#not rewriting that tag sorry

[noodles-and-tea]

Fancy!!

[stoopidstapler]

SO IVE BEEN GOIN INSANE SINCE THIS TRAILER DROPPED. JUST. SIMON. SIMON. SIMON.

[heartorbit]

revstar emu save me

[duke-daemon]

hazbin hotel redesigns wooooooooo

okay so. i'm gonna discuss my thoughts about them n shit, putting under a readmore bc it's gonna get long and rambley. sorry in advance for the shit formatting, i'm on mobile </3

just some general shit about how i would rewrite it. i think the premise of redeeming sinners is entertaining but is executed horribly. i also am a fan of the "heaven isn't great either" idea but again, executed horribly. i'd make the hierarchy of angels more accurate because it's cool as hell and i have autism about it. the characters from hell would swear still (albeit not as much), but the angels would outright refuse to swear or make vulgar jokes ever. this would be partially to further the gap between heaven and hell and make the differences more stark.

hell would also be more like dante's inferno (again because i think its cool). the ars goetia would get a full redesign and would be more prevalent in demonic society.

now for the characters!

---

VAGGIE VALTIEL:

starting off with vaggie, or Valtiel as i've renamed her because let's be honest her original name sucks. Valtiel (Val for short) was an aspiring power angel who wanted to be an exorcist. she looked up to lute and thought the idea of killing demons was really cool and badass. however when she actually was on the field for the first time she discovered how awful this actually was. she tried to help a few demons but lute figured it out and felled her right then and there. the rest of her story is relatively the same. personality wise she's more stoic and less prone to all-out aggression. she still get angry, sure, but it's in a quieter and more menacing way. you DO NOT want to fuck with Valtiel.

CHARLIE:

next up is charlie! i had two ideas for her. the first one (unsettling drawing) has her as a mannequin/doll type demon. lucifer and/or lilith was unable to conceive and as such they built a kid from scratch. she's overall similar to og charlie personality wise, very kind and cheerful despite her unsettling appearance. she struggles with empathy sometimes but really does mean well. her motive for rehabilitating sinners is so they get to see their family again. being able to see heaven from where they are in hell must make them sad, so she wants to help make them happy again!

the second idea for charlie has her as an angel. specifically i casted her as a dominion angel due to their reputation as holy judges. she was once a demon but has been rehabilitated and has risen into angelhood! she now wants to help her former kin do the same and redeem themselves in heaven's gaze. again, similar cheery personality, but a bit more prudish in this rendition

tangent time!

as a side tangent, valtiel and charlie would have a different relationship in this rewrite. their relationship felt shoehorned in in the original show, like it was just there for the hell of it. we didn't see much development between them and it just felt kinda bland. so in my rewrite, charlie and valtiel are amiable exes. they tried dating when valtiel first fell (when charlie was still a demon in the charlie-angel version) but realized their feelings for each other were much more platonic than romantic. they ended things off on good terms, deciding they were much better as friends. they are still besties to this day! later charlie ends up with emily (or 'ellie' as i plan to rename her)

back to the characters

Alastor:

note: i made alastor mixed-race, which could be seen as bad by some due to vivzie saying he's black. however, as many have pointed out, he has no ethnic features whatsoever and i honestly wouldn't be surprised if she said that just to get away with using voodoo symbols (a closed religion) in his imagery/design. like viv, i am incredibly white and have little to no knowledge of voodoo, and even if i did i would not use it for something like this anyways due to the stigma the religion already has and (again) it being a closed practice. as such i removed it from his concept altogether, but made him mixed race (white passing) because.. why not i guess, i forgor my actual reasoning

with that being said...

alastor is by far my favorite of the redesigns and i'm honestly tempted to turn him into a legally distinct oc. i imagine he's somewhat reserved, along the lines of norman bates albeit a bit more extroverted. during his life he was a serial killer with a day job as a radio announcer. he took pleasure in reporting about his own murders on the radio, but that is eventually what got him caught (ie accidentally letting slip info that wasn't released to the public). as a result he was sentenced to death. upon arriving in hell, he quickly rose through the ranks to borderline overlord status and is a feared presence by demons and sinners alike. why is he bothering to assist in the hotel project? who knows... his motives are a mystery, like the rest of what he does

(he isn't actually alastair crowley i just thought the naming convention was ironic. however he may have also dabbled with satanic magic in lifetime..)

Angel Dust:

TW: brief discussion of SA

this is definitely my second favorite redesign. i loooove insect themes and wanted to do more than just Extra Arms, so he now has fucked up legs and a lot of eyes too! story-wise, angel used to be a criminal mastermind, hated by both the mafia and the feds. he was a gentleman thief, arranging massive heists under the cover of night while also partaking in the occasional drag show. he ended up a cocaine addict later in life, which caused his work to become sloppier. eventually he was killed in a heist gone wrong, specifically shot by the police.

i'm not gonna go too in-depth on the SA part of his story, but he is hypersexual due to being assaulted in both his life and afterlife. it would be something he'd be working on in the rewrite. his reason for coming to the hotel in the first place may have even been for help with this trauma. underneath his sultry exterior is a broken guy who really just needs someone to care about him for who he really is and not for what his body can do.

LUTE:

so lute and adam are some of the characters i have the most gripes about. the biggest one being why viv chose adam as the leader of the exorcists in the first place. if she wants a biblical figure tied to demon killing, Archangel Michael is RIGHT THERE, aka the one destined to kill satan during the events of Revelations. if she wants the first human to die, that would be Abel, not Adam. and i kinda doubt abel would want to do the stuff that HH!adam has been doing. if she wants an angel related to torture, Dumah is her guy! an angel that rules over wicked souls and tortures sinners every day except sabbath. so many better options...

with that out of the way, Lute is still the lieutenant of the exorcist, who are a specially chosen group of powers sent to purge hell once a year. think navy seals. she's pretty much the same as in the show, albeit more muscular and visually different from other exorcists (seriously why do they all look exactly the same?????) she's a very repressed lesbian who hasn't had time to work on that due to her duties

i also redesigned the exorcist uniform/armor because those LED purge masks are fugly as hell and their clothes don't even look remotely like armor.

Adam + Final Thoughts

i did start a redesign of adam but got bored of it. regardless, i think he'd be the head of C.H.E.R.U.B. instead of the exorcists. he doesn't want his children to make the same mistakes he and eve did, so together they started C.H.E.R.U.B. to help lost souls stay out of hell

final thoughts uhhhh i'm tired. show sucks, it had so much potential but viv ruined it by being a shitty writer and an even shittier person. the designs are fine i guess but they all look exactly the same and are in desperate need of variety. the humor is dogshit, saying dick and balls and penis over and over and over again doesn't make it any funnier than the first three times you made that joke. anyways that's it, i hope you liked my inane ramblings. gonna go vanish for another forty years or so, adios

[madamdionysia]

firm believer that yunho and or mingi get a kick out of seeing you stretched out — it plays with their size kink so much 🫠

my brain has short circuited everytime i rolled this ask around in my head, but heres what i got

cw: gn!reader, no pronouns, penetrative sex, unedited & mobile posted, tummy bulge, size kink, teasing, edging, fingering, implied poly!teez at the end for fun, double penetration, praise, maybe a hint of soft!dom,

edit 10/31/23: fixed like two mistakes, changed one word to make it gender neutral

fuck it so mingi is like fascinated when he first sees you stretched out on his cock, like he can’t believe that someone is capable of such. He’s both amazed and fucking proud when you take his cock, watching the bulge move with his hips. You have to snap him out of whatever trance he put himself in if you wanted any sort of progression

yunho on the other hand is more forward? Expressive? Very much the type to tease and edge as he tries to prepare you. I feel like his ego about it would come out a bit more during sex, sure he has to take longer to prep but this also means longer to scissor his fingers in you, longer to feel your ass, and longer to whisper things like “aw, is my dick really that big?” in effort to get you to admit that you needed help or wanted him to let you reach your peak. Seeing your skin flex and move even with his fingers has him rock hard, and he is so eager to see what you’re capable of.

As for them both, it’s a bit overwhelming being overstimulated on both cocks simultaneously. Yunho is slow, angling his hips to let his dick gently stroke your warm walls. Mingi is focused on the end, and Yunho is focused on the journey. Seeing both of them stretch you to the brim has Yunho’s knees turn to gelatin as he thinks “oh fuck thats hot”. And Mingi knows when he’s sheathed inside of you that he was never that tight for Yunho, and with the two of them buried inside of you as you moan for movement? Mingi’s brain becomes mush and he just wants to fuck the shit out of you. It’s Yunho that paces the situation, Mingi finishing all over his own stomach with a high pitched whine and you came all over Yunho’s cock.

[the-king-of-lemons]

Headcanon i've had for a while now about how minecraft hack clients could work, similar to the headcanons about how in game chat would work.

Just sort of an explanation with some examples, obviously some hacks are pretty hard to translate into a physical thing, but i tried my best. :)

Full text can also be found under read more.

"Hack Clients" are illegal modifications of a player's attire (i.e. player skin) in order to give them an unfair advantage. The visibility of a "Hack Client" modification depends on the server a player is on. On servers such as 2b2t, these modifications are obviously visible while on stricter servers, such as Hypixel, hackers will try to be more subtle, often hiding modifications underneath clothing.

Eyewear: Modified for use of visual hacks (i.e. x-ray. fullbright, esp, etc.), the easiest to hide from moderators.

Footwear: Modified for use of hacks such as Anti-Knockback, High-jump, and other similar hacks.

Mechanical Braces: Used to allow players to move with otherwise impossible reaction times, most often used for PVP. Completely illegal on most servers, players will attempt to hide them underneath clothing but often fail.

Leg brace: Used for b-hopping.

Arm brace: Used for kill-aura and aimbot.

[llumimoon]

Hehehe this was a great way to draw some characters I don’t draw as often! <3

[taya-ki]

Gomens s2 comic time! Spent FOREVER making this because I could. Lmao

[lilyvines]

teen wolf post. at some point stiles starts a gsa he invites all the queer people he knows (scott. danny. unnamed extra #3) and it's mostly originally meant to ease his dad's worries that he's not being a "normal and well adjusted teen" but eventually he gets really into it. in his downtime between solving werewolf mysteries he makes advertisements and plans group socials. he tries to get everyone to advertise for him and hands out flyers and stickers. erica puts a sticker on her shirt across her chest on the basis of "everyone's going to look there anyway, so you'll get the advertising" (she's trying to be supportive). stiles rolls his eyes but allison signs up the next day so he guesses maybe erica had the right idea

[can-of-slorgs]

caw 🦅

[sampsonstorm]

This is fucking bullshit. I am so sick and tired of my adult life being ruled by other people's kids because the parents are too fucking lazy to be a parent and supervise their children on the Internet. And to those who will say "well the parents work" then either teach your kids internet safety or take away their damn phones so they can't access it. Don't make it the entire fucking adult worlds problem. I got policed plenty while I was a child. Don't fucking do it to me when I'm an adult. This isnt right. This is a blatent violation of free speech and human rights. We all know what the government will do with this act. It has NOTHING to do with protecting kids. It has all to do with isolating the United States and closing off connections so people are unable to organize.

It will cut off abused children from seeking help. It will cut adults off from educational material containing "adult content". What? Are we going back to our elementary years "Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14-hundred 92? Where we make cute little cut-outs of the bastard who tortured people? Yeah that's real cool to teach children. Not harmful at all. Wasn't harmful at all realizing all the propaganda I learned in school was BULLSHIT. When I could've been learning about; how to pay taxes, how to buy a car, how to buy a house, medical affairs, sexual education, how to clean properly, how to manage finances, types of trades. ALL THE SHIT TO ACTUALLY HELP IN MY ADULT LIFE.

Oh and you really wanna help kids? Let them fucking beat the shit out of their bullies and let those little monsters learn early, fucking with people for your enjoyment ISNT ACCEPTABLE, instead of your schools institution blaming the victim and sweeping the incident under the rug. Maybe then we wouldn't have so many adult monsters and people full of anxiety!

This will affect artists and indie creators who are primarily LGBTQ or who create adult related contents in their works. It will ruin any indie creators chances if they do not pair with a big company. It will systematically DESTROY our ability to connect and grow our audiences. It will be THE END for adult online cartoons, comics, web series, etc.

Oh and I'm saying this as someone who was groomed and had friends who were groomed. Wanna know why? Because my friends parents couldn't bother to be parents. But that also didn't stop us from watching bad VCR tapes. Kids are gonna find "harmful" content anywhere. It's called growing up. If you shield kids from the Internet you're just going to isolate and shelter them further while predators find a way around it once again. Hello the age of Normalizing the Dark Web which will put MORE people in danger including your precious children and minors. The Internet 2 will be the wild West again and the cycle will just repeat. Heed this warning. Leave the fucking internet alone. It's the last bastion of true freedom and if you take it away; SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES will come. Because people will finally hit their limit.

Leave it alone KOSA - REBLOG IF YOU AGREE

[verocitea]

Funny little guys in funny little outfits

[ganondoodle]

So your took rewrite. I have a very important question regarding the Zonai. From what I hear they're supposed to be the dragon tribe I think? And that theory with Dinraal,Farosh, and Naydra. People were making theories about them being originally Zonai. Would those 3 have a important role in the rewrite??? I'm curious because I would love to see how you draw them and implement them into the lore. Also I love your demise and hylia! Love your work too so ye that's my question, apologies if I worded this wrong or seemed rude. I am not good with words ^^;;

so, with no intention to sound mean, this is a little awkward for me to answer bc i ... loathe the idea of the three dragons having been of sonau origin

i talked about it in a few rants before but i loved the dragons before bc they were something unexplained and ethereal, spirits older than time that yet still circling the skies unknown if they ever had a purpose, or if they even had to have one, just a part of this world, a mystery i loved bc it was unsolved (personally i liked the idea of them being like the last stage of evolution for the dragons from skyward sword but again thats just me) whenever i saw them i stood there and watched in awe, one of my most favorite things from botw ... or were ..

see it might have to do a little with me not liking the canon sonau at all bc of how they were handled, a big point of that being how they felt artificially shoved into every part of this hyrules history so nothing was there that hadnt been done better or touched by the sonau before already; i get that making that connection between the sonau and the dragons is very obvious and can be interesting for some but i personally hate it bc it just destroys that sense of awe i used to feel when i saw them .. they are a mystery that shouldnt ever been 'solved' or even considered as soemthing TO solve, their mystery being unsolved is what made it GOOD to me

i now have to actually work to still seem them as i once did instead of just some sonau dude eating a god damn stone, again i dont mean this to sound mean about it but i just .... it takes it all away what i once felt about them, oh ... it was just some sonau guy .. its them again .. it wasnt an ethereal ever wandering spirit of never known origins it was just some sonau guys .... oh .... oh ...no ... (good morning i am very brave and when the dragons are revealed to not have been unknown always there spirits ever wandering the world from the beginning of time which was one of my favorite aspects of botw but instead have been just some sonau dudes eating a stone destroying my feeling of awe and respect to them forever i wont cry about it ..)

so .... the dragons (Eldra, Farodra, Naydra for me as im using their german names) do play a role in my rewrite .. but not as people or having anythign revealed about them, im keeping them as i once saw them, as spirits that have always been there (they play a role to repair the mastersword as a reference to how it was forged in skyward sword)

(and the reason the stones cause someone to transform into a dragon was bc those creatures are the most magical beings to exist and the stones are made of an insane amount of spirit energy and if that all gets released all at once there is no way for it to go other than explode or if consumed to twist whatever organism is trying to take it in into a draconic form)

the sonau in my rewrite are not dragon people, tho they do worship them as they are incredibly spiritual, but an underground dwelling species (loosely based on bats and monkeys, with somethign of a deep sea vibe to them) who only appeared on the surface after their population was already beyond saving (the reason for it being that they mined the stones for their tech to such a degree it killed the land they needed to live and as they dug deeper and more intensely for more stones, now more for pure survival than anything else, they both found more of the engima stones AND the remnant of the past that warned of ganondorf, which then prompted them to breach the surface and establish contact with the ones that dwell there; they never did that before bc its hard to get there and they considered themselves to be above any other species spiritually and didnt want to messed up their structures of society - something that changed as they stood on the brink of extinction and had found the warning which then made rauru break their old rule of not breaching the surface)

(i will say that i can get behind the idea that the big skeletons you find in the underground having been of sonau that ate an enigma stone and that is how they knew it doing that for sure, it otherwise just having been part of their belief system as dragons are the most spiritual of all aside from gods)

(... i dont want to think about the reverse possibility tho .. the orignal dragons being dead and the sonau replacing them.. i dont like that even if it made sense ,,,,, ... yet another thing they replaced ... stop that ..)

im sorry if this sounds mean or dismissive but i just ... dont like the all dragons having been sonau theory at all and im kinda glad they dont seem to plan any DLC bc i was afraid it would outright confirm it, which would suck .. at least like this there is still some denialability about it (like all the clothing and dragon themed stuff being used purely for worship on their own)

thank you for otherwise liking my work tho!! i hope this isnt too disappointing for you to hear, in the end the rewrite is primarily a way for me to cope with what i dont like and implement the ideas i have had to fix it for me :C

[whoredmode]

the events of sriv are actually just anteros and kinzie’s very convoluted roleplay send post.

[peachiime]

antics at akademi - peachiime.

akademi highschool is a very prestigious establishment, saved only for the most eloquent and intelligent students. it's the place where budding youths go to be modeled into the perfect member of society, it's the place where dreams come true, it's the place where everything runs as perfectly and as smoothly as you can possibly imagine it. akademi highschool is a utopia.

pfft. you really thought.

akademi fell to shambles long ago, and this year's batch of interesting characters seem dedicated to tearing it to pieces even more, whether they're doing it consciously or not.

these kids are far from normal. every day, there's some new conflict or event or explosion or bird attack. in fact, it's not just the students that add fuel to the ever burning fire, the faculty's wrapped up in it too.

does that intrigue you yet? if so, you might be interested in following the progression of this school year, where you'll watch relationships break and form, people rise and fall, things beyond your wildest imagination happening all in a school building, possible law breaking, and all that stuff.

akademi highschool is way past the description of disorderly.

but it gets better.

want to see?

-

antics at akademi is a retelling of yandere simulator, with the same setting and characters, but a different genre. it takes on more of a slice of life comedy story, with some elements of drama in there as well.

when published on ao3 and wattpad in the future, every chapter will follow to day-to-day life of the students of akademi for a whole school year, and each day is split into 9 sections to ensure everyone gets screentime. there will also be 9 separate acts of the story, with almost each one having its own themes and messages dedicated to it.

antics at akademi is an entirely separate thing from the game it is inspired by, and is in no way in support of yandere dev; not supporting anything the original may imply, not supporting his actions or ideologies, none of that. i am a very different person and i am telling a very different story from yandere dev.

any questions, comments, or concerns are encouraged. don't feel afraid to submit an ask, and please reblog my posts whenever you can if you want to support this project!

and also note that posts will probably be slow, since there's a lot of information to share and i'm very busy with life right now. in the meantime, there are many other posts about antics at akademi that you can see by checking out the specially made tag for it! (its just antics at akademi again. search it up wink wink)

once again, don't feel afraid to ask any questions, whether they're silly or serious. thank you for reading this far, and i hope you decide to follow the production of antics at akademi! much love <3

[northern-passage]

Help I’m desperate for Lea and I apologize for the link spam this morning AAAAAAA. I’m like foaming at the mouth I love Lea so much and the way they interact with the hunter (playing a stoic, altruistic, shy, conflict-avoidant, and secretly soft hunter) makes me scream

I um… would love to know Lea’s POV or thoughts about the Duncan conflict if the hunter let him rip off their hood and hesitates before bowing to Duncan to try and keep Lea safe behind them??

Sorry if that’s a lot to ask and obviously no pressure I just,,, thought I’d peek in and get it off my chest to send in an ask

for you, and the dozens of other people that have asked me for this scene from Lea's pov over the years~

A hush falls over the parlor, a loud ringing in Lea's ears at the sudden silence.

An older man stands, wearing posh, silver armor, emblazoned with the king's swooping hawk, layered over a dark red tunic and embellished with silver studs and gold feathers - there is only one person this man can be. He has a group of soldiers with him, wearing the same silver and red, and those ugly molded masks.

"Lord Duncan," Merry says, her hands on her hips as she takes a few steps forward, her voice the only sound to break the silence.

Lea quickly stands from the table, and the hunter does the same, glancing back at Lea for a moment before eyeing the creeping soldiers as they move through the tables and across the parlor.

"What a wonderful surprise to have you here, Duncan-" Merry starts, but she's cut off by a sharp look.

"Lord Duncan," he says, his voice hard.

Merry's face twitches.

Duncan turns to Lea and the hunter expectantly then.

Lea does their best to keep their face wholly neutral, their jaw set as they stare right back at Duncan. The hunter does much of the same, both standing rigid in front of the warden as he glances between them. His hand is on his sword, and Lea doesn't miss the way his fingers flex around the hilt, the slight curling of his lip as he stares on in distaste.

Lea knows he expects a bow, but that simply isn't how things are done here in the north. And Lea is happy to remind Duncan of that fact, especially after what they've heard about the man today.

Neither Lea nor the hunter move.

"Is there a reason you've brought your little dogs into my establishment, Warden?" Merry cuts in then.

"I heard we had visitors. Very rude of you to keep them from me," Lord Duncan says slowly, turning away from Lea to slowly appraise their partner. "And a hunter, no less."

Lord Duncan suddenly steps towards them, reaching for their hood, and Lea bites hard on the inside of their cheek, resisting the urge to grab his wrist and shove him back.

The hunter quickly steps away, wordlessly dodging his outstretched hand, and Lea can just see the flash of their eyes beneath their hood, glaring out of the shadows at Duncan.

He clicks his tongue, disappointed as he pulls his hand back.

"No need to be shy," he muses.

Lea feels their expression flicker, but thankfully Duncan is too focused on the hunter to notice. Lea runs a hand over their hair, clearing their throat and stepping between them, forcing Duncan's attention as well as forcing him back a few feet.

"Introductions?" Lea prompts, tilting their head towards the warden.

"My name is Lea Chen. This is Hunter Karstark. We only just arrived early this morning, and unfortunately had a few things to handle in the city. A shame we haven't crossed paths earlier. I've heard many good things," Lea continues, forcing a warm smile for Lord Duncan.

There's a bitter taste in their mouth.

"The market here is impressive - the town seems to have completely recovered under your leadership," Lea adds, nodding at him. "It's admirable." Lea's voice is tight, but their mask doesn't slip, even as Duncan's demeanor shifts slightly, a slight upward curve of his lips.

He glances between Lea and the hunter, and then looks to Merry.

"How about a room, Captain? To talk to our guests, in private," he says, sticking his nose up at the rest of the parlor.

Lea shakes their head, glancing over at Merry. They don't want to be in a room alone with this man.

But Merry doesn't notice, just waving everyone over to the stairs. The clank of armor punctuates each step, and Lea glances over at the hunter, a shared unease rising between them. Lea looks back at the parlor one last time before climbing up the stairs, their hand instinctively going to their hip, though they're unarmed right now.

Probably for the best.

Merry leads the group across the mezzanine at the top of the stairs and down the hallway, towards a back room tucked along the far wall of the tavern. She raises her hand and wraps her knuckles once, twice, three times, and when no response comes she digs a ring of keys from her pocket and unlocks the door, throwing it open and stepping inside.

Lea lets the hunter step in first, giving them a brief reprieve from the soldiers right on their heels.

Lea follows after them and Merry, joining them on one side of the room, while Duncan and his soldiers line up on the other. Lea glares over at the soldiers and their silver masks, eyeing the swords strapped to their belts.

Lea doesn't like this, a slight tremble in their hands as their adrenaline spikes, the last soldier stepping in and shutting the door with a soft click.

Duncan lets everyone stand in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, and Lea can't help but notice how he relishes it, picking at some nonexistent dust on his armor while the hunter squirms beside them. Lea glances over at them, but they're hiding in their hood, unable to see them in their peripheral.

"You can leave us," Duncan says then, stepping aside so Merry can reach the door. She gives him a long, hard look.

"No. I think I'd rather stay," she says.

"I wasn't asking," Duncan snaps back, curling his lip.

Lea tenses, and Merry remains unmoving, her hands on her hips. The hunter sinks farther back in their hood.

Duncan sighs, glancing to one of his soldiers and waving his hand. They respond immediately, striding across the room and grabbing Merry by her elbow, hauling her forward.

Merry rips her arm from the soldier's grip, but they're undeterred, grabbing her again and twisting her arm this time, forcing her to turn around and face Duncan.

"Don't fucking touch me," Merry snarls, once again jerking free, "I'm fucking going!"

Lea takes a step forward, though they're not sure what it is exactly they're planning on doing, here. The soldiers don't notice, too occupied with glaring at the hunter or leering at Merry, but Duncan shoots them a curious look, raising an eyebrow, and Lea glares back at him, which just makes him smile.

Merry steps away from the soldier then, holding her hands up, and if looks could kill, Duncan would drop dead in that moment. Instead, his smile just widens, watching as Merry steps out the door, slamming it closed behind her.

An awkward silence passes before Duncan speaks again, nothing but the sound of grinding metal as the soldiers shift on their feet.

"So. Tell me, Handler Chen, what brings you and your hunter to my city?" he says, crossing his arms and eyeing them both across the room.

"We are just passing through, my lord," Lea says simply, and the title almost makes Lea gag.

"And your destination?" he prompts.

"The mountains, near Skala. We received some reports of a weak spot in the Vel. A wraith lurking around," Lea says. They do their best not to look to the hunter, coming up with the lie on the spot, but Lea knows they're smart enough to play along.

"Is that right?" Duncan muses, turning to the hunter then. "Do you have anything to say about that?" he asks.

Lea tenses again, Duncan's eyes flashing as he glances at them before looking back to the hunter expectantly.

The hunter just shrugs. Lea quickly wipes at their mouth in an attempt to hide their smirk.

Duncan lets out a long sigh.

"I see," he says.

"It's unfortunate Captain Harlowe got to you first," he starts. "You should be more careful about the company you keep." He adjusts the collar of his tunic. "A pirate? A criminal - is that the kind of people the Order is doing business with these days?"

Lea shifts, crossing their arms, but they keep their mouth shut, refusing to fall for the bait. They'll give Merry a piece of their mind later. Right now, Lea and the captain are a united front, and they're not going to turn on her for Duncan.

The hunter glances at them, but they remain silent, even as Duncan's glare hardens. He clicks his tongue again at the lack of response, irritation flashing across his face.

"So, from what I understand, you've had quite the day, today," he says then, holding his hands behind his back. "I heard you are quite the gossip. Asking a lot of questions, none of which I believe had anything to do with wraiths, or the Vel," he says, his gaze sliding from between Lea and the hunter, smiling coolly.

He moves farther into the room then, clearing his throat before he stops right in front of them. "Make no mistake. I allowed you to do the things you did. Don't let Captain Harlowe fool you. I am the final authority here, not her." His cold eyes flick between the two. "My hospitality is not unconditional."

"Of course, my lord," Lea says then, uncrossing their arms and giving Duncan a mirthless smile.

Lea isn't playing this game anymore. It's clear he knows that they're lying - there's no point in playing pretend. If Lea is going to be honest about anything, it will be about their feelings towards the man.

Feelings of disgust and contempt.

"I'm glad we understand each other," Duncan says then, though he turns to the hunter as he says it, making Lea's hands twitch at their sides.

"Now. Unfortunately, I need you out of my city. The two of you, the way you're running around, you're scaring my people," he says, still looking at the hunter.

Lea can't help themself, and they scoff, shaking their head at Duncan.

Duncan quickly turns to them, wrinkling his nose. "What's funny, Handler Chen?"

The soldiers shift around the room, their hands on their swords, and Lea's eyes flash, stepping close to the hunter as they leer at Duncan.

"These aren't your people, Lord Duncan," Lea says, a bite in their voice. "Don't insult us by pretending otherwise."

Duncan considers Lea for a painfully long moment. Then he takes a few steps back, closing rank with his soldiers. "I want you gone by noon tomorrow. You two, and the captain. If you are still in this city tomorrow afternoon, you will receive no mercy from me," he growls, his voice deadly. He moves towards the door now, but doesn't reach for the doorknob – instead he bangs his fist against the door twice. It opens, and two more soldiers step in.

At the sight of their flashy armor, the hunter shifts instinctively in front of Lea, their hand reaching for their hunter's knife.

Lea takes a deep breath, their own hands hovering in front of them, reaching half-way for the hunter's cloak - but they stop short, pulling their hand back and letting it curl into a fist at their side. Lea knows what comes next in situations like this, with men like Duncan. It's better not to show him what will hurt. Grabbing the hunter would give Duncan too many ideas.

"I wouldn't," Duncan is saying, smiling at the hunter. They reluctantly drop their hand, leaving their knife in its sheath.

"Take off your hood," he says suddenly, as the door closes again behind him.

Lea feels their lip curl, but the hunter obeys, reaching up and pulling their hood off.

There's no reason for this - except for Duncan to make himself feel good. In another place, in another time, Lea would run a man like Duncan through with their sword. That would make them feel good.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Duncan smiles, taking a step towards the hunter. He reaches down and pulls a knife from his belt, twirling it for a moment in his hand, watching the light glint off the blade. The hunter tenses in front of Lea, but holds their ground as he comes around the bed. The soldiers follow him, three of them coming towards them, the other two going towards Lea.

"This isn't necessary," Lea snarls, and they know immediately they slipped up with how pleased Duncan is with that outburst, giving him exactly what he wanted, his eyes widening as he glances between Lea and the hunter. One of the soldiers draws their sword, pressing the blade against Lea's back, and they scowl, swallowing loudly as the other soldiers converge around the hunter.

"Now," Lord Duncan says as he casually flips the knife in his hand, "Bow."

Lea doesn't move, but the hunter hesitates, glancing back at them, their gold eyes flashing.

They turn back to Duncan, and Lea can just watch as they slowly, slowly begin to bow.

Lea says their name, takes a step towards them, but the sword in their back bites through their shirt, and Lea stops. But when the soldiers hovering around the hunter shove them down to their knees, Lea tries again, only to be restrained, grimacing at that blade pricking the small of their back, a hot trickle of blood making them recoil.

They say their name again, struggling in vain.

The hunter doesn't look back at them this time, keeping their gaze on Lord Duncan.

"All the way down," he says.

"Stop it!" Lea shouts, but it falls on deaf ears as the soldiers manhandle the hunter, grabbing their neck and slamming their face against the floor. They pin their arms behind them, and one of the soldiers presses their knee against their back, trapping them beneath their weight.

Lea thrashes violently, jerking in the soldiers' grasp as that sword cuts at them again.

The hunter blinks up at them, their eyes wide, and Lea bares their teeth at Duncan as he moves in front of them.

Duncan tilts his head, glancing back at the hunter on the floor. He smirks at the twisted expression on Lea's face, and Lea only stops themself from lunging at him for the sake of the hunter.

They never should have let Duncan get them alone in this room. Trying to play nice, and for what? For the hunter to get beaten to the floor. For Duncan to flex his power.

Lea snarls at Lord Duncan as the soldiers force them to their knees. The movement jars the cut in their back, and they gasp, their body contorting in pain. Lea looks to the hunter then, shaking their head - just let them do this. It will be over soon.

It will be over soon, and I'm sorry.

The soldiers push Lea all the way to the floor, and they try to keep the hunter looking at them, saying their name, but they can see that the panic has seized them, and Lea continues to struggle as the hunter thrashes on the floor.

Duncan laughs at them.

"Look at me," Lea says, but the hunter isn't listening - the hunter isn't in the room with them anymore.

They convulse against the floor, and manage to throw off one of the soldiers and wrench themselves free, scrambling across the floor as they try to get away.

It's hard for Lea to watch.

Duncan puts an end to it, though, stepping forward and kicking them in the face.

Lea has to close their eyes then. Focus on their breathing.

Duncan whispers something to the hunter, his foot on their chest, and after a moment he steps back with a nod, the soldiers abruptly releasing Lea. They quickly force themself back onto their feet, breathing heavy, glaring at Duncan and imagining all the ways they would hurt him for this.

Duncan pauses, glancing back to the hunter on the floor, his soldiers once again surrounding him. "Noon tomorrow," is all he says, and then he steps out the door.

As soon as the door is closed, Lea rushes over to the hunter, dropping to their knees in front of them. They put what they hope is a comforting hand on their shoulder, saying their name, trying to bring them back.

The hunter closes their eyes, and Lea lets out a shaky breath.

They should have just kept their mouth closed. They should have just done what he asked.

Lea wants to apologize, but it doesn't feel like it would be enough.

They just whisper their name again, and the hunter opens their eyes. Lea leans over them, reaching to take their face in their hands - but all they manage is the ghost of a touch, their palm barely brushing the hunter's cheek before the guilt forces them to pull away.

The hunter slumps back against the wall, bowing their head, and Lea wonders what would happen if they tried to hold them.

"Don't - don't try to get up yet," they stammer, pushing the thought from their mind.

"I'm fine," the hunter says, just like always.

"Yeah. I know," Lea sighs, and the hunter lifts their gaze then to look at them.

"You're bleeding," they say.

"Yeah, I know," Lea repeats. The hunter scoffs, glancing sideways, and they push Lea's hand away and try to stand.

"I just said-" Lea starts, jumping to their feet to steady them, clicking their tongue and grabbing at their arm.

Lea is holding them too tight, they know it, they can see it in the way their knuckles strain white, can feel it in the rush of heat beneath their palm, the hunter hot and shaking from being pinned to the floor.

Lea is reluctant to let them go, though - not because they think they'll fall, but because Lea is afraid that they themself will.

But when the doorknob starts to turn, Lea doesn't hesitate this time - there's no way to hide anymore, Lea's weakness clearly exposed in the hunter's shaking hands. They quickly pull the hunter back behind them, glaring over at the door, though they relax slightly at the familiar, friendly faces.

But they keep the hunter behind them, this time.