#so many r unnamed still

[milkbreadtoast]

can finally put them together... the main 4 charas of this story(*that will prob never be made into a thing but its fun to think abt)!!

*whispers* tentative names: 💚강효준 (kang hyojun), 💙이설(yi/lee seol), 💜유성화 (yu seonghwa), ❤️송혜연 (song hyeyeon). Hyojun(m) and Seol(f) are the protags and Seonghwa(m) and Hyeyeon(f) are on the "opposing side" in the story

[oharabunny]

imagine miguel pining for you but he finds out you are fucking someone else, but not in the way that he thinks

Word Count: 3591

Warning: 18+, mdni, switch!fem!afab!Reader (dom to sub), switch!Miguel (sub to dom), unnamed sub!malethird, jealous!Miguel, aggression, MMF threesome, cuckholdery (not on Miguel), p in v, fingering, blowjob, some spanking, porn without plot, not beta read, oneshot

Imagine Miguel was pining over you, obsessed, I mean. For awhile, basically almost ever since you joined the Spider Society. You have a smile that shines brighter than the sun. Your eyes twinkle when you look up at his tall figure. Your scent always lingered wherever you were at, in the most pleasant way. He always paid attention to every little subtle quirks and habits you have. From the sway of your hips as you move, to the way you squint and pucker your lips in deep thought. Besides the fate of the multiverse, you occupied the remaining space of his mind, which was a lot. Even sometimes to the point the thought of you would distract him from his work when he smells you coming from behind. You didn't even know the sheer effect you had on this guy.

Imagine Miguel overheard your conversation with Jess one day about your type in guys. You tell her you don't engage in those types of thoughts since you never really gave it a real, serious thought before. At first, Miguel is disappointed to hear that, but quickly recovers to the fact he had a chance due to your perceived innocence. How hardworking and dedicated to your job you must be. You were always so busy with so many things, you probably never even had your first time yet. He could already feel himself hardening in his suit at the thought of being your one and only. 

Imagine Miguel was agitated to the fact you were not answering his messages and calls over your dimensional watch one day to join an emergency meeting he ordered, despite it being your off day. It wasn't just you he called, mind you, so you were being incredibly rude for ignoring his messages and making him and the other Spiders wait. It didn't help that his feelings for you only served to agitate him even more than usual. He had enough of waiting for you as his patience was as thin as paper. He headed to your dimension to fetch you himself.

Imagine Miguel barged through your window to your living room in your apartment. His heightened senses could already hear sounds coming from your bedroom. Sounds that made his blood run cold. It was moaning. It wasn't you who was moaning, but another man's. He stalked to the bedroom door silently and leaned in to hear because he refused to believe a sweet, innocent girl like you are hooking up with some rando, but he was also too hesitant to see it for himself. 

"Oh! Y/N!! R-Right there! Aaaah~! Mmm~"

Now that didn't sound quite right. Why was the scumbag's tone like that? There was a hitch in his voice. Too high pitched imitating a girl. He had enough of listening in and swung open the bedroom door, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

Some small framed, small dicked man was tied up pathetically to your headboard with your webbing with his legs up over your shoulders as you fingered his ass with two, while wearing women's lingerie and stocking.

As for you, you weren't anything particularly special, you weren't even wearing a bra even. Just a tank and booty shorts. 

The little man's voice hitched and sobbed, "Y/N! W-Why's he here?" 

You didn't even flinch nor acknowledge Miguel's rude entrance. You slid your hand across his chest and your body against his to cradle and caress his form. You cupped his cheek, turned his face to Miguel,  and looked up at Miguel directly into his red eyes. He has never seen you give that look to anyone before.

His face was still masked but you can see his jaw grinding, seething at the sight before him. His fists were balled so tight his claws drew blood in his palm. All this time, he thought he knew you like the back of his hand, but you had a darkness that you kept away from him too well.

"What. The. Fuck. Are you doing?" Miguel's voice was low and dangerous. He wanted to rip you away from that lowly man, if you can call him one, and fuck you properly. To put you in your place.

You were his, and his alone. 

"Aw, looks like we got caught by the big man, he doesn't look too happy with us." You teased your little man with soft little pecks on his cheek as you trailed down to his neck and stroked his tiny cock up and down with just your thumb and pointer finger making a ring. You never once broke eye contact with Miguel. 

That only angered and infuriated him even more. You were teasing him, and no one makes fun of Miguel O'hara and live to tell the tale.

His heavy footsteps could be mistaken for stomps as he walked up to your bed to yank you off of your little fling and hold you up by your tank top, dangling over the floor.

"I never took you for a whore." He growled in your face.

"And I never took you for someone so presumptious and...nosy." You smirked before going straight to the point. "Why do you care about an employee's private life?"

He couldn't recognize you at all. You were always so gentle, kind, sweet, and understanding. What happened to you? It was like something posessed you. 

His grip on your tank top only tightened. 

"You were supposed to answer your calls and messages when I send them. In case you forgot, we have a meeting today." He avoided the true answer to your question. "Now let's go."

He was quite literally about to just drag you as is, without your Spider suit. He didn't care if you were underdressed. That was your fault for ignoring him when he needed you. For being such a slut. Even if you were never his to begin with.

You never once flinched at his apparent anger. Actually, something about it turned you on.

Ah, he was jealous. 

Yes, you had noticed his likened interest in you, but you never gave it much thought. He wasn't really your type. You preferred smaller men. You loved the thrill of being in control and to feel powerful. You loved watching the way they squirm and cry in pleasure when you hit the right spot inside. You loved watching small cocks grow triple in size that you normally can't see with ones that are already big to begin with. 

Miguel is a big guy, in every sense of the word. You can tell. You don't usually enjoy submitting to big men. It wasn't...your thing.

So you wonder to yourself, why were you about to do your next move?

Your gaze turned sultry and your previous smirk fall into soft smile. Your hand made its way to his crotch. You can feel the definition of his large veiny cock. Precum threatening to drip through his unstable suit. You palmed his clothed cock up and down, even gave his balls a gentle squeeze. 

"Then what are we going to do about this?" You practically whispered.

Now it was Miguel's turn for his voice to hitch. He tried to swallow his moan as he didn't expect you to come onto him all of a sudden. He didn't move to stop you, however. 

Your other hand slid along his strong muscular abs, up up up, over his chest, neck, until you reached his mask and ripped it off his face to reveal him in a panting mess. His fangs protrude as his mouth is agape. His eyes dilated and filled with want. His hair disheveled with strands dangle over his angular face. 

"You want this." You said as if you spoke his mind.

But his own denial caught up to him and pushed his unwanted thoughts away, and dropped you to the floor. His gaze was a war of emotions that you can't depict. All you knew he was only trying to suppress himself, for one reason or another. It didn't matter to you.

You stood up to press your perfect, curvacious body against his hard one. He can feel your two large mounds against him spurring his mind from what he originally intended to do. You were too close. Far too close for comfort.

He ducked and wrapped his arms around you in fevered desperation and kissed your lips hungrily. This kiss was a sloppy mess. He stopped in between breaths to kiss your jaw and neck. His hands roaming all over you trying to memorize every nook and cranny.

With your super strength, you shoved him off in annoyance. You glared at him coldly.

"I didn't give you permission to touch me." You said flatly.

He shot you a confused look until you moved closer to him and guided him into your bed. You made him lay on his back and moved his arms above him. You were about to use your own webbing to his wrists, but his eyes began to panic and his breathing quickened.

You didn't need him to tell you that he didn't want that. You softened your gaze at him in understanding. You gave a light peck on his cheek, right under his eye. 

"You will be okay. I will take care of you." You said in the gentlest voice you can make. "But you have to be a good boy for me. You have to listen to me. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded. 

And you were not satisified with just that.

"You need to use your words, you big baby. Say, yes ma'am."

"Y-Yes, ma'am." His voice was shaky. His sensitivity was peaking and he couldn't help but buck into you as you are straddling on top of him. Your clothed pussy deliberately pressed against his hard cock.  His arms move down to try and grab you again but you swatted them away. 

"Do not touch me until I say so." You commanded. 

"Yes ma'am!"

He learned fast.

"Now, deactivate your suit." You ordered but it was gentle. And he does, without a second thought. Your hips start to roll and glide along his veiny cock. You made sure you could feel his big cock from every inch of your clothed pussy. The thin fabric of your booty shorts gave nothing to separate between the two of you. He even notices that the loose thin material of your shorts bunched into your puffy, needy pussy. You weren't wearing panties. You coated his cock with your slick. The way you angled your hip allowed your clit to also glide along.

Your hands were at first on his abs to stablize yourself, but when he revealed his glorious pecs, you couldn't help yourself but to cup them with your hands and massage and squeeze them roughly. Your fingers would pinch and roll his nipples. You ducked down and captured his left nipple into your wet mouth. You sucked and flicked his nipple with your tongue. You even bite down his mounds, causing a sharp pain, before quickly consoled by your soft tongue.

His fists were balled into the sheets. He was doing everything he can to not touch you, as you ordered. His claws were escaping and were tearing your sheets. His back was arching, pressing his chest more into your mouth. 

A string of undecipherable words fell out of his mouth. All of these sensations were too much for him. He was too stimulated. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He wanted to say something but his heavy pants were getting in the way of his words.

He whimpered.

Your mouth lets go of his nipple in delight. Never had you seen the most proud and ferocious manly man trembling in a pathetic mess right under you. 

That deserved a reward.

You leaned into his face and peppered sweet kisses along his cheek and licked away his tears. You brought your hand to his jaw and captured his lips into a deep kiss. Your tongue poked at his lips for permission, which he lets you. Your tongues battled against each other with not any one particularly winning, rather it was more of a dance. 

He pulled away first.

"P-Please! Let me touch you!" He begged. Tears threatening to well up again. "I need to be inside of you!"

You didn't answer him just yet. Debating it in your thoughts. Sure you enjoyed making him a sobbing mess underneath you, but it didn't change the fact that he was BIG. You weren't too experienced with bigger cocks.

Before you could even give an answer, the forgotten little man, your lover turned third, had also whimpered in desperation for you. "Please don't forget me, Y/N!"

He seemed to be palming himself during the entire ordeal and squeezing his nipple. 

"I need you too." He sobbed.

Your gaze that was fixated at Miguel turned over to your little lover. "C'mere, sweet boy, I didn't forget you."

You pulled yourself up from Miguel to reach for him, but Miguel pulled you right back down to him.

"Don't touch him!" His eyes were red flared with anger and jealousy. "You're mine!"

As if he had enough for your taunts, he sat up and flipped you over. This had surprised you which didn't give you time to react. He pinned your arms to the side of your head. He glared down at you with a mixture of resentment and lust. You were too surprised at this switch, so he took the chance to finally devour you.

Hot kisses that were nothing like the ones you gave him. His were needy, hungry, and rough. He wasn't afraid to bite your neck and suck on it. A moan escaped from you. You never felt this way before. 

Now it was his turn to straddle you. He ripped away your tank top and shorts with ease and threw away all the shredded fabric aside. He kneeded your breasts and gave them a hard squeeze. 

"I should've never given you the day off. Shouldn't have let you go home. You fucking whore."

He slapped your breasts. 

You moved your hands to cover your mouth to stifle a moan, but his hands shoved them back to the side of your head.

"You're not covering your mouth. Be my little slut that you are. I want you to scream till the whole neighborhood hears you."

All of his senses are clouded and reason all gone. His movements were animalistic as he bucked his cock on the lips of your folds to catch more slick. The only mercy he was going to give you.

"Now take it."

He plunged right in so hard and so fast. You convulsed and screamed. You weren't used to being this full, nor this level of pain and pleasure mixed together. 

His pace was brutal. You looked down. Horror struck your face. He didn't even bottom out yet. 

"This isn't even all of me." He smirked. One hand hovered your clit and his thumb drew circles on it. Nothing gentle about it. The sheer shock of electricity caused you to scream.

The pleasure of your clit being roughly massaged convulsed your walls to tighten and loosen. He used it as an opportunity to go all the way in. His balls slapping against your ass as he pumps into your swollen pussy in full. 

You tried to put your hands on his shoulders to leverage yourself but he swatted them away and say: "Do not touch me till I say so."

He lifted your legs and folded them over your shoulder lifting up your hips in consequence which allowed him to reach even deeper into you. Even more so when he stepped onto the mattress with his foot.

You couldn't stop sobbing. Drool was flying out of your mouth, but you couldn't give a damn. This was new levels of high you had never even begin to imagine. 

You were so cock drunk that you couldn't focus on anything or anyone. However, you still tried to focus on him, his eyes, and when you do, your eyes widen in pure realization that he fully intended to breed you. Breed you till your belly was swollen. 

He was getting close. You could tell too with the way his pace picked up in speed. You were close too.

Somehow, your little lover creeped up into your mind. Perhaps a little guilt from the fact that this had been intended to be between you two. 

"W-Wa....it!" Your words sputtered out. You tried to reach him with your hands again.

He shot a cold glare down at you. "Don't. Touch."

"H-He ne-eds to cum!"

Then, he halted. He harshly grabbed your face.

"Even when I punish you, you're still thinking about other men." He looked at him. His tiny cock was still trapped in that frilly white lingerie he probably chose to wear. Fucking pervert. The two of you. 

But he couldn't help but see an allure in that little man's eyes. That remniscent look he desperately craved. He was quivering and desperate. Yes, he indeed needed a release, badly. 

He wasn't going to get him off though. No, he won't touch his little thing. He has an aversion to it. He wants it to disappear if he's going to let him cum.

"Come over here." He ordered and gestured over as he slowly moved inside of you, maintaining his high so it doesn't go away. He was going to finish inside you no matter what. 

"Sit on her face. Put your cock into her mouth." He sternly instructed. He lowered your legs, spread them outward, and pulled you down so your pussy was at the edge of the bed to give your third a room. "Y/N, suck." 

Your little lover does he was told and sat on your face with his cock in your mouth. You didn't complain either. You began to suck his half hard cock and it grew bigger instantly. Though, nowhere near as big as Miguel's. He still fit perfectly in your mouth and throat. Your tongue swirled and your cheeks hallowed on his cock, causing him to bounce up and down into your mouth. 

Miguel, on the other hand, reached back to his brutal pace in your tight pussy and watched as this perverted guy fuck your face. Knots began to form in his chest.

He slapped his ass, which rewarded him a girlish yelp. Then he slapped it again. And again. And again. His small ass turning pink to a glowing, stinging red which Miguel would contrast with a firm yet consoling grope. 

You sucking him wasn't enough, Miguel thought to himself, as he remembered when the beginning of this encounter. He let go of your legs which you weren't ready for so they fell limp at first, but you didn't want to lose your connection to his cock so you wrapped your legs around his waist to keep him inside you. 

Miguel groped your third's cheeks before spreading them apart and stuck his thick, long pointer finger inside. 

"A-AH! MIGUEL!!" He cried and arched his back. 

Miguel smirked at this and started pumping his ass. His finger curled up and played the inside of his tight walls to find his perfect spot. He then added another finger inside and continued pumping him. He lost his strength and bent over your face to grab anything to leverage on. 

How he managed to give equal focus to the both of you were beyond your comprehension, because he never once stuttered. No matter how many things he had to do separately, he did everything in a rhythm. 

You were so unbelievably full from both ends. Your climax was coming. You moaned into your little lover's cock so loud it could be confused with a scream. 

Miguel and your little lover were not too far behind either. Just a few more thrusts here, and few more there. You all came crashing down and coated your insides white. 

None of you moved from where you were as you all rode out the highs and catching your breaths. Your legs fell limp letting go of Miguel who stayed inside you for some reason. While your little lover eventually did exit your mouth and rolled over on to the bed, completely spent. 

Miguel slowly pulled out, but not without lifting your hips up first.

"W-What are you doing?" You asked shyly; your breath still shaking. 

He shoved his fingers into your puffy little pussy. "I can't have it go to waste." He simply said. That statement alone tightened your walls around his fingers. 

When he felt sure enough that his cum won't leak out, he laid you back down gently. He walked away for a second to go dig in your closet to cover. Oh, and to get your suit too.

You laid prettily on your bed with your little lover all spent just like him. Eyes hazy and you both stared at each other. Both faces inches apart. You get closer and closer.

Until Miguel abruptly lifts you off the bed, wraps you up in a towel, and takes you away from him. His suit was already back on, and he fired up the dimensional portal. 

"When we get back, I'm cleaning out your mouth with my cock, you greedy slut." You glared at him with everything that you have.

He smirked, rejoicing to the fact you enjoyed this, even if you won't admit it.

"You better be fucking ready."

The End.

A/N: Okay this one was longer than intended because I was just going to jot down random ideas and let it be chaos, but it surprisingly came together as a decent oneshot. Mind you, this is the first time I ever wrote a complete story, regardless if it's a oneshot. I'm open to any feedback. I'm not very good at dialogue usually. I'm also actually still new and fresh to this whole tumblr setup. So I apologize of how plain and unaesthetic my posts and page are. இ௰இ 

I also gotta thank my new friend @miguelswifey04 for encouraging me to write it out! Hope you enjoyed it. Now go take a shower. Lord knows I need to cuz I wrote all of this in one go.

[oneiroy]

Ryssrael Waenwyn

B A S I C S

Name: Ryssrael Waenwyn

Nicknames: Ryss (for all her friends), and a few pet names for Fornax only (like sunshine or captain)

Age: 26-32 (ARR>EW)

Nameday: 1st Sun of the 5th Astral Moon

Race: Sea Wolf Roegadyn

Gender: Butch

Orientation: Bisexual

Profession: Warrior of Light (for non-WoL AU: either mercenary / freelancer or pirate)

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S

Hair: Black, ranging from short to shaved, always messy (well, unless it's shaved. but still messy in spirit vjkfnvjsdf)

Eyes: Rich brown that almost looks reddish

Skin: Green pulling towards yellow (yes technically green... the shaders never do it justice though. i need to come up with a fix that doesn't mess the rest of the coloring)

Tattoos/scars: A wide variety of scars all over her body, with a higher concentration on her left arm. A small red tattoo under her right eye.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Unnamed sea wolves, former dockworkers, who she is not in contact with anymore. Probably still alive somewhere in Limsa.

Siblings: She would say that the friends she grew up with are her siblings. Swynfyr, Servan and R'osen, three adoptive brothers.

Grandparents: I didn't get that far tbh

In-laws and Other: Uhhh yeah idk. Most of her blood family isn't that relevant to her current story tbh. But! Other, spouse: Fornax :)

Pets: No pets, she doesn't feel like her lifestyle is compatible with that.

S K I L L S

Abilities: Fighting with pole and axe-based weapons of all kinds. She is very athletic and maintains her body as strong as it can be. She also pulls from her inner rage, or from the strength Midgardsormr grants her, depending on the situation.

Hobbies: Hiking, swimming, fishing, training. Cooking, but mostly eating good foods.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Her contagious confidence

Most Negative Trait: Her impulsiveness paired with the fact that she's quick to anger

L I K E S

Colors: Black, green, red

Smells: Ocean breeze, blood and metal, rain, broth

Textures: Worn leather, calloused hands, wood bleached by the sea and warmed by the sun

Drinks: Beer, rhum, water

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Sometimes but not often, only if offered.

Drinks: Often in good company. She can drink a lot before being visibly affected by it.

Drugs: Recreationally but not regularly

Mount Issuance: She still has her black chocobo! But when it's not conveniently around, she often goes on foot or hitch a ride.

Been Arrested: So many times when she was young. She stole a lot, and got in trouble for doing "jobs" for less than reputable folks. Now less, in part because she's less struggling with gil, but also in part because she got better at it.

Tagged by: @hazelkjt, thanks!

Tagging: @elliewiltarwyn, @viiioca, @necro-man-sir, @chadhunkler, @fantasmagoriam, @elf-simp, @sealrock, and you if you want to do it!

[avelera]

Some missed opportunities for Norse Mythology references in the Loki S2 Finale

I want to quickly preface this by saying the Loki show never claimed to be about or even incorporate more than passing nods to Norse mythology, so the following "missed opportunities" are more things that I think could have been cool and were perhaps within reach as references, but that even at my most wildly optimistic I didn't and still don't really expect because the show has been so very clear on this front. It's not fair to say these are flaws because the show never pretended to be about Norse mythology. NEVERTHELESS, because I'm a big nerd:

1) Ragnarok - All respect to Waititi and Thor III, it was a great interpretation of the myth, but I've always longed for something a little closer to the doom and mysticism of the mythology and the Loki S2 finale came tantalizingly close to invoking it, but fell short of actually using the word. Because Ragnarok isn't just about the fall of the gods, it's about the destruction and rebirth of the world. "After [the events of Ragnarok], the world will rise again, cleansed and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet, and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors." 

Gee does that sound familiar! Almost like destroying all of the timelines to create them anew! Almost like that's what Sylvie was invoking by telling him it's better to accept destruction rather than accept imprisonment, and to build something new out of the ashes.

That's Ragnarok. That's literally Ragnarok and they invoked it in so many ways there short of actually using the damn word.

Loki, the god destined to bring about Ragnarok, proceeding to directly bring down the current timeline by destroying and then renewing it with a male and female survivor to help rebuild (visualized with Mobius and Sylvie's little chat at the end, even if it's the TVA they helped rebuild not the human population) sure does sound astonishingly close to invoking the story of Ragnarok.

And even though I'm bummed they never called it Ragnarok, I completely understand why! Ragnarok has kinda already happened in the MCU (never mind that Ragnarok itself is cyclical and will come again, but I digress)! I'd even go so far as to guess that earlier drafts probably did make it clearer but the thread, except for its bones and outline, were abandoned or left unnamed explicitly because it would be confusing for those not familiar with the myth or who would conflate Ragnarok with its Thor III invocation. Alas.

2) Loki bound - Already sort of invoked in Thor II with Loki imprisoned, which is why I don't think any more overt reference was made, but Loki was rather famously bound up in mythology. In this case, in a cave with a snake's poison dripping into his mouth. Not saying Loki bound to his throne of time needed to be conflated with how he was imprisoned until Ragnarok in the myhology, but the imprisonment parallel is there.

3) Loki becomes the new Odin, sacrificed upon Yggrasil - "The generally accepted meaning of Old Norse Yggdrasill is "Odin's horse", meaning "gallows". This interpretation comes about because drasill means "horse" and Ygg(r) is one of Odin's many names. The Poetic Edda poem Hávamál describes how Odin sacrificed himself by hanging from a tree, making this tree Odin's gallows. This tree may have been Yggdrasil." (source)

IE, Loki has sacrificed himself upon the world tree for power and knowledge and for the sake of the world. In this, unlike in the mythology where Loki is not Odin's son, Loki ascends to a parallel of his father's throne to follow in his legacy, having finally learned his father's lessons about rulership and self-sacrifice. Perhaps like the mythological Odin, we will learn that in making this self-sacrifice, Loki too has gained phenomenal knowledge and power?

4) Ratatoskr - This is more foward-looking and I don't in a million years think they'll do it but it would be so cool - so cool - if at some later point Loki has a friend or a servant or a squirrel form or idk, something that invokes Ratatoskr, the squirrel that lives in the World Tree and freely travels up and down its branches delivering messages. Please, MCU, give Loki a little squirrel friend??

[swtorpadawan]

Chaos is a Ladder

Author’s Notes: The following story takes place on Hutta during Act III of the Class stories. I name-drop a lot of minor NPCs from the game, so I hope you’re into that sort of thing. Content warnings for references to off-camera extreme violence.

“Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them.” - Petyr Baelish, aka 'Littlefinger', HBO’s Game of Thrones, season 3, episode 6, "The Climb"

Loyalty on Hutta is a complicated thing. The woman who called herself Linh noted to herself in a detached moment of clarity, drawing her consciousness away from the nearby stench of death and the distant sounds of fighting.

Nominally, of course, everything on Hutta was controlled by the Hutts. Any attempts to wrest control of their adopted home world away from the Cartel over the centuries – either by the native Evocii or by the various rival crime lords and organizations that thrived on the nearby ‘Smuggler’s Moon’ of Nar Shaddaa – had been ruthlessly crushed.   

But in practice, the Hutt Cartel ruled Hutta solely through fear.

And it was an effective and even a pragmatic fear, one that allowed a relatively small number of Hutts to each rule over their own private fiefdom, with the backing of countless guards, servants and slaves, aided by any number of semi-independent mercenaries and bounty hunters, and supported by a culture that ensured that however much Hutts might quarrel, fight and rage against each other, they always seemed to band together the moment the status quo of their world was challenged; even if one Hutt did fall, another would simply take their place or absorb their territory, with predictable consequences.  

But it was still a control built on the foundation of fear nonetheless. Meaning that any loyalty anyone showed to the Hutts was an illusion, and that illusion was virtually everywhere.

Based on her own training and experiences, Linh had always suspected that the moment peoples’ fear of the Hutts was eclipsed by their fear of something else, those illusions would be dispelled, and those people would turn.

And that suspicion was now being confirmed as people were now turning on Suudaa Nem'ro, more popularly known as Nem’ro the Hutt, leader of the Nem’ro Clan and lord of the industrial town of Jiguuna.

It had all started less than an hour ago.

The unnamed Houk had shown up suddenly at the entrance of Nem’ro’s Palace, calling out the Hutt and bellowing a series of extraordinarily graphic and imaginative threats against Nem’ro’s person.

This had initially been little cause for concern to Linh and most of the other occupants of the palace at the time, who initially took this development for a rather convoluted suicide attempt. This Houk was clearly insane and was looking for a way to die.

Then Nem’ro’s guards had converged to intercept the intruder… and they had been the ones who started dying.

The amused indifference of the populace had turned to concern and then to fear.

Then the fear had turned to panic.

As the Houk made his way through the palace, killing anyone in his path in a merciless onslaught, everything had descended into chaos. Every second the Houk had spent viciously cleaving his way through defenders with his vibro-blade was a second where resistance seemed to melt away.

The panic had turned to rioting, as everyone’s immediate goals had shifted.

It wasn’t just the Houk’s doing, of course. Had all the guards, servants, hangers-on and guests in Nem’ro’s palace bravely united to stand against the assailant, they surely would have taken him down eventually.

Surely. Linh thought to herself in reassurance, even though she was not completely certain at all.

Many of the occupants of Nem’ro’s palace were perfectly willing enough to feign bravery when the odds were overwhelmingly in their favor and there was a chance for personal gain. But they were quick to turn and flee the moment that equation was in doubt.

No. This crisis was the result of people on Hutta fearing something else more than they feared a Hutt. The instant that happened, all bets were off. Tomorrow, or a year from now, a new equilibrium would inevitably reemerge, with some other Hutt in charge.

No one cared about that now.

The majority of these people simply wanted to survive today.

Far worse than these sheep were the many individuals in the palace and throughout Jiguuna who had instinctively started taking advantage of the chaos. Many saw the opportunity to finish old scores with a rival at a moment when they figured they could get away with it. One or two were petty enough to simply took the chance to mug some of the wealthier patrons of the lord of Jiguuna. A few even risked looting the treasures of the Hutt’s palace.

Fools. Linh thought to herself. She didn’t know how many of these opportunists had made it out of the palace, but she had to assume it wasn’t many. No amount of credits (or personal satisfaction) were worth your life.

Not when everything is falling into anarchy. Linh thought to herself.

She heard fighting – or rioting – in the distance. She counted herself lucky.

For her own part, by the time the intruder had stormed through the palace cantina, where Linh usually spent her days, she had wisely made herself scarce, slipping out into the streets of Jiguuna in the confusion as she gripped her hold-out blaster.

Linh was an observer. By training and inclination. Now she finally had a moment to reflect on what she had observed during her final moments in the palace. Most of it seemed irrelevant. Who was running. Who was fighting. Why was dying.

One thing she was certain of was that Nem’ro’s luck had finally run out.

At what seemed to have been the penultimate moment, only one of Nem’ro’s remaining lieutenants, Carnus, seemed willing to take up the challenge posed by his fellow Houk. The two had come to blows in the cantina, even while Nem’ro could be heard bellowing down the passageway in a panic for more of his guards to come to his side to defend his bulk, and offering outrageous rewards to whomever could end the threat to his life.

When even Carnus had fallen beneath the newcomer’s rampage, the writing on the wall had become clear: Nem’ro the Hutt was doomed. No one else would be willing to die for the Hutt. It was simply a matter of survival now, and who could run the fastest.

If the Lord of Jiguuna wasn’t already dead, he would be soon.

Still outside, cocooned in her moment of clarity, Linh realized that it was a fall that had been a long time coming. Things had seemed to be slowly deteriorating in Jiguuna for nearly two years.

It started with Karrels Javis. She decided.

He had been Nem’ro’s most capable and reliable lieutenant before he’d been killed. He was certainly capable of violence, but Javis had understood that violence was a tool and not philosophical approach to everyday life. He’d been pragmatic and reasonable, usually taking pains to avoid putting decisions to his boss when the Hutt’s temper was acting up.  

Officially, Javis had met his end by an assassination team sent by Nem’ro’s rival, Voontara Fa'athra.

(Linh knew better than to believe that story.)

Nem’ro’s reprisals against Fa'athra’s supporters had been unprecedented even by Hutt levels. Armed with a data file retrieved from Voontara Fa'athra’s palace by the so-called ‘Red Blade’, there had been a bloodbath in Jiguuna with dozens of Fa'athra’s supposed sympathizers in the town purged on Nem’ro’s orders.

Still. Linh thought to herself. Despite his cold-bloodedness, the Blade she’d briefly met, that supposed pirate – with his cool, emerald eyes and chiseled jawline – had been capable. Very capable. He was just the sort of person I could have used to get off Hutta, now.

Unfortunately, he was far from here, on some job or another that she couldn’t even imagine. 

It had taken weeks for the city to calm down.

Even after the dust had settled from the purges, and even after the victory celebrations Nem’ro had held when Fa’athra had fled Hutta in apparent defeat, there was a sullen air to the place. As if whatever little vitality Jiguuna could have claimed before had been sapped, and things were continuing purely on momentum.

Illustrating her point in fact, just a few weeks ago, Nem’ro had come down with a rare flesh-eating disease, placing the Hutt’s life – and his sizable bulk – in jeopardy. This development had led to considerable tension among the Hutt’s various lieutenants and supporters, as everyone jockeyed for position should Nem’ro ‘tragically’ pass away. There had been a number of killings, discreetly passed off as ‘isolated incidents’ by Nem’ro’s security, and Linh was fully convinced that there’d have been an outbreak of open infighting throughout the organization if it had lasted any longer.

Fortunately for what still counted for the status quo in Jiguuna – and for Nem’ro, personally – a Republic doctor had arrived one day at the palace before that came to pass, having heard of the Hutt’s plight. Linh had noted he’d been on ‘watch list’ for her true employer, as the man had previously worked for the Balmorran Resistance and had more recently been working with some upstart Jedi Knight running around the galaxy. This doctor apparently had enough pull to get an appointment with the Hutt, and within a few days, Nem’ro was on the road to recovery.

Even with Nem’ro cured, however, things had never quite gotten back to normal in Jiguuna. There was too much bad blood by then. Too much pressure on Nem’ro’s organization to produce refined fuel to cover his trade agreements with the Sith Empire. Too much lost inertia. Too many people with too many ‘what if’ thoughts.  

It had been a powder keg. And the attacking Houk had lit the wick.

Now she was outside the palace, and the only person on Hutta who knew that her real name wasn’t Linh and that she wasn’t just a small-time private fence with a pretty face working out of Nem’ro’s cantina was lying dead at her feet.

Lycus Mattle had (officially) been a freelance hired gun in Jiguuna, occasionally taking jobs with Nem’ro’s gang. An older mercenary, he was respected enough that the local ruffians usually gave him a wide berth. He usually made a place for himself just outside the palace at the bazaar, should anyone seek to hire him.

He had also been, like Linh, an operative of Imperial Intelligence, and a subject of the Sith Empire.

And now he was dead, with multiple blaster wounds having caught him in the chest.  

Linh also spotted a trio of slain Rodians lying nearby. She recalled them having visited the palace earlier that day, planning some scheme or another. Apparently when they had fled the carnage, they had decided that their best bet was to kill the lone, human gunman, take his weapons, and then to decide what to do next to get away from the carnage.

Lycus Mattle may have been old for being a supposed merc. (Truth, he was older still for being a field operative of Imperial Intelligence.) But he had taken all three of his attackers with him.

Linh found herself taking some small satisfaction from that fact. Over these last two years, the older agent had become a partner to her; part mentor, part confidante and part protector should anyone on Hutta ever give her too much trouble. She was glad he’d given better than he got.

But that didn’t change the reality that her only real ally – and her best chance of getting off Hutta alive – was now gone. Linh knew how to use her holdout blaster, and she’d received basic self-defense training. But she had no illusions as to how long she’d last in a deteriorating hellhole like Jiguuna, much less if she ran into that Houk.

She processed all of that as her fingertips gently lowered Lycus’ eyelids. 

“You were a good partner, Lycus.” She whispered to herself, unexpectedly finding herself wiping a tear from her eye. “The best.”

‘Lycus’ hadn’t been his real name, of course, any more than ‘Linh’ had been hers. But in the two years she’d been on Hutta, it had been the only name she’d ever known him by. She didn’t know his real name and it was unlikely she ever would. ‘Lycus’ would have to do.

Now he was rotting in a trench on Hutta, and she didn’t even have the time to bury him properly.

Fortunately for her, she didn’t need Lycus to be alive to help her out of this predicament.

Linh looked around the plaza again to make sure the coast was clear.

She needn’t have worried about being observed. The whole area seemed completely abandoned. People had either fled for cover or had decided now was as good a time as any to engage in violence elsewhere in the town. Nem’ro may have been a ruthless crime lord, but as had been the case in the palace, his authority had also been the only thing holding some people back.

And that was gone now. She continued to hear the sounds of unrest in the distance. People were dying. But she didn’t have time to think about that.

Residing in the palace as she normally did, Linh could have been searched by Nem’ro’s security at any time. (Indeed, more than one visitor to the palace had found themselves wearing a slave collar for carrying around unauthorized contraband.) So it made sense for Lycus to keep their ‘sensitive equipment’.

Taking a deep breath, Linh carefully detached Lycus’ weapons harness and utility belt from his body and reached into his vest. A moment later, now holding his pass-key, Linh inserted it into her deceased partner’s holo-transmitter.

By itself, the equipment was mundane. Only a thorough inspection by a skilled engineer would have uncovered any anomalies in its manufacture.

Linh took off her necklace from inside her blouse and carefully snapped the pendant in two. She then held the now-exposed circuits against the power cell compartment of the holo-transmitter until they seamlessly slid into place, completing the circuit. After a few moments diode on the advice turned red.

Excellent. Linh smiled. The direct line was secure and would be all but untraceable.

“This is Infiltrator Ninety-nine.” Linh’s voice had changed, but she kept her voice low as she spoke into the transmitter. “Requesting immediate extraction. Confirmation Code Delta-Beta-Nine-Four. Please respond.”

With that, she exhaled. It was the first time in years that she’d used her own voice. An Imperial voice. It felt liberating, really.

A moment later, the holo display started to flicker.

She had expected a junior Watcher to pick up her communications signal at headquarters in Kaas City. Or perhaps – if the Watchers were hard-pressed with the war effort at the moment – a Minder or at least a Fixer. Following protocol, they would direct an Intelligence Asset Recovery Team to her aid, and get her off this cesspit of a world.

Instead, she saw only a rotating Imperial Insignia appear in the holo display, as an automated voice spoke.  

“Attention all personnel: By the order of the Dark Council, Imperial Intelligence has been dissolved. Any and all ongoing operations are hereby terminated. You are ordered to immediately report to Dromund Kaas for reassignment to the Imperial Military. Long live the Emperor.”  

The holo-display went dead.

Linh’s jaw dropped in shock.

No. she silently whispered to herself. Impossible. It couldn’t be true.

She attempted to toggle the call button again for a few futile moments.

Nothing.

Her free hand the nearby tent pole for support. If she hadn’t been crouched down, she’d probably have fallen over.

The implications of this announcement were staggering.

The Sith Empire was over a thousand years old. And Imperial Intelligence had been a part of it since the beginning, cleaning up the messes of the Sith and the Imperial military.

Oh, there had been purges of the service throughout that history. Usually due to some perceived operational failure or another. Occasionally a Minister of Intelligence would be “retired” and the powers that be would insist on “changes in personnel” to make way for the new regime.

But for the Empire to dissolve the service now at the peak of its war with the Galactic Republic…

Madness. She thought to herself. Without Imperial Intelligence, there would be chaos. Not just for the Empire, but with respect to her immediate situation.

Linh needed assistance just safely getting off Hutta, much less getting back to Dromund Kaas.

She’d been Informer-99 for the last three years. She had hoped to be promoted to ‘Minder’ someday, perhaps eventually serve as a station chief on some planet with a more enjoyable climate. (After spending so long on Hutta, Alderaan sounded positively divine.) 

All her career goals were gone now. Dead as Lycus.

Dead as Imperial Intelligence. She thought to herself.

She felt her breathing start to become more rapid as she continued to process.

And what sort of future could she expect if she even made it back to the Imperial capital?

A career in the Imperial Military would be a dead end for her, and a waste of her talents. At best, she’d be stranded in some subordinate clerical position in the Ministry of Logistics, running statistical reports and fetching caff for her superiors.

At worse, she’d be pressed into an auxiliary combat battalion where all her intelligence would be wasted, and she’d be killed off in some useless battle or another.

No. She stopped herself. At worse, I’ll be indentured directly to one of the Sith.

She shivered at the thought, remembering all the stories she’d heard at the academy.

Nothing could be worse than that.

Linh felt her grip on the comm device tighten further.

The Empire had abandoned her. It was no longer home.

She felt a sense of panic start to grow. And then the anger of the injustice of it all.

No. She stopped herself again. That was what her instructors at the academy had trained her not to do.

Unlike Sith, operatives did not have the luxury of giving into their anger. Angry agents made mistakes, as did agents in a state of despair.

If she was to survive, she had to think clearly. She had to remain calm.

She had to remember her training.

After a moment, she felt her breathing relax and her brain started to work again.

First things first. Linh decided to herself, following her training.

Dealing with the immediate situation had to be her priority.

She dropped the holo-communicator on the ground and rose to her feet. Pulling out her holdout blaster, she pointed it at the discarded device.

Then she fired twice.

In a flash, the only physical evidence connecting her to Imperial Intelligence on Hutta had been destroyed in a smoking wreck.

Linh exhaled a breath she didn’t know she’d been keeping.

It feels cathartic. She allowed herself a grim smirk.

Next order of business.

I can’t stay on Hutta. Linh concluded. She’d seen enough conflict among the Hutts to know that sooner or later, and probably sooner, the Cartel would move in to fill the gap left by Nem’ro’s sudden ‘absence’. Once that happened, anyone still around who had even been in the palace at the time of the attack would either be shot on sight or they’d find themselves indentured and sent to the gas mines.

The Hutts did not take betrayal well. By their logic, every resident of Jiguuna should have sacrificed themselves to save Nem’ro. To show clemency to Nem’ro’s surviving supporters would only encourage dissent and disloyalty in other Hutt courts and territories.  

She had to get away from the Houk, the Hutt Cartel and the Empire. If she were lucky, she and Lycus would be presumed dead in the paperwork. If not, she’d be a wanted renegade.

But first, she had to get off Hutta.

She had identified the problem. Now she needed to find a solution.

What are my assets? She continued following the steps of her training.

She regarded her holdout blaster.

Honestly, it had been no more than a deterrent in the Palace. Virtually anyone on Hutta would have outgunned her in a shootout, and if she did run into that Houk, it would count for nothing.

She had a few credits on her, but if people were already fleeing to the spaceport in a panic, she doubted those would be enough to get her anywhere.

Nothing drove up inflation like a life-or-death situation.

Thinking to herself, she dug through her hidden pockets and pulled out a thin piece of plastic.  Carefully unpeeling a label, she regarding the revealed card.

Her backup identity. Not her identity as ‘Linh’, small-time criminal on Hutta. Nor her ‘real name’ she’d been born with in the Empire. But a new one entirely.

Jheeg – the local Arcona fixer who Intelligence had once worked with – had been killed after several security failures involving that business with the agent impersonating the Red Blade. (Linh had privately suspected that Lycus himself had done the job on Jheeg, though she could never prove it and she knew better than to ask.) Jheeg had once provided her and Lycus with backup cover identities if they ever needed to suddenly flee the planet. (Lycus had insisted on the precaution; he never really talked about what he’d done for Imperial Intelligence before this assignment, but it was now clear to her that he had been jaded by his career and was aware of the possibility of a situation such as this arising.)

The identity was still valid; or at least it’d be valid enough in a pinch. It wouldn’t have fooled a review by Imperial Intelligence, she was sure. But if Intelligence no longer existed, it just might fool the Empire.

Regardless, she could build a new life for herself.

But all that would have to start with getting off Hutta.

Her training kicked in again:

Who are my allies?

Rex Geer might have been persuaded to help her. He’d bought her a drink or two at the cantina, and she’d considered taking things further to cement a potentially valuable contact. But Nem’ro’s top street lieutenant – who had led the defense against Fa’athra’s incursion during their conflict – had been one of those killed during the unrest from Nem’ro’s illness a few weeks past.

Stabbed in the back in a back-alley. Linh recalled to herself, with regret. Like as not, his own men had killed him just for the prospect of a promotion.

Oren Ward would have been another potential ally. The bounty hunter had fostered a ‘school-boy crush’ on her, Linh knew. But he and Burnok had departed Hutta months ago for greener pastures after Oren had recovered from his carbonite imprisonment at Fa’athra’s palace.

She tried to think of another protector-type who might still be alive and willing to help her. She came up empty.

It doesn’t look good. Linh admitted to herself, as she tried to reconsider the situation.

In truth, obtaining the services of a ‘hero gunman’ to defend her was a secondary concern, even if having such a champion would have been reassuring. By now, she was convinced that the Houk could have torn through anyone she could think of if he spotted her, possibly even a Sith or a Jedi.

What she really needed was someone with the credits and the connections to get her through the spaceport and off-planet. If it was already locked down by the Cartel’s people, she’d need someone with Nem’ro’s security codes to get off-planet.

She smiled grimly to herself as a stroke of inspiration came to her mind.   

Fortunately, Linh had realized that she knew of just the right person who could provide both.

Surprisingly, getting back into the palace had been a simple affair. Evidently, nearly everyone still capable of walking had already fled by now.

Linh knew she was taking a huge risk just coming back here, but she saw no other options. If her quarry was still alive, they’d be inside. As she made her way through the cantina, she tried not to pay any mind to the corpses she was stepping over. She’d known many of these people for the past two years, and while she personally found most of them unpleasant, she also knew that looking at their dead faces now could easily plunge her into a pit of despair.  

None of that would help her.

She made her way down the corridor, holdout blaster drawn and at the ready.

Remember your training. Linh reminded herself for what felt like the tenth time. She was no true field operative. She’d known from the start at the Academy that she never be a Cipher agent. But she knew how to navigate a dangerous building. Certainly, one that she’d lived at for two years.

She carefully snuck past the receiving chamber to the throne room. She could hear sounds from within that didn’t sound remotely human or sentient, for that matter. Not ‘fighting’ sounds exactly, but…

No. she continued on. I won’t think about that.

As she finally approached her destination, hoping against hope that her target was still inside, she nearly tripped over some wreckage on the floor. Looking down, she recognized it as the remains of P8-47, the astromech droid that frequently acted as one of Nem’ro’s messengers.

The droid had been sweet to her on occasion, and she’d once considered recruiting him as a source. She’d discarded the idea, however; he’d been frightfully loyal to Nem’ro.

Pity. Linh steeled herself from the discovery as she continued down the hall into the next chamber, peeking around the corner.

Two Twi’leks were standing within, with the larger male gripping the younger female’s wrist violently.

“The credits, girl!” Toth'lazhen hissed, slapping the beleaguered woman across the cheek as she cried out.

One of Nem’ro’s senior lieutenants, Toth'lazhen had risen to pre-eminence after the death of Karrels Javis. His reputation for brutality had endeared himself to the Hutt.

Linh had been carefully studying Toth'lazhen for some time now as part of her duties to Imperial Intelligence. The Twi’lek lieutenant normally spoke in the perfect Huttese of his boss.

The fact that he was now speaking his native Twi'leki was telling. If nothing else, based on that fact alone, she’d know that Nem’ro was finished.

Linh had always assessed him as something of a fool and a brute. Today, she was seeing evidence to support that opinion.

Unfortunately, his present victim was the one she’d been seeking.

Juda was a young but highly intelligent green-skinned Twi’lek, unusually amiable for a resident of Nem’ro’s palace. For the past two years or so, she’d served as Nem’ro’s paymaster, taking over when his old accountant, an old human cyborg named Yalt, had made the mistake of going over to Fa’athra’s side.

(She did not want to think about the price Yalt had paid for that mistake. Juda had proven more reliable.)

Today, Linh had decided that Juda was her best chance of getting off Hutta.

Apparently, Toth'lazhen had decided the same thing.  

“Please.” Juda cried out, struggling against his grasp. “Let me go! I’m just trying to get out of here.”

Toth'lazhen slapped the girl again as she cried out. Linh noted a bruise forming beneath Juda’s eye.

“You can run once I have Nem’ro’s money.” He snarled.

Part of Linh’s mind, trained for ruthless pragmatism, related to Toth'lazhen’s position. He was self-interested individually willing to do whatever it took to get off Hutta alive.

The same applies to me. Linh admitted.

On the other hand, he had turned his back to the doorway. And something about the way he was abusing Juda did not sit well with the suddenly unemployed Imperial operative.

His mistake.

Linh scowled, as the major domo raised his hand to strike the weeping girl again. Any thought of negotiating with Toth'lazhen had fled her mind.  

The holdout blaster – set for silent mode – was relatively low-power. But she was less than five meters from the attacking Twi’lek, with more than enough time to put three rounds through his back.

If Toth'lazhen tried to scream out in pain, that scream was cutoff with the second round. The third was only for certainty’s sake.  

Juda blinked in surprise as her attacker fell dead to the floor, looking up at her erstwhile rescuer.

The two women’s eyes met. Much to Linh’s surprise, as she gazed into the Twi’lek’s violet irises, she felt herself gulp.

Was it the adrenaline? The fact that Toth'lazhen was the first person she’d ever killed with her own hand? The look of gratitude in Juda’s pretty, violet eyes?  

“Thank you.” The young Twi’lek whispered, falling back into her desk chair in relief. She held herself gingerly, slowly rocking back and forth.

Linh silently nodded, swallowing and lowering her blaster. Her throat felt dry. Whatever guilt she felt for killing the Twi’lek was being suppressed by the adrenaline still pumping through her veins.  

“Toth'lazhen would have killed me.” Juda said quietly continued, swallowing. “Or worse, he would have sold me off to slavers. Before he even got off planet. The moment he had as much of Nem’ro’s money as he could get his hands on. When he didn’t need me anymore. That’s why I didn’t give into him.”

She looked away, sniffing.

“I’d have been a loose end.”

Loose end. Linh thought to herself. She herself was now a loose end to the Empire, her years of training and service amounting to nothing. She was on her way down; she had to find a way up. Who better to…

Out of the corner of her consciousness, she spotted Juda eyeballing the still-drawn blaster.

Jarred back to the present, Linh put away her weapon, calmly.

“I’m not Toth'lazhen.” She offered reassuringly, glancing down at the dead lieutenant. “If you can help me get off planet, maybe I can help you, too.”

Juda nodded, glancing over at a satchel on her desk.

“I can do that. I was right about to run for it myself when Toth found me.”

Linh tried processing the young woman’s reaction. With the immediate threat removed, her practical intelligence seemed to shine though. She found it refreshing. Inspiring, even.

“You don’t have anyone else here on Hutta?” Linh asked.

That question seemed to strike a nerve. The Twi’lek flinched, closing her eyes in pain as her body rocked back and forth again.

“My mother… passed away a couple of months ago.” Juda’s lip trembled. “Nem’ro didn’t even give me the day off to go to her funeral.”

Linh recalled that she hadn’t seen a family member in years. She had no way of knowing if her parents or brothers were even still alive by now. Nevertheless, she felt a wellspring of sympathy bubbling within her for the young Twi’lek.

“I’m sorry.” She murmured awkwardly. She quickly decided to change the subject. “So. You had a plan to get out? Or just sneak past the Houk?”

Juda took a breath as she gathered herself, gazing down at Toth'lazhen’s corpse absent-mindedly.

“There’s an underground tunnel.” She explained. “It runs along the old gas pipes beneath the town. The entrance is hidden behind the bar in the corner.”

Juda pointed. Linh recalled there was hardly a room in the palace that didn’t have its own bar.

“It comes out west of the palace, near the spaceport. Nem’ro never thought he’d need a way out of his own palace, but Karrels knew he might.”

The Twi’lek smirked.

“He had me budget the construction as ‘palace defenses’. Poor guy just never had the chance to make it out when his time came.”

Linh smiled appreciatively.

“So. That tunnel gets us to the port. Any ideas about what happens next?”

Juda returned the smile, clearly emboldened by the praise. The attractive Twi’lek had drawn plenty of looks since she’d started working at the palace. It was a good bet that up until today, few had been foolish enough to make a move on Nem’ro’s paymaster, especially not after what happened to his previous accountant.

Neither of us work here anymore. Linh thought to herself.

“I know Mekks, the communications officer at the spaceport.” Juda assured her. “He knows how the Cartel operates, and how to make it look like someone shot their way out of there without getting anyone killed… in return for a sizable bribe, of course.”

“Of course.” Linh found herself smiling sincerely for the first time in what felt like days. Fear and bribery were the only things that turned the gears on Hutta. “Then we just need to find a ride off-world.”

Juda’s smile widened, as she reached in and pulled a datapad out of her satchel. Linh could see a stack of pads along with credit sticks and a few strips of flimsi. Clearly, the Twi’lek had been preparing for this trip well.   

“Nem’ro took possession of a small freighter last week.” Juda informed her. “Some smuggler who ditched his cargo from the Imperials.”

She bit her lip as she looked down at the records.

“I still have the access codes. And the license. By the time anyone checks, it’ll be legally ours.”

Linh let out an impressed whistle. This was more than she could have hoped for.  

“Sounds like a plan.” The former Imperial operative felt everything start to fall into place. She smiled again to Juda but found the Twi’lek’s smile had suddenly grown cautious.

“And after that?” Juda asked, uncertainly.

Linh paused, remembering her earlier considerations concerning her own future. Assess potential resources. Her instructors had taught her.

To Nem’ro, Juda had been a competent, unambitious underling who always did what she was told.

To Toth'lazhen, Juda had been nothing but a source of quick credits, to be used and disposed of.

But to Linh, she could be much more.

“You know.” She began. “Between my connections, your financial skills, and Nem’ro’s credits… I think we have enough to start our own ‘consulting’ business. Look around the galaxy. Lots of people are going to need ‘special assistance’ setting up new operations for themselves with all this fallout. Conflict brings chaos. We’ve both seen that here today. But it also brings opportunity to people who know how to seize it.”  

Even as she spoke, Linh felt herself gaining confidence in this plan of action. She’d need time to work out the details of course, but at least now she had a direction. Later, they could take on some hired muscle for security. Linh knew what to look for in a dependable mercenary so that she and Juda could avoid emergencies like this one in the future.

Linh finally extended an open hand towards the Twi’lek.

“Partners?” she asked.

Juda chewed her lip for a minute, regarding Linh and the offered hand.

The Twi’lek suddenly grasped Linh by the shoulders fiercely and leaned in. Juda’s lips met those of the former Informer of Imperial Intelligence, kissing her passionately. Linh felt her entire body go rigid with shock at the gesture.

It had been more than a year since she’d taken actual comfort in the touch of another, and Juda was certainly attractive. A warm feeling started to grow in the pit of her stomach.

She felt her lips and then her hands start to respond on impulse, surrendering herself to the sensation.

Juda suddenly pulled away as the stricken Imperial tried to regain her breath.

“For luck.” She offered by way of explanation, giving Linh a dazzling smile. She finally took Linh’s hand, giving it a friendly shake.

“Partners.” She declared.

Linh could only catch herself against the desk as she regained her footing and blink.

Definitely more than just a source of quick credits. She confirmed to herself.

Juda, meanwhile, had ducked behind the bar with her satchel over her shoulder. Pushing a crate and a rug out of the way, the woman opened the hidden trap door down to the tunnel, then looked back over at Linh.

“Come on.” The Twi’lek smiled. “That Houk might come poking around any minute.”

Linh swallowed and moved to comply.

As she followed Juda through the trap door and down into the escape tunnel, she felt confident she was taking the first step towards her future.

Time to climb the ladder.

THE END?

Author’s Notes: There are any number of corrupt and even ‘evil’ powers within the SWTOR story. As much as we might loathe them, it’s fascinating for me to think that if any of them suddenly weren’t there, the vacuum would make room for something even worse.

Those of you who have played the Bounty Hunter class story too many times will know from the Companion cut-scene dialogue that Skadge killed Nem’ro the Hutt off-screen, a revenge killing for an earlier betrayal that landed Skadge on Belsavis in the first place. The idea of Skadge successfully rampaging his way through Nem’ro’s palace, where we spend so much time as an Imperial Agent / Bounty Hunter at the start of the story, was fascinating to me. (How many of the NPC’s we interacted with earlier actually survived???) Skadge is probably my least favorite character in SWTOR, but the idea of him being the star boogey-man of a grisly horror film, slaughtering dozens of people, that concept intrigues me.

Each class has an NPC on their starting planet that provides a mission directing the player-character to the trainer on-planet. Linh is the NPC on Hutta that directs Imperial Agents to the on-planet trainer, Lycus Mattle. With the many changes in the game over the years, those missions are largely redundant, worth only a smidgen of XP. But some of those cutscene interactions were memorable to me, including Linh’s. I decided I had to do something with her at some point.

This story was the result.

Juda is another fun character from the Bounty Hunter story. She’s Nem’ro’s paymaster on Hutta, and later unwittingly engages in some minor skullduggery during the Great Hunt. Fortunately, my own bounty hunter, Xadya, chose not to hold her indiscretions against her. (Mako would not have approved if Xadya had taken Juda out!)

As always, I love the idea that our characters leave a deep mark on the places they visit, for good and for ill. Gahraath Vaiken, my Cipher Nine in the Halcyon Legacy, was rather vicious when he started out as an Imperial Agent on Hutta, a bit too eager to demonstrate his own ruthlessness. He’d eventually mellow a good deal, but at the time, Linh was both physically attracted to him while simultaneously left with the impression of a cold-blooded killer who would easily dispose of her if it suited his mission.

(Which he absolutely was. But like I said, he’s softened a good bit by the end of the class story.)

Virtually every name I dropped within this story is an actual NPC from the missions on Hutta. (And some of you may also have picked up on an appearance by a certain unnamed mustached field medic companion from another of the class stories. 🤓)

The ‘Informers’ title is, in fact, a specific canon designation within the old Imperial Intelligence organization, much like Ciphers, Watchers, Minders and Fixers. They aren’t mentioned in the game itself; they do come up in The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance novel where Ula Vii is presented as an example. Something we don’t talk about enough is the impact the dissolution of Imperial Intelligence would have on the Empire and the greater galaxy, especially at the peak of the war. You’re literally talking about hundreds or thousands of agents and operatives either completely cutoff from the Empire without recourse or suddenly pressed into the service of the Sith or to an Imperial Military that treats them like cannon-fodder. (Remember how Cipher Nine was treated on Corellia?) The fallout from that sudden absence would be profound for the Empire, as well. Imperial Intelligence literally existed for centuries, and nature abhors a vacuum.

No wonder Marr had to establish Sith Intelligence a few years later. Their entire system would have been in a perpetual state of collapse without it.

I tweaked the layout of the palace a little bit for narrative reasons. It’s significantly larger here, which makes sense given how many people seem to live there.  

The Informer-Ninety-Nine moniker is an Easter Egg reference to “Get Smart”. (A show waaaay before my time. I’m old, but not that old.) It just tickled me, so I tossed that in.

 The ‘For luck’ kiss is an obvious homage to the scene from Episode IV: A New Hope. (Don’t worry – Juda and Linh aren’t related. 😉 ) Further, Juda’s line about a smuggler’s freighter was a Han Solo & Jabba reference.  

Tagging @oolathurman , as they once mentioned she loved the character of Juda.

Also tagging!

@a-master-procrastinator @anchanted-one @distressed-gizka @eorzeashan @justiceforc3po @kemendin @magicallulu7 @nikkeisimmer @sadiebwrites @the-cloudwatcher @the-raven-of-highever @tishinada @zabrakghoul @swtorhub

[kuromiiwonhan]

Bts Fanfic Recommendations PT.1

Readers note: Hi everyone! I decided to make a BTS ff recommendation post finally! After reading so many amazing ff’s  this year, here are the ones that I have put together so far, many more are to come in the future:) A warning I have is that 99.9% of these contain things such as nsfw/smut, dark themes, mature themes, etc. So this post is 18+, I am not your mother so I cannot stop you from what you read, but I am cautioning you before you continue. Also, almost all of these are members x fem!reader. Hope you enjoy and full credit to all of these authors and thank you so much for your amazing hard work!!! Happy reading:)

**ALL RIGHTS GO TO ORIGINAL WRITERS**

A- Angst F-Fluff M- Nsfw/smut/mature *- Favorites

Seokjin:

Be lucky (f) 

Forever (A,F,M) - ex!fiance x reader/ idol au

24/7 marriage counselor(F)

Sunday(M)

Want sum f*ck(M) - Fuckboy!seokjin x reader

Verlangen(M,F) Model!Jin x Model!Reader

Timid (M) Yandere!Jin x reader

Yoongi:

Yoongi Bf drabble(M,F) It’s just a little suggestive lol

Beloved (M) Emperor!Yoongi x reader

Two hours(F) Otter hybrid!Yoongi x reader

Set me free(A,F)

I love you eternally(A,F)

The life of a tyrant(F) Yandere tyrant!Yoongi x dog hybrid! reader

Bangtans Receptionist(M,F) Mafia boss!Yoongi x reader

Kiss me more(S,F,A) CEO!Yoongi x reader

The depth of hell(M,F,A) Human!Yoongi x cat hybrid! reader

Latibule Master-List(F,A) Mafia/detective!Yoongi x reader

Close call(M) Mafia!Yoongi x reader

Put your records on(M,F) Hybrid!Yoongi x reader

Exitus Acta Probat(M) Mafia!Yoongi x reader

Need you so bad(M,F,A) Husband!Yoongi x reader

The landlord(M) 

After hours(M,A?) Boss!Yoongi x reader

The second time(M,F) 

High heels and cunnilingus(M)

Take one(M,F) Pornstar!Yoongi x Fan Fiction Writer!Reader

Liberosis(A,M) Lawyer!Min Yoongi x trophy wife!reader

Inspire me, baby(M) Idol!Yoongi x reader

The king isn't dead(M,F) 

Purgatory(M,F,A) Yandere!Vampire Yoongi x reader

Hoseok:

My sunshine(M) Patient!Jung Hoseok x Psychologist!Reader ******

Suncity(M,F,A) ****

Hot rod (M,F) Greaser!Hoseok x reader

Moral dilemma(M) Yandere!Hoseok x reader

Let's get engaged(F) 

Public enemy(M,A) Mafia!Hoseok x reader

Oh, Angel! (M,F) Idol Jung Hoseok  x Baby Girl Reader

Play with fire(M) Arsonist!Hoseok x Criminal!f.Reader

Keynote(M) 

Keep me warm(M) 

A silent heart still beats(F,A) 

Wedding night(M)

Starting again(F) 

Not today, satan(M) ​​Demon!hoseok x reader

We Shouldn't(M) Bestie!Hoseok x reader

Unnamed(M)

Him and I, and these heavenly drops(F)

An uninvited guest Master-list(M) Mentally deranged!Hoseok x reader

Take care of me(F,M)

Coffee?(M,F) Idol!Hoseok x Stylist!Reader

Unnamed(M) 

Glossy top coat(M) Idol!Hoseok x reader

Lost(F?,M?) Yandere!Hoseok x reader

Raging(M)

Expecting(M) Yandere!Hoseok x reader

Namjoon:

Unnamed(F) Idol!Namjoon x Author!reader

r/n: this has been in my drafts for a while so I hope you all enjoy:)

pt.2 here

[ainyan]

Kal'istae Miurani - Stats and Facts

B A S I C S

Name: Kal’istae Miurani

Nicknames: Kali

Age: 34 as of the beginning of Dawntrail

Nameday: 18th day of the 3rd Astral Moon

Race: Xaela Au Ra

Gender: Female

Orientation: Pansexual/Demi-Romantic

Relationship(s): Thancred Waters (Lover/Husband)

Profession: Warrior of Light

Canon Jobs: All Jobs

Main Jobs: White Mage, Summoner, Dancer, Paladin, Dragoon

Crafter/Gatherer: Yes (Omnicrafter/Gatherer)

P H Y S I C A L   A S P E C T S

Hair: Midnight blue with silver streaks. She keeps it long - hip length or longer, and bound in a braid that falls down along her spine.

Eyes: Indigo with glowing lavender limbal rings

Skin: Indigo with silver freckles and obsidian scales

Tattoos/scars: One tattoo: A meteor brand between her shoulder blades. She still hopes for the brand of an Archon someday. A number of small scars are scattered across her back, ribs, stomach, legs, and arms, evidence of her very active and combat-filled lifestyle.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Unnamed Dotharl Xaela

Siblings: No known blood siblings. Two adopted siblings in Sharlayan - Cassandra and Aidan Miurani. Two foster siblings in Ishgard - Artoirel and Emmanellain de Fortemps.

Grandparents: Unnamed Dotharl Xaela

In-laws and Other: Ryne Waters (Stepdaughter)

Pets: Numerous various animals and mammets

S K I L L S

Abilities: Skilled in magic, gathering, crafting, fighting. Particularly skilled in alchemy, cooking, sewing, and jewelry making. Adept Summoner with access to all known Egis.

Hobbies: Making plushes, particularly of animals she’s encountered or people she knows. She keeps most of them for herself, but will gift them to her special people or occasionally barter them for goods she needs.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Patience. Kal’istae has infinite patience when dealing with almost anything, whether it’s waiting for news, helping those in need, teaching her goldsmithing students, or awaiting Thancred’s return from wherever he’s run off to.

Most Negative Trait: Low self-esteem. Despite her notoriety and fame, Kal’istae does not look at herself the same way everyone else does. She does not see the miracles she has wrought or the good deeds she has done, only the mistakes she has made and the cost in lives lost to her inability to solve every problem.

L I K E S

Colors: Purple, blue, teal, lavender, silver, gold

Smells: Warm leather, gunpowder, gun oil, lavender, sage, wild roses, starflowers, fresh churned earth.

Textures: Silk, smooth wood, smooth stone, velvet, soft petals, cold water

Drinks: Hot tea, water, sweet red wine, hot chocolate

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Never

Drinks: Occasionally, but only when around others and when there is someone else abstaining

Drugs: Never

Mount Issuance: Kal’istae was claimed early by a rental chocobo from Mimigun in Ul’dah, and when she was given her issuance from the Flames, she immediately chose her friend and named him Zhikanikoth, or Zeek for short. It was many years later that the memory of her first chocobo companion, also named Zhikankioth, returned to her and she realized that her first companion was none other than her current companion, waiting those five long years for his mistress to return. She also has a very large number of mounts she has gathered over the years, but none so beloved as her Zeek.

Been Arrested: What?? No! (Being arrested for a false accusation of regicide doesn’t count!)

Tagged by: @paintedscales

Tagging: No one in particular, but if no one else has tagged you and you would like to do this, consider yourself tagged by me!

[justagirlinafandomworld]

Welcome to April 2023's Reading List! I fell off the reading wagon this month - who would have thought that I would be so busy on vacation? Not me lol. I hope April was kind to you. And if it wasn’t, I hope you’ll still be kind to yourself. Now let's dive into some fics!

Thank you, all you talented writers for providing us with an escape. It’s so needed and appreciated. You’re awesome. 😘

Happy Reading!

2023 reading list | fic rec masterlist

Dividers provided by @firefly-graphics

Marvel

Drabble by @angrythingstarlight Soft!Dark Mafia Bucky x Runaway Bride!Reader Warnings: 18+ only.

Passionate Negotiations by @targaryenvampireslayer Mob Boss!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Your husband is in trouble with the wrong man, and there's something you can do to get him out of it. Warnings: domestic a/buse. Implied marital r/ape. Nefarious mob plots including d/rugs and m/urder. F/orced cuckholding and f/orced voy-uerism. Mentions of mis/carriage due to ab/use. Kind of d-ub c-on. Threats. S/mut. P in V. O/ral. F/ingering. Dirty talk. All kinds of fun! 18+ ONLY PLEASE AND FUCKING THANK YOU!

Star Trek aos

Imagine Going to the Beach with Jim by @youre-on-a-starship Jim Kirk x Reader Prompt: “A kirk x reader one where you go to the beach and see him shirtless? ;) and then someone tries to flirt and you decide to test him, and he actually tells the other person to back off??” Warnings: none provided.

Supernatural

Dreams of Happiness (Rumors Part 2) by @deanwinchesterswitch Dean Winchester x Female Reader You’re doing well in your new life—many would say you’re ‘living the dream’. The only problem is, it’s not the life you dreamed of living. Warnings: 18+ Angst; Some fluff; Language; Mentions of smut; Canon divergence.

When the Walls Come Down (Rumors Part 3) by @deanwinchesterswitch Dean Winchester x Female Reader Memories and longing chip away at the walls they built to protect their hearts, but as their defenses begin to crumble, shame and regret seep through the cracks threatening to leave love buried beneath the rubble. Warnings: 18+ Angst; A tiny bit of fluff; Dean being Dean; Language; Implication of sex work; Canon divergence; Descriptions of high emotional distress; Possible triggers

Madness by @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior Dean Winchester x Y/N Dean wants EVERYONE to know that you belong to him. Warnings/Explicit 18+: Smut. Smut. Smut. All smut. Rough sex. Public sex. Brief, slightly degrading talk, Unprotected P in V sex, voyeurism mentioned, breeding kink if you REALLY squint, possessive!dean.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship by @there-must-be-a-lock Dean Winchester x Reader Request: “Enemies to lovers with sub!Dean, please and thank you.” Warnings: mature

He is the Storm by @deanwinchesterswitch Dean Winchester x Female Reader Drabble Warnings: none provided

Dirty Sweet by @deanwinchesterswitch Dean Winchester x Unnamed Female Dean's girl is a handful and he wouldn't have it any other way. Warnings: NSFW-18+

Pure by @deanwinchesterswitch Dean Winchester x Female Reader Purgatory is heartbreaking in its purity. Warnings: NSFW-18+; Canon typical violence

Part-time soulmate by @princessmisery666 Dean Winchester x Unnamed Female The lure is stronger than the certainty of heartbreak. Warnings/Genres etc.: Angst.  

Love-Blind Haze by @princessmisery666 Dean Winchester x Unnamed Female Habits are hard to break, especially ones as blinding as Dean. Warnings/Genres etc.: angst.

Seen by @deanwinchesterswitch Dean Winchester x Female Reader A chance encounter could lead to something more. Warnings: none provided.

Top Gun: Maverick

Falling & Failing by @princessmisery666 Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Unnamed Female Song prompt from Unclaimed Love Songs: Falling Slowly Song by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová Warnings: none provided

Fries, Goodbyes & The Rest of Our Lives by @princessmisery666 Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Female Reader Being stood up isn’t always a bad thing. Warnings/Genre etc.: Fluff, lousy singing. 

Other Characters

Desire by @deanwinchesterswitch Any male x Reader Drabble Warnings: none provided.

[louisetaylor]

The novel we all need:

Beatrice's 200-page novel/letter to Lemony containing all of the many reasons why she can't marry him. The darkly elegant turn-of-the-century opera/ballet/high-society vibes of Lemony, Beatrice, Esme, Jerome, Kit, Jacques, and perhaps Olaf, all scheming and murdering and flirting in The Unnamed Big City.

Cab rides fraught with menace and apprehension, with Jacques whistling up in front as he drives. Beatrice narrating everything with a grief (and loquacity) similar to Lemony's, but looking toward the future rather than the past. Sometimes she writes "a word which here means" because Lemony says it so often. Food and fire as recurring themes. Beatrice might have an unnerving attraction to fire...and one instance of intentional fire-setting because she knows two instances would legally make her a pyromaniac.

Her uncertainty between Lemony and Bertrand, two very different men who are equally pretentious in different ways (and subtly fight over her in Clever Verbal Skirmishes, which she loves). The whole story taking place in the melodramatic atmosphere of the opera, perhaps divided into acts. Brief arias of soliloquy from Beatrice, letters from Lemony (!!!) and her friendship with the mysterious Duchess R of Winnipeg. GORGEOUS clothes on absolutely everyone.

Lemony and Beatrice bonding over their love of root beer floats, not to mention questioning the whole system of V.F.D. thinking violence is never acceptable and the world should always be quiet. I've always wondered why Beatrice chose Bertrand over Lemony, and if she really loved Lemony more. LEMONY COOKING FOR BEATRICE AT 2 AM IN HER APARTMENT AFTER A SHOW. Lemony crying on her shoulder at the bitterness of the world, disapproving of her preference for sweet milky tea. Bertrand symbolizing fire (candles, chandeliers in operas and restaurants), and Lemony symbolizing water (rain, the sea, lunch at Briny Beach, splashing with her in the fountain).

The fated tea party, the friendship turned simmering rivalry between Esme and Beatrice, the theft of the sugar bowl when Beatrice finally turns her back on Esme. Kit's subtle glances at Olaf, who's still young and kind and handsome and full of hope and mischief, even though he's a bit of a jerk. Kit believes in him. Everyone else just believes in Kit. Jacques flirting with anything in a skirt just because he likes making people blush and giggle.

The denouement is the grand opera where Beatrice's performance is followed by the death of Olaf's father and the breaking of the fellowship.

Notes in the margins written by Lemony and punctuated by tear stains.

At the end of the book, she quotes Robert Frost. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire."

After the quotation, Lemony writes "She burned too bright for this world" from Wuthering Heights, which she loved.

Perhaps the overall meaning of the book could be that Beatrice (a name which here means "she who brings happiness") loves Lemony, and always will, because he symbolizes grief and lost love and wishing for the safe childhood that none of them ever had. But Lemony is the past, and Bertrand is the future. Beatrice has always been surrounded by people who wrote and spoke and sang of the beauty of grief, the glory of sadness. But Beatrice couldn't help holding a happiness as deep as grief. She loves dark stories and art as much as anyone (she's an opera singer, after all) but she's hungry for happiness.

And she had happiness with Lemony when he gave her food, when he hugged her and told her all the ways he would love her, when he played the accordion so well it made her cry. The manuscript is stained with her tears too. She needs to make people happy, and as much as Lemony loved her, she could never make him happy. He saw and adored her deep capacity for happiness, but he couldn't receive it. Like Dante, he admired Beatrice's glow from afar. Now he descends into the inferno, where his angel can't go with him.

The novel is perhaps named A Series of Fortunate Events. Because they all happened with him at her side. Although she has to leave him, she mourns for him, for his endless wandering on the run, and never regrets the time she spent with him. She finally learned to see herself as he always saw her--a beacon of light and warmth who held all the friends together, even as the times grew dark and the force of destiny worked on them all.

Perhaps it was really Beatrice who symbolized fire all the time, not Bertrand. Lemony was water, and water smothers fire and dims its light. But Bertrand might symbolize air. Bertrand might be a fresh breath of air on Mount Fraught, liking the outdoors more than Lemony, making mischievous jokes with Olaf, slurping loudly from a straw while Lemony does a Dramatic Philosophical Monologue, meeting her on windy streets with newspapers (articles written by Lemony) blowing around their feet. Bertrand pining in the background as Lemony kisses Beatrice's hand. She feels more alive and awake with Bertrand. Water reflects fire, but air feeds it.

The whole novel contains foreshadowing of all the unfortunate events to come, some of the references quite clever and amusing even as they break your heart. But one comes away from the book with a sense that though Beatrice was always doomed to die...she LIVED. The book must be warm and full of life, contrasting the books about her children in a world that is often too cold and too quiet. The world is too quiet without her. But it's not a sad ending. Because she left a legacy of warmth and hope and love. Lemony wrote the children's stories for her sake, because he loved her and remembered her.

He loved her for her fiery happiness, even as she loved him for his grief and vulnerability. In the scene where Lemony confesses his love for Beatrice, a moth flies into the candle on the table between them, symbolic of Lemony wishing his heart out to be with her warmth, even as it doomed him to exile in a cold and quiet world.

But even this is not the end. Because someday, after Beatrice and Lemony have had their say, young Beatrice Baudelaire II will drop a note through the ceiling of Lemony's office, and the old Beatrice somehow gave Lemony a child to love and take care of, in a strange and roundabout way.

Edit: Allusions to heaven and hell throughout the work, hell being the arson perpetrated by the Bad Guys, and purgatory being the wide empty hinterlands that lie outside the city. Lemony chooses to stay in hell to help the unfortunate people in it, making him a bit of a Christ figure. Bertrand climbing his way up out of hell and reaching for the heaven of a safe home and family. Beatrice symbolizing an angel who fell, or was pushed, from heaven a long time ago and being a bit of a Christ figure herself for going deep into Lemony's sadness and understanding him, thus saving him even as he saves her.

[wpip-raham]

B A S I C S

Name: W'pip Raham (ex Tia)

Nicknames: Pip, Pippin, Pippy, the Lad

Age: ~26-27

Nameday: 25th Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon

Race: Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te

Gender: Male

Orientation: Some degree of bi or queer with no apparent preference in gender/sex (aka whatever he can get)

Profession: Pit fighter

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C  T S

Hair: A sandy blonde mop that's an amalgamation of wave, frizz, and poof. He generally wears it tied back (as seen in game) but had braids as a boy (he doesn't know how to braid, his mother did it for him). His hair is almost never down, save for sleeping.

Eyes: left: pumpkin orange, right: desert yellow

Skin: Deep tan, freckled.

Tattoos/scars: No tattoos, but many many scars--most of which are minor and not worth mention. A large scar cuts across the bridge of his nose diagonally, is mostly healed over his cheek, but still visible on his jawline.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Both alive, his mother is W'Ahra and his father is unnamed. Part of me wants to flesh out his backstory entirely, and the other part is lazy but pretends its left open for potential RP.

Siblings: Initially I had Pip be the only kit of W'Ahra but I'm thinking of changing this. He, of course, has several siblings in his tribe and a few brothers but I think having grown with an immediate brother (to W'Ahra) can help back his pervasive competitiveness.

Grandparents: In the tribe, yes but nothing specific written out.

In-laws and Other: Unmarried. Roric Raham, his late tutor/mentor was the father his Nunh wasn't.

Pets: None

S K I L L S

Abilities: Pip has no magical affinities or abilities. The only thing of note in his skill in hand-to-hand combat.

Hobbies: Fishin', drankin', trainin', being a nuisance to the public of Ul'dah.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Social, agreeable, welcoming.

Most Negative Trait: Annoying, constant peacocking, unsympathetic.

L I K E S

Colors: Loves a little color, especially warm or earth tones--gold, yellows, oranges, tans, greens, etc.

Smells: He loves the smell of water--sea, pond, river--the fishier the better. Leather and tack. Fresh and delicate perfumes/soaps like orange blossom, honey, etc.

Textures: Leather, hemp, linen, warm sand under the toes.

Drinks: He's never met a drink he didn't like.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Doesn't.

Drinks: Coffee in the mornings, though not opposed to tea. Water. Otherwise, something alcoholic.

Drugs: He's been known to use elixirs and potions during his fights. He doesn't ask what's in 'em but he has some ideas.

Mount Issuance: He canonically does not have a mount or anything of that nature. But in game and OOC I typically use the Flying Cumulus on him.

Been Arrested: Somehow, no.

Tagged by: @sundered-souls thanks!!!

Tagging: @bonespyre (any muse), @aroseyetbloomedwrites, @ooc-miqojak ( I know you were tagged already so use this additional tag to talk about a different muse if you feel up to it), @grumpy-limsan-customs-cat, @thestarsfury, @the-sycophant, @captainqster, @but-first--tea, @zhauric, @yloiseconeillants

[felikatze]

rereading the ember knight (again) and picking up on more stuff because i actually remember more character names (i can successfully tell myusa and wadrin apart now!) and when i got back to laurun's backstory arc i felt so stupid because like

at the veeeeeeery beginning, nagyunn says najin suddenly became stronger after nagyunn got sick when they were kids. and then laurun says najin approached him when nagyunn was sick. and najin was apparently part of the dragon's descendants. and the dragon's descendants have a ritual that grants power equivalent to the knights' geas, which can also be performed by outsiders (as shown by laurun himself performing it!!)

so yeah duh. najin joined them for power when he felt the most powerless (with nagyunn, his protector, being extremely ill). he was probably so strong because he went through the ritual. HOWEVER we've seen that the power granted by the ritual is tied closely to the chief, and the chief has to give permission to use full power, as we saw when lyamin asked laurun for permission to go fight the apprentices again, so it really is exactly like the conditions placed on knights through the geas.

and like, quaring's sudden power up is also after she makes a vow to the dead jiroon, so promises are just fucking like. All Powerful, but Restricting. this overlap is probably why laurun used to research the geas with the komaeda look alike and zius. i forgot his name. LEGIA. WHITE CROW LEGIA. that bitch. yeah.

obviously there are still Many Questions. like. how does The Actual Dragon factor into this. didn't he call the dragon's descendants posers.

oh also sidenote. rereading laurun's backstory just made everything so much clearer cuz i got REALLY confused when i read it the first time cuz all the names are so similar. we have laukan, laurun's adoptive dad, his unnamed mother, and lauzun, his little brother. the old chief of the descendants is gonna kick the bucket, as is the old mother of dragons.

so the conflict is between who's gonna be chief between laukan and lushul. lushul is luyan's dad, who has a "will they won't they" thing with laurun, and is slated to be next mother of dragons.

laurun would be the perfect chief candidate if not for his status as an outsider, which leads to extra squabbling between laukan and lushul as both families have one super promising kid each.

we also see lyamin's dad!! he was one of laukan's supporters, apparently, and we also have mention of kallan, the super smiley one who murdered jiroon.

lushul killed the old chief and laukan. laurun arrived to the scene after his talk with luyan, and retaliated by killing lushul as well as lushul's whole group. then, the knights show up and demand an agreement, but laurun sends them off cuz lushul did that, and fuck lushul, he's dead now.

before the fighting broke out, laukan told lauzan to run away, cuz lushul would also kill him. that's gonna be how lauzan ended up in woodion, since it's now established that the two settlements were close to each other.

so close, in fact, that when laurun searches for his brother, he runs into najin in the woods.

the knights r also super suspicious here. the way they talk abt the mother of dragons makes me suspect she was their end goal in massacring the descendants, since we saw who we now know as luyan in their custody in the capital city before. laurun probably doesn't even know she's still alive.

it's all super interesting!! everytime i read this series i understand more!!

and like yeah a lot of this is because all the names are so similar and it takes a reread to untangle them all, but it's also just well crafted. like when nagyunn meets up with the first special class, one of em perks up when he mentions being from woodion. this is just ONE thought bubble, but it's notable because this knight is later revealed to he tyr's older sister! she honed in on it cuz she's also from woodion! or at least because her brother lived there.

anyways. read the ember knight. it's good.

[clanofjones]

Hiatus Update ^^

@theosb0rnway, @spicy-apple-pie, @finnstir, @kallmefren, @justamuppet, @mostlyvoid-partiallyturtles, @fanatess, @justletmereadmycomics, @thecranialbones, @alolaartista:

I'm officially back from my hiatus! You may have/probably noticed that I've still been active on Tumblr these past few days, and you'd be correct. My social battery has been NONEXISTENT, and I've been in a state of recovery, which is why I haven't sent this out earlier. Hiatus probably isn't the right word, but IDK *shrugs*

ME NEWS:

I will have to go on another similar break in the first week of October, and another in the last week of May. If you'd like to know then just message me, dw.

NOW, FOR STUFF (that I could probably message individual people for but I'm tired and we're mass posting ig)

tagging people who I know are co-creating or interested in certain projects of mine, but all (even those I didn't tag) to peruse my wares :)

Ghosts of Our Days- @theosb0rnway, @kallmefren, @justamuppet

Okay I'm actually proud of this one-

I MADE A SHORT ANIMATIC FOR GoOD!!

*dances*

BUT

It contains vague spoilers for an upcoming chapter so it's on the back burner for now. I am SO EXCITED for the masses to see this one! For such a short and, in the grand scheme of animations, unremarkable thing, it took about two months :/

SO CHERISH ITTTT

14, while on the way, is going to be a bit on account of many things. We've got lives, you've got lives, we chilling.

Of Mutants, Mystics, and Magic- @finnstir, @theosb0rnway

I do have an update in the making! Finn, you might wanna check out the AU acc for the newer updates, but no pressure! (AU acc is @of-mutants-mystics-and-magic for searching convenience :))

Cardinal Rules- @theosb0rnway, @fanatess, @thecranialbones

New updates for my second ROTTMNT fic are coming out on Ao3 and Tumblr this weekend! I'm trying a new update schedual where I finish one multichap fic and post the entirety of a solo-chapter fic at once. EX: I finish this one, and post a lil one-shot, that way when y'all finish a fic, there's going to be something else!

I'm hi-key really proud of this one, so YAY!!

MISC/Unnamed/TBD projects

@alolaartista, I'm making headway with that art I was telling you about, and I will message you it! I also have a written snippet to add to the pile-

@spicy-apple-pie- >:3

I am making YOU a *m y s t e r y t h i n g*

@... EVERYONE ELSE!

My 12!Rasey and Rise!Casey Jr stuff is my most popular stuff, and I approve of your tastes LOL

SO I'm going to be dropping another 12!Rasey ship dynamic + some Casey Jr art for the soul soon!

[undertale-writing-times]

Hello! Can you do 69. “I'll keep you safe.” from the Yandere Prompt with Axe, please? ^^

Of course! And thank you for putting the prompt ^^

Axe couldn't remember the last time that he loved someone as much as he loved his datemate. Not because of his bad memory, but more because of how much he loved them.

Yeah, he loved his sibling, Noodle, but it felt different with Y/n. Maybe because they made him feel normal? Whenever they were around, he felt like he was just… him. He didn't feel like he was the bad guy that killed so many people. He didn't feel like the crazy, scary looking, giant skeleton… he just felt like Sans again.

Even though he knew that he could never go back to that time.

He could never be that again.

Even so, he still liked how Y/n made him feel, and every time they had to leave him, he felt like he was suffocating; and he hated it! He hated it whenever they had to leave, sometimes he would make excuses and other times, he would hold onto them and act like he was asleep, so they would have to stay.

They really thought that he was a heavy sleeper… he wasn't. He never was, and he was so happy that they didn't know that.

The last few days, he's been noticing something. They would look at their phone, then sigh, looking uncomfortable, and turn it off. When they went to the bathroom, he checked, and there were messages from some random number.

What he read from them, annoyed him. The random person was talking about taking HIS Y/n out on a date! What kind of idiot does this person think that Y/n is? Why would they lower themselves to have to date some… unnamed human?! He growls at the thought, and puts the phone down. He would plan a few things…

When Y/n came back from the bathroom, he slipped his arms around them loosely, and rests his head down against their shoulder, looking at their face, "I'll… keep ya safe… ya know that, r-…right?" His eyeshine shoots up to look at their face.

They laugh, looking down at him and kiss his cheek "Yeah, I know you would. You silly skelly." They had no idea that he looked at their phone, and he was sure that he wouldn't tell them. He's going to find out who that other person is though, and deal with them himself.

Nobody is allowed to try to take his datemate away from him, he didn't care who that person was! He would protect Y/n from the world if they were against them.

[konnfusion]

hello! I'm back!

I spent most of the last week in NOLA for the Overlook Film Festival, and it was the best time I've had in literal ages. I met so many great people, including three directors, an art director, and an actress, and I got to be ten feet away from Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel! it was truly the greatest long weekend ever; still can't believe it's over.

gonna briefly talk about the movies I got to see, though! most of these have upcoming wide release dates, and you should definitely check them out, if you're able!

CUCKOO (2024) dir. Tilman Singer: Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens lead this really fun, batshit scream-fest that was sooooo queer (thematically and textually) to me. Dan Stevens should always play weird little guys with musical instruments. whatever you think this movie is about: no, it probably isn't. not every beat lands, but the ones that do are pretty damn good. it's going to wide release in August!

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH (2024) dir. Paul Duane: an Irish folk horror propelled forward by a metal soundtrack interwoven with haunting ballads, and an awakening of something ancient and devastating. described by Duane as a "vibe movie" in the vein of Kurosawa's PULSE and CURE with hints of Żuławski's POSSESSION, it touches on themes of obsession and love and consumption, and mysticism of forgotten pasts. I've still got the music and imagery stuck in my head. the movie will be available to rent digitally soon, and will be going to a currently unnamed streaming service later this year. (thanks for the Q&A, Paul and actress Catherine Siggins! your passion for the project was utterly infectious, and can't wait to see that next film that Paul said is going to "piss a lot of people off"!)

OCULUS (2014) dir. Mike Flanagan: 10th Anniversary Screening & Presentation of the 2024 Master of Horror Award: this plays so well in a packed house that I upped by LBX rating by half a star. the Q&A afterwards made me appreciate the movie (bleakness and all) even more, because I got to listen to Mike Flanagan talk about how he feels he's improved as a storyteller, and how just making anything is invigorating, even if you sort of cringe to look back on some things. his shout-outs about LAKE MUNGO and DOCTOR WHO were for me specifically. oh, also, hashtag ONEMOREDOG for Kate! (thanks for the Q&A, Mike! hope you got the big axe award home okay! get Kate a second dog!)

LOOKING OVER THE GARDEN WALL: a 10th Anniversary Celebration of OVER THE GARDEN WALL (2014) created by Patrick McHale: show creator Patrick McHale and art director Nick Cross came by to tell us all about their work prior to collaborating, and how the show came to be through a process that, they hoped, would create an immensely re-watchable holiday classic. we even got to see McHale's first student film, and Cross' work for a local film festival back in the 00s, and a screening of TOME OF THE UNKNOWN, the original pilot for OTGW. (thanks for the Q&A, Mike and Nick, and for the autographs and doodles afterwards! your work continues to entertain my household every fall.)

ME (2024) dir. Don Hertzfeldt: director Hertzfeldt requested that everyone go into this with as little information as possible, so I'm going to be vague here. this is wildly different from his previous work (IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY, WORLD OF TOMORROW, etc.) in presentation, that I couldn't help but just sort of sit and marvel at it. it's so experimental and unique, and I can't stop thinking about it. (heard from the man's own mouth:) the short film will be paired with a remastered theatrical re-release of IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY (2012) sometime in the next month! (thanks for the Q&A, Don, and for the chat we shared afterwards. your work is immensely important to me, and I feel very lucky to have been able to tell you so. sorry I got a little weepy, and for making you weepy, too. very proud to have been dubbed "the gateway drug" for your work. also stoked for your project with Ari Aster! I'll be front-row when it releases!)

I SAW THE TV GLOW (2024) dir. Jane Schoenbrun: similar to the above description, this is a different and more traditional presentation compared to Shoenbrun's debut feature, creepypasta-inspired WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR (2021). TV GLOW is a slow-burn queer (specifically trans) odyssey filled to the brim with painstakingly recreated 90s TV aesthetics, haunting abstract imagery, and an aura that carried echoes of Lynch's Black Lodge (TWIN PEAKS). the ending is a sucker-punch to the gut paired with some incredible but heartbreaking Cronenberg-style body horror. I spent more time bone-deep sad than I did scared, but that's what I love so much about horror: it can make you feel anything and everything in such extremes, that it can leave you breathless. the movie will be releasing in theaters next month, and I highly recommend seeing it in a theater if you can!

the festival was seriously one of the greatest experiences of my life--like a sleepaway camp that I never wanted to end. I WILL be going again, when I'm able! thanks to everyone (volunteer staff, programmers, vendors, fans, artists) who made my first film festival so fucking amazing. I'll love you all forever~ 👻🪓🍿✨

[unknown-lifeform]

Announcement: upcoming FFVII fic anthology, ASGZC and monsters themed

I’m glad to at last announce something I’ve been working on for some time now, as it’s finally reached a stage where I feel confident making sharing. I am proud to share with you that I’ve been working on a personal, digital fanfiction anthology, centering on Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis, Zack, and Cloud, and on exophilia. And by personal I mean entirely written by me, UnknownLifeform! Because I had entirely too many spare ideas and figured, why not?

What is this exactly, you may ask? Essentially, a collection of short one shots featuring two or more characters within the ASGZC polycule - to be fair, only some stories include the entire polycule, most won’t involve all five characters, because this approach gives me the opportunity of focusing more on the various individual relationships within the polycule. And when I say exophilia, I mean that in every one shot at least one character will be some kind of monster, mythological creature, or other nonhuman being.

Self indulgent? Maybe, but I hope you will also be interested in it.

But wait, there’s more! It might be more correct to say that I’m working on two such anthologies. That’s right, there’s gonna be two different PDFs. One will have a PG-13 rating, while the other will have a R rating. So, if anyone isn’t interested in smut, or is only interested in smut, they will be able to only get what they want?

And this work will be entirely free. Once the PDFs are published, I will put them up to be downloaded freely.

The anthology itself isn’t available yet, as I’m still working on some of the stories and on the PDF layout. In fact, the project is still unnamed as I’m... bad... at names. It will, I hope, be done by the end of summer, but I can’t give a deadline as of yet. I wanted to share with you in advance, however, because I’m extremely excited about it.

I have a FAQ page for the project. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to me through my tumblr ask!

I also have an interest check which you can take here. This survey, to be clear, isn’t meant to determine whether or not the project will be finished, because it will be. It’s just a way for me to gather some feedback.

Thank you for reading through the post, and, if any of you is interested, thank you for it as well! I’d also love if you could share this post so that it may reach more people.

[c-40]

A-T-4 042 Art Of Versions

The Art of Noise follow the Into Battle EP with Beat Box. As you've probably guessed from previous ZTT and AON posts releasing many different edits and versions was their m.o. The image (I got at least) was the technology (most noticeably the Fairlight) and time in the studio gave you the ability to churn out endless variations (AON released at least 11 'diversions' of Beat Box). It was great advertising for Trevor Horn as he and his partner owned one of the most sophisticated recording studios on the planet at the time. It's easy to see similarities with Jamaican producers and studios that in the previous decade created dubs and versions, although the closest AON got to producing a riddim would be Moments In Love which has been covered, remixed, and sampled a lot a lot. We have had pop music factory production lines before and I suppose this is where Trevor Horn crosses over with his contemporary Pete Waterman, according to Phil Harding "Waterman watched Trevor Horn so closely that he would strike a deal with equipment suppliers to furnish him with whatever state-of-the-art gadgetry Horn had." Before his hit factory had been established Waterman produced a Relax sound alike track, complete with a look alike sleeve, in 1984 called The Upstroke by Agents Aren't Aeroplanes. Nowadays trap music can be made quickly for very little money and production is more automated and streamlined than it ever has been

Beat Box was the first track AON worked on and it came from JJ Jeczalik messing around with recordings of Yes drummer, Alan White's drums with a Linn drum machine, a Fairlight CMI Series II and Page R (music sequencing software) while Horn was working on the Yes album 90125 (the similarities between the Red + Blue Mix of Owner Of A Lonely Heart and Beat Box are unmistakable). "So JJ was screwing around in the back room and I remember him playing me that 'Beat Box' drum loop and I said 'Jees, that's fantastic, they'll love that in New York.'"

...And they did, Beat Box did very well on the Billboard dance and black music charts in America, reaching number 1 and 10 respectively. Writer Simon Reynold's has written Beat Box was popular with breakdancers in the US, I believe it's still popular with poppin and lockin dads (and granddads)

In June 1984 AON released their debut album Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? the title a pun on the 1962 play and later film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? which is itself a pun on the song Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? from the 1933 Walt Disney cartoon The Three Little Pigs... would we call this a meme?

On the album is Close (To The Edit) which would be released as a single in October 1984. There were five different 12" versions of Close (To The Edit) released, including a picture disk. As far as I can tell AON put out six different versions of the track at the time, including the LP version (that's if I ignore the cassette single). To make matters more confusing Close (To The Edit) evolved out of the afore mentioned Beat Box. Beat Box Diversion Two is a version of Close (To The Edit) and vice versa, as are Diversion Seven and Diversion Eight. Close (To The Edit) was named after the Yes album Close To The Edge and they had fun with the names of the various versions of Close (To The Edit) that they put out, Close-Up, Closer, Closest, Closely Closely (Enough's Enough), Closed

Close (To The Edit) features Anne Dudley playing a very familiar sounding walking bass on piano, if we ignore the car ignition sounds they also use a sample of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters. I wondering if this comes from the Duck Rock sessions the then unnamed AON did with Malcom McLaren? I'm thinking Buffalo Gals is taken from a song reference in It's A Wonderful Life, that film was made in 1946 when boogie woogie was the sound. It's either that or they love boogie woogie and swing. AON do love film genre recordings Peter Gunn, Dragnet, James Bond, Robinson Crusoe...

There's another diversion on the Close (To The Edit) singles, a track called A Time To Hear (Who's Listening). Of course there's a few versions, Who's Listening goes into Beat Box and then Close (To The Edit), as does the version called A Time To Clear (It Up) ("all together now") - there's very little difference between these tracks, then there's A Time To Hear (We're Listening) which is the first minute and a half of A Time To Hear (Who's Listening) - the variations of names is more fun the tracks themselves when there's very little to tell them apart... unless the lesson is to accept being resold more of the same stuff in a slightly different package and disappointment

Oh and all these records have come out and Marley Marl still hasn't sampled a drum beat

Art Of Noise - Beat Box Live on the Tube in 1984

Art Of Noise - A Time To Hear (We're Listening)

Art Of Noise - Closely Closely, Enough's Enough

12 versions of Beat Box personally I can see more appearing in time, that's what RSD is for