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beskarandblasters · 11 days

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Stonecatcher - Chapter Three: Let Me Be Your Stonecatcher Please

Din Djarin x F!Reader

Series Masterlist | Din Djarin Masterlist | Series Playlist Artwork: The Lovers by René Magritte Gif: @cherubispunk

Series summary: You’re an arms dealer living on Dantooine when you cross paths with an up-and-coming bounty hunter. What starts as a business relationship quickly becomes more. How long can you bury your emotions and be a stonecatcher for someone else before you finally snap?

Series warnings: instant smut but slow burn romantically, angst, use of Mando’a words/phrases, no use of y/n

Chapter summary: While on a supply run to Coruscant, you run into Mando. Word count: 3.4k

Chapter warnings: anxiety, oral sex (M receiving), vaginal sex, unprotected sex, creampie

You’re on your way to Coruscant for a supply run, the first one you’ve ever had to do. This opportunity sort of fell into your lap. One of your new customers, Clint, was buying a blaster from you when he told you he knew a guy in Dantoo Town who was going to Coruscant. The contact in question, Sid, was looking for others to join the trip so long as they chip in on fuel. That agreement seemed fair to you so you said yes.

You’re leaning against the window of a ship, cheek pressed up to the cool glass, and staring out into the vastness of space. You’ve never left Dantooine, much less ventured out of Casia more than a handful of times, and yet you’re handling space travel better than you anticipated. The chatter among the passengers turns into white noise as you close your eyes, imagining what Coruscant is like. It’ll be weird to be around so many people, so many speeders, and so little nature for once.

Once you get to Coruscant, you’ll head to the lower levels, a place Sulee warned you about. You’re not sure how she knows so much about them considering that you’re almost certain she’s also never left Dantooine. Yet she has mysterious knowledge and wisdom that you definitely took into consideration for your journey.

Mind your business.

Don’t make eye contact with strangers.

Keep your head low.

Don’t let anyone walk all over you.

You’re nervous but also excited. You’re excited to see a new place and for this wonderful business opportunity.

But you can only think about your future endeavors for so long until your mind eventually wanders…

Mando.

It’s been another few weeks since you’ve seen him. You wonder what he’s doing. Probably off chasing another bounty.

You didn’t expect to see him after the first time you crossed paths. And yet you did. That has to mean something. It’s unfortunately all you’ve been able to think about. You told Sheva about the event that led you to miss the party at the cantina. But you’ve neglected to tell Sulee, assuming that in her old-fashioned ways, she’ll tell you that casual sex is a bad idea. Even though you think it’s already growing deeper, that a meaningful connection is already being forged. But all this begs the question;

When will you see him again?

You’ll get your answer soon enough.

Sid lands the ship in a docking yard while you stare out the window. Neon lights flash in your face and heavy raindrops pelt the windows. He reminds everyone that the ship will be leaving by mid-morning the next day, before disembarking. You’re doing this supply run alone. So you’ll have to meet the supplier, pay them, and carry everything back to the ship on multiple trips.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Sid asks as you head down to the lower levels. He must be going there, too.

You look over at him, watching as he shivers in the rain and noticing how the wet strands of hair stick to his forehead. He’s a human male, a couple of inches taller than you, with dark skin and warm eyes. His hair sits at his shoulders and goosebumps prick his skin where it’s exposed. You’ve only met him once before coming here but so far he’s proven to be a valuable contact and also a good friend.

“I do.”

“Do you need me to show you where to go? You know the password?”

“You did enough by getting me here. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll hang around the area if you need me. Chances are I’ll be in a cantina.”

“Sounds good,” you chuckle, bidding him goodbye before you head to the meet-up spot.

You’ve heard rumors of a sort of flea market for arms in the lower levels. Sid seemed to validate that it does indeed exist. He said it’s on Centurion Street, inside of a clinic. You have to approach the front desk and say the phrase, “I need a central processor for my Protocol Droid.”

You’re not nervous. You’ve got Sulee’s advice repeating in the back of your mind and a blaster attached to your belt. If you want to break into this industry, you need to know how to navigate it and how to interact with the clientele, plus all of the other shifty characters that come with territory.

You wander the streets before locating the correct street. It’s slightly less busy on Centurion Street but still just as shady. Your hand hovers above your blaster and you pray to the Maker you won’t need it. Soon you find the clinic and it definitely looks fake. You head inside and get a brief refuge from the rain. You’re the only one in the lobby and the overhead fluorescent light is somehow worse than the neon sign. Everything is absurdly clean, a harsh contrast to the neighborhood the clinic is in. You approach the front desk where the receptionist is sitting and tell her the code, half expecting her to laugh in your face. She gives you a knowing look and gets up to let you in. You follow her behind the desk and into an open doorway. And it’s a little underwhelming. For some reason, you were picturing a large secret market place but it’s just a guy in a back room with an absurd amount of weapons.

“Who sent you?” the man asks.

“Sid Clemon.”

“He didn’t come with you?”

“Nah, he decided to hit up a cantina.”

“Typical. Tell him don’t be a stranger,” he says before turning around to comb through his stock.

“What are you looking for?” he asks.

“Anything and everything.”

You buy a decent chunk of his stock, mainly different types of blasters and a few thermal detonators. It takes you a couple of trips to get it all back to Sid’s ship. The man who sold them to you (whose name you didn’t get) didn’t offer to help you but you didn’t expect him to either. He did help you load all the product into large gray bags, telling you “Can’t be out there on the street with all of this out in the open. Can’t be showing your cards to just anyone.”

After the last trip, you head back down to the street, deciding to look for Sid in random cantinas and find out what to do next until you leave. Are you expected to sleep on the ship in the docking yard? Or are you supposed to find a random motel to stay at?

The rain has let up but everything is still rather wet, including your clothes. And now that the rain has gone away the street is even more crowded. You scan your surroundings, looking for a sign for a cantina. But you find something else instead.

There he is, standing in the busy street. Not Sid– Mando. Although you can’t see his face, you can tell by his body language that he’s overwhelmed. His helmet swivels in all directions, trying to keep an eye on every person around him. But it’s hard when the streets are packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder.

He still hasn’t noticed you yet. Instead of bursting through the crowd to head towards him, you wait. You wait for him to notice you. And when he does you can’t ignore the butterflies in your stomach. For some reason, it excites you to see him at a place other than Dantooine.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, placing a hand on the small of your back and guiding you off to the side.

“Supply run.”

“It’s not safe here.”

“I can hold my own, you know,” you say, tapping the blaster attached to your belt.

“Do you… need help?”

‘What do you mean?”

“Carrying stuff back to your ship.”

“Oh! I already finished, but thanks for the offer.”

“What are you doing now?”

“Killing time. We’re not leaving until tomorrow morning.”

“Who are you here with?”

“Just some guys from Dantoo Town.”

“Are they going to miss you for a few hours?”

“No… Why?”

He points to something behind your head so you turn to follow his gaze. Across the street is a neon sign for a motel that looks abysmal at best. Is he suggesting that you get a room together?

“Are you asking me to”

“Yes,” he says abruptly, replacing the hand on the small of your back and walking you towards the motel.

“Are we splitting it?” you ask.

“I’ll take care of it.”

He’s taking you to a motel. He’s paying for it. Stay calm. Stay calm.

It all happens so fast. He books a room and pays for it with a hefty handful of credits, leading you down the hallway. Once you’re in the room, he lets go of you, collapsing onto the bed.

“Are you… alright?” you ask, walking over to the side of the bed as the door closes behind you.

“I’m fine. I just don’t like this planet,” he says softly.

“Why?”

“Too many people.”

“Do they make you anxious?”

“...No.”

“It’s normal to get anxious, Mando.”

“Not for me.”

Poor guy. From what you’ve seen of him so far he doesn’t seem to be in touch with his emotions, which is why he’s rejecting his own anxiety.

“Can I help?”

“How?”

“You’ll see,” you say, moving to the foot of the bed.

The bulge in his flight suit catches your eye. He needs to be taken care of. You sink to the floor and motion for him to inch closer to you. He obliges, boots planted on the floor on either side of you. You palm his cock, hearing him groan while you touch him so delicately.

“You need to relax,” you tell him softly, increasing the pressure of your hand, “You’re so tense… Have you ever had anyone take care of you before?”

“...Not like this,” he says, poking up his helmet and looking at you.

“Lie back down,” you say gently, placing a hand on his breastplate and coaxing him to lie on his back again.

You remove his cock from his flight suit, watching it spring free from the confines of the fabric. You wrap your hand around the base, watching the pre-cum bead up at the tip of his cock before spilling over and running down his shaft. As you stroke him you watch the stress and exhaustion leave his body. He practically melts into the bed and it makes you feel good that you are the person to take care of him like this. Surely, he’s gotten head before, but probably not by someone who cares about him like this. You’re just assuming but you gather he’s not one for long-term relationships. It makes sense given his line of work but maybe he’s changing his ways. Why else would he cross the galaxy for you? He could’ve purchased that blaster anywhere. Maybe he’s developing feelings for you, too. Maybe he’s just not showing it.

You enclose your lips around the head of his cock while your hand continues to stroke him. Your other hand cups his balls, eliciting a deep moan from him.

“Feeling good?” you ask, pulling your mouth away for a moment.

“Mhm,” he moans, voice all strained and dripping with arousal.

You return your mouth to his cock and suck in your cheeks, watching as his hands grip the sheets at his sides. Your tongue slips in between the head of his cock and his foreskin, swirling around the sensitive tip. Saliva seeps out of your mouth and coats his shaft, making everything that much more effortless.

He melts into the bed as you bring him closer to the edge. But you’re not done with him just yet. You rise from the floor much to his dismay until he realizes what you’re doing. You peel off your wet clothes, nipples perking up in the cool air of the motel room. Goosebumps prick your skin and a shiver runs down your spine. He’s so attractive lying there on the bed, broad and spread out with his cock dripping in pre-cum. For once you’ll get to be face-to-face (well really face-to-helmet) when you fuck. The arousal drips down your legs as you get onto the bed, straddling him with your entrance grazing the head of his cock.

He doesn’t protest you straddling him. He embraces it instead, hands gravitating to your waist. You lower yourself onto his cock, slowly taking all of his length. He groans, reveling in the feeling of your warmth encapsulating his cock.

“Kriff, you feel good,” he says, squeezing your waist.

You rock your hips back and forth, feeling his cock sink into you deeper. You rest your hands on his breastplate, staring directly into the visor of his helmet. You lean forward, bringing your face closer to the black T shape.

“You’re so big, Mando,” you moan, voice getting high pitched on the last word as his cock hits a sensitive spot.

“Mmm, you take it so well, ruusaan,” he says, voice sultry and silky smooth.

Ruusaan. What does that mean?

You don’t have time to think about it as he jerks his hips up into you. You’re getting closer and closer to coming, and tingling sensations run throughout your body. Your fingers grip the edge of his breastplate, clinging for purchase as you rock your hips back and forth even faster. He’s getting closer, too, strained moans come out from underneath the helmet.

Your orgasm erupts from your core and your sounds of pleasure fill the small motel room. His orgasm is triggered by the sensation of yours, spilling over the edge thanks to your cunt clenching his cock. He guides the movement of your hips as you both cum, feeling you squirm and writhe while you ride out your high.

Once you’re done coming you pull yourself off of him, collapsing onto the bed beside him. You catch a glance of your wet clothes on the floor and get up to set them on the heater, wondering what’s next for you two. Normally, he leaves.

This time he doesn’t. Instead, his chest heaves up and down. You just want to take care of him again.

“Mando?” you ask, turning to face the bed. He doesn’t sit up. He remains where he is, his chest rising and falling as he tries to control his breath.

You glance at the chair at the desk across the room and walk over to it, pulling it out for him before reaching for his hand.

“Come sit.”

Reluctantly, he gets up from the bed and sits on the chair. His hands grip the armrests for dear life as if this is his way of releasing the stress. You stand behind the chair and ghost your hands over his shoulder pauldrons.

“Can I take these off?” you ask.

“Why?”

“To massage your shoulders?”

“Oh… Go ahead,” he says stiffly.

You remove each pauldron and place them on the desk, bringing your hands to his sore muscles. He’s as stiff as a board as you touch him and you have to gently remind him to relax.

“Relax,” you whisper beside his helmet.

You rub his shoulders like you’re absorbing his stress and anxiety. He slumps into the chair, helmet thrown back. You imagine his eyes are closed underneath.

Is this what peace looks like?

He falls asleep on the chair. You let him. It seems like he really needed the rest. Your clothes dry in the meantime and you get stressed again. It’s the middle of the night and you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do until it’s time to go. Maybe you’ll sleep in the bed? And secretly hope he’ll wake up and join you.

That’s a reality you’ll only see in your dreams, though.

When you wake up you’re greeted by darkness. He must’ve turned the lights off. You feel around for him in the bed but he’s not there. Perhaps he’s still sleeping in the chair? Maybe he didn’t want to encroach on your space in the bed.

You reach for the lamp on the nightstand which illuminates an empty room. You’re alone. Sadness builds in your gut. He just… left you.

But not without a word. There’s a note on the nightstand. It reads;

Thanks for the massage. Catch you back in Casia.

At least he left a note.

You do one final look over of the room before leaving, grabbing his note and putting it in your bag. You set out into the early morning and wonder where Mando is now. You’re one of the first people to arrive back at Sid’s ship, waiting around in the stillness of a quiet Coruscant for once, before the planet wakes up. But eventually, you’re joined by the others.

“Jeez did you stay up all night?” Sid asks, laughing at your disheveled state.

“Something like that,” you sigh.

“You could’ve stayed in the ship,” he points out, lowering the exit ramp.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” you say, slumping into the same passenger seat you sat in on the way here.

The other passengers talk amongst themselves as you lean against the cool window of the ship. Sid takes off and before you can fall asleep you think about what he called you.

Ruusaan.

You’ll have to ask him what that means next time you see him.

There is one thing that’s certain- you have a lot you need to tell Sheva about.

Once you’re settled back in Casia with all of your purchases put away, you head to the cantina to tell Sheva about your trip.

She places her hand over her heart when she sees you, letting out a sigh of relief.

“You look like you just saw a ghost,” you say, chuckling as you sit down at the bar.

“To be honest I wasn’t sure if you’d ever come back.”

“What do you mean?!”

“Come on, the lower levels are sketchy.”

“Well, I survived.”

“Congrats.”

“Anyway… I have something I have to tell you.”

“Spill,” she says, leaning on the countertop.

“I saw Mando again.”

“On Coruscant?!”

“Mhm.”

“Like you just happened to run into him?”

“Yup. On the street.”

“And how did that go?”

“We spent the night at a motel together.”

“Wow, things seem like they’re getting serious.”

You bite your lip and grimace. If only that were true.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Well… he left in the middle of the night.”

“He what?!”

“I mean he left a note!”

“But still… Girl, that’s suspicious.”

“I don’t think so. I think he just has an issue with commitment.”

“Do you have the note?”

You reach for your bag and pull out the folded-up piece of paper from the motel, handing it to her as she looks at it with a raised eyebrow.

“ ‘Thanks for the massage. Catch you back in Casia’… Girl, what is this?”

“I found him on the street. He took me to a motel where we had sex and then I rubbed his shoulders after. He seemed stressed,” you shrug.

“Exactly! He’s using you.”

“What?? No, he’s not.”

“He buys your products, has sex, and then leaves every single time. Except this time your “product” was in the form of a massage.”

“…You don’t think he’s feeling anything for me?” you ask, starting to feel doubtful.

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’m not saying he doesn’t… I’m just telling you to be careful.”

“Thanks…” you say, getting up from your stool, “I’ll be careful. I promise”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No!” you half-lie, “I’m just tired from the trip.”

“I get it… Just think about what I said, okay?”

“I will,” you tell her, smiling at her before turning and leaving. The evening rush is just starting to make its way to the cantina. You’re tired from the trip but you also need to think about what Sheva said.

You don’t think he’s using you but also… so what if he is? You can take it until he fully realizes his feelings.

At least that’s what you tell yourself.

Fic notifs: @beskarandblastersfics

Dividers: @saradika-graphics

Tag list: @wannab-urs @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @clawdee @schnarfer @djarins-cyare @chiyo13 @burntheedges @survivingandenduring @pamasaur @freelancearsonist @littlegrungegirlaf @pedrostories

#stonecatcher #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin x f!reader #din djarin smut #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian smut #the mandalorian fanfiction #din djarin #the mandalorian #star wars fanfiction

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coopers-kitchen · 9 months

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This pig first found out about his dad’s taste when he found out that the reason he was never allowed in the basement as a kid is because it’s where his dad and uncle butchered and portioned up all those fat boys that kept disappearing in “bear attacks”.

Well, ever since his dad came down and found his own son had stripped off and locked himself up in a feeding cage, the family’s gotten closer than ever. This hog helps with the hunts, the care, the prep, and he’s been getting nice and fat on a diet of fresh longpork.

Well, it wasn’t too long before curiosity turned to acceptance. He knew his dad wanted to eat him, and he knew he’d be damn delicious, too. He walked around naked, all those choice cuts on display. Now that cannibalism has been legalised, he doesn’t even need to hide it. He’s even brought some pigs from college home to meet the family.

Well, the sad fact is this pig realised that it wasn’t enough to just be butchered - he wanted a live roast, so he could feel every moment of the prep, and feel himself change from pig to pork.

Well, his dad’s been cooking up longpig for decades, but never a whole one. It’s a whole different skillset and, even though they tried with a few pigs, he never got the knack of a live cook. Sure, he’d dreamed of what his son would taste like ever since he saw him locked up between a Swedish backpacker and a college student he’d hooked up with, but it’s one thing to butcher a random hog, it’s another to do it to your son when he wants nothing more than to be cooked alive.

Well, I’m always interested in helping a hog achieve his dreams, and when they contacted me I was more than happy to help out - after all, not only do I have the skills, I have the sort of kitchen most pigs can only dream of. Dad was even kind enough to throw in a pig he’d butcher for me, lining up all his caged stock for a virtual meat inspection. Soon, they were on their way to LA alongside a few coolers filled with sausages, burgers, chops, steaks, ribs, ground meat, and meat for stuffing, all harvested from a delicious volunteer that had spent six months in a feeding cage ready to butcher.

This pig could barely wait for the oven. He’d spent three days on an all beer diet and shaved himself totally smooth. Some basic prep, one last fuck, and he was ready to stuff (longpork, wild rice, apple, and whisky), glaze (a honey apple reduction), truss up, and slide into the oven with a juicy red apple wedged between his teeth for the live roast he’d been dreaming of.

Well, cooking a pig like this is an all-day project, so me and his dad had a chat, talking shop. We had a light lunch, and he’s definitely an expert butcher based on how delicious and juicy those longpork chops were. Still, we all knew what the main event was: the whole roast currently squirming as he felt his meat cooking, and we only got hungrier as the smell of roasting pork filled the house, my eager housepigs sorting out all the side dishes and serving us however we wanted and, well, longpig is an aphrodisiac.

By the time evening rolled by, we were ready to eat, and it’s rare to see a dad that eager to dig into his son, or for anyone to match my appetite. Between the two of us we made a decent dent in this hog in a few days, and by the time dad was ready to make the trip back east he’d gained a few pounds, a better understanding of the art of cooking, and the contact details of one of my proteges who’s looking for a supplier for his new restaurant.

#submission #longpig #gay longpig #fat longpig #willing longpig #roast longpig #dolcett #male dolcett #gay dlocett #cooking vore #gay cooking vore

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vinc3nnt · 1 year

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YOUR BIGGEST FANS! ~ idol!reader

summary: genshin characters being your biggest fan!!

setting: modern au, reader is an idol, few genshin characters as your (self proclaimed) 'biggest fans'!!

(GENDER NEUTRAL READER)

characters: childe, scaramouche, xiao, venti, albedo, itto

warning: definitely ooc.

Probably has a whole other room filled with your merch and posters.. maybe even mini nendoroid figures of you on a shelf. Definitely one of the first ones to ever buy your merch the moment it comes out.

Limited editions? they have an entire collection of it. Though, it's a shame that some of your limited edition items come back. They liked it better when they were one of the first to ever have them.

(in addition to this, I think itto would've stolen one of your cardboard cut-outs during an event.)

-- childe, itto & xiao!!

You know him online. He's one of your big-time fans, and one of the best artists you know! you saw him ever since he started posting lots and lots of fanarts of you!

every time you comment on his posts, it makes him smile. sometimes, you commission him to make personalized art for you!! well.. that's how commissions work. sometimes, he even sends you the printed art if you ask.

-- albedo!!

he.. listens to imagines about you. he'd never admit it, though. It's not obvious, but he's one of your BIGGEST FANS. not even his friends would notice. he hides your merch under his bed, and hangs it up whenever he's alone.

probably a fanfic reader too. he writes his own fanfictions whenever he can't find any that he needs.

despite being your biggest fan, he's definitely one of the meaner fans, though.

(he makes an alt acc to follow all of your socials. he could literally never be exposed.)

-- scaramouche..

this guy makes the fanfics of you. his wide vocabulary reaches to the heart of the readers. he's more of the light-hearted fans, though.

he's well known across your fans, he's the main supplier. without him, your fans would be STARVING I TELL YOU. every time there's an imagine about you, this man would be tagged all around the comments section asking him to make a fanfic dedicated to it.

and guess what, he always does.

-- kazuha & venti!!

yeah, that's the end. I haven't wrote in a long time, so..

aye!! it's me, back from the dead!!! soooo err.. did you miss me??/JJ

all of that aside, I do have a new wattpad fic!!!! (that i probably WONT finish.) it's a male reader, (i need more male readers, pls) here it is!!

very short post, but i didn't really know what to do tbh.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin xiao #xiao #tartaglia #idol reader #arataki itto #kaedehara kazuha #venti x y/n #albedo #genshin albedo #im bad at tagging

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niceminipotato · 11 months

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Hello, everyone 👋🏻. We have finally gotten to the fourth installment of my lil PRIDE fest. I hope you enjoy it. It is really a tad bit too long for what I wanted to do but I have trouble sometimes with length. Hopefully you guys don’t mind. Anyway for this one we have one our favorite sapphic ladies. The Lady actually. Alcina Dimitrescu alongside a very fearless maid. (Y’all should know I didn’t edit because it’s 2:15am and I’m tired. Ok? Ok. Byeee.)

PRIDE - Daring

Change was to be expected after the terrible events which befell The Village. After Mother Miranda’s betrayal and Ethan Winters' sacrifice everything was different. Four families who had only had the Mold in common came together to rebuild. How they had managed to survive was a mystery. Yet Lady Alcina Dimitrescu did not question it. Not when she had been able to bring her daughters back, every single one.

Had Ethan Winters survived she would have done a great deal of things with him. It was good that he had rid them of Miranda but she would never forget how he had hunted and killed her daughters in search of his own. As if his mission to save Rose gave him leave to tear down the world of another parent. Yes, he would have suffered greatly at her hands. The things she had done in a hundred years would have paled in comparison to what she would have done to him.

Nevertheless, Winters was gone along with Miranda and she had her daughters and, as much as she loathed calling them as such, her siblings. Following The Village’s destruction they had all relocated to her castle, which stubbornly stood after the massive explosion that had practically flattened their land.

The Duke had also been spared, though Alcina supposed that was the charm of a man such as him. There when you need him gone when you don't. It was a good thing too as he was now her supplier of blood and meat. They had rebuilt somewhat and new people had begun to arrive and settle in the ruins of The Village. This time around, however, she and her daughters had refrained from recklessly taking people for sustenance. Thus building a better relationship.

With the arrival of new villagers, came new maids. The castle’s policy to hire only women remained. Even with Heisenberg constantly harassing her to change it she did not budge. Two manthings in her home were more than enough. Thus a fresh batch of maids had come in.

Fear was still very much alive. Just because she was trying to be practical did not mean that she would lower herself. She was a countess and the new people living in The Village and within her castle would know their place.

Alcina barely interacted with the maids, leaving Bela in charge of arranging their schedules. The only times she engaged with them was during meals or tea times. At least that was true until she came along.

A woman in her late twenties had come upon The Village late at night at the beginning of winter. The lights of the castle drew her in, shivering and exhausted. Where she had come from she didn’t say. All that she told them was that she had lost everyone and had nothing. Suspicion arose within the inhabitants of the castle for a while but Alcina found herself allowing the young woman to stay.

Elise was her name and she was beautiful. Her beauty, though, was subtle. She was not some ethereal being, she just was. Something Alcina appreciated over a great many things. Brown hair and hazel eyes. Lithe and delicate she stood a few inches short of her daughters. Elise was different. A hard worker through and through. Even Bela seemed surprised by her diligence and quick learning. She was quiet and reserved, her gaze held within years of despair despite her young age.

Oftentimes Alcina found herself craving the young woman’s company. She was uncertain as to why but she enjoyed having Elise around. She had made her a sort of personal maid. Unlike the rest of the staff, Elise was allowed in Alcina’s chambers and study without supervision. The young woman had learned how to discern her moods and quickly identified ways to help her calm. Her presence was almost soothing to an extent so Alcina took to having her clean her study while she worked. There were not many words exchanged, they both simply existed together. Sometimes, though, Alcina could see that flash of sadness across Elise’s face. It was quick like a lightning bolt. It suddenly struck then was no more. Refraining from asking her about her past became a challenge but she was Lady Alcina Dimitrescu and as such she had etiquette to follow.

As time went by the young woman’s quietness slowly melted. The suspicion which had been present at her arrival eased. Elise would spend time with her daughters and her siblings. She never seemed bothered by any of them and their odd characteristics. Her three rambunctious children would seek her out to spend time together. Maybe reading a book or playing. On rare occasions she would hear Donna’s soft crackly voice as she conversed with Elise. What they spoke about she didn’t know but sometimes the fact that they talked made her feel strange. Even Heisenberg and Moreau would seek the young woman out.

Seemingly, Elise had become an important member of her castle. One who her family had become rather attached to. Despite her good will and the relationship she had built with everyone Alcina always kept an eye on her. She may have allowed her to stay when everyone had been against it and allowed for them to bond with her as they had but humans were gullible little things. Anything could make them turn, their loyalty fickle, and that was something she would not have. Alcina would raze the world before facing the possibility of losing her family all over again.

******

With Miranda gone and new villagers came new challenges. Together the four Lords had managed to erect a barrier. However, their barrier was nothing compared to Miranda’s and as such it could be infiltrated. No longer were they invisible to the world that surrounded them. They were seen as a threat even when they had mostly changed their ways. Yet they could not blame the world surrounding them for fearing them. Alcina and her family were, afterall, different.

Their unnaturalness and years of terror had earned them the attention of different government agencies. Agencies, which seemed hellbent on eradicating them or at least capturing them for experimentation. Groups of humans or genetically engineered beings were sent through their barrier constantly. Thankfully, the villagers seemed to greatly mislike the outsiders for some reason or another. The moment someone new stepped foot in The Village the castle was notified there were hunters, as the people had taken to calling them, near.

The castle would always be on high alert when notified of suspicious activity. Maids were sent to the servant quarters to keep safe but mostly out of the way, leaving only few to tend to the family’s needs. Heisenberg would ready the Lycans he still had left while Moreau and Donna remained on standby. Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela always stayed in the castle to defend it. Because of their susceptibility to the cold, staying in the castle was also good for the three.

It fell to Alcina and Heisenberg to intercept the teams before they reached the castle. In great part due to them, the castle had never been infiltrated and even the villagers were mostly spared. It was true that Alcina alone could deal with incoming threats but Heisenberg had argued so much against it that on that issue at least she had conceded.

******

Dinner was being served when Elise quietly interrupted her meal. The young woman approached her while her daughters regaled the table with tales of their extreme game of hide and seek.

“My lady, we received a message from Mr. Rousseau.”

Alcina cleaned the corners of her mouth with a napkin before leaning closer to her maid. “Continue.”

“He spotted a team of twelve.”

“How many dear sis?” Heisenberg shouted from the other end of the table.

“Mind your manners.” Alcina huffed.

“Oh pardon me m’lady.”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes she nodded at Elise who then relayed the information to the rest of the table. Bela was out of her chair and calling for the maids to get to their quarters. Cassandra and Daniela headed over to their designated sides of the castle to guard and keep watch. Moreau whiningly made his way out of the dining room as well with Donna and Angie following behind.

“My boys will keep an eye on the grounds. Move your giant ass. Let’s go.” Heisenberg called as he made his way out.

“One of these days I will leave him to die like a dog.” Alcina muttered.

“I shall have your bath ready when you come back, my lady.” Elise said beside her. “And evening tea as well.”

“See that you do.” Alcina stood and headed to the door to which the young woman replied as she always did.

“As you wish, my lady.” It wasn’t until she had almost reached the door that she heard something else coming from her. “Please come back safe.”

Elise’s last words were so soft that without her heightened hearing she would have missed them. Alcina froze then glanced back but the maid was already clearing the table of perishables and heading to the kitchens. A million and one questions surfaced in her head at the young woman’s words, at the concern etched in them. However, now was not the time to dwell on such things. Heisenberg was calling for her from the main foyer and she very much hated his cajoling.

******

“You stupid moron.”

“Enough!” She hissed through gritted teeth.

She supposed the biggest change after Miranda and Ethan was her regeneration. Following her run in with that cursed blade her fast healing had become stunted. She could still heal everything but the speed of which she regenerated became slower even when she had blood.

“Why’d you get in the way?” Heisenberg bit out while still holding the makeshift bandages in place.

“Because had I not then you would be dead.” Alcina replied angrily. “I thought your whole argument rested on the fact that you need not be protected because you could do that yourself. Yet there you were not paying attention. Too distracted by your damned mutts.”

“I would’ve been fine. I know I would’ve.”

“You know nothing. You imbecile.”

“Mother!” The agitated voices of her daughters finally reached them as they made their way up the stairs.

“What happened?”

“I will kill those manthings.”

“Are you going to be ok?”

Forcing a smile she tried to calm her daughters. “Hush dears. I am fine. ‘Tis but a scratch.”

The girls looked over her wounds then to their uncle, who shook his head. Heiseberg ignored her glare and only held onto her bandages despite her trying to pull away. Daniela led the way to her chambers while Cassandra briefly swarmed away before returning with the emergency kit.

The group marched on with her silently and soon Donna with Angie along Moreau joined the small entourage. The doll perched herself on her good shoulder without warning and she resisted the urge to send it flying as she watched Donna looking up at her. It seemed as though her sister had sent Angie to check the wounds she herself couldn’t see.

Alcina had half a mind to yell at them all for hovering. She needed no help. She was strong and everything would be fine come morning. Being rude was not something she wanted to do. Snapping at Heisenberg was one thing, he deserved it after all, but everyone else was there out of concern. Still their concern for her only made her feel weak and she was anything but.

As they reached her chambers her door opened before any of them could try. Elise’s troubled eyes met hers before scanning over her. Alcina could feel her ever slow beating heart begin to pick up the pace under such scrutiny. The young woman stood in silence for a few seconds before Heisenberg decided to break the atmosphere.

“Whatever she says ain’t true, El. It ain’t my fault the crazy giant stood in the way.”

The coldness with which Elise regarded Heisenberg almost made her shiver and set the hairs in the back of her neck on end. Never had she witnessed this frigid demeanor from the young woman.

“I believe you’ve done enough, Lord Heisenberg.” Her voice was just as cold as her eyes and Heisenberg flinched a step back.

“Why’re you being like this? I didn’t do nothing.”

“You should go deal with whatever it is the lycans are bringing before they make a mess.”

“But—”

“You really should leave.”

“Ah fine.” He let go of Alcina to wave his arms around and turned around muttering under his breath.

The cold in those hazel eyes flashed quickly a deep fire as anger took over Elise’s features. Everyone surrounding Alcina seemed to have noticed as well, growing tense and keeping quiet. Bela had quickly taken over holding her bandages in place and moved to walk her inside her chambers. That was until she pulled away.

“Enough, I know you are all trying to help but it is not necessary.”

“But Mother we could—” Bela seemed to want to argue but she interrupted with a small smile.

“Not necessary.”

“A-are you sure sister?” Moreau asked, hobbling closer.

“I am certain. Please go tend to the rest of the castle. Heisenberg should be bringing the remains soon.”

“Call if you need something.” Donna’s soft voice came through her veil before Angie’s shriek filled the air. “I will sing you a lullaby!”

“Much appreciated.” Alcina hid her wince as she nodded at her sister and handed her doll over.

“Mother—” Daniela began but once more she interrupted.

“My dears, you need to deal with whatever Heisenberg brings in. I am perfectly able to deal with my wounds.”

Cassandra shook her head, “Mother, we can—”

“Girls,” Elise spoke calmly and took the emergency kit from the brunette, “do as the lady says. I shall ensure she has everything she needs.”

Her three daughters looked at each other as if they were having their own silent conversation before nodding and looking back at Elise. Daniele swarmed up towards her leaving a kiss on her cheek quickly followed by Cassandra. Bela waited a bit while her sisters moved down the hall throwing glances over their shoulders.

“Elise, if you need anything please call us. Anything at all.”

“As the lady says everything will be fine.” Elise gave the blonde a gentle smile.

Bela hummed before as her sisters before her she turned her lower body into a swarm of flies floating up to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, Mother. And I know you don’t like it but I will check on you in a few hours.”

“I love you too, bug. Off you go.”

Bela grinned up at her before fully swarming and heading over to her sisters. Alcina listened to their excited swarms for a few seconds before focusing on the only other person left. Elise waited patiently before her. She seemed calmer now, a bit more collected than she did before. Hazel eyes zeroed in on her injured shoulder and arm before backing into the room.

Ducking carefully, Alcina entered her chambers unable to stifle the hiss moving in such a manner brought her. Pain laced her entire upper right shoulder and arm all the way down to her fingertips. The door shut gently behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to find the young woman’s eyes on her.

“My lady, the bath is ready for you when you are ready.”

“Good. Leave the kit there. You are dismissed.” She said heading towards the bench in front of her vanity.

“I could—”

Alcina was tired of all the hovering and coddling from her family. To receive the same kind of concern from a maid felt more like pity and pity was not something she would ever accept. Anger rose in her chest and she turned to face Elise.

“I said you are dismissed!”

“But you are hurt and I can—”

“Leave!” Her voice came out as more of a roar than anything else. She expected the young woman to cower but what she got was a resilient expression.

“No!” Elise exclaimed.

Ire filled rushed through her veins sending her blood into a boil and she could feel the beast within shift as her claws slid out, “you dare—”

“I dare.” Elise stared back at her without an ounce of fear. “You may kill me later. I could really care less. Now, however, you will sit and let me take care of your wounds, Lady Dimitrescu.”

Alcina stood frozen in place at Elise’s brazenness. The display of courage and her disregard for her life in the face of an apex predator were something to be admired. Even the beast within took pause at the young woman’s display.

“I’m waiting, my lady.”

At her words and still shocked she wordlessly obliged and sat at the bench watching as Elise took the stepping stool and set herself beside her.

After setting the emergency kit and freshly made bandages on the vanity Elise turned her attention to her wounds. Taking her arm in her hands she moved it cradling ever so gently as if one wrong move and it would shatter. Alcina was not used to that level of care from anyone, not even her own daughters. Bela was always careful but Elise was acting as if she would break under even the barest press of her fingers.

“I am not made of glass.” She finally said and in an instant hazel eyes met hers.

“I’m well aware.” Elise grabbed some cleaning solution and began to gently clear away the dried blood. “You can be the strongest being in the world but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cared for.”

“Is this your way of appeasing me after blatantly disregarding my orders?” Alcina lifted a brow.

“I told you already. You can do whatever you wish after I’m done.”

“You are strange.”

Elise scoffed but still kept her attention on the wound extending from her forearm to her elbow. “Maybe. I’ll need to stitch this.” She lifted her gaze as if she were asking permission.

“Do you really have to ask? You have done as you wished so far.”

“That may be true but still I will ask. May I stitch your arm,” she stopped and glanced at the wound on her shoulder, “and your shoulder?”

“Do as you wish.”

Alcina turned away from her and focused on their reflection in the mirror. After a hum Elise set to work as usual, quietly and diligently but now with a side of care and gentleness. The silence stretched between them for the minutes during which the young woman cleaned and stitched her up. At any miniscule show of discomfort, even without really looking at her, Elise would halt her movements and give her a few seconds to collect herself.

It was not long before all the blood and debris had been cleared off of the wounds. Elise had done remarkably well, which if Alcina was honest with herself did not surprise her in the least. The young woman never complained about standing and stretching in such uncomfortable ways. She did what she had to in order to help her and that was that.

“Would you mind if I checked on the bath? I think I may have taken longer than I thought I would so the water may not be as warm as you like. I apologize.”

“Go on.”

Elise bowed her head then climbed down the stepping stool before heading to the adjoining bathroom. Alcina inspected her injuries while the young woman was gone. She could still feel the ghost of nimble fingers gently grazing her skin. Her heart beat at an alarming pace and she wondered if it was due to the injuries or if it was something else.

“My lady?” Elise’s voice drew her from her thoughts. “The bath is ready. I already spread the salts and oils. At the risk of overstepping—please mind your wounds.”

Alcina scoffed and looked at the young woman, “at the risk of overstepping, you say?”

“I am aware my behavior was unacceptable.” Elise dropped into a deep bow. “I am deeply sorry.”

Standing, Alcina made her way towards the still bowing young woman before reaching down and lifting her face with a finger under her chin. She did not miss the surprised gasp nor the way the young woman’s heart sped up. Flushed cheek, Elise looked more beautiful than before and her gaze held so much that Alcina fought to remain calm herself.

“If you would be so kind as to help me this evening. I’m afraid maneuvering in the bathroom might be a tad bit too painful on my own.”

Truthfully she had no idea where her words came from or how she allowed herself to speak in such a way. Elise swallowed hard and she found herself watching the bob of her throat as she did, feeling a thirst like no other watering her mouth.

“Yes, my lady.” Her voice was so soft that Alcina almost missed it. “It would be my pleasure to help.”

“So very kind of you.”

Pulling away she watched Elise almost chase her hand before catching herself and straightening up. An involuntary smirk settled on her lips while she entered the bathroom listening intently as the young woman behind her took a deep steadying breath.

The smell of lavender and citrus wafted through the bathroom while steam lifted from the water in her tub. Behind her she heard careful steps that came to a halt just beside the tub itself. When she moved to reach for the buttons of her dress a hum stopped her.

“Please allow me.”

Elise made quick work of the buttons and soon Alcina let the dress fall down her body and pool at her feet.

“I think it may be better to get rid of this one, my lady. I’m afraid not even Lady Beneviento would be able to mend this.”

“You would be correct. Do get rid of it. Set out a nightgown and bring me fresh underwear.” Reaching behind her to undo her bra had a hiss leaving her lips. “Useless manthings.” She grumbled.

“It may be inappropriate but I can help.”

“Go on.”

Once more soft gentle fingers grazed her skin sending a ripple up and down her spine. Feeling heat spreading across her cheeks and a slight tickle in her stomach made her gasp. There was absolutely no way she was blushing at the mere touch of another. The way her body was reacting was wholly impossible. She was not made to feel things such as these. She was not human and only humans were gullible enough to feel things such as these.

“My lady, are you alright?”

Elise’s concerned tone brought her back to herself so she cleared her throat and took a deep breath before letting her bra fall. “I am. Please do as I told you. I will be done shortly.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Waiting until the door shut Alcina then set about taking off the rest of her garments before entering the tub. The moment she sank in she felt her body completely relax and she let out a pleased hum. For a moment she allowed herself to just be, completely tuning out everything that wasn’t her or the water gently lapping around her just before it settled.

After her moment of complete disconnection she tuned back into her surroundings. She began to wash herself being mindful of her still healing injuries. Behind the closed door she could hear Elise moving about.

The whole situation with the young woman was strange. Never once in her seventy years as a mutated being had she faced someone like her. While it was true that Ethan Winters had disrupted her entire being and challenged her like no one had before it wasn’t the same. Elise had challenged her, yes, and she had also disrupted her whole being but it was so much different.

The young woman cared about her and her family in a way no one truly had. She made quick friends with siblings and became something more than a friend to her daughters. And then there was Elise with her.

In the face of death she had stood without fear. Like a stone against which the water crashed but could not move. Elise made her feel things she did not understand. Things she had forgotten she had once desired. Slowly she had ingrained herself into her life. Slowly then all at once and it was just now that Alcina was becoming more aware of just how deep that young brown haired and hazel eyed woman had rooted herself.

A soft knock on the door had her glancing over her shoulder.

“Should I leave your clothes in here? Or would you rather I set the screen for you?” Elise asked, her eyes focused on her feet.

“Why should I have to dress her or behind the screen?”

“Oh, I only mean to respect your privacy, my lady.”

Her stammering was sweet enough to tease but Alcina felt somewhat merciful. “You pretend to stay in my chambers tonight?”

“I-I uh I…” Elise’s cheeks turned several shades of red before settling on a deep crimson. “Your daughters came by and wanted to stay. I may have convinced them to let you rest on the condition that I’d watch over you.”

“I have no need for a nanny.” Alcina snapped quietly, though she felt her chest warm at her daughters’ concern.

“I know you don’t, my lady. But I assumed you’d rather one set of eyes instead of three.”

“I suppose.” She conceded. “Leave my clothes here.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Some shuffling of fabrics then the door was shut once more and she was again alone with her thoughts and her feelings.

Allowing herself a few more minutes of soaking in the sweet and citrusy water, Alcina leaned her head back and closed her eyes, willing her heart to calm. A night with only Elise for company would surely be an arduous task to complete but she had never been one to cower before a challenge.

In the silence she wondered what would happen should she allow herself to feel freely. She also wondered what went on in Elise’s little head—what moved her to act in the way she had towards her. Between the two questions that at least was something she was more willing to explore.

One deep and calming breath and she was getting out of the tub and reaching for a towel. She patted herself dry and put on her clothes, chuckling at the fact she had been limited to getting ready for bed in the bathroom instead of her own room. Once done she headed out.

Soft candlelight bathed the room in a delicate golden glow. Not all of them were lit, just enough that visibility was good—she needn’t much but still it was nice. Elise stood by the window unaware she had finally stepped out of the bathroom.

Alcina allowed herself a few minutes to observe the young woman in silence. Standing in the moonlight looking at nothing in particular, Elise was breathtaking. She almost wished she could paint her. Maybe one day. Just not today.

“Good choice.”

Elise turned abruptly, “pardon me, my lady. I didn’t notice you came back.”

“Clearly. Good choice on nightgowns. This one is by far one of my more comfortable ones.” Alcina moved to her bed noticing the covers had been pulled back so that she may just slip in.

“Daniela brought a carafe of new blood for you.” Elise walked over to the table in which a tray sat with said carafe and a glass. “Would you like some now?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Right away.”

Sitting at the edge of the bed Alcina waited for the young woman to bring her favored drink. Elise made her way to her carefully and handed her the cup while she moved the carafe from the tray to her bedside table. That sweet coppery scent reached her and her hunger hit her like a wave. She drank the whole cup in two gulps. Unflinchingly, Elise filled cup after cup until the whole carafe was gone.

“Would you like me to get more? We must have gotten a fresh supply today.” Elise offered.

“How are you this comfortable with my cumsumption of blood?” She asked instead of responding.

“What do you mean?”

“You talk as though it does not bother you. Yet you are human. It is the blood of your species that I crave more than anything. I can drink ten of you dry and still want more. Despite that, here you stand offering me more without so much as a care.”

“You need it the same way I need animal meat. I don’t see a difference.” Elise spoke and despite how much she looked for it Alcina could find no traces of lies in her words or expression.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you care for us? For me?” Alcina just could not understand her. “We… I am… I am nothing but a m—”

“If you dare finish that sentence I will climb up there and slap you.” Elise spat. “Do not ever call yourself that. Never. Do you understand me?” She looked so angry while she spoke as if Alcina had somehow offended her. “Your siblings are amazing. Unusual, yes. But amazing still. And your daughters, they are unlike anyone I’ve ever met. A bit peculiar and rambunctious. Sadistic also—I will not deny that—but wonderful in every way. And you…”

Alcina felt an unfamiliar prickle in her eyes as she listened to the young woman. Never had she encountered someone as daring as her. She threatened her in the same wavelength expressed her love—because that’s what it was, love—for her family. Her hazel eyes filled with unshed tears as she found the words to express what Alcina was to her.

“You are no monster. You are beautiful, breathtakingly so. You are strong and loving. Caring and kind in your own way.” Tears slid down pink cheeks but Elise continued despite them. “I know of your past. I know what you’ve done. But I also know your present.” She swallowed hard. “I know what you can become. I know what you would become for the people of this castle. A dragon cares for its own. Does it not, my lady?”

Where her voice came from she had no idea, because the lump in her throat sat heavy. “It does.”

“I have met many monsters.” A sad smile sat on Elise’s face. “So many monsters. You are not one of them. So I will never allow anyone to refer to any of you as such. I lost so much when I got here. I had nothing and no one. And swore I would never let anyone else that close. But it seems I’m an oath breaker because you all sneaked in and burrowed yourself within. You are all now my family.”

It felt like a bucket of ice cold water had fallen upon her waking her from her daydreaming. Whatever Alcina had thought the young woman felt towards her was not real. A family is what she them all as. A family, which could only mean she saw her as a mother. And really what could she see? Alcina was stuck forever in her mid-forties. She may be beautiful but to a twenty-something year old that was nothing.

“Family.” Alcina let out feeling herself hollow out, tearing her gaze from the young woman before her. “So to you I must be like a mother?”

A light chuckle brought her back to Elise who was doing her best to wipe the tears from her face. Hazel eyes met hers and a soft smile etched itself into the young woman’s face.

“Seeing you as a mother might make the way I want to kiss you rather complicated.”

“W-what did you say?”

Not once in all her years had Lady Alcina Dimitrescu stammered the way she just had. Elise simply looked at her, her head tilted with her soft smile and warm eyes.

Alcina was unsure from where the young woman had pulled the stepping stool but Elise was now perched on it, their gazes leveled. Alcina’s hands twitched at her sides when Elise gently cradled her face. Bated breath, she waited unmoving to see just what the young woman would do.

“I don’t see you as a mother, my foolish lady.” Despite her tears, Elise let out a chuckle.

“That’s… good.”

“So eloquent.” She giggled and Alcina decided that was the best sound she had ever heard.

Hazel eyes filled with tears once more and her hands began to shake. Elise leaned forward and rested her forehead against hers, her lips quivering slightly. Alcina's heart raced at their closeness and she refused to breathe or acknowledge the way she herself began to tremble.

“I know what happened today can happen again. I know even if I beg you would still go out there. You have to.” A light whimper escaped Elise’s lips. “Just please make sure you come back. I know how strong you are but Alcina please. I have lost so much already and I know you are different. I know you are stronger. But please just say you will come back. Please.”

Pulling away from her soft hands, she lifted her head enough to place a kiss on Elise’s forehead, lingering for a moment to say, “I will always come back to you, my daring girl.”

“Aww, that is so cute! You were right, Bela?”

The delighted squeal from Daniela had them jumping apart. Elise seemed to lose her balance but one quick movement from Alcina and she had her resting against her chest instead.

“Dani, hush!” Cassandra hissed, attempting to be more quiet but failing miserably.

“Both of you shhh.”

Elise made to move away but Alcina only held her tighter in place, “stay?” At her nod Alcina pulled her gently onto her lap before looking to the closed door. “Bugs? You may come in.”

“What if we don’t want to?” Cassandra asked.

“I want to.” Daniela whined.

“Be quiet.” Bela hissed. “A-are you decent, Mother?”

“Bela Dimitrescu.” She admonished while Elise attempted to cover her giggle with a cough.

“I was only—”

“Inside. All three of you.”

The buzzing swarm of her beloved trio dove under her door and into the room. Cassandra materialized with her hands covering her eyes, while Daniela beamed at them and Bela stared at the floor apologetically.

“So when do we get to call Elise mom?” Daniela asked happily.

“Daniela, we haven’t even… what I mean is… well I just…” And once more Lady Alcina Dimitrescu had been reduced to a stammering blubbering mess.

“I just told her I loved her, girls. Be patient.”

Suddenly the giggles coming from her daughters disappeared along with her chambers to leave only the woman she now had on her lap. What Elise had just said was a lie. She hadn’t told her she loved her. She had just—

“Alcina?” A soft hand caressed her cheek gently as ever. “Are you alright?”

“Elise broke Mother.” Cassandra snickered in the background.

Alcina ignored her and focused instead on those hazel eyes. “You just said you love me.”

“Alcina,” Elise frowned, “after everything that just happened. After everything I just said. Could you not guess what I felt? What I feel?”

“But I’m a m—”

Soft lips covered her own in an instant. She shuddered at the feeling as did the beast inside. Parts she had thought long dead sparked throughout her. Bumps rose all over her skin and she burned. Burned brightly in an all consuming fire. To this miserable world Elise had sparked it all. It was as though Alcina had been sleepwalking through life. And now she was awake.

Elise pulled away and she opened her eyes, not entirely sure of when she had opened them. “I told you not to call yourself that.”

“If I recall correctly you said you’d slap me if I did.” Alcina managed a smirk though inside she was swooning like a schoolgirl.

“My daring self thought a kiss might be better to keep you from talking.”

“Adorable!”

“Ew.”

“Shhh.”

“Sorry I forgot you all were here.” Elise turned to the girls.

“We’re aware.” Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Anyway since we now know Mother is in good hands let's get back to the cellar. I’m still hungry.”

“Just make sure you don’t bring all that blood up the stairs to the kitchen, you three.” Elise groaned.

“Yes, mom!” Daniela cheered and swarmed away quickly followed by a giggling Cassandra.

“Uh… still let us know if you need something?” Bela gave them a small smile before she also swarmed away.

“I should’ve asked them to bring you another one.” Elise motioned to the empty carafe. “I’ll go get you some more.” She moved to stand and once more Alcina held her in place.

“No, I had more than enough.” Elise seemed unconvinced by her words. “Stay.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

“Shall I tell you a secret, my daring draga?” Alcina pressed her forehead to Elise’s, grinning widely when she rubbed their noses together. “I love you too.”

#happy pride 🌈#Pride fic fest #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #re8 alcina #alcina x oc

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evenfall-au · 1 year

Text

Proof Of The Soul

Rating: M Prompt for Frans Monthly May: [Sleep] Word count: 1,000

Cross Posted to Ao3 here!

@frans-monthly

The night was long, and it was dark when the vampire finally returned to his abode. The sound of leathered wings slicing through air a prelude to his arrival as the paned glass window to his study flew open; bidding him enter, welcoming him home.

A thin whistling zipped and zapped, twisted into a low sigh of expelled energy as booted feet met carpet, and azul colored twin lights lit the space around an insouciant grin.

Sans stood to his full height and turned to shut the entryway with a gentle hand. He hadn't meant to linger as long as he had that evening, his mind focused on other duties to attend to at home concerning his new bride and brother, but unfortunately events hadn't played out as he'd planned.

The delivery from the red cross had been tainted, a month's supply for his coven wasted on petty grievances not of his own making suffused with garlic and other supposed vampire weaknesses and toxins.

Rage hadn't even begun to describe the way he had felt.

What a twist of luck that the boat had yet to depart when he'd arrived. It was easy to rectify the wrong that had occured. Not only had the supplier been willing to replace the loss without compensation—but Sans had managed to find the saboteur, foolishly stowed away among the ship's cargo as if freight.

He'd been quick, he'd been silent.

Regrettably.

Hobbyist hunters were getting bolder.

Tiredly he ran a hand over his sockets and let loose a sigh of exasperation. He'd missed dinner, missed the chance to keep his promise of a moonlit stroll and floating Lily pads.

Sans had so looked forward to it.

Disappointing.

Hopefully she wouldn't be too upset—

He stilled as he spotted a silhouette perched upon the fine leather of his study chair. The light of his eyes brightening as he took slow, cautious steps forward; sensing, feeling for disturbance or ill intent.

Sans' grin hitched up at the corners.

It was a woman; dressed in a simple nightgown with mousy brown hair, reposed gracefully with crossed ankles and folded hands even in the depths of slumber.

She must've waited for him.

How cute.

It sent a warmth fluttering through his bones, still chilled from the night air.

Briefly, Sans contemplated leaving her there. The sight of her adding a rather pleasant contrast to the whole of the room. He was severely tempted to spend what few hours remained before daybreak admiring her.

What a hilarity it was, that she still slept during what was supposed to be their waking hours.

He felt a flicker of concern.

Had she eaten? There were vials she could drink from but he knew she wasn't partial to them. Like he she much prefered to drink from the source.

One of her locks flew up from her forehead in a cute flip to the side as she let out a sigh.

…why was he worrying?

If she was sleeping so soundly surely she must've been fine. If anything she might have been suffering from disappointment and longing, given the position he found her in.

He stared, savored, and shrugged.

To leave her as is would do her neck and back no favours. She'd be sore come morning, and the last thing he wanted was her sad and grumpy on top of it.

He'd have to think of a good way to make it up to her. Ideas were already forming but he'd much prefer to assess how she was when awake before committing to anything.

Doing his best to not wake her, he reached down and slid his hands as delicately as he could beneath her knees and around her shoulders. With naught a blink he easily lifted her up and against his chest.

She shifted.

Sans froze.

A small huff, and she settled more comfortably in his hold, on that border between wakefulness and sleep, before seemingly falling once again into deep rest as her head fell softly against his shoulder.

He felt a thrum in his chest.

For thousands of years Sans had wondered if he'd even had a soul like his brother had. If he'd been born with one.

Monsters and Humans had them both alike no matter the existence. But Sans had still questioned it, even as he'd borne witness to them countless times; at the loss of light in one's eyes or the joy of life being brought into the world.

He'd always felt cold, detached.

A shade away from the depth of emotion those around him displayed, though he wore a happy grin or saddened frown.

He'd felt empty.

How easy it was to tell a joke, to be crass and make remarks lacking any tact, when he truly felt so little in the way of emotional consequence.

In no way was Sans heartless—in the metaphorical meaning of the term—but he did admit he could be cruel, he could be indifferent, though he sometimes wished not to be.

Was it really so hard for him to believe he might be soulless, knowing that?

Once upon a time, yes.

It was true.

But now the proof of his soul lay in his arms, tucked safely against his body and nestled contently upon his shoulder.

Frisk.

His precious one, his lady of stars.

A fallen bird with broken wings that he'd been unable to ignore. That drew upon such profound sympathies and compassion that Sans had instinctively embraced and splinted her the only way he knew how. So moved him with her cries he wanted nothing else than to take her, protect her.

Her body beat against his where they touched. Her being a loud drum to his quiet hum.

A moment of weakness…

He gave in, and breathed deeply of her hair, her scent.

…The blood beneath her flesh.

Craved.

Sans closed his sockets.

With a gentle press of his teeth to her forehead he swept her away—to their room, and their bed.

#undertale au #evenfall #frans #sansxfrisk #fransmonthly

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blurban-form · 4 months

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Queenslanders

Many locations have housing types that because of local conditions become very common and come to define an area. Los Angeles dingbats, auto worker housing in Detroit, and Texas donuts are some examples.

But we’re not here to talk those, we’re going to talk about Queenslanders, the type of house the Heelers live in. Like so much of “Bluey”, they’re depicted very realistically.

Queenslanders are the term for a type of house that became commonplace in Queensland, Australia, particularly in Brisbane. (Note the term can also refer to the construction style, so other types of building could be called Queenslanders too.)

They date back to the 1840s when Brisbane was expanding rapidly. Queensland's population increased rapidly from 30,000 inhabitants in 1861 to half a million by 1901 due to a mining boom. Housing was needed that could be constructed rapidly. In the early 20th century, these homes were available as kits from lumber suppliers but were also built by home-building firms, they could be constructed rapidly while maintaining a high level of quality.

Construction and Features

These homes tend to be large: this was intentional as when Brisbane was developing, a minimum lot size was specified to prevent very cramped/dense slum areas that had become an issue in other Australian cities.

These homes were constructed of readily-available low-cost materials: wooden planks and metal roofs, typically a single-level on wooden “stumps”.

This use of these stump posts as the footings for the house had multiple benefits. It protected against flooding (i.e. this lower area could flood without destroying the home’s contents), keeps bugs out (the posts would use metal caps to keep ants from climbing up into the house), and allowed the homes to be built rapidly without the need to smooth out/level the terrain with earth-moving equipment, and also allows the building to be easily moved, raised, etc. if need be.

Note how the Heeler’s house appears to have part of the lower level upgraded while part of it is still an unimproved crawlspace-type area.

Other features include:

Spinning rooftop ventilators to allow hot air to be expelled from the house.

Gabled roofs with steep pitches, typically with fireproof metal roofs (originally corrugated iron, now steel as used on barn roofs), as this was material readily available, could stand up to heavy rains, and was easily replaced in the event of cyclone damage. (Most episodes of Bluey show the house with flatter-style steel barn-type roofing, but “Hammerbarn” shows corrugated metal!)

They have verandas (porches) that wrap around the house but do not enclose the house entirely. Sometimes these get enclosed to create additional indoor living space. The veranda serves as an indoor/outdoor space, and can even be used as a sleeping area in the summer.

The crawlspace area could be used as a shaded play area, workshop, etc. and many were ultimately upgraded into living space but this eliminated the protection against flooding. (This space would be vulnerable)

Inside the rooms are connected and designed with lots of openings to allow for airflow to keep them cool. (As there was no air conditioning at the time.)

(When I did the series of house walkthrough posts I noted how there are often open windows and good airflow throughout the house)

These homes have a light, breezy feel, often being compared to treehouses, or tents. This can also be a criticism; the walls can be thin (making privacy an issue) and hard to insulate, which wasn’t a consideration when they were constructed.

These features combine to make these homes well-adapted to the warm & humid climate of Queensland, where rainfall is heavy and the average summer temperature is typically in the range of 23–36°C (73–97°F). Brisbane is located in a low-lying swamp area and is prone to flooding.

They began falling out of favour after WWII. One reason for this was that earth-moving technology had improved meaning it was no longer necessary to build using stumps, as uneven land could be levelled for building.

References

#Bluey Queenslanders #Bluey architecture #Bluey housing stock #Bluey

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eddiefreakinmunson · 2 years

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Like Real People Do (Eddie Munson x F!Reader)

Summary: Ever since last summer when Starcourt fell and Hawkins revealed its true colors to you, you've tried to keep a low profile. The other members of the party swear up, down, and sideways that you're all sworn to secrecy. Even if it means keeping your best friend Eddie in the dark, and dodging the eldest Hargrove sibling who's taken an unfortunate interest in you.

Word Count: 1k & in progress

Series Warnings: Billy being a sleaze, language, smoking, alcohol, drug use, smut in later chapters, NSFW (18+ only!! Seriously minors DNI), fluff, angst, slow burn, violence, blood, all the standard stranger things warnings

A/N: This is quite literally my first fanfic in years, so please be gentle with me. I'm simple, and adore nerdy metalheads, and Eddie got me too good to not write something. In this AU Billy is alive for the events of ST4, and definitely an asshole but a (somewhat, very vaguely) redeemable one. He's good as an antagonist. This is just a preview, I'll definitely write more if anyone's interested! Planning on this being a long fic, in multiple parts. Read on, nerds. xx

~~♡~~

If Robin didn't return from the back of the video store soon, you were going to end up giving someone a black eye.

"Was thinkin' we could see Blue Velvet, roll up to that shitty little theater I see the town drooling over. The Hawk? Think it could be a real nice time-"

Billy didn't give a solitary shit about the movie, you knew that much before he was wetting his bottom lip to ask you from his spot leaned against a display of horror b-movies. More than likely, he was looking to ignore the movie entirely for an excuse to hook an arm around your shoulder on the dubiously clean theater seats in the dim lighting and get his hands on your chest.

Or at least see the starring actress naked.

Though the drawling attempt at schmoozing that rolled from Billy's lips was an idle noise you didn't pay much mind to, not when you caught a glimpse of your exasperating friend over his shoulder.

Eddie was pantomiming simultaneously sobbing and dry heaving in disgust in a bought of theatrics over the Family Video counter, the chain on his pants and wrist rattling.

There was an itching throb behind your eye, the grumbling of the beat-up air conditioning in the store was suddenly too loud, the cheap carpet beneath your sneakers uncomfortable as your weight shifted from one foot to another.

Your were weighing the chances of booking it to the doors like a bat out of hell before Billy could catch up versus accidentally stranding your metalhead Gumby with him when a low keen chimed in.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Gotta deliver the rugrats their shit before they start fighting. Each other or us."

Billy's chin tilted towards the source, a muscle in his jaw working in the sort of affronted gaze of someone who didn't often hear the word "no", let alone have the one keeping him from who he had his sights on be the school's rumored drug supplier. It wasn't much of a rumor, however. You knew Eddie had sold to Billy at some of his ragers he dared to call parties last summer, and the two generally had a vague respect for one another.

But Billy wasn't wasted on a keg stand and sliding your friend money for weed. When he scoffed quietly while still keeping half of his lips tucked into a smirk, something cold and pissed flickered in his irises when they leveled with your friend's, just before you blinked and it was already gone. But it was something that made Eddie grin wildly in challenge from his place now at your shoulder.

That muscle in Billy's jaw feathered again. "I'll be damned, Munson. Didn't think you and our darlin' (Y/N) over here knew each other."

"Well considering we've known each other since we were shitting our pants and watching Underdog, I'd say we're pretty decently acquainted."

The bark of Billy's answering laugh was equal parts charming and mocking. "No shit? Well, I-" He ran his tongue over his top teeth while letting out another throaty sort of chuckle. "The thing is, Maxine never said a word about hanging around either of you. Especially you," pointing at Eddie's amused face, "I never see you past that shithole where everyone parks their trailers and calls it a park, The Hideout, or the school. Think you're full of it."

Eddie's hands shot up in mock surrender, the warm metal of his rings clinking in time with the sound of the chain on his wrist jostling again.

"Oh shit, dude, you got me. Red handed, might I add. I'm now much more of a Smurfs man, if I do say so myself."

You flung a hand out across to Eddie's shoulder farthest from you like a mother slamming on the breaks in her minivan too hard when Billy shot up and made to walk towards the pair of you.

"Hey, (Y/N), tell the army of child minions that we got that copy of The Shining back in, but I dunno if they'll love or hate it, especially cause I think Will is on the sensitive side if you catch my drift-"

Robin Buckley's incessant word vomit and terrible timing, both of which were about to save your ass.

~~♡~~

A/N: Thank you thank you thank you if you've read this far! This is just a preview/blurb, not even necessarily chapter one but it will be included, just trying to gage interest in this fic. I'm definitely more than a little rusty, so any comments/feedback are appreciated! xx

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson fanfic #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #stranger things 4 #like real people do

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thesunwillshineonusagain757 · 1 year

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𝗔𝗧𝗣 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗜𝗔𝗙 𝗔𝗨

𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 :

The Red Keep Championships, commonly known simply as Red Keep, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All Crownland Club in Red Keep, King's Landing, since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts, with retractable roofs over the two main courts since 2019. Red keep is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Braavos Open, Dornish Open, and Lys Open.

Red Keep is the only major still played on grass, the traditional tennis playing surface. Also, it is the only Grand Slam that retains a night-time curfew, though matches can now continue until 11.00 pm under the lights.

The tournament traditionally takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, starting on the last Monday in June and culminating with the Mixed Singles Finals, scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday at the end of the second week.

Five major events are held each year, with additional junior and invitational competitions also taking place. In 2009, Red Keep's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain. A roof was operational over No. 1 Court from 2019, when a number of other improvements were made, including adding cushioned seating, a table and 10 independently operable cameras per court to capture the games.

Red Keep traditions include a strict all-white dress code for competitors, and royal patronage. Strawberries and cream are traditionally consumed at the tournament. Unlike other tournaments, advertising is minimal and low key from official suppliers such as Slazenger and Rolex. The relationship with Slazenger is the world's longest-running sporting sponsorship, providing balls for the tournament since 1902.

Inspired by : Wimbledon

𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Braavos Open is a tennis tournament held annually at House of Black and White Park in Braavos, Essos. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the Dornish Open, Red Keep, and the Lys Open.

The Braavos Open starts in the middle of January and continues for two weeks coinciding with the Braavosi Day holiday. It features mixed singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; junior's championships; and wheelchair, legends, and exhibition events. Before 1988, it was played on grass courts, but since then two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used: green-coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and blue Plexicushion since 2008.

First held in 1905 as the Bravosi championships, the Braavos Open has grown to become one of the biggest sporting events in the Essosi part of the globe. Nicknamed "the happy slam", the Braavos Open is the highest attended Grand Slam event, with more than 902,000 people attending the 2023 tournament.

It was also the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts, Jaqen H'ghar Arena, Yorko Terys Arena and the refurbished Valar Morghulis Arena equipped with retractable roofs.

The Braavos Open is a major contributor to the Braavosi economy; the 2020 Braavos Open injected $387.7 million into the state's economy, while over the preceding decade the Braavos Open had contributed more than $2.71 billion in economic benefits to the Braavosi economy.

Inspired by : Australian open

𝗟𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Lys Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in the Free City of Essos. Since 1987, the Lys Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. The other three, in chronological order, are the Braavos Open, Dornish Open and Red Keep.

The Lys Open starts on the last Monday of August and continues for two weeks, with the middle weekend coinciding with the Lys Labor Day holiday. The tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, originally known as the Lyseni National Championship, for which mixed singles and mixed doubles were first played in August 1881.

The tournament consists of five primary championships: mixed singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The tournament also includes events for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Since 1978, the tournament has been played on acrylic hardcourts at the Lys Salladhor Saan National Tennis Center in Shayala's Dance, Bazanne Town, Doreah Queens, Myrmadora Haen City.

The Lys Open is owned and organised by the Lyseni Tennis Association , a non-profit organisation, and the chairperson of the Lys Open is Moreo Dagareon. Revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships, and television contracts is used to develop tennis in the Lys.

This tournament, from 1971 to 2021, employed standard tiebreakers (first to 7 points, win by 2) in every set of a singles match. Since the year of 2022, new tiebreak rules were initiated and standardised in the final set for all four Grand Slams. Thus, when a match reaches 6–all in the last possible set (the third for women and fifth for men), an extended tiebreaker (first to 10 points, win by 2) is played.

Inspired by : US Open

𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Dornish Open, also known as Nymeria of Ny Sar, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Nymeria Martell in Sunspear, Dorne, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and venue are named after the Dornish aviator Nymeria of Ny Sar.

The Dornish Open is the premier clay court championship in the world and the only Grand Slam tournament currently held on this surface. It is chronologically the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments, occurring after the Braavos Open and before Red Keep and the Lys Open.

Until 1975, the Dornish Open was the only major tournament not played on grass. Between the seven rounds needed for a championship, the clay surface characteristics (slower pace, higher bounce), and the best-of-five-set mixed singles matches, the Dornish Open is widely regarded as the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.

The Dornish Open has been the only major played on clay courts since 1978, when the Lys Open changed to hard courts. Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when compared with grass courts or hard courts. For this reason, clay courts take away some of the advantages of big servers and serve-and-volleyers, which makes it hard for these types of players to dominate on the surface.

On the other hand, players whose games are more suited to jumpier surfaces. In the Open Era, almost only male players who have won both the Dornish Open and Red Keep. Composition of the courts : 1. Red brick dust, 2. Crushed white limestone, 3. Clinker (coal residue), 4. Crushed gravel, 5. Drain rock.

Inspired by : French Open

𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Winterfell Open (also known as the Winterfell Masters, and currently branded as the Winterfell Open presented by Itaú for sponsorship reasons) is a tennis tournament held at Hard Rock Stadium in Winterfell Gardens, Winterfell. It is part of the mixed ATP Tour Masters 1000 circuit, and part of the women's WTA 1000 circuit. The Winterfell Open is usually held between March and April.

The tournament had historically been held at the Tennis Center at Cregan Park in Winterfell town, Winterfell from 1987 through 2018, before moving to northern Gardens for 2019. Behind the Karhold Masters, it is the second event of the "Blizzard Double", a series of two consecutive hard court tournaments in the North at the beginning of the season. They are the only tournaments besides majors where main draw play extends beyond eight days.

Beside the four Major championships, the Winterfell Open is one of a small number of events on the ATP tour where the main singles draw (for the mixed, the men and the women) involves more than 64 players, and where main draw play extends beyond one week. 96 men and 96 women compete in the singles competition, and 32 teams compete in each of the doubles competitions with the event lasting 12 days.

In 2006, the tournament became the first event in the North to use Hawk-Eye to allow players to challenge close line calls. Players were allowed three challenges per set, with an additional challenge allowed for tiebreaks. The first challenge was made by Jon Connignton against Dacey Mormont in the first round.

Inspired by : Miami Open

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 :

The Vale Masters, also known as the The Arryn Open and The Sky-blue falcon Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Arryn Falcon Tennis Garden in Flanco Peak, in the Vale, in Westeros. The owner is Jon Arryn, executive chairman and co-founder of Oracle. The tournament director is former world No. 2 player Robin Arryn. The tournament is a Masters 1000 event on the mixed tour, men's tour and is a WTA 1000 event on the women's tour.

Between 1974 and 1976 it was a non-tour event and between 1977 and 1989 it was held as part of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour. The event is one of two tour events , other than the Majors, in which main draw play extends beyond eight days. The women's main draw and men's main draw usually starts on Wednesday and the mixed starts on Thursday. Both finals are held on Sunday of the following week. Both singles main draws include 96 players in a 128-player grid, with the 32 seeded players getting a bye (a free pass) to the second round.

The tournament is played on hardcourt and is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments, it is often called the "fifth Grand Slam". It has the second-largest permanent tennis stadium in the world, behind Dragonstone's Aegon Targaryen Stadium.

Inspired by : Indian Wells Masters

𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦:

The High Garden Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Loras-Cap-Tyrell, High Garden, France, a commune that borders on Dorne. The event is part of the ATP Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. The tournament is played on clay courts and is held every year in the April–May period.

The High Garden tennis championship was first held in 1897. It became an "Open" event in 1969. From 1970 through 1973 and from 1976 through 1989 it was a major tournament of the Grand Prix Tour. In 1973 the tournament was part of the Rothmans Spring Mediterranean Circuit. From 1974 through 1977 the tournament was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. In 1990 it became an ATP Championship Series Single Week tennis event.

Beginning in 2009, High garden became the only Masters 1000 tournament not to have a mandatory player commitment. Most of the top players still elect to play the event despite this status.Lyanna won the title eight consecutive times between 2005 and 2012, making him the only player to win eight consecutive titles at the same tournament. In 2017, contesting his 11th final against Oberyn Martell, she won the title for an Open Era record 10th time. The following year, Lyanna improved this record to 11 wins in a final against .

Inspired by : Monte-Carlo Masters

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Starfall Open, currently sponsored by Torentine Starfall and known as the Torentine Starfall Open, is a joint mixed, men's and women's professional tennis tournament, held in Starfall, during early May.

The clay-court event is classified as an ATP Tour Masters 1000 on the ATP Tour and a WTA 1000 event on the WTA Tour. In the past, it has also been known as the Starfall Masters. The tournament is traditionally played on a red clay surface. The event was played on blue courts in the 2012 tournament edition, with the ATP deciding against blue thereafter.

It was proposed and implemented in 2012 a new colour of blue clay for all the courts' surfaces, motivating that it would supposedly be better visually, especially for viewers on television (analogous to some hard court surface events migrating to blue from various previous colour schemes).

Some speculated that the adaptation of blue colour was a nod to the titular sponsor of the tournament, the Dornish insurance giant Torentine Starfall. This controversial change was subsequently granted and began to be used in the 2012 edition of the tournament. In 2009 one of the outer tennis courts had already been made of the new surface for the players to test it. The Open's director had assured that aside from the colour, the surface kept the same properties as the traditional red clay.

Inspired by : Madrid Open

𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Karhold Open is a mixed tennis tournament held in Karhold, located along a forested river in the eastern half of the north, south of the Bay of Seals, in the North. Held since 1993, the event is played on four outdoor grass courts and is a part of the ATP Tour 500 series on the ATP Tour schedule.

Between 1993 and 2018 it was sponsored by Karlon Stark. It was sponsored by Karstark & Co from 2019 to 2021. In December 2021, a change of primary sponsor and name was announced. For the years 2022 and 2023, the tournament will be known as the Karhold Open.

The Karhold Open is held at the same time as the Kings of North Club Championships, and the two are seen as the primary warm-up tournaments for the Winterfell Grand Slam tournament, also on grass courts, which begins towards the end of June. The event was upgraded in 2015 from a 250 series to a 500 series tournament.

The Centre Court (the Karlon Stark, Stadion) has 12,300 seats and a retractable roof which can be closed in 88 seconds so that tennis matches can continue with a closed roof when it begins to rain. The stadium is heated and also used for other sport events (handball, basketball, volleyball and boxing) and concerts.

Inspired by : Halle Open

𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦:

The Meereen Masters, originally called the Essosi International Championships, is a tennis tournament held in the Free City, Essos. It is one of the most important clay tennis tournaments in the world with the mixed competition being an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, and the women's competition being a WTA 1000 event on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

The two events were combined in 2011. The tournament is played on clay courts, currently during the second week of May. The event is also known as the "Meereen Masters" for male edition, as well as the sponsored name "Koshlōgor hen Mīrīn". Lyanna Stark has won the mixed singles title a record ten times.

The Meereenese tennis championship was first held in 1930 in centre Meereen at the Tennis Club and was initiated by Queen Daenerys Jelmāzmo. The singles events at the tournament were won by Belaquo Bonebreaker and Barsena Blackhair. The championships were held in centre Meereen until 1934.

The Meereen Open became "open" to professional players in 1969. Between 1972 and 1989 it was a premier tournament of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and was part of the Grand Prix Super Series top tier events. In 1990 it became an ATP Championship Series Single Week tournament, which included the nine most prestigious tournaments of the preceding Grand Prix tennis circuit. It has remained part of this category of events until today, that has changed names several times since, to be now known as the ATP Tour Masters 1000 events.

Inspired by : Rome Masters

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Casterly Open, also known as the Casterly Open presented by Lannister for sponsorship reasons, is a tennis event on the ATP Tour and former WTA International Tournaments event. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the Jockey Club Casterly in Casterly, Westernlands. It is the only ATP Tour 500 event in Westernland and the only ATP Tour event in Westeros.

The tournament takes place at the end of February and organises a mixed, men's and women's event. The tournament takes place under the patronage of the Casterly Rock foundation In 2001 the ATP upgraded the tournament from an ATP 250 level to a more prestigious ATP 500 level tournament.

On the WTA Tour, it alternates yearly between a WTA 1000 level tournament and a WTA 500 level tournament. Prior to the 1990s there was an annual Casterly Tennis Championship played at the Top of the Rock, in the Casterly Rock Palace Club.

The Casterly Tennis Championships was the third tournament in pro tennis history to award equal prize money for both men and women, before the mixed era.

Inspired by : Dubai Open and Rio Open

𝗔𝗧𝗣 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦:

The ATP Finals (until 2008 Tennis Masters Cup and until 2017 ATP World Tour Finals) is a tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season involving the eight highest ranked players in the ATP world tennis rankings. A doubles version is also played, involving the top 8 doubles players of the season.

Unlike the other events of the mixed and men's season, the ATP Finals is not a direct elimination tournament. The eight tennis players/doubles are split into two groups of four, and each tennis player/doubles player plays against the other three in their group. Then, the two players/doubles with the best results from each group move on to the semi-finals, and the winners of the semi-finals meet in the final to determine the champion.

The ATP Finals is considered the fifth most prestigious event on the mixed, men's and women's circuit, after the four Grand Slam tournaments. It is usually held in Riverrun but it has been also known to be held in Harrenhal.

In the 2009 season the name of the tournament changed from Tennis Masters Cup to ATP World Tour Finals and in 2018, such name changed to just ATP Finals. Tennis players Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark are the tournament's biggest singles champions, both with 6 wins.

Inspired by : ATP Finals

𝗬𝗜𝗧𝗜 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 :

The Yiti Masters ( also known as Yiti Rolex Masters for sponsorship reasons) is a professional mixed tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, and held annually in early October at the Amethyst Empress Forest Sports City Arena in the Han District of YIti. The tournament is chronologically the eighth out of nine ATP Tour Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour, it was the first to be played in eastern Essos.

Inspired by : Shanghai Masters

𝗬𝗨𝗡𝗞𝗔𝗜 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The mixed Yunkai Open (sponsored by Skistar) is an ATP Tour 250 tennis tournament on the ATP Tour held in Center Yunkai, Yunkai in July, it's a challenger-level tournament. It is played on outdoor clay courts, something to note is that the winners of the Yunkai open will be crowned king or queen of the city and will be taken to the top of the biggest pyramid in the city and enjoy a day of being " royalty", after their win.

Inspired by : Swedish Open

𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Lannisport Open (sponsored since 2022 by Hugo Boss and called BOSS Open) is an ATP Tour 250 series professional tennis tournament on the ATP Tour. Between 1970 and 1989, the Lannisport Open was a Grand Prix tennis circuit event. From 1990 to 1999, the Lannisport Open was an ATP Championship Series tournament. The Championship Series name was changed to ATP International Series Gold in 2000, and the Lannisport Open was a part of this series from 2000–2001 and 2003–2008. In 2002, the Lannisport Open was briefly demoted for one year to ATP International Series status, which was renamed to the ATP Tour 250 in 2009, and it has retained the classification ever since.

Inspired by : Stuttgart Open

𝗡𝗔𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗜 𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Naath Essos Open (formerly Naath Open Tennis Championships) is an annual tennis tournament for professional players held in Naath, Isle of Butterflies and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. Before 2021, it is a mixed event. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the tennis centre Missandei Starheart in the Naarthi quarter. For much of its history, the tournament was contested in May, as a precursor to the Dornish Open on the professional tennis calendar. Starting with the 2009 tournament, it has been held in July instead.

Inspired by : Hamburg European Open

𝗣𝗬𝗞𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Pyke Open (currently sponsored by Erste Bank and called the Erste Bank Open) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit (1974–1989), it is currently part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. It has been held annually at the Balon Greyjoy Club, in Pyke, Iron Islands, since 1974.

Iron Island's most successful tennis player, Victarion Greyjoy, never won the Pyke Open, but was a runner-up on three occasions (1988, 1993, 1995), and a semi-finalist on another four occasions (1987, 1989, 1990, 1994). Four Iron Island players have won the singles title at the Pyke Open: Vickon Greyjoy in 1988, Goren Greyjoy in 2009, Dagon Codd in 2010, and Caoimhe Stonetree in 2019.

Inspired by : Vienna Open

𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The DragonStone Championships is a professional tennis tournament on the ATP Tour. Classified as an ATP 250 tournament, the event is annually held at the outdoor grass courts of Dragonstone Country Club in Sant Aegon, Dragonstone, Crowlands in June, a week prior to the Red Keep Championships.

Inspired by : Mallorca Open

𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗛𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖:

The Harrenhal Classic: (currently sponsored by Rothesay Pensions) is a 250-level previously women only but now mixed tennis tournament on the mixed Tour held at the Harrenhal Priory Club in Harrenhal, Crownlads, Westeros. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts. It is seen as a warm up tournament for the Red Keep.

Inspired by : Birmingham Classic

𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Dreadfort Open was originally known as the Dreadfort Championships or Dreadfort Lawn Tennis Tournament (1887–1967), is a tennis tournament for mixed, men's and women's held in Dreadfort, North, played on outdoor grass courts at the Dreadfort Tennis Centre. After being discontinued in 2008, it was downgraded in 2011 to ATP Mixed Challenger Tour and ITF Women's Circuit. briefly re-established as an ATP World Tour 250 event on the men's tour in 2015 and 2016, before returning to a Challenger event in 2017, and since 2015 it has been an international event on the women's tour. The tournament is held in June as a "warm-up" for the Red Keep.

Inspired by : Nottingham Open

@aemontargaryen-bloodraven

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krystaldeath · 1 year

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Headcanons for Shadowpeach being Bai He’s dad’s please? (You can do it for your au where that happens if you want to btw, though you can also do it in a sort of canon scenario where the two adopt Bai He after making up or something)

Ahh I haven’t done anything for my au in a while so I’ll do that!

* So in the beginning Wukong was a bit hesitant to get too close to them, since he and Macaque don’t have the greatest history, but one day he saves Bai He from almost falling off a cliff when she was running around with the baby monkeys (the monkeys (both the babies and Mac & SWK) had heart attacks but it’s ok-) and she started to want to play with him more. So he became close to her before he and Mac patched things up and became lovers again

* Bai He likes to wear her hair in two buns on the side of her head. When Wukong one day finally asks why, she stops playing with her dolls and says, “Because it makes my shadow look like a monkey like my baba and papa!” with the biggest smile on her face. She immediately turned away to start playing again so she doesn’t see her fathers both clutching their hearts and crying their eyes out

* She calls Macaque Baba and Wukong Papa

* Bai He knows that her dads have a history together, and she figures out some things when she’s older by looking them up in books/on the internet. She keeps her knowing a secret because she’s afraid that if she brings it up her family will fall apart. Dw they all talk it out eventually but there’s a long period of time where she has this insecurity

* Groom/Braid train! Bai He in front getting her hair brushed, cleaned and braided by one of her dads while the other does the same to him. Mac is surprised that Wukong is actually pretty good at braiding (Wukong takes mock offense to his mate thinking he would suck at it; Bai He just giggles at her dads’ banter)

* Self projecting the little “Oo-Ooh~!” Id do whenever I saw my parents kiss when I was younger onto Bai He

* When she’s hanging out with the Traffic Light Trio for the Big Sis/Big Bro thing she has to hold back so much bc of MK’s rambling over Moneky King. “That’s my papa. He’s talking about my papa and I can’t even say anything about it. WAIT MY PAPA DID /W H A T/????” This is how she gets her Dad Lore™️, much like a lot of us (I assume or maybe this is just me-): From a person who isn’t her dad. In case you’re curious my mom is my Dad Lore supplier usually. Macaque probably tells her the stuff not usually talked about in stories though. “Oh yeah he was an idiot (affectionate). Still is but-“

* Macaque puts on shadow plays for her all the time, especially before bed. She asks for her favorite story and Mac gets flustered bc Wukong is watching too. “Th-the Hero and The Warrior were like the… the Sun and the Moon-” “Oho, were they now~?” “Papa, shh! Baba, please continue!”(It’s a bit of an edited version of the story from the Shadowplay episode, dw, he’s not putting his daughter to bed with a story about betrayal and heartbreak)

* Big timeskip here but after the events of season 3 (oh boy once I get the basics of this au out and can finally get into the shows timeline with it, yall aren’t ready for the angst), they all have some white in their hair. The family have “Hair Dye Days” where they all dye said white either their natural hair color or a fun unnatural color. Usually it’s just Bai He who does the unnatural colors (like pink or red; red is to match her dads :3), but sometimes Mac will dye his purple and Wukong will dye his teal/turquoise (I do Not know which one is the one he often has as his accent color but it’s gotta be one of the other. Probably)

* Last one for now bc this is getting long: Wukong is a living space heater. Macaque and Bai He will just cuddle up to him on each side and he has to try not to cry bc he’s been alone for so long, with only the baby monkeys to keep him company, and now he has a daughter and a husband and his touch starved self is gonna burst from how much love is in his soul now

#lego monkie kid #lmk headcanon #lmk au #bonds that bind us au #shadowpeach #lmk bai he #lmk sun wukong #lmk six eared macaque #not to sound like a broken record but sorry this took a week for me to respond #couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to word the first thing and so I was unable to carry on with the rest #word heavy #I swear Tumblr makes my rambling look like so much less than the notes app does #still a lot but now I feel like I didn’t put enough #oh well hope you enjoy!!!#i seriously have got to make more posts about this AU #maybe some art too… maybe #someone give me motivation lol

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indizombie · 2 months

Text

Linganna, the defence analyst, said the India-Israel drone partnership was likely to raise several legal and ethical quandaries for India, as more information came to light about current events in Gaza. For instance, in the years following Israel's operation in Gaza in 2014, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights concluded that around 37 percent of Palestinians killed were due to Israeli drones. "When India supplies drones to Israel, it becomes indirectly linked to any actions those drones take in Gaza. This blurs the line between supplier and potential accomplice, even if India has no direct control over how the drones are used," Linganna said.

Azad Essa, ‘War on Gaza: Indian-made Israeli 'killer' drones set to make their way to Gaza’, Middle East Eye

#Azad Essa #Gaza #Palestine #India #Israel #Middle East Eye

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reikiajakoiranruohoja · 10 months

Text

Mini-Essay: Without Light

WARNING: Discussions of dystopia, gore and cannibalism.

One of the good things about having a wide taste in media is how you can run into the oddest comparisons that still have value.

One of those is between the Project Moon games and Werewolf the Apocalypse 5th ed.

I know I have been focusing on W5 a lot this week, but the way it has messed up is something epic.

To explain to those who haven't played Project Moon games, they are set in a megacity surrounded by hostile wastelands. However, what goes in within the city's walls might be much worse than anything in the outskirts. The city is one of the absolutely worst places in fiction I know, and I know my Warhammer 40k. Cannibalism is so common the chefs have the choice of suppliers, barely human monsters roam the Backstreets to use their victims in various ways including as fabric (yes, FABRIC, not leather) and mega-corps and organized crime force citizens into bloody acts of desperation.

There is deep and profound despair in these games as the characters try to survive in this hostile world with their sanity mostly intact. Often being the greatest danger to each other due to their traumas.

In Werewolf the Apocalypse 5th edition, the Apocalypse is happening, the nation of werewolves has splintered and young werewolves try to hold onto something as they deal with millennia of wrongs their ancestors have committed. The old werewolves say the Wyrm, a force of entropy has gone mad and has been the main foe of the werewolves for as long as anyone can remember. What isn't helping these lost werewolves is that two tribes of their Nation have completely left even the scraps of society they have left. Cult of Fenris to fight the Wyrm at any cost and the Stargazers to think on things.

The only thing these young garou can do is to guard a sacred place of nature with their lives and hope to survive to the next day.

The thing that makes the Project Moon universe work where W5 doesn't, is how it approaches its darkness. The city is awful and there is little way to change it for the better. But where W5 spends page upon page decrying the werewolves and how bad they are at their job with very little in the way of solutions, Project Moon games focus on pushing through all that darkness for even a sliver of light.

It is not some power of friendship thing, either. A big part of the game Library of Ruina is to make peace with the wrongs of the past and move onward by letting go of old grudges for your own sake. The characters have done horrible things to each other and letting go is much much MUCH easier said than done, at times even looked down upon. Moving on takes effort from both the characters and the player.

There is hope, as small and fleeting as it may feel at times, but it is there.

Another aspect where Project Moon's world manages better is the way it treats its horrors. World of Darkness 5th edition has gotten a lot of flak from how it treats its horror carelessly and inserts things based on current events when doing so would be tasteless.

In Project Moon games, for one, there is zero sexual violence. The setting manages to be horrible with zero mentions of SA and CSE. In fact, the evil in Project Moon games is banal. It is a job, a way to pay rent, a scholarship, a way to feed the masses and so on. One job literally entails scraping skinned people off walls and turning them back to normal. One way to pay rent is to obey random orders like stabbing the 58th person you meet on the street.

In both cases, the setting is dark and grim but while W5 focuses on the misery without giving the players a chance to affect it, Project Moon games focus on untangling the misery and trying to work out a solution among the horror and carcasses.

In terms of writing, you need hope to showcase the darkness as it is. Without light to shine even a little, you will never get a sense things could be better. This is something Project Moon understands and W5 lost in its translation to WoD5.

#cannibalism //#werewolf the apocalypse #w5 #project moon #library of ruina #limbus company #lobotomy corporation

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shadowcatzone · 7 months

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this is a xingyue child story, with some renheng on the side. but it's mostly about. the child. imagine them maybe a head taller than yanqing. that'll be important, somewhat.

in this one, xingyue child will have ptsd, abandonment trauma, as well as that "my father is bad so i'll probably be bad too" - i forgot what this one's called. i'm not very good at writing all of these but i'll try my best. just. keep them in mind somewhere.

well, the problem with criminals, they thought, is that it's a downward spiral. they let out a silent laugh, more like a huff. knowing their situation did not make them stop, though. they were so close to finishing up and leaving.

nobody would question them staying in the forge after nightfall. they did often forge things during nighttime. but they only had about 3 more minutes until the surveillance turned back on, so they hurriedly took any valuables the other workers left behind.

they even took the liberty of replacing the high-quality steel with low-quality ones. well, the supplier might get in trouble, but since the steel was already paid for, there wasn't much that could be done.

slipping away for the second time that night, they hurried back to the spot they had been in ten minutes prior. hurriedly lighting their pipe, drawing a large breath of the smoke, before exhaling it into patterns.

when everything turned back on, they drew in the last of the smoke before suffocating the embers and heading home. had their parents been around, they would certainly be less then thrilled about their childs choice of activities.

___

"you said you wanted to practice, to train with someone else, right?"

yanqing paused. he did tell them he needed training, but the timing seemed rather odd. "...i thought you didn't want to talk about fighting? you said specifically during meals..."

"ah." they pushed their lunch aside. "yeah. but, a friend of mine is gathering all sorts of people to... practice fighting in front of an audience. would you be interested?"

he thought about it for a minute. "...you won't mind if i ask the general first, do you?" "oh. technically, i don't mind. go ahead. it's just... you see..." he stared at them for a minute, and was about 70 percent sure this was gonna involve him in something... less legal. but he was willing to give his 'friend' the benefit of the doubt.

"don't look at me like that. those people want to practice to fight in front of an audience, so they're naturally rather shy. what do you think would happen if THE general jing yuan decided to watch them? they'd die on the spot!" they could see that the teen didn't believe a word. but they have a secret weapon for cases like this... "well, that's a shame. i once heard the general also wasn't fond of public fighting before he practiced with a group just like that."

they didn't even have to wait long- "did he really!??" would i lie to you? they thought, yes, i would. "i believe my father mentioned something of the sort once." that the man needed a lot of practice to master his weapon, and that he wasn't fond of public events. a white lie, surely.

___

"do i really have to wear the mask? it's annoying." well, he really wouldn't ask that if he understood why they were here. "well, but it's to help people with their shyness. even if YOU don't really need it, these guys would feel really bad about themselves knowing you can do what they can't." that made even less sense, even in their mind. "just try your best to win. I'll be waiting over there, at the counter."

___

they've been coming to the same general area for a few days now. "well? aren't you improving a lot?" yanqing started grinning "yes! the other day, i was sparring with the general, and he also said i was improving rather quickly! i... may or may not have told him about that sparring group, accidentally... i'm sorry." they stood in thought for a moment. "...did you? that's okay though. i really didn't expect you to keep it secret for so long either..." they walked to the place in silence. "hey, yanqing... i've heard... that there are, well, gonna be some... troublemakers tonight... listen, if i tell you we need to leave... then we best leave. immediately. okay?" "...alright, sure."

the fights went as usual, when, halfway through, [xingyue child] dragged yanqing out through a separate, concealed exit, not a bit to early, as the door falls closed, the space is quickly filled with cloud knights.

"well, i'll have to talk to my friend about when this takes place the next time. let's go eat something!" the teen nods and goes along. through a dozen winding passages, they find themselves at aurum alley.

___

yanqing was scowling at them. "do you know how angry the general was??" [xingyue child] smiled apologetically. "oh, yanqing i just wanted to ask you if you would help me..." "you got me involved in that illegal fighting ring! and now you want my help again!?"

they tried even harder to look really downcast. "i didn't know it was illegal... my friend promised it wasn't..." they wondered if they should jam their nail into their leg so they'd actually cry. "but i have to carry a bunch to the artisanship commission, and if i do it all on my own, i won't finish today... and then i won't have the time to eat dinner... i'm sorry, i really am..." he sighed. it can't be helped... "...fine."

they went to a warehouse, accompanied by [xingyue child]s constant thanking, apologising, and promising it won't happen again. looking up at the warehouse, he voiced his concerns once more. "are you sure this isn't illegal...?"

they gasped, feigning hurt. "of course not! look, see, if this was illegal, there'd be no need for me to have this temporary pass for the warehouse! right?" they held it up like a prize. it certainly has their name and picture on it. "alright. open it then." they turned around, and under the guise of fumbling with it, exchanged it with another pass. gaining access immediately, the two went inside.

carrying the boxes to the artisanship commission wasn't difficult, but they were rather large. they ended up handing them to an assistant who seemed... far too casual for the position. "don't worry. he'll move the boxes the rest of the way."

___

"...a number of warehouses have been stolen from. keep a close eye on those you pass." yanqing nodded at the generals instruction. "were there no recordings of the thief?" "no. the surveillance was down for about ten minutes." this didn't, however, mean that he didn't know exactly who did it. "i'm thinking of letting dan heng handle this..." he says, under his breath, while massaging his temples. yanqing had, however, already left.

___

their horns weren't that problematic. cutting off their horns was painful, but bearable. the alternative could be far worse. the horns would quickly grow back, like nails. the real problem was cutting their tail - which also grew back, but hurt a lot more, due to it being attached to their back. never the less, the disciples paid a lot for ingredients like these. and if the preceptors ever caught sight of their draconic features... their surroundings fell apart as they cut- then they jolted awake.

when sleep found them again, they returned to a barren landscape. when they were living on the zhuming for a while, they did so under ardens regia, whose voice still haunts them. "do not disappoint me. if you end up as your father before you, you must not gaze upon me." they are being cast aside. dropped on the battlefield to die. the second time they woke up, they didn't go back to sleep, they instead went out to the forge in the artisanship commission.

___

when [xingyue child] was called to the seat of divine foresight, they thought they were gonna be scolded. they did expect their 'uncle', jing yuan, to lecture them a bit. or a lot.

what they did not expect was the addition of the people who should have been, rather, would have been, their parents. the seat of divine foresight had otherwise been mostly cleared out.

"[xingyue child]," jing yuan started, "you've become quite bold lately, haven't you?" "i don't know what you mean, uncle. i didn't do anything wrong, did i?" the tension in the room went up. "then, should i tell you exactly what you did wrong?" "well, that would be-" "i believe you have been stealing... again." their expression froze up for a second. they had a hard time reading the generals expression. just how much did he find out? "i wouldn't, you told me last time to better myself. i wouldn't make the same mistake twice."

"even if you didn't steal. we're rather worried about your... involvement... with those illegal fight rings you somehow managed to drag yanqing into." they felt panic rising in their chest. "but, that was a misunderstanding. i genuinely thought those were just sparring matches." his smile fell on their last sentence. "is that so? well, there's more..." the list of crimes was long. none of them had been terrible crimes, but add them all up...

by the end of it, [xingyue child] had paled significantly, their mind racing. dan heng had a concerned expression. blade stared off into space, seemingly unconcerned about the issue. "...that's a lot." dan heng probed carefully. jing yuan was smiling again, "that is a lot."

"but none of that is my fault." [xingyue child] spoke up. the general sighed. "then, whose fault do you think it is?" "no, i mean, it's not my fault. i'm not at fault for becoming a criminal." "...elaborate." [xingyue child] had a desperate smile on their face. "i mean - really? i'm just a victim of my circumstances. it was very obvious, actually, that i would turn out this way. right? because i'm just like my parents, and my parents were both criminals, so i-" blade, who had been uninterested in the conversation, interjected, by grasping [xingyue child]s shoulders. "who told you that?"

"i... everyone says that. i mean, it's true." they wondered if the man who was once their dad would try to murder the entirety of the luofu. he certainly seemed to consider it. "...no, obviously not everyone, but... the mean ones." he didn't seem convinced.

_____

tired hhhhhh

(insomnia, nightmares, anger and distress

feeling unsafe, low self-worth, shame, insecurity, uncertainty about getting their needs met)

#i'm eating gilbird #honkai star rail #hsr blade #hsr dan heng #hsr yanqing #//xingyue child

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