#part-succubus!bard

[dungeon-meshi-tournament]

Of course asking people which monster they find more fuckable is a good way to get them to say funny things, so I got a lot of funny comments on the Most Fuckable Monster in the Dungeon Tournament. So as usual, I compiled a list of the ones I liked best, ordered by the poll they were commented on. Enjoy!

Barometz vs Dryad (round 1 part 1)

dryad boobs in my mouth please please please you're nothing

Man-eating plant vs Mandrake (round 1 part 1)

getting my dick digested by a pitcher plant

its what laios would have wanted

Skeleton vs Dullahan (round 1 part 1)

why is the armor sweeping?? how are ya'll planning to fuck the armor??? at least the skeleton you could like wedge a vibrator or fleshlight into the pelvis. I forgot this is the celibacy site and fucking is not a real physical thing on here

fools do not see the eroticisim of plate armor

Phoenix vs Harpy (round 1 part 2)

harpy has a tits out kinda look

Griffin vs Hippogriff (round 1 part 2)

Me at first: really? You’d fuck the horse? Me, remembering the barded penises of felines : no wait you’re right

White dragon vs Red dragon (round 1 part 3)

It's canon that white dragons fight furiously while red dragon is the equivalent of that blue hands dinosaur in Prehistoric Planet

white dragon is cuntier somehow

Treasure insects vs Succubus (round 1 part 3)

another tits out kinda look

normal poll matchup. normal poll. do people want to fuck a succubus or inch long insects. who will win

Huge scorpion vs Huge spider vs Mimic (round 1 part 3)

What you do to the mimic is hidden from the eyes of all

The mimics got that dog in it

dark souls mimic resemblances have me thinking unwise

something about the mysterious air around the mimic

Golem vs Ice golem (round 1 part 4)

Same deal but one freezes ur junk off I think the winner is clear

Gargoyle vs Hag (round 1 part 4)

..abusive mother kink????

Familiar vs Jack Frost (round 1 part 4)

familiar is customizable 👍

Doppelganger vs Demon (round 1 part 4)

That stupid sexy cat simply slays too much cunt

Hippogriff vs Fish-man (round 2 part 1)

no offense to my buddy fish-man but that hippogriff is too majestic

Living armour vs Undine (round 2 part 2)

One if the extras has a really perturving bit: Undines fed by consuming liquids with mana. Holm mentions regularly feeding it BODILY FLUIDS.

is wearing living armor anything

White dragon vs Green dragon (round 3)

she made that dragon sooooo cunty and for what

Cockatrice vs Demon (round 3)

you should've put the slutiest picture of the demon. to remind everyone that ryoko -sensei is down BAD

no one: ryoko kui: i am going to make a lion demon that is SOOOOOOO [redacted]

everybody vote for demon! a vote for demon is a love letter to Ryoko Kui

I do find it funny we're blowing the demon whore moments on like, the cockatrice matchup

This manga is so slutty and yet so tasteful in it that you can't really call it anything but great in every aspect of its eroticism

Mermaid vs Harpy (quarter finals)

i am so mad rn. a mermaid !? more fuckable than a harpy!? for shame tumblr for shame

White dragon vs Succubus (quarter finals)

Dragon fluffye!

Chimera vs Mermaid (semi-finals)

sorry mermaid. falin fucks supremely.

sorry falin. gotta stand up for my fellow merfolk here

a vote for chimera is a vote for lesbians

Succubus vs Demon (semi-finals)

Not even the sucubbi stands up to the limitless demon sexo

if you think about it. the succubus can turn into the demon's many forms

Chimera vs Demon (finale)

fags and dykes fighting to the death over this one

Listen man. Even if I'm gay I understand why Falin is winning but- Consider that the demon knows your exact wants and desires and could satisfy your sexual needs perfectly. Also when he's buff and humanoid near the end

either of them deserve to win but demon sweep because that fucker showed up in a dream to me once

teef!!!!

VOTE FOR DYKES. VOTE FOR SLEEPY GIRLS. VOTE FOR SHARP LITTLE TEETH

Mermaid vs Succubus (battle for the bronze)

mermaids can't lose to magical mosquito people PLEASE

[f4y3w00d5]

Intro Post

Hey all!

So I'm Faye (Well thats what you can call me), and these are the basics you should know. So my pronouns are she/them, but I'm thinking that I'm gonna try him too, so I dont really mind. I'm pansexual (this part is redacted because apparently exploring your identity/sexuality is wrong too!). I'm happy with being flirted with, nicknames, etc. I'm also bad at taking social cues and reading between the lines!

Ive removed the part that was here because apparently people dont think 5 months of in depth research of official resources isnt enough to say you might have something :)

Also, this is a safespace for everyone! LGBTQ+, intersex, anyone of any race, all that. Unless youre a bigot and in that case dont.

I have got a bluesky but that place is a shit hole and i hate it so thats a worst case scenario

My writing account is @faye-writes-stories

I post a lot of wizard related stuff, my chemical romance too. My family is jewish, and I will not tolerate any rudeness (fatphobia, homophobia, transphobia, anti semitic, TERFs etc etc) Anyone can talk to me, my asks are always open for whatever (I love getting asks, except hate ones!). Also I'm currently a hellenic paganist and beginning to practice witchcraft, specifically related to Hestia.

I'm also an artist, and currently writing a story. I love getting asks about my characters too!

Some things I like:

-Roleplay -Magic -Mythology -Faeries and incubus/succubus, demons in general tbh -Creepypasta -My Chemical Romance -The Medoran Chronicles -Baby Bugs

Dating @gobodegoblin @sonofshu @a-secret-rpblog @radio-to-trenchcoat-demons @monsterfucker-research-wizard

@akronus-the-redeemed @be-gentle-with-littluns-2 @space-rocc !!! (ooc that is)

If you're going to psychoanalyze my every mistake that I make when I'm so tired I can barely function, leave.

Unless theres something else I think of, thats all!

Wizard Stuff

So I'm a warlock, vampire, shapeshifter, succubus and faerie. Specifically the second generation of dark tricksters. Friends: @terrencetheshark14 @ashen-the-tiefling @verylegalwizard @lixorloveslicorice @drew-bard-for-hire @the-moth-wizard-of-mayhem AND MORE THAT I FORGOT Siblings: the ringmaster of @the-darkest-carnival Also I'm dating and @monsterfucker-research-wizard and @mossy--wizard and @combustion-witch and @tomas-the-slime and @gobodegoblin and @slymewitch and @a-secret-rpblog and like a billion others, also in a QPR with @be-gentle-with-littluns-2

Fayes Origin story:

[whimsiandwild]

Right

Pairing: OC Tav (Thom) x Astarion

Word count: Just under 1.2K

Synopsis: Thom is in a little over his head after being lured by succubi. Thankfully, a handsome vampire is all too willing to come to his rescue...

A/N: I know, I know: WHERE'S GORTASH?! Sometimes I don't do that. SOMETIMES.

This is just a silly little idea I had and wanted to share. I love Thom with my whole heart and I wanted to write more of him, and I also love BG3, so it seemed like a beautiful match. I might make this a series depending on the feedback. Enjoy!

Thom was not a stupid man, though some had called the point into question on many an occasion. However, he was a sucker for a beautiful face with come-to-bed eyes; he'd been played a fool before by many a handsome rogue or pretty maiden. He liked to believe that he was just a man too filled with love, but the reality was that he was a man driven more by libido than the brains the gods had allowed him.

The worst of it had been the deception. How had he let himself be strung along for so long? It seemed all too obvious to him now what he had been; a sacrificial lamb dragged to the slaughter. If he'd known his end would come from damned succubi, he'd have offered himself to the gods by his own hand.

On second thoughts, the worst of it was that he had been warned; he'd just chosen not to listen.

At the time, he'd enjoyed Astarion's jealousy; the vampire wasn't used to someone else being the centre of attention when he was present. Oh, how he would laugh if he could see Thom now. As a matter of fact, he was quite sure he could hear the very same laugh at that very moment.

"Oh dear, darling. I did warn you," Astarion gloated from somewhere behind him. "Takes a monster to know one."

Thom could almost hear the way the man's eyes rolled as the succubi hissed viciously at him.

"Ladies, you must realise that you're extravagantly outnumbered? Besides, the bard is mine."

There was something disgustingly feral in the way Astarion said the word; Thom felt it in every inch of his body.

It was with excruciating shame that he realised that the entire team must be here. Astarion could very easily have managed the three alone, he just loved an opportunity to prove he was right, especially at the expense of someone else's humiliation.

Within seconds, there was a cacophony of sound. Karlach's bestial roar; the clash of steel against steel as Lae'zel lunged at one of them, the monster pulling a dagger from her thigh; Gale's casual boasting as magic missiles almost clipped Thom's ears. But the most magnificent of them all was Astarion.

He moved with such grace, spinning constant circles around the screeching succubus until she was dizzy, It was a beautiful sight; like a dance you wished to be part of but were held back by some irrational fear. Flashes of silver shone just outside of Thom's vision, the only evidence of them the blood trailing from the woman's face and chest. Astarion was toying with her, enjoying the frustration he was building in her, and Thom was mesmerised.

"You're very lucky you're handsome, Thom. You'd never survive otherwise."

Thom flushed, being jostled as Shadowheart made quick work of his binds. The moment he was free, he lunged to the side and grabbed his lyre, strumming an aggressive note and hitting the whole party with some bardic inspiration, not that any of them needed it. They'd made quick, clean work of all three, basically finished before the note had evaporated into nothingness.

"C'mon, soldier," Karlach said with a grin, holding out her free hand to help Thom up, which he gladly accepted. "What're you like?"

"Gale, you almost took his head off! It would have made the whole excursion pointless!" Shadowheart scolded the wizard, who, of course, took absolutely no notice of the reprimand.

"Ah, but this is where you are mistaken, my Sharran friend," Gale said, a finger in the air as he made his point. "I was all too aware of where the missiles were headed. Young Thomas had nothing to worry about, except maybe a light trim to that magnificent mane."

Eyes narrowing, Thom had a few choice words for the Wizard of Waterdeep but, Astarion slid into his vision almost immediately and distracted him.

"My poor little bard," he purred, Thom pouting as he found nothing to retort in response; Astarion was an overwhelming presence. "You're quite lucky I had the sense to follow you after that harlot led you away from the inn. Imagine the state… pieces you'd be in if I hadn't."

Thom muttered his thanks, snapping his knife belt around his waist and slamming the lid of his lyre case shut, clipping the locks closed.

"Sorry, darling. I didn't quite catch that."

"Thank you," he said through gritted teeth, standing to full height and towering over Astarion. By at least an inch or two.

"Good boy," Astarion laughed, Thom huffing at the affect those words had on him. "Now, tell me I was right and all of this will be forgotten. Water under the bridge, darling."

Not a chance, thought Thom.

"You were right," said Thom.

Astarion sauntered out with a shit-eating grin on his face, Karlach wrapping an encouraging arm around the bard's sagging shoulders as the group made their way back to camp.

Thom and Astarion were the only two left awake, lying side-by-side and gazing up at the brilliant celestial orb above them. Turning his head to the side, Thom smiled as he watched the vampire's face, quite possibly the most beautiful one he'd ever seen; it wasn't often that Astarion looked calm, but he looked positively serene presently.

"I don't need a tadpole writhing around in my brain to know you're staring, darling."

"I am grateful," Thom began as he turned his eyes back to the star-studded sky. "That you came. I should have known from the start but-."

"-You're not always the brightest banana in a bunch," Astarion finished with a chuckle, no malice in the sound. "I know. It's why I came to your rescue."

"Did you mean what you said?" Thom asked after a brief silence; his heart was pounding as he finally brought up the thing that had been niggling away at him since their return.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, darling."

"Yes, you do."

Rolling onto his front, Thom pushed himself up onto his elbows and watched the vampire; his expression hadn't changed a bit.

"Setting aside the night of the tiefling party-."

"Why on earth would you want to do that?" Astarion teased, his fangs gleaming as he grinned.

"I'm quite serious, sir," Thom huffed, the formality of it catching the vampire off guard, one red eye opening to look up at him. "I may not be a clever man like you or Gale but, in matters of the heart, I am deadly sure. If my heart and soul are to be put on the line here, I need to know the truth. Did you mean it?"

Astarion considered him for a long moment, his gaze penetrating the bard as he seemed to be trying to memorise every detail of him; it made Thom very self-conscious. With a dazzling smile, the vampire's long fingers grazed Thom's cheek, sending a shudder through him.

"Yes," Astarion said quietly. "I meant it."

With a nod, Thom lay back down beside his vampire, the two of them watching the changing sky in silence, their hands clasped between them. Nothing more needed to be said. At least, not tonight.

[blueywrites]

note: all works feature a fem!reader.

EDDIE MUNSON

series

to know you're mine - modern!swingers!au. steve x reader x eddie x chrissy, 18+ (COMPLETE)

turtle dove & the crow - 1940s farm au, bsf!neighbor!eddie x reader 18+ (ONGOING)

new skin - 60sdiner vibes, linecook!eddie x waitress!reader 18+ (HIATUS)

i will wait - soulmate!fakemarriage!au, rockstar!eddie x personalassistant!reader 18+ (HIATUS)

nothing is mine for free - alpha!eddie x omega!reader, season four rewrite 18+ (STARTING SOON)

ficlets

trouble - emt!eddie x reader, fluff.

the riddles three - roleplaying!smeagol!eddie x reader, horny and absurd. 18+

morning head - reader goes down on eddie. 18+

morning head ii - eddie goes down on reader. 18+

the boy is mine (bluey's version)

u-haul 'cause I might let you move in it - dealer!eddie x reader, 18+ (PART 1/2)

'cause I ain't had nobody hit it like you hit it - dealer!eddie x reader, 18+ (PART 2/2)

blurbs

this one - sub!eddie x succubus!reader 18+

we bite (revamped) - vamp!eddie x vamp!reader x steve 18+

he's dead, again - steve x reader angst, implied eddie x reader. major character death (x2).

little bunny and her wolf - werewolf!eddie smut, dark. 18+

the boldest words - bard!eddie x princess!reader smut. 18+

kind but cruel - servicing tiedup!eddie. 18+

valentines day with older!eddie - 18+

riding eddie in his van - 18+

only eddie knows how to handle you - 18+

rockstar!eddie and maid!reader - 18+

drabbles

obsessed

[dyxtd21]

Chrysocolla X Gender Neutral Reader (Part 1)

The night was dark and cold. It had just started to rain about 10 minutes ago. The awakened citizens of Newport City were all in a hurry to get back to their homes. Taxis, Ubers and Bolts were all picking up their customers to drive them to their designated locations but not for Chrysocolla, the ‘esteemed’ writer and geek of the city, who everyone knew of him. Some due to his scripts for movies and whatnot and some due to his…child-like wonder and imagination aka a pathetic nerd and geek.

Currently, Chrysocolla was seated at a large table filled with the board, figurines and dices of the famous known board game, called ‘Dungeons and Dragons.’

For those who didn't know Chrysocolla so well, Chrysocolla was a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons, not just because of the way it looked but because of the tactical and strategic thinking for the game. It enthralled Chrysocolla so much that whenever he felt stressful, he would return to his basement where his ongoing Dungeons and Dragons game was setup.

As for his character, Chrysocolla decided to be a Human Bard called “Fabian the Flamboyant,” with the reason being that Chrysocolla was never the public-speaker and was always introverted and reserved. 

As for his co-players companions, one was none other then Smoky Quartz, the tall, anthropomorphic wolf, bounty hunter and mercenary. Smoky Quartz and Chrysocolla were considered as ‘brothers’ but not by blood but by same creator. 

A side note is that, Chrysocolla and Smoky Quartz were both gemstones, sentient, living and talking gemstones. Unlike humankind, their coloration and appearance were completely different from the standards, even more so with their gemstones visible to everybody to see. 

His third companion was Blue Zebra Jasper, a female gemstone with the appearance of a seductive succubus. Her stature tall, with a busty and curvaceous figure and with the additional features of long curved horns, small bat-like wings and a tail. Her coloration was a blue with light brown zebra-like stripes and she wore a short and skimpy dress with high heels. 

She agreed to come to the nightly sessions just because she thought it would be fun and…sensual.

Their fourth and final player, a newbie, was going to arrive late, much to the dismay of Smoky Quartz. 

“So, tell me, Chry, where's the newbie?” Smoky Quartz inquired.

“I'm sure they'll be arriving in no time…” Replied Chrysocolla, a bit quietly and composed. 

“Is that so, then, tell me, dear Chrysocolla, why are we in the dark?” Asked Blue Zebra Jasper, with a flutter of her small demon-like wings. 

The basement was dark and dulled. It was no problem for all of them, but it would be a problem once the newbie was going to arrive. 

“Yeah, I was just about to ask that, dear. I feel like a Kobold, which is fine by me.” Spoke Smoky Quartz, winking at Blue Zebra Jasper, in the process, a flirtatious act. 

Smoky Quartz was both ruthless, menacing but also playful, to those who saw deep past his dangerous lifestyle and personality. In addition, he immensely treated women of any kind with respect, like princesses and queens. 

“Yeah, I don't mind the dark but…it will be troubling, for the newbie.” Blue Zebra Jasper agreed with Smoky Quartz but brushed his flirtatious act away. 

Despite being or rather taking the appearance of a succubus, Chrysocolla knew deep down that Blue Zebra Jasper wasn't looking for anything serious. From what he saw during their sessions and out of sessions, Chrysocolla witnessed countless times of Blue Zebra Jasper flirting with random men, and women, staying with them for a night, but then breaking their hearts or playing hard to get with them. 

But, Chrysocolla reminded him that it wasn't very wise to get onto Blue Zebra Jasper's bad side, otherwise…things tended to get horrible real quick.

“Fine, I'll turn on the lights.” Chrysocolla replied as he stood up and made his way to the light switch, flicking it up.

The basement illuminated right away with a yellow hue, a colour Chrysocolla thought it was nice and pleasant to look at. 

It took a couple of minutes for Smoky Quartz's eyesight to register. Being an anthropomorphic wolf also meant excellent night vision. 

He wasn't kidding. He is a Kobold! Chrysocolla thought to himself, mentally laughing at his own joke about Smoky Quartz.

Suddenly, a knock was heard upstairs. 

“That must be our new player.” Blue Zebra Jasper announced, mainly to herself.

“Yes, it is. I'll go and greet them.” Chrysocolla didn't like interacting with new and strange people, he was convinced that he had social anxiety, which he did. 

Chrysocolla climbed the stairs upwards and entered his hallway. He then walked down the hallway and up to the front door.

With a deep breath and a moment hesitation, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it, opening the front door. 

“Hey there. Chrysocolla, right? It's nice to meet.” 

Chrysocolla looked at the stranger in front of him, their soon-to-be fourth player.

A beat of silence happened as Chrysocolla struggled to speak. This…person in front of him was…attractive. 

“Y-yes. T-that's me…” Chrysocolla replied with a stutter.

“Great. I'm Y/N, and I'm here to play that…Dungeons and Dragons board game. Is this the correct place?” Y/N asked, with a smile on their face. 

Chrysocolla nodded in confirmation.

“Awesome. So may I come in?” Y/N asked.

Chrysocolla nodded again and side-stepped, letting Y/N inside his home.

“J-just down t-those stairs.” Chrysocolla pointed to a set of stairs which led downstairs in the basement. 

Y/N nodded and walked downstairs with Chrysocolla following them suite. 

After descending down the last step, Chrysocolla led Y/N to sit down next to Blue Zebra Jasper, who turned to look at them.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?~ Blue Zebra Jasper, a deep pleasure~” 

Chrysocolla and Smoky Quartz have each other a knowing look. Whenever Blue Zebra Jasper met someone worth her time, she would activate her flirtatious act. 

But Y/N didn't seem to mind. They thought Blue Zebra Jasper's appearance was merely a costume but an exotic one at that. 

“I'm Y/N, it's nice to meet you. I really love your costume. Was this a costume or cosplaying event? Should I have worn something to match the theme of the board game?” Y/N asked with a lot of questions. 

“Well, you could have dressed up as a court jester, it would have fit you well.” Smoky Quartz replied with a nonchalant attitude, a quirk he had and did whenever he met with annoying individuals.

Y/N didn't say anything since they were stunned by Smoky Quartz's anthropomorphic wolf appearance but Blue Zebra Jasper was the one to call out Smoky Quartz's joke and attitude.

“Smoky Quartz! Be nice to them!” Exclaimed Blue Zebra Jasper. 

Smoky Quartz didn't say anything after that.

Chrysocolla coughed. “So, let's start.” 

“Yep, let's start. So, what are the rules of the game?” Inquired Y/N.

Chrysocolla began to explain the rules of the board game of how there are different races, classes, objectives, Dragons, the dice mechanic, the Dungeon Master (Whose Blue Zebra Jasper) and so on. 

Afterwards, a beat of silence as Y/N contemplates everything. Then, they confirm they're understanding. 

“I understand but what class and race should I be?” Asked Y/N, politely.

“Glad that you asked. I made you a character sheet. You'll be an Elf.” Replied Chrysocolla, with a serious tone.

“An Elf? They sound…mystical, right?” Asked Y/N, hoping that the Elf race was good.

“You could say that.” Confirmed Blue Zebra Jasper. “Now, let's begin.” She clears her throat as she begins to read as the Dungeon Master: 

“You all find yourselves lost deep into a forest, however, you all hear some noises past some bushes. What do you all do?” Blue Zebra Jasper stops reading for a moment, waiting for a reply.

“Easy, I slowly make my way towards the source of the sound, with my daggers ready in hand, in case of any threats.” Smoky Quartz replies as his character is an assassin. 

“We follow Wulve suite.” Chrysocolla replies for both his character, Fabian the Flamboyant, and for Y/N's character, Eldwin. 

Blue Zebra Jasper nods and rolls the 20-sided dice. It lands on a 5. 

“Bad luck. The noises that you all heard were the sounds of a pair of Lizardfolks. They spotted Wulve and are heading your way, looking suspicious. They inquire about your business on their land. How do you all reply?” 

Y/N tilt their heads sideways. They notice that they have a high enough ‘Charisma’ state of 6, so they answer. 

“I simply tell them that we're on a quest, having to cross their territory in order to stop the evil Red Dragon from causing more chaos in its quake.” 

Blue Zebra Jasper nods and rolls the dice again. This time, it lands on a 15.

“Nice work. The Lizardfolks believe you, and they let you through their territory but still keep a close eye on all of you. You all continue on your journey.” 

Chrysocolla rubs his hands together due to the anxious feeling of looking at Y/N. Chrysocolla felt so many…unwanted feelings at the same time, mainly anxiety but also…a feeling of harboring a crush, on Y/N, nonetheless.

Blue Zebra Jasper continues: 

“You all have arrived at the city of ‘Blackburn’, a city known for its market but also shady deals and trouble. You all enter a tavern which is filled with an assortment of races. What do you all do here?” 

This time, Chrysocolla is the one to reply, with a stutter: “W-we try t-to find o-ourselves a s-seat, first and f-foremost.”

Blue Zebra Jasper nods and rolls the dice. It comes up as 2. 

Blue Zebra Jasper shakes her head.

“As much as you try to find a seat, there are none. They are all occupied. However, one seat is free, across from a female human, who looks down in the dumps. What shall all of you do?” 

Chrysocolla replies, with a stutter: “I-I try t-to cheer her u-up, with a s-song.” 

Blue Zebra Jasper tilts her head at Chrysocolla's stutter but rolls the dice. It comes up as 9.

Blue Zebra Jasper shakes her head: “No matter how much you sing and play, she is not feeling any better. She thanks you for trying to cheer her up, though.” 

Smoky Quartz speaks up towards Chrysocolla, quietly. “Bummer, dude.” 

Chrysocolla quietly looks down at his lap, twisting his fingers this way and that due to anxiety and the upsetting feeling starting to appear within him.

Y/N senses the upsetting and anxious feeling surrounding Chrysocolla and tries his turn. 

“I walk up to the lady and…promise her a night she'll never forget.” As Y/N said the latter half, they look over at Chrysocolla for a moment but then back at Blue Zebra Jasper, slightly blushing but composing themselves.

Blue Zebra Jasper slyly smiles and rolls the dice. It comes up as 18.

“She agrees to come along and you both rent a room. The night passes with full bliss and…pleasure~” 

Smoky Quartz clears his throat. “What about me? What happened to me in the meantime?” 

Blue Zebra Jasper turned to look at Smoky Quartz. 

“In the meantime, you, Wulve, got the map of the underground cave from the shady figure who beckoned to you to meet them, in private.” 

Smoky Quartz smiled at the outcome. “Sweet.” 

Chrysocolla looks up from his lap and back at Smoky Quartz, nodding in agreement.

Smoky Quartz looks at the clock on the wall and realizes that it's already 12 O'clock, midnight. He stands up, showcasing his intimidating and tall stature. “Anyway, we can stop here. I need to get going. Later guys and my princess~” 

Smoky Quartz got up and gave a flirtatious wink at Blue Zebra Jasper, who frowned at his action. 

“Oh, go and stab someone.” Blue Zebra Jasper said, bitterly. 

Smoky Quartz smirked. “Already there, my dear.” 

Afterwards, Smoky Quartz began to climb upstairs and headed out through the front door. 

Blue Zebra Jasper said goodbye to both Chrysocolla and Y/N. Afterwards, she headed upstairs and out of through the door as well. 

Now, it was only Chrysocolla and Y/N alone, together and the ever presence of silence blossoming between them.

[princess-of-the-corner]

I finally remembered what I wanted to ask earlier. Do you have a master list for the BNHA monster au? Like, the people and their monster type?

I know I have but fuck it let's make a masterpost for it and actually tag it this time!

Note that some of these may be subject to change!

So! Overall, the AU is a No Quirks AU(which leads to some relationship shifts). The creatures and Magic they have replaces their Quirks, so a lot of their species are based on their Quirk, but some I went for 'vibes' rather than Quirk-based.

Let's address the first ones that need context rather than just a 'X is Y' first:

Izuku, AfO, and Shigaraki - AfO is a powerful Fae. Izuku and Shigaraki are part of a Changeling Child deal. AfO created a fae child to trade so that he could take Tenko. The fae child ended up not staying where he was supposed to, and was taken in by Inko and named 'Izuku'. This will lead to complications later. Tenko was renamed like in canon, and grew up as a Fae, while Izuku grew up thinking he was Human.

One for All users - OfA is a old and powerful Fae Deal between users, powerful enough to turn the user Fae. Yoichi was a Fae in the first place, and users 2-7 were Witches(Humans who could use Magic) where All Might had no Magic whatsoever before his Deal with Nana. All of them turned Fae. All Might and Izuku make a new Deal, intending to turn Izuku Fae, but he already is so it just re-awakens his dormant powers.

The Todoroki Family - Just fuckin. How could I not do the Demon/Angel hybrid combo? It matches Canon's Fire/Ice thing. So Enji is a Demon, Rei is an Angel. All of the kids have mixed traits and powers corresponding to Canon's Fire/Ice.

Okay! Now I can get to the 'X is Y' list!

Katsuki - Werewolf (newly bitten)

Ochako - Bakeneko

Kirishima - Dragon (look just. Look at the canon-ish fantasy thing going on)

Mina - Slime girl

Denki - Frankenstein Monster

Iida - Pegasus

Tsu - Naiad(river nymph, frog-features still)

Sero - Arachne(spidertaur)

Momo - Selkie(Bear-Variant)

Jiro - Witch(Bard)

Fumikage - Harpy

Eimi(Dark Shadow) - Living Shadow(think Peter Pan)

Hagakure - Ghost

Koda - Gargoyle

Ojiro - Tsukumogami

Sato - Witch(Potion maker)

Shoji - Merfolk(Kraken Variant)

Aoyama - ????

Himiko - Shapeshifter-variant Changeling afflicted with Vampirism.

Shinso - Siren

Tetsutetsu - Dragon

Pony - Unicorn

Mei - Gremlin(the irony)

Aizawa - Gorgon

Present Mic - Banshee

Midnight - Incubus/Succubus (will be using the neutral term 'concubus')

Vlad King - Vampire (come on.)

Nezu - Former Witch's Familiar turned Sapient

Eri - Kirin(Unicorn/Dragon hybrid)

Hawks - I need to think of a species name but basically a Cupid type, but now has the job of Grim Reaper

Lady Nagant - Witch(Necromancer), former Grim Reaper

[ladysunbite]

any interesting facts about Lady Orianna?

all Orianna's human aliases she had to adopt over the years has a connection to 'sunrise' or 'bright'.

there's a chamber in the Mandragora completely decorated with art forgeries, from jewels, to sculpture and painting. The sun-eyed has a weakness for a cleverly pulled trick, as she herself ought to wear a fake face everyday.

unlike in other races' belief systems, in the vampiric culture the twins are considered to be a lucky charm, due to the fact that the vampiric homeland boasts two whole moons in the sky. Despite her scholarly disposition, Orianna is not free of superstitions ( whether her upbringing as the next unseen is too blame or the influence of the artistic circle, it is not clear ). Both her bodyguards ( see the scene with Anna Henrietta ) and her succubus seamstresses are twins ( see mun's hcs ).

the cultured vampiress has put up a reward for anyone who can discover the lost recipe of the rose wine from Casteldaccia vineyard. No one has succeeded yet.

she collects Dettlaff's paintings, albeit strictly incognito. Her sarcophagus he painted while he a fledgling is still intact and is kept in a safe place, despite initially being a reason for a very wrathful, ugly outburst on her part ( thanks to Al for the idea ).

despite not being a part of the court, the cultured vampiress is held in a high regard by Anna Henrietta, after she helped her to cover for the secret trysts with a certain bard, while her Enlightened Ladyship was still married. According to Orianna, it was the only time she meddled in politics.

the title of 'Mandragora' is a nod to a long lasting friendship with Emiel Regis. Neither of the two remembers who came up with it in the first place.

apart from her interest in art and cursed men blood experiments, Orianna also collects lullabies.

regardless of the fashion amidst the noble ladies, Orianna isn't bashful of her freckles. She wears them as a mockery of human's prejudices, concerning vampires.

as a part of vampiric species, in this realm Orianna can't see ghosts or be influenced by them.

well-versed in deceit as she is, the sun-eyed is unaware that the disappearance of her late lover ( and several ones before ) has anything to do with her sweet, sweet children.

as the mistress of the Mandragora she is the only one who is allowed not to wear a mask at the premises. Also, she never performs in public, despite having 'an enchanting voice'.

[ialdabaoth-eviscerator]

BG3 "Succubus" Bard/Warlock

Build taken from YouTube user Senpai Ziah. Note that he recommends going Asmodeus Tiefling for the sake of the level 5 darkness, but that Githyanki and Drow are also very good stats-wise. Tiefling is the best thematically. This build is equal parts theme and power.

WARLOCK, ARCHFEY

Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Friends

Spells: Hex, Charm Person

Abilities: 8 / 16(15+1) / 14 / 10 / 10 / 16(14+2)

2: Faerie Fire (though this is very optional since Hex and Darkness are also concentration spells), Eldritch Invocations: Agonizing Blast, Devil's Sight

3: +BARD: Cantrips: Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, or just whatever you want. Spells: Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Dissonant Whispers, Thunderwave, Sleep

All levels from this point on are Bard.

4: Feather Fall

5: Subclass: College of The Lore. Hold Person

6: Whatever cantrip you want. Heat Metal, Invisibility, Detect Thoughts.

FEAT: War Caster or (recommended) bump Charisma to 18.

7: Hypnotic Pattern

8: Glyph of Warding or whatever spell. Magical Secrets: Haste, Fireball, Counterspell or Darkness somewhere in there, but ideally another party member has Darkness.

9: Dimension Door, Confusion, Greater Invisibility

10: Whatever spells.

FEAT: War Caster or bump Charisma to 20

11: Dominate Person, Hold Monster, Mass Cure Wounds

12: Magical Secrets: there's so many options just take whatever.

RECOMMENDED GEAR:

ACT 1: Amulet of Misty Step (Can either get from Omeluum in Myconid Colony, Underdark (must speak to Blurg to find Omeluum) or from a gilded chest inside the Goblin Camp, I think in Priestess Gut's bedroom.)

[another Misty Step option] Disintegrating Night Walkers (dropped by Nere in Grymforge)

The Spellsparkler (reward option for saving Councilor Florrick from the burning building in Waukeen's Rest)

Blazer of Benevolence (given as reward by Volo for rescuing him from the goblin camp)

ACT 2: Potent Robe (given as reward from Alfira for saving the tieflings from Moonrise Towers)

ACT 3: Birthright (sold at Sorcerous Sundries)

Boots of Very Fast Blinking (won from Akabi at the circus, but these are pretty silly.)

Markoheshkir (found in Ramazith's Tower)

[onyxedskies]

my dnd campaign hasn't even started and my party has:

an amnesiac wizard who accidentally abandoned his younger sister, a sister which proceeded to sell her soul to the genie protecting their village and marry the big bad's subordinate (the player gave me full reign with the backstory so i am very excited for this reveal)

an orc who thinks he's an archfey warlock (he's not) and then will later become a fiend warlock to a succubus (the player doesn't know this part yet but he's willing to double warlock)

an 8 year old kobold rogue with a phd

an 18 year old lizardfolk who's an actor slash conman on the run

an asmodeus tiefling wild magic sorcerer who was given an imp by asmoedeus cause he was funny

two people with entertainer backgrounds and exactly 0 bards

a fly on the wall who has never played dnd and is debating joining us

this is going to be chaos. i'm so excited.

[voidtrace]

I've seen 2 reblogs in a row tagged with a specific OC of yours and I'm so interested. please tell me more about this Ilya fellow. their vibes are fantastic.

My most beloved OC Ilyana Moreau.

Shithead extraordinaire.

They are the OC I tend to put in a lot of different Situations. The character I end up making in video games. So there are lots of different "AU"s with him.

Here he is in FFXIV

He is a nonbinary shapeshifting goat demon! Can appear to be masc or femme, depends on the mood. Which is fun for me because all these different designs in different games and media are all technically canon. :3

My favourite way to draw him right now is as a "tiefling"

He's a horrible guy. Cocky, mischievous, loves the taste of blood. Had a bit of a murderous phase where he liked to rip in tear into flesh. Demons gotta eat. He's calmed down a great deal.

They used to be an angel. But then got their wings ripped off and casted out of heaven where demons took him in and showed him true love and familial bonds. In most AU's that a thing I tend to keep part of him. Like in BG3, he's a devil where their wings were ripped off and all his power stripped from them so now they're a "regular" tiefling. Or in FFXIV they are a survivor of the 13th. A voidsent.

Also very succubus coded in a way that he used his demon powers to influence people and lure them away to feed upon them. (Blood. They like blood. And flesh and bone)

Got charisma up the wazoo but he's also kind stupid and silly sometimes. They are a bard after all.

[sunlitmcgee]

Tumblr I need Your Help

I need you all to Pick between two Otherworldly Beings that are at play in the DND game I am a part of. The choice is between the deity my character, Art the Warforged Wizard, created, Sigil, and the fiend patron of one our former party members, Sindre the Succubus

Sigil is a Lawful Neutral deity of the Knowledge, Life, and Forge domains. He is a kind, benevolent force that Art was able to manifest via channeling its intent alongside some fellow Warforged. Specifically they all did this while high as all heaven in a warforged-only bar known as Booters. He used to be a vague amobia-esque ball of colors, but now has gained enough influence and power to take on the form of a Funky Cool Wizard Guy made of starstuff with a big ol' glowy eyeball inside of his pointy wizard hate. He made a spell that lets Art swap around colors of shit it touches!

Sindre, on the other hand, is a Chaotic Evil fiend succubus. She is the wife and patron of Laner Bottomsworth, a warlock that ran with our party for a while until the guildmaster found out about his past of being a Literal Slaver* and promptly kicked his ass out of the adventuring guild. Sindre doesn't Like this, so as a form of payback, has struck a deal with Laner player's new character, Dari Killjoy the blue dragonborn bard(who is a glamrock rocker who loves shit that is Radical) to form a cult in her name to go against Sigil.

I need you all to pick between these 2 beings to decide Which one you think has a better chance of Coming Out On Top, as it were. I'm curious.

*I feel the need to stress that Laner's player has played his character straight as an Objectively Evil Person and that this aspect of the character's backstory is treated with the weight it deserves. We are not using slavery as a silly goofy joke here. Hims is evil man with evil wife and you should hate him for this.

[demigoddessqueens]

main masterlist vi

Kiss fic

Critical Role - multi party ask "talk in sleep" // CR boys + song fic //

The Legend of Vox Machina - Vax + reader becomes the Champion // Percy love confession // with a dressed up reader at fancy event // Vex + Keyleth poly // VM s/o has triplets // Percy + “thank you for your cooperation” // Percy & Vax + Raven Queen!follower // “you did this to me!” // Vex + Keyleth soulmate AU // squished in a tight space // “battle angel” significant other // surprise cuddles // surprise cuddles part 2 // drunken compliments // nicknames 💕 // Scanlan + tiefling bard // Kima + Allura poly // cuddles after the rain // birthday 🎂 headcanons // monk friend headcanons // THATS MY WIFE/HUSBAND // FOOD 🥘 AS A LOVE 💕 LANGUAGE // Kissing meme + Vax // Percy + kiss + hand above head // MODERN aU Percy + secret relationship // MODERN AU s/o // Percy with short!reader // Percy + s/o confessing // Vax taking care of reader // holding onto them // Scanlan + trust-building prompt // Percy & Vax + inventor!reader // drawing them // Percy + reader in labor // frenemy + Vax // BATH Headcanons // enemies to lovers + Vax // reader saving themselves //

Winged Vax series - part 1 // part 2

Grog Angst

song fic 1 // song fic 2 // song fic 3 //

NSFW - Percy + thigh&praise kink //

The Mighty Nein - MN boys + VM + BH realizing they love you // hand holding + VM boys // Yasha + kidnapped!reader // Yasha + short, shy!reader //

Bell’s Hells - Laudna + fem!reader //

Arcane - ekko + reader afraid of heights // vi + her s/o and jinx + her s/o (separately)

Assassin’s Creed - love letters series + others // Bayek headcanons // cuddle headcanons // Connor bday headcanons // Henry Green + "shadows" //

Castlevania - Dracula SFW Alphabet // Dracula + fem!reader smut // pretty s/o who doesn’t believe it + VM // Alucard + VM with a witch s/o // CV men + "You" confession // Alucard + modern!reader // CV men + missing you // Hector A-Z NSFW //

CV 🦇 valentines drabble

Sypha + Alucard + Isaac w/ artist!reader

LOTR/The Hobbit/Tolkien - Arwen NSFW alphabet // Tauriel NSFW alphabet //

Pedro Pascal characters - Mr. Ben //

Blood of Zeus - s/o becomes a god //

Monster romance - tiefling writing prompt //

Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel - succubus!reader who’s injured //

Marvel - Namor angst headcanons // sick headcanons // short Namor oneshot //

Star Wars - ahsoka with nerdy!gf //

Dragon Age - Cullen fluff headcanons // Leliana + "let me help you" // Leliana + "god you're beautiful" //

[supereffectiveartblog]

Year of D&D 2023

This year, it was difficult for free time to line up for me and my friends. In last years "Year of D&D" post, i started by complaining about how infrequent our play was that year, but this year, we played even less. Mostly because of scheduling issues, but also because its difficult to plan as a DM. The scheduling issue has become more difficult partially because all of our current campaigns have more regular player characters. In 2020, we played with 1 DM and 4 players, but now most of our campaigns have at least 5 characters, one had 6, but one dropped out, and I DM'd a campaign that briefly had 8 player characters. Finding free time that lines up for 8 people is very very difficult. But as I'll discuss later on, we might've come up with a solution to this.

Here's the stats for this year:

In 2023, our group played 4 different adventures, a combined 12 sessions.

I made 13 session arts (1 extra one being the Meet the Party art for Princes). This was compared to 22 sessions and 21 session arts the previous year.

I was a player character in 2 campaigns, and the DM in one campaign and one Oneshot.

Pokémon Oster was the only returning campaign from last year, with sessons 1-5 happening in 2022, and sessions 6-9 this year.

Princes of the Apocalypse is our new core D&D module campaign, continuing from our DM of Tomb of Annihilation and Ravnica. We played 3 sessions this year.

Call of the Netherdeep was my first try at a module campaign, taking place in the world of Critical Role. We have 5 core players that will play every time, plus 3 "guest" players that play as the rival party, and I only intend to join us when they're needed or free.

Frozen Memories was our Halloween One-Shot for the year, and like Call of the Netherdeep, was pre-written. In my opinion, following someone else's work made it flow better than last year's Halloween One-Shot.

Darryl Fisher returns from last year as my player character in Pokemon Oster, our Pokemon Tabletop United campaign. Since last year, there's been no siginificant change in his playstyle. He fights alongside his Pokemon when facing some Wild Pokemon and ruffians, but respects league rules against regular trainers. Darryl is a mono Water type trainer, and his team consists of Piplup, Buizel, Carvanha, Magikarp, Wooper, and Tympole. He embodies everything a water type trainer would be, he is a swimmer, a fisherman, and even a diver, interested in buried treasure. I play him as a blokey bloke, and a bit of a bogan, but he has a good heart, and steps up to the plate when needed.

The Pokémon Oster campaign has no sign of stopping, so we will see more of Darryl next year.

Lilith Maddox is my player character in Princes of the Apocalypse. Lilith is my second attempt at a morally grey character (after Nevaeh), but one who i hope to play on a redemption arc on. Lilith is an Eloquence Bard, meaning I can expect most social interactions to go my way, and although i havent had much of a chance to play her, I want to use that as part of her personality and arc. Her father was an incubus, and this means that Lilith's aura naturally puts people at ease, and more likely to agree with her. Because Lilith usually gets her way, this means she has developed a bratty complex, with the secret fear that actually maybe nobody likes her for real. I want to play her to help get over my own imposter syndrome.

Lilith has also been the artistic bane of my existence this year. Perfecting the look of a character that is both snooty and reserved, with an outfit that speaks Bard and Succubus, but not in an inappropriate way, has been almost impossible for me. What I've presented here is what I hope is my final take on Lilith, but who knows when I'll next come upon a design idea I want to incorporate into my most incomplete D&D character.

This year I also took to DMing more. In previous years, I was DMing a campaign I wrote myself called Rise of the Lich Queen, and it wasn't fantastic. So this year, I've put the Lich Queen on hiatus to make an attempt at a following a prewritten campaign, Call of the Netherdeep. The campaign pre-bakes a rival party into the story, and instead of just using the pre-written rivals, i thought it would be interesting for real people to play them. Since the rivals aren't there every session, their players wouldn't need to be every session either. The necessity of having all character present at the start of the campaign did make scheduling difficult, and we only organised 4 sessions. It is on me to schedule as the DM for this campaign, so hopefully, we will find the time for more of this campaign this year.

Our first year of D&D featured a Halloween Oneshot, and we missed out on that 2021. So i've strived to take the reins and make it a yearly tradition again. Last year I wrote my own OneShot, and it had an interesting gimmick, but was poorly written. This year, like my core campaign, I followed a prewritten adventure, Frozen Memories. Having lore and set pieces already written for me allowed me to flesh out specific moments and better write character moments.

What I think was the better take away from this OneShot however was what DIDNT happen. I ran a couple session zeros to help with character creation and to set the stage for the setting, and at one point, all 8 of my closest friends had drafted up a character idea. But when the year started to run out, I decided I needed a cut off, and one weekend, just ran the adventure for who was available. I think I want to use this format going forward; running shorter adventures and changing out the players depending on who is free. I don't know if it will always be OneShots, but I think flexibility for scheduling will make sessions more frequent.

So if I only played as two characters this year, how was I going to fill in the space on my Year of D&D poster for this year? Well this year I played a videogame called Baldur's Gate 3. And BG3 is basically D&D 5e as a videogame. Since first playing the game, I have beaten the game with 3 different characters, and I based each of them on past and present D&D characters. I have a couple more characters in mind that I will play into next year, but there's not a lot to the game that I haven't experienced in my first three playthroughs.

I did write ups for all these characters in a previous post so if you wanna read up on those, Here is the one for Hawthorne and Lilith, and Here is the one for Nevaeh. I really enjoyed Baldur's Gate 3 and it is 100% my game of the year. It scratched an itch brought upon by a lack of D&D, and I appreciate it for that.

As I mentioned above, I'm hoping for TTRPGs next year I can better take advantage of one-off and short adventures that do not require the entire table to be present. Hoping the pattern of less tabletops each subsequent years does not continue. Here's wishing for more D&D with friends next year. If you want to see specifics on individual sessions, I have a very complex system of links on my Pinned Post.

[thettrpgtournament]

Why you should vote for each of them and full art below!

Kumo (by @linkdyke for Dungeons & Dragons)

(art by @linkdyke)

she's a doll who is part of a series of animal themed dolls - her's being a spider. she and the other dolls originally worked for the dollmaker but fled together after an incident that destroyed one of them. she's a paladin and devoted herself to an archfey after its lands gave them refugee and kept them safe she is currently trying to find out more about her origins, her purpose and protect those who need it - and maybe get a little bit of revenge along the way she's absolutely a weirdgirl and also full of love and wonder and anger and spite

Isha Diamondbell (by @siraranispleased for Dungeons & Dragons)

(art by @mallowdraws)

Isha (She/They Elf Oath of Ancients Paladin) is a member of the Green Knights, an order of knights and bards devoted to spreading joy and beauty through the world in their effort to keep the Light of Creation shining. While essentially attending a bardic college, Isha's devotion to art and beauty was so strong they became a Paladin in order to best protect their fellow Green Knights.

Heroic and kind, Isha has an eye for artistic talent in others, encouraging them to develop their talents and show their artistic vision to the world. Though a classic knight in shining armour, Isha doesn't have a strict definition of good and evil; even traditionally evil beings can be a force for positivity and change in the world, like their succubus love interest.

[redemptioninchaos]

"Hmm...is that last 5 percent the part of me that's still mortal?" She wouldn't deny it; the way she gained her powers would likely be considered sinful to both mundanes and aetherials...

"This implies that my very being is eight percent Lathander. I still have a long way to go..." The paladin stared at the result with a resolute look.

"That's, uh...surprisin'." The thief didn't lead a life of purity by any means, so it was surprising to hear that his life wasn't even half sinful.

Booming laughter from the half-orc bard. He knew enough Common to know what certain terms and numbers meant... "Guilty as charged. Ask your sister."

"Only that much? I'm a creature of sin. How could I not be 100 percent sin?" The succubus cook raised her eyebrow. "Perhaps my efforts to rectify my lifestyle weren't in vain..."

"Oy, I might be a war veteran, but it doesn't mean I took a life I didn't need to! Ya sure yer not missin' a decimal point somewhere?"

Stolen from @fctedivided

Tagging: @infinitcnexus @lycanspirited @starstruckxstray

link

[dujour13]

13. Lockpicks

So I had to do this one but it ended up not really being about Woljif. Thanks again to @starlightcleric for the Owlcatober 2022 challenge!

***

“The little bard is also a comedian.” Shamira did not look entertained. “You want me to believe you killed Vellexia?”

Siavash drew out the amulet he’d taken from the ancient succubus’ corpse. “It was a team effort.”

Flames roared up behind her. “And what did you find out for me? Speak, but not in front of these fools. Use your mind instead of your lying, flapping lips.”

The heat was unbearable, rising from the floor and warping the air, flames leaping up the walls and boiling on the ceiling. Worst of all were the two searing eyes he could not drag his gaze from. They filled his vision and burned into his skull.

Yet he held his ground. “For the Lady in Shadows’ right hand, it’s surprising how much you don’t know.”

Her minions turned their eyes toward him eagerly. Was Shamira about to get taken down a peg?

“You will tell me everything,” said the red-haired angel—or what was once an angel, now twisting in flaming rage above him.

Trapped in her gaze, he felt hot fingers in his mind—no, claws—digging and scraping, peeling back the skin of his thoughts to expose the raw nerves underneath.

Sweat ran down his face. It was hotter than that Worldwound day when they’d found the haunted city. They destroyed the vescavor queen with fire. Then they went down to the Sellen to cool off and he’d stripped to his linens and very nearly stepped out of those too, when he noticed Woljif turn his face away—

“Hold still!” screeched her voice in his head.

“Great gods, will you sit still for five minutes, Si!”

“I thought of a new song, Da. Can I just play it one time so I don’t forget?”

“No. Arpeggios first, compositions second. You—”

“Can I go outside?”

Then he was outside in the eccentric old Desnan beekeeper’s garden down by the Andoshen, and she was showing him and the other children how to make butterflies out of clothespins and scraps of silk.

She used to read dreams. He loved her to read his dreams so much that when he couldn’t remember any he’d make some up. She probably knew, but she read them anyway and gave him honeycombs and called him Lark because he loved to climb and sing.

All the while, Shamira worked away, and his mind slipped out of her searing fingers down the winding paths of childhood. A child’s dreams—welcome respite from the ardent nightmares of this place. He gritted his teeth against Shamira’s discordant mental screams of frustration.

So hot—so cold—

Tumbling down the mountainside in deep snow with his friends that one year at camp they got caught in a storm and thought they were going to die trapped overnight in a shepherd’s cabin. Was he going to die trapped in the Abyss? Or would they awaken to sunlight, perfectly alive, and run out flushed and laughing as if all the night’s terrors were already forgotten?

She was poking deeper now. Hooked metallic scraping like Woljif’s lockpicking tools, prodding and swiveling, pushing over the tumblers of his memory. He felt one start to give.

Nahyndrian crystals—

No. When they got out of the Abyss.

When they got back to Drezen, which of course they would—he was more and more sure of it—the first thing he’d do after a bath and a party at the Half-Measure would be to head to the Insula with Woljif and lie on the roof and look at the stars together, and then…

“What did you discover? Tell me, you insolent maggot!” Shamira’s scream pierced through his thoughts. She was so close now. Woljif said the trick was to hold one tool at just the right angle to keep the first tumblers from falling back into place while you turned over the last one. Ha, that was the trick—she couldn’t keep up the pressure on his wandering thoughts while she tried to unlock his memory. Her grip began to falter.

…and then they would bundle together in Woljif’s kip (and he was not sharing that part with Shamira) and he would become an outlaw, the ex-Commander and his Merry Band, rogues and vigilantes of the Worldwound: no more council meetings, no more paperwork, just them against the demons, freeing prisoners, healing the wounded, returning life and joy to the remnants of Sark—

Boiling, seething hatred exploded in his mind. He tore his eyes away and squeezed them shut. His eyelids felt blessedly cool. Shamira’s spell was broken. She withdrew her psychic torture implements and screamed aloud in rage.

“Get out. Get out!”