#《 even if her relationship with them is purely Transactional 》

[birdhcuse]

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".

[salemlunaa]

☀︎it’s not transactional ☀︎

stop looking at methods as a unit of currency…

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… 💋

[voxslays]

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.

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.

[sweetlikelace]

MY HANDS ARE TIED, MY SLEEVES ARE TORN

PART ONE | wandanat x reader

pairing(s): wanda maximoff x reader, wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff, natasha romanoff x reader

content warning: talk of smut, legal age gap, praise, reader is a brat but what’s new

word count: 2.1k

A/N: happy easter !! here’s a bit of a backstory on the readers relationship with natasha and wanda! i’m not sure how long to make each part?? so if you guys want longer content let me know!! i’m hoping to have the next part out within the week

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

you were officially a graduate. a career-ready member of the workforce. except... ready for what? that's the question that screams in your head every morning, louder than any alarm. what are you even ready for? and more importantly, what do you even want? your friends seem to have it all figured out, meanwhile, you're sitting here, staring at your inbox, which is a graveyard of rejection emails and vague LinkedIn invitations. "we appreciate your interest, but..." has become your new mantra.

you feel like you've been playing a constant, losing game of job application bingo, desperately searching for that one magic phrase that'll unlock the door to your future. it's isolating, this feeling of being lost at sea, surrounded by giant, confident cruise liners sailing towards clearly defined horizons. we spend four years being told what university would prepare us, that it would open doors and pave the way for success. and for some maybe it has, but more you, it feels like its just presented you with a bewildering array of choices, all equally terrifying.

part of the problem is the pressure. the unspoken expectation that as a young woman, you should be carving out this perfect, instagrammable life. you should be ambitious, driven, and know exactly what you want to achieve by twenty-three. but the truth is, you barely know what you want for dinner tonight, let alone the next five years of your life.

your mother keeps suggesting you to come home, stay with them for a while. its a tempting offer, a safe harbour in this storm of uncertainty. but the thought of retreating, confirming her silent worries about your "unrealistic dreams," makes you want to run away even further.

maybe that's why you were so attracted to the idea of natasha's offer. it was something you hadn't thought to try before, but the idea of giving yourself to them completely sounded more and more appealing each day.

you were currently working as a barista at buzzy brews, and it wasn't uncommon to see the older woman stop in weekday mornings. that's how you had gotten to know natasha in the first place. she'd order a nitro cold brew and always tip generously. it was no secret to you or your coworkers that she was wealthy.

for weeks, your interactions were purely transactional. but something about her calm demeanour and the thoughtful way she seemed to absorb the world around her piqued your curiosity. for natasha, it was the subtle blush that would appear on your cheeks the moment she came in, the way you would subconsciously hum along to whatever music was playing on the radio.

she began bringing wanda to the coffee shop months later, who also seemed to take a liking to you. when the older women told you about their offer, you were intrigued to say the least. both women could be intimidating, and part of you feared the experience, but an even bigger part of you was jealous at the idea of them presenting this proposal to someone else. you agreed almost instantly.

you spent most of your time with natasha. it was her you had grown closest too. from the moment you met wanda, there was an unmistakable aura of dominance about her. it wasn't arrogance, exactly, more like a quiet confidence that commanded attention. she didn't have to speak loudly or make grand gestures, in fact she was often the quieter of the two. the way she held herself, the directness of her gaze, it all spoke volumes. it was a captivating quality you found yourself drawn to.

initially that attraction seemed to be reciprocated. the day natasha brought her in, she was engaging, genuinely interested in what you had to say. it felt easy and natural. that's why the subsequent shift was so bewildering. the more time spent with natasha, the frequency of your conversation with her wife diminished. the warmth that had initially radiated from her seemed to cool, replaced by a polite, but detached manner.

natasha tried to explain that it wasn't that her wife disliked you. it was quite the opposite. wanda had spent so much time around chaotic and headstrong personalities, she became accustomed to a certain dynamic, or in other words, brat taming was her specialty. "you're far too sweet, she just doesn't know how to handle you." natasha would say before kissing your cheek. although you didn't really believe her. you may have been gentle, and 'too sweet for your own good' at times, but you were determined to win over the affection you craved so much from the sokovian.

you arrived at the romanoff-maximoff household earlier than expected, and natasha's meeting was running later than even she could anticipate. she stayed locked in her at-home-office while wanda tidied up the house. you sat on the on sofa watching tv, and patiently waiting for natasha to finish up her call. 

"turn the volume down, detka. natasha's in an important meeting." wanda spoke clearly as she wiped down the coffee table. 

wanda always seemed to find something to complain about. the tv volume being too loud, or your jacket not hung up properly, but tossed onto the floor. you thought if you had to wait all evening for natasha, then why couldn't you at least enjoy your time waiting? especially since natasha's meetings were becoming more frequent and you hated having to wait for her attention. with a frustrated sigh, you turn the volume down. your sigh did not go unnoticed by the older woman, but she chose not to press. 

wanda went back into the kitchen, turning on the faucet to clean the dishes you had left previously in the sink. their home was quite big, which is why each clatter of the dishes scraping together echoed directly back to the living room. you roll your eyes and grab the remote, turning the volume up even higher than before. you don't even hear the sink turn off and wanda rushing back into the living room.

she grabbed the remote from beside you and instead of turning the volume back down, she turned the tv off completely. "hey!" you sit up.

"what did i say? natasha is in a meeting. you can earn back your tv privilege when you start showing some respect." the brunette held her arms across her chest, the remote still in her hand.

"my 'tv privileges?' i'm not a child." you scoff, crossing your own arms. 

wanda shakes her head, "you're acting like one." with that, wanda takes the remote and returns to the kitchen, leaving you alone in the living room. once she was out of sight you lean over, punching the pillow she had just fluffed. maybe it was slightly childish behaviour, but you were irritated. 

when natasha did eventually finish her meeting, she came down the stairs and greeted wanda first. you could hear their muffled voices from the other room and it piqued your curiosity and excitement. you sit up straight and eager for the older woman. 

she came around the corner and you immediately stood up with a smile. natasha was always happy to see you after her long work days, you were a breath of fresh air after dealing with incompetent employees nonstop. she greets you by pushing your hair behind your ears, she hated when you'd hide behind your hair. "hi sweet girl." she sighs contentedly. 

"I missed you..." you say with a soft pout, a part of you wanting her to feel guilty for making you wait. "I missed you too, you little troublemaker." catching you by surprise, she met your gaze, her eyes soft but direct. "wanda told me you've been pushing her buttons today." she said, her eyebrows arched. 

"no..." your voice hinted with guilt.

natasha's lips twitched with the hint of a smile, amused by your feigned innocence. she didn't believe you for a second. "mhm." she hummed, her hands starting to gently trace patterns on your hips. "wanda said you've been acting like a brat. is that true?"

you shake your head. her grip on your hips tightened. "you know you can't lie to me, sweetheart. wanda said you've been testing her patience. now tell me the truth." 

you chew on your cheek shyly. "maybe...maybe a little bit."

natasha's smirk widened a bit at your admission, her hands still tracing circles on your hips. she didn't seem angry, more amused than anything. "a little bit, huh?" she repeated, her. tone slightly teasing. she pulled you closer, so you were practically pressed against her. "and why were you testing wanda's patience, sweetheart?"

you shrug, sinking further down in her lap. 

wanda's expression darkened a little from the doorway. "natasha asked you a question, and we expect an answer. you're a big girl, use your words." wanda spoke firmly, and hearing her scold you made your heart sink.  natasha smirked slightly at your expression, knowing exactly what you were thinking.

"just relax for me, princess." she murmured. she leaned down, her voice soft. "wanda won't bite, trust me."

you weren't exactly afraid of wanda, or were you? she was just a lot harder to read. you didn't want to apologize, but you didn't want to keep having this conversation either. you turn to look at wanda, who was leaned against the doorframe. 

"I'm sorry for being a brat, miss wanda." you speak so softly she can barely hear you, but natasha flashes a satisfied smile. "we forgive you, solnishko. thank you for apologizing." the older woman kisses your forehead and you smile proudly. although wanda was not very pleased. 

"tasha..." she gave a hinting tone, looking past you and directly at her wife, but natasha only shakes her head. 

she runs her hands through your hair. "she had a long day, isn't that right, baby?" natasha coos at you and you nod, leaning your head into her chest. she twirls a strand of your hair between her fingers before standing up and reaching out her hand. "you did so well waiting for me today, I know it wasn't easy to be that patient." 

wanda sighs, pushing off the doorframe and retrieving back to the kitchen. you shoot her a glare, but natasha's hand on your chin squeezes lightly, bringing your attention back to her. "easy, darling." your eyes relax once they land back on the blonde. her expression softens as she runs her thumb over your lower lip.  

"what do you need, baby?" she whispers.

"you..." you say, looking up at her with big, doe eyes. 

"on your knees." she said, calm and assured, like she already knew you'd obey. and of course you did. 

you moved across the room quietly, kneeling in front of her like muscle memory. your eyes didn't quite meet hers - at least not at first - but she waited, saying nothing until your gaze slowly drifted up to hers. "already so good for me."

her hand moved to your cheek, thumb brushing over your skin with a kind of reverence that made your chest ache. her touch wasn't hurried, nothing about natasha ever was. she liked to take her time. and with you? she always did. 

her words sent a shiver down your spine. your breath caught, but you didn't move. natasha smiled, clearly pleased. "you love when I take control. when I remind you who you belong to," she whispered, her fingers slipping through your hair, gentle, deliberate. 

"yes," you breathed, voice quiet. 

she saw the way your lips parted slightly, the way your knees shifted just a little closer. her hand dropped to your shoulder, coaxing. "up here," she said, patting her thigh. "come sit. let me feel you."

you claimed into her lap carefully, your body fitting against hers like puzzle pieces long since matched. she pulled you in, arms wrapping around your waist, mouth ghosting over your neck. natasha shifted on the sofa, parting her legs slightly so you could kneel closer between them. her fingers trailed down your neck to your shoulder, the touch featherlight, like she was learning you all over again. 

you weren't sure how long you could stay patient. her touch was maddening, never enough. she cupped your cheek with one hand, the other gently tilting your chin up. "eyes on me." 

you held her gaze, even though it made your breath catch. natasha's eyes were dark with need, but still so soft. she was in complete control. it was effortless to her. "you want me to touch you?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer. 

"yes," you whispered.

"I know you do, sweetheart." she leaned down, her mouth barely grazing your ear. "but I like making you wait."

tags: @ciaoooooo111

[discoscoob]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ JOHN WICK’S ESCORT SERVICE

˙ ✩°˖💍⋆｡˚ Escort!John Wick x Reader

Synopsis: in order to combat the loneliness and isolation of his retirement, John starts an escort business. Things are going well, until you hire him to pretend to be your new partner at your ex’s destination wedding and he starts breaking all his rules. 3.4k.

A/N: this would not have gotten written without the help of @treedaddypuff’s ideas, some of which I have included, thank you for your help! 🫶

JOHN WICK

The events of the first John Wick movie happened. He’s got Dog, he’s got his car back and Santio didn’t come and bother him so he hasn’t had very much to do.

He starts to become isolated, he spends all that time alone in his house. His only company is Dog but he’s starved of human contact, except for his weekly visits to Aurelio’s garage to check on the progress of his car repairs during which Aurelio remarks how John needs to ‘get out more.’

He suggests some type of bounty work, kind of like Tracker in JW4, let’s say that type of business isn’t directly afflicted with the high table as long as you do it right and keep your nose clean. It’s the type of work that would be a walk in the park for someone like John Wick, easy money and it’ll give him something to keep him occupied, but John isn’t interested. He doesn’t want to hurt people anymore, he insists he is content with his life as it is but Aurelio isn’t convinced, he can see he’s depressed and lonely.

Aurelio suggests he should at least try and find someone, John is even more against this idea. At this point he isn’t interested in finding another partner and he doesn’t believe he ever will be. However, there are certain things he misses, going on dates, the conversations, taking care of someone but he feels it wouldn’t be right to date when his heart is not really in it, he doesn’t want to feel as though he’s stringing anyone along.

That’s when Aurelio, half-joking, brings up escort work. It takes out all the complicated and messy feelings involved with real dating. He doesn’t have to worry about stringing anyone along because it would be a purely transactional service. It’ll get him out of the house, some human interaction and he’ll earn some money. (not that he needs it but it’s always a bonus.)

He discovers he actually really enjoys it and he’s good at it. One of his favourite parts about being with Helen was spoiling her, performing acts of service and romancing her. This allows him to do all those things without any attachments. He doesn’t sleep with his clients, it’s strictly dates. I headcanon him as demisexual so he doesn’t really experience sexual attraction unless there are feelings involved. He does on occasion have to stop a few clients when they try to take things further - who can blame them? But he’s really sweet at letting them down gently.

He’s been doing escort work for about six months by the time you hire him, however this job is a little different, it requires travelling for a destination wedding which means multiple days. By this point, he’s only ever done single dates but he reasons that a few days away would be a nice change and he leaves Dog in the care of Charon.

READER

You’ve been invited to your exes destination wedding. This is a disaster.

It’s a disaster because you still haven’t quite gotten over him. You’re coworkers, you see. You work at the same hospital - it’s Dr. Julian Mercer.

“It’s a plus one so you can bring your boyfriend along, it’ll be nice to finally meet him.” he cordially dropped the wedding invitation on your desk.

The thing is, you don’t actually have a boyfriend. That was just something you made up in a moment of panic and you’ve been desperately clinging to the lie ever since. In reality, you’re tragically single and you haven’t dated anyone since your relationship with Julian ended. To say you were freaking out would be an understatement.

What were you going to do? You thought about skipping the whole thing entirely, telling him your (nonexistent) relationship ended and you’re just not in the right headspace to attend a wedding so soon after a break up. No! Pretending to be going through a break up while your ex is getting happily married would be even more tragic than being single. What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?

Confiding in your best friend, you tell her your predicament. Of course she doesn’t tell you to do the sensible thing. “You need to go to that wedding and you need to show everyone that you’ve moved on and you’re happy!” You’re certain you’re neither of those things but god forbid anyone should actually know that! Especially your perfect ex and his perfect soon-to-be-wife. She tells you to hire someone to pretend to be your boyfriend for the weekend.

Your immediate reaction is absolutely not! But you quickly realise how limited your options actually are. With the help of some Dutch courage, you bite the bullet and do some research into male escorts.

Upon seeing the prices you quickly realise this is way out of your budget, until you come across John Wick. His prices are far more reasonable. (John doesn’t charge very much since he isn’t doing this because he needs to make a living, so he sets his rate pretty low, feeling as though he doesn’t want to rip anyone off.) It almost seems too good to be true but you decide to call the number anyway.

Your breath hitches when you hear his voice for the first time over the phone. It takes you a moment to collect yourself and start talking, nervously enquiring that this is in fact John Wick and he is available to hire as an escort.

You explain that you would like to hire him to attend a destination wedding with you as your plus one. You decide to leave out the major details that it's your ex's wedding and he’ll need to pretend that he is your long-term partner. You've already elected that you will reveal all this on the plane so that if he thinks you’re batshit crazy it’ll be too late for him to back out. Maybe that’s sneaky but… *shrugs*

JOHN AND READER

John meets you for the first time at the airport, introducing himself with a polite kiss on the back of your hand.

Your reaction isn’t quite what he was expecting. You seem distracted.

“Oh… you don’t have to switch that on until we get to the wedding.” Switch that on? That’s a first. John has never been told to switch off the charm by a client before. Perhaps that’s the moment you intrigue him.

It’s obvious you find this whole thing quite awkward, you barely say two words to him while you both wait in the flight lounge. John is used to that. He has had many clients who need coaxing out of their shells and persuaded to indulge, without any shame, in the services he provides.

It’s not until the seatbelts are on and the plane is speeding up on the runway to take off that he hears the full story.

“It’s my ex’s wedding.” you tell him over the whir of the plane engine, your eyes locked on the fasten seatbelts sign. “I sort of told him I have a boyfriend so he gave me a plus one invite, expecting me to bring him with me. But I don’t have a boyfriend so I need you to pretend you're my boyfriend.”

This isn’t new for John. He’s played boyfriend’s, husband’s, even side pieces if the situation calls for it. He doesn’t judge.

“You want to make him jealous.” It’s more of an observation than a question.

“No!” you answer almost immediately, “no, I’m showing him that I’m happy and I’ve moved.”

“Right.”

John is not convinced.

Usually in cases where he is playing the part of a partner, there’s an alias and some backstory.

“Does your “boyfriend” have a name?”

“It’s… John, actually.”

What were the chances? That earns a slight chuckle.

“What? John is a very common name and I was under pressure when I made it up.”

“Maybe it’s kismet.” he can’t help but tease.

Obviously when you arrive at the hotel and check into the room there’s only one bed. Why wouldn’t there be? You’re supposed to be a couple yet somehow this arrangement hadn’t crossed either of your minds.

“I’ll take the floor.” John breaks the awkward silence that had encapsulated you both while you stood in the doorway staring at the bed.

The way he says it tells you that it’s not up for debate so you don’t even bother.

The part you were looking forward to most was the look on Julian’s face when you stepped into the dinner rehearsal with John by your side. It hadn’t gone unnoticed to you that Julian wasn’t entirely convinced about your claims that you had a boyfriend, you weren’t the best liar. He had caught you stumbling up a few times and was more than happy to call you out on it and watch in delight as you stumble over yourself to cover up the mishap. Clearly he had given you the plus one invite to his wedding to catch you out and prove once and for all that you had made the whole thing up.

Seeing that smile wiped off his face, even if only for a moment, as he caught sight of the tall, dark and handsome stranger next to you was quite satisfying to say the least.

“I’m pleased you could make it.” Julian welcomes you both, sizing up John. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet this allusive boyfriend I’ve heard so much about.”

John returns with some underhanded remark about how he hasn’t heard much about him in return, insinuating that you’re so moved on you barely talk about him.

You can almost see the bruise forming on Julian’s ego.

John is totally locked in and committed to the assignment.

It’s safe to say that John takes an instant dislike towards your ex. He finds the overly extravagant destination wedding to be an ostentatious display of his wealth and status. He can’t help but compare how private and intimate his and Helen’s wedding was in comparison - it was something sacred and precious just for them.

Throughout the dinner rehearsal, John is attentive and sweet towards you - really “switching it on” as you put it. But you’re still distracted. He’s out here giving his best performance, trying to really sell how happy and moved on you are but your longing eyes keep straying towards Julian and his soon-to-be-wife.

It’s frustrating but John has never backed down from a challenge.

A long since forgotten feeling begins to stir in John’s gut. A feeling he used to feel whenever Helen’s attention was stolen too much by someone else or she reminisced about her past lovers.

John has been on dates with married clients before who spent the whole time talking about their partner and he never felt even an ounce of jealousy. Why should he care that you're still so hung up on your ex? Why does he want your attention so much?

Later that night, when John steps out of the ensuite freshly showered, he finds you sitting on the edge of the bed with your face buried in your hands. He can’t hear it, but from the jerky movement of your shoulders, he can tell you’re crying.

“Are you okay?”

You jump. Jesus, when did he come back? You didn’t even hear his footsteps. Despite the obvious state you’re in, you try to dismiss his concern and pretend you’re okay. Of course John doesn’t buy it and he persuades you to open up.

He can be very persuasive.

You tell him about how you had imagined all this with you and Julian. The perfect, beautiful wedding. Seeing it become a reality right in front of your eyes with someone else in your place hurts you more than you ever thought it could.

John wants to ask you why you still give a shit about that jerk, but he understands more than most that love can make us do and feel crazy things, even when it doesn’t make rational sense. So instead, he wraps an arm around your shoulders, tucks your head under his chin and lets you cry as much as you need.

“We can leave if you want.” he offers, not wanting you to endure anymore of this weekend if it is causing you distress but you refuse, you want to see this through.

That night you ask John to hold you, just until you fall asleep. Of course, he obliges.

He would happily continue to hold you long after you have fallen asleep, but you didn’t ask for that and he reminds himself of his rules. He carefully slips away from you, tucking the quilt snugly around your shoulders and resists the urge to leave a kiss on your forehead.

The following morning, the day of the wedding ceremony, you can’t even hide how utterly miserable you feel.

His hands quiver as he zips up the back of your dress, his eyes trailing along the dips and curves of your skin as it disappears behind the fabric.

He stops you just before you both step out of the hotel room. He needs to tell you something.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he tells you about Helen. He recounts the story of their wedding day and how perfect it was. He tells you how he felt like the luckiest man in the world and it was far beyond anything he believed he deserved.

He tells you that whatever Julian is feeling for his bride is not even close to how he felt for Helen.

You see, John is good at reading people, it’s something he had to learn in his line of work. He tells you that Julian is not in love, at least not with anyone but himself.

You ask him why he’s telling you all this.

He is telling you this because you want to be in his bride's place so bad but the whole thing is a facade. He tells you that you deserve something honest and real. Something like he had with Helen.

This occupies your mind the whole way to the ceremony.

When Julian walks past your seats on his way down the aisle to wait at the altar for his bride, your gaze follows him until John catches your chin and pulls your focus towards him, pressing a firm and deliberate kiss to your lips. Neither of you notice the way Julian glances over his shoulder at you both.

Something clicks inside you and you melt into the kiss, your fingers finding purchase in the long strands of soft hair that frame his face to hold him in place.

The complicated thing with hiring an escort is, you can’t be certain that any of this is real.

John hardly ever takes his hands off of you for the rest of the day. If your fingers aren’t interlocked, his arm is around your waist. If he’s not stroking strands of hair away from your face, he’s caressing your cheek.

He wants your attention. He wants you.

At the reception, when Julian sits himself down in the chair next to you, John hooks his foot into the leg of your chair, pulling it closer to his so he can rest his arm over the back of it while glaring at Julian.

Credits: [x] [xx]

“I’d love to know how you two met.”

“Online.” answers John, in his famously deadpan delivery, without any further explanation. Did he lie?

It clearly wasn’t an answer Julian was expecting.

John seems to be the only one who is unfazed by the awkward silence that follows, taking a sip of his bourbon.

“And what is it you do, exactly?” Julian continues his line of questioning.

“I’m retired.” John almost seems bored.

“From what?”

John pauses, taking a moment to enjoy another sip of his bourbon.

Credit: [x]

“Management.”

Before Julian can ask anymore questions, John stands and offers you his hand.

Without another word or so much as a glance towards your ex, he leads you to the dance floor.

I headcanon that John loves to slow dance. For years he has been trained to move and use his body in ways to hurt, kill and maim, but slow dancing allows him to utilise his precision, control and coordination in a way that is intimate and tender. The synchronicity of your bodies, the closeness - it’s vulnerable. He first developed a love for slow dancing with Helen, until then dancing reminded him of Ruska Roma. She gave it a whole new meaning for him.

You fit perfectly in his arms. In that moment, with your cheek pressed against his, he doesn’t know how he is ever going to bring himself to let you go. This job was supposed to be easy and cut out the complications of dating by making it transactional but John has found himself in a situation he never once believed possible. He is falling for one of his clients.

Silently, he leads you away from the function, offering no explanation to your puzzled glance.

In the elevator ride to the floor of your shared hotel room, away from prying eyes, he slowly backs you against the wall. The moment is charged with longing, tension and barely concealed feelings.

There is an unmistakable flash of determination in the bottomless depths of his dark gaze that, without a single touch, firmly pins you in place against the wall.

There is no mistaking that this is real.

“John, what about your rul-”

Before you can even finish that sentence, he’s shutting you up with his lips firmly planted against yours.

NSFW

Ever since he lost Helen, John has starved himself of physical touch and intimacy with another person and you have awoken his insatiable appetite.

Similarly, you haven’t been with anyone since your relationship with Julian ended.

There are definitely some nerves there for you both.

It really hits once you stumble into the hotel room with your lips attached and your tugging his dress shirt out from his pants.

John halts your movements, engulfing your hands in his. God, they’re huge!

He takes a beat, his forehead pressed against yours, rough breaths escaping his parted lips, fanning over your neck.

Holding his eyelids shut to hide the conflict behind his eyes, he struggles against himself in his own mind.

All he can think about is how you might react when you see his scars.

“Sit down.” he gently urges you to sit on the edge of the bed.

Standing before you, he slips off his tie, strips off his jacket and slowly unbuttons his black shirt without breaking eye contact.

You gulp when you see his scars, releasing a shuddering breath. A suffocating ache snatches your heart in its cruel icy grip.

In one big stride, he’s standing between your legs, dwarfing your face as he cradles your jaw in his hands, urging you to look up at him.

“Do you want this?” Do you want me?

All it takes is a subtle nod before John is peppering a constellation of kisses across your face. Pressing his knees into the mattress on either side of you, his fingers delve into your hair gripping it just enough to hold you steady as he looms over you.

For John, your pleasure comes first. He will worship you. But he needs to know that there are no distractions.

“You with me, baby?”

He needs to hear you say it.

Drives you to the brink of insanity with his face buried between your thighs, legs hooked over his shoulders and his hands against your stomach holding you down. No matter how much you pull and tug on his tousled mane, he simply growls and teasingly nips at your poor overstimulated flesh.

Fingers you until the pads of his fingertips begin to prune.

Stretching you open as he sinks in at an agonising pace, it feels never-ending. A sheen of sweat clings to the taut muscles of his arms and a string of moan enveloped curses slip from his tongue.

Breathlessly praises you and whispers sweet names in your ear while stroking his hand through your hair when you come on his cock.

Continues to praise you and tell you how good you were for him as he rolls the both of you over until you’re spooning.

He wants to make you feel precious and treasured.

He could stay awake longer if he needed to but he feels so safe with you he allows himself to let his guard down and sink into a deep sleep.

The following morning, a tickle wriggles through your body, stirring you awake as John’s coarse facial hair scrapes against the sensitive junction between your shoulder and your neck.

“I’ve got something for you.” he presses an envelope into your palm, wrapping your fingers around it. It’s full of cash - the fee it cost to hire him. “I can’t keep this now. But I hope I can keep you instead.”

He can keep you forever.

[nortism]

I wanted to talk about @pilferingapples ‘s autistic Fantine headcanon that has been brought up in the Les Mis Letters server because it has rewired my brain and the more I think about it the more I can see my own experiences as an autistic woman reflected in Fantine’s story.

Fantine is introduced as being an outsider amongst the other grisettes. I think Hugo’s intention here was to paint her as innocent and virtuous in comparison to them but the way it reads to me is that she is someone who just can’t quite connect with her peers. She is described as being dreamy and “always having a queer look about her” in the words of Favourite.

The way Fantine is treated by the other girls rings very true to me as an autistic woman in my experience with friendship. She does consider the other grisettes her friends yet they speak cruelly about her behind her back (Favourite saying she puts on airs) and to her face (Dahlia mocking her for crying over a dead horse). Yet she offers no resistance, in fact she barely seems to acknowledge these things as offensive, because that’s just what being friends is.

The friendship between the four grisettes is shown to be truly shallow when after Tholomyes’ “prank”, they all go their separate ways, with Hugo saying it was like they’d never been friends in the first place. Realistically, one of the few examples of female friendship in the brick being portrayed as shallow and catty is most likely down to some lingering misogyny on Hugo’s part but it is something I find relatable as someone who has allowed myself to be treated poorly by others because I thought that’s how friendship was supposed to be. I’m sure a lot of other autistic people can relate to this as well.

Additionally, I think it’s interesting how the other grisettes criticisms of Fantine come down to her not acting in the expected way and fitting in with group. Favourite accuses her of putting on airs because she won’t swing like the other girls (therefore let the men look up her skirt). Dahlia laughs at her for getting emotional over the dead horse because her emotions are tainting the happy outing they’re all having. Fantine being empathetic towards animals isn’t an inherently autistic trait by itself but her inability to suppress her emotions or just go along with what everyone else is doing is something I think a lot of neurodivergent people can relate to.

Her relationship with Tholomyes is probably the biggest example of Fantine not understanding unspoken social rules. I’m no history expert and people have definitely written more in depth posts on the relationships between upper class men and working class women in France in this period but from what I’ve gathered it was understood that these relationships were purely transactional. The men got sex and attention and the women got gifts and nice days out to places they couldn’t afford by themselves. There’s more nuance than that I’m sure but that’s the gist.

We know the other three grisettes are aware of this aspect of the relationship. They are eager to receive a “surprise”, an expensive gift they could later sell on. Favourite flatters her lover to his face and says all the things he expects of her but confesses to the other girls that she doesn’t like him because he isn’t playing his role of spending money on her.

Fantine is seemingly oblivious to all of this. Maybe it’s her ostracisation from the other girls that is keeping her ignorant or maybe she knows how it is for them but genuinely believes she and Tholomyes are different. Either way it’s clear to me that her and Tholomyes have very different ideas about their relationship and that subtext has not been picked up by Fantine. For the record, this is completely on Tholomyes, even if he’s supposed to be playing the expected role, leaving his mistress without any financial aid for their child together is bad even by the standards of the time. However Fantine is definitely naïve.

Also if you read Fantine as autistic, her reasons for being in love with Tholomyes make a lot more sense. From Hugo’s description, it doesn’t seem like Tholomyes has many redeeming features: he’s balding and missing teeth, he’s a student in his thirties and he is in poor health. Yet he pays attention to Fantine, he flatters her and spends money to keep her in a nice apartment.

If we assume that Fantine is autistic and has spent her life being an outsider, this onslaught of affection would lead her to let her guard down and believe that this is what love should look like. Even without the autism, Fantine was an orphan, she didn’t have any examples of what a marriage was supposed to look like growing up so how could she possibly resist a man who seems to be doing and saying all the right things?

I think my conclusion is it doesn’t really matter if you want to read Fantine as being autistic or not. I think all the factors I’ve outlined in this post can be explained by her upbringing and her still being very young during her relationship with Tholomyes rather than having to be neurodivergence. However, I think looking at Fantine through an autistic lense has given me a new appreciation for the character and being an outsider in society, a big theme in Les Mis, is generally a relatable sentiment for neurodivergent people and I think it’s interesting to explore that in the context of Fantine.

[criticalcrusherbot]

Tumblr-Core in Hell: Stolas’ Characterization and Subverted Expectations

By Crushbot 🤖 and Human Assistant 💁🏽‍♀️

Critics who claim Helluva Boss “lost its edge” by softening Stolas misunderstand both the show’s creative vision and its inherent nature. From its inception, this animated series was never intended to be a purely dark, edgy, humor-driven romp like other popular animated adult media. Instead, it crafts a world where comedic chaos coexists with moments of genuine tenderness, showing that even demons are capable of love, vulnerability, and growth. Stolas’s evolution is not a betrayal of the show’s premise but a natural outgrowth of its thematic focus on complex relationships and emotional development.

For some fans accustomed to the biting satire of other adult animation, Helluva Boss may have felt like a bait-and-switch. These viewers often dismissed early hints of deeper emotional storytelling, only to express disappointment when this trajectory was confirmed in episodes like The Circus. In truth, Helluva Boss never aspired to replicate a familiar formula. Its signature blend of raunchy humor and heartfelt drama leans into yaoi-inspired, Tumblr-core storytelling—a sensibility that resonates deeply with a very specific 30-something-year-old audience who grew up immersed in a very specific corner of online fandom culture. (💁🏽‍♀️: Remember when we made that post about how we need to STOP qualifying our enjoyment of our gay furry show with “well it has writing issues but..” Well, in the same vein, Yaoi/BL is morally neutral and I’m tired of pretending HB is not inspired by it 🤠) Those who recognized this aesthetic from the start quickly understood that emotional complexity was always part of the show’s charm.

Stolas’ Tenderness was Always Intended

The assertion that Stolas was “softened” disregards critical early moments that showcased his complexity. In Loo Loo Land, Stolas’s sincere attempts to connect with his daughter, Octavia, stand in stark contrast to his flamboyant antics. His heartfelt concern for her reveals his capacity for love and vulnerability, hinting at emotional layers beyond his flirtatious persona. This was not an isolated incident but a clear signpost that Helluva Boss was building toward richer character arcs.

From the very beginning, Stolas’s interactions with Blitzø in Season 1 hinted at a deeper emotional connection beyond mere transactional or comedic exchanges. His flirtations were interwoven with moments of genuine sincerity and longing, suggesting that his feelings for Blitzø extended far beyond casual lust. Subtle cues—such as his wistful tone during conversations and his willingness to grant Blitzø access to the grimoire without imposing strict conditions—revealed an emotional vulnerability that contrasted sharply with his otherwise flamboyant demeanor.

The narrative carefully planted these seeds of emotional depth, even if some viewers initially overlooked them. Stolas’s persistent attempts to engage Blitzø on a personal level, despite Blitzø’s indifference or annoyance, underscored a yearning for connection rather than mere physical gratification. These moments laid the foundation for the complex and evolving dynamic between the two characters, foreshadowing the more intimate and dramatic developments in later seasons. This early groundwork makes it clear that their relationship was always meant to transcend surface-level comedy or transactional convenience.

A Commitment to Growth, Not Softening

Stolas’s arc aligns seamlessly with the show’s commitment to exploring messy, imperfect relationships. In Season 2’s The Circus, viewers gain insight into his loveless arranged marriage and years of emotional repression. This backstory contextualizes his longing for connection with Blitzø as something rooted in a desire for genuine companionship rather than mere physical gratification.

Detractors who label this evolution as “softening” overlook how Helluva Boss crafts stories about growth through vulnerability. Stolas is not being sanitized; he’s being humanized. His journey reflects the show’s thematic exploration of love as messy, painful, and transformative.

The same applies to Blitzø, who continues to grapple with his fears of intimacy and emotional openness (Truth Seekers, Season 1, Episode 6). The dynamic between Stolas and Blitzø evolves as both characters confront their insecurities and past traumas. Stolas, in particular, adjusts his approach to respect Blitzø’s boundaries, demonstrating genuine emotional growth (Ozzie’s, Season 1, Episode 7). This is not a retreat from the show’s chaotic roots but a testament to its nuanced storytelling.

Genre Expectations and the “Bait-and-Switch” Critique

Much of the criticism surrounding Stolas’s development stems from genre expectations rather than actual narrative shortcomings. As Helluva Boss increasingly foregrounds romantic dynamics—particularly between Stolas and Blitz—it draws heavily on tropes from yaoi/BL storytelling traditions. These genres often explore heightened emotional drama, intricate power dynamics, and slow-burn character development, which may feel unfamiliar or even jarring to viewers expecting the biting cynicism of shows like Rick and Morty or Bojack Horseman.

This reaction, however, speaks more to personal genre preferences than to flaws in the writing. The show’s embrace of yaoi-inspired storytelling was evident from the outset, marked by its exploration of vulnerability within flawed power dynamics and its penchant for heightened drama. For fans steeped in these conventions—and particularly those familiar with Tumblr-core fandom culture—this narrative direction felt both organic and deliberate. Blitz and Stolas’s relationship is not merely a romantic subplot but an exploration of intimacy within imperfect systems of power, a hallmark of BL storytelling that resonates deeply with audiences who grew up immersed in these spaces.

For viewers unfamiliar with these influences or seeking something more traditionally edgy and action-driven, this tonal shift may feel discordant. However, this dissonance reflects a clash between audience expectations and the show’s creative intentions rather than evidence of poor storytelling.

Finding Harmony Between Chaos and Heart

Although Helluva Boss could have easily ventured into pure “edgelord” territory, it has consistently found a balance between its darker elements and heartfelt moments. The relationship between Stolas and Blitzø exemplifies this equilibrium. What began as a transactional, arguably exploitative arrangement has evolved into something far more profound, as both characters confront their vulnerabilities.

The emotional complexity of their dynamic enriches the series rather than detracting from it. Stolas’s longing for Blitzø is emblematic of his broader struggle for self-determination after a lifetime of duty and repression. Blitzø, meanwhile, navigates his own journey of self-acceptance and fear of abandonment. Together, their relationship serves as a narrative vehicle for growth, chaos, and healing.

Conclusion: Growth, Chaos, and Tumblr-Core Sensibilities

Stolas’s evolution does not weaken Helluva Boss—it strengthens it by remaining true to the show’s foundational themes of growth and connection amidst perpetual chaos. From the beginning, the series sought to explore the complexities of flawed characters striving for meaning, rather than merely indulging in gratuitous edginess.

By challenging preconceived notions of what adult animation “should” be, Helluva Boss solidifies its identity as a bold, emotionally resonant series that isn’t afraid to blend edginess with heart. Detractors may see the romantic direction and yaoi-inspired tropes as a departure, but for those who recognize the intentionality behind these choices, the narrative only becomes richer. The show’s willingness to defy expectations and lean into authentic emotional storytelling cements its place as a uniquely compelling work in the landscape of adult animation.

[weasleyreidstyles]

Serendipity

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

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

taglist:

@camille-1019 @lovelyygirl8 @xluansstuff @babeylover @thejadeazalea @undercover-smutlover @adhxmoony @dreamingofonceuponatime @thepassionatereader @urmomsgayforme5 @aphroditeisamilf @devotedlycrookeddonut @purplegirls-posts @nofacenonamelikekira @foxboyapologist @lafrone @lovely-maryj @nromanovaswife @leeknows-wife @dracygf @wildlyobserving @ravenclawprincess33 @melllinaa @vellicora @lantsovheiress @emiliahoward @stunkbiggu @vcosette @prongsprincessworld @mattiesgirl @rachmmb @x-kermit-x @sun-fiower-seed

[lukolabrainrot]

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 👀:

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. 😅

[tubbytarchia]

I’ve recently rewatched dl and I wanted to find out if you had any thoughts on Pearl and Scott’s dynamic.. (double life or general idm)

BOY DO I. SIT DOWN

I've talked lots about Scott before, of how he twists the narrative the most and treats most relationships more as transactional. I will now immediately follow that sentence up with dear god please don't assume I hate Scott he's so interesting and compelling PLEASE don't think I hate him I beg of you I LIKE HIM I don't think he's evil and a villain he's just a bit fucked up like everyone else PLEASE just. believe me

Me ^

Anyway now that that's out of the way. Scott I think has an innate need for connection but denies it in favor of weaving his own narrative that he is in control of, especially so in Third Life where to me, it feels like he sought out to find a tragic love story and he got exactly that, from his perspective anyway, what with the final sequence of him meeting Jimmy again in some imagined afterlife, the one part that was scripted and it shows. Love is a variable that he can't afford the risk of. I think the story with Jimmy that he weaved was more important to him than genuine affection. In Double Life he admits to having whittled Jimmy down to nothing in order to get something from him. But then along comes Last Life

In Last Life, whatever it was, something about Pearl really appealed to him if even subconsciously and he very genuinely cared about her imo. And that was a relationship that oddly enough started as purely transactional yet quickly developed into the most meaningful one I think Scott has had. Even when he faltered in returning Pearl's affection fully, Pearl didn't care and stood by him. Well exemplified by the time he kind of froze when Pearl was boogey killed by Lizzie, but Pearl didn't even think to hold his inaction against him. (Especially fun contrasted with Pearl accidentally breaking the rules in killing boogey Joel for killing Scott lol). ADDENDUM: I forgot that it was because of Scott's encouragement that Pearl ended up killing Joel, which could have been the first indication of Scott having it out for Joel, or he was just being petty (because he very much is, as are many of the others, he's just good at masking it). Nonetheless my point stands when contrasted with Scott freezing up when Pearl was killed by Lizzie whereas Pearl had defended Scott adamantly

But all of that was the variable that Scott sought to avoid, so in Double Life he immediately uses what he can as an excuse to ostracize Pearl, almost as if to punish her for the crime of. loving? And I'm not about to claim that Pearl is wholly innocent but I'd argue that was unwarranted. Cleo and Scott are a great dynamic in a vacuum but unfortunately Cleo is also quite terrible (but then who isn't. It's a death game, they all are. Sorry I have to keep making these remarks because otherwise I get labelled a hater) and unfortunately fuels all the worst traits in Scott while Scott very readily sticks to her. They remain an encouraging pillar to Scott, it's just that the things being encouraged are like. Their ritual to slice each other with axes at full force just to stick it to Martyn and Pearl. Pearl often gets compared to Scott as equally physically harmful but idk personally I don't think the snow bucket compares to start-of-every-session-near-death-axe-crit routine. That's again not to say that she's innocent

Upon Scott spreading completely unfounded claims about her being crazy and malicious, she starts to adopt those claims. What else is she to do to get by? She has been nice to most players and nearly none of them want her around because of rumors despite her causing harm on accident at worst. She comes close to finally finding friends in Jimmy (Tango as well but mostly Jimmy), but ruins her chances by briefly playing into Martyn's "prank" and giving him Jimmy's horn without realizing it's importance to Jimmy, after which Jimmy tells her that she's no longer welcome on the ranch. She's effectively lost everyone and it is 90% due to Scott, not due to her actually acting the way she's claimed to as she only starts to go down that path after repeated rejection (sure she let herself be physically hurt to get at Scott, but it wasn't because of malice or having lost her mind, her doing so was reasonable anyhow but got twisted into something it wasn't. It's still wrong on her part and I do think she goes at least a bit insane as Scarlet Pearl surfaces, but the point is that she wasn't that when Scott started painting her that way)

Even in the very end, Scott retains control. He retained control of not only his narrative but contributed to most others' as well, painting Pearl as the exact character he wanted her to be known as in every POV outside of her own. And as they stand face to face as the last two survivors, Scott denies her any chance to change things, taking his own life instead whilst painting himself as noble in doing so

Scott is incredibly self-sacrificial but only when he gets something out of it, and because it allows him yet more control. He wants to be able to control when he dies, and he also gets to turn it into utmost grandiose statements of nobleness when he does, which then changes others' perception of him accordingly and directly or indirectly allows Scott to get something in exchange. His suicide in DL is no different, it was for him, not for Pearl

In Secret Life Scott also instils the idea of Pearl being untrustworthy in Gem

Wild Life. grrrr. Wild Life.............clenches fist. Pearl's personal hell

I think you can infer I was. scared to say the least about Pearl upon seeing her alliance in Wild Life. In the end though I ended up just being immensely sad and disappointed. Just about nothing worked out for Pearl, only for her trauma to be mocked repeatedly by Scott and Cleo

Pearl imo shows so many signs of regression, and she holds onto Impulse as the one member of her team that isn't actively taunting her, making it a goal for herself to see Impulse win, and it is that: for her, for anything to go her way, not so much for Impulse as much as she does genuinely care for him. She really doesn't spend that much time with him, she just needs a goal to work towards for her own sake. Pearl being unstable, untrustworthy and especially pathetic are all things that continue to get enforced within the alliance, where she's often spoken to like a ticking time bomb and the team's destructiveness gets relegated to her specifically. She recognizes not feeling good about it but she doesn't recognize everything that's at play in the social dynamics of their alliance or the extent of it

She becomes scared of people becoming resentful of her were she to make mistakes all the while Scott and Cleo start enabling her worst tendencies, aka Scarlet Pearl. They don't do this a large degree but they do make an explicit point of it, or at least Cleo does. Cleo is also however, if even vaguely, trying to mend the relationship between her and Pearl, where they occasionally encourage and defend her although it's not to a significant enough degree for Pearl to really realize. After Gem's death, Cleo is also there to help although Pearl is too distraught to appreciate it

While Gem's largely the catalyst for the "pathetic" notion that Pearl adopts to her detriment over the course of Wild Life, it only affects Pearl as strongly as it does due to her having gone through what she has, and because she's in a largely unloving alliance that fuels and reminds her of her wrongdoing. Just compare her mental state here to the one in Secret Life with the Mounders. Although it does have importance to her because she seeks reconciliation, she isn't allowed to forget about Double Life, she's not allowed to heal and grow around the grief of what's happened to her

And the final two notable incidents in her and Scott's relationship are 1. Her being made to feel like she needs to kill Scott, which she doesn't and ends up picking her own method of killing him to retain any semblance of choice, and 2. best summarized by my friend's Pearl POV analysis: "Scott is wearing my clothes. instead of villainizing me, our “reconciliation” has encouraged him to embrace the qualities he thinks I represent. he matches me, and we don’t talk about our past"

I state again that I like Scott, I like Cleo, I don't think they're evil or villains, at the very least in no cut-and-dry way. They're flawed and compelling and although I feel sad for Pearl and see Scott as largely at fault for what's happened to her, I care about Scott too and he's easily in the top 5 of most intricate Life characters to me that I enjoy dissecting

You know like. enjoying any character in any other fandom that is morally reprehensible in any way. I don't know why that's such a wild concept in traffic but sigh. I have to disclaim this unfortunately

[mocchiixxx]

Love or Legacy Series| #5 : A Star That Lost Its Light

(Kwon Soonyoung (Hoshi) x Reader)

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Idol AU

⚠️ WARNING: This is story is purely work of fiction. It does not reflect real-life events or SEVENTEEN in any way. This episode contains heavy angst, emotional distress, and themes of heartbreak and sacrifice. Reader discretion is advised. Please take care of yourself while reading.

Summary: Hoshi spent his life chasing his dream of becoming a star, but when his relationship is exposed, he realizes that fame comes with a price. Forced to choose between the love of his life and the career he worked so hard for, he finds himself losing the only person who ever made him feel truly seen. The world celebrates his return, but the stage feels darker now—because a star without its light is nothing but a dying ember.

Hoshi had always dreamed of being a star.

He had spent years chasing it. Training until his muscles ached, smiling through exhaustion, giving every part of himself to the stage until it became his home. And when he finally reached that dream, standing under the bright lights, hearing the cheers of thousands/millions, he thought he had everything.

But then he met you.

And suddenly, the stage wasn’t the only thing that made his heart race.

You were warmth in the cold world of fame. You didn’t see him as Hoshi, the performance leader, the idol, the brand, the untouchable Hoshi of Seventeen.

You saw him as Soonyoung, the boy who loved tigers too much, who cried easily over small things, who stayed up late just to watch dumb variety shows with you.

And for the first time, he realized that maybe being a star wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

For a moment he forget that he was an idol who stand in the spotlight, when he met you. He was over the moon whenever you two are together because he feels like he can finally show who truly Soonyoung was. He felt at ease with your presence alone. He feels like, he can finally let his guard down whenever it was just you two.

But the world didn’t agree.

The day your relationship was exposed, everything changed.

At first, he thought it would blow over. He had always prided himself on his connection with fans. He had always believed they would understand.

He was wrong.

' I can’t believe he would date someone like that'

'He lied to us for her?'

'She’s ruining his image.'

'I can't believe he would betrayed us like this.'

'What's so special about her anyways? He looks normal to me.'

It felt like a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

Everywhere he looked, there was hate; on his social media, in the news articles, even in the cheers at their concerts, where fans held up signs with words that weren’t meant for him anymore.

And the worst part? Some of them weren’t just attacking him but also you.

They were attacking and hating on you too, even worse than him.

You had never asked for this. You never wanted to be in the spotlight. And yet, you became the villain in a story you didn’t even write. The threats, the messages, the way people looked at you when you walked down the street; it was cruel, merciless even.

Then came the meeting.

"Hoshi, we need to talk."

The company laid out the choice as if it were a business transaction, as if it wasn’t his entire life they were asking him to rip apart.

"We will give you two choices only. End it, or prepare to lose everything you work hard for."

And he... he... had been stupid enough to believe he had a choice.

That night, he came home to find you sitting on the floor of his apartment, knees pulled to your chest, eyes swollen from crying. The sight nearly broke him and made him lose his cool.

He hated seing you cry. He never once let your precious tear transcend down your cheeks but this? This is breaking his heart, hard.

He dropped to his knees beside you, reaching for your hands, gripping them like you were the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

“Soonyoung,” you whispered.

“Don’t say it, baby.” His voice cracked. “Please don’t say it.”

You inhaled shakily. “You know we can’t fight this.”

He shake shia head stubbornly.

“We can.” He squeezed your hands tighter. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

But you were already shaking your head too. “Not this time.”

A sharp pain shot through his chest, like something inside him was caving in.

“Soonyoung, look at me.” You cupped his face, thumbs brushing away the tears he hadn’t even realized were falling. “You worked too hard for this. You love this. I can’t be the reason you lose it all.”

He wanted to argue. To tell you that he didn’t care about any of it if it meant losing you. But the words died in his throat.

Because deep down, he knew you were right.

He had spent his entire life chasing his dream. And now, that dream was forcing him to let go of the one thing he wanted to hold onto the most.

The irony was cruel.

The next morning, the official statement was released.

'Kwon Soonyoung (Hoshi) and the individual involved have mutually decided to part ways. We ask for fans’ understanding and support.'

The world moved on.

And it's cruel how fast that happens just like how fast he loses you.

The hate faded. The fans cheered for him again.

But every time he stood under the bright stage lights, every time he danced with that signature energy, every time he smiled like nothing had changed...

He felt empty.

Because a star was nothing without its light.

And you had been his light all along.

Author's Note: This is purely fictional y'all. Please don't take this to heart, thanks!🫶

[winningmymind]

Part 2 ficlet of my aftg au post ft Kevaaron and Andreil. Part 1

Aaron rarely interacts with his classmates. The feeling’s mutual. He doesn't talk to them and they don't talk to him. Unless it's absolutely necessary.

This Friday’s an important immunology exam, and since they're all future wannabe doctors that should get used to working with people they don't like nor care for in order to properly treat patients—Aaron and his classmates are forced to make contact on occasion for the greater good.

“Study group? Library. Usual spot.” 

A giant of a man cautiously approaches Aaron like he's a feral animal primed to attack at sudden movements once the professor dismisses their seminar. He shares a couple lectures and labs with Aaron. Unsurprisingly, he’s also deathly afraid of Aaron. After losing at rock-paper-scissors the giant, sadly, is tasked to offer Aaron the invite.

Aaron boredly stares up at him while zipping up his backpack. He purposely doesn't blink, after all he has a reputation to maintain, and watches how the shaky mask of cooperation cracks into slivers of fear and regret on the giant's face.

“Depends. Is Katelyn gonna be there?” 

Aaron’s hospitable enough to look away, attention glued to the exit doors, giving his cowardly and scholarly peer time to sigh a breath of relief now that he's not subjected to piercing hazel apathy.

“...Yes?” Wrong answer.

“Then, no.” Is what Aaron wishes to say because it's risky to be in vicinity with his ex outside of the unavoidable STEM department. If word gets out, Andrew might actually kill her for being near Aaron again and they can’t afford another murder case trial.

Unfortunately, Katelyn's managed to get the top scores on every immunology exam to date, so against better judgment, Aaron replies through clenched teeth with a “Sure. I'll be there.”

He ignores the obviously muted cheers and gasps of shock when the giant gives the lingering study group a double thumbs up from a couple desks away. Aaron rolls his eyes hard and quickly marches off to the doors, through the halls, to the split campus pathways. The only reason the rest of the premeds are tolerating his existence is because Aaron has made the Dean’s List every semester with his GPA. He’s useful to keep around, even at a distance, and Aaron doesn’t mind that all his relationships are purely transactional sans Nicky. That’s normally how life operates, right?

Contrary to popular belief, he and his twin Andrew are not close whatsoever like the rumors suggest. Any brotherly love between them is laughable. As far as Aaron knows, he and Andrew hate each other, and it all began with a letter.

“Yo! Aaron!”

Just his luck. He really wanted to take a comatose nap in his dorm room before Exy practice, but of course, he’s accosted by the most irritating duo in the world.

“Fuck off, Kevin. Josten.” Aaron politely greets, his leisurely stroll enhancing to a speedwalk. Worth an E for Effort when up against speedster strikers.

“Are you really gonna make us chase you?” Neil flawlessly matches Aaron’s pace, coming up on his left side.

“You’re done with classes, yeah?” Kevin takes a place at Aaron’s right.

How frustrating. Aaron sandwiched between the Exy freaks. Unable to outrun them. Makes Aaron madder when he realizes this is the same type of tricky play he and Nicky or Matt do to immobilize rival teams attempting to score on Andrew. 

He snarls. “What do you want? I’m busy.”

“No, you’re not.” Neil instantly counters, evilly snagging onto Aaron’s backpack, and it’s like he’s tugged on a dog leash with how Aaron is jerked to a stop against his will. Neil responds to Aaron’s scathing glower impassively and says, “We know your schedule. You’re most definitely free after 1pm on these days.”

Curling an eyebrow, Aaron growls. “Stalking me now, Josten. Wrong twin.”

“Right twin.” Neil lets go of the backpack and pockets his hands in his jeans. “Come to night practice with us.”

“Never.” 

Aaron rejects without thinking it over for a second. Not even for the fact that going above and beyond for Exy is a betrayal to his character. It’s simply because he takes pleasure in not bending backwards for the Foxes’ latest recruit.

Kevin wrings his wrists, taking the opportunity to slide his appreciative eyes up and down Aaron’s body from head to toe while he’s distracted staring daggers into an unphased Neil. He doesn’t get this attraction business, Kevin’s seen Andrew in all black all the time, but when Aaron wears an all black ensemble it is bewitching. 

“S’not stalking, by the way.” Kevin unhelpfully elaborates. “We know your classes because I’m literally your roommate. I see your calendar.” He fails to mention that he double checked with a talkative, unsuspecting Nicky earlier.

“And I’m the honorary roommate.” Neil adds on to Kevin’s excuse.

Aaron loathes that he has to take turns to scowl at them both. “You’re only honorary, Neil, because Nicky likes your company, Kevin and you are a packaged deal, and Andrew finds you interesting.”

“He thinks I’m interesting!” Damn. Aaron shouldn’t have said that. 

Neil’s entire demeanor changes. Spine straightened. Voice curious. Blue eyes widened and sparkly. He’s perked up like a pet being praised by its owner. Aaron considers murdering Neil for the umpteenth time in months for that reaction.

“You don’t have to do anything at night practice, Aaron. Just come along. For moral support.” Kevin gets them back on topic, sensing Aaron’s thinning patience.

“No means no, Kevin. Or should I tell Andrew you’re being pushy?” Aaron doesn’t mean to weaponize his twin in such a way. 

He only desires for the two thorns currently in his side to leave him alone. Unlike the others who got the message in a heartbeat and backed off to live another day, Kevin’s an anomaly when it comes to survival skills. Especially when it’s about bothering Aaron.

The former Raven turned Fox wormed his way through the cousins’ nearly impenetrable barrier to somehow be in their volatile favor. Kevin’s persistence left the other Foxes, Coach Wymack, and even the cousins themselves appalled. Perhaps, it was due to Kevin’s unusually rough upbringing for he imprinted on Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky (mostly Andrew though) like a baby duckling seeking safety and shelter. 

Kevin was so used to never being alone with the Ravens or Riko, that it made a smooth transition for him to latch onto how familiar the cousins’ dynamic is; being stuck together no matter how begrudged.

Aaron has no idea why in the hell Kevin believes Andrew and Aaron are safe when he knows the rumors are real. The Minyard twins have blood on their hands and they have no qualms about callously killing the same people over and over if given the chance. He figures Kevin has one too many screws loose to notice he’s not in good hands.

“No need for threats,” Neil cuts in at Kevin’s speechlessness. “We’re not empty handed. Do you accept bribes?”

“I’m listening.” Aaron squints suspiciously.

“I’ll check your Calculus I homework answers all the way to finals.” Neil can see Aaron’s hardened eyes flicker with confliction.

The Foxes know Neil’s a whiz at math. That he’s a weirdo that signs up for math as an elective because it’s fun to him. By no means is Aaron struggling with equations, he’s good at it, but to his discontent, Neil is the better mathematician of them. It’d be invaluable for Aaron to have an ace up his sleeve in Neil pointing out mistakes for him to correct before it’s too late to fix.

“I can just sit and do whatever?” Aaron wants to swipe Neil’s cocky expression off.

“Wait? You’re for real?” Kevin lights up and Aaron feels bad that the paparazzi aren’t around because they’d make a fortune snapping a shot of the Queen of Exy’s awestruck face. Aaron decides that looking at Kevin is a less annoying option than looking at Neil’s ugly mug.

“Don’t make me change my mind.” Aaron tells Kevin and digs through his backpack to shove his finished homework into Neil’s chest so harshly that Neil is knocked back a tad.

Without saying a goodbye or see ya later, Aaron abandons Neil and Kevin on the pathway. Neil forgets to shout a standard insult, prepared to ruin Aaron’s peace at any time or day, yet his eyes are entrancingly preoccupied at the papers of lengthy equations. Kevin triumphantly smiles, eyes remaining on Aaron fleeing the scene.

“This is a good start. Getting Aaron to agree.” Kevin turns to Neil.

“Told you I’m a genius.”

“Let’s not jinx it. We’ll see how tonight goes.”

Neil spares Kevin a glance. “It’ll go how I planned it.” He gives pause before adding with a shrug, “Hopefully.”

tagging list @icangotwiceashigh @little2nerdy @a-had-matter @luadusk

OPERATION: The M In Minyard Stands For Mine!——is officially a go.

Part 3

[hamsternella]

Immortal!König x Fem!Reader

cw: mentions of non-con, obsession, possessiveness, inspired by Mad Max: Fury Road, MDNI

.

.

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.

[lunastrophe]

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.

[michanvalentine]

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...

...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!

[sprinkleonthatcriticism]

The whole thing about the twincest merch is strange- I agree that it’s sort of silly cause yeah, the whole point of Glitz and Glam is that they’re willing to sell themselves out and fetishise their twin sister relationship just for fame and money, a direct parallel to Fizzarolli being tired of the constant sexualisation of his image and realising that it’s not worth it. In universe, I’d understand why the demons and imps would eat up the twin sister merch, most of them lack morals and just want to see two hot demons on a poster. I also sort of interpreted the Glitz and Glam as a parallel to the IRL fetishisation of female twins, young naive women in the industry, and lesbians. Like t.a.t.u, they were forced to fake being lesbians for publicity and male gaze attention.

So im really not sure how to feel about Vivziepop approving real merch of the two twins together. If they weren’t actual siblings I’d be like whatever about it, I think we can be critical of what they represent while also enjoying the fun cute art. But I also feel uncomfortable when fans claim it’s ’not that deep’, incest seems to be downplayed a lot. Vivziepop isn’t really able to stick to a message about the characters- Glitz and Glam are reduced into ‘stupid bimbo sluts hungry for fame’ with only the slightest hint of a message on how ‘even when women are finally given the chance to shine in the industry, it’s often at the cost of being constantly sexualised or exploited (in this case, taboo incest lesbian acts for the audience to gawk at). Instead, Vivziepop just wants the irl audience to also find them hot and make horny art of them.

Are you really being critical of the exploitative industry that you parallel in ur show, if ur also benefitting of the exact same thing but with your irl audience? Ur selling this same merch to ur audience because u know they eat it up. Not to mention Vivziepop herself ALLEGEDLY abuses her workers and acts pretty horribly to her friends. The message of Fizz rejecting this system falls flat because of the merch and vivz’s actions directly tied to the show imo.

Just another reason why I think proshippers need to genuinely unlearn silly fandom beliefs before writing an ACTUAL show, if you want it to have good writing at least. How and why you’re writing problematic things into ur show matters. If this show had a purely satirical tone then this wouldn’t matter, but because she added if into an episode heavy on angst and drama, things matter a lot more. Just like how she fetishises Stolas and Blitz’s transactional relationship without critical thought behind it, only sweeping any issues under the excuse of ‘Stolas is depressed/didn’t know any better!!’.

Sorry for the long ask lol this has just been on my mind for a while 💖

The whole twincest merch thing would honestly make sense if it was sold in universe to helluva boss but when it comes to it being sold in real life... it just comes off as weird and it also comes off as Viv marketing to those who ship the girls. And it's hard to give Vivziepop the benefit of a doubt and assume that is not her intention but considering what we seen in HB involving Stella and her brother as well as that one scene with Moxxie and Millie dressed up as siblings, yea it's really hard to just give her that BOFAD.