#《 even if her relationship with them is purely Transactional 》
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birdhcuse · 2 months ago
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Teagan and The DiMarcos
The first DiMarco Teagan met wasn't Jewel...
...it was Emil.
It was just after they'd been orphaned. Teagan was hungry and, having no money, decided to grab a fruit from a stand while no one was looking.
Emil (who was 16 at the time, by the way) walked up to Teagan, took the fruit out of their hands, and called them a bad bird. The first words they've heard in a language they could understand since they lost their parents and it was this big teenager calling them BAD.
Teagan internalized this, hard. They never tried to steal again, even if they absolutely needed to. There were times Teagan was extremely malnourished (mainly in that awkward gap where they were too old to be considered "cute", but too young to be of any use in the workforce). They're still technically underweight, despite what their body issues and people around them have to say about it.
Emil doesn't like Teagan (even before Jasper entered the picture). He thinks they're a bad influence on Jewel and considers them a pervert for not wearing pants. (Teagan has a hard time finding pants in their size and people look at them funny if they wear dresses in public, so they've resigned to walking around pantless.) Emil probably would've forgotten about the "bad bird" thing by then, but he doesn't trust them for other reasons. Mainly because he's an overprotective big brother, but also because they give him Bad Vibes (and Teagan being mean to Jasper confirms the Bad Vibes for Emil). [Side note: Teagan would be SO PISSED if they heard Emil was giving Jasper free tutoring sessions in Brazilian Portuguese, because Emil was always "too busy" every time they've asked.]
Teagan met Jewel through the cooperative. She's the first "friend" they've allowed themselves to have and the dynamic is pretty uneven. Despite trying their best to be a Good Friend, nothing they do is good enough for Jewel and Emil. Since they've learned to blame themselves from their caregivers and still has the "bad bird" thing internalized, Teagan believes they're Right to see them as Bad and what they're doing isn't Good Enough. Then, Jewel started to stand Teagan up more once Jasper entered the picture. Jasper's more fun, Jasper is Nicer, Jasper isn't a buzzkill—it drives Teagan bonkers.
Teagan's alright with Azula. They're kinda annoyed that she keeps misgendering them (Azula doesn't get nonbinary people), but she doesn't treat them like they're Horrible, so they'll take what they can get. Azula mainly uses them as a babysitter. She pays them a decent rate though. (Teagan is one of the only people who has enough patience to handle Gilda, so Azula will do what she can to keep a reliable babysitter.)
Teagan has no relationship with Evita because they can't understand anything she says. Evita just knows them as "the babysitter".
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salemlunaa · 2 months ago
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☀︎it’s not transactional ☀︎
stop looking at methods as a unit of currency…
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When people speak of relationships, they say it shouldn’t be transactional because that’s toxic. For example just because your boyfriend/girlfriend has done something nice for you doesn’t mean you owe him or her sex. And the same goes for your relationship with manifesting, you aren’t owed your desires just because you did some method? And why? because you already have them.
Stop seeing methods as if it’s some unit of exchange!! what it’s not:
you do the method →you get your manifestation
you affirm “I AM” →you induce the void state
you listen to that one subliminal →you have your dream body
It’s not something that you exchange, it’s not “I give my time and effort to this method and then in return I get my manifestation” stop seeing it like money. With money you give and you get something you paid for in return. That’s not how it works here because you don’t need to get something you already have and failure to understand will cost you a lot of time with your manifestations and will cost you a lot of blood sweat and tears that just don’t need to shed.
Methods don’t help you get things, the things you wanted were yours the second you wanted them to be. What methods do is remind you, because unfortunately we live in a society that drills a horrible way of thinking into our heads. Thinking that tells us that “nothing is free”, “you have to work for what you want”, “life isn’t fair”. And due to this thinking being instilled in us since forever, we need reminders, in a perfect world we would think of something and it would appear infront of us, but because of society, so much resistance has been created that we need reminders to brake those barriers, those reminders come in methods. And that’s all they are.
Now since i showed you what doesn’t happen, let me show you what actually happens:
you thought of it → it’s here → remind yourself with a method (optional) → stand firm (mandatory) → your already real desire appears in the 3d as a mere byproduct, the cherry on top if you will.
you are “I AM” → you set the intention to induce pure consciousness → you affirm “I AM” to remind yourself (optional) → you’ve induce pure consciousness, congrats
you are the operant power → you decide you want that body, it’s not desired anymore it’s just how you look → subliminal reminds you of that → appears in the 3d as a side effect
So do not come here and say “I tried this method and it failed me”, no. that’s just not possible. You failed to remind yourself and you wavered. Nothing to do with a lifeless method.
Let’s say you want to go to a certain destination? The method isn’t the car driving you there, it doesn’t help you get there, it doesn’t help you get anywhere. Because guess what? you were already at your dream destination, the method just helps you remember even when circumstances shows that your still in the unfavourable destination.
so please stop scrolling endlessly for the “best method”, because there is no method that objectively works better than the other, however there may be methods that help you stand a lot firmer. But you need to remember it’s individual, just because you saw a girl who did affirmations and got her dream life in a week doesn’t mean that will help you stand firm better, visualisation may help you achieve the favourable mindset a lot easier and quicker than a subliminal, everyone is different.
And that is why, you don’t need methods, when bloggers say “all you need is yourself” we’re not tryna give you some sappy motivation, it’s truth. You don’t need any method, at all.
☄️🐋 Methods are the reminder, not the booster or the helper… 💋
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voxslays · 1 month ago
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Could we get more Satan or Vassago Headcannons please?
ofc anon! I’ve never written for Vassago before, so I hope this is ok! I also included Blitzø and Stolas bc I love them. <3
HB MEN IN RELATIONSHIPS
Featuring >>> Blitzø, Satan, Stolas, & Vassago (separately) in a relationship with the reader.
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Satan
As we’ve seen in mastermind, this man has EXTREME anger issues. And while I doubt he would take it out on his S/O, that doesn’t mean he won’t take it out on the people looking at said S/O longingly. That’s right, this man is possessive. That guy over there who’s looking at you? What guy? He just threw him into the abyss.
Drinks energy drinks and eats a ton of protein. What’s for breakfast? A protein shake. Lunch? Greek Yogurt. Dinner? Chicken breasts. All extremely high protein.
Not good at comfort, but will let you cry on his shoulder…and then slip away to go murder whoever made you cry. Not on his watch.
Vassago
SPANISH BABY! Will sweet talk/call you pet names in Spanish. Corazón, Mi vida, Preciosa, Tesoro—you’ve heard them all in one way or another. It doesn’t matter if you actually speak Spanish or not—Vassago will teach you!
The two of you have extreme discussions (and gossiping sessions) about both the other Goetic demons and their beliefs. There is no way the night of Blitzø’s court trial Vassago didn’t come home and gossip with you about Andrealphus.
I headcannon Vassago and Stolas are friends or acquaintances in some way or another, so at some point the two of you will meet. You are eventually introduced to Via…and let’s just say you love her! (Platonically.)
Blitzø
Oh man. After years of being friends and earning his trust, you are now in the dating stage. Congrats. Blitzø has closed himself off from almost everyone, so him finally letting someone in is shocking to everyone around him—especially Loona.
You have to take baby steps. Although this imp loves you to the moon and back, he hasn’t been in a committed relationship (not counting Stolas bc they are purely transactional) since Verosika, which ended horribly—because of him.
On the topic of Stolas, I’m not sure if they would stop their transactions. Blitzø needs that book, and depending on Stolas’ mood on loosing the love of his life (his non-requited love is so tragic), he could either give Blitzø the Asmodean crystal like he does in the show and let him be free, or he could be a total asshole about it. Blitzø would feel terrible about it either way. Poor baby.
Stolas
Our beloved owl. Before you two even get together, there is a LOT of yearning from him. He will dramatically stare out of windows thinking of your guys’ future.
Once the two of you get together, he will immediately introduce you to his daughter. And although he worries that the two of you will dislike eachother, you love eachother! The two of you actually get really close and Via eventually accepts you as a new mother of sorts, since I doubt Stella was good to her.
Stolas will find a way to bring you up in any and every conversation. ‘Oh! My beloved partner can do this and that!’ He is completely head over heels in love with his S/O. You’d better not break his precious heart.
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weasleyreidstyles · 1 year ago
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Serendipity
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chapter six
summary: it was only meant to be a purely transactional relationship. he would help her strengthen her abilities in return for her getting his friends out of his father's nasty path. he didn't mean to fall for her, but loving her was the easiest thing in his dark world.
no use of y/n, but your general nickname is Meadow. all characters are aged up to be over 18.
pairings: mattheo riddle x fem!ravenclaw reader; platonic!slytherins x fem!reader; platonic!golden trio x fem!reader
warning(s): 18+ content, light smut, oral (fem receiving), fingering, mentions of curses and dark magic
series masterlist; previous part; next part
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You both silently stared at eachother, surrounded by the knickknacks in the Room of Requirement.
"You look like you're thinking awfully hard." you say in a teasing whisper.
"I'm trying to figure out if that really just happened, or if the weed has fogged up my brain." he replies in with a huffed laugh. You laugh and step a little closer to him so that you're chest to chest and you stare up into his eyes as you smile. Gods, he was so fucking tall.
I can assure you, it was very real.
He smirked.
So you wouldn't mind if I did it again?
He kissed you with fervour. You felt insatiable; you felt like an addict, longing for more of his touch.
Mattheo. He groaned when you mentally whined his name.
You sound so pretty, sweetheart.
His hands trailed from your hips to your shoulders, until they cradled your face, bringing you even closer so he could deepen the kiss. Then, almost as if he didn't know where to settle them, his hands trailed back down, past your hips to the curve of your bum, cupping the underside of your thighs.
"Jump for me." he mumbles as his grip tightens. You do as he says and he brings your face to his level, causing your arms to briefly squeeze at his shoulders before you loosen them and bring your palms to cradle his face, angling your's to a better position. He groans, moving his lips to the long column of your neck; you tilt your head to the side to give him more access.
You drive me mad, sweetheart. Gods I don't think I'll ever be able to stop.
Then don't. You whimper as his teeth graze a particularly sensitive spot on your neck.
"Tell me you want this." he mumbles, licking and sucking at your sensitive skin.
"I want this- Gods I want you so badly." your reply is delayed as you lose yourself in the euphoric feeling of him. Suddenly you're spun around and dropped, rather unceremoniously, on the plush velvet cushions of the chaise lounge that Mattheo was utilising before you came in; he was towering over you, leaning on his strong forearms that were positioned on either side of your head.
He presses forward and kisses your lips softly, gently trailing them down your chin, to your neck, his body moving to hover over your's so that his hands could toy with the fabric of your blue and bronze tie. Silently asking if he can remove the obstacle in the form of your school uniform and you happily oblige, shoving away at your robe sleeves as he meticulously undoes the knot of your tie. You repeat the same motion with the emerald and silver tie donning his collar and fight to remove the buttons from the holes of his shirt which leaves an open view of his stunningly sculpted abdominals that ripple against supple, tanned skin.
Patience, sweetheart. He says, his voice echoing in every crevice of your mind. Smooth and silky like honey.
He kisses you again before his mouth travels south, his fingers deftly removing your arms from the sleeves of your shirt once he got the buttons undone.
"Gods. You're a criminal for hiding all of this from me, sweetheart." He mumbles into the skin of your collarbone, onyx eyes staring up at you under his long lashes, desire deepening steadily.
You furrow your brows. "What?"
He sucks a deep mark into your skin before soothing it with his tongue.
"Your body is divine, Meadow." he groans as he kisses along the strap of your bra, one hand travelling behind your back and lifting your body up, with your help, so that he can unclip it, with unsurprisingly accurate precision.
Mattheo moves even further down your body, hands beginning to massage the sensitive skin of your thighs as he spreads them apart, flipping the fabric of your skirt up. He's pressing kisses at your naval now, following a path from the bottom of your belly button to the edge of your panties. He huffs a laugh at the fact that you had coincidentally decided on wearing a lacy dark green pair that day.
Piss off. Your voice is a low grumble in the forefront of his mind, which only makes him laugh more. But he sobers quickly, pressing a kiss to where your clit sits under the cover of your panties. He teases you like that for a long minute: presses kisses to and massages the sensitive area, watching you with hawk-like eyes as you squirm under his hold.
Your whines and moans spurred him on, so he continued until you were practically begging for him to do something...anything more.
"What's the magic word, sweetheart?" he teases, his voice a low, taunting rasp.
"Please." you mumble with a whimper. Matt-"
That's seemingly all it takes for his resolve to crack and he practically tears the underwear from your body, throwing up somewhere behind him. Immediately, he buries his face in your core, using his tongue to lap up the wetness that had begun to pool there, thumb brushing sensually against your clit.
Gods. You're so wet. 'S this all for me? You can't see his expression from where he's devouring you whole, but you can feel and hear the smirk in his voice.
"Yes!" He was so good. So effortlessly good that you didn't know if you'd exclaimed out loud or in your head. It was so overwhelmingly good.
He lapped at your centre like you were the first meal he'd had in days, and when you felt a familiar tightening in your core, he seemed to become more feral, transcending from a man starved, to something entirely more alluring.
When he used two of his fingers to scissor you open while his thumb nimbly rubbed fast circles on your clit, you came with a shout, curling over his body, and yanking at the mop of unruly black curls atop his head. He groaned and you keened from the overstimulation as he carried on, speed increasing in fervour as he kissed, sucked and licked at your most sensitive parts.
"Matt- Théo, please! T-too much! Ah!" you were reduced to a babbling and whining mess as he took his fill from you, hands tracing soothing circles against your thighs as he brought you through your climax.
When he finally relented, you were panting from exhaustion, eyes glazed with lust and skin shiny with sweat. When you looked at him, you all but melted into a puddle of desire: his mouth and chin was slick with your cum and he was slowly sucking the fingers he'd had inside you, not thirty seconds ago. Gods he was so fucking attractive.
You weren't even ashamed to be openly oggling him as he used his discarded wand to summon a couple flannels to clean you both up.
"You taste heavenly, sweetheart." he mumbles as he presses another kiss to your lips. You moan when you taste yourself on his tongue. You want more. You want him.
"No. The first time I fuck you will be in a bed, sweetheart. Not some old chaise lounge in the middle of a room that anyone can walk into." he says with a smirk as you narrow your eyes at him, but your face only holds a sort of satiated amusement.
"Get out of my head, you dick." you let out an airy giggle as he flicks your forehead lightly.
It all feels so...domestic. Completely flipping what you thought you knew about him. But you suppose you'd learnt more about him in the weeks you'd spent in his presence than you had in the entire almost six years you'd been at Hogwarts.
You'd never seen this side of him before, however.
"If you tell a soul, I'll have to do unspeakable things to you." he says, smirking as he unapologetically rifles through your recent thoughts, but you find that you really don't care.
"What sort of unspeakable things?" you ask, a teasing lilt to your tone.
He only chuckles, that wicked smirk gracing his features.
"One day, you'll find out, but not today. We need to talk." The serious tone of his voice washes away any of the warm, bubbly feelings you had garnered at his response to a possible repeat of whatever had just transpired. Sobering you up from your lust-driven state immediately.
~∞~
As you both go through the motions of sorting yourselves out properly, you're relieved that the atmosphere, at the very least, isn't an awkward one. Once you're in your uniform once again, creases smoothed out, tie neat and pristine, arms folded across your chest, Mattheo guides you through the meandering trails that littered the Room of Requirement, until you come across something akin to a library – towering bookshelves and a cosy looking sofa, complete with an old mahogany coffee table.
"Sit down, Princess." he says softly, and you do as he says, watching as he walks to the nearest bookshelf and reaches for a book on a particularly high shelf, titled A History of Curses and Dark Magic, Volume Three.
"What are we going to read eachother post-coital stories now too?" you scoff with an unsatisfied scowl on your face.
"Not quite." he chuckles at your put-out expression. "I've spent the last week researching different curses and forms of detecting dark magic." He sits beside you, thigh brushing against your's. "And I think I've found out what's happening to you."
Curiously you take the book from his hand. It was old, heavy. The pages were beginning to brown and tear at the edges, the spine cracked insurmountably.
"What did you find out?" you ask, turning to look at him, to find him staring at the column of your neck, where he'd left a mirage of love bites and hickeys. You smirk as he mumbles a basic healing charm, watching the way his face sours when the marks magically fade away.
"Can you show me what happened when Dumbledore gave you the ring you told me about?" he questions, bumping his thigh to your's. "Open your your mind to that memory, like I taught you."
You do as he says, closing your eyes and allowing the vivid memory to take ahold in your mind, your own voice a distorted echo as you feel Mattheo's presence permeating the memory.
"Interesting." Dumbledore says as he pulls an old signet ring from his deep robe pocket, holding it out for you to take. You watch imperceptibly as Mattheo narrows his eyes on the ring, his ring.
"Can you tell me what you feel when you touch this, please?" Dumbledore's voice echoes in your mind. You do as he says and take the ring into your hands. Twisting it around your fingers, allowing your magic to swirl around it before it burns your fingers. You drop it in an instant. That same cold, tingling feeling you felt when Blaise rotated the necklace washed over you right afterward.
"It's cursed?" you asked, looking up at the Headmaster for confirmation, who is staring at you with knowing, inquisitive eyes.
"Something like that, yes." he says, his decaying hand twitches in response. You watch as the ring seems to vibrate in your lap, something that was amiss to you in the original moment.
You suck in a breathe when you're both forced from the memory. Mattheo is looking between you and the book curiously.
"The way your magic surrounded the ring. It's beautiful." he says. "It's one of seven, you know. I have one and the other five are in the manor."
The signet ring on his hand, that you never seemed to notice before, glints in the dim light of the room, the insignia is identical to the one in Dumbledore's possession.
"Seven rings?"
"No, seven heirlooms. Two rings and five other things that I've never been allowed to touch. They're all quite ugly actually, never had any use for them."
"I don't think the ring is ugly." you say, taking ahold of his hand to bring the ring closer to your face. "It's weird. I felt the energy in the one Dumbledore gave me the second he walked into the room, as well as in the memory itself. This one feels....lifeless."
"The book says it has something to do with different magical cores." Mattheo explains and you nod in understanding.
"You can do wandless magic just as well as you can do non-verbal magic." a statement, not a question. as if he already knows the answer and just wants to hear proof. "But wandless magic takes even the greatest witch or wizard years to master." he continues. "I've seen your development. It took you mere months to master that skill."
"Stalking me now, Riddle?" you tease, but when he doesn't entertain your jokes, your smirk drops. "What are you insinuating?"
"Where do you draw your magic from when you perform wandless magic?"
It's a bit of a taboo in the wizarding world. If you told your friends about the source of power you use, you'd surely be looked at like you were insane, specifically by Hermione who would've surely come across this sort of thing in her mountains of extracurricular reading. But you had grown frustrated when the only progress you'd made upon teaching yourself the throes of wandless magic, was lifting a quill an inch into the air for less than a second. The magic you utilised instead is highly unstable when used incorrectly, and it's borderline illegal in the minds of few people, namely those in the Ministry who specialised in Magical Cores. It teetered on the edge of unassailable power – something most people wouldn't dare mess with.
"I draw it from the air." you mumble, turning away from him, ashamed. "I know it's unconventional. I tried using my own magical core, but it never seemed to work. I did it on accident the first time, but I was successful. Then when I tried again the conventional way, it didn't work. I don't abuse the power, only borrow."
He tilts his head as realisation seems to seep into his features.
"Show me?" he asks, squeezes softly your hand with his large one that you're still holding, unconsciously.
You nod, hesitantly shifting your gaze to the book in his lap. You focus on drawing from the energy surrounding the old hardback, watching as the swirls of your magic, invisible to the boy beside you, intertwined with with potent magic supplied by the Room's core. You felt a rush of power surge through you as the book begin to levitate from Mattheo's lap, only to fly into your awaiting palm. You inhaled sharply at the prickly feeling the magic left coarsing through your veins.
"Incredible." he mumbles as he stares between his lap and the book that you now had in your grip. "And you did that using the magic in the air, not your own?"
You nod. "It always leaves a minute lasting effect afterwards, sort of like a consequence of using another magical source. There has to be a balance. If I do it too much I begin to feel a little dizzy, but I've never fainted like I did in the Wing last week."
"I was right." he mutters to himself, nodding his head, his lips quirking. You raise a brow at him.
"Care to share with the rest of the class?" you question, sarcastically.
"You're a syphon, love."
You sit there for a moment, silently contemplating his words. A syphon. A rare ability among few witches over the centuries; even rarer than a seer.
"How'd you come to that conclusion?"
"I wasn't sure until you showed me how you draw power from the air around you."
When your face drops to a confused frown he draws your body into his, lifting you so that you're sat on his lap, facing him.
"Listen. This isn't a bad thing. It's far from a bad thing. Trust me, sweetheart." he reassures. It's obvious to you that he knows something that you don't.
"What aren't you telling me?" you mumble, hands reaching to mess with the curls at the nape of his neck.
"When its safe for you to know, I'll tell you I promise. But for the sake of saving my friends-"
"And you." you interrupt, but he only shakes his head.
"For the sake of my friends, I can't tell you until the time is right."
"And when will that be? After you ghost me for another week? A month?" you sigh. "Is that what you're going to do when we walk out of here?"
He sighs deeply, his hold on your hips tightening ever so slightly as he brings you closer to him.
"That was a mistake on my part, sweetheart. You make me feel things that I was certain I wouldn't ever feel. I'm truely sorry."
He seals the apology with a long, breathtaking kiss, which momentarily leaves you unable to speak.
~∞~
Some hours later, you're sat beside Hermione at the Gryffindor table for dinner, Harry sat opposite you both. Ron was further down the table with Lavender Brown practically in his lap, the former of your friends sending poorly hidden glares his way.
"How's befriending Professor Slughorn going, Harold?" you ask, taking a sip out of your bronze goblet. After Dumbledore's visit last week, you sought out your three friends and demanded answers regarding Slughorn and Harry. But much like you, Dumbledore wasn't being as straightforward with the Chosen One as he thought he would be, especially after the miscommunication of last year, which inadvertently got Harry's Godfather killed.
"Not brilliantly." Harry mumbled as he stabbed his fork into his chicken.
Hermione scoffed.
"He's completely understating." she said. "It's going abysmally."
"Well, what methods have you used to get the information?" you ask, incredulously. How difficult was it to get information out of a man who spent his free time in the pub drinking away his sobriety?
Harry stammered as he tried to think of a reply and you balked at him.
"You didn't just outright ask him did you? Harry are you an idiot?" He gaped at you as Hermione snickered behind her goblet.
"Dumbledore showed me the half-memory that Slughorn gave him. There's a vital piece of information missing." he cringed as your face morphed into further disbelief. He knew that you knew he'd done the complete opposite of the logical thing to do.
"Don't tell me you tried to play out the memory with him, when Voldemort's own son could have been eavesdropping from fifty feet away?" you snapped, feeling entirely not guilty for dragging Mattheo's name into it. What does that say about the person you've began transitioning into?
"I'm not an idiot." he ignored your deadpan look, shaking his head he rambled on. "I sought him out after our last potions lesson, when everyone had left."
He stopped abruptly, turning to Hermione who, in turn, swivelled to face you.
"Speaking of Riddle," she started. "You weren't in the library earlier when I went to find you. Actually, I haven't seen you since after Ancient Runes after lunch."
"You're name wasn't on the map." Harry accused, eyes narrowing behind his thin wire glasses. "Riddle's wasn't either."
"Why were you in the Room of Requirement with him?" Hermione asked gently, as if she were trying to coax a misbehaving child to fess up information.
Internally, you were beginning to panic; the lies and excuses you'd been sporting for Mattheo's sake fizzling out by the seams. Your heart was irratic and you would've confessed there and then, had it not been for the calming presence of Mattheo's magical core in your mind.
What's wrong sweetheart, you look like you're going to pop a blood vessell.
Charming, Matt truly. You snark and he chuckles in your mind before his presence washes a feeling of seriousness over you.
What's wrong? He's insistent.
They're suspicious of us. Of why we were in the Come and Go room together.
How did they know about that?
That isn't important. You weren't stupid enough to give away one of Harry's best assets. What do I tell them without having to lie. I can't bare to lie again.
He's silent for a moment and you internally curse him as Harry and Hermione seem to be berating you, but you hear none of it, focusing on the pulsing of Mattheo's magic as he takes his sweet time to respond.
Tell them what you were doing. Say that you were annoyed by my avoidance; that it interrupted your schedule; that I was taking advantage of your time.
Harry was in the middle of a they-are-all-Death-Eaters spiel when you interrupted him to finally answer after what had only been a few moments.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Harry. I've been tutoring him since the start of the year. Which you both already knew." you send a look towards Hermione, who shrinks away. "He's been avoiding me all week – Rowena knows why – so I made Theo tell me where he was."
You stifled a laugh when Theo dropped his fork under the deathly glare that Mattheo sent his way.
Behave. You mentally slap him.
He smirked wickedly at you.
"He was probably doing his father's bidding." Harry spat.
"Maybe. But he needs a stellar Ancient Runes grade if he wants Theo to keep him on the Quidditch team. I'm doing Teddy a favour, nothing more." you reassure, and while it was only a half-lie, the guilt ate away at you all the same.
The pair seemed to sigh in tandem before Hermione turned to you, apology written all over her face. The guilt seemed to intensify.
"Just–" she paused, glancing over at the Slytherin table momentarily. "Just be careful will you? I don't want you to get hurt."
"I am being careful Mione, don't worry about me." you smile, but your pretty sure that, and judging by her unconvincing glance shared with your friend, she doesn't believe a word you say.
And after what happened in the Room that could grant you whatever you wished for, you weren't so believing in your resolve either.
~∞~
wasn't actually planning on writing smut this early but it kind of just happened lol this ones quite a long one, but i had a lot of things to add for the plot
sidenote; ive finally started reading acotar after its been on my tiktok fyp for time and low-key i see why i dnf'd the first time i tried reading it😭 but im speeding through it actually - im on like chapter 20 i think
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lukolabrainrot · 6 months ago
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Toronto and Ireland (Part 1)
I observed a shift in L/N's behavior and non-verbal cues by the time they got to Toronto. Their non-verbal cues signaled to me that there was a since of ease and confidence with them BTS. However, I think that looked very different in both locations. Refer to my timeline theories here on my thoughts on what was going on between L/N before Toronto. Below are my thoughts.
Toronto
Let's first address the fact that there was a break between Brazil and Toronto. It was ~2 weeks from what I remember. During the break the following happened:
L went back and liked all of A's posts back to July 2023. Previously, he had only liked her posts up to October/November 2023.
A chopped her hair off
I believe the DM likes from A's mom occurred around this point as well (or during Brazil)
There were some SoHo Farmhouse pics posted by A (I believe?), but no one could confirm if those were current or old photos (as A has a history of posting old photos to insinuate she is with L in real time when she isn't)
There was nothing else though to publicly link L/A during this break (from my understanding, correct me if I am wrong?)
This break is also when the rumored Spain trip between L/N occurred (but there is no evidence this actually occurred)
N was publicly seen at the Mighty Hoopla music festival with her friends the weekend before Toronto
N and L appear to fly into Toronto on separate flights
Alright I am going to throw out something that is purely a theory, regarding A, at that point in time, and now. I've kind of avoided directly talking about my theories on A because I just don't have enough information to confidently analyze what is going on. But with everything that has come out recently, and especially this week, I feel more and more confident on this theory (but again, it's just a theory):
As I mentioned, I firmly believe L/N physically acted on their feelings at points on the tour, and by Brazil, A was FLIPPING OUT because I think she sensed L pulling away. A had been around for a while, and I don't believe there were any firm boundaries/labels set on their relationship, but A had her sights set on riding his coattails and trying to get fame/attention from being in his orbit. She is also DEEPLY insecure and envious of N. Lastly, she is a WILD CARD and had been publicly known about in the fandom for a while. I think there was some overlap between N and A, and L did not want A leaking that s**t. Whyy... because he LOVES N. This is also his bed he made, and he needed to lie in it and clean up his mess. The optics of all of this do not look good for L & N if all of this information got released to the public. I also think that's why the DM comments got scrubbed on the site (which doesn't just happen out of thin air). He needed to start cleaning s**t up if he and N ever want to go public someday.
Therefore, he went back during the break to make up with A and reassure A he wasn't just going to drop her from his orbit (hence things like liking more of her posts so people took notice, and it made it seem they were more serious than previously thought). Tbh, I don't think it was very hard for him to keep her appeased because I honestly don't think this relationship goes any deeper than casual and transactional.
Then L/N became even more obvious about their feelings during Toronto and Ireland imo, and then all hell broke loose at the premiere (because a certain 🐜 was PISSED and getting revenge).
My whole point with all this is this. L was NEVER going to be able to unravel from A during the PR tour because it had already become public that she was connected to L (even if he was already checked out at this point). He was always going to have to officially acknowledge A to the public, let people get use to them as a "unit", and then slowly unravel over a couple of months in a way that satisfied A and didn't encourage her to go rogue (because I think we are getting more and more proof that she DOES go rogue). This included what we have seen between them since the premiere. I firmly believe that A has some information that would eff up L&N being able to confidently go public at some point if they want to without this really messy public narrative (because if L/N ARE indeed working on their relationship, it is probably going to be a little messy no matter what when/if they go public). L is letting A therefore get the attention she wants rn, and trying to stay as publicly unconnected to N as possible. I think he severely underestimated the impact this was all going to have on his career though (at least in the short-term). Do I think this also probably put somewhat of a strain on his relationship with N? Most likely, yes. However, they have known each other for many years, and have gone through a lot together. I don't think N sees A as a threat to her and L in any way, and I think L/N are figuring things out in private. And do I think just because A is still in L's orbit that that means they are super happy and madly in love? Absolutely not. The optics of everything we have seen around L/A since the premiere speak VOLUMES, and that is all I will say on that.
I was fired up about all of this because of the events this week, so I needed to get this off my chest 😅 I think though that everything we have seen between L/A since after Brazil is just another indicator that L/N are serious about each other (if that makes sense). THIS IS JUST A THEORY THOUGH.
And does this all seem messy? Yes. Because the short answer is that it is. Human beings though are messy, and I think unfortunately a lot of this played out on a very public stage, so everyone is trying to figure out what to do now.
Alright, back to Toronto. A lot of people thought the vibes seemed off between L/N, but I disagree. This was the part of the tour where I started coming to the conclusion that there was something BIG going on between L/N BTS (in a good way), that went deeper than just wild sexual chemistry/attraction. Here are my thoughts:
I personally think L/N took time during the break to have some big conversations in private about their future together, in a "normal" setting outside of the tour. I think they came to a conclusion that their feelings were larger than just the show and tour, and that this was going to be one of those BIG relationships for both of them. I think they also had conversations about how A was going to tie into the public narrative after the tour (but I think A hijacked that narrative). But I think L/N were very much on the same page going into Toronto.
I also get this sense that by this point in Toronto, it was getting harder for them to hide what was going on because things were getting more serious, and they were ALL LOVEY DOVEY AND HAPPY BTS. Although I am going to be honest, I don't think they ever hid their feelings for each other very well on the tour (especially L). And this was all kind of new as well. Therefore, I think that's where some of the "awkward" vibes were coming from, but their nonverbal cues didn't read as disconnect to me (like the beginning of Italy did).
I also have a feeling they were EXHAUSTED by this point, and probably so tired of answering the same questions (I swear, I bet they never want to talk about the carriage scene again 😂). I also heard that they might have been sick in Toronto, so all of this might have also played into the shift in energy.
However, a lot of key things happened in Toronto that signaled to me there had been a positive emotional shift between them. I really started to notice the "couple" eyes between them, and N's walls really dropped and the heart eyes were in full force. Toronto had my favorite interview of them during the tour, which I posted here. We got the the thigh rub from N, the beginning of the Ryan Gosling jealousy from L (I believe), L beginning to get more comfortable and silly on interviews (he seemed VERY happy, and a lot more confident by this point, which I found very interesting 🤔), a few instances where L/N would get lost in a moment with each other and forget they were on an interview, N reassuring L that he was her "favorite", and photos and video of L meeting some of N's extended family (and he looked very happy in the video). Also N didn't end up posting a "bf" pic of L (even though she did for Italy, Brazil, and Ireland). Now it could mean nothing (and it's probably just a coincidence), but I just find it interesting (in a good way 🤔). Yes, a lot of this could be chalked up to PR, and some of it probably was. However, most of this just DID NOT read as professional PR to me. It just wasn't.
Lastly, we got THIS pic of them below in Toronto 👀:
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I am going to post an article below about body language between couples in photos. I don't agree with all of the article, but it does have some interesting facts/comments. I would highly recommend looking over the article a little, and looking back at the video that had the compilation of them posing at the different tour stops. I know that this was 100% cutesy PR (and I am not trying to imply they were necessarily an "official couple"), but I found it very telling about HOW they chose to pose at each stop. I feel like it spoke VOLUMES about what was going on between them at each stop. I do want to say that we can't 100% know what was going on for them emotionally BTS at each stop, but I do think it gives us a glimpse. Which is why I found this picture PARTICULARLY interesting. It just screams comfort and security (even with the weird lighting lol).
My point with all this is that I think we caught L/N at a big turning point in their relationship at Toronto, which led to some of the awkward energy at times, but not because they were beefing. I think BTS they were really happy, but they knew they had to not let the WHOLE cat out of the bag, so they were trying to kind of put up a little distance. However, they slipped up constantly, and then everything came to a peak, and that's why we got the magic that was the Ireland stops. I'll talk about my thoughts on Ireland in my Part 2 post, because there is a LOT to talk about. 😅
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hamsternella · 5 months ago
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Immortal!König x Fem!Reader
cw: mentions of non-con, obsession, possessiveness, inspired by Mad Max: Fury Road, MDNI
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You were his favorite. Of all the wives you had been the only one to give him a strong, healthy son—a pure, clean baby. Of all those frightened and rebellious women, you were the only one with the mettle of a sage and the loyalty of a dog. You, the wife of submissive demeanor and gaze at his feet; always guarded by him, your ruler, König.
Your life had been doomed since the one who, then just a teenager, with a soft face and hands tanned by metal and sand, snatched you from the arms of your parents, lost in the middle of a devouring desert of men and hopes. That boy so pure and lethal, with bloody hands and nimble legs, bound you to an uncertain fate. He desecrated the purity of your mind when you were barely a creature, small and malleable; and though hatred grew softly and silently within you, it was your lips sealed against his on your coming of age, and the day of marital union, that led you to have to accept the inevitable.
König certainly loved you. It was not a love as such, the kind that can be described in poems or songs. This was a raw and painful love, where your judgment drowned in the darkness of a room sealed like a cage. Where your body lay on soft, neat sheets—where your tears soaked them. You hated König, even if he swore to watch over you and the hundreds of children you would bear him in the future with your fertile womb. You hated him with all your soul; even if feeling his body collide with yours took you into an abyss of terrifying pleasure you never thought you could access. All of this was familiar from the years, but it still felt alien to you, to who you were. To who you were supposed to be— no, who you wanted to be.
And he was so repulsively sweet. The sex was not satisfying at first. König enjoyed defiling you hard and fast, always seeking to fill you to the brim with his seed. Abundant and warm. The elixir of an immortal ruler; sometimes the dregs of a perverse humanity that had become attached to his blood and bones. But ever since you gave him his first healthy son, the nights of union were of caresses and halting words; gasps and stifled moans as his cock stroked the fringe of your wet entrance, always trying to find that spot where he could sink to the base; the tip of his member reaching those spots that tore tears and pleas from you.
Time made it clear that among all his wives you were the favorite, the best. The only woman with a sacred womb, capable of carrying strong and invincible warriors through the plagues of the desert; the one who carried with her the total attention of her ruler, maintaining his expectations and his affection. You had the best clothes, the best food, the best companions and even a room apart from the other wives—König was too paranoid that a fit of jealousy could end your life or that of your future babies. The coolest and safest thing for the only creature in the world that could give him something other than the death and flaws he had been condemned to deal with. How could he risk losing you?
Eventually König begins to feel lovesick. You don't understand why, exactly, but you know that what is happening is not a good thing. The confinement, the jealousy, the possessiveness and the insistence on keeping you pregnant is weighing you down; the relationship that once began as something merely transactional —your life and integrity at stake— was suddenly a nightmare in the flesh in which you had to survive by avoiding stepping on the husks on the floor. One false move and who knows what König would be capable of to prove to this perverse world that you were not at the mercy of life's coincidences. Cruel, unstoppable, undeniable... König had to do the impossible to stay tied to your side.
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lunastrophe · 8 months ago
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If I missed this in your pinned post, I truly apologize. Are there marriages in drow culture? Or is that considered silly because of how men are viewed overall? Did Houses have other ways of securing alliances with each other?
Hello and no need to apologize, I have not touched this topic yet 🙂 In general, in Lolth-sworn drow culture marriages are practiced, but mainly in merchant clans and among commoners - usually to formally stregthen bonds between (or inside) clans or families.
🕷️ In Noble Families - noble females are free to choose and discard their mates, either by simply leaving them, or by killing them, without formalizing their relationship through marriage.
Even claiming a male as a consort or a patron is done without any particular ceremony or formalities, although traditionally, such male is given the female's family name and is considered a member of her house.
An unusual example of two noble Lolth-sworn drow formally entering a marriage were Tiago Baenre and Saribel Xorlarrin. Saribel, being only a minor priestess, was treating this marriage as an opportunity to elevate her station - she even took her husband's family name and was allowing him to hold the upper hand in their relationship, which was very much against drow custom.
🕷️ Marriages Among Merchants And Commoners - according to Drow of the Underdark (2e), drow marriages are generally "transient things" and they usually last for a year or for a decade, with a possibility of renewal.
In merchant clans, "security demands that mates be of the same clan, or that an outsider be taken into the clan, if a relationship develops."
In Drow of the Underdark (3.5e), it is mentioned that "in some cases, an appropriate marriage can bring two families together into one larger unit, but in most cases the male is simply subsumed into the female’s family line."
More information on drow marriages from DotU (3.5e): Marriage is primarily a political or financial arrangement. Drow marry to formalize alliances, to combine family resources, or - in some cases - to cement their dominance over a weaker ally or companion. No stigma is attached to children born out of wedlock, but a child born of a marriage has a stronger claim to her parents' wealth and power if something happens to the parents. Thus, some drow marry before procreating, to ensure that everything they have achieved remains in the family line.
Most drow marriages are monogamous, not due to moral or religious doctrine, but because few drow are willing to allow more than one other individual that close to them on a regular basis. A few drow marriages do involve multiple partners, however. These arrangements usually involve a single drow female taking numerous male partners, but other combinations are not unheard of.
🕷️ Ceremony - priestesses of Loth sometimes perform social ceremonies like marriages, but "this is usually done as a favor (eventually requiring repayment, of course) to another powerful drow." Among low-ranking drow, a priestess "might perform a marriage ceremony in exchange for several barrels of fine lichen wine and a potion of invisibility." (DotU, 3.5e)
Unfortunately, nothing more is known about the ceremony itself.
• It should be noted that in other drow cultures, marriage can be perceived differently and does not need to be purely transactional. Eilistraeans, for example, have specific marriage ceremony called the Love-Binding and in their culture, marriage bond is typically based on love.
🕷️ Securing Alliances - Lolth-sworn drow alliances are based mainly on mutual gain and generally, they last as long as they pay off. They can be strengthened by exchange of house members - by accepting a member of lesser house into a more powerful house, for example - or by various favours and debts connecting the families. In the end, though... well, according to drow saying, "all trust is foolish", so drow probably tend to see every alliance as more or less temporary.
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michanvalentine · 7 days ago
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I forced my husband to play Baldur's Gate 3. His Tav is a female tiefling monk. Now, don’t ask me why, but this man first flirted with Astarion until the vampire spawn told him to buzz off. Then he snuck away with Shadowheart for a bottle of wine and a sunrise kiss, only to settle down and start a family with Gale. Setting aside the bizarre path my husband took, I finally got to see firsthand what it’s like to romance the wizard from Waterdeep.
In my own playthroughs, poor Gale has always been sidelined in favor of other romances, even though I didn’t dislike the idea of being with him. The very first time I played, I accidentally ended up with Astarion (while trying to woo Shadowheart, mind you), and Gale was really sad and resentful the next morning. He said something about how maybe he hadn’t been mysterious/charming/talkative enough, and how simply being himself hadn’t been enough to beat out the vampire spawn (trust me, Gale, you don’t want to learn those skills the way Astarion did).
The second time I played, I had a clear plan and went through the adventure as Astarion, romancing Shadowheart first and then Halsin—which was unexpected. The third time, I had another clear goal: I wanted to do an evil run and see what would happen if I helped Astarion ascend (and yes, I regretted it and replayed the ending in a good alignment, lol). In that run, poor Gale never made it out of the portal he was stuck in and ended up losing a hand because of my absolutely awful Bhaalspawn trash character.
Aaaaaanyway, I’m giving you all this context to say that Gale is just the sweetest. Really. He’s so endearing, and honestly, he’d do anything for the person he loves. Actually, he tends to overdo it a bit. The guy seriously needs to have more confidence in himself and stop always being so... available. But what surprised me the most was how quickly and easily he told my husband’s Tav that he loved her. Just like that, pure and simple. I wasn’t expecting it. And that’s when I started to think...
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...I thought about why it seemed strange to me, and then I realized it was because of my romance with Astarion. Because for the vampire spawn, the concept of love or a romantic relationship as we understand it— a communion of senses, ideas, feelings, emotions, and goals— is something abstract that no longer fits within his worldview. For him, everything is transactional, tied to dynamics of power. Love is a weapon, both to wound and be wounded, to control or be controlled. It’s probably also something dirty to him after all those years spent luring partners.
He even says that being with someone, any kind of intimacy, dredges up feelings of disgust for him. So unlike Gale, Astarion can’t immediately recognize that feeling for what it is: love, with a capital "L." Instead, it becomes “whatever this thing is between us.” Something undefined, something to be understood. To be discovered, if you will. Because it’s there, but he don't know how decode it, he can’t decode it—he doesn’t have the tools. He lost them along the way. And that’s utterly heartbreaking—200 years without love.
So, thinking back to that pivotal question, What are we to you?, and his awkward response, I feel an overwhelming tenderness. Astarion doesn’t know how to answer. At first, he tries to deflect, playing it off with the allure of mystery: Isn’t it nice not to know? But he feels uncomfortable, inadequate, and beneath the frustration in his tone, you can sense the fear and anxiety of disappointing or even losing Tav/Durge. So he makes an effort, tries to come up with an answer. He rationalizes, stumbles through it, eliminating possibilities: You’re not a target, nor a victim, nor a night best forgotten. He still can’t free himself from the old framework of relationships and intimacy, but he understands that this is different. He just doesn’t know how to define it yet: Then what else could you possibly be?
This gives an idea of how deep Cazador’s imprint is and how much damage two centuries under his control have done. Astarion hasn’t just forgotten his appearance; he’s forgotten the simplicity and naturalness of loving and being loved. And what it means to have a healthy relationship—with himself and with others.
It’s no surprise that, for the most part, he acts like a jerk. And let’s be honest, even after regaining certain concepts, Astarion will always remain an antihero with his wonderful flaws. But that’s part of why we love him, isn’t it?
What’s even more remarkable, though, is when, at the end of his quest, he finally says I love you. It’s not shocking because he says he loves us—we already knew that. The shock comes from the fact that he can finally say it out loud and mean it in the full, conscious sense of the word. Because, once again, our favorite little jerk has grown. Slowly and with great effort, Astarion in Act III has reached the level of understanding and self-awareness that Gale had in Act II. xD
So yes, I went on this absurdly long and roundabout tangent just to say that I absolutely adore Astarion's belated "I love you," without taking anything away from the incredibly sweet Gale. They're both fantastic characters!
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melmedardasworld · 2 months ago
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Thoughts on the latest hot take going around surrounding Ambessa? People claiming that she's either a sociopath or psychopath?
I think.......people don't seem to understand how much of Ambessa's actions are driven by pure fear. Fear of losing everything she worked for. Fear of dying. Fear of losing her family. But of course she can't show that fear for any reason because it'll be seen as a sign of weakness. And as a leader, you can't afford to be seen as weak. So she keeps her fear within and hardens her exterior.
But obviously,that hardness can't fly when you're raising kids, especially when you have one like Mel who's naturally empathic and quite sensitive (even in utero). Maybe Kino and her stepfather was able to step in and bolster her emotionally and affectionately where Ambessa couldn't (or wasn't able to) and that's why she's so attached to them both. The mention of Kino's death was enough to stop Mel in her tracks outright.
Ambessa couldn't seem to understand why Mel is the way she is, so she tried to remake her in her image. Then when that didn't work,she sent her to Piltover in an attempt to maintain her hard front (thus the whole "you weakened me" conversation). She saw a younger, "weaker" version of herself in Mel and couldn't bear it, so she did what she does best and pushed her aside.
Hi anon, so awesome question/remark and love your insights and sorry it took me so long to answer this.
I haven’t seen this take go around personally, but it’s an interesting question. I’ll try to break some of my points down. Also, I am no LoL expert, but I’ve been slowly getting into the lore, places, characters, factions etc and try to see things from the ‘POV’ of the characters and how that would form their different worldview and that’s what I tried to do with Ambessa.
Ambessa embodies complexity where she walks a fine line between a merciless ruler and a deeply flawed but protective and narcissistic mother.
The term "psychopath" often describes someone with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Key traits include manipulativeness, impulsivity, lack of empathy, and failure to conform to societal norms. Ambessa certainly exhibits some of these traits—especially her manipulative tendencies and ruthless pragmatism—BUT the context of her culture, the Noxian one, it muddies the waters.
Ambessa’s aggressive and warlike nature is culturally appropriate for Noxus, where strength, cunning, and survival dominate societal values. She was introduced her to death and war at a young age, preparing her to thrive in a brutal world. As a result, what might seem psychopathic elsewhere is normalized within her context.
Manipulation vs Empathy
Ambessa’s relationship with Mel, challenges the idea that she lacks empathy. There are many key moments where she does show genuine care, even if it is in her own way and it doesn’t make it psychopathic or sociopathic, I feel. Now how that translates and shaped Mel is whole other discussion and a can of worms.
1. Ambessa says she cast Mel out because she "couldn’t endure the look in [her] eyes" when making harsh decisions—a clear sign of emotional vulnerability. But a lot of it also has to do with Mel’s hidden powers and the BR going after her.
2. S2, Ambessa prioritizes Mel’s safety above all, a stark contrast to her calculated, militaristic demeanor.
These actions imply that Ambessa feels deeply for her daughter but struggles to balance love with Noxian ideals of strength and control.
Love and Power
Does Ambessa love Mel, or is she merely using her for power? This duality defines much of her arc. While her actions sometimes appear transactional (e.g., viewing Mel as an important asset for the Hextech and successfully influencing/ manipulating Jayce), her emotional reactions—especially moments of visible pain and hesitation when she tells Mel why she left her and also in S2, the revelation of what happened to Kino her ‘sweetness’, when facing the Black Rose—show that her (motherly) love is genuine and powerful, albeit twisted and pragmatic at times by her Noxian upbringing. She keeps Mel away from it all even if she pushes her away and family means EVERYTHING to Ambessa, but she’ll also do everything to keep her family intact and protected. Even more fiercely after Kino’s death.
My answer:
While Ambessa exhibits traits that explain what ASPD is—manipulativeness, control, and strategic deceit—in my opinion she doesn’t meet the criteria:
Empathy: Ambessa shows a fierce (struggling) emotional depth, especially regarding her children.
Impulsivity: She is highly calculated, planning wars and manipulations with precision.
Emotional Control: While she thrives in war, personal losses (Rictus’s death for example) deeply affect her, showing emotional vulnerability.
Rather than a psychopath, Ambessa might be better described as a character with narcissistic tendencies shaped by her harsh environment and the culture she grew up in, which is Noxus and soooo different from Piltover.
A Legacy of Duality
Ambessa’s arc concludes with her acknowledgment of Mel as both "fox" and "wolf"—a blend of cunning and strength that defines survival in their world. Even in her dying words, Ambessa’s pride in Mel’s growth underlines her complex humanity.
Ambessa’s story is not one of psychopathy but of survival, legacy, and the blurred lines between love and control. A Legacy of Duality
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luniviravosshipper · 1 month ago
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Before this upcoming season comes out, I just want to go on the record and say that Terry was always one of my most favorite characters since the moment he was first introduced. I never understood all the backlash his character got for playing such a supporting role in the magefam dynamic because I thought his character had a lot of potential and was going to be incredibly essential for how their dynamic progressed throughout the series.
Terry is, like, a legitimately good person. It’s so odd to see all the criticisms he gets for being “too good” to be associated with the magefam when I think the existence of his character and his relationship with them fundamentally qualifies the right and wrong doings of both the antagonists and the protagonists. And that’s like something I’ve heard people complain about for a long time, the idea that somehow the show was painting the two sides of the cast too much in “black and white”, yet those same people are failing to give this character the proper recognition he deserves when he manages to still uphold his own sense of morals while being associated with the “big bad guys” of the show. And that’s because he isn’t being a bad person by being close to them, if anything, it shows how truly understanding and sympathetic of a person he is.
His character embodies a lot of the core messages the show tries to project but seems to be often overlooked about cycles and love and morality. And that’s especially evident in his relationship with Claudia.
Terry’s love for Claudia doesn’t deter him from being a good person, it actually challenges him to be a better one and to help her become better too in return (I’m sure we’ll see more of that this upcoming season). Even seeing the road she has been led down and is headed towards the end of, he still promises to not leave her side. But also, we see that he is able to simultaneously express openly what he believes and feels to be true. He has so far been shown actively advocating for Claudia and what he feels she needs which has in some cases made it necessary for him to argue against her choices or the people who could potentially hurt her if she lets them (like a certain sparkly elf).
I really hope that Terry doesn’t put himself first like so many people are insisting he should. I hope he actually fights for Claudia. That he keeps his promise and doesn’t leave her side unless he finds he really needs to in order to do what he thinks is best for both him and her. I don’t want him to be selfish, I think the idea that his love for Claudia is enough for him is perfectly fine and I don’t know why there is such a strong urging from people for him to want something more out of their relationship as if his love for her can only be fully pure or worth it if their relationship is transactional.
The idea that he would be willing to stick with her through thick and thin while still standing up for what he thinks is just and right because he simply loves her that much is ultimately far more compelling to me rather then him being more willing to drop her at a second’s notice simply because her choices conflate with his morals.
And, see, the thing is the second option wouldn’t even work. Because that would mean he would have to sacrifice his own love and care for her and potentially hurt her by breaking a promise that meant so much to her. And that would be going directly against what he believes in.
We’ll see what this season has in store, but I cannot honestly imagine a scenario where he’d supposedly be standing his moral ground by making an essentially selfish decision like that. That isn’t to say I don’t think they could write a scenario where he leaves her in a way that works (from some of the reviews it even sounds like that is what might happen), but just that I don’t really agree with what I’ve seen others specifically suggest should happen and how that should play out.
Anyways, I know this isn’t getting into how he seems to be cool with dark magic and tolerates Claudia’s negative feelings towards other elves, but I have thoughts and opinions on all of that too. I just can’t get into all of them rn before the season comes out. (I was actually planning on doing a whole other post on that but I don’t have the time or energy rn.)
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stromuprisahat · 11 months ago
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Both show and book Darkling is good, but I think I like the book version a bit more because he's more complicated. What you said is true about the book version. He doesn't want to love Alina, but he ends up catching feelings for her anyway. In book 3, I think his feelings for her become borderline obesession and a twisted version of love. Baghra told him in TDITW that she would destroy a hundred villages if it meant keeping him safe. That's her version of "I love you." I honestly think Sasha is confused by these feelings and just doesn't know how to respond to them
note: Ask was sent before season two came out. (probably the post refered to)
His mother's influence certainly played a part. Another would be his age, all that he's been through and lack of other lasting emotional attachments. His love never had a chance to manifest in some pure, innocent way.
Baghra raised him to have ties to no one but her. While preparing him to survive in any way she could think of, she ironically denied him one of the basic human propensities- he wasn't allowed to naturally socialize. All interaction with "outsiders" were about caution, sizing up and possible gain or loss. He was taught to expect a transaction. Not even his mother's love was unconditional, and I have a feeling he might consider the concept a foolishness.
When you look at the outline of his past, he learnt he'll lose everyone he might grow attached to, and not necessarily to old age. How many times did he have to watch his loved ones murdered, killed by accident or illness, grow distant or outright betray him? No wonder he clings to his mother even once he's aware she's bad for him. No wonder he sort of wants Alina only to himself. Why would she try to abandon him, if he were the only thing she has? He, himself knows the alternative would be being alone and Alina doesn't really want that any more than he does.
Her immortality ensures the likelihood of loosing her to death is as little as it can be, so he's free to deal with other, less violent "risks".
I'm gonna admit I'd be much more sympathetic to Alina's situation, were he not right about harmfulness of her relationship with Malyen and her clinging to her past in general. I'd also say his aversion to Nikolai isn't only about jealousy. That can of worms is deeper than simple "He proposed to my girl!".
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hellbrainrot · 2 months ago
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Daemon/Alys vs Aemond/Alys dynamics
Another long post..... (I barely proofread this sorry)
The writers have intergrated the procephy throughout the narrative so from a broader viewpoint it makes sense that the show has framed Daemon and Alys as having a mutual friendship as it is needed for alys to have some sort of influence in his life because as she said he is just a piece on the board and her influence is essentially her guiding him--making sure he will stay the course and play his role in the story that has been set in stone.
Which gets me to my main point-- I’m confused on why a lot people are saying Alysmond will be a repeat of Daemon and Alys or that it will be the complete opposite. I don't think it will be the same because Daemon’s introspection was done through visions and daemon didn’t know that alys was the one psychologically torturing him he just think she is this strange woman. Alys did have an effect on him but it was really only by proxy as it was the visions of seeing Rhaenyra , Viserys and Laena that truly opended him on a emotional level there wasn’t really any personal or deep conversations between alys & daemon it was more of a kinship .
People like to do a lot of comparison that they ignore the possibility that alys can potentially have a positive influence on both of them it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Just because she was cordial with Daemon doesn’t negate the possibility that she might treat Aemond in a similar fashion.  She will need to get close with Aemond as she did with Daemon to get him to where he needs to be which is their final battle at the God's Eye. This aligns with Gayle’s quote about Alys, where she says, "She's going to hold a lot of power for the men inside of this story. Alys is portrayed as someone who understands the bigger picture and she will use her power to guide Daemon and Aemond toward their destined roles.
I don't think aemond's dynamic with alys will be a cookie-cutter romance but out of all the characters in the show Aemond is the most emotionally closed off which is why I am excited with his potential dynamic with alys as she could be the one who he can open him up in a way that he hasn’t done with anyone in his family . 
Aemond’s relationship with his family is shaped by his desire to be a stoic warrior and protector. However, this has left him emotionally incapable of allowing his family to see his true self. He isn’t even able to be honest with them, though we know he is capable of expressing himself and telling the truth. The only time he has done so was with the madam—someone outside of his family. As the story progresses, I think we have the opportunity to see much more of Aemond’s “true” self, not just glimpses. Alys will likely be the only person he can connect with on a level that is not bound by duty nor purely transactional.
A quote from Ryan Condal: "Alys is a very tortured character and we are not done with her. We love Gayle Rankin and her performance, and we have much more to explore with her. There's a very interesting story that's yet to come to the surface…" --- I'm hoping the reasons behind why she is tortured will be explored more throughout s3 and yes with Aemond as it will allow for both of these characters to connect with each other on a pure emotionally intimate level.
In the end, I believe Alys’s character will play an integral role in both Aemond’s and Daemon’s stories. However, while Alys had a more background role in Daemon’s arc, she will likely take on a central role in Aemond’s.
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ewanmitchellcrumbs · 6 months ago
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About Sylvi;
I think people are taking her and Aemond’s relationship too seriously. He pays her to care for him, it’s her job. We don’t even know how she personally feels because she’s not a main character. I doubt there’s true affection between the two of them. In sexual relationships you don’t need to be in love with your partner, a lot of dom/sub relationships are transactional- so to speak.
She’s also starving, just like everyone else in King’s Landing but she has her girls (prostitutes) to provide for as well. Money isn’t useful if there’s no food, it’s all about survival to the smallfolk, they don’t actually care about the royal family so I doubt she would consider her actions as betrayal or that she’s been some kind of spy this whole time. Aemond is just another client of hers who happens to be a prince.
Yes, yes, yes.
I agree with you on all of this.
I don't believe Sylvi or Aemond ever cared about each other, it was purely transactional, and now it's ended I doubt either of them spare each other a kind thought (in Aemond's case, I doubt he thinks of her at all)
However, I do feel it's an oversight from the writers to have Sylvi be the one spreading rumours in the tavern, as she has intimate knowledge of Aemond. If that were to get back to him, he would have her killed for treason, not just because she's speaking out against the crown, but also because he's been vulnerable with her and he doesn't want to risk that spreading too. Michelle Bonnard isn't going to appear again this season, so it's just been left as her loudly spreading lies about Aemond and then going back to life as normal. That's not realistic, especially with Larys's whisperers everywhere.
The writers are clearly pushing Aemond's character in the direction of his book counterpart, and I think a good way to help get him there would have been to have him murder one of the last people he ever allowed himself to be soft with. It would have been a powerful metaphor, and also tidies up the loose end of Sylvi chatting mad shit and just getting away with it. But y'know, fuck character development, they need to save screentime for Daemon's hallucinations.
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weasleyreidstyles · 11 months ago
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Serendipity
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chapter sixteen
summary: it was only meant to be a purely transactional relationship. he would help her strengthen her abilities in return for her getting his friends out of his father's nasty path. he didn't mean to fall for her, but loving her was the easiest thing in his dark world.
no use of y/n, but your general nickname is Meadow. all characters are aged up to be over 18.
pairings: mattheo riddle x fem!ravenclaw reader; platonic!slytherins x fem!reader; platonic!golden trio x fem!reader
warning(s): cannonical death, violence, descriptives of battle/fighting, blood/injury mentions, brief allusions to torture, angst!
series masterlist; previous part; next part
The battle had been declared over as Professor Snape swept through the hallways, a gaggle of Death Eaters in tow. You're sat in the Hospital Wing, on a bed adjacent to where Bill Weasley lays motionless. The déjà vu of seeing Ron in his position, albeit less bloody, sends you into a spiralling orbit.
He's sat beside Hermione, who sits near the edge of your bed. He's staring between Bill's near fatal wounds and the injuries littering your own body, eyes laden with something akin to guilt. But he makes no move to approach you, content with gripping Hermione's trembling hands in his own.
After what had felt like ions of time, Ginny bursts through the door with Hagrid and a disheveled Harry in tow. Everyone in the room could see that they all had tears in their eyes.
Hermione was hugging Harry the instant she layed her eyes on him.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Remus' voice is soft and bathed in concern as he anxiously moved towards him.
"I'm fine." He said, and you can see that there is barely a scratch marring his skin. As if he hadn't even been faced with the threat of the raging battle. "How's Bill?"
No one answered his question and you avoided the scrutinising gaze that swept over you as it settled on where everyone had gathered around the eldest son's hospital bed.
Bill's handsome face was entirely unrecognisable. His skin was slashed and ripped apart with gaping wounds that Madame Pomfrey diligently attended to (you knew it was in vain). Scarily, it reminded you of Draco's harrowing wounds and a sick sense of satisfaction coarsed through you when you saw that Harry was clearly thinking the same thing.
"Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" Harry asked the matron, eyes skirting to your's briefly.
"I'm afraid no charm will work on these, dear." she replied despondently. "There is no cure for a werewolf bite."
Your eyes closed with guilt. If only you had turned the corner faster.
"But he wasn't bitten on a full moon." Ron said earnestly as he looked at his brother's marred face as if he could heal it himself with sheer willpower. "Greyback didn't look like he'd transformed. So surely he won't be a real-"
Remus squirmed under Ron's apt attention.
"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," he said slowly, and he spares you a passing glance. "But that doesn't mean that there won't be side effects. They will likely never heal completely. Had Meadow not been where she was, he could be fully turned, or worse."
He doesn't have to voice it for everyone to know what he means. If you were not in the right place, at the right time, Bill Weasley would surmount to a name engraved on stone. Instantly you're brought back to the moment that could've been drastically different, had you not rounded the corner when you did.
Antonin Dolohov was relentless in his attack against you. From the moment the Death Eaters began littering the Astronomy corridors like an infestation, he had drawn an imaginary target on your back. He'd caught you unaware as you guarded the corridors, as instructed by Remus, who knew you wouldn't take 'no' for an answer when you'd asked him where you were needed. Dolohov had seen you there and he'd thought you were just a defensless girl who didn't know that she'd just walked head first onto a battlefield. Little did he know, you'd had experience fighting his people, had experience beating them.
He'd severely underestimated you.
"You're merely a sheep in a wolves' fight, girl. Give up now and you can go back to preening in your precious common room. I'll even show you mercy." He'd sneered at you with barely restrained fury and disgust.
So colour him surprised when his cocky taunting was met with a harsh clash of your own power, ebbing and flowing through you and your conduit like a gushing river as you snarled at him.
You'd hit each other with a mix of offensive and defensive spells, both of you sporting painful and aching injuries that gushed with blood. But you felt none of it as you pushed back against his onslaught of unforgivables with spells of your own unconscious making – wordlessly drawing from the magic surrounding you, flicking your wand; causing him to sprout all sorts of oddities, conjured from your imagination. From agonising boils to hulking antlers that caused him to stumble with the added weight that left him off kilter.
Injuries had scarcely evaded you. You knew that you would not walk away unscathed, but you were unprepared for just how bloody and battered you would be. Where you skin was once smooth and silky, littered with only the slightest of imperfections, large lacerations embedded within the tattered scraps of your clothing decorated your stomach, but you ignored the blinding pain in favour of pinning Dolohov to the wall with your power. His eyes were wide with disbelief as you wordlessly stunned him with a final strike of relentlessness.
You watched with a scary amount of glee as he crumbled unceremoniously to the floor.
Not wasting another second, you round the corner that would take you closer to the Astronomy tower; closer to the bloodshed. And that's when you see it.
Fenrir Greyback leaning over an unmoving body, teeth and claws bared for all to see, sticky blood gleaming in the low moonlight as they raise to make the final striking blow. But there's no one here. Only the three of you. You don't even think before you're acting upon instinct.
"No! Get away from them!" you scream, distracting the werewolf momentarily, enough for you to glimpse the eldest Weasley brother's disheveled form. Your stomach drops.
Greyback turns to you with a menacing growl before he's moving towards you at inhumane speed.
"Stupify!" You shout, wand pointing in Greyback's direction. A jet of strong red magic errupts from the tip of your wand, swirling with malicious intent, just barely skimming the creature's shoulder. He snarls at you with narrowed eyes full of unrestrained anger, before he lunges at you with an animalistic roar.
You barely manage to move in the opposite direction, his claws nipping at your side with a lethal grace you barely register. You cry out, but don't let the adrenaline rush, from your previous fight with Dolohov, run dry as you turn to him and push a wave of power that has him stumbling in place.
His beady eyes are zeroed in on you as your magic clashes with his sedulous blows, so he doesn't see the second body creeping on silent feet behind him, until Remus Lupin has knocked him out cold and binded him with a simple leg-locking charm.
"I thought I told you to stay in your designated corridor?" he says raggedly, staring pointedly at you as you lean heavily against the wall.
"Dolohov ambushed me. I couldn't very much stay there." You pant, holding a hand against your side as you stare at the unmoving body between you and your old professor. It's then that your gaze snaps to Bill, who's chest barely rises with a stuttering breath.
"Bill– Greyback was about to ki– to kill him. We have to help him!" You say and Remus follows your gaze, face paling exponentially as he takes in the jagged claw marks that have mutilated the man's handsome features. He sees you hyperventilate and makes the decision to abandon the battle, with you in tow, so that Bill has a fighting chance of getting back to his family and his new fiancé alive.
"We'll take him to the Hospital Wing-" he says resolutely, but at the look on your face, he says, "The battle will go on without us, Meadow. Come, can you manage?"
You nod, despite the pain that rattles you from the inside out. You feel the impenetrable steel of your mental shields cracking and remending itself as you fight to keep out the feeling of pain that was waiting to pounce on you, vision swimming in an ocean of dark spots as you push all your effort into dragging Bill's deadweighted body towards the ward.
You shrank under their gazes as they turned to you, Molly and Arthur in silent gratitude and Fleur (Bill's fiancé) had tears streaming down her perfect cheeks as she nodded gratefully at you. Harry observed your bloody and bruised state before he walked right up to your bed.
"You saved him?" he questioned you, as if he hadn't known you for six years of his life. Hadn't known that you would do anything for the people you love. You scowled at him in disbelief.
"Of course I saved him, Potter." you snap, grimacing at the pull of the wounds on your stomach. "I'm not a monster."
Most of the adults seemed surprised by the coldness that settled between the two of you. Not expecting the hostility that swirled in your eyes. Flinching at the way you spat his surname with distain. Remus' eyes were questioning and the twins exchanged looks of utter confusion as your friendship with Harry used to be so full of light.
Harry looks like he's about to respond to you but Ron's weak voice stops him in his tracks.
"Dumbledore will know something, right? Where is he?"
Ginny and Harry seem to collectively inhale before she reveals something that entirely rocks the axis of the world.
"Ron, Dumbledore is dead."
~∞~
You can't quite believe what you're hearing. Dumbledore is dead.
Dumbledore is dead.
There is a collective guffaw of disbelief as Order members waited for her to withdraw her statement, but you can see it in her eyes and in the way she opens up her mind for you to see the scene.
The downpour of the rain is perfect personification of the devastating loss that even the Earth is affected by.
Dumbledore's body lying motionless in the grass. Eyes closed, cheeks sullen and grey.
The way his limbs had naturally fallen, made it look as if he were only sleeping peacefully.
Albus Dumbledore is dead. Now there was no one to stand in the way of Voldemort's plans.
"How?" Remus' voice is is laden with sadness as he slumps into one of the visitors' chairs that littered the room. Madame Pomfrey was openly sobbing into Professor McGonagall's shoulder, as the latter stared unblinkingly at Harry, tears lining her eyes and falling silently down her cheeks.
"Snape killed him. I saw it happen." Harry said, and your eyes widened, remembering something Mattheo had said only hours ago.
"There are spies everywhere, Granger don't act so surprised."
You spare a glance towards the people that Mattheo had warned earlier that day; all wearing an expression similar to your own, one full of recognition and betrayal.
"We apparated back onto the Astronomy tower. He was weak but I think he realised it was a trap the second we righted ourselves. He immobilised me almost instantly."
He turns to you then, his face and tone of voice accusatory.
"I was under the invisibility cloak, when Malfoy came out of the shadows. He disarmed him and left him defenseless."
Your breathe hitched as Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth.
"More and more Death Eaters were arriving but Snape was the one to do it. He cast the Avada Kedavra but Malfoy was meant to do it."
Draco was sent to kill the most powerful wizard in Britain at the risk of losing his own life.
The echoing sound of sobs filled the Hospital Wing but Harry ignored them and turned his angry gaze to you.
"Did you know?" he asks you, his voice low. "Did you know that your boyfriend was a Death Eater?"
Your breath trembled as you only nodded once. The room went stale and icy, as if a tendril of cold shadows had swept through the ward. They were all looking at you with mistrust, as if you hadn't just risked your life to save one of their own.
"How long?" He was practically stood nose to nose with you, only the metal bed frame stood in his way. "How long have you known about all of them."
"Christmas." you whisper as tears collected in your waterline, the guilt of keeping this knowledge to yourself swallowing you whole. "I've known since Christmas."
"You're a disgrace. You knew this whole time, but didn't say a thing? And you still begged Dumbledore for help? Well look where that got him!" He says angrily and you flinch away as his wand hand extends towards you, but he doesn't get to do whatever it was he was going to do, because Mattheo Riddle is striding into the Hospital Wing with murder singing in his dark, onyx eyes.
"Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Her." He snarls as he pushes Harry away from you, placing himself in front of you protectively.
Instantly, the Order members who are dotted in every crevice of the Hospital Wing are stood to attention as Mattheo and Harry stare eachother down, wands raised towards the other, ready to swarm in for the kill if Mattheo so much as harmed one hair on the Chosen One's head.
"You got Dumbledore killed." Harry hissed as he raised his steady wand hand towards Mattheo's stoic face.
"Oh? I recall our own Professor Snape performing the killing curse, Potter. You said so yourself. Yet, you did nothing to stop it." Mattheo retorts softly, his own wand hand poised for the kill, as he smirks at Harry surprised face.
You observed him from the bed you were confined to. Physically, he looked fine, not an injury in sight. But you could see it in his eyes, the horror and the guilt festering there.
He was dressed in the same clothes as earlier: jeans and a long sleeved black shirt that emphasised his impressive Beater built, except now he wore a billowing black cloak over the top of it, resembling those which the Death Eaters you'd just fought were wearing. You reach for the arm closest to you, his left one, and you caress it in a familiarly comforting way, fighting the instinctive flinch as your fingers graze the Dark Mark that has been burning against his skin since that afternoon.
"Mattheo? What are you doing here?" Your quiet voice knocks him from the staring contest, and his hard face softens as he finally takes a more thorough look of you. Your clothes are torn, dried blood splattered across the white of your shirt and his brows furrow as onyx eyes roam over your bandaged stomach.
"I tried to reach you." He said in a low voice that betrays the panic he had felt every time he attempted to breech your impenetrable walls. "But you weren't there."
He sounds relieved to know that you were okay. That although injured, you were alive.
"I thought you'd be impressed." You say with a light laugh that doesn't reach your eyes. "I finally managed to block you out without so much as a trace."
His own responding laughter is small and barely heard as he sits on the edge of your bed, ignoring the looks and the glares being sent his way as he takes your face into both of his calloused hands, cradling your jaw with a tenderness that has your heart weeping in your chest. His eyes dart between your own.
"I would be bursting with pride if I hadn't been so worried. I thought you could be dead, love."
His eyes were downcast and there was a sheen of brimming tears reflecting in their onyx depths. Your hand went to cradle his own cheek and he smiled as your fingers gently grazed his under eye.
Your bubble of solitude is popped when the Order members closest to you move to grab him while he was distracted and unaware.
"What are you doing?" You snap at Tonks, who moves away from you with arms raised in surrender, eyes wide as they take a step away from you.
"He's the enemy, Miss Meadow." Mad-Eye sneers at you, but you only form a barrier of indigo around the two of you, that none of them can penetrate without being burned.
"He's quite literally the devil's spawn." Another member, that you don't know the name of, says callously and you thrown her a look of malice.
"And I wonder who tipped you off before the battle even began?" You retort with an air of sarcasm that has the woman rolling her eyes at you.
Looking between the Order members surrounding you, among that annoyingly blank faces, Remus' expression surprises you the most. He looks like he's seen a ghost. Face pale and eyes wide as he stares from Mattheo to you, and back again. He's the only one in the room who looks like he vaguely understands.
"The reason I asked Dumbledore for help was because I thought he would give them sanctuary. They can't escape their families or their fate but I tried. I didn't want to see them dead." You say, words catching in your throat as a sob crawls its way to the surface. Immediately, Mattheo has you wrapped in an embrace; it's awkward and a little unconventional since he's trying not to disturb your wounds, but it's a comfort nonetheless.
Remus' understanding eyes are suddenly awash with sorrow.
"So you're saying that he got the Order to help? Riddle gave us the upper hand?" Ron sounds like he doesn't believe a word you're saying and you don't blame him, not really.
"Yes. He did." Hermione replied and everyone turns to her incredulously. "He came over to us earlier this afternoon and when I told him that Dumbledore wasn't here, he sounded genuinely alarmed."
Heads swivel back and forth between where Mattheo is sat nonchalantly and where Hermione sits. Some Order members were baffled that Hermione was willingly defending someone like him.
"I-it's true." Neville reaffirms and Luna and Ginny both nod. "I didn't quite know what to think of it. But it gave you all the advantage, didn't it?"
"We outnumbered them three to one." Tonks mused as they looked at you with newly formed consideration.
"Yes. They seemed genuinely surprised that we were already waiting for them." Remus muses and steps towards your bed, but pauses at the heat coming defensively off of the barrier that still sang malevolently between you and the Order.
"I've never liked my father's agenda. But he'd kill me and my family if I disobeyed him. The sole purpose of our friendship," Mattheo motions between the two of you, "was for the benefit of them, not me."
"Why would the friendship be mutually beneficial?" Mad-Eye prompts. He still looks untrusting of Mattheo, his voice laden with suspicion.
The two of you share a look of understanding. One that transcends levels that not one person in that room could comprehend.
He's been teaching me Legillimency.
None of the Order members flinch when you enter their minds, being adequately trained in the ability. But Remus is impressed by your level of control and skill as you talk to all of them at once, a small smile gracing his previously sullen face.
"There has to be more." Harry mumbled to himself as he paces. "What of your abilities?" He asks you and he motions towards the indigo energy field that has begun slowly dissipating as the Order members backed off inch by inch.
Mattheo squeezes your interlinked hands and you turn to smile up at him, but he's not looking at you. He's looking between all adults in the room, before settling his eyes on Remus.
"We suspected for a while that Meadow was different." He says and you startle.
What? You ask him wordlessly, incredulity spreading across your features. He still won't look at you, the only response is a tighter grip of your hand. You feel his regret cling to you like a second skin.
"I noticed that she was learning Legillimency early on in fifth year." At the looks of distrust, he clarified. "I'm particularly sensitive to Occlimency. People's thoughts are loud in my head, constantly."
The ability was practically tortured into me. He said that to you, and to you alone.
You squeeze his hand in your's, providing comfort even in the midst of wanting the answers for yourself.
"I also suspected that she had siphon-like abilities around the same time after seeing her excel with wandless and non-verbal magic with ease that only few people possess." He says, turning towards you. He fights the urge to press away the frown on your face with a kiss. He knows that what he's about to confess may destroy any of the trust he had built with you, but you deserve the truth.
Even if it costs him everything.
"When Theo told me that you were his patrol partner last year, I knew that I had a golden opportunity. So I told him to befriend you." He says, his voice low and hoarse, and he hates the way your hand loosens in his hold. "He hated the idea at first because of your affiliation with Potter, and he was only cordial out of obligation. But then something changed. He said that you were kind to him, despite his reluctance. Compassionate and understanding. You listened when he ranted about his father and you were a friend in a time he really needed it. I never wanted any of them to be a part of this, so I told him that I had a plan of sorts to get them all out.
Since the beginning of the year, under the guise of tutor sessions, I've helped her strengthen her ability as a Legillimens in the hopes that if my father ever discovered her abilities, that she would not submit to his mind control and torture. But it was also selfishly in hopes of discovering, for myself, if I was right."
"So the whole time we were searching for answers," you say in a whisper, but he heard the betrayal lacing your tone as if you'd screamed at him, "you knew the whole time? All of you?"
"Yes and I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you, sweetheart. So deeply sorry." He says quietly, his onyx eyes big and wide with the hope that you would show him forgiveness.
"What will your father do if he finds out about me?" You ask, but it's Arthur Weasley who speaks up for the first time since you all entered the Hospital Wing.
"I suspect that, if Dumbledore knew of your powers, that he also knows. It's only a matter of if he knows who you are." His words cut deep, and the look that Mad-Eye gives him tells you that he might have said something he shouldn't.
"Hold on? You all knew?" Harry asks incredulously, and you can't help but agree with your estranged friend. You look around at the adults who look between eachother with wide, panicking eyes.
"Dumbledore mentioned it in a meeting shortly after Katie was cursed." George mumbled, avoiding your scrutinising eye contact. "He'd been keeping a close eye on you. So has Snape."
Harry's attention snaps to George.
"So Voldemort probably already knows about her then."
"That stupid old man doesn't know anything." Mattheo snapped, his knuckles going white with how hard they're clenched shut. "I've made sure of it."
"How?" Remus asks softly, moving closer so that he can sit on the bed beside your's now that your display of magical power had dissipated, putting himself between the Order and Mattheo in the process.
"I knew of his return at the same time as all of you. This-" he lifts the sleeve of his robe up and you reach for his clenching hand instinctively as there are collective gasps of horror echoing around the room. You can't believe he's willingly displaying it.
"Théo-" What are you doing? You prepared to snap at anyone who dared harm him as his sleeve brushes inflamed skin.
Gaining their trust. Or attempting to, at least. By being honest.
The Dark Mark is surrounded by irritated skin where it is inked onto his forearm. The fresh scars melting into the old ones. But the mark is unaffected, twisting and curling as if laughing at his attempts to relinquish it from his body.
"This started to burn as soon as Pettigrew threw him into the cauldron in that graveyard two years ago." Mattheo continues, only locking eyes with you now.
"How do you know about that?" Harry asks with skepicism and Mattheo turns towards him. "You weren't there that night."
"No but my father showed me his rebirth, right after he greeted me, for the first time in fourteen years, by seeing how long I could withstand the cruciatus curse."
"But how is this relevant?" one Order member asks and you fight a snarl from reaching your lips as Mattheo pushes his sleeve down, concealing the Mark from view.
"He knows that there is a siphon in your ranks." He says and he mentally soothes you as you flinch at his words. "But he thinks it's a senior member. He would never suspect a sixth year to harbour so much power. We're not meant to harness that sort of skill yet."
"And how have you been preventing him from finding out?" that same Order member from before sneers and you wandlessly throw up a wall of indigo that has the man bouncing back as he steps forward a little too harshly.
You know without him having to verbalise it. Know what lengths he went to, to protect you and his family. You want to cry, with him and for him and all that he has endured.
"Did you not listen to a word he just said?" You snap at the man, who cowers under the glowing indigo of your gaze. Mattheo's presence is the only thing tethering you to sanity right now.
"The important thing," Remus says, interrupting the tense atmosphere. "Is that he does not know about Meadow. We must keep it that way."
Mattheo nods at his old professor and you can see in his glazed over eyes that they are having a wordless conversation.
She can detect horcruxes, can't she? Remus asks and Mattheo's imperceptive nod gives him the answer he needs.
"I just have one question." Fred speaks up after a lull of uncomfortable silence overtook the ward. He looks deep in thought and there's an undercurrent of curiousity in the way his cerulean eyes dart from you to Mattheo.
"Are you in love with her?"
You expected Fred to be full of jealousy, considering you had been attached at the hip in the previous year. But instead, there's only understanding in the older twin's eyes. Mattheo must see it too, because he doesn't utter a snarky reply like you expect and Fred nods with what you think is approval, at his response.
"Yes. Irrevocably and undeniably."
Your heart flutters in your chest as your cheeks flush at the admission.
You had known for a while. But neither of you had voiced those three words in fear that everything would come crashing down around you. Still, you can feel it deep in your soul as his words settle in your chest.
He loves you. Irrevocably and undeniably, he loves you.
He had been under the impression that he'd inherited his father's curse. Never being able to fall in love. But his mother must live on in him somehow. Because he can feel it like it's a separate entity attaching itself to his heart by a thread that had been slowly stitching it together overtime.
Although many of your friends are looking at him in a new light, even Ron who finds himself squeezing Hermione's still trembling hands with his own, the people in that room did not trust the Riddle heir; many were wary of the Dark Mark that marred his skin like a deathly omen. But Remus can see the ghost of another in the way Mattheo acts and he knows that Regulus Black would be proud of what Mattheo has been doing right under his father's watchful eye.
He can only hope that you remain hidden in plain sight, long enough to give them a fighting chance.
For now, he has decided that he needs to cash in an age old favour from the one person he is certain can help your friends; Andromeda Tonks was more than happy to help.
~∞~
i changed the way i approached the ending so many times lol
we're about to delve into very war-time centric chapters now (fair warning, its gonna get angsty and a little dark very quickly)
taglist:
(striked out users are ones that i couldn't tag)
@camille-1019 @lovelyygirl8 @xluansstuff
@babeylover @thejadeazalea @undercover-smutlover @adhxmoony
@dreamingofonceuponatime @thepassionatereader @urmomsgayforme5 @aphroditeisamilf
@devotedlycrookeddonut @purplegirls-posts @nofacenonamelikekira @foxboyapologist @lafrone @lovely-maryj
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@weirdowithnobeardo @mikalovesicecream @benwadsworthsgf
@rainy-darling @faeriepigeons
@lovely-blackinnon @hiireadstuff
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@nopedefe @spencerreidsthings
@navs-bhat @agent-tempest
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@sbrn0905 @leona-hawthorne
@whatsupb18
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cindersnows · 8 months ago
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ok @storgicdealer i started writing out a thing in your askbox and then lost it so im writing it in a post instead.
freevic ramblings
(...that kind of ended up turning into mangvic my bad)
ok so like. vic escapes the youtube video. and they find the freedom ad and instantly go into the outernet. theyre one of the first citizens of carteblan, and exactly the type of stick freedom had set out to help when he started a city in the outernet.
(for a little context; the original victim is still dead, as well as all her clones. in my hc/theory, the victim we know who starts rocket corp and lives in the outernet escaped from a youtube video after basically just living out his own death in a fucked up loop over and over until she gained sentience and decided to break out. she's like. a copy of the original victim. haha xerox of a xerox.)
in the beginning, most of the houses in carteblan are still being built, so vic ends up rooming with freedom. and they were roommates. they become friends pretty quickly and freedom tries to help vic come to terms with their trauma and stuff, (he doesn't know that vic escaped from the youtube video --- vic is insecure about being a copy so they lied and said they just survived the deletion and got to the outernet).
they both get happier together even after vic decides to move out and start their own company. freedom's happy that vic's moving on from what noogai did to them and becoming their own person (hahaaa if only he knewwww,,,). freedom also decides to support the company as it's the first proper organization thing to open up in the town and it's pretty useful! as carteblan grows, freedom gets officially appointed as mayor and rocket corp kind of becomes tied in with the government, giving them tech and stuff.
i don't think freedom and vic ever properly label their relationship as anything other than a friendship, though they do go on dates and stuff pretty frequently. its pretty queerplatonic actually. vic likes to spend time with freedom a lot because he makes it feel like a normal person, a good person who's doing what's right for society. for freedom, hanging out with vic is like a breath of fresh air, one of the few things that didn't change after he was given responsibility over and entire city of traumatized stickfigures.
sometimes vic has major depressive episodes where its difficult for him to do any work which makes him even more frustrated, and freedom is the only person she really considers close enough to help. they remind me of that one short where the couple text each other "feet pics" to get each other out of bed when they're sad.
honestly, when i think about it, i'm pretty sure freedom is the only person vic actually considers a friend. most other people she hangs out with, she only vaguely likes, and a lot of the time she has to pretend to like people for pr. (in my hc, their relationship with the mercs is purely transactional, and i doubt either party is looking for more.)
both freedom and vic have insecurities about their relationships with other people; freedom has gotten into multiple romantic relationships over the years, though none of them have really stuck, and he often feels like people only like him for his power. vic feels like that too, but with the added feeling of "if people knew the real me, they'd hate me". they lie to everyone, so they feel like everyone's lying to them in return, with the exception of freedom, who's only ever been honest (and vic convinces herself that she's not lying when she says she's happier now and that rocket corp is working for a good cause).
freedom's probably unsure about the idea of capturing chosen (and dark?) at first, but vic manages to convince him by talking about how many people have been hurt by them and lost their home websites/games because of them. the capture is left up to rocket corp alone, since it was their idea, and since by this point rocket corp is basically just the military but if it also sold household tech. freedom's proud of vic for taking the steps to help keep other people safe after vic has frequently beat themself up for acting 'selfishly'.
spoiler alert: freedom gets called to the rocket facility after a massive fight is reported and the place basically blows up, and finds the color gang + chodark + kingduo + the mercs + vic and several other workers all badly hurt with signs of them having gotten into a fight. freedom automatically takes vic's side, because those are two terrorists fighting against fucking Rocket Corp, of course he's going to assume vic's in the right here.
but then cg and kingduo explain the situation (including the torture and the interrogation and sutff), and while freedom doesn't want to believe it, vic refuses to answer when freedom asks if it's true, and freedom knows in his heart that vic was the 'villain' here.
freedom is just. extremely disappointed in vic. and vic in turn feels horrible, because she was convinced freedom would take her side, having seen the ugliest parts of her and accepting her regardless. but freedom thought that vic had moved on, that she no longer wanted revenge, that she was happier.
he can't bring himself to formally arrest vic, much to the protests of cg+kingduo+chodark. they're best friends, after all, and freedom knows from his experience with his own animator that hurt people hurt people. but vic still needs to face consequences, and freedom knows more than anyone else what would hurt vic the most. he strips vic of his power, removing him from the position of the ceo of rocket corp and saying the government is going to take full control of it.
he also says that he's going to completely cut contact with her.
this hurts vic more than anything else, being abandoned by the one person she considered a friend, close to a lifelong partner, all because of her own actions. even after mango and purple decide to help pick vic off hir feet and become a better person, vic spirals, shutting out everyone else and refusing to connect with anyone.
it's only when mango lets vic stay with him after she loses all her property, continuously being kind to them even after seeing what a horrible person they are (because he's been in their place), that vic starts to open up.
this DOES lead to vic beginning to put mango on a pedestal the same way he did with freedom, but i mean, people don't change THAT easily. it'll probably take a few talks with purple to help break the cycle, since purple also struggles with idolizing people (albeit in a different way). i could say So much about victim and purple helping each other become better people but this is so long and also that's off topic so that's a ramble for another day.
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agentrouka-blog · 1 year ago
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Sometimes I see cersei antis mention that cersei never loved jaime because jaime always had sex with cersei but she had sex with a bunch of people just because. But that isn't really the case...right? If I remember correctly it was because she wanted something from them and sex was her weapon.
I don't doubt that Cersei at least partially slept with, say, Lancel, out of the sheer desire for personal distraction, the same way she does with Taena Merryweather. With Osney Kettleblack, on the other hand, it is a pure transactional (and non-consentual) event. Sex with Jaime is, though, the only kind she truly enjoyed, by her own words.
But if we question "love", then we also need to look beyond sexual fidelity. The relationship between Jaime and Cersei is deeply flawed and codependent (even beyond the incest) - and crucially it is mutually so. It's not like Jaime has been truly making Cersei's well-being his priority in any way. He either ignores or isn't even aware of how deeply traumatized she is by Robert's abuse of her. He doesn't respect her relationship with her children. He pressures her into sex in incredibly high risk situations, even next to the corpse of her son. Her pain is non-existent or at least inconvenient to him. His hypocritical knightly vows are allowed to matter to him, but her grief and anger are things he disregards with ease. He is using her, obsessing over her, feeling entitled to her, blind to her, in the exact same way she is to him. If she was physically unfaithful, he has been abandoning her in other ways that are no less important.
Their relationship is deeply flawed. They hurt each other. But it's central to both of them. They are flawed brother and sister, flawed lovers, deeply deeply flawed people.
This isn't going to end with one of them going down and the other one walking away "redeemed". Jaime is a massive hypocrite at this point, walking out on Cersei because she "cheated" on him and washing his hands off the relationship as the poor victim, as if that's the only factor that matters. There's a metric ton of unfinished business, and some people like to ignore that because they prefer the idea of a poor misled hunk finally seeing the light. That's not Jaime.
That's not the story GRRM is telling.
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