#(But it will not kill you to do some research)

[elfwreck]

Remember: they have four years - maybe only two, depending on how many of them we can flip in 2026 - for their bullshit.

They are absolutely counting on keeping people too panicked and off-balance and confused to resist their true efforts, to reshape America into a place where people live in fear and obey not only the law, but what they think might become the law.

Lean hard into the communities you love and trust.

Don't let anyone convince to distrust your neighbor.

If the text of the new bills and horrific executive orders scares you, research the history of similar things - and realize that they're trying a blitz action they know won't actually work. They're throwing handfuls of shuriken into the air - and yes, some people are going to be hit and hurt badly. But it's not 1 blade = 1 death. It's not even 1 blade = 1 injury. They are counting on you seeing each bill or order that catches your eye and focusing on the damage it could cost, multiplied by how many attempts they're making - and not realizing they're not aiming and they have no strength behind any one of them.

(They will put strength behind any of them that seem to be working, which is why the lawsuits against them are necessary. But. They, too, have limited resources, and they're putting a lot into the scare campaign instead of sustainability.)

Give it a month, and we'll be seeing the "Oh no, I didn't know they meant ME!!!" posts from the leopards-eating-peoples-faces voters.

(...avoid putting too much energy into schadenfreude. We're all going to do a bit of point-and-laugh, but don't lose your sense of empathy along the way. There's a lot of reasons why people got duped, and not all of them are "because some of them are greedy and stupid and vicious.")

Find WHATEVER IT TAKES to cope, to support your friends and allies, to hold to whatever hope you can sustain.

If that's pulling back from political news, do that. If it's calling your representatives twice a week and talking into their message recorder until you fill it up and it's not taking messages anymore, do that. If it's gaming in a world where you smite evil necromancers and return the treasure to the people, do that. If it's reading fanfic where the good guys get even more ruined than what's happening in the US, because you want the real world to be *better* than your fantasy world, do that.

Stop feeding the trolls. Block liberally and often. When something saps your energy, look hard at it and decide if you actually need it in your life.

Focus on growing deep roots, not on reaching high and flowering brightly. Connect through tiny spores that move randomly. The lesson for the next few years is endure.

Become the mushroom so they can't kill you in a way that matters.

Listen to me. Listen very carefully:

They are trying to wear you out.

They are trying to wear you out, and they own most major social media now, along with many major media outlets. The disinformation machine is cranking along. You are going to have to slow the fuck down and read things before you help them wear out other people, too.

So you just saw a post about a real scary bill, hunh? Republicans want to make it a capital offense to pet dogs and repeal The Sky Is Blue Act of 1793, declaring the new official color of the sky to be squant? Damn, that sounds scary.

Let's go look up this fictitious "Make The Sky Squant Again Act" on GovTracker* & on the official legislative tracker on congress.gov!

Well, let's see... GovTracker estimates it has a 1% chance of even getting out of committee and a 0% chance of being enacted, while congress.gov says this bill has 2 cosponsors who have been in the House and combined total of less than a month. The bill doesn't have any actual text, and it was referred to 5 different committees.

That fictitious bill and a hundred others like it are quite literally not worth your time, and more than that, continuing to wring your hands about it and tell other people about the scary scary squant sky bill only does their work for them. It scares people, it makes them spend time and energy on it, and it wears them out. It is a legislative Gish Gallop, meant to throw so many things at people that we can't keep up.

Even calling or messaging your Rep in this case means their staffer has to waste time responding to you and letting you know that Representative Buttzonheads definitely won't support making petting dogs a capital offense, a thing that will never, ever happen regardless.

Staying engaged in this environment is going to require protecting your heart and protecting your energy, yes, but also protecting the energy of others. This is why WWII propaganda posters also included ones taking people to task for spreading panicky rumors and undermining morale.

Do you know why most observant Jews don't eat chicken and dairy together, even though the ban is on red meat and dairy together bc you're not supposed to cook the calf in the milk of its mother?** It's not because we think that chicken might secretly lactate or Just Because. It's because the rabbis decided that if I'm sitting out in public and eating turkey and cheese together, someone might glance at the turkey and mistake it for red meat and think, "oh, well, I know that Spider is a good Jew, there must have been a change, or maybe I can just justify it to myself that if Spider does it, it must be permissible to bend the rules just that much." And I would then be accidentally leading my fellow Jew astray. We are responsible for being even more careful for the sake of others than we are for ourselves.

It's the same principle here. We need to really be careful about the information we are spreading and check things past reading a news site. Is it true? Is it relevant? Is it meaningful? Is the news site one I recognize? Can I find meaningful independent corroboration on another site, which is to say, if I find an article about it on a second site, is it just quoting or rephrasing this site?

Yeah, that is a lot. But that's how we keep them from using us to lead our fellows astray.

*GovTracker is an independent site. They explain their methodology in their About section.

**I cannot say enough how I am not at this time interested in going on a Jewish Side Quest About Dietary Laws on this post. Usually, I love it, but hold off this time, please, y'all. Let's stay on target this once.

[et7432]

Not Without Permission

(Klaus Mikaelson)

(Klaus Mikaelson x Reader)

Summary: Elena and Damon leave (Y/N) behind at the last untouched safehouse in Mystic Falls, the one place where the Originals can't just waltz in. It's a temporary peace, and they need her to stay put while they go after an ancient artifact that could change everything. Before they go, they make it crystal clear—no one gets inside, no matter what. The stakes are too high. But when a familiar, dangerous face shows up at the door—Klaus Mikaelson himself—(Y/N)’s calm is about to be tested. Charming, persuasive, and never without a few tricks up his sleeve, Klaus doesn’t take no for an answer. Will she keep the door locked, or will the deadly allure of the Original hybrid be enough to crack her resolve?

I pouted quietly, as I watched Damon and Elena leaving without me. It was my way of masking the yearning for adventure that I couldn't join in on.

"Listen carefully. Your house is the only place in town that the Originals cannot enter. No one can enter without an invitation, no exceptions - not even if someone is bleeding on your doorstep," Damon warns.

"I understand, Damon. Safe haven, magical barrier, invite-only."

Elena struggled with another duffel bag and hauled it to Damon's car trunk.

"It's true, (y/n). We can't risk it."

"Then let me come with you." I walked down the porch steps. "I've been researching those artifacts for weeks. I could be of assistance-"

"No." Elena slammed the trunk. "You need to stay here where it's safe. Plus, don't you have that history report about the 1920s due?"

"Seriously? You're using homework as an excuse while you're out hunting for ancient magical objects?"

"I'd rather do homework than hunt for ancient magical objects that could get you killed," Damon called out as he climbed into the driver's seat.

Elena gave me a quick hug. "We'll be back before you know it."

I watched them get inside the car, frustration boiling within me. The engine roared to life, and Damon rolled down his window.

"Remember - don't open the door for anyone!" His voice carried across the lawn.

"Of course, dad!" I replied sarcastically, putting all my teenage angst into those three words.

The car disappeared down the street, leaving me alone on my supposedly safe front lawn, feeling like a useless researcher stuck in some supernatural time-out.

The desk lamp cast a harsh glow across my laptop screen. The cursor blinked against the white document - mocking me with its steady rhythm. Only my name and the date stared back: "(y/n) Matthews, October 15th."

The cicadas droned outside my window, their endless chirping a symphony of late-night procrastination. I drummed my fingers against the desk, scrolling through my research notes for the thousandth time. Prohibition. Speakeasies. The Jazz Age. My brain refused to string two coherent sentences together about any of it.

I glanced at my phone. 9:47 PM. No messages from Elena or Damon.

"The 1920s represented a period of..." I typed, then deleted it. Too generic.

"In the wake of World War I..." Backspace, backspace, backspace.

The cicadas grew louder, their sound bleeding through my closed window. I pushed back from my desk and paced the room, my sock-covered feet silent against the hardwood floor. My history textbook lay open on the bed, its pages filled with black and white photos of flappers and Model T's.

"This would be so much easier if I could just interview an actual person who lived through it," I muttered, throwing myself back into my desk chair. The leather creaked under my weight. "But no - stay home, (y/n). Do your homework, (y/n). Do the responsible thing, (y/n). Don't get killed by thousand-year-old vampires, (y/n)."

The flashing line on my screen taunted me. I couldn't help imagining what adventures Elena and Damon were having - undoubtedly more exciting than watching an empty screen mock my progress.

I slumped forward, letting my brow make contact with the smooth desktop surface. Overhead, my study light buzzed softly, a constant electrical hum that matched my brain's static.

The peaceful stillness of the night shattered as three sharp knocks echoed through the house. My heart pounded in my chest.

More knocks followed, each one deliberate and measured. I knew it wasn't Damon's impatient pounding or someone in need of help.

I descended the stairs cautiously, avoiding the creaky spots I had memorized long ago. The atrium light cast eerie shadows across the hardwood floor.

"Who is it?" I called out, trying to mask the uncertainty in my voice.

"Good evening," came a refined voice from beyond the door. "Forgive the late hour, but I'm searching for Elena Gilbert. I was told she might be here."

As soon as I heard his words, the hair on my neck stood on end and a shiver ran down my spine. I immediately recognized that voice.

“Well, she’s not here,” I said firmly, glad my voice didn’t waver. "And even if she was, she wouldn't want to talk to a vampire like you."

The man's chuckle turned into a low growl. "You have no idea what you're talking about," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"I know who you are." I stepped back from the door, though the barrier spell made the distance unnecessary. "And I know you can't come in."

A low chuckle drifted through the wood. "Clever girl. Elena mentioned you. Haven't I seen you before a few times? - the studious one, always with her nose in a book. Tell me, what are you reading these days?"

"Nothing that would interest you." My fingers gripped the banister behind me, steadying my shaking legs.

"On the contrary, I find human persistence fascinating. The way you dig through dusty tomes and piece together fragments of the past..." His voice moved along the porch, closer to the window. "Speaking of the past, I hear you're writing about the 1920s. I could tell you stories that would make your paper absolutely..." A tap against the wooden door. "Riveting."

My throat went dry as I realized the truth - he had been alive during those times. He probably danced in speakeasies and roamed the gas-lit streets. But how did he know about my writing? Was he watching me earlier, lurking and listening to my conversation with Elena and Damon?

"I have no interest in your stories," I said, trying to keep him talking. I knew Elena would want to know that he was back in town, but my phone was upstairs on my desk, out of reach.

"No? Shame. I particularly enjoyed Chicago during Prohibition. The music, the fashion... the absolute lawlessness of it all. Your textbooks couldn't possibly capture the true spirit of the era."

Each word dripped with casual menace, reminding me of every story I'd heard about his victims. The countless lives he'd ended with that same conversational tone.

"Why are you really here?" I forced steel into my voice, channeling Elena's courage.

"Direct. I like that." Another tap, this time back at the door. "Very well. Since Elena's not answering her phone, perhaps you could pass along a message?"

My hand trembled over the doorknob. Every survival instinct screamed to run upstairs, but a deeper part of me knew - if Klaus wanted to deliver a message, he'd find a way. At least the barrier spell would protect me.

I twisted the knob and pulled the door open.

Klaus stood on my porch, hands clasped behind his back. The porch light caught the angles of his face, casting shadows that made him look more a statue than man. His lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Brave little thing, aren't you?" He cocked his head. "Most humans who know what I am wouldn't dare."

I rested on the door frame. "The barrier spell works both ways. You can't get in, and I can't accidentally step out."

"Clever too." He took a single step closer, stopping just short of the invisible line. "Though I must say, opening doors to monsters - even with magical protection - shows questionable judgment."

"You said you had a message." I lifted my chin, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"Indeed." His eyes locked onto mine, and I fought the urge to look away. "But now I'm far more intrigued by you. Standing here, trembling yet defiant. Tell me, what makes someone choose to face their fears instead of hiding from them?"

"Maybe I'm tired of hiding." The words spilled out before I could stop them. "Maybe I'm tired of being the one left behind to stay safe while my friends risk their lives."

Klaus's smile widened, showing teeth. "Now that's honesty I can appreciate."

I swallowed hard, regretting my outburst. Every story I'd heard about Klaus started with someone letting their guard down, sharing too much.

"The message." I squared my shoulders. "What do you want me to tell Elena?"

"Straight to business?" He traced a finger along the door frame, stopping at the barrier's edge. "And here I thought we were having such a lovely chat about your academic pursuits."

"It's late, and I have homework to finish."

"Ah yes, your paper." His hand dropped to his side. "Though I suspect your mind's no longer on dance halls and bootleggers."

"Klaus." I forced myself to sound more direct. "The message?"

His expression shifted, playfulness vanishing like smoke. "Tell her I found what we discussed in Chicago. The item she's searching for? It's not what she thinks. And if she continues down this path..." He leaned forward, close enough that I could see flecks of gold in his eyes. "Well, let's just say some treasures are better left buried."

"That's cryptic, even for you."

"Consider it a courtesy warning. I do so hate to see wasted potential." He stepped back, adjusting his jacket cuffs. "Whether that potential belongs to Elena or yourself remains to be seen."

Goosebumps appeared on my skin from his words. "I'll tell her."

"My thanks for being such a reliable messenger bird." He gave a slight bow and turned his back to me walking away.

Klaus's silhouette started blending into the dimness of nightfall along the asphalt street, an impulsive need shot up my spine making my heart hammer against its cage; an acknowledgement of shared knowledge perhaps? Against all better judgement and advice whispering urgently for silence in my ear, I called out to him,

"Klaus!"

"Wait." As I called out his name, Klaus froze in place, his body still and tense as if carved from a block of cold, white marble. His face revealed a struggle, with furrowed brows and clenched jaw as he wrestled with conflicting emotions.

Finally, he took a deep breath and turned on his heel, his determined steps leading him back to my home.

The sound of his shoes crunching against the gravel path echoed through the quiet evening air as he strode purposefully towards me. Klaus was back on my porch as close to me as he could get this time without touching the invisible barrier.

"Yes?" His tone was casual, but his expression remained unreadable as he took in my call. Curiosity laced his low baritone voice. Despite the tension in his posture, he exuded a sense of grace and anticipation with a slight turn of his head and a raised eyebrow.

"I was wondering... if you could tell me about the 1920s?" I gesture helplessly. "But you'd have to stay on the porch, obviously."

His lips curved into an amused smile. "Curiosity wins over caution? How delightfully human."

"You can sit." I backed away from the door. "Let me just-"

I darted to the living room, dragging one of the heavy wooden chairs from our dining set. Its legs scraped across the floor as I pushed it through the doorway, over the threshold.

Klaus caught the chair with one hand, positioning it with casual grace. "Such hospitality."

"Can I get you something to drink?" My heart hammered against my ribs. "Not... I mean, obviously not blood, but..."

"Scotch, if you have it." He settled into the chair. "Your father keeps a decent collection, as I can tell."

I froze. "How did you-"

"The cabinet right at the end of the hallway," He looked straight ahead. "I make it my business to know these things."

I found myself walking to our alcohol cabinet, hands shaking as I reached for the crystal decanter. The amber liquid caught the lamplight as I poured a generous measure into a glass.

When I returned, Klaus looked almost relaxed and at ease—something I had never seen in him before. I felt ridiculous, but I couldn’t take any chances with the unpredictable original. I quickly put the glass down on the ground and grabbed an umbrella from near the front door, using it to push the glass past the barrier.

“Really, love? A bit overly cautious?” he remarked, accepting the scotch as he leaned down to pick up the glass.

“I don’t think it’s possible for someone to be too cautious around you, Klaus,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

I paused in disbelief as the reality sank in: an old vampire, let alone an original, was willing to help me with my school paper. "Hold on, I need to grab a few things," I mumbled under my breath before quickly climbing the stairs to retrieve my laptop and phone.

I also snatched a thick blanket, anticipating the cool air outside at this time of night.

Making my way back down the stairs, I bundled myself in the warm blanket and settled in the doorway, tucking my legs under for added coziness. With my laptop balanced on my lap, I turned to face him.

He sat across from me with a playful smile on his face, his words laced with flirtatiousness. "You are a most intriguing creature," he declared, his dark eyes sparkling mischievously.

My gaze traveled over his handsome features, admiring every detail - from the sharp angle of his jaw to the way his hair fell across his forehead.

Feeling a blush spread across my cheeks, I cleared my throat nervously. "Sh-should we get started?" I stammered.

"By all means," Klaus responded, raising his glass in a small toast before taking a sip of the scotch. "But where would you like to start? The Roaring Twenties were quite an eventful decade, after all."

I chewed at my bottom lip momentarily, scanning the information I had already collected on my screen. "Gangsters and speakeasies," I finally said. "Prohibition and the rise of organized crime."

His mouth quivered upwards slightly into a smile. "A fascinating period indeed." He leaned back in his chair, looking every inch the relaxed gentleman. Yet, there was an ominous stillness about him that contradicted his comfortable appearance.

He began to speak, describing the decadence and vibrancy of the 1920s with a vividness that only someone who lived through it could possess. His stories were filled with tales of moonshine and jazz, of raucous parties and hushed backroom deals.

As he spun his colorful narratives, I found myself increasingly drawn in by his storytelling, my homework temporarily forgotten. His voice wove a tapestry of the past so tangible that I felt as though I could almost touch it.

"There was this feeling in the air," he tried to explain with a far-off look in his eyes. "A desperation...a recklessness. It was as if everyone knew they were dancing on the edge of a cliff - but they were too caught up in their own enjoyment to care."

Then he shifted gears and tales of extravagance turned grimmer as he began narrating about the violent underbelly of the age - amoral gangsters with Tommy guns ruling cityscapes through fear and intimidation, corruption permeating every layer of society.

His violent accounts of the past made my blood run cold reminding me exactly who – or rather 'what' – Klaus really was - an ancient supernatural creature capable of unspeakable horrors, who had lived through centuries of human history, who had seen - no, done - the very worst humanity had to offer.

Yet, for all that he was and all that I knew him to be, in that moment, as he sat back in that old wooden chair recounting a bygone era with an almost nostalgic air about him – Klaus seemed startlingly human.

Hours passed and the moon climbed higher in the sky. The cold crept into my bones, stiffening my fingers against the keyboard. But I had too many questions and Klaus seemed more than willing to answer them.

A sense of camaraderie began to settle between us, one that made me forget for a few minutes about the inconceivable dangers associated with his kind. The night felt less threatening with Klaus’ presence - his tales from the past bridging the divide as we sat together under the chilling autumn wind sharing stories – his so supernaturally old and mine so humanly young.

As the night began to fade, a tinge of sadness crept into my heart, knowing that this evening was coming to an end. The weight of reality pressed down on me as I faced Klaus. His striking eyes, glowing like liquid gold in the dim light, were fixated on me once again. His eyes held a vast depth of knowledge, and for a moment, I was entranced by their mysteries.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" he asked, finishing the last sip of his scotch.

My eyes still locked onto his and I shook my head slowly, a soft smile playing on my lips. More than anything, I wanted to indulge in this moment just a bit longer.

"No," I replied, fingers absentmindedly tracing the edges of my laptop. "That...that's enough for now."

He chuckled softly, draining the last remnants of the amber liquid from his glass and placing it softly on the porch floor. Rising up from the chair, he stretched subtly, the muscles rippling under his attire creating a muscular silhouette against the glow of the approaching dawn.

"Very well then," he said, stepping towards me. He extended his hand to help me up from the cold wooden floor. As I reached out to accept it, a spark seemed to dart between us, potent and electrifying. I recoiled my hand before grabbing his realizing that he could pull me out from the protective barrier. I saw him frown for a moment but he recovered quickly as if it didn’t bother him.

“I should leave now, little creature,” he says almost endearingly.

"Wait." I scrambled to get him to stay in some way a little longer. "What about the message for Elena?"

"Ah yes." He paused at the edge of the porch steps. "Don’t worry your pretty mind about Elena’s business.”

"You're not going to explain what you meant about the item she's searching for?"

"Some discoveries are best made firsthand." He turned back, shadows playing across his features. "Besides, I've given you plenty to work with - both for your paper and for Elena."

My fingers clutched the laptop tighter. "Why help me at all?"

"Perhaps I enjoy nurturing young minds." His voice carried back through the darkness. "Or perhaps I simply appreciate anyone willing to look beyond the surface of history's official narrative."

My lips parted, ready to speak, but before I could even form a word, Klaus had vanished into thin air without uttering a simple 'goodbye'. The absurdity of the situation made me laugh, despite everything that had just transpired. I chuckled softly under my breath as I stood alone staring out at the vacant street from my front door. 

I remained motionless for a while, hearing the cicadas pick up their song again, questioning whether the strange meeting had been real.

His empty scotch glass remained on the porch, catching moonlight like a diamond in the rough. I stared at it, mind racing through every detail of our conversation. Klaus's words about speakeasies, the hidden rooms, the secrets, crimes - they painted a vivid picture of the 1920s . But something nagged at me.

I pulled my phone out and opened my messages to Elena.

"Klaus was here. Said he found 'the item' you were looking for claims it's not what you think. Warning you about buried treasures?" My thumb hit over the send button.

The response came seconds later: "WHAT? Are you okay? Stay inside!"

"I'm fine. He couldn't cross the threshold." I glanced at the empty chair. "Elena, what's this item he mentioned?"

"Don't worry about that. We're turning around and heading back home now."

"It's late, I'm safe. He's gone." I looked at my laptop proud of the notes I'd taken. I set it aside on a table by the front door.

Elena's response buzzed through. "Be safe. We'll talk in a little bit. Lock everything."

"I will. Don't worry so much." I picked up the blanket ready to close the door. 

But the empty scotch glass still sat on the porch I couldn't resist the urge to clean up.

"I really should bring that inside," I thought to myself, stepping over the threshold to grab it.

My fingers had barely closed around the glass when the air shifted. A rush of movement slammed me back against the house wall, knocking the breath from my lungs. Klaus's hands pressed on either side of my head, caging me in.

"Careful, love." His breath ghosted across my cheek. "Crossing thresholds can be dangerous business."

My heart thundered against my ribs. "You were waiting."

"Watching." His eyes traced my face with an intensity that made my skin prickle. "To see if temptation would overpower your better judgment once more."

"I just wanted the glass-" My voice sounded weak even to my own ears.

"Fascinating." His thumb traced along my jawline, the touch feather-light yet electric. "Your heart's racing, but you're not trying to run."

I pressed my palms flat against the wall behind me, desperate for something solid to ground me. "Maybe I know it wouldn't make a difference."

"Oh, it would make all the difference." Klaus's other hand slid down to rest at the curve of my neck, his fingers cool against my pulse point. "The chase always adds such... excitement."

"Is that what this is to you? A game?"

"Life's a game, love. The trick is knowing which pieces to move." His thumb brushed across my bottom lip, and my breath caught. "And when to take risks."

The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the sharp scent of autumn leaves. Klaus's body blocked most of the porch light now, casting us both in shadow.

He spoke softly, his accent flowing over the words like smooth silk.

"What fascinates you more - the monster or the man?"

"I-" The word stuck in my throat as his fingers traced patterns on my skin. "Both. Neither. I don't know."

"Now that's honesty." He shifted closer, until barely a breath separated us. "Most humans choose one or the other. They either crave the darkness or desperately seek the light." His nose skimmed along my cheek. "But you... you see both, don't you? The artist and the killer. The teacher and the terror."

One of my hands found their way to his chest, but I couldn't tell if I meant to push him away or pull him closer. The fabric of his jacket was soft under my fingertips, hiding the immortal strength beneath.

My head was spinning, my thoughts scattered as Klaus's proximity overwhelmed me. I wanted to push him away, to run inside and lock the door behind me. But at the same time, I couldn't deny that a part of me was drawn to him, intrigued by his words and his touch.

"You shouldn't be here," I managed to say, my voice trembling.

Klaus's lips curved into a predatory smile. "But I am."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Why? Why do you keep coming back?"

He leaned in even closer, his lips brushing against my ear. "Because you intrigue me."

I shivered at the feeling of his warm breath on my skin. "What do you want from me?"

"What do I want?" He pulled back slightly, studying my face with those piercing blue eyes. "I want to show you what real passion is, love. To open your eyes to a world beyond your mundane existence."

I couldn't deny the spark of curiosity that flickered within me at his words. But I refused to give in so easily.

"I know what passion is," I said stubbornly.

"Do you? Has anyone ever made your heart race like this?" Klaus's hand trailed down my neck and over my chest before resting on my waist.

I swallowed hard as he leaned in again, our faces so close that our noses were almost touching.

"I can make you feel things you've never felt before," he whispered against my lips.

His words sent a shiver down my spine, but I couldn't let myself succumb to him just yet.

"Who says I want that?" I challenged, trying not to let his nearness cloud my judgment.

"You do." His voice was low and confident. "You crave excitement and danger just as much as you fear it."

I wanted to deny it, but deep down I knew he was right. There was a part of me that longed for something more, something beyond the endless cycle of work, eat, and sleep.

"I'm not like you," I insisted, searching his eyes for some grain of understanding. Yet all I saw were galaxies of blue teasing me with unparalleled enigma.

His laughter echoed through the night, as soft and alluring as forbidden velvet. "Oh darling, nobody said you had to be." The fingers at my waist tightened slightly, pulling me inescapably closer. "All you need to be is... open."

"Open to what?" I whispered, my voice quivering, my heart hammered wildly against my chest.

His lips crashed into mine, fierce and demanding, with a passion that spoke of centuries of longing. The glass slipped from my trembling fingers, shattering on the wooden planks beneath us. My hands found his jacket lapels, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, my fingers curling into the expensive fabric. His fingers tangled in my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth moved against mine with desperate intensity, every touch igniting fire beneath my skin.

My heart thundered against my ribs, matching the fierce rhythm of his immortal strength pressing against me. I could feel centuries of loneliness and desire in the way he held me, his touch alternating between gentle reverence and possessive need. The wooden porch railing pressed into my back, grounding me in this moment that felt suspended between reality and dream.

His hand slid down my spine, leaving trails of fire in its wake, each touch a dangerous promise that made me shiver. I arched into him, gasping as his teeth grazed my lower lip, the gesture both tender and predatory. The rough wood siding pressed against my back, splinters catching at my sweater, a stark reminder of reality that did nothing to break the spell of his presence.

"Such sweet surrender," Klaus breathed against my mouth, his accent thicker with desire. His stubble scraped my skin as he traced kisses along my jaw, each one deliberate and claiming. "And here I thought you were the cautious one, love."

My fingers clutched his shoulders, seeking anchor in a storm of sensation, feeling the immortal strength beneath his expensive jacket. "I am cautious."

"Evidently not." His laugh vibrated against my throat, dark and rich like aged whiskey. "Though I must admit, your recklessness is... intoxicating."

The word snapped something in my brain, cutting through the haze of desire like a knife. Intoxicating. Dangerous. Deadly. Every warning Elena had ever given me about Klaus crashed back like a tidal wave - stories of his cruelty, his manipulation, the trail of broken bodies he'd left across centuries.

"Wait." I pressed my palms against his chest, feeling his heart beat slow and steady beneath my hands. "Stop."

To my surprise, he did. Klaus pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, his eyes dark with hunger that wasn't entirely vampiric, predatory desire written in every line of his immortal face. "Having second thoughts?"

"I'm having all the thoughts." My voice shook, betraying the chaos in my mind. "Every single one I should have had before I stepped outside this threshold. Every warning bell that should have rung hours ago."

"And yet here you are." His thumb traced circles on my hip, each movement sending shivers down my spine. "Making choices that would terrify your friends. Defying every careful warning they've whispered behind closed doors."

"They'd be right to be terrified." I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of my own recklessness. "You're..."

"A monster?" His smile held no warmth, just centuries of dark promises. "We've established that love. Multiple times tonight. Or have you forgotten our earlier conversations?"

"No, you're..." I struggled to form coherent thoughts with him still pressed against me, his presence overwhelming every sense. The scent of aged whiskey and leather clouded my mind, making it impossible to think straight.

"You're Klaus. You don't do this - whatever this is. You have schemes and plans and..." I drew in a shaky breath, acutely aware of how his touch seemed to burn through the thin fabric of my shirt. "You don't get distracted like this. You're always ten steps ahead of everyone else."

"Perhaps this is part of a scheme." His fingers skimmed up my side, leaving trails of fire in their wake. The predatory gleam in his eyes made my heart stutter. "Or perhaps you've simply caught my interest. A thousand years on this earth, and still you manage to surprise me."

"That might be worse." My voice came out barely above a whisper, heavy with the weight of what those words could mean. The thought of being truly interesting to Klaus Mikaelson was more terrifying than any calculated plot.

His laugh was genuine this time. "Smart girl." He stepped back, leaving me cold in the autumn air. "Though not quite smart enough to stay inside, it seems."

I wrapped my arms around myself, looking down at the shattered glass as I shifted uncomfortably on the porch. "You orchestrated this whole thing." The realization settled like lead in my stomach.

"The history lesson? Yes. The kiss?" His eyes glinted dangerously in the porch light pleased. "That was all you, love. Crossing thresholds, chasing after crystal glasses... Such impulsive decisions."

"You could have just taken the glass with you when you left." Even to my own ears, the argument sounded weak, defensive.

"And miss this delightful demonstration of poor judgment?" Klaus brushed a strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering a moment too long against my cheek. "Where would be the fun in that?"

My phone buzzed insistently in my pocket - probably Elena again, wondering why I wasn't responding. Klaus's eyes flickered down to the sound, a calculating expression crossing his features.

"You should answer that. Your friends are quite protective." He took another step back. "Though I doubt they'd approve of tonight's... extracurricular activities."

"Don't." Heat flooded my cheeks as my hand instinctively touched my still-tingling lips. "This was a mistake."

"Was it?" He crouched down, picking up a large shard of broken crystal, his movements deliberately slow and graceful. "Seems more like an education to me. History, chemistry..." The glass caught moonlight as he turned it between his fingers, creating dancing patterns on the porch walls. "A practical lesson in crossing lines."

My phone buzzed again, the vibration seeming to echo in the tense silence between us. Klaus straightened back up to his full height.

"Your friends are getting impatient." Klaus stepped closer, his boots crunching over broken glass. "Though I must say, their timing leaves much to be desired."

I backed up against the door, heart pounding. "I should go inside."

"Should you?" His fingers traced the invisible barrier at the threshold. "We both know that's not what you want."

"What I want isn't always what's best for me."

"Now that's where you're wrong, love." Klaus's eyes locked with mine, intense and magnetic. His gaze held centuries of dark promises, sending shivers down my spine. "Sometimes the most dangerous choices yield the sweetest rewards. Why deny yourself?"

"Because I actually want to stay alive?" My wavering voice revealed my hesitation.

"No." His smile turned predatory, revealing just a hint of fang. "You're curious. Drawn to the darkness, even as you pretend to fear it." He gestured at the door behind me, his rings catching the porch light. "A couple of words, (y/n). That's all it would take. Invite me in."

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I gripped the door knob. "So you can what? Add me to your list of conquests?"

"So we can explore this... chemistry between us." His accent wrapped around the words like silk, each syllable a caress. "Don't pretend you haven't felt it building all evening. The way your heart races when I'm near, how your breath catches at my touch." His words hit too close to home, making my pulse stutter traitorously.

"Klaus..." The name came out as barely more than a whisper.

"Say yes." His hand hovered near my face, not quite touching, but I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. "Give in to what we both want."

My phone buzzed a third time, insistent and grounding. The familiar vibration cut through the spell he was weaving around me. I closed my eyes, fighting against the pull of his presence. "I can't."

"Can't?" His voice carried an edge of danger. "Or won't?"

"Both." I gripped the door frame harder, using the rough wood to anchor myself. "My friends trust me. I won't betray that."

"Loyalty." Klaus spat the word like poison. "Such a human weakness." His fingers traced the invisible barrier again, testing its limits. "And yet, it's precisely that quality which makes you..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Fascinating."

"I'm not fascinating." The words came out sharper than intended. "I'm just trying to survive in a world that keeps getting more complicated by the day."

"You underestimate yourself." His hand dropped to his side. "Most humans would have slammed the door in my face hours ago. But you..." His eyes raked over me, intense and calculating. "You stayed. Listened. Learned."

"Maybe I just needed help with my history paper."

"We both know that's not true." Klaus stepped back, his boots crunching over broken glass. "You're drawn to power, to knowledge. To danger." He smiled, all predator. "To me."

My phone buzzed again, the sound almost angry now. Klaus's eyes flickered to my pocket.

"Answer it." He gestured dismissively. "Before they send a search party."

"They might anyway." I pulled the phone out with trembling fingers. "Elena's not exactly the trusting type these days."

"Can you blame her?" Klaus's eyes glinted with dark amusement. "After everything that's happened in this town, trust becomes quite the precious commodity."

The screen lit up my face as I checked the messages. Four texts from Elena, each more worried than the last.

"Tell me something." I looked up from the phone. "Was any of this real? The history lessons, the stories?"

"Every word." Klaus picked up another shard of glass, turning it in the moonlight. "Though I admit, my motivations weren't entirely... academic."

"You could have just asked me out like a normal person."

His laugh echoed across the porch. "Normal? Love, I haven't been normal for a thousand years." He kicked the glass shards. "Besides, where's the intrigue in that?"

My phone buzzed again. Elena's name flashed across the screen, this time with a call.

"You should answer that." Klaus nodded toward the phone. "Your friend's persistence is admirable, if somewhat inconvenient."

I swiped to accept the call, keeping my eyes on Klaus. "Elena?"

"(y/n)! Thank god. Are you okay? Why weren't you answering?"

Klaus's smirk widened at Elena's panicked tone. He mouthed 'tell her' with a challenging raise of his eyebrow.

"I'm fine." I turned away from his taunting expression. "Just got caught up in my history paper. Lost track of time."

"You're sure everything's alright?"

"Perfectly fine." The lie tasted bitter on my still-tingling lips. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Klaus's low chuckle carried across the porch as I ended the call. "Such a convincing liar. I'm almost impressed."

"Don't." I slipped the phone back into my pocket. "This doesn't change anything."

"No?" He crossed the distance between us in two fluid steps. "Then why lie to your dear friend Elena? Why not tell her I'm still here?"

My back pressed against the door frame as he leaned in, his breath ghosting across my cheek. The scent of whiskey and leather overwhelmed my senses.

"Because she'd try to save me." The words came out before I could stop them.

"And you don't want to be saved." His fingers traced the curve of my jaw. "Say it, love. Invite me in."His words hung in the air between us, heavy with promise and danger.

His touch left fire in its wake, each caress stoking the flames higher. My skin felt too tight, too sensitive, every brush of his fingers sending sparks through my nervous system. The rough wood of the house wall dug into my back, the only anchor keeping me from drowning in sensation.

"Please..." The word escaped before I could stop it, breathy and desperate.

"Please what?" His tone is dangerous and seductive. His thumb traced my bottom lip, pressing lightly. "Be specific, love."

Each feather light touch from his hand felt like a jolt of electricity, sending shivers down my spine and causing my muscles to tense in anticipation.

Each circle he traced made me arch closer, seeking more contact.

"I..." The words tangled in my throat as his lips found that spot behind my ear that made my knees weak. "God, Klaus..."

"Not quite the invitation I'm looking for." His teeth grazed my skin, drawing a gasp from my lips. "Try again."

The rational part of my brain screamed warnings, but it was drowning in a sea of want. His hands, his mouth, his voice - everything about him demanded surrender. And I wanted to give in, wanted it with an intensity that frightened me.

"Come..." My voice shook as his fingers tangled in my hair.

He chuckled deeply, his hot breath rolling down my neck. "Come what, love?" His voice was a soft purr, dangerously coercive. He was playing with me and we both knew it.

"Come...in." I finally managed, the words barely making their way past the lump in my throat. His lips drew into a triumphant smirk as he pulled back, meeting my gaze with an intense hunger in his eyes.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" He asked, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

Before I could gather my thoughts, he swept me into his arms, effortlessly crossing the threshold of my front door. A thrilling rush surged through me, igniting my senses and replacing any trace of fear with a tantalizing excitement that I couldn't resist

“You are mine now,” he growled, slamming the door with a loud thud that reverberated through the house. The heavy weight of finality hung in the air, a declaration that left no room for argument or negotiation. Everything had changed with those words, and the once familiar surroundings now felt foreign and dangerous.

As his words settled in, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding wash over me. This was my new reality, and there was no going back to how things used to be.

[demonic0angel]

Im gonna toss some angst your way.

********************

"He took him from me. Made us a me. And he gets to live."

"Jazz you still have your whole future ahead of you. If you-"

"My future. What future? My future was supposed to be with him."

(This is quite funny bc I have an unfinished one-shot where Jason dies and Jazz goes absolutely apeshit to revive him lmaooo)

Danny looked at the ground. He was silent for a moment before he then said, “Jazz. I know that this is hard for you. But he wouldn’t appreciate it if you threw your life away for him.”

Jazz snorted coldly. “Don’t bother stopping me unless you’re going to kill me. I love you, Danny, but Jason was mine. Now that he’s dead again, how will he rest in peace if his murderer goes unpunished? He was revived once. I can help him do it again.”

Danny closed his eyes. His form flickered from black to white and white to black. Eventually, he said, “Okay. I won’t stop you. I’ll help you, alright? If you want to avenge him, you’ll need alibis and excuses so Batman won’t come after you. I won’t kill you, Jazz.”

She stared at him as he met her eyes with determination and sadness. Eventually, she just nodded, softening before reaching out to hold him. “Thank you, little brother. I’m sorry that you have to break the rules for me.”

“Please, if I had choose between you or being the Ghost King, I’d choose you every time,” he whispered, hugging her back.

They eventually pulled away and Danny said, “So what are we doing first?”

Jazz gave a cold smile, her eyes sharpening with hatred and rage.

“First, you’ll help me by researching how to revive Jason. Once we figure out a way, we’ll hunt down Jason’s murderer and then revive him after. Sound like a plan?”

Danny gave a nod.

Never let it be said that Jazz was not protective of her own. For a moment, he mourned his big sister’s innocence before he shook it off as Jazz mumbled more plans to herself, pacing back and forth.

All he needed to do was help her. And soon, she would be back to her usual cheerful, bright self.

[bitchface24-7]

Could you do part 2 of Yanderes Viktor and Jayce, please... What would it be like if the reader chose one of the boys to follow?

(Maybe you could do what it would be like for each route, for Yanderes Jayce and Viktor)

THE CHOICE IS NO LONGER YOURS PT 2 - VIKTOR X READER | JAYCE X READER

synopsis: you couldn't choose who to side with, so they decided for you. Here are the routes if you went with either Viktor or Jayce. Hopefully, everything goes well…

warnings: yandere V + J, possession, obsession, suggestiveness, angst, Grammarly is my beta

genre: m/f or m/m

p.s. this is pt2 to “It’s time to choose…�� but I wanted to name it something different that still applies to the first fic. Thisll be under pt1 in my masterlist. Hope y'all enjoy our boys being unhinged for us!

VIKTOR X READER

You don't know who to choose, so they choose for you.

Viktor takes one of your hands and leads you out the lab as you look back and see an enraged Jayce watching you two. His jaw is clenched and his fists are shaking at his side.

Viktor just continues to walk, ignoring everything around him but you. He ignored the people in the academy, the people out and about in Piltover, and walks down to Zaun.

He heals Huck, he becomes a well-known miracle, a desperate plea many have prayed for. He heals the land, builds a forge, and a commune. He becomes a messiah. He becomes the Herald.

And you're right there by his side. You're his. His right hand, his partner, his heart. Everyone knows not to mess with you. You're essentially royalty to the commune.

You help Viktor keep his humanity, your very presence fights back against the arcane. The arcane whispers to Viktor to be rid of you, he’ll never listen to it.

You're his and his alone, nothing will change his mind.

He cares for you, loves you, and worships you. He's unbelievably perfect. Sometimes you miss Jayce, and you tell Viktor. He always grimaces and looks upset, but he admits the same.

Vi, Jinx, Isha, and Vander show up for some healing, it almost works. Then everything kind of goes wrong. You fight, you live, your life continues on.

The two of you are quite happy at the commune, until Jayce shows up to kill Viktor.

You won't let that happen.

He's yours, and you're his.

JAYCE X READER

You don't know who to choose, so they choose for you.

Jayce's arm wraps around your waist as Viktor leaves solemnly. You ache to reach out and grab him, force him to stay; but Jayce's grip on you is too tight.

The two of you are despondent as you watch Viktor’s frame exits into the darkness of the unknown.

The two of you have work to do.

You aimlessly search and research into the arcane. You try your best to find the answers you are desperately seeking.

You don't find it.

Then you go on a wild goose chase with Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger, getting touched by the arcane, and you all split up.

Ekko and Heimerdinger are no where to be found as you and Jayce are transported to a post-apocalyptic version of Piltover.

Its horrifying, terrifying. The humanoid monsters, the wasteland that was once the city of progress. You're not sure how it happened, everything was happening to fast for you to process anything; but you both fall into a cave of a canyon. Two massive rock walls surrounding you, and the only way to escape is up.

Jayce cushioned your fall, and his hammer broke his leg. You try your best to care for him, but there aren’t many supplies you can use.

The two of you get extremely close. Huddling for warmth alongside the fire, tending to his leg and helping him destroy his hammer to make a brace, carving on the wall as you feel like you’re losing your mind, crying together.

Eventually the two of you slowly climb the rocks, helping each other out to the best of your abilities. The two of come across a stone figure that looks eerily familiar, and a mage that shares a face with a man you thought you’d never see again.

He tells you that in all timelines, and all possibilities, only we could show him this. And that we must stop him.

We must kill him.

The stone figure gives Jayce a modified version of his hammer, and you’re sent back to your timeline.

Your bond is intrinsic, unshakeable. But the two of you hesitate to harm Viktor. He’s changed, but he’s still your partner.

You’ll stick by Jayce no matter what, but you can’t be there when he kills Viktor. You almost lost Jayce and freaked out, you don’t know what you’ll do if you see a friend die.

But you’re Jayce’s rock, his pillar, his shield. You’ll be there to pick the broken pieces up.

He’s yours, and you’re his.

Jayce’s is longer accidentally. I did just post about herald Viktor x reader and I guess my brain went “i don’t think many people want to read the same thing twice.” So yeah… hope y’all enjoyed this pt2!! ❤️❤️

[luniviravosshipper]

Was initially going to just tag my thoughts on this but I thought they were too good to not actually share properly.

But, oh my gosh I can’t believe I’m only seeing this post now. I don’t know how this hasn’t been a thought that has occurred to me yet, that’s a really good catch.

Anyways though, I actually started a meta analysis before season 6 came out that I never posted ‘cause I thought it was stupid. And it was about what the symbolism of butterflies and the color purple and how they both connect mean throughout the series.

Through my research for that analysis, I found that those two symbols in general in media connect really heavily to the idea of the psyche, which is really fascinating on its own when you’re thinking about all the different places those symbols are used and how much they mainly represent dark magic, star magic, and essentially anything Aaravos related in the series.

But then you think about Viren specifically connecting to those symbols. How we first saw him use the sunray butterflies to mask his real dark magic affected appearance. How his real form is purple skinned. How his own child is a purple butterfly. And how after going through a whole dream sequence followed by a long catatonic episode and simultaneous journey of self-discovery through both he decides he needs to end his cycle of violence by not killing the thing that he used to use to mask his appearance that indicated whenever he was perpetuating that said cycle. Like, if Sir Sparklepuff is a symbol of anything at the end of the day, he is basically the greatest symbol of Viren’s self-liberation.

But obviously, what this means for the symbolism of those things doesn’t just end there. Sir Sparklepuff came back in season 7 by Aaravos’s surprise. Regardless of whatever his unfinished business was, I think the biggest surprise to Aaravos as speculated by a lot of people besides myself as well was actually the fact that he was able to come back at all.

Like, I convinced myself that my original idea for that analysis was stupid because that symbolism I picked up on wouldn’t run that deep. But Sir Sparklepuff’s own story literally has to do with the idea of having a soul or lack thereof. He is actually, legitimately a symbol of the psyche, not just for Viren but for himself. (You could even say some things about how he could be applied as representation of some parts of Aaravos’s character arc too given that he was his child also and Aaravos had supposedly not planned for him to have a soul.)

Also, the fact that now Claudia is trying to follow in his footsteps, his other child. Now she’s gaining his same corrupted appearance with purple colored skin, is working far more closely to Aaravos, is seeking out power (I’m working on an analysis of her character right now and it talks about that specifically too) like her dad did, and also seems to be gaining some ties to the sun primal which was the primal the butterfly Viren used to kill was tied to.

Oh, right. And also, she was the one who killed Sir Sparklepuff for him after Viren rejected his chance to do that himself as Sir Sparklepuff was his symbol of self-liberation. And then we see Viren during all of season 6 grew less and less in control and is tested on how free he really feels he is. (Yelling at the walls about how he’s free which is then followed by an image of a fly caught in a spiderweb and then eaten by a spider, telling Soren he doesn’t expect to be forgiven or redeemed and he’s accepting any punishment he’ll receive, being forced to use dark magic in his final moments but then making his last choice of sacrificing himself over his child—unlike what he was unable to prevent with Sir Sparklepuff, but also in a way having Sir Sparklepuff’s sacrifice represent more of Viren’s own idea of self-liberation being sacrificed then as his son being sacrificed, etc.) It was by having Claudia kill Sir Sparklepuff that convinced him to leave, that led him down the path to his permeant death. He felt sure of himself despite not knowing exactly how he was alive till he found out the reason he was alive was because Claudia killed Sir Sparklepuff. I mean, had he lived for another reason would he have stayed? If Sir Sparklepuff could have continued to live, would Viren have actually fought for the right to atone for what he has done and not immediately gone searching for whatever punishment he might have received in Katolis and accepted it? We see him starting to question Aaravos, maybe even feeling the urge to do something about Aaravos when he discovers he’s alive. If he had lived by other means, like maybe having Claudia use her own blood or some other alternative, maybe he’d have a completely different arc than what we saw. But it was the death of Sir Sparklepuff and Claudia being the one to cause that death that was the ultimate turning point in his arc. (There’s so much to say about the relevance of the “no parent should have to see their child suffer for them” or whatever he said quote here, but then I’d have to type up another couple of paragraphs just on that and I don’t want to right now.)

Oh, and I’m just now remembering this. The fact that in the Lost Child reflections story as well as several moments throughout the series we see Sir Sparklepuff mimicking her behavior and mannerisms and literally mirroring her. (In the Lost Child’s story she complains about it just being him who’s staying with her now, but as he’s mostly mirroring her during that story he could be representing her and her feeling alone with herself. And rereading it now, of my gosh, there is soooooo many references to the idea of innocence that was expressed more explicitly in season 7. And in the story it seemed to be used to connect Claudia’s and Sir Sparklepuff’s characters together, with his innocence reminding her of her loss of innocence but still prevalent feelings of helplessness and being childish. Makes a lot of sense with her main issues propelling her corruption arc being her own resistance to accept accountability over her own actions despite being offered a lot of autonomy and agency throughout the entire series.)

Like, I don’t know. This is really making me want to look back at that unfinished analysis and rewrite it and share it now. I feel like I have a lot more to say now than I did then.

I’m rewatching and just the way that across the early seasons Viren uses the butterflies after his uses of dark magic, to change his appearance back, and then how Aaravos tells Viren “you’re going to need to look presentable” in season 3 episode 3 and he brings him a butterfly to consume, and then we get the whole season 5 episode 9 “You will sacrifice your other child. Our child” and he presents him with butterfly winged gremlin child Sir Sparklepuff

[cravingpepsimax]

i am a slut for ford frankensteining a dead stan back to life, suicidal stan, actually successful suicide attempts, and guilty pre-weirdmageddon ford, and. it turns out u can combine these

basically ford shows up, is an ungrateful asshole (which fucking crushes stan), and once again exists as a constant reminder about how stan’s the failure and the worse twin. stan ends up offing himself, fun times.

i don’t think that stan would kill himself while the kids were still there, so i’m gonna say that this is a timeline where the zodiac stayed linked. i imagine the whole interaction would be different, actually. stan’s suicidal feelings had reared their head for a bit, now, and instead of asking for an apology, mentioning him not always being the bad twin, stan just… resigns. it’s. offputting, actually. it doesn’t seem like stan’s angry, or determined, or sad, or anything — he seems entirely numb, like he’s not really there.

(that’s because he isn’t. and that’s when depression gets truly awful, doesn’t it? when the irritability and sadness subsides, and you’re just left with… nothing. yelling and screaming and crying are cathartic. there is no release when it comes to the neverending, all-consuming numbness.)

so. things continue as normal: completely unresolved. the kids stay home. the mystery shack shuts down, with little objection on stan’s end (though, he didn’t really seem to have any in canon).

so, when everything’s settled, stan leaves. ford didn’t even ask him to, which is a shock. ford feels upset, concerned, but shoves those feelings down. at least stan decided to take some initiative for once! why would he feel bad? good riddance!

until ford returns to his field research, and the stench of death hits his nose.

ford follows it. he’s well-acquainted with the malodor of rotting corpses. he assumes it’s either a dead animal, or some dead anomaly, so he follows it.

and sees stan’s rotting corpse, his head blasted by the shotgun in his hand.

ford goes through a LOT of emotions:

oh my god stanley’s DEAD he’s DEAD

he KILLED himself oh my god

how could he do this to me

how could i have done this to him

this is all my fault

this is all his fault

my brother’s dead

i always loved him even when he was stupid and i hated him i should’ve shown that more shouldn’t i

why

above all, ford’s main thought is:

“i can fix this.”

it’s a bit more difficult than most forms of mad scientist necromancy, with the whole 🤯 thing, but you don’t get 12 phds without a lotta smarts and a lotta determination.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Lestats sperm?! !???

I thought vampires didn’t have that in the books

And stolen?

Wtf

Lestats got a legitimate son named vickor?!?

As a non book reader I thought I heard everything so far, honestly. Anne rice was smokin some good golden chush when she thought of all this lmao

She was fearless that way. Trust me, that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's literal aliens, too :)

But yeah, Lestat consented to do an experiment for Fareed (with Flannery, who was also there voluntarily!), hormonal treatment to produce sperm and have "human" sex. It was a short thing, and quite hilarious/touching in the books:

_______

The answer came swiftly with a series of injections and indeed an intravenous line that would continue throughout the experiment to deliver a powerful elixir of human hormones into my blood, overriding the vampiric body’s natural tendency to resist senescence long enough for the desire to develop, the sperm to be produced, and then ejaculated. I thought it was hilariously funny. Now I could write an essay of five hundred pages on how this experience unfolded, because I did feel biological erotic desire again, and I fell on the young woman about as mercilessly as any greedy aristocrat of my time ever fell on a milkmaid in his village. But it was precisely as my beloved Louis had said a long time ago, “the pale shadow of killing,” that is, the pale shadow of drinking blood, and it was over almost at once, it seemed, and then the passion was gone, back into the depths of memory once more as if it had never been aroused, the pinnacle, the ejaculation forgotten. I’d felt strangely awkward afterwards. I was sitting on the bed beside this blond-haired fair-skinned human female, my back to a nest of sweet-smelling linen-covered pillows, and I felt I ought to talk to her, ask her how she came to be here, and why she was here.

And then quite suddenly, as I sat there, wondering if this was proper or even wise, she told me. Her name was Flannery Gilman, she said. In a clear fresh West Coast American voice, she explained that she’d been studying “us” since the night I’d appeared on the stage as a rock star outside San Francisco, and so many of our kind had died as the result of my great scheme to be a mortal performer.[...]

_______

I would love it if Rolin went there, actually, or at least gives us Flannery, there at the rock concerts in s3/s4, drawn to vampires, and finally given the chance, a researcher, a scientist, who later keeps working with Fareed (and Seth), and others.

In fact, I often wonder what "the farm" entails/entailed in s1 (if Fareed is involved, or maybe Gregory?!), hopefully we will get to know in the upcoming seasons!

EDIT: And before any of you come for me with "he fOrcEd her!1111!", let me add her words there, before they part:

“They’ve promised to bring you over, haven’t they?” I asked. “Yes,” she said. “They’re honorable. That’s more than I can say for my colleagues in American medicine.” She turned to me, drawing close enough to kiss me quickly one more time on the cheek. I didn’t stop her. Her fingers went up to my face and she touched my eyelids. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for these priceless moments. Oh, I know you didn’t do this for me. You did it for them. But thank you.” I nodded and I smiled. I held her face in my hands as I kissed her now with a fervor that came from the Blood. I could feel her body warming, opening like a flower, but the moment was gone, and I took my leave.

[captain039]

PART 7 The Meaning of Flowers

Viktor x reader

Bridgerton AU

Warnings: olden times, sexism, light swearing, plus size reader, older Viktor, age gap, fat shaming, sexual, smut, oral F and M receiving, innocent reader, light corruption kink, reader in her 20s, long-haired Viktor, possessive Viktor, obsessive Viktor, angst

Previous part <-

Dearest reader, as you know I have eyes and ears everywhere in this city and I saw a particular Duke head into the Y/l/n house for not only a visit but to attend the ball! Will we finally have a match for our Duke this season? Or will he simply disappear into his research and science once more?

You’ve never been so unsure of yourself, of life. There are so many things you don’t know, being a woman you’ve been sheltered more than you realised and now, now you don’t know what to do with yourself. At night you explore your body it does things you never thought it would, you find new feelings and don’t know what they mean till they explode and you’re left breathless and slightly sticky. You can’t ask your lady maid about it and you certainly can’t ask your mama about it, the duke is all but avoiding you and you feel unsure.

Mel was kind enough to have you out for lunch again, you’re enjoying her talks she’s a spirited woman who knows her place in everything.

“My dear, whatever is the matter?” She says lowering her fork as you poke at your food, you glance at the servants around and look at your lap quickly feeling warmth rush to your cheeks.

“Everyone out” she says firmly and everyone rushes out.

“Has something happened?” She asks as you lower your fork and fiddle with your hands on your lap.

“I don’t know my place in this world, I don’t know about my body or what it does, I don’t know about these- these feelings I feel,” you say and her face goes to surprise. You flush furiously, you go to apologise as she stands up and walks over to sit by you.

“Feelings?” She asks softly and you nod feeling tears in your eyes.

“I’ve been so sheltered my whole life I had to have a duke tell me to explore my own body!” You whisper yell and she blinks.

“Did he, make you uncomfortable?” She asks carefully.

“No, it wasn’t uncomfortable, the feelings,” you say.

“I’m going to kill him” she mumbles and you tense up.

“Sweet girl, there are certain a woman does not find out until after marriage and later in life” she explains.

“So I have to wait longer?” You sigh.

“Well now that the duke has opened up these, feelings he’s started something irreversible” She clenches her jaw.

“Have I done something wrong?” You whisper and she takes your hands holding them tightly.

“No, you haven’t, men of our society. Some men seek to corrupt our young ladies quickly without thought for consequence” she grits her teeth.

“The Duke corrupted me? Have I been- have I been compromised?” You begin to panic that a compromise to your name is worse than being ignored.

“Not yet, you do not tell anyone else about this ok?” You nod at her words.

“Let us go to my private office I don’t need my husband barging in on such conversations we’re about to have” She stands up and guides you through the Talis Estate to her private office.

“Sit” she orders and you do as she pours two glasses of brown liquid.

“Alcohol my dear you’re going to need it” she says and you watch as she tips it back before doing the same. You cough and gag and she smiles taking the glass away before sitting on the seat opposite you.

“Now then” she begins.

You listen for hours, your mind rushing through the information of a whole new world she just opened up. From the martial act, sex, orgasms, and masturbation, to brothels, women, women’s places in the world, and marriage on a different scale your mama has told you. She’s told you about men and their ways how some seek to corrupt, to nurture, to have power, violence, pleasure, kindness, the list went on whereas ladies are born to be dignified, with no opinions and to serve men. She talked about her marriage and her childhood how she came to be a councilwoman and you listened, you didn’t speak, didn’t say a single word except for bidding her goodbye as the carriage took you home. You go to your room overloaded yet somehow lighter as you lie down on your bed and stare at the ceiling.

At the next ball you watch, you don’t say a word. You watch the gentleman, watch how they talk, laugh and scheme, you watch the women brought up to do the same thing and find their personalities all the same in different bodies. You watch how they down, you watch some men push their luck with touches while others are shaking and some indifferent. You watch the flutter of eyelids, the swoon of a woman, and the wave of fans. It’s all a game. The game of society. You forget to breathe at some point and feel as if the wall is closing in and all eyes turn on you, you rush out of the building, and hold a hand to your chest as you struggle to breathe, this seems to be a reoccurring feeling for you, the tightness, the dizziness, are you going mad? Unwell? You hear your name being called in a familiar voice and it all tones down. You look at the duke, focusing on the thud of his cane against the concrete as he comes over. You blink away any dizziness and struggle and look at him.

“My duke” you greet but you don’t recognise your voice, so proper, filtered and refined. His brows furrow together as his eyes look you up and down before his frown deepens.

“Mel said something to you” he says stepping closer while you take a step back. His eyes snap to the movement before returning to your face.

“Mel gave me what I needed for the floodgates you opened” you snap and you watch his eyes narrow and stare into yours.

“What did she tell you” his voice is like a caged animal as he steps closer and you step back again.

“Everything Viktor” it’s the first time you’ve used his name without a title, without a filter, so raw and improper and scandalous. His whole body jolts his hand tightening around his cane, something in his jaw ticks and he continues to stare you down like prey.

“Everything?” His voice deepens, his accent thickens and you nod in response not feeling fear like you should, but excitement, your lower stomach clenches and you finally understand what it means, desire, arousal, the need for physical touch. He continues to back you up till your back hits the wall of the manor and you’re out of everyone’s sight. He looms over you, his hand resting on the wall above your head. Your mouth parts a bit and you watch his eyes flick down, his tongue darts out to moisten his lips and suddenly you realise he’s just as affected as you are, he finds you desirable, and he wants you in ways that are scandalous to non-Maried couples. He limps closer his face inches from yours so you can breathe him in, he reminds you of coffee and something metallic, perhaps his work.

“Everything” he murmurs and you let out a shaky breath before his lips are on yours and his hand is cupping your neck. He’s not gentle, he’s demanding, he wants to corrupt you more than he already has and you’re going to let him. His tongue parts your lips before tangling with yours and you let out a moan to keep up with him. You hold onto him, partly to stabilise yourself, but also him as his cane clatters on the ground and both his hands are cupping your neck as he kisses you deeply. He leans heavily on one side and against you but you don’t care, his right hand goes down, and he bunches up your dress getting annoyed at it before his fingers find your core and presses against the fabric of your underclothing. You make a noise between a gasp and cry, he swallows it down with his lips as his fingers find that raised spot, your clit and rubs. It jolts of pleasure going through your body, your hands fisting against his suit jacket as he keeps you quiet with his mouth. He uses his bad leg to push your thighs apart more before he leans back and breathes. You pant heavily feeling your stomach clenching and that rising feeling of an expected explosion, orgasm. His slender fingers press a little harder and faster and you let your head hit the back of the wall as your body tenses and you feel yourself come undone on his fingers. He pants softly by your face and you open your eyes, he watches you, his fingers prolonging the feeling before he stops and kisses you again, his hand leaving your skirts.

He leaves in a hurry. His mind reeling, he’s going to talk to Mel for ruining your mind. It’s not her fault, it’s his own but for stupid reasons like he’s a man he needs an outlet and right now Mel is that outlet. He doesn’t bother knocking knowing her schedule for the day, she’s in her office at the council palace and he’s run from you after defiling you. Mel looks at him, he’s a mess, he’s panting his hair a mess his coat is crooked from your beautiful hands gripping it so tightly. Gods he can’t get your face out of his thoughts, that beautiful expression you made as you came from his fingers. Mel doesn’t say anything, she’s smart she knows exactly why he’s here as he closes the door and limps more acutely.

“You ruined her” he says, he doesn’t recognise his voice either.

“You did that yourself,” she says calmly, too calmly.

“I was going to bring her in slowly” he glares his jaw clenched painfully.

“There is no such thing as slowly as soon as you open her mind to those thoughts and ways!” Mel snaps, ah so she cares for you, your first friend and it seems Mel’s first true friend.

“She is a child!” Mel adds standing.

“She is over entering age!” Viktor snaps back.

“Doesn’t matter you cannot corrupt her!” Mel’s nose flares and he realised she truly cares about you.

“She wants my corruption” he whispers his voice dangerous.

“Viktor” Mel hissed.

“You cannot control what she does” he whispers before he storms out of her office.

[therocketeer0501]

IDW Starscream X Reader

Rendezvous Part 6

Warnings: none

Slowly your brain came back to life as you rested clutched in the servos of that creature. It said it was from the government. But that didn’t make any sense either. ***you*** work for the government. Granted you work for a research branch that deals with strange anomalous geological formations, but surely you would have heard office gossip about literal sentient mechs being developed. The guys you work with couldn’t keep their mouths shut once they got a few drinks in them. Lucky for them, the government kept them far away from anything sensitive. Still, this didn’t add up in your head. There was no way you were going to argue with a giant robot though so you just smile weakly at him. Hoping he’ll put you down soon as his grip was digging uncomfortably into your ribcage. He just looked at you with that odd expression you can’t really place.

Thanking him for rescuing you? Of course you are. What else would a helpless creature like you do? He grins back at you. Baring his denta in what he hopes is a genuine looking smile. slowly lowering you back to the frozen ground where he snatched you from. He’d let you go of course. Only because he knew no one would believe you, and killing you would be more suspicious than not. “Don’t tell anyone about this or there will could be horrible repercussions.” He said, voice rumbling through you as he let you drop the last ten feet to the ground. Standing back to his full height, he lifts his wings and makes himself look bigger for emphasis.

You drop painfully to the ground. The fall knocked the wind out of you for a brief moment, making you wheeze as you try to stand. He’s standing there now. Towering over you as you slowly back up towards your car. Making a mad dash you start the engine and nearly peel out on the ice as you throw it in drive. Down the icy dirt road and onto the pavement, you take a deep breath and try to convince yourself that what you just saw was real. You shake your head. Your brain telling you that there was no way you should have gotten out of there alive. The tremors in your hands refusing to cease as you break the speed limit by at least thirty. Giant robots? Now this was something your coworkers were going to want to hear about.

He watches you go. Tracking your vehicle as it speeds away. He had found out where you lived. Just in case he had to get rid of you. No other reason. Definitely not out of concern for your safety. He vented heavily and sat down in the clearing. Finally some alone time. What he had come for in the first place. His place to think wasn’t sacred anymore but at least it was just some random organic. He couldn’t stop thinking about your little face, your curiously Cybertronian expressions and how you didn’t scream. Just sat there in his servo and stared. He scoffed. No sense of self preservation at all. Turning his attention to his most recent scheme to usurp Megatron, he puts you out of his mind for now. If all goes according to plan he won’t have to deal with you ever again.

***the next morning***

You hadn’t slept a wink. Tired eyelids sticking together as you drag yourself into work. You wave at the few people you pass, looking rough and a bit out of it. Your mind was filled with questions as you sit at your desk across from your research partner. He peers at you from his place sitting with his feet propped up on his desk. Th pile of paperwork un-filed in front of him and slightly stained by his third cup of coffee this morning resting on top of it. “Something happened. Spill.” You nearly startle at his voice. Your mind still racing as you plop down in your desk chair. “You don’t know if Weapons is developing anything….ai related do you?” He pauses and looks up, seemingly wracking his brain. “You know those guys. They don’t like to talk about anything. It’s all “classified” or something.” He rolls his eyes and scoots his chair back from his desk. Placing his face in his hands and elbows on either side of his chair, giving you his full attention. “Why? Did you hear something?”

[woodchipp]

Maria, Shadow and Gerald in Sonic 3: how small changes in lore lead up to disaster

It's a fact that an adaptation of any particular work is going to change some of the original's aspects around to fit the new medium it's being adapted into. However, a considerable chunk of the changes the third Sonic movie makes to Sonic Adventure 2's plot, seemingly innocuous or even major improvements according to some, actually result in the movie falling apart, both as an adaptation and as its own story.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

The terminal illness Maria had is omitted.

This change significantly affects all three of the characters:

Maria had to stay at the top-secret research facility Gerald worked at, Space Colony ARK, because her illness could only be managed in that facility’s specific conditions. The movie doesn’t explain what its iteration of Maria, who is healthy, was doing at the military base Shadow was being studied at in the first place.

Gerald agreed to head the government’s Project Shadow, the aim of which was to achieve immortality and which ultimately led to Shadow’s creation, only because he hoped to use the results of the project as a way to find a cure for his granddaughter’s illness. In the movie, Shadow fell out of the sky one day, and Gerald just so happened to be the scientist who discovered him.

Shadow was created to cure Maria’s illness. This means his purpose in life was intrinsically tied to her. His movie counterpart, on the other hand, bonded with her purely because she was nice to him and played with him sometimes before dying, which makes his obsession with avenging her death come across as wildly disproportionate and unintentionally laughable.

Point is, Maria’s illness is the thematic “glue” connecting those three characters. Removing it without replacing it with anything equally meaningful to both Shadow and Gerald’s lives makes Maria’s relevance to the story more incidental than integral - you could replace her with any other kid at the base, and the outcome would still have been largely the same. 

Now, with all of this in mind…

GUN’s decision to raid Gerald’s lab makes no sense.

Supplemental material for SA2 and Gerald's diary entries in Sonic Battle paint a clear picture of the lead-up to the ARK raid - GUN's top brass, who already had an axe to grind against Gerald and his research project, got word of how unstable the Biolizard was and jumped at the opportunity to use that as an excuse for a purge of the entire facility. Gerald, for his part, wasn't willing to allow them to stop his research because Maria’s life was at stake.

None of this is present in the movie. The military doesn't hate Gerald, there's no Project Shadow-related incident they could use as pretext for ordering the purge, and Gerald himself seems to have been cooperative - which means that if they feared Shadow’s powers, they could've terminated the project simply by confiscating Shadow while he was in stasis and laying off the personnel. Basically, they decided to kill everyone for no reason, which leads me into my next point.

Maria’s death is an accident.

In the games, Maria died due to a GUN soldier intentionally shooting her to tie up a loose end. In the movie, a rogue soldier from the contingent helmed by then-Captain Walters tried to shoot at Maria and Shadow as they were escaping the base, but misfired after Walters tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands and hit a storage tank with Shadow’s Chaos Energy, which caused an explosion that claimed Maria’s life. 

The hilarity of a US soldier pulling his conscience out of his ass to go “NO WAIT WE SHOULDN’T KILL CHILDREN” because he’s besties with that particular child aside, the other soldiers inexplicably don’t take the chance to shoot their targets while their captain’s in the middle of a fit either. Furthermore, the explosion that claimed Maria’s life somehow claimed only Maria’s life, even though Walters himself, Gerald and every other human present at that facility should’ve died from it as well.

Finally, the movie itself seems to have this strange framing problem where, despite Maria’s death being a freak accident, it’s treated as if Shadow actually saw her get shot down. He believes that "GUN took everything from [him and Gerald]" and angsts that he spent 50 years "reliving what [GUN] did to her” even though he should be able to recall Walters trying to stop the soldier if he was able to recall the cause of her death clearly enough to know GUN had to do with it. It makes little sense.

By the way, speaking of Walters.

The movie’s Commander was already under GUN’s employ by the time of the raid.

Shadow’s eponymous 2005 game - which, incidentally, director Jeff Fowler had worked on - shows the Commander was also a kid around the time it occurred, even younger than Maria.

With this, ShTH tied the character into Shadow's backstory while also neatly explaining why he didn't factor into the raid's events. The movie does factor him into the raid's events via Walters' sudden outburst of morality, which doesn't make sense for the reasons described in the point above and, realistically, would've gotten him discharged (if he survived that explosion, that is)

Maria has no last words for Shadow.

In SA2, Maria’s last words are a poignant testament to her character, as she chose to use her last breath to request Shadow to make people happy. They also speak volumes of her relationship with Shadow - namely, her trust in him and her capacity to see good in him. Compared to this, her movie’s counterpart’s quick death comes across as rather cheap. The absence of her last words also leads into yet another negative change.

Gerald didn’t tamper with Shadow’s memories.

Shadow spends most of SA2 convinced that Maria wanted him to avenge her death due to Gerald modifying his recollection of her last words while working on Project Shadow under GUN’s supervision after his imprisonment.

It’s only after Amy reaches out to him that he finally remembers what Maria really wanted and rushes to make up for his part in Gerald’s plan.

In the movie, however, Shadow was separated from Gerald immediately, and the latter had nothing to modify. This means the movie’s Shadow willingly chose to go along with Gerald’s genocidal plans, all because the girl who was nice to him died in an accident, even though he knew for a fact the girl herself would never want that. Whereas SA2 showed Shadow’s capacity for kindness even before his redemption via his decision to save Rouge from certain death, the movie’s Shadow only feels guilty after hurting Tom but decides to double down instead, and whereas the games’ Shadow was selflessly devoted to Maria’s wish (which was twisted by Gerald), the movie’s Shadow selfishly lashes out at the world due to his inability to stop marinating in his pain - exactly like the movie’s Gerald.

Another consequence of this is that Shadow is depicted as little else than a lost, pained child, implied to only want to die during the battle against Sonic. He has no plan, he has no morals (neither evil nor good), he is not particularly cunning - he is, as he himself admits, fully defined by his pain. A pain that, as detailed earlier, is more hollow than in the games, as Maria to him was nothing more than a playmate.

The aforementioned parallel with Gerald wouldn't be necessarily bad on its own. But there's a problem with how the movie handles it.

Gerald is depicted as irredeemable.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Gerald Robotnik is only seen in the Last Story, but his tragic tale leaves a strong impression. He was once a kind scientist, ready to use his genius for the good of the world and his beloved granddaughter, Maria (recent material implies that Eggman wasn’t born until after his arrest). He took extreme measures to finish his project, such as accepting a deal with an alien warlord, but he always meant well. 

The raid, and learning about Maria’s death, shattered his psyche. He admitted to himself to be scared of his own vengeful thoughts, until he could no longer control them. 

From there, he came up with his terrible plan of crashing the ARK into Earth to take vengeance against the humanity who destroyed his life, and using Shadow, whom he used to see as his own son, as a tool to carry out the plan long after his death. The story wants you to pity Gerald without exonerating him; we get to see his disturbing descent into madness, and future games such as Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Battle and Shadow Generations better show him the goodhearted person he used to be, making his ultimate fate all the more tragic.

None of this complexity is present in the movie’s Gerald. There is not a single scene of him bonding with his own granddaughter - all we’re told is that she was his reason for living. He studied Shadow just because he believed his power could be useful, and not because he had any serious personal stake in the research. Maria’s death was an accident, depriving it of the callousness of the game’s version of the events and therefore cheapening Gerald’s world-destroying despair. He marinated in his thoughts of revenge for 50 years without doubting himself once. And, while still carrying with him the trademark Jim Carrey goofiness, he’s overall presented as a more competent, bitter antagonist than his own grandson, spending most of his time manipulating him and the more child-like Shadow.

It is notable, and jarring, that despite the movie’s message being that you always have a choice and you can always right your wrongs, Gerald is never given a chance to falter in his plan. While Shadow and Robotnik are given grand redemptive moments, he is given the most undignified death possible, his body disintegrating in a mass of Chaos Energy with the sound of a mosquito being zapped. He was never worth sympathizing with.

Given the aforementioned parallel with Shadow, the movie's different treatment of them is all the more noticeable. Shadow is a tragic villain whose grief over losing a loved one clouded his judgement, who gets to talk about his pain the most and who gets to recognize the error of his ways. Gerald, however, has his grief conveyed mostly through his insane plan, is nothing more than a rabid dog, and gets put down like one in the end. Shadow's anguish over his playmate gets more focus than Gerald's sorrow over his granddaughter.

What's worse, this doesn’t only reflect on them.

Robotnik was warped OOC for the sake of becoming more sympathetic.

Robotnik in the first two movies had a very clear arc. While always a difficult person to work with due to his unchecked ego, Robotnik started off as a government contractor, eccentric but reliable in his own way. Multiple defeats at Sonic’s hands, including being stranded on an alien planet, made him veer off the deep end, growing increasingly more unhinged and power-hungry, culminating in him taking the Master Emerald for himself to pilot his giant Death Egg Robot. On top of this, ever since the first movie, Robotnik was written to be highly misanthropic, allegedly due to a difficult childhood, making him prefer the company of his own robots over people; however, he was still intelligent and cunning enough to manipulate Knuckles into thinking he’s his friend, only to betray him at the last second and rub it in his face.

Agent Stone has always been the only exception to his misanthropy, but only because the man is that competent and sycophantic. The fun of their dynamic was the contrast of Robotnik’s utter disregard of his lackey with Stone’s eager loyalty.

With all of this in mind, a Robotnik that has always been bitter over having grown up as an orphan wouldn’t immediately bow down and literally kiss the feet of a long-lost grandfather.

Robotnik in the third movie is a shadow of his former self. While still somewhat arrogant, and still expressing his desire to rule the world, he attaches himself to Gerald with a frankly childish display of need for love. The moment Gerald reveals to have been the one hacking into his creations, which by all means should have sent him into a rage, Robotnik does nothing but meekly follow his grandfather along for his plan, simply happy to have found his “family”, without a trace of resentment and immediately assuming that this man, a stranger to him, would love and care for him. He is genuinely hurt when Gerald sneers to him that he doesn’t care about anyone that isn’t his Maria (much like Knuckles was when Robotnik himself tricked him), and from there, the movie puts him in the position of a hero willing to do the right thing and sacrifice himself for the sake of his lackey - which is a gross misunderstanding of what actually happens in SA2, where Eggman only helps the heroes because, well, how can he conquer the planet if there is no planet?

And, to cap it all off, he sends a heartfelt goodbye message to Stone, where he finally calls him his friend, because he was his real family all along.

Now, compare the Robotniks in those two videos. Like day and night, huh?

(yes, Eggman in SA2 highly respected his grandfather, and seemed to be disappointed to learn that he wanted to destroy the planet. But contrary to popular belief, his respect for him was purely from an intellectual standpoint, if not a deeply self-absorbed one - Gerald being a genius reflects well on Eggman’s own genius. This isn’t even getting into the fact that Eggman is the one who kickstarted SA2’s entire plot, by looking into Gerald’s research, breaking into Prison Island and awakening Shadow: Robotnik in the movie, as detailed above, completely lacks agency until the very end.)

All in all, the handling of Shadow's backstory in the movie really feels like the filmmakers just lifted a bunch of ideas from the original story without trying to understand what made those ideas work, and their own story suffered as a result.

[poppitron360]

- Yes, it is called Sun-travel but he doesn’t use it very often bc it makes him very tired and drains him really quickly. The underground thing is a great idea and yeah I was kinda thinking along those lines but also in general the fact that he has both powers of light and dark, death and healing make him feel conflicted inside. I don’t think he’d hate being underground because it’s closer to his other grandfather’s domain and he knows his way around it, but it might hinder their escape plan.

- He might get a little bit injured, but he has two best friends that love him very much and do their best to make sure he is being careful. I’ll need to do some more research into the alternatives (I’ve never used a binder myself) but Isabella always offers to lend him her baggiest clothes and makes sure he’s taking breaks.

- I love it too. All three characters have to deal with it in some way- Finley for obvious reasons but also Olympia has spent her whole life living in the shadow of the two most legendary demigods in the world (Percy and Annabeth). Isabella is adopted and no spoilers but we find out something about her birth heritage that makes her feel rather conflicted, and Finley is the one who comforts her by saying that it doesn’t matter what she was born as because she is a Valdez.

- I’m not sure how to include that it the fic yet but Nico literally killed a guy in canon so I don’t think any transphobe is walking away from that interaction at the very least with all of their limbs. Aside from that, he is besties with the daughter of Jason Valdez- renowned Roman swordfighter, and the daughter of Percy Jackson- renowned Greek swordfighter, and both Isabella and Olympia take after their dads in that respect.

- I might talk about Finley/Isabella hcs in its own seperate post and/or in the ask you sent me, bc I need everyone to know about them.

- Was it a gift from Apollo? *opens up notes app and types something* It is now! The med kit follows the same rules as Leo’s tool belt in that it can’t produce super magic items and needs a cool-down time. It can make nectar and ambrosia but it has a daily limit, so they still pack extra.

- That is so genius and I too got my Star Wars obsession from my dad. We would block off entire days to have movie marathons, and some of my favourite childhood memories involve watching the films for the first time. Will would totally do the same thing, but Nico can absolutely get him back by showing Finley old 1930s motion pictures. Finley also loves Mythomagic.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE QUESTIONS I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND LOVE TALKING ABOUT HIM!

Okay so I might’ve mentioned that I’m writing a fic where the children of Percabeth, Solangelo, and Valgrace go on an epic quest to rescue their parents and the rest of the Seven from the clutches of evil and I’ve kinda been Hyperfixating on it for a while so here is the first character I would like to info-dump about.

Meet Finley Di Angelo-Solace!!!

He’s currently my favourite out of the Next-gen trio and definitely the one I have the most fun writing for. I genuinely love him sm.

Rant under the cut-

Fin is the son of Nico and Will, and was created using divine godly magic so is biologically both theirs (hey if Zeus can have a baby from his thigh this can happen)

His powers are a complex amalgamation of both of his parents: he can shadow-travel in sunlight, he can heal and talk to the dead and his main weapon is archery

He’s autistic

He has hypersensitive hearing (it could be an Apollo thing, it could be an Autism thing we don’t know. It’s probably both)

He prefers ranged combat partially because he is touch-averse and likes to keep his distance (also bc the other two characters both use melee weapons so I needed some variety)

I see your “Trans Will Solace” hc and I raise you- “Transmasc son of Solangelo who they love and support so so much”

He will INSIST on wearing a binder throughout the entire quest, rib cage be damned! (This will become a problem bc apparently you’re supposed to take breaks and you’re not supposed to do any physical exercise in them so running around chasing monsters is not gonna go well)

A big theme in the fic is gonna be “names have power- but the name you choose is so much more important than the name you were given”, a continuation of the theme from my Married Valgrace AU (which this is canon to) where Jason chooses to take Leo’s name instead of keeping the name of the mom that abandoned him. I feel like Finley would be a great character to symbolise this- someone who chose his own name.

His favourite colour is green/turquoise

Think of Nico’s scariest moment that you’ve read in canon or in a fic- where he is just a force of complete and utter darkness and death. Are you picturing it? Good. Now multiply that by ten. Now imagine someone tried to misgender his child.

The same can be applied to Will. No transphobe would dare mess with Solangelo’s boy.

He is childhood best friends with the two other main characters, Isabella and Olympia, and talks to them a lot but is kinda shy around everyone else.

He also has a major crush on Isabella- the daughter of Valgrace. I have so many cute hcs about those two y’all have no idea.

He is good with medicine and has a magic first-aid kit that acts a lot like Leo’s tool belt with replenishing supplies.

He loves Star Wars

While all the other characters’ POV chapters have regular PJO-style funny titles, all his chapter titles are TOA-esque haikus.

@demigod-shenanigans @twomanyfandomshelp @puzzled-pegasus @m-for-now @lavenderfairiez @ginnyluna @groverapologist @echo-stimmingrose @keefessketchbook @sleepyycapybara @123letsgobestie @fairytalesociology @four-leafed-queer-gal @child-of-helios @lokiwiiiiiii @yoshuko-ew @frayna-of-the-hollow @via-rant @hadeslegacyhephgirl @pjowasmy1stfandom @thetourturedwritersclub @inky-void @deciduowl @day-draws

[deoidesign]

Worry free, guarantee!

loved painting this one, I love illustrated advertisements

[kurthummeldeservesbetter]

tbh I don’t think therapy would have fixed Jayce and Viktor lmao. maybe would have softened their self-destructive tendencies but there’s no fixing that co-dependent relationship. Heimerdinger Mel and Sky are told “yeah, I can help treat their individual depressions but nothing is gonna reduce their co-dependency. I’m pretty sure separating them makes it a lot worse for not only them but much worse for everyone else. for everyone’s safety I suggest they’re not allowed to be more than a buildings length away from each other and even that is pushing it.” That therapist then quits on the spot cause now they’ve literally seen everything.

It’s like that scene in Brooklyn nine nine where all the physiatrists are observing and talking with Gina but instead it’s a whole crew of therapists and neurologists and physiologists trying to find out how these two men literally mind-melded together. They go to couples therapy but it’s literally just individual therapy held together because why tf not it’s the only way to get them to go.

[starcurtain]

Just caught up with Natlan's archon quest and lord help me, I have a burning need to see Alhaitham and Ororon interact.

I truly feel that they would vibe perfectly. Not in a ship way, but like, in the way of Kaveh quietly wailing: "For archons' sake, he's brought another tacky thing into the house. Traveler, please do something; they've been staring eye to eye over the coffee table for like an hour now but haven't said a single word. I don't know what to do. Send help."

[reality-detective]

Did you know this 👇 law passed?

Last year, the Biden administration drafted a 2,700 page infrastructure bill with a total budget of approximately $1 trillion. While it is unreasonable to expect the average American citizen to read through every page of Biden’s infrastructure bill, some lawmakers have taken the time to do so. What they discovered was that this bill includes a measure that mandates automakers to install vehicle backdoor kill switches in every car by 2026.

There are a lot of vehicles that probably have this already since they are basically hooked up to the internet. Why do you think they have computer chips, GPS and sensors in them?🤔

[littlefankingdom]

~ Green Arrow: Seeing Red

Really, another moment from Jason showing that his education stopped when he was 15.

The idea that Bruce and Oliver respecting life and refusing to kill is a result of their "pampered upbringing" is ridiculous. It's, firstly, pretty classicist, because portraying the elite has innocent and morally superior while the lower classes are violent and prone to murder, is classicism, even if the person saying that is from the second one.

Secondly, it's plain wrong. The elite, with it's "pampered upbringing", they don't give a fuck about hurting others and taking lives for their own gain. For THEIR greater good, they will do awful things. Open a history book, Jason, because killing less fortunate people by labelling them rapists or murderers is an extremely commun tactic used by the elite. The black folks in the USA, the Palestinians since WWII, the Parisians workers in June 1848... It was just used by the French gov to send the GIGN after a romani family, and if there is one thing European gov work hard for, it's painting Romani as violent and dangerous to justify using excessive violence. YOUR BROTHER IS ROMANI, JASON! Bruce and Oliver refusing to kill, seeing values in the most disgusting people, is them going AGAINST their upbringing. And if they did kill, as they both are very privileged white man in the US, it would be a huge abuse of power. They would be just like the others, members of the elite that kills for their own gain.

I need all of you to understand that Jason isn't speaking about fighting oppression, because that's what a lot of the fandom think he does, but he doesn't. He isn't speaking about the French killing Louis XVI, or black slaves murdering their white owner. He isn't talking about killing someone like Vladimir Putin or Bernard Arnault (one of the richest men on Earth, a French fascist that is destroying multiple countries with the power of his money). He isn't speaking about killing someone that has so much power and influence, they are untouchable, and the only solution we have rn seems to be their death. I would be fine with that, I would bring the champagne afterward. No. Jason is speaking about killing criminals that can be arrested and brought to justice. He is talking about everyday people that are also bad people. And that, that's not acceptable. Because just like I explained in the paragraph before, it's an abuse of power that has been used since forever. He acts like a cop.

"But, he is just talking about doing bad things to survive!" No, he is using that, a commun experience he and Mia went through, to open the discussion on killing people. And, sure, let's talk about doing bad thing to do good. Neither Bruce or Oliver are against that. They are both vigilante, WHICH IS ILLEGAL. I have not read much Green Arrow comics, but I know there is this important run with Hal Jordan where Oliver taught him how to fight for a better society, you have to be nasty sometimes. He is supposed to be an anarchist, and anarchists know you have to do bad thing for the greater good. They did terrorist attacks targetting presidents, for fuck's sake! (In France, one of our president was assassinated by an anarchist) And Bruce, well, he saw how corrupt his city was, especially the politicians and the cops, and he chose violence, which isn't legally good, and even immoral some would say. He took politicians out of their bed and tangled them from the highest building they own by their socks. And he had a plan to unite the crime family under his false identity Matches Malone, so to take over Gotham's underwold, which would have made THE crimelord of Gotham, just to protect the city and control crime.

In the end, what is happening here is that Jason is annoyed that his dad isn't okay with him killing people, so he decides to try to recruit another teenager by beating her up. Like, if every teenager kill with him, it makes it okay. And really, Jason, grow the fuck up. It's normal for a parent to not want their kid to be a murderer. No good parent would want their kid to kill people.