#not keen on any of the new designs so far

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

Can you write a fic where Ethan doesn’t want to be a Ghostface so he tells reader the truth and they warn the rest of the group then run away together

ethan hasn’t killed anyone (cause that would defeat the purpose of him not wanting to be gf) but this is after quinn and anika’s death. only convenient time for this conversation to take place. also i didn't add running away cause i feel it wouldn't make sense for reader to leave their friends behind durning all this, so maybe anon if you really want that i could possible do a follow up to them having a happy life.

gn!reader masterlist

“i- i have something to tell you.” ethan whispered in your ear, drawing your attention away from your anxious friends. you were gonna prompt him to tell you, but when you say the worry on his face you excused the both of you.

sliding into the bathroom with ethan on your heels, you sat on the edge of the tub while ethan leaned his weight against the door. “what’s wrong?” noting how ethan kept his eye to his feet, hands twisting below his stomach.

“what i’m about to tell you… just know i was forced to be apart of because of my family. things would have been worse if i- i just hope you can forgive me.” ethan finally looked up and at you. eyes soft and face open, waiting for something.

you shifted a little, worried whatever he says crosses your morals. “okay… but only if you actually tell me what it is.”

“okay,” he took a deep breath then said, “my family is ghostface.”

you froze, “i’m sorry, what?” keeping your voice composed, miraculously.

“my- my dad, sister and i. we’re related to richie, the guy sam killed in woodsboro last year. my dad is detective bailey and my sister is-“ “quinn.” putting those two pieces together.

you waved your hands around for a moment, “wait, so quinn didn’t die yesterday? only anika? then who was ghostface? were- were you the one who-“ “no! no, i wasn’t. it- it was my dad.”

ethan took two steps closer in his rush to correct you and you couldn’t hide the faint flinch it produced, but you saw his face fall. ethan noticed that you’ve become afraid of him. “my- my dad wanted it to be me, but i was enjoying my night and didn’t want to leave.”

that caused your heart to stutter, in the good developing a fat crush on a boy kind of way. you and ethan were having a study date at a diner two blocks from campus, and it seemed sweet when he phrased it that way but then your mind started turning.

“wait, was i just an alibi? if you went through with it, i would have defended a murder to my friends. what the fuck, ethan?” standing to your feet, face getting warm with heat. heart thumping at this alternate outcome.

"i know, i know. yes. you were designed to be my alibi, but I never fully wanted to be a part of all this, i only joined at first cause my whole family was a wreck after my brother died. my hands are free of blood but my conscious is pooling with guilt, that's why i'm telling you this so then we can then warn the others. i trust you the most out of everyone."

ethan took a step closer and instead of flinching or moving back, you stood your ground keeping a keen eye on him. "you swear you've had no part in anything so far? cause i can't trust or defend you if there is a drop of blood on your hands." staring up at him with pleading, hopeful eyes.

with this new information you didn't want to mistake him for a nerdy, shy good guy. but the ethan you know is the shy (flushing whenever chad tried to wingman him to you or any girl), a little nerdy (whiling to go into film debates with mindy when she was in a trusting mood) and he was genuinely a good, sweet guy. he'd always walk you home when it was dark outside, he'd buy you food or drinks whenever you're together for hours, and he'd always uplift you; complimenting you from your accomplishments to how you looked that day. that's the ethan landry you've gotten to know the past six months, you don't want to lose him.

his whiskey-brown eyes danced around, pinballing over the place. his tongue peeking out to wet his plush pink lips, your eyes followed the action. you felt his hand bump into your own, looking down to see him linking your pinkies together.

"i swear i have done no harm to anyone. when everything started to feel real i knew this wasn't the healthy decision, it's not worth losing everything i've gained. this group is more of a family to me and- and i don't want to lose you because of a revenge fantasy." brows pinching and eyes changing to a doe expression.

“what- what are you… what about your actual family? would they kill you or disown you? doesn’t- doesn’t that bother you in anyway?” watching how ethan’s face didn’t change, just a simple shrug in response.

“it doesn’t matter. nothing matters but this, so no it doesn’t bother me… completely.” bringing his free hand to your cheek, cupping your apple and rubbing at the growing dark circles. ethan leaned his head closer, “i mean it when i don’t want to lose you. i want to get the opportunity to build a future with you, get our degrees, take you out on dates and so much further down the line.”

“i’d- i’d like that too…” trailing off as you both leaned in and locked lips. hand reaching out to grasp onto the hem of ethan’s shirt, pinkies curling tighter, with ethan treating you like a fine piece of china. if this weren’t such a dire situation you would happily indulge further, but you kept it short and sweet before being the first to lean away.

“run away with me,” ethan sighed against your wet lips. your eyes fluttered open to see his dream stare. “can- can we do that?”

“after.” silently agreeing to flee with ethan, “but after all this. we can’t leave our friends behind and you’ll help us have the upper hand.” making a move to the bathroom door.

you pulled ethan behind you and brought the both of you back to the living room. all eyes turned to you and ethan, having been gone for almost ten minutes now.

“were you two making out? seriously? now?” mindy complained with an eye roll. you deadpanned her with a simple, “yes and, ethan has something to share will all of you.” stoned eyes melting into honey as you urged him on, “you can do this.” giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

[undiscovered-horizon]

Return to sender - Kaz Brekker x Reader

[graphic descriptions of violence/injury]

SUMMARY: Someone from your past keeps sending you unambiguously romantic letters. While you think of them as nothing beyond an inconvenience, Kaz has a different opinion.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 2.9k

A/N: I'm going through the first editorial correction for my novel and as it turns out, I can't speak my own mother tongue lmao

Kaz has an eye for details. Whether it’s a pattern or an overlooked design, he always notices. That set of skills, either he learned them or was born with them, made it painfully obvious to him that your foul mood coincided with correspondence he never saw you actually read. The letter usually ends up in the nearest fireplace, its secrets never uncovered and you maunder around the club looking for a fight or a strong drink. A much bigger problem, however, was the fact that if you were in a sour mood, Kaz would become exceptionally chippy without an apparent cause. ‘Care for my investment’ he calls it, which makes a rather amusing euphemism.

In any event, he knows that the letter should arrive today. Exactly seven weeks had passed since the last time some mysterious correspondence pissed you off and the sender, as far as Kaz has noticed, is like clockwork. Strangely enough, he can’t recall a day when the letter should arrive that you’d come to the club already annoyed as though he has become privy to a rather obvious pattern that you remain oblivious to. If so, he has even more advantage - he can solve this inconvenience behind your back, in case you’d try to dismiss him. He wouldn’t listen anyway, of course. Not when it comes to you.

Knowing very well that you have a habit of arriving shortly after Inej, he’s quick to find the thief before you even get a chance of catching wind of his scheme. She’s fixing her clothes when she spots him hastily limping towards her with his face turned nearly into a snarl. A hand brushes through his hair. He’s agitated. But Inej knows better than to make the first move against the unmovable mountain. Kaz sought her out, after all, and if he means business, he won’t waste time.

And he does just as she thought. Speaking in a low tone, Kaz makes her part of his conspiracy: “Inej, I need you to do something but no one else can know. Someone will deliver a letter today. Follow them and find out as much as you can,” his voice is stern, not accepting refusal. The matter appears urgent, of utter importance.

Her keen gaze studies his face for a moment, looking for any way even the slightest tick of muscles could reveal a further piece of the mystery she isn’t yet privy to. “Is this about the new job we’re doing?” She elegantly manoeuvres around the subject.

Kaz knows what she’s trying to do. He clenches his jaw and gives her a blank, although somewhat impatient, look before slowly answering: “It’s rather loosely related.”

This is enough to put her curiosity on hold - for now, at least. The unmovable mountain remains, well, unmovable. Inej nods. “I’m on it.”

The moment she ends her sentence, the door to the club opens with a creek echoing through the otherwise empty venue, immediately earning the undivided attention of Kaz and Inej. The sound of heels against the wooden floor is unmistakable as is the fitting, rather short, coat. Inej smiles, stifling laughter as she notices Kaz immediately straightening his back when he sees you.

There’s a certain spring to your step, one that Kaz has learned to associate with complacency. Although this joyous aura is making his mind turn into quicksand swallowing anything coherent, he’s got enough grip on his thoughts to render his theory proved - you really do not have any idea that the letters come regularly. 

With a triumphant grin, you wave a scroll in his face. “I had a hunch and did some browsing at the city archives. You’re going to love it.”

Inej is gone and the only thing Kaz can do at the moment is wait along with trying his best not to think about this mail fiasco. But considering you’ll spend the entire day a mere inch or two away from him, he’s hardly going to do much thinking anyway. 

“Let’s see it then,” Kaz interposes before turning around and walking back to his office. 

Making his way to Brekker’s office, Jesper examined the expensive stationery from every side and angle. No matter the perspective, the cursive letters on the front still spell out your name. Truthfully, he does that every time you receive mail, mainly because of how little you talk about the possible sender. There’s always a huff, an eye-roll and the envelope ends up turned into ashes, without any further explanation. You become short-tempered for the rest of the day and go ballistic on anyone trying to inquire about the mysterious correspondence. As much entertainment as it usually brings Jesper, he’s smart enough to know when to stop poking the bear.

Jesper knocks on the door but opens them right after - announcing his arrival rather than asking for permission to enter. 

“...smuggling through the sewers.” He hears you finishing your sentence.

Both you and Kaz simultaneously tear away your gaze from the maps scattered on the table and bore your eyes into Jesper with anticipation. He lifts the letter, wriggling his wrist slightly, and immediately your expression falls. You clench your fist. A contemptuous grimace creeps onto your face.

“Letter for you,” he announces.

“By the Saints, not this again,” you whisper and roll your eyes.

“What do you mean again?” Jesper asks casually, half expecting you to break his hand and half hoping for an answer. Today, as it turns out, is his lucky day.

“A friend once convinced me to go to some socialite high tea with her. I met someone there, we wrote to each other a few times and then he started to be obnoxious, the whole ‘woe is me’ lark.” The memory must still be vivid to you as you let out an annoyed sigh. “He claimed he can’t live without me while never spelling my name correctly. But since I value myself a little too much to waste my time on pity parties, I simply stopped replying. The last letter I sent him, I don’t know, three years ago? And he just keeps coming back.” You clench your jaw, clearly stopping yourself from a string of profanities considered obscene even in this company.

Jesper puts on a playful grin. “You know, you never struck me as someone who’d have a secret admirer.”

Your irritated gaze makes him equally amused and nervous. “He’s not exactly secret, is he? More of a returning cockroach infestation. Worry not, boys, I’ll just burn this one like the rest and we can all forget about this little perplexity.”

“Come on, you’re not even a little bit curious about what’s inside?” Jesper coaxes as he hands you the letter.

“Believe me when I tell you that I don’t give a rat’s bald ass about this man and his pathetic wax poetic.” You snatch the envelope, all the while looking at your friend with squinted, piercing eyes. Considering who you are, a complete lack of curiosity whatsoever might as well be a symptom of a lethal disease.

In that short moment, when the stationery goes from Jesper’s hand into yours, Kaz watches the letter as closely as he can. Smooth paper, probably expensive. Careful lettering, written with patience and thoughtfulness. An aroma of mint and tobacco lingers on the parchment. The stamp has the current date on it and the postal code is only a few numbers away from the club’s - whoever sent it is in Ketterdam and quite close by.

Kaz makes those little observations just in time because you throw the letter into the fireplace behind him, without even glancing at the paper. The flames grow for a few seconds, devouring the dry stationery. Soon, there’s no evidence that any mail has been delivered to you on this day.

“Now, where were we?” You clap your hands. “Ah, sewers.” Jesper takes the change of subject as his cue to leave but you stop him right when he pushes down the door handle. “Oh, and Jesper? If you tell Inej, I’m ripping your arm off and beating you to death with it.”

He looks at you over his shoulder, a newfound sense of anxiety turning his vivid amusement into somewhat tame courtesy, leaving his smile unfaltering but tearing away the genuine joy behind it. “I will keep this enlightening piece of advice in mind, thank you.”

The door clicks as Jesper closes it behind himself. Returning to your previous engagement, you stumble upon Brekker’s stern gaze of disapproval. 

“Do not maim my investments.” Although it’s supposed to be a scolding or a threat, it comes out with a certain note of disinterest.

“Don’t try playing all nice, Kaz. You and I both know you’d watch for like ten minutes before stepping in.”

His gloved finger taps the map. “Sewers.” 

You mumble something along the lines of ‘yes, sir’ and pick up the single-handed divider again. Kaz examines your face out of the corner of his eye. Judging by your casual demeanour, the palm’s length between your heads is of no bother to you. Maybe you’re just too busy counting the segments with the divider. When you’re done, you reach for the other side of the desk, for a moment leaving broody Kaz to the, surprisingly cold, lukewarm air filling the room.

This day just can’t seem to end for Burr Lowther. First, he had to take his regular trip into the filth of the Barrel, he shudders at the memory, only to then spend another ten hours at the sewing workshop. Being a foreman pays exceptionally well and perhaps this is the only reason he’s still putting up with those lazy needlewomen. 

Putting his well-kept coat on the hanger by the front door, Burr lets out a sigh of relief - compared to the factory, his house is a quiet oasis. He remembers to take out a pouch and a box of expensive cigars from his coat. Without much thinking, he opens the small bag and puts another leaf of mint between his teeth. What started first as an addition to his personal hygiene, has quickly become a habit impossible to kill. Now used to the strong, chilly sensation on his tongue, he’s grown to like it. 

The house is drowning in darkness. Dim, yellow light from the streetlamps crawling in through the windows is barely enough to let him make his way around the furniture. Foreman Lowther is yet to start the fire in his living room but he needs to be quick - if he stalls too long his joints will begin to hurt. Even with laudanum, the ache is bound to keep him up for hours and that’s something he can’t afford. But first, he needs some light to be able to get the necessary things.

Chewing on the herb, Burr walks to the table across the room from the fireplace. He puts the new box of cigars down and begins looking for something to light the oil lamp. Once he blindly finds a box of matches, his muscle memory does most of the job - he’s lit up the lamp far too many times to think about the actions. In swift, mechanical motions, Burr takes off the chimney, lights the wick and puts the glass part back on. The fire brightens the rest of the table, reminding the foreman that he forgot to put away the made-to-order McKinnon & Co. stationery. He pushes the paper farther away from the lamp, just in case.

Burr’s knees make a cracking noise when he crouches in front of the fireplace. Carefully, he lights a match and puts it between logs and old newspapers. The fire smoulders for a moment, balancing between starting and being put out, before a bigger flame begins gnawing at the dry wood and paper. 

Foreman Lowther is about to stand up when something hits the side of his head, making his face clash with the seat of a nearby armchair. Scurrying and turning around, he sees an outline of a man, looking more like a feverish mare of the night than a real human. He’s thin and tall, dressed rather elegantly. The model crow on his cane glistens in the newly started fire.

“Who are you?” Burr’s voice cracks, giving away his panic.

“A scorned businessman, Burr Lowther,” Kaz explains slowly.

The foreman climbs backwards into the armchair. It’s difficult to look imposing while sitting beside a fireplace but his fear is far too severe to let the man stand on his own two feet.

“I’ve no business with you!” he yells. A few droplets of spit fly out of his mouth. “Get out!” Burr’s shaky hand points vaguely in the direction of the front door but Kaz, as it seems, is not going anywhere just yet.

In slow steps, Kaz gets closer to Burr, the difference in height painting him even more menacing. Lowther’s hand falls limp on a small table meant for trays with food.

“Perhaps you don’t. But I have plenty with you.”

Before foreman Lowther can ask another question, Brekker drives a sharp blade through the man’s palm, pinning it to the wooden counter. A howl of pain cuts through the night, scaring away the birds sitting outside the windows. Thick, crimson blood spills from the wound, falling to the floor in long drops. The fireplace’s flame glistens in the growing puddle, the reflection dances in morbid anticipation.

Kaz walks over to the table with the oil lamp. The first thing that catches his eye is the ivory paper. Somehow, he stifles the visceral reaction it elicits from him. Grabbing the wad of stationery, he folds it a few times and puts it in the inner pocket of his coat. Then his gaze trails towards the wooden box of cigars. The name of the company, Starling, is burned in cursive lettering on the front. In a swift movement, Kaz slides the package open, knowing exactly what he’s going to find inside - a cigar cutter. For people who can afford Starling tobacco products, it definitely doesn’t befit to chew off the end.

Firelight cascades off the metal cutter when Kaz turns back towards Burr. The man’s eyes widen in panic, recognizing the sharp device put against him.

“No, sir,” Burr begs with a frantic shake of his head. “Oh, Saints, please, no! Don’t! I’m begging you, sir! Please, please! No, please!”

Brekker’s face doesn’t change its indifferent expression. The pleading is not putting him off, never faltering his already-made decision. Perhaps, if it isn’t too morbid to consider, he’s enjoying having someone at his mercy. The cigar cutter clicks quietly as Kaz closes it a few times to check the state of the mechanism.

Kaz makes his way back to the foreman. Casually, he puts his cane against the table but away from the nailed palm, careful not to get it dirty. Then, he snatches Burr’s other hand, the swiftness diminishing all doubts that he’s inexperienced in bringing suffering.

“You have laid your hands on something that isn’t yours, Lowther,” Brekker explains as he forces one of the man’s fingers through the cutter’s opening. “Now you must pay for it.”

A muscle in his face ticks as he presses the cigar cutter. Burr howls in agony, tears streaming down his face. The finger falls to the floor with a wet slap as blood begins to pour. The white tip of the bone sticks out from the pulsating flesh, glistening in the warm, dim light of the burning fireplace.

In a feverish delirium, Lowther mumbles something under his nose, the string of incomprehensible words sometimes interrupted by sobs. Kaz can understand only two things from the ramblings of a madman: ‘wench’ and ‘reply’. Scarce information but he hardly needs more.

“Wench?” he repeats in a low voice.

With a snap of his wrist, Kaz twists the knife still residing in the man’s hand. A bone cracks. But there’s no scream this time - not an ounce of strength left in the victim. Lonely tears stream down his grey face, mixing with cold sweat as he blankly stares ahead. A gloved hand yanks his head back by the hair, forcing delirious Burr to look into Brekker’s eyes. They look darker than they should, clouded with something far too horrible to be considered human.

“Not only did you lay your filthy hands on something of mine,” Kaz’s voice is low enough to resemble a growl as though something carnal inside him has finally woken from its slumber, “but you also dare insult her.”

Burr makes a strange guttural noise, something between a gag reflex and a murmur, as another one of his fingers is cut off. Considering his vacant expression, it’s hard to say whether his consciousness even registered the loss.

Kaz tosses away the cigar cutter. It clutters and clicks falling in the largely unknown corner of the room. Reaching inside his coat, he pulls out the folded stationery. Pressing tightly on Burr’s cheeks, he forces the man’s mouth open.

“I don’t think you will be needing this anymore.”

Even if foreman Lowther was in his right mind at the moment, there wouldn’t be much he could do to prevent Kaz from shoving the dry paper down his throat. A match, a spark, a smoulder - the ivory stationery is burning inside Burr’s mouth.

Leaving Burr Lowther to his own devices, Kaz Brekker leaves the house, joining the otherwise grey and indifferent citizens of Ketterdam. The sunrise is just a few hours away. He’s making his way back to the club, uninterrupted and unbothered, to enjoy another day of your hardly divided attention.

[portraitoftheoddity]

Foot Care for Hiking - A Guide

Hiking is rough on your feet. Any activity where you spend a lot of time moving around upright is going to be, but between the added weight of a pack, the irregularity of the terrain, and the intensity of conditions in the outdoors with heat, cold, wet, etc., hiking for miles can leave your feet far more sore than walking an equal distance on a flat paved road. From getting blisters to bruising toenails to even cases of trench foot among thru-hikers, there’s a lot of problems that can arise. 

But if you’re out in the backcountry and your feet are blistered and miserable... you still need them to walk out. So it’s essential that you take care of them, so they can carry you and back safely! 

Here are some tips for foot care and maintenance for the new hiker:

BEFORE YOU PLAN TO HIKE

1 - Get Hiking Shoes That Fit Well. This is honestly the biggest thing. 

Proper hiking footwear with decent support and traction is really important, not just for comfortable feet, but also for overall safety. A lot of injuries among novice hikers stem from inappropriate footwear that leads to slipping and falling. Hiking boots, hiking shoes, or hiking sandals designed for cushioning your feet and gripping the terrain are worth investing in, since even an expensive shoe is cheaper than the doctor’s bill for a broken leg (ask me how I know!)

But the right type of shoe won’t matter if it doesn’t fit your foot. If your shoe is too tight, it’s going to pinch and rub against your foot uncomfortably and give you blisters. If your shoe is too big, your foot is going to slip around in it, rubbing against the shoe... and give you blisters. If your toes repeatedly ram into the end of the toebox of your shoe because of poor fit, this will result in achy toes, bruised toenails, and possibly even toenail loss on long-haul hikes. 

When you buy hiking footwear, try to do so in person. Different brands will have different fits, and you may find one in particular is better suited to the shape of your foot. For instance: I almost exclusively wear Keens because of the wide toe box, since I have narrow heels and wide toes on my weird-ass Daffy Duck feet. An associate may be able to guide you, especially if you’re in an outdoors-oriented store.

So once you have some shoes that fit comfortably and are hiking appropriate--

2 - Break Those Bad Boys In. 

Don’t immediately go on a long hike in a brand new pair of shoes you’ve never worn. Practice first wearing them around the house, running errands in them, going for walks in them, running up and down stairs in them, and letting them mold to your feet. Then try some longer walks or short hikes before setting out on a lengthy expedition. If you’re like me and wear specific insoles, wear them in your hiking boots while breaking them in. 

If you notice certain issues, like heel slippage or pressure on the top of your foot if you have high arches, try looking into different lacing techniques. This article has some suggestions, and there’s a lot more techniques out there. Experiment with what lacing technique is most comfortable for you!

PREPARING FOR YOUR HIKE

You have your boots and you’re planning to hike. Awesome! Here are some foot care steps that should be part of your hiking prep routine:

1 - Trim Your Nails. Long toenails can snag, and also can ram into the ends of your shoes, causing bruising, pain, and even ingrown toenails. Google “Hiker’s Toe” at your own risk. Keeping your toenails neatly trimmed is a good preventative step, and one I always take the night before a hike.

2 - If you’re prone to blistering, Tape Your Feet. I know that because of some weirdness in my stance and gait and the shape of my feet, there are spots where I am always prone to blistering on a hike. If you’re a brand new hiker, you might not be aware of any problem spots yet -- or you might be the lucky sort who doesn’t have any! -- but if you know you tend to get blisters on the backs of your heels, or anywhere else, get your tape out. 

I use Leukotape P, since it’s breathable and sticks well even when it gets damp from sweat, but plain old drug store brand cloth medical tape will do in a pinch. Tape up any problem areas preventatively before setting out -- the tape will provide a barrier between your skin and the area of your boot that’s rubbing against it, reducing the friction. It also secures that top layer of skin in place, reducing the shearing effect between upper and lower layers of skin that results in blister formation from repetitive rubbing. 

3 - Put on Good Socks. Your socks should be the right height for your shoe. If you have ankle-high boots, don’t wear low-cut socks; you want your socks to be a consistent barrier between your shoe and your skin. You also want socks that-- like your shoes -- fit. You don’t want them so snug that they’re digging into your calves and cutting off circulation, but they shouldn’t be loose and moving around in your boot either, and the heel cup should line up with your foot’s heel.

For sock material, merino wool is the go-to choice among hikers, though polyester and nylon also make appearances. Wool socks are great because wool stays warm even when it gets a bit damp, and wool socks can absorb a lot of moisture before they feel wet, and dry quickly. As a bonus, wool doesn’t hold on to stink as much as some other fabrics!

4 - Stock Your First Aid Kit. You should always hike with first aid supplies, and I always keep extra blister pads, blister dressings, and medical tape in mine...

ON THE TRAIL

So now you’ve finally hit the trail and you’re heading out into the wilderness -- but you still shouldn’t forget about your feet! Pay attention to any pain, pinching, rubbing, or other discomfort in your feet, and don’t hesitate to take a pause to fix problems as they come up. Got a pebble in your shoe? Don’t suck it up-- stop and take it out! 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to foot first aid, and smart hikers address small problems early on before they have a chance to become big problems and potentially incapacitate you out in the backcountry. So never be afraid or ashamed to stop if something is up with your feet -- you might feel like a pain in the ass if you’re calling a stop while hiking with a group, but I guarantee you, it’s way less trouble to stop for five minutes for someone to fix their shoe than it is to half-carry your friend with horrible blisters the last mile back to the parking lot.

KEEP YOUR FEET DRY

For hikes with a lot of water crossings, I usually pack extra socks in case I fall in and soak a foot. Wet socks and shoes can cause a whole host of problems for your feet, from blisters on a short hike  to trench foot in multi-day hikes in wet conditions. Wearing wool or quick-dry materials in your socks will help, but a spare pair if you get drenched is always helpful. If you get wet and need to change socks -- do it. If you need to take a break to dry out your feet -- do so. 

SPOT THE HOTSPOTS

If you’re hiking at an incline, such as going through hilly terrain or up a mountain, you may feel your shoes slipping and rubbing in new ways, causing chafing or pinching that didn’t happen when you were breaking your shoes in on flat ground. This is unfortunately pretty normal, as the angle of your foot and ankle are different when you’re going up a slope than on flat ground. Be very mindful of hotspots forming from this change in angle and stop to deal with them ASAP!

“Hotspots” are precursors to blisters. When you pause to take your shoe and sock off, you might see an angry red patch of skin, but no visible injury -- yet. At this point, you can still prevent a blister from forming. I mentioned earlier taping up with Leukotape, and I always keep a roll of medical tape in my pack, along with a knife I can cut it with. Blister pads (that essential thing to have in your hiking first aid kit!) are also great -- I’ve kept a bad hotspot from fully turning into a blister and rupturing by putting on a blister pad directly over the affected area, and then securing it in place by taping up the entire back of my foot before continuing. 

DEAL WITH BLISTERS SOONER THAN LATER

If you didn’t notice the warning signs until it’s too late and you’ve got blisters -- again, blister pads. Keep them as cushioned as possible to try to avoid rupturing them. If your feet are in a lot of pain and you’re still outbound, seriously consider turning around and heading back -- it’s only going to get worse, and you’ll be even further from help. There’s being tough, and then there’s being stupid. 

Again: try not to let your blisters rupture. A torn blister is an open wound and an easy vector for infection, plus they take longer than intact blisters to heal. If your blisters do tear, immediately get your first aid kit out and clean and bandage them. Don’t just slap a standard band-aid on them either -- use an actual blister dressing that seals it in on all sides to minimize infection risk. If your blisters are extremely fluid-filled and you can’t get your shoes back on and can’t hike out without draining it and have NO OTHER CHOICE... (this is anecdotal advice and NOT the advice of a medical professional)... sterilize the area and your tools with alcohol wipes, then make a small incision with a knife or pin from your repair kit (again, STERILIZE IT FIRST) at the EDGE of the blister to drain the fluid. Make the incision as small as you can while still allowing it to drain, don’t tear or remove the top of the blister, and then clean and bandage the area thoroughly. Check on your dressings periodically when you take breaks, and change them as needed. 

Side note: Do not apply medical tape directly on an unruptured blister. When you peel that tape off at the end of the day, there’s a good chance it will rip that blister right open and you will scream like a banshee and scare the dog.

TAKE REST BREAKS IF YOU NEED THEM

If you’ve been doing mile after mile and your feet are just sore, take a break, even if there isn’t a blister emergency. Sit down on a nice rock, take your shoes off, rub your feet, air out your socks, and enjoy the scenery. You’re out in nature -- enjoy it for a minute. I’ve stopped by an ice cold babbling mountain brook and let my feet soak for some nice chilling hydrotherapy and to listen to the running water, just because I could. Allow your body to rest a bit, and then continue onward.

AFTER YOUR HIKE / BETWEEN HIKES

You’ve successfully completed your hike and made it home! Now what?

Immediately:

Take off your hiking shoes, and undo the laces so they can air out. Those puppies are gonna be ripe, so maybe toss in some baking soda to soak up the stank. Hot, wet conditions inside hiking boots are a good place for bacteria and fungus to bloom, so don’t just stuff them in a dark and musty closet until they’re good and dry.

Carefully peel off any tape on your feet you’ve added, and tend to any blister dressings or injuries.

WASH YOUR FEET. I shower pretty much immediately after a hike, but always put extra attention into cleaning and scrubbing my feet -- again, don’t want bacteria or fungus. Afterwards, I often rub in some lotion.

After that: 

Take note of any issues you had, and think about how to deal with them in the future. If you got hot spots in certain places, write that down and tape those places up preemptively next time you hike. If your socks kept riding down in your boots, try different socks next time. If you forgot something in your first aid kit, or used up something that needs replacing, make sure you’re well stocked for your next hike.  

If your feet are sore after a hike, a nice hot soak can be very soothing. If they’re swollen, try icing them for 15-20 minutes and elevating them. If foot pain still persists after a couple of days and hasn’t improved, you may want to check in with your doctor as there could be a bigger problem such as tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, or a stress fracture.

You might find yourself developing calluses in certain places, and while calluses can have protective qualities as your feet’s homemade armor, letting them get too thick can also cause problems. I shave down my calluses periodically and try to keep them at the texture of “supple worn leather” and not “crunchy horn” to avoid cracking and blistering. 

--

Hiking can be a lot of fun, and it’s even more fun when your feet aren’t an absolute disaster zone. So get good shoes, be prepared to address any problems that come up, and listen to your feet. Take good care of them, and they’ll take you anywhere!

[rawmeknockout]

Can I request a breeding kink for Vos and a human s/o? I'm thirsty for that man 👁️👁️

Vos doesn’t like Tarn’s new pet. It blubbers and whines in its high-pitched mammalian sounds, crying like a dying mechanimal during every klik of the orbital cycle. It requires far too much attention, or else it’s likely to be crushed in one of its pathetic escape attempts. Too many times Vos has been tasked with crawling through the vents to pluck up the skittering thing. Every time, it bawls its little organic optics out and kicks at him. Were it not for Tarn’s fondness of the thing, Vos would have squished the little insect by now.

There’s truly no use having it around, and yet Tarn has affection for it all the same.

Occasionally, Vos, with his audials set to maximum, will hear its distant whining and it’s… Softer. Drawn out and mournful. Everyone knows why Tarn keeps it alive, but Vos has no taste for it. Laying with the thing, even if he were desperate enough, would be like laying with the Pet. Primal and repulsive; an act of a mech who is truly without dignity. He tries not to juxtapose this judgement with the idea of his leader.

And yet, the creature is soft in his servos. It trembles but Vos keeps a sure grip on it. Easily. He’s unused to being so large next to another. He’s known of humans for a while, but has never had the misfortune of meeting one before Tarn’s pet.

It… You squish and yield beneath his claws. The next time Vos has to pull you from the vents, he looks at his digits for a long time. A creature like you shouldn’t even survive. No outer shell to protect you, inner structure like the flimsiest steel, mesh that is not mesh. It bends and flexes and gives way readily when punctured. Vos can… imagine what Tarn sees in you. If he truly were to give you a grace you don’t deserve.

You are small, yes, but your body gives way. It bends and adapts readily. Part of what makes carrying so unviable is the rigidity of Cybertronian frames. A species meant to, built to, colonize and conquer. Frames made to withstand and last. Frames that don’t produce life as easily, because reproduction is not the first method by which they survive. But for organics, mating like petrorabbits is the only way to thrive. The idea was disgusting to him at first, novel in a way that looking at a scraplet’s innards might be, but the idea sits in his processor for too long. Festers like an open wound. Vos has always been seen as more primitive, treated as such by his peers. It’s not something that bothers him anymore, but it has certainly shaped him.

He can’t rationalize why he does it. Perhaps he is truly sick. His job makes that obvious to any other, but Vos knows he has limits. Assumed he did, at least. You are snug around his spike, warm and wet. Your insides writhe in a way that is unnatural to him, unlike the grind of cable and gear. You do not coil like metal. It’s not unpleasant in the slightest. Part of him is still repulsed by the slip of your body against his, the way your organic flesh presses oil and sweat to his armor, but Vos revels in the disgusting. He would gladly coat himself in another mech’s viscera, and pushing his spike into you feels like the same sort of satisfaction.

You would look endearing filled to the brim with sparklings, your body molded around what he had given you. His coding hard at work in a body that is designed to bend and morph. Just as your body yields, you make room to fit him. You bend your desires out of the way to curl into Vos’ arms, to wrap your small human legs around his hips and pull him close. Your animal sounds are light and lovely, no longer a grating keen for mercy or freedom. Tarn could never pull such sounds from your fleshling vocalizer, too large and too rough no matter how he tries. His frame made to bully through others with little regard. And yet, compared to you, Vos is the same. It pulls a raspy chuckle from his intake, a moan like rusty metal grinding.

Vos will make sure it takes. You are eager for his touch, your body more than able to carry, and he has all the time in the world to see it will.

[archonsoflove]

Law and Order

Zhongli/Tartaglia/Neuvilette

CW: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M/M, Mating & Breeding, Scent Marking

Word Count: 4.6k

-------> MASTERLIST

-------> Read on AO3

-------> Part Two: Hunger

Part One | Insatiable

“Zhongli, baobei, wouldn’t it be lovely to travel to Fontaine?” Ajax sat across from Zhongli at their usual table at Wanmin Restaurant, a basket of crystal shrimp between the two of them. “We’d be able to visit museums, do wine tastings, and browse antique stores. It paints a pretty picture, doesn’t it?”

Zhongli gave Ajax a flat look from the other side of the table, far from pleased. “Ajax, you know as well as anyone else that I have seen everything I will ever need to in my lifetime. There are certain places I don’t wish to visit twice.”

“What?” Ajax leaned forward; eyebrows raised in that mischievous way that Zhongli adored. “Don’t tell me you don’t get along with the Hydro Archon? Is that what this is about?”

The old dragon coughed into his hand, quickly making use of his chopsticks to snatch up a shrimp.

“Zhongli, no…” bewilderment lit up Ajax’s eyes, widened and ecstatic in realization. “You mean to tell me you will forfeit a vacation in Fontaine because of her?”

“Yes.”

And Ajax simply could not take no for an answer.

~

“Ajax, if you try and feed me any more ginger sweets, I fear your kindness will be rejected by my stomach and prove your efforts futile.”

While dragons and adeptal beasts were known for their immunity to most human ailments, it seemed Morax’s human form was not. Zhongli knew for a fact that the ocean was not his friend – Osial end him – and seasickness even less so.

Ajax sat down next to him on the bed in their cabin, a tentative hand coming to rest on his bare shoulder. The billowing white poet nightshirt hung to one side, proving to be a sorry sight against Zhongli’s dishevelled form.

“If I’d known Rex Lapis was prone to seasickness, I’d have put you on a ship a long time ago,” Ajax teased.

Zhongli face went ashen at the thought.

“I’d much prefer it if we spoke of something else.”

✦

Fontaine was beautiful. And elegant. Just as Zhongli had remembered it to be. Tall architecture, in creams and soft hues of blue that were gentle on the eye, lay before them. The crisp scent of freshwater melding with Sumeru’s ocean across the main harbour did not go unnoticed by his keen sense of smell.

“Would you look at that?” Ajax whistled softly as the land far below them passed by in a blur.

The Aquabus moved quite fast, and with the railings so low, Zhongli wondered for a passing moment if passengers had ever toppled over.

“Such fine machinery,” Zhongli hummed in agreement, keeping his hand tightly grasped in Ajax’s. Heights were something he was not fond of, if he could help it.

Zhongli felt as if he were still moving when they finally reached the port – and solid ground. A small creature, which he could only assume was a Melusine, passed them their luggage. He sat down on the bench to watch the bus depart once again, head still spinning from vertigo.

Ajax looked beautiful when he was in his own element. Dull blue eyes were now alight with keen interest and the bustle of a new city. And something warm bloomed in Zhongli’s chest, knowing he’d get to wander these streets with someone he loved. It had been a long time since he had indulged in the pleasantries of travel, especially with good company.

“While Fontaine has remained at the forefront of technology in recent years, it’s charming that they’ve held on to a more traditional style for their interior design.”

Ajax’s smile was genuine, eyes never leaving Zhongli’s face. It seemed there were some small ways in which he could surprise an Archon.  

Hotel Debord had always welcomed the Northland Bank’s investments with open arms, and it seems that generosity was extended towards their employees as well. Their hotel room was a grand suite, bookcases lining one wall, cerulean and golden rimmed antiques on the other behind glass casing.

“And silk sheets?” Zhongli stepped over to the bed, running bare fingers over the golden silk, eyes dark amber in the soft lighting. “If I am correct, Fontaine takes pride in the quality of their silk productions, and much of their materials come from the Melusines…though I haven’t been able to meet with such a creature long enough to ask.”

Ajax dropped their suitcases by the foot of the bed and toed off his boots. His feet sank deliciously into the plush carpeting, and for a second, he thought it best they stay in for the evening... But! This was Fontaine.  And the nightlife waited for no one.

Zhongli felt Ajax’s arms slip around his waist, breaking him from his thoughts of silks and tradesmanship. Ajax laughed softly at the small purr emanating from his lover’s chest, placing a small kiss in the hollow beneath his ear. He would never get enough of this man, and his mind, forever racing from thought to thought, constantly lost in history from decades past.

“I’m sure you’ll meet many people while we are here. But for now, shall we go out for the evening? Indulge a little?”

Zhongli hummed in agreement, arching his neck for Ajax to leave a small bite in the junction between his neck and shoulder. A flash of something hot and dangerous crackled up his spine, and he turned around in Ajax’s arms to face him.

“Dining with you would be my pleasure,” Zhongli whispered softly, his lips brushing the shell of Ajax’s ear. The involuntary shiver that passed through Ajax did not go unnoticed, and it made Zhongli’s lips tilt up in that humoured and sly way of his.

And it was always like that with them, the constant push and pull of their nature. It was one of the reasons why Zhongli loved him so dearly.

✦

Café Lucerne was in the heart of the Court of Fontaine, and Ajax did not for one second let go of Zhongli’s hand as they walked through the bustling streets. No one spared a second glance at them, too lost in their own affairs, and for that Zhongli was thankful. In Liyue, people were much more observant.

“While Café Lucerne is a café, they have wonderful food,” Ajax told him, a dashing smile complimenting the blush high on his cheeks. “It’s much different to our dining experiences at home.”

The sun had been unforgiving when they’d travelled through to Romaritime Harbour, and it seemed he was a touch sunkissed. And Zhongli’s heart swelled with fondness upon hearing home. Ajax thought of his land as home.

“What am I going to do with you?” He found himself saying, a smile tugging at his own lips as he allowed Ajax to drag him along.

A soft snort from the Snezhnayan. “You are going to take me to dinner, Zhongli.”

And what kind of lover would Zhongli be to deny him?

“Good evening,” a waitress ushered them to their table, her golden hair slicked back into a bun. “I will be back shortly to take your order.”

“This is quaint,” Zhongli commented, taking in the antique and fine clothing stores across from them. He swore he saw a dog with a bonnet, but it may have been a trick of the evening light.

“It is, isn’t it?” Ajax sighed wistfully and reached for a menu. “I’ve heard that you can debate and speak of any topics at Lucerne, as long as you don’t bring up death.”

Zhongli had to laugh at that.

“And, if you do, they will ban you.”

“However have you managed to not get banned when you last visited?”

Ajax smiled and met Zhongli’s gaze, his heart fluttering at the adoration he found in bright cor lapis.

“If you must know, I got quite drunk that last time I was here. A man was convinced he was an apple tree and wanted to “become one with the soil”, and so I told him to go drown himself instead.”

Zhongli frowned at that.

“It was a joke of course! I just found it absurd at the time, and I later found out his friends did bury him in the sand.”

“Fontaine’s people are stranger than I remember.”

~

Arouet had brewed them a perfect cup of coffee, with rich cream and milk. Ajax had insisted on having desert before dinner, and Zhongli basked in the leisurely nature of the evening.

“Sumeru’s coffee is richer in flavour,” was Zhongli’s conclusion. Ajax was crestfallen.

“While I can see the advantages of brewing coffee with the help of technology, I suppose the more traditional methods can never be overshadowed when quality is on the table.”

And Ajax had no room to argue. Sumerean vendors brewed their coffee in metal jugs over hot sand, and while the slight tang of bitterness put him off, he also missed the thicker quality of the espresso.

“But I do have to say that Arouet’s pâtissier makes lovely desserts,” Zhongli added, his attention drawn back to the Conch Madeleine, lifting a forkful to his mouth.

Before Ajax could reply, a man behind Zhongli caught his eye. It was the flash of pale blond hair, cascading down a cloak of ocean blue, elegant tailorship lining the edges of his suit in deep gold. It was only, and only, when he turned around from Lucerne’s front desk, that he realized exactly who he had been staring at.

The tall man locked eyes with Ajax, and immediately the Harbinger felt inclined to get up from his seat and run for the hills. Fontaine had hills, and caves, and he knew he could go far. Pale eyes trailed over Ajax, before landing on Zhongli’s back, eyes widening slightly. Zhongli stiffened, all too aware of Ajax’s distraction, and catching the scent permeating the air. One he knew far too well.

“Tartaglia, what a pleasant surprise to see you back in Fontaine so soon.”

Zhongli looked behind him at the deep voice, surprise colouring his cheeks a startling shade of crimson. He shot Ajax a glance before they both rose to greet the stranger.

“Chief Justice Neuvilette,” Ajax moved around the table, and offered out a hand for the judge to shake. Neuvilette simply stared at his hand for a moment, before hesitantly reciprocating. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

Zhongli narrowed his eyes at the exchange, all too familiar with the scene playing out in front of him. And that scent. Sea salt and mint, something darker, and terribly recognizable.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Zhongli said stiffly, dipping his head in greeting, “again. It seems you still have not grasped the proprieties of mundane social etiquette, Neuvilette.”

Ajax didn’t miss the way Neuvilette seemed to do a double take when turning his focus to Zhongli. He did one himself. What did Zhongli mean by “again”?

“Oh…”

Zhongli revelled in the questions he saw swimming in those lavender eyes.

“I believe my eyes are not deceiving me,” Neuvilette finally said, “for we have met, haven’t we, Morax?”

Ajax looked between the two of them, his mouth slightly agape.

“I have to say, your alias is well-chosen,” Neuvilette continued, a soft, good-natured laugh in tow. “It seems we may have more in common than we initially thought, Tartaglia. We seem to travel in the same circles, despite our occupations, of course.”

Zhongli’s hackles rose at the thought of anyone thinking they knew more about Ajax than he did. A low growl threatened to escape him, but a tentative hand on his shoulder stopped him. Ajax’s hold tightened as he moved to stand next to him. Zhongli cleared his throat and cast his eyes down to the ground.

What on earth was he doing?

“That we do,” Ajax replied politely, wearing a smile Zhongli knew was well trained into him from his days spent helping customers with paperwork at Northland Bank. “I do hope you find the rest of your evening pleasant.”

“Yes,” Zhongli interjected. “And I am quite glad it is not raining. The weather has improved greatly since my last visit.”

Neuvilette’s eyes darkened at that, but he said nothing of it, and simply nodded. With his hands clasped behind his back, he offered Zhongli a shallow bow, that same, gentle smile on his face. Ajax felt wary of it, while Zhongli’s baser instincts seemed to recognize this as a challenge. But a friendly one. It made his head feel light. That dark scent clung to him, and made his breath quicken.

“Enjoy your evening, gentlemen. May we meet again before you leave. It would be a pity if we didn’t meet for dinner. There is much for us to talk about after so much time spent apart.”

The two of them only sat down again once Neuvilette had turned the corner, heading to one of the Marcotte Station’s stop. The questions flowing between them, unanswered, seem to come out all at once.

“How do you-“

“Ajax, I’ve-“

Ajax laughed nervously and lifted a hand to run it through his hair. Zhongli knew he only did this when he was worried.

Zhongli decided to ask first.

“Ajax, how do you know the Chief Justice of Fontaine, exactly?”

Ajax sighed, looking at Zhongli with tired eyes.

“The last time I was in Fontaine, Il Dottore was occupied with Meka technology,” he started, smiling weakly when Zhongli reached over to hold his hand, his thumb tracing soothing patterns into his skin.

“And Clockwork Meka piqued his interest to such a high degree that he thought it fine to tamper with the official Fontainian Garde, which you can imagine was one of the reasons why I had to stand trial.”

“But thankfully I was let off easy, and in turn, was acquainted with the Chief Justice himself. There is nothing more to it, I can stand by that.”

Zhongli squeezed his hand reassuringly, his heart melting at the sight of those blue eyes filled with concern. He knew Ajax would fight for him in a heartbeat if he had to.

“I’ve known Neuvilette for many years,” Zhongli started, tentative and hushed. “But only in passing. Do you know what he is, Ajax?”

Ajax looked at Zhongli, expression morphing into confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Neuvilette is a dragon, Childe. A water dragon, at that.”

Zhongli had to try very hard not to burst out laughing at the look of mortification that fell over Ajax’s face.

“Is that…” Ajax closed his eyes and shook his head, as if this were a dream he could snap out of. “Zhongli, is that why you acted so out of line like that? Because he’s a dragon? Because you are territorial?”

The god had the audacity to look embarrassed.

“That may have been the case.”

Ajax then decided the bill was in order.

~

“Just like that.”

Zhongli bit deeply into the scar on Ajax’s nape, tongue laving gently over it after. His hands roamed over Ajax’s body, pressing deeply into tender muscles, the warm, soapy water rippling over them. Agile fingers traced over healed scars lovingly, and lips chased after freckles adorning the pale expanse of back akin to cinnamon on cream.

He could never get enough. Feel enough.

He inhaled deeply into Ajax’s neck, relishing in the snap of ice and pine that always lingered there. And his mind seemed transfixed on the notion that this man was his. A ceaseless mantra of mine, mine, mine. A low purr escaped him, and Ajax gasped, feeling hands tightening their grip around his waist.

“I’ve been lax with my training recently, haven’t I?” Ajax said breathily, head falling back to rest on Zhongli’s shoulder. “I hear there are many opponents to spar in the High Court. Champion Duellists, too.”

Zhongli kissed the furrow in his brow tenderly, a sound of protest leaving his lips.

“You are perfect,” he said reverently, lips skimming over Ajax’s cheekbone. Ajax hissed at the ticklish contact, skin still burning slightly from the sun. The hot water did not help much either.

To make his point clear, his fingers dug deeper into the softened flesh of his hips, thumbs moving in slow circles over his hipbones. Ajax moaned low in his throat, eyes fluttering shut at the gradually building heat in his gut, sitting heavy in his lower back. He arched into the touch, craving more, wanting more.

”We should finish up,” Zhongli whispered, voice a velvet timbre.  “The heat won’t do your skin any good for too long, I’m afraid.”

A low chuckle, the water splashing as they got out. Zhongli knew exactly how to take care of him, and Ajax was still left speechless at how easily he read him. Again, the constant give and take, push, and pull, of their relationship left a thrill rushing through him. Or was that just how love was?

“Zhongli, don’t tell me you brought Mist Flower essence with you?” Ajax raised an eyebrow, sat on the edge of the bed as Zhongli rummaged through his suitcase.

He stopped for a moment, looking back at Ajax, a knowing glance thrown his way. Ajax’s eyes moved over his form, stopping at the dip of his collarbone, exposed where the silk robe had come loose.

“Ajax, you burn quicker than oil meeting a flame. Did you really think I wouldn’t come prepared?”

“Point taken,” Ajax huffed, tearing his gaze away. He undid his robe and lay on his stomach, letting it pool over his lower half. He winced at the tight pull of skin. He’d burnt badly. He felt the dip in the bed when Zhongli kneeled over him, the pop of a vial being opened, loud in the comfortable quiet.

A small whine when cold ointment met his skin, the strong smell of mint hanging over them.

He couldn’t deny that Zhongli’s hands felt wonderful on his skin. Featherlight touches, gentle and careful not to hurt, leaving goosebumps in their wake. His breathing evened out as Zhongli continued his work.

A single finger traced from his tailbone up to his nape, agonizingly slow, while the other gave his waist a testing squeeze.

“That feels good,” Ajax breathed, voice muffled by the sheets.

Zhongli didn’t miss the way Ajax’s hips shifted against the bed, and the flex of muscles, shining under the dim lighting. His fingers trailed down to his tailbone, slipping to his hips and underneath, grazing his abdomen.

“Such, ah-,” Ajax raised his hips, a soft moan escaping him, “such a tease.”

His face burnt bright, from the sun or arousal, he didn’t care. Zhongli’s chest pressed against his back, his cock half hard against the back of his thighs, his nose pressed into his neck.

“Because you’re mine, Ajax,” Zhongli said against his neck, voice laced with the edges of a growl. Oh, he’d never acted up like this.

“Hah, then-“ Ajax keened and writhed under him, trying to turn over to face him. A solid grip held him in place, pinning his hips into the bed. “Then take me.”

The scrape of elongated fingernails up his side made him release another pathetic wine. He wanted to see him, wanted to admire how well he’d made his lover lose his carefully held composure. From the corner of his tearing eyes, he noticed small flecks of gold adorning blackened arms like stars. Oh, how stunning he was.

“Like this,” Zhongli panted, breath fanning Ajax’s jaw, wet kisses trailing down to his collarbone, a fanged bite making him gasp at the sting. “You’re mine, Ajax. Mine to claim. Mine to breed.”

The old god’s eyes were wild, and molten gold when he gripped Ajax’s chin to press their lips together, tongue viciously prying his lips apart, to taste, to swallow those beautiful, high moans. Every caress was like fire, crawling up Ajax’s arched spine in white heat. If he were to die, he would choose this man to devour him.

“Zhongli,” Ajax’s voice came out shaky, between their lips, brushing together hurriedly as their robes were pushed off, water from a duck’s feathers. And how lovely Zhongli had always looked in silk. Regal, yet soft. “Please.”

Zhongli relished in the flush that spread over Ajax’s chest, as he ordered, “Prepare yourself for me.”

A soft gasp of shock followed Ajax as he moved to the head of the bed, resting his back against the cushioned headboard. Zhongli’s eyes watched him carefully, slitted pupils dilating at the sight of hydro slicking scarred fingers, before reaching down, index pressing insistently in. Impatient. And it had lust pooling heavy in his gut.

He couldn’t rip his gaze away from Ajax’s, deep blue eyes darker still, arousal and desire and love rising to the surface. He trailed a hand down his own stomach, an arm braced behind him, and legs spread, hissing at the contact with his hard length.

“I love seeing you like this,” Zhongli admitted breathily, “How you crave my touch. How it drives you mad.”

Ajax’s head lolls back to rest against the cushions, eyes closed, and mouth parted in a silent moan as he presses two fingers into himself. Zhongli’s eyes fall to his cock, a beautiful and sinful sight, laying against a white thigh littered with bruises from too tight a grip, the tip a deep shade of red. Erotic. Pearlescent spend leaking, begging to be tasted.

“You are divine,” Zhongli groans, deep and guttural and his own hand squeezes around his length. Heat stokes headily in his groin, and he stops, chest heaving with breaths meant to soothe the lust rather than to catch breath.

“Zhongli, please. I need you inside me,” Ajax’s free hand comes up to circle two fingers around the base of the head of his cock. Zhongli sees white for a second at the sight, his pride soaring high, a voice in the back of his mind declaring: he could come just like this, without even needing to touch him.

An animalistic sound, low and predatory, fills the room as Zhongli moves over Ajax. Obedient and knowing, Ajax removes his fingers from himself and holds them out to his lover. A long, rough tongue escapes kiss swollen lips to lick them clean, and he whines – a high, pathetic thing – as Zhongli moves down his body, eyes clouded over in a haze, the taste of Ajax, Ajax, Ajax on his tongue.

“Others may want you,” Zhongli murmured lowly against Ajax’s stomach, kisses pressed into freckles and scars reverently, “but I am the only one who may claim you. I have claimed you.”

“You have,” Ajax breathed out, lust-heavy gaze following Zhongli as he bit into his thighs, small pinpricks of blood licked up by a draconic tongue, just shy of being too rough to please.

A pleased purr emanated from the god’s chest, his arms and the tips of his hair shimmering with flecks of amber. Ajax held his breath, watching as Zhongli opened his mouth and licked tentatively at the head of his cock, finally tasting his prize.

“Oh,” Ajax’s hands found purchase in Zhongli’s hair, coaxing him to lick up his length, and swallow him down. A few silent moments as the vibrations of Zhongli’s own moans sent sparks of pleasure skittering up Ajax’s spine, making his stomach flex in anticipation.

And then he started moving, tongue dragging on the underside of his length, relishing the shudder he felt run through Ajax’s body, hands tightening in his hair and stinging deliciously.

Anyone who dared to challenge a god for his own mate was a fool. And Morax intended to imbed his scent on his mate as thoroughly as he could before the evening was over. And how intoxicating his scent was, the taste of Ajax’s spend heady and all-consuming on his tongue.

~

The following morning, Zhongli was insatiable.

“You are stunning like this, Ajax.”

Ajax’s laugh against his lips was swallowed into a deep kiss, followed by smaller kisses across the freckles scattered on his cheeks.

“Can we have breakfast, please? One moment of your time.” Ajax looked a mess. A beautiful, debauched and thoroughly fucked mess, at that. “While room service was a joy, I think the maids may never come in unannounced again.”

Zhongli had been awake before Ajax, and had taken him in his sleep, rousing his lover from dreams to come inside him again. At the memory, Zhongli gently pressed a kiss to Ajax’s shoulder, trailing his teeth cheekily over the bruise there for good measure.

“I thought it was good manners to knock, but it seems Fontaine is different.”

Ajax scoffed at that, sitting up a little to reach over for the tray that had been placed on the nightstand. “Quite.”

Amongst freshly sliced bread, jam, and black coffee, they spotted a blue envelope secured under the stacked side plates.

“A letter?” Ajax frowned and snatched it up, turning it over curiously. Embossed with the High Court’s crest, and addressed to them, there was no mistaking who it was for.

I hope this letter finds you both well.

While our meeting was brief last evening, I trust you will accept my invitation to dine near Palais Mermonia. My apartment is just across from the building. You would be blind to miss it! Fontaine offers a rich history of the arts and law alike, which I know you will enjoy learning more of. I will be off duty by six, and eagerly await this opportunity to catch up with old friends.

Sincerely,

Iudex of Fontaine,

Chief Justice

Neuvilette

“He’s really inviting us to dinner, isn’t he,” Ajax stated, more out of disbelief, than actually asking a question. “Zhongli?”

“It’s hard to say…” Zhongli started, eyes still scanning over the words. Elegant penmanship, he found himself thinking.

“Do you want to see him?”

When Zhongli looked up at Ajax, instead of seeing jealousy like he’d feared, he saw sincerity and a tender softness. Vulnerability.

“I…” he sighed frustratedly. “Ajax, I was not completely honest with you last night. Neuvilette… while he is…” he fixed his eyes on Ajax’s fingers, absently tracing circles over the inside of his arm. “He was a close friend, quite some time ago, but…”

Ajax had never witnessed Zhongli at a loss for words many times in their relationship, but the tenderness never left his touch or his gaze when he asked: “Were you lovers?”

“Oh!” Zhongli laughed at that. “No, no, not quite. I never had an interest of that nature towards him, but…I do think he did.”

“Hm, I can’t blame him,” Ajax pressed a kiss to Zhongli’s temple, nose nuzzling affectionately into his hair. “Would you like him to have an interest in you?”

They knocked noses as Zhongli turned his face to kiss the corner of Ajax’s mouth, seeking the warmth and reassurance of his presence. “I don’t find it uncomfortable, if that is what you are implying.”

“My love, you know what I am asking.” Ajax kissed Zhongli gently, coaxing the answer out of him, teeth sinking into his plush lower lip.

Zhongli reached out a hand to grip the tray on Ajax’s lap, already knowing he’d knock over the hot pot of coffee onto them if they continued.

“Ajax, I am quite aware of what you are trying to get out of me, but….”

“But?” Ajax prompted, looking smug, noticing the blush rising high onto Zhongli’s cheekbones.

“Dragons have certain instincts…ones that aren’t quite usual anymore, since there aren’t many of us left” he admitted, a sigh of defeat following.

“You’ve always had the instinct to breed me-“

“This is different,” Zhongli cut in, holding up a hand to silence him. “While we are scarce, we still tend to want…” he trailed off and brought a hand up to his face, touching his reddened cheeks self-consciously.

Ajax left a kiss on Zhongli’s jaw, a silent encouragement.

“Zhongli, I love you. I will never judge you.” Another kiss on the shell of his ear.

He let out a shuddering breath. “While it’s in our nature to breed, it’s common for my kind to want the same in return as well. This desire can sometimes be fuelled by the presence of a compatible mate.”

Zhongli could see the cogs turning in Ajax’s mind already, making sense of everything he had just said.

“So…” Ajax leaned forwards to put the tray by the foot of the bed, the glass clinking as they settled. “You’re saying that while you adore doting after me, there’s something Neuvilette can offer that I can’t? Something you crave?”

Zhongli let out a choked gasp as Ajax climbed over him to straddle his hips, pushing their hips together, grinding down.

“Ah, I can see the appeal, honestly,” he said, bracing his hands on Zhongli’s chest, thumbs running over his nipples, hips moving sweetly to brush their lengths together teasingly.

“I don’t need it, Ajax,” Zhongli said, voice wavering with newfound arousal. Ajax looked beautiful above him, taking what he wanted when he wanted, using him however he pleased. “I have you, and I love you, and that’s all I’ll ever need.”

“But,” Ajax’s hips came to a stop and he arched forwards, all lithe and lean muscle, and practiced balance. “I can imagine it, Zhongli. You taking me, filling me with both of your cocks, and him – ah – filling you from behind, taking your pleasure, but knowing he can never be yours. Not in the way that we are each other’s.”

“Who would we be, to deny ourselves the delicacies Fontaine has to offer?”

-------> Fic Tags: @halfwizardprincess @randomness-fandomness12

@aristotels

[sharb]

Sharb's SAGE 2023 recommendation list

SAGE is over and I've taken a look through some really good games this week. Wanted to shout out some of the ones I thought were really cute in no particular order.

With over 200 games I can't play through and recomend all of them so please if you're interested in any of these I recomend going to https://sagexpo.org/games.html andlooking at some of the other games available.

These are just the games I've played, if you don't see your game here that's not a comment on the game's quality, just what I had time to check out.

Remember to click the thumbnails to get access to the game's pages

I was immediately interested in B.U.D.D. for it's art and references to games like wonder boy, what really surprised me about it was the humor as it's actually funny in a cute way.

If you like wonder boy or classic sega adventure games I can't recommenced B.U.D.D. enough.

@cyanroxanne pitched this to me as a SHMUP for people that have trouble getting into SHMUP games, after playing the demo and taking a minute to figure out how the game works I actually had a lot of fun with it. I could definitely recommend this to people who wanna get started with the genre, really amazing art too feels like it's a treat just seeing what the next area looks like.

RPG games can be really hard to push on SAGE because of how many games there are to go through and how long they can take to complete, a lot of streamers tend to pass over them for the sake of time so they can cover more games.

So here's my RPG recomendation, Cubenen Gardens is a game being made by @thegamedawg who actually got me to play test his game months ago, the game's still in development but what I've got to mess with so far the game's strongest aspect is it's characters and world building as you help Micheal (the saddest sopping wet creature on the planet) navigate a mall trying to find a rare monster but gets wrapped in more and more conflict.

David gets keen is really short but it has a really strong gameflow to it, my only gripes with it is that the ability HUD could be given more clear graphics as your moves are represented by circles which can make it hard to figure out what they belong to without pressing their corresponding buttons.

Beyond that the grass stage is amazing, playing the level normally gives you a pretty average platformign game but when you start building up speed using your spin move on slopes you can get to insane speeds and just fly through the level skipping puzzles and enemies and clearing the level in seconds, it's really fun when you get the hang of it.

@wootinaboot

Meander land is a really small game by @whiskerfjords game's really fun to play casually, I thought the story and characters were really cute and I'm actually really excited to see what Whisker makes next.

Out-class Hunter from @7hrone returns again with a brand new level to check out, it's a return to Doom style third persons games, specifically SRB2, it's been fun following the development of this game and watching it improve each demo.

Lemme know if you can find the cool cactus, you'll know which one I'm talking about if you follow my games ;)

Prototype N is just a really really solid action platformer game from @arriettylunaris each level has a lot of thought put into it's design and the weapon combinations can be a lot of fun to mess with, I really can't recomend Prototype N enough.

I can't get over how much character personality this game oozes, feels like around every door I'm going to run into something new I like either being a character or a game mechanic that's just fun to mess with, each character brings their own moves and their levels take advantage of a lot of their movements.

I'd compare this to those old 90's Disney game adaptations but this game easily out does them in terms of design as the designs look like they were ripped right out of an old 1940's cartoon shorts.

Peak meme aside, I actually had a lot of fun playing this, Super Freaks is a fun lil platformer game with references to a tonne of other works, you probably saw this game referenced countless times this Sage but it is just really goofy fun, tho I would really recommend playing this with friends if you can, game feels like it was designed around the kind of multiplayer chaos, if you saw the stream I was part of you can see why.

Sorry to all my friends who have heard me talking about this game all week non stop and seeing me reverse engineer SMBX 2 to [redacted] but this was easily my favorite game this SAGE if not the most replay-able, I keep booting this up just to try and make it thought the level as quick as I can.

So if you're like me you've probably been seeing @punkitt-is-here s pony comics or more specifically, the Susan Tax payer comic and the charm, humor and personalities of all of them absolutely coats this game.

It requires a bit of set up, you have to download SMBX2.0 separately in order to play this and SMBX has it's own set of issues that kinda bleed over into some of the issues in the game that need to be ironed out but beyond that this is a really fun demo to play and I absolutely can't wait to see where this goes.

Techpack currently is one Namco inspired arcade game, Tech has put a tonne of time and research into how to nail the old arcade style. The only thing holding it back right now is that the only game available is really simple and short, but man I'd be kicking myself if I didn't mention the presentation on it alone is enough for me to recommend checking this out, really reminds me of the old Namco collection games on playstation.

Now put my rabbit in as one of the cameos :gun_emoji:

Ok that's all the indies I could cover, some honerable mentions that I've been wanting to check out include

kid bubblegame JLFJ 2 Veggocalypse Mekanikko

As for the fangames I've played

Here's a game I wasn't expecting I'd be recommending, Mushroom Kingdom Fusion has been in development for over 15 years and always felt to me about quantity over quality but this new demo really impressed me.

The game is starting to take shape and there's actual structure to everything where as before it was just an open sand pit for them to figure out what to do with.

There's still a lot to be done but what's here is just a blast to mess around with. something really satisfying about struggling with a level, switching over to Samus and just blasting all the enemies and bosses away, tho I assume these characters will be unlocked in the final game as most of them are completely over powered.

This does bring me to one complaint though, Mario needs a buff. Mario is by far the hardest as he has few defense options and a lack of a health bar that almost everyone else have a huge advantage over him, and Mario having a health bar isn't too far removed from games like SMB2 and the modern 3D games.

But regardless I never thought I'd play this game and actually try to beat levels so I could see more, secret hunting is finally rewarding and expanding and finding more of the world is really fun. The game's length is absolutely HUGE, one world is about the size of an average Mario game which is insane.

And I'm really happy to see that loading has been optimized tho I don't know if that's because I'm running a machine that's not made 15 years ago.

@velacosmos has been working hard on creating a new Demo for SAGE and this one actually surprised me.

Taking influence from mario maker 2, Shang Mu Architect is a Freedom planet challenge level maker. which is quite impressive on it's own but has a tonne of extras.

Namely now there's actually a story mode to go along with the game, truth be told I'm not too big into freedom planet's cast to really know how well this game captures their personality but I still think it's really cool to actually have something that doubles as a proper freedom planet fangame since as far as I'm aware we're yet to see an actual game that actually follows the original games style.

Your mileage is definitely going to depend on how much you enjoyed the original freedom planet but I definitely think this is worth checking out.

Of the top of my head way back when stealth was pitching a mobile port of sonic 3, I swear I remember one of the ideas was expanding the match stages into full fledged level.

Sonic 3 Chronicles is an interesting "what if" scenerio where after angel island instead of falling into Hydrocity Sonic and co continue past the cutscene area and into the endless mine from match making.

I never really thought of those match stages as being connected to the main stages but this does a rpetty decent job of introducing new gimmicks and mechanics to go along with those stages.

The game is definitely rough around the edges and needs a lot of tightening up but what's here is a cute game that does it's best to follow sonic 3.

Also Mighty is here... I don't know why but thank you.

Gatoslip is a hack of Sonic the hedgehog created by @vadapega a very small demo with a tonne of personality put into it.

Yes, this is a hack, you're going to need an emulator in order to play it. Now which emulator do I recommend?

Probably the steam workshop if you still have your copy of sonic 1 before SEGA took it off the store page.

Vada's always been an inspiration for my art and it's great to see him finally go for something that really expresses his personality. The writing's great, the battles are really cute and I love the strategies for defeating enemies. Game's filled to the brim with visual gags with one gag in particular giving a lot of "replay value" (you'll know what I mean when you beat it)

can't wait to see where this ends up.

Again check out

https://sagexpo.org/games.html if you haven't yet, this just scratches the surface of what's available and there's a tonne of great games I looked over in this list.

[sotwk]

🦌 and 💍 for the ask game? *excited giggle* I loooove your headcanons

Hello, dear Callon! Thank you for this ask and for your endless patience! I will combine your two requests of 🦌: "HC about one of Thranduil’s personal likes or dislikes" and 💍: "HC about a family tradition" into one discussion about:

Thranduil and Hunting

Fanart by cudzinec (DeviantArt)

Thranduil has been participating in hunts ever since his youth in Doriath, and received his initial instruction not from his father, but from his uncle (his mother’s brother), the legendary Beleg Cuthalion, Chief Marchwarden of King Thingol.

Thranduil developed an interest in archery from about 10 years old, but only Beleg would agree to take a student so young, headstrong, impulsive, yet extraordinarily gifted under his wing.

Even as a child, Thranduil possessed exceptional physical strength, and could already pull the draw weight of an average Doriath archer.  

Beleg had a special bow designed just for him, measured for a child’s height but with an adult’s draw weight, and trained him using this. 

Thranduil greatly admired his uncle’s famous bow, Belthronding, and hoped to earn it as an inheritance one day. 

Thranduil’s natural-born gifts, which also included horsemanship, keen aim and eyesight, and a relentless pursuit of any chosen target, led to Queen Melian remarking that he would have been a favored companion of Oromë, Huntsman of the Valar, in Aman. This did not exactly please Thranduil’s father, Oropher, who preferred his son not be quite so wild-hearted and adventurous.  

Thranduil was merely 14 years old during the Hunting of Carcharoth, and was very upset at being too young to participate in that great adventure. From that day onward, he insisted on participating in as many hunts as he would be permitted to join. 

As a young hunter, Thranduil was particularly adept at navigating through rough, unfamiliar terrain. He was also fearless at hunting down dangerous predators such as wargs, wolves, wildcats, and bears. 

Fanart by @chicotfp (Note: Check out all their incredible Thranduil artwork!)

However, the arrival of Túrin Turambar greatly affected the close relationship between uncle and nephew. Much of Beleg’s time and attention redirected to King Thingol’s foster son, which made Thranduil jealous and resentful of the human outsider. 

After receiving news of his beloved uncle’s death, Thranduil (then 37 years old) blamed Turin and the curse he carried with him. He was also angry that Belthronding never returned to Doriath, and believed that Turin had stolen it himself. 

From that time on, Thranduil’s interest in archery fell drastically, and he refocused his training towards swordsmanship instead. He stopped going on hunts completely, and did not return to it until his father took the kingship of the Woodland Realm nearly a thousand years later.

Thranduilion Family Hunting Traditions

Thranduil rediscovered his love for hunting some years after he began living in the Woodland Realm. The vast landscapes between Rhovanion and the Rhun provided bountiful hunting grounds for all kinds of game, and he often rode out with the Silvan hunters on long expeditions. He soon became as familiar with those lands as the native Wood-elves who had lived there since the Awakening. 

Thranduil personally oversaw the training in archery and hunting of his two eldest sons, Crown Prince Mirion and Prince Turhir. By the time Princes Arvellas, Gelir, and Legolas were born, he had delegated this task to the elder brothers, wishing for them to become role models and mentors to their younger siblings.

Although all five sons are skilled at hunting and tracking, Prince Gelir is by far the most naturally gifted, and is often bragged about by the Elvenking as the “greatest huntsman across the realms”.

Prince Turhir is noted for preferring to use various-sized spears instead of bow and arrow as his choice of weapon, for game even as small as squirrels. 

The king and princes would sporadically and spontaneously group up to go on their own recreational hunting trips. Southeastern Greenwood, between the East Bight and the Old Forest Road, was particularly rich with game during the autumn through winter months.

They did not use hunting dogs, local guides, traps, or baiting tactics and relied solely on their own stalking and archery skills. 

Hunting was one of the most favorite bonding activities between father and sons, and amongst the brothers, and involved a lot of playful challenges and bets. 

The Hunting of the Rhûn Lion

Every four years during the summer, from about TA 300-1300, the entire royal family (including the Elvenqueen) would assemble a small party and go on an expedition to hunt the Rhûn Lion, the dangerous and unchallenged apex predator of Rhovanion. The hunt would last for an entire month and was celebratory in nature, involving other games and feasting traditions. It was considered a great honor to be invited to this hunt with the royal family, but rarely was anyone invited more than once, since the intention was for every Greenwood hunter in the kingdom to be given a turn at participating. 

The resulting kills were either taken home by the guest hunters, or gifted to the Northmen residing in the area, who prized the pelts and meat. 

Part of the reason why they culled the Rhûn Lion in particular was to prevent their numbers from overwhelming the populations of wild horses and wild kine that roamed the plains of Rhovanion. The Kine of Araw were a valued species of oxen that legends claim descended from the cattle of the Valar Orome. The Great Horn of Gondor was made from one of the Kine of Araw, by Vorondil, one of Boromir’s ancestors who famously hunted them. (A connection that Legolas and Boromir later bonded over.)

Tolkien Headcanon tag list:

@quickslvxr @laneynoir @auttumnsayshi @achromaticerebus @tamryniel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @blueberryrock @aduialel @glassgulls @ladyweaslette

[zukoromantic]

HAPPY BELATED CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO @smarter-than-the-smarties !!!!!

I know i'm not exactly early, but I'm your secret santa for @duckblrsecretsanta2023 ! :D I hope you're having lovely holidays! ^^🩵

I love your taste in characters and decided to write a small Agent 22 mission fic where she chases down a certain scientist! I hope you enjoy it! It reminded me how much fun these characters are, so I for one was happy to work on it <3

(thanks to @ai-higurashi who beta read!)

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

Agent 22 looked at the city in front of her. Everything seemed normal. Busy, naturally for a city of this size, but normal.

SHUSH had gotten information that Black Heron had made her way to Paris. And of course Bentina had been the one immediately sent to follow. She had had several encounters with the woman. A scientist with a bigger sense for drama than could be found on any stage in the world. Which was the only reason she qualified as a threat at all.

Currently, 22 was seated in a news helicopter surveilling the city, along with a SHUSH coordinator and a pilot.

”She will undoubtedly try pulling a stunt at one of the landmarks. We should keep an eye on the city from the sky.”

Additionally, she had suggested the design of a news helicopter to keep a low profile. Sure, it was bigger than they would usually be, but it was more convenient to have some space.

Technically, the mission coordinator should have had a word in the planning, but Bentina usually took charge on most parts of a mission.

It was one of the reasons people weren’t exactly keen on working with her.

That didn’t matter to her though. Her focus was on the mission at hand at all times. It was only natural she would make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.

At least the coordinator was the one keeping in touch right now with SHUSH headquarters.

“22, we got word. Black Heron has been sighted on the Eiffel Tower.”

“Of course she has." The Eiffel Tower had been her number one guess. It was not just the most famous but also the tallest one of the sights in the city. Plenty of attention.

“What is it that she’s doing?”

“They don't know yet. She seems to be armed, highest platform, everyone is making their way down as we speak. We will land right now as close as we can and get up the tower.”

“We don’t have time for that. Get me as close to the tower as you can.”

“22, that -”

“Got it.” Before the coordinator could finish his objection, the pilot had already set course. Much to her colleague’s dismay. “We are going to attract plenty of unwanted attention! Besides, this is far too unsafe.”

Beakley didn’t so much as spare him a glance. “It’s either us or her. If we find time to land and get to the top of a structure that’s about a thousand feet tall, it will be too late. Send support now to assist with the arrest, I am getting to her now.”

While talking, she got up from her seat and grabbed some of her tools that she had stored away in a box.

One of them, a rope gun. Beakley positioned herself in front of one of the doors as they hovered down and closer to the landmark.

She couldn't see Heron from their position. She was most likely at the other side of the platform and had other things to do than paying attention to the helicopter.

“Can’t get closer than that!”, shouted the pilot from the front.

Beakley took a breath. It wasn’t her first time doing this, but she had to focus.

Steady aim.

Focus.

Shoot.

A rope dashed out of the gun straight to the top of the tower.

Hit.

It was a SHUSH special gadget. The tip functioned like a simple suction cup but about eighteen times more effectively. She would need it if she were to slide down on this rope.

Quickly, she fixed her end of the rope in the helicopter and snapped the handle into place before holding onto it tightly. Thank goodness she had done this a hundred times.

The last thing she heard before daring the final step was her coordinator instructing her to not be too reckless. As if she of all people needed a reminder.

A jump and her feet lost solid ground. With a high but still controlled speed, she soared through the air towards the tower. Heron still wasn’t in sight. The woman must be very occupied so as not to notice her arrival.

Better for her.

She prepared to jump off at the right moment. She needed to be careful not to crash into the -

Now!

22 let her hands loosen the grip and she fell into the space between the fence and the wall; landing in a way to deal as little damage as possible to her own body.

The loud thump she landed with felt appropriate however, as it wasn’t exactly like falling into pillows.

But she had learned not to dwell on any pain. She had obtained no injuries, so she could proceed undeterred.

With the sound however, she suspected that Heron must have noticed her at last.

“What kind of reporter are y-” an unmistakable voice yelled from her right in the square pathway, allowing Beakley to face the correct direction.

A woman in a short reddish dress - covered by a black cloak for once - and a long pointy beak showed up at the corner. Her eyes darted between the rope contraption and the agent in front of her for a moment.

“22?! Is there anywhere you won’t follow me?” Despite the surprise in her voice, Black Heron was also obviously displeased.

22 didn’t bother replying. “Whatever it is you’re doing, surrender now and SHUSH will consider a lighter sentence for your crimes.”

Heron’s expression shifted to annoyance.

“Always so to the point. You’re not even curious what my plan is? I go through all this effort and you expect me to surrender without even revealing anything?”

Beakley didn’t allow herself to be irritated by this madwoman. She didn't know if Heron had set up a timer of sorts earlier for a bomb or any other dangerous device. So she needed to hurry. However, if the scientist was so keen on sharing information, it might be faster to get a quick information from the woman herself.

“Did you plant a bomb up here?”

“A bomb? Don’t be silly, where’s the fun in that? I’m not that kind of terrorist! That’s far too impersonal.”

Apparently, Beakley wouldn’t get much information this way after all. It would be faster if she made her talk.

She dashed forwards towards the woman - only to halt in her movements when she pulled something from her dress.

“Nuh-uh, 22! What’s the rush with you?”

It wasn’t the first time Beakley had a gun pointed at her. But this one looked odd. It seemed too large to be carrying regular bullets. She had no idea what it could possibly fire. Which, unfortunately, meant that she had no idea if she could dodge whatever might be fired at her.

She scanned the environment and considered her options. The gap between the two women wasn’t large but enough to give Heron time to shoot if Beakley were to attack her.

For now she would let Heron monologue about her plan and then when she was a bit more distracted disarm her.

“I took a lot of time to prepare this, you know? I managed to build devices small enough to bring up here undiscovered that will release the biggest firework you have ever seen!” Her eyes lit up. “They’ll display my name and face for everyone to see!” She followed up with her signature maniacal laugh.

Beakley ignored the urge to call Heron out on her ridiculous plan and used the opportunity. It was good she could count on the scientist to ramble herself into losing focus.

In the blink of an eye, 22 did a roll on the floor to Heron’s left side.

Heron’s gun went off. But Beakley didn't feel herself getting harmed, so she remained on task.

While getting up, close enough to Heron, she kicked the woman in the legs, “OWch, can you -”, before she slapped the gun out of her hands.

“How dare you interrupt me when I’m making a speech?!”

Beakley quickly grabbed her opponent’s arm, but simultaneously checked to see what she had fired at her and if it was still dangerous. It was something shaped like a little rocket with smoke coming out of it. It was probably to leave people unconscious. She had never seen this weapon on Heron’s hands before and for a moment she wondered what else she managed to come up with since the last time she saw her.

This was her mistake.

Heron used the moment to slip out of the agent’s grip and run the other way.

Beakley cursed herself for it and gave chase.

“Stop this, Heron! You’re obsessed!”

Heron obviously did not have a lot of room for talking, being the one followed. But she could never resist a conversation, Beakley had found.

“I’m the obsessed one?! You’re the one chasing me across borders! In fact, I must be a pretty big deal for you to always get so worked up about me.”

She slid onto the ground, arriving at one of two boxes she had fixed to the ground. Before she was able to fumble with it, Beakley caught up to her.

She tackled the scientist, making sure her hands were far from the contraption. These must be bearing the fireworks she had talked about. Being so close, she took note of something metal wrapped around the woman’s torso. Another weapon? Whatever it was, she would make sure it would do her no good.

“Obsessed? Your attention stunts are a nuisance at best. I'm just the one cleaning up your messes.”

She couldn’t believe a woman like her was accusing an agent like herself of being obsessed. Far from it. This scientist with way too much free time on her hands was proving to be more annoying than Beakley would like to admit.

“My attention stunts? You got up here in a helicopter!”

“What other choice do you leave me?!”

Beakley was getting sick of this woman. She didn’t have time for this.

She pushed her, pinning her wrists to the ground. Help was on the way, but she would have Heron arrested before that.

And yet, to her surprise, she was met with a smile.

“Oh, pretty forward, aren’t we, 22?”

If Beakley had had to describe her tone, it would have been - flirty? That couldn’t be.

“What are you talking about?”

The smirk didn’t fade. “If you wanted me like this, all you needed to do was ask. I suppose, this is the city of love after all…”

Beakley wanted to loosen her grip, but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t let herself get distracted. This was just Heron’s way of attempting to throw her off.

“The only place I want you is behind bars. You are nothing but my assignment!”

Bentina held her stern gaze against the sudden fire in the scientist’s eyes.

“Oh, come on! Aren’t you having at least a little bit of fun? You chose this life the same way I did. Don’t you feel the tension?”

It was a trick. Beakley wouldn’t respond.

“Tracking down the enemy, trying to catch them, just barely having them escape, only for your paths to cross again next time?”

Now that made her take offense.

“I am NOT letting you escape.” To prove her point, her grip tightened.

Heron lifted her head slightly, looking even deeper into the agent’s eyes.

“Don’t be so sure, ma chérie.”

With these words, she took a breath and hit her elbow against her dress pocket, smashing something inside.

Before Beakley could realize what was happening, smoke started to rise from where she had aimed the hit. The same concept as the rocket.

As quickly as she could, Bentina also took a breath and held it. But it was a bit too late. She had to cough and let go of the woman underneath her to cover her face with her arm.

Naturally, this allowed the scientist to wriggle her way out of the position.

Beakley tried to grab her, but everything happened so fast, it was no use.

She heard something explode.

“I’ll see you next time, 22!”

The next thing she saw was Heron standing at the safety fence, having damaged the metal enough to break her way through it.

She had dropped her cloak and jumped off the platform.

Bentina stumbled towards the hole in the fence to discover that Heron had leapt and - taken flight. A pair of metal wings on her back allowed her to soar away safely.

She formed a fist and punched the still intact part of the fence. She had been so close.

Next time, she would get her.

She remembered what Heron had said about chasing the enemy. What would be fun about needing to take care of such a frustrating person’s messes?

She’d put an end to her. For SHUSH’s and everyone else’s sake.

I suppose this is the city of love after all…

The villain’s words echoed in her head. Maybe it was a bit for her own sake as well. And maybe this one time she would consider not including every part of a conversation in her misison report.

Maybe even she could make an exception once in a while.

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

I don't know if it counts as light angst, but it was what i was originally going for, Beakley is so bitter...! <3 Once again, hopefully you enjoyed it either way!

Happy holidays 🎉✨

[helix-studios117]

Halo Effect

In the year 2150, humanity found the Halo Arrays. Ancient ringworlds which they decided to use to achieve Slipspace-Travel, and they reverse-engineer old Forerunner technology from these ringworlds to make all sorts of neat tech, leading to a technological new-age that lasts for 400 years and counting. (Forerunners are still called 'Forerunners,' but they play the Protheans' role).

It's currently 2552...

The United Nations System Alliance (UNSA, which is The UNSC + The System Alliance) are the military and political arm and protectors of humanity, but a shadowy intelligence-agency called "Agamemnon" (ONI + Cerberus) led by 'The Visionary' (Doctor Halsey + The Illusive Man), operates in the dark as they commit various war-crimes in the name of humanity and it's protection; the military and the police are one-&-the-same.

Agamemnon created a program that would train a new breed of military-police troopers that are above jurisdiction and have free-reign to do what they'd like called the "Spectre-II Program" (The Spectres + N7 + Spartan-II) with the best Spectre among them being a Commander-ranked Engineer-class Colonist with a background for being particularly ruthless named John Shepard-117, though he likes to go by the callsign that Captain Jacob Anderson gave to him: "Master Chief" (Anderson was previously Master Chief when a young John asked if he could Master Chief one day).

The Spectres are dedicated to fighting The Matrix (Covenant + Geth), a hivemind of religious cyborgs who believe that the Halo Arrays are ACTUALLY created by The Warforge (Reapers + Prometheans), a legion of sentient starships that are piloted by The Spores (The Flood + The Collectors), and want to liberate thenselves from humanity and their ancestors by activating the rings.

The truth is they were obviously made by the Forerunners to be a counter against the Spore/Warforge, as the SWs collect and harvest any all sentient life to feed and cleanse the galaxy so that the whole universe can live under the Spore's rule; so the Forerunners made death machines, the Halos, which destroys all life in the galaxy so that the mech-piloting parasites can starve. It worked and life began again...

But the Spores/Warforge returned.

And the fate of the galaxy rests in John Shepard-117's hands after he learned about all of this from a Matrix excavation-site on Madrigal Prime, where he touched an ancient Forerunner beacon they were digging up. So assembles a ragtag-team of remarkable people to help him, including: Garrus "The Seraphim" 'Vadamee (a vigilante who atones for his past mistakes by killing the wicked across the galaxy), Kai Alenko-125 (a fellow Spectre-supersoldier and a powerful biotic), Leenda'Zorah (A sniper with keen-sight and is constantly in a skin-tight Hazmat-suit; John gives her Spectre-armor that's the same in-design as her original Hazmat-suit, but offers far more protection and has all sorts of bells-&-whistles that'll keep her safe), Miranda (a super-spy and scientist who is the daughter of the Visionary; her real legal-name is either Keyes or Lawson, but she'll never tell), Ares (a brutish bounty-hunter and ex-clan-chieftian who hails from a planet of dying warriors) and Durandana (the UNSA Normandy's ship AI, given physical form in the form of a blue woman who looks exactly like a younger version of the Visionary).

@mrtobenamedlater, @authortobenamedlater, @makowrites, @empresskadia, @ageless-aislynn, @inthatfandom, @ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask, @pelgraine, @jellotherelol, @killer-orca-cosplay.

[biconickyoshi]

NAtLA first impressions (eps 1 & 2)

Here are my thoughts as someone who has been a superfan of the original series since 2007 (spoiler-free first, then spoilers below)!

Honestly, I'm feeling pretty middle of the road about this adaptation so far. I like a lot of the costuming, and some of the actors are good, while others have felt a bit lackluster. There's also some characterization choices I didn't like too much for certain characters (which I will get into in the spoiler sections below). The score is definitely not as good as the original series - I don't particularly like the new elements of the score, and when themes and motifs from the original score are used, I feel like they aren't used enough. The bending, while better than the 2010 version, still feels a bit fake and clunky, as do a lot of the special effects. There's also a problem with a reliance on exposition dialogue, moreso in the first ep than the second.

Now we'll get into the spoiler section. Don't read below this if you do not wanna be spoiled.

EP 1: "Aang"

What I liked:

Getting to see a bit more of the Air Nomads (which makes the genocide feel even more devastating)

The design of the Southern Air Temple felt very warm and inviting - I liked that there were lots of trees and whatnot

The added details about the Sozin purposefully allowing news of the war to be leaked to the Earth Kingdom to throw everyone off their trail of planning to attack the Air Nomads

Making the comet a special event for the Air Nomads, which brings them all together at the Southern Air Temple for Sozin's attack to happen

I like that Wolf Cove was actually called Wolf Cove (since it's never name dropped in the actual show)

Zuko and Iroh did a good job - I think Dallas is capturing Zuko's energy pretty well, and while Paul's Iroh feels a bit different than the OG, he's still doing a good job

What I was not so keen on:

Yep... I really didn't like that Aang didn't purposefully run away, and instead went to "clear his head" after Monk Gyatso told him he was the Avatar, fully intending to return before getting caught in the storm.

They really weren't kidding about removing Sokka's sexism. Instead of Aang being released bc of Katara's anger at this, they just happen upon the iceberg, and somehow while trying to waterbend their canoe closer she waterbends the iceberg open behind her??

Exposition dump from Gran Gran... and her basically just straight up telling Aang to his face "You're the last airbender! All your people are dead! And you're probably the Avatar too!" It all felt very wooden and definitely a bad change from how Aang realizes he's in the future in the OG series.

I had high hopes for a lot of the actors, and I hate to say it (especially considering Sokka's actor is likely not even indigenous at all), but Sokka has felt like the best actor so far. His lines come across a lot more naturally than Katara's and Aang's often do. Aang is alright, and of course looks and acts the part, but the way he speaks his lines sometimes feels too quick/unnatural. Sadly, I think Katara's acting has been the worst so far - in this episode I didn't see any of the emotion in her eyes that I felt like I should've been seeing. I will say I think she got a bit better in ep 2.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka just don't feel close. They never got time to go penguin sledding, to hang out with the village kids, etc. They still feel like strangers.

Speaking of, I guess Aang went out of the Avatar State by thinking about Gyatso? Again, that distance between him and the siblings (especially Katara) is glaring. Katara in general just seems to lack the spark she has in the OG.

EP 2: "Warriors"

What I liked:

Seeing the Fire Navy port - it felt very SEA-inspired, and that street food looked delicious lol.

Kyoshi Island being run by a woman (Suki's mom). Just makes more sense to me lol.

Suki - I looooved how they portrayed her as this kind of socially awkward character who wants to talk to Sokka but doesn't know how. It makes so much sense with her being isolated her whole life. I also felt like her and Sokka had quite a bit of chemistry.

The final Kyoshi battle was pretty cool

I kinda liked Zhao and Zuko both being at Kyoshi Island

Zuko's desperation to find Aang - he really felt like a kid to me in this ep with the acting choices Dallas made.

Strangely, I don't hate them nerfing the Avatar State a bit by making it to where Aang can only enter it when he's in an Avatar shrine. I didn't even realize it at first but the reason he goes into the Avatar State in the SAT is because Gyatso's skeleton was in Yangchen's shrine. I still prefer OG series Avatar State though.

I like that Kyoshi warns Aang with the vision about the Fire Nation's attack on the Northern Water Tribe. It gives him an incentive to get there faster instead of meandering.

What I was not so keen on:

Zhao seems to be a much less arrogant character here, at least outwardly. I know he was probably a bit cartoon villain-y in the OG series, but this dude just feels like another commander. Maybe that will change as I watch more. He's definitely conniving.

The goofy ass high beam lights from the Kyoshi statue's eyes

Kyoshi's characterization... This Kyoshi feels like the caricature all the casual fans perceive her to be (i.e. violence and strength are the best way, smite my enemies type of thing). I also didn't like how she just kept berating Aang for running away (which is weird that everyone keeps accusing him of this bc this version of Aang literally didn't even run away).

Aang is very driven to master the elements and defeat the Fire Lord in this version, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... But I feel like if anything, they could have at least kept it to where he ran away the night of the genocide, even if they didn't want to show him ignoring his responsibilities to go on adventures in the bulk of the show. A major part of Aang's character arc is him learning to accept his destiny and stop running/avoiding.

Once again, no Sokka sexism arc. This ep in the OG series was very important for him, but that's nonexistent here.

Once again, Katara's acting, while better than ep 1, feels like it's lacking emotion.

Overall, it's obviously better than the 2010 movie so far, and I enjoyed the eps to a degree, but there's still a lot of things that I wasn't super fond of. The changes that they seem to have made so far aren't too extreme yet, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing how far they end up deviating from the original show.

The whole time I was watching, I just couldn't stop thinking about how much better the original show is. I just kept missing the characters I knew and loved. Also, I still firmly believe this world and story truly works best in animation.

[sistervirtue]

GODHEAD DEATH SENTENCE

any followers of this blog for a bit know about ghds (or at least, characters from it, like Lacramioara) and probably about another project of mine, ESCHATON ACADEMY. I've decided to merge the two, so Sister Virtue is here to stay!

What I'm dumping here right now is a variety of assorted thoughts and a basic plot outline for the beginning,. It's by no means all-comprehensive, but I hope it'll help lay things out and make it a little less confusing now that I'm not jugging both.

note: this project is very much intended to be 18+ in subject matter and tone. topics like violence, suicide, and abuse are going to be present.

open with the remaining six archangels reacting to the Archangel Gabriel's untimely demise at the business end of God's Revolver by his own doing. this is quite the pickle they're in. someone has to be the annunciator and furthermore, as god's unspoken-but-well-known favorite, he gets the biggest payout of love out of all of them.

michael and raphael have been responsible for making "born-again's" to pad out michael's legion, because sacrificing born angels especially in the era of humanity pushing back against angel infestations has become a contentious issue.

born-again's are when michael and raphael reshape an existing human soul and grant them angelhood. all so far have been exousiai (soldiers), but theoretically making an archangel should be possible, especially because they still have gabriel's essence.

welcome to the world the new angel gabriel, formerly Rubén Erendirani Cuini Dominguez. [existing character brought over from ea]. it is gradually made clear that he is here out of necessity, and the others aren't too keen on their new "youngest brother", especially because of the privileges offered by status of Annunciator. Michael, as the eldest, is especially bothered™️ about this, but michael's demeanor remains placid and unperturbed.

Gabriel is partnered with an elder cherub (Theophania), because they carry all the necessary knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of the job. advisor-esque position. previously, Theophania had been on the panel of cherubim that ruled appellate judgements on contested verdicts.

Gabriel slowly begins to endear both himself and humanity to Theophania. aha no aha dont go against your god-designed plan ahahaaa

God's been . quiet. since the gabriel incident. they're still receiving their Love in exchange for Passion, but the other archangels are none too happy about this, especially because, again, their newest baby brother is getting the most favorable payout. a decision is proposed to "downsize" gabriel's domain by reducing the amount of passion he's able to reap with a …mini-rapture. of sorts.

gabriel is like HEY WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT. WHAT. WHAT. he confides in Theophania, distraught that an existence he never asked to have may be responsible for so much death.

Theophania, a being of ultimate Reason and Logic, decides to do the only reasonable and logical thing. They steal the cherubim's relic, the Eye of God (not literal, may change name to avoid confusion), which contains the summation of all knowledge. They slam dunk that shit into their skull. Angels are like little computers that run on Love and Passion for the Father. this one just hooked itself up to the energy equivalent of a nuclear power plant. needless to say, things get messy. michael loses quite a few of his soldiers in the resulting kerfuffle, as well as a handful of angels from other choirs. fearing the compromising of their brood and Viable Spawning Population, the archangels call a truce. but there's going to be some changes for starters, they're withdrawing all unnecessary human assistance. sinners will still be punished, passion will be reaped, but if gabriel and theophania like them so much, they can handle their issues.

theophania will be Felled and trapped within a mortal body, but the condition is added that they cannot die. Dying offers too many loopholes to get out of the main point of the contract, which is: the moment theophania and gabriel decide to give up on humanity, the archangels will proceed with the initial plan.

theophania is to act as gabriel's agent on earth, and gabriel as their patron: aka, his ass is on the platter if they fuck up. theophania is armed with god's revolver and the eye of god, before being unceremoniously tossed down to earth in a new, achier form. welcome to the world, Sister Virtue

from here i think there should be some brief exploration more into the state of the world as it is. im going for a more soul eater/devils candy/etc esque situation where mythological creatures and beings mingle among humans and are more broadly recognized as like, organisms.

then a scene plays out where virtue gets caught up in the high-energy antics of Lacramioara, Leopold, Johnny, and Cross. Johnny Strings is the human contractor of Cross DeVille, a crossroads demon. she has a golden flame-spewing guitar that she rides like a witches broom. I haven't quite worked out cross' abilities yet, but something having to do with lines and intersections for sure.

Lacramioara Strigoi and Leopold Lupei are two of Michael's exousiai. they are also the oldest still-living ones. Lacramioara's weapon of choice is a shepherd's staff, with support from the shadowy tendrils tattooed over his body. Leopold wields a scythe, but his mass and beastly body plan serve as weapons just as well.

While they are not allies of Virtue by any means, they are also not enemies, and she regards them largely as annoying, out of control youngsters, since physically they're about half her age, and spiritually even more so. they think she's pretty cool, but lacramioara can't help herself when it comes to provoking auntie virtue regardless.

virtue gets the situation under control as far as collateral damage, but the two thieves (johnny and cross) get away, frustrating the two mercenaries. thats all i got as far as story/plot is concerned naturally im sure youre curious about the mentions of angel broods. and "born angels" . this is still being tinkered with naturally but brother we are about to get buggy with it. pulls out my whiteboard

by and large with the exception of those directly born of God (the archangels, christ also i guess(?) whatever this isnt about him rn) , angels are a species parasitic to humankind. they feed on Passion, and some of it is always saved and regurgitated back up for heaven-bound angels like the higher choirs and of course, God. in exchange, God gives them Love, which is directly necessary for stimulating things like joy, maintains the cooperative nature of the "hive", and a variety of other functions. they can live without it, but it sucks ass. severely. some efforts are being made on the dl to synthesize it, but these are only successful to varying degrees.

anyways, a large amount of the mythos around angels stems from their rather unusual reproductive cycle. two (or sometimes more) angels will inoculate a human host with their genetic material, forming the putto, a juvenile angel. these angels feed off of the passion for goodness of a virtuous person, and so will encourage their host towards these things when they're old enough to do so, something that has historically been understood as the classic "shoulder angel" or "conscience" or "holy spirit".

furthermore, in areas where angelic choirs are less secure in their territory, adult angels may occasionally keep watch over the new young and protect it, which has been interpreted as "guardian angels" across time. when the host dies, the putto then gorges itself on the lingering Passion and completes itself with dna material copies from the host, allowing them to emerge as a fully formed Angel. for those of the lower choirs, they often resemble the prior host, which is what has historically led to the misconception that human souls become angels when they die. they do not. that is simply an angel that has copied your loved one's face. it is entirely different from the Born Again's for higher choirs, they will continue to collect and harvest Passion before they cocoon themselves and metamorphize into their new form, which is standardized according to their function. this change is induced seemingly by the needs of their current community, and not decided by the choir of the angels that contributed to their initial genetic code continuing with the insect metaphor, you could say heaven serves as the "mother hive", but angels will form smaller outposts in various areas, usually with a seraph or two to serve as an intermediary with heaven. this position is the Bishop

naturally, upon the revelation that angels are just weird parasites, the christian world has been thrown into turmoil. the entire nature of the process isn't known still, and there's been a range of responses from some seeing being chosen for inoculation as the highest honor a believer can receive, to others looking for ways to potentially protect themselves from it. this opportunity has been capitalized upon by demons, since the best way to ensure you won't be a heavenly host is to be lacking in virtue.

angels view this as a betrayal of what they saw as a symbiotic relationship with mankind and the communities that worshipped them and their God, hence the general bitterness towards humanity expressed above. some angels even blame this change for why God went quiet, but no one knows for sure Michael plays a pretty big role, so as for what I have on him and the exousiai: Michael is the eldest archangel, as well as the head of its "army". He is responsible for protecting Eden, and handling the unpleasant jobs involving violence and viscera that angels frequently condemn in mankind, but are necessary for maintaining the grip on believers that allows them to harvest passion so efficiently.

Despite this, he doesn't really come across on a first glance as the military type; he's clean-cut, dresses fairly simply, and has a placid, almost demure manner. even when you're aware he may have less-than-upstanding intentions, it's hard to confront him on anything, because he maintains an air of plausible deniability and respectability that dissuades argument.

The nature of his work is inherently difficult. Driving out the initial dissenters, protecting the most vital parts of the "hive", and overseeing the culling of sinners or otherwise diabolical beings is one that is contradictory to the concept of all-encompassing love and mercy and forgiveness. for this reason, Michael suspects that God has been intentionally withholding Love, and that he, the eldest, is being robbed of what he's owed, but no matter how many times he asks, he never gets a response.

The Born-Again's is Michael's solution to the violent nature of the job and loss of angel life that resulted from it. Angels, by function of only emerging once their human host dies, but needing the host to be alive long enough to feed them enough Passion to properly develop, are very much a "slow-burn". Their lifespans are much longer, but when a legion can be picked off by a rampaging cherub, that sorta becomes irrelevant. And by nature of the job, constantly moving around and constantly in conflict, born exousiai themselves aren't particularly able to reproduce in a way that would help replenish those numbers. It wastes valuable time and energy and leaves them with an obvious point of weakness.

Remaking human souls, while it does take some time and effort, has been much more efficient, and allows him to experiment with different ways of improving that efficiency. The process is done in conjunction with Raphael, the archangel who rules over healing and doctors, because he is better at weaving the physical form.

What he's also found is that the human component also bypasses an issue angels face with such a job: Angels, by nature, are not particularly violent. God's Love induces ecstacy and fuels their passion, but it encourages a placid, communal temperment. While born exousiai would naturally have a stronger impulse towards such activities, they're more reactive to threats or large-scale sins than they are proactive in seeking it out. And all born angels have a natural tether to God that allows them to receive His Love.

Born - Again's, however, are entirely dependent on Michael distributing it to them, and human souls are much easier to train into efficient hunters, especially when they view him as a holy figure. Instead of a traditional army, they work more in function as bounty hunters, with each reaping earning a certain amount of Love, proportional to the worth of the sin. they're typically put into pairs, and those pairs are all incentivized to compete with one another.

And with further testing, Michael has found ways to encourage the lifestyle required for the job by remaking them in certain ways, hence the monstrous appearances of exousiai like leopold and lacramioara. they need to feed on flesh or blood, and ergo, are more likely to choose to go after sinful beings since the idea of eating innocents is inherently upsetting to such pious individuals Sin, by the way, is simply a different form of Passion; focused inward, instead of outward. It needs to be processed before it can be useful to angels, and so Sinful Souls are sent to Hell, where demons will eventually produce Passion as a byproduct. While they often butt heads, the two do come from the same initial place, and they are ultimately integral to the other's existence.

The way Michael selects viable souls to be Born Again often is similar to how Saints are beatified; they must show enough fervor towards God to be more easily persuaded into agreeing to it. Much like the Conception, Michael cannot act on a soul without explicit consent because of the extreme nature of the action. An unconsenting soul will reject the process too violently to produce anything.

In Lacramioara's case, it was the intensity of her love; in Leopold's, it was his devotion to justice. Once agreed upon, the soul is tethered to Michael so they can receive their payout (he will often offer them a symbolic representation of this covenant, such as a collar, or marking, or ring), and then violently reshaped in the image of his design.

Their original, human bodies become Incorruptible (and thus often become pilgrimage sites). After that, they're sorta thrown into the deep end with Michael's oversight, since he finds a good scare followed by positive feedback is the best way to handle the human mind. They'll need less and less oversight as they become more experienced.

Born - Again's are still very human in nature, even if their forms have changed. Vices, obsessions, fears, conditions both mental and physical; all of those remain, because all of those things are what push humans to seek God's Love in the first place. While they'll never technically be declared "sinners" by the functional immunity of their job, the dissatisfaction brought on by the human condition is what Michael relies on to keep them coming back for the next payday. It could be considered cruel, but he sees it as "If they never felt pain, they'd never know what joy feels like".

A lack of God's Love wont kill them, it's just an unbearable misery on top of the small miseries they accumulate every day of every year of every century. That's why he needs to include conditions like the need to eat human flesh: because otherwise, an ascetic like Leopold may just choose to put down his weapon and live a life of miserable peace. Monks love doing that shit.

He needs to make sure walking away isn't an option, and then reward them with something they could never get otherwise. Violence is an art, and he has it down to a science. Especially in a world like the one they live in now, where believers and forces both diabolic and celestial mingle, where the nature of belief is constantly changing, and where the idea of "blasphemy" is no longer enough to provide the passion needed to feed the hive.

It's for reasons like this he does nothing to curb the curse Lacramioara unwittingly left behind after her death: it really bumped those church attendance numbers up

[progressive-waves-art]

Character lineup, Transitus historical redesign edition. In their sepia tone versions, in actual artwork they’d be drawn against some pretty vibrant painted backgrounds. Come back to me on that. Been meaning to do this for a while!

Have some design notes:

Daniel - Third from left. In @hawthorn-crow’s words: "like a stiff breeze would blow him over." His shoulders/upper body have deliberately been scaled down from that of real-life Tommy Karevik. I don’t know how else to say this but if I were Henry I wouldn’t be easing around in my brother’s personal life if he could drop kick me directly into the sun. Looks pretty normal, all things considered. The "standout" trait comes from the trust fund kid status: his clothes have a LOT of variety. Literally a different jacket, vest and tie almost every single scene in a period where that was not something easily attainable. Common thing between all of the ‘normal’ outfits is the little watch chain, somewhat prominently displayed.

Abby - Third from right. The exact opposite as Daniel; cycles through two or three outfits maximum outside of her work uniform before 1884. Her box braids are thicker than the original design. Has a pair of emerald drop earrings; gift from the himbo. As for the shoes, homegirl is working minimum 13-hour days, for Christ’s sake, put some treads on those industrial strength high heels. She likes quilting Why? Cause I said so and wanted her to have hobbies like human beings do. The dress shown here is one fabric/color all the way down, but the seams form a fun little pattern that looks nothing like fire haha what.

Henry - Second from left. Lots of age lines, grey streaks. Visibly much older than Daniel. Loads of aggressive angles, you want a sense of the douchebag aura from a distance. Literally Andrew Carnegie but with none of the redeeming qualities. Really narcissistic and intent on showing off his status and is thus obsessed with outward appearance. Sharply dressed and deliberately so. Flashy, patterned waistcoats and one very expensive and painstakingly tended to pair of sideburns.

Lavinia - Second from right. Same as Abby, just a few outfits to her name and sturdier shoes. Though she comes off to me as someone who has expensive tastes that can’t be pursued to their fullest extent. Don’t we all. Pays close attention to new fashion and alters her existing clothes (and hair) accordingly under budget. Is keen on appearing above her station, though not with any malicious intent. More just a desire to fit in and look nice.

Abraham - Far right. The beta version of Abraham of from the earbook bonus pages is peak and this is very heavily inspired by that. Has not purchased any major clothing items for himself since the mid 1860s; he’s got other priorities. Any new stuff is smaller, and usually cut from the same material as Lavinia’s skirts. Fabrics are worn out (along with their dyes) and lots of layers are worn as a result. Outermost layer that he wears pretty much everywhere on account of it being the only coat he has is a bleached and dyed Union army jacket.

Dee - Far left. Entire character is defined by being stuck in the past. Like Abraham his clothes are very 1860s based but in a more fashion forward and emotionally stunted, "I never got over my wife dying a d am making it my kids’ problem" way, as opposed to the much more reasonable "being impoverished" route. Hair is also very much mid-century and meant to look out of place next the shorter, clean-cut 70s/80s style that Henry has. ….old. Like basically on death’s door, he kicks the bucket almost immediately after Daniel does.

[ganymedesclock]

What are your thoughts on TotK so far?

[spoiler alert obviously don't keep reading if you don't want this]

-Gloom hands are the absolute best I love them so much never stop being horrible

-Gleeoks are nice. good to see them again. like the new look.

-Admittedly not completely wild about the fuse system but Kohga attacks you with a car and it's fun to watch people build all the looney tunes contraptions people make

-Can't believe they finally dropped Zelda's fursona only to make it a dimension of torment for her. I love the light dragon but can't Zelda have a dragon break rather than a dragon breakdown.

-In seriousness with the fake Zelda running around it could be an interesting twist if everyone believes the light dragon is hostile because it keeps randomly dive-bombing people while a Zelda who is lucid but unable to communicate is trying to chase people away from her impostor.

-Related to a prior point I like to think the Koroks kind of enjoy being yeeted. they're prankster forest spirits. this has to be at least a little bit fun.

-I'm not keen on Kilton in the first place and I don't think we needed Kilton 2: Worse Kilton. I don't like how every NPC in TLOZ that doesn't look completely conventionally attractive is increasingly signaled as either an evil overlord or a funny idiot you shouldn't respect or take seriously. I do not want to watch these clowns dance for me as a reminder to not take any sort of interest in monsters seriously. This is a vibes based thing and is not limited to the designs. I feel like you could keep those designs as-is and salvage the vibes but I'm not quite sure how.

-Narratively, Tears of the Kingdom feels suffused with a specific kind of old man sadness that he is No Longer Hip With The Kids (and this is not gender-specific but the predominant gender of the mouthpieces it is given ingame must be noted) without making any concessions to what The Kids actually care about so Rauru is here because they heard you didn't like Rhoam so now there's a super cool hip with-it dad who never yells at Zelda but also just like Rhoam his actions amount to failing her at a critical moment, leaving her alone to suffer, and then coming back as a ghost to implicitly give Link Daddy's Blessing to marry Zelda.

I want to like Rauru way more than I do because the Zonai's designs are fantastic, but I feel like the depiction of these "Sky Gods" and their role in history ends up patronizing the hell out of both the Zonai and everybody else, but especially the non-hyrulean vassal states where the Zonai are made out to be needless fairy godmothers when they have all the hallmarks of a dying people 10,000 years ago, we can only imagine Rauru's legacy was whitewashed to hell and back considering how central Hyrule positions its non-Hylian allies, But Then Also the Zonai are so beautiful and smart they created everything with their inherent superiority and if the gerudo, zora, gorons, or rito have any meaningful cultural legacy no they didn't the Zonai did this for/with them.

Also can we please not physically put the arm of the king with its power to command things and space on Link's body. This feels like a twofer desecrating Rauru even further by disembodying him down to only the useful part of him and also literally making Link just a bodily platform for the King's Authority. no we're not gonna empower YOUR hand we're gonna hack it off while you're unresponsive to make room for the real kingly authority. We've been doing this since Wind Waker and the quiet part feels like it's getting louder.

-I love Gloom I love the Depths. on the one hand yes they could afford to be a little more Actual Cave Like but as it is it kind of sends the vibe of like, a prior surface that sunk downward into the earth. The idea of moving up as well as down, this sort of heaven-and-hell motifs, are kinda great.

-As afraid as I was of this version of Ganondorf being made out to be a puppet/pawn/disciple of Demise I was actually very, very pleased to see the man just straight up eat Demise's lunch in every conceivable way. Even his demon king form which feels the closest to aping Demise replaces the primal pyroclast vibes with that saturated blood color. Demise feels like a primal titan- Ganondorf feels like a Persephone stained with the fruits of the underworld. I love his designs I love his vibes I love what they did with him. This is SUCH a good return to 'letting Ganondorf be a person rather than a screaming rage cloud'.

Literally the only thing I don't like is I think his tiny dinky oni horns are silly and he didn't need them. that's it.

-I mentioned Kohga but I'm so glad Kohga just decided that since he fell down a hole he Lives There Now.

-the like likes are excellent. If you are sensing a pattern here it's that I'm very fond of the creature design. You begin to see why I'm frustrated with Kilton and Kilton 2: Worse Kilton. Just let me hang out with the horriblins. have you seen them.

-Ok I don't really like that they had a "here, idiot, this is how you make a functional weapon" angle to giving Conspicuously Weapon Shaped horns on all the main monsters so you can just harvest them to make spears or hammers or such. This is part of the part of Fuse I'm not keen on.

-did we really need zonai device gachapons. they were not being at all subtle about how toyetic this new mechanic was, to the point of it feeling kinda immersion breaking. how seriously are we supposed to take this. Zelda is over there doing the anime fisheye stare. This is the last surviving legacy of a dead people. We are capable of recreating the Guardian Massacre from BOTW onto random blins now. But whee. Car go brrrr.

-TLOZ Please Stop Adding Gimmick Robot Characters That Obviously Have Feelings But Are Also Slavishly Bound To A Purpose Long After It's Useful To Anyone And Were Made That Way By Heroic Guys We Are Supposed To Root For And This Isn't Framed As A Problem, and other songs by Fall Out Boy,

-Yona is a good character and I like her, Sidon is allowed to be bisexual

-this isn't unique to TOTK or originating there but I have a little petty rage in my heart that goron rock food is just... comedy cartoon meat but made of rocks. I hate it. expose us to an entirely alien concept of cuisine. Make me yearn to eat bismuth knowing my human limitations would fail me. I was thinking about this the entire Marbled Rock Roast plot.

WHAT IS THERE TO ROAST

IT'S ROCKS

HEAT CANNOT ALTER THE PROPERTIES OF ROCKS WITHOUT EITHER MELTING THEM OR TURNING THEM INTO A WHOLE DIFFERENT ROCK

-I think Evermeans are good and we should live in fear of resource-useful setpieces more often. there should be hostile jar mimics next. Wind Waker had enemies popping out of jars but also you could get the drop on them by breaking the jar like normal, and that fails the mimic test of "am I now afraid to perform Ordinary Actions in places I'm not sure are safe"

[its-deputy-caleb]

omg i saw requests are open!!! can we get some kiss HCS for some of the far cry 6 crew! thank you so much!

i've had the most chaotic week :'')))) so i really enjoyed writing these HCs! i might be slowing down on requests for a little bit, i'm still gonna be writing when i can but i might just work on some self indulgent fics to cheer myself up! but for now pls enjoy these soft head cannons and i've decided to do a few extra characters

and yes i'm permanently adding carlos now, i'm a simp and i know i aint alone so ya'll are stuck with me and my questionable taste in men :) <3

Dani Rojas

Ever since the first time you kissed Dani, she’s been more than enthusiastic about kisses and general public displays of affection.

It was a spontaneous spur of the moment, liberating the cathedral in Esperanza when you’d thrown your arms around her shoulders and kissed her right on the lips.

Dani is never shy when it comes to asking for kisses, whether its good luck smooches before her missions or returning home tired, sweaty and in need to of some lovin’.

She’ll definitely tell you that she loves all your kisses but her favourite type has to be in the early morning as you pepper sleepy kisses along her jaw and collarbones whilst you cuddle.

Of course, this is Yara and as Clara’s best and brightest Dani has her fair share of injuries from her time on the road. But that only means you get to kiss over her bandages and make her feel better with a daily dose of affection.

Clara García

Clara’s definitely not shy when it comes to kisses, in fact she’s rather confident when she kisses you in the centre of her camp.

The first time you had kissed her was almost a matter of necessity. You had returned to Clara’s command center after a narrow miss with Castillo’s special forces, and there was nothing you wanted more than to fall into her arms. She held you tightly as you kissed her gently and the two of you have never looked back.

Clara doesn’t have to ask for kisses, not only is she la Jefa, but you’re always by her side to fight the revolution and give her kisses in-between.

Her favourite types of kisses are on her hands, palms or knuckles. She loves the public display of affection when you take her hand and litter kisses on her hand after she’s addressed her people or you’re about to head off to a mission.

On the rare occasion the two of you get a night off together, Clara will always take you to a quiet area to snuggle and watch the boats race across the water. Whilst her arms are snug around you and you chat softly, there’s a string of kisses all over temples and forehead.

Juan Cortez 

Please give this man all the kisses because he’s stubborn and has an ego that’s too high for him to properly ask for them. It’s not that Juan is embarrassed to ask for affection, he just doesn’t know how unless he’s in his sappy drunk state where he won’t stop asking for kisses.

The first time you’d kissed Juan, his brain went into a malfunction. He’d just shown you his latest supremo design, flexing all the cool new gadgets and poison dispenser to fuck with the FND when you moved his drawings to the side and kissed him squarely on the mouth.

Juan’s never been keen on relationships over his string of one night stands, so asking for any affection is new to him. But when it’s just the two of you in his bunker or out on a mission he will happily ask for his fair share of love.

His favourite kind of kisses are on the bridge of his nose. Juan just melts when you hold his face in your hands and press gentle kisses along his nose.

After you all made a move on the capital, storming the Torre Del León to take down Castillo. The two of you were standing on the balcony over looking the city of Esperanza, your arms are wrapped tightly around his torso in a hug as you place kisses along his cheeks.

Camila ‘Espada’ Montero

Camila can absolutely take on anything the FND throw at her, but when it comes of public affection she ends up rather flustered.

She went bright red with a flush you’ve never seen on her before when you first kissed her in front of everyone at the Montero Farm after a day of attacking tobacco fields in Aguas Lindas (Philly totally cheered for you two whilst Carlos threatened to skin you like a croc if you mistreated his daughter) 

It’s definitely difficult for Camila to ask for things she wants, maybe it was from being the oldest Montero but she slowly learns to ask for your affection. Of which, you’re more than happy to provide as you smother her with smooches.

Her favourite kisses from you are always after dinner or a big feast. It started off with you kissing away some sauce on her cheek but now you finish each meal with a cheesy kiss and jokes that she’s your dessert.

Camila has her fair share of stress around the farm, leading new recruits and trying to keep the peace between her brother and the rest of the residents so you do your best to keep her sane. That of course involves you dragging her away from work or her practice post to give her lots of kisses all over her face.

Philly Barzaga

Philly is probably over-enthusiastic for his daily dose of kisses, and almost always going to be flirty in his classic Philly magic style.

He couldn’t stop dancing and cheering when you had first kissed him. It was down at his workshop, the two of you working on designs for diesel daisy and sharing a cerveza to finish the night off. Of course, that lead you to kiss him gently and you watched as his face lit up like fireworks.

Asking for kisses is a walk in the park for Philly and he totally pulls out all his cards. Whenever he’s in need for some extra smooches he holds chorizo up and the two of them make puppy dog eyes until you cave and pamper him.

His favourite type of kisses are on the back of his neck. He just loves when you surprise him by wrapping your arms around him from behind (hopefully whilst there’s no sharp tools in his hands) and pepper his neck with kisses as you squeeze him lovingly.

Of course, Philly has his moments which leave him shaken whether that’s trying to save Ale or freaking out from his fear of flying. In those moments he just needs all your love and support so you never fail to kiss his forehead and hold him close.

Bembé Alvarez 

Bembé is totally confident in his ability to deliver kisses, I mean common the man knows he’s sexy and he’s been told how good of a kisser he is.

He was definitely caught of guard when you kissed him first (it was his plan to make you flustered not the other way around). You had just finished a raid, snatching the profit from the Gulov twins on behalf of Bembé. It was late at night, and you were on your way home from his church as you bid him goodnight with a soft kiss to his lips.

From that first kiss, Bembé is more than happy to ask for kisses. He loves showing affection in front of others but he will also ask for a peck over intimate dinners and moments alone with you.

Don’t tell anyone but his favourite types of kisses are the really tender forehead kisses. He has to be in the right mood for them,  preferably right before he falls asleep with you in his arms but Bembé will show you his softer side and expect lots of soft kisses on his brow-line, forehead and temple.

Bembé loves the quiet moments with you on the roof of his church. His head can rest in your lap as he runs through his numbers in some peace whilst you occasionally bend down to kiss him.

Carlos Montero

Carlos Montero has a lot of pride in his work, however he’s lost touch with any sort of romance over the years which has led to a certain shyness when it comes to kisses and public displays of affection.

When you first kissed him it was rather unplanned. He had narrowly escaped the attack of José in Verdera and in a state of panic and relief you held his face in your hands and kissed him gently.

Despite his reluctance for romantic activities, you slowly help build up that confidence which was always there. Carlos eventually asks you for kisses around camp or whilst you’re driving around Madrugada in his truck.

His favourite type of kisses has to be when you kiss the corner of his mouth or his chin. Carlos adores walking around Sirena Bay with you, his arm looped over your shoulder whilst you cuddle close and kiss the bottom of his lip.

Whenever there are big celebrations in the Montero Farm, with lots of drinks, singing and dancing, Carlos always takes your hand and asks you to dance under the fairy lights in the middle of camp. Everyone watches the two of you, cheering as you sway together and place gentle kisses along each other’s cheeks.

[0perfectimperfections0]

Factory default was so good!! Please make a part 2!

If any of you are ever wondering why it takes me so long to get to your asks, it's because there are new ones that come in that the second I read them I already have a novel's worth of ideas and I have to write it.

Like this one.

<><><><>

They couldn't really linger in the center of the Institute with all the other dolls glaring daggers at the Lou. They had been hoping to be rid of him forever, which was both understandable and unfair at the same time. And now suddenly he was back and putting on a show of not knowing anything just to get more attention.

That's what Wage was telling herself.

Some of the others were skeptical, too. UglyDog kept a keen eye on Lou. LuckyBat kept a good distance. Babo stayed close only because he was acting like a bodyguard for his friends if Lou tried anything.

The doll under keen surveillance was blissfully unaware of any of this. His eyes would only trail to Wage as she didn't bother keeping her animosity a secret. He clasped his hands in front of him, looking down at the bunny that walked beside him. "Where are we going?"

"Someplace with fewer dolls around. Maybe the diner."

"He is not steppin' one foot in my restaurant," Wage came in hotly.

"You'll be fine," Ox brushed off her remark, "it'll only be till we think of a gameplan, anyway."

There was a series of small, incoherent mutters from Lou. He looked ahead, tongue forming a repetitive shape in his mouth as he whispered something. He looked back down at Ox in the next instant. "What is die-nare?"

"Diner," Wage hissed, arms crossed. "Y'know, where food is served and people eat?"

Diner: Where food is served and people eat.

Lou was satisfied with the answer and hummed, looking ahead again where Moxy and Mandy were leading the way. The glass doors were opened and Lou looked around at the foreign interior design. It was a 50's styled diner, but he wouldn't have been able to classify it as such. Wage suddenly was in his face, a finger jabbed into his chest had him stopping abruptly and leaning back a bit. "Sit down and don't touch anything, got it?"

"Okay," he looked down at her finger before meeting her eyes. Geez, she was a fiery one. She turned and disappeared through the double doors into the kitchen. Lou eyed Moxy as she walked forward and scrambled up onto one of the bar stools. He took a seat beside her. She narrowed her eyes at him, watching him lean to the side a bit to see his feet dangling off the ground and swinging them a bit.

Ox came to sit on the other side of Lou and turned his seat to face the blond. "Alright, first things first: This town is called Imperfection now. Not Perfection."

"That is not what I was told," Lou says while gripping the edge of the bar and twisting in the seat. The barstool swiveled! He continues to push himself, seeing how far the seat could turn. "Rule number 5: Only perfection is accepted. Anything less than perfect is a failure."

Well, that was new. Ox had never heard any nonsense like that before come out of Lou. "Well, that's what it's called. And there aren't any rules around here. Except be nice to everyone."

Lou discovered that the barstool had no limits for its rotations. He took this to his advantage and was no sooner keeping a loose hold on the edge of the counter while spinning slowly. "That is easy rule. Being nice is not a rule. That is basic. Rules are more not easy to follow. Like to be perfect at all times."

"And who taught you that?" Mandy stood a few inches from him, arms crossed and watching him swivel around. It was actually endearing. He was so entertained by the chair.

"My Creator. He is my master." Lou says this in a light tone, but the words he chooses unsettle them a bit. Master didn't sound consensual. As if Lou was forced to comply with these rules. "He made me to make sure that other dolls follow rules and teach them."

"Is he the one that erased your memory?" Mandy asked.

Lou's brows furrowed at that, but he kept spinning idly. "My master has taken nothing from me. I was made yesterday. My memory is only of one day. Two, with today."

"Lou...," Ox doesn't exactly know how to break it to him, "you...you weren't made yesterday. You were made nearly ten years ago."

Lou shakes his head. "I would remember that."

"Your memory was erased," Mandy stresses.

"I would remember that, too," Lou says matter-of-factly as he began another rotation.

Mandy sighed and leaned down, hands on either side of the stool to stop his spinning. He had no choice but to look her in the eyes. "You don't remember having your memory erased or anything from months or years ago. So you also don't remember all the bad things you've done."

"I have done nothing wrong. I just got here," he sounded desperate now. "I am a good doll. You have not given me chance to show you."

"Oh, you've had plenty of chances," Mandy laughed wryly.

"But if you say to me the truth then I do not remember those chances," Lou pointed out. "Give me chance now and I will show you."

"That won't really be possible anyway," LuckyBat spoke up beside Mandy. "Everyone...kinda hates you right now."

"Hay-ta?" Lou spoke quietly.

"No one likes you," Mandy clarified.

Lou's shoulders slumped and she was surprised to see his bottom lip trembling. "B-But I do nothing wrong! I am a good doll!"

"You're a bad doll!" Mandy couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice. "You've broken the hearts and esteems of so many dolls. Not to mention the ones you tried to take to recycling."

"But I do not remember that!" He put a hand to his chest desperately, eyes beginning to water. He wasn't a bad doll. He was good. He had to be good.

"I know, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen," she argued.

Lou set his quivering mouth into a fine line. "Then I apologize."

"It doesn't count if you don't know what you're apologizing for."

With a small grunt, Lou slid off the barstool and walked past her toward the door. She quickly grabbed his arm. "Woah, where do you think you're going?"

He tried pulling away from her, but she was stronger than she looked. "You are doing bad job at following 'be nice rule'. I am saying apology, but you call me bad doll. I am not a bad doll."

Mandy took him by both arms, forcing him to look at her. Her mouth was open to say something until she looked into his eyes. They were watery and his mouth was quivering. She'd never seen him cry before...it was honestly heartwrenching. It was one thing telling him all of those things when he was arrogant and ready to fight back. But like this? It wasn't fair, really, to rebuke him for something he didn't remember doing. For now, maybe it should be swept under the rug.

Sighing, she relaxed her grip on his arms and rubbed them a little in case she'd hurt him. "You're right. I'm not being very nice, am I?" He stayed silent, as if afraid to speak. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. You...you are a good doll."

His eyes went full again and a small smile returned to his face. He reached up to wipe away a tear that had trailed down his cheek. Blue eyes looked down at the wet spot on his sleeve. "My eyes are raining."

Despite herself, a small snort escapes her. "Crying...it's called crying." She tilted her head down to catch his gaze. "I'm sorry."

The kitchen doors swung open again and Wage set a plate of sandwiches on the counter. She waved a wooden spoon in the air whilst leaning on the counter. "We can always try knockin' him out and see if that jogs his memory."

"Nice try," Ox rolled his eye, "but we're gonna try for a more gentle approach." He grabbed a sandwich and a paper towel, setting it at the spot where Lou was sitting. "Come eat, Bud."

"Keep in mind that I only made eight sandwiches," Wage took a bit of hers.

Ox did the math quickly in his head. "Wage," he chastised. She rolled her eyes, not commenting.

Moxy leaned over just as Lou sat back down and twisted a few times in the chair for fun. "Here," she split his sandwich in half and laid the other half on her paper towel, "we'll share."

That felt like a good doll thing to do. Lou watched Mandy walk by him and he broke his half in half. Spinning in the chair, he held the piece out to her. "Share."

The endearing action had her smiling softly at him. "I've got one, see?" She showed him hers. "You eat yours."

"Share is a good doll thing. I am to show you I am a good doll." He reached it up closer to her.

Again, she smiled and gently pushed his arm down by the wrist. "You are a good doll," she grabbed the metal part of the stool to turn him back around to the counter, "but you also need to eat. Thank you for the offer, though."

'Thank you.' Hmm...that sounded like a good thing to say. He tried it, turning to Moxy. "Thank you for the share."

A part of her knew that he was merely learning and parroting the words and actions, but it was sweet nonetheless. "You're welcome."

Gosh darn it, that was another nice thing to say. But Mandy was already sitting at one of the booths with LuckyBat, Babo, and UglyDog. He'd have to tell her that later.