#my body refuses to perform any tasks at all

[whimizera-me]

i've been feeling so drained, physically and emotionally so much more than usual, for the past 1 almost 2 months. I have to go through 4 flights of stairs to get to my classes multiple times to get to my classes, i dont know anyone in my classes, and i've done 30+ hws in the past 3 weeks already, and even more tests next week.

I can't even see my old friends anymore, and there's too much work to do I can't even go play with my other cat. It's physically impossible for me to do any tasks anymore. The four flights of stairs are a death sentence towards me, even walking a short distance exhaust me already. My friends messaging me in between classes are literally keeping me going for the most part and I can't even meet them irl.

I have to do so many social work out of my comfort and i don't even know this people, it would be fine if they were decent it it was really necessary but at this point it feels like they mess everything up for me on purpose. Everything was so nice last school year, it was my best ever, now im stuck with people i hate in a new area.

I have so much work to do other than homework and other in school aswell. I need to prepare for my hilton performance, I have to practice the t sax, I have out of school things to do aswell, and in home chores.

Im so drained that I can't even do my hobbies happily anymore. if I cant make art, draw, crochet, sing, or play my saxophone with emotion it's no use, it's not even art anymore at this point. I've lost interest in almost everything.

I haven't been eating a lot. I haven't been feeling hungry in a long time properly, I haven't been getting the proper sleep and I'm always so tired, even then when I do get nice sleep I still feel tired. I feel fatigued all the time even more. My health feels like it's been deteriorating even worse than usual for the past year. I can't run like I used to, I can do exercises and other physical activities energetically as much as before, it's horrible. I'm not even old yet, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

I just wanna lay down and stay there forever.

At least i have my friends. Even if it's not irl. It's a blessing really.

There's still the ocean though. I really like the ocean, I really like going to the aquarium, it's been one of the best highlights of my life so far. The ocean's everything to me right now, I wish someone can take me to the aquarium again, i love it there. I really do. I wish I could live in the ocean.

[teaboot]

I've never had a cat before and I'm hoping to get one soon. Do you have any advice?

Treat a new cat as you would a new roommate. Give them space and time to settle, establish a pattern and a rhythm, and in time they may choose to become friends and spend time with you. Dont force a friendship.

Use simple words and repetition to establish communication. Words like breakfast, treat, snack, lunch, supper, dinner, food, and eat all basically mean, "I am feeding you; expect to be fed", but it's a lot for a little guy to remember. I just say "Dinner" when I mean "cat food is coming", and so my boy knows exactly what I mean when I say it. As a plus, using only one word for snack time means he has no idea what the other words mean, so I can talk about food in front of him without ruling him up.

Pay attention to body language. Cats all have different personalities, and you'll learn their likes, dislikes, and messages over time this way. Son boy here loves anything with plumbing but dislikes getting wet- his favourite blanket to chew and snuggle goes on his favourite chair, and he gives me a specific gesture when he wants me to kneel down so he can jump onto my shoulder.

Read into problematic behaviour. Cats pee in weird places when they're hurting, in distress, or have insufficient of unclean litter box space. Biting, attacking feet , and knocking things off tables often means they're understimulated and need you to play with them, or at least need some kind of enrichment or puzzle to tackle. Tail flicking can be frustration or irritation. Purring is usually good, but may also be self-soothing behaviour to alleviate pain, encourage healing, and relieve anxiety, like over-grooming.

Like children, "bad" behaviour isn't malicious- it usually means there's something you aren't seeing.

Learn how your cat expresses love. Loads of people think cats are uncaring, cruel, and indifferent, but the truth is, they're just not dogs. Spending time near you, showing an interest in tools you're using or projects you're working on, sitting the way you sit, laying on their back, rubbing on your legs, wiping their face on your shoes when you get home- these are signs that your cat is enamored with you. You're their family, they feel safe and protected around you, they're curious about things you enjoy and want everyone to know you're family.

Set reasonable expectations. Again, cats are not dogs.We bred dogs to desire our approval- cats walked into our lives themselves. They have no human-programmed need to fulfill a duty or perform a task to your standards.

Training cats to do tricks isn't as hard as people say, but the willingness or interest in doing the trick is more heavily reliant on personality and mood. Some cats will refuse all but the most basic requests- I'm lucky in that Ollie understands and is willing to do several, provided I don't abuse his trust and he's not crowded or overwhelmed or just bored of doing it over and over in a short period.

Ollie, for example, knows Up to stand on his back legs and hold my hand, Down to get to a surface I indicate, Out to emerge from a closed space, Come to find me where I am, Help? when I'm offering to let him use me as an elevator, Dinner when I understand he's hungry and am getting food, and when I put on his collar he knows to climb into his carrier 'cause we're going somewhere. And he'll do any of these about 90% of the time, either ignoring me or phoning it in when there's something interesting somewhere else, or if he's feeling anxious.

Lead by example. If you dread taking them to the vet, they'll see the anxiety in your body language and behaviour and likely learn to hate it, too. Again using my guy an example, I starred taking him on walks long before his first vet appointment, just to get used to his carrier and leash. Then his first checkup was relaxed and informal, with plenty of treats, and I let him explore the examination room with permission from the tech. Now he loves going, so I'm not stressed about taking him, so I don't stress him out in turn, and the vest doesn't have to deal with a stressed out cat slowing things down and fighting with them.

Make sure your sources are good ones, and also good ones for you. I will recommend Jackson Galaxy's YouTube channel for cat advice because a lot of what he does matches up with what I've learned and know to be true. I don't personally recommend Ceasar Milan because I personally find his methods distressing to recreate regardless of efficacy, so even if that advice was useful, *I'd* be miserable, and it'd just be trading one issue for another.

Have a person who can help. You never know when you might end up out of town overnight unexpectedly, or when your place may need serviced or fumigated, or if you may be called out of town. Before getting a cat, research reliable pet sitters, house sitters, pet daycares, whatever, just in case.

Consider pet insurance. No long spiel here, just think about it. Especially if you don't know your cats ancestry or potenyial health risks. An on top of that, fucking vaccinate them.

Dont let them free roam. At all.

I grew up on a farm with free-roaming barn cats. Do you know how many times child-me cried over having to bury them? Illness, disease, pregnancy, vehicles, other territorial cats, ticks, fleas, litter, poisoned prey, malicious humans, local wildlife, predatory birds, scrap metal, extreme heat, freezing temperatures, tainted water sources, poisonous or venomous critters, getting stuck in small or high places, tapeworms, loose nails, old equipment, falling branches...

I've seen some truly body-horror slasher-movie shit- just truly nauseating visual fuckery- and I'm telling you not to let your cat free-roam.

Leash training isn't hard. Supervised walks aren't hard. Even keeping your cat physically fit and entertained indoors isn't an impossible feat. Don't let your fucking cat fucking free-roam. Fuck

Also read up on foods and plants cats can't do, like every houseplant in existence is toxic it's insane

Anyhow yeah that's like. A couple things I guess

Here, have an Ollie Pic

[hvacutie]

Hector (HVAC) Hand-Related Headcanons

Soo I have a Lot of thoughts about his hands, since they are pretty much the majority of what we see of him (so far in the demo, unless you utterly reject him)

first is that they're very manicured and smooth- since it's the only part of himself he dares to show, he's very careful about maintaining them. if you were to take one, though, you might notice it's a little dry. (though don't worry, if you hold it for long enough it'll start sweating.)

that leads me into my next point- when it comes to his daily duties and whatever maintenance he needs to do (assuming he does any lol, writing before full release) his hands are steady as a surgeon's-- they work deftly and precisely to perform whatever task he requires. the moment he's near you, though, they can't help but shake a little, especially the first few (...or several) times you talk to him.

he emotes with his hands! big gesturer, that's what i get from his sprites. (ik it's just for the artist to show emotion without facial expressions but shhh imagination time) his hand movements get more animated the more passionately he speaks about something, and he fidgets with his fingers when stressed. (Before he was ready to meet you, his nails were bitten to the quick from anxiety.)

When getting to know him, the first times he touches you are light as a feather, like he's handling something extremely fragile and rare. He'll need some assurance and encouragement from you that you won't crumble under the slightest pressure, but from then on, his hands are gentle yet firm when they land on you.

With time and built confidence, he would be a mind-blowing massage therapist. All he wants is to give you pleasure, after all, and if his hands can provide that then how can he possibly refuse? (These skills prove useful in other ways as well. wink)

He's just as attentive to you with his hands as he is with the air he sends out, watching the way your body reacts to his ministrations and moving accordingly. By the time he's finished taking care of you you're a puddle half-asleep on your bed, and he's practically glowing with pride.

[izzabela]

Hear me out hear me out.

A make out sesh with the masked characters while they still have their masks on plus the female characters if you’d be so kind.

Please and thank you.

Off or On? - MK1 (2023) Roster x GN!reader (scenario fic)

in which you make out with some of the characters with their masks on

a/n: guys... ermac may be cool but they still a dead body...

ship[s]: bi han, tomas, kuai liang, kitana, mileena, rain, reptile, general shao, takeda x gn! reader (scenarios)

warning(s): suggestive endings, kanon and non-kanon

=====================

Bi Han - Coming Home

- You waited anxiously for Bi Han in the main courtyard, pacing in the snow as you limped on a crutch. The snow could be heard beneath your feet as you kept pacing

- Bi Han was away on another mission, taking your place since your injury rendered you unable to perform. It pissed you off, especially since Bi Han tasked his brothers to take care of you

- Now, you pace in circles as you wait for any signal that a portal would appear from thin air

-Suddenly, flickers and sparks appear in the air as they form in a circle. Fire borders the portal, and out walks the iconic blue uniform and black and silver mask of Bi Han

- He's got blood on the fabric, also on his pants, but his hands remain clean. His mask also has bits of blood on it, but it adds to the charm of it all. He sighs as he walks out, and his mask hides the little smile on his face as you limp over to him and throw yourself in his arms

- "Welcome home, grandmaster," you say as you dig your face in his chest. Bi Han looks down at your face as you meet his eyes up above

- "Yes, thank you beloved," Bi Han says. He brushes your hair out of your face, and his eyes flutter close as he initiates a kiss

- Your lips meet something cold, but your eyes are closed and refusing to open. You pepper the mask with many kisses, and Bi Han realizes that his mask is still on

- "Apologies, my dear," he says as he takes his mask off. However, you stop him from taking it off

- "Keep it on... I like it like that," you whisper, hiding your face as it turns a little pink

- Bi Han chuckles as he sweeps you off your feet, beelining for the bedroom to give himself a proper welcome home with you

=====================

Tomas - Stay Quiet

- You and Tomas stay well-hidden in a tree, stalking the enemy for anything related to information regarding a new Earthrealm threat

- Unfortunately, nothing noteworthy appeared, and the enemy retires for the night, but not you two

- You both sit on a thick branch to rest, stretching and moving your limbs in order to stay fit and ready. Once all done, you lay down and have your head in Tomas's lap

- "You can't be tired already," Tomas gently scolds, petting your head as you giggle

- "I'm only resting, love. It'll take a lot more to wear me down," you say. Tomas chuckles, pulling you up in his lap and your eyes level with his

- Your hand cups his masked cheek, the rough material littered with scratches and dents from years of use

- However, it was an integral part of his identity, and an integral part to your physical attachment to him

- The mask perfectly hugs his lower face, and your fingers trace the silhouette of his mask. Tomas catches your hand and gently pulls it down and away

- Yours and his eyes become hazy, lidded with desire at the fact that there was some downtime for one another on this perilous mission

- You kiss the mask, and Tomas's hands roam your clothed back to pull you close. His breathing is muffled and labored, and he pulls away from you quickly to take it off

- "Wait! Don't take it off..." you tell him in a semi-hushed tone

- "Why? It will get in the way." Tomas is perplexed by your adamant refusal to his mask being off

- "I, uh..." you don't finish your sentence as you look away and cover your face. However, your neck is growing more colored as the warmth of embarrassment floods you

- Tomas just chuckles, pulling you close before his hands begin to roam under your uniform and undershirt

=====================

Kuai Liang - Hard Day

- Kuai Liang's breath was hard and labored behind his mask, taking a break from training Shirai Ryu initiates

- He sat on the wooden platform of the compound, away from all the ruckus and yelling of the initiates. The wind was blowing perfectly, and the temperature outside was nice and cool

- What was not cool, though, was how you surprised him from behind. Still, he managed to move just in time to avoid your childish antics

- "Ah! So close..." you groan as your arms crossed over one another, missing his sides as he stands in front of you

- He chuckles, "That was a good attempt, but it appears you'll need more training." You sigh, and you both sit down together

- "Hard day?" you ask, and he nods as he removes his mask for a couple of minutes to drink some water

- You chuckle, taking his mask and help him to put it back on. He thanks you once you hook the ends of the mask to his ears

- Mistakenly, though, he kisses your forehead with the mask on. His eyes are wide, embarrassed as his eyes dart away from yours shyly. You don't mind though, and grab his face to meet your eyes

- "Don't turn away from me, dear," you say softly, planting a quick kiss on the cheek part of his mask

- You both lean in, and your lips collide with the metal of his mask. You can hear him breathing hard, and feel his hands exploring your body under your uniform

- "But my mask..." he whispers, voice drowned out by the thickness of his mask

- "I quite like it..." you say with a little blush

- He picks you up, and it seems Kuai Liang's hard day becomes easier with you in his arms, together in bed

=====================

Kitana - Post-tournament

- Kitana sits alone, only the hanging wisterias and the stars her company

- Her sister was receiving treatment for Tarkat, meaning she had to fight in her place during the kombat tournament

- However, she was beaten by an Earthrealm farmer. A humble one. While she was pleased with his humility and great patience, it made her feel...

- Disappointed. A failure. She let her mother, her sister, and her kingdom down

- She sighs again as she blinks away tears that begin to roll out of her eyes. Her mask catches them, but the fabric begins to grow just a bit damp

- "Your highness?" a voice calls. She knows it, and she turns around to find a worried expression on your face

- "Ah, hello my love," Kitana sniffles as she elegantly covers her face with a fan of hers

- "Don't hide from me, dear, I heard you as I was coming to meet you," you tut and gently nag her

- She sighs yet again, not hiding her feelings as she pats the empty spot on the bench. You sit by her and hear about her performance and how it affected her

- "My dear," you cup her mask face as she begins to hiccup and cry a little more freely. "My dear, you still did exceptionally well!"

- You wipe her tears, peppering her face with kisses around her eyes and the places where her tears fell

- You then plant a kiss on her mask. While it is sturdy, it is made of Edenian fabric, so you can feel the outline of her lips

- You giggle as you pull away, but in past the tears that lined her eyes, the makeup she wore, it was clear she liked that

- "Shall I continue, dearest Kitana?" you ask, and she wraps her arms around you to pull you closer

- Your lips find hers again, and the mask gets just a little damp at how deep you're kissing the princess. Her breath is ragged, and you can hear the squeaks and little moans she lets out behind her mask

- "Someone is feeling a little better now," you tease her as you wipe your mouth

- She chuckles, wiping her eyes as she gets up from her seat with your hand in hers

- "Perhaps you can make me feel even better, my love," she drawls out, eyes half-lidded as she swings your arm

- You pray that Argus gives you the strength to hold back tonight

=====================

Mileena - Imperial Duties

- Mileena stretched on her throne, moving her arms up and down and stretching her legs out

- Hell, she took her mask off to stretch both her human and Tarkatan jaw- she was that pooped from today

- Another day, another list of imperial chores, meetings, and items to get through. Honestly, how her mother did it was a question between her and the gods

- Mileena was relishing in her role as Empress, and doing well fitting in her mother's shoes, but it was still a job

- And whether you like it or not, even queens hate their jobs

- Just as she was about to blow off some steam with more training, a servant came in the throne room with an announcement you're coming through

- You bow as the servant moves out the way, and a soft exhale left her mouth at the sight of you

- "Hello, beloved," Mileena greets you. You smile as you walk closer

- "How are you faring with your duties?" you ask as you stop at the steps of the throne. Mileena growls, eyes sharpening a bit as she pats her lap for you to sit

- You're shocked, "A-are you sure? There are people..." Mileena just huffs as she sends everyone away

- Including the Umgadi

- "E-empress!" you're shocked as she takes you in her lap. She's tall enough already, her heels make her even taller

- Not only that, but from the constant kombat and sparring she did, her muscles were well-defined and formed

- "I despise the imperial politics," Mileena mumbles into your back. You giggle as you reach behind to pat her head

- "Imperial duties, my beloved," you sympathize

- Despite the mask she wore, you could feel the littlest breath come through. Seems that bits of her Tarkat were coming through, and she normally wore it when it got bad

- Funny, since everyone knows about her disease

- You turn in her lap and meet her eyes. Her eyes crease a bit as yours does, and you give her just a quick peck on the spot of her mask where her lips are

- "Feel better now?" you ask, stroking her face gently

- "Hm..." Mileena ponders a bit, before pulling you in close once more for another kiss

- You kiss at the same spot, and the mask becomes a little damp at how badly you want her actual lips to hit yours. Your moans become a little more apparent as her slender fingers stroke up and down on your side

- "E-empress!" you cry out as her fingers find your skin under your garments. Mileena chuckles lowly, taking you in her arms as she gets off the throne

- "Beg for more, dearest. You'll need the mercy of your empress in a few short moments."

- You gulp, "Delia, give me the strength..."

=====================

Rain - Hidden

- You wait patiently in a rundown shack on the outskirts of Sun Do

- Constables aren't everywhere, since it isn't the capital, but they are around. It worries you, but they're gone as you hear floorboards creaking in the shack

- You gasp as your head snaps behind you. Your eyes search the darkness, and you can hear the warbling of water swirling in the corner. Theres also a little light illuminating there

- "Zefferro? you call the hydromage's name. The water stops, and a figure emerges from the darkness

- "My pearl..." his voice draws from behind the mask. It's soft, almost distant, but he's here in the flesh

- You throw your arms around him as you catch him in a hug. His arms wrap around your waist as you breathe his scent in. He smells like the sea, mostly due to his magic, and he smells like the outside

- "I've come bearing gifts," he whispers, forehead on yours as he shows you a bag next to his staff

- "I told you to stop stealing for me," you scold him, pushing him away as you grab the bag of food. "You must stay hidden!"

- Inside the bag, all your favorite snacks stare you in the face. Sweet candies, salty chips, even fried street foods. You couldn't stay mad at him, and you look over your shoulder with a downturned smile

- "You cannot remain angry forever, my pearl," he teases you as he closes in on you again

- You sigh once again. Rolling your eyes as you meet him in the middle. On your side, a table stands in the middle of the room, and you place the bag there as Rain wraps his hands around your waist

- "You are right, but you cannot remain out here forever," you tell him, sobering him up at his current situation

- After the fall of Seido, he had to serve time in imperial prison, but he left you behind. You had no one to protect you, a normal Sun Do resident with no powers, and you lived in constant fear that you'd be run out of your home if people learned of your connection to the former high mage

- He wanted you safe, even if it meant at the expense of himself

- "Pearl, nothing else matters but your happiness and protection," he whispers as he looks you deep in your eyes.

- There is so much love and strength in them, but pain that he'd need to leave again. To make the most of it, you kiss his mask, in the place where his lips would be. Rain is a bit shocked (slightly weirded out), but it is welcome regardless

- "Zefferro..." you say in a voice barely above a whisper. Rain's exhale is shaky, almost like he's going to cry

- He leans in again, and your lips attack his mask. His breath is ragged as his hands climb up from under your shirt, roaming your upper chest area. You moan at the feeling of his fingers, moving fluidly like the magic he controlled

- "Let me remove this," he says, but you stop him and sit on the table, pushing the mask back on his face

- "You must stay hidden, right love?" you smile shyly, and Zefferro's gaze darkens at your innocent flirtation

- The table creaks as Zefferro towers over you, and you smile as he begins to undress you where you two were supposed to eat

=====================

Reptile/Syzoth - Spar Reward

- Syzoth is panting as his arms falter from the stress of holding them up against the blue-clad princes

- "I yield!" Syzoth yells, arms giving out as he falls onto his back

- Kitana chuckles, putting her fans away on her pants and removing her mask before coming to his aid

- "Good work, Syzoth," Kitana praises, "There is room for improvement, but you are on the right track"

- Syzoth gets up with Kitana's help, and he bows before grabbing some water

- As he takes many long drinks, his ears pick up on a new set of footprints. He can also smell a familiar, grassy and dewy, scent from behind him

- He turns his head and is met with your beautiful being, dressed in formal attire as you had come from a court meeting. You smile at him, quickly bow to Kitana, then make your way to Syzoth

- "How have you been, love? Is training going well?" you ask him as you wipe down his arms, a little gesture you do every time you see him

- He nods, "I find it difficult to train in human form. I do not understand how this form is so comfortable for you..."

- You roll your eyes, "You say that like I, too, can shift form."

- Kitana takes leave from the area, allowing you two a private couple moment. As you two talk, you massage Syzoth's shoulders

- "You train so hard, you deserve a break and reward," you giggle, kissing his masked cheek

- You don't see it, but his face is warm and slightly green. If he were mortal, he'd be queasy, but it was clear he was embarrassed and flushed with emotion

- "May I have a real kiss?" he asks shyly, and you chuckle as you move in front of him to kiss him

- The mask was tough, as it protected his mouth and lips. You kiss him where his lips would be, and Syzoth closes his eyes as you wrap your arms around his neck as he places his calloused human hands on your waist

- Syzoth's breathing is pitchy and uneven, almost like he was begging for it. His mask was slick with your saliva, and you pull away

- You giggle, "Is that reward enough, love?" Syzoth hums, thinking a little bit before the grip on your waist is tightened

- "I think I'll need more," he says with a low voice, in the process of removing his mask

- But you stop him

- "Can you... keep it on love?" you ask as you gently push the mask back on his face. You can feel something poking you from underneath, and you turn pink

- Syzoth took you over his shoulder, racing back to his bedroom to relish in his reward

=====================

General Shao - On the Run

- You knock three times on a shabby wooden door, the said door opening with Reiko behind it

- "Is he here?" you ask, pulling down your hood as he ushers you inside

- Reiko nods, "We cannot be here for too long. It won't be long before someone realizes a huge man with horns and a silver mask resides here..."

- You click your tongue angrily, scowling at the fact your beloved warrior would be leaving again

- Broken out of jail by Bi Han, Reiko and General Shao were on the constant run

- Which means constant moving

- Which means practically no chance on meeting your beloved warrior

- The only possible ways would be when they were near your village

- And by near, probably two cantons over, another village to make sure you would not he caught in the crossfire of this manhunt

- That's what you're doing now, meeting your warrior in a village two places over- all for... an unknown amount of time

- "Dragonfly...." a rumbling of a voice comes from the darkness, and you see the shine of metal and deep red eyes

- "My warrior..." your voice cracked as your hands wrapped around his neck. His strong, scaly arms grips your waist and back

- His breathing is deep, trying to remember your smell before you'd have to leave again

- "Dragonfly... How I've missed you..." he said softly, gently swaying in his spot with you in hand

- You look up at him, his silver skull mask covering a good portion of his face. The only things you could see were his eyes and mouth

- "How long are you here for? Reiko did not mention the length in which you'll be here," you caress his metal face, and his hand is on top of yours as he grabs it gently

- "I do not know, my little dragonfly, but what I do know is that you're here, with me," he whispers, voice so low that not even a fly could hear it

- "Then," you say as your other hand is on his covered cheek. "Just hold me here, until you have to go..."

- "Gladly"

- Your mouths mesh together perfectly, like a beautiful symphony. The mask over his face is cool, and the little teeth that cover his mouth just barely your lips as both of your tongues fight for dominance

- His hand go lower, resting on your plush bum as he kneads it like dough. You moan, letting go of his lips quickly as you grind into his hardened member

- "Shall I take off my mask?" he asks, already doing it. You stop him just in time though

- You shake your head vehemently, "No. I want to see the warrior you are, including the mask"

- He nods, and he picks you up in his arms as he walks to the "bedroom" in the back

- He'll show you a warrior, that's certain

=====================

Takeda Takahashi - Nightly Visits

- You stood on the balcony of your apartment in Shibuya (you are my special)

- The night was warm and breezy, and you looked over the scenery of the bright city awaiting a certain black and yellow ninja

- You look down at your watch, sighing, "Late again..."

- As you turn to head inside your flat, you're shocked by the said ninja. He's decked out in his tech armor, and his iconic black and yellow skull mask is on

- Despite his scary look, his eyes are soft and crinkled on the edges, indicating a smile

- "I don't think I'm tardy this time," he teases you, and you practically tackle him in a hug

- He laughs as he catches you, hoisting you up in the air as he swings you side to side. He smells like iron, sweat, and the Japanese wilderness- probably another mission

- "When did you sneak in here, you goof?" you noogie his head, bits of his hair misplaced despite the bandana that pushed it all back

- "A couple of minutes ago. Seriously, did you not hear me? I even cleaned up a plant I knocked over out here..."

- Your head turns to the direction his faces, and you can see the decently cleaned spot of one of your plants that had fallen off its pedestal. You whip your head back at him, glaring and removing your arms from around him

- He was mega strong. Carrying you while your arms were no longer around his neck is not for the faint of muscle

- "Aww... dearest, don't be angry..." he pleads, mask nuzzling into your neck. Despite the hard, shell-like exterior, it made you ticklish as the nose of the mask dug into the sensitive spot you had

- "How can I make it up to you?" he begs, eyes sparkling. How can a guy be so cute and deadly at the same time?

- "A kiss," you say, hands grabbing his face as you give him a peck at the teeth part of his skull mask. He chuckles as he pulls you in again for another

- "Of course, dearest," he says as your lips hit his mask again

- Your lips lick and suck at the place where his lips should be, and it clearly turns Takeda on as you can feel his growing member. You try to wiggle away from it, but his grip on you is strong as he forces you to grind on it

- When you pull away, you're red and hide your embarrassed face in his shoulder. He coos, patting your head as he teases you more.

- "So, am I forgiven now, dearest?" he asks, moving your hips for you as you whine

- "If you show me more moves inside, perhaps you are," you say, matching his energy with half-lidded eyes and a flirtatiously lazy smile

- He rushes inside your flat, slamming the balcony's sliding door shut as he climbs over you on the couch

- Let's just say that he earned more than forgiveness this nightly visit

=====================

GUYS GUYS GUYS MK1 DLC ANNOUNCEMENT AKHISDIJG

okay see y'all in the next fic! love you all for getting me to 50 followers! (at the time of this fics publishing)

[lerokpaw]

🐉Dragon grass 🐉

You lit incense, but you didn't even think what it would lead to

!!!nsfw !!! !!! 18+ !!!

! All characters 18+!

Female reader

Sorry english don't my first language. But I hope you enjoy it 🐉

Status : Couple Y/N - Perfect (The head of a dilapidated dormitory)

A small heat source in the form of a green firefly lit the way for one of the most mysterious people in Twisted Wonderland or for you Tsunagotaro/Mal Mal/Malleus. His task at the moment was to see your face, or rather a smile on it. But first of all, to invite you on a little evening date. You and the future king of the Valley of Thorns have been dating for about six months and one of his favorite pleasures was to see you in a good mood, and if his favorite combo in the form of you, gargoyles, your love and beautiful art, which he saw in all of the above, were collected in one place and at one time, then Malleus was literally melting with love. And in the sky you could see how the stars were shining brighter. Wandering in his thoughts, the Dragon discovered that he nuzzled your door, while accidentally touching the bell with his horn, and he notified the resident of the Dilapidated dormitory of his majesty's presence. Hearing rapid footsteps on the stairs, the so-called Tsunagotaro moved away from the door and waited for your face to appear in its crack.

-Hello, Mal Mal! -"Greetings, my dear," horned smiled with his trademark gentle smile.

-Oh, listen - She slightly covered the already small gap as if to show that he does not have to see what is behind it. But now Malleus' interest has only grown.

-Yes, honey?

-I understand that you probably came for me on a date, but I'm a little unprepared… And could we sit here in the dorm today?

-I dare not refuse my dear couple this request, - he bowed familiarly You laughed a little

-Then come on in, I'm sorry, I'm a little at home.. I'm going to run to the kitchen for ice cream and return it, go to my room for now.

-Ice cream? Won't you need any help? - he already imagined how his favorite dish would be on his tongue.

-It's not worth it! Come into the room! - I was already shouting from the kitchen. The old wooden floorboards and stairs creaked under your boyfriend's feet. He was slowly moving deeper into the dorm when he felt a pleasant and sweet smell in his nose. Approaching your room, he realized that this fragrance was coming from there. When he entered, he saw Grim, who also exchanged a glance, but no longer friendly

-"Henchman, you brought that Tsunagotaro again without my knowledge! Malleus just narrowed his eyes and smiled at the furry creature.

-Don't go make-up, please, if something doesn't suit you, then go downstairs - she shouted through the whole dorm

-I'll actually go to the Adeuce duo then! At that moment, the monster ran out the door and pointedly slammed it -Sorry, Small, for this performance - she said calmly as she approached the room

-It's okay, I understand, my dear

-Your ice cream

-Thank you very much

Sit on the bed Have you started noticing how your boyfriend's pale face is starting to turn purple?

-Honey, are you hot?

-what? Oh, I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what's going on.. Am I just not used to it?

-Hmm, do you have an allergy to herbs?

-As far as I know, no, why? - now he was interested in what was happening to his body.

-Well, I just lit incense.. And I thought maybe they made you feel bad.

he approached you slowly and carefully, trying not to scare you off

- Can I smell you? -N-an unexpected offer- you blushed slightly - but I don't mind - you pushed the hair that was lying on your neck to the side, as if trying to tie it into a bunch

-Thank you - Mal said almost in a whisper and approached your neck inhaling the armat and now his previous sensations have doubled. As if waking up, he jumped back.

-I just don't know… It seems to me… - after these words, he attacked you with a sensual kiss. You've kissed before, but this… It was something that foreshadowed something more. After you stopped getting enough air.

-As if I want all of you - finally the thought was complete.

-What!? I'm sorry!? He abruptly leaned back from you

-Oh, I'm sorry.. I just.. I don't know what came over me Malleus rubbed the back of his head confused

-No! It's not that I'm against ours.. Continuations.. You started gesturing actively

-It's just me.. I didn't expect you to. Similar actions

-Hmm really? Malleus said, approaching you with a slightly mischievous smile and half-open eyes.

-Y-Yes! I am.. Sorry. I'm a little nervous.

-Maybe then you're not ready? I'll understand.. I won't insist - he gently took your hand and kissed it gently

-I didn't say that! It's just… this.. Nervous

-Are you afraid of me? -No! I love you very much! And as you can see, when you're so close to me, I don't push you away. Because I'm not afraid..

-Then I'll try to be gentle... Malleus smiled at you tenderly and ran his hand over your cheek You're blushing

- You always know how to embarrass me. Tsunagotaro gently ran his hand down your neck and ran his fingers a little over the top of your pajamas. He pressed his nose against your shoulder and inhaled the fragrance, his pupils sharply narrowed

-Darling? - He said in a slightly trembling voice

-What is it?

-Are you sure you agree to what happens next? I won't be able to restrain myself..

-Yes.. Just be gentle to start with You felt his smile appearing on your skin. It was important for him to hear the permission from your mouth. Now small spikes and a tail began to show on his back. Although it wasn't visible through his clothes yet

-Good...- he slowly began to take off your shirt. After he took it off, he said

-Darling.. I didn't think your kind had such cute gadgets..

He pointed to his chest and gently kneaded it with his hands

-Tell me if it hurts you. even in his lust-intoxicated state, he tried to take care of you. -M?!

She turned her head away, blushing

-Except yours.. Is there no view of them?

-There is, but I never paid attention to it…

He leaned against the chest area with a languid look and began to kiss her slowly and sensually.

-Mm.. The taste is as incredible as the smell ~

After his words, you whimpered softly while he kissed you and smiled, and his hands slowly made their way to the area below your stomach. Now Malleus was slowly sliding towards your stomach and was already kissing you there.

-Mm~ My rose.. Will you let me go on?

-Yes.. Oh sure The horned fairy grinned and his hands pulled the elastic of your night pants a little, gently pulling them off you. After that, your underwear became his barrier to your wonderful taste, he puffed up a little from this fact. But he continued to slowly spend his hands removing this obstacle, while feeling like you were already wet. Pushing your legs apart a little, the scent of your arousal hit him right in the nose and the smell of incense gave him even more strength to continue.

-It really looks like rose petals.. - he said, spreading your vulva

-Mm!? Where.. How? Where did you find this comparison? - She said, looking at him with one raised eyebrow

-Well.. He massaged it a little with his fingers and looked down intently.

-It's a little awkward..

-What could be more embarrassing than my position in front of you?

-Hehe, you're a darling.. Once.. When I was younger, I became interested in the topic.. Mating. And I asked Lilia what it was like.. Well, he told me that "everything is so beautiful for women that I look like rose petals" Frankly, I did not believe him, and I did not quite understand what he was talking about. But now that I see it all in person.. His words make sense

-Well, that's an interesting comparison..

-Do you think so?~ - he said in a seductive tone when his face was between your legs, where he slowly ran his tongue between the folds -Mh!? - you jumped a little out of surprise, thereby hitting him a little in the nose with your hips

-Honey, calm down.. Otherwise, I'll go crazy before I give us pleasure~ I'm already holding on with all my strength so as not to eat you.. That smell.. Intoxicating~ - Malleus tightened his grip on your legs, scratching them a little with his claws, starting to run his tongue up and down.

-Mmm~

-That's what I wanted to hear, my rose ~ -

He mimicked the movements of his tongue in your petals. Quickly finding the middle, he rushed there. Each time, his movements became more violent, as he quickly began to lose his composure. Listening to your moans, he couldn't hold back his own mooing, thereby sending you impulses that didn't help you not melt in his grip.

-Ah! - From his accidental sharp thrust, you moaned and mechanically moved your hands to his horns. With these actions, you finally pulled the trigger from the dragon, who was now furiously beating his tongue at you and your petals

Driving in like that for a couple more minutes, you felt a wave of pleasure begin to catch up with you. Malleus felt your back begin to arch and your legs to shake.

-Mm~ Have you already?

-Don't talk.. Ah! Go on..

-Hehe - you felt his smile tremble in you

-Mmm~Ah! - when he hit you with his tongue the last time, you sprayed him in the face, squeezing between his legs. The dragon rose slowly, carefully releasing your legs. His eyes were sparkling with a green light, and his whole face was in your netar. He licked his face and approached your already breathless face.

-Malleus.. phew..

-Yes, my rose ~ before you say it, I want to say that you are magnificent both in taste and aroma, as befits a flower ~

-You.. The dragon is too greedy..

-Naturally ~ - he gently tucked your hair behind your ear.

-Phew..

-Are you ready to continue? ~ - Malleus is clearly pissed off after your taste

-WHAT!? We just did..

-Hehe, this is just the beginning, I want to feel your nectar not only on my lips ~

-You.. You're vulgar! - you got up and hit him with a pillow

Ahaha, darling, but you like it ~ He stopped you by grabbing your hand - And since you're already so active, I can continue~

The incense finally burned out.. But the smell of "Dragon Grass" has long filled the whole room..

[killerlookz]

hiiiii i adore your writing soooo sooo much!! i was literally dancing in my room to joosts music and i thought of a new fic idea:3 can you write something where Joost comes back home and the reader is dancing to his songs in their apartment, the reader doesnt notice him at first, completely in the moment and when they do, they get all embarrassed and its all fluff and cute??(((:

awww this is so cute <33 ty sm anon!!!

Dance With Me? | Joost Klein

content: gn! reader, no warnings rlly! just fluff :-) the song in question for this fic is Joost Klein 2 btw! this fic contains rpf and has been tagged as such, do not continue if that makes you uncomfortable

word count: 1.2k(just a wee little blurb!)

Sundays had always been your least favorite day of the week, a bleak reminder that the hours of the weekend were waning and you'd have to return to the monotony of the weekdays. Perhaps the worst part of Sundays was that they were your designated cleaning day, you would much prefer spending your last day free from work lazing on the couch or curled up in bed, but instead, once again you found yourself bouncing around your apartment straightening up whatever cleaning you had left unfinished throughout the week.

The silence of your empty apartment had been getting to you, bored out of your mind as you stood on a chair to dust off a bookshelf. The only thing you figured that would this slightly more tolerable was music at least the apartment wouldn't be so damn quiet.

You hop down from the chair, scurrying into the living room to turn on your speakers. It wasn't long until music was flowing into the apartment, loud, and probably obnoxious to the neighbors, but it hadn't been late enough to warrant a noise complaint- so they would just have to deal with it for now.

Among the many plusses of having a musician for a boyfriend, you had to admit being in possession of a stellar stereo system was definitely one of them. You had been able to hear the music just as perfectly as you pranced back into your bedroom, not exactly eager to get back to cleaning.

Though it would seem not much cleaning would get done after that point, more focused on the music than any of the tasks you had at hand.

"Joost Klein maar m'n stack die is groot!" You sang along with the lyrics that boomed over the speaker. Another plus of having a musician boyfriend was that he was a damn good musician., "De regering zoekt mij, maar ze vinden me nooit!"

You had found yourself jumping around to the music, a smile pressed onto your face as you swayed your head back and forth in time to the beat.

Still jumping, your arms in the air you start to spin around when suddenly the breath is knocked out of you at the sight of a figure in the doorway to your bedroom. Your body grows rigid, stopping dead in your tracks as your mind races to the worst-case scenario.

Luckily it hadn't exactly been the worst-case scenario, as your eyes focused and you were able to see your boyfriend leaning against the doorframe, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Why'd you stop?" He asks, clearly amused, "I was enjoying your performance. I think you might put me out of a job."

"Joost!" Your voice is sharp like you're scolding him for being in his own home. Your eyes widen at the shock, not having expected him to be home, much less having even heard him walk through the door, "I thought you said you'd be running errands all day."

Embarrassment begins to grow on your face, your eyes refusing to meet Joost's, a sheepish smile tugging at your lips as your body grows hot.

"I've actually been gone awhile," He chuckles, "I finished my errands."

"Hmm," You hum, looking down at your feet, "Time flies." You mumble.

"It does when you're having fun, which you looked to be having." Joost muses, an eyebrow-raising behind the thick rims of his glasses.

"Cleaning was getting boring," You shrug, still refusing to make eye contact out of sheer embarrassment.

Joost can clearly sense your unease as his smile still rests on his face, beginning to bob his head up and down, slowly walking towards you with some grove in his step,

"Maar ik blijf Joost en ik bleef in de derde zitten," Joost lowly sings along to his own voice over the speaker, his movements becoming livelier as he gets closer to you, "Soms haat ik kittens en haat ik ook science-fiction."

He grabs your hands, as to ask you to dance with him, but you're reluctant, only holding his hands in front of him as he dances on his own continuing to sing along to his own song.

"C'mon," He urges, "Dance with me?" An exaggerated pout rests on his lips as he stares down at you with big, blue, puppy-dog eyes. You can't exactly resist that look, slowly stepping back and forth to appease his request.

He pulls at your arms as he jumps up and down to the music, just about forcing you to move with more excitement, your embarrassment quickly subsiding as Joost dances in a manner similar to how you had been just moments prior.

"Joost Klein maar m'n stack die is groot!" Eventually, the two of you are singing, bouncing up and down in sync with each other and you can't believe you had ever been embarrassed in front of Joost in the first place. It had seemed so trivial now that the two of you danced together, after four years together you were sure you had seen each other in much more embarrassing situations, you knew better, that he would never pass any judgment on you, "De regering zoekt mij, maar ze vinden me nooit!" You practically yell to each other, oversized grins burned into both of your faces.

The song soon fades out, allowing for a song that wasn't Joost's to start playing.

"You've got some good music taste," Joost teases, the two of your movements dying down.

"Meh," You shrug, "Joost is kind of mid, I think Ski Aggu is better,"

Joost clicks his tongue, shaking his head in joking disapproval,

"You're lucky you're cute." A kiss is pressed against your forehead. The small gesture leaves you with butterflies in your stomach, despite the length of time the pair of you had been together, every touch from him seemed to feel like you were falling in love for the first time all over again.

"You get much cleaning done?" He pulls back

You look around the bedroom, the bed still unmade, clothes strewn upon your dresser, various items scattered around your desk. You feel yourself becoming stressed again at the task ahead of you.

"Not quite." You respond sheepishly, you sigh, "I should probably-"

"It can wait, relax, liefje," Joost cuts you off, "I think we should continue our little dance party."

"Easy for you to say when you've gotten everything you need to get done today,"

"Hmm," Joost puckers his lips, twisting his face into an expression that makes it obvious he's thinking, "How about..." He trails off for a moment, inching closer to you, "You stay here and dance with me, and I'll clean the whole apartment while you're at work tomorrow."

It's an easy proposition to accept, not having to clean? Fine by you.

"Deal?" He asks, smiling down at you.

"Deal," You quickly nod.

"Eh," he holds up a finger, "We need to seal the deal."

You raise your eyebrows up at him, waiting for what he's going to say next,

"You gotta give me a kiss to seal our deal,"

You giggle, standing up on your tip toes, placing both of your hands on Joost's shoulders as you reach up to press your lips to his.

He's quick to kiss you back, resting his hands on your waist as he engages you in a soft, passionate kiss.

"Okay," He nods, "Now it's a deal."

[birdiely]

Routine Checkup

wow this is my first tk fic in?? 3 years?? blows away dust from my blog

this fic and my blog are STRICTLY sfw. fetishists begone I hate you

ler!Ford, lee!Bill

3.3k words

Ford is doing a routine checkup on Bill now that he's human. However, a discovery gets them both a little distracted.

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

Being human is difficult. 

Now, Bill had been in a human body before, he was no stranger to their softness and their fragility. But he was in no way prepared to feel any of that softness for himself.

It was beyond frustrating to not have his powers, but it was even worse that this useless bag of bones couldn't even perform basic tasks. While possessing a body he had full control over its every action, but now his fine motor skills were almost non-existent. His fingers refused to bend to his will. He could barely lift anything without his arms shaking. And don't even get him started on depth perception.

But emotions were his least favorite part of being human. He never realized just how physical human emotions were. Anger is no longer just anger, but a burning in his chest, flushing in his cheeks, tense muscles. 

Crying was his least favorite symptom of human emotions; the overwhelming heartache, the shaking and heaving, the leaking from his eyes and nose. All of it was terrible. 

It was all almost too much at times.

That part was confusing too. The way his body managed to simultaneously get overwhelmed by too many sensory inputs, and also crave sensory input more than anything was driving him up a wall. 

Bill's thoughts were brought to an abrupt stop by a loud knock on the door. He nearly jumped out of his skin. He wished he actually had, but unfortunately it clung to him. He scrambled to a more “natural” position, trying to look like he wasn't just balling his eyes out. 

He had perched himself on the top of a tall bookshelf in one of the back rooms of the shack, not unlike a cat. He had his knees to his chest, and his face buried in his knees, but quickly repositioned himself. 

The door creaked open without another knock or warning. Stanford stood in the doorway, scanning the room for a second for Bill before spotting him in the corner. 

“Get down from there,” Ford said, gesturing with his hand. Bill sighed loudly and dramatically. He used his hands as leverage and carefully climbed down the shelf. He landed on the floor with a small thump. 

Ford turned and walked out of the room, holding the door open expectantly for Bill. He meandered behind him, slouching as he followed him. Ford led them both out of the room and through the house, Bill knew where they were going, they had done this 100 times before since he became human. 

He couldn't say he was too surprised, Ford has always been paranoid. He had lived in the Mystery Shack for months now, and almost everyone had gotten used to him being around by now. He used to stop conversations dead in their tracks just by entering a room, but now no one hardly notices him at all. He liked it better that way; it made him feel uncomfortable and uneasy when everyone would turn to stare at him, and although not being noticed at all also doesn't feel great, it's much preferred to the terrible feeling of being perceived. 

So for the past few months that he's been there, Ford made it a routine to conduct what he called “weekly vitals assessments.” Bill hated them. Every week Ford would rip him away from whatever he was doing to lock him up in some other room for an hour and poke and prod at him. They used to exclusively be done in the basement laboratory, but eventually Ford got comfortable enough with Bill being in the house that they moved to one of the spare rooms on the main floor. 

 Ford opened the door and the pair walked in. He blindly pawed at the wall for a second before he found the light switch. The small room buzzed to life with a yellow hue. Ford closed the door behind them. 

Bill walked all the way into the room and took a seat on the couch against the wall. Ford walked ominously toward him with a clipboard in hand. He paused in front of Bill, staring down at his notes with a furrowed brow. Bill didn't like the way he towered over him in this position. 

“Do we really have to do this?” Bill asked. 

“Yes.” Ford answered quickly, setting his clipboard on the couch next to Bill. 

Bill's eyes were glued to the floor. He lifted his legs up a little so he cohld dangle them back and forth off the couch. His heels clashed against the base of the couch harsher than Ford was comfortable with, but he said nothing. 

He took Bill's arm in his hand, pulling it straight. Bill's face scrunched up in discomfort as Ford wrapped a large hand around his thin forearm, with his other hand he placed a couple of fingers over his radial vein. They waited in silence for a few seconds before Ford retracted himself, picking back up his clipboard and writing something down. “Heart rate is a little high, but within normal range…” he mumbled to himself. He looked up from his clipboard and set it and his pen on the nearby desk.

“Lie down,” he said. 

Bill threw his head back with an exasperated guttural noise.

“I won't take long,” Ford reassured. “It will be even quicker if you cooperate,” There was a hint of a tease in that last sentence that made Bill huff. 

He rolled his eye but acquiesced, pulling his legs up onto the couch and slowly repositioned himself so that he could lie his head on the arm. He felt a little too exposed like this, and shifted awkwardly, uncomfortably vulnerable under Ford's gaze.

Ford sat down towards the middle of the couch near Bill's hips, twisting himself to face the other. Bill threw him a confused look. 

Two large hands came down and rested themselves on Bill's stomach, the lightness of the touch made him flinch before they pressed in. For just a second, a jolting feeling spread across his nerves. But as Ford added more pressure to his probing, it faded slightly, not nearly as intense as before but still very much there. 

Ford lifted his hands from one spot and quickly landed on another. Again, as his fingers made contact with his skin, though still covered by fabric, his nerves lit up with something buzzing. He gasped quietly, and Ford glanced up at him, briefly examining his face before continuing. He hummed to himself in thought as he felt around Bill's organs. 

Each massage into his flesh, each slight movement and repositioning of his fingers, brought with it something intense and new. Bill's breath was hitched and uneven, his hands gripped onto the couch as if he would fly away if he let go. 

“Where does it hurt?” Ford asked calmly, watching Bill's face. 

“It-it doesn't hurt,” Bill answered, voice strangled. 

“You don't have to lie.”

“I'm not-! It doesn't hurt, it just feels weird.”

Ford paused, removing his hands from Bill so he could fold them over his own chest. He watched with a curious eye as Bill deflated into the couch. He hummed and tapped his finger over his arm. 

“Define weird,” he prompted, looking him over carefully for any other signs of discomfort, for anything Bill wasn't telling him. 

“It feels like,” he paused and stared up at the ceiling in thought, gathering his words. “Like I'm being electrocuted.”

“Being electrocuted?!” Ford echoed, visibly taken aback. His eyes widened in shock and his face twisted in concern. He was barely touching him, nothing he did should have felt anywhere near electrocution. Did Bill have some sort of nerve damage? Or a hypersensitivity caused by some otherworldly disorder?

Hesitantly, he placed a hand back onto Bill, gently massaging just as he was before. Bill jumped dramatically with another gasp and quickly reached to grab his wrists. They looked at each other for a long second, Ford had stopped but there was still a tenseness in Bill that made him worried something may be seriously wrong. 

His face softened however, on seeing the wobbly smile worming its way across Bill's features. Every worry and theory flew right out the window in favor of the much more obvious, and frankly hilarious, answer. He just barely fought off a smile of his own. 

And an idea crept into his head. Something mean presented itself to Ford and lit up his thoughts like a light bulb, until it was all he could think about. He was glad that Bill could no longer read his mind.

“Well,” he started, pushing up his glasses and hardening his expression, trying hard not to wear his thoughts on his sleeve. “I'll have to conduct further examinations until we get to the bottom of this.” 

Bill twisted his face in an odd way. “You think there's something wrong?” He asked. 

“Well, I have a hypothesis, yes. However I will have to run a few experiments just to be sure.” He cleared his throat to choke out the chuckle threatening to bubble out of him. 

Bill really had no idea about the human body. Not like he thought he did. He was rather naive in that regard, believing just about anything Ford told him with enough assertiveness. He wondered if that's what he was like 30 years ago. 

Shaking the thought from his mind, he hovered his hands just above Bill's middle. The older stiffened, trying to suck in his stomach in a feeble attempt to squirm away from Ford's looming fingers.

He nearly choked when they landed down on his stomach. One hand gently kneading and the other poking had him doing everything in his power to swallow down all of the embarrassing noises threatening to spill out of him. He bit down on his lip and his hand flapped uselessly next to him; anything to handle the overwhelming buzzing. 

Ford walked his fingers across Bill, choosing a new spot to terrorize and earning a thin whine. One hand rested on his side, and Ford was startled by the sudden jolt and gasp from Bill. 

“Interesting…” Ford commented, focusing his attention on the newfound spot. Bill squirmed and his leg shook. Ford switched to poking his side. Bill squeaked, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth. He squirmed and tried to wriggle his torso away. Wide eyes were locked onto Ford’s offending fingers. Little puffs of half snickers and choked down noises just barely escaped his lips. 

Without warning, Ford suddenly wrapped his whole hand around Bill and started squeezing. He jolted upward, briefly doubling in on himself before falling back down. He barked out a loud laugh, twisting this way and that. Jack pot. 

“Very interesting,” Ford added. “Alright, so-” slowing his hands to a stop, he did his best to put on a more neutral voice; like he was conducting a very serious experiment and not tickling Bill half to death. “-tell me which is worse. Here?” He vibrated a couple fingers into Bill's stomach, earning a shrill yelp and a snort. “Or here?” He brought up his right hand to continue squeezing his side, and Bill threw his head back as he cackled. 

“Thehehehere! Naha- that's soho much wohohohohorse!”

“Noted,” Ford said, abandoning his stomach to squeeze both sides. Bill squealed and his legs shot up to his chest, almost hitting Ford in the back of the head on their way. A smile broke out on Ford's features watching the way Bill's legs kicked in the air. 

“Try to hold still,” he said, taking his arm and gently coaxing his legs back down on the couch. 

“I cahahahahan’t!”

Ford chuckled and quickly switched from squeezing to vibrating. Bill screwed his eyes shut and shook his head back and forth. Ford moved one of his hands away completely, bringing it down to settle on his hip. Bill twitched under the touch, and squealed when Ford started vibrating a couple of fingers in a particularly sensitive cluster of nerves. 

“Stoahahaha! Nahahaha!” He dug his fingers into his hair, anything to help deal with the sensory overload. Although, interestingly enough to Ford, in all his flailing and thrashing, he never once tried to pull his hands away. 

Eventually, Ford slowed his hands to a stop, and waited for Bill to catch his breath before speaking. 

“Well, Bill, I have to admit-” Bill looked up at him with a half lidded eye, watching him reposition himself to be straddling his hips. 

“What are you doing?” Bill sat up a little, eyebrows furrowed. 

“-I haven't been completely honest with you,” Ford continued. 

“What are you saying? Is there nothing wrong with me?”

“Bill, are you familiar with knismesis and gargalesis?”

Bill only stared at him, tilting his head slightly. 

“Both are neurological phenomena in the part of the brain that processes touch,” Ford began to explain, much to Bill's boredom. “Knismesis is a light irritation of the skin,” as he spoke he ran his blunt nails over Bill's bare arms in a feather light motion, making him shiver and squirm away. “However gargalesis is a much more intense sensory process involving the repeated application of high pressure in sensitive areas.” Again, as he spoke he demonstrated on Bill. This time he vibrated his knuckles into his ribs. 

Bill shrieked before giving way to another bout of loud, high pitched laughter. He tried to twist away from it, but found it much more difficult with Ford sitting on him like this. 

“Gehehet ohohohoff!” He shrieked. 

“You know,” he paused his hands, starting to roll up Bill's shirt. He shivered in the cold air. “Since we're already doing a vitals assessment, I'd quite like to make sure your…axolotl, was it? Gave you the appropriate number of rib bones.”

“So do you wanna say that like a normal person or ar- EEK! Ahahaha! No, dohohon't do thahahat!”

Ford vibrated his fingers into Bill's bottom rib bone. “Oneee…” he stretched out his counting, a smirk evident in his tone despite how screwed shut Bill's eyes were. “Twoo…” 

“Knock ihit ohohohoff!” Bill threw his head back, arching into Ford's fingers. All of his thrashing successfully thwarted Ford for a second. His thoughtful hum washed away any momentary relief, quickly replacing it with excited dread. 

“Bill, you really need to stay still, I'm trying to conduct a very serious experiment here,” he said. Bill groaned but the few giggles that peaked through made it lose its edge. “Well now I've completely lost count, I'll have to start over.” Bill's eyes shot open, now wide with shock. He shook his head in fervent protest, big smile never leaving his face. 

He howled with laughter when Ford landed his buzzing fingertips back on his sensitive ribs. The higher up Ford got the worse the sensation became, and try as he might, Bill couldn't stop himself from twisting and turning. 

Ford sighed, stopping his hands. “I don't know how you expect me to gain any accurate data from this with all your squirming.” He placed his hands on Bill's hips, steadying him. Bill flinched. “Now, where was I? That's odd, I can't recall. Oh well, I'll just start over.”

“NohohohOHOHO!”

The next couple minutes felt like hours. He tried as hard as he could to stay still. That terrible buzzing kept getting worse and worse, but the threat of Ford completely starting over a third time, and counting so agonizingly slow kept him in place. 

He gripped onto the couch cushions so hard Ford thought his nails might tear a hole in the fabric. Tears of mirth stung the corners of his eye. His mind and body fought with each other in a frustrating game of tug o’ war. Every nerve lit up in an electrifying sensation, one that seemed to consume his every thought. It was completely and totally overwhelming. It seemed like every nerve in his body was screaming for relief all at once. And yet, a louder scream wanted more. 

It was too much. It wasn't nearly enough. 

Ford only stopped when he finally reached 12. Bill thought he might have died a second time. 

“Well that side is correct. I wonder about this other side,” Bill shot up like a corpse being raised from the dead, gripping on Ford's wrist before he even attempted to tickle him again. 

“24! I hahave 24 I swehehear!”

Ford chuckled. Placing a hand on Bill's chest he gently led him back down. “Alright, alright. I'll take your word for it,” he said, deciding to take pity.

Hesitantly, Bill lay back down. Ford readjusted his shirt–it had fallen back down when he sat up–raising it back to where he wanted it in a gesture that made Bill's pathetic human heart pound with anticipation. 

“Do you have your ‘data’ now, Sixer?” he opted to cover up his (hopefully not as apparent as it felt it was) nervousness with a venomous quip. 

“Hmm, almost. Let me try this one last thing,’ Ford replied. Bill whined as his wiggling fingers came closer to his middle despite himself. 

Ford was light, so light he wasn't sure he was even touching him. He delicately fluttered and spidered all 12 fingers over his stomach, intending to give him a break with the lightness. Instead, Bill squealed and bucked and laughed harder than he has this whole time. 

“WAHAIT WAHAHAHAHAIT!” 

Ford was shocked for a second before the ridiculousness of the situation caught up with him and laughed almost as hard as Bill. 

“Ahare you serious?!”

“SHUHUT UHUHUHUHUP!”

“Bill, I'm barely touching you.” Bill didn't respond to that, shaking his head wildly.

Ford slowed down a bit. He walked his fingers over Bill's stomach at an agonizingly slow pace. Tiptoeing from his hips to his ribs and then back down in a cycle that had Bill's head spinning. 

“THIHIS IS TOHOHORTURE!”

“Good, you love torture.”

“At leHEHEAST stohop going so slohohow?” 

“I'm conducting an experiment here, Bill. Slow and steady is just the right pace.”

“It's sohOHOHO BAHAD! YOU DOHON'T GEHET IT!”

Ford chortled. “I've been tickled before, Bill. I understand just fine.”

Bill snorted and covered his eyes with his arm to hide himself. His other harm latched firmly onto Ford's wrist, but not making any attempt to move it away. 

“Alright, I have a question and I want you to answer honestly.” He stopped momentarily and Bill gasped for breath like he was drowning. 

“Which is worse?”

“Dohohon't.”

“This?” he squeezed Bill's side and he snorted, trying to curl in on himself and leaning his body away from it. 

“Or this?” Ford brought up his other hand to gently spider across the other side. Bill shrieked before his laughter went silent completely. He frantically tapped Ford's hand that was spidering.

“Can you even speak right now?” Ford asked, amused. Bill shook his head. 

However, he seemed to get his voice back when Ford stopped squeezing and instead started spidering both sides at once. He squealed and erupted with hysterical laughter. 

“GOHOHO SOMEWHEHERE EHEHEHEHELSE!”

“Oh, that's interesting. ‘Go somewhere else’, not ‘stop’?”

“MOHOHOVE YOUR HAHAHANDS! PLEHEHEASE!”

“Oh, alright, alright.”

He stopped entirely, watching Bill as he melted into the couch beneath him. He panted hard as he moved to wipe away some of the tears with the ball of his palm. 

Ford tried to smooth his hands over his middle but was quickly grabbed by Bill, starting up another giggle fit. 

“relahax, I'm helping.”

Bill groaned but did relax, quickly becoming a puddle under the gentle touch. 

When he was sure Bill had completely calmed down Ford moved off of him.

“Well, I'd say that was a successful experiment, hm?” As he stood to leave the room, satisfied with his work, he felt Bill grab his wrist. 

“Wait a minute, Sixer.” Ford turned back to him, perplexed. “A minute ago you said you'd been-…also…experienced gargalesis.” Bill didn't think the human form could turn that shade of red. 

“Did I?” he chuckled nervously. “Well- well I-um. You know it's getting late, and I'm sure you're tired so why don't we-” he tried to pull his hand away, but Bill's grip only tightened. He raised his eyebrows at Ford. 

“Bill, come on now. Let's be reasonable here, we can talk about thihihihis. Nohoho! Wahahait!”

Being human is difficult. But maybe there were some things that made it bearable.

[what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me]

Some headcanons I have about King Dedede, Captain Vul, and their species!

Many, many millions of years before the tragedy that befell the dinosaurs, alien researchers tried to study them, and did not plan for their escape from the research facility, and eventual takeover of the planet! Through many years of adaptation to the new planet, you see the feathers and bird-like feathers we know and love in King Dedede and others!

This is related to my OC Sir Meteor, who you can vote for here ! 💫🦖☄️

Transcript + More below the cut below

Vestigial tail + spikes

A far cry from the reptile tails of old, the tails of current day are stubby with little movement, and in a few generations will likely be completely gone.

These guys are descendants of dinosaurs! The tails had been used for mobility, balance, but especially fighting. This connotation created ripples in the culture of what the vestigial tail means for avians, no matter how stubby and useless it is in present day! Since hollow bones had started to emerge in the species, anything that could possibly crush them is considered taboo, including showing off tails freely. A lot of them pretend they don’t exist!

Prehensile feathers

The feathers at the tip of the wings are modified fingers that can grab! If you were to push back the feathers, you would even see vestigial talons that are either too small to be any threat, or kept trip for proper appearance. All of the avians have thumb-like digits as well, but their grip is not a precise as our own.

Avians of high social standing often commission and wear enchanted gloves to aid with their weak grip, and it is why Dedede isn’t seen with his feathers and can use his hammer!

Spines + tail usually covered up

For this study, I focused on just the bodies themselves, but i wanna delve deeper into the culture they have! In particular clothing is important. They usually keep their tail and spines covered up for modesty and cultural norms—the spines are seen as weapons and only shown when living a life of battle! Even Dedede who gets into fights often doesn’t want to show them, but there is exceptions. The gray star warrior having their tail out is due to the position they have in the army. They dedicate their life to a battle. Other factors include needing high mobility! Some avians in gymnastics or on rescue teams, and other professions where mobility is essential are exempt from this rule, but they often have a robe or cover-up when not performing the task.

For Dedede: adapted to be a water-type bird, has flippers and webbed feet, and is unable to fly. His eyes are bigger than normal for the purpose of being able to see in dark waters with barely any light, although the trade off is his long distance vision leaves much to be lacking. His choice of hammer as a weapon is barely any thought to us, but a taboo one in avian society. His distance from any others of his kind is in part due to his refusal to put it down.

For Vul: he is a an avian capable of flight!! This is a rarer trait. He feels at home in the sky, and his eyes even in his old age are unparalleled to anyone else in his crew. Vul, like dedede, normally covers his tail, especially because even though he lives a life of battle, he is rather old fashioned and does not want to admit it, despite being captain to a crew of knights.

For the Star Warrior: a unnamed individual who would turn heads if they walked on their home planet looking like that. Metal armor in of itself is unusual because most avians hate to weight themselves down too much to fly, even if they aren’t a flying type. Under the helmet they have a bright red crest, and for the long legs I based them off of a Sandhill Crane. Their long legs are the best example of another trait I didn’t get to touch on yet: these guys have feathers covering the legs! Where in real life birds usually have scales, these guys have a gene which gives them feathers everywhere but the feet. Similar to silkie chickens or pigeons with muffs!

Most of these guys have some kind of feathered crest above their eyes! It helps keep sun and water out of their face, similar to eyebrows.

Page 2: a doodle comic with the story of how avians were created, along with a visual of them being somewhere between a dinosaur and bird

I have more but MAN this is getting too long

[fangsyouverymuch01]

Just friends

Summery: The hero of Baldur's Gate greatest battlefield is now drunkenly returning home from the tavern because your connection to the arcane world is dying, and it has been for months. Adding to it, is your unresolved feelings from a certain vampire you've sworn to forget.

Rolan and Lia, aiding you in your search for answers, are determined to divert your mind from troubles. Unbeknownst to you, this night is destined to change everything.

Pairing: Astarion x f!tav, Astarion x f!reader , Rolan x reader

Warnings: Fightning, sort of depressed reader, drinking, Astarion being a prick

Tags: Slow burn, friends to lovers

Note: This took way too long to write, and tbh I'm scared to publish it. Had a hard time coming up with a plot that would make sense (and yes this is the underdark/menzoberranzan fic)

Nevertheless, hope you enjoy and stick around for more parts in the future.

In front of you is an array of literature varying from books, scrolls and notes. Just like yesterday and the day before that. Picking up yet another scroll and unrolling it, the words painted on it turns into a blur. Arcane symbols dance before your eyes but the contents of the page escapes your fleeting mind and it drifts to past memories of Moonrise Towers. 

“...And all I had to do was not fall for you… Which is where my nice, simple plan fell apart,” he pauses, searching for the right words to continue. “You’re incredible. You deserve something real. I want us to be something real.”

Stunned by his confession, your own voice momentarily failed you. The Elf spoke again, revealing a truth that cut through your heart like a blade.“Being close to someone - any kind of intimacy - was something I performed to lure people back for him.”

Astarion further explains his train of thought, you could see his mouth moving but not a word reached your ears. Sadness, confusion, happiness and anger; the emotions mixed and collided within you. Was your relationship built on lies? Had you somehow forced him to sleep with you? It was all so much.

“I don't know how else to be with someone, No matter how much I’d like to.” 

You’d decided to remain just friends, and it had felt like the right choice. Liberating even, seeing Asterion grow into a person no longer controlled by fear. But now, you wallowed in selfishness due to your aching heart. Now it is the thing that keeps you from focusing on the task ahead. Now it is the thing keeping your from nights embrace, your body twisting and turning when the moon shone through the curtains. Now it is the numb feeling whilst faceless men sing your name between your legs. The decision, made with the intention of preserving your friendship, now felt as liberating as a chain strung to your neck. 

Moreover, you haven't seen him in weeks -  or could it be months? The passage of time blurs and certainly eludes you. Yet, effortlessly, his image flits into your head - bouncy white curls, piercing crimson eyes, a sharp nose and that godsdamn smirk. Interchangeable in your memory - forever young - he remains a vivid specter that refuses to fade.

Breaking your train of thought, there is a tap on your shoulder, a figure crouching over you to peer at the discoveries revealed in the scroll. 

“Found anything of interest?” Rolan spoke, eyeing you from above. 

“Ehm no, just lost in thought.” you replied, attempting to shake off the lingering memories that had clouded your focus. 

“Well, neither have I.” he puffed out a breath of air, “My best bet is to return to the House of Grief for more answers so I could study the mirror you spoke off.”

“I’m not sure they’d warmly welcome me back after my latest visit.” you let out a strained chuckle, struck by a memory of  Viconas lifeless person as Shadowhearts struck the merciless final blow to her chest. 

Since your time in the House of Grief, your bond with magic has slowly dwindled. The once-familiar currents of arcane energy now seemed distant. Magic had been an extension of you, and its absence felt akin to a cruel mutilation and you were desperate to feel magic coursing through your veins once more. Your desperation had led you here - Sorcerous Sundries, for any clue or hope that you might become whole again.

"Anyhow, have you heard from Gale yet?" you inquired, seeking a distraction from your thoughts.

"He deemed Waterdeep fruitless in our search and should be arranging plans to continue in Neverwinter as we speak," Rolan replied, his eyes pacing the floorboards beneath him. "Maybe we should pause our search for today; the sun is setting, and you, my friend, are in desperate need of a drink." His suggestion hung in the air, a respite offered amidst your futile search for answers. 

You had no energy to protest, you truly wanted to go, you really did. But what you needed was to dive into the mountains of untouched texts sprawled in a ring in front of you. 

Lazily tracing the arcane figures, partly lost in deliberation you answer “Thank you for the offer but I shouldn’t, you go and I’ll stay here.”

"Come on, just one drink. It won't solve all our problems, but it might provide a momentary escape," he insisted, recognizing the heaviness in your gaze. "We can resume our search tomorrow with clearer minds. Trust me, it's what you need right now."

A defeated sign escapes your lips “Fine, one drink but no more than that”. 

Laying a victorious touch on your arm, the tiefling grinned, "That's the spirit!" Helping you up, he proceeded, "The Elf Song in an hour; I need to run something by Lia first." With determined steps, he led you away from your search for answers in the pile of books. 

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

The warm light emanating from the Elfsongs' painted windows cast a glow over your figure as you linger outside the bustling door. The sound of laughter and clinking glasses weave together, that should beckon you inside but it doesn't. Nothing seems to pique your interest these days. The hero of Baldurs Gate was but a mere shell of what bards sang about and the thought of being recognized, of eyes filled with anticipation that lingers for extraordinary tales to be told - you can't stand it. 

Adding to your dread, are the invasive questions about your companions - about Astarion. Head spinning and lips slowly drooping to frown, you instinctively recoil from the entrance. 

With a heavy sigh, you reach into your bag, fingers wrapping around a familiar flask. The cool metal brings a small comfort, and in contrast your throat burns as you gulp down liquid courage. 

Stealing yourself against the prying questions and the weight of everyone's expectations, you push open the tavern door, stepping into the warm embrace of the tavern, where Rolan and Lia await, immersed in their own stories. You offer them a weak smile as you approach the booth. 

“There you are, I almost thought you wouldn’t show but I’m glad to be proven wrong.”

“Come, sit!” Lia urges, patting the cushion beside her. As you settle into the booth, you can't help but notice the curious eyes around you.

Gods no.

Instinctively, your finger twirls and you mutter a spell to cast disguise self, only to be reminded of your uselessness. A tinge of frustration tightens your jaw, quickly masked by a forced smile. You divert your gaze, hoping to shield yourself from the unwanted attention. 

“What’s your poison for today?” Lia asks, a mischievous smile spreading from cheek to cheek. Her breath smells of alcohol; Lia and Rolan had clearly begun drinking ahead of you. Not that you could judge them, having indulged in your trusted flask outside the tavern minutes ago. 

“I’ll have what you’ve had.”

“Coming right up!” Lia responds, her enthusiasm undeterred. She signals the bartender, and soon enough, a trio of drinks arrives at the table. 

Rolan is the first to grip the glass and then clear his throat, “To us,  and Gale - and hope that tomorrow will give us more answers.” 

One drink turns into four drinks, and at some point, you lose track of both time and the units you’ve allowed to warm your gullet. Honestly it’s quite funny, why did you worry so much before? Silly you with silly thoughts! Almost as silly as Rolan’s eyes focused on your neck. He looks funny with his eyebrows furrowed, and a chuckle escapes your lips at the sight.

“You’ll get wrinkles if you keep staring at my neck like that, Rolan.”

“I did no such thing!” he retorts as a flush creeps up on the tiefling's cheeks.

Lia heartily laughs, swaying a bit, and offers her hand to you. “Join me for a dance, will you?” The music in the tavern entices you and despite the blurred lines of inebriation, you take Lia’s hand and step into the lively dance floor.

Lia practically dragged you through the crowded tavern, Rolan following closely behind to his best abilities. The dance floor was filled with twirling bodies, in rhythm with the bard's melodies. Pulling your arm up, Lia spins and chuckles as you reach the bards scene. Rolan, with a playful twinkle in his eyes, reaches the two of you and joins the dance. The world seems to sway with the music and for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile spreads across your face. 

As you moved to the music, you sensed Rolans’ proximity. His hand found its way to the small of your back, guiding you through the intricate steps of the dance. The unfamiliar warmth of his hand against your skin was a stark contrast to the memories of Asterion's cool touch.The bard's music kept on playing, the tunes bouncing off the plucked strings, the odor of alcohol on his breath, and hot uncontrolled bodies clashing against your person -  Gods, its too much. You can't stay a minute longer or you might suffocate. 

“I need some air,” you mumble and offer an apologizing smile, excusing yourself as the dance continues without you. 

“Wait!” a muffled voice calls out, but you pretend that you’re too far off to hear. 

Faces blurred into a sea of strangers, and the lively chatter became an indistinguishable hum. Your breath quickened, and you couldn't shake the feeling of faceless men and women judging your every step. Because now they know - they know that you were no hero of Baldur's gate, just another drunk who couldn’t even cast a simple spell to disguise herself from embarrassment. 

Pathetic. 

As you stepped out into the cool night air, the contrast between the warmth of the dance floor and the refreshing chill outside sent shivers down your spine. Crouching down you plant your hands to your knees, trying to catch your breath and ease your mind. 

A moment later, the tavern door swung open abruptly, an curly haired man emerging as he wrestled with another almost feral one. The creature thrashed and snarled at the curly haired man as he strained against the frenzied movements. Caught off guard, you stood up in the shadow beside the entrance, your breath hitching again as you observed the scene unfold. 

Seizing the opportunity to make sense of the situation, you assertively approached the struggling men, dagger clutched and ready strike if needed. The curly-haired man's eyes flickered toward you and your gaze met his.

Deep crimson eyes, ivory curls, and are those fangs?

No, that can't be.

"Astarion?" you uttered, your voice a hushed whisper that sliced through the night, your eyes fixed on the elf's face in utter disbelief. There he was, right before you.

Astarion's attention shifted to the rabid man, deftly maneuvering to subdue him. He restrained the creature, halting any further erratic movements. With precision, Astarion extracted a flask from his belt, causing the man's struggles to intensify. Despite the increased resistance, Astarion's actions remained calculated and exact.

With the man momentarily contained, Astarion secured him in place with one hand, the other retrieving a flask. He raised it to his mouth, a subtle glint of fangs emerging as he skillfully removed the lid with his teeth.

"Hello," the rogue spoke, pausing to inject the man with the unfamiliar substance. The feral struggles ceased, and Astarion continued, his tone now imbued with a nuanced warmth, "darling."

Stunned you remain constrained where you stood. This is real, Astarion is here after days, weeks and months of him plaguing your thoughts every waking moment. Your mind races, trying to process the surreal present. A rumble in your stomach seems to pull you out of your trance, nausea spreading in your throat. 

Keep. it. down. 

“Care to help or do you intend to stand there and just gawk?”

Once more the door beside you swung open, a tall figure emerges with swaying strands of long hair catching in the wind, intent on reaching the paralyzed man and Astarion. 

“We said no killing, remember?" he spoke.

"Oh, my apologies, brother. I must have forgotten our little agreement when I was wrestling the feral dog whilst you were nowhere to be seen.”

At that moment, you recognized the man - Leon. His expression remained stoic, though a flicker of irritation crossed his features. "Your theatrics aren't amusing, Astarion. We need to keep them alive; this is not the time nor place for you to display your unique methods."

You finally had a surge to act, fumbled in your bag and searched for any potion or scroll that could help. A glass vial of what seemed to be a healing potion met your fingers, and you pulled it out, unscrewing the cap with shaky hands. 

“Here take this,” you called out, holding the potion aloft, offering a forced smile amidst the charged atmosphere. 

As you step forward to give Leon the vial, Rolan stumbles out the tavern door, tipsy and eyes searching for something in the night. You’d completely forgotten about Rolan and Lia, they’d probably been worried since you hadn’t returned. His eyes widened at the chaotic scene before him, and he instinctively moved to stand in front of you, a protective gesture. His hand flickered with a small flame, ready to defend against any potential threat. 

"What in the hells is happening here?" Rolan demanded, a mix of concern and bewilderment in his voice.

Before anyone could respond, Astarion let out a small laugh, one that you couldn't seem to decipher the meaning of. What was so funny? Rolan certainly wasn't amused, and the flame rose higher from his palm at the elf's dismissive laugh. Leon's gaze moved to Rolan, his hands raising in a gesture of peace, showing that they were no threat to him or you.

“Got yourself a knight in shining armor, have you now?” Astarion remarked, a sly grin playing on his lips.

Knight in shining armor? The words stung, and a spark of anger flared within you. Rolan didn't need to save you nor did you want him to. Opening your mouth to retort, Leon interjected, his voice firm and commanding.

“Astarion, don’t,” Leon snapped at him, a stern edge to his voice. He then looked directly at you, his expression softening. “We don’t want to fight you. Let's find a quieter spot to talk, and we’ll explain everything.”

You nodded, the tension in the air making it clear that this was not the time for confrontation. Rolan, still wary but trusting your judgment, lowered the flame in his palm. With cautious glances exchanged between the group, you began to move away from the chaotic scene, guided by Leon's lead to a more secluded spot where answers awaited. 

[ar-ghilas-vir-banal]

@fenharel-babe this is your fault. You left some tags and… time for me to live up to the gut-wrench of my name, I guess.

Memory was cruel.

His was sharp, acutely efficient at recalling the most minute details, from a scent on the breath of an Elvhen noble to the pauses between words meant to convey emphasis.

He could remember the first time he saw her. Laid flat on a sour straw pallet, drenched in sweat, the green glare of his Mark on her palm. Solas hadn’t focused much on her face then; he’d noted the Dalish markings of Mythal and that was enough of a reason not to examine the woman’s features for too long.

Would that he had. Would that he had simply stopped and allowed each and every single moment of their time together stretch for as long as they possibly could. There was always something drawing his attention. Always the next event, or mission. Always a bit of research.

And there was the matter of the Inquisitor’s own duties. She had been cast headlong into a den of vipers and she was at war from all sides, besieged and harried, fighting for not only her people and the world… but herself. Her personhood.

Her true self.

“I feel safe with you, my Solas,” she’d said once.

He could remember smiling at being called hers. He wanted to be. He longed to rise in the morning, warmed by her body and spirit, to live days at her side performing only simple tasks of the home together. It was the dream he liked best, even if it increasingly cut away at his heart; dreams with no chance of coming true were often jagged, weighty things.

Solas had also taken pride in the fact that out of all of their companions, he was the one in which she sought refuge and respite. He was the calm for her storm. There were times when he felt that his heart could soar for her, on the wind of her success and triumph…

Now, Solas felt as if his chest contained a fractured shard of obsidian. It sliced away at him with each breath, each push of blood through his lyrium-formed veins.

She lay still. As still as she had in Haven. The arm he’d severed some years back rested at her side. Her hair, longer with time, fanned out behind her head. Her face was serene and soft as driven snow. Not a crease, not a flaw; the blood from the wound in the center of her body had been cleaned away.

She could have been one of his paintings.

Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain were no more. Rook and the surviving Veilguard core team were quiet now, mourning their own dead. Morrigan was… somewhere. The various groups Rook had allied with were working on the wounded, fighting. Trying.

He hadn’t even been able to fight for her. She had been gone when he’d reached her. Face slack. Eyes wide open. She’d looked so small. Abandoned. Alone.

The Nevarran professor, Volkarion, Solas recalled numbly, had helped him bear up the Inquisitor. He was a slender man, graying of hair. But with kind eyes and an even kinder heart. He’d not made Solas speak while he made a place for them. Emmrich had even been so good as to find something to place under her head, and covered her with his own cloak.

It had been hours since it was all over. Solas hadn’t moved. He’d sat beside her, clasping her hand, watching her face. Pleading. Pleading with whatever gods there had ever been, in dreams or in the waking world, pleading with his own magic, with any Spirit that might hear him…

Elgar’nan had stabbed her with a blight tendril. He’d laughed, sensing Solas’ shock upon seeing her. Connecting the dots, as Sera once said.

Something in the mere recollection of their old Inquisition partner broke loose a final barrier within him, and Solas leaned on the table where Emmrich had laid his love, and wept.

He touched her arm, her shoulder, her face. Whispered her name. She had only wanted him to love her. And he had been too bent on his own internal morality that he’d refused both of them what they truly desired. Over and over he had pushed her away, but she had never stopped following him.

Solas had heard her calling out to Rook in the battle, Elven flying from her tongue, strong and swift. She’d moved with a grace befitting Andruil, quick and agile. Determined. She’d run to him, intent on freeing him from a huge arm of Blight. And she’d succeeded... Her life was the price for his freedom.

“Vhenan,” Solas begged. “I stopped, I- I will not… please. Please.” She, of course, did not answer. All Solas could do was hold her dead hand, kiss her dead lips, and hate every fiber of his being for bringing her to this fate.

It was exactly what he had done. He might as well have plunged the Fang into her heart, as well as Varric’s. He’d never deserved a second of her time. He’d never earned the gentle touches, the embraces round his back that made him want to melt… the kisses. The precious touches of her hands.

“She got your letter.”

Solas shuddered, unable to lift his head from her. But the knowledge seemed to claw its way through him, a demon born of grief. She’d come because of him. Why had she loved him? What in him had she been so… why? Why couldn’t she have loved one of the others? Blackwall… Thom? Or the General? Bull… they would have been good to her.

“For what it’s worth… she wouldn’t have been anywhere else. She spoke of you so… she never gave up. You proved her right. Stopping…”

“I killed her… I-“

Rook drew near, boots scuffing the ground. Their hand rested on his back. “… I’m so sorry, Solas. She deserved that future she wanted… she dreamed of being with you, you know? You were happiness to her… even just… the thought of you.”

“I wish she’d never loved me,” Solas whispered, cradling her face in his hands. He’d never held her with abandon before, placing his hands exactly where he wanted. Where she wished. He could never.

“Solas… I’m sorry but… I have an idea.”

Solas didn’t immediately look up. But he sighed, heavy, exhausted… he hoped he was dying. He hoped it would all just stop. Drawing back, he kept the Inquisitor’s hand, brushing his lips to her knuckles. Her fingers.

“Please leave me alone,” he asked in a gray, lifeless voice.

“It is just that… the Veil needs a source of power. To remain effective, a life must supply it.”

“Please…”

“You’re not hearing me, Solas. If your life could sustain the Veil… it could sustain her. I am a necromancer. Her spirit is here, with you. It will always be, until you release it. Stop for a moment… feel for her.”

Rook’s hand withdrew, giving Solas space. He lifted his head a bit, letting his eyes close. Tears fell across his cheeks, down his neck. His mind was so very tired, battered. He wished to stop… to cease.

“Vhenan?”

All at once, there she was. Warm. The light. He couldn’t see her but… she was there. As if his use of the name, her name, had given her just enough tether to let him see her.

“What must I do?” Solas half-sobbed, opening eyes that pled with the Professor, and then with Rook, who clasped his shoulder. Steadying him.

“Shed your blood, for the Veil and for her, let… let them mix.”

“Dorian.” How long the Wizard had been there, Solas didn’t know. But the man looked every bit as wrecked as Solas felt. They looked at each other across the broken down courtyard, matching haunted stare for haunted stare.

“I’m here for her, Solas. This wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for you… but she wants… wanted you. You fail, at least you’re protecting the world she loved. The world she died for.” Then Dorian’s face darkened, hardening. “And you will protect it.”

Solas swallowed, nodding once. There weren’t any words to speak.

Rook slipped something into Solas’ hand. The dagger. “Here… best hurry.”

He’d never done anything so easily in his long life as draw the blade over his hand. It stung, but he turned toward the glowing rift behind them, and slung the cupped handful of his own blood at it. It pulsed as if receiving it. Then Solas gingerly pulled open the Inquisitor’s tunic and laid the flat of his cut palm over the wound near her heart.

“Please,” he whispered, bending close to her, gathering her up to his chest. “Vhenan, please.”

But she just slumped there, her head nestled into the hollow of his shoulder. Not a stir of breath. Not a twitch.

Dorian stepped forward but Emmrich held up a warning hand. “The bond must be made. Give it a moment.”

Rook fidgeted, rocking side to side worriedly.

Only the necromancer watched with a serene understanding. And then… a slow smile.

“Mm… what… Solas? Solas…”

He wept. He’d broken before Mythal, as she released him. He’d shed tears so often in the Fade that Spite had remarked that he smelled of them… as well as in the Lighthouse. But never like this. Solas collapsed, knees buckling under him. He pressed his face into the Inquisitor’s lap, clutching her to him, unable to do anything else.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry-“

“Solas! Solas, Vhenan, Vhenan.”

She was crooning at him, her voice was divine, she was alive, she was alive!! Her hand smoothed over his neck, the back of his hand and shoulders. Then she made him look at her, and she smiled…

“Ar lath ma,” she said, tears brimming in her eyes. “I knew you could save us. I knew you could.”

He surged up into her arms, lifting her, shivering under her kiss at his forehead and temple, and then, miracle of miracles, Solas kissed her. It was a tearful, graceless thing full of trembling lips and hands that clutched at the other too tightly.

And it was perfect.

How Solas allowed her to leave his arms, he couldn’t ever know. She didn’t let go of him, though; she gave him her prosthetic hand to close his around.

Dorian wept but kissed his best friend’s forehead. “Take your wolf on home, now.”

Rook and Emmrich gave her encouraging smiles.

She tugged at his hand, giving him a wide, unrepentant smile. “Vhenan. Ir ghilana.” So he allowed her to lead him. Up the steps. Across the platform.

“Hamin.”

“Solas. Garas.”

He drew her close, close enough to see the flecks of green dance in her eyes. Her alive, vibrant, empowered eyes. “Ar ghilas vir banal… .” She was bound to him, to his life force… but the thought of her suffering his own fate. There would be a time where he may find atonement… but peace… no. Not if she remained. But she should remain.

The Inquisitor shook her head and smiled. There was nothing but pride and love in her face. It made Solas want to bow down to her. “Tel’banal ar ama. Vir shiral malasa… bellanaris.”

She kissed him. Short and gentle. It took his very breath. And then she tugged at him again. “Garas.” When the rift sealed behind them, neither looked back.

[alittlesongbirdchirps]

MY WORLD AU

Bruce Wayne isn't human he never was.

His body was a false form created to do his task, his mission, to gather information on Earth.

And that information would help his kind decide whether or not to destroy the entire planet and everything on it.

And his kind one of them could do it with a mere hand completely crush it in their grasp.

But no they won't judge based on an outside point of view.

So that's why Bruce is sent there, given a human form, he's not allowed to do anything unless it is human-like not even allowed to use his powers, not allowed to kill any humans.

Because It will muddy the water, and mess up the result.

Only after he's done observing, gathering all the data possible for judgment may he return to his true form.

His body's parents, no the character he plays to observe, Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered.

He uses all the information he gathered so far in his short time on earth from the television show he witnessed and vows vengeance on all criminals.

He begins to think maybe that's not a normal human reaction, that's until he takes in Dick.

Not out of care but out of the fact, that this is an actual human that also witnessed his parents die, so it's more out of the purpose he wants to see if he performed his so-called grief correctly, and humanely.

And apparently, he did since Dick acted similar to how he did all those years ago.

But when Jason came into his life it was the same at that start only taking him in to gather more information in particular he wanted to see if he could change human behavior if he took him in.

So he gave him more attention than he ever did Dick but at some point with Jason, or maybe it was even with Dick but he began to care though he wouldn't admit it not until Jason died.

Rage, an emotion he never felt before, and true grief, he was gonna kill the Joker fuck this stupid study.

And he will do it while in this human form, so it's slow and painful but Superman stops him, Bruce nearly swings at him but manages to stop himself managing to get his bearing back and now it was solely about this mission again.

No longer holding back against criminals anymore, he won't kill them but if they died from the injuries it wasn't his fault it was theirs.

Eventually, Tim Drake comes into his life almost like a whirlwind, demanding to be robin he refuses mainly because he doesn't need any more data on human younglings, but Tim threatens to compromise his mission as Batman, he doesn't know what Bruce truly is not yet.

Tim figures something out at some point, that Bruce isn't human it wasn't like Bruce was trying to hide it anymore.

Tim begins to ask him many questions with the underlying unspoken words, I know you're not human but I won't bring it up.

Oddly Bruce finds himself intrigued by this human this youngling is smart, especially by human standards, and he begins to study him he's different than the others, smarter, similar to the whole Bruce character He temporarily is until he finishes his mission.

Much later on;

When Bruce is 'killed.' by Darkside, he's simply beamed back to relay his data, and he lies he knows what his kind will do, destroy his earth, it is his earth, destroy his family that he built.

His kind doesn't lie, it's beneath them, so they believe him, for now, he makes a few requests for extra measures, like getting the earth to be put in his true name before returning.

Of course, Tim believed he was alive he was the only one who truly knew Bruce wasn't human but he didn't know what.

But something happens whether the Joker again or an invasion because his kind realizes his bitch ass lied.

So he protects them, he protects his earth, his true form his true size briefly leaking out, and he easily defeats them.

The league of course asks him what happened and what was that, and he simply lies that he was briefly possessed by some cosmic entity. Obviously, the bats call bullshit but don't call him out until they return to the cave demanding answers. LOL

(Little drabble idea.)

NOT EDITED LATE NIGHT, CONSIDERED THIS TIRED BULLSHIT SCRIBBLES OF WRITING.

[featherlight-touches]

Tranquility

Kazuha/Heizou

a/n: this was another request! I have gotten a couple and I'm slowly working through them because I'm currently unwell. But they will be done! Thank you again for the request, I do enjoy a bit of Kazuha and Heizou. I hope you enjoy!

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Kazuha and Heizou trudged home, their spirits dampened after Heizou’s investigation had led to nothing but dead ends and cold trails. The samurai felt sympathy for the detective, knowing that this must have been very frustrating for him, his silence deafening.

The night air was crisp and cool as they settled beneath the sprawling tree outside their home, its branches reaching out to embrace the starlit sky above. Kazuha reclined back, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the twinkling stars spread out before him like an infinite sea of diamonds. He loved these moments.

Beside him, Heizou sat hunched and pensive, his brow furrowed as his mind raced, desperately trying to unravel the tangled threads of his unresolved case. He mulled over every scrap of evidence, every potential lead, searching for something, anything, that could breathe new life into his stalled investigation. But the harder he thought, the more the answers seemed to slip through his fingers like wisps of smoke.

Kazuha had turned and watched him with a sympathetic eye moments ago, unknown to Heizou. He couldn’t help but mirror that troubled expression and his hand reached out to grab onto the detective’s wrist, which snapped him out of his thoughts and gained his attention.

“You’ve done all you can for today,” Kazuha smiled, warm just like his grounding touch. “Let your mind rest, just for a little while and lay with me under the stars.”

Heizou barely resisted at all as his body is pulled down gently to lay beside Kazuha, although he did let a small groan escape his lips.

“Where did I go wrong?” he murmured, his frustration still very clear within his voice. “How could my calculations have been so far off…”

“The answers will come, in time. But for now, let us just breathe, and be still, and allow ourselves this fleeting moment of tranquillity,” Kazuha pulled Heizou’s body closer to his, wrapping his arms around and almost trapping the male within his embrace. Heizou let out what could only be described as a whine and tried to wiggle some space.

“That’s easy for you to say! This isn’t your job we’re talking about here. Any slip up from me will be the talk of the office and I refuse to have anyone doubt my detective skills. My performance today was slack, and I should know better than to let my guard down over something so-”

“Heizou.” Kazuha’s unusually stern voice interrupted, enough to silence the stressed Heizou. “The case is not over yet. You have yet to fail at any task presented your way and I will not be forced to listen to you doubt yourself like this, understand?”

“Yeah, but Kazuha-”

“No buts. Only this one,”

Heizou yelped as he felt a playful squeeze around his rear and slapped at Kazuha’s hand.

“Pervert!” Heizou groaned, however there was a smile on his lips as he said it, so Kazuha knew that he was on the right track to calm him down and he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped from gazing upon Heizou’s flustered expression. “Oh, real funny guy, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been told once or twice,” Kazuha smiled, that face looking way too innocent for Heizou’s liking.

“Well, at least you can make yourself laugh, I suppose.”

“I can easily make you laugh as well, Heizou.” Kazuha had a spark of mischief in his eyes as his fingers crept over and began to playfully dance up and down his exposed sides.

“Debatable,” he could barely keep a straight face as laughter forced its way from his lips. “Well, thahahat’s cheating!”

“I don’t recall any rules being put in place on making you laugh, my love!” Kazuha loved the way Heizou squirmed and writhed against his fingers, that stressed look leaving his face and replacing it with joy and mirth.

Kazuha chuckled again, delighting in the rare sight of Heizou so carefree and unguarded, his melodic laughter like music to Kazuha's ears.

“Okahahay!” Heizou’s face buried into Kazuha’s shoulder, squealing into it once Kazuha’s fingers contacted his stomach, that’s when the legs started kicking. “Nohohot there!

“If you promise to not talk about the case anymore tonight, then I will cease,” Kazuha bargained, switching from tickles to gentle scratches, enough to lower his laughter into small giggles.

“Fine,” Heizou whined into his shoulder, which Kazuha found endearing enough to reward him with a small kiss to his temple. A yelp was startled out of Kazuha when he felt pesky and sneaky fingers start to pinch at his unprotected sides and was forced to giggle when Heizou started to nibble playfully onto his earlobe.

“Heheheizou!” Kazuha giggled, but Heizou showed no signs of stopping and he could feel the grin against his ear as it nibbled and kissed gently. Kazuha had very sensitive ears and was a definite weak spot for the samurai, something that Heizou deduced a very long time ago through similar means.

Kazuha’s face began to heat up with a blush as the tickles to his sides let up and was just left with the attention to his ears, which after a while stopped feeling ticklish and more sensual instead. He could barely hide the small and satisfied sigh that passed his lips.

Kazuha let his own fingers sneak back under Heizou’s revealing clothes and gently used his nails to scratch up and down the detective’s back, something to reward as well as relax him. The second he felt those gentle ministrations, Heizou let out a pleased whimper and rested his head on Kazuha’s shoulder, relaxing against him.

“You’re like a cat,” Kazuha mused, letting his fingers to continue to scratch gently up and down Heizou’s back. He let out a tired but amused giggle at the comparison but allowed himself to be pampered in the loving embrace of Kazuha.

The case could wait.  

[glitchgw2]

OC deput post!

Meet Autopsist Luccem (Lucc for short)

An Inquest "scientist" who's tasked to perform autopsies on deceased fellow Inquest members, experiments (asura only), or asura brought to him from elsewhere by the Inquest to determine their cause of death or...just because! They don't even need to be dead; but if they get in Lucc's hands, their demise is guaranteed. Low scum are often sent to him to be dealt with, to get rid of, be tortured, or have their brain removed for proprietary knowledge. He is quite renown for his enthusiasm about his job, and so people hope they never get sent to him for anything.

Some more art:

Some trivia, toyhou.se link and a bonus art piece (cw gore) is below the read more!

QnA!

How did he get into the Inquest?

After one too many arrests, the Inquest felt like a warm welcome, where his genius and love for unethical cadaver handling wasn't to be punished.

Can he use magic? Does he fight?

He's rather a science guy. He can name every bone in your body but can't conjure fires or anything. He can use a gun though. And he also has a bonesaw. But still, he prefers to rely on defense golems and security systems. Outsmart your enemies and always be two steps ahead of them, you know.

What does he do in his free time?

He likes to play the latest version of digital ecto-gambling on his datapad.

More trivia:

No one knows for sure where his lab is and one can only guess; any and all entry is only available through asura gates placed in different Inquest headquarters. This is also the method he gets bodies transferred to him.

He refuses to work with other asura. He has assistant golems in his lab (and well, technically krewe) exclusively.

He handles a lot of bodies contaminated with chaos magic, hence his yellow pupils.

He's a fan of my goth asura band, Mortis Twins.

He speaks with a slight French accent for some reason.

Bonus art: (cw gore)

I keep saying to myself he's professional, yet his autopsy table is long overdue a fix/upgrade. 😭

And finally, Toyhou.se link.

(Note: he's an AU for an existing character of mine and both of them have content warnings. I hid some darker things behind the content warning because my OC has everything wrong with him in every universe ever.)

[mourningcomess]

[ SWEET BUN TRIO ]

She stops herself from popping the middle bun with mere moments to spare. The storm must have swept away her logic alongside beauty, otherwise there was no way she’d end up with this trio of pastries in hand. Even if her stomach is speaking louder than her mind, there are so many other options of cuisine to dine on.

Although…the sweets may be far from her tastes, but they do look cute in presentation. It would be a waste to simply dump them, and placing them back would only meet her with even more awkward looks tonight. The best option would be to give them to someone as a gift, but who could possibly…?

The answer miraculously comes into sight in the form of a grim raven. With no hesitation, Sonya pivots to face the black-dressed lady eye-to-eye and holds out the plate of sweet buns.

“Here. Take one, two, or three of them, Three preferably,” she immediately offers, pushing the plate subtly closer and closer to the lady. Most other women liked the sweetness of these things, even if the taste was long-lost to Sonya herself. She couldn’t picture anyone better to settle the buns with.

“Oh, also,” she quickly adds on, pulling off a turtle charm from her bracelet and setting it aside on the plate. “Not for eating. Just thought it’d look good on you, dear.”

Ishtar has had enough of the ballroom. She looms near the corner, obsurcing sight and hoping the night draws near. There's too much ups and downs, too much uncertainty in the whisper of this eve. She cannot hold it in any longer. Her body grumbles with the frustration of one ready to give in. The ocean was certaintly pleasant to look at yes....but now she'd like a break. Performing the spectacle of Ishtar was not an easy task.

And so she overshadows the ball, a tufted bird with no vendetta to exact. Ishtar stands with increasing anxiety, hands and fingers unable to contain the underlying tension. But no. She was a princess. 

The arrival of a stranger is always swatted away. Ishtar is ready to seethe and scratch, but the woman does not appear suggest much menace.

A sweet bun?

The item is plopped into the princess' hands. Just like that, the thunder mage had no idea she was hungry. She stares at the item, its soft texture and fullness, and wonders if its okay to start eating. Then again, why did this woman gift her food?

"For me?" Ishtar asks. "Why?" A glance is all Ishtar needs to know that the woman is not dressed to the ball's standards. It would only anger her more if this woman was taking pity on her for some reason or other.

But she doesn't have much reason to refuse at this point. Ishtar settles for taking a piece of the sweet bread and tasting it. It has a pleasant subtlety she can enjoy. Just when she thinks the woman is done, she offers her charm.

"Well, thank you," the thunder mage responds. "You must have good taste. I suppose I should offer you my charm as well." Retrieving her allotted charm, she hands it to the woman.

"Your name?" Ishtar nearly demands. "We might as well get acquainted."

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Can you give some headcanons for the series?

SURE! Let's see, I got a bunch of 'em.

Friendly reminder to whoever will read this, THESE ARE JUST HEADCANONS, don't take them as facts, omg, this is just my personal creativity and imagination playing around here

1- The dogs live a lot longer than what it would be "usual" considering the difference between human and dog ages. If we'd take actual dog age into account in this show, both Rubble and Zuma would be the first ones to die of old age in like, 4 years at least. I refuse that. For me, the dogs in this universe not only are able to speak and learn stuff that animals normally don't, but also will live up to like, 30 or 40 years old. Mixed breeds with more resistance to diseases and stuff might reach the 50s.

2- Marshall has bad genetics due to being result from extreme in-breeding at an illegal facility (y'know like what they call a puppy mill). He was born without any strength on his rear body, plus the blue eyes which are ACTUALLY a gene that's related to making Dalmatians have less spots and hearing loss, which can happen from birth or gradually lose their hearing as they grow up. The facility was busted in by police and the dogs were rescued, treated, and put up for adoption. Ryder saw how that clumsy puppy still persisted on getting up and trying to keep up with the others and chose him. It took them some long time of physiotherapy but Marshall's attitude and optimism, along with the support from Ryder and the other pups, got him where he is nowadays: Able to walk, run, jump and perform his rescue duties almost perfectly, to the point he's one of the fastest (if not the fastest) pups (ok this part about his speed is canon, he IS one of the fastest pups), even if he still trips sometimes - it's just how he is and they all love and support him.

3- Skye hates being the smallest pup because she knows she won't grow as much as the others anyway. She's a mix of two naturally small breeds. So whenever they notice one of them is growing a bit more and it's "taking longer" for her, it's just because she grows so much slower and just a bit, to the point it's nearly impossible to notice.

4- Zuma descends from a breed of Merpups who have long ago left the underwater to live on land. They've mixed with Labradors who lived around and the story of their origins has been lost to time, as their descendants think it's just a legend. Zuma always believed it to be real and that's why he waited to see a Merpup that first time. To become a Merpup for one night was literally a dream come true, not only for him loving water but also for it felt like "coming home" for him.

5- Mr. Porter is secretly tasked with watching out for Ryder, that's why he's always helping with providing things for the pups, like bringing/preparing food and snacks for them.

That's what I'll get out for now XD Hope you like these!

[letters-from-dekarios]

Following up from this letter. A short insight into Ollie is here.

[Two missives are handed to Gale during a lecture at Blackstaff Academy by his wife's imp familiar, called Dreth... who cares not a whit at the interruption he has caused. (Dreth and Gale are... antagonistic allies).]

Missive # 1

For the eyes of Professor Gale Dekarios School of Illusion Blackstaff Academy On behalf of Oleandra Dekarios

Ser Dekarios,

I am writing this letter on behalf of my adventuring companion, who has mentioned several times that you are to be informed if anything should befall her during our adventures.

Before you begin to worry overmuch, she says that she is, and I quote, "fine, and anyone who tells him differently will be sent to their gods with all haste".

In the interest of truthfulness, and at the risk of my person, I must inform you that Lady Dekarios was gravely injured in our latest delve into the bowels of the glaciers north of the Spine of the World. She served her role admirably, taking several blows meant for our divine healer, who by your wife's grace was able to survive and keep the rest of us on our feet and fighting to ultimately overcome the latest danger that permeates this forbidden space. It is by Lathander's light that your wife was returned to us, although she remains in a fragile physical state.

I assume you know that if she were to read the above sentence, that she would inform me that I "know not the meaning of fragile" and she would be ultimately too happy to "demonstrate on my femurs". Nevertheless, it is the truth, as spells as complex as Raise Dead do tend to require physical rehabilitation in the days afterwards.

As for our quest, Lady Dekarios continues to remind us that we have not yet accomplished our tasks for this delve, and she refuses to rest topside despite her injuries. We have persuaded her to rest at least long enough for her energy to be recovered. Brother Cedric has assured me that the ritual was performed without a hitch, which means we have less than a ten-day before she compels us back towards whatever lies in store.

If I may be frank, Ser Dekarios, I fear you of all people best understand her tendency to overextend herself, and I beg that you send word to any allies you may have in the region to come to our aid --- not for the sake of the mission, you understand, I believe that we have that well in hand. Instead I implore you for the sake of my companion's own well being. I will never forgive myself if her actions to protect my beloved Cedric cost you your wife.

With the utmost gratitude, Lord Petris Blackway of Luskan Servant of Umberlee

Missive # 2

Beloved, My moon and stars, Love and light of my life, My best friend through this life and the next, Wizard not only of Waterdeep but also of my heart, My reason for being and everything that is good and beautiful in this world,

I am fine.

Dreth wouldn't give me Lord Busy-body's letter so I am sending my own. Please feel free to deal with the impish little shit as you see fit.

I. Am. Fine.

Your dearest Ollie, who is very much fine and who is very much looking forward to never hearing the name "Petris Blackway of Luskan" ever again.

Sweet Ollie,

I do sincerely doubt that you are “fine”. If you were fine, these letters would not have been delivered in such haste in the mid-portion of a lecture. Nevermind, I believe my students found the delivery entertaining despite their harrowing contents.

I have arranged some time with my higher-ups. I shall be heading north to you within the day you receive this letter. Worry naught, my love, I shall not make the journey alone! Tara has elected to join me, for the sake of making sure I do not find any mysterious tomes or get abducted again. With a few spells and the help of travel sigils, it won’t take me long to find you.

Rest assured, I won’t stay for long. If I continued with you on your journey I fear you’d put my head on a stick! I am just arriving with some medicinal items and my love for a few days, then I shall return home.

You worry me at times with your everlasting adventurous spirit. You’d believe saving the world once would quench your thirst for investigation for lifetimes to come, but your physical adventure is akin to my literary indulgences and I cannot fault you for that. That does not prevent the gray hairs from growing whenever I think too hard of whatever you may be facing.

Aside from myself, I have sent word to some companions in the area you are in. They shall arrive to check on you much sooner than I, and provide a sufficient solution to any magical needs you or your allies may have. You can call me whatever names you deem fit for my precautions when you see me in a few days.

And, by the gods my dear, do stop threatening the imp. You’ve lost enough allies in this world, and I do not think punishment suffices for the creature that was only following your instruction. Perhaps you hit your head and forgot that you told him to notify me if you befall some sort of sickness or injury? I adore you, my love, I truly do, but try to not break the bones of your familiar.

My sweetest Ollie… you know I rarely have the words for your bravery. Every day, you amaze me with your self-sacrificing spirit. Without your acknowledgement of this fact of your life, you would not be so ready to help others. It is a point I have always admired of you. Let the others care for you, for once. You need not always be a provider, you can be provided for, if you let them. If you let me.

I adore you to the ends of this world and back through the Nine Hells. Do not overextend yourself too much, my dear. I shall arrive soon to tend to you. In the meantime, let the others help you. Or so help me gods I’ll incapacitate you myself and force you to return to Waterdeep before you can finish your journey.

With all the love a man can have,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

text reads: gale dekarios