#short starters I said

[exquisitexagony]

//@miidnighters

The pungent stench of blood. Irony. Warm. Fresh. It filled the air, filled Arthur's lungs as he tore into fresh meat, gnawing on bone. The process of eating someone was such an intimate affair and there was a part of him that got such a kick out of it it was almost like a drug. It was exhausting, though, the war that went on in the back of his mind while he fed. How much longer could he go on like this? Why couldn't he stop?

Licking xyr lips, the blood from xyr hands, from the body's face, xe found xemselves laying down, the body tangled up in xyr arms. A slight hitch of breath, panting from the effort it had taken to take the other down. They had been a fighter, which was why now they were already mostly dead and certainly not conscience. With all the blood loss by now, too, they were already fading. The meat wouldn't be fresh for much longer, Arthur assumed. Finish what he could and then...Get out. Sinking back into the bathtub where he had done the deed, he clawed his fingernails into the body's shoulder, feeling every muscle in his own blood-stained body tense.

Silence fell in that now-abandoned bathroom, the steady drip of a leaky faucet the only sound echoing through the old shack posted in the middle of nowhere. He swallowed hard, eyelids growing heavy the longer he laid there, taking it all in. Salty tears pricked his eyes, one dripping slowly down his cheek and mixing with blood. His tongue moved to lick it away as it slid down toward the corner of his mouth, but-- Wait. His own blood? He tried to lift his head, only to be hit with a massive wave of dizziness that sent his vision reeling.

"Oh fuck..." The words were a barely breathed whisper, head sinking to rest against the head of the body in his arms. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, groaning. His head was bleeding, that much was obvious, but now that he had realized that he started to notice the sticky, wet pain in his side as well...It had all happened so fast he hardly even remembered getting hurt.

The sound of a door creaking open startles him, breath catching in the back of his throat. Nobody else was supposed to be here...He had done his research before coming here. It was the perfect target. So why did he hear footsteps approaching the blood-soaked bathroom?

[oathofpromises]

Starter for: @diademreigned

Rest now, my love It's all right

They were always aware of their limited time, yet deep inside, the Lady Exarch had longed for just a little more. She reached up, her hand clutching her chest tightly as a fit of coughing overtook her. The rain outside the tower window whispered softly, its gentle patter blending with the faint sound of her labored breaths. A spray of white blood stained the ground, mingling with the cold marble floor.

The Exarch had not yet returned from his walk, but the Lady Exarch already felt an intense fire coursing through her entire body. It was as if the light itself was slowly devouring her from within. Though she lacked enough power to become a light warden, its effects would ultimately lead to her demise. Her gaze shifted to her arms, where the crystalline scales began to radiate with a brighter blue hue. The weight of her burdens had become overwhelming in recent weeks, and now she faced the consequences. The tower could no longer sustain her, causing her body to gradually transform into crystal.

The dark is gone I am here I hold you (I hold you)

"Not yet...I need to say goodbye..." muttered the Lady Exarch, as she held her stomach and slowly made her way towards the top of the crystal tower. Very few people could go up there, preventing them from witnessing their beloved mother's demise. It was better that way. She couldn't bear to see her daughter's tears or feel like she had let them all down. She had, in a sense, at least that's what she had been telling herself for the past couple of weeks.

If I still had the blessing of the light..maybe I could save this world from fading...now I am leaving the man I love and my daughter.

Rest now, your heart

The Lady Exarch groaned in agony,as she could feel her knees weakening, threatening to give way under her weight. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her arms; the crystal scales, shimmering with an eerie glow, were slowly encroaching upon her body, inch by agonizing inch. This must be how the Exarch felt too, the way his own crystal was consuming his body. The nights he would lay awake rubbing his wrists. Closing her eyes, she felt the tears start to fall down the sides of her face. It was hard..to smile when her heart was breaking.

"Raha....Please..I don't want to leave without you here with me..."

Although you're gone I'll be here to hold you I've got you

It was all so unfair. She never wanted to leave. The thought of existing in a world without him by her side was unbearable, yet he would be the one left behind. He would have to shoulder the burdens of this world, and she knew all too well how heavy that weight could be. She had experienced the weight of carrying everyone’s wishes on her back. Slowly, her hand lifted towards the sky, as crystal shards floated off her arm.

“I love you Raha..my beautiful beloved. Maybe if I had listened, we could have stayed together for much longer.” she whispered, her legs giving in, and she settled onto the chilly marble floor. As the rest of her body slipped away, she braced herself for a fall, but a pair of arms abruptly halted her descent, wrapping around her.

Raha....

The hood slipped off as he leaped forward to catch her. With tears glistening in his eyes, she felt his hand tightly intertwine with hers. As she touched his face with her hand, a smile formed on her lips.

“There you are..you know how to keep a girl waiting.” She muttered, a flashback to the past when she said the same thing before the two had first entered the crystal tower. They had always been inextricably linked since that time, yet now he would be forced to say goodbye to her. Just like Mako was left to watch helplessly as T'sori slowly disappeared from the mortal realm. Was this genuinely their inescapable fate? To remain trapped in this perpetual cycle of experiencing love and subsequently losing one another in various ways.

[mens-reas]

.

[delicatlueur]

                    julien   has   this   …       claim   …       over   camille   .       and   it’s   wrong   .       god   ,   it’s   all   sorts   of   wrong   .       but   he   charmed   her   away   from   her   ex   once   ,   didn’t   he   ?       so   why   wouldn’t   he   think   he   could   do   it   again   ?       “   so   ,   i   hear   darius   has   emerged   from   his   …       comment   dit - on   ?       ah   ,   yes   ,   hiding   place   ,   ”       mumbles   ,   lips   ghosting   her   neck   ,   barely   touching   ,   breath   warm   on   her   skin   .       he’s   so   damn   confident   ,   so   very   sure   ,   as   fingers   tilt   her   chin   up   ,   up   to   meet   his   gaze   .       “   to   that   ,   i   propose   a   night   out   .       just   you   and   i   .       oh   ,   and   a   horde   of   paparazzi   ,   of   course   .       think   of   the   message   that’ll   send   ,   hmm   ?       it’ll   paint   such   a   vivid   picture   of   where   your   loyalties   truly   lie   .   ”       //       @salvateure

[flamesofrebirths]

Being reunited with Clive has felt like an impossible dream for so many years. And they are finally together again now. The sons of fire. And the best feeling of all of it is that it feels like nothing has changed. Clive is not angry at him. They are both relieved. Maybe they will never get these years back, but hopefully they will have much more years together and won't part for long again.

Joshua knows Clive worries about him because he overworked himself during that fight against Bahamut, but he doesn't mind. He was raised to be this way. He has to be useful, always, and now the most important thing is to be useful to Clive's mission and to work at his side with Jill and Torgal.

"I will be fine, Brother. I assure you that you can trust me," he says, gently patting the other's shoulder as a warm smile crosses his lips. How many years has it been since he smiles like this ? It was probably in Rosalith. "I will fight by your side. I... So many things I learned in the past years were to make sure I could help you someday." He then looks around for a short moment. "This place, though, the Hideaway... this is incredible."

@adureus ❤'d !

[vigilantdesert]

@stygicniron liked for a Hades starter

Urbosa brought the back of her hand to her forehead as though to wipe it, though this was purely a reflex from her brief life above.  She had surely been dead a century, perhaps more. If either of them could swallow their pride, she reckoned that Achilles would know, but their interactions in their master's house were limited to sideways glares as Urbosa dragged herself out of the pool of Styx to return to her post in Elysium. One might suspect that their veteran status on opposing sides of a war was to blame, and they were partially correct. Neither Urbosa nor Achilles were overly concerned about the politics of the war any longer - Urbosa had never even been invested in the Trojan army in the first place, instead fighting for a reward promised to her by the Gods. Even if she had been, those were the sorts of allegiances that death tended to dull. No, the two shared mutual distaste over that ever-common human belief; that the opposing side, when winning the battle, had to have been cheating.

She didn't have to see him too often, though. She didn't see Zagreus as much as say, the current champions, and now that he and his Lord Father were on better terms, her role had become even easier. She had to die again every now and again, but frankly, she appreciated the challenge. Soon after her death, she'd taken it upon herself to defeat all the so-called champions of Elysium, many of whom only had a few battles under their belt and all the cunning of a fruit fly. At first, few had wanted to accept her challenge. Athenians especially were reluctant to talk to women, let alone treat them as equals. Eventually she gained enough reputation for more and more to try and prove their metal, and she estimated that she was nearly at fifty-percent success rate. At this pace, she'd be able to challenge Thesus and get him out of that damn wreath. It was a miracle it fit his massive, massive head.

As she passed through one of Tartarus' many mazelike caverns, she practiced a bit of the footwork she'd been developing for that fight. She had to hand it to the bastard King, he was light on his feet. She had reach over him, but she knew that would only go so far. So distracted was she that she almost didn't notice the situationally unnatural sound of breathing  after she dispatched the last wringer. Sword still drawn and sparking, she turned in a full circle and called out - "Is there someone here?"

She started peering around the columns, blue lips pulled in a sharp frown. It was one thing for shades to be lost among the levels of Hades, but for a mortal to have fallen so deep into these pits... She opened her mouth, closed it, and finally ventured a further question -

"Prince Zagreus?"

[savingthrcw]

@cornerhaunt closed starter from Neria to Alistair

After Ostagar, Neria had gone to her preferred method of copying, which was moving past it, at least on the outside, and had carried the conversations in a relatively nonchalant way, her mind still reeling from everything that had happened. But after finally reaching Lothering she had internally lost it at the sight of what it was like to live outside of the Circle tower, and all of her enthusiasm had come out in waves: merchants and inns and people everywhere with their little requests and troubles and lives. She had recruited the weird woman who claimed the Maker had sent her, rescued the Qunari, helped the two dwarven merchants - immediately befriending Sandal - and now at camp she was still exploding with energy, checking everything she had bought, between supplies and souvenirs, and for once probably talking Alistair's ear off.

"How do I look?" she asked Alistair, showing him the hat she had bought and beaming, "Don't answer, I already know it's ridiculous. I still think we should have stayed near the river-yeah, I know, giant spiders, but it was so pretty! And the food at the tavern was so great--oh, hold on..." she glanced at Morrigan, but she was busy bickering with Leliana while Sten was seemingly speaking to Dog, and Neria took the sweets she had bought from Bodhan out of her satchel, "For you. To celebrate a good day." Oh, but she loved being outside. Free.

[epic-and-kitty]

love having a super short and petite character and constantly wondering if I made her look like a child despite being a full ass adult

[royaletiquette]

It was a matter of time. Hibiko wasn't an idiot and knew better than to think history would never repeat itself, or that those in power were always the first to be blamed. She just naively wished to not have to take part in it so directly: the boring parades of strength, these grandiose acts of implied violence. Of course there was a necessity for any large force of authority to have some type of flex of power, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Unfortunately though, it did mean she had to take part in it. "Your Royal Highness." A burly man spoke up with a knight standing beside him, already in a deep bow as Hibiko adjusted the bored expression on her face to be more pleasant. "Please allow me to introduce you to Sir Bastet. The King and Queen have decided he will be by your side from now on during public events and when the home has guests."

The immediate shock on her face was obvious, the weak smile not having far to fall. Wide eyes studied the large man as he excused himself and quickly went off to other duties. But why this as well on top of everything else? If her family was innocent of the accusations thrown at them, and the truth was bound to come out and clear the air, then why the unnecessary and intrusive precaution?

Hibiko's stare returned to the knight, all too aware of the semi-public spectacle being made of her at that moment, wanting nothing more than to reject his presence and demand a proper explanation from her parents. Yet instead, while a fire was lit in her eyes, she perfectly controlled every tensed muscle in her body that she could. The princess gave a polite curtsy, and in a plain, flat tone, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

@distopea | for Bastet

[heclingmuzik]

@blankslateprotagonist

Bright icey blue eyes scans her area. She can't see where she's going, but she uses what she KNOWS she has to help her navigate. Electricity courses through her bod, sending out short waves around her as she ventures deep within the ocean. The electric eel mercreature sighs softly and with her mind occupied somewhere else, she nearly bumps into another. Thankfully, she's stopped right on time.

"Whoa---uh, hey. Didn't see you there." Did she just kind of make a pun?

[yeleltaan]

@yellowfingcr​

Once more, pallid red erupts in vivid crimson staining his hands. Once again, his teeth find the meat of an ancient.

In the last minutes of the most generous definition of life, it continues to fight him. Reduced to an organ gifted with unnatural persistence, it still finds ways to hurt him. His jaw begins to ache, as even the softest of its tissue shifts and expands as though it bore the intent to dislocate bone. Fangs pierce what gravel stone doesn’t cover, yet they only penetrate so far into the dense flesh. Upon the edge of ruptured vein and artery he can almost see the skull of the great beast staring back at him. It must have been near-unparalleled in its prime. It will make it all the better to draw from its strength, diminished as it may be.

Unable to directly confront such primal strength with his strongest bite, he’s forced to tear it away piece by piece. Inhuman mandible parts from freakish maxilla and leans away from the overwhelming feast, breathing a gasp through thick air and thicker blood. His arched foot rises from his cross-legged position to hang onto the heart like a predator’s talon. Hooked into the meat with grown tooth and nail he pulls, twists, stretches insistently with all the force he can muster as the organ slowly gives way, struggling fiercely until it is torn into two uneven halves with a generous splatter. Ripped tissue hangs from the devourer’s mouth, his breath quickened as he looks to the side, behind him, above.

There is a brief moment of deliberation before he lets go of the half to hold it in his hands, turn it inside out and lean forward for another bite. He remembers what he set out to do, and rather than abandon himself to the unspeakable hunger he feels toward his faltering prey, he focuses on the approaching sensation. The one he felt in his previous dine, a tingling in the back of the mind, a distant call that refuses to be ignored, that has since been the primary object of his contemplation.

It's stronger this time, much more than he anticipated. He feels the stars drawing closer, the sky pushing down on him- or, is he the one being drawn? It’s intense, but it’s only a sprout of far longer roots. He seeks the recollection beyond, reaches out for that familiar sensation lost somewhere in the ashes of his memory. It’s closer, closer! A chilling vertigo..! It’s getting closer! But what is?

Awaited discovery turns to thrilling fright, and Cayin falls back with a sudden gasp.

[garciapimienta]

Hiiii! I just wanted to ask, since you seem very knowledgeable about this things🧐, what’s our best option for DM next season/ this transfer window? I know we have some La Masia kids( gosh saying that sounds weird when I’m also just 18😭) that are really good and I think you mentioned Federico Redondo at some point but I would like to hear you thoughts at this point in time. I’m not saying I don’t like what the club is doing this transfer window because they are doing a great job but the missing DM player on the team is really making me worried. Anyway, thanks for answering this when you find the time and much love for you and your spectacular blog❤️❤️❤️

First of all thank you, you are so nice!

In regards to the DM question, I'm not even sure myself to be honest, and I am really worried too. In my opinion the best solution, and by miles, was Declan Rice. I know he wasn't exactly affordable but I think the club should've at least attempted to get him and I also think he was worth shelling out a little even if it meant we couldn't afford as many other players. But of course, I understood that with the financial situation, it maybe wasn't doable.

The second option for me, and the more realistic one (well, kinda) was Zubimendi. I personally think he's great and would suit the team so well and he's also ready for the club (not as in 'he's top level already, he doesn't need to learn anything more' but just that he's ready even though ofc he'll continue growing and developing and getting better). That said, Zubi is as loyal as they come, so there's really not much the club could do, he wasn't going to come this season.

Now that both of them are out of the question, I think Oriol Romeu, which seems like the most likely one now, is fine-ish??? He's not a player I absolutely love or someone I think has the general level to be a player for us, but it's also true that there's not much out there that isn't a) very young, or b) not for sale/out of our league in terms of what the club could pay. So basically it seems that we'll have to settle for someone, which I hate because I think the club should've prepared for Busi's retirement much better and has had years to do so.

So yeah, to summarize because I got carried away, I think maybe the best option for now is to settle for someone reliable and temporary like Oriol Romeu and also sign a young developmental pivot for the future (my preferences: Mats Wieffer (highly recommend checking him out, he's really good and has an incredible potential too), Redondo or Vermeeren), while still continuing to develop the Masia prospects who are looking better suited for the position and with a lot of potential (Pau Prim and Marc Casado being the most obvious and most talked about ones, but there are others with high quality and a lot of potential too, like Gerard Hernańdez).

I've just realized I have not mentioned Nico (González) at all in this reply and tbh I 'm actually on team "Xavi should give him a chance" even though I've always said that I've never been fully convinced on wether he can play in that role in the way I would want him too. It's just that considering that there are no better options and Nico is a player that's already in your squad and who has shown a lot of potential and has a lot of talent and resources (even for an interior, which I know we don't need but if he doesn't work out as pivot you could still benefit from using him for rotations every once in a while for one season before selling him/loaning him out again), I think we should give it another try. But if Xavi doesn't like him/isn't willing to do it, then there isn't much to do, seeing as to how he's the coach...

[kurthorton-moving]

open.

he doesn’t know how late it is, doesn’t know how long he’s been gone. all he knows is that it’s dark, it’s cold, and he’s terrified. he stumbles through the street, dripping blood along the pavement as he slowly moves. he doesn’t even know how hurt he is, not really. he’s pretty beaten up, he’s limping, his leg hurts, but some part of him is falling back into his usual processes — if he can walk, he can’t really be that hurt, can he? what he’s doing is only just enough to really be classed as walking, but the idea still stands. he wasn’t trying to walk anywhere in particular, at least not consciously, but he soon finds himself at a familiar door, a weak attempt at getting attention as his palm hits the door, leaning against it to keep himself upright. it’s only now hitting him how tired he is, how desperately he craves to just drop to the ground and go to sleep. he can’t imagine that’s a good thing.

he makes another few attempts at pounding on the door, well aware that it’s the middle of the night, some part of him trying not to wake the neighbours. “hey!” his voice is hoarse, clearly pained. he’d done a lot of screaming in the time he’d been gone, sometimes screaming for help, sometimes just having no other way to process the pain. neither did any good, not really. all it did was leave him with a dry and scratchy throat, a constant feeling of strain. “please—” whispered, practically croaked. it becomes clear just how heavily he’d been leaning on the door when it opens, body following the moving door as it moves too fast for him to keep up, quick to drop to the floor. he makes a weak attempt at catching himself with his hands, though in truth he’s already hurting enough that hitting the ground hard isn’t too horrible of a thing to deal with.

[lightbegun]

Their people do not call her Snow Queen or Snow-Kissed, the words they had murmured so reverently about Elsa, as though her sister was not just queen but goddess  ---  They had been CORRECT, in a fashion, she supposes.  But they have other names for her :   Anna the Brave, Anna the Kind, Anna the True.

It warms her heart, and yet at the same time, makes her feel vaguely guilty.  She had not felt brave or kind or true, when the events in the forest had occurred.  She had felt HOLLOW, going through the motions to do what needed done.  She was no hero, no champion of the people, but a heartbroken girl.  But her people look up to her for guidance, even when she feels like she has none to give.

❝ Sometimes, I feel like I don’t deserve it, ❞  She confesses, for Elsa is her confidant, her other half, and the one person who might understand.  ❝ They love me, even when I don’t know what to do. ❞   

･ ° ♕ ° ･  @vinterhjerte​​​​ wanted a starter ( from Anna ) !

[nesrinadem]

❝ sail under the stars with @mattsullivan —

No, not there. Further to the left somewhere? A little south? 

Posted up against a quiet and secluded stretch of railing along the ship’s uppermost deck, Nesrin scanned the sky. Searching for the North Star before any other had long since become a habit. It was her touchstone when the world grew too overwhelming. A little bit of hope and home and safety twinkling brighter than anything else in the ink black tapestry that was somewhere past midnight. 

It’s why she’d gotten it permanently sketched in the tiny space behind her ear.

Well, that and— Footsteps sounded against the deck boards. Her head snapped at the sound, attention pulled from it’s quest only to land square on the man who unwittingly went hand in hand with her fascination over the stars.

“Matty.” 

His name on her lips always felt somewhere between a breath and a prayer.

At least then it’s shocked murmur was forgivable. Running into him twice in one night? It felt like a miracle. Or a trick. She was never sure how benevolent the universe was feeling with her heart at any given moment. And yet she couldn’t help the instinctive curve at the corner of her mouth when he stepped closer, or the riot of butterflies that took flight in her stomach. He looked so damn handsome wrapped in that suit it induced a physical ache in her bones. 

I was just thinking about you, Nes wanted to blurt. “It felt a little crowded inside so I decided to get some air,” is all she admitted, instead. “Guess along the way I got distracted.” The rush of water, the blanket of stars and faraway city lights— “It’s stunning out here.”

[gravesung]

@harerazor ( frankenstein's creature ) liked x for an oc and got rusa!

❝ OH — DON'T BE SCARED! IT'S alright. ❞ one, two open palms, lifted in a gesture of gentle surrender. ❝ are you lost? you look a bit overwhelmed... ❞