them. They are not in need of a new father figure, and they certainly do not seek it in Dutch(nor Hosea), not like Arthur and John do.

They find a sense of brotherhood in the gang, sure, and they view the other members as family (you can pry their little brother statuses from my cold dead hands), but Dutch is their leader, not their guardian, not their teacher, and certainly not anything close to a father, in their eyes. The fact that Lenny discusses literature with him is indicative of this -- the conversation is one of opinion between would-be equals, not of mentor and protege. The fact that Dutch only really seems interested in Sean as far as he serves as camp clown is also indicative of how Sean might feel about him, too. Dutch literally yells at Sean for taking a break from being the silly goofy distraction, in one camp interaction -- and from the way Sean talks about him, I don't think that sort of behavior has a lot of fatherly associations for the 'irish terrier'.

And that leads us to my pièce de résistance, dear fellow cowboy maniacs (you must be, if you've read thus far). Lenny and Sean are both closer, and friendlier with Arthur, than they are with Dutch. Example: Both of them poking fun at Arthur in ways they do not with Dutch. Sean telling Arthur he loves him - like an insane amount of times. Lenny chooses Arthur to go riding with, time and time again.

And guess what? When we see Sean and Lenny at their lowest, who is it that helps them out?

If you answered Arthur Morgan, give yourself a pat on the back and a gold star sticker!

We are literally introduced to Sean while Arthur leads Javier and Charles into saving him from bounty hunters. Arthur is the one cutting him down from that tree, bringing him upright, making sure he is okay. Arthur is also the one who saves him from being shot to death on the train robbery in Pouring Forth Oil. When Lenny comes to tell the gang about Micah being in jail in Strawberry, he has also just narrowly escaped being lynched, and it is Arthur who brings him away from that experience, calms him down and allows him to relax and let loose again.

Both Sean and Lenny have a deeper, more profound connection to Arthur, than they have Dutch. And consequently, if they were to survive until the end of chapter 6 and were the then much-more-unlikely showdown scene to happen, they would certainly not side with Dutch & Micah, over Arthur & John.

[papabirdurskeks]

"Precursor" Anatomy

Well, once again I spent some months working here and there on some new headcanons no one asked for BUT here they are!

Some random anatomy headcanons on the Witness's People! To expand upon my previous posts!

-Be warned, this will be a LONG post-

The bones:

To start, we go to the basics, aka the main structure of it all, the skeleton. When looking at the skeleton of a "Precursor" (if one is able to), one will note that is it humanoid in shape save for a few differences here and there. They stand upright on two feet and have a single set of arms and legs akin to that of a human. But when looking for those differences, one will see a few of them. The skeleton is almost a gray blue in color, the teeth just slightly lighter while the base of the skull and parts of the neck are darker as shown in this basic viewing of the skull.

The skeleton's coloration comes from the fact that becomes stained overtime with the individual's blood, which is noted to be a rich, deep blue in color and highly potent in smell. This potent blood can be extremely dangerous to other species, toxic even as it was a primary defense against animals that would try to prey on them. While now they are apex predators of their homeworld, they keep this trait as they evolve to keep others at bay to try and do them harm.

This is why it's also always hard to find a full skeleton to study as most individuals are cremated upon death to avoid the toxic blood from pooling out and aerating into public spaces.

The eye sockets are also large and hollow to house the large eyes they possess as it both aids them from bright and almost blinding lights as well as being able to see in near pitch-black darkness. The top of the skull is lined with hard, boney crests that protect their heads from heavy blunt force damage, adding an extra layer of protection to the brain. Yet, the base of the skull almost appears hallowed and riddled with grooves, looking rather brittle to the touch. Yet, despite its brittle appearance, the bone is just as strong as the rest of the skeleton. This hallowed out base allows for the brain and extensive nervous system to fix itself comfortably about the individual's body; the grooves offering an opening for the growing nerve tendrils that sprout as they age.

The teeth on the skull suggest an omnivorous diet among the people, with the frontal teeth bearing sharper for grasping and shredding flesh and plant material while the back helps to grind down the tougher parts of said meals. However, their jaw strength is comparable to a human's, loosing strength over time as they no longer eat their meals raw as they had much earlier times. Yet, the still are sharp and tough enough to garner damage to any foolish individual to stick their hands or fingers in their mouths.

The skull is held up by a thin yet long neck, lined with nerve pikes at the bases to keep that connection with their extensive nervous system. These nerve pikes are extremely sensitive when they are connected to the nervous tissue, allowing a proper means of reaction time when situations go astray. Along the bottom of the jaw is also an extended piece of cartilage-like bone that lines itself along the neck for extra mobility and flexibility of said neck while also giving it the needed support to keep the head up.

Hands and Feet:

Next in connection to the skeleton is that of the hands and feet. While they do the same things any other creatures would do for them and bear similar characteristics to humans, they also harbor their differences as well.

All "Precursors" are born with the simple hand structure just like humans, four fingers and an opposable thumb on each to help them grip and hold items with ease. Yet, these hands also hold a few unique traits different from that of humans. Their feet are also quite different in structure as well, being partly digitigrade in formation as they walk solely on their toes and front of their feet. Each foot is lined with three large, clawed toes.

Yet, upon birth, infants are born without their trademark "claws" on both hands and feet.

Instead, the tips of their fingers and toes are lined with an extra layer of thick skin covering these "claws" as it keeps them from damaging their parent during the birthing process. These "claws" do not grow out until the infant reaches about 4-5 months in age, in which they soon begin to experience a "peeling process". This process is extremely painful for the infant, akin to teething if one could put it, as the skin begins to break apart and pull back to reveal the "claw" beneath it. These "claws" are actually the bones of the tips of their fingers and toes, sharpened out and hardened over time to give them their trademark defenses dating back to the earliest days of their ancestors.

Along with the fingers and toes, a "heel spike" will also form in the back of the foot at the base of the ankle. This provides an extra means of defense for the individual as they grow older with age.

And once they reach adulthood, these claws will be the most important and deadliest pieces of personal weaponry for the people against any threat they come across.

Fully formed claws will be completely pitch-black in color and hardened like stone, unable to break easily despite it being bone. These claws allow for easier grasp of objects and surfaces alike alongside their defenses. At the wrist there is also a small spike that forms as an individual gets older. While not as prominent as the heel spike, this little spike adds an extra means of defense IF one is able to land a blow on their foe, stunning them enough to make them step back if hit hard enough. Again, this is an old evolutionary call back to the earliest days of their ancestors.

Each hand and foot is lined with dark lines that resemble stripes. These stripes are actually nerves beneath the skin that line along the rest of their bodies, giving them a bit of extra feeling in their fingers and toes when touching with the skin itself or when picking up vibrations through the bone; allowing the body to react when signals are sent to the brain to alert it of what is going on.

"Hair" and Emotive Responses:

And in speaking of their nervous system, now is a good time to take a look at the tendrils on their heads that often resembles hair to outside species.

When looking at the "hair" on their heads, one would find that this is not hair but in fact tendrils connected to the base of their skull and back of the neck. These tendrils serve as an extension of their nervous system in being able to read their surroundings as well as emote themselves more discreetly. Each tendril is connected to an ultra-sensitive nerve spike that also connects directly to the brain, which in turn feeds the brain the proper information when receiving signals of its surroundings. And as an individual grows older with age, the nerve spikes grow along the tendrils to give them more time and means to better understand their surroundings.

This in turn also allows for an individual to regulate their emotive reactions, keeping emotions discreet to outsiders who may often see them as "cold" or apathetic.

However, this is more of a misunderstanding when it comes to communication between different species. As the "Precursors" have evolved to be discreet over time, they found different ways to express themselves that only those within their own species would easily understand. This reasoning for this silence communication can be found in this post here.

Yet, sometimes there are other indicators that can show to others when one is feeling expressive in their emotions. In times of happiness or joy, tendrils tend to wave about in an almost shy sort of way, the ends twisting about themselves as if they were tickled by their happiness. Others express their joy or affections to one another by entwining their tendrils with another, bonding with said person in a deeply emotional moment that can be shared between them. When angered or stressed, their skin dulls and their tendrils twitch as if they were the rattles of a snake's tail. And in times of extreme sadness or stress, their tendrils will curl close to their breast or twitch about manically as if trying to seek some semblance of self-comfort in their ordeal.

The natural markings on their bodies also tend to darken in their stress as well, indicating that they are not feeling well in the situation they are in. The same of their tendrils as they darken with color in high times of stress. Black tears will usually accompany an individual who is under extreme pressures of emotion, appearing almost ink like as it runs down their long features.

It is unknown as to why their tears are black, but some speculate that it was once an old defense mechanism in the early days of their evolution that helped keep predators at bay in which they would actually spray these "tears" at the faces of said threat to temporarily blind them and give them time to escape. Others speculate it is because they have become emotionally discreet that the tears can blend into their natural markings to give them less of an emotive appearance.

Body Markings:

And lastly come that of the markings on the body. While most of the markings are explained here and here, there is some additional info to be put about them when looking at the "Precursors".

One will note that the majority of the species almost looks to have the striped variety placed upon their being, lining the very same extensive nervous system that keeps them connected to their natural surroundings. But sometimes, there are few that are born with traits that go back to their ancestral roots and stay with them even long after these genes have not been seen in many.

When most "Precursors" are born, they harbor particular markings on the face around the eyes and nose that usually indicate their age. However, some adults keep these markings even well beyond the time of childhood. As adults back in their earlier days of their ancestors used to carry this trait as it kept their eyes and noses further protected from the intensity of the sun(s), the traits were eventually lost over time during the Golden Age Era when life was seemingly better off. But as time goes on and evolution takes it course, this trait seems to have made a comeback among some families.

Freckles are also another trait that is less commonly seen, doting the very stripes of their bodies to give them a unique speckled look. The variety of both traits depends entirely on the genetic makeup of an individual and will look vastly different from person to person.

Yet, as previously stated, markings do play a crucial role in communication between the species. And when one falls ill or is close to death, others will note that their markings are hardly to be seen, giving them an entirely ghostly appearance of pale skin. This usually indicates that their systems are failing them and are in dire need of medical attention or at the peak of death. Others who harbor severe depression also go through this, essentially pushing their systems into a state of unwillingness to live.

If noticed in time, others can be able to aid them and bring them back to health, offering a variety of comforts to make their last moments easier to go in peace or help them get better; a trait that is once again, predated back to the times of their earliest ancestors.

---

Okay, this is all I have for the moment but I am sure along the way I will have more. Sorry I had to keep a lot of the sketches basic but with my new job, I don't get as much time to do things when I want to. BUT, I do hope this helps in getting across some of the ideas I've had lingering about and why I do the things I do with my art and headcanons!

Just remember, these are purely headcanons and are to be as such especially for my stories! Its all meant in good fun! c:

[startrekfangirl2233-fic-recs]

Spirk Recommended Fic Masterlist

James Tiberius Kirk x S'chn T'gai Spock (A.K.A The Space Husbands)

Key:

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

☁️ - Fluff

💢 - Angst

🍬 - Sweet

📚 - Multi-Chapter

You and I by  @krazzeeaj1701 (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Despite what they've both told themselves for years, Jayme and Spock can't actually live without each other. Or, the one where Spock left more than just Vulcan behind after that meeting.

Papers in the Roadside by @kianspo  (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬

Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control.

Veritas by theproblematique (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Captain James T. Kirk and Lieutenant Commander Spock are hereby charged with negligence and wanton misconduct due to their emotional compromise with each other.

Leave No Soul Behind by whochick (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

If you're Starfleet, you spend your whole life wishing you never see an EPAS uniform right up until the moment they become your only hope. Whether you're dying a slow, cold death in space, or a long painful one on some godforsaken planet, they're going to come for you. So count your last breaths, son, and hold on tight. They leave no soul behind.

Bluebird by @waldorph (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬

“Jim Kirk.” Jim whipped around so fast most of his drink ended up on Spock, who was reaching for the phaser that wasn’t there. The Enterprise crew was parting like the biblical seas before Moses, and Jim could feel the temperature dropping. “Mom,” Jim croaked.

Measure of Happiness by @writeonclara (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

When Spock chose Starfleet over the Vulcan Science Academy, he had not anticipated cohabiting with the most illogical, irrational, emotional human he ever met.

On the flip side, Jim never asked for a Vulcan chaperone, especially one as snotty as Spock, son of Sarek.

A Starfleet Academy AU in which Spock adapts to human life, Jim learns very, very quickly never to play a prank on a Vulcan, and there are far too many people after Jim Kirk's life.

AT THE SAME STARS by spicyshimmy (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

First Officer Spock of the USS Enterprise is part of the away team that discovers the survivors of Tarsus IV. Captain Pike assigns him to the curious case of James Tiberius Kirk, who steals one of Spock's sweaters. There were no sufficient Vulcan poetics to describe the emptiness of the colony as it was found on the morning of stardate 2249.43. The fully-completed residential sector was neither ugly nor beautiful but simply remote; a hollow landscape of metal alloys and sensible architecture, with determined vegetation growing alongside the support beams. They did not flower.

cast out fear by @s0mmerspr0ssen (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Kirk saves Vulcan from Nero at high cost to himself. It falls to Spock to pick up the pieces.

Something Smart to Do by @kianspo (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬

In which Jim finds himself fake-married to his first officer every other month. It's not his fault. Mostly. Dowries and Klingons are involved. Starfleet is decidedly not amused.

Atlas by @distractedkat (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning.

A novel-length continuation of the 2009 movie told in four parts. Cross-posted from FFN.

West of the Moon by @distractedkat (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

They meet Jim in phases, and through him find each other. Once the layers begin to peel back, though, the future bridge crew of the Enterprise finds more than they ever could have dreamed. When the fight to keep him starts in earnest, the cadets and officers of Starfleet begin to learn that not all wars can be won.

Because long before he had friends, Jim had Family, and the Scaretta crime syndicate didn't survive to the 23rd century by letting go of its own.

Jim Kirk will always be a frustration to Spock--even when that's not his name.

a sequence that you never learned by annataylor (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

"'Spock,' Jim breathes out, completely overwhelmed by the gesture—not quite believing that Spock knows him so well, that's he's already started researching, that he trusts Jim with a member of his own endangered species."

When Jim gets it in his head to adopt an eight year old Vulcan, Spock presents a logical solution to the issue of Jim's humanity: marriage to a Vulcan citizen.

The Genetic Soap Opera (or, One of the Less Dignified Royal Weddings) by waketosleep (AO3) ☁️ 🍬

Turns out Jim Kirk's more than meets the eye, genetically speaking. There are a lot of consequences, mostly for Spock and his sanity.

Treasures by @yeaka (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 🍬 📚

Sometimes the other Vulcans wonder how Spock managed to obtain such an exotic bondmate, and sometimes Spock wonders himself.

Helloooo, Nurse! by @lalazeewrites (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬

Jim Kirk is the only male nurse on the Enterprise. He’s also the only one with any experience with Vulcan biology. You can guess who he’s been assigned to.

Antigravity by sinestrated (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬

Five times Spock was surprised by the brilliance of Kirk's mind, and one time he totally saw it coming.

Please don't touch the Vulcans by @museaway (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬

The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it.

master of a nothing place by strzyga (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬

Jim wakes as the birds fall silent. Beside him, Spock is still asleep, eyes twitching beneath the lids. His eyelashes are thick and dark against his cheekbones, and there is the faintest green flush to his skin, delicate like the flesh of a melon. Jim's breath hitches. Heat washes over his skin. He'd always noticed, academically, that Spock was attractive. This is different. He knows what Spock's dick feels like, knows how the blanket of dark fur on his chest feels when it scrapes against Jim's back.

Things will never be the same. He has already been irrevocably transformed.

Miscommunication by sinestrated (AO3) ☁️ 🍬

Jim's brain gets scrambled during an away mission gone wrong, with interesting results.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) by @kianspo (AO3) ☁️ 🍬

In which Spock contemplates the laws of attraction and realizes what a slippery slope that is only after he has already fallen. There's no help for him now.

Though My Soul May Set In Darkness by @pastmydancingdays (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Six months into the Five Year Mission, the Enterprise has reached the outskirts of the known galaxy, and its Captain has fallen ill. With a growing sense of unease, and increasing desperation, Spock takes it upon himself to manage both the ship, and Jim’s failing health, determined to save them both.

Because Khan’s blood was never going to be a permanent solution.

Entering Orbit by @museaway (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch.

K'diwa: A Steamy Novel of Interspecies Romance, by Jim Kirk by @branwyn-says (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Jim wrote a romance novel just to prove he could. Then someone leaked it on the public Starfleet server, and suddenly his embarrassingly smutty and sentimental Human/Vulcan love story is all over campus. Luckily for Jim, no one knows that he’s the author. Unluckily for Jim, someone forwarded the novel to the staff of the Vulcan embassy. Now, every Vulcan in San Francisco is reassessing the logical merits of taking Human bondmates.

Spock reads a Human/Vulcan romance novel because he can hardly avoid it. Suddenly, he is consumed by the need to locate the author, ascertain their wellbeing, and instruct them in the way of Vulcan mating bonds. Luckily for Spock, it doesn't take long to identify the author as Jim Kirk. Unluckily for Spock, Jim is unconscious and surrounded by interested Vulcans who also read the book.

Echolocation by Darksknight (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬

Kirk and Spock don’t realize that they’ve bonded right away. The rest of the crew is a different story.

So Wise We Grow by @youhideastar (AO3) ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

"Commander Spock, we have located your son," the Vulcan lady on the screen says, which would be great, except Jim can tell by the look on Spock's face that he's never heard of this kid before in his life. "If it is expedient, the child will be sent to join you on the Enterprise within the week."

The Trouble With Vulcan-Human Hybrids by quantumgirl (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

A story in which Spock and Kirk meet their future children when accidental time travel happens. Future Spock and Kirk have twin children, a son and daughter, who each take after their parents in unique ways. After a bit of an accident, the two children are thrown into an Enterprise where Dad and Father are still only coworkers, learning how to get along with each other. ......

“He’s got hobgoblin blood, too.” McCoy shook a vial of green blood for them to see.

Kirk had finally set the PADD down, at the foot of Spock’s hospital bed. “So he’s half me and half Vulcan?” Kirk’s eyes flicked over Spock’s face. “Is this a joke?”

“I was going to ask you that,” McCoy shrugged at Jim. “You have yourself here a Vulcan-Human hybrid...a Vulcan-Kirk hybrid.”

THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS by spicyshimmy (AO3) ❤️‍🔥 ☁️ 💢 🍬 📚

Prince S'chn T'gai Spock of Vulcan, engaged to Prince James Tiberius Kirk of Earth through an arrangement made by their parents many years ago, writes to his intended on the day of his birth in the interest of diplomacy. Jim is not interested in diplomacy. Though there is no precedent set for the commencement of a written correspondence begun due to these specific parameters, I will strive to maintain, to the best of my abilities and with ample preparatory research previously conducted, the appropriate level of formality between us, based on a number of factors, primarily examples of a similar nature.

[legacieswcrp]

LORE DROP: RED-TUSK AND THE PATRON OF TACTICS

StormClan left Tallrock to settle in a new camp among the meadows and moors to the south generations ago, but this was not a decision the Clan made lightly. Much blood had been spilled in taking and protecting the territory, generations come and gone never knowing another place as home, but when a wild boar descended on the Clan, sick and hungry and more violent than any creature StormClan had ever seen, whispers of curses and punishment for past crimes quickly spread among those precious few who survived the massacre.

It was Antlerstar who led his devastated Clan in putting the beast out of its misery with cunning rather than might, venerated today as the soul of StormClan strategy.

As the years following the war with the Fallen dragged on and StormClan learned more about their outcast neighbors, guilt festered deep in the hearts of many cats. As descendants of the cats who loved and lost in those halcyon days between peaceful factions lived, grew, and built families of their own, the Fallen's absence became a more personal tragedy. Where once, speaking of StormClan's former allies would have been a risk, a radical act, as time went on sympathy for the exiled kindred became commonplace. Most had some measure of connection to the Fallen, be it through family ties or growing respect for Tallrock's original stewards, and StormClan's remorse for the extreme cruelty enacted under Rimestar took center stage before long in discussions of that conflict. Glory, wartime leader of the Fallen during the war, became a mythical figure of sorts in his own right in StormClan, a beacon of justice against oppression who, when the chips were down, put the safety of his kin over the honor of victory.

It was in the throes of this political shift in StormClan that a boar found its way into the Tallrock territories. The records were hazy, but StormClan had encountered these animals before - this one, though, was different. A massive, senior brute which had fought and survived for a long time and which bore the scars to prove it. Something was wrong with the creature, though; it was starving, disoriented, unpredictable. Before long, it had wandered up to Tallrock...and then it found StormClan's camp.

The encounter was nothing short of a massacre. Warrior after warrior rose up to challenge the one-eyed animal, and one by one they fell under hoof and tusk. None had seen a boar in their lifetime, nor their parents in theirs, and StormClan was utterly unprepared to fight back against one, cornered within the hollow they called home as it picked them off in a panicked frenzy. The cats who survived, their deputy Antlershade among them, managed to flee to the moorland below, where they sheltered as well as they could under heather and gorse.

The boar was a threat that could not be ignored. Antlershade, inventive and eccentric, proposed a counter-strategy; claws and teeth would not kill a boar, but they had all heard the stories about how the Fallen had once hunted them. They needed to skewer it somehow, pierce its heart with some manner of pike.

StormClan rallied up and, doubtful of his idea but with nothing else to try, moved to the woodlands to the west, where they labored together to prepare the trap. With their weapon in place - a fallen pine tree, stripped of as many branches as they could get - Antlerstar led the last of StormClan's warriors out to seek the boar and lure it into a chase. The plan worked so well that it had made it all look easy; the boar impaled itself on the concealed tree, tore forward after the cats who had so artfully enraged it until, blocked by the tree's remaining branches, the boar's struggles finally ceased.

As the dust settled and StormClan returned to their ruined camp, an idea quickly took hold: this boar, Red-tusk, as some had started to call it, was missing its left eye. It had struck when StormClan's remorse for the Fallen's expulsion was at its deepest, it had found them in their homes and forced them off the mountain. Cats started to say it had been no ordinary boar, and few were inclined to dispute it. A curse, born from StormClan's own guilt, a self-inflicted punishment. As morale plummeted and faith in the Clan and what had made it began to fracture, Antlerstar devised another plan: they would leave Tallrock for good, leaving Red-tusk's curse behind and rebuilding the Clan from the ground up. Wipe the slate clean.

His idea was not unanimously celebrated, however. It took time for them to organize, but a small band of StormClan cats, mostly elders, objected. One of the heroes of the battle, Mothpelt, was among them; they had given too much for the Tallrock territory to turn their backs on it now, they could not put their faith in mere rumors of a curse when StarClan had not spoken. Mothpelt and his allies would not try to stop Antlerstar and his from leaving, but these loyalists would remain in StormClan's old camp to rebuild. The Clan split, and with time, contact between the two separate halves dithered away. The loyalists seemed to disappear entirely from the mountainside, only further solidifying beliefs that the mountain was cursed.

Antlerstar accomplished many things in his lifetime; slaying Red-tusk had only been the beginning. Under his calm and intelligent leadership, StormClan found a new home in the southern meadows and more than enough peace in which to settle into it. Squabbles within the Clan were fewer than they had been in generations, with many of the problems of making a new home solved quickly and efficiently. Antlerstar's Clan took the entire change in graceful strides, and the legacy he left behind was one of sharp wits and clever thinking, of organizing warriors against problems in ways that minimized harm on all sides. He'd made good on his promise, leading StormClan into a new era where, hopefully, tragedies like those of the Tallrock war would never repeat.

Deer aren't very common in the Tallrock territories, but StormClan has taken up a tradition of decorating the Clan's central shrine with dropped antlers. Many newly-named leaders have taken up self-imposed vigils before it on their first night home, praying that Antlerstar will guide them to make the right choices for the good of their Clan, while deputies are sometimes known to wear antler chips and issue prayers to him when faced with strategic and organizational challenges in their daily lives. Even warriors are known to invoke his name when taking creative risks or trying new things. He is the patron of StormClan tactics, pioneer of team hunting...and also the patron of comedy, remembered extremely well for his thorn-sharp jokes and his skill at lifting morale.

[curator-on-ao3]

Writing Patterns

Tagged by @iamstartraveller776. ❤️ Thank you so much for tagging me! 🥳

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

One to Make Us Whole “Do you think Paris has changed much?” Will’s gaze seems to follow the automatic watering vehicles that fly along the straight lines of vines that extend outward from Château Picard. (Number One | Una Chin-Riley & William Riker & Number One | Jean-Luc Picard’s Dog, one-shot, G)

A Little Love, Here and There Una gets happier after a few drinks, lips curling in giggles, long neck muscles in motion with wine-lubricated laughter. (Pikeuna, drabble pyramid collection, the first line is from the first one, T)

Truth is a Fantasy Chris left that part out of the official report: the fantasies. (Pikeone, one-shot, T)

Youthful Exuberance (Some Kind of Love) “This was amazing, Mom.” Chris settles back in his chair, pancake crumbs and a streak of leftover egg on his plate, the sun bright through the kitchen windows. “Thanks.” (Pikeuna, multi-chap, E)

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched This Guy Moopsy! (Moopsy, whatever you call a 44-word story that I would have made 47 if I had run it through a word counter beforehand, T)

Tangled Up With You (and I Feel Fine) His throat caught, and the tears he’d been holding back for days — weeks? — since they’d been stuck on this planet, the Chatelet not responding to hails, Una’s infection raging, nothing in the medkit seeming to help, those tears of frustration and fear turned to wonderment, a gasp of gratitude at her wound aglow, a light in the darkness of the cave. (another Pikeuna ficlet collection, this time with the first line of each story from a prompt so the first line here the first line I wrote for the first story, T)

Six Years to Go “Seems pretty quiet up here, Lieutenant Mitchell.” From his captain’s chair, Chris taps for a systems check that Una could have told him is unnecessary. “If you still want to head out to that party you mentioned, I think Number One and I can hold down the fort.” (Una Chin-Riley and Christopher Pike, friendship or romance, one-shot, G)

Ten Midnights It’s important to clean medical equipment. (Joseph M’Benga & Pelia, one-shot T)

Twelve Grapes The ship’s bar is a great place for parties, and New Year’s Eve is no exception. (Chortegas, one-shot, T)

The Kelvin Scale Something about meeting him in a bar felt so right, as if the transitory nature of a bar was the natural juxtaposition for the staying power he offered her, more than sticking by her through hallucinations and pain, so much more. (everything from James T. Kirk & Nyota Uhura to mild Spirk as SNW Uhura gets vibes from the AOS/Kelvinverse, drabble, G)

Tagging 10 people: @emilie786 @elephant-in-the-pride-parade @sun-lit-roses @grissomesque @divinemissem13 @enterprise-come-in @coffee-in-that-nebula @lorcaswhisky @marymoss1971 and YOU, if you’re reading this and want to play! 🥳

[binarybitex]

behind the scenes: "The Heart of Heart Hollow" 🏩🌲

my writing process is ridiculous and erratic. i thought it'd be fun to share my notes and sketches that formed the most recent chronological chapter in Heart Hollow.

this was the first note i could find regarding the creation of this chapter. the thought of Zeke and Lewis leaving the Hotel together (even if on an errand) seemed very intimate to me. this specific note was a much smaller, looser idea for another chapter later in book 1.

the first picture is the first time that "The Heart of Heart Hollow" was shown in my ever changing master arc list. i didn't have a concrete name for it yet, and often referred to this chapter as "Into Town" (ode to camp camp s01e08.) in the next revision of the arc list, it seems i had settled on calling it "The Heart of Heart Hollow"

when i was drawing the comic, id often get these scene ideas and rough them out. i like the idea of Lewis having a custom plate. oh, and Zeke staring at Lewis' arms is an excellent touch - i ended up using that in "Trash Fire"

i had to consider: what is the infrastructure of Heart Hollow like? how are the roads laid out? i still havent settled on a concrete idea for the center of town, aside from the central placement of the Great Heart Hollow Oak.

a sketch from the unfinished Elevator Stuck Part 4. i really started to get a feel for the geography i wanted for the town. it's a long stretch of land, scattered within the hills. it's disorganized and hidden between the mountain range. on the contrast, the Hotel is perfectly planned and measured. it jets out over the canyon with pride.

some drawings of the Great Heart Hollow Oak. the first picture shows the first render i had ever done of it; the second is where i decided to throw more heart imagery on it via leaves. the last picture really conveys that this is a burial place as it wears a protective fence and a historical plaque.

notes on the Great Oak. i like this question i raised: "is she still buried there?"

some more explorations on Heart Hollow, PA's heart imagery.

since this episode is all about Heart Hollow's love for folklore and wives tales, I found it appropriate to include Zeke and Lewis' encounter with Cupid. this first page shows a crude idea of him; the chapter was still being called "Into Town." the second drawing shows a more recent render of Cupid.

and of course, how could i forget the inciting incident within Heart Hollow? the mirror break. the first drawing is the earliest i could find (may 2022) that documents this scene. the second one is nice, but he's way too angry!! the third is more recent, but it's still just not quite right. i've always had trouble showing Lewis' expression in this scene through artwork.

and finally, a little scene via thumbnails from the beginning of the next chapter "Boss Babysitter" :] felt like i should include this as it directly ties back into Zeke being present for the mirror break.

hooray! that is all for now!! i can't wait to release the next chapter. i'm aiming for april; i've got some pretty big life changes coming down the pike that'll (hopefully) leave me with more time to create 💕

[posi-pan]

2022 books with pan rep 📚

At the time of posting previous lists, there were 57 books in 2020 and 141 in 2021. This year, there are 176!

30 Things I Love about Myself by Radhika Sanghani

Ablaze by A.H. Cunningham

All I’m Asking by J. Marie Rundquist

Apparition by Zahlia Amin

Attraction (Mobsters + Billionaires #3) by Kelly Fox

Bad At Love by Gabriela Martins

Barcelona (Circus After Dark #3) by Chloe Adler

The Barkeep and the Bookseller by V.L. Locey

Barnabas Bopwright Saves the City by J. Marshall Freeman

Bartholomew (The Temple Brothers #2) by Elle Sparrow

Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra

Bishop’s Opening by R.S.A Garcia

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

Blood Bound (Youkai Bloodlines #3) by Courtney Maguire

Blood Legacy (Avators of Ruin #2) by Tej Turner

Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn

Bound (Fangs with Benefits #3) by Aveda Vice

Bound (Kozlov Chronicles #2) by Elena Sobol

Carnal Cryptids 2: Southeast (Carnal Cryptids #2) by Vera Valentine

Changing the Rules (Rules of the Game: Evanston River Otters #1) by Brigham Vaughn

The Chasm (Finding Humanity #2) by Branwen Oshea

Cold Cases and Bitter Enemies (Cold Case Unit #3) by J.M. Dabney

A Cosmic Kind of Love by Samantha Young

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

A Cruel and Fated Light (The Hollow Star #2) by Ashley Shuttleworth

Dance with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #3) by Kit Rocha

The Darkest Edge by Lyra Blake

Dead Draw by Layla Reyne

Death by Society by Sierra Elmore

Dinner with the Schnabels by Toni Jordan

Dominance of the Heart by Char Dafoe

Dragon’s Honor (Irresistible Dragons #2) by Nora Phoenix

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak (Unstoppable #2) by Charlie Jane Anders

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chenica C. Higgins

The Edge of Being by James Brandon

Electric Idol (Dark Olympus #2) by Katee Robert

Epilogues of Lost Gods (Unwritten Runes #2) by Cat Rector

Errant Vol. 1 (Errant #1) by L.K. Fleet

Eternal Hoptimist by Lee Blair

Every Word You Never Said by Jordon Greene

Exodus 20:3 by Freydís Moon

Extra Witchy (Fix-It Witches #3) by Ann Aguirre

Fabricated by Zoe Lee

The Fae Keeper (The Witch King #2) by H.E. Edgmon

The Fake Date by Trisha Bradley

Fate in Suspension (Horn & Haven #1) by Archer Kay Leah

Fault Tolerance (Chilling Effect #3) by Valerie Valdes

Fight + Flight by Jules Machias

Fighting Monsters: Part One (Fighting Monsters #1) by Sam Hall

Fighting Monsters: Part Two (Fighting Monsters #2) by Sam Hall

Forward March by Skye Quinlan

Furious Heaven (The Sun Chronicles #2) by Kate Elliott

Going Public (Jade Harbor Capital #2) by Hudson Lin

Got Me Looking (Vet Shop Boys #3) by Casey Cox

Griff by Ana Night

Grim and Bear It (Love Me Dead #2) by Heather Novak

Grounded for All Eternity by Darcy Marks

The Heartbreak Handshake by J.R. Hart

Her Stubborn Warrior by Kaylee Pike and Kyra Keys

His Heart Knows by Riley Long

The Hourglass Throne (The Tarot Sequence #3) by K.D. Edwards

Howl Down the Moon by Layla Dorine

How to Love a Dragon (Dragon Tamer #2) by Lila Mina

How We Ricochet by Faith Gardner

I Am Sebastian by Cameron James

I Bought Him, So He’s Mine by Kaylee Pike and Kyra Keys

Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

I F-ing Dare You by Emm Darcy

If I Were A Weapon (All These Gifts #1) by Skye Kilaen

The Immortality Trials (The Immortality Trials #1) by Madison Nicole

Incandescent by Christina Lee

Indigo: Nights (Indigo B&B #2) by Adrian J. Smith

Inked Temptation by Carrie Ann Ryan

In the City of Time by Gwendolyn Clare

Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James

It’s Not Unusual To Be Loved by an Alien by Chloe Archer

Jamison by A.N. Waugh

Jilted: Jaren (The Foster Brothers #1) by Nora Phoenix

Just a Touch Away by Jae

Just One Date (Castleton Hearts #5) by Chelsea M. Cameron

Kieran by Avery Tu and Kota Quinn

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Kink Camp: Hunted by A. Anders

Know It In the Dark (All These Gifts #2) by Skye Kilaen

Kostya the Fallen Star by Melissa Polk

The Last Hero (The First Sister #3) by Linden A. Lewis

Last Resort by Helene Gadot

Lead Me Astray by Sondi Warner

Let Me In (Gods of Hunger #3) by R.M. Virtues

Let the Light Shine Through by A. Marie

Lipstick Lies (The Order Duet #2) by Kris Butler

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings

London (Circus After Dark #4) by Chloe Adler

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

Love Me Gently by E.M. Dennings

Love You Like That by Scarlett Cole

Lunar New Love by Ophelia Silk

Man o’ War by Cory McCarthy

Match with the Demon by Chace Verity

Meet Me on St. Patrick’s Day by Bryony Rosehurst

Moon Dark Smile (Night Shine #2) by Tessa Gratton

MumFest & Murder (The Java Tavern #2) by Elizabeth Garver

Music Lights & Never Afters by C.L. Matthews

My Roommate Romeo (First Times #1) by Billie Bloom

Nestor (Green Hill Pride #6) by Catherine Lievens

Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Not Your Type by Elizabeth Jeannel

Odder Still by D.N. Bryn

Omega’s Study Partner (Sweet in Silford #3) by Hope Bennett

One Night With You by Laura Jane Williams

One Night With You by Sky McCoy

One Step at a Time by Lily Seabrooke

One Week with His Stepbrother (Daddy Tales #3) by Kelex

The One Who Loves You the Most by Medina

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

Paris (Circus After Dark #1) by Chloe Adler

Pitcher Perfect (Tap That Brewery #1) by Lee Blair

Playing for Keeps by Jax Calder

Play Me (Dragons Love Curves series #10) by Aidy Award

Pull (Love Is Love #1.5) by Nyla K.

Project Himbo by S.J. Whitby

Promote (Shattered Pawns #3) by Jennifer Cody

Pushing the Limits (Secrets Kept #2) by Riley Hart

Queen of Queens (Our Fae Queen #5) by Traci Lovelot

Queen’s Hope (Star Wars: The Padmé Trilogy #3) by E.K. Johnston

Reaper Hospital: Code Hot Nurse (Their Repear #2) by Lacey Carter Anderson

Recast (Handled #4) by Romilly King

The Redemption by Alexia Chase

Ripped (Kozlov Chronicles #3) by Elena Sobol

Rookie Mistake (On the Board #1) by Anna Zabo and L.A. Witt

Royal Exposé by Jenny Frame

Royal Lines (Boston Rebels #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Sasha and the Butcher (The Moretti Family #1) by Stephanie Kazowz

The Savior’s Rise (The Windermere Tales #2) by Talli L. Morgan

Scorpica (The Five Queendoms #1) by Greer Macallister

Seize the Castle (A Knight’s Revenge #2) by Elizabeth Dear

Shake Things Up (Love at Knockdown #2) by Skye Kilaen

Silent Secrets (The Secrets of Sorlphi #1) by Miranda May

Silhouette and the Shadows (Silhouette #1) by Delaney Andrews

The Society For Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

Spin the Damn Bottle (All the Games We Play #2) by Emm Darcy

Stiletto Sins (The Order Duet #1) by Kris Butler

Stitched (Kozlov Chronicles #1) by Elena Sobol

Stone Wings (The Gargoyles of Arrington #1) by Jenn Burke

Storm the Gates (A Knight’s Revenge #1) by Elizabeth Dear

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Sugar Girl by Emma L. McGeown

Sweet to the Core (Lighthouse Bay #3) by Amy Aislin

Temptation Cove (Hot Takes #3) by T.S. Ankney

Tempt Me Tonight by Natasha Washington

A Tended Garden by J.P. Jackson

Thank You, Next by Andie J. Christopher

That Good Mischief (The Nine Worlds Rising #3) by Lyra Wolf

This Cursed Crown (These Feathered Flames #2) by Alexandra Overy

This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart #2) by Kalynn Bayron

Tracking Trouble (Spellster Universe #2.5) by Aldrea Alien

The Trow of Duncaster by Melissa Polk

Twilight’s Touch (Prairie Smoke Ranch #2) by V.L. Locey

Two Rights Make a Wrong by Chloe Liese

Undeniable (Bainbridge University #4) by Andi Burns

Uninhibited (Bainbridge University #3) by Andi Burns

Unlikely Savior (For the Gods’ Amusement #3) by Catherine Lievens

Untitled (The Councillor #2) by E.J. Beaton

Us Against the World by Shayne Prescott

VAMPS: Fresh Blood by Nicole Arend

Venice (Circus After Dark #2) by Chloe Adler

Violet is Nowhere by Faith Gardner

Warrior Queen (Our Fae Queen #6) by Traci Lovelot

Warwick (Rebel Sky Ranch #4) by Kelly Fox

What’s Mine Is Yours by Willow Renee

When the Walls Come Down by Harper Robson

Wicked Beauty (Dark Olympus #3) by Katee Robert

The Wicked Love by Pru Schuyler

Wrong Hunt by J.S. Harker

Have you read any of these books? Or books with pan rep at all this year? Let me know! Happy Pan Week!

[huntinghornenjoyer]

MY SONS, THEIR LORE, AND WHY YOU (the one reading my dumb shit) SHOULD LOVE THEM.

Imma just talk about the most lore-heavy boys from each game, and then maybe make more posts about the others later.

DS1: Lysandre, the Thief- Lysandre, as you can guess, was a thief. He was also my first playthrough of any souls game ever. He hails from Astora, and originally was going to be a knight before his Father fell ill. Leaving his duty to care for the dying man, Lysandre was labeled a deserter, and resorted to theivery and assasination to make ends meet, which got harder after the death of his father.

Lysandre discovered he was cursed after a botched assassination attempt against an Astoran noble, when he woke up at home after remembering VERY CLEARLY that he was ran through with a pike. Still a good man at heart, he left his home and ended up being caught by an undead hunter, who sent him to the Asylum.

He ended up in Lordran, as they all do, and quickly attempted to salvage his image, masquerading as a Knight. He only came to terms with who he was after being forced to use his old tactics to save Rhea from her hollowed knights, and linked the flame to seek atonement. He never ended up joining any covenants, believing that they all had an agenda of some sort, which he was technically correct in that regard.

DS2: Mardus, the Hexer- Mardus was a student of Melflan, the DS2 equivalent to Vinhelm for those unfamiliar. He originally was a dedicated sorcerer, following the teachings of his masters and wholeheartedly thinking damn near every other type of Magic to be an abomination, especially pyromancy. He was unaware of the existence of Hexes, and had he learned of them before Drangleic, perhaps his path would have been different.

When he arrived in Drangleic, he originally continued his study of Sorcery, taking Carhillion of the Fold as his new tutor. This all changed when he found the 'Emit Force' Miracle, and thinking nothing of it, began to further his aptitude for Miracles.

This was when he met Felkin, the Outcast, and was told of the Churning Dark within his being. Mardus, being a curious man, delved into it, and like so many Hexers, let it consume him entirely.

He pursued the discipline of hexes with rabid fervor, favoring duplicitous means of defeating enemies, which led to him using Dark Fog near constantly to slay his foes from afar.

It culminated in him being taken under Grandahl's wing, and becoming the truest of all Dark Pilgrims. He relentlessly pursued all those with powerful souls, hunting monarchs and monsters alike with ravenous hunger until the end.

Upon defeating Aldia, his reason returned to him, and seeing the cycle of fire for the Farce it was, and wishing to be able to preserve the legacy of Lucatiel, he left the throne to seek a true cure for the curse.

imma make a part two because damn this post be long

[thegodemperorsmycopilot]

Dramatis Personae

The Inquisitorial Agents

Ezekyll Krinn, "Hollow"

Jeziree M'Bannyon, "Dust"

Rezika Kastalani, "Rush"

Sabin Zimnyadova, "Frost"

Uhlaxendra Oktano, "Lex"

4

A lithe form barged into the chapel, autorevolvers in firm grips as the guns swept across the ruined chamber.

The gunslinger saw 3 different gunsswing toward her as a pair of large dogs growled. She slowly let her arms sag downwards, guns pointing at the marbled floor.

"What the hell did I miss?"

"You're late, Frost," the rail-thin scout deadpanned as he lowered his worn laspistol.

Frost holstered her guns as the scout half-carried and half-dragged their unconscious markswoman towards the doorway, her long gun slung on his other shoulder. "What the pike is with all y'all, bein' late all the pikin' time."

"Got here as fast as I could, Krinn," came the tired reply as she held up her trenchcoat with fingers poking out of bullet holes. "Got a little held up."

She looked over at the pilot in their faceless helmet and dark flight jacket and noticed that they were standing next to a corpse on the floor in a pool of dark coloured blood. She walked over to the body and crouched down to have a closer look.

The corpse's face was twisted in a rictus of pain and hate, its throat violently ripped out. Three arms were splayed across the floor, one throughly mangled. Suppressor-equipped handguns were still gripped tight in its hands.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she noted the pair of large dogs had returned to quietly nosing at the mutant corpse. Since their scout had a tendency to frequently bring strays of all kinds back with him, this didn't surprise her at all.

Over her shoulder, she asked, "Fill me in, Hollow, what'd I miss?"

"Gunman over there pikin' ambushed us. Didn't even hear 'im slip in from the front till it was too late. Dust's pikin' lucky to be alive an' nothin' broken. Bodyglove stopped the pikin' bullet. Lucky it wasn't las," he grumbled as he gingerly laid the markswoman on a pew that was mostly in one piece. "Still knock'd her right outta her pikin' perch, no mistake', righ' splat on the floor. Pikin' lucky to still be breathin'."

While Hollow was speaking, the pilot took off their helmet, pulled off the wrap holding their hair in place and shook out their hair with a sigh.

"Dogs tore into the gunman before we could stop them," the pilot picked up from where Hollow had left off. "Don't think he was expecting them. However, Mister Mutant down there brings up a few questions and, more importantly, an urgent need to vacate the premises."

Frost stood up and dusted her pants off out of habit. She looked at Hollow and their pilot.

"So, Hollow, Rush. Is this dead guy related to the cultist gangers you dealt with?"

"Not wearing their colours, no similar identifying marks, and dissimilar equipment from the Flesh Bringers. But he could be an affiliate or a hired gun," answered Rush softly, looking down at the floor before looking up at Frost. "A retaliatory hit? Revenge?"

Hollow spoke up, squatting next to the corpse, "Nah, I've seen enough of their pikin' kind in the last few years."

He paused, fixing everyone with an empty stare.

"This confirms that there's a pikin' genestealer cult on-planet, and they're active. Might've been scared up by you lookin' into those mutant cult rumours."

Frost covered her face with a hand.

"Great. Of all the Emperor-loving luck. A cult of Chaos worshippers taking over violent underhive gangs and, now, a genestealer cult. I dunno which is worse. All we need now is the damn zombie robots to show up and we'll have a full hand of just-kill-us-now."

"Could always be worse," a dulcet voice chimed in.

Frost whipped around, finally seeing the blonde-haired girl. She took her in with a cocked eyebrow. Right, the dogs had to have come from somewhere.

Her nose may have been pretty once upon a time, but it clearly had been in one too many fights. That close-cropped hair must have been a sin against some saint or God as she imagined it be like pure woven gold when grown out. She also appeared taller than most of their present company despite being crouched on the floor.

Frost realised that she was ministering to a third hound who seemed to have taken a through-and-through in its foreleg, blood and hydraulic fluid had soaked its fur. And then belatedly noticed the battered law enforcement armour she was wearing.

"Alright, who brought the Lex?"

Section prev

Section 1

Section next

[greekstar]

Warrior cat name Ideas Prefixes - A-Z A Acorn Adder Amber Ant Apple Arch Arrow Aspen Ash Asher Alder Amber B Badger Bark Beech Bellow Birch Berry Bird Black Blizzard Brave Breeze Bright Brown Bell Bug Beetle Bluebell Blue Bounce Brindle Brush Bush Buzzard Buzz Bee Bumble Bass Basil Bubble Brine Beaver Bison (I feel like this only goes good with ‘horn’ or Bisonpelt/fur.) Bat Bone Butterfly Burdock Broken Bramble Bracken Bay Brisk Blossom Briar Boil Branch Bud C Cloud Cloudy Crystal Cold Cricket Cliff Cardinal Crying Cougar Coyote Cobweb Chick Cow Cave Cheetah Carrot Coral Cactus Claw Cedar Cherry Cinder Clover Copper Creek Crooked Crouch Crow D Dew Dewy Duck Dusty Dust Dune Down Dagger Dodge Dolphin Daisy Doe Dapple Dappled Dark Dawn Dead Dove Drift Dusk E Eagle Ebony Echo Egg Eel Ember F Fallen Fallow Fawn Feather Fennel Fern Ferret Finch Fire Flame Fleet Flint Flower Flow Fly Fox Freckle Frog Frost Furze Fuzzy Foal Falling Fall G Gale Gust Golden Gold Goose Gorse Gorge Grass Gray Green Grass Goldfish Guppy Ghost H Hail Half Hare Hawk Hay Hoot Hazel Heather Heavy Hollow Holly Honey Honeycomb Hummingbird Horse Happy Hornet Hound Heron I Ice Ivy J Jagged Jay Joy Jaguar Jackdaw Jump Juniper K Kestrel Kink Koi L Lake Larch Leaf Lark Leopard Lichen Lightning Lily Lion Little Lizard Log Long Lost Loud Low Lynx M Maggot Mallow Maple Marsh Meadow Milk Minnow Mint Mist Misty Mole Moon Morning Moss Mossy Moth Mottle Mouse Mouth Mud Mumble Mink Muddy Moonlight Mountain Mushroom Monkey N Nettle Needle Nut Newt Night Nimble O Oak Oat Odd Olive One Otter Owl Orange Ocean Orca Opal P Pale Perch Pool Pike Peak Prickle Pounce Pine Petal Petal Pebble Pear Patch Pirate(kittypet or loner) Polar Peach Panda Pond Pigeon Plum Q Quail Quick R Rabbit Rain Ragged Rat Rattle Root Raspberry Reed Red Robin Rock Rose Rowan Rubble Running Rushing Rush Russet Rust Rye Raven Raccoon Rustle Rattlesnake Ravine Rapid S Sage Short Sheep Sedge Shrew Slate Slow Snail Sneeze Sorrel Soot Spider Spruce Sun Sunny Swallow Shallow Shade Sharp Scorch Sand Sandy Sky Silver Smoke Snake Soft Snow Sparrow Speckle Splash Spotted Squirrel Stalking Stalk Stalker Starling Stone Storm Stumpy Stump Sweet Swift Shred Sloe Shell Seed Shimmer Shimmering Skunk Spirit Squid Shy Sound Summer Sapphire Spiraling Spiral Shark Saturn T Tall Talon Tooth Timber Tiger Twig Tumble Thorn Thistle Thrush Tawny Tangle Ting Trout Torn Toad Tiny V Vine Vixen Void Vole W Wasp Weasel Web Weed Wet Whisker White Whale Wild Willow Wind Wolf Winter Wisteria Whisper Whispering Water Wave Waver Whisper Watermelon Whistle Wood Y Yellow

Yew

Yarrow- suggested

You guys DONT WANNA KNOW how LONG this took. I’m crying. And I might’ve missed some so feel free to send me messages in chat to request me editing it and putting it in some (not like messaging but the. Chat in this post lol.)

@cryptidclaw I also did this for our Au to help us with renaming.

I will get to suffixes soon I promise.

[kazscrows]

Six of Crows Reread🪶

Chapter 46: Pekka

I know this chapter happens but I cannot for the life of me remember anything about it

So this should be fun

Like reading it again for the first time

Poor Nina already sounds worse for wear because of the parem…

Pekka describes her as jutting bones and dark hollows, trembling hands…

She leaned against a giant Fjerdan with a shaved head and grim blue eyes. He was huge, probably former military. Good muscle to have around. Where did Kaz Brekker find these people?

Wait Matthias is bald—

When did that happen??

And Kaz just knows how to find the right people

It’s called making friends.. sort of and being kind.. ish

He’s also just a little lucky

The little canal rat had managed to make it to the Ice Court after all.

It was a good thing, too. If not for Kaz Brekker, Rollins would still be sitting in a cell in that damned Fjerdan prison waiting for another round of torture – or maybe looking down from a pike atop the ringwall.

This is the last time Pekka will think Kaz ever did anything to be glad about

…he’d seen him around the Barrel a few times. The boy had come from nowhere and been a slew of trouble since. But he was still just a lieutenant, not a general, a terrier nipping at Rollins’ ankles.

You created him Pekka

Ooh flashback to the ominous prison cell scene

“Hello, Brekker,” Rollins had said. “Come to gloat?”

“Not exactly. You know me?”

Rollins had shrugged. “Sure, you’re the little skiv who keeps stealing my customers.”

The look that passed over the boy’s face then had taken Rollins aback. It was hatred – pure, black, long simmering. What have I ever done to this little pissant? But in seconds the look was gone, and Rollins wondered if he’d imagined it altogether.

Ha- there and then gone again

“What do you want, Brekker?”

The boy had stood there, something bleak and mad in his gaze. “I want to do you a favour.”

It probably took everything in Kaz not to kill him right then and there

And then he offers him a favor on top of it!

“Why the hell would you help me?”

“You weren’t meant to die here.”

Somehow it sounded like a curse.

Oh it is

Just wait for Kaz’s vengeance…

And the Wraith-

“I owe you, Brekker,” Rollins had said as the boy exited his cell, hardly believing his luck.

Brekker had glanced back at him, his dark eyes like caverns. “Don’t worry, Rollins. You’ll pay.”

Yes, yes he will

Man we probably won’t get something like this on screen anymore

Will Pekka even be at the ice court?

Why did they already do Kaz’s revenge plot in the show???

Ughhh

He stood in the middle of Rollins’ opulent office looking like a dark blot of ink, his face grim, his hands resting on a crow-handled walking stick.

Wow this description of Kaz

He’s a stain in Pekka’s “kingdom”

Kaz just casually asking Pekka for two hundred thousand dollars (kruge)

He offers his shares for the club and fifth harbor too and it’s obviously painful for him

So maybe it’s not so casual actually

It’s weird how the show has flipped this all around

Pekka already has fifth.. he got the club.. it’s already been destroyed..

I don’t get why they did that

It’ll be… interesting to see what they do in the spin-off now to say the least

Rollins leaned back and pressed his fingers together. “It’s not enough, you know. Not to go to war with the Merchant Council.”

“It is for this crew.”

“This crew?” Rollins said with a snort. “I can’t believe you sorry lot were the ones to successfully raid the Ice Court.”

“Believe it.”

Kaz, if not saints, what do you believe in?

My Crows

SaB s1e7

“Van Eck is going to put you in the ground.”

“Others have tried. Somehow I keep coming back from the dead.”

“I respect your drive, kid. And I understand. You want your money; you want the Wraith back; you want a bit of Van Eck’s hide—”

“No,” said Brekker, his voice part rasp, part growl. “When I come for Van Eck, I won’t just take what’s mine. I’ll carve his life hollow. I’ll burn his name from the ledger. There will be nothing left.”

Just like when he eventually comes for you

Such a banger quote

Kaz really has never had a bad track

Pekka Rollins couldn’t count the threats he’d heard, the men he’d killed, or the men he’d seen die, but the look in Brekker’s eye still sent a chill slithering up his spine. Some wrathful thing in this boy was begging to get loose, and Rollins didn’t want to be around when it slipped its leash.

lol it’s already too late for you Pekka

When he held out his hand to shake on the deal, Brekker’s grip was knuckle-crushing.

“You don’t remember me at all, do you?” the boy asked.

“Should I?”

“Not just yet.” That black thing flickered behind Brekker’s eyes.

“The deal is the deal,” said Rollins, eager to be done with this strange lot.

“The deal is the deal.”

Watch your back Pekka…

Or don’t

Actually don’t

RIP (Rest In Pieces)

“What’s with those gloves he wears?” the bruiser asked.

“A bit of theatre, I suspect. Who knows? Who cares?”

Or you know… it’s just Kaz’s greatest weakness.. his greatest shame…

Rollins reached for his watch. It had to be about time for the dealers to change shifts, and he liked to supervise them himself.

“Son of a *****,” he exclaimed a second later.

“What is it, boss?”

Rollins held up his watch chain. A turnip was hanging from the fob where his diamond-studded timepiece should have been. “That little bastard—” Then a thought came to him. He reached for his wallet. It was gone. So was his tie pin, the Kaelish coin pendant he wore for luck, and the gold buckles on his shoes. Rollins wondered if he should check the fillings in his teeth.

I am CACKLING

No one got one over on Pekka Rollins. No one dared. But Brekker had, and Rollins wondered if that was just the beginning.

“Doughty,” he said, “I think we’d best say a prayer for Jan Van Eck.”

Oh it’s definitely only the beginning

And you better save your prayers for yourself

Rollins straightened the knot of his pinless tie and headed down to the casino floor. The problem of Kaz Brekker could wait to be solved another day. Right now there was money to be made.

And that’s what we call a very big mistake my friends

What an idiot

Thats the end folks! Six of Crows finished!

Crooked Kingdom reread… coming soon…

First | Previous

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Sleepy Prompt 44 with LOVM!Vax and Kiki.

Could be after either one had a near-death experience, thus making the prompt come across as “too soon” lol

44. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” think this is more suited to cr actually

Vax is a patient man. He watches the love of his life crack and expand into a brass dragon, watches her put the stars to shame with a stream of roiling fire, and he waits, a fire of his own simmering low and hot. She gives rides to the children of Vesrah, then starts taking requests for creatures to change into from the awed audience, and he waits, enjoying the show she puts on. There is eating and drinking and dancing, high praise for the soon-to-be-crowned Voice of the Tempest, and he waits, mostly just glad everyone else finally gets to see what he's seen all along.

His sister slinks off with Percy when the moon is high above the Ozmit, the white light glinting off of the rolling waves and his glasses. Doty quite literally carries Tary off to bed, and loud cheers underscore drinking contest between Grog and Pike that Vax wants no part of. He sits with his feet in the water, and he waits. He'll always wait for her. Vax is a patient man.

When she comes to him, face flushed and eyes wild and bright, he stands, takes her by the hand, and pulls her toward the open-windowed room they've been given for the night. The door isn't even closed before his lips are on her, trailing along her jawline, down her neck, to push back her dress to reveal her collarbone. Vax is a patient man, but a fire can only be suppressed for so long before it consumes everything in its path.

Her laugh is breathy, surprised. "Vax." His hands are on her waist now, urging her toward the bed. "You are..." She loses her train of thought as he scrapes his teeth along the hollow of her throat. "...you...very..."

His lips find hers again. "Incredible." He kisses her. "Inconceivable." Again. "Impossible." Again. Again. Again.

She's sitting on the edge of the bed now, her own hand working at his belt. Her skin is dragon-fire hot, and he can't stop touching it, needs more of it, needs to taste every freckle. He stops kissing her only long enough to whip his own shirt off, and she uses the opportunity to ask breathlessly, "Aren't you exhausted?"

He knows what she's asking; the answer is no. His hands find her neck again and he draws the next kiss out, slow, teasing, grinning. "I'll sleep when I'm dead," he murmurs against her lips.

She immediately frowns, her hands falling from his belt down into her lap. "Vax, that's isn't fun—"

Her admonishment is cut off by her back hitting the bed and his lips once again capturing hers. If she finds any fault with him for the rest of the night, well, she certainly doesn't say anything about it.

[capsensislagamoprh]

The air felt like melting ice. Damp, warm enough to cause a shiver, and promising brighter things. Chandlers began to liquefy, windows dripped pure waters in rolling cascades as the floor hollowed beneath the panicked steps of the young noble's feet. Something was wrong. The dream felt far away, thin. It seemed to have snapped. No. Not snapped. It felt stuck, as if one wrong move would tear it asunder, as if it were strained.

Yuri held his head, oblivious to the waves of heat rolling off him. He was trapped. He was stuck. He was in pain. He was everything he'd never felt before, and it was terrifying. Somewhere in the back of his head an image formed. A slight smile, warm as the autumn rays. It seemed to say it would be okay, Yuri only needed to wait. Victor would be back soon. He would know what to do. He would know why Yuri was in pain.

Yuri was going to find out what caused this unpleasantness. Then he was going to bury its bits across the Courts with painstaking cruelty. He was going to break it down to its parts and use them to build a monument. He would title it 'Why It Is Never a Good Idea to Fuck With Yuri.' He'd mount their heads on pikes outside the Shimmering Cascade as a warning to all who were and would be. He just needed to stop this agony.

The pain became worse. He could feel the fraying. It was like a thousand cold iron needles being dragged along his skin, embedding themselves into his veins. Every drop of gold drawn in bloody savagery his only protection from the deeper agony of feeling something being taken away, ripped from his existence. Willing to let itself die, if it meant he would live. It sacrificed, quiet and waiting, leaving an unfillable gap in Yuri's armored soul. It was like his enchantments were shivering, one by one. All so he could survive.

No. Not him. Not Yuri. Victor. All so Victor could survive.

Eyes the color of freshly turned earth, fertile and strong, healthy, ready for growth and the challenges of living flashed before his eyes. Yuri dropped to his knees, nails sharp as any animals biting into his chest. His eyes leaked, misery and torment accepted as if it were an every day way of being. The pain grew, and flourished, a dark gem of congealed longing seemed to burst in his throat.

His scream sent golden blazes of fiery light arching thrugh the grounds of the Palace of Seasons. Shimmering Cascade began to wash away, arctic winds failing under the onslaught of such grief.

The Winter King stepped into the wreckage of the ball room, his every movement freezing the waters as he tried to reach the small form collapsing to the ground in slow motion. Sliding on his knees, an arch of frozen splash crystalline in his wake, Victor caught his cousin as his eyes closed, unable to bear the suffering.

Lifting the bird like bones, Victor turned, surveying the damage. Closing his eyes, he began to feel the particles of wet, the clinging, sticky coyness of water as it dripped onto tapestries, threatening to turn untouched snow into sheets of cold traps formed of ice. Victor carried his cousin to the hall. Many courtiers had fled in the wake of Yuri's wrath. Victor's eyes scanned the faces of trembling fey. Lilia, that blessed matron of propriety, said nothing as she motioned for the Summer Guard to take hold of the limp form, releasing Victor from the dreadful sensation of cold burning fire.

As Yuri was swept away to recover, Victor turned to his ruined palace. With a rise of his hands, his feet in refined repose, he began the dance of reforming. His feet slid across the ground, the ice reforming, the wet climbing, drips stopping mid plop, racing back to there designated place. Icicles became etched, carved into wondrous beauty. Windows frosted over, leaving artful patterns of crystalized enticement, glittering with possibility.

Victor spun, his arms reaching, his back arching as he kicked himself up into a move that sent him closer to the ceiling than anyone had the right to reach. His landing was perfect, the roof once again whole. People moved instinctual out of his way as he danced the broken edges, using them to add grace and beauty to his creation, until finally, he rested on the throne of Ice, head pressed against his hand.

He was the Winter King. To him, this was nothing. The happy smiles of his court, the wonder in there deathless eyes, smiles full of joy, could not be reflected in his own. Correcting the damage of Summer was child's play. What had to be done next was not. How was he going explain to Yuri the most impossible thing? He thought his pain was deep, but before he could contemplate how to broach anthers agony Lord Giacometti pranced into the room smelling of rose blooms and something tawdry.

"Who was it!"

Victor looked at Christophe with a raised brow.

"I felt it. We all did. Well, all us of Spring. Herregud, hjärtesorgen!!" He said, bursting out a wave of feeling that sent near by courtiers swooning, delicate tears carefully dabbed into embroidered handkerchiefs. "It was like something was sundered in two!"

Christophe. Christophe was a spring fey. He knew how to handle delicate things. He understood emotion. Victor rose, motioning for Christophe to follow, and Christophe did.

part 1