#nothing too spoilery

[be-curious-and-not-judgemental]

Initial thoughts. No real spoilers other than the general plot (except the paragraph on Lord Debling).

I woke up at 4 and watched the episodes before I've even gone to work. I fast forwarded through the Mondrich storyline and all of Marcus Anderson's (minus his reveal). I didn't have time to linger so I have to go back and watch them. But from what I can tell, I'm not very interested (sorry!).

The pacing is weird. Like too much with way too many people. If you didn't know it's Polin's season, I'm not sure you could tell. Francesca and Cressida are much bigger storylines. Which, whatever. I'll have to really watch to absorb.

Sometimes the acting feels weird, like you could tell it was acting. And like from EVERYONE, minus the older ladies. I think Nicola is good though too. But even both Lukes seem weirdly disjointed. Some scenes were brilliant and others just fell flat.

I wanted a bit more longing looks. But again, I watched very quickly (I was brushing my teeth and getting dressed while I was watching).

The Lord Debling storyline was quick, and sort of odd. I think the hint of chemistry with him and Cressida made it ring false with him and Penelope. I wasn't unhappy to see how it ended, although I thought him getting upset at proposing a loveless marriage to Penelope and then getting upset that she had feelings elsewhere was an oxymoron.

Oh Colin, my sweet summer child. I completely bought his struggle with figuring out who he is. I just wish we had more time with him.

Honestly, I'm loving that they stayed close to the book. But if you haven't read the book, I'm not sure if the scenes always fit with the rest of the MANY other storylines. I'm not disappointed at all, I think they are nailing the book scenes and I love their friendship so I totally am buying the friends to Lovers. And the carriage? Uh, yeah. That was good. My favorite part was the laughter, damn. And Colin's happy decision to propose was the icing on the cake.

The next 4 episodes are gonna be wild! Like Lady Whistledown has hardly been an issue but a storm is coming. And I so look forward to Penelope and Eloise's friendship again. I'm not sure the whole Cressida and Eloise thing has me invested.

#bridgerton #polin #bridgerton season 3 #initial thoughts #nothing too spoilery #ill watch again this evening and give it the time and attention it deserves #but i definitely grinned at some great scenes

[valgeristik]

Larian, wheres the "lose your absolute shit" dialogue option 🤨

(Featuring: Aino, who didn't ask for any of this)

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate oc #enver gortash #bg3 astarion #bg3 wyll #bg3 karlach #theyre there too #aino bg3 oc #kunst huli #i have a whole notebook of little art ideas for silly little comics hehe #also i GUESS just in case??? #bg3 spoilers #nothing too spoilery in here but just in case #AINOS BACK BAYBEEEE #just started act 3 n i really feel like ainos sanity is hanging by a THREAD

[faislittlewhiteraven]

Tower of Dormont ISaT AU

Had a weird dream I figured would make a great ISaT AU if anyone wants to take a swing at it so umm, general idea:

Instead of the House being taken over by the King, instead the Favor Tree is warped into an evergrowing tower reaching up, up, up into the heavens.

Instead of the King's Curse slowly making its way across the land and Mirabelle being the 'Chosen One' to collect the orbs to stop it, it's time freezing Sadnesses raining down from the top of the Tower all over Vaugarde and surrounding countries, with heroes from all over (Euphie, Claude, various Defenders, people from other countries, etc) heading into the Tower to figure out what is happening only to never return...

And well. It looks like the end for Vaugarde, Mirabelle (having finally hit the 'I know what Euphrasie said but I've got to do something' point) has recruited Isa, Odile and Bonnie for a last ditch effort to try and stop the world from ending by Tower and...

Within the first few floors (which keep changing but kind of look like... The House of Dormont? No, that bit there looks like Odile's family home, and that room there is just like Nille's???) they find an unlocked bedroom and in that room an exhausted, terrified and near hopeless Siffrin who can barely remember anything from his life before being imprisoned here (even takes a bit to recall his name over the now despised 'Bright One') but after a bit of coaxing they admit they know a LOT about the floors ahead and might be willing to help the party reach the top of the Tower where they can put a stop to the madness going on outside but in return they must not let the King catch them (not again not again not again)...

Party are actually pretty cool with this (you know, aside from general 'is this person legit or actually an enemy?' concerns) but well, it's hard not to notice as their guide goes from barely able to fight beyond weak scissors craft and buffs to healing and every craft type under the sun. From claiming they don't know what's behind a certain door or above the next floor to explaining in detail that the prisoners in cages on the next floor are all Sadnesses, or that 'the King is coming, he hasn't realised I've left the room yet but I need something, anything, to mask my scent' (and later gets everyone to leave false trails down halls via jars of sugar and honey they picked up a few rooms previous). From claiming that the party are the only other people they've ever seen here to having near breakdowns over finding books or paintings with imagery and words that seem eerily familiar (think a book that reads like 'Claude wonders why Euphrasie and their amnesiac guide are so fussed about the walls here apparently being covered in stars? Why do stars matter anyway?'), etc.

Oh and they glow more and more with each floor which er, is probably going to make hiding from the King (who is VERY DEFINITELY after them judging from all the "Bright One, you know you are not supposed to leave you room. You do not want me angry again do you Bright One?" roaring) increasingly difficult.

...

And yeah. I don't actually know what is going on in this story beyond cool imagery due to the whole 'Literally woke up with this in my head because dream' but...

Been thinking it's kinda like an 'end game Persona series' situation where a chance friendly meeting/talk between Sif and the King right before the King's rampage would've started, led to the King to realizing he could use his Wish Craft to force the people of Vaugarde to 'wish with him' (see: escalating brainwashing madness), forcing a terrified Sif to go along with it (no brainwashing for the Bright One no, not when they were clearly sent by the Universe to be the King's guide ignore the Bright One's screams that this is wrong, that they want nothing to do with this; clearly oracles only relay the Universe's intent not share it themselves), and the current 'raining time freezing Sadnesses/Sif clearly being stuck in some weird looping variant' stuff being the result of Sif's 'Please protect Vaugarde and restore our home' wish said at the King's orders being heard by the Universe as "please Universe do whatever you can to stop all of Vaugarde- No, the world from falling under the King's control! + Someone, anyone save me! + 'immense amounts of self loathing and a desire to known and held accountable for inadvertently sparking a man made apocalypse' + Universe I wish I had people who actually cared about me/who would never only use me as a tool to save the world" and er well. The Universe had a way to 'protect everyone from the King' that would also kind of fit the King's wishes, a whole heap of power from all the brainwashed people the King was leading plus the 'meant to be repurposed' freezing all of Vaugarde in time ritual the King crafted to work from Dormont and... Yeah. Add to that people all over Vaugarde and possibly other countries 'adding' to the 'please save us' wish bank after Sif had already accidently centered it all around himself and basically both Sif's loops and the Sadness hell storm are being powered up by everyone everywhere in one huge ball of 'Hmm, I wonder if this all ends with the King getting killed or is there gonna be a big old morality question thingy post King killing at the end where Sif, upon remembering that "this is all my fault" tries to get the others to kill him which other heroes may have done (and thus triggering the loop, sending Sif back to the start possibly missing memories of them to hide away in shame/terror/etc) whereas Mira, Isa, Odile and Bonnie have gotten far too attached to this tragic, self sacrificing idiot and were willing to let the rest of the world be fully frozen for the rest of Sif's natural lifespan if it meant he could finally be free (not happy about it mind you, but like, just the 5 of them living in a quiet world until everyone else is safely freed after Sif's natural death is better than murdering someone who went through an eternity of horrors to protect a world they couldn't even remember and who's death might not even be the true answer anyway)'.

Oh and the King should basically be treated like a yandere version of the Reaper or something throughout the story (dream had way too many 'and then the King was suddenly there killing someone until Sif slashes their throat -no tears to use in this Tower alas- and from the party's perspective basically has a 'vision of the future' and/or freakout for seemingly no reason in the middle of Snack Time), while each of the many many floors of the Tower are basically due to being altered to match the minds of everyone (frozen or not) in the Tower, kinda like a Palace or P4 dungeon, due to well, Sif unconsciously wanting to learn more about them, wanting to remember/forget, possibly on some level wanting the King to how horrible this all actually is IDK (snack rooms, like the bedroom Sif was in are basically P5 saferooms but less 'area weak in cognition' and more 'Sif wishes for there to be places safe from the King and all the Sadness so there are some even if he knows he can't stay in them forever least they become prisons for him'). ...Might be nightmare floors as well? To represent Sif's terror of bad things happening to anyone he becomes attached to and wanting to be able to protect them so basically, they are accidentally making their own opposition (possibly based off of what they hear the others being afraid of/the desire to be useful to them) and I think Slay the Princess might make for great inspiration there if you need an idea of how crazy that might go~ XD

...So. Yeah. If anyone wants to use any of this for any fanfic ideas, please go ahead as I kind of would like to focus on my Selkie Au and fics for other fandoms more than this weird dream that basically took over my brain and said SHARE in caps so loud I've been stuck thinking about it ever since.

#isat #fais fanfic rambles #fanfiction #isat spoilers #I don't think this has too many isat or saap spoilers actually but tagging them anyway just in case #isat au #in stars and time #in stars and time spoilers #fanfic #fic idea #semi spoilery mentions of Persona games and Slay The Princess? More just as 'this idea may resemble this game's X' kinda stuff #please someone take this idea away from me #I really do not want to write it but I would LOVE to read it #the visuals of a tower reaching up into the universe #plus a SAaP esc Sif meeting the party for the first time and slowly learning to pun. To love Bonnie's cooking. To feel safe..! #Also roaming King super boss (without the party knowing about Shield spells) is terror even before him being yandere-y for Sif comes into i #so yeah hope this was a least a fun read if nothing else #start again spoilers #start again: a prologue #start again start again start again #saap

[itsjaywalkers]

Plsss give us more of oby or nh info I'm desperate🙏😖

i don't know about info nonnie, i feel like i've already talked way too much about these two wips, and everything that's left is . spoilers </3

but u can have this snip from nothing happens as a treat before i go to sleep !!

“It is that deep!” James exclaims, finally losing his composure and raising his voice. “This is your first relationship and it’s—it’s with stupid Crouch! You’re just seventeen, and this is—” “Oh, don’t start. I get enough of this shit from Sirius,” Regulus snaps, the corners of his mouth curled. “You went on your first date when you were fourteen, and had your first girlfriend when you were fifteen.” “That’s—that’s different, it wasn’t anything serious, I was simply having fun,” James stutters, not sure how he feels about the sudden turn the conversation seems to be taking.  “And I can’t have fun?” Regulus shoots back, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.  “Not with bloody Barty,” James scoffs, leaning back on his chair.  “That’s not up to you, James. In fact, it’s none of your business. Me and Barty—we get each other, okay? And we’ve been friends for a while, so I trust him, and I feel very comfortable with him. He’s the best option.” “What do you mean the best option? God, Reggie, he’s literally the fucking worst—” “Stop it! I’ve had enough! And I won’t have you talking shit about my boyf—” “Don’t say it,” James spits, getting up from his seat with a threatening finger pointing at Regulus. He takes a couple of steps towards the bed, and Regulus gazes up at him with contempt. “Don’t fucking say that word.”  “You’re gonna have to get used to it,” Regulus tells him, his tone so cold it sends a chill down James’ spine. “He isn’t going anywhere, and we’re dating now.”

#yes it's them arguing again #there's only so much i can share from this part without it being too spoilery #and then we have the smut.. #but i haven't gotten to that part just yet so #jealous james it is #(he's always jealous) #asks #anons #fic series: nothing happens

[starflungwaddledee]

clearing my inbox of a variety of asks with text replies, or ones that will get art answers later but that i still figured i could get back to now with simpler responses in the interim.

lots of anons, but i'll ping anyone who i can!

topics include: general nice words + people's theories (thank you!!), dededesign, daroach (sorry), sentient ancient artifacts, magolor (sorry...), whispy woods (SORRY...). there's also a decent scattering of awtdy and clockwork heart tidbits but they're all over the place, and a small collection of increasingly desperate asks hoping bandee will be released from morpho dee 😂

oohh this one is actually super old, sorry that i never got back to it! i get a little overwhelmed by the Nice Words ones sometimes and i'm not sure what to say besides 'thank you!!' because it means a lot to me and 'thank you!' just sometimes feels like it doesn't cut it...?

anyway, i'm very grateful!! i'm thrilled if i could inspire you to try out any constructed-language work of your own!! i'd love to see more of that going on in the kirbyverse so if you ever give it a crack feel free to lmk!

i'm glad you like the full penguin dededesign; quite a few folks seemed to enjoy that actually and i was pleasantly surprised! i haven't drawn that much of most characters besides bandee, to be fair, but the next comic will be about dedede and should answer some of the other questions i've been getting about him too!

i should say that it's likely the totally full penguin design won't make it for the comic, because it's hard to draw the sheer length of their bills from many angles or having the expressiveness i need for dedede, and i really only did that one for funsies. but i'll hopefully find a nice compromise!

aaaa the joy of being mentally unwell about The Characters and The Story. thank you, glad i can be of service! 👍

this is quite perceptive of you to notice and it's definitely something that occurs in the timeline. due to galacta knight's influence (and kirby's altered reputation) visitors and threats- both international and intergalactic- start to think twice before risking an approach.

alas, because daroach appears in the timeline before galacta knight's switch-in occurs, he would already be in contact and friendship with kirby. that unfortunately means he'd meet the same fate as the rest of kirby's existing allies.

@i-only-created-this-to-read a little similar to the above ask, yes, the intergalactic picture of popstar is definitely changed by the presence of a violent, otherworldly warrior and a ruthless hero. i also answered your questions about necrodeus previously and am not sure what else to say about him.

i have confirmed before that dedede is not dead, and more about his scenario and overall role in the plot will be revealed in comics. but i will say that he's a smart guy, despite his silliness, and a loving king. he absolutely came to the same conclusion about the frequency of his own possessions as well, through no small amount of heartbreak.

i definitely headcanon the Lor as sentient; in the light novels, bandee also speaks to her fairly directly. i actually headcanon all the Ancient artifacts as having an amount of sentience (this seem in line with what we've seen in canon, so i don't think it's a reach) and the lor herself seems especially benevolent to me.

our headcanons for the novas are different to yours, though that plays more of a role in the clockwork heart au. i quite enjoy your theories about how the ending might go and you've definitely picked up some details!! i won't confirm or deny anything, but i will say the lor is present in the AU, and that magolor has enough knowledge of artifacts to know that a wish on a wishing star could be a viable solution.

it took a while for folks to start asking me about magolor actually, which i found kind of amusing because he's the deuteragonist (second protagonist, after bandee) of the au!

i do definitely think that canonically magolor lives on the lor starcutter; though he does say he wants to buy a holiday home on popstar! however in awtdy, unlike the dream land four three, magolor's entire timeline is trashed from the get-go by galacta knight's arrival

some of these answers will take me longer to get to as i'll provide them in comics (it should be a fun reveal at least), but i will say: he hates popstar. he hates it there. he'd give just about anything to be anywhere else.

until he meets bandee, of course.

the rest of popstar fare a little better or a little worse at various points in the au, kind of like in the mainline canon timeline. for the most part, galacta knight isn't that interested in most of popstar. he enjoys living there, it's peaceful and undeniably pleasant, and frankly he'd like to continue doing so!

he can be convinced (by kirby, and the maintenance of the lie) to perform care to some of its citizens when necessary- such as rebuilding after a crisis. but in general he minds his business in dream land, and occasionally off-world or interdimensionally with kirby and bandee on missions.

whispy, who also keeps to his own in the woods and is just a cantankerous old tree, is probably fine. at least up until star allies, when he, you know. gets possessed.

@pumpkinnkidd oh absolutely.

@torrentialchaos2 that would be a different story to chrysalis au, i think! one i could write, but haven't. chrysalis au is specifically about bandee, you can't really extract him from it? 😭 but if morpho possessed magolor it would depend on a lot of things: like what is everyone's relationship to him when it happens? i think even when he comes back from his redemption arc, magolor and the gang are friends, but it's not the same as bandee, who is a core member of their unit.

we've already seen what happens when magolor gets possessed and kirby has to Beat His Ass to get him back to normal. and we've seen that when morpho possesses others who are capable fighters, kirby doesn't hold back. so maybe that? magolor is a magical little guy; he's got a better chance of getting spat back out unscathed.

i could however probably write a version of this for magicapple if i wanted, which would be much more emotionally pulverising lmao

@trainerbob23 thank you!! this one took me a bit to respond to sorry, but i'm grateful for the warm welcome! the AUs are definitely my primary investment and i'm glad that folks are enjoying seeing them develop! some of them are connected to each other (awtdy + it's various endings/alts) but others are separate.

i also do have some backstory/lore for starstruck dee, which i'll hopefully get to soon as well. i would say that she is... very much related to stars and the cosmos, yes.

@eliastheownerof0axolotls this one was part of a longer ask (that i've answered part of, and still have another part of in my queue... sorry;; ) but i think this part- especially in terms of kirby- has probably been mostly answered by now! both kirby and dedede have significant roles!

i view dedede as having a mentor-like dynamic with bandee as well as with kirby, and they all care about each other very much! but (especially because they are all adults in my hc) he also absolutely trusts them to handle themselves.

referring to this post and the (cw angst) art at the end. i will hopefully answer some other asks about the clockwork heart au which will satisfy more of its overall premise and timeline and all, but in regards to the peculiar image...

why that picture is completely normal!! bandee is super fine and normal in it and everything is great and good and fine and fine and fine and fine!!! hhahaha!!!

(something very bad is happening, lmao. entirely doomed by the narrative.)

speaking of bandee being doomed by the narrative:

some tags here as well, but i just love the frequency of these...

bandee gets possessed one time and everybody loses it... quick!! when will he get unpossessed!!! save that little guy!!! he's sad so we're sad!! (relatable. everyone is so valid.)

the tags on the main posts about morpho dee are just full of people screaming and crying and being like "NOOO I HATE THIS SM I'M IN PAIN /pos" and it's so good hahahaha

sorry to the folks who hate to see him going through the blender, he's being spun in the microwave at like 90mph on my blog. but don't worry, chrysalis au does have a predictably good ending; though obviously bandee has some capital S Stuff to unpack afterwards!!

🌟⭐✨

aaand i think that's all for now! hopefully if you've been hanging out for an ask for a while you're answer is here, and if not (and possibly even if it is), it's most likely taking me so long because i want to do an answer with art.

i'll try not to let these build up again like this, thank you for your patience!

#won't tag all the characters mentioned but i'll tag the AUs just due to the presence of some asks being about them #or plots or storylines or clarifications. nothing too spoilery... maybe. mostly. #awtdy au #clockwork heart au #chrysalis au #asks

[silverduckie]

Dominic Sherwood as Jeff Murphy in Partner Track

PLEASE DO NOT SAVE OR REPOST THESE GIFS FOR ANY REASON, USE THE REBLOG BUTTON INSTEAD. RP USE IS NOT ALLOWED, ALTHOUGH RP BLOGS WHO FOLLOW MY GIF RULES MAY REBLOG THIS POST FOR VISAGE / AESTHETIC / MUSING PURPOSES.

Also, please don’t an asshole in my tags. Make your own post if you want to hate on Jeff, Dom, or the show instead of being the jerk who shits on something I love on my own post - thank you!

#dominic sherwood #dom sherwood #dsherwoodedit #domsherwoodedit #partner track #partnertrackedit #jeff murphy #userdevon #i've seen people being the person nobody wants in their fandom on sets of this show already so I gotta make it clear rip #anyway I'm going back to my hiding hole - gif per episode but nothing too spoilery #we aren't going to discuss what I put myself through to get this show 100% giffed within the first 74 hours of it being released #gifs:mine

[sonknuxadow]

they werent lying that knuckles series barely has knuckles in it

#i pirated that shit Btw just so we're clear. also gonna talk about it a little bit in the tags #nothing too spoilery but also might not wanna read if you want to go in knowing absolutely nothing? idk #anyway he WAS a main character still he was present for a decent amount of the first couple episodes #but the amount of screentime he gets just starts dropping after that . hes barely there at all in the second half ??? #and it feels like theres a lot of scenes mostly focusing on wade and his problems and not near as many for knuckles and his whole deal #overall it feels more like a wade show with knuckles in it than a knuckles show with wade in it. which sucks #and human characters having plot relevance isnt the problem here i dont mind human characters at all i think they can be really fun #its the fact that the human characters are taking over the story and spotlight when the show is called knuckles #and all the marketing makes it look like knuckles is the main focus #and i also would have preferred if they just went with a differnet character to be knuckles' human friend #because i dont particulraly care about wade. and the knuckles (and sonic and tails) i know would not be friends with cops </3 #well at least the story wasnt knuckles training wade to be a better cop like a lot of people were expecting but thats like.the bare minimum #also aside from the issues relating to knuckles' screentime (or lack of screentime) i thought the ending was unsatisfying #regardless of all that though there WERE some parts i enjoyed or found kind of funny or whatever. because knuckles so cutesy as always #knuckles being a cute little guy is the most important part of the show actually #and i liked the parts with sonic tails and maddie even if they were only there for like 5 minutes #(i really wish those three had gotten more screentime. i feel like they could have easily worked in at least one more scene with them) #and its a minor thing but the opening sequence is cute. was honestly expecting just a title card or something #overall the show is just . kind of okay i guess. not the worst thing ive ever seen but still disappointing ? idk how to explain.. #my expectations also werent very high in the first place #so maybe im being a bit more generous than i would have been otherwise. idk #and i definitely would not recommend this to anyone who already dislikes the sonic movies . youll probably hate this more #like people who thought the human characters got too much screentime in the second movie would lose their minds if they saw this

[amuhav]

Sims Say the Darndest Things: When you get this, list five of your characters and their best quotes so far. Then pass it on to five other storytelling simblrs.

Ethryon: “There’s dressing for the temperature, and there’s the two of you, looking as if you both just stepped out of the nearest whorehouse.” Tayuin: “Spoken like a man that’s never stepped foot in one.”

Qariel: “Hm, yes. Now the very people who thought me a mere step above dirt would fall over their own feet to arrange marriages with my children. Their short memories would be laughable if not so frustrating.”

Kyron: “Exploring these halls as a child was a game to you, Qariel, a puzzle you later turned to advantage for your work. It’s what made you the best at what you did. For Tayuin, it’s his life. His desperation will surpass your childhood curiosity, always.”

“This palace must seem unfathomable to those outside it, an unknowable labyrinth of passageways and extravagantly oversized chambers. A little less so to those that walk its halls daily, even less to those that call it home. But how trivially small it must feel as one’s entire world.”

Tayuin: “That is Mother’s aim, is it not? Can’t bear the thought of losing me, can’t bring herself to look at me. I’m not even sure she can love me. But if she locks me in, locks me away… maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t have to do any. A snowflake pressed in glass.”

Ailos: “...You’re naïve if you think whatever is coming will leave you untouched. Things never change for the better for us; why should this be any different?”

#tag game #lulling you in with some mild amusement just to slap you with some Tay sads #my brand tbh #LISTEN IN MY DEFENCE there is not a lot of funny dialogue quotes in Tay's story mmkay #anyway tryna choose an Ailo one from the next chap without being too spoilery was... interesting lmao #he makes a few good points in it I'm ngl #actually y'know what I regret nothing you deserve this jade for tryna drag me out of the abyss goodnight goodbye

[zombvibes]

about to play cult of the lamb since there’s a game trials thing for it on the switch 👍🏾

#zombvibes never shuts up #no clue what it’s about i won’t lie #i did see SOME gameplay but nothing too ‘spoilery’ i think

[starlytenight]

My askbox has been empty for a while, I apologize for still having issues with updating thanks to my arm but if anyone wants to throw some stuff for me to doodle up/curious questions I'm more than happy to respond! :'>

#Obviously nothing spoilery can be heavily discussed but fun lore or HCs I can do #I'm even down for quick doodles of people's OCs if a reference is given buuut don't expect anything too pretty or quickly #Will delete later #Looking for stuff to do to kill time before my MRI next week

[coldshrugs]

take another step off the edge

pairing: io/estinien word count: 850 note: estinio first kiss fic. do not look at me.

Dinner, drinks, talk of their work in the area and beyond, questions about how they’re doing besides; these meetings with Estinien have become something of a regular occurrence for Io. Each one leaves her eager for the next, hoping they might stay for one drink longer, recount one more story, let one more silence drag on between them—a comfortable tension, like a sore muscle finally being stretched.

Afterward, Io usually takes the short walk to the aetheryte plaza before returning to Mor Dhona, but tonight she has the luxury of a guest suite in Meghaduta palace. They bypass the small, shimmering aetherytes that would quicken their journey, favoring instead a scenic trek through Radz-at-Han, from the Meyhane at the far end of Artha, to Dharma.

Were she accompanied by someone less familiar with the city, the visual cacophony—vibrant color streaming from every surface and the late evening crowd bustling from one lively venue to the next—would still be overwhelming. Somehow, the present company makes the sights and sounds lush. Inviting, even.

Even relatively mundane outings are more pleasant with close friends, Io muses, the words ringing in her mind each time their arms brush as they sway out of someone’s way. Close friends, yes. But lately there is a thought she cannot shake...

Estinien navigates the labyrinthine streets with his usual calm decisiveness, though his pace is unhurried. An attempt to prolong the night, perhaps? It wouldn’t be objectionable. She enjoys spending time with him.

Though he doesn’t say much, his expression is relaxed. There is a softness about him that would look out of place if she did not know him so well.

They meander through the city, making quiet conversation and sharing jokes along the way, stopping when something catches their attention; a street musician, a vendor offering spun sugar, the proprietor of a noticeably vacant tavern promising free drinks to the first twenty people in the door.

The evening stretches out, little by little until they have nowhere else to go besides their quarters.

They reach their destination, a high-ceilinged corridor meticulously painted with vibrant shades of green and pink and accented with delicate gold leaf. The sight is astounding, even in the dim light. Meghaduta’s guest hall is uncharacteristically free of the attentive staff so prevalent in other parts of the palace.

They are alone, and Io feels it keenly.

Feels it like her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Like her chest rising and falling in stuttered intervals.

Her door lies a few paces ahead, and Estinien’s is just beyond it. The easy peace between them simmers. There’s no crowd to make way for, and still, they walk close enough for their hands to brush.

Io hesitates in front of her door, a hand on the knob, and looks up at him. Estinien crosses his arms, caught in a sliver of moonlight. Gods help me, has he always looked like this?

“I’ll say goodnight.”

Io leans against the door, lingering.

Hoping.

“You need not say it so gently, you know?” Estinien does not step away. He’s half-smiling, and there’s something spirited in the words. Almost like a challenge.

A wave of giddiness rushes through her chest. Friends for years, allies even longer, and now something rips at the seam between comfort and possibility. He stares down at her, unflinching, familiar, and full of fondness.

Io tugs the thread.

“How would you prefer I say it?”

Her eyes flash to his lips, still smiling, and she’s not sure who moves first.

Estinien raises a careful, calloused hand to her cheek before sliding it behind her neck. Io clutches his shirt greedily, feeling the warmth of his skin bleeding through the fabric. Each pulls the other to them, movements fluid and certain, anticipating where the other will be before they've arrived.

They collide.

A tender spark ignites between them, the answer to a question they’ve asked privately for several months: could you feel the same?

Yes, is the wordless reply, lost to the heat of this Thavnairian night. Yes, they say with searching hands, wondering how close is too close as they reshape their friendship into something new. Io feels starved for him, even as she gasps against his lips, pressed between the door and his body.

Io’s hand is still on the knob and, in her haste to move it anywhere else, she fumbles and the door swings open behind them.

The kiss breaks. They catch themselves mid-stumble, fighting to keep their laughter quiet. As mortifying as alerting the staff would be, the feel of his hands at her waist and on her back would be worth a bit of embarrassment.

Estinien touches her face again, thumb sweeping across her cheek, and kisses her quickly. “More fitting, wouldn’t you say?”

A smile plays on his lips, unbidden, brilliant, and he makes no effort to restrain it. How long has he waited for this?

Io beams, covering his hand with hers. “Then I should expect the same in greeting tomorrow.”

He hums a little laugh as he parts from her, turning to leave. “Goodnight then,” he says, closing the door behind him.

Io is left standing in the center of her dark room, in the wake of Estinien’s warmth. The ghost of his kiss still tingles on her lips. She resists the urge to follow him next door and pick up where they’ve left off.

Unable to stop smiling, she readies for bed. Tomorrow, and what it promises, cannot come quickly enough.

#azia writes #io/estinien #io laithe #they're just very comfy and chill and don't mind taking things slow 😌 i think it's cute #they've known each other for like 4 to 6 years and it's very sweet to me that they don't need to rush to sleep together #just because they smooched #anyway i'm still figuring out their dynamic. i just got here. don't look at it too closely BYE #this isn't too spoilery if the sprouts need to read it. y'all don't know these places. they mean nothing to you

[darabeatha]

#;ooc #ooc #i am thinking about arranged marriage au's; #goth vampire ruler husband moment #COUGHS #be it for political matters or economical or any other that would work as an alliance #when i think about it; a lot of my muses here have high titles or are directly gods #im just- the posibilities :thonks: #imagine ur husband is the biggest lying liar ever; and a bug (o.beron) but hey he is charming ! #describing my muses in the worst way possible #also putting d.aybit even though there is nothing really to gain from according a marriage with him since- #some reasons that might end up being too spoilery if i say them right h er e #or well he could be the cover; he is seemingly a normal man with a rather prestigious job; nothing odd about him (doubt) #me?? i would marry him bc he is d.aybit; #absolute simping moment but -ahem- anyways-

[communicationnskills]

Super random thing I’ve noticed and correct me if I’m wrong and missed something but, in all of the promos they never show a clip of Lucy actually speaking...

#to be fair #Nyla hasn’t been shown speaking either I’m pretty sure #so I’m sure this means nothing and for the flow of the promos they obviously use certain dialogue #but it’s something I noticed and thought to point out! #could be that her lines are too spoilery as well #chenford #the rookie #Lucy chen

[daydadahlias]

I’m so excited for Lashton’s shopping adventure. I know it’s a Calum-centric fic but do we get to see it? 🥺 or is this ask too spoilery?

bc this is a calum-centric fic, you unfortunately won't get to see the scene :( however, i have dabbled w/ the idea of writing a little one-shot of that scene from Ashton's POV bc I really want to write it too lol, so we'll see !!

#i suppose nothing is too spoilery #but noo u wont be able to see it :( #and i had that realization the other day #and i was like damn maybe i should write it as a one shot #we'll see after the chapter is posted how i/everyone feels lol #MiM spoilers #made in magnolia spoilers #pigeon #anon #i do think writing this scene from ash's pov would be SOOO fun bc like #luke is so new to him and luke & he one-on-one w/ out calum chaperoning would be so fun

[bobzora]

replaying 5 is like *oh yeah kmshda palace is so strong...ann...* *omg yeah mdrme palace is crazy i love ysuke* *cricket noises* *futba palace soooo true...god* *cricket noises* *hehe hes wearing the silly outfit- oh wait theyre really dragging this explanation out arent they* *cricket noises* *cricket noises* *omg thirdsem......god yeah this is peak....* and then you do it all over again

#bobtalk #okmura only good parts airlock.haru didnt get enough time:/ #shdo is so annoying.only good part is when you know what. #the only main good thing abt memntos depths/yaldy is that it doesnt waste your time for too long #(wasted opportunity) #third palace is the worst most miserable part of the game for sure. utterly pointless. such a playthrough killer. nothing good. #do even mkoto fans like that palace. like. there are no emotional stakes. lol. #sorry for my haterisms. also yeah the palaces i do like all have stupid shit but these are just my most :/ #p5 spoilers #trying to stay out of the tags to not bother anyone but like.this is kind of spoilery isnt it.lol. #outside of Dumb Shenanigans and Lame Storytelling my biggest pet peeve is like.the handholdy-ness. #post casino they spend way too much time repeating the same damn flashbacks and repeating themselves overexplaining this shit. #(meanwhile jker who just got back from All That: ...) lol #and during the 3rdsempalace that one segment with the Pick A Door. THEY LITERALLY MAKE YOU SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS IT. GUYS. #THE SOLUTIONS ARE SO FUCKING OBVIOUS. HELP. and theyll let u pick the wrong ones anyway So Whats The Point. #at least akchi bitches abt that palaces bs too.that was definitely helpful.best part of the game.still has bs. #i will say the rat thing is cute......and the vanilla final stuff is like Okay. its just a littleee wasted. bc yaldy is boring.to me. #but then again ive never really cared for boring gods in general.lol. #its like girl u have a hostile takeover of the velvt room how did u make this so boring.lol #goodnight for real this time.i wanted to bitch a little. i apologize. #also sorry if any of those parts r ur faves or something. just remember: were persnafans. were all losing here no matter what.

[withered-tears]

TOH Spoilers for one moment that made me legitimately scream in surprise

IS THAT ARIN FUCKIN HANSON????

YES IT IS

OMFG

#toh spoilers #i mean nothing too spoilery but still #also imma not reblog any TOH post for at least a week #maybe two? #dont wanna accidentally spoiler anyone