┈┈⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ content: semi-canon compliant, some discussion around wounds but no explicit gore, no use of Y/N, cross-cultural clash (lycan x human lul), unresolved romantic tension (eventual smut maybe...), fated mates, himbo-coded Valko but really its just emotional transparency, MC is suspicious as hell of it all though, references to and loosely based off trailers
┈┈⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ A/N: decided to change the title to the romanized version of родная (in russian, an endearment I believe the meaning is closer to "my own" which comes from the root for "family" ahhh) aaand here is part 2 (earlier than I said I would post it heh the next one wont be early yall)! part 1 can be found here
The third time it’s mentioned, surprisingly, you’re the one to bring it up.
“Fuck!”
“Yeah I know.” Valko takes in your grimace with a look of his own, stern golden eyes peering over his glasses. “Hang in there, alright?”
The sharp pinch of his powers probing in your leg is growing unbearable— an excruciating ache that has your fingers digging into his back, breath hissing through clenched teeth.
“Just a little longer,” he encourages. “Almost got ‘em.”
The ache builds until it suddenly sears white-hot, something shifting deep inside the wound. Cold sweat drips down your temple as you struggle to breathe through the sensation. His muscles underneath your grip tense. The pressure inside the wound tightens, eases, and then shifts again in painstaking increments, his careful adjustments making it clear that whatever he’s caught is resisting every attempt to draw it free.
Each minute tug seems to multiply the pain a thousandfold, cresting into a wave of agony that vibrates up your leg, your hips, your spine, your clenched hands. Then he pulls again— slower, deeper— you smother a scream into his shoulder, teeth sinking in as tears gush hot down your cheek, mingling with the cold sweat soaking the fabric of his shirt.
“Yeah, that’s it— take it out on me.” The clink of metal against glass barely registers. “Good, you’re doing so good.”
You must have lost consciousness somewhere along the way because the next thing you know, you’re blinking beneath the lab’s muted lights. There’s the steady rush of water from the sink, the gentle clatter of instruments being set down one by one, the faint sticky rustle of damp gauze being peeled away. The dull throb in your leg and the tight pull of fresh bandages, followed by the softness of a blanket tucked close under your chin. The blanket’s warmth quickly becomes overwhelming, trapping heat against your still feverish skin. You shift, bracing a hand against the table, beginning to push yourself upright.
“Hey.” Valko is already at your side, a supportive hand under yours as you sit up with a wince. “Take it easy, you’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“Did you—” Your question dissolves into a rasp, though whether it’s from how dry your mouth feels or how thin your voice sounds, you can’t be sure.
“Here.”
He presses a cup of water into your hands. You manage a grateful nod before tipping it back, draining it too quickly, too thirsty to care when water spills down your chin.
“Did you take a look yet?” At his blank look, you clarify impatiently, wiping your chin. “At what was in my leg?”
He hesitates, then nods decisively with a small frown. “Even from a quick look, I can tell these ain’t ordinary weapons. They’re advanced— some sort of microtech. It’s why they were such a pain in the ass to extract. The little fuckers kept moving, almost like they had minds of their own.”
The muscles in his jaw work and release.
“And I had to immobilize them without tearing your leg up any worse than it already was. That kind of precision with my Evol...” He exhales, dragging a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I’ve never had to do anything like that before.”
His eyes settle back on you, gold crystallizing to flinty yellow.
“And something that sophisticated ending up inside you? Ain’t no way that’s a coincidence.”
You sit with the sobering information, letting it settle. “... You’re saying that explosion was intentional?”
Valko huffs, dipping his head to your eye-level. “I’m saying that someone has their eyes on you and I’m not happy about it. In fact...”
His face is so close, the tip of his nose almost touches yours. Awareness prickles across your skin, every nerve abruptly attuned to the narrowing space between you and the heat of his body. And for a moment, it looks like he means to close the distance. But Valko catches himself at the last second, one hand settling at the edge of the table beside your leg.
“You did quite a number on my heart today.”
Maybe it’s the fever still simmering underneath your skin; maybe it’s the bone-deep exhaustion blurring the edges of your thoughts. Or maybe it’s the dark half moons under his eyes, the stiffness in his shoulders, the vivid crescent of your teeth imprinted in his upper arm— either way, you find yourself asking the question in the back of your mind ever since he spoke it into existence.
“Do you really think I’m your mate?”
He blinks slowly. “Why’d you ask?”
“How do you know...?” You let the question fade, a strange sense of self-consciousness throttling the words in your throat.
“How do I know what?” he prods gently.
A thousand different racing thoughts but after a long silence, all that you can muster is: “I just... I don’t know if I believe that kind of thing.”
You can’t bring yourself to look anywhere but the floor. Valko makes that soft huffing noise again from somewhere above you. “What do you know about lycans?”
“Not much,” you admit.
A succession of faint pops breaks the silence. You glance up to find him tilting his head from side to side, eyes closed as his fingers knead the back of his neck.
“Wolves mate for life,” he says slowly, as though weighing each word. “For lycans, it’s the same. And s’not so much knowing, as it just is.” He shrugs, eyes still closed. “But obviously, that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to return my feelings.”
“So,” you ask, feeling a bit on edge without knowing why, “if I don’t agree to it, what— you’re just single forever?”
He shrugs again. “More or less.”
“That sounds awful.”
He snorts, eyes snapping open to reach over and rap your nose with a knuckle.
“S’not like I’m gunna die alone, ya goof.” He pulls over a nearby chair, looking thoughtful as he settles back into it. “Of course, rejection ain’t ideal, but s’not the end of the world. I have my clan too. Cousins, aunties, uncles—”
Valko yawns, an impressive display of his canines before shooting you a teasing grin.”Have I mentioned the sixteen puppers? You’ve got some pretty stiff competition.” His smile grows fond, warm with unseen memories.
“But...” The question prickles at the tip of your tongue, pushing past the uneasy twist in your stomach. “You’re not resentful?”
He tilts his head, one ear tipping forward while the other flicks back in confusion. “Resentful of what?”
“Having your partner chosen for you? Forced into some predestined bullshit?”
You nearly jump out of your skin when Valko throws back his head and laughs, a booming, full-bodied sound that reverberates from deep in his chest, the glass vials in the room faintly rattling with every rolling chuckle. It carries long enough for your annoyance to flare up, but he gathers himself before you have a chance to retort.
“That’s a... new way to think about it,” he says with a wry tilt at the corner of his mouth. “But no. I find myself lucky.”
“Lucky?” You can’t even fathom how he arrived at that conclusion. “Why?”
“Predestined or not,” his gaze finds yours, steady and true, “I’m lucky to have met you.”
Immediately, you jerk your gaze away, a dreaded blush crawling up your neck. “And what if all you’re feeling is just a biological imperative?”
“A biological... imperative?” he echoes, as if he can’t quite follow.
“I mean,” you say, mind racing, words tumbling out before you can process them, barely knowing what you’re trying to say. “Based on what I’ve seen, scent seems to be a really important part of your bond with me. Makes sense right? After all, you’re able to sense so much with your nose, of course you’d be able to sniff out genetic markers or complimentary immune systems—”
You’re in the air, weightless, and for a second you don’t understand— not until Valko deposits you right onto his lap. And technically, you’ve already spent half the night there— sitting across his thighs, your face buried against his shoulder as he worked to remove the debris from your leg. But stripped of medical necessity, the position feels entirely different. Now... Well, now, heat flushes your entire body as every point of contact becomes suddenly, mortifyingly apparent.
“You’re stubborn, so it’s gunna take a while for this to sink in.” He sighs, his nose softly brushing against yours. “But even if my nose stopped working tomorrow—hell, even if it got cut off this very second— I’d still feel lucky to have met you.
“Your scent may have kickstarted this whole thing, sure. But after spending time with you, fighting beside you...”
The gold of his gaze is warm, rich as amber reflecting firelight.
“I’m interested in you. Not in how you smell, not your damn genetic markers. You. Your tendency to question every little damn thing, your bull-headed tenacity, that terrible, terrible habit of neglecting your own needs— not a favorite, for the record— and…” He nuzzles your temple. “And that beautifully atrocious temper of yours.”
You’re stunned silent.
“Yasno?” he asks, looking incredibly self-satisfied as he draws back. “Got it? Got it.”
The self satisfaction grates so thoroughly on your already frayed nerves, your hands fly out to grab his cheeks. Viciously scrubbing your palms back and forth all over his face, you smother his eyes and nose while he sputters in startled protest. Once you’re satisfied with your work, you give his face one last shove.
“Don’t get so cocky,” you shoot over your shoulder as you limp off his lap, “you big oaf.”
sylus x cat owner reader whose senior cat is an enigma to him. he spoils you, so of course he'll also spoil your entitled old kitty, but he can't quite figure out what she wants.
he buys her the nicest treats. she begs for ham from the lunchmeat drawer of the fridge instead.
he buys her the flashiest toys. she bats around cotton swabs and tin foil balls instead.
he buys her the softest cat bed. she likes to sleep on whatever clothes are laying on the floor instead.
he buys- and assembles!- the best cat tree on the market, only for her to be fascinated by its box instead.
sylus is stumped- until he's at your place when a new pair of shoes he ordered for you arrives, and you stop to play with the bubble wrap instead of going straight for the shoes, and he finally realizes where your cat learned it from.
synopsis: God, I love the way you look at me
pairings (separate): Zayne x f!reader, Sylus x f!reader, Valko x f!reader
content: pure fluff <33
Zayne - pick me up, walk me home
"Funny seeing you here."
Zayne glances up from his book, a ghost of a smile on his face at your teasing words. Of course, he often sat on this bench in front of your office, waiting to walk with you.
"A welcome surprise, I hope." He stands, stretching his neck a bit. He's still dressed in his work clothes, and you know your shifts don't line up perfectly, that he'd sacrificed time he could have spent resting to pick you up.
But like always, he doesn't voice a single complaint.
"Did you have a good day?" He slips your bag from your shoulder as he asks, carrying it with him instead. You hum, looping your arm around his.
"I did. It was pretty boring but...not too bad. I missed you though. I hope you aren't too tired."
"Not at all. If you'd like, the bakery down the street is open. Do you want something?" His pace has slowed a bit, as if he knows your exhaustion is kicking in.
"Maybe next time. I just want to take a nice hot bath and go to sleep."
"What about dinner?" Always the practical thinker. You hum as you debate the contents of the fridge, and what will take the least effort.
"Nevermind that, I'll take care of while you're in the bath. Perhaps we'll eat in bed tonight...just this once, of course." He smiles at you as if the two of you are partaking in some grand act of rebellion. You press a kiss to his lips, relishing in his confused yet satisfied blinks.
"Well then, we better hurry on home!"
Valko - would you sit and keep me company?
"Will you sit with me?"
Valko pauses whatever he's typing, glancing over at you with an amused smile. You almost expect him to comment, to tease you a little, but he simply shuts his laptop.
"Of course." Despite his sharp canines, his smile is soft, settling next to you on the couch and wrapping an arm around you. His body is warm, and just the weight of his arm calms you.
"Good?" He whispers, as if not to disturb your peace. You hum, not quite in the mood for speaking.
His face buries into your shoulder, tugging you a little closer. You sink into it, instantly relaxing once his cologne envelops you. Valko had a way of doing that, of making you feel so comfortable, so yourself.
"I love you." You murmur quietly. It's not the first time you've said it, but he always smiles like it is.
"I love you too." He presses kisses all over your face, until you break out into laughter and find yourself tumbling to the floor, Valko underneath you.
"Any particular reason tonight? Do I look strikingly handsome today?" His teasing tone carries a hint of genuine curiosity. You're quiet for a while, adjusting his glasses so they don't sit crooked on his nose.
"I just...love being around you. Is that so wrong?" Your smile probably doesn't come off very carefree, hence why his face softens and his arms tighten around you.
"I love being around you too." He rests his cheek on the top of your head, squeezing you twice as if to really solidify his sincerity.
"Do you think we could just...spend the rest of the night like this?"
"I don't see why not! But...can I grab some chocolate milk first?"
Sylus - i'm not scared, I just reach and you’re right there
Your eyes fly open, heart seized in a panic. Blood is rushing through your ears, but everything slows down the moment your hand finds a warm arm.
Sylus is asleep, but he stirs almost immediately at your movements. He catches your hand, squeezing it gently.
"Everything alright?" His voice is husky from sleep, though no less caring. Your anxiety loosens as you lay back down, sinking into his hold.
"It was just a nightmare." You whisper. Sylus hums in response, his arms tight around you.
"Want to talk about it?" He pulls back to study your face, as if to make sure you aren't hiding how you truly feel. When you smile a little at his inquisitive gaze, he smirks, taking the opportunity to bite the tip of your nose.
"Ow! What was that for?" You swat at him, laughing as you rub your nose despite the fact it doesn't really hurt.
"I enjoy taking bites out of you, didn't you know?" He kisses your nose in a mock apology, really just an excuse to get closer to you.
"Are you feeling better?"
Sylus can read you like a book. Despite what seemed like an attempt to change the subject, you know it was a ploy to make you smile. Now, in the lighter air, he checks in.
"Mhm. I don't normally have nightmares. Well, not when I'm here at least."
"And why is that?" He's genuinely asking, which makes you smile. Such a smart man, and yet your feelings sometimes slip through his fingers.
"Because I'm with you. And I know that nothing can hurt me if I have you by my side."
He doesn't say anything after that. He doesn't need to. He just kisses you softly and holds you closer, until you drift off into a dreamless sleep.
Valko’s name is cleared! - This is no longer a legal battle, it is all up to Infold
Let’s all keep pushing forward! We finally have some news and now we know for sure it is possible and is completely Infold’s decision to add Valko back on the 17th. We need to hit Infold even harder with his boycott more than anything! I’m so proud of this community for all the hard work we’ve done, I honestly keep trying not to get emotional. Remember let’s not forget what we are fighting for and keep going! Don’t give up and don’t let your guard down, it’s all up to Infold and we need to put pressure on them now that we know they don’t have anything to worry about regarding the law.
Yes, we can't force anyone to boycott. Everyone makes their own decision.
But i'm allowed to comment on both the two faced people in the fandom and those who claim they can't not log in.
Papergames is a business. We can trend hashtags and donate to charities as much as we want but the biggest thing that they'll look at is their revenue.
If their game isnt doing well, they'll take action. If people are logging in and playing the game like normal, they won't care about anything else.
I can't stop you from playing. But logging in and claiming you want Valko back will do nothing for his return.
Make their pockets hurt. And once he returns, we can play as much as we want
Summary: You end up at a football game you didn't want to go to in the first place. After seeing a handsome quarterback notice you, you see him again around on campus, and he seems to remember you.
Tags: Valko x reader, no use of Y/N or reader name, quarterback!Valko x college student!reader, can be read as mc or nonmc, fluff, pre-relationship, no beta we die like Infold
Word Count: 1.4k
You sighed as you sat in the stadium next to your friend. You didn’t even really want to go to this football game (courtesy of classes for the year starting soon), but your friend dragged you here, excitedly saying, “Come on, it’s the first game of the season! Aren’t you excited to see if the rookies finally make our team worth watching? Besides, I have front row seats in the student section.”
And so here you were, sitting in the student section, watching as the teams warmed up. The atmosphere was very exciting, but the game still had yet to start. Your friend pointed to a group of notably tall guys on your university’s team and started talking about them. “Okay, those guys are the best players on the team. You’re probably going to see them scoring most of the touchdowns.”
You glanced at the players and could see why they were so talked about. Even from a distance, the six men that your friend didn’t quite know the names of were handsome-looking. You looked at them as they waited for the game to start, then noticed one of them looking at the stands. The player, number 9, scanned the seats and seemed to hesitate while looking in your direction, but the sound of his coach yelling snapped his head back to his team.
You cheered for your team as the game went on, but especially as the quarterback, number 9 scored a touchdown on your end of the field. You stood up and clapped with your friend, letting out some cheers for the quarterback. As he hugged his team, he glanced up at your area and seemed to be pointing at someone in your area while he winked. Your friend squealed and shook your shoulder excitedly. “Do you think that was for one of us?”
You looked at the player who was trotting back into position. “I doubt it. He probably has a girlfriend behind us or something.”
The game went on without further incidents like that, and you cheered loudly with your friend when your team won. You went home after the game, thinking nothing of the excited quarterback who was winking in your direction. You almost completely forgot about it until the next day in your biology lecture. Sitting towards the front so you could see better, you pulled out your laptop to start taking notes as you waited for class to start. Just as you sighed, glancing at the time on your laptop, a thud sounded next to your feet as a backpack hit the floor.
You looked over at the backpack, which was a plain maroon one with a cute wolf keychain on one of the zippers. You looked up at the owner of the backpack, ready to say how cute the keychain was until you locked eyes with him. He was, without a doubt, the most handsome man you had ever seen. His golden eyes seemed to stare mercilessly into yours as he ruffled a hand through his darker red hair. He smiled with the enthusiasm of a puppy perking its ears up as he held out a hand and said, “Hey, I’m Valko.”
You glanced at his hand and shook it slowly, giving your name in return. You quickly looked around at the seats nearby, noting that he could have gone in many other places, or even a couple seats down, but instead sat right next to you. His energy seemed to deflate a little as he noticed you looking. “I saw you at the game last night. Did you see me score a touchdown?”
You nodded as the professor started the lecture. Valko frowned as he started typing his own notes, but he seemed weirdly insistent on looking over at you as the professor explained her slides. You did your best to ignore it until the lecture ended and you packed up your things. “Cute keychain, by the way,” You said, standing up to go.
“Thanks! My cuz got it for me.” Valko stood up, following you out of the lecture hall but stepping by your side as you left. “Do you have any classes after this?” He asked.
“Not for another hour or so. Why?”
“Would you uh…” Valko seemed a little nervous as he continued, “Would you like to go get coffee with me or something? We could exchange numbers and stuff.” He hesitated before adding, “You know, for the class. Just so that we both know we have a friend to take notes for us if we skip.”
You shrugged and said, “I didn’t have any other plans. Why not?”
He pumped his fist and let out a small whoop at your response, then stood up straighter as he took your hand in his and led you to his favorite cafe near campus. You both ordered and he insisted on paying for the both of you, which you let happen. As both of you sat down, you asked, “Valko, right? It’s nice to have a friend in lecture like this. It was my first lecture of this year, so it’s really nice to already have a friend that I didn’t already have last year.”
He dismissively waved a hand at that and replied, “Don’t worry about it. A pretty girl like you should never be lonely.”
You flushed slightly at that and looked at him. “You know, I saw you wink at the stands last night. Did you have a girlfriend you were winking at or something?”
He sat up a little more at that before quickly saying, “I don’t have a girlfriend. I was actually winking at you. I saw you in the front row and thought that you were really cute.”
You sip your coffee as you take in his proud expression. He didn’t seem ashamed in the slightest about hitting on you. In fact, Valko was preening under your attention, and he seemed to want you to ask him out in turn. “That’s… very flattering, actually. Is that why you were asking for my number? You could have just asked me out, honestly.”
He smiled, happily accepting your attention. “Well… yeah. I didn’t want to come on too strong or anything in case you weren’t interested.”
You almost laughed at that as you took him in. Valko was very handsome when you saw him last night, but he looked even more attractive with black glasses framing his face. He seemed almost nervous, as if he really was expecting you to turn him down. His personality was nothing like what you would have imagined out of the star quarterback, but it only made you want to get to know him better. “Well Valko, I’d better get back to campus so I can make it to class, but text me when you want to go out.”
He stood up with you, quickly walking to your side. “At least let me walk you to class before you have to go. I have some more free time in my schedule.”
You walked to class with him, talking the entire way. You hadn’t ever felt a connection like this on dates in the past. Even with guys in university, you hadn’t ever encountered one quite like Valko. On the surface, your first impression of him might have been that he was a stereotypical frat boy, especially with how well-built he was. It certainly wasn’t surprising that he played football, but the way he slowed his pace to match yours as he yapped about his day to entertain you was.
Even after he dropped you off at your next class, you couldn’t help but continue to think about him. He seemed so genuinely interested that you didn’t have the heart to tell him no to a date, especially when he was as attractive as he was when he looked at you like everything in his life had been exposition for meeting you. He was so earnest, too, when he looked at you the same way a friendly puppy would with its ears perking up and a tail that wagged quicker than a helicopter propellor. Even as you sat down for your next class, you couldn’t help but think to yourself that you were excited to see him again. You just couldn’t shake the feeling that something more could happen with this relationship, and you also wondered if this was how he was feeling, too.
A/N: I meant for this to be longer but I'm going on vacation for the next few days and my silence the past couple days was because of preparation for that. That being said, I'm not fully happy with this and I'll make it longer if people like it (I have no idea if this is any good lol)! I do have plans for this to go longer (and possibly include smut) if this gets any kind of attention. I honestly just wanted something out before my next little break (whether it ends up being the full thing or not we'll see ig).
Valko isnt in 6.0 according to people who have logged in. This is admittedly what Infold said would happen, but it still feels very discouraging and like a slap in the face. However, Im going to stick around for another week and see if the backlash and boycotting changes their mind. Hopefully we can get him back by being loud about the dislike of the update, but so far it's looking a little sad. Personally, Im going to keep posting for a bit and hope that it's changed.
I saw that Infold put a plushie in the game without announcement which has given me a theory. Valko's chapter was supposed to be called "a shattered quiet" and I'm wondering if the silence before the 9th is the quiet. It would be kind of meta I guess, but what if Infold released him quietly to see player's reactions? It's just a theory, but suddenly releasing him would shatter the quiet from Infold
You had spent your entire life swearing up and down that werewolves were cringe and not for you. You didn't really mean it, but you did hate when the trope was cliche or overused poorly. You really didn't think you cared that much. Until you met Valko, anyway.
The big bad wolf himself showed up in your life and dismantled any prejudice or incorrect assumptions you had about wolves. He even teased you for it the closer you got. "What, did you really think that every wolf was a big, scary alpha? Is that seriously how we're represented?"
You show him all the popular pieces of media as he scoffs and teases you about your taste in fiction. "Jeez, no wonder humans think we're weird" he says, cuddling closer. You might not have been a big werewolf fan, but you certainly were after meeting Valko.
I keep seeing a bunch of sad angst posts about Valko seeing all the hate at launch and going back to the woods, but I keep thinking about the global response to it and imagining his tail wagging and his ears perking up when he realizes so many people love him and want him. Like imagine him excitedly telling his family that his mate does want him after all and he's just so happy that his mate does support him and love him just like he imagined and the hate is so small compared to the love that he feels so at home again
Losing Valko is devastating but the way the community has banded together to be a terrifying positive force is the most united I've seen a fandom in a long time. Genuinely the only good thing to come out of this
It deeply saddens me that Infold has decided to cancel Valko's debut. They have already deleted his stuff off many platforms, so I've download them all and put them on a drive folder so that other fans can access it.
kianamaiart
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
origamiaround
prguitarman
