#13×13 “devils bargain: | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

punderdome · 6 months ago

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The Fine Print

Ok, so this is the first of many things for me: this is my first fic, this is my first time writing romance (no I do not count whatever weird smut I tried to write at 13) , and I've literally never posted on Tumblr, so you're going to have to just help smooth the edges a little. I would love any amount of help, but here is my first chapter and it's a good thing it's SFW

Major edit: The exposition (Chapter 1) should read a little bit differently now and a lot clearer. Huge thanks to @bitethedevil, @a-true-neutral, and @mslanna for help with tons of different things like writing structure, POV, and tumblr in general. I was able to start many of their corrections for Chapter 2, but I went back and gave another round of polish for Chapter 1.

Read on AO3: [Chapter 1]

Synopsis:

Rapidly running out of options, Tav signing Raphael’s contract was the only way to free herself from the tadpole and defeat the Elder Brain and save her love from his eventual ruin. She should have paid closer attention to the wording of the contract before she signed it. Now, Tav gets more than she bargained for, and the devil has come to collect.

Chapter 1: The Devil's Den

The Devil’s Den. She had met with Raphael many times before but was never filled with this much dread. He was some sort of evil cambion bard, verbose but not foreboding, versed in iambic pentameter not ill-omen. He was rhymes and lullabies, cherries and sulfur. He seemed like he should be a character in a play whispering out his dastardly plans to the audience while standing on stage right.

The desperation of the Illithid voice in her mind raged and howled as she walked across the balcony to the ornate door carved with the likeness of a devil. The rage shivered down every vertebra one after the other, demanding to be heard. She refused it.

“What are we doing here?” Gale demanded. “You can’t honestly want to make a deal with the devil.”

Tav eased him gently, running her hand down the Karsite scar on his chest. “He helped Astarion understand the Rite, he might have other information at a price we’re willing to pay.” She knew what he wanted the last time they visited: the Crown of Karsus. Gale’s latest obsession.

“You know what he wants,” Gale pounced. “He wants the Crown.”

“And my Prince requires rescue.” Lae’zel reminded him firmly. “The perfumed trickster inside will provide us the means to rescue him for only a small price.”

Gale’s jaw clenched firmly. Ascension. She knew Gale thought that would solve all their problems. In his mind they would be together for eternity, wanting for nothing, infinite in power. Gale had dreamed of what Goddess that Tav would become. At night, when they lay together, he told her of his imaginings of her as the Goddess of Regrowth. The Goddess of Winter. The Goddess of Snow. She was all of these goddesses, currently residing in flesh in his mind, and he wanted her to pick one. He would trace the path of her white scales on her human form and regale her with stories of how much they would shine when she was with him in Elysium.

“This deal will only spell trouble for all of us,” Gale countered. “You will save your people from the Grand Design only to doom them further.” Tav could feel the pinpricks of the Emperor’s eager agreement to her paramour, but she did not care to remind him mentally that he never gave a shit about Lae’zel’s people or any of them at all.

Raphael’s prior deal had been tempting. They would gain the tools needed to defeat an Elder Brain and would finally be free from the looming dread. The Grand Design would be over. Raphael even promised to throw in a lavish dinner at the House of Hope at the conclusion of their adventure, allowing her band of mighty heroes to celebrate their victory in style.

Gale couldn’t ascend. Gale couldn’t have that power.

Gale couldn’t leave her.

She took a quick look behind her and saw the panic on his face. He was trying to hide it behind a mild scowl and his glorious beard. Tav knew Tara hated that beard, but she melted every time the lips within went to her neck and the bristles tickled. He quickly shook his head in warning not to knock at the door.

Tav didn’t want to lie to Gale, but she knew the terrible row they would have if she told him the truth. She had come to read Raphael’s deal, and likely, sign. Their terrible predicament would have a path to resolution. A path to redemption , Raphael had called it. Forceful eviction of their other tenant. She had purposely left Wyll and Karlach back at camp, knowing how disapproving they would be of what was about to occur. She wanted to have left Gale back as well, but he forcefully demanded that wherever his beloved went, so he too would go. So, she reluctantly agreed to drag him along to a meeting that would break his heart and destroy his dreams. The dread pooled deeply in her abdomen. This was the only way to be free of the tadpole - or it was the only way that relieved the guilt at her lack of faith.

Lae’zel stood proud, eager for her to knock on the door and grant her the path to Prince Orpheus’s freedom. When Tav hesitated, she urged her on. Enter. Go.

Tav could feel the sweat on her palms. She took a deep breath and whispered silently to herself. You know Infernal. He won’t be able to trick you with hidden loopholes. She researched Cania and Hellfire magic at the university, though sorceresses were often not accepted in academic circles. Her research was about to be put into practical use, though she wished the stakes weren't so high.

Gale’s face had drifted from furious into stony. His rage had hidden but not extinguished behind his eyes. He knew they were there about the Crown, despite whatever story she tried to tell him.

Tav ignored his gaze and placed three firm knocks on the door.

She had to do it. Gale would just have to deal with the consequences.

“Come in,” the deep voice purred from behind the door. Tav opened it and entered.

“Ah, my most cherished client.” Raphael’s face was smug. He was wearing his human guise and gave a grand gesture of welcoming with a smile. “Please, please, come partake of the Devil’s Den where we have no shortage of sins to enjoy.”

Raphael strode to his desk, crossing his legs as he lounged in an ornate chair behind it. He gestured again to three ornate chairs opposite him. Tav seated herself in the center, but both Gale and Lae’zel elected to stand.

“Now tell me,” he purred. “What can I do for my most favored client?” He cocked a brow and leaned back, relaxing into the silence.

Tav wasn’t going to be put on the back foot so early into a negotiation. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. “I thought you always claimed to be a good host.” Raphael’s eyes narrowed before widening again with a smirk. He snapped and a bottle of wine appeared with four goblets. He waved and a mage hand poured and served each glass. Tav took hers but the the mage hand had to leave the other two in front of Gale and Lae'zel. Tav and Raphael each took sips from their own goblets, but the ones before the other two were left deliberately untouched.

“I imagine you are not just the famished coming to feast, but there is a reason you have come knocking at my door.” Raphael countered, now that his abilities as host could not be challenged.

“We have come to deal,” Lae’zel finished for her. “We have come to negotiate for the Orphic Hammer.” Raphael’s brow lifted quickly and his smug smirk brightened. Tav stiffened, and she thought she could audibly hear Gale turn to her in betrayal and anger. What she had wanted to hide from him was now completely out in the open. She was going to accept the devil's deal. Tav tilted her head slightly to Gale and saw his face completely red and his hands shaking. His eyes were forced closed. Tav winced at how much this must be hurting him.

“Aha!” Raphael exclaimed triumphantly. “Are you now?” His voice held a cocky musicality. He always knew they would come knocking at his door, and as much as it hurt to admit it, he was always right.

“Yes, Devil. We have come to negotiate for the Orphic Hammer," Lae'zel repeated, becoming more annoyed and impatient at Raphael's lazy interactions.

Raphael turned to Tav directly, still holding her goblet and asked again. “You are the only one with whom I wish to make a deal. Are you here to make a deal with me?” Smugness radiated off of him. Tav paused, and Lae’zel gave her a look that was surely going to result in Gith expletives if Tav wasn’t forthcoming.

She swallowed and refused to look back at Gale who was likely trying to summon multiple Scorching Rays into the back of her skull.

“Yes, Raphael, I am here to make a deal for the Orphic Hammer.” Tav spoke plainly, knowing that any attempts at subterfuge would result in a much more complicated contract to read when the actual signing came.

Gale immediately stiffened, and she knew she there was no way to deny that she had lied to him on several occasions. She knew him well enough to understand that his fears were contorting and consolidating into a verbose rage that probably would require a dictionary the morning hence. He stormed out of the Devil’s Den to return to camp without another word spoken between them. Tav hadn’t wanted him to be here for this, and she felt a heavy pang of sadness that he had decided to join.

“My Little Mouse,” Raphael started, the excitement in his voice palpable. “Then I believe we should get started with the contract I prepared.” He snapped his fingers and a pitch black piece of parchment appeared in his hands. Even in his human guise, his grin widened and his eyes glowed. Tav felt like she could feel flickers of his cambion gaze break through his glamor. He handed her a document aglow with the fiery runes of an Infernal contract.

“I had this prepared for you, in hopes you would return.” Raphael rolled up the scroll and passed it to her. She unfurled it, starting to read the runes within. The infernal script danced in front of her as she tried to parse its meaning, but this wasn’t her first time reading and translating Infernal language. She rolled it out fully over the desk to get a better scope of what legalese awaited her. Raphael leaned over, amused at her reading. Her fingers traced firmly over the runes, reviewing the translations.

“Do you require assistance?” Raphael taunted. He leaned back in his chair again, waiting for a reply.

“No.” She didn’t need his help. He would have demanded additional clauses if she agreed to any additional services. Raphael would never do anything for free. The devil always received what was owed to him.

Lae’zel was waiting eagerly but impatiently. Her armored boot tapped against the wood floors of the Devil’s Den. Tap. Tap. Tap. Orpheus. Tap. That energy seemed to radiate from her impatience.

Tav blinked and took a deep breath, hoping Raphael wouldn’t notice the momentary lapse of focus. His brow raised slightly, before he relaxed again, appearing disinterested. The language was intentionally complex, written to confuse rather than educate. She took her time and traced each rune. She occasionally sipped at her goblet while ruminating on the meaning held within the runes. They were sharp and jagged and angular - nothing like her Common language writing which was looping and gentle. As with all Infernal text, the true meaning was held deeply within.

Raphael’s smile widened as she persisted. His Mouse was a clever one.

“Shall I translate?” Raphael taunted. They both knew that he had to be honest in their dealings, but every moment of weakness would set her back some sort of irrational and irritating demand of his.

“Raphael, I am only taking my time.” Tav breathed in and out deeply, internally trying to regain some sense of control over the accursed document while remaining calm in front of the accursed devil. The distracting foot taps from her Githyanki colleague were not helping.

“Of course, my dearest Mouse, we have all the time of the Hells.” Raphael sat back and continued to drink his wine. He studied her with uncomfortable concentration as she continued to read.

“Crown for Hammer… Unable to invade mortal realms…” Tav started to roughly translate aloud as she read her contract. Raphael raised an eyebrow but didn’t say another word as her monologue continued. “Soul collateral… Tavara Aureum.” Tav looked him straight in the eye, though she was numb from so much horrible legal writing. “Why just my soul?”

Raphael checked his nails uninterested in her question. “Why would I want the others?”

“Are they safe from you if I fail?” Tav responded nervously. The Little Mouse was fatigued and nervous, and Raphael found this state delightful.

“Would you like them to be collateral, my darling?” he responded again, still uninterested in her concerns.

“No,” Tav responded firmly. Lae’zel gave an affectionate and approving noise, though it seemed more like a tut than a hum.

“Very well.” Raphael finished falsely examining his nails and continued to watch his favorite client read. She paused at the bottom of a page on some sort of footnote referencing an appendix. Oh Gods, how many appendices did he include?

“Something wrong?” Raphael challenged. The Mouse bit.

“No,” Tav fought back. She thought back to all of her wizard colleagues who disregarded her because of her innate sorceress gifts of winter and storms. Ignorant sorceresses could not study Hellfire. Dragon Children were too spoiled to be able to truly understand Hellfire. Raphael clearly believed in the same fashion that Little Mousies could not understand his writing.

There was one clause that caused a multitude of rereadings. She had a hard time deciphering it and didn’t know its meaning. “Pater….” she almost tried to sound it out, the rest of the word huddled in her chest, locked in ice. “Pater…” she repeated again. It was part of a line, a subclause for Raphael’s duties to her. He had agreed to protect her something something pater something.

Tav could do this by herself, and she definitely didn't want his help. He was not going to translate, and he was not going to read it to her like she was a child.

Raphael watched her intently. Lae’zel’s foot tapped impatiently.

“Give me the quill, I’m ready to sign,” she declared triumphantly.

Wordlessly and with an unreadable expression, Raphael handed her a quill and ink. Lae’zel’s eyes burned through her as she signed the contract. The resident devil clasped his hands in joy before snapping and handing Lae’zel the Orphic Hammer.

“Thank you,” Tav deadpanned, fatigued and still frightened of Gale’s reaction.

“Thank you, Devil.” Lae’zel didn’t bother waiting for a response before heading back to camp. She was out of earshot before Raphael responded to her. Delight was a new look on his face that she had never seen before.

“You are most welcome, my Lady.”

*****

When she returned to Gale at camp, he was hiding: fuming in his tent. Tav approached him, hoping she could lure him forth so they could speak.

“Gale, please come out. I want to talk,” she pleaded quietly, so the entire camp couldn’t hear her.

“You didn’t want to talk before, and I certainly don’t want to talk now,” He bit back angrily. She paused, sadness biting at her and a horrible feeling of tension lay beneath her sternum.

“Please, Gale. Please talk to me.” Her voice became lower, and before she realized it, she was softly begging him to leave his tent or welcome her inside.

The reply became short and stiff. “There is nothing for us to talk about.”

“Gale…” she took a sharp breath. “I did it for you.”

Incensed, he sharply stood up and ripped the tent flap open to stare at her in the face. Fat tears were rolling down her cheeks and her look pleading. Mocking, he raised his voice so everyone could hear him. “For me? You threw away everything that I wanted and dreamed of. You discarded all of my gifts and all of my ambitions for what ?” His voice was now a shout, emphasizing his final question. All of her companions in the camp turned to stare at the two of them.

“Prince Orpheus!” Tav could hear Lae’zel call from behind her. Gale’s face became red and angry. He was obviously not expecting a third party to intrude.

“My love,” Tav pleaded, her voice missing the any confidence she might have had at her negotiations with the devil. The confident, competent front she wore meeting with Raphael had eroded, leaving behind only a weak vulnerability. Tears continued to fall, freezing on her cheekbones when they hit patches of scales.

“Do not call me your love. I gave, and I promised. You took, and you keep taking. You stole godhood from us, Tav. We could have been together for eternity.”

“Gale, Mystra would have ended you. I couldn’t let her hurt you.”

“Why will I never be good enough for you?” Gale challenged. He prodded his finger at her, which lightly struck the sensitive patch of scales on her chest that mirrored his own scar from the Orb of Karsus.

“You were always more than enough…” Tav continued to cry, but her pleas went unheard. Gale’s face became red again and he turned away quickly.

“I will help you defeat the Elder Brain, but then I never want to see you again, Tavara Aureum.” He threw his hands up in a grand gesture of exasperation. “I’ve wasted too much of my energies on you. We will get rid of these tadpoles, and then that’s the end of us.”

“Gale… Waterdeep…” Tav started to wail. Some sort of dam inside her broke, her magic swirled angry and chaotic. Her fingers crusted with ice that she could no longer control.

“When all of this is over, I am going back to Waterdeep. You are not coming with me.”

Gale retreated back into his tent, closing the flap with an unmistakable huff. Tav slowly retreated back into her tent, gingerly closed the flap, and lay motionless on her side for some time. Long after the darkness was heavy in the sky, she continued to cry hail on her pillow.

#raphael x tav #bg3 raphael #raphael bg3 #raphael the cambion #bg3 the fine print

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midiosaamor · 9 months ago

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cyrus of nara headcanons <3 (dont judge me i wanted this ok)

1. after ibleese tortures him, like said in the book, he stays in bed all day and doesn’t really talk until a few hours minutes later.

2. he sometimes (in secret) goes out to the garden to look at the flowers

3. has a hate-love relationship with sleeping because he always dreams of alizeh

4. he hates it when the torturing comes but he enjoys his hallucinations dreams with alizeh after it

5. in his dreams, alizeh and him are actually married and are happy together

6. probably has a book collection in secret

7. hangs out in the blue room when hes down or he wants some him-time

8. he doesn’t like talking about his father or his brother

9. he didn’t speak until he was three because he didn’t like talking to his family

10. he sees his dragons as pets like dogs

11. rides his dragons for fun or when hes stressed

12. he has mixed feelings about his mother (a small part of him still loves can handle her)

13. his favorite color is blue but he was born into thinking that having favorite things (like colors, animals, etc) were useless and not fit for a king

14. even though he may not seem like it, he deeply cares for his kingdom

15. the bargain he made with the devil was big and important to him enough for him to give up his life and kingdom for it to be complete

idk thats all i got for right now 🤫

#cyrus of nara #cyrus of nara headcanons #cyrus headcanons #this woven kingdom #these infinite threads #all this twisted glory #tahereh mafi #tahereh mafi men #headcanons #cyrus #⭑ belles drabbles .ᐟ ˎˊ˗

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wincestendgame · 2 days ago

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Sam and Dean (or eventually, the supernatural being possessing their body) in every episode of Supernatural

SEASON 13

S13 Ep01 - "Lost and Found"

S13 Ep02 - "The Rising Son"

S13 Ep03 - "Patience"

S13 Ep04 - "The Big Empty"

S13 Ep05 - "Advanced Thanatology"

S13 Ep06 - "Tombstone"

S13 Ep07 - "War of the Worlds"

S13 Ep08 - "The Scorpion and the Frog"

S13 Ep09 - "The Bad Place"

S13 Ep10 - "Wayward Sisters"

S13 Ep11 - "Breakdown"

S13 Ep12 - "Various & Sundry Villains"

S13 Ep13 - "Devil's Bargain"

S13 Ep14 - "Good Intentions"

S13 Ep15 - "A Most Holy Man"

S13 Ep16 - "ScoobyNatural"

S13 Ep17 - "The Thing"

S13 Ep18 - "Bring 'Em Back Alive"

S13 Ep19 - "Funeralia"

S13 Ep20 - "Unfinished Business"

S13 Ep21 - "Beat the Devil"

S13 Ep22 - "Exodus"

S13 Ep23 - "Let the Good Times Roll"

#supernatural #sam and dean #the epic love story of sam and dean #spn #samdean #dean winchester #sam winchester

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mellybaggins · 9 months ago

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Fanfic Master Post

My fics are now locked to A03 members only

Please send me an ask if you would like to continue reading and you don't have an account.

About the Author Q&A post

Oathbreaker

angst. self discovery. trauma healing.

Act 1 - Chapters 1-12 - Complete

Morwen vowed she'd never lead anyone again after the disastrous mission that led to breaking her oath. But the gods laugh while you make plans, and her abduction by mind flayers and a concerning brush with the devil is forcing her to face her fears. In her search for a cure, she gathers a disparate group of other infected and reluctantly leads them on a journey towards their unknown fates.

Act 2 - Chapters 13-51 - Complete

As the group enter the Shadow Cursed Lands, Raphael returns and forces Morwen to make a choice. In seeming retaliation for her refusal, he breaks the mental blocks keeping the memories of her past from her, forcing her to confront the darkness she thought had been locked away forever.

Act 3 - Chapters 52-? - in progress

With her memories fully restored, Morwen prepares to enter Baldur's Gate, not only to disrupt and dismantle the evil plot of the Dead Three, but also to force a reckoning with her own past. If the darkness doesn't consume her first.

This is an ongoing fic about betrayal, redemption, religious trauma, abuse, and why good people do bad things. She also has romances along the way because despite everything she has never lost her capacity to love.

This fic contains smut, drama, violence (there is also dead dove content especially in the middle-late act 2 and beyond) and is probably the work I'm the most proud of.

I try to update every Monday, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Character Profile - Morwen (Idril)

Character Word Association Game

Oathbreaker on Ao3

Oathbreaker Chapter 1 tumblr post / more photos

Early Game Photo Dump

Bite scene photo dump

Late Act 2 Photo Dump

Fantasy Casting for Original Characters

Morwen recast

Act 1 Chapters:

Chapter 5 - Freefall (First meeting with Raphael)

Act 2 Chapters:

Chapter 41 - Rainy Day (Gauntlet of Shar)

Chapter 42 - This Too Shall Pass

Chapter 43 - Frozen Angels

Chapter 44 - Numb (Backstory Chapter)

Chapter 45 - Fire Burning (the Battle of Moonrise Towers)

Chapter 46 - Make Yourself (Oathbreak Chapter)

Chapter 47 - Thunderstruck

Chapter 48 - Way Down We Go

Chapter 49 - Losing My Religion (Ain't No Rest For The Wicked)

Chapter 50 - Roads

Chapter 51 - Hunter (End of Act 2)

Act 3 Chapters

Chapter 52 - Porcelain (Sweet Dreams)

Chapter 53 - Clandestino (Decaparecido)

Chapter 54 - I'm A Wanted Man (Kryptonite)

Chapter 55 - It's Been A While

Chapter 56 - Come With Me Now (Disappear)

Chapter 57 - Entertainers

Chapter 58 - Cold Blood

Chapter 59 - Angel

Chapter 60 - Mercy

Chapter 61 - Savage Daughter

Chapter 62 - Dance, Monkey

Chapter 63 - Hold On

Chapter 64 - Beso

Chapter 65 - Vampiros

Chapter 66 - Scars

Chapter 67 - Promesa

Chapter 68 - River

One Shots:

This Protector (Act 2, Reithwin Tollhouse)

Come Undone (Act 1, Gale/Shadowheart scene)

Laileth of Waterdeep

fluff. romance. two worlds one heart.

This is Laileth. She is a forest elf who hails from Suldanessellar inside the forest of Wealdalth/Tethir, as far south of Baldur's Gate as Waterdeep is north. I've unconsciously been treating her like a Tolkien Silvan elf, so finally decided (though not stated in the fics themselves) that by some magic a group of elves from Mirkwood found themselves transplanted into Faerûn and therefore they were extremely reclusive and rarely dealt with outsiders except to trade. This is her first time meeting people of other races except at the bargaining table and she's fallen in love with Faerûn and it's people. She's also quite young, comparatively, and full of wonder and love of life and eagerness to learn and explore.

One person in particular though, Gale of Waterdeep. I've created a Series on Ao3 to keep all of her various drabbles together. They're all one-shots and her story will (mostly) be at the mercy of the prompts from the BG3 Writers Discord server. Many contain smut, and Laileth and Gale are into dom/sub play.

Character Profile - Laileth

Laileth of Waterdeep Posts on Tumblr:

(in story timeline order)

Helvegen on Tumblr

Kvitravn on Tumblr

Odal on Tumblr

Grá post on Tumblr

Synkverv on Tumblr

Solringen post on Tumblr

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narastories · 2 months ago

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Kinktober 2024 Wrap-Up

Okay, so I completely dropped the ball at the end of the month there because I got busy with other stuff. But! I still managed to pump out a lot of fics for ideas that I had for a while, so I'm pretty happy with the results. 25k for a month isn't bad either.

Admittedly, some of the fics could use a little more polish... But I always view these sorts of challenges as experimentation with my writing process and my conclusion for this one is: while I can write every day, maybe I shouldn't post every day lmao

Here is the complete breakdown if you feel like reading something kinky:

Day 1 - Dirty Talk: I want to be the one to make you feel good Harry/Thomas (Dresden Files)

Day 2 - Against a wall: in the elevator Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 3 - Orgasm control: small bargain with a devil Harry/Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 4 - Stockings: a private and delightful bet Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 5 - Praise Kink: two matching ties Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 6 - Thigh riding: play pretend Harry/Molly (Dresden Files)

Day 7 - Risky places: bored criminals Harry/Grey as roleplaying Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 8 - Threesome/Moresome: love to hate Harry/Nic/Deirdre (Dresden Files)

Day 9 - Naked/Clothed: blood-red touch Harry/Ortega (Dresden Files)

Day 10 - Knifeplay: opening presents Harry/Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 11 - Leather/Latex: blatantly public displays of affection Stavos (ASIOAF)

Day 12 - Role reversal: taming the most powerful man in the city Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 13 - Oral: surprise anatomy Harry/Grey (Dresden Files)

Day 14 - Sensory deprivation/Sensory play: elemental spells in bed Harry/Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 15 - Cock rings/cages: little key Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 16 - Flashing: on a dark beach somewhere Stavos (ASIOAF)

Day 17 - Biting/Biting marks: a not-so-scary monster Harry/Ortega (Dresden Files)

Day 18 - Body writing: love poems on your skin Pinsty (Hellraiser)

Day 19 - Pegging/Strap-ons: creative use of wood nymph magic Fetch/Amari (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 20 - Facesitting: lazy day denarians Nic/Deirdre (Dresden Files)

Day 21 - Masturbation: invaluable product testing Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 22 - Breeding kink: instinct Fetch/Theo (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 23 - Bondage/Restraints: Devil & Bunny Johh/BJR (Outlander)

As always, mind the tags, use common sense and the back button if needed ;)

#my fic #kinktober 2024 #dresden files #fetch phillips archives #asioaf #hellraiser #harry dresden/nicodemus archleone #harry dresden/thomas raith #harry dresden/molly carpenter #harry dresden/paolo ortega #nicodemus/deirdre #harry dresden/goodman grey #thurston niles/fetch phillips #fetch phillips/amarita quay #fetch/theo #pinsty #stavos #j/j/j

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green-eyedfirework · 1 year ago

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Whumptober 2023 Masterpost

No. 1: Swooning: adultery + alt pov

No. 2: Delirium: virtue is truest nobility + alt pov

No. 3: Solitary Confinement wedlock + missing scene

No. 4: Shock captor + alt pov

No. 5: “It's broken.” side of the angels + follow-up

No. 6: “It should have been me.” bladed threats + follow-up

No. 7: " “I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.” reparation + alt pov

No. 8: Outnumbered a fair thought + alt pov

No. 9: Mistaken Identity in the middle + alt pov

No. 10: Stranded rock-a-bye + follow-up

No. 11: Captivity ivory tower + alt pov

No. 12: Insomnia april showers + follow-up

No. 13: “I don’t feel so good.” contract + follow-up

No. 14: “Just hold on.” in the middle + follow-up

No. 15: “I’m fine.”: adultery + end note

No. 16: “Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” deal with the devil + alt pov

No. 17: “You’re the lump in my throat and the knot in my chest.” wedlock + follow-up

No. 18: Tortured For Information silver bird + alt pov

No. 19: Psychological wedlock + alt pov

No. 20: Found Family an heir for an heir + follow-up

No. 21: Restraints ivory tower + alt pov

No. 22: Vehicular Accident plunder + follow-up

No. 23: Shadows side of the angels + alt pov

No. 24: “I thought they were with you.” good faith + follow-up

No. 25: “They’re not breathing!” ivory tower + alt pov

No. 26: Working To Exhaustion unmarked + alt pov

No. 27: “You drew stars around my scars; But now I’m bleeding.” unmarked + alt pov

No. 28: “You'll have to go through me.”: adultery + alt pov

No. 29: Troubled Past Resurfacing reparation + follow-up

No. 30: “Not much longer...” a fair thought + follow-up

No. 31: Setbacks teeter + missing scene

Alt 1. Betrayal finders keepers + alt pov

Alt 2. Aftermath of Failure bargain + alt pov

Alt 3. Brass Knuckles slipping + follow-up

Alt 8. Hunting good faith + follow-up

Alt 10. Shaking the price of surrender + alt pov

Alt 13. Miscommunication ivory tower + alt pov

#whumptober2023 #whumptober masterlist #evergreen #all days are full and requests are closed!#see you in spooky season

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a-strange-server · 1 year ago

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Strange Tales Of Halloween 2023

Hi everyone! In honor of the spookiest, weirdest, and dare we say, strangest month, we have created a prompt list for Doctor Stephen Strange for every day in October! Last year saw a hord of spooky, ghostly works created for the occasion. We are hoping this year will be as much fun!

This list is open to all forms of creativity. Fill as few or as many prompts as you would like in October and tag it with #strangehalloween2023 so we can reblog! You can also submit your work in the Strange Tales Of Halloween 2023 ao3 collection.

Full written list and the FAQ under the cut.

Strange Tales of Halloween 2023 Prompt List

1. “What was that? Is somebody there?” | Scales

2. “Wait, kids can trick o'treat here?” | Trapped

3. “Sometimes the world tries to end.” | Spirit

4. “Dormammu, I've come to bargain—“ | Alone

5. “There aren't many of us left.” | Cauldron

6. “I thought you were dead!” | Witch

7. “So what do you do for Halloween?” | Cursed

8. “Is that supposed to be a costume, or what?” | Cat

9. “Well, that's strange...” | Moon

10. “They’re not the traitor. I am.” | Mythological creature

11. “No, don’t tell me that.” | Dimensional breach

12. “Something’s happened to you.” | Shroud

13. “Stay with me.” | Nightmare

14. “Huh… that’s new.” | Future

15. “You what?!” | Celebration

16. “Crap. Imps!” “Imps? Crap.” | Ancient

17. “I know everything. That’s my curse.” | Fire & Ice

18. “I have seen a horror movie before.” | Tradition

19. “I know you!” | Cave

20. “Is that a bloody butterfly?” | Fever dream

21. “Strange... what have you done?!” | Scars

22. “The Cauldron of Cosmos is not a bowl for Halloween treats!” | Supernatural entities

23. “You’re a bad demon.” | Candy

24. “Oh, a meeting with the devil? Just when I thought I have a free afternoon... Fine.” | Baking

25. “No. Tell them to get Ghostbusters, or something.” | Pumpkin carving

26. “There was no other way.” | Horror movies

27. “You messed up the ritual.” | Trick or treat

28. “Nightmare has him.” | Will-o’-the-wisp

29. “Don’t be so superstitious.” | Bog

30. “Are you really afraid of a little black cat?” | Crown of thorns

31. “Donna... Is that really you?” | Tam Lin

◇◇◇◇◇

FAQ:

What must be included in the content of a filled prompt? Stephen Strange (any version of him: film, TV, or comics) must be either the main or co-main character. Otherwise, anything goes!

What must be included in the tags of Tumblr and Twitter posts? Please use the hashtag #strangehalloween2023 and the # of the prompt you're filling (i.e. #no6 and/or #witch). On Tumblr, please include additional tags for NSFW and common triggers (see AO3 for examples).

When can I post my prompt fill? In the spirit of the theme, these should be posted in October! We'd prefer if you post prompts the day of or after the day has passed. For example, prompt 10 fills can be posted on or after Oct 10, and preferably not before.

What medium can I use? Anything! Written prose, poetry, gifsets, mood boards, artwork, all is acceptable as a prompt fill. It's all about Stephen Strange in any form he comes in.

Can I combine Strange Tales of Halloween prompts into one submission (i.e. #1 "What was that? Is somebody there?" and #6 witch)? Sure! If you post it on social media, you can use both prompt tags to help us identify it as such.

There are two prompts per day. Do I have to do both? You can use the sentence prompts, the words prompt, or do a mix of them!

Can I use this prompt list with other prompt lists/bingo cards? Absolutely! Combine it with any other event you'd like to use it with.

Are there any limits to how many prompts I can use/have to use? Nope! Participate with one piece or 31 pieces! Do as much as you'd like--we'll love to see it!

Any other questions? Send an ask to @a-strange-server and we'll get back to you soon. We can't wait to start seeing what you come up with come October!

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hyperbolicreverie · 8 months ago

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The Wild is a mirror, a magic realm of possibility parallel to the mundane one, and people like Luffy, changelings who've made a devil's bargain for power, walk the line between worlds daily. When Luffy makes a mad dash to rescue his brother from certain death, he sets off a chain of events that makes the very foundations of that realm shudder. Soon, he's got several other people along for the ride, and the situation quickly spirals out of control. There's something the people in power aren't saying, and it might be the key to all the strange events that keep happening around them. Luffy just wants adventure and fun and freedom. Law just wants to be left alone to live his life. Kid wants to never be beholden to someone else again. And Ace just wants some goddamn agency for once. But there are other entities in the Wild with agendas of their own, and they don't care about what others want at all.

#writing #my writing #fanfiction #one piece

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jeevaschrist · 1 year ago

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hi hi everyone! i've decided to do my own july writing challenge since i can't find any good ones. i know i'm late so i'm going to try to catch up and crank out a bunch of writing tonight. oh well. so i've decided to choose my top 31 favorite songs and then decide from those which character i feel relates to that and why. nothing super fun to read for you all if you don't know the music i guess, but still something fun to do. here's the list of thing's i'll be writing about (i might actually write some fics if it's a ship, idk, ideas are flowing). they'll have links to them when i post them, so just check this list :) i'll be posting a masterlist too soon so this is easier to find

july 1: mine (taylor's version) - nikolai x reader (bsd)

july 2: haunted (taylor's version) - fyodor x reader (bsd)

july 3: all too well (10 minute version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) undecided (i have some ideas but i'm not sure yet)

july 4: all you had to do was stay - soukoku (bsd)

july 5: anti-hero - light yagami (death note)

july 6: are you satisfied? - light yagami (death note)

july 7: bad blood - lawlight (death note)

july 8: vampire - lucifer, diavolo, barbatos (obey me)

july 9: paper rings - mammon x reader (obey me)

july 10: the man - akiko yosano (bsd)

july 11: hits different - undecided

july 12: still into you - joe x cherry (sk8)

july 13: how you get the girl - yosano x kouyou (bsd)

july 14: ghost - barbatos x diavolo x reader (obey me)

july 15: cruel summer - albedo x kaeya (genshin impact)

july 16: pierre - albedo x kaeya (genshin impact)

july 17: favorite crime - undecided

july 18: getaway car - matt x mello (death note)

july 19: message in a bottle (taylor's version) - beidou x ningguang (genshin impact)

july 20: enchanted (taylor's version) - undecided

july 21: miss americana and the heartbreak prince - joe x cherry (sk8)

july 22: glowing in the dark - soukoku (bsd)

july 23: mister perfectly fine - asmo x reader (obey me!)

july 24: devil doesn't bargain - undecided

july 25: in the stars - dazai x oda (bsd)

july 26: like i can - lisa x jean (genshin impact)

july 27: mary on a cross - lawlight (death note)

july 28: when you're gone - undecided

july 29: unsaid emily - undecided (probably idv emily x emma)

july 30: better together - riven and sky (fate winx saga)

july 31: check yes, juliet - matt x mello (death note)

if anyone has other song suggestions or ideas for the undecideds plspls send them in and i'll see if there's a day where i can write them in!

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park-jimin-isnt-real · 2 years ago

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part of the bts writers' club

my ao3 ~ all stories are also posted there

all stories are PG-16 or lower; there are suggestive themes and implied nsfw things but absolutely nothing explicit

wips masterlist

🥰 = fluff; 💔 = angst; 🤡 = crack

🤍 = G; 🩶 = PG; ❤️ = PG-13; 🖤 = PG-16, suggestive themes/implied nsfw

:: series ::

》 eot universe 《

all "edge of tonight" stories in (almost) chronological order

》 valen-tans days 《

2023 Valentine's event!

》 devil town 《

You take a chance and spend a month in Devil Town: a quaint little place nestled deep in the woods of The Unknown, where the air is always a touch chilly, things are never quite what they seem, and no one will tell you anything.

》 eot: monsters 《 [coming soon] moodboard

"I'm wondering why do all the monsters come out at night? Why do we sleep where we want to hide? Why do I run back to you like I don't mind if you fuck up my life? Why am I a sucker for all your lies? Strung out like laundry on every line. Why do I come back to you?"

:: series ::

》 edge of tonight 《 💔🖤 [ongoing]

A part of him died that night. A larger part died when they couldn't find you, and over the years whatever was left of him grew cold and hard. It was that ice inside him that got their gang to the top, that gave them power, and money, and all the things a normal mafioso would be more than satisfied with. But none of it meant anything to Namjoon. All Namjoon wanted was you back in his arms. That was the underlying motive in everything he did. For the past ten years, Namjoon built himself an empire, just so he could find the reason his heart beat.

》 eot: old scars / future hearts 《 💔🖤 [coming eventually] moodboard

"Say that again, I didn't quite hear ya, messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era. I've been at work and I got my badge of honor, honey I've changed so much since I last saw ya."

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 my hand 《 🥰🤍 [complete]

You had waited years to find your soulmate, and the universe gave you the perfect one. {part of valen-tans days}

》 the clouded annals of history 《 🩶

You learn a bit more about Devil Town and what you're doing here... and maybe bargain part of your soul away in the process? It's hard to tell. {part of devil town}

》 just take it easy 《

"Oh, just take it easy. Hold onto this feeling. No, no we don't need a reason because we ain't got nowhere to go." {part of valen-tans days}

:: series ::

》 ruffled feathers 《 [coming eventually] moodboard

"What else is there? She says, 'is beauty all that matters to you' and you say 'what else is there'?? You should write a book: 'How to Offend Women in Five Syllables or Less'."

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 a matter of minutes 《 🤡🤍 [complete]

Jungkook and Taehyung accidentally-on-purpose spill one of Jin's secrets. Luckily, it's a secret you had, too. {part of valen-tans days}

》 eot: sinners & saints 《

"I'm a liar, I'm a cynic. I'm a sinner, I'm a saint. I'm a loser, I'm a critic. I'm the ghost of my mistakes, and it's all my fault that I'm still the one you want. So what are you after? Some kind of disaster?" {part of valen-tans days}

》 the unknown 《

"I'll lose my mind at least another thousand times. Hold my hand tight, we'll make it another night." {part of devil town}

:: series ::

》 dusk 《 💔🥰🤡🖤 [ongoing]

When you moved to Forks, Washington, you only expected awkward conversations with your adopted sister's biological father and a lot of rain. You did not expect to see the love of your life walk through the high school cafeteria doors - especially when you thought he died back in 1918. But Yoongi doesn't remember you and believes you to be fully human. With the seemingly endless amount of danger coming your way, how long can you keep the act up?

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 sugarplum sweetheart 《 💔🥰🤍 [complete]

It was unthinkable. Unfathomable. Unrealistic. Yoongi would never.

》 you're my only girl 《 🥰🤍 [complete]

Yoongi specifically took this day off of work because he knew you needed to take a day off. So let him take care of you, goddammit. {part of valen-tans days}

》 somewhere lost 《 🩶 [complete]

you wake up on a bench in a forest, with no memory before then of recollection of how you got there. the person greeting you gives you three options: going into the Great Unknown (never to be seen again), wandering the woods (until you become an Edelwood tree), or spending a month in Devil Town. {part of devil town}

》 ready to go 《

"She's dancing alone. I'm ready to go but she's so lost in stereo. She's out of control, so beautiful, and I've been waiting for so long but she'll never know I'm losing hope 'cause she's so lost in stereo." {part of valen-tans days}

:: series ::

》 book club 《 [coming whenever] moodboard

As long as we don't die, this is gonna be one hell of a story.

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 glorious happenstance 《 🤡🤍 [complete]

Hobi sits at the same place in the coffee shop every day. You sit exactly four chairs away from him. Jimin decides that's too many chairs. {part of valen-tans days}

》 you'll be the last to know 《 🥰🤡🤍 [complete]

It was tradition that each weekend during the summer you and Hobi would go get milkshakes from the local diner to organize your schedules for the upcoming week. It was not tradition for you to kiss him (but you really really wanted it to be). {part of valen-tans days}

》 long-forgotten stories 《

"I still get a little scared of something new, but I feel a little safer when I'm with you." {part of devil town}

:: series ::

》 eot: a love like war 《 [coming soon] moodboard

"Heart's on fire tonight, feel my bones ignite, it feels like war. Love feels like war. We go together or we don't go down at all. Is this the end of us, or just a means to start again?"

》 flying shadows, falling stars 《 [coming whenever] moodboard

"When she was just a girl, she expected the world, but it flew away from her reach so she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of paradise..."

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 that's my man 《 🥰🤍 [complete]

You texted your boyfriend in the middle of your workday, telling him it was going to be an emergency date kind of night. Jimin easily agreed. {part of valen-tans days}

》 question 《

"But one thing after another, lost in situations, circumstances, miscommunications, and I have to say, by the way, I just may like some explanations. Can I ask you a question?" {part of valen-tans days}

》 those who travel thru the wood 《

"Falling doesn't feel so bad when I know you've fallen this way too." {part of devil town}

:: series ::

》 war of the gods 《 [coming whenever] moodboard

"How do you kill a god? With another god. An immortal for an immortal. Era for an era. A celestial being to strip another's soul. A God for a God."

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 singularity 《 💔🩶 [complete]

He would do anything to protect you, even if it meant remaining cold. {part of valen-tans days}

》 if it's worth it 《

"You're a classic case of foolish, young, and in love, but you don't even know what love could do to us. We are brash and reckless, made of glass and careless. We break apart the moment we both feel too much because when it hurts it hurts. You wonder if it's worth it, but when it works it works. When it's broke, it's perfect." {part of valen-tans days}

》 a mysterious place 《

"I forgot my name again, I think that's something worth remembering." {part of devil town}

:: series ::

》 in this neighborhood, on these streets (feat. kth) 《 [coming whenever] moodboard one two three

When you are young, they assume you know nothing, and I remember it all too well. Once upon a time, I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eye...

:: one-shots & drabbles ::

》 just one day 《 💔🥰🤍 [complete]

Jungkook has literally been counting down the days until he could meet his soulmate, but when the day comes he only has 24 hours to find you. {part of valen-tans days}

》 mixing fireworks and gasoline 《

"I let you down. I've been clumsy with your heart again. I guess you figured me out, now here's a taste of my own medicine. And for all this pain that I can't explain, there's a black flag waving tonight. You know I let you down." {part of valen-tans days}

》 a place that few have seen 《

"We're all dead in Devil Town, that fine, 'cause nothing's gonna scare us now." {part of devil town}

#bts #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts writing #bts fluff #bts angst #bts x reader #ot7 x reader #namjoon x reader #jin x reader #yoongi x reader #hobi x reader #jimin x reader #taehyung x reader #jungkook x reader #masterlist #bts masterlist #jay screams into the void

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sunnydaleherald · 6 months ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, July 5

Faith: You gotta give me something to do. There's no way I'm sleeping. Don't you need anyone dead? Or maimed? I can settle for maimed. Mayor: (chuckles) You little firecracker. Faith: My mom used to call me that when I was little. I was always running around. She falls silent. The Mayor observes her with a look of concern.

~~Graduation Day Part 1~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Nursemaid Cordelia by DanaNick82 (Cordelia, Angel, Doyle, T)

The Crappartment by DanaNick82 (Angel, Cordelia, G)

Тёмное, белое и розовое [translation into Русский by B_E_S] (Buffy/Angel, T)

What if? by DanaNick82 (Buffy/Angel, T)

How to lure the Xander by DanaNick82 (Buffy/Xander, T)

One moment to give him what he wanted by DanaNick82 (Cordelia/Jesse, T)

and multiple other BTVS stories posted by DanaNick82 (various)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 432 by madimpossibledreamer (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure xover, T)

Free to a Good Home - Ch. 1 by though_you_try (Buffy/Spike, R)

Wedding Belles - Ch. 1 by buffy_loves_spike (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

There Is a Season - Ch. 1 by Inevitablethief (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Night Carnival - Ch. 1 by tbd (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Tale as Old as Time - Ch. 3 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2] - Ch. 2 by Ragini (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Devil's Trill - Ch. 20 by Murray (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Stranger in her Body - Ch. 8 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) COMPLETE!

Come Hell or High Water - Ch. 2 by Rea (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Tale as Old as Time - Ch. 3 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

To All We Guard - Ch. 18 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Spander Fanart (2) by foundatlantis (Xander/Spike, NSFW)

Fanvid: bad quality spuffy silver cross edit i made at 2am last night ! by simulationgrac3 (Buffy/Spike, mildly NSFW)

Manip / Wallpaper: Halloween by revello-drive-1630 (Spike, Scoobies, worksafe)

Artwork: in which spike shares his cringe poetry by tubesock86 (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Artwork: Sketch I did forever ago of Buffy in her cheerleader outfit, she’s so cute by pocketsizedann (Buffy, worksafe)

Textpost: I don't know what to do with these. I just need them off my phone. by k0nstantly-tragic (Spike, Buffy, Willow, Faith, Angel, worksafe)

Gifset: The Slayer slays. The Watcher… watches? by onegirlinallthewrld (Wesley, Faith, Buffy, Giles, Kendra, worksafe)

Gifset: Buffy Waking In Her Worst Nightmare ↳ Nightmares (1.10) // Bargaining (6.1 & 6.2) by ladyverdance (Buffy, worksafe)

Gifset: Willow Rosenberg + Outfits (Season 6) by clarkgriffon (Willow, worksafe)

Gifset: Blonde... short... strong for a human... and massively rude! by andremichaux (Glory, worksafe)

Gifset: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) || 1x12 - Prophecy Girl, 7x20 - Touched, 3x07 - Revelations, 7x22 - Chosen... by truemoondust (Buffy, Willow, Spike, Faith, worksafe)

Gifset: i saw the tv glow + buffy the vampire slayer references by zabriskies (I Saw the TV Glow xover, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

[is there] any merit in watching buffy for the first time in the year 2024? [answered yes] by yellowocaballero

Book Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time by georgelthomas

PODCAST: Buffy 2.8 The Dark Age by Once More: A Rewatch Podcast

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: hellsmouthhq seeks roleplay: i would kill for some more buffyverse muses🏻

ISO: blazinwolve seeks cute fuffy moments from the comic!!

ISO: Usernamelesses seeks list of Missing/Cut Scenes on Streaming Services [specifically HULU in USA]

ISO: defaaago seeks the name of the beautiful painting behind Giles?

ISO: mbfan4077 is Trying to remember fic [where Willow botched a spell]

[Fandom Discussions]

spike in who are you is so funny. by tootiredforaname

I think Buffy was being ridiculous with the whole “don’t kill Warren thing”. by theredpharaoah

[you know what’s happening with certain characters based on the colors they are wearing? - Spike] by spuffybot

[idea for Buffy x Riley fans on how to tag positive stuff] by riley-summers [also more in tags and replies]

i do find it interesting how the show starts to minimize the spike and dawn relationship... by greensaplinggrace

Obviously the primary reason the Scooby Gang don't think to exhume Buffy's body in Season 6's Bargaining... by coraniaid

OTPs you only BroTP?* Faith and Buffy. by annarowyn

[Asks answered] by annarowyn

What was the best season of BTVS? updated by multiple posters

How was soulless Spike different from Angelus updated by multiple posters

Riley Finn and Tim Duncan?! by Imonlyalittleweird

Angels curse... by Ulquiorra1312

What was the beginning of the fallout for Buffy and Riley? by foreseethefuture

Do you think Buffy would have been an even more acclaimed show if they had not done "Angel"? by speashasha

[Faith in Who Are You?] by Sarah_Reddit_Here

[that scene in Passions is] heart-wrenching and cruel. by Randy_Giles1880

Wesley's transformation from Buffy to Angel is [very] well written by AxelNoir

Why did they ignore Pike's character from the movie? by jdpm1991

If Buffy and Angel can't be together... [question by new viewer] by OriginalNo9300

The Girl in Question bothers me... Buffy couldn't date the Immortal? byjdpm1991

GAME: [every show has one] by Kindly-Accident8437

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Variety article: Sarah Michelle Gellar Joins 'Dexter' Prequel Series as Dexter's Boss

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #ats #fan fiction #meta #fan art #angel the series

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theangrypomeranian · 1 year ago

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tagged by @daddygrandpaandthebeaver and @babsvibes <3333

(note: i'm going to make most of my answers for my angrypomeranian psued because i don't really wanna bring up my past fandoms if i can help it lol)

1. How many works do you have on AO3

2. What's your total word count?

can i just say too many?? lol i'm very long winded when i write.

okay so i actually did the math...dear god. 774,967 (i really am long winded omfg i'm so sorry y'all)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Bob's Burgers

4. Top 5 fics by kudos:

Baby Steps, I Think I'd Have a Heart Attack, The Devil Doesn't Bargain, 12 Days of Bob-mas, and It's a Promise.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I need to get better about this. I want to, but part of me worries about people thinking i'm inflating my comment numbers by doing so. i know that's really stupid lol but there it is. i appreciate every single comment though, you guys are the best. <333

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

so i love angst with my whole heart but i prefer to write happy endings. i think the fic with the angiest ending is probably It's a Promise, since it ends with Zeke walking away and Tina still with Jordan.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Things You Said: When We Were the Happiest We Ever Were. it's so disgustingly cheesy and i love it. <3 can't wait to make it canon in the Baby Steps verse :3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not in this fandom. in my last one i did and it was honestly kind of funny because it was for a ship that literally only i shipped lmaoooo

9. Do you write smut?

oh yeah lol.

10. Do you write crossovers?

not unless really specific AUs count lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

in a past fandom, yes.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yes i have, with the lovely and talented @littleredruns <33333

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Zekina and Barryl <3333333 (i literally cannot choose between them, they are equal to me now).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

nothing posted, thankfully. there are a few in my docs, though...

16. What are your writing strengths?

angst and slow burns.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

world building, i suck at it so so much help-

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

as someone who did it a lot in a past fandom (cringecringecringe), please please please do your research and don't depend on Google Translate. be mindful of people who are reading and may actually speak that language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

posted? Pokemon lol. unposted? Warrior Cats lmaooooooo

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

outside of Baby Steps (lil too obvious lol), Safe and Sound. i'm so proud of this fic and i think about it all the time. i pumped out over 30k words in under a week and it combines my OTP with a world i love with my whole heart. plus i'm pretty sure it's the first Hunger Games au in the fandom (if i'm wrong please let me know).

i tag: @littleredruns, @lovelyxxxsymone, @keepyourhornson-spyro, @burgerspeople, @casually-concerned, @pixiestickers, and @thedarkestgreys <3 (please don't feel any obligation to do this if you don't want to).

#pom ponders #writing stuff #writing meme #fanfic #bb fic #pom writes bb fic #tagged #i forgot how much i love doing these <3

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pengychan · 7 months ago

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[Baldur’s Gate III] Hell to Pay, Ch. 13

Illustration by @raphaels-little-beast

Title: Hell to Pay Summary: Assassinating an archdevil is a daunting task, even for the heroes of Baldur’s Gate. Some inside help from ‘the devil they know’ would be good, if not for the detail their last meeting ended with said devil dead in his own home. Or did it? Characters: Raphael, the Dark Urge, Astarion, Haarlep, Halsin, Karlach, Wyll. Rating: M Status: In progress

All chapters will be tagged as ‘hell to pay’ on my blog. Also on Ao3.

*** No one gets to have nice dreams in the Hells. Not even devils. Definitely not bhaalspawn, either. ***

“Please, you must help us!”

If Raphael had a soul for each time he heard those words-- well. Technically speaking, he did get a soul signed away as a collateral nearly every time he heard those words, which was as good as signing it away, as he ensured his targets could never hold their half of the bargain. The few times someone had the audacity or skill to slip his net, they would generally live to regret it… or find themselves very closely observed.

But the vast majority of those souls would be bound to his lord father, not him. It should be all of them, but if he embezzled a soul every once in a while… well, no one needed to know.

Raphael leaned back against his seat, and brought a goblet of wine to his mouth. For such a small inn, it had surprisingly decent vintages. He drank a mouthful before turning his gaze back on the desperate couple before him, absentmindedly swirling the red wine in the goblet.

“I must do very little, I am afraid,” he said. “Your children should have known better than to invite the wrath of a night hag.”

“They did not know!” the woman cried out, and fell on her knees, grasping Raphael’s doublet. “They thought she was an old woman passing by-- they were rude, it is true, but no child deserves the fate she gave them!”

Raphael chuckled. “I can guarantee, my dear, there are worse fates than a few nightmares.”

“They’re dying,” her husband spoke, his voice strained. He was leaning across the table, eyes huge, skin pale. He too seemed to have lost a fair amount of sleep since the regrettable incident which had turned his three children - two girls and a boy, all younger than nine; they thought, it seemed, that mentioning their young ages would do something to soften Raphael - into marks for a hag. “They are plagued by nightmares. Nothing we do helps. They barely sleep and when they do, it gives them no respite. It’s been weeks and they have not rested a minute. They’re only children, and they’re dying.”

“A tragedy indeed,” Raphael said without so much looking at them. He swirled the wine one more time, watched it catch the light. It was just a little too dark to truly look like blood, but he enjoyed the color either way. “It seems the hag is well on her way to kill them in their sleep, and harvest their souls,” he added. He sincerely doubted she could do the latter - an innocent soul was no material to create a soul larva - but the mortals before him didn’t know that.

And indeed, they didn’t. There was a cry of despair that caused everyone in the inn to turn briefly, and then hurriedly turn right back to their drinks, the card games, the glass they were polishing. Everyone there knew to never interfere in Raphael’s business. Those with enough wits about them knew precisely what he was, too. “Their souls-- no! Oh gods, no!”

Raphael raised an eyebrow. “Always with the gods. I see no gods here to help - do you?” A shrug. “Still, no need for such dramatics. You’re both young enough to have more whelp.”

A sob, and the woman’s grip on his doublet tightened. “Please! We’ll do anything! If it’s my soul you want, you may have it!”

“Mine as well,” the man echoed, voice shaking. “Anything. Just please, help us save our children. They’re so young. Garia hasn’t even learned to talk yet.”

Ah, mortals. So willing to do anything for their offspring. So wonderfully predictable.

Raphael eyed the two, hiding his smile behind the goblet of wine as considered his options. There were two different types of contracts he could resort to. The Pact Certain would straight-up exchange his services for their souls; a simple and direct choice that would leave him with two souls bound to the Hells upon their death. On the other hand, the Pact Insidious allowed a little more leeway - for him, of course. Their souls and those of their children as collateral, if they failed to give him something in return.

Five souls bound to the Hells, for just a small gamble. Raphael rather enjoyed gambles, when he knew he was most certainly going to win. “... Very well. I think I can-- do feel free to get off the floor if so inclined-- I can help you. And I won’t require your souls, if you can get me one thing.”

They listened to his offer, of course. Once driven to the brink of utter despair, they always listened. A drowning man doesn’t care whose hand threw them a line: they can but hold onto it. When he manifested the contract with a snap of his fingers, they barely glanced at the Infernal script, asked no questions. They took the pen he offered, and signed it.

The terms - give me the hag’s heartstone, and I’ll end her influence on your children - were quite simple. They needed not concern themselves with minor clauses, such as their own souls and those of their children being all considered a collateral should they fail. What would it matter, after all? They’d already offered up their souls, and they believed their children’s would be lost either way. Raphael would simply put them to better use than any hag would.

The contract concluded, Raphael granted them a scroll of invisibility that would help very little indeed, handed them a silver blade that would help even less, and watched them head off, terrified yet hopeful. Raphael took his time finishing his wine, left the coin to pay for it on the table, and left without a word to the mortals who were desperately trying to not catch his eye.

The air outside was cold and crisp; still, nothing compared to the frigid wastes of Cania. Raphael breathed in deep and glanced towards the nearby forest where the hag had her lair. He had never laid his eyes on her, but he was always good at gathering information… and madcaps gave up what they knew very quickly under torture. A cave, underneath the oldest oak tree. How wonderfully cliché.

Had there been the smallest chance the two desperate dwarves may pull off their task, he might have summoned a mephit or an imp to bring a warning over to the hag, letting her know someone was coming. But as things were, he saw no reason to go through the effort. So he just stood there a few more moments, and took one more look at the contract. Five souls as collateral, all bound to the same name. Not Mephistopheles' - his own.

If the Lord of the Eighth was not inclined to reward his excellent work, Raphael would happily reward himself every once in a while. A little bribery went a long way towards ensuring someone turned a blind eye during the processing stage. For a contract such as that one it may cost him a soul, but it would still leave four soul coins for him. Not bad for a days’ work.

He smiled, waved the contract away, and headed off to a small house by the edge of the town where three children lay tied to their beds to keep them from hurting themselves, driven half-mad by nightmares. He was just crossing the threshold when he felt it - a shift, as two souls bound to him made their way to the Hells. That was quick; they hadn’t even managed to get past the madcaps and the traps, it seemed. A bit disappointing, but not unexpected.

The door was locked, but it didn’t keep out a hag and it certainly couldn’t keep out a devil. He found the children where he knew he would, tied to their beds, eyes wide open and glassy. The smallest girl was trembling, the boy was muttering incoherently. The third turned to him, and spoke with a voice like wind through dead leaves. “Mama?” she whispered. “Papa?”

Raphael smiled. “You’ll join them soon,” he reassured her. She stared blankly a few more moments, and sniffled.

"I'm so tired."

"... I know." A gesture, and three pairs of eyes closed, without dreams at last. For a moment, he considered letting them live out their lives; their souls would be bound to him either way once they died. But they were marked for death by a night hag, and he had no interest in fighting her.

That didn’t mean he would leave those lives to her, of course, in the unlikely case she could make soul larvae out of such innocent souls. So he turned to leave and, on his way out, snapped his fingers. The flames in the fireplace flared and spilled out, setting the rug aflame. The smoke, he knew, would get to them before the flames did, before they could awaken. A mercy, really: their death by the hag's hand would be far more drawn out and agonizing.

“Down came the claw,” he whispered as he closed the door behind himself. “And that, love, was that.”

By the time anyone realized the house was going up in flames, it was already too late.

***

Even before the entire Absolute business, Karlach wasn’t new to bullshit.

First off, she was born and raised in the Lower City in Baldur’s Gate; that alone meant she had seen plenty of bullshit before she could even spell the word - admittedly, that had taken a bit. Spelling and reading were always kind of a pain in the ass, with all the letters switching up and blending together, the spaces between words closing up at random to leave a jumbled mess on the page. Her father had to sit with her after work nearly every day for hours to help her work it out, but they’d managed in the end. She would probably never make her living as a scribe, but she could spell ‘bullshit’ and that in itself was an achievement, thank you very much.

After Baldur’s Gate there had been Avernus, of course, which brought the entire concept of bullshit up to new levels. The fact she was there in the first place was bullshit, Zariel replacing her heart with an Infernal machine was bullshit, the Blood War was bullshit. Devils always looking for a chance to fuck each other over to no good reason was bullshit, and the fact they sometimes could make you even think there could be something - friendship, at least, maybe something more - before they stabbed you in the back anyway was utter bullshit.

Karlach had made that mistake, once, with Florenta. Good old Flo, with her admittedly funny jokes and sharp wit, a laugh never too far away from her lips. The closest to a friend Karlach could ever hope to have in the Hells, the only welcomed touch in those ten years, and of course it had ended with yet another stab in the back. Somehow, the fact she’d later laughed it off like it was nothing had made it sting worse.

Oh, come on! I thought you could take a joke!

Of course it was a joke to her. Of fucking course. Karlach had felt like a big fat joke too, the idiot desperate enough for any sort of connection to forget a simple truth: half a devil is still a devil. Worse yet, they were better than most at getting what they wanted before they discarded you like trash and reminded you, with a laugh, that it was on you.

Should have known better. A leopard can’t change its spots, and a devil will never not break your heart.

Well, now Karlach did know better. She had learned the lesson well enough to never let her guard down around one again . And so did all of her companions… or so she’d assumed until she’d awakened and gone to check if Durge needed anything while on guard duty. Then, of course, she’d found herself faced with a brand of bullshit she hadn’t really been expecting to deal with.

“The fuck. ”

Not the most brilliant thing to say, probably, but it was the only thing she could say when she saw Raphael clinging to Durge like that . Her words didn’t make Raphael stir, but they did cause Durge to turn back and glance at her. Karlach stared back, and lifted both hands in a gesture that, she felt, conveyed her message just as clearly.

What the fuck?

Durge opened their mouth as though to speak, then paused and cast a look at Raphael’s sleeping form - seriously? - before they turned back and shook their head.

“Later,” they mouthed. “I promise.”

… All right. Karlach figured they may have the conversation later but by the gods, they would have it. Devils could manipulate the fuck out of people, it was what they did, but if this fucker thought he could pull that bullshit on her friends, he was very much mistaken. Not on her watch. Never on her watch.

Should have known he was planning something when he saved Wyll. Devils don’t do anything just to help and you don’t let them fuck with your head, ever.

She wanted to yell all of that and more, but Durge was still looking at her in a silent plea not to, so she sighed and only mouthed back - be careful - before stepping away, even though each step took an effort. Of course going back to sleep now was not an option anymore. So she sat against the wall, as far as she could get from her still sleeping companions, and began to sharpen her axe… just in case, she thought, she might have to cut down a cambion.

Bet the bastard is angling for something. Cambion manipulation at its finest. He must be trying to get us to really risk our asses in Cania for the other half of his shitty soul. As if we would. As if anyone should. The fucker would go after Hope again the second he’s whole, and I won’t allow it. He’d turn on us the second he’s whole, too, and we can’t fucking allow it.

Focused as she was on such thoughts, Karlach didn’t realize Astarion had awakened until she looked up again and saw he was gone. If she strained her ears, she could hear him talking quietly at the entrance of the cave, too low for her to catch words.

She paused for a moment, then breathed out and decided not to get involved yet. Astarion would see through the manipulative bullshit and make sure Durge didn’t fall for it. They probably wouldn’t fall for it in the first place, maybe they were just letting Raphael think he was getting somewhere to make sure he wouldn’t double-cross them before they got to the sword. There was probably no reason to worry, really. She’d been jumping to conclusions, that was all.

Still, she resumed sharpening her axe. Just in case.

***

“MONSTER! How could you! HOW COULD YOU!”

The screams echo across Bhaal’s temple, over chants, over the dripping of blood on stone, the wet sound brain matter makes when it hits the floor. The Chosen Bhaalspawn has heard those words before so many times, it’s become almost tedious. When words fade into wordless wails, as he drops the infant’s corpse on the altar and shakes bits of its brain from his hands, it’s a welcome change.

Still, even those screams grow tiresome. He nods sharply, once, and a blade is unsheathed, the woman’s throat slit. The cries turn into a gurgle, and that too is silenced, as more blood drips into the pool below. A mercy, like the mercy used on her child.

Better to die than to share the world with him.

“... Well. You certainly know how to set the mood for the evening.”

The Chosen of Bane is a few steps behind, having watched the sacrifice with rapt attention. Very much to the chagrin of Sceleritas, who - he claimed - would rather rip out his own eyes than watch a servant of Bane in that most unholy place, breathing their same air. Ever a fair master, the Chosen has gouged out his eyes himself so he wouldn’t have to bear the sight.

As for Gortash, a blindfold over his eyes before being taken to the Temple has sufficed. Some may consider it foolish, walking helpless and blind alongside the Chosen of the God of Murder; yet Gortash was never foolish. He would not have come, had he thought of a single moment that the Chosen Bhaalspawn would have raised his blade on him.

He, for one, does not mind one bit sharing the world with him. He approaches now, to take a closer look. The Chosen of Bhaal smiles, all fangs, when he notices how careful he is not to step into pools of blood. And not, he knows, out of squeamishness. He hasn’t once flinched.

“Afraid to ruin your boots, banite?”

“I’d have picked more appropriate footwear than my very finest, my dear, if you’d told me where precisely you meant to lead me.”

For a moment the bhaalspawn's hand twitches, bile trying to rise in his throat. Dear, the banite said, like the Chosen of Bhaal could ever be such a thing. Preposterous. He should slaughter him where he stands; but he does not, as he did not slaughter him the other times he dared call him such. The day will come, when he’ll have slaughtered the rest of the world and Enver Gortash with it, that he may finally end his own life on Bhaal's altar in the final offering, earning the highest possible glory - to wander for eternity in his Father’s embrace, in the endless lake of blood beneath red skies. He will make him proud.

But not yet. Not just yet. Until then, he needs the Chosen of Bane to keep living and breathing, to trust him enough not to break an alliance he was always meant to end along with that entire, vile world. It may be a long wait before he can slaughter him in Bhaal's name.

The notion should fill him with impatience, yet it does not. Rather, he finds some relief in the wait and sometimes… sometimes, that frightens him. If Bhaal knew of that hesitation, he’d be ashamed of his son; he would perhaps even turn from him, the perfect bhaalspawn who’s not so perfect after all. He’d demand the head of Enver Gortash as proof of his loyalty, and the Chosen of Bhaal would do it. That’s why his father should never know of his weakness: because he would obey, and it would be--

“... Are you well?” Gortash’s voice snaps him from thoughts of blood, and he turns to look at him, at the piercing gaze that never once wavered from his. He nods.

“Yes. Apologies. The mind wanders. I never feel as close to my father as I do in his temple.”

A smile. “It is most impressive, I have to admit. There is yet more to see, I assume?”

“Yes. Come, I will show you.”

They proceed deeper in the temple towards the Chosen’s own room, past his collection of pickled organs, leaving behind the altar, the blood, the chanting and the eyes of the cultists, the entire plot they have been working on for so long.

They leave it all behind for now, this thing that should consume their every waking moment. For a time, it’s just the two of them - and, to his shame and bliss, it is a relief.

***

“Ah, that’s why you didn’t come back. I was starting to think you’d fallen asleep on… ah, scratch that. You did fall asleep.”

Slumped against Durge’s side, Raphael did not stir. Durge, on the other hand, awoke with a slight start, eyes blinking open. They craned their neck to look up; they looked tired, of course - Raphael was supposed to keep watch in their place so they could sleep - but smiled faintly when they saw him. “Sorry,” they replied, just as quietly. Their arm stayed around Raphael’s shoulders. “He was in no condition to keep watch, and I failed to realize how tired I was myself.”

“Did something happen?”

“He had-- a moment.”

“The incubus…?”

“No, not that.”

“I see.” Astarion paused for a few instants, wondering if he should be asking and then deciding against it. Well, he would ask of course, but later and out of earshot. For now, he just sat next to Durge and claimed their other side to lean on. “You should sleep, my dear. I’ll keep an eye out for any snack-- I mean, any danger that may come across this cozy little cave.”

“Have you rested enough?”

“I am not the one with bags under my eyes, darling,” Astarion said, like he had any way of checking in a mirror. Durge chuckled, and did not point it out. Instead, they leaned the side of their head on top of Astarion’s.

“Do you need some blood?”

“Halsin was willing to provide, no worries.” A grin, a brief nuzzle against their throat. “I’ll sample you another time.”

“Oh, I look forward to it.”

“Heh. Weirdo.”

There was a mumble, causing both to fall quiet. Raphael shifted, just a little, but did not awaken; one of his hands gripped Durge’s robe a little more tightly, but that was it. Durge chuckled, and spoke again in a hushed voice. “Ah, I forgot the line.”

“What line?”

“This is not what it looks like,” they said, and Astarion tried really quite hard not to laugh.

“Said no innocent man ever,” he muttered, but he wasn’t in the slightest concerned. His wonderful idiot had come seeking his permission before they so much considered touching Halsin, for goodness’ sake, when their relationship was barely truly starting out. And when Mizora had tried to make a pass at them, they’d informed her they’d be willing to touch her with a ten foot pole, as long as said pole also had a metal tip on one end.

An excellent response, Astarion had to admit. The incubus… well, that had been more of a necessity, when they still hoped they could be in and out of the Hells without a fight they were not certain they could win, and they hadn’t expected the entire clause about adding Durge’s body to their collection. Astarion had not been enthusiastic about it, but he’d seen the point.

… He had taken note of the fact Durge had requested Raphael’s form specifically over the Archduchess’, of course, but well. Frankly, if one had to pick, he’d have picked the devil they knew too. And even with said devil now there, or at least half of him, one thing was unchanged: Astarion knew Durge would do nothing behind his back. He could trust them as surely as Durge had trusted him from the start - although he maintained that decision had not been particularly wise of them.

“What it looks like,” he said, “is that he noticed you make a good pillow. Which you do.”

A grin. “Better than Halsin?”

“Well now, let’s not take it too far. I love you, but he’s got fur and you have scales.”

“Heh. No argument there.”

Another chuckle, and a brief silence. Astarion did keep his eyes out to the skies outside the cave, a glyph of warding already in place to warn them of anything that tried to approach on the ground. They had crossed some distance, but they had a long way to go yet, according to Raphael… who of course was not telling them just where they were headed to get the sword.

It made sense: he was not giving away his bargaining chip just yet. But the very nature of their agreement meant that at one point, unless they all died earlier, they would have what they needed… and he could only count on their word that they would help him in turn.

“... Love?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re going to Mephistar after this, aren’t we?”

A pause, a sigh. “I’m afraid I feel I must.”

Of course they would, awfully convenient as it would be to double-cross Raphael again. And where Durge went, Astarion would follow. “A bit annoying, that. I was hoping we could stick to killing an archdevil and then go home. But ah, why not? You went to Mephistar before, took the Crown, and lived to tell the tale. We may very well pull off the theft of half a soul, too. Although I imagine the Crown of Karsus was a good deal easier to carry than half a devil soul stuck in Ascended Fiend form.”

“I remember nothing of that caper, but it’s a fair assumption.” A pause, a yawn. “Apologies--”

“Hush. Sleep.”

Durge sighed. “I am not certain I want to,” they whispered. “In case I--”

“Remember something?” Astarion asked, and felt Durge nod. Their arm around Raphael’s shoulders shifted as they did, and Astarion could make another guess: that he, too, had remembered something… unpleasant in his sleep. Raphael shifted too, mumbling something, but didn’t awaken and quickly settled, breathing slow and regular. Whatever memory or nightmare had plagued his night, it was gone now.

Durge, on the other hand, seemed still affected. “Yes,” they finally replied in a murmur. “There is something about the Hells-- it makes these memories so much more likely to resurface. The vilest ones, those that try to tell you that you deserve to be here. Do you…?”

“... My dreams have not been pleasant either, yes. I keep seeing some of the people I lured back to Cazador,” he added. It was hard to regret something he had to do to survive, but sometimes, when some faces resurfaced, it still hurt. Most of the time he’d pick scum, bastards who wouldn’t be missed and deserved it more than most, or so he would tell himself when he still cared.

But sometimes he chose people like Sebastian. Better people. Gentle. Because every once in a while he needed it to be gentle, and needed it not to hurt, not to be more degrading than it had to be.

I had to do it. It didn’t have to be them.

But it had been them. He’d picked the sweet ones for himself, knowing full well he was sealing their fate for his own comfort. But did he not deserve some comfort, too?

Durge’s hold on him tightened a fraction, warm and steady as their heartbeat, letting him know they were ready to listen, if he wished to talk. But he didn’t, for now, and turned to other matters, voice still barely a murmur. “You remembered something else, didn’t you?”

A pause, a sigh. “I remember shattering the skull of an infant.”

“Ah. I see.”

“His mother was screaming. I had her killed next, but first I made her watch--”

“Enough.” Astarion cut them off, and reached up to cup their face. “It’s in the past. Nothing you may do can change it - much less anything you may feel.”

Durge smiled, and turned to nuzzle against his palm. “Nothing I say can make double-guess being with me either, I see,” they murmured.

“Gods, no. I caught you fair and square and I’m not letting you go. Why, are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Never,” Durge replied, almost in a growl, and Astarion grinned.

“Good,” he said. “Because frankly, my dear, you’d be doing a shit job at it.”

“Ah, I think I can do better.”

“Oh?”

“I think there was something. With Gortash.”

Astarion tilted his head. “Well, yes. The greatest religious hoax ever perpetrated does seem to fit the definition of someth-- oh.” A sudden pause, followed by a groan the second realization hit. “Oh gods.”

“... Fairly sure, actually.”

“Still not enough to get rid of me, but-- ew. Can we go back to braining infants?” A pause. “... As in, talking about it. Not actually braining infants - I know you have successfully kicked that habit and I’m very proud of you, dear.”

A smile, weak. However flippant their last remarks were, there was a distant cast to their gaze Astarion had learned to know well, from all the times they’d tried to reach for memories that should have been there but were not, and may never be again. In the end, however, they shook it off. They always did, had to. It was that, or madness. “I can deal with my regrets, all of them. But I have no intention of letting go of what I’ve gained. You, I will never let go, or forget.”

Durge reached around Astarion’s waist, pulling him close, and he was all too happy to lean on them. Of course not, he thought with a grin. He was just unforgettable like that.

“Flatterer,” he murmured. “Now rest. I’m going nowhere.”

Durge had to be more tired than they wanted to appear, because within minutes they were asleep, head still resting on top of his. Even in the heat of Avernus, Astarion found he very much enjoyed the warmth of their scales.

***

By the time yet another devil pulled out of him, Raphael was too lost in the heat of it all to care who he was. He’d long since stopped trying to keep count of how many had him that night. In the middle of a full-blown orgy, it seemed beyond pointless. But he did take advantage of the pause to lift his face from the pillow it had been pressed into, and look around.

The naked bodies around him seemed to shift and change as they writhed before his eyes, shapes distorting into beasts he’d never seen on any Plane. The moans of pleasure turned into cries and then grunts and then cries and moans again. Here and there the floor seemed to waver and then opened up to swallow a group of entangled fiends or beasts or whatever they were turning into now, and they didn’t cease their coupling even when swallowed into a pit of fire. Then Raphael blinked and the floor was back to normal, the fiends still there , but the ceiling was dripping blood and tears and come.

Or perhaps it was a normal orgy, and he was hallucinating more wildly than usual. That batch of gughalaki was the purest he’d ever had - the purest he could ever afford - and oh, it was well worth parting with some of his newly minted soul coins. Or perhaps it was the addition of incubus spittle in the Infernal wine he’d drunk that made it seem so much more powerful?

Either way, it made Raphael wish he could stay like this forever- do nothing, think of nothing, just lay there and feel the pleasure being dished out, because so many wanted-- him -- to fuck him and why should he not take what-- adoration -- pleasure he could take. Did he not deserve it? Did he not do all that was asked of him, did he not do it well, bring back more souls than most? Wasn’t he handsome, wasn’t he-- you’re loved here -- desirable? Of course he was. He deserved this. He’d earned this.

Something grasped Raphael’s horns, forcing his head back, forcing him to bend his neck. Everything seemed to swirl and someone was in again, rutting fast and deep without giving him a moment to adjust to the size, the girth. It didn’t matter. Even the pain was dulled, now. A rough pull on his horns and his head spun, the room spun; when he regained some bearing of his surroundings he found himself on a pit fiend’s lap, back pressed to his chest.

When a hand reached around him and claws raked bloody lines across his own chest, he moaned loud enough to be heard across the room, over all other noise. He tried to speak - yes and more and harder - but teeth sank in his shoulder suddenly and words turned into another cry, pain and pleasure mixing just as they should. His head was light, ears buzzing.

There was a laugh, the teeth pulling away from his shoulder to graze at his ear. A hand grabbed a fistful of his hair, hard. “Did you try to say something, little duke?” the pit fiend asked, in that mocking tone that always made Raphael bristle beneath a fake smile.

Not this time. This time, nothing they said could touch him, no mockery could hurt him. He was above it, above them, as he should always have been. Raphael leaned back with a groan and in that moment of perfect bliss he wondered - was this how it felt to sit on a throne, to look down upon a kingdom that owed him respect, all the obedience and the flattery, the closest to love that there was in Baator? To be so above everyone?

He laughed, so drunk on it all he didn’t even notice the hush that fell on the room as he spoke words - the blasphemy - that would haunt him for a long, long time to come.

“Call me Archduke.”

***

For a few moments as he started waking up, Raphael was only aware of two things: that his back hurt, and his neck was killing him. Served him right, he supposed: that mortal body was not made to sleep half-sitting and half-slumped against-- against--

Ah. Right.

Raphael opened his eyes with a start and pulled back hastily, or at least tried to. An arm was still around him, which quite went against his plan for a quick and silent retreat. It caused the bhaal-- Durge to grumble, their eyes blinking open at last before pausing on him.

“Ah,” they said, voice still rough with sleep. “Right.”

“Well, good morning to the both of you. If it’s morning. I think we agreed this is about the time we consider morning, because I can smell cooking from here.”

Astarion’s voice caused Raphael to recoil, and to quickly slip beneath Durge’s limp arm so he could stand and back away - just in case he misunderstood the position he’d found them in, and decided to take issue with that. Durge, however, didn’t seem to share his concern: they yawned and rubbed their face before smiling at him. “Ah, so can I. Smells terrible.”

“Poor Halsin does what he can, but all the food we brought just tastes off here. Or at least, that’s what you all keep saying. I wouldn't know. Blood still tastes the same, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“A slightly bitter aftertaste. Yours is still the most delectable.”

That made Durge laugh, rubbing their face again to get rid of the last dregs of sleep. “Delectable blood, and a good pillow? You’re flattering me far too much today,” they said, and stood. They stretched with a groan - it seemed their back was protesting, too - before they turned to glance at Raphael. “... Are you all right?”

Raphael stared back a moment, then cleared his throat, eyes briefly turning to Astarion. He looked vaguely amused, but unbothered, which Raphael was rather relieved to see. He was fairly sure the tiefling would love nothing more than burying her axe in his skull; he did not need to deal with the ire of a vampire. “I believe,” he said, “that my spine would appreciate a bedroll going forward. Still, your-- support did not go unapprecia--”

“Breakfast!” Wyll Ravengar’s voice announced, just as he turned the corner to the cave’s entrance, a bowl in his hands. Raphael was glad enough of the interruption, he was almost happy to see him. “Morning, everyone. Is there a party going on here and no one told me?”

“Of course we didn’t. You’d drink all the wine.”

“You don’t even drink wine!”

Quips were traded, and there was some laughter; as Ravengard sat at the cave’s entrance to keep watch while he ate, the rest of them headed back to eat as well before they were off. Raphael took his bowl of… whatever it was that the druid had made, and went to rummage through his things, to pull out a map they’d looted from a fallen barbazu. He studied closely, and he didn’t notice the wary look on Karlach’s face as her gaze shifted from him to Durge and then back.

He did, however, register how she made a point to visibly lean on her axe when she crouched in front of him to look at the map; as most things about her, it was not subtle. However, she did not speak of what led to that frankly pointless threat - which was, by contrast, unusual. “Still planning to cross the Styx at Haruman’s Hill?” she asked instead.

Raphael made a point not to look up, and nodded. “Yes. We should arrive within the day, if we’re not too sidetracked by other skirmishes.”

“There’s always fighting around that place.”

“... There is. It does concern me.”

“Or you’re hoping to thin our numbers there.”

“If I wanted to thin your numbers, I would not have bothered to save Ravengard’s life when--”

A scoff. “I’ve been in Avernus for ten years. Don’t you think I’ve seen it all? Devils saving another’s hide only to kill them at the next chance they got, after getting what they could out of the debt? Pretending to be one’s friend is what you do best.”

Raphael looked up from the map to meet her gaze. She never looked glad to see him, but she was scowling more than usual now. Something was bothering her for sure, and frankly it wasn’t hard to suppose she may have seen, or heard, something the previous night.

“I need your help still,” he said in the end. “Thinning your numbers and placing myself in danger at the same time would very much go against my interests, don’t you think?”

“What I think is that your kind is never honest about what your interests are.”

Raphael let out a hum. “Not an unfair assessment, I suppose,” he conceded. “But I have no other choice as things stand.”

The tiefling scoffed. Again. “That’s what you say. I don’t trust you.”

“Not unwise. But even after a decade in Avernus, you never learned to think like a devil.”

That earned him a glare, almost as scorching as the engine that roared in her chest. “Thank fuck I didn’t,” she snapped. “No one should.”

A shrug. “When in Calisham, do as the Calishite do. You don’t have to like it, but it’s how it is.”

“So what, you’re trying to tell me another devil would trust you?”

This time, Raphael laughed. It caused a few heads to turn to them; it wasn’t often that he and Karlach were seen, willingly, within ten feet of each other. Still, none approached, clearly confident enough the exchange wasn’t going to end in blood.

“Hah! Oh, absolutely not. A devil would never trust me. But they would trust how desperate I am.” He spread out his arms, tilting back his head to meet the tiefling’s gaze. “Look at me. I am mortal, less than half of what I was. Slowly dying as mortals do, and you could end me with a few swift blows. My only hope to be whole again rests with the same people who stole from me and felled me in my own house when I last tried to make a deal. You keep expecting me to unveil some sort of trick, yet you hold most of the cards. I can’t have you die, because I need your help. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’ve seen what you’ve done to the souls who took your deals . You don’t deserve our help.”

Says the loyal companion of a bhaalspawn. Do you know what they have done?

He could have said as much, but he did not. The last thing he needed was creating fractures among those he had to rely on to get the other half of his soul back. That, and he saw no reason to bring them up in the discussion.

It’s not a deal. It’s a promise, they had said. A promise was worth little on any plane and nothing in the Hells specifically, yet there was something within that wretched human soul he was stuck with that made Raphael desperately want to believe it.

You’ll grow out of it, he’d been told so long ago. He had - he thought he’d killed that weak, yearning part of himself - and look where it got him, in the end. His rise had only made for a longer way to fall. “... That is not relevant. Not here,” was all he said in the end.

The tiefling scowled, but did not argue that point. Instead she leaned in, grip tight around the handle of her weapon. “If I catch you trying to get into anyone’s head,” she informed him, her voice a low growl, “I’ll get into yours. With an axe. Am I clear?”

He could protest, tell her that if that was about last night - of course it was about last night - none of it was part of any cunning plan, but what would be the point? Not only was it humiliating to admit, but she wouldn’t believe him. Raphael wouldn’t either, in her shoes.

“... As spring water,” was all he said instead, and looked back down at the map. “Now. You’re the expert when it comes to the Blood War on the ground. If you have suggestions as of the route, your input would be most welcome,” he added, and listened to her suggestions with utmost attention, pretending not to notice that she didn’t let go of her weapon for a moment.

***

It wouldn’t stop. The dripping sound wouldn’t stop.

Yoggaa, Keeper of the Frost Garden, cast yet another Cone of Cold with a grimace and precious little hope it would last for long. It always worked for a time, the beautiful ice trees, fruits and plants once again looking as they should… until the heat got to them again, the dripping would start anew, and he’d have to cast again and again and again just to keep the garden existing.

That wasn’t how it should be. The Frost Garden had never melted, not a thing in Cania had ever melted, until Lord Mephistopheles had begun his experiments with hellfire. At first it had seemed nothing to be concerned about - a powerful weapon for the Lord of Cania to wield - but over years and centuries and then millennia, it had come to consume the greatest part of the Cold Lord’s attention.

Few even called him the Cold Lord anymore, including Mephistopheles himself. Lord of Hellfire, more like; he himself favored the title.

Mephistar had always been warmer than the rest of Cania, but eventually it had become much too warm for gelugons to thrive . Pit fiends had moved in instead, as much of Yoggaa’s kind left for Nebulat to find refuge in yet untouched cold, trying to develop some form of ice magic that could tear their lord’s attention from hellfire, restore Cania to what it should be.

But so far there had been no real progress, as far as Yoggaa could tell. He had stayed to tend to the garden, but for how much longer could Cones of Cold be enough to stave off the heat? Already he’d heard reports of glaciers collapsing onto themselves, melted from within; towering outside, the School of Hellfire continuously spewed its noxious waste across entire swathes of the citadel below.

Yoggaa sighed, clacking his mandibles as he looked over the garden. All looked well, as it should be, but like much of Cania it was only surface level. Beneath the ice, hellfire burned - and a day may come when all his magic may no longer be enough to save it. The garden, or-- anything else.

Lord Mephistopeles seemed too set in his ways, too determined to turn a blind eye to the consequences of his obsession, to pay any heed to the increasingly frantic warnings a brave few still dared speak. Even as he sat atop a melting throne, he ignored it all. Yoggaa had tried to beg for him to visit the garden, to see for himself the extent of the problem, but Lord Mephistopheles had simply sneered.

“If you feel your prowess has diminished to the point you can no longer carry out your duties,” he’d said, “a replacement can be arranged.”

So he’d kept quiet, and never brought up the matter again, but concern grew. In Nebulat, other gelugons were growing restless; word was that Tuncheth had even considered turning to Asmodeus, begging him to talk sense into the Lord of the Eighth. If Cania collapsed onto itself, it would be Nessus which it would crush - surely, something Asmodeus would want to avoid.

Yet he had not turned to the Lord Below, in the end, and no one had been surprised. Such a move would be suicide, after all, if Lord Mephistopheles ever found out. And surely, Asmodeus himself was aware. If he had not acted until now, Yoggaa figured, he must not think the danger all that great. But as he gazed upon the Frost Garden he’d looked after for time immemorial, Yoggaa found himself wishing he did.

Someone should intervene, and only Asmodeus ruled above Mephistopheles. If the Lord of Cania was unwilling to save his own kingdom from melting, then who would? Yoggaa sighed and, with one last look at the plants he’d refrozen, moved to another section of the garden.

And the dripping began anew, the sound of each drop hitting the ground as inexorable as a ticking clock.

***

[Back to Chapter 12]

[On to Chapter 14]

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#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #the dark urge #raphael bg3 #astarion ancunin #halsin bg3 #wyll ravengard #karlach bg3 #haarlep bg3 #bg3 raphael #bg3 astarion #antilia dnd #mephistopheles dnd #raphael the cambion #hell to pay

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