#"Venom Trick" | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

necrotic-nephilim · 8 months ago

Note

"Can you two manage not to tear each other apart while I'm gone?"

Bruce, Jason, and Tim (With JayTim or maybe even BruJayTim)

send a quote and a ship and I'll write a short fic!

god, this one was so good. so, you get the catch-22 of this being a bit longer, 4.5k, but with the warning, i have not edited it so it might be a little rough. but the whole point of this is quick fun so! this is basically Tim and Jason trying to kill each other bc they're under the influence of a toxin. both have a relationship with Bruce and are mad about it. it does end in some short JayTim porn and an implied BruJayTim ending. you could argue dub-con, but it's mostly consensual. enjoy <3

Tim honestly would’ve preferred if it was fear toxin or Joker venom.

Those, he at least knew the tricks for dealing with. How to keep his heart rate down, how to focus and not give in to his body’s adrenaline response. And even if none of those failed, the worst of the fear toxin was just something Tim could wait out while playing distracting music.

This was different.

Anger was different.

“It looks like someone took Crane’s compound and modified it,” Bruce, the lucky bastard who had managed not to inhale the substance, was stood perfectly calm in front of the Batcomputer. “It’s difficult to tell though without a direct sample.”

“If you would just let me look at it maybe we could get somewhere,” Tim hissed through grit teeth, aiming a lethal scowl at Bruce. His nails were digging into his palm. He frowned and tried to take a break. “I’m sorry.”

Bruce looked over his shoulder at Tim with concern and pity. “Are you sure you don’t want to be tranquilized until I synthesize the cure?”

“Bruce, if you try to get close enough to tranq me, I’ll probably try to rip your larynx out with my teeth,” Tim said. The itch for violence sat right underneath his fingertips. He was desperate for it, already twitching at the thought.

Logic and reasoning were hard to hold onto. Every straight thought Tim had was immediately consumed by the fire of fury, burned into something unrecognizable.

Tim didn’t feel like himself when he was angry. That was the worst part. He never liked his anger before and now, it was the only part of him on display. An ugly and twisted thing.

“He could just shoot you with a tranq dart,” Jason said smoothly. “I’d pay to see it.”

Jason was also affected by the rage toxin, though compared to Tim, he looked barely bothered. His head was tilted back to rest against the back of his chair, eyes closed. Both hands were in his lap, fingers calmly laced. His hands were forced together by the same cuffs that Tim was also wearing. Tim had suggested the cuffs when he tried to claw out Bruce’s eyes because Bruce put a hand on his shoulder. Despite Jason’s lack of reaction, it was universally decided to also put Jason in the cuffs. The handcuffs were chained to the chairs Tim and Jason were sitting in, with at least six feet’s distance between them so they couldn’t try to grab each other.

Which Tim had done at least a half a dozen times by now.

“If you’re not going to have helpful input you can keep your goddamn mouth shut,” Tim snapped, holding himself still in the chair from trying to launch across the room again. His muscles were so tense from clenching them that he was starting to shake.

“Tim,” Bruce said softly, giving him a look. Bruce was perfectly fine if Tim snapped at him. But when Tim snapped at Jason, he got a stern reprimand.

Which only pissed Tim off more.

He didn’t understand how he was fine with Bruce sleeping with both of them now. The thought was ridiculously enraging, how he could allow Bruce to even be around Jason Todd. It usually didn’t bother Tim, and was one of the things Tim accepted about Bruce. The lack of monogamy.

But now? Staring at Jason’s smug face that Tim itched to break? It made Tim’s blood boil.

He was more important and useful to Bruce than Jason could ever be. And Tim didn’t have a pile of bodies on his ledger. He actually knew he to behave like a person and not a wild animal.

Ironic how they looked now, then.

Jason’s face split into a feral grin. He leaned forward. “Yeah, Tim,” his tone mocked the one Bruce used. “Let’s behave ourselves.”

Tim could see it in Jason’s eyes. How angry he was, how he was holding back everything that Tim couldn’t. His little show was a facade and Tim damn well knew it.

He wanted to rip Tim apart just as badly.

Now it was Jason who Bruce gave the look to. “This is easier for you to control than it is for him, Jason. Don’t try to provoke him.”

Tim hated how he was spoken about as if he wasn’t even there. Like he was some hapless child throwing a temper tantrum that Bruce was indulging, but sharing quiet whispers about with the real adults.

Like he thought Jason could control himself better than Tim just because Jason had experience with the Lazarus Pit, making him less susceptible to anger manipulation.

At least that was the working theory, currently. Jason’s working theory was simply that he was better than Tim. It was when he said that, that Tim suggested the handcuffs. He had enough of his wits left about him to know he’d sort of regret killing Jason Todd, no matter how badly he wanted to right now.

Jason just shrugged at Bruce’s words and relaxed back into his chair, crossing his legs. “He shouldn’t be so easily provokable then.”

“You know damn well-” Tim started.

“Timothy.” Bruce put a command in his voice that he rarely used with Tim. It made Tim straighten on instinct. The endless patience Bruce had was getting worn more and more thin with every jab and insult traded between Tim and Jason. He looked like he was at his wit’s end. “Don’t listen to him.”

A slow, deep breath did nothing to calm Tim’s nerves. He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood and then resisted the urge to spit it at Bruce. “B, I love you, but you have no idea how hard this is. Especially around him of all people.”

The look that crossed Bruce’s face was pained. They always danced around the elephant in the room, that was Bruce accepting Jason back into the fold a little too quickly for everyone’s comfort. It was his soft spot showing. Even when Tim wasn’t under the influence of a drug he didn’t like it and had tried several times to warn Bruce that Jason was a lost cause.

It’d caused a lot of arguments on their best days. Weeks of not speaking to each other on their worst.

And because Tim was the dutiful partner, the loving Robin, he always gave in first. Bruce needed him. In some ways, romantically. But in most ways, Bruce just needed genuine companionship from someone who wasn’t batshit crazy and murdering drug lords like it was a sport. That was Tim’s job. A job he liked, even.

Not that he was too fond of it right now.

They both knew, deep down Bruce had desperate wants of Jason and Tim getting along. The soft comments Bruce made about how well Tim and Jason could work together in a hypothetical always held an unspoken meaning. It wasn’t actually about Tim working with Jason on the field. It was about the fantasy of them being in Bruce’s bed at the same time, loving each other the way they loved him.

That would happen over Tim’s cold, dead body.

“I know,” Bruce said quietly. He reached out for Tim, then seeing the look in Tim’s eye, seemed to think against it and pulled his hand back. It only made Tim angrier. Angry Bruce didn’t currently trust Tim to give him affection. Angry Bruce was right not to trust him. So goddamn angry that despite craving comfort, all Tim wanted to do was bite the hand that fed him. A frustrated growl came out of Tim’s throat and he kicked the ground.

“You know,” Jason drawled, studying Tim with his barely contained madness, “I’m glad for it, honestly. I was starting to think you didn’t have any bite in you at all, Drake. Least we all know what it takes for you to finally snap.”

Tim opened his mouth for a biting insult, but looked at Bruce. He took a deep breath. “I hope all this self-restraint you’re showing is a lesson you keep when all this is over. The last thing we need is for you to go on another murder rampage because someone hurt your feelings.”

Jason’s eyes flared. His hands curled into fists. “Oh, you have no idea the self-restraint I show. If you want to see on a real rampage I’ll fucking-”

“Enough!” Bruce slammed a hand on the console. He ran his hand over his face and sighed. “I have more files on fear toxin in my study I need to find.” Bruce looked between them, giving them both a hard stare. “Can you two manage not to tear each other apart while I’m gone?”

“Ask him,” Jason shrugged. He was trying to sound nonchalant again, but he spoke through grit teeth. “I’m just fine over here.”

Tim just held up his cuffed hands, showing where the chain ended, keeping him firmly connected to the steel chair. “I couldn’t go anywhere even if I wanted to.”

Bruce nodded. He passed one more look between the two of them. “I’ll be right back. We’ll figure this out, I promise.” Again, he looked like he wanted to reach out. To which of them, Tim wasn’t sure. probably both, which sent an involuntary wave of disgust through his body. If Bruce touched Jason in front of him, Tim was probably going to puke. Bruce turned on his heel and walked out of the cave. They both watched his figure slowly disappear from view.

Before Tim could even turn to Jason and say something, he was tackled to the ground by a blindingly fast and heavy human body.

“What the-” Tim started, raising his hands to protect his face when a fist tried to come down on it. “How the fuck-”

Jason was wearing a grin that had gone completely mad, in every definition of the word. He had easily pinned Tim to the ground, a knee on Tim’s chest. Jason’s hands were still cuffed together but somehow, he’d undone the chain connecting him to his chair. Which boded particularly poorly for Tim, who was still chained to his chair, giving his arms a limited range of movement to defend himself.

Of course, Jason had picked the lock without either of them noticing.

“Thought you were the smart one, Drake,” Jason sneered. His hands were forced together, so when he reached for his waist with one hand they both had to move away from Tim’s face. “You really fucking thought I’d willingly hand over all my weapons to Bruce in a room with you?” He pulled a small, switchblade out from under his waistband and flipped it open. “I wouldn’t have even if I wasn’t drugged.”

“I knew you were acting, you fucking bastard,” Tim snarled. He didn’t have a weapon. It had been his suggestion to hand all of them over to Bruce because Tim was trying to be reasonable.

He should’ve fucking known better. There was never any reasoning with Jason.

Tim still had his bare hands. He launched them toward Jason’s throat. They managed to curl around flesh, nails just starting to dig in, when Jason stabbed Tim in the hand. Tim yelled, yanking his hand away and taking the other one with it.

That was the other shitty part of the anger. It made pain harder to ignore.

“Had to convince Bruce it was okay to leave you alone with me,” Jason said, shrugging slightly. “Figured I would only get one chance.” He raised the knife and tried to bring it down on Tim’s face. Tim managed to stop him, getting the knife tangled in the chains. “For fuck’s sake.” Jason shifted his weight. He pulled the knife free and brought up his over leg, using it to pin down the chain under his boot. Without any slack, Tim’s hands were forced against the ground, tugging uselessly.

“I will rip you apart with my teeth if I have to,” Tim growled, trying to snap at Jason’s face to prove his point.

Jason easily dodged and laughed. “I’d like to see you try. Maybe It’ll make you interesting, for once.” He brought the knife down and held it to Tim’s throat. “Grayson, I could’ve understood. He’s a pretty guy. Got a good sense of humor on him. Even Gordon. I don’t like her, but I could’ve respected it.” Jason’s face twisted into an ugly look, staring down at Tim with utter contempt. “But you? I have to share Bruce with you of all people? My goddamn replacement? That’s just fucking insulting.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten yourself killed then,” Tim shot back. “You were easy to replace.”

“Yeah, provoke the guy with a knife to your throat,” Jason pressed the blade against Tim’s skin until a drop of blood was sliding down his adam’s apple. “I’ll show you what a dead Robin looks like.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “You really think Bruce will forgive you for killing me?” He tugged at the chain as hard as he could. It still wasn’t budging. “He’d tear you apart.”

“Yeah, I really do,” Jason mocked Tim. He leaned in close enough for Tim to smell mint on Jason’s breath. “He always does. He’ll just blame it on the toxin. We both know he always forgives me no matter what I do.” His grin was a ghastly thing. “Can you say the same, Drake?”

Tim just growled. He headbutted Jason, not caring about the knife. If he was going to die, he would at least leave his mark.

Jason jerked back, rubbing his nose. Tim had hopefully broken it. Blood was already starting to pour down Jason’s face. Jason had the audacity to laugh. “Cute.” He rubbed his nose for a moment, feeling the bone. “You know I’m not going to kill you, though. That would be way too nice.”

“Nice?” Tim scoffed. “Did you finally learn the meaning of mercy, or something?”

“For you? Never.” Jason brought the knife to Tim’s face. “I just want to make you wish you were dead.” he dug the blade into Tim’s temple and Tim yelled, feeling it cut through his skin all the way down to his jaw. “What part of you do I have to mutilate to make Bruce stop loving you?”

Tim didn’t say anything. He was too busy trying to blink through the pain of a shallow cut that should’ve felt like nothing. Instead, it felt like a hot iron had branded the entire left side of Tim’s face, melting most of his skin off.

“What’s so pretty it could make Bruce like someone as pathetic as you?” Jason pressed on. He put another cut across Tim’s face, slashing through his cheek. “You’ve got a nice face. Is that it?” He leaned back so he could rip Tim’s shirt apart, exposing Tim’s chest. “We both know Bruce is a physical guy. Maybe it’s something else.” The blade trailed across Tim’s chest, looking for the next place to cut.

Tim managed to get leverage against the concrete with his feet. He pushed himself up as hard and fast as he could, throwing Jason off of him. Before Jason had the chance to recover, Tim launched himself forward and wrapped the chain around Jason’s throat.

“Maybe his love for you is only skin deep,” Tim pulled the chain as tight as it could go, watching Jason’s face turn red without oxygen. The rational part of him knew he was taking too much pleasure in watching Jason struggle for air. The rest of him didn’t care. “But Bruce actually loves me.”

Jason snarled. “He’s loved me longer.”

He wildly stabbed at Tim until the knife sank into Tim’s forearm. Tim screamed and let go, giving Jason slack to breathe, getting a hand under the chain and yanking hard on it. Tim didn’t fall off of Jason but instead fell into him. Their bodies were pressed together, and Jason used it as an excuse to wrap the chain around Tim, forcing them against each other.

“Can’t get away from me now,” Jason whispered into Tim’s ear. He ripped his knife out of Tim’s arm.

“You really want to be this close to me?” Tim asked. He tried to headbutt Jason again but didn’t have enough damned room to move. “Your fucking funeral.”

“I’m the one with the knife,” Jason said in a sing-song voice. He wiggled his arms between them and brought the knife against Tim’s crotch. Tim had his pants as a layer of fabric protecting him, but he still went rigid. “Is it here? Is this what Bruce likes so much? Go on. Tell me how he likes to fuck you, Drake. Bet you’re real fucking vanilla about it and he has to be all nice to you.”

“You sound jealous,” Tim tried to bite Jason, who kept pulling his head away. “You’re the one who needs to hear him say he’s proud of you just to come. I’m not the one of us who cries during sex.”

“How the hell-” Jason’s whole body jerked in anger.

Tim knew his grin was feral. “Trust me, I know all the embarrassing details. Bruce talks about it all the time.” That wasn’t entirely true. Tim had just overheard it once when Bruce forgot to turn off his comms. But the lie was far more embarrassing for Jason.

“I could make you cry,” Jason sounded angrier than Tim had ever heard him, which was a hell of a feat. “He’s just not fucking you hard enough. Putting you in your goddamn place like you deserve.”

“You want to fuck me, now?” Tim taunted. “I thought you hated me.”

“Too vanilla to know what hatefucking is, Drake?” Jason shot back. He pressed the knife harder into Tim’s crotch. “I could make you fucking beg for it.”

“Like hell.”

“You wanna find out?” Jason asked.

Tim paused his struggles. He pulled back and gave Jason an incredulous look. “You’re not actually serious.”

“Either I kill you, torture you, or bitch you.” Jason shrugged. He dug the knife down enough to cut open Tim’s pants. The fabric tore loudly. “I’ll let you pick.”

“I’ll kill you first,” Tim shot back. He refused to take the offer seriously.

He didn’t know what his answer would be, if it was a serious offer, so it was better for Tim to not think about it entirely.

“Scared you’ll like it?” Jason was just mocking him now. “If I ruin you enough, you’ll come crawling back for me instead of Bruce. And besides,” Jason lowered his voice to a purr, “we both know he’d pay to watch. Bet he’d even help me hold you down.”

Against his will, Tim shuddered. His anger was clouding his judgment, making it hard to figure out what other emotions were there. Maybe there was arousal. Maybe it was fear.

Tim always had trouble telling the difference.

“Have you always wanted to fuck me?” Tim avoided everything Jason was saying. It made him too dizzy to think about.

Jason just gave him a shrug. “Can’t say I haven’t wondered what’s so special about fucking you that he keeps doing it. Is your ass really that good or something?”

Tim snorted. He had no idea Jason didn’t know. “He doesn’t fuck me in the ass.”

“What?” Jason’s brow furrowed.

“If I had a dick down there, you’d have cut it by now,” Tim pointed out, looking down at the knife.

Jason frowned. He dug the knife deeper, ripping open a bigger hole in the fabric of Tim’s pants until he could force his hand inside, thankfully the one that wasn’t holding the knife. Tim tried to kick, but he couldn’t stop Jason’s hand from groping until it found his cunt, pressing against Tim’s underwear.

“Son of a bitch,” Jason said. “Well, that makes you even easier to fuck. Now I don’t need prep.”

“You’re not fucking me,” Tim snarled, trying to get away from Jason’s hand. his skin was too hot, to have Jason that close to his most sensitive areas. He didn’t want to know what his body would do if Jason got past the thin barrier of fabric between him and Tim’s skin.

“You haven’t actually told me no yet,” Jason pointed out. He managed to cut apart Tim’s underwear, a cold reminder of how close the knife was to his cunt. Thick fingers pressed against Tim’s hole until two managed to sink in. “You’re wet.”

“No, I’m not,” Tim gasped, even though he could feel it. The easy slide of Jason’s fingers inside of him, the way there was no resistance from his body. He still wasn’t ready to admit to himself that he wanted this. Not when he wanted Jason dead just as badly. Tim opened his mouth to say something more, but Jason brushed a thumb over his clit. “Oh god.”

“if I’m being honest with you,” Jason hummed, starting to move his fingers inside of Tim, “I think it’s a lot easier to be horny than angry right now. That’s the only damn feeling that works to fight this.”

He was right and Tim hated him for it. The anger thrumming under his skin pulled back, just slightly, to make room for arousal. It made Tim want to give in, just so he could have anything to latch onto besides cold, empty fury.

And Jason’s fingers felt good inside of him. They arched right up into Tim’s sweet spot, making him gasp and jerk.

“How quick do you think I can make you come?” Jason asked. He worked his fingers and thumb together, finding a good pace. Like he knew exactly how Tim liked it.

“Fuck you,” Tim groaned, throwing his head back.

“Tell me to stop and I will,” Jason said.

They both knew he wouldn’t. Tim didn’t want Jason to stop. If Jason stopped, Tim would probably grab the knife and gut him.

“I hate you.” Tim’s hips were moving against his will. He was acutely aware the knife was still down there too, but he put a small amount of trust in Jason to not let it trust.

“It’s mutual,” Jason agreed. He shifted his hips until they were pressed against Tim’s thigh. He was hard. Tim could feel the outline of Jason’s cock as Jason started to rut, grinding against Tim for friction. A low moan came out of him, going straight to Tim’s core.

Jason was kind of handsome, at least. Especially with blood all over his face.

“Now are you gonna come for me or what?” Jason growled into Tim’s ear. “Show me exactly how much you hate me, Drake. I want to fucking feel it.”

“You’re a bastard who doesn’t deserve Bruce,” Tim whined as Jason’s fingers worked him. Rubbing his clit and thrusting into his sweet spot. It was a sweet, torturous distraction from his rage, but it still didn’t make the feeling quite go away.

“Agreed.” Jason shrugged, seeming unbothered by the statement. He groaned again, pressing his forehead against Tim’s. “I’m still better than you, though. You’re the little bitch who’s never going to forget what being fucked by me feels like. Maybe I’ll be nice enough that you’ll enjoy it and jerk off to it every time you’re wet.”

The thought of jerking off to Jason repulsed Tim. Yet it was the same thought that sent his orgasm through him, like a shock to his core. He yelled, so loud it echoed through the cave. His hole clenched around Jason’s fingers as his body worked through the spasms of pleasure.

For one glorious moment, Tim didn’t notice his anger. He just had the beautiful crescendo of pleasure crashing down on him, making his body sing.

“Isn’t that fucking adorable,” Jason gasped, grinding harder against Tim. You’re finally not annoying for once. No wonder Bruce fucks you. It’s the only way someone can enjoy being around you.”

The words were mean and Tim wanted to snap back, but he was boneless. Every insult from Jason was a new aftershock of pleasure down Tim’s spine.

Tim opened his mouth to find something to say, but he was cut off.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bruce stood at the mouth of the cave, staring at them with wide eyes. He looked just as angry as Tim felt, stalking over to where they were pinned and bloody on the floor. “Jason if you hurt him-”

“I’m fingering him, actually,” Jason corrected lazily, still grinding his hips.

Bruce stopped walking. “What?”

Jason thrust his fingers inside Tim to make his point, pulling a cry out of Tim. He was oversensitive from his orgasm and couldn’t get away from the pressure against his g-spot. “You should be proud of us. We’re getting along pretty well.”

Sure they were. Like Tim’s face wasn’t cut up and Jason’s nose wasn’t broken.

“You…” Bruce trailed off, breath caught in his throat. Tim watched his pupils dilate.

“He’s enjoying himself. Just came on my fingers,” Jason said. He pressed the knife against Tim’s thigh as a warning. “Right, Drake?”

Tim bit back a remark. He nodded.

“I promise to behave if you let me fuck him,” Jason looked up at Bruce. He was definitely lying. “We should both fuck him. See how much he can take. I’ll even keep the cuffs on just to be nice.”

Tim couldn’t stop the soft moan that came out of him at the thought.

Bruce looked between them. His eyes settled on Tim. “Are you-”

“Yes,” Tim said. “Please?”

As soon as Tim said the magic word, Bruce was by their side, taking his clothes off. Jason groaned in victory. He grinned against Tim’s cheek. “Now we can have some real fun.”

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whitedarkmoonflower · 1 year ago

Text

You are good

Pairing: Sihtric x reader (female)

Authors note: I refuse all responsibility for this and blame @foxyanon and this post for planting this idea into my head. I think you will recognise your quotes. 😅

Warnings: SMUT 18+

Word Count: 3,3 K

Tags: @sihtricfedaraaahvicius @hb8301 @zillahvathek @alexagirlie @gemini-mama @verenahx @mysteriouslydeafeningwerewolf @willowbrookesblog @thenameswinter99 @ellabellabus07 @mcbuckyyyy @kirtseinw

If you want to be added to or removed from the tag list - write to me.

Uhtred's tail, you had silently dubbed him. "Yes, lord" and "No, lord" were nearly the only phrases to escape his lips. Most of the time, he seemed to vanish, only to reappear as if conjured by a magic wand at the mere sound of his name, his head tucked into his shoulders, hunched forward, eyes fixed on the ground, avoiding any direct gaze. Horses need to be readied – Sihtric will do that. Not enough wood for the fire – he’s already gone searching. Pretty face and large, alerted eyes. Suspicious eyes.

You didn’t trust him. Uhtred apparently did, but your brother had always had a far too big and soft heart, he tried to hide behind his loud talk about destiny and honour. So, you kept a watchful eye on Sihtric.

You saw him conversing with the horses in hushed, gentle tones, telling them about his day, treating them as if they were his best friends, meticulously brushing their backs. You witnessed him sitting in the darkness, far from the reach of the fire's flickering light, leaning against a tree or a cart, his form curled up, arms wrapped around his legs, chin resting on his knees. He would startle at the sound of raucous, drunken laughter piercing the air. You noticed him shudder when his name was called, jumping to his feet as if he'd been bitten by a venomous snake, and wince when someone unexpectedly placed a hand on his shoulder.

But you saw other things as well. You observed him reach into his saddlebag, generously distributing all his provisions to the beggars who sat at the city gates as you entered Winchester. You saw him remove the silver ring recently bestowed upon him by Uhtred, gifting it to a small, emaciated boy whom he had caught attempting to steal his pouch just moments earlier. You even saw him step in and kick out a drunkard from the alehouse, who was about to take a swing at the serving girl.

"Here, have a drink," you offered him a mug, settling down beside him. He flinched and looked up at you in surprise. A hesitant smile graced Sihtric's lips as he accepted the drink from you, his eyes filled with warmth and gratitude. That's how it all began – your quiet chats away from the noisy laughter and banter by the fireplaces. You were just plain curious and cautious, or so you kept telling yourself. You wanted to learn more about the reserved and timid warrior in your brother’s service. And with each moment, each story he shared as he gradually opened up to you, revealing bits and pieces from his life, your fascination with him never wavered.

Your own path hadn't been a walk in the park either. You'd lost everything except your brother. You both survived that Danish assault, but life played a cruel trick on you, and you didn't luck out like Uhtred who found a new family. Fate turned you into a warrior, fueled by anger, rage, and an unquenchable thirst for revenge. Sometimes, it felt like your heart stopped beating the day the Danes yanked you from your old life, leaving you with an empty, pitch-black hole in your chest. It changed when you reunited with Uhtred. It was like you finally fit into this world again, and your brother's love warmed your heart. Yet, in the quiet of the night, when you were alone with your thoughts, that dark hole in your chest still haunted you, making you wonder if you were really alive.

And now, you'd crossed paths with someone whose journey had been even more rocky as yours, whose soul seemed like an open, bleeding wound. But within him, there still was a warmth that felt like it could rekindle the spark of life within your own heart too.

—----------------------------------------------------

"What a pretty thing!" the guard sneered, his fingers digging into the flesh of your cheeks as he pulled you closer, his foul breath assaulting your senses. It had been your fault; your recklessness had landed both you and Sihtric in this grimy dungeon. But not a single word of reproach had escaped Sihtric's lips. You had a sense that rescue might be on the horizon, as the boy who had been with you had escaped and was likely delivering the news to Uhtred. However, for the moment, you were stuck here.

"Don't touch her!" Sihtric hissed, his voice quivering with anger as he swatted the guard's hand away from you.

"What the hell! Hold that rat for me," the guard grumbled, turning his attention away from you, while the other two forcibly twisted Sihtric's arms behind his back. You winced as the first blow landed on Sihtric's face, jerking his head to the side, followed by another and another. Not a sound escaped his lips as he stared back at the guard, his eyes burning with pure hatred.

Another punch, this time aimed at Sihtric's abdomen, caused him to double over with a grunt, gasping for air. The guards released him, and Sihtric's knees and hands crumpled to the ground. A heavy leather boot struck his stomach, sending him sprawling. Arms defensively wrapped around his head, Sihtric writhed on the floor, convulsing under the brutal onslaught that was shattering his body.

"I hope this serves as a valuable lesson, you filthy heathen. Next time, think before you open your mouth," one of the guards spat, then turned to leave, motioning for the others to follow suit.

"What was that? Are you out of your mind?" you whispered sharply to Sihtric, rushing to his side and kneeling beside him to assess the damage. His nose was bleeding, and his lip and eyebrow were cut. Gently, you placed his arm around your shoulders, wrapping your arm around his waist as you helped him back on his feet and guided him towards a heap of straw in the corner of the cell. He sank heavily onto it, leaning his back and head against the wall.

"At least they got distracted," he shuddered, shoulders quivering, spitting blood and wiping his chin with his sleeve.

"That was incredibly foolish of you. It seems you don't have any broken ribs, but it could have turned out much worse," you tore the lower edge of your tunic and reached out to clean the blood from Sihtric's face with the makeshift rag.

"It's not too high a price to pay if it keeps their attention off you," Sihtric replied, raising his eyes, and for perhaps the first time, your gazes consciously met. "Besides, I'm used to it," he added, a sad smile playing on his lips.

"I can handle myself," you hissed, but your eyes were brimming with gratitude, while Sihtric merely shrugged his shoulders, wincing when your fingers touched his split lip.

—---------------------------------------

Your blood ran hot, adrenaline surging through your veins, a loud thump of your heart in your ears. Your senses sharpened to an almost painful degree as it seemed you could hear the trampled grass beneath your feet crying out. Your fingers clenched tightly around the shaft of your axe, tracing every line and wrinkle carved into the wood, as you melded seamlessly with your weapon, becoming an extension of your arm. There was no escape from the thick, intoxicating scent of blood that hung in the air, clinging to your clothes, seeping through your skin, intensifying the thrill. You sank to your knees, using the shaft of your axe for support, the taste of iron and ashes lingering in your mouth.

"Are you injured?" you flinched at the touch on your shoulder, raising your head only to see Sihtric quickly retract his hand.

Today was the first time you had witnessed him in battle, his eyes ablaze with excitement, his body a coiled spring of taut muscles, moving with purpose and precision. He resembled a young wolf on the hunt, thrilled by his own strength and agility, seamlessly blending with the chaos around him.

A brief, lingering gaze at the young Dane fighting alongside you had cost you dearly. A sudden swing of an axe caught you off guard, your step back too hurried and unsteady, causing you to lose your balance and tumble, releasing your own weapon. The stench of death filled your nostrils, the axe poised in the air, ready to strike, etching itself into your senses as you desperately fumbled to find something to counter the blow.

Too late, a single thought pierced your mind as you watched the blade descend, moving so agonisingly slow that it felt as if time itself had altered its pace just to mock you. A clank of metal and a scorching splatter of blood across your face brought the world back to its normal tempo, as the lifeless body of a red-faced Dane thudded to the ground beside you. A hand reached out, and you grasped it, allowing it to yank you back onto your feet. You met the piercing gaze of two mismatched eyes, filled with anxiety and something more, something profound and indescribable, yet so intense that it sent shivers down your spine. There was no time for words as you both were drawn back into the intricate dance of life and death surrounding you.

"I'm fine," you growled, breathing heavily, your body trembling as you pushed yourself upright with the aid of the axe's shaft. A deep ache surged through your tired muscles. You seized Sihtric's hand, which hung hesitantly in the air, and pulled him along with you, striding towards the trees at the edge of the clearing. He followed, eyes wide with surprise but offering no resistance.

You plunged into the forest, not stopping until the battlefield's clearing had long vanished from view, leaving behind all its chaotic sounds. Silence, you needed silence—to quiet your racing mind.

A startled crow fluttered away, its caw echoing through the trees and your ears. Coming to a halt, you turned to face the utterly bewildered gaze of Sihtric. Pushing him against the nearest tree trunk, your fingers frantically fumbled with the laces of his breeches.

"What... what are you doing?" he gasped, as your hand slipped inside his pants.

"Feeling alive," you whispered, a mischievous smile appearing on your lips as you felt his cock hardening under your touch.

You had grown tired of those lingering glances and deep sighs, of him becoming more like your shadow than even Uhtred's. You had had enough of his trembling fingers and flushed cheeks, his hand brushing against yours when you passed him an ale mug, and the way he held his breath when you sat beside him, your thighs touching.

You wanted him, and you were aware that he craved for you just as intensely. You could feel his blood running hot at this very moment, just as yours did. You had seen it in his eyes, in that brief, fleeting moment after he helped you back to your feet, and you didn't want to wait any longer. You knew him too well by now to realise he wouldn't make the first move, so you had to be the one.

"I... I can't... we can't... Oh, damn it...," Sihtric stammered, a loud, almost desperate moan escaping his lips as you pulled down his breeches, freeing his already fully hard cock, wrapping your hand around it and giving it a few slow, teasing strokes.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t been dreaming about this. I’m not blind. I can see how you look at me,” you purred, biting your lower lip, while your hand kept moving.

"I... Oh gods, fuck... You're Uhtred's sister, and I... I... He'll kill me if..." The words caught in Sihtric's throat, his breathing quickening and growing more erratic, his hands balling into fists as your fingers moved to the tip of his pulsing shaft, collecting the precum and spreading it along its length.

“You just saved my life,” you murmured, going down on your knees before him and licking your lips at the sight of Sihtric’s long and thick, perfectly formed cock, tip slightly red and dripping, “and I haven’t even thanked you for stepping in that time in the dungeon.”

Feeling Sihtric's entire body tense, you glanced up at him from beneath your lashes, savouring the sight of him. Head thrown back, eyes closed, breathing shallow and ragged, he leaned heavily against the tree, his arms hanging somewhat awkwardly by his sides. You were surprised that he still hadn't made a move to touch you.

"This isn't your first time, is it?" you suddenly inquired, raising an eyebrow. You smiled as Sihtric vigorously shook his head. "Good. Then you know what to expect, don't you? You know how good it feels," you teased him, pressing your mouth to his upper thigh, trailing a path with your tongue and placing soft, wet kisses on his naked skin. Sihtric exhaled sharply, but didn’t answer.

“Talk to me,” you ordered, giving a teasing, quick lick to the tip of his cock.

“Aaahhh, y-yes,” Sihtric whimpered, gasping for air, pressing both his palms against the tree.

“But you said, we couldn't do this. Have you changed your mind?” you asked, your tone taunting. “Tell me, do you want me to take you in my mouth? Do you want to feel my lips around you?” you circled his tip with your tongue, your hand jerking him, so teasingly slowly. You could tell you were driving him mad by the way, his breathing was picking up with each gentle lap of your wet and hot tongue and each movement of your hand.

You were aware that you were a brat, torturing him, testing his self-control, but you wanted to know how long he could hold back.You had seen his eyes glint with passion and fervour on the battlefield and you wanted to see them glint the same now. You wanted him to lose his composure and fully surrender to the pleasure you were eager to offer.

"I don't hear you," you pulled back and released your hold on him, causing Sihtric to whine in frustration.

“Yes, yes… fuck, by the gods… I… I want it … I want you…,” he breathed, a mortified look on his pretty face, his cheeks crimson, “I have wanted you since the first moment I saw you. You are so beautiful and so … so strong, but … fuck, ahhh, please, please touch me,” he whined.

“Ask me nicely,” you purred, moving your mouth back closer to his throbbing cock.

“Please, just touch me again. Please, I need you …,” Sihtric begged, his voice shaky, a slight desperation creeping in it. He was finally looking down at you as he reached out, cupping your chin with his rough tattooed fingers, his thumb gliding over your lips, eyes darkening with lust and longing.

You kept your gaze locked with him as you bit your bottom lip and wrapped your fingers around his length again.

“Good, you are such a good boy. Just relax and enjoy. Can you do that for me, handsome? I want you to feel good,” you purred, a satisfied smile on your lips as you heard Sihtric gasp and whimper at your touch.

Sihtric moaned loudly as your lips closed around the tip of his cock, your tongue lapping at it teasingly, and then you moved up taking him in your mouth almost completely. You sucked gently at first, then harder, relishing the soft whines and moans rolling over Sihtric’s lips as your head started to move up and down his length, your palm firmly around the base, stroking the part that didn’t fit in.

Sihtric’s hands were in your hair, not pulling or tugging, just holding on to you, gently and carefully, his trembling fingers caressing you, brushing your hair out of your face. He looked so sweet trying to keep his eyes on you, trying to keep still. You moaned, feeling his grip in your hair tensing, as you fastened your movements, wrapping your lips even tighter around his cock, watching him lose his uneven struggle. It didn’t take long for him to become a whimpering, moaning mess, his hips thrusting forward, eyes half lid, breath heavy and panting as he finally lost himself in the pleasure your mouth was giving him.

“It feels so good…,” he moaned, as his hips started to move faster, fucking your mouth harder and deeper, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as he chased his release, the grip of his fingers in your hair tightening, “I’m close… aaahhh, I can’t take it much longer! Slow down… stop … please, let me … ” he whined through his panting breath, looking down at you questioningly, but you kept sucking him like your life would depend on it, tears bursting into the corners of your eyes, moaning lewdly your mouth stuffed with his cock as your core throbbed in burning need for him.

You loved the desperate, wanton sounds rolling over his lips, the sight of him falling apart, all shaky and whiny, his limbs starting to tremble, because you made him feel so good, because you had this power over him. You and only you! You didn’t let go of him, didn’t allow him to pull out and after a few more sloppy thrusts, his cock twitched in your mouth, his head snapped back and with a loud moan Sihtric was spilling down your throat, cursing under his breath.

“Oh gods… fuck…,” Sihtric looked down at you, breathing heavily and slumping his back against the tree. You let him come down from his high, sucking gently and letting your tongue slide over his sensitive tip, making him moan and twitch a few more times.

Breath panting, Sihtric reached out to you, pulling you off your knees into his embrace as he buried his nose in the crook of your neck, his fingers gently brushing through your hair.

"I...," he began.

"Shh, don't speak," you interrupted him, leaning into his embrace and listening to his racing heartbeat beneath your ear. "Can you hear it?" you asked, placing your hand on his chest. "It's beating; you are alive. Isn't it wonderful to be alive?"

A deep sigh escaped Sihtric as he continued to hold you to his chest, his body quivering slightly. "Why are you so good to me?" he finally asked, cupping your face with his hands and lifting it to meet his questioning gaze.

"Because you are good, Sihtric," you whispered. "I have seen the goodness in you, I have felt it, and I want to be a part of it. I want to be yours."

"You want to be mine?" The surprise in Sihtric's voice was evident, his large, beautiful eyes reflecting the disbelief that his tone betrayed. He couldn't bring himself to believe it. After a lifetime of being resented and despised for who he was, he simply couldn't accept what you were saying.

"Yes, I do. Do you want to be mine?" you asked, taken aback by the quiver in your own voice. The silence lingered in the air as you awaited his response. You had finally found him, a man you were certain you wanted in your life not just for fleeting moments of pleasure but for a lifetime. Someone you had come to admire and wished to care for, someone from whom you wanted to receive care. His kindness and inner strength had captured your heart in an unexpected way. You felt certain that in Sihtric you had found a man who possessed the strength and warmth to fill that dark void in your chest.

"I'm already yours," Sihtric murmured, "I'm yours. I've always been yours," he repeated more resolutely, leaning in to capture your lips in the gentlest and most tender of kisses. Without breaking the kiss, Sihtric spun you around, pressing your body against the tree, and a soft gasp escaped your lips as you felt his already firm arousal pressing against your thigh.

"If you are mine, then I'm allowed to make you feel good too," he purred. "Will you be a good girl for me?" he asked, his bashful smile turning into a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he went down on his knees before you.

#sihtric #sihtric x reader #sihtric x you #sihtric smut #sihtric kjartansson #sihtric fic #the last kingdom fic #tlk fic #the last kingdom

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lunastrophe · 1 year ago

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BG3 Drow Lore 🕷️ How To Feed Your Drider

Driders are predators - as soon as the newly transformed drider recovers to some degree from the trauma of change, he begins to crave warm-blooded prey.

Kar'niss probably has no need to hunt for his own prey, being the Absolute's follower. The shadow-cursed lands may be completely desolated - but there is surely more than enough warm blood (...or expendable warm-blooded prisoners) in the Moonrise dungeons to keep him well-fed and strong for a long period of time. Who knows, maybe he even perceives it as yet another blessing of "his Majesty"?

Because in the Underdark, a satisfying prey is not so easy to come by...

🕷️ Thirst For Blood - drider needs to consume blood of a warm-blooded creature at least once every four days because after this time, lack of sustenance begins to affect him: hungry drider grows physically weaker with every passing day and can ultimately die.

It is not really known if driders, besides feeding on blood, consume also bodies of their prey. It is also not known if they can eat and digest regular food - provided they have access to it.

🕷️ Hunting - driders often use traps and ambush their targets. They like to hunt near places that attract warm-blooded creatures seeking food and water (fungal forests, subterranean lakes), near abandoned ruins, or occasionally even around underground settlements or routes.

Sometimes, instead of hunting, driders lure prey into their lairs, attracting attention of an unfortunate passerby with dancing lights spell or other simple trick. Some more powerful driders do not even need to hunt often, enjoying more or less secure access to food (see the quote).

🕷️ Table Manners - driders normally try not to damage their future meal too much. Ruining the prey's body (and its tasty blood) with burning or corrosive spells, for example - or making the wounded prey bleed profusely all over the ground - would be a terrible waste, after all.

Driders also do not like to eat in a hurry. They prefer to weaken and / or immobilize their prey first, and then drain blood at leisure. Some descriptions suggest that driders who are able to spin webs sometimes cocoon corpses of their victims and then hang them in their lairs to consume them later.

Drider's teeth after trasformation become sharp to help deliver venomous bites and drain blood from their prey.

Summary:

🔹 make sure your drider gets a good quality, warm-blooded prey (or an adequate amount of warm blood) at least once every four days,

🔹 before offering your drider a regular food, remember to make sure first that he can safely eat it,

🔹 allow your drider to enjoy his meal at his own pace, preferably in a comfortable, secluded and quiet place,

🔹 if your drider wants to provide for himself, you can help him find a suitable lair surrounded with good hunting grounds and...

🔹 ...important! - discuss boundaries as early as possible, because no one wants their companions or camp followers accidentally ending up as a drider's meal,

🔹 all right, Dark Urge, maybe you want - but remember that you still need at least some of them...

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

#kar'niss #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #drider #kar’niss #karniss #bg3 drow lore #bg3 kar'niss #baldurs gate 3 #dnd lore #drider care sheet

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hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog · 1 year ago

Note

Alastor actually forgot he had tattoos. Not until a stupid dare from his canon self from his winning round of cards made him look like a quote on quote ruffian. Which just meant taking on his uniform coat and taking off one of his favorite vests. Not part of the uniform too, but he did so love that beautiful Mahogany red with Berry red striped vest. And of course to sell the part, he took a page out of his Husker’s book and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Which is where it led to him now. Shirtless, letting the others stare at his tattoos and scars. Part of him was suddenly happy Blueberry and the highschoolers were playing Minecraft with the Charlies.

He stayed still the best he could while the others grabbed his arms to stare at the inking. He did jump slightly when he suddenly felt the claw tip of one of the Voxes trace along the body of the golden serpent on his left arm. Based on the missing hat he could catch in the corner of his eye, it was Swap Vox. It had caught his Swap counterpart too, who peeked around his Vox.

“How did you get that one? It’s so shiny looking compared to the others.” Swap Alastor asked, curious as the cat.

“This old thing?” Alastor pulled his arm back, twisting his arm to see how the gold ink seemed to glimmer in the light. “It’s my contract tattoo from Lucifer”

“You sold your soul to Lucifer? Why?”

“Not really selling my soul pre-say, I made a deal with Lucifer. Why, I will keep private mainly, but he did offer me power that many sinners dream of hmhmhmhm” Alastor laughed near the end, a coy smile playing on his lips as locked eyes with Canon who seemed to seethe with that acknowledgement.

Ah the small joys in the world, one may say.

“But anyway, when we shook hands on it and a snake appeared, it slithered along my arm before sinking its fangs into my flesh and-Poof. Contract sealed” Alastor explained, “And in the sealed contract wake, it left this beautiful golden delight on my arm. Funny to think I used to loathe this thing.” He stretched his arm out, watching as it looked like the inked serpent seemed to move on his skin. Of course, it actually doesn’t move, it is merely his eyes playing tricks on him. Shockingly enough.

“Despite knowing you are the family’s guard, it still shocks me to learn this. Lucifer. Of all people” Dadstaticradio Alastor spoke up.

“Well, it was not like Lilith was an option, given the fact the women disappeared and has been gone for who knows how long” Alastor spat, trying his best to hide the venom in his tone.

Dadstaticradio Alastor opened his mouth to say something before turning his head to clear his throat. “Right of course, apologies” He muttered.

“Yeah yeah, cool, cool, who cares about that, I wanna know what is with the weird scar on your-”

“Hey!” Swap Alastor was quick to interrupt Canon Vox.

He used the table as leverage, to lean forward and press a finger on Alastor’s pec. “What is with that tattoo? Why do you have a little heart key hole thing tattoo?”

Alastor squinted, confusion written on his face. Keyhole heart tattoo? What was he-

“And why is there like…, Vox those are circuits under it right?” Swap Alastor asked, moving a bit for his Vox to take a look at the tattoo.

“Yeah, those are circuits. Why would you have a tattoo-”

Alastor tuned out everything else. Fuck.

He forgot about that tattoo. He got it when he was drunk and when Angel brought over his friend Cherri Bomb in his universe. She was practicing tattoo inking, Angel offered him because Alastor already had tattoos so he was used to the pain of the inking pen, and after some poking and trying to sketch it out, Alastor got that.

A drunken mistake, okay not really, of a tattoo because he was sad that day because he MISSED A CERTAIN SOMEONE BECAUSE HE JUST HAPPENED TO REMEMBER IT WAS WHEN HE FIRST FUCKING MET HIM AND THAT WAS KIND OF LIKE THEIR ANNIV-

He looked up, which may have been a mistake, as when he did he could see the gears practically turning into the Secretly married duo’s head. Processing slowly turned into smug knowingness and Alastor felt his face turn scarlet.

Without missing a beat, Alastor bolted, making up a small excuse that he believes he heard his Charlie call for him and just sped walked out of there. He spent the rest of the night with the other Charlies, Blueberry and the highschooler Alastor and Vox. Praying the other Voxes and Alastors, mainly Secretly married, would forget about the tattoo come morning.

….

They did not.

“If only he could see

How special you can be

If he only knew the you that we know~!”

Secretly Married Alastor and Vox sang in unison, gripping onto the Radio Guard’s shoulders before bursting into laughter.

“I hate you both.” He finally mustered to say, cheeks a rosey red. “You both remind me of Rosie, but worse somehow”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so rude. We both think it is so sweet you still have feelings for him, no matter how hard you try to block your heart off with rage.”

“To be fair I have my reasons. Still.”

“Yes, yes, we are not denying that fact. But maybe soon you two will work it out fully. Oh Al darling, wouldn’t it be cute if they got matching tattoos”

“Of very much indeed, my dear Voxy. Why you could even use your precious little heart tattoos as a blueprint for your Vox’s tattoo”

“What about matching tattoos?” the Radio Guard’s Vox poked his head in, confusion written on his face. “I poke Al’s radio signal and got greeted with an elk scream soo what is going on?”

“Your Alastor has a special little tattoo to-”

Before either could finish, Alastor threw them back with manifested tentacles before next to his Vox suddenly, blocking the doorway with his body.

“Nothing! Everything is fine!” Alastor said quickly before composing himself. “Do apologize for the elk scream, but come! Since you are here, let us go on a walk”

Before Vox could question anything, Alastor gripped him by the hand and pulled him along. As far, far away as possibly from the married couple.

Bonus:

“Vox you are tracing my tattoos”

“I know”

“Why?”

“I like them. Much as I hate to say it, my canon self was right, they make you hot”

“...Simp”

“Hee-Hey? What’s with this heart tattoo”

“Uh…”

“It has a keyhole on it and…circuits under..it…”

“...”

“Wow you weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t hate me. Dare I say hehehe, you still are head over heels for me~”

“...”

“Heh, kidding kidding. I know I may never cross over that bridge again, but what even is the meaning of that-”

“And if I said I did still have feelings for you, that they are so locked in my heart the memories we share bring me such joy and sorrowful pain I wanna cry, would you believe me?”

“...What?”

“Nothing, pardon me. I have to go. I will speak to you later Vox.”

“Wait! Al! Get back here! Explain yourself!”

---

Hehehe :3

-⚔️ anon

It was so wholesome and then you broke my heart again at the end 😭

Radioguard Vox just immediately hearing an elk scream while trying to check in is so funny I wish I could've seen his face when that happened

#ask #⚔️ anon #fanfic #radioguard au #au crossovers

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gear-project · 1 month ago

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Hi, a long time ago I made a list of interesting details and easter eggs in Revelator (/r/Guiltygear/comments/8cqr49/small_gallery_of_easter_eggs_and_interesting/). I've tried to find similar things in Strive, but apart from various references (and I don't consider simple references easter eggs) I got nothing. Do you know any true easter eggs (not references) in Strive?

I actually have a dedicated tag for Easter Eggs throughout the Guilty Gear Series, though some of my older posts cover Xrd Sign and Xrd Revelator more specifically.

There’s also a lot of hidden features to be gleaned from the Guilty Gear stages, so please check out my GG+Stages tag as well.

Hmm, but… you’re asking more specifically for things I’ve spotted in Strive in particular?

As said before, many of the stages are throwback references to older stages from previous games. Fairy Forest Factory references Verdant stage in GGXX and its many versions. Some locations also reference stages and locations found in GG2 Overture as well, like Bel Canto Valley. It was even teased not long ago that they plan on adding a stage referencing Dr. Paradigm’s tribe as well.

While they haven’t done much in the way of character interactions, they seem to be slowly adding character specific battle quotes with each subsequent patch update. This isn’t just intros, but also Taunts and Respect quotes as well. In older games, Baiken and Johnny had a unique Respect and Taunt for every character in the roster.

This tradition was later passed on to specific Overdrive reactions, like Johnny’s Joker Trick, or the Afro item Faust uses. Elphelt has a unique Love Fantasy for every character, though it’s more of a delusion similar to her Win Quotes from previous games. Venom has kept his tradition of turning his opponents in to a Ball as well.

Slayer generates a random but unique set of Haiku quotes depending on whom he defeated. The characters also react to more specific Haikus as well.

Here’s a more subtle Easter Egg: in the Illyria riverway stage, you may notice a woman selling her Paintings. A few of those paintings appear in the randomly generated “box rooms” in the Happy Family stage, but there’s two paintings in particular that made an appearance in Xrd Revelator’s After Story. I wonder if you can identify them?

This one is not so obvious, but Guilty Gear likes to hide references to Neon Genesis Evangelion in the series. At first it was various colors for Justice, referencing the Eva Unit Series, but as later games came out, they even reference Adam, Lilith, and the Angels. Even Venom’s Dark Angel is a subtle nod to them. There’s a few scenes in Xrd and Strive that reference the Rebuild of Evangelion films as well as End of Evangelion. Asuka R. Kreutz even spoofs a quote from Gendo when he talks to Raven in After Story of Revelator.

Obviously there are also references to other anime as well. Slayer and Anji are walking references to Giant Robo, as are the Assassins. The Assassins also reference Skullman and Kamen Rider in older bits.

There’s also the somewhat controversial Easter Egg of Bill Clinton’s Portrait in White House Reborn. The Clinton Administration decried violence in fighting games way back when, and even tried to use GG1 as an example!

More gameplay related, but many items found in M.O.M. and Team of 3 are also nods to GG2 Overture gag and situational items.

Also, relative to your inputs in Arcade Mode, when your Rival appears to help you fight, they often genuinely anticipate your button inputs, setting up and continuing combos with you. It would be nice if they made a dedicated mode to showcase this feature similar to Dramatic Battle in Street Fighter Alpha 3.

Probably the biggest secret involves Baiken. As you may know, her intro is very long and Dramatic on Player 1 Side, but very Short on Player 2 Side. This is actually universal to all intros. The camera will always focus on Player 1 Side. Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising even takes this a step further by giving the player the option to Turn Off Intro skips for the first Intro, but to skip it for subsequent Rematches! Here’s hoping they add this idea to Strive too!

Oh but did you also know characters have different unique responses when the Battle Clock is Active? Goldlewis will always precisely tell you how long the fight took, unless you turned off the Timer, he’ll say his watch must be broken. Even Asuka has an intro that precisely calculates how long the Intro will be.

When Time is Up, characters who lost due to having less health will react accordingly. Happy Chaos even Shoots the Game Clock!

Millia will also rate her opponent’s overall battle performance in her win pose. If she says they have talent, she must have been pushed to her limits.

In older GG games, there’s also something to be said about Sound Test: In other words, Sound Effects! Certain stages in Strive have a lot more acoustic sounds than normal, but there are also Environmental Sound and Character specific sounds.

If you’re been playing this series for as long as I have, you tend to notice certain familiar sound effects. For example, there’s a particular sound Bedman makes that is quite literally the same sound once used in the first GG’s Title Screen startup sequence!

While they no longer use older sounds in some situations, more familiar and famous sounds will still be subtly used, though they are hard to spot.

Last Easter Egg you might not be aware of, many “generic” character intro quotes are actually Easter Eggs in and of themselves!

Characters have a tendency to use quotes they once used in older games. One of Zato’s lines is

“Let me show you a Darkness Deeper than Death” [Shi yori fukai Yami yo] Zato’s actually been saying that intro since the very first GG game!

New players wouldn’t notice that subtle nuance, but IT IS THERE, for all older characters from previous games. In addition, their vocal themes hide riff references to their older songs from previous games!

Well, that’s enough out of me. I think you get the jist.

#Easter Eggs #Easter Egg

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dailydemonspotlight · 1 year ago

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Mizuchi - Day 22

Race: Snake

Alignment: Neutral

April 19th, 2024

Serpentine monsters are a common sight in mythology; whether it be the great Dragons of yore, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, the aboriginal Rainbow Serpent Yurlungur, or even the classical Ouroboros. However, Japan loves snakes in mythology. We've already covered one in Yamata-No-Orochi, but there are so many more, whether it be the adorable and hilarious Yokai Tsuchinoko, or, in the case of the demon we're covering today, the legendary water serpent, Mizuchi.

Mizuchi is rarely seen throughout the tremendous amounts of tales that make up Japanese mythology, only mentioned in the Nihon Shoki (the oldest still-remaining text of Japan's history, dating all the way back to the Yōrō era) as well as appearing in a single Man'yōshū poem. In spite of this, Mizuchi has been the topic of many scholarly debates, eventually being bastardized through history into everyone's favorite root-chakra destroying turtle, the Kappa.

Mizuchi, however, is not originally from Japan- its name is actually a transliteration from several Chinese glyphs, particularly several glyphs describing different dragons, serpents, and monsters of Chinese mythology. Admittedly, I don't know much about Japanese, but one of the kanji used to spell the name Mizuchi implies that it's a snake, but it first-and-foremost means "Water spirit." The word, in English, can be broken down into "Spirit-of-Water," as Mi- means water, -tsu- (the way that it is pronounced) effectively means 'of,' and -chi is a suffix that describes a spirit. Due to this, Mizuchi's origin as a Chinese myth makes it very, very hard to track down much of a solid origin for it, given that it originates from what was effectively a way to match how it sounds to how it's spelled.

Now, in terms of mythology, Mizuchi was first referenced in the Nihon Shoki- as the story goes, under the reign of Emperor Nintoku, there was a fork at a river that contained a great water serpent that would be a very deadly nuisance- it attacked random passersby, spat venom at anybody who came near, broke apart caravans, and was generally just a prick. Eventually, fed up with this, a man named Agatamori approached the spirit with a challenge- he tossed three Calabashes into the water and challenged the spirit to see if it could sink them. If not? Mizuchi would face a swift death. The dragon, perturbed, obliged, yet was unsuccessful, meeting a demise by the hands of the man.

Later on, Agatamori found his way to the fellows of the mischievous snake, and in a move as genocidal as it was unwarranted, slaughtered the entire clan of Mizuchi. The lake below was filled with their blood, later becoming the noted "Pool of Agatamori." However, in spite of how apocalyptic this may seem, it turns out that there are more recollections of Mizuchi in the mix, and this tale was but one of many.

The god of the river recorded in Nintoku 11 is also commonly seen as a Mizuchi. A dam being built along Yodo River was subject to an attack from an unknown force, completely breached. Confused, the Emperor commanded a rebuild of it, only for it to be breached yet again. This happened time and time again, and eventually, the Emperor saw a solution to his problem through a prophetic dream. Bringing two men to the riverfront, he offered them up to the River God, but one refused. Likely recognizing the circumstances, the man demanded to see the divinity of the snake by trying the age-old calabash trick, tossing a set into the river and daring the god to sink them. Unsurprisingly, the Mizuchi failed, and likely grew to resent calabashes for the rest of its life.

The last example of a Mizuchi in classical Japanese mythology comes from the Man'yōshū, a collection of ancient poems that have been passed down from generation to generation. In one of them, a poem composed by Prince Sakaibe, he describes a short and intriguing tale regarding a Mizuchi. In quote, "I could ride a tiger to leap over the Old Shack, to the green pool, to take down the mizuchi dragon there, if only I had a sword capable of doing just that." The story regards a mizuchi dragon as being almost common knowledge, bringing up as many questions as it does answers- however, the way it regards it in such a casual manner may play into why Mizuchi are so scarcely mentioned.

If everyone knew about mizuchi, then they wouldn't feel the need to record it, right? The casual cadence of the poem seems to give light to the idea that mizuchi were a common sight or concept in ancient Japan, and it may have to do with their later bastardization into Kappa. In some areas, kappa are given a name incredibly similar to a mizuchi, such as "Mizushi," "Medochi," or "Mintsuchi." Past this, a common trait in Kappa stories lies in their hatred of calabashes, something which is similar to the distaste Mizuchi have for calabashes in both stories they appear in. Some historians speculate that mizuchi and kappa were in the same general 'clique' of water dwelling monsters.

God, that was a lot. Mizuchi are confusing. However, in terms of the SMT series, there's a lot less to comment on; their appearance as a water spirit in the form of a snake is faithful, and their design is as simple as it is elegant. They appear to be made of clear water, almost like a rushing river in the form of a snake. Throughout the series, Mizuchi are a common sight in the early-mid game, even appearing as a boss in Nocturne. Their specialty in ice skills, the closest thing SMT has to water skills, is almost obvious. However, overall, there's elegance in simplicity, and Mizuchi is just that.

#shin megami tensei #smt #megaten #persona #daily #mizuchi #this thing was a HEADACHE.#probably the hardest demon so far to research #a lot of my stuff was taken directly from wikipedia #albeit reworded #and i feel a bit bad about it #but i can't read japanese!!#and almost all the primary and secondary sources are #lo and behold #in japanese.#however i do appreciate the challenge and i love looking into weird and obscure folklore!!#its just that this guy was way too much of a doozy.#never again. jesus h jimminy cricket.

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darkpoisonouslove · 4 months ago

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For the ask game :)

1. How many fics have you worked on since January?

2. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

19. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

23. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

30. What would you like to write next year?

Thanks! :D

1. How many fics have you worked on since January?

Well, that depends on your definition of working on a fic. However, since I do usually write down dialogue in my outline which then goes directly in the text of the fic, I will count those too.

So I have posted 17 one-shots and updated Fallen Love, which is 18.

And then I've worked on another 30 fics (I am very, very fast in outlining and I really wish some of that speed translated to the actual writing) so a total of 48 fics that I worked on this year.

(I'll have you know that because of this I actually opened up the outline for the SoL bachelorette party to see if I've made any substantial changes to it that can be considered working on it and I actually ended up... you guessed it! making substantial changes to it so now I have worked on that too!)

2. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

Honestly, I can't think of anything new that I did when it comes to the writing process. I did write Blood from the Wings for the sole purpose of writing description, however, so that was very new for me! And then there was writing for a new fandom - House of the Dragon.

19. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

I have already shared what I consider to be my favorite piece of dialogue from this year. But let's keep going! You said you don't mind, so I'm giving you another seven quotes for a top 8 since 8 has always been my favorite number! XD These are in chronological order:

From Hearts to Ashes:

She nuzzled her head against Griffin’s neck, her tears falling on Griffin’s skin to mingle with her own. “I didn’t mean to be this selfish.”

Griffin cupped her cheek and tilted her head so she could look at her. “If you want to talk selfish, I’m right here.”

From The Last Dawn:

“I am...” Griffin bit her lip before forcing out a sigh, her shoulders sagging, “a really bad influence.”

And this:

“If I am to die in fire-”

“No,” Marion shook her head, voice cresting with desperation, “no. No!”

“-let it be your fire.”

From One Beating Love:

Marion laced their fingers together. “Oh, you made your disagreement crystal clear. I was considering turning to tranquilizers in order to survive that confrontation. The words “summer palace” alone had you foaming at the mouth.”

From Woman Like a Weapon:

“I see that was never going to work,” she conceded. “You’d expect all kinds of dirty tricks from me.”

And then, just to return the hit her composure had taken, she added, “I would’ve surprised you more with a love confession.”

From Flower Bud in a Storm:

“It is a common gardening practice then to dry the flowers and water yourself?”

Griffin smirked before looking at him. She couldn’t help herself.

“No, that is only my–patented–approach. It gives you an excuse to march out here and insert yourself into my process until you overtake it completely because you couldn’t help but be so jealous that you have to share my attention with mere flowers. Oh, what a tough competition they are!”

From Fallen Love (Chapter 3):

"How do you feel?" Faragonda settled for rubbing the back of Griffin's hand with her own rather than pressing a palm to her forehead, placated by Griffin's complacency. "Did you get some rest? Would you like a touch of magic to help revitalize you?"

Griffin cringed at the thought that Faragonda might have noticed her avoidance of using her own magic, or that she might have misinterpreted it.

She hurried to cover it up, "I was just thinking about looking all fresh and rested in my little solitary cell. Or even better – to be paraded out in front of your allies"–the venom she imbued in the word didn't faze Faragonda in the slightest–"for yet another very public and humiliating execution of whatever dignity I have left."

23. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Probably coming up with A TON of ideas for Fallen Love some time in October (it was all in one day). I added a lot to the political scheming which was nice amidst my struggles with Kinktober. I also managed to streamline a lot of the story and make the flow of events more coherent.

Either that or just now when I realized I am almost 1000 words under the word count that I had predicted for this point of chapter 4. I am a chronic overwriter and I always end up surpassing my own expectations of how long my work will get. Managing to keep something shorter than I had expected it to be is an absolute feat that I don't know how I pulled off but am happy with nonetheless!

30. What would you like to write next year?

I'd love to finish every idea I've ever had but since that would be physically impossible even if I had 100 clones on hand to distribute the workload, I'm gonna have to settle for specifics.

Obviously Fallen Love goes without saying.

I would like to revise whatever I have written for Gifts Are Given to Be Taken (the Griffin x Valtor x Faragonda magicless AU) and add more to it. I have found a direction for it, I think, that adds some depth to the PWP but without making it too angsty.

I do actually have a story in mind to go with the video I just posted. I cannot exactly figure out what the point is but I hope I will be able to write that as well.

And you know what, I do actually want to see how a scenario in which Griffin is nobility by birth will play out.

I am kind of hoping to be able to write at least the next part of Smolder, too! I did have thoughts about it the other day and managed to fix what I didn't like about it.

I don't have a specific story in mind but I am finding myself - god, I cannot believe I am saying this - missing writing about Samara and Erendor. I do wish I'll be able to write something about them too.

Oh, and finish that canon divergence for HotD I started in August and have abandoned since then because I don't know where I'm going with it.

#ask #her-majesty-wears-jeans #2024 #my wips #my fanfiction #my writing #snippet #winx club #griffin x marion #griffin x valtor

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daimonclub · 2 years ago

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Halloween great quotes

Halloween great quotes and aphorisms Halloween great quotes and aphorisms, 50 famous and amazing ideas for your pleasure by the World of English or English-culture.com blog Halloween for the year 2022 is celebrated/observed on Monday, October 31st. What the dead had no speech for, when living, They can tell you, being dead: the communication Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living. T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets Be silent in that solitude, Which is not loneliness – for then The spirits of the dead, who stood In life before thee, are again In death around thee, and their will Shall overshadow thee; be still. Edgar Allan Poe If human beings had genuine courage, they’d wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween. Doug Coupland The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. H P Lovecraft Be wary then; best safety lies in fear. William Shakespeare Treats and tricks. Witch broomsticks. Jack-o-lanterns Lick their lips. Crows and cats. Vampire bats. Capes and fangs And pointed hats. Werewolves howl. Phantoms prowl. Halloween’s Upon us now. Richelle E. Goodrich It’s Halloween, The night we all play, Trick or treat, We won’t go away. Be we ghoul or goblin, ghost, We’ll knock on your door, To see who scares you the most. Anthony T.Hincks Halloween shadows played upon the walls of the houses. In the sky the Halloween moon raced in and out of the clouds. The Halloween wind was blowing, not a blasting of wind but a right-sized swelling, falling, and gushing of wind. It was a lovely and exciting night, exactly the kind of night Halloween should be.” Eleanor Estes The jack-o-lantern follows me with tapered, glowing eyes. His yellow teeth grin evily. His cackle I despise. But I shall have the final laugh when Halloween is through. This pumpkin king I’ll split in half to make a pie for two.” Richelle E. Goodrich There is magic in the night when pumpkins glow by moonlight. Anonymous Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen. Voices whisper in the trees, “Tonight is Halloween!” Dexter Kozen On Hallows Eve, we witches meet to broil and bubble tasty treats like goblin thumbs with venom dip, crisp bat wings, and fried fingertips. Richelle E. Goodrich Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days. Author Unknown

Halloween quotes by English-culture Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Christmas and the others can end up making you sad, because you know you should be happy. But on Halloween you get to become anything that you want to be” Ava Dellaira Halloween is fun, but it wasn't always my favorite holiday. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Tobin Bell Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world. William Shakespeare When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween. Author Unknown We are born from the star dust, and there we have to come back, under some nice carpets, to enjoy some cheerful Halloween parties! Carl William Brown Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Fear has many eyes and can see things underground. Miguel de Cervantes There is nothing that gives more assurance than a mask. Colette On ol' Halloween Night These monsters join the living If they had it their way They'd stay until Thanksgiving. Casey Browning Halloween wraps fear in innocence, As though it were a slightly sour sweet. Let terror, then, be turned into a treat... Nicholas Gordon Halloween isn't the only time for ghosts and ghost stories. In Victorian Britain, spooky winter's tales were part of the Christmas season, often told after dinner, over port or coffee. Michael Dirda Every Halloween for six years, I was a Ninja Turtle, and Mikey was my favorite. The turtles really made me who I am today. They got me into martial arts, meditation, surfing, skateboarding; big time influence on who I am today. Greg Cipes Halloween is bigger than Christmas in America. I've experienced it in New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C., and if you're in the right neighbourhood, every house is decorated with spooky ghosts, spider webs, and jack-o-lanterns. Rhys Darby

Halloween best quotes ever If ever there was a holiday that deserves to be commercialized, it's Halloween. We haven't taken it away from kids. We've just expanded it so that the kid in adults can enjoy it, too. Cassandra Peterson Where there is no imagination there is no horror. Arthur Conan Doyle People value Halloween, like Valentine's Day, because they can tell themselves that it's not merely secularized but actually secular, which is to say, not Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim. Amity Shlaes This Halloween the most popular mask is the Arnold Schwarzenegger mask. And the best part? With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him. Conan O'Brien On Halloween, kids get to assume, for one night the outward forms of their innermost dread, and they're also allowed to take candy from strangers - the scariest thing of all. Kate Christensen Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn't even the star of his own Halloween special. Chris Rock Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. Judith Olney True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about but few have seen. Author Unknown They that are born on Halloween shall see more than other folk. Saying of unknown origin Proof of our society's decline is that Halloween has become a broad daylight event for many. Robert Kirby

Halloween best quotes and decorations Proof of our society's decline is that Halloween has become a broad daylight event for many. Robert KirbyWhen black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, May luck be yours on Halloween. Author Unknown When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, May luck be yours on Halloween. Author Unknown It's said that All Hallows' Eve is one of the nights when the veil between the worlds is thin - and whether you believe in such things or not, those roaming spirits probably believe in you, or at least acknowledge your existence, considering that it used to be their own. Even the air feels different on Halloween, autumn-crisp and bright. Erin Morgenstern Halloween starts earlier and earlier, just like Christmas. Robert Englund I see my face in the mirror and go, 'I'm a Halloween costume? That's what they think of me?' Drew Carey There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world. Jean Baudrillard In Britain, the major public holiday used to be Guy Fawkes Day... that was celebrated on November 5th with things like bonfires and fireworks... I think that made Halloween seem preferable. The idea of having pumpkins and costumes and parties seemed much more appealing than burning down your neighborhood. Lisa Morton In our town, Halloween was terrifying and thrilling, and there was a whiff of homicide. We'd travel by foot in the dark for miles, collecting candy, watching out for adults who seemed too eager to give us treats. Rosecrans Baldwin On Halloween, don't you know back when you were little, your mom tells you don't eat any candy until she checks it? I used to be so tempted to eat my candy on the way to other people's houses. That used to be such a tease. Derrick Rose I'm not a real Halloween kind of guy, because Halloween is every day. Al Jourgensen

Halloween quote by the great poet Poe For about 30 years, Halloween was taken over by pranksters. By the '30s, pranks were causing cities millions of dollars of damage. They considered banning Halloween in many cities, but instead, parents got together and came up with party ideas for kids, and a lot of them involved dressing up and costuming. Lisa Morton There haven't been organized protests, but I have heard of protests where people have wanted to celebrate Halloween. Lisa Morton You look at Cheney, Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and Bush - if you saw them on Halloween, they wouldn't need a costume. You'd give them a treat and compliment them on what great-looking demons they were. They are demons. There's no doubt about it. Tommy Chong I live in New Orleans part of the year, and it's a really fun eating town. I bought two homes there, one to live in and one as an investment. They love to eat, drink and dress up in costumes. There are so many reasons to dress up - Mardi Gras, Halloween, Southern Decadence. Jennifer Coolidge I hear from many a man around Halloween that's dressed up as Mama for Halloween. It's a great costume. Vicki Lawrence I'm a really big fan of all things macabre in general; Halloween happens to be my favorite holiday. Dove Cameron I love Halloween, trick or treating and decorating the house. And I love Thanksgiving, because of the football and the fall weather. And of course, I love Christmas - that's my favorite of all! Joe Nichols I learned to glitter the pumpkins for Halloween not because I went into it thinking, 'I'm going to glitter some pumpkins!' No. I bought all of these big, cold, slimy, disgusting pumpkins and tried to carve them, and it was gross, so I had to find something else to do with them. Glitter was life-changing. Jen Lancaster I hate Halloween. I hate dressing up. I hate - I wear wigs, makeup, costumes every day. Halloween is like, my least favorite holiday. Amy Poehler My favorite scary movie was always 'Halloween.' I love that there's hidden emotion underneath Michael Myers' psychotic behavior. Plus, he has the best mask, hands-down. Chris Zylka I've never seen 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', I've never seen 'Halloween', I've never seen any of the 'Friday the 13ths.' Lin Shaye Download the pdf file about Halloween History If you like Halloween you can also read the following articles: Halloween great and famous quotes Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve Halloween quotes and aphorisms Halloween death poems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ceNe5q9xfI Read the full article

#America #aphorisms #dead #dread #Eliot #folk #fun #ghost #halloween #holiday #living #magic #mask #quotes #Shakespeare #speech #star #witching

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dcwnthercbbithcle · 2 years ago

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A question while I work, would any of your muses participate in RuPaul's Drag Race (assuming an au where they are normal humans/in normal circumstances/are alive)

HMMMM, this is a good question! And NGL Ozzie, it is embarrassing that I needed to do research to answer this question! I know of drag but sadly I'm more of an outdoors gay, so it is far, far from my wheelhouse!

Anywho! The only muse of mine who would be willing to go straight from next to no knowledge of the topic, to having fun and possibly making a fool of themselves on live TV is Ophelia/8713! It's no surprise there, but she is a try-everything-once sort of gal, and though she has some understandably low self-esteem, she has more than enough of a nihilism bumper to let her live in the moment and absorb up the validation of the people she'll be learning from and having fun with!

THIS SAID, other muses of mine would be on a spectrum of wanting to try drag/performing drag/ comfort and range from a 'loving the art and expression that goes behind the fashion and makeup' to the ones that are just in it for the entertainment!

More below bc this is LONG

Evan would be EXTREMELY interested, he'd want to try, he'd like to really really bad, but I don't think he has the internal strength to allow himself that freedom.

Even going so far as to touch something like makeup would feel sacrilegious to him; stigma, chastisement, he'd almost be able to hear the jeers in his mind's eye, and just those spectral taunts are enough to have him recoiling from a wound unseen. Truthfully, he doesn't see any big deal around the subject, of dressing up, creating this character and painting with makeup on his body. But Evan knows, he KNOWS others don't share this same opinion, and after all the years that have passed... he's learned not to trust himself, at least not in this respect.

Sadly, though, I know in my heart that Evan would not accept drag, at least not socially and when he's in the company of others. He's not going to rock out with the slurs, but he won't hesitate to mention that he feels the queen or king in his company looks ridiculous and humiliates themselves.

But behind closed doors? I don't think he'd be able to maintain that venom, largely because it's not his. I have to quote Game of Thrones in this instant, but with Evan, he does this funny trick where he moves his mouth, but his father's voice comes out.

His bigotry, in this circumstance, is superficial and pretty damn fake. Evan is just emulating his father to protect himself from all these imagined knives he feels lay waiting to cut him if he strays from proper masculinity and the man his father wanted him to be. He really does imagine the world to be just as cruel and unaccepting as his father once was, and as dishonest as his father's gaslighting made it seem. It's a cowardly smokescreen enacted to distract from the fact that he'd want to try and be a queen too. Maybe not more than once, but he wants that choice, he wants their freedom and their confidence, and he really, really wants to break out of the mould he's been beaten into.

Sally, she doesn't want to try it herself, but she is interested, at least in the history and supportive of it, not solely in the sense of the typical ally-ship, but in the sense of how healing she's heard it can be for some people that practice it.

Sally's the sort of gal that would hear about RuPaul's Drag Race in passing, likely from the orderlies around the break room and get curious enough to look into it. This would, in turn, send her down a RABBIT HOLE until she's watched several documentaries on the subject and gone to at least one live performance.

She's also the sort of woman who would try to adopt some of the more therapeutic aspects she found explored when listening to the words and experiences of current and former queens and try to bring those aspects of the practice in to help some of the patients she works with

Kondraki has 10000% done drag for an SCP staff Halloween party before. Now typically, it should be noted, Kon does not dress up for Halloweens, like EVER. He's a grumpy bastard. But this Halloween, a comment from some co-worker in ethics on his lack of holiday spirit got to him, and he decided 'fuck it'. Got a Sailor Moon costume, accessories and all and was thoroughly done up except for shaving his beard and legs. Which, in retrospect, he feels made it better. Everyone loved it, and he had a blast. Partially because it was just an exciting experience, partially because he recruited some of his interns to do the makeup because he is/was hopeless, and partially because he wasn't the only one! In the end, countless pictures were taken, Konny's heart grew a couple sizes, and he still has pictures of the event hanging in his office.

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charlenasaxen · 8 months ago

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TBONA fave quotes pt. 1

“Do not be tricked by his charming dimples, his unearthly blue eyes, or the way your stomach might tumble when he calls you Little Fox”

“wrote the words In case you forget what the Prince of Hearts has done and you’re tempted to trust him again”

“But Evangeline could not allow herself to hope for Jacks”

“No one knew what the Valory contained”

“she had no plans to allow Jacks to get his cold hands on either magical gifts or magical monsters”

“The Prince of Hearts was already dangerous enough”

“To her surprise, he had left without a fight or a word”

“he would be back. He wasn’t done with her yet, though she was done with him.”

“making sure she’d see the words of warning if they were ever needed again”

“But no one has so much as left a scratch on this stubborn door. Some say it mocks them.”

“she hoped it would be different now.

Evangeline was very good at hoping.”

“that deceitful, apple-eating scoundrel whose name she wouldn’t even think”

“in the hopes it would lead her to a cure that would save her husband, Apollo”

“She wasn’t being followed.

She’d heard no steps.

Until …”

“a pair of inhuman eyes stared back. Silver blue and brilliant and broken-star bright.”

“even if they sparkled now, even if these eyes lit up the dark and tempted her to lower her light”

“she watched him saunter out of the dim, indolent yet confident and handsome as ever”

as if Jacks had sunk his teeth into it again.

Evangeline clutched her lantern like a sword.

“Go away, Jacks.”

“sleeves shoved up lean arms and buttons missing at the throat. With his tousled hair now golden.”

“his kiss was deadly to all except his one true love, and as he’d searched for her, he’d left a trail of corpses”

“his heart had broken over and over as he looked for love. But now it was crystal clear—he was the one who did the breaking.”

Jacks spoke softly. “I understand if you’re upset—”

“If,” Evangeline cut in. “You poisoned my husband!”

“hadn’t realized that a part of her still held on to a sliver of hope that Jacks was innocent”

“Multiple people have tried to murder me, and you poisoned my husband—”

“You already said that one.”

“Children treat their toys better than you’ve treated me.”

Jacks’s eyes narrowed. “Then why didn’t you stab me, Little Fox?”

“I was close enough for you to use it.” His gaze sparked with fresh amusement as it lowered to her neck. To the exact place his mouth had lingered.

“She blushed at the unwanted memory of his teeth”

“He’d been infected with vampire venom, and she’d been infected with stupidity”

“But Jacks was all broken without any heart. And she needed to stop hoping that he could be more.”

“He smirked, flashing dimples he didn’t deserve”

“But you’ll have to do more than wound me if you wish to get rid of me.”

“What about for Apollo?”

Evangeline felt a sharp stab of pain for the prince.

“There would be no more deals with him, no more partnerships, no more anything”

Jacks laughed again, darker this time. “Let me know when you change your mind, Little Fox.”

“Evangeline pulled out her dagger”

“And Evangeline understood why Jacks had been laughing”

“One of the angels had a bowed head and a broken wing”

“warning Apollo’s younger brother, Tiberius, had given her”

“This time it didn’t sound dark at all. It sounded amused, entertained, happy.”

“Evangeline’s blood ran cold.

These were not just words.”

“This was the Valory Arch.

Panic replaced every other feeling.”

“No, no, no, no, no…” Frantically, Evangeline tried to wipe her blood from the stones.

“Though he looked clearly pleased, the old man’s smile did nothing to put her at ease”

“One for luck. One for truth. One for mirth. One for youth. But you must be careful. The stones are powerful, deceptive things.”

“It’s not a mistake, it’s your destiny.…” His voice trailed off as smoke puffed from his mouth.

“the smoke formed the words Oh bother, as if this sort of thing happened all the time”

“I’m a librarian,” he finally managed to say

“He faded completely before he could finish, leaving Evangeline with nothing but tendrils of lingering smoke”

“Havelock had been Apollo’s personal guard, but now he acted as Evangeline’s escort”

“But since Tiberius had tried to kill her, she didn’t feel all that guilty”

“he’d still be taking Apollo’s throne tomorrow. Unless Evangeline cured her prince today.”

“the twisting towers of flats and shops looked like stacks of snow-dusted fairytales”

“Evangeline had actually come to visit LaLa straightaway, but the sign outside of her flat had said Off Adventuring!”

“the railings had lines from stories carved into them”

“Once upon a time, there was a girl with a furry tail”

“Once there was a house where laughter constantly curled from the chimney”

“Oh, my precious friend!” LaLa opened the door before Evangeline could knock, a blur of smiles and warmth.

“the sort of hug that made it seem as if they’d known each other a lifetime”

“Even LaLa’s little birdcage lanterns were gone, save for one”

“I’ve been bursting to tell you—I’m engaged!” LaLa thrust out her arm, showing off a thick engagement cuff.

“she might have asked LaLa if she really thought this brief happiness was worth the inevitable heartbreak”

“it had shattered her entire world. And yet, despite all of that pain, here she was, hoping not just to save Apollo’s life but to have another chance at love with him.”

“But celebrating another person’s joy was important, and LaLa was her only friend”

“pure white silk covered in an elaborate design of black velvet webbing”

“You should open the arch for Jacks,” LaLa interrupted

“Don’t you want to save Apollo?” LaLa asked.

Evangeline felt a shiver of guilt.

“But she did feel a tie to him. They were connected.”

“if it was their marriage vows, or if Fate had simply entwined their paths, but she knew her future was linked to his”

“the letter she’d tucked away in her pocket, the one she’d memorized because she’d read it so much”

“I promise to always catch you. Faithfully and forever yours. Apollo”

“Evangeline had found the note in Apollo’s chamber after she’d been cleared of his murder”

“didn’t feel like the writing of a bewitched young man, it felt like a genuine glimpse of the prince—a prince who felt the same way she did”

“the only words that came out were gibberish”

“would follow her to the study, then curl up in her lap and promptly fall back to sleep”

she always turned to Evangeline and asked, “What do you suppose happens next?”

“the wish that had come true but wasn’t quite paid for, the seed that had been planted but had yet to grow”

“need to be constantly chased, or they will certainly run away”

“others, like Apollo’s brother, Tiberius, who had been so determined to keep the Valory Arch locked they’d tried to kill Evangeline”

“Tiberius had actually tried twice!”

“It was the idea of partnering with Jacks”

“maybe Time was friends with Jacks and it was taunting her, too”

“Unicorn Holly—for celebrating

Winterberries—for welcoming”

“just in case he was, she’d asked his guards to bring some life into the little room”

“She would have liked for Apollo to be in his own bedchamber, where a fire could chase away the cold”

“Apollo lay motionless, looking like the ending of a tragic Northern ballad”

“his once smoldering gaze was entirely lifeless, flat and vacant as pieces of sea glass”

“smoothed the waves of dark hair from his brow, wishing with her whole heart that he would stir”

“you promised you would always try. Please try to come back to me,” she whispered

“But Evangeline remembered that when she’d been stone, she’d desperately longed for another person’s touch”

“pressed a kiss to his unmoving lips. His mouth was soft, but it tasted wrong.”

“I don’t understand why you do this every day.” Jacks’s indolent voice carried through the chamber.

“it probably would seem more suspect if she continued to kiss Apollo’s unmoving lips”

“Slowly, she straightened, pretending that every inch of her skin wasn’t prickling as Jacks swaggered forward”

“He was dressed with more care than usual. A series of silver links secured the midnight-blue cape at his shoulders.”

“the smoke-gray embroidery that matched his fitted trousers, which were tucked neatly”

“Maybe I do it because I know it will annoy you,” Evangeline answered archly

Jacks flashed a smile that was far more wicked. “Glad to know you’re thinking about me when you kiss your husband.”

“I’m not thinking nice things.”

“Even better.” His eyes sparked.

“gem-sharp blue with threads of silver, and far too pretty”

Jacks sighed, slow and dramatic. “I’m not your enemy, Little Fox.”

“I’m not your friend. I’m not some human boy who will tell you pretty lies or bring you flowers.”

“she had started to think of him as a friend. A mistake she would never make again.”

“But Jacks would still be there—”

“what she really needed was to find a way to get rid of Jacks”

“The corner of Jacks’s poisonous mouth twitched”

“Tick-tock, Little Fox. I was trying to be kind”

“The hand that had grabbed her burned.

Apollo?”

“I didn’t do this.” His gaze shot from the prince’s glowing red eyes to Evangeline’s captured wrist.

“He’s going to break your bones!” Jacks slashed Apollo’s hand.

“Red welled in a diagonal cut across the back of it, mirroring the wound that Jacks had just given Apollo”

“Jacks’s eyes were storm-dark as he watched blood well from the wound. Swearing, he tore a handkerchief from his pocket and hastily wrapped it”

Jacks spoke between clenched teeth. “Someone has just put another curse on you and your prince.”

“She was bruised, she was bleeding, her husband was cursed”

“And Jacks was still holding her hand”

“But it’s his death you need to worry about. If he dies, you die.”

“turning his face vengeful and unholy”

”it might have pleased Evangeline to see the Prince of Hearts so affected”

“Did you do this?” she asked.

Jacks glared at her.

His eyes iced over. “I do not want you dead, and I’ll kill anyone who tries.”

“The guards at the foot of the stairs unfroze, instantly released from the Prince of Hearts’ control”

“just in time to block her from rushing up the stairs after Jacks to demand more answers”

“She needed to follow Jacks. The way he rushed from the room made her suspect that he knew who’d placed this new curse.”

“This young man was not the heir—or even truly a young man”

“He was a vampire.

And the first boy she had ever loved.”

“Now, she wanted to throw things at him. Sharp, hurtful things.”

“Jacks had warned her against saving him”

“She’d helped free Luc, and he’d thanked her by trying to rip out her throat with his teeth”

Luc pouted. “Are you still angry about the other night?”

“You mean when you tried to eat me?”

“Well, maybe it was a little like that.” He grinned, flashing his fangs as if they were the equivalent of a shiny new pocket watch.

“But Luc would have needed more than that to turn himself into the heir. He wasn’t even from the Magnificent North.”

“But of course, Luc would believe it. He had always been a little entitled.”

“a sudden terrifying flash of Wolf Hall full of courtiers and servants who were bleeding or dead”

Havelock ignored him, looking only at Evangeline. “Princess, there’s something you need to see straightaway.”

“Evangeline felt it then, damp on the back of her hand”

“He wrenched her neck toward his parted mouth.

Evangeline screamed.”

“Gentle hands instead of harsh ones wrapped protectively around her, pulling her toward a cold, hard chest”

“Evangeline was shaking too hard to push Jacks away”

“Is being subdued.” Jacks’s arm tightened around her.

He was still her villain, not her hero. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“his knuckles were clenched and a muscle throbbed angrily in his neck”

“underneath her sugar-sweet exterior lived a heart corroded by jealousy”

“had considered using her royal position to ban her stepsister from Wolf Hall—possibly the Magnificent North entirely”

“come face-to-face with Luc, and reap the pain that she had sown”

“Marisol’s history with Luc was her own fault”

“Marisol had rejected and shunned him. Luc deserved the chance to confront her.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jacks said, “but some people get things because they deserve them.”

“Marisol blanched as she neared. Then the girl’s eyes went wide as Jacks came up beside her.”

“She slowly took in every inch of him, from his polished boots to his rakish half cape, to the cruel line of his mouth”

“You can’t make me go anywhere. You’re just a ruined girl with a dead husband.”

Jacks ground his jaw. “You’re a nasty piece of work.”

“Evangeline felt a brief flicker of indecision as she turned toward Jacks”

“they were actually very simple. All that Evangeline really wanted from her stepsister was an apology.”

“And yet the only way to save her now would be to ask Jacks for help”

“believing he was her friend or make a habit of turning to him for help”

“Please,” Evangeline whispered to Jacks.

He raised one imperious brow. “You’re asking me for a favor?”

“Don’t.” Jacks grabbed her hand, his grip firm and cold.

“her chest felt tighter. She waited for Jacks to say that she owed him now.”

“Startled, Evangeline leaped farther away from Jacks”

“She’d been trying so hard to do the right thing, to make the noble choice, to be the hero, and she was exhausted”

“she could figure that out later. Maybe she’d go visit LaLa and her new fiancé and eat cake”

“She didn’t want another story; she wanted to fix this story. She wanted to save Apollo. She wanted a chance to know him”

“frozen flower petals crackling under her shoes. Then she heard another pair of footsteps—lighter than hers”

“it was stronger than usual, as if Jacks wanted her to know that he was inescapable”

“Jacks didn’t so much as shiver as he strode toward her”

“indifferent to the bitter air that froze the tips of his hair and lashes”

“with Jacks’s handkerchief still wrapped around her hand; one more reminder of how he’d helped her”

“That was a compliment, Little Fox.” He reached toward her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear with one featherlight touch.

Jacks chuckled. “If I knew all it took to scare you was a little touch, I would have tried this sooner.”

“That one small touch could affect her so”

Jacks frowned. “It’s probably that gossipmonger from the scandal sheets.”

“The only other one who had made her feel anything like this was Jacks”

“a shaft of moonlight lit the horseman, enough for Evangeline to see clearly the familiar edges of his handsome face. Apollo.”

“Beside her, Jacks went nightmare stiff”

“Apollo had been furious and devastated, and he likely hadn’t forgiven her yet”

“Little Fox, Jacks thought. I think we should leave.”

“I’m so glad you’re awake.”

Apollo took a deep breath, exhaling a small cloud of white. “Gods, you’re beautiful.”

“I—I really don’t want to hurt you. I just—” He paused, and through a shaft of moonlight, she could see pain.

“This was not the same prince she had married. That prince had a charmed existence.”

“I want you to know, I heard you. Every day that you came into my chamber.”

“It was then she realized that Apollo looked the same as he had on the night he’d proposed”

“Little Fox, Jacks growled in her head”

“Little Fox—get inside!” Jacks roughly shoved her behind him.

And then Jacks was yelling, “Run!”

“An arrow whooshed through the air and struck her thigh. She screamed and stumbled.”

“Another arrow flew by, this one going wide, missing her arm and piercing a flower”

“thoughts started to splinter, jumping between panic and pain and confusion”

“cream with dots of little red flowers, only now her blood was turning them into bigger, darker blooms”

“Evangeline—”

It sounded like Jacks’s voice. But he’d said her name, not Little Fox. Jacks never said her name.

Two more words she’d never heard.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I’m sorry, Little Fox. Apollo isn’t who you need to worry about. He’s—”

“knew what he was going to say. Prince Apollo was the cause of her injuries.”

“She was just aware enough to feel cool arms cradling her now. Jacks’s arms.”

“somehow, that these arms held her closer”

“a story yellowed with age: The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox”

“The only joy the Archer had while hunting the Fox was on the days he saw the girl”

“she was just a pretty peasant who lived in the forest—but he found himself wanting to chase after her instead”

“He slowed his hunt for the Fox, wanting a reason to stay in the forest”

“So they put a curse on him, one that compelled him to hunt the girl that he now loved”

“And now, Evangeline was starting to reach the end”

“He was a legend, he was the Archer, and he would have sacrificed it all to save her”

“even as he thought the words, the Archer looked down to see he was already notching an arrow”

“he couldn’t believe they were never meant to be. There had to be an … o … ther …”

“Jacks had said her name, Evangeline, not Little Fox”

“She didn’t believe that Apollo had wanted to hurt her. That was clearer to her now. He’d looked pained.”

“Then, silently, Jacks stepped inside.

Their eyes collided across the room. His gaze slowly lowered to the sheets.”

“Perhaps, if she’d had more time, she would have turned to Jacks”

“seemed extreme, but Jacks was willing to go to impossible lengths to get what he wanted”

“I don’t want to do this at all. Let me heal on my own.” She looked pleadingly at Jacks.

“Evangeline didn’t even know she’d screamed until she heard her voice echo”

“Evangeline struggled and cried out again.

Teeth flashed, and then she felt them sink painfully into her wrist.”

“They were silk and white, and Evangeline swore she could smell the color—crisp and clean and bright, like sunshine”

“Jacks took a bite of his apple, drawing her attention to the foot of the bed”

“His fair skin faintly glowed, his eyes shone like stolen stars, his hair was spun gold”

“Just one look set her blood on fire, and she liked the way it burned”

“all she could smell was the dark sweetness of him, and she wondered how he’d taste”

“Would brushing her lips over his neck stop her blood from burning and her heart from racing?”

“But just thinking the words bite and Jacks sent a shudder through her”

“Something unreadable flashed across his perfect face”

“When he’d been infected with vampire venom, she’d stayed an entire night with him”

“just the thought of him brought a new, exquisite ache to her mouth”

She pressed her mouth to the cage and said “Please open.”

The bars lifted immediately.

“the fact that she was pinned to a bed by death incarnate”

“She thought of Jacks and the way his cool skin would instantly soothe hers”

“how he’d touched her that night in the crypt—his mouth on her neck, his chest pressed to hers”

“Jacks won’t care if you let me go,” she insisted

“You’re wrong about that, Princess. Jacks doesn’t want this life for you.”

“For a moment, she wanted to believe the vampire. She liked the idea that Jacks cared what happened to her.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Jacks growled

“A vein throbbed furiously along the line of his smooth, marble neck. His skin looked so cool, and she was so hot.”

“All she wanted was to press her mouth to his throat and maybe lick it just once”

“Something loud cracked in the doorway.

Her eyes shot back to Jacks, who was fisting the now splintered edge of the door.”

“His silver-blue eyes turned midnight dark as he watched her struggling”

“But she also wanted this. She wanted Jacks.”

“so that he could pin her to the bed instead”

“He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. With Evangeline’s heightened senses, she could hear it clench.”

“excruciatingly aware that her slip had ridden up past her thighs, all the way to her hips”

“Jacks had seen her like this as well”

“She recalled that Jacks had been the same way after he’d been infected”

“She’d thought he was being dramatic as he’d curled up against tombstones and collapsed in various doorways. But now she was impressed that he’d possessed the resolve to move at all.”

“she was glad for the chance to scrub the blood and grime ”

“She hoped he was healed and somewhere safe. She still didn’t think this was truly his fault.”

“Havelock had seemed alarmed instead of relieved. Perhaps it was because he knew something.”

“The frothy flowered confection was as pretty as a sunrise, slender and light with billowing off-the-shoulder sleeves”

“Could you tell me where the exit is?” she asked politely

“I’m going to be very cross with Chaos, and then he’ll be very cross with you. So, let’s avoid all the crossness.”

“The last time she had visited with Jacks, they’d escaped by following steps”

“would have hated if Jacks had found it on her and realized that she’d been carrying around his old knife”

“Thankfully, Chaos believed in decorating with weapons”

“the mausoleum where she’d spent the night with Jacks. For a second, she felt a fresh shiver roll across her shoulders at the memory.”

“turned around, but she must have gone in the wrong direction again, for she found herself at a cliff’s edge”

“Evangeline froze, remembering the last time she’d heard hoofbeats”

“along with its rider. His shoulders were broad, his back was straight”

“she felt a strange and impossible pull toward him, one she had to fight, as she watched him from the shadows”

“Evangeline.” He called her name like a plea, one that tempted her to answer.

“Evangeline caught another glimpse of Apollo’s face through the trees. His entire expression was etched with something like heartache.”

“And the two of them were starting to feel doomed”

“But if you’re listening, help me, Evangeline.” His voice softened at her name.

“Find a way to break this spell that compels me to hunt you, and I promise, I’ll do nothing but protect you.”

“pulled out a golden arrow. It glowed under the moonlight, flickering as the prince’s hand shook.”

“If Jacks orchestrated this to make sure she had no one to depend on but—

A hand clamped over her mouth, and a powerful arm wrapped around her.

Don’t make a sound, Little Fox.”

“Not interested in biting me anymore? Jacks taunted”

“she didn’t let that distract her from slamming the back of her skull into Jacks’s face”

“She knew she wasn’t safe in Jacks’s arms”

“She could feel his rushing heartbeat against her back, a livid symphony”

Jacks crushed her harder to his chest. “I did not curse your husband to hunt you down and kill you.”

“I just thought being stabbed would be preferable to being dead.”

“Jacks released her roughly.

Evangeline staggered forward. He caught her arm, steadying her”

“the Archer from her favorite childhood story”

“But she was still a fox, and suddenly, she knew why Apollo was hunting her”

“I swear, Little Fox, that someone is not me.”

“But what was the mistake—trusting Jacks or running from him?”

“Jacks’s eyes flashed. He looked as if he wanted to stop her. But he just stood there with his hands clenched into fists.”

“The sound of his horse fiercely galloping toward her.

Run, Little Fox!”

“she was already running, as fast as her poor battered feet would”

“just long enough to see him give her a broken look and aim an arrow”

“she was headed in the worst direction, toward the impending cliff face”

“Jump!” Jacks yelled

“Then hold on.” He wrapped a strong arm around her waist, and together they fell.

“She thrashed on instinct, but Jacks held her tightly. His arms were unyielding, dragging her up.”

“He held her close and carried her from the ocean as if his life depended on it instead of hers”

“I will not let you die.” A single bead of water dripped from Jacks’s lashes onto her lips.

“the look in his eyes held the force of a storm”

“the crescent moon burned brighter with each second, lining the edges of Jacks’s cheekbones as he looked at her with too much intensity”

“The crashing ocean felt suddenly quiet in contrast to her pounding heart, or maybe it was his heart”

“Jacks’s chest was heaving, his clothes were soaked, his hair was a mess”

“in that moment, Evangeline knew he would carry her through more than just freezing waters”

“for one brittle heartbeat, Evangeline understood why so many girls had died from his lips”

“if he hadn’t set her up for murder, she might have been a little bewitched by him”

“I’m not kidnapping you,” Jacks grumbled.

“Jacks’s damp chest pressed against her”

“Water dripped down from his golden hair”

“Jacks’s voice turned heated”

“ensure you didn’t die, I would do it”

“especially when she could still feel his heart beating just as furiously as hers”

“They said there were no visitors other than you and me.”

“Water dripped from Jacks’s golden hair, catching the moonlight”

“a fallen prince who refused to break”

“She managed to retrieve one of the arch’s four missing stones before the Protectorate chopped off her head.”

“Jacks’s arms. They were cool as he held her on his lap.”

“I’ve got you,” he said. The way he spoke was so gentle.

“What surprised her was how pleasant it suddenly was. How safe it felt to be so close to him.”

“the way she could feel Jacks’s heart now, as she let herself rest her head on his chest.

He gave her a smile both beautiful and depraved.”

“You talk in your sleep,” he drawled. “You said my name—a lot.”

“It didn’t look that way to me, Little Fox, and I was here all night.”

“Her heart pitter-pattered at the thought that he’d watched as she’d slept”

“Don’t fret, I won’t tell your husband that you’re obsessed with me.”

“And don’t worry, I won’t tell Apollo that I caught you carrying around my knife, either.”

“long slit sleeves she’d always thought of as romantic, sheer and a very soft shade of pink”

“covered in an intricate series of braided rose-gold cords”

“layers of impossibly thin fabric, dusted with hints of sparkle, flowed out to form the skirt”

“his arms being safe was clearly a delusion”

He tossed the dress at her face.

“Jacks!”

Jacks flashed a dazzling smile, curving and perfect and utterly cruel. “I’m flattered you’ve taken such an interest in my wants. But you really should start thinking about your husband more than me.”

Jacks snapped back. “Ballads never end happily, everyone knows that.”

“Jacks stopped tossing the apple and stabbed it with the dagger”

“she did want to break the Archer’s curse—she needed to break it, or she would spend the rest of her life running”

“She supposed in a way it was a sort of ever after. The curses linked the two of them inextricably”

“their lives would forever be intertwined, but this wasn’t the way she wanted them to be together”

“yet she could tell he was genuinely pleased”

“But I’m not getting dressed while you’re in here.”

“That’s too bad,” Jacks murmured.

“Evangeline was grateful he could not see her sudden blush”

“Jacks whistled merrily as he and Evangeline walked down the low-lit hall together”

“she hadn’t expected it to make him this kind of unabashedly happy”

“Jacks was all dimples and whistles”

“You’re staring.”

“He took a slow bite of the fruit, eyes darkening as they slowly slid from her lips to her neck, following the exposed line of it down”

“tracing the golden lines with his eyes”

“You started it with your stare,” he murmured

“I’d still like to know. Maybe you’re used to people trying to kill you, but I’m not.”

“Jacks pulled out his dagger, stabbed her finger, and grinned”

“the jewel inside shone brighter, throwing glimmers of pink and gold across the room”

“The gem didn’t sparkle so brightly in his gloved hand. It needed to be hers.”

“Not a good idea, Little Fox.” Jacks’s hands banded around her.

“Jacks took a hand from her waist and wrapped it around her neck”

“She sagged against Jacks’s grip. Her skin felt flushed, her breath was uneven, and Jacks’s hands were still on her.”

“she felt his knuckles softly brush against the underside of her breast”

“It didn’t do anything to me,” chimed Jacks.

“Only because the luck stone makes people reckless, and you’re always reckless.”

“But I thought you could die?” Evangeline asked.

“Why? Planning on murdering me?”

“She remembered the feel of Jacks’s heartbeat, furious against hers, as he’d dragged her out of the ocean”

“whatever it took to save her”

“And truth—” Jacks smirked. “The truth is never what you want it to be, Little Fox.”

“the words flickering before her eyes just for daring to glance at them”

“how many she could collect before she died as well”

“Little Fox,

Had to leave. Things to do.

Try not to die while I'm gone.

-J”

“And how badly he’d wanted her alive, yet he’d just left her, alone”

“Despite Jacks’s note, she kept expecting him to softly walk up beside her or to saunter through a secret door”

“The library was quiet without his teasing, or his laughter”

“the Valors built the Valory, sealed something inside of it, and then their heads were all chopped off”

“ending the Age of the Valors and ushering in the Age of Great Houses”

“good always beat out evil, honor was always rewarded, and fairytales always ended happily”

“Most mourned the great Valor family, but few let it show, for fear the Great Houses would slay them as well”

“Acadian was Apollo’s surname, and reading it made her picture him, sitting atop his hunting horse”

“But what if this curse went on too long? Who would Apollo be then?”

“home to enchanted square fairs, magical foxes”

“The title twisted as she read it, some of the letters turning into branches, others transforming into weapons”

“so excited someone had finally picked it up that it didn’t know what to say”

“Only, like the vampire, the book was gone.

All that remained was a fluttering piece of paper.”

“A little dragon was pictured under the words One for Luck”

“And Jacks … She tried not to think about Jacks. Evangeline didn’t like the way it hurt.”

“maybe she was curious to see if it mentioned Jacks as well”

“Evangeline imagined there was an invitation waiting for her at Wolf Hall, and she felt a longing to accept it”

“Evangeline would have wanted to be there. She just wanted to be anywhere. With anyone.

Even Jacks would have been welcome company.”

“If Jacks were there, he’d undoubtedly say the idea was too dangerous. But Jacks was gone.”

“pity for Tiberius. She told herself it was silly to feel bad for the person who’d tried to kill her”

“he hadn’t been murderous, he’d been in despair”

“She dug into the basket of bread she’d brought for Tiberius”

“Vampires were surprisingly careless with their weapons”

“The dagger she’d chosen was gold, with pretty pink gems on the hilt and a tip that sparkled”

“After a silent apology to Apollo, who was now bleeding as well”

“She didn’t know how many stones she asked. It felt as if she’d tried to talk to the entire base of the Tower before one helpful stone.”

“she could hear Jacks’s voice. This is your worst idea yet, Little Fox.”

“in case Jacks knocked or slipped through the crack”

“She’d offer him some bread. They’d chat. She’d tell him he could help save his brother.”

“Even in prison, he hadn’t lost his princely bearing”

“I’d offer you some,” he said, “but I don’t have any poison to add to it.”

“In fact, I came here to tell you some good news. Your brother, Apollo, is alive.”

“Do you really think I’d come here just to tell you a lie?”

“She’d watched him weep and fall to pieces over his brother”

“scored four words into her skin.

WHERE ARE YOU APOLLO?”

“Are you mad?” Tiberius asked

“carved back words until she bled.

DON’T LOOK FOR ME”

“Tiberius ran a hand over his face, paler than before.”

#quotes #ouabh #jacks #evajacks

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strawberryhierophant · 1 year ago

Text

Anger is a Wound

Do you remember the guy who shot you the finger after cutting you off in traffic? Almost certainly, your first thought was something like, "What a jerk."

Your language was likely more colorful, but the point is you perceived this person as a problem.

And he was, in a very real way. His actions were dangerous, and could have caused a serious problem for you. He could have caused a wreck. It is understandable that this person made your angry.

But is it justified? Is anger ever justified? That's a juicy problem for another time...

For the moment, I just want you to consider this:

When people cause problems for us, we tend to think of them as having problems. We rarely think of them as wounded.

My point here is not to justify the guy who cut you off in traffic, but to get you to interrupt the anger before it blooms. There's a famous quote, a cliché at this point, that anger is a poison that corrodes the vessel which holds it.

Similarly, Carrie Fisher famously said that resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. The same is true of anger. It behooves us to stop anger dead in its tracks anytime it rears its venomous little head. And you don't stomp it out; you identify it, acknowledge it, and choose to step around it.

It's hard. It's work. In the moment, it can be difficult to do without some type of trick or technique. And that's what I'm hoping to offer you.

Most of the things that anger us involve hostile people in our lives — the backbiting co-worker, or the rude barista, or the dog-owner who snapped at you when his little pooch attacked your dog at the dog park.

Okay, that last one was me, I admit it.

At any rate, these people can attack you. They do so in various ways. It may seem that they have problems. But nobody started out that way. Nobody started out as a backbiter; they habitually fell into a pattern of behavior as a response to events in their own lives.

Angry people are trapped. When they lash out, they are lashing out at the bars on their cage. Some of them actually feel regret after doing so. They go home and think about you, and how they were such jerks for blowing up at you without reason.

Others have long forgotten that there is an alternative to anger. And this is actually a more pitiful case. These people don't deserve your retaliation. They deserve your sympathy. Something is wrong with them. But the problem isn't in their essence. It is in their experience. Something in their lives went wrong and warped them.

I know, because it happened to me.

It's important to remember that, when Anger enters your life, it's your choice whether or not you step into its cage. One way to stop it is to find the humanity in those who are most hostile to us. And the best way to do this is to remember:

This person does not have a problem. This person has a wound.

#self love #self care #self help #anger #anger issues

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mystycalypso · 2 months ago

Text

Admittedly, I was going to include a link to the video originally so people could follow along with my counter arguments a little better, but it felt like it'd be awkward to start and stop the video to read since- they jump around a lot and I didn't want to give them more views ngl.

It'd probably also be a little more sensible with the knowledge of the first rant, and honestly, I totally recommend people read it just because I went way further into PV's side of things, especially for episodes like Carl and how Shadowy taking over is not only heavily implied (something I really want to go over is just how different say, PKO is from Shadowy Venomous, and from PV himself) but outright stated via the red description text saying quote:

Venomous is Gone

Shadowy has overtaken Venomous

which I admittedly skipped over because I didn't want to sound redundant or focus this one too heavily on him directly, more so how his kids were treated. (It also has a lot more on how I think villainy helped Venomous become a more stable person and start healing. Evil is very based in this universe, and I am. Very jealous)

I think if K.O. was older, their relationship would also be less black and white (or heck if we'd gotten that spin off and movie, haha) but 6-11 year olds can't be expected to fully understand why their dad isn't the nicest person, or why the man he used to be is probably why his mom is so good at comforting and helping you out now. And I wish we could've seen if, eventually, he would still want PV in his life, even if it was after him and boxman retired. Maybe a holiday special or something.

When I was ranting online to Kaydin, the closest comparison I could make was Rose Quartz... except instead of watching her healing in reverse, we're watching it as a mirror, a reflection even if one side of that mirror is morally grey as hell.

(ALSO! Can I just say, anyone under the idea that shadowy was under control all of Carl, or that Venomous purposefully made Carl stronger...)

Look at this man's face. He is just as bewildered that that failed as his kid, and K.O isn't even looking at him the entire time he's got this shocked face so we know it wasn't a farce to trick K.O.

This is the face of a man realizing he should really label his vague af looking pink containers. ...Maybe label makers are too intense of technology for him too.

But yeah uh, shameless self plug to read my first PV rant, I suppose (and who knows maybe I will make a third one going into PV's different designs, the autism community seems to like these. Or maybe I'll set up a mic, script something out and rant in audio form instead. Who knows!)

Venomous Rant PART 2 BABY!

Hoooo boy, weren't expecting this were you? Unless... Unless you saw my post from earlier about uh, about a video that might be cause for a rant. In which case...hi.

ANYWAY time to talk about Venomous' parenting, with the help of notes I took on a video titled "The WORST Dad in Cartoon History" And unlike them, who avoided details about him in order to keep things in more sequential order, I will be bringing up spoilers as needed. Alright let's get into this. (Cob, Kaydin might be right...maybe I should just make a video about him wheeze)

Now to get something out of the way, god I hate clickbait titles like this. My autistic ass will think you're genuinely trying to call him the absolute worst when that clearly isn't the case.

I also can tell they don't fully understand him from the get go, because despite calling him their favorite, they seem to miss some rather obvious character details, such as his calm and cold demeanor being- his actual personality.

They even mess up his backstory which I didn't think was possible to the extent they did. I'll get this out of the way as quickly as I can, because it's important to some things that will get brought up later, especially if you didn't see my first rant, and even if you did some of this is new info from further analyzing this show like a psycho. (Shoutout my Boyfriend @benisbeaaaaans for tolerating my insanity)

Laserblast's issues were not just as general as low self esteem and power hunger, it's heavily implied that he had severe imposter syndrome about his powers and his place in the team. Aside from his helmet, his powers limited him to a support hero, and the way his death was treated outside of P.O.I.N.T implies that he was beloved not for his actions and heroism, but for his looks. Even the newspapers describing his death state "Hot hero will be missed" And while yes he is objectively one of the most attractive characters in the show, vanity is never a point of contention for him. He cared about how people saw him as a hero, and being seen as a pretty face rather than an actual valued part of the team can hurt anyone's mental health. Especially people with issues already.

Also, hearing Carol say he wasn't strong enough to survive the blast did not flip a switch from hero to villain in him immediately. That's not how people work. Even people with issues like Laser had. It DID cause him to go into hiding, because he knew at least he thought he knew, how she'd react, and that it would be even harder to do anything about his new disability if he went back to P.O.I.N.T. It's very likely he had a sort of lie planned for when he returned if he succeeded. But as far as he knew, he didn't. And so despite his failures, he found villain's not only cherishing his work, but practically worshipping him over it. And that, turned him to super villainy.

But getting into their actual points, Fink is addressed first. (For some reason they have this very odd need to call out how Fink is not related to him while K.O is, despite that not being really relevant to parenting? It's weird imo) They believe Venomous' parenting style for Fink while not as awful as they see it with K.O is still awful and seriously damaging. And i simply can't agree.

We'll start with the part I took the screenshot for this rant from, All in the Villainy, struggling to find a way to get their children to get along, Venomous comes up with the punishment to... get them presents. This is not a healthy way to punish your children and proves that Venomous simply caves to his daughter at a moments notice. ...Well except-

Something their video didn't mention is that this isn't the first thing they tried to help Darrell and Fink bond, even in this episode. Matching with the theme of the "Voxy Bunch" opening, the idea of making kids share a bedroom to get along is very sitcom tropey, but usually works out in the end. However this isn't a sitcom and things...don't go well.

And to give them credit, he does disagree with Boxman's punishment idea only to offer presents. It's honestly a great showing of his softer spot for things he finds cute (a detail I'd like to thank @theromanticscrooge for pointing out) But I also think why he cares so much about Fink in particular goes beyond that.

This episode is the first time we see baby Fink, and also assumedly around the time Venomous first found her, and she's small, weak and powerless in a sewer.

Remind you of anyone?

Now honestly you could use this comparison as why he adopted her in the first place. Hell for all I know, it might be the canon reason. I don't stalk Ian on twitter for all those little questions that got asked after the cancelation.

You could even go an extra step forward, and say that a third reason he has such a bleeding heart for his daughter is the fact that she doesn't see their relationship as a parental one. She's adopted, and with the type of villainy her father does, I wouldn't be surprised if she sees their relationship as more transactional than anything else. (They use this idea as evidence that Fink is abused, but you really can't expect a child to immediately accept her adoptive parent as that, especially given Venomous' line of work. Like a lot of real kids, she's defensive about those overly personal terms just in case it doesn't work out and she loses him. And we didn't get enough episodes to know if this ever changes)

But alright, even if he's got a soft spot for her, that doesn't make gift giving a proper form of parenting. But in this case specifically, there's more to it. These gifts are just another bonding exercise, and one that worked on PV himself. Every time he's fed up with Boxman's actions, attacking the plaza reminds him of what's more important, the fun of destroying heroes. So it's not surprising he uses that same method to encourage his daughter and step son. And it works! Hell, after the merge is when we start to see bot combinations where they don't spend most of the time attacking each other, because it's way more fun to fight the heroes than each other!

Now, they do also discuss PV's gift giving as a parenting tactic in K.O. vs Fink, but it's a very... surface level understanding of why she's upset and the sadness of that whole situation.

It's important to mention that Shadowy Figure has become a slowly more consistent and persistent issue in the story by now. And in this episode especially we see him lurking around the sewers basically the entire episode, and we see the toll this takes on PV, as he starts the episode rather normal looking, reading something off his phone as he listens to his daughter rant about how much she hates K.O, to the end where he's practically laying across his desk, sweating and a visible mess.

Due to being shot by a love beam, and well, her general attachment to her father, she wants to spend time with him and asked him to bake her a cupcake. Now obviously they can't just have fink say she knows why her father is so drained and weak suddenly, but that doesn't change the fact that she definitely does know where this change comes from. (She even calls back to it in Let's get Shadowy) and like a lot of little kids, instead of just wanting to let it sit, she tries to offer her own solution. We can just bake it together! And like me with a migraine, he gets a bit snappy. (If you want to make this sadder, the whole "I'll call you if I need you" before she slumps off could definitely link to that fear of being in a transactional relationship, rather than a familial one.) But we see her go into her room which is now flooded with gifts from PV, she ignores every one, and crashes into her bed. Now, if this was the only context we had for their relationship, I'd totally agree, PV is terrible for ignoring his daughter and trying to make up for it by just giving her dozens of presents. But, this isn't the only context we have. And everything else we have shows that this is very much not the norm.

In "villain's night in" (One of my favorite Fink and Venomous episodes honestly) She goes on about what her and Venomous' relationship is like, grinning proudly as she goes on about how much her boss loves her and all the things they do together. And her gifts from the time seem to be a lot more personal and aimed towards her likes, like the movies she enjoys like lord of the loot.

After his meeting in "Boxman Crashes" she asks to drive the car for him, which means not only did he teach her to drive, something he clearly has an enjoyment of himself, but likely has a special setup that allows her to do so (Or maybe it's something similar to what Carol had to deal with with K.O, where she'd climb on him enough while he drove that he just decided to teach her to steer while he handles the rest) It's also in this scene where we learn he has he learning piano, which like other details show an active involvement in her life. He encourages creative hobbies like any other parent, attends her concerts even when it's just the Boxmore family and hell, and doesn't typically push her away. We also know all the gifts in that room are new because well, almost everything from their old lair was blown up. So... what gives with this scene?

Well Fink and I's arch nemesis that's what. Shadowy figure. Like I've said before, Shadowy has become more of an issue and more active. Even when he's not manipulating K.O. He's running his own work as a glorb dealer and assisting antiheroes like foxtail. Which means against his will, Venomous has been very active, and much less stable as himself. He doesn't know why he's become so much weaker in his day to day, all he does know is how it's impacting his ability to spend time with his daughter. And he's clearly trying to make up for this failure on his end with gifts. But while his presents used to be something special, something for her to be proud of and show off to her new step siblings, now all she can see is a reminder that she is slowly losing her father to this stranger. Sure by not telling him, Shadowy technically still let's him come back, but is it even worth it if the man that remains is a shell of the man he once was?

Now for the...less sad and more, annoying misunderstanding of relationships when it comes to his kids. K.O

This is something I had to explain to Kaydin when writing my- sorta OC for OK K.O as well, because it seems like people don't really get it at first, like, seriously most people don't seem to get this aspect of the show.

Villains and heroes in this world, are not just like the typical antagonist and protagonist in other shows/worlds. The correlation I like to use is, it's more like a job. Just about everyone in the world is either a hero or villain on some level. Doesn't matter if you're on this world, or planet X, or somewhere in between. That's why everyone (now that Kappas are allowed) can have a pow card. Because well, everyone has a special something that they can use to be a hero or a villain. People without powers are treated much like those with disabilities (Like Greyman after his accident)

With that being said, I think it's extremely stupid that people expected Venomous to be a saint towards his son.

"Oh but the K.O. Trap-" Yes yes, torturing your kid mentally isn't cool. And I'd agree more, if it was JUST K.O. he targeted. But it's not. It's never K.O. he target's alone. Sure he made a second round of goo clones for his son, but his son is also the strongest hero at Gar's, and making your enemy too shocked to attack you can only do better to protect yourself in a fight. The video brought up Boxman's attacks on the plaza as a comparison which, I find kind of funny because the show itself talks about how Boxman's villainy is treated more like a joke than ANY other villain's. PV is a SUPERvillain. When he's involved in fights against the bodegamen, theres's a chance they'll actually lose because he's stronger. And I'm going to be fully honest when I ask this, what did they want him to do otherwise? Would people have preferred Venomous to only attack Rad and Enid and just- give K.O a pat on the head every time they met? Wouldn't that be way more suspicious than, I dunno, treating your hero son like any other hero?

This is going to be a weird comparison, but he's there as a very similar lesson to Chameleon Senior. (Stay with me here, I BEG)

Chameleon Jr is hero aligned, and we can assume his father is the same from how close they are, and yet Chameleon Jr. is a rude bully of a kid, and his father picks fights with other parents over basically nothing. Good aligned people, who do less than good things. PV is an villain aligned man, capable of some of the most evil things K.O.'s ever seen (Minus the planet eating Cosmas did really-) and yet despite it all, he's capable of good. He tries to do good for both of his kids. (And yes, he did ACTUALLY try to get rid of Shadowy, but that's basically what my whole last rant was about so we won't go much into that again. Seriously the only reason people believe that he didn't is because Shadowy said so, and WHY WOULD YOU TRUST SHADOWY ON THAT?!) He does his best to bond with K.O. despite still being evil. Because what K.O. is too young to really understand, (But these reviewers shouldn't be) is that not everyone is meant to be a hero. The stress of being a big hero made Laserblast seriously depressed and tired of the life he had. So did big name villainy. Sometimes people in this world are destined to fight a few heroes, getting blown up, and run with the constant back and fourth of classic evil because that's what's most fun for them.

And honestly? I think the fact that in "Carl" K.O believes he was wrong about Venomous and that he was only being manipulated and TKO took over only to ACTUALLY get used and manipulated by Shadowy, only makes me believe further that Venomous did try and actually get rid of him for his kids.

And sure, while everything that happened with Shadowy hasn't made K.O and his father's relationship better, it's also silly to me how the video acts like K.O hates him after simply because we don't see them hanging out together after it.

I mean, even after making his wish and meeting with the president of the universe, he asks what happened to them, and when he sees them laughing and destroying together, do you know what this kid says? "Good for them!" Because K.O. understands what happened after a lot more than most people will. And seeing that just like himself, even after literally coughing out Shadowy, he takes responsibility for the damages. And while they might never see eye to eye alignment wise, they still have a lot in common.

Is PV meant to be the perfect dad? Obviously not. Part of the arc he never fully got to complete due to the series' cancelation is the downside of healing while raising kids. But saying he's this awful abusive man to his kids is erasing all that he is, and all that he has done.

Maybe that's part of the reason I enjoy drawing him and writing what could've been so much. Seeing a person trying to heal so badly get cut off right as he truly starts to is devastating, and knowing that that arc never fully got to be explored means that some people will never fully understand this character is even worse. I love this old man and his family. And I hope some day, despite the odds of how media works in this shitty capitalist world, he gets his wedding, and his family gets the fully fleshed out ending they all deserve.

#but yeah uh #I like how evil he is #him and boxy are evil in the way I like making my sona in every universe #he's such a complicated and weird man #and I get why he didn't get more focus pre reveal as it would've been suspicious #but man #I really wish this show hadn't gotten canceled.

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