#offensive sigil

[southislandwren]

Damn you bring up witchcraft and queer haircuts while talking to friend A and then friend B (Uber religious) is uncharacteristically non-communicative. Funny how that works

#if friend b is like I don’t like when you talk about witchcraft I’m gonna be like it’s a rock. #is your faith so shallow that a rock with a protective sigil on it that I keep in my car so I don’t have crashes that devastating to you? #if friend b is like I don’t like talking about queer people. I’m gonna be like well you’ve been hanging out with me for months #and I’m gay and transgender. so are you done with me and this friendship? Is this a hill you’re willing to die on? #surprise! not everyone subscribes to some rules in a fun little book! I kiss girls and use he/him pronouns. am I really less of a person? #anyway I’m working myself up over this bc friend A is such an extrovert and apparently can’t keep her mouth shut around the Christian’s #and I’ve been so careful with friend b to NOT say anything about queer or witch stuff or anything that she’s find offensive #but anyway. I have to go to the store to get food and stuff for club tomorrow night #and I was supposed to be doing the activity with friend b but I don’t think she’s gonna be down to do it with me #but I wouldn’t know because she hadn’t messaged me back 🙃 #diary post

[holylulusworld]

Little Red Riding hood lost in the woods

Summary: You knew it was a mistake to go into the woods at night.

Written for: This is my dark and mordern interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood for @boxofbonesfic​​ 𝒪𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒰𝓅𝑜𝓃 𝒜 𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒…challenge. Congratulations on your milestone again.

Square G2 filled for @allcapsbingo​​: Claim fuck 

Ship: (Alpha) Werewolf!Bucky Barnes x Omega!(LittleRedRidingHood) Reader

Tags/Warnings: angst, chasing, fear, dark!fic, werewolf trope, a/b/o, scenting, marking, mating, huge cock, dub-con, non-con due to monster fucking (yes, you heard right; we will get the big bad wolf this time), smut, unprotected sex, implied breeding kink, biting, blood, transformation, manipulation,  implied kidnapping, the reader is an adult and at age, this story is 18+ 

Words: 1,8+

A/N: Please consider I stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote something dark this time. Head the warnings and read at your own risk. Don’t like, don’t read.

Little Red Riding Hood. 

That’s what people call you. You found it cute when you were younger, adorable even. Now that you are a grown woman, a feisty and stubborn one, it’s not adorable anymore, it’s an offense.

You’re still wearing a red hooded cloak in honor of your grandmother. She passed away some years ago, and you just can’t forget about her, or the fairytales she told you.

About wolves lurking in the dark. Finding their mates by watching, searching, and sniffing around humans. She warned you not to go into the woods after dark. You could only visit her cabin nestled deep in the woods during the daytime.

All your life you listened to her warnings. Never enter the woods after dark. All your life, until tonight. 

Grief held your heart in such a tight grip that you had to visit her cabin. 

It’s not too far from your home, and you believe nothing will happen to you if you follow the path you know by heart. The one framed with wildflowers and the sigils your grandmother carved into the trees. For protection – she always said, while mumbling words you didn’t understand.

If only you listened to her. 

Now you are on the run, chased by a man-sized beast. You only got glimpses of the beast hunting you, but it was enough to know it would kill you if you let it get closer.

“Omega,” it snarls in your direction, knowing that you are hiding behind another tree. “Come to me.”

You gasp as the large wolf-like creature stops in front of the tree. It looks directly at you for a moment. The wolf throws its head back and howls loudly.

“Go away,” you whisper more to yourself than the creature. You place your hand on the tree trunk, praying that the sigils your grandmother carved deep into the tree will protect you from the beast.

The sigils are faded, but the beast won’t get close.

“Omega.”

The wolf snarls at you. It waits and waits as you remain behind the tree. You hold your breath as it steps toward the tree. 

It whines, and you swear its features are twisted in pain for a second before the wolf steps back again. 

“No.”

“You’re mine,” it says. Or at least you believe the wolf speaks to you as it moves back. The wolf sits down, waiting patiently for you to come closer. “Come here.”

You violently shake your head. “Go away, beast,” you reply. You’re still out of breath from all the running and try to find a way to escape the wolf without running again. If there is a way.

“You’re scared,” a deep guttural noise leaves the beast’s throat. You still have no idea how you can understand its words. “Good.”

Your eyes widen as the beast stares back at you. Up close it looks even taller than before, and you know you won't stand a chance.

“Come here,” it insists.

When you don’t move a muscle, the beast stomps its forepaws on the ground. The ground shakes violently. You scream in terror as the tree protecting you from the beast splits into two halves.

All you can do is jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the tree’s branches. You land on your back, crying out in pain as the beast purrs in your direction. “I will tame you, feisty omega.”

You’re shaking in fear. Whatever the beast is after, it’s not its next snack. That wolf wants something else, so you fear.

“Go away.”

You stare at the beast, watching it tilt its head. It listens to your ragged breathing and silent whimpers. Whatever the beast in front of you is, it knows you already lost this fight.

“Go away…just go away,” you chant. “Please let this be a nightmare.”

The wolf watches you for a heartbeat, and another before howling again. This time, the beast straightens its back. It keeps its eyes on you.

It rolls his shoulders back, whining low as you hear bones crack, and muscles tear. You can’t look away, you can't run as the wolf turns into a human-like beast. 

The beast stands on its hind feet and clenches its fists. Even though it looks more human now, it’s still a beast ready to devour you.

“No.”

You stand up and go for a sprint. Panic rises in your chest as you hear the beast follow you close behind. You look over your shoulder, screaming in terror as the wolf chases you again.

Its speed is inhuman. You can’t compare. While you aimlessly run through the woods, praying you’ll find one of the trees your grandmother marked, the beast is right behind you.

“Stop now," it calls for you. “I’ll be kind to you. I won’t hurt you.” 

You keep running, but the beast won’t have it. It stomps his left hind foot again, shaking the ground. You fall to your knees and crawl away.

“These woods belong to me and my kind. Our ancients walked these grounds ages before your kind was born. Soon you will be one of us, my omega and mate.”

“Leave me alone. Please just go away,” you sniffle as you scramble to your feet. “I didn’t do anything to you.”

"I smelled you from a mile away."

He stalks toward you, chuckling darkly. “I like the cloak, take it off and put it aside. We don’t want it to get dirty when you are on your hands and knees for me. Be good, and I won't hurt you.”

You’re frozen to the spot. It feels like your body obeys the beast’s orders. “Do it now, omega.” You unclasp your cloak with stiff fingers. “Good girl. Now put it aside and come here.”

It’s a struggle not to scream as the beast pounces on you. You end up underneath the enormous beast, trembling as it's nose buries into your neck. It inhales your scent, snarling and purring as its claw-like hands rip your clothes to shreds.

“You’re mine.”

You sniffle silently as the beast manipulates your body. It runs his furry hands all over your body, as you try to let your mind wander. One of its claws pushes your upper body down and holds you to the muddy ground.

You struggle to not lose your mind. The last thing you want is to feel the beast spread your legs or his face buried in your cunt. Its long tongue teases your folds, making you whimper at the odd sensation. This monster forces you into submission with every swirl of its tongue.

“No,” you whine and scream, hoping someone stops the beast. It’s no use. The wolf slips its long tongue into your cunt, slowly fucking you with the skilled muscle. “Oh god, no. This can’t be…no.”

Its hot breath fans over your exposed ass while his tongue slides in and out of you. You have never felt so helpless before. A beast pushes its tongue inside of you, and all you can do is drool and moan.

You writhe on its tongue, hips rolling on their own as you chase a high you didn’t ask for. The beast growls against you, greedily drinking your juices when you gush over its snout.

“Good omega,” the beast purrs as you feel like in limbo. A boneless body, getting lifted by the beast. You feel it shift behind you. With its enormous, dense body, it covers your trembling form. Its fur tickles your skin as the wolf wiggles its hips. “Have all of me now.”

Your eyes snap open the moment you feel something bigger prob at your entrance. You took a big cock before, even a knot. But the thing slowly pressing into you is far from normal. “No…too much…stop.”

“You can take it, omega,” it purrs in your ear. “Take me. All of me.”

The fight is over. You must surrender. 

The beast slowly inches its way inside your body. You cry as the wide stretch is painful. It's too much of the beast, and it still pushes further in. “Almost.”

Tears spill from your eyes as the beast snaps its hips into your ass. You are entirely at the beast’s mercy. It covers your body and presses you into the ground. Its huge cock is nestled inside your body, and all you can do is let it have whatever it wants from you.

“So good.”

The beast starts to move, and it feels like it tries to be careful. It doesn’t make sense. The wolf was chasing you, and now it forced its cock inside of your body. “Relax, ‘mega,” you hear his voice turn softer. “You are doing so well for me, Y/N.”

You gasp. How can the beast rutting into you know your name? 

“How…?” you choke out a moan as the beast angles his hips, now hitting that spot making you see stars. Your vision becomes blurry as the beast on top of you starts to slam into you in abandon.

“You’re mine.”

Your body surrenders first. Your walls tighten around his thick cock, and you feel slick run down your thighs. It’s over. The beast got what it wanted and will kill you after it’s done with you. You’re sure of it.

“Mine.”

A scream tears from your throat when the beast’s teeth sink into your neck. It breaks your mating gland, growling against you as you pass out.

The last thing you feel is the blood running down your neck and its cum filling your abused cunt. “Mine…”

You wake. It’s odd, but you wake. 

After what happened last night you didn’t expect to breathe another day. But here you are sleeping on a soft mattress.

“You’re awake, good.”

Your eyes widen in shock. You recognize the voice from last night, but it's not the wolf standing in front of you. It’s one of your regulars from your library.

He often comes to town to borrow books. His name is James or Bucky. 

“What?”

“You must be very confused,” he bares his pearl-white teeth while speaking to show off dominance. “You will adapt soon, doll. I had to mark you before anyone else got the chance. You were ripe for harvest and I’m alpha prime, the one who can choose his mate first.”

“I-I don’t understand,” you whisper as you touch your neck. There is a scar in form of human teeth, but nothing else. “What happened…it must’ve been a dream.”

“Not a dream.”

Bucky morphs his face. 

“No! No!” you scream as the beast looks back at you. “This can’t be…why?”

“Because you are mine and this is your new life. You never have to go back to town ever again. Soon my pups will grow in your belly. We are going to be a big happy family.”

Your blood runs cold as you press your hand to your belly. “No…no…”

“If we didn’t make it this time,” he grins wolfishly, “I love trying…”

I won’t do tags for this story because it’s a dark story. I don’t want anyone to read a story which isn’t their cup of tea.

#bucky barnes x reader #werewolf!Bucky Barnes #allcapsbingo #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #tw: dubcon #tw: noncon #tw: a/b/o #alpha!bucky x omega!reader #dark!bucky barnes x reader #dark!alpha Bucky

[y-rhywbeth2]

Technically the ending where Durge rejects Bhaal is freedom in the same sense that Astarion was free of Cazador when a mind flayer shoved a tadpole in his eye-socket.

No, your master can't take direct control of your body anymore or take over your will.

Your master is, however, still very much out there. He is more powerful than you. He has plans for you. He is furious at you, his property, for defying him, running away and interfering with those plans.

WotC canon has twice overridden the original games to show that all the Bhaalspawn who were "freed" were pawns of Bhaal in the end.

There's that goddamn delightful letter you might get in the epilogue that flat out tells you that Bhaal's not done with you, and you will not escape your designated function as a stud in his plan to reboot the Bhaalspawn Crisis. (Strictly speaking, damaging your reproductive organs won't stop this: Bhaal's a deity. Who do you think is giving clerics their healing spells?)

Evil deities very much do punish transgressions against them by their followers and apostates, "if the offense [is] serious enough, major transgressions may even be punished by death in whatever form the deity has the power to arrange." Your best way to avoid that one, as far as I remember, is to get your way into the good graces of another deity who has the power to challenge your old boss and can protect you. (Although becoming a cleric did nothing to save any other Bhaalspawn from their father...)

Now is a good time to fucking panic. Hopefully, Jergal picking up the leash is good enough protection to keep them out of Bhaal's hands. Durge will likely look back on Astarion's willingness to risk his soul going to Raphael if it means escaping Cazador with great understanding - "..."better the devil you know." [...] And I'll take anything that saves me from that."

Time to start researching gods and Bhaalspawn and coming up with contingency plans!

Sure, you can kill Bhaal, but that's significantly harder than killing most things and the bastard does not stay dead, as he has illustrated. Vestiges are still dangerous, and Sarevok and the Other One were both taken over while he was dead. You are not freed by his death.

I wonder if moving to Sigil would work; gods can't access the city, but I'm not sure the Lady of Pain forbids them meddling with their followers/escaped servants from afar... I need to refresh my Planescape knowledge...

#There's also the question of whether things that destroy souls will work on Bhaalspawn considering they're meant for humanoids #Honestly the primary reason to accept Bhaal is the absolute terror rather than the desire to be evil #There's going to be so much post-game research in my canon and Vel and Astarion don't have the INT stats for it #They're going to have such migraines... #/durge #babbling #edgelord hours

[djadins]

— A R G H U R Y S 🗡️ • 3

+ pairing | ser harwin strong x f!princess!reader

+ a/n | not me posting this as if i didn’t up and disappear for a year o o p s

It was getting late enough that the sun’s light no longer adequately lit the book you had been staring at. Rubbing at your eyes, you yawned and stretched out your arms. You had been out here since after morning’s end at least. Supper would have to consist of whatever you could convince the chefs in the kitchens to cook for you.

The roots at the back of the heart tree, or rather, where you joked the ass should be carved (to the Septa’s annoyance and your later punishment), had a nice dip in them that served as a hammock for your body. Add in the many pillows and blankets that had a permanent residence under the tree, and you had yourself a nice little hiding spot that you had frequented for as long as you could remember. Unless one walked all along the side of the heart tree, it was likely a passerby wouldn’t notice you.

“Ser Harwin was looking for you.”

A yelp escaped your lips, much to your sister’s delight. Her airy laugh floated amongst the trees in the Godswood.

“Seven hells Rhaenyra!”

She giggled again, sitting down next to you. You playfully pushed her arm. She feigned offense, then wrapped her arms around you and placed a delicate kiss to the top of your head.

“Ser Harrold told me he was the one who took you hunting in the Kingswood for Aegon’s nameday.” She looked at you expectantly. You shrugged in response.

“That was over a fortnight ago! You weren’t going to mention it to me,” she paused, pressing her flattened palm against her heart, “big sister, best friend, closest companion?!”

“Well you didn’t exactly talk about your night in the Kingswood with Ser Criston, bloodied and disheveled. I thought we were going to drink and leave Aegon’s nameday behind us.”

Rhaenyra gave you a knowing look. “This,” she waved her hands in a circle, “is different. You’re already blushing at the mere thought of him.”

You rolled your eyes at her. “The dramatics are over the top tonight, Rhaeny.”

“Dramatics or not,” she turned her body to face you, grabbing your forearm, “you two would make a fine match someday.”

“Match?! Rhaenyra, he’s Lord Lyonel’s oldest boy. Don’t you think a marriage proposal would be for you?”

Rhaenyra smirked. “See, that’s another thing Ser Harrold told me. When father was discussing my future matches,” she paused at the word to stick out her tongue and fake sick, “with Lord Lyonel, he joked that the Lord would advise I wed his son, Ser Harwin.”

“…And?”

“And,” she leaned in closer to you, “He disagreed. Instead, he counseled Father that he believed I should wed another.”

“Who?”

Rhaenyra slapped your arm. “It doesn’t matter who sister, point is, Lord Strong is not putting his son up for my hand. Furthermore,” she continued, while you rubbed your stinging arm, “Ser Harwin is not interested in me. As soon as we ran into each other, the first thing out of his mouth was to ask if I’d seen you.”

You rolled your eyes. “That doesn’t mean anything, Rhaenyra.”

“Is that right? Well, answer me this — whose dagger has been occupying space in your chambers? Because I know you did not convince the smiths to craft you one with the sigil of House Strong in the hilt.”

“You went in my room without me!” you pushed her.

“Sister,” she grabbed both of your shoulders, “you keep missing the point.”

“Which is?”

She lowered her voice. “That not only would the two of you make a handsome match, one that father would actually consider and if need be, we could sway him toward, but, that you could also be happy. You could wed for love. You could,” her voice cracked and she cleared it, “you could have what mother and father had.”

Tears welled at both yours and Rhaenyra’s eyes at the mention of mother. She pulled you in and hugged you tightly. “I just want you to be happy,” she whispered.

You squeezed her back and inhaled her familiar scent. “I love you, sister.”

“And I, you.” She pulled back and smoothed out your hair. “Now head to the library. With any luck, you might still find him there searching for you.”

You grabbed your book and hopped up to your feet. You began a brisk pace towards the library, the halls of the Red Keep surprisingly empty during the walk there.

You rounded the corner into the library and saw a familiar, tall, dark knight pacing the shelves in the back, looking at the various volumes on hand.

“Can I help you find what you’re looking for, Ser?”

Harwin turned on his heel, clearly a little startled by the sound of your voice. He took in your appearance as you returned the book you had been reading back to the proper shelf. The corners of your mouth were upturned into a smile.

“Princess,” he greeted.

You picked up a different book and offered it to him. Flora of the Seven Kingdoms by Maester Tollett.

“Hmm… I think I would rather have lessons from the expert than read about flowers from a Maester who’s been dead half a century.” His smile was large, his eyes bright as he looked down at you. You put the book back down on the shelf and began walking around the library, running a stray finger along the spines of the books.

“Expert, hmm?” you questioned. “I’m surprised a man of the City Watch has time for something as silly as flowers.”

Harwin walked over to you, the soft patter of his boots with every step emphasizing just how slowly he was moving. He lifted a hand to your cheek. “I make time for the things that are important to me, princess.”

You smiled up at him as he gently brushed his thumb against your cheek. “What brings you to the library?”

“Well,” he dropped his hand from your face, bringing it instead to his and rubbing the length of his stubble. “I had dinner with father and Larys. Father said I should learn what it means to be Master of Laws if that is the path I want to follow someday.”

“What about the City Watch?” you tilted your head slightly.

“Mmm, I intended to climb up the ranks, princess. However, it seems father wants me to have all my options open. Says I could make for a fine politician like him.” He shrugged his shoulders as if to indicate he didn’t believe that. “I asked for a transfer to the barracks here at the Red Keep to be closer.”

“You’ll get to patrol inside the Keep?”

He nodded. “Both inside and out now, yes.” He took a deep breath in.

“Oh Ser Harwin, that’s wonderful. You’ll get to see Lord Lyonel and Larys a lot more now.”

“Yes, princess,” he paused, reaching a hand out to brush some hair behind your ear. “My family, and others who are dear to me.”

Your cheeks grew hot. You eyes left Harwin’s and looked down at your feet. His feet stepped in closer to yours and you could feel his breath against the crown of your head. His hand gently wrapped around to the back of your head…

He jumped back like he had been burned at the sound of feet behind you. Maester Runciter had entered the library, oblivious to the princess and knight who currently occupied it. He began scattering various papers around his workspace and talking to himself.

You cleared your throat and peered up at Ser Harwin through your lashes. “Would you accompany me on a walk through the Keep? Or are you on duty tonight?”

He offered his arm out and you took it. “I am free tonight, princess.”

You waved to Maester Runciter on your way out of the library but you were pretty certain he did not hear or see either of you during his time in there. You giggled at this and Ser Harwin could be heard chuckling under his breath.

“You know, I have a book on the small council in my chambers. You’re welcome to it, Ser Harwin. Admittedly, I have been using it to press flowers.”

His laugh was more audible this time around. “Thank you princess. I will be sure to find you a heavy replacement.”

The two of you walked what felt like the length of the entire castle, talking and laughing. The evening air brought with it a cold front that had the hairs on your arm standing up tall. A shiver ran through you as the wind ripped your silver hair behind your shoulder. You let go of Ser Harwin for the first time to rub your own arms.

“Princess,” he stopped you. You turned around to face him. His gold cloak had been pulled from his own shoulders and he was holding it out to you like a blanket. You nodded and turned, letting him wrap his cloak around you.

“We should get you inside,” he murmured in your ear. You shivered again, admittedly not from the cold this time. Not wanting the night to end but knowing he was right, you reluctantly agreed. You nuzzled into the gold fabric, breathing in the woody smell of Ser Harwin as you followed alongside him.

Ser Criston had a strange look upon his face as the two of you rounded the corner towards your chambers. He nodded wordlessly to you before eyeing down Harwin. Harwin, who had also taken notice of the way your Kingsguard had been watching him, placed a firm hand at your back, rubbing up and down tenderly.

You twirled around, having reached the double doors to your chamber. “Thank you for accompanying me tonight,” you smiled up at him. Harwin simply bowed and you took this chance to stand on your tiptoes and place a soft kiss upon his cheek. When you both pulled back, Harwin’s eyes found the floor, his face flushed. Ser Cole cleared his throat.

He looked at you after a moment, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Good night, sweet flower.”

You curtsied before opening the doors behind your back and pushing yourself in. When they were closed and at your back, you brought your fingers to your lips where they still tingled from the scratchiness of Harwin’s beard. It took your full willpower not to run back outside after him.

It was then that you realized you still had his gold cloak. You fingered it lightly for a few moments before throwing it atop your bed. When you were ready to tuck yourself in, you brought the cloak underneath the covers and wrapped yourself in it.

#ser harwin x princess!reader #ser harwin x you #ser harwin strong x reader #ser harwin #ser harwin x reader #ser harwin strong x you #ser harwin strong #harwin strong x reader #harwin strong imagine #harwin strong #*mywork

[artificial-transmutations]

Closer Than Flesh - Closer Than Flesh

There is no ill influence or demonic corruption this time, as the power of the sigil stone, cleansed with the last bit of the divine spark, reforms Jake's body again.

Unlike the times before, there doesn't seem to be a random or chaotic element to it, but the transformative magic does exactly what Jake wishes for.

And there is another difference: Skyler, his best friend and current cock is mentally with Jake, allowing them to consult in the short time while the magic does its work.

"We will need to fight Baelnath, so we should have a body capable of doing so." says Skyler's voice in Jake's head.

"Okay, so... Like a soldier or a policeman?" Jake tried to picture a fitting form.

"Those are mainly good fighters if they are many. How about a mercenary or a bodyguard?" Skyler replies.

"Alright. Bodyguard. Help me picture our new body, Sky!"

They concentrate together and sure enough, Jake's body, his original body that he just got back, begins to change again.

As it is to be expected, strength, manliness and testosterone pulse through him, as his stance widens and his frame packs on mass. It is not as large as when he was the demon, but still, the man has a built-in athletic body.

"Hmm..." Jake says and flexes his biceps. "Not bad, but we need more!"

He draws on more power from the stone and changes his body further. His height increases to almost two meters and his skin hardens from hard training sessions. His body becomes fast, athletic and strong, but precise as a ballet dancer.

As a finishing touch, Jake decides to add a bit of the Arab ethnicity to the mix, a nod to the first body he had changed into.

Once his body is done, his clothing forms over his body: First, a filled to the brim jockstrap, holding Skyler firmly in place along with a cup to protect him.

Then, layer by layer, dark and sturdy combat gear comes into existence, ending with a pair of sunglasses, completing the "badass" look Jake and Skyler were aiming for. Lastly, the power of the stone's magic embeds them back into the world.

Jake looks around to quickly find out where they are. He is in front of a warehouse, one of many in a port area. This place has been used for some sort of shipping industry, but it looks like it is no longer in operation. There is a large open area with several warehouses, a parking lot and an office building. It seems like they are at the dead end of the port, with a small forest behind it. Luckily, the area seems to be devoid of any human life, which is a good thing: It negates one of the most problematic powers of Baelnath more or less entirely, as there are no humans to possess for him.

"Well... I know a boss arena if I see one." Jake mumbles in the baritone voice of the fighter male he and Skyler have created.

He looks around uneasily. It is late afternoon, and it's a sunny day in the early autumn. There is a light wind going over the sea, creating waves and a salty taste on Jake's lips. It's hard to say what country they are in - it could be quite anything.

There is no sign of any movement, and no sign of a big red demon anywhere. If it hadn't been for the magic of the stone that had brought them here, Jake would have his doubts that this is really where Baelnath is. However, the magic of the stone has proven to be not entirely exact before.

The sound of his heavy boots hitting the concrete floor echoes in the open area as Jake walks around. Nothing.

"Is he... hiding from us?" Skyler asks after a while.

Jake almost jumps from the sudden voice in his head but calms down quickly again and answers: "I don't know. Do you feel anything?"

Skyler stays silent for a moment before he answers: "Yes. Yes, I think he is here."

Jake looks around uneasily again, trying to find any hint that he can follow to lead him to Baelnath.

Finally, he decides to go into the offensive. He reaches at his waist and draws a gun from a holster on his belt. Of course, the old Jake had no idea on how to handle a gun, but this new body of his knows - and that's all he needs.

"Come on, Baelnath!" he shouts into the open area, his voice echoing from the warehouse walls. "Show yourself! I have the power now and I'm ready to face you!"

They hear the sound of laughter from behind the office building and Skyler exclaims in their mind: "He's here! Be ready!"

Jake's eyes focus on the corner of the building, as a large, hulking demon emerges from behind it. The red skin and glowing eyes are unmistakable. Baelnath.

As it is his usual entrance, he is followed by black and dark red mist, reminding Jake of wings coming from the muscular, red-skinned body. If he had thought that the demon was afraid of him, the sneering smirk on the demonic face disposes of that idea. Baelnath is having fun.

"You are a lot stronger now than you were the last time I saw you, little mortal", the demon says, his voice deep and echoing through Jake's mind.

"To be honest, I didn't think you would find the strength to resist the abyss for much longer - and yet, here you are."

"Here I am", Jake says firmly and raises the gun in front of his body. "And you know why?"

Baelnath laughs out loud, his voice making the hair on Jake's neck stand up.

"Let me guess. You are going to fight me, with that little mortal toy of yours. You will succeed where everyone else has failed before. Because you are special. Your will is strong enough not to be easily subdued and you have resisted the temptation of the abyss."

It isn't that far off from what Jake had intended to say, but the mocking voice of the demon make it sound silly all of a sudden. Jake gulps and grabbed the gun firmer. His hands are sweating, and he still can't make out any sign of insecurity from the demon. This conversation is not going as planned.

"But you are wrong, little mortal. Your strength is not enough. And neither is your will. I made you an offer back then that you have foolishly discarded. Now face the consequences."

All of a sudden, Jake feels an immense pressure on his mind. The demon is trying to subdue his will with his own demonic magic, trying to bend Jake's mind.

Jake resists as well as he could, but the strength of Baelnath is beyond anything Jake had ever encountered, even stronger than the first time Baelnath tried this. He feels powerless against the demonic mind and has to watch as, against his will, he lowers the arm holding the gun.

"Don't worry, Jake. I'm here." Skyler's voice is calm and strong in Jake's mind. He can feel his cock strain against the cup in his jockstrap and Skyler joining him in the mental battle. Skyler's will is so much stronger than Jake's own, but yet, alone he, too, wouldn't stand a chance against the demon.

Together, however, with their two minds acting as one, they might have a chance. Jake pushes against Baelnath, while Skyler supports him. The mental pressure increases, but so do their own forces. It's like a game of tug of war, with the demonic and the human forces in balance. Sweat runs down Jake's forehead and Baelnath concentrates the entirety of his demonic will into the mental attack, as he growls: "You cannot fight me!"

In response, Skyler whispers in Jake's mind, full of determination: "Together."

With one decisive mental action and a quick movement, the two friends push out Baelnath's will, making his eyes grow big in surprise. At the same time, a loud bang echoes through the area as Jake pulls the trigger.

The bullet flies at incredible speed and strikes the demon right in his sternum, making the large body tumble, but doing almost no damage.

The red demon recoils for a moment, while the human and his dick in the body try to regain their balance.

Jake doesn't have to hear Skyler to know what he says: "Again!"

Several more shots hit the demon in quick succession, each sending the body back half a meter from the sheer force of impact. However, as the dust clears, the demon doesn't seem to be much damaged. Baelnath looks down at the black spot on his sternum where the bullet struck and then back up, looking angry.

"I see how it is now. You're not alone in there, aren't you? You sneaky bastard! That explains so much, even though I don't know how you did it." Baelnath snarls.

Jake is sweating and feeling very uncomfortable with his hard-on under the combat gear. Baelnath might not know who is in his body right now, but he knows Jake has backup.

"But no matter how many people you have in your head, you have but one body. I am not called the twisted master of flesh for no reason. Behold and watch your precious body wither!"

The demon raises a hand and points at Jake, who immediately starts to feel the now familiar feeling of change. The muscles and impressive stature of this body quickly melt away, and Jake feels weaker and weaker with each heartbeat. He hasn't even considered before that, of course, Baelnath can just change his body!

"Shit! He's taking your body away, Jake!" Skyler sounds alarmed.

Although Jake has not ever been at eye level with the demon, he positively has to look up to the smirking demon now and feels small and insignificant. The difference in strength and manliness becomes increasingly apparent with each pulse of the magic around him, and his smaller body betrays his mind as he can't help but marvel at the sheer display of strength in front of him.

Jake's jaw drops as he watches Baelnath flex his muscular arms, the bulging muscles still retaining the massive form he has always been.

The red demon leans down towards him, still smirking, much more confident now.

"Do you feel it already? The need to serve your superior? Do you wonder how this can be? Has the big bad demon broken my mind despite my best attempts?"

Baelnath laughs.

"You are so naive. One should think that a human being would know more about human nature than a demon from hell. But you don't. You live your life in ignorance of the basic principles of humanity. That feeling you feel now, it is not one of the mind. It's primal and entirely bodily, sexual even. The need to submit to me, to serve a clearly stronger leader is as hardcoded into your DNA as the need to mate is."

Jake tries to resist the change, but he feels powerless against it. It is like Baelnath's words have put him in a trance, making it hard to think clearly. Skyler is not of much help here. His now much smaller cock body is throbbing with anticipation, and his entire mind seems to be focused on the bulging masculine curves of the demon in front of him. It is as Baelnath said: The feeling is hot and burning and sexual. An involuntary moan escapes Jake's small and insignificant body. He really is powerless.

Powerless... No. He is not powerless. Even though his body betrays him, he still has the sigil stone with Baelnath's own power, purified by the angelic spark, contained within. Even though every instinct screams at him to submit to Baelnath, he shoves his left hand into his pocket, grabbing the stone. Baelnath isn't the only one with magic here.

The magic flows readily out of the stone as Jake draws on it, taking a generous amount of power to counter the magic of the demon. In a split second, Jake feels himself becoming stronger than he ever felt before. His body, despite being so small and insignificant, fills the whole area with a magical aura that overwhelms the demonic one.

"What!" Exclaims the demon, before reinforcing his own influence. Sparks rain down between them as they pit their magic power against each other. It is as Mog'Tol has said: Only the same demon's power can counter a demon's magic.

In the few seconds Baelnath has needed to answer with greater force, Jake has managed to quickly fix some of the flaws of his body, getting it back into a lean swimmers build that did not make him feel the need to submit that strongly.

Swirls of magic are flying left and right now, as both beings, demon and man, pit their power against each other in a way of a supernatural wrestling of arms. It's clearly a stalemate. Neither can defeat the other without great risk, and neither is willing to give up, as their mutual will to not be defeated has grown.

It doesn't help much when Skyler's voice sounds alarmed in Jake's head. "Jake, be careful! The power in that stone isn't endless, Mog'Tol has explained that to Baelnath. Perhaps he is trying to drain you out!"

The truth of Skyler's words makes Jake focus more on the flow of magic in his left hand, where the power flows into. He concentrates on feeling every single drop and every single spark that flows out of the stone and back into him. The truth is, Jake has no idea how much juice the stone has left, but at that rate, it seems sensible that it will be drained quickly. He needs to switch strategies.

Carefully, he strains to extract even more power from the stone, but not to pit it against the demon in the astral battlefield between them. Instead, he uses it to change his body again.

What he needs for his idea is raw physical power, a lot of it. Power and speed.

He imagines the body of Bjørnar. He needs that - and even more. It is hard to concentrate on growing his body when he is still busy pitting raw magic power against the demon and illuminating the darkening environment with magic discharges. But bit by bit, every muscle on his body bulges, becoming greater than ever again. Biceps, triceps, pectorals, all the small and big muscles needed for being strong and fast. The body that quickly fills his shirt and pants is bigger than anything he was in before. He is becoming a true titan of a man!

With a deep cry, he suddenly launches himself at the demon, right through the thick field of magic all around him. Straining the power of the stone even more, he hardens his clothes into a modern armor chest plate and materializes a big ass sword in his hand, striking at the demon.

"Oh, fuck yeah, Jake!" Skyler exclaims in his mind as he sees the sheer display of raw strength Jake has managed to draw out from the stone.

Baelnath can only blink in surprise as he is hit in the face by the giant, flying at him full force. He has been completely caught off guard by this assault, which makes the impact so much worse. The red skin of the demon is ripped open on his cheek and jaw by the impact of the sword, which sends him backwards several meters. The pressure of demonic magic against Jake is interrupted at once and the magic around them dissolves into harmless sparks and lights. The sun has begun to set now and paints the area in an orange shade.

"So, you have chosen violence. I hate violence!" Baelnath says slowly and stands up again. His magic focuses on himself, too, now and Jake can see the wounds that he has caused are quickly healing. In his hands, the dark red mist contracts into a heavy, two handed and double bladed axe dripping with red liquid. A demonic weapon if Jake has ever seen one.

For a moment, the giant mortal and the demon lord look each other in the eye, panting heavily, until Jake breaks the silence again. With an angry growl, he launches himself for a second time, raising his sword and letting out a primal scream. This time, the two of them clash. Baelnath's axe meets Jake's sword with a clang, as they strike each other hard enough to make sparks fly. Jake quickly withdraws his sword and swings it around for a second hit, this time using the stone's power generously to augment his own strength.

The two giants of the supernatural battle ground fight each other. The sound of their blades hitting each other echo through the empty area, followed by the heavy panting of the two beings. Baelnath is clearly struggling against the sheer power of the titanic mortal, who is more than a match for the demon in pure strength. They strike each other again and again, as Jake finds every possible angle to strike Baelnath's powerful frame, not letting up on his assault.

More than once, the big sword or the heavy axe meet flesh and cause heavy wounds. Blood spurts paint the concrete floor red where they meet and make it slippery and wet at places. One time, Jake even manages to cut off Baelnath's lower left arm, but each of the opponents has magic to their disposal. Wounds close and the cut-off arm just regrows at Baelnath's will.

Sword swing, sword swing, dodge roll to avoid the giant axe. Jake quickly feels the fatigue of the fight creep in. Even with all the strength he has gained from the sigil stone, the demon is still a demon and not to be underestimated. In his head, Skyler is keeping up as well, shouting instructions as Jake dodges Baelnath's axe by a hair's breadth.

"Left!" "No! Right!" "Use the stone!" "Don't drop your guard!"

Jake is listening to Skyler's directions, but they seem to have lost the advantage they had before the fight started. The demon and him are evenly matched and it's only a matter of who tires more quickly.

Drawing another big piece of the body altering magic of the sigil stone, Jake dissolves the backside of his armor and grows a magnificent pair of wings on his back. With a powerful jump of his strong legs, he leaps into the air and flies over the demon lord, who is left dumbfounded as he watches the giant body of Jake rise into the air, now with a new advantage over his opponent.

From above, soaring through the air, it is easier to strike at the demon and to dodge Baelnath's attacks - at least until the demon himself uses his magic to lift himself into the air. Now the two of them are flying in the sky over the deserted area of the port, flying at each other in a deadly game of aerial sword and axe strikes. The sounds of clashing metal and growling resonate between the buildings of the port, which seems to stretch out forever below them. Jake needs to rely even more on the power of the sigil stone to keep himself from falling down, changing his body here and there and augmenting his strikes and dodges.

Even with all the advantages his new winged body gives him, he can't seem to gain the upper hand against the red demon. Baelnath is much stronger than Jake has ever given him credit for, and his endurance seems infinite.

"Sky, think! We need some advantage, some distraction." Jake shouts in his mind, trying to find a way out of their stalemate.

Skyler's mind is in overdrive. Isn't there anything he knows about the demon that he can use to his advantage? Suddenly, he gets an idea.

"You need to bring some distance between the two of you!"

Jake nods and disengages the demon, zooming to a stony beach nearby.

"What now?!" He asks anxiously, keeping a careful eye on the demon, who takes a moment before following him by hovering in the air, laughing.

"Just like that, mortal. Run as you will, but you will never escape!"

However, despite the arrogant words, his voice is clearly strained and exhausted. The demon must be feeling the fatigue as much as Jake.

"Listen, Jake. I don't know if it works, but... try to *summon* him here - and then, strike while he is disoriented."

Skyler remembers the feeling of discomfort Baelnath has felt as the Binding Circle has summoned him. Even though Skyler has no idea on the correct symbols or incantations, he just hopes they don't need it. If he remembers Mog'Tol’s teachings correctly, since they are using demonic magic, all they have to do is *want* to summon Baelnath enough. Of course, Skyler has no illusions on being able to bind Baelnath as the Binding Circle has done. That would only result in pitting their magic powers against each other again without the intricate circles and drawings of the human mages.

However, that one moment of distraction might be all they need to get the upper hand.

Jake lands at the beach and quickly disposes of his wings and changes back into less of a behemoth to be able to focus on one thing only. He closes his eyes in concentration, shutting out the outside world while he focuses on one thing and one thing only: To summon Baelnath, the demon. It doesn't matter that he is only a few hundred meters away. He is a demon and can be summoned. Jake gently bites the tip of his tongue as he draws magic power from the stone. Both he and Skyler can feel clearly that the magic doesn't come as easily as before. At first, Jake thinks that it's because of the difficult task, but Skyler's voice in his head offers another explanation: "Jake, I think this is it. The stone is nearly empty!"

Jake instinctively knows that Skyler is right. But it doesn't matter. For this task, there is still enough juice in there. Jake opens his eyes again and shouts: "Baelnath! Come here! Now!"

The magic works. From one moment to the other, Baelnath is plucked from the air some hundred meters away and delivered magically to the ground at Jake's feet - unarmed and disoriented.

Jake doesn't give the red demon the chance to react. With a magically enhanced mighty strike that drains the stone's reserves even more, he brings down his sword on the demon, wounding him gravely. He doesn't stop there, either. While Baelnath tries to raise his arm to shield himself from damage and his wounds begin to heal, Jake strikes again, and again, and again. It proves to be a poor choice of him to let go of his bodybuilder muscles, and each new strike is more exhausting than the last, but it is clear that Jake and Skyler have won now.

Baelnath is unable to do anything except to heal his body, and it is clear that his magic, too, is fading.

As Jake raises his sword for the final blow, however, Skyler stops him:

"Jake, hold on."

Jake halts. "What? No! It's over, Sky. Let's end it now."

"I know. But killing him won't work. For long, I mean."

"What do you mean?" Jake asks, still raising his sword over the red demon, who looks at him with a hateful yet powerless gaze.

"I mean that he will eventually come back. Mog'Tol said so to Baelnath before: He will come back to hell at some point, and I don't know how long it will take."

"And if he comes back, he'll come for us again." Jake says, understanding Skyler's point.

"Yes."

Jake nods slowly, and his arm lowers. "So... What do we do? Send him to hell now? Isn't that our only option?"

"Let me think, Jake. Give me a moment to think!"

"What are you waiting for?" the defeated demon, who didn't hear the conversation in Jake's head asks bitterly. "Just finish me off already."

Jake doesn't even react to Baelnath's words. Instead, he waits patiently with his sword drawn over the demon.

"I've got it!" Skyler exclaims in his head. "Do you remember what Mog'Tol said about demons? That they are made, not born?"

"Yes." Jake replies. He remembered the conversation about the demon's origins as well as Skyler did.

"The binding circle didn't mention a demon named Baelnath in their documents. That means that Baelnath had another name before he came to hell."

"Probably, but how does that help us?" Jake asks impatiently.

"I've got an idea. Let me think... Quor'Zhai, Han'labte, Pyrixiel, Tervonos,..." Skyler reiterated the list of names they had heard in the body of Dominik.

"Wait, perhaps this is some Lord Voldemort thing?"

"You mean an anagram?" Skyler ponders. "Could be - it would be pretty cliché, but I don't think that's much of a problem for demons. Okay, so 'Quor'Zhai' has a Q that 'Baelnath' has not, Han'labte has a..."

Skyler stops for a moment, before continuing. "God, Jake, I could kiss you. 'Baelnath' is an anagram of 'Han'labte'. That's his real name! And he was a spirit of nature once!"

"I know who you are, Han'labte!" Jake immediately uses his knowledge to address the demon on the ground.

"How... How did you know?" Baelnath says, incredulously.

That is all the confirmation the two friends need.

"But what do we do with it?" Jake asks silently.

"I guess with his true name, we could bind him or something like that. I don't know if the magic we have left is enough though."

"There's one more thing we can do." Jake says with a sudden pulse of determination. "Do you remember what that small raven demon said? Why you couldn't use the stone to turn me back into a human when I went full demon?"

"I couldn't, because the magic of a demon can only ever be undone by the same demon who cast it, or a miracle from above." Skyler cites. "And it wasn't Baelnath's power who turned you into a demon, but it was the first thing you did yourse- oh."

"Exactly." Jake nods. "We should be able to turn Baelnath back into Han'labte."

"Then let's do that!" Skyler says excitedly. "That's like the only option that won't come back to haunt us later!"

Jake nods again and grips the stone firmer but stops in his track again. "Damn. We can't do that."

"What? Why not?" asks Skyler, confused.

"Because we only have a tiny bit of magic left. If we use it to turn Baelnath back into his nicer form, we will need all of it. And then, there is no more magic left to turn you back into a human."

There is a moment of silence between the two friends. Regardless of how he looks at the situation, Skyler knows that Jake is right. He has been turned into a cock by the power of Baelnath. If they succeed with their plan, there is no Baelnath-magic left anywhere. And a demon's magic cannot be broken by anything else but the same demon or a miracle from above.

But if they don't do it, if they use the magic to turn back Skyler, all they can do with Baelnath is to kill him - and send him back to hell with that. That would buy them some time, perhaps a few years, before he comes back and takes revenge. But they would be left with an empty stone that cannot be refilled with more magic. Skyler, and Jake, would have no chance against the reborn Baelnath.

Looking at it that way, the only choice they have would be a short life with a bitter end as two humans - or keeping Jake safe for the price of Skyler having to stay a cock forever.

For Skyler, who has been in love with Jake for as long as he can remember, the choice is easy.

"It's... okay. Do it, Jake." Skyler says, softly. "I will stay with you as your dick - and it's the only solution that lasts."

"Sky, I can't-" Jake starts to protest, but Skyler interrupts him. "Jake, you don't know what you're saying. I've been dreaming about this for years. To be able to confess to you how I feel, and to be close to you. Look at us now, how close we have become. We are of one body, and I am a most important part of you. In a way, we are as close as you can become - closer than flesh."

"Sky... are you sure?" Jake gulps. "There's no turning back. I would love to keep you as my dick, if that's what you want."

"Yes, Jake. Let's do this." Skyler's voice is calm and sincere.

Jake nods and turns to the demon who has not moved in the meantime.

"Here we go. Baelnath, you need to change. Remember who you were before. Become Han'labte once more!"

With these words, Jake draws the last of the power out of the sigil stone and lets it gently wash over the red demon form, changing him back into what he has been before as the last of the sun disappears behind the ocean waves.

***

As it turns out, Han'labte is a gentle soul. The spirit of nature was responsible for change, puberty and the male body in his prime before he became corrupted by hell. As such, his natural manifestation was that of a most attractive young man, often sporting a mischievous smile.

He has full memory of the centuries and millenniums of being a demon and feels deeply sorry for everything he has done. Even though he has been what must qualify as one of the nicer demons, he did a lot of evil that now burdens his new-found conscience. He is unable to understand how Jake and Skyler can forgive him.

At first, they let him leave, so they can catch their breath and give themselves some time to think about what is to be done next. It takes some time to travel back to Jake's home and slowly get settled in again. Jake's final body is pretty much the one he started this incredible journey with, with one big difference: His cock is much bigger than what he ever had before that fateful night with the sigil stone. And this piece of cock literally has a mind of his own. His best friend since kindergarten is now Jake's cock, and although their life together takes some getting used to, in the end, both are happy with the outcome. They have gotten to know so much about each other over the course of their adventure that living together in the same body doesn't seem like such a big stretch anymore.

Besides, Skyler still finds it extremely hot to be treated like nothing more than a cock - a fantasy that he can easily live out now. So, there are sometimes even weeks when Jake and Skyler don't speak to each other, and the former uses the latter just like a normal dick: For pissing and jerking off, making sure to do both of them as often as possible for Skyler's enjoyment.

At other times, they combine their minds to overcome life's burdens. Skyler's cleverness and Jake's quick thinking are an unbeatable combo.

One year after their final battle at the beach, all of a sudden, Han'labte appears to visit Jake and Skyler. Although the encounter is awkward for all of them at first, they quickly work out a way to be comfortable around each other again. They become good friends, and, eventually, even more. Jake has taken on the sexual orientation of his dick, making him as gay as they come. There is nothing left of the evils of Baelnath, so it comes only naturally, that Jake and Skyler on the one side and Han'labte fall in love with each other and enter a hot and steamy human-cock-spirit relationship.

Han'labte has recovered enough of his own, spiritual magic to make small adjustments to Jake's body, and together, they explore every possible way to please each other. The only constant in their changing form is Skyler, who always is the cock of Jake - and loves every minute of it.

***

Down, in the seventh hell, Mog'Tol smiles a thin smile. There has been no sign of Baelnath for weeks now, so it is safe to assume that Mog'Tol's intricate plan has worked. If he wants to be modest, there has been a bit of luck involved as well, but really, there was no need for modesty.

With a satisfied sigh, he sits down in his new throne, that Baelnath fashioned out of several changed humans. You can say about Baelnath what you want, but he does have a good taste in architecture. So good, in fact, that Mog'Tol wanted to have his palace of flesh as soon as he first entered it. Of course, for a master mind like Mog'Tol, it hasn't been too hard: Here and there nudging Baelnath, wo really has not been very clever, into the right direction, giving the human mages of the binding circle his true name, it has been an easy setup. The appearance of Jake and Skyler had surprised even him for a moment, but that was nothing what a few visions induced by Mog'Tol couldn't solve.

Yes, there was every reason to be satisfied. The whole palace was rightfully his now, all enough of a reason to congratulate himself.

***

As unlikely as it might have seen, their joint adventure ends with everyone being happy: Mog'Tol, the demon, got his palace, Han'labte his redemption, Jake his freedom, friendship and love, and Skyler, the cock his dream.

And thus, Closer Than Flesh finally comes to an end after ten chapters and 45k words full of demons, cocks and transformations. I hope you liked the story! If you like to have a look at the previous episode, click here. If you, for some reason, want to read it all from the beginning, this is the way!

A big thanks to all of you who enjoy my stories! If you want to support my writing, have a look at my riot page!

#closer than flesh #male transformation #muscle transformation #cock tf #romance

[mirrorbird]

You ever see a design so cool, hiding innocuously in something you love so much, that you take up a new hobby about it? Process pics under the cut!

This was a labor of love, from recreating the above page as a regularized vector diagram, to isolating out, fiddling with, and sizing all the shapes for both the Cricut and the embroidery machine:

creating a truckton of stencils and marking guides:

and TRIANGLES. so many triangles

I lost count of all the bits and bobs (btw Belos part of your sigil looks like a chicken wing)

hovering like a helicopter over the machine to get each piece laid out just right

and then picking out a backing fabric as offensive to crusty old pilgrim men as possible.

To whatever artist, designer, or animator went off on this single page that's in a single episode for seconds, and isn't even the side we're paying attention to: I see you. And thanks. <3

#the owl house #the owl house fanart #quilting coven #handmade quilt #tool-assisted quilt #toh emperors coven #toh emperor belos #toh belos #fanquilt #toh fanquilt #I could not have produced this result without all my tools but boy howdy do all the tools introduce new challenges #my first progress pic is from Aug 11 2022 but that's after the vector diagram was already done #I must have started on this thing basically the second I finished s2 #so it's...been a minute

[simlit]

Chosen of the Sun | | forest // ninety

| @amuhav | @catamano | @rollingsim

ABILITY CHECK | STRENGTH Eira is assigned a base stat of 10 strength. Sarayn is assigned a base stat of 10 arcana. Objective #1 requires a roll of at least 12. Objective #2 requires a roll of at least 15. Objective #3 requires a roll of at least 18.  Eira rolls a 4(+10) and fails the second objective [Open the Tomb]. Sarayn passes the objective with a Saving Throw of 9(+10) Arcana and wins the [SIGIL OF EXCHANGE]. The Sigil will allow him to either exchange places with another player or deflect incoming offensive scenarios.

next / previous / beginning

TAYUIN: I expect we’ve found the knight. EIRA: You think the sword is buried with him? TAYUIN: Worth a shot, I guess. Sorry Guy. SARAYN: You seem to be having some trouble, Witcher. EIRA: Listen, it’s heavier than it looks. SARAYN: Oh, it looks plenty heavy. EIRA: Well if you’re so strong, you do it. TAYUIN: No sword. EIRA: But what is that? SARAYN: Some sort of totem. Engraved with a sigil of exchange. A shield of sorts. The one who wields it can exchange places with someone or something of their choosing. Additionally, it can reverse incoming offensive spells. A handy trinket. TAYUIN: Well, finders, keepers, I guess. SARAYN: Much obliged.

#ts4 #ts4 screenshots #ts4 story #ts4 bachelor challenge #chosen of the sun #cc: eira #cc: sarayn tev'us #cc: tayuin eth'salin #if the pics are weirdly colored/lit or generally look bad no they don't #cuz I am blinded by sunlight it's not my fault

[vodika-vibes]

The Prince's Wizard

Summary: You're a wizard apprentice who's been best friends with Prince Wolffe since childhood. While on doing chores outside the Palace walls, your day goes bad.

Pairing: Prince!Wolffe x Wizard!Reader

Word Count: 4371

Warnings: Violence, angst, but has a happy ending

A/N: So I had an idea and it got away from me.

Mando'a Used: riye - Favor, Benefit, good turn (used in this scenario as a Nickname implying the reader is responsible for any good luck).

An'ee - shortened form of An'edee - a Nickname for someone rough and fight-y. Like calling someone a nerd as a joke.

Divider by saradika

There are two types of people who end up in towers: Wizards and Princesses. Wizards get shoved up into towers to protect everyone else from their magic, and Princesses get shoved into towers to protect them from the world around them.

You are a wizard apprentice. It’s a great job, good pay, great benefits, plus you get all of the fancy robes that you want. The downside is that, as an apprentice, you don’t really get to do anything fun.

In fact, the majority of your duties involve dragging yourself down the million and a half staircases to the throne room, so the Queen can sniff at you and tell you that her magic mirror stopped working.

And you’re getting tired of it.

“Master,” you’re pouting and you know you’re pouting but you can’t bring yourself to care, “Master, when can I start doing important things?” You ask, as you sit on your Master’s footstool and look up at him pleadingly.

Your Master flips a page in the massive tome that he’s hiding behind. “When you get more experience, my very young apprentice.”

“Okay, but like, how am I supposed to get experience if you don’t let me have the option to get more experience?” You ask as you place your hands on top of the book and push it down so you’re looking in his eyes.

He smiles at you, “Patience, apprentice. Do not be in such a rush to grow up.”

Your jaw drops, “I’m 20!”

“Still a baby.” His smile broadens, “Now, go practice your protective sigils, perhaps out in the garden, it is a beautiful day.”

You pout at him even more, but your Master is long immune to your sad Tooka eyes. Instead he just flicks his fingers at you, and lifts you away from his book, and over to the door. Another flick of his fingers, and your cloak is draped over your shoulders, and your massive hat is placed on your head.

“You said it was a nice day!” You cry, indignant, as he dresses you as though it’s snowing outside. “And I hate this hat! No one wears pointed hats anymore!”

“Now you’re just complaining to complain, apprentice.” Your Master says with a sigh as he flicks his hand one more time, and your leather satchel drapes itself over your shoulder, and the bag itself gets filled with empty pouches and bottles, “Please gather some more herbs while you’re out, apprentice. We can always use more.”

A look of offense crosses your face, “Maste-” He waves his hand one more time, and the door opens, and you find yourself gently, and lovingly, set on the landing with the door to the study shut firmly behind you.

You spin on your heel, and reach for the handle of the door, only for the handle to vanish. A note appears on the door, ‘Do Not Return Until The Moon Is In The Sky. Hugs And Kisses. Master.’

You glare at the note, “Capitalizing every letter is just excessive, Master! And saying ‘hugs and kisses’ doesn’t make you exiling me for the day any better!” 

The only response you get is the sound of loud classical music from behind the door.

You scowl even harder at the door, and then reach up and tug your hat off of your head. A touch of magic, and a twist of will, and your hat changes into something a little more your style. And then you tug your cloak off, and lazily drape it over your satchel.

And then you start the long trek down the tower that you call home.

By the time you reach the bottom of the tower, you’re in a slightly better mood. Going and gathering herbs is not your favorite chore, but it’s better than playing magic tech support for her Majesty. 

You turn to the gardens as soon as you’re on solid ground, mentally mapping out the path you need to take to gather the most herbs in as quickly as possible. Which means going through the royal garden to get to the forest, and then leaving the well traveled path, to veer to the west, and then heading north to get to the lake-

You’re so distracted with mentally mapping out your route, that you don’t notice that you’ve been joined by someone until he lightly taps your shoulder, “Lost in thought, riye?”

You jump, protective magic forming on your fingers, until you recognize the nickname. There’s only one person who calls you riye. You allow the spell to fade, and you round on the taller man, your hands immediately going to your hips.

“You can’t do that! I could have blasted you!” You say sharply, glaring up into the mismatched eyes of Prince Wolffe, your best friend of over ten years now.

He smirks at you, “You would never, riye. You have better trigger discipline than that.”

He’s not wrong, and you kind of hate him for it, “Aren’t you supposed to be in training?” You ask instead, as you take in the armor and the blade hanging at his hip.

“I’m done for the day,” Wolffe’s smile becomes slightly smug, “General Koon got tired of me beating all of my brothers.”

“Hm…all of them?” You ask with an arched brow.

He scowls at you, “Cody got in one lucky hit, an’ee,” He grumbles, “I beat everyone else.”

“Which implies that Prince Cody beat you,” You tease lightly, as you step around him, not at all surprised when he falls into step with you.

Wolffe mutters something under his breath that you don’t know enough Mando’a to catch, and then he switches back to basic and shoots you a glare, “You do realize that my brother doesn’t know you exist right? So your crush on him is useless.” He snips.

“Okay, so first of all, I don’t have a crush on your brother.” You reply as you push open the gate to the garden, “And second of all, even if I did have a crush on him, that’s none of your business. And third of all, what are you, jealous?”

Wolffe follows you into the garden, “You’re my best friend,” He says, his voice filled with offense, “I have a right to know who you have your eye on!” He very pointedly doesn’t answer the question you shot at him.

“You really don’t.” You counter, “And it’s not like you ever talk about who you have a thing for.”

You glance at him long enough to see his ears start to turn slightly red, “Yeah, well…where are you going?” He asks, changing the subject abruptly. And you smile, your friend is about as subtle as a brick to the head.

“My master wants me to gather some herbs in the forest. So that’s where I’m going.”

He pauses, “Alone?”

“Well, yeah. I generally go into the forest alone.” You counter snarkily.

“No. You can’t.” Wolffe says with a frown, “Not now.”

You stop and turn to focus your gaze on him, he looks serious, “I have to. We need the herbs.”

“It’s not safe.”

“You know, I actually am able to protect myself, Wolffe. And I don’t apprec-”

“Seven bodies have been found in the forest in the last month,” Wolffe interrupts, “All young, all female. You cannot go into the forest alone. I won’t allow it.”

You didn’t know that. You, and your Master, do not often focus your attention towards mortal threats to the realm, trusting the Guards, and the royal family, to deal with them. “Well. That’s unfortunate, but I still need to go into the forest.” You answer calmly.

Wolffe releases a string of curses, “I’m trying to keep you safe, riye!”

“I’m aware of that.” You answer, calm in the face of Wolffe’s ire, aware that he’s not actually mad at you, “But I can’t not take care of my responsibilities.” You tilt your head slightly, “The way I see it, I can either go on my own, or you can come with me to keep me safe.”

He pauses and meets your gaze steadily, “You’re willing to accept a bodyguard?”

“Of course. I don’t have a death wish, Wolffe.” You say dryly.

Tension drains out of his shoulders, “That works. You get what you need, and I don’t have to worry about you getting murdered.”

You smile at him agreeably, and lead him through the garden, until you reach the very back corner. There’s a massive iron door, with no lock or handles. This door can only be opened with the touch of the Court Wizard, or his apprentice.

So, with a touch of magic, you activate the runes that confirm your identity, and then the runes that unlock the door, and it slides open with the ease of a much lighter door.

“I never get tired of seeing that,” Wolffe says quietly as he follows you out the door, and watches you seal it shut again.

“What? The door opening?” You ask teasingly.

“Watching you use magic,” Wolffe clarifies, “It’s just…” He trails off for a moment, his gaze locked on your face, “beautiful.”

You can feel your face grow warm, and you laugh nervously, “Well…thank you.” 

He flashes a small smile at you, and then he breaks his gaze and looks around. The forest is dim, even though it’s the middle of the day, but it’s still bright enough to see. “You normally collect herbs near the lake, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the end goal, but I’m not heading directly there,” You explain, “It’s the right time of year for snakes to shed skin, so I need to gather some of that too.”

Wolffe glances at you, “You don’t use snake skin in any potions, do you?”

You just shoot him an amused look, “That’s for me to know, my Prince.”

He makes a disgusted face, “That’s a yes, then.” He shakes his head, trying to shake off the disgust, “Lead the way, riye.”

It takes almost two hours to slowly make your way to the lake, and Wolffe is an excellent partner. Willing to hold the bags, and bottles, and you gather the ingredients you need.

He’s alert, but the longer you’re in the forest, the longer you spend without seeing anyone, or anything that might harm you, the more relaxed he becomes. 

On the contrary, the closer to the lake you get, the more anxious you become. It feels wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

And as the pair of you come to stand on the edge of the lake, it takes everything in you to not grab Wolffe, teleport the both of you back to your Master’s Tower, and then cling to him sobbing.

“Wolffe,” Your voice sounds tight, even to your own ears, and his gaze snaps to you, and he’s immediately on high alert.

“What’s wrong, riye?” He moves closer to you, and alarm crosses his face when you reach out and wrap both of your shaking hands around his arm. He turns and presses his free hand against your shoulder blades, drawing you closer and trying to make you feel some comfort, “Come on, what’s wrong?”

“The bodies were found here, weren’t they?” You ask, your voice small.

“Yes, how-”

“They died here, and they died in pain, and it took them days to die.” You whisper, your grip on his arm tightening.

“Riye, how do you know that?”

“I can feel it. It feels…” You shudder and press yourself closer to him, as though you’re trying to press yourself into his armor, so it can protect both of you, “It’s wrong, Wolffe. It’s-”

“Okay. Okay, then we need to go.”

And then you stop. Stop shaking, stop moving, and even stop breathing. “Wolffe,” Your voice is quiet, barely a whisper, “We’re not alone.”

He swears and shoves you behind him, hard, his hands moving to his blade, “Where?”

You’re quiet for a moment. It’s too much, there’s too much malice. You can’t-

You curl your hands against your chest, and the last thing you remember is flinging out two spells. One, a protective barrier to wrap around yourself and Wolffe, and the second, a distress beacon to your Master.

You hear the sound of metal against metal, and Wolffe calling your name, and then the world goes dark.

**********

It’s much later when you wake.

Your satchel, cloak and hat are missing, as are your boots and stockings. You’re clad in the thin robes that mark you as an apprentice, and nothing else. Your legs are chained to the wall, and you have heavy, tight, manacles around your wrists.

A simple examination tells you that the manacles around your wrists are designed less to keep you prisoner, and more to prevent you from reaching out to your magic.

You look around the bare cell that you’ve been thrown in. There’s a stack of straw in the corner, and you can hear rats squeaking high above you. There are no windows, save for the small window in the wooden door. 

You’re completely alone, and you can’t help but hope that your spell gave Wolffe enough time to escape.

You hear heavy footfalls from the hallway, and the cell door opens silently. You look up at the man standing in the doorway, he’s tall and thin, and has the terrifying golden eyes of a person who’s fallen into the Dark.

“You’re awake.” He speaks in a low growl, as though your very presence enrages him to the point of being inarticulate. He crosses the small cell in two long strides, and he grabs your arm, roughly dragging you to your feet, pulling a pained noise from your lips.

He then kneels at your feet, unhooking the chain from the wall, and chaining your two bare feet together. And then he stands to his full height, towering over you, and he grabs your arm again, roughly dragging you out of the cell and down identical stone halls.

He brings you towards a magic lift, and you’re finally able to see more of his face than just his eyes. And you realize that you recognize him. 

Several years ago, the Prince Consort of Naboo vanished. A massive search party, spanning several nations, searched for him for months, but with no evidence of foul play, and no evidence as to where he was, the only assumption people could make was that he ran away from his wife and his people.

 Anakin Skywalker-Amidala is one of the most powerful wizards of his lineage. The knowledge that he left his life just to fall-

Well, it’s heartbreaking.

The lift finally comes to a stop and you’re dragged down a much more opulent hallway, and then into a massive room. At the side of the room, stripped of all his clothing save the thin trousers he wears under his armor, and covered in his own blood, is Wolffe. 

He lifts his head and his gaze meets yours, and for a moment a look of helpless fury crosses his face. 

The man who had once been Anakin Skywalker releases you, and you immediately stumble over to Wolffe, falling to your knees next to him. You gently cup his face, uncaring of the blood covering him, “Oh. Oh, Wolffe,” You whisper. 

He moves and presses his face against your neck. His breath is warm and slightly shaky, “Are you okay, riye?”

“Me? You’re so badly hurt-” There are tears in your eyes as you card your fingers gently through his hair, “If I wasn’t wearing these manacles I could heal you…”

“I’ve had worse injuries, believe it or not,” He tries to joke as he pulls back and looks you in the eye, but it falls flat as the tears in your eyes start to fall. “Please don’t cry, cyar’ika. I’ll be okay.” He whispers as he reaches up and brushes the tear off your cheek.

“I’m sorry, I should have listened to you-”

“It’s not your fault.” His gaze drifts to your bare feet and your chained legs, “Cyare, you need to run. As soon as you can.”

You stare at him in horror, “No. No, Wolffe, I can’t leave you-”

“He’s going to kill you. I can’t…don’t make me watch him kill you. Please, cyare.”

A broken sob escapes your lips, and you press your forehead against his, “But he’ll kill you.”

“That’s okay. That’s okay so long as you survive. Promise me, riye. Promise me you’ll run as soon as you’re able.” Wolffe hisses, his eyes sharp.

“I…I promise,” You sob out, and then you let out a cry as you’re ripped from Wolffe’s tight grip.

“The Master wants to see you,” Anakin says, his golden eyes flickering from the irate Wolffe and then over to you, and then back again. He jerks you further away from Wolffe, and drags you through a small door that you didn’t notice.

The door slams behind you, and you’re thrown to the ground before a man that you recognize, the former Court Wizard of Naboo, Sheev Palpatine. He smiles at you, and you get chills. “Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think that I would be able to get my hands on a young apprentice for my plans.” He says in a smooth voice that reminds you of oil or grease.

“My Master-”

“Doesn’t know where you are.” Palpatine interrupts with a cruel smile, “And by the time he realizes that you’re missing, it’ll be too late. You’ll be dead, and the Prince will be my personal bodyguard. Or perhaps I’ll give him to Vader as his personal punching bag.”

Anakin’s, or Vader’s, face twitches. And unless you’re mistaken, it’s a look of disgust on his face, but it quickly clears, “As you say, Master.” He says with a perfect bow.

“Hm. Leave the girl with me, Lord Vader. You’re dismissed.” Palpatine says as he turns to look out the massive window.

Vader bows deeply, and you start when you see vicious looking magic swirl around his fingers, and the manacles around your legs shatter, and then the manacles around your wrists fall to the floor.

You flicker wide, terrified, eyes up to the older man who you once called friend. He places a hand on your shoulder, his voice pitched low enough so that only you can hear him, “Fight well, little sister.”

And then he’s gone.

And you…you remain still for as long as it takes for you to take a breath, and then you move, offensive magic curling around your hands, and protective magic sliding across your skin like it’s always been there.

Your mind whirls with spells and incantations. With runes and sigils, and while you don’t have a ghost of a chance against Palpatine, you are able to push him into shattering the sealed door behind you.

As soon as you see a way out, you take it. You fling one last spell at the potions table, and while Palpatine is distracted with keeping his potions from exploding, you turn on your heel and run. You hop over the shattered door, deftly skipping over the everburning black flames that Palpatine used to destroy the door, and run down the hall to the large lounge that Wolffe was in.

You slide across the floor on your knees, and you immediately press your hands against his cheeks and press your forehead against his. 

Your magic slides across your body, and across to him as you offer him the same protection that you wrapped yourself in. And then you squeeze your eyes shut and you coil your magic tightly around the both of you, and you push.

You push, and push, and push, until the dark magic holding you and Wolffe here cracks, and then shatters, and you take the chance. The teleportation spell requires ten words, Palpatine is coming closer and closer, you have time enough for four.

You do the fastest math you’ve ever done in your life, and then speak the four words that, hopefully, will bring you and Wolffe to safety. The magic twists and burns around you, and you instinctively curl your magic tighter around Wolffe. He will suffer no ill effects from your spell, you won’t allow it.

Magic rips around you, and through you, and it hurts. It hurts more than anything you’ve ever felt before, but you keep going. You keep pushing. And you keep shielding.

And then you drop out of the teleportation spell. You land hard on the ground, and you hear Wolffe groan painfully from your side. You roll, painfully to your side, and wrap both your hands around one of Wolffe’s and you shove as much healing magic into him as you can.

And then you collapse.

*******

This time, when you wake up, it’s in a soft bed, and you’re covered in a shroud of golden healing magic. 

“Ah, awake at last,” You turn your head and it takes you a moment to recognize the man sitting next to your bed; Obi-Wan Kenobi, the official court wizard of Naboo. “You worried us, dear one. You overused your magic to a worrying degree.”

“Didn’t have a choice,” You reply, your voice hoarse, “Prince Wolffe-?”

“Alive, well, and unharmed.” Obi-Wan reassured, “You used the very last of your magic to heal all of his wounds. Which was very, very dangerous based on your wounds.”

You shake your head slowly, “What was my price, Master?” You ask, “I cut six words out of the teleportation spell, which price did I pay?”

Obi-Wan is quiet for a moment, and then he leans in and takes your hand, “You lost your left arm, dear one. I’m so sorry.”

You close your eyes, and release a shaky breath, “It’s…it’s okay. I knew that I was going to have to pay a price.”

“Queen Amidala has already ordered you fit for a prosthetic. You’re not going to be able to use magic for at least a month while you recover. That means taking a carriage back to Mandalore.”

You nod your understanding, and slowly sit up, “Does the Queen need to hear what happened?”

“Prince Wolffe gave her his report,” Obi-Wan pauses and ducks his head, “Though he couldn’t tell us what happened when you were alone with Palpatine. How did your manacles come off?”

“Palpatine’s apprentice removed them. He…” You hesitate, “Master Kenobi, the apprentice was Anakin, though he goes by Vader now.”

Obi-Wan bows his head, and is quiet for a long time, and when he looks up he has tears in his eyes, “Thank you, little one. That…that brings me great relief, that perhaps some part of Anakin remains inside Vader.”

“...he called me Little Sister.” You murmur.

Obi-Wan smiles and lightly places his hand on your shoulder, “He was always fond of you.” He takes a deep breath, “Now, you are well enough to leave the infirmary. My apprentice, Ahsoka, is out in the hall, she’ll help you get dressed.”

“Thank you Master.” He smiles at you and leaves the room. Just as you swing your legs over the side of the bed, Ahsoka walks over to help you.

She’s a cheerful girl, bright and bubbly, and she’s more than happy to chatter aimlessly about her studies and how much she loves Naboo. And she’s even more happy to escort you to the training grounds, where Wolffe has been spending his time, before she leaves you to your own devices.

You sit on one of the benches and just watch Wolffe for a moment. His armor and sword have been replaced with Nubian variants, both of which seem more sleek than the bulky armor that Mandalore prefers. 

He finishes his set, and turns to restart, only to falter when he sees you. He hesitates for a moment, his gaze lingering on your missing arm, and then he sheaths his sword and hopes over the fence that marks the edge of the training ground.

“You’re awake,” Wolffe says as you stand when he approaches.

“Yeah, a little bit ago. Master Kenobi said I was free to leave the infirmary, as I’m no longer in any danger.” Now that he’s standing closer to you, you can tell that his gaze is locked on the place where your arm used to lay.

“Are you okay, riye?” He asks his fists clenching and unclenching at his side.

“I will be. I expended a lot of energy to get us safe.” You take a step closer and reach up to lightly touch his cheek, “Are you?”

He sighs low in his throat and leans his head into your touch, “You even managed to heal the bruises I had from training.” Wolffe replies lightly, and then his hands come up and cup your face and he bumps his forehead against your own. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again.”

You shake your head, “I had to get you out, Wolffe. I had to. Even if it meant losing an arm.”

“I’m not worth that.”

“You are to me,” You reply, “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

He lets out a short laugh, “Please don’t. You don’t have that many more limbs to lose.”

You smile at him, and gently stroke his cheek with your thumb, “When we were…there,” You say quietly, “You called me cyare, Wolffe.”

For a moment, you worry that he’s going to deny it, but instead he just closes his eyes, and nods, “I did.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you stuck to calling me that,” You whisper to him.

His eyes snap open, and he scans your face, as though he’s looking for any sign that you might be joking. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, cyare.” He lightly strokes your cheeks, “Does this mean that I can finally kiss you rather than just fantasizing about it?”

You blush, but you’re grinning at him, “I won’t complain if you want to kiss me.”

He hums thoughtfully, and then slowly tilts your head back to ghost his lips against yours. It was a soft, tender, and sweet kiss. The kiss of someone who thought he would never get the chance. And, well, if you moaned into the kiss, causing him to deepen it, it’s not like either of you had an audience anyway.

#star wars #tcw #star wars au #Commander Wolffe x Reader #wolffe x reader #x reader fanfiction #star wars fanfiction

[esoteric-chaos]

What is Protection Magic? The How-To's and Methods

Protection is necessary in the world we live in as it is just a fact of life. Did you know we need spiritual protection too? Whether it be protecting yourself from negative entities, negativity, curses or someone's bad vibes you need to be able to keep your peace and personal safety. Protection magic can either be offensive, defensive or both.

We touch on a form of protective magic called warding in another post, warding is a defensive type of protection magic. You can also do baneful wards. Those are an offensive and defensive type of magical protection.

Here are some other methods of protection that you can keep on your persons or place within the home.

Spiritual

Black Salt - Great for both protection, warding and banishing. Please be careful around pets with salt as they can get sick if eaten.

Water - Holy water, blessed waters and moon water can be used in rituals, baths or in sprays.

Incense - Dragons Blood, Rue, Sage, Rosemary, Mugwort, Frankincense, Blackberry Leaves, and Pine are all great to burn for protection. Can be made into herbal sprays.

Sprays - Herbal sprays can be made to be sprayed around the home and self for protection. Be cautious with pets.

Crystals - Black obsidian, Labradorite, Tigers Eye, Selenite, and Black Tourmaline can be carried or worn for protection

Sigils - Created with protective intent.

Witches Bells - Witches bells hang on your doorknob or on your door (inside the home) for protection and banishing. When someone comes into the home it rings, banishing negative energy.

Talisman - Objects with spiritual and historical meaning for protection. Can be worn or hung around the home.

Charms - Objects enchanted with the intention of protection. Can be worn or hung around the home.

Energetic Shielding and Armor - This is a form of warding but I'd like to place it here as well. Energy shielding and armour are very much like making protections and wards around your home, they're made with the energy you manifest within yourself or if you are someone who has low energy it can be borrowed from energy sources. I go into this more in my Warding post.

Physical

Veiling - Wearing a blessed head covering will protect you from other's personal energies. It can also help you stay in tune with your own energy without being overwhelmed by that around you.

Baths/Showers - Submerging yourself in water with protective herbs and oils. You can also shower with protective herbal soaps and hang a mesh satchel with protective herbs over your shower head.

Infused spell oils - Oils infused with protective herbs can be placed over the pulse points, third eye, feet and heart area.

Makeup/Skincare - Things like foundation, concealer, serums and moisturizer can all be used with the intention of protective barriers. Same with scented lotions, perfumes and leave-in conditioners. Makeup can even be colour correspondence with protection. Drawing a sigil for protection under your foundation may aid too. This is what’s considered glamour magic. Get creative with it!

Clothing - Wear protective coloured clothing like Black.

Vocal - Prayer to deity/ancestors/guides/etc for assistance. Prayer from a holy book.

Feel free to leave your methods below!

Blessings!

Looking for my posts all in one place? Check out the Masterpost

#witchcraft #witch #electic witch #witchblr #protection basics #protection magic #protection #witchcraft basics

[shaykai]

BG3 characters but it’s what Inscryption decks they would use (Spoilers for BG3)

Shadowheart uses a Magick deck Typically sticks to using only one color of Mox at a time in order to build resources- tends to favor Blue Mox. Used to have a Beast deck, but she doesn’t play with it much anymore. A Selune aligned Shadowheart does mix Beasts/Magick! She notably has a caged alpha card. A Shar aligned Shadowheart uses an Undead/Magick deck

Lae’zel uses a Beast deck Makes use of stacking Beast cards such as the Ants- has a firm belief that the best defense is a good offense. Late game Lae’zel also has Hydras and an Oroboros

Astarion uses an Undead deck He has several brittle cards that he’ll throw out while something like a Mummy Lord grows in the background, trying to keep his opponent busy while stronger cards grow on the side lines. Ascended Astarion has a Beast/Undead hybrid deck- mostly utilizes Goats, Cats, and Wolves from his Beast half- most of which have sigils to supply more blood or bones when sacrificed.

Wyll uses a Beast deck His deck is mostly Bird based to pass by his foe’s cards and attack them directly, though he does have a few Adders as well. A Devil-turned Wyll also utilizes Orange Mox cards alongside his Beasts.

Gale uses a Magick deck He’s very proud of his collection of rare Mox Master cards. He typically has a hybrid deck utilizing two of the three Mox colors, though he has been known to occasionally use all three at once through hybrid cards. Incredibly strategic in his use of sigils and resources- typically low on offense cards, but he’s chalked full of utility and can and will drag his opponents into card starvation

Karlach uses a Beast deck Notably has a few Undead cards from her time in the Hells, but not enough to call it a hybrid deck. She has several high cost hard hitting cards, like the Great White, Grizzly, and Moose, as well as several heavy defense cards (like the Tortoise & Mole Man). To try and balance out the high blood cost of her deck, she has several blood suppling cards- like the Squirrel Ball and a Black Goat.

Halsin uses a Beast/Magick deck He has a lot of high cost powerhouse cards like Grizzlies & a Urayuli, though he typically makes use of smaller cheaper creatures like Beavers and adolescent Wolves/Stags & Mantises. He also notably has a Squirrel Ball & tends to utilize Green Mox (but has been known to use the other two before)

Minthara uses a Tech/Undead deck Almost everything she has comes with a Spike Sigil. Makes good use of energy cards & stim builds, utilizing low cost Brittle cards to buy her time. She also has several dozen Bolt/Bone Hounds

Jaheira uses a Beast deck She makes use of movement based cards, particularly favoring Stags. Notably also has a collection of Mantis Gods

Minsc uses a Beast deck Boo chooses cards, Minsc plays them. Has a lot of defense based cards- like Beavers, Tortoises, and Mole Men- as well as a Grizzly that he says reminds him of Boo.

Orin uses an Undead/Beast deck All of her Beasts are for sacrificing/building up her Undead cards in a quick manner (almost always starts with her Beast cards before switching to Undead ones roughly halfway through the game) Very notably has a Ijiraq card as well as a few Amalgams.

Gortash uses a Tech deck He has a lot of trap cards to whittle down a careless opponent’s deck as well a notable amount of Sentry & Sniper cards. Also those terrible Explode Bots/Bomb Latchers. A lot of his cards are pretty delicate, but he’s not above leveling out the playing field by bombing all of it.

Ketheric uses an Undead/Beast deck Has several cards that give him resources upon death. He relies heavily on hard defenses and stacking attacks- has several Caged Alphas and a Long Elk. He has has a nasty habit of having a Spike Sigil on a lot of his cards, so getting past his defenses can be quite the task.

Bonus!

Durge uses a Beast deck Lots of Blood Cats and high blood cost cards in this deck. Notably also has a few Undead cards in the interest of not letting a resource their Beast’s make go to waste. (Has a few coyote cards that they lovingly refer to as their gnollies)

#always fun to take wild guesses at characters djdjdjdjdj #anywho if anyone has any of their own takes/thoughts I’d love to hear them <3 #inscryption #baldurs gate 3 #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #Shadowheart #wyll ravengard #karlach #gale dekarios #astarion #laezel #Halsin #Minthara #minsc and boo #Jaheira #enver gortash #orin the red #ketheric thorm #Durge #the dark urge

[pumpkinmagekupo]

Master vs Apprentice

Mizuki rose from the chair and slowly walked towards the barrier around the sparring area. The robes were heavy and the gold of the armour and chest pieces glimmered in the sun. They made her feel like a court mage, someone of importance. Camélia stood proudly at the other side of the area clad in the forum’s robes. 

“The duel between Mizuki Motte and Professor Camélia will commence,” announced Vauquelin.

 Mizuki took a deep breath, readying  her staff.  She had often thought about how to best sages. Nouliths utilised offensive and defensive spells in tandem. Their shields were hard to break, but in her studying of the sage arts, she thought of the easiest ways to best them in a fight- just hypothetically. 

amélia extended her hand, controlling the aether around the nouliths spurring them into life and floated around her, but Mizuki wasted no time in using the aether manipulation spell, and in a flurry of blue aether hurtled towards Camélia before she could react. She appeared just to the left of her, swinging her staff into each of the floating nouliths, using a skill she had picked up from Estinien’s rather brief lance training. Camélia aimed the nouliths at Mizuki as she vanished back to where she had started.  

“What terrible form! I certainly didn’t teach you that” she lifted her hand to direct the nouliths back at Mizuki but the sound of crackling lightning filled the air As a purple glow engulfed the nouliths one by one and they fell to the floor with a thud.

Camélia frantically tried to spur life into the nouliths but they refused to move. “What underhanded trick is this?”

“Simply a matter of overpowering your aether,” Mizuki explained briefly, holding her staff before her as a magick sigil appeared beneath her feet. “You might remember this spell Master, you saw it all those years ago.” Mizuki held her staff up, her eyes shone brightly and the skies darkened.

An explosion echoed around them, the ground trembling  from the roaring flames. When the fire and smoke cleared, Camélia had managed to spur two of the nouliths to life and had conjured a barrier strong enough to withstand the blast, but as she  lifted her arm to point the nouliths in Mizuki’s direction they exploded, falling to the ground in pieces. 

“The duel goes to Mistress Mizuki,” announced Vauquelin, and the barrier protecting the bystanders fell, signalling that the duel was officially over.

Snippet: Tales of a Hero: Chapter 10

#ramblings of a pumpkin #oc: mizuki #gpose #endwalker spoilers #location spoiler #snippets #Finally got those battle shots #best I could get ;w; #long post

[windup-dragoon]

FFXIV Write 2023

Prompt - Noisome Adjective - Having an extremely offensive smell

Content Warning - Mentions of death, gore, violence, and war

Word Count - 1,368

Divine Dragon AU Kiri is a traveling mercenary, defending the countryside from roaming clusters of corrupted monstrosities created for war. Her travel companions include a dragon of divinity turned man, and a goose (duck?) that neither had the courage to eat.

It's the noisome stench of rot that fills her lungs as she gasps for air. Her hands claw and scrape at anything tangible, anything physically there to pull her back into reality. But only wet masses fall away beneath her fingernails, sloughing decaying flesh with ribbons of scarlet viscera. She chokes on vomit at the sight, her mind frantically putting pieces together of the scenery around her.

A field as black as pitch and corpse mounds breathing ash and embers into the smoke hazed sky. Booming sounds echoed in the distance like great thunder that shook the very ground she laid upon. Noise. So much noise. A ringing in her ears that made her head throb. But the sound of the flies were louder yet. Buzzing busily at her ears, gorging themselves upon the garish battlefield.

She squeezed shut her eyes, reaching out desperately for a solid hold to heave herself up with, dreading the thought of who or what body part acted as her leverage. Amidst the chaos of war still raging she could hear footfalls nearby. Lumbering and kicking aside mangled corpses as if wading through fresh snow. She dared only steal a glance as she roused, sucking in putrid air once more at the grotesque sight.

Creatures.

Not quite animal but certainly not man, roaming skeletal bodies with too many limbs and white vacant eyes. In their great maws lined with too many teeth, they gnashed at flesh. Bones splintered and cracked between jaws while they slurped marrow.

Bile rose in the back of her throat. She pitched forward and coughed out the contents of her stomach; ichor splattered her hands and dribbled down her chin.

The monstrosities nearby of course swiveled at the sound, their empty dead eyes focused on the survivor amongst the corpses. With an ear shattering scream they lurched toward her, wielding now weapons made of their own gnarled bones.

Her heart pounded in her ears; a rabbit fearing being caught by the predators now leaping over mounds to grab her. Despite the pain in her broken body, she hurled herself to her feet, kicking away wet leather armor and gore shedding from the decaying masses. A desperate glance back showed more creatures had gathered for the hunt, a few almost merging together to form a sentient mass of rotten flesh and mangled bone.

Another crackling boom rang out around her, shaking the very ground beneath her. She turned again and stopped mid stride. Even the beasts had stopped to look up to the churning skies.

She felt deafened as she watched the sky being torn open, a shock of magicks rippling through the damp air. A white blinding light bathed the silent field before a sigil writ with gold appeared. From it's center was another flash of blinding light; a falling star that burned away everything.

----

Panic woke her from her restless dreaming, heart racing at a rabbits pace in her ears. She swallowed a gulp of cold air and blinked away the burning edges of her nightmare. It had been a beautiful evening. The camp fire had died to little more than embers spitting. Overhead was a sea of stars, a veil of jewels woven delicately by unseen hands. Crickets chirped in the woods around her, everything at peace for the evening.

Yet she could still taste it. The stench of rot and decay, the smoke and ash of war.

She reached for her canteen to drown away the memories but was met with only the remaining few drops of cool water. Of course she had forgotten to refill it before bed. Just her luck.

It was only then as she cast aside her bed roll and rose to her feet did she notice her companions belongings neatly set aside with no one to be seen. Weary still from sleep she gave it little thought before marching down to the stream they had camped beside.

Nightmares of that day were frequently revisited against her best efforts. It always felt as if she had been thrown back into the fray, that any moment she would realize that the brisk night air was the dream and her reality was nothing more than viscera and rot. The mere thought of it made her stomach twist.

At the shoreline the stream babbled gently into the night. A melody that soothed the ache in her head. She dipped her canteen in first, the rush of water at her fingertips giving her a chill down her spine. Once the pouch was full to the brim, she kicked off her boots and took careful strides into the crystal waters.

"Come to bathe?" A voice called from the reeds along the way.

Kiri lifted her chin, spying a familiar white goose lazily floating along the streams current. "No," she replied, reaching out to pat the goose as it went by. "Just needed water."

Mismatched eyes fought against the darkness to make out the silhouette of her traveling companion. The reeds hushed as his body moved through them, the water spluttering against him. His thick hair had been let loose from its tie and hung down over his shoulders, the ends curling slightly with still dripping water. In the starlight she could see the pearlescent tones on his skin, beads of river water looking like glittering diamonds against it.

She felt warm seeing him this way but quickly turned her focus to a gathering of fireflies opposite him. "Could've stayed in the brush, ya'know."

The gentle rumble of a laugh escaped him. "And miss the look on your face?"

Kiri rolled her eyes. "What if someone sees ya'?" Vaguely she gestured to him, referring to the long dragon tail he was currently using to spin the goose around as it drifted by.

"I have trousers on." He raised his shoulders, feigning innocence. After a moment he dove under the water, becoming a moonlight glimmer of a silhouette beneath the ripples.

Hien reappeared before her, like a fish contemplating the hook before breaking the surface. His hair blended seamlessly into the dark waters but the rest of him still held an almost unworldly shimmer in the darkness.

"I know that expression. Another nightmare.”

A sigh on her lips gave away the answer. Kiri placed a hand on his forehead, trying desperately to dunk him. "And what of it? | ain't in the mood to be lectured by an exhibitionist."

Struggle all she might against him, Hien refused to sink back down. Instead he rose to his full height, taking the hand on his forehead and holding it between his clawed fingers carefully. With his free hand, he gestured to the pants that were slipping off his hips.

"A lecture wouldn't help, but perhaps a listening ear will."

Instead of an answer, Kiri marveled at the warmth of his hand holding hers. She hadn't truly realized how brisk the night had become until now. Nor had she thought a dragon would be so soft and warm. Absently her fingertips brushed along the lines of his palms, a fate written on flesh that she couldn't decipher.

A light honk from their goose companion drew her back, her hand slipping between his fingers to fall at her side. Her mouth felt dry as she recalled the noisome vapors that plagued her.

How do you tell divinity the horrors of war? That even if she endured amnesia, her body would always remember. The sound of bone breaking beneath your feet. Sinew and entrails stuck underneath your nails. The taste of blood and ash on your tongue. Her body would never forget what she had endured.

The same war that brought low a divine dragon like a falling star. Captured him as if a firefly in a jar to be admired until it died of suffocation. But while he had freed himself of his tormentors, she could never escape, doomed to suffocate alone in her own jar.

Kiri forced herself to smile, brushing aside starlight hair and averting her eyes. "I'll head back first. Get the fire goin’ again and all."

"Kiri…"

His voice trailed, replaced by the quiet babbling of the stream and all the creatures of the night humming a chorus.

#ffxivwrite2023 #|| Divine Dragon #ffxiv #ff14 #hien rijin #kirishimi #idk I wrote this at work for a prompt aaaa #just enough backstory to interest people maybe asdlkfj

[httyddragonfox]

Owl House Finale Headcanons

According to Dana in the Post-Hoot, our headcanons can basically be canon at this point because she's not in charge of the story anymore. Okay, challenge accepted!

First of all, the boiling isles is now a democracy. Led by several powerful witches, but they have to be voted in. So Raine would be partly in charge, probably Darius and Eberwolf, maybe Mason, Hettie, Osran, etc, but definitely not the jerks Adrian and Terra.

Second, although Dana said Hunter and Eda don't know about the Caleb, Evelyn and Clawthorne connection, that doesn't sit right with me. So like my fanfic dictates, eventually they might make a deduction, but not a sure conclusion that Hunter is related to the Clawthornes. Even if they don't for sure recognize the fact, they will eventually come to see Hunter as family and he will have Clawthorne as one of his last names (Until he marries Willow).

Third, Alador instantly starts his work on sigil removal gloves. Several people didn't seem to have one in the epilogue, but it seemed like they were celebrating that kid getting his removed. Alador must have gone through many versions of the unbranding glove, and this one wasn't the one to blow up or something...?

Lastly, some Hexside Head-canons!

lots of more students start taking mixed tracks nearly immediately. I mean, we saw it in the epilogue, but I think as one of the final "screw you"s to Belos, lots of students just start practicing other magics.

The Hexsquad are some of the most popular students at the school, for saving the Boiling Isles and everything.

Gus becomes the reinstated president of the Human Appreciation Society. He has a lot more knowledge to share with the group. Many people in the group keep asking to go the human realm, now that they have a working portal. Before they can even think of going however, Gus grills them with pop quizzes and disguise tutorials to help them fit in with the Human Realm and not stand out too much.

Hunter enrolls into Hexside. Like Luz, he doesn't have a normal way of casting magic (seeing as he has a palisman magic implant), so like Luz he takes a bit of everything. He struggles with some offensive magic, (construction, elemental, etc) but he excels at teleportation. He doesn't cast spell circles that much like Luz. Meanwhile, Luz is happy to have someone in the study course as her.

After some time at the Owl House, Eda realizes Hunter has a dream of carving Palismen. She tells her Dad, and thus he shows him the ropes. He becomes an apprentice to Dell.

Hunter takes some time to carve his own Palisman. He most likely waits until after he's nearly completed his first year of Hexside. After carving Waffles, he no longer struggles, and he's twice as powerful as when he had Flapjack (cause twice the palisman magic, ehhh).

Hunter and Willow become an item a few months after defeating Belos.

For Hunter's last and only two years of Hexside, Willow and Him become Grom King and Queen. Willow's biggest fear is him dying and her being unable to save him. Hunter's biggest fear is Belos returning and attacking everyone he cares about. Hunter and Willow have their own version of the Lumity Grom dance. The last Grom Hunter goes to is where Hunter and Willow share their first lip kiss. (If you haven't noticed, I believe their relationship will be taken slowly.)

Hunter graduates with Honours from Hexside, and takes a full time apprenticeship with Dell instead of going to University. Hunter already knows what he wants to do and this is the best way to achieve it.

Amity also opts out from University after graduating, instead taking a real apprenticeship with Lillith.

Willow also opts out of University, instead pursuing professional Flyer Derby playing.

Gus graduates early, also with honors, and becomes a TA at the University for Wild Magic. He starts an exchange program with the Human Realm and teaches side courses about the Human Realm and it's historical connection with the Demon Realm.

Other Headcanons.

Not that Gus couldn't be Bisexual, but honestly I thought him Matt wouldn't be a thing. I think blushes equal crushes, and Matt and Gus don't blush around each other. Heck, Matt has shown interest in Celine and the little sister "Roka," and Gus has been blushy around Bria, but not Matt.

As for the couples, I'm not sure if Raeda is married in the epilogue or if they eventually get married. They might just be content with living with each other romantically.

Lumity will wait until Luz is finished University until they get married.

Huntlow will probably wait for the marriage until Hunter is near mid 20's.

Lumity and Huntlow will start having kids around the same time.

#the owl house #caleb wittebane #toh huntlow #willow toh #toh hunter #toh luz #toh amity #toh coven heads #toh alador #toh waffles #toh raeda #toh lumity #toh hexside #toh grom #toh hexsquad #toh gus #toh eda #toh dell #toh gustholomule #toh headcanon #toh epilogue

[yoimix]

quietude. kamisato ayato

ft. kamisato ayato

genre: comfort, fluff

wc: 2.3k

synopsis: love is as elusive to men like kamisato ayato as belonging is to wanderers. and sometimes, in a little inazuman forest, they are but the same.

a/n: hi hi all. i’ve decided now is a time good as ever for an ayato comfort drabble (extended) <3

Chinju Forest isn’t typically where stories of this sort begin. Though the Yae Publishing House authors try their best to weave in magic and wonder, and perhaps fear in their stories of the forest, it is nothing more than ordinary—tanuki-infested at best.

That’s precisely the reason Ayato partakes in nightly strolls through the forest whenever he can. Peace adorns the Aralia trees, a slight breeze brushes past the leaves, and the faintest scent of sakura blooms lingers. That is all there is to it. An ordinary walk for a normal man.

Ayato’s nightly routine has nothing to do with meeting a certain traveler from afar.

In his impatience, he forgot his woollen scarf—Inazuman winters are not as harsh as Mondstadt’s but travelers do tend to wake up with sore throats more often than not. He didn’t forget his bubble tea though, and he’s sure that’ll get a comment from you. Even the Shogun could not get him to admit he’s smiling at the thought. 

Oh, how he wishes he could see the look on his retainers’ faces if he could inform them of his midnight rendezvous. 

A chance encounter brought him to you—and when he says chance, he truly means it was a coincidence, not something he can say often. Ayato plans leagues ahead for every step he takes but he couldn’t refuse a break when the workload finally lessened. Rest is just as important as work—but he found himself pacing the forest floors restless; restless for his sister, restless for his commission and restless for his country. 

He found you trying your very best to collect sakura blooms with no knowledge of how they’re collected. And starting with that night, he found himself teaching you little facts and stories associated with Inazuma. In return, you taught him a thing or two.

“So you say, these… you exchange these sigils for mora?” Ayato furrows his brows ever so slightly. 

“Don’t look so perplexed. This is how adventurers live.” You place your hands at your hips, shaking your head.

“I didn’t mean offense,” he says as he smiles.

“Then why do you look… ah, as Guuji Yae describes, like a little rascal right now?”

Ayato drops his smile before sighing. He opens his mouth and to his surprise, finds himself speechless.

“Don’t- Don’t hang around that woman too long,” he manages. “You’re already more of a tease than when I first met you.”

“Oh, but Sir Kamisato, isn’t change part of human life as flow part of water?” 

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”

You bat your lashes, feigning surprise. “Impossible. Me, a lowly traveler from afar, harboring such heinous intent towards the Cultural Head of Inazuma, in the great islands of ete—”

He swiftly presses a finger to your lips, pursing his own. “Enough talking.”

Your lips stretch into a feline smile.

“I didn’t know some light-hearted teasing could get the Yashiro commissioner to squirm,” you whisper.

“Only when it’s you,” he responds nonchalantly. “You already talk far too much.”

Ayato turns away to face the sea. His brows are slightly furrowed and his lips pursed.

“Squirm?” He scoffs. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. I feel anything but discomfort around you.”

“Well, you could say it’s revenge for putting me in such awkward positions ever since I met you.”

“Oh? Pray tell me of these instances.”

There it is again. That satisfied smile adorning his lips, much akin to a chess champion’s airs upon victory. He knows exactly what you’re referring to.

“You’re the reason I almost got arrested my first week here!” You give in. This man needs to face his follies. And you love complaining.

“Oh? As far as I recall, it was blatant disregard for Inazuman law.”

You grumble out a response, though it makes no sense. You know arguing with him leads nowhere.

“You’re the reason I got sick during last time’s hotpot competition,” you throw, not willing to back down. 

You really should’ve kept receipts of every grievance he’s committed against you since he’s so good at sorting through those. The glaringly obvious one is whatever he does to your heart in close proximity. Pretty boys are full of sin, and must never be trusted. You got the memo too late, you suppose. Admiring the blue of his hair glowing pearly under moonlight, you soon shift your gaze to his.

“I’m really reconsidering the one next weekend!” You warn, as though your absence at Thoma’s hotpot game could get him to sway.

Gosh, you sound like a child. Something about Ayato brings out this side of yours. And if you push the right buttons, maybe you’ll watch that side of his too. Unfortunately, it’s far too difficult a puzzle as of now.

“What a shame. I was looking forward to seeing you for the contest.” He exhales, and as if on cue, the wind picks up and brushes your hair from your face. The serenity of his blade has never matched his fox-like personality but there is certainly something akin to peace in his movement, in his being—even if that peace is the eye of a storm itself.

“You just want to watch me and Thoma uncomfortable,” you grumble.

“You always have the choice to back out,” he reasons.

“Not when Thoma won last time! You know I don’t lose. Besides, it’s your fault I got sick.” You frown deeply, accusing eyes pointed towards a certain figure clad in white.

“Ah, yes. Who knew Sea Ganoderma would have such an effect? As far as I know, it has a structure similar to fats and lipids—”

“Hush.” You kick your foot impatiently. “I don’t wanna listen to your jargon. You put Sea Ganoderma in hotpot, you jacka—ahem.”

Ayato laughs, a sound coming from deep within his chest, a sound like the crashing of waves against Inazuman shorelines. 

“I didn’t mean to make you sick, if that’s any consolation,” he offers, once his laughter has died down. “I just like to see the expressions on people. Especially you.”

You feel an unfamiliar heat rise up your neck and jab at your ears.

“I’ll- I- I’ll win next time!” You declare, ignoring the feeling—although you know exactly what it is. “Thoma will go first though. Whicher hotpot makes him look the sickest is probably yours.”

“You still have to try it though,” he hums. “I’m not a stickler for rules but it is a game after all.”

You huff. “Whatever. As long as I win.”

Ayato gazes at you with moonlight adorning the right side of his face, and glint in his eyes that you suspect is not of the moon.

“Any other offenses I might have committed?”

You exhale loudly, perplexed at the audacity. “The night is too short to list all of them.”

“Well, waterfalls wouldn’t sound quite so lovely without rocks lining their ways. Don’t you think so?”

You breathe out, the warmth of your breath forming a little cloud of defeat. It’s a given you wouldn’t win so easily against the Yashiro Commissioner.

“I’m flattered to see you use your sharp wits on me and not tearing down some poor fellow in the Tri-Commission.” You roll your eyes.

He hums. “The longer the tongue…”

You shake your head. It’s not like Ayato savors blood. But you know he enjoys crime and punishment a bit too much. 

“So what will you teach me today, Sir Commissioner? A little bit about the Watatsumi Priestess? I heard she’s going to meet Miss Sara to discuss politics.”

Ayato never quite understood how the sprout of your friendship with the daughter of the Kujou Clan grew. Even so, it’s oddly endearing to see you cheer her up despite her constant accusations of your troublemaking and ruckus. He knows you cheer her up—it’s evident on her face—and Ayato wonders if the effect of your presence shows on him too. There is not a single Inazuman soul who does not greet you with excitement.

That’s what it is—the bubble tea brewing his stomach—excitement to see a long-time friend, nothing more.

“Inazuman politics are a tad higher in level than what I’ve been telling you,” he sighs. “You can ask Miss Kujou to relay the details after it is done.”

You purse your lips. “Alright then. Ooh! Are Hiiragi Chisato of the Kanjou Commission and Kujou Kamaji of the Tenryou Commission going to get married?”

“I’m afraid I’m not too well versed in Inazuma’s gossip these days.”

“Liar,” you accuse, mouth agape at his blatant excuse. “You know every little thing the old ladies carrying their grocery baskets around town are saying.”

Ayato smiles, his eyelids lowering to match. There is nothing that makes him more content than denying you satisfaction, you swear.

“Alright then, what about the Shogun and Yae Miko’s secret lovechild?”

He clears his throat abruptly, clearly taken aback at the question. “I know no such thing, (name).”

You burst out laughing. You could count this as a win. “Ah, must’ve been that novel from Yae Publishing House then.”

Ayato can’t help his smile, and neither can he help but get closer to you with each passing second. The torii gates loom in the distance and the tree stump you’ve decided to sit upon looks anything but comfortable. Ayato could leave whenever he wants to. There’s nothing keeping him here.

Nothing but you.

What must it be like to travel the world with you? To tread land after land with wonder, to witness the wonder in your eyes. There is nothing Ayato wants more than to protect you, to ensure you follow your heart—the same he’s done for Ayaka, his country. The feeling washes over him in tides higher and higher. He is first and foremost the Yashiro Commissioner. It was certainly not easy getting here. He gave everything he could for his clan, for his family.

But for the first time, he wants more. He wants the dewdrops adorning your mornings. He wants the peace of your afternoons and to witness each of your jumps into puddles to make the children laugh. He wants the rains of your endless adventures at nights. 

Ayato almost scoffs out loud. To think that the two of you could stay the same.

“Oh, I got another one! You could tell me about the Yashiro Commissioner’s deepest, darkest secrets. I’m sure that would come in handy—as a step ahead of general Inazuman knowledge.” You’re beaming ear to ear, taking pride in mock victory and yet, Ayato feels nothing but otherworldly adoration.

“I… A secret? Haven’t I spilled enough? Well, then.” Ayato’s voice fades into a whisper. 

You look at him expectantly.

“There is nothing more I want than to feel your touch right now.”

 Your face flares up at the words and for a good second, you strongly believe you misheard him. 

“Eh? What do you mean?”

In response, a soft palm presses against your cheek. 

“You’re just as warm as I imagined.” His voice is nearly drowned out by the low buzzing of crickets in the forest and the swaying of the wind. 

The pressure against your lips is gentle, feather light and it lasts barely a second.

No. 

Your fingers immediately fly to your lips, a warmth fizzing through your veins that you never knew was possible. Is this the famed power of the Kamisato Clan Head—to wield water as a weapon? Or, is this blade something he can only hold against you? You shiver. Ayato didn’t have to be so blessed in both face and words.

“I didn’t know you were in possession of a pyro vision,” Ayato breathes, breaking away. “With the way your face is radiating heatwaves.”

“Oh, really? Isn’t it shameful I could beat you in a swordfight without a vision?” You quip.

“Oh?” A smile adorns his lips, softer than you could ever imagine.

It is a heinous thing to say—but even the moon-bathed deep could not comprehend the depths to which Ayato’s heart drops at your gaze, at your lips, at your gentle and assured movement. This is special, extraordinary and much beyond what mere Chinju Forest could witness. Not lightning, not gods, not the elements could keep him from leaning in.

Another kiss follows, and another, and another—each short and filling your heart with fluttering joy till you’re sure it’ll explode.

The tanuki must be snickering at us, you think, but the overwhelming sense of tranquility doesn’t let you focus on anything but the man in front of you. You swear you can feel raindrops against your skin, your shivering slowly dying into a calm posture as your drive your fingers through his hair—and they stay till he’s done stealing every remark, complaint and story from your lips.

“Did you make it rain?” You whisper when he pulls back a final time.

“You have strange expectations of my abilities.”

You inhale, and a laugh soon follows in place of the exhale. Ayato smiles gently at you, and it makes your heart bloom into a thousand different roses at once. Is this what it’s like to be loved? To be heard and to be seen and to be felt? 

It’s the strangest thing for a traveler to have a home, is it not? And yet, the pieces fit right into place. Is this also one of Ayato’s little schemes?

“How long have you…” You don’t know how to phrase it.

“Long enough to ask you to stay.” Ayato leans in again, but this time his nose buries into the crook of your neck, arms pulling you closer. He smells like sakura blossoms—you’d expected as much—but there’s also a tinge of honey and chamomile tea.

You could stay like this. You could find a home in this. You could stay. The answer will present itself by morning, this one or the next. Chinju Forest isn’t where stories of this sort end.

“Can we stay like this longer?” You whisper, your question barely audible. Ayato shuffles into a more comfortable position but he doesn't pull away. You bite your lip to keep yourself from smiling into his shoulder.

“I’m sure the forest doesn’t mind, (name),” Ayato sighs, and your night grows a little longer, a little sweeter.

#reader is a traveler but may not be THE traveler it's up to you #ayato x reader #genshin x reader #ayato fluff #genshin impact x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #kamisato ayato x reader #genshin impact x you #ayato imagines #genshin drabbles #genshin one shot #ayato x you #yoimix.words