#thank you estel

[the-jupiter-knight]

mlm wlw solidarity.

[appelsider]

Trails / Kiseki 20th Anniversary! ✨

⭐ Credits:

@aegisasu : Crow || @alyossan : Rean || @appelsider: Towa & Tio || @azumishard : Sara || @ashenknightt : Randy ||DeltaQuart: Campanella || Elaunie : Ash || Emperorstime: Risette || @ahammz: Estelle || @barefootfriar: Elie || GenmaTheSamurai : Lloyd, KeA & Rixia || @inkedmyths : Millium & Altina || Lackdragon: Loewe & Lechter || LoreKeeper_GGuy: Mishy & Duvalie || Luidolf : Olivier || Lunaflor__: Emma || Matchacurry : Renne || MissEva_H: Joshua || @prilaja-artblog : Tita || @raichana : Wazy || @sailorcheerio : Kevin || shii_nette: Elaine || @solmango1212: Elliot || TofuLoafu7: Jusis, C & Lapis || ValiantChord: Claire || valimartheashen: Van || @verniedk: Ries

[aeithalian]

Rick. Buddy. Amigo. Explain something to me. Real quick, I promise.

[The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero, Chapter 4]

Good genetic package, Rick/Apollo? Are you sure about that?

Listen.

Estelle's physical description *clap* makes *clap* no *clap* sense. Why on earth does one of the only fully human characters in this series have to have unique and weird physical traits? Also, it makes no sense in the larger scope of Rick's writing style to have chosen this unless he had some sort of larger intention behind it. Not to mention the theories by fans haven't really done much to fully flesh out any perceivable reason as to why this might be:

Poseidon blessed Sally when she was pregnant - By far, this is the most believable to me, but it's still eh, because this feels very weird and I don't get the vibes from Poseidon that he would have done so to the extent that it shows up in Estelle's physical traits. Also if that were true, it doesn't make sense for Rick to just fully drop it in the story without the intention to flesh it out further, because to my knowledge he doesn't have plans for another novel that takes place after ToA.

Paul isn't Estelle's father - Firstly, this is out of character for Sally, and this doesn't fully justify why Estelle has Percy's eyes. PLUS, salt-and-pepper hair still wouldn't be natural for a newborn

Paul is Poseidon in disguise - This explains her traits the best, but Paul's character is so much more satisfying if this isn't true. It's also total bullshit.

Enter me. I have a theory. Yay. But first, we must discuss.

Firstly, I want to talk about her eyes. Going back to the theories, and based on my fair amount of knowledge of genetics (clarification: I write this as I procrastinate studying for my final genetics exam), the eyes are mostly interesting because Apollo specifies that they are immediately similar Percy's. The thing about eye genetics, though, is that they are what we consider to be 'complex traits', meaning that they are influenced by the interactions of multiple genes from both parents. What I mean to point out here is that Sally could definitely have the genes to produce two children with 'sea-green' eyes, considering her canonical eye color is blue. We don't know what Paul's eye color is, which makes my job a whole lot easier because I can assume that it doesn't directly contradict the possibility that Sally just has really strong eye genes (?). ALSO, who's to say that Poseidon didn't just change his eye color to match Percy's when he was born? Ah, yes, the perks of having a shapeshifting dad who seemingly loves you and your eye color a lot (but is still absentee, WHOOPS).

But what I actually found the most interesting about Estelle was her hair color. More specifically, the fact that Apollo says he's never seen an infant with that color hair. And we know Apollo is somewhat of an unreliable narrator (although this rarely affects his descriptions of people other than himself, and has also mostly evolved into a more honest narration since the end of book 3), but I believe we're supposed to trust this dude who just so happens to have been alive for over four millennia. Based on Apollo's previous descriptions of his own powers (see his conversations with Percy in TTC, when he pulls a Mufasa and basically admits to seeing everything the light touches), we know that Apollo knows and has seen a lot of stuff. So, how is this the first time he's seemingly witnessed this type of hair mutation?

I did some research, as one does. To me, it seems as if Estelle has what's called Griscelli syndrome, which is a type of rare autosomal genetic mutation that typically results in phenotypic hypopigmentation of the skin and hair. (It can also result in neurological disorders and immunodeficiency, based on the type, but I digress.) It's also pretty rare, considering both parents have to be carriers, and even then the child still has a one in four chance of being affected. Current statistics from the NIH say that Griscelli syndrome currently presents in less than 1000 Americans, and is rapidly fatal in 1-4 years without aggressive treatment.

That sad note aside, it's weird to me that the way Rick wrote Estelle's physical description makes it seem as if Apollo had never seen anything similar. I feel like a god of both medicine and knowledge would probably be a bit more up to speed with rare genetic disorders, especially because he's so old. The only explanations are that Apollo, in his mortal state, can't make a diagnosis, OR what he's seeing isn't actually something he can diagnose.

FURTHERMORE, from the same chapter, Apollo says something that muddies the waters even further:

It doesn't make sense that Apollo thinks that Zeus would take such an interest in Estelle. Her nature alone doesn't make me think that the king of the gods would take a sudden interest in a literal newborn, regardless of how much Apollo loves her (and honestly, I don't blame him).

What I think? Rick pulled the strings just tight enough that he has a very interesting plot point to go off of if he ever decides to pick up the pen again and write a new book.

What I think? Estelle doesn't have Griscelli syndrome, she is in much more danger than anyone realizes, and Apollo's subconscious put this together from the second he saw her.

Actually, let's rewind. I'm in the process of writing a fic (stay tuned!) and I had a random thought: do the Greeks have an apocalypse story? You know, like Ragnarök in the Norse mythos, and the Revelation stories in the Bible.

The answer? They don't. I guess that's what you get when the Greco-Roman gods are fully immortal and literally can't be killed.

That didn't stop the rabbit hole, though, and what I found was actually very interesting and I couldn't believe what I was reading.

I give you: Hesiod. More specifically, his poem Works and Days. More more specifically, his 'ages of man'. More more more specifically, the iron age.

For context, Hesiod was an ancient Greek poet who lived in the 8th century BC, and was walking right along with Homer in terms of fame at the time. The poem Works and Days is actually more of a really long Facebook post where he complains about anything and everything, especially in his section on the ages of man.

In summary, Hesiod wrote about what he perceived to be the five stages of human life since the creation of mankind by Zeus' hand:

gold: perfect in every way, pious, and blessed by the gods

silver: real bitches, the ugly middle child, so Zeus killed them

bronze: were so violent they wiped each other out

heroic: golden child, contained the heroes of the Greek mythos

iron: middle-aged men still living in their mom's basement

Hesiod wrote his poem during what he perceived to be the Iron age (it's really just him complaining about being born in the wrong generation), but he ends up listing a lot of qualities: 'everyone works too hard, the gods hate us, nobody respects family values anymore', blah blah blah.

I know what you're thinking: Tia, what does this have to do with an apocalypse?

Well, dear reader, bear with me. You see, every time Zeus didn't like an age of mankind, or it became too violent, or it generally wasn't pious enough, Zeus wouldn't hesitate to destroy that race and start over. Basically, an apocalypse.

So, you may ask a new question: what is the criteria for Zeus to destroy the Iron age? And, assuming that this is the age we're currently in, what would it take for Zeus to destroy everything our beloved Riordanverse characters know and love?

My friend, that is where Estelle comes in. Yes, a baby.

Take this excerpt regarding the Iron age:

"And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men also when they come to have grey hair on the temples at their birth."

I think you see where I'm going with this.

My theory? Estelle, in her unique position as a bridge between not just the mortals and the demigods (eg. her relationship with Percy), but also the mortals and the gods (eg. her great impression on Apollo), is a living, breathing prophecy. A prophecy that the end is nigh for this current age of mankind.

Furthermore, I also think that Apollo made this connection, somewhere in the back of his mind, the very second he realized that her hair was entirely unique. According to Hesiod (who Apollo also mentions later in the book, so we know he knows who Hesiod is), the day that babies are born with gray hair (or, salt-and-pepper for the sake of the theory) is the second Zeus basically get the go-ahead to commit genocide.

This also brilliantly explains why Apollo suddenly, and seemingly without reason, makes to keep Estelle's existence a secret from Zeus, because he knows that it might be the easiest way to get everyone he knows and loves killed by his own father for "the greater good" as I'm sure Zeus will put it. Plus, in his mortal state, Rick didn't have to explain why Apollo did what he did, since Apollo's been having memory issues since the beginning of the series: why would he remember one line from a poem written almost three thousand years ago?

Frankly, Zeus doesn't care about mortals: the only reason he really cares about anyone is if they have enough power to threaten his own, or if they have some sort of power he can benefit from. This, certainly, falls under the category of the latter. Wouldn't you want a chance to remake humanity into the perfect image that it used to be? You would, if you hadn't gone through a five book long grow-a-conscience speedrun like our lovely Apollo over here.

Fortunately for Rick, this is such an outrageous theory that if it never comes to fruition, I won't be surprised. If he ever writes something similar, though, know I called it first.

EDIT: here's the fic i mentioned i was (am) writing

EDIT: a masterlist of my other metas

[aquaregiaart]

Eärendil

[tending-the-hearth]

estelle's class has an assignment to draw their family, and they take turns showing them off to their parents during back to school night, and estelle stands up at the front of the classroom with the proudest look on her face as she very earnestly points to each person saying "this is my daddy, this is my mommy, and this is my big brother percy who's the coolest person ever and protects me" and everyone's like awww cute but then estelle turns the paper around to show MORE colorful blobs and she starts going:

"this is my big sister beth who tells me stories and who's gonna marry percy, this is my big brother g-man who lets me play in the dirt and makes silly sounds, this is my big sister rissy who scares the monsters away from me and mommy and daddy, this is my big sister zeezee, who has a pretty singing voice and colors with me, and this is my big brother frankie who lets me play with all his pets!"

and sally's filming the entire thing while paul just coos over his daughter, and she shows the video to her kids during sunday dinner, and clarisse is absolutely NOT crying thank you very much, but she hugs estelle a little tighter, and all estelle's big brothers and sisters decide to dote on her so much more, and just estelle being the most loved and protected little girl in the entire world and having an army of big brothers and sisters who will die for her in a heartbeat

[osaka-lilac]

can you recommend any good lance posts or fic to read?

oh. oh. oh boy do i have some fic recs for YOU

if anyone who sees this has other recommendations, please feel free to respond in the tags or in the replies! hope you enjoy - and welcome to lance nation!!!!

(i will try to keep it not just a strollonso fic rec list, yes they're my main but i don't want to give a biased list to the masses. this is a lance fic list, not just strollonso.)

so. without further ado...

allie's lance fic recs (in no particular order)

steak and other strange situations | lance/yuki | G | @lil-shiro

-> bet you didn't expect a rare pair ship as my first recommendation, huh? frankly i love the characterization that ann has utilized here - just a guy that wants to get to know people. simple yet effective!

gone before sunrise | lance/fernando | E | zeolyte

-> oogh this one is a real kicker. i couldn't tell you why my stomach churns while reading the middle of this piece. you can really feel for lance in this one and yes it does end happy (as most if not all of the fics in here will have in common with), but if you are okay with explicit material, this is a must read.

baby hotline (please hold me close to you) | lance/esteban/mick | T | @shovson

-> woohoo my ot3!!!! we dont get to see a lot of this pairing per se, but we get a lot of seb & lance running the iconic baby hotline, an advice service lance starts to help others with anything they need, like mick and estie once did for him. lovely cameos from multiple drivers.

press enter and send it | lance/esteban | E | gothic_sevgilim

-> HOO BABY is this one HOT. office au in which lance is the sassy trainee of esteban, a minor manager at lance's father's company. the tension in here is NUTS man

between your collar and your jaw | lance/sebastian | E | @hurricane-heatt

-> if you know me you know how much i fuck with cowboys. THEN you should by association know that i would never pass up a cowboy au. THIS is what a cowboy au should look like. passionate, yet leaves you in a cloud of dust by the side of the dirt road, knowing you'll never see this man and his steed again.

clerestory | pierre/charles with a side of lance/fernando | E | @nobrakesdown

-> woah. i thought this was a lance fic list?? this is our wildcard for the list. lance only appears in this fic as a historical figure in the wild royal mystery pierre is studying as he heals from an injury after a major crash. frankly i just wanted to add this one because it genuinely is one of my favorite fics on the site and since it vaguely has lance in it, i will be including it

never too soon | lance/george | G | @userkritaaay

-> stressed unstoppable force george meets relaxed immovable object lance. this is just lance and george suffering together after singapore 2023. delightful

you're my fucking hero: the critic's review | lance/fernando | M | me. i wrote this

-> finally, who would i be on this site without a bit of self promo. the love labor of @no00000000's wonderful dirtbag au, in which lance learns to live and pursue his own passions after a run in with a rough criminal, fernando. it is formatted as a movie review for a hypothetical movie, inspired by the essays i would write while in my history of film course years ago.

[the-sky-queen]

Tada!!! I updated Rose's design a bit!!! (She's one of my Sonamy fankids for those unaware.) The art in her old pic was like over a year old, so I figured since Elise got a small redesign recently, I might as well do Rose too! (I'll slowly do the rest of the Hedgehog Family and the Robotnik Family too, I promise.) I mostly only changed Rose's quills since I felt they most desperately needed an update. I kept her suit and boots the same since I love them so much. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I want to design Rose a casual outfit at some point. We'll see if I actually get around to that.

For those unfamiliar with Rose, I'll go over her personality and such under the cut!

Rose Hedgehog is the middle child in Sonic and Amy's family. Her older siblings are the twins Joy and Lux, and her younger siblings are Elise and Chip.

Rose is 12 years old. She's very spunky, ambitious, and tends to get into trouble quite a bit by accident. Her dream goal is to become a hero by the time she turns 15. So she's only got 3 years to go! Better hurry up!

Rose can summon a weapon much like Amy can summon her Piko Piko Hammer. Rose's weapon is a staff! She can increase it's length, but not excessively. It maxes out at like a few feet.

Rose has a bit of a passion for design! She designed her suit and boots all by herself and then took the designs to Uncle Tails, who made them a reality for her. She has quite a few notebooks filled with sketches of clothes. Some people have suggested she become a designer when she grows up, but Rose has dismissed those ideas every time. This is just a hobby! She wants to become a hero like her parents!

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

Dancing with the devil...

@estelletheskeleton forgot to add this here but here you go >:Dc

[thethirdbill]

“Ranking” is a stretch, since they’re all above simply “good” but I did share my thoughts on every Steven Universe song to celebrate 5 years since listening to them for the first time!

[viiioca]

welcome - when was it lacking? when was it extended? which of those moments lingers most strongly in their mind?

The first night in your new home, you hide in the attic.

The manor's hallways yawn like a predator's mouth. You have walked them all your life at your mother's heels like a ghost-girl, but she's gone now and you have no skirts to hide behind. There are too many eyes and too few voices. Staff once your equal – girls the same age and same lowborn breeding as you – move around you like the shadows of hunting birds. No one smiles unless it's to pity you. You feel like a rabbit caught out of cover, trapped somewhere between the den and the dinner table.

The moment you are left alone, you flee.

You know your way around the manor's hollows, as intimate to you as the heart lines criss-crossing your palms. You wedge yourself into a crawlspace – nearly too small now for your growing bones – and emerge in a cramped storage room made warm by the bare stone of a chimney. You played here with dolls, once.  In the cold and the dust and the dim lantern-light, you finally feel like you can breathe. You want to sleep here on the hardwood. You want to stay here until the house forgets you exist within it like some transplanted organ awaiting rejection.

A bell or two passes before the short hatch of a door scrapes open. In comes the sound of breathing, the knocking of knees and elbows awkwardly clambering into your hiding spot. You watch a set of cramped limbs unfold into an elezen boy hauling an oil lamp in one hand and a bag much too big for him in another.

"There you are," Verain says. Verain who grew up in this world half-shared with you, three years your elder and still a fulm shorter, ever-waiting for his growth spurt; Verain who could not possibly be less like his mother, save for his black hair and quick tongue. He drops next to you like a sack of laundry, leg bumping leg. "You weren't at dinner."

"I wasn't hungry," you say. You do not say that your stomach has been full of stones since it happened. You do not say that everything tastes like smoke.

"Thought as much." He pulls a lumpy tea towel out of the bag and unrolls it atop your thigh, revealing a traveler's meal: flaky bread and butter and apple jam, a slim wedge of soft cheese, a fistful of proud red grapes. "It's not much, but. You know."

He waves his hand. You know.

"Oh, and the cook sent this too." He retrieves a glass bottle wrapped in another tea towel; you can feel its warmth. Mulled wine. They water it down in the kitchen for children, you know, because you are not old enough for the proper strength, but it's comfortable and familiar like a bedtime story. He pours some into a mug and offers it like a pilgrim leaves coins at a waypoint. 

"Thank you," you say, gingerly taking the mug. Heat passes through the tips of your fingers, into your palms, up your wrists. The first sip is tentative, spicy-sweet, unsure that your body will not reject it and you will retch his kindness all over the attic floor – but it makes it down your throat and doesn't come back up. 

Progress is progress. Calm is calm.

"I'm sorry," Verain says quietly, small hands on the cold skin of your knuckles. No shortage of people have said this to you – but this, your churning insides say, is real. You believe him. The corners of your mouth manage a smile, and he smiles at you in turn.

You drink your wine and sit quietly with your soon-to-be brother until the lanterns dim and you drift off to sleep next to him, slumping, head on his shoulder. 

There's not much else you could ask for, in the end.

[wavyskies]

stares at you ... waves .

haiiiaiaiaiaia !! may i please have a kaveh or furina graphic ( you can pick which one to do ! ) :33 take as much time as you need , thank you so much !

Well then, here you are.

Oh right, f2u as always

[bestbehaviorofficial]

if you have enough brain to do a character building exercise, i really like this one

what are five things your character would gladly tell anyone, five things they’d be willing to tell their friends, and five things they’d rather die than tell anyone they wouldn’t trust with their life?

ooh this is a loaded question. i really want to answer this bc i love it but my brain isn't running at full capacity so i'm going to do three things.

three things mack would tell anyone (difficult to answer because he doesn't like talking to most people or volunteering personal information): 1. he's busy. i know that's not the purpose of the question but he is literally always talking about how busy he is 2. he's running a community! he calls it just that: a community. he wants people to join it like a lot so he really tries to sell it 3. when doing the above, he namedrops his college. it isn't a specific one but it's probably like the equivalent of harvard or something. he went to a prestigious university and he's proud of it.

three things he'd be willing to tell his friends: 1. he's tired. he doesn't often admit to being tired, but he absolutely is. 2. he's annoyed at something. he'd never say that in front of a crowd but if someone's seriously pissing him off he might say that to michael or marissa. 3. his like. dinner orders. he's just sensitive about people Knowing Things about him. but if michael is ordering like. ramen. he gets to know what mack is eating. that's really stupid but i stand by it

three things he'd never tell anyone (i'm deliberately ignoring the last part of the question): **it's possibly worth noting this is what the entire story is about. 1. he's BSing the whole ascension thing. he had a weird dream about it but i don't think he ever really truly believes that If You Follow My Rules You'll Have A Great Afterlife. he believes it a little bit because he forces himself to, but it's an excuse to reinvent himself. he knows it. 2. he's insecure. he's so, so insecure. he won't talk about that. 3. this one's fun. he is a Raging Homosexual, in possibly the furthest level of denial ever achieved by a human being. he is fully aware of this fact and actively chooses to guard it with his LIFE. he's also in love with michael. 100%. but the levels of repression going on are so layered that i don't think he ever even thinks it for himself. until some shit goes down at the end of act one but that's another story

[suguelya]

I am 100 percent with you on preferring the JP line in that cutscene if only because it does feel more powerful (and his voice is SO soft, which is something that frequently gets completely lost in the dub in general. Mamoru carries a much softer tone overall for Flynn, similar to how Yuri's playfulness and carefree vibe got lost in favor of the dub's aim for a more "cool adult guy").

That said, I was not even aware they left the whistle out!!! I haven't bothered with that sidequest because the outfit is readily available for free as DLC.

While I enjoy having Flynn present in the last battle, I wish they'd just had him look back up at the sky and say that right next to Yuri right before the very end of the cutscene (since imo that'd be the best placement for it). No reason not to stick that back in!!!

But removing the whistle is just an outright crime and I am owed a fee from the people who decided that for the devastation I've been inflicted with.

Big same 🤝

I used to be such a fan of the eng dub but tbh ever since I experienced the original japanese (back when we still called it the PS3 Version lol) I never looked back. The wording is so, so, SO much more layered and leaves little room to misinterpret subtleties and subtext. Like you, I've had many gripes about the localization because sometimes they just plain insert stuff that was never there in the first place - iirc Troy Baker admited that apparently they rushed the dub so hard, sometimes the voice actors themselves were asked to chip in for the translation...he said he loved that (I'll bet), but that might explain why so much of the OG english script was already full of weird phrasings and insertions...add to that the even more sloppy and lazy DE localization and you get only half of the richness of the original japanese.

Also yes Mamo and Tori *are* Flynn and Yuri more than anybody ever could be. Sam and Troy do a good enough job but I agree that Troy may have been directed to play Yuri closer to a traditional "cool bad boy", which is hilarious given how the original Yuri is a twist on that very trope. Unfortunately, Troy gave him this uncharacteristically cold/aggressive edge whenever he talks to Flynn that it makes it sound like he's always annoyed to see him, and it strips their relationship of so much of the softness and playfulness that Tori lends Yuri.

Anyway enough about me ranting because I could go on for about 10 more hours about this issue lmao. Honestly yeah they very well could've rearranged Flynn's cutscene to fit in there at the end, like hell if you can change the entire camera angles of whole scenes you can change that one background, no?? Knowing Tomizawa though that might have been more effort than he was willing to grant this remaster - won't be his last time.

Same for the wolf whistling!! They replaced it with a skit that is just as funny...

....but void of the insane flirting the original had. Idek why they went so far as to change it, it would've been less work to just leave it as it was 😭

[meowpupp]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 1K!!!

I didn't think this blog would get semi popular. I used to have one for another fandom, which is now dead in the grave, but I'm glad I get to write for this one.

I have had so much fun reading the comments and reblogs on my posts. I adore all of my moots, and I am incredibly grateful for each and every one of my followers.

thank you again 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

[the-mad-closet]

NSFT Prompt list (cause I fuckin love this list)

Ryan/Carter~

3, 17, 39, 62, 74

I'm already obsessed. These are my BOYS and I LOVE THEM. Okay!

3 - Sitting in lap, 17 - Wax play, 39 - Intoxication/Drugged, 74 - With people in the other room

~

3 - Sitting in lap

Listen, it's been said before and Ryan will say it a dozen damn times, Carter is his. Carter is Ryan's to love and care for and fuck and send to wherever it is Carter goes when Ryan fucks him just right. Carter doesn't belong to the Aquabase, to Operation Lightspeed, to Captain Mitchell, or to the team. Carter belongs to Ryan and Ryan alone.

So, when the cute new intern in Ms. Fairweather's department starts trying to encroach on what isn't hers, well... Let's just say that Ryan's not happy.

Amber Lake comes closer to the Ranger table, arm in arm with Carter, who never knew when to say no comfortably. Ryan can see Carter is extremely uncomfortable but making a valiant effort to hide it. Ryan raises an eyebrow when Carter meets his eyes. The fuck are you doing?

She wouldn't leave me alone, Carter's face says. Ryan resolves to immediately fix that. The moment they reach the table, Carter excuses himself to get to the empty space left for him between Ryan and Kelsey. Ryan flashes a smile at his boyfriend and as Carter pulls out the chair, Ryan grabs his wrist and tugs.

Carter makes a little noise of shock as he's yanked. He's perfectly safe, Ryan always makes sure, so it's the shock of it more than fear but- His thoughts come to a full stop as he lands right on Ryan's lap. Carter stares for a moment, meeting smugly satisfied emerald with shocked and flustered sapphire. "Hi," he breathes, soft and short circuited.

Ryan smirks over the background laughter and giggles from Carter's fellow Rangers. "Hi," he says back. "Come here often?" he teases.

Carter makes an embarrassed noise, face flushing pink-red, and drops his head to Ryan's shoulder, hiding against his skin. It's not all that bad, all things considered. Ryan wraps one arm around Carter's waist to keep him steady, and stares at the intern proudly as she turns and flees the room.

Good, he thinks, satisfied. Mine.

~

17 - Wax play

Carter startles as the heat drips onto his skin again, the pain hitting a few moments later. He whines, squirming against the pain. "Please," he whispers.

Ryan chuckles from above him. Maybe above him, Carter can't tell through the blindfold. "Not yet," Ryan says. "Almost done."

Carter whines again, equal parts protesting and hopeful. He tries to settle and wait. The next stream of wax descends. Carter hisses through a moan.

~

39 - Intoxicated/Drugged

Carter's movements are sluggish and slow, thoughts like syrup. He lays prone on the bed, eyelids fluttering and fingers twitching.

"Baby boy," Ryan draws.

Carter mumbles something under his breath, slowly turning his head. His eyes are foggy. Ryan feels himself grow harder. He hadn't known that was even possible. He feels like he could pound nails. Ryan prowls across the room, slow and steady like a predator. "Pretty boy," he says to see the blush Carter sports. He grins as the pink flush crawls across Carter's nose.

"S'r?" Carter slurs, "B'in' g'd?"

Ryan's heart thumps harder in his chest, eyes growing misty. Such a good boy, so worried about being Ryan's good boy even when he's drugged up. He throws one arm over Carter's body, bracing his weight on his hands that are on either side of Carter's body. Ryan leans over, waits for Carter to meet his eyes again, focus on him beyond the haze in his mind. "The best," Ryan assures Carter once he's got Red's attention. "My good boy," he murmurs, leaning down to capture Carter's lips.

Carter whimpers, little moans floating up through his lips. Ryan smiles into the kiss. He's on cloud nine.

~

74 - With people in the other room

Carter's moan is muffled against Ryan's hand as Ryan shoves into him once more. Another muffled cry as Ryan nails his prostate. "Sir," he begs, "please!"

Ryan chuckles. "Shh," he warns softly. "Don't want the others to know what's going on, do you?"

Carter whines. No, he doesn't, but if it keeps Ryan hitting that spot inside him, he'll let Ryan do anything he wants. Ryan pulls back and thrusts in, draw a series of whimpers from Carter's throat.

"Please, please, please," Carter begs. "'M close, please."

Ryan nails his prostate again and pressed his forehead to Carter's back, between his shoulder blades. "Yeah," he says. "Yeah, do it."

Carter whimpers, moans muffled by the hand Ryan's clamps over his mouth. He hangs his head, exhausted and riding the aftershocks. He can feel the smile Ryan presses to his skin.

~~

Thank you! @estel-eruantien

[it-came-autumnally]

In retrospect it's really funny that the one thing I really honed in on during the first time I went through the Sky arc was Joshua's appearance (characters love to point out his mop of dark hair and amber eyes and I really really thought that it would relate to some important plot point somehow) but while replaying SC I found there's this one scene where it almost pays off (albeit, in a very silly way):

During the infiltration of the Ouroboros Lab, Anelace informs the party of how Joshua is also in the lab. If a player has been paying attention, they can probably guess that something about this feels off because Anelace mentions how she "recognized his clothes" but she has no reason to be familiar with the new look that he dons in this game yet (and there's no reason for Joshua to have switched back to his old outfit either).

But, if you're me, then you instead notice that she does not take the chance to mention his amber eyes. And, as we find out, there's a good reason for that!

...After all, this Joshua is fake, and has no amber eyes. Of course Anelace didn't see them; she couldn't have.