#And can I make it something they can do even if they don't have space?

[eiightysixbaby]

eat your heart out

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

in which eddie masters valentine’s day through the art of eating pussy

cw: 18+ ONLY — SMUT oral (f receiving)

a/n: an early valentine from me to all of u. mwah mwah hope u enjoy ❤️

Eddie Munson doesn't really know what to do when it comes to Valentine's Day.

It's not like he's an idiot; he understands that typically a romantic dinner or a bouquet of flowers and some chocolates are the perfect show of appreciation and affection.

But those things are typically reserved for your girlfriend, and you're not his girlfriend.

But you're also, like, not not his girlfriend.

Eddie doesn't really know what you are, and that's the issue. It started off with you guys just hooking up. Late nights in his van parked behind the school or in a dark part of some neighborhood. Quickies in the bathroom during a break in Hellfire sessions. But it's slowly started to morph into... something else? Eddie isn't one hundred percent sure, but he's noticed that you come over more often, and you don't just want to jump his bones and leave.

Sometimes you guys don't even fuck anymore. Sometimes you invite him over just to watch movies, or he'll ask you to go for a drive with him. You hold his hand under the table when you go out to Benny's diner with the friend group, and Steve keeps waggling his eyebrows at him suggestively every time he catches you two sitting extremely close to each other. Which just makes Eddie blush like a loser.

And, every time you two are about to part ways, you look like you really want to kiss him before he goes.

And sure, you guys have kissed before. He's not about to hook up with you without at least kissing you stupid first. But this is different. You've been looking at him like you just want to kiss him, with nothing to come afterwards.

It all makes him sweat if he thinks about it for too long.

So for now, in the midst of his anxious unwillingness to ask you the horrifying 'What are we?', he's simply decided to show his appreciation for you on Valentine's Day with the one thing he's certain you'll love. He can deal with his feelings and stuff, later.

Your hand fists its way into his hair, fingers gripping his unruly curls like they're the only thing still tethering you to earth. His knees press into the worn carpeting of the trailer, his mouth latched to your cunt while his hands keep the fabric of your skirt rucked up at your waist.

You’re standing with your back pressed against the kitchen counter, your sneakers still on. He barely gave you a moment to settle yourself upon arrival before he was on you like a bad rash.

What can he say? When it all comes down to it, he’s a simple man, and you’re his favorite meal.

“Eddie,” you sigh, tilting your head back in bliss.

His tongue swipes its way through your folds before finding your clit and sucking on it. He can feel your body tremble, your knees nearly buckling with the overwhelming sense of pleasure.

His big brown eyes chance a glance up at you, at the exact moment you’re looking down at him. Your lips part in a moan, his tongue flicking rapidly at your clit, though he’s not sure if it’s that or the eye contact that forced the sound from you.

He’s guessing the latter, because something in your gaze feels different. The entire moment feels different.

Before, being intimate with you felt reckless, hot. Now it’s like he’s spilling every word he hasn’t said to you into the space between your thighs, hoping you’ll read his secret code. Hoping desperately that he’s not seeing this wrong, that you actually do like him as much as he realizes he likes you.

He needs to chill before he whispers an I love you right here on his knees.

He breaks your gaze after a moment or two, letting his eyes fall closed once more. He can taste how wet you are, he’s lapping up your arousal with every swipe of his tongue, and he honestly would kind of be okay with dying right here. His face is completely buried in you, nose bumping your clit, tongue on a mission to be as deep inside of you as possible.

You let your hips buck, nearly grinding on his face as he licks and sucks and bites, his ringed fingers squeezing the meat of your ass now.

“Eddie, ohmygod,” you cry, your white knuckle grip on the countertop keeping you from collapsing.

“What is it, baby?” he asks sweetly, kitten licking your sensitive bud before taking it between his lips and sucking.

That’s another thing, he’s started calling you all of these pet names lately. And the more he does it, the more he finds he doesn’t want to stop. He might actually be physically incapable of stopping.

“Feels so good, I—” you gasp at the sudden intrusion of two of his fingers. “I fucking love you,” you rasp out, your body reaching its peak at the exact moment the words escape you.

Eddie’s eyes shoot up to look at you, going impossibly wide. Yet he doesn’t stop what he’s doing, he brings you fully through your high until you’re shaking all over. Your words did nothing but spur him on, more determined than ever to bring you crashing down around him.

Only once you’ve come down do you seem to process what you said, and for a minute all you can do is stare at each other.

“Eddie, I—” you scramble, but he’s quicker.

“No. Don’t backtrack. Don’t do that,” he says, still on his knees before you. Still tasting you on his lips, still feeling you beneath his fingertips.

He rises to his feet, hooking a finger under your chin. You’re giving him that look again. The one that makes it seem like you want to kiss him more than you want to breathe.

And so he gives in. Lips smashing to yours, in a completely different context than any of the times before. He hopes you can feel everything he feels just through this kiss. Hopes he’s getting his point across.

The way you pull him flush up against you to deepen the kiss gives him the idea that his point was received.

Eddie Munson is great at this whole Valentine’s Day thing.

[fkinkindagauche]

Somebody Has to Arrange the Matches

This is a prompt fill for @steddiebingo Round One, prompt "Dustin Henderson". Full fic on AO3.

Rating: Explicit | WC: 5,398 | CW: None | Tags: Dustin Henderson parent trap, gay Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington speed runs his sexuality crisis, first kiss, mutual pining, friends to lovers, frottage

Summary: Dustin is adamant that Eddie Munson deserves to find love, after all he's been through. Once Dustin figures out some things about Eddie, he gets to work making it happen.

divider by @steddiecameraroll-graphics

Eddie was being cagey again.

It had become Dustin's personal mission now that Eddie was out of the hospital to get the man a girlfriend. As far as Dustin could tell from his probing questions to the Corroded Coffin guys, Eddie had never had a girlfriend, which was honestly shocking to Dustin. Sure, Eddie could be pretty over the top, but everyone liked him. And it wasn't like he was ugly. So he must just be too shy or something. Dustin wanted to help.

Dustin currently had him cornered in Gareth's garage, away from the rest of the group. They'd just finished a D&D session at Gareth's house, with a Corroded Coffin practice scheduled after. Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will were waiting for Steve to pick them up before the practice started. Dustin was doing his utmost to get Eddie to go out with one of Robin's band geek friends, but Eddie was resisting all of his attempts.

"Henderson, no." Eddie sounded exactly like Steve did after Dustin had asked for a ride about ten times, trying to get a no to magically change to a yes. "I'm not going to ask Veronica out."

"Why not?" Dustin asked, voice raised. "She's a huge nerd, she flirts with you, like, non-stop, and she's hot."

Eddie sighed. "I'm just not into her."

Dustin groaned, tugging his hands through his hair in frustration. "Are you into anyone? Every time I bring someone up, you shoot the option down."

"Well, I don't like your options, bud. They're not good options."

"That's objectively false!" Dustin yelled. "Most guys would kill for some of the options I've presented!" Why did Eddie have to be like this?

"How can it be objectively false?" Eddie shot back. "It's literally my opinion. The definition of subjective."

Dustin glared at him. He hated when Eddie tried to outsmart him. He hated how often it worked. Steve drove up just as Dustin was opening his mouth for a rebuttal.

"Thank the fucking Lord," Eddie muttered. "Please take this young whippersnapper off of my hands before I kill him," Eddie yelled to Steve when he got out of his car.

"Oh, great," Steve said. "Can't wait to spend the next 15 minutes with a feisty Henderson in my car."

God, they were both such turds sometimes. Dustin sighed loudly and stomped over to Steve's car. "This isn't over, Munson!" he called over his shoulder. Eddie flipped him off in response.

He grabbed the passenger seat before Mike, Lucas, or Will even made it to the car, much to their chagrin. Steve chatted with Eddie for a few moments, Eddie leaning into his space as per usual, slinging an arm over Steve's shoulder.

Dustin leaned over and honked the horn.

"Really, Dustin?" Steve yelled, hands on his hips.

"Some of us have places to be!" Dustin yelled back.

"Where do you have to be?" Lucas asked from the backseat.

Dustin shrugged. "It's the principle of the thing."

Steve spent a few more moments talking to Eddie, probably just to piss Dustin off, then came back to the car.

Dustin gave Steve 30 seconds to adjust, watching the time tick by on his watch. He'd been told off one too many times for immediately starting an interrogation, so this was his compromise with the world. As soon as his watch hit the 30 second mark, he started in.

"So why doesn't Eddie ever date anyone?" Dustin asked, talking over whatever conversation Mike and Will had been having in the back.

Steve glanced at Dustin with a confused expression on his face. "What?"

"From the intel I've gathered, Eddie's never had a girlfriend," Dustin said. "He turns down all of my suggestions for potential dates. But if anyone deserves a girlfriend, it's him. He's, like, a hero. I want to help him find his Suzie."

"Excuse me, what am I? Chopped liver?" Steve interjected. "Why aren't you trying to find me a girlfriend?"

Dustin rolled his eyes. "You've had a million girlfriends, Steve. Give some of the other poor dudes a chance."

"Yeah, Steve. You're kind of hogging the eligible young women of Hawkins," Mike piped up from the back seat.

"I haven't had a girlfriend since Nancy," Steve protested.

"But you do still get around," Dustin insisted.

"Whatever, man." Steve shook his head. "Why don't you let Eddie do his own thing? Maybe he's just picky."

Dustin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, not responding. Steve was wrong. Eddie deserved his own Suzie. And Dustin wasn't going to give up on helping him find her.

"So I saw this girl the other day at the arcade," Dustin started. He and Eddie were at the trailer, painting some miniatures. It was his mom's night working late, and Dustin had started spending it with either Eddie or Steve on alternating weeks.

Eddie groaned. "Not again, Henderson. Can't we go, like, one day without this shit?"

"But Eddie! I think you'd really like her. She had a mohawk. Dyed pink. And her nose was pierced."

Eddie dropped his head into his hands, smearing some red paint on his cheek. He stayed that way for a few moments, quieter for much longer than usual. Dustin worried for a moment that he might have broken him. When Eddie finally looked up, his face was serious in a way it almost never was. He reached out for Dustin's hand.

"Dustin. I'm about to tell you something, and you cannot freak out about it. And you can't tell anyone else about it, either. Am I clear?" Usually, Dustin would have thought a joke was coming after an intro like that from Eddie. But he seemed completely earnest this time, so Dustin actually considered what he'd asked.

"What about Suzie?" Dustin asked. "Can I tell Suzie?"

Eddie sighed. "Yeah, you can tell Suzie."

"Alright," Dustin said. "I agree to your terms. No freak out, no telling anyone other than Suzie."

Eddie nodded. "Okay." He took a deep breath and looked away. "I'm gay, Dustin."

It took Dustin a second for his brain to parse what he'd just heard. Eddie. Heavy metal band member, dungeon master Eddie.

"I'm sorry, you're what?" Dustin squeaked. He must have misheard.

"I'm gay," Eddie repeated. "Queer, fruity, a homo, a friend of Dorothy, a fairy. I like men. That's why none of your options have sounded remotely appealing to me. That's why I've never had a girlfriend."

Dustin sat back in his chair, stunned. A lot of things were making sense now.

"Oooookay," Dustin said, nodding. So now he had to find Eddie a boyfriend. More difficult, but he liked a challenge. "So what's your type? We can find you a boyfriend."

Eddie barked out a laugh, throwing his head back. He looked relieved. "Are you serious? That's your only question, what's my type?"

"Of course that's not my only question, who do you think I am?" Dustin was a little offended. "That's just my most pressing question."

"I think this is the best response I've gotten so far to coming out," Eddie said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.

Dustin felt pretty good about that. "Well? Are you gonna answer?"

Eddie chuckled. "I should've known this wouldn't make you give up your weird crusade." He pulled a few strands of hair in front of his mouth, chewing on the ends while he thought. "My type? I'm not totally sure, honestly, haven't had much of a chance to find out, living in Hawkins. I guess probably my height or maybe shorter, but not much taller. On the masculine side of things, almost the jock physique. Hairy. Brunette."

Dustin nodded after each characteristic, mentally taking note. "Those are all physical things. What about personality?"

Eddie had to think a little harder about that one, looking into the distance. "Um. Kinda goofy, I guess? Not too macho. Sense of humor." Eddie trailed off and looked at Dustin sharply. "Henderson, if you go around asking the men of Hawkins if they're queer so you can try to find a date for me, you're gonna get beat to shit."

Dustin held up his hands. "You really think I'm that stupid? Give me some credit here, Eddie."

"You have a track record of failing to read the room, man," Eddie pointed out.

That absolutely wasn't true. Dustin was very tactful. He could be quite subtle when he wanted to be. Eddie just never got to see that side of him.

"I'll be careful," Dustin insisted. "I'm not gonna ask anyone if they're gay."

"Alright," Eddie said, but he didn't look convinced. Dustin would show him.

The idea hit Dustin the next week, when he was spending his mom's late work night with Steve. They were out by the pool, and Steve's hairy chest was on full display, with all of its muscles. Dustin had Suzie, and she didn't want him to be muscular, but sometimes when he saw Steve's chest he couldn't deny the twinge of jealously.

Hairy. Muscular jock physique. Something was tickling at the back of Dustin's mind. Brunette. What was that? About as tall as Eddie.

Oh shit. Dustin dropped his Dr. Pepper as Steve yelled "COWABUNGA" and did a cannonball into the water. Kinda goofy.

It was Steve. Eddie had basically been describing Steve. Did Eddie even know? Had he been secretly pining after Steve this whole time? Or was it still subconscious?

Holy shit. But Steve liked girls. How was Dustin gonna make this work? Did he need to find a Steve doppelganger somewhere who was gay?

Steve popped out of the water, shaking his hair. He looked up at Dustin and the Dr. Pepper spilled all over the patio. "Everything alright there?" Steve asked. "You look like you saw a ghost."

Dustin nodded. "I- I'm good. Everything's fine!"

Steve shrugged and dove back under the water.

Dustin did some research over the next few days. If he was going to find a gay Steve doppelganger for Eddie, he needed to understand the culture - where he could find other queer people, the types of phrases they used to identify each other without being too blatant, that kind of stuff.

He tried finding books at the library, but came up empty-handed and probably on some sort of list the librarian kept of degenerates. So he had to resort to asking Eddie where he got all his information.

"Why do you wanna know?" Eddie asked with a suspicious glare.

"I just wanna understand you, man!" Dustin insisted, putting on his most innocent expression. "You're my friend, I wanna know what's going on with you."

Eddie reluctantly handed Dustin some zines he'd picked up in Indianapolis. "None of the raunchy stuff," Eddie said. "I'm not getting arrested for dealing gay pornography to minors."

Dustin made a disgusted face. "You could have just… not told me you even had raunchy stuff."

Eddie shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?"

Dustin spent hours that night poring over the zines, learning the lingo. He discovered an incredibly interesting fact in one of the zines - the existence of bisexuality. You could like both men and women. You didn't have to be either gay or straight.

This fact blew Dustin's mind, and the seeds of a different plan took root. What if Steve was bisexual, and he didn't even know it? That would be the easiest, most logical solution to the Eddie problem. Steve was Eddie's type; so what if Eddie was also Steve's type?

He talked about it with Suzie the following evening. She'd been shocked to learn that Eddie was gay. Mormons weren't exactly accepting of homosexuality. But she'd always played a little fast and loose with certain aspects of Mormonism, so Dustin was able to bring her around to the idea eventually.

"I don't know, Dusty Buns," she said as they were discussing his idea about Steve. "I don't think you can just make someone be bisexual."

"I'm not gonna make him be bisexual," Dustin insisted. "I'm just gonna try to show him that he already is."

"But what if he isn't?" she shot back.

"Then I'll go back to the doppelganger plan," he said with a sigh. "But I have to try. This is the simplest solution. Occam's razor."

"Dusty Buns, you know you're not using that correctly right now," Suzie scolded.

Dustin sighed. She never let him get away with anything.

Dustin paid a lot more attention to Steve and Eddie's interactions over the next few weeks. Now that he knew Eddie was gay, he couldn't believe he'd missed the signs pointing to his crush on Steve.

Eddie gravitated to Steve like a moth to a flame. It was like he had some sort of Steve-related sixth sense, his head immediately turning toward Steve whenever the man walked into a room.

He was a tactile guy with everyone, but whenever Steve was around, it was always Steve that Eddie was touching. Every time Dustin looked at the two of them, Eddie had a hand somewhere on Steve - slung around his shoulders, resting on one of his arms, brushing against one of his legs to get his attention.

Steve didn't seem to mind at all. He leaned into the physical contact, touching Eddie back almost as often as he was touched. They smiled at each other all the time. They got each other drinks and snacks and just in general acted like a goddamn couple. How had Dustin missed this?

He was gonna need to accelerate his timeline. These idiots needed to get together ASAP.

Read the rest of the fic on AO3.

[clemworld]

"taking in bad faith"

you put 'genderfuck' shit on a transmisogyny board.

• if you mean degendering, say that! You didnt say that though.. your words have meanings. you cannot say a different sentence then be upset when people read it as the words mean.

• Again, say that. Because I see it in MANY contexts.. People who think you shouldn't imposed a girl v boy mentality to the trans community, people who enforce a gender binary in trans spaces, shit! not even about trans shit! People say this shit when lesboys exist!! It is a commonly said phrase.. Again, if you mean something, say something. Because you are criticizing generalized things that can so easily be miscontrued to be used to be a dick to people.

• It is slang. People use slang how they use slang. Using slang is not inherently transmisogynistic and its a weird hill to die on. The important thing it acknowledging some people may not be comfortable with it and asking. And if someone messes up, telling them. It is such a non issue. Like putting it on this board is the equivalent of those storyline plots that exist only cuz people don't communicate. People are capable of communicating their needs and asking boundaries.

Now, disrespecting this boundary could go on there no problem!! It happens a lot.. But someone who grew up in a region where that simply is the slang and uses it like that is not the same as someone who goes 'well thats a dumb boundary i use it like XYZ!!!"

Two different scenarios.

• How is TME/TMA misused? I am so glad you asked:

It should be a self descriptor, for starters, because you don't know other people. No, just because that person is a transmasc bigender person you don't know if they've been affected by transmisogyny or not.

The term has basically been co opted for online discourse that boils down to "afab (aka FEMALE) trans=transmasc/trans man and they are tme and amab trans people are all transfem/trans women and are all male and amab and are tma".. which is dumb. People have perverted these terms to mean whatever the fuck they want instead of using it to actually start a conversation about transmisogyny.

You cannot tell TME/TMA by agab, gender identity, expression, (asumed) sex, pronouns, etc.. However certain 4chan-lite people have completely ruined the terms usefulness and it is.. upsetting

A lot of people DO define it by AGAB! And it is a real issue! And it harms any actual discussion because it makes people associate these terms with gender/sex binaries instead of them being useful.

Now, i AM pro use of these terms when used correctly.. but at the end of the day, they really aren't.. especially since how many people just see words used one way and assume thats Just How They Should Be Used. There needs to be a real discussion of the misuse of this term, and people criticizing how its used in the wider community should be allowed to..

... But, yea, people equating them to meaning agab or sex or identity or whatever the fuck IS misusing and it happens a lot. I do not think its impossible to reform these words to what they naturally should mean, but I don't blame people for how they're used

(I can go on but I am ill right now and Cant)

• "the transandrophobia crowd" tells me everything I need to know about you.

i could SMELL the "transmisogyny is when online trans discourse" from that fucking bingo. If you are a self described TME then maybe stay out of conversations about transmisogyny becuase all you're doing is pointing to trans discourse, portraying the 'other side' in not an accurate light, and calling it transmidogyny. THIS is why conversations on this topic are so impossible. People cannot fathom actually talking about issues, its only about 'who is more oppressed' and its bullshit

wanna know WHY people feel they cannot talk about their issues? becasue they are harassed, sexually or violently, called slurs, cyberstalked, etc.. for daring to talk about their own experiences. all in the name of talking about transmisogyny

its basically fuckung radical feminism at that fucking point. do whatever you want as long as you can scream (trans)misogyny you have an excuse! its fucking bullshit.

So, yea, theres a huge community of people who cannot talk about their experiences.. are we forgetyibg the 'transandrophobia crowd' gets harassed to attemtling suicide and then harrassed EVEN MORE because how DARE people create words for their experiences? Being willfully ignorant of this doesn't make it any worse

Also... are we forgetting how many trans women who don't agree with this shit are told they're secretly men and/or transmasc and evil gender traitors for supporting other trans people? It's ridiculous. This discourse does nothing but create an Us Vs Them mentality in the efforts of shitting on the 'acceptable' queer groups to shit on. It doesnt help trans women, these types of bloggers literally revoke trans women's woman card whenever they dare disagree. its 4tran shit.

Like.. has it ever occured to you people say these things for reasons and not outta the blue and portraying it that way just makes your whole post a bad faith argument?

• "trans women are more oppressed than trans men"

anti trans bills harm EVERYONE. ALL trans people. even intersex cis people! like jfc to go "this oppressed minority isnt as oppressed as me😢" is bullshit, the oppression pyramid isnt real and you do nothing but harm your own community by pretending its real

Like imm not even going to explain this to you because no doubt youve SEEN the cases of transmasc people being listed as 'female violence' or the fucking people beaten to death in bathrooms that arent transfem or the intersex people harassed and forced into invasive procedures because they are 'secretly trans' or some shit like jfc

play blind to oppression all you want, us here in the real world will actually be fighting for something

• this point still doesnt make sense to me. you cannot just add "nonbinary people" then make some random excuse. its still weird.

• point 8 is interesting to me. i think in a way we are all affected, i mean, i don't really believe certain people's experiences are 'less than' because its 'misdirected', but also I dont have a strong opinion on that and i respect yours. i tjink there should be more discussion to it. i think saying 'everyone is tma in some way' could be used to be like 'the patriarchy affects people all in some way' but i do understand your pov🤔

anyways yea idk i think i read u wrong when i wrote that one. again, no problem with tme/tma being used correctly! especially as self descriptors which is where i feel it is most useful

• i don't like how you worded pt. 9.. also, again, my main issue with all of these is that these phrases can also be used to miscontrue what people are actually saying by twisting their words.. idk :/

but also i just wanna point out the irony of 'i cant hate trans dudes i am one' cuz its literally on your bingo card to say stuff like that.. /lighthearted

• pt 10, im not misreading shit. you just admitted right there! it isnt that "misandry isnt real". that is exactly the dogwhistle you fuckers use to ACTUALLY MEAN "trans men dont have their own issues. its the same phrase. all of these phrases are innocuous enough but are the same parroted phrases to put words in peoples mouths when they talk about transandrophobia .. nobody has ever said misandry is real (in the way that its an actual societal issue, self described misandrists exist everywhere)

but what people HAVE said is "no, i don't have male privelege because thats not how oppression works and i suffer my own unique experiences with oppression as well, on the basis of being a trans dude"

but people HEAR "wah i am a dude and im oppressed" because people are incapable of letting others speak they lives

and im not replying to 11 more because i am not on what exactly is being replied to where

• no 12. you have seen trans discourse and decidded to make a bingo. as a TRANS WOMAN, yk, TMA, i am telling you this bingo is bullshit and filled with weird logic. and i know many trans women online and offline who agree with me. a small bit of trans people make a discourse on something, it does not mean they speak for everyone. and as a trans woman i reserve the right to disagree with this and its weird tones to my trans brothers.

Like yk how many trans women on trans twitter used to harass passing trans women cuz theyre "passoids"? doesn't sound like a real issue that shoulld be a big issue. passing vs not. but it was to them, but that doesnt mean every single trans woman out there agreed that this was even something to be arguing about. this is nothing more than trans discourse

same with the 'toothpaste flag' or 'the term achillean is bad' discourse. it will blow over in a few years and everyone will think how stupid the online harassment over queer dudes existing was, and people will go onto the next target.

So, tldr, if you really wanna talk about transmisogyny, do that. but dont parade around your discourse opinions as an actual conversation about it.

going to start using this for every dipshit post i see on here

[baphometsss]

I'm also going kind of insane over the romance description for Solas in the customise Inquisitor section of the CC. Like what do you mean 'even the Dread Wolf did not know what it would mean to fall in love'?? I'm frothing at the mouth!!!!

I mean, now it's had a few months to stew, it actually makes perfect sense. Solas doesn't seem to forge relationships in the same way as an elf as he did as a spirit. We know he loved Mythal and Felassan, but his relationships with both had rather different dynamics. Mythal had known him for the longest, and understood his spirit nature better than anyone. They spent a long time reflecting each others' spirits back and forth. Felassan we can assume was another Wisdom spirit (going by his eye colour), which once again tracks because Solas seems to connect with other Wisdom spirits very intensely. Nonetheless, there's a distance between them; they need each other and they share a common cause, and although Solas loved Felassan dearly, he was still able to kill him in The Masked Empire.

However, the thing that these two relationships have in common is that they both relate to Solas's spirit-self. All the dynamics are some kind of echo of how he behaved and related as a spirit. The person he is at the beginning of DAI is who he has been for a very long time. He is, despite everything, a little stagnant.

With the Inquisitor, he literally doesn't have a choice but to change, to connect not just as a spirit but as a man. Prior to that though... remember how spirits are asexual, like Cole is if you don't make him more human? Yeah. I don't doubt that Solas had physical relations with others after manifesting, but I think the feelings would've been absent as he doesn't connect romantically with them; a legacy from his spirit self, which he clings to dearly.

Weirdly enough, I think that this lack of romantic or relationship experience is what the romance in Inquisition actually hinges on. He's only able to take that chance specifically because he doesn't know what romantic love feels like. He may be a manifested Wisdom spirit, but this is something that must be experienced to be understood. He takes the chance in the end because he doesn't know how deeply it will affect him. Also as Wisdom, he can't help but be curious anyway. Clearly he underestimated how much of an impact it would have on him. He didn't expect to be known and loved so fully for who he was, after a life of being forced away from his purpose, who he truly wanted to be. To be given the space to exist as Wisdom is one thing, and certainly it would've been enough for him to maintain his love for his friends in the Inquisition alone, but to be loved for it? To be able to express these new, very earthly and yet somehow still spiritual feelings of love? Everything lining up, singing the same? Things he could never have experienced as a spirit? It's a union of the spirit and body that he likely never felt before. That has to have been overwhelming, a beautiful gift he never expected to receive. 'In all Thedas I never expected to find someone who could draw my attention from the Fade'--quite literally, 'I never thought I would want such an earthly thing'. I'm not surprised he almost threw away his plans for it. It's like a whole new world opening up.

It also makes his 'I would not have you see what I become' line more poignant. He doesn't want this beautiful, unique thing he's found to be marred by the actions he will take. He doesn't want his heart to see the wounds in his soul. So when the Inquisitor says they want to join him, it literally stuns him. When he warns them that he's got a lot of terrible things waiting for him in the Fade, it's his last, weak attempt to make them reconsider before they see the wounds on his soul laid bare. By responding that it won't be so bad if they're with him, the Inquisitor is also saying that being together will heal him, that those wounds will not be so terrible when shared.

That line from the elven poem Trick wrote from Solas to Lavellan: 'do not be sad, my heart, our love's endurance is a blessing, our love will be our joy' everything is so new to him brb crying :'<

[blastiebabe]

make me feel good, please

Bakugo Katsuki x Reader | Smut

It's Sunday night, you and your boyfriend Katsuki had an amazing weekend together. You two are currently watching a movie, sitting on the couch, your legs are placed above his lap while his left hand is holding your thigh. 

For some reason, you feet the need to be touched. Something down there tingles with need for attention. You look at your boyfriend focused on watching the movie, you remove your legs from his lap and brings yourself closer to him resting on his chest as he wraps his arm around you.

Even with the change of position something between your legs still can't behave. It wants to be touched so bad, you wiggle your legs a bit, trying not send signals to Katsuki that you are uncomfortable.

But he noticed anyway. "Is everything okay?" He asks looking at you.

You just nod and proceeds on trying to focus on the movie. After minutes of heat still pooling inside you, you  sit straight. "Love, can I go to bed first? I'm feeling a little sleepy already."

Katsuki paused the movie. "Alright, let's go sleep."

"No, no, it's okay. You can finish the film, then just come when you're done." You tell him, pushing him slightly back to the couch as he tried to stand up.

"Love, are you sure? I can continue the film some other time I—" You cut him off.

"It's okay Kats, I insist. I'll see you later." You say as you stand up and starts to head to the bedroom. 

Katsuki grabs your wrist that made you sit on his lap. "Princess, are you sure you're okay?" Katsuki asks, his face close to yours you feel the heat of his body on your own.

Even with the sudden desire surging on your body, you fight it as you cup his cheeks and kisses his forehead to ease his worry. "Love, I'm okay, you don't have to worry. I'll see you in a bit." You say as you leave a peck of kiss on his lips and stand up. Katsuki just nods and guided you to stand while holding the small of your back.

You head straight to your shared bedroom and lay down on your side of the bed. You indeed want to be touched by your boyfriend so bad but you have no idea how to ask him to do so. You feel bad being starved like this when last night he was giving you everything you could never even imagine. 

Remembering how hard and how many times he made you reach your high last night sends shivers down your spine. You place your right hand and used your palm to put pressure between your legs and turned to the side. God, how badly do you need Katsuki right now?

Focused on trying to ignore the heat pooling inside you, you didn't notice Katsuki coming inside the bedroom. Not until you feel weight shifting on his side of the bed, you look up and notice him looking at you with eyes full of worry.

"Princess, tell me what's happening..." Katsuki says as he observe your posture. He brings you closer to him, his arms grabbing your waist. "What's wrong?"

And just like that, you can't help but be under his warmth. You push your head on the crook of his neck, sniffing his natural scent. You wrap your hands all over his waist as you pull him closer to your body. "L-love... please..."

Katsuki kisses your temple, caressing the length your hair, patiently waiting for you to use words. "Hmm?"

"C-can you please h-help me..." Stuttering with your words, but atleast you were able to tell him. 

"Ofcourse I will. Can you tell me what you need help with, Princess?" Katsuki asks while creating a space between the two of you enough for him to be able to look at your eyes. 

Unable to use your words, you look where your other hand is putting pressure between your legs, then you look back at him. Your eyes pleading for pleasure that only he can provide.

Katsuki's eyes widdened as he realize what you were asking him to do. "A-are you sure?" He says as his eyes softened looking at you full of affection.

You do a slight nod. "P-please..."

Katsuki smiles as he stares at you. "Was this the reason you were bothered earlier?"

Again, you nod. Katsuki cups your face, his thumb gently brushing on your cheeks. "My love, you could've asked me. I am more than willing to help you." And with that, he closed the space between the two of you and made sure his lips met yours.

And in a blink of an eye, Katsuki is on top of you. His hands roaming around your body as your arms cling into the back of his head. 

"Can you tell me what you want, Princess?" Katsuki asks as he stopped the kiss leaving you wanting for more. 

"M-make me feel good, p-please..." You pleaded as he starts leaving kisses on your neck. You feel a smirk in between the kisses. 

"I am all yours." You feel his hands caressing every part of your body, until it goes under your shirt, slowly reaching your back and finding the clasp of your bra. You arch your back as to give him space and in one swift move, it's gone.

His kisses trails down to your chest as the two of your removes your shirt and bra and throw it somewhere you don't care. You can feel a bulge forming in his pants.

Katsuki proceeds on sucking on your nipples while his hand plays with the other. You grab his hair, pushing your hips against his as your lower body is asking for attention. "Love..."

You feel a smirk in between his kisses. His other hand started trailing below your short, feeling the band of your underwear. You move your hips upward, getting impatient and wanting his touch to reach down there as soon as possible.

Katsuki's lips travels from your chest down your belly button. He slowly grabs the band of your underwear and shorts and in one swift motion, he removes it. Leaving you naked and vulnerable under his touch.

"I'm gonna make you feel so good, Princess." He whispers at your folds as you feel his breath in the softness of your skin.

You grab the sheets at your sides with both your hands as he starts licking. "Fuck." You feel his tongue playing with your pussy. You grab his hair, feeling so much pleasure. You move your hips to match with his rythmn.

You stop kissing him, staring directly at his eyes as his fingers start going in to your folds. "You are taking it so well, Princess." 

"K-katsuki, c-come here..." You say, grabbing him close to you for a kiss. While he entertain your lips, he made sure to not leave your folds untouched. His hands finds its way, teasing it like how his tongue did.

As soon as he notice this, the movement of his fingers become more sincere, more pleasurable for you, with a mission to make you reach the high you have never reached before.

With all the pleasure you are receiving, you stare directly into his eyes. Using your right hand to cup his face, and your thumb softly rubbing his cheek. You feel tears forming in your eyeballs. You might just cry, not from pain, but from realizing how much you love this man before you.

When he feel your body shivering, Katsuki tries to go back down your folds again so that you'll cum using his tongue, but you stop him. "No... please. I want to see your face, my love."

"I-I'm coming..." You say in between your breath.

Katsuki's heart flutter by your words. As much as the bulge between his thighs is getting bigger, he can't help but to focus on you and only you. Tonight, it's just you and everything you ever want. He had his fair share of people in bed before you, but never once he though he can be this generous in bed and it's only because it's you.

Katsuki can feel it, he feels how close you are as your walls tighten in his fingers.

"I know, Princess. I got you. Look at me." You try your best to look at him and not close your eyes. "Do not even think about it, I got you." Katsuki says, his pace unchanging. You start shivering as he whispers sweet compliments into your ears. 

"L-love... Fuck..." 

"It's okay my love, let it all out." Katsuki just stares at you with the greatest affection you have never seen someone give you. You feel the heat rising inside you, and in just a few thrusts, you are there.

"Katsuki!" You exclaim. Katsuki's fingers still going in and out inside you as you shiver and fall in to him.

He slowly changed his pace and let your cum spill into his fingers. "Atta girl." Katsuki left a peck at your lips. "You did so great, Princess. I am so proud of you."

He gently caresses your shoulders as you slowly drift from your high. When you got back to your senses, you face him, staring at his eyes. "How was it, my love?" Katsuki asks.

"It... it was perfect. Thank you." You say.

"No need to thank me. You should never forget that I will always be more than willing to give your everything you need." Katsuki says before kissing you. Once he let go, you burry your face in the crook of his neck has he wrap his arms around you. His hand playing with your hair.

You feel yourself slowly drifting in to sleep. "Sleep well, my Princess." Katsuki moves you closer to him, his eyes also wanting rest.

"Maybe we should come up with a signal for next time this happens, you little minx." Katsuki says smiling before drifting off to sleep.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ thank u for reading! :>> . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

more of katsuki, here! ♡

[ninikrumbs]

Somewhere in the multiverse

jjk men x fem reader.

"Need something, baby?"

The tone of his voice light and indulgent as it always was, not minding the happy distraction your presence brings.

Your head peaks from the doorway, a hesitant smile on your face as you watch you boyfriend work in his home office.

Shaking your head at his questioning haze, your cross the distance between you. He smiles fondly, realizing your intention, twisting his rolling chair a bit to the side to make space for you.

"Come here, pretty girl." He says when you draw near, pulling you down to plop down on his lap, arms immediately finding a home on your waist.

His familiar warmth and smell envelopes your senses imbuing your body with the affection and comfort you always craved from him. The contented noises you let out as you snuggle in the crook of his neck makes him chuckle in amusement, his gentle fingers tracing slow comforting circles down your back. "So my girl's just needy for me?"

You hum in response, looking absolutely cozy with your eyes closed, nose nuzzling his neck as you breath him in, hands resting on his chest.

His hands teasingly wander down your back to give your bum a light squeeze, not enough to startle you from you perfect position but enough to make you grumble, "Not that kind of needy."

With you lips right next to his neck, your breath tickles his skin. He huffs a laugh, "Oh, my bad. "

Not a hint of remorse in his voice though. His hands changes it course up to you hair, gently threading through it, making your eyes droop. You feel him press a kiss on the top of your head before resting his chin on it.

This is where you belong, you thought. At peace in his arms, away from the cruel horrors of the world even for just a moment. And your sure he shares you sentiment with how constantly he tries to shield you from the sometimes brutal realities he has to face.

If he could create a world where you would only know joy and happiness, he would. But Alas the monsters in this world constantly grow like weeds. The best he could do was to make sure they could never get to you. Not in this life or the next.

He hears you whisper his name and mumbling something he incoherent.

"What was that?"

"I said I feel bad for a version of me out there who doesn't have you."

He pulls away just a bit to look at your face, he wonders where you get such sudden and weird ideas yet he humors you regardless, "You don't have to worry your pretty little head about it."

"Why not?"

"Because," He raises your palm to his lips, placing a kiss filled with devotion, "I refuse to believe that there's a world where I don't have you. Any version of me won't allow it."

He says it with such conviction that it sounded like a fact, not an opinion or a thought and it makes you want to believe him.

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, you press youself flush against him once more, finding solace in his words and the beating heart underneath your hands.

"Now sleep, I'll wake you up once im done working some we can eat dinner together."

Your eyes flutter shut again and you fall asleep to the steady rhythm of his heart.

The next time you open your eyes it was to the dark cold ceiling of your bedroom. Your hands reach to the side, - searching, hoping, wishing -heart dropping as you merely felt the bitter emptiness of your comforter.

Sitting up on your bed, you look out of your window. The city lights blurred as hot tears clouded you vision. They fall rapidly down your cheeks, faster than you could wipe them away with your fists. Your throat clogging up with such gut wrenching emotion as you barely held back your sobs.

Your lips trembles, smiling bitterly, memories of another life running though the back of your head, "You're such a liar, you big dummy."

Suguru. Satoru. Kento. Hiromi.

[pomrania]

So like, one of the places to start when looking for the assumptions of a game's core mechanics, is to consider what the possible outcomes are, for the primary conflict-resolution method. In D&D it's success or failure, PBTA has success or partial success or failure (and different moves have different definitions of "partial success"), in the example you gave it's "succeed and pay the cost" or "back down", in a game I'd been vaguely working on it has "success/failure" and "consequences" independent of each other, the Jenga game (to the best of my knowledge) has "disaster" or "no disaster yet", and in November (my primary exposure to Weird Game Toys) I'd seen a thing where it was "lose a bit" or "lose a lot" (in a game that explicitly said it was always a bad sign whenever you had to roll dice in it).

After that, I think there's two questions that directly follow, "how often is that conflict-resolution mechanic expected to be used" and "what's the statistical shape of the possible results". Like in combat for D&D, there's expected to be a bunch of different dice rolls, so succeeding or failing at any given check isn't LIKELY to drastically change the situation (it can HAPPEN, but the reason people tell stories about those instances is because it's not common). And for the second question, PBTA's dice system means that the statistically most common result is "partial success", so that tells you the game thinks that's the most important potential outcome.

(You don't NEED to know statistics to figure out the shape of the possible results, although it makes things easier; you can use an online tool, or see what other people have said about it, or write out every possible outcome by hand and tally up the different results, though that last one might get impractical depending on the system. But I'd say it's important to have at least a vague knowledge of it whenever you're looking at a system, whether that's to analyze or even just something you're planning to play; if something only happens when you get the highest/lowest possible result, is it something you can expect to happen in a normal game, or is it extremely rare and something you shouldn't plan around.)

There's also looking at how much space a rules element takes up. If they spent time and pages on it, that means they intend for it to be used. If you skim it over and think "that's stupid", there's a few possible options: a) you missed something vital that contextualizes how important it actually is, b) they didn't actually include the "something vital" so you need to look closer to discover for yourself why it's important, c) it doesn't actually deserve that much space but it's there because of legacy reasons or their editor didn't do a good job, or d) it's important to the game as written but that's something that doesn't match with the game you want to play (so you should prolly pick a different game).

You've talked before about how "generic" ttrpg systems still contain hidden assumptions about genre, story, playstyle, etc. (e.g. gurps and military scifi/fantasy) how do you figure out what those assumptions are? what should you look for in the rules to find them?

That's a fairly involved question for which a full answer is beyond the scope of a Tumblr post (even my notoriously long-winded ones!), but I find that a good place to start is with the "who gives a shit?" principle.

For example, suppose that the first piece of mechanically significant information on a game's character sheet is a statistic called "Strength", rated on a scale from one to ten.

Who gives a shit?

That is, why do we care how strong player characters are? Why do we care about having a definite, codified answer at our fingertips to the question of which characters are stronger than other characters, to a fair degree of precision? Why does any of this matter? What assumptions are we making about the nature of the conflicts that will be present within the game's narrative?

That's a fairly trivial case, but the principle can be extended to more fundamental features of a game's rules. Let's consider the classic Dungeons & Dragons style skill check, for example: roll a die, add a stat, compare to a target number, pass or fail. What assumptions are we encoding about the nature of conflict in this game?

Well, for a start, these assumptions might include:

The assumption that generating binary pass/fail outcomes for performing discrete physical, mental and social tasks is how most conflicts will be resolved;

The assumption that your game will benefit from these outcomes having a high degree of player-facing uncertainty;

The assumption that your game will benefit from this uncertainty containing a relatively high likelihood of complete failure;

The assumption that your game will benefit from the principal determinant of that likelihood of failure being some intrinsic and objectively measurable attribute of the acting character;

... and so forth.

If you're only familiar with Dungeons & Dragons and its very close imitators, these may seem like things you have to assume in order to have a functioning game, but there are a fairly specific set of conventions being expressed here. Why do we care about any of these things? Who gives a shit?

Even the first bullet point can easily be knocked down: one can imagine, for example, a game which simply assumes players can always choose to have their characters succeed at anything it's within the realm of possibility for them to do, and whose rules instead focus on providing a codified game-mechanical answer to the question of what that success will cost them, with the only uncertainty being whether the player is willing to pay that cost.

It's clear that a game which approaches conflict resolution in this way is expressing a strong set of genre assumptions. The trick is recognising that the industry-standard alternative (i.e., the D&D-style skill check) is equally laser-focused on a specific set of genre assumptions, in a way that's often rendered invisible by how common it is.

All of which is a very long-winded way of saying there isn't a simple checklist you can go down to identify a game's genre assumptions. But then, I warned you way up in the opening sentence that this would be the case – I hope I've at least given you a place to start!

[kawhh]

Ok listen I like stalker stuff and I will not be taking questions at this time. Quinn doing research and preparation before starting your forever (making contact with you). He learns that you're a virgin and takes measures to protect that for you. You buy a vibrator after being goaded by your friends to do something good for yourself since you don't hookup. Quinn during one of his "research trips" to your place takes out the circuitry so that it won't work at all, his hands will be the first to bring you pleasure not some piece of plastic. You buy a new outfit to try and go home with some guy, maybe that will get the ball rolling for you. When you get home from work you notice a rip in it you somehow looked over, and that kills your confidence enough that you stay home.

Safe space here! I'm here every day for stalker!Quinn.

He'd go fucking berserk learning that you have sex toys. You're really going to ruin your innocent with some shit silicone toy? You'd do that to him? Take that away from him? Your innocence is his. He gets to force his way into your tight little perfect cunt. He's the one who gets to stretch you out. To feel his cock squeeze through your walls.

No chance he's letting you keep anything. Not even if it's just for your clit. He wants you overwhelmed with pleasure from him only.

He's ruining the charging ports, stealing cables, whatever he has to do. You'll just think it's defective.

You manage to go on a date without him knowing beforehand? He's following you. He's threatening whoever you're with the minute he can. You go to the bathroom? He's sweeping in, threatening him and forcing him to leave you there. After the date? He's following him home. Needs to send a message. A good enough threat.

You go out drinking? He's hanging around the bar, making the bartender cut you off. He can't have you drinking too much, especially around threats. You might have a moment of weakness. Might take someone home when you're drunk. You'll be vulnerable and he can't be there to protect you yet.

He's checking your browsing history, needing to know if you've been watching porn. Needs to know how corrupted you've been before he's managed to find you. Needs to know what your kinks are. He won't let you do anything about it before him, but it never harms to know.

[lesmiix]

idk if you do nsfw, if you don't ignore this ask pls

can I request headcanons for a Hyun-ju that feels extremely dysphoric about her crotch so she doesn't want us to touch her there but still wants to feel pleasure and make us feel good in return? b intimate in general. So reader and hyunju find ways to get her to have an orgasm without the need of touching that area

very loving & comforting reader towards hyunju, determined to make her feel good

NSFW: Dysphoria

Hyun-ju x g/n reader

Summary: Hyun-ju is extremely dysphoric about her body as she hasn't got her bottom surgery yet, so reader tried to reassure her and make her feel as comfortable and loved as possible.

Warnings: NSFW, body dysphoria, slight masturbating mention, orgasm, switch! reader, g/n reader, switch!Hyun-ju, Hyun-ju has not got bottom surgery yet, comfort + fluff

a/n: I hope I got the request right! Thanks for such a sweet requestttt🫶🫶

Sorry if there's any gramatical or orthography mistake, English's not my first language!

In your relationship, you guys would take things slowly, without rushing anything.

You and Hyun-ju would have started to date 3 months ago and and you still wouldn't have had sex.

You didn't have any issue with it, as you wanted to make sure that your girlfriend was completely ready to take that step.

I have the feeling that she would have had some relationships before you, before having started her transition and even after she started it (they weren't the most supportive though)

You knew about Hyun-ju's dysphoria and you always tried to comfort her as best as you could, making her know that you loved her body and that you saw her as the most beautiful woman on earth.

But for her, it was hard to believe such loving words.

Deep talks between you were something common, even if sometimes you had to push her a bit so she would open up about how she felt with herself.

"It's just... I have never been comfortable with any of my ex-partners to touch me down there, you know? Is just really hard for me. I don't mean I don't want you, of course I want you and to make you feel good, I would be fine with taking that step with you, as long as I can keep my sweatpants on" she said while letting out a little laugh.

She was so nervous when things got heated for the first time...

Honestly I think she would be the one to make the first move, since you wouldn't do anything with the intention of going beyond affection, for fear of making her uncomfortable and making her feel pressured.

You were cooking dinner, when suddenly you felt some strong arms wrapped around your waist. She let out a sight as she buried her face on your shoulder.

"Smells good" Your girlfriend said while starting to leave some kisses on your neck.

You moved your head to the side, so she would have more space to leave those soft peaks on your sensitive skin.

"Mhm" You muttered in response while you stopped cutting the carrots.

Her breathing started to get heavier and when you turned around to face her, you saw how desperate she looked.

"Are you sure you want this?" You asked her while placing your hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, just..." "Not touching on the bottom, I know honey, don't worry, I won't do anything without your consent" you cut her off

You would be really soft with her. Kissing her neck, chest, stomach and leaving on her occasional hickeys.

Anytime she started to get a little bit anxious, you'd hold her hand and ask her if she wanted you to stop.

When you finally took off her shirt and was left in her bra underneath you, you would tell her little compliments.

A soft purple led light was on when you were on top of her, taking her lips with yours, caressing her cheek with one hand and caressing her abs with the other hand. You had been some minutes like that when she finally got comfortable enough to keep going.

"Take my shirt off" She asked after breaking the little make out session.

"Whatever you tell me, darling" You replied as you slid the shirt over her head.

Now you had your girlfriend under you, half naked, only covered by a bra and sweatpants as she let out small whimpers from her mouth.

"God you're so beautiful, looking so gorgeous for me" you whispered while leaving kisses on her chest.

Your hand moved to her back, reaching for the bra closure. You noticed how her chest began to rise and fall more quickly.

"Can I?" You asked, looking directly into her eyes, trying to guess what she's thinking.

"Please" She answered.

You hold her hand and started to let small kisses on her breasts as you took off her bra, gently leaving it on the little night table beside you.

You admired the view as you told her the cutest compliments.

"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes so you could realize how beautiful you actually are".

You would really like to play with her boobs, caressing them, kissing, marking them with a ton of hickeys, reminding her how pretty she is.

She specially liked it when you slightly squeezed her nipples with your fingers or teeth.

Of course she would like an orgasm, but as she didn't feel ready for you to touch her that much, she would probably stroke herself slowly as you told her to.

"Touch yourself for me, beautiful"

She would probably keep her sweatpants on though.

After she finished, she would love to make you feel good too, so you would just switch.

I think she would use more her fingers instead of her mouth, at least the first couple times you guys had sex.

And oh, she's amazing with her fingers

She loved to see you arch your back because of the pleasure while you scratched her back as you let go.

Aftercare would be SO important for her.

"Are you comfortable? Do you need anything? Do you want me to bring a glass of water?" You bombed her with questions, just for her to let out a small chuckle.

"It was perfect my love, let's just rest now" She mumbled while closing her eyes, slowly falling asleep from the comfort of being held between your arms, having her face buried on your bare chest once again.

a/n: Heyyy I hope I got this right! I didn't really know how to make her have an orgasm without bottom stimulation, so I just came up with this idea.

I really hope you liked it! I got kinda nervous while making these lmao, I really really wanted to do it right

Request are open!!🫶

[parvulous-writings]

Coud you please do a Vi SFW?

Warnings: None!

Notes: We're returning to our roots with this one gang   My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!  Original character list - please request for these too! If you’d like to support me more, consider reblogging! I’d appreciate it loads!!

A - Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Vi's affection is mainly shown through physical means. An arm around your shoulders, a hand grasping for yours - all the way to cuddling and tangling herself with you on a sofa or a bed. She loves having your near to her - particularly in private. When you're alone together, she finds a way or excuse to touch you 90% of the time. In public, she's a lot more respectful of your personal space, choosing to mostly just stand nearby rather than have her hands all over you. The only time this changes is if someone who isn't herself starts getting too close to you, whether it's being flirty or threatening you. If this is the case, she makes a show of putting an arm around your waist or shoulders, making it painfully clear that you are with her.

B - Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? Where does the friendship start?)

Vi is one of those friends that can quickly become a ride or die. She is willing to do a hell of a lot for those who are near and dear to her, be that helping with heavy lifting, spending quality time, or putting someone into their place. It's more than likely that your friendship started after bumping into Vi post-street brawl. Though bristly at first, she easily warms to you, once you've shown her you're worthy of trust.

C - Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Vi does love a cuddle; typically, when cuddling in bed she prefers being the big spoon, allowing her to encase you in her arms and give her absolute certainty that you're safe and away from harm. If you're on the sofa, though, she very much enjoys laying over you - like a big blanket of muscle.

D - Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking, cleaning, ect?)

Vi grew up with a rather close-knit family unit, and deep down a part of her does miss that, so she would want to settle down - even if it's not necessarily with kids or anything of that ilk. Just having a place to call home with you would be good enough for her. She can't cook particularly well; it's passable and edible, sure, but she's not usually proud of it. The same with her cleaning - sometimes she just doesn't think to do it. She was in prison through her teens - there wasn't really anything to clean, so trying to get that into her routine is.... Difficult.

E - Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

She would be incredibly blunt with it. She'd try to somewhat save your feelings, but I don't think she'd beat around the bush. If it's not working out, what's the point in trying to force things to keep going, even if it's just a few extra minutes? She's also not great at verbally expressing her emotions, so this just adds to her bluntness.

F - Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? Do they wanna get married?)   

Vi is fine with commitment as a whole; but the idea of marriage carries a heavy sense of finality to her. She's not really likely to leave you as-is, why do you need to go through the fuss and stress of getting married? For a piece of paper? In her head, something like that is a privilege - something that mainly those from Piltover get to do. If you really insist on marriage she'll oblige you, but she doesn't need a marriage to feel or be committed to you.

G - Gentle (How gentle are they both physically and emotionally?)

Vi doesn't have much trouble being gentle physically: a few careful touches here and there, cradling your face when you're having an intimate moment or holding you close when you're having a particularly stressful day. It's more the emotional side of things where she struggles a bit. Not all the time, but there are moments where she has trouble expressing herself in the way she wants to to you, or struggles in showing a more vulnerable side of herself.

H - Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it, and what are they like?)

The most common time to get a hug from Vi is when she's saying goodbye - or that she'll see you in a little while. They're quite quick, and she makes sure to squeeze you tightly every time, as if she's trying to imprint the feel of you against her into her mind. Outside of those times you're more likely to get a cuddle than anything else.

I - I Love You (How fast do they say the “love” word?)

She's very reluctant to say it. It's not that she doesn't love you, it more that expressing that love in a verbal way makes her incredibly nervous. She does say it from time to time; birthdays, special holidays, in the dead of night where and when there's no one else that could possibly hear her. It takes her a good few years, and slow working, to start saying it when other people are around - even if they're out of earshot.

J - Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What are they like when jealous?)

Vi trusts you. She knows that you wouldn't leave her without saying anything, and that if anything were to happen, you'd talk to her about it. However, this doesn't stop that stab of jealousy that she feels in her chest whenever she sees someone getting too close to you for her comfort. Her first port of call is to go to you, get close and establish her boundary - usually a hand snaking around your waist and tugging you to her. Then, if the situation continues, she gets verbal - usually snapping at whoever dare try to take you from her; even if it's nothing like that.

K - Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Vi's kisses can go one of two ways; 1 - it's a brief peck on the lips or your cheek, so quick that you end up debating with yourself if it actually happened - Vi had gone right back to whatever she had been doing before, it was like she hadn't stopped her task. 2 - It's full of heat, passion, and you are not getting away from her any time soon - leaving that kind of kiss breathless is the bare minimum. She is grabbing whatever flesh of yours she can hold, pulling and keeping you close to her. That woman is not letting you go without some major resistance - she needs you too much.

L - Little Ones (How are they around kids?)

Vi is pretty good around kids. If you're leaving kids with her for an extended period of time, you need to set some firm boundaries. Like. Make it abundantly clear what can and cannot be done with the kids - otherwise there will be chaos. Vi is very much like that aunt you can get away with almost anything around. She won't actively take you to seek out activities to break set rules, but if the kids were to break said rules by themselves? Well they've done it now, there's not a whole lot she can do, right?

M - Morning (What are mornings like with them?)

By the time you wake up, Vi is usually awake already - sometimes by several hours. She's used to rising incredibly early, and although she doesn't always physically get out of bed that early anymore, she does still spend that time doing something she finds productive. Namely watching you sleep. The reason she doesn't immediately get up is because, if you're sharing a bed with her, she usually wakes up tangled with you in some way or another. Play your cards right, and she'll spend half the morning keeping you in bed just for an excuse to hold you close - she does love herself a cuddle in bed.

N - Nights (How are nights spent with them?)

Most nights you have to actively try and coax Vi into bed. The means can - and kind of have to - vary, but Vi normally tries to resist for a little while. She's one of those people who tries and stays up as late as she can physically manage, as a way to try and reclaim some of her own time. When you get past your mild frustration, though, and take a more tender approach, that's when she will usually come to bed, cuddling as close as physically possible, to try and soothe herself to sleep.

O - Open (When do they open up about themselves?)

From time to time. She'll often say if something reminds her of a family member who has passed, or share a memory that's sprung to mind that she thinks you may enjoy. When it comes to genuinely being vulnerable, and sharing her deeper, harder to process emotions, she does struggle. She doesn't know what to do with all those years of pent up hurt and pain. She tries her best, but she doesn't want to end up lashing out.

P - Patience (How easily angered are they?)

In day to day life? Not particularly quick to anger; mistakes in chores or delays in the daily schedule aren't much of a big deal to her. Sure, they can be a bit annoying sometimes, but they can be fixed or accommodated. Under pressure, though, is entirely different. When stressed and pressed for, well, anything, Vi becomes snappy, harsh, and her temper has one hell of a short fuse. She doesn't get physical, but she's usually 2 seconds away from saying something that she will probably regret once she calms down.

Q - Quizzes (How much do they remember about you?)

She easily remembers some of the basic things; your favourite colour, your favourite food, the things you like in general. She's... A little bit scattered when it comes to things like your birthday, though - she oftentimes confuses it with your anniversary. She means well, she just hasn't really got the head for dates. She'll get you a gift you like on both days, though! She rarely ever forgets completely.

R - Remember (Favorite memory with you?)

The first time she opened up properly to you. You'd been together a fair while, so she took you on a walk through the Lanes, eventually winding up where you could see the few remaining markers of her younger siblings. The splodges of red paint left behind by Mylo, the place where Claggor had gotten himself stuck when on the run from enforcers. She even told you of when she had brought Jinx - Powder, back then - to this very spot in an attempt to lift her spirits. She told you of her birth mother and father, of Vander, and how her family life had just gone progressively more and more downhill - and you listened. You didn't butt in, you didn't try and force her to see 'the bright side'. You sat, you held her hand, and you listened. There are no words that she can use to describe her gratitude to you for that moment.

S - Security (How protective are they?)

Quite - Vi often worries about how you might need to defend yourselves or escape a situation. It's not because she doesn't trust you to handle yourself - she does, she thinks you could talk down or weasel out of any situation, and she knows you'll bolt if you really need to - but it is something she worries about a lot, and something that does frequently come up if there's a disagreement.

T - Try (How much effort do they put in?)

Vi tries quite a bit. In her eyes, you deserve more, so she does try. She'll try and keep the place tidy-ish - tidy to her standards, anyway - and do some cooking every now and again. She tries much more in ways of gifts, though - though perhaps not always what you think they may be, she always makes an effort to point out how useful it could be to you, or if it's something more sentimental, how it made her think of you.

U - Ugly (What are their bad habits?)

She puts her shoes on furniture - whether she's still wearing them or has just taken them off. It gets mud and dirt everywhere. She also tends to forget to put dishes away once you've washed them up (she also forgets to wash them up fairly frequently).

V - Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Not a whole lot - she works out quite a lot, but that's more for her own health and strength. She keeps herself as clean as she can - washing her face, bating etcetera, but other than that, not a whole lot. She sometimes has the urge to change her hair, but that's more of an emotionally motivated decision. All in all, so long as you think that she looks good, she's more than happy with her appearance.

W - Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

You're ingrained into her routine now - she'd definitely feel your absence if you were gone for any length of time; she doesn't like when you're not there in the morning to hold or to greet when she wakes up. Even if it's not a full separation, and you're just out somewhere for the night, she feels it deep in her.

X - Xtra (Random HC)

She loves when you touch her - not necessarily in a sexual way, or even in hugs, but the feeling of your hands on her brings her much joy and comfort. You tracing the planes of her skin or the ink of her tattoos is one of her favourite ways to wind down, and having your fingers brush through her hair (especially when they brush against her undercut)? Pure. Heaven. Simple as. If she's having a really bad day, that is a surefire way to cheer her up.

Y - Yuck (Things they don’t like either in general or a partner?)

Someone who doesn't stick to their word, or to their morals. She loves seeing reliability and someone being steadfast; if she doesn't see that, she doesn't feel like she can wholly trust someone. And of course, without trust, there can be no real love. Other than that, if she can get a good connection with someone, everyone's fair game, really.

Z - Zzz (Sleep habits)  

Vi only sleeps the minimal amount that she needs to to keep her true self or be able to perform tasks. She finds it incredibly difficult to get to sleep without being thoroughly exhausted first; so part of the coaxing that you have to do involves working out - a good, reliable way to tire her out. She also doesn't need a lot in terms of possessions; so long as she has somewhere to lay, she's able to get some sleep. Though, on the odd occasion that she does try to sleep on the floor, you're eventually able to drag her groggy self into your shared bed, mostly with promises of affection and cuddles.

[just-your-average-author]

Sometimes it's really special to have something that defies expectations and is just a little secret for you and them. My ex when we were dating once was like "Dan and Phil make money off you all waiting for a hard launch and conspiracy and stuff, of course they won't ever hard launch." and ignoring the fact that that's objectively a very pessimistic ideation, it feels like it's just simply not true.

do they like teasing us? of course! we deep down enjoy it too or else we wouldn't watch and engage. but I think there's something so special about having a pure and truly untainted, soulmate relationship with someone. It's not about sex or kissing or holding hands. Sure, that might be included, but when they call each other friends, I think they really mean it. they are friends, and lovers, and husbands, and 1000 year old tortoises, and ranch, and old rocking chairs on a rickety porch. They might have two bedrooms so they each have their space and closets and bathrooms, but choose to come together when it's cold and rainy, and the heatings broken. Sex isn't needed or expected, and Dan can grumble about Phil hogging the blankets but they still spoon.

and this isn't a post about "everyone shut up and leave them be" because it's fun to speculate and tease them back and have a tracker on your phone to count how many times Dan touches Phil's shoulder in a given video, and I think that in this stage, they think it's fun too.

I almost wonder if they don't even really call themselves partners or boyfriends to their family. it's been so long and their families know they're gay that it's just, "Phil's coming for my birthday, no chocolate cake," or "dan's family is traveling, he's spending Christmas with us this year." and that's just that. they are Dan and Phil. not spouses or lovers or just friends. they are Dan and Phil and that's enough for them

and I think that's just so beautiful.

[cheynovak]

Fevered Confessions part4

Characters: Soldier boy x Y/N Female character     

Summary: Y/N got hurt during a mission with Soldier boy, Ben feels guilty and tries to take care of her. But the fever makes her believe she is imagining it.

Warnings: Mentioning of fever/wounds/ fighting/... -> 18+

English isn't my first language.

*Please do not copy my work, reblog/comments/likes are appreciated*

**Y/N’s POV**

Lips, teeth, tongue—colliding.

I was drunk on the taste of him, dizzy from the way he devoured me, desperate like he needed this as much as I did.

None of this was an answer to my questions. But God, it was exactly what I needed.

His hands slid down over my ass, gripping tight as he lifted me effortlessly, my legs locking around his waist.

His mouth trailed to my neck, and my fingers dug into his hair, pulling him closer, needing more.

A soft, breathless, "Oh, Ben," slipped past my lips—

And then, out of nowhere, he set me down. I stumbled slightly, my legs weak, my mind spinning. Utterly confused, I stared up at him.

"What—what did I do wrong?" I asked, my voice unsteady. "Nothing," he rasped, his voice thick with restraint. "You're perfect."

His forehead pressed against mine, his teeth clenched like he was in pain. "It's just…" His breath hitched. "She's not wrong. Annie's not wrong."

I flinched. "What?"

Ben's jaw tightened, his hands gripping my arms like he was holding himself back. "You hated me," he said through gritted teeth. "You would’ve rather died than let me touch you like this."

No. "No, I don't believe that." I refused to believe that. My hands shot up, grabbing his face, forcing him to look at me.

"I don't believe that," I said again, my voice fierce, my heart pounding. And I meant it.

**Ben's POV**

"Stop playing this game with me," she said, her nails digging into my skin. But lucky for me, I didn’t feel a thing. Her voice was desperate, but I couldn’t respond.

“I want you since the first moment I laid my eyes on you!” She screamed. She was angry, and she had every right to be.

But I couldn’t do this.

"I don't care about our past. I don’t care what we used to be, as long as I can have you now!" Her words were both a plea and an accusation, a mixture of need and anger.

I took a step back, but she followed me. Her hands reached out, desperate to touch, to feel something. Anything.

“I’m not sure I want you like this.” It was a lie. A God-awful lie. I saw her eyes, the hurt, the way her spirit cracked just a little more. "No," she whispered, her breath catching. “No, that’s not true."

It wasn’t true.

Her eyes pleaded with me, her body trembling as she tried to hold herself together. I wanted her. God, I wanted her. But I couldn’t let her think this was just about that.

But she wasn’t backing down. “What do you want me to do?” Her voice was low, broken. “Do I need to beg? Do you want me on my knees?” And then she did it. She actually got down on her knees.

I should’ve stopped her. Should’ve pulled her up, but instead, I just watched as she looked up at me. “I’ll do it. I’ll do anything, Ben. Just stop pushing and pulling me.”

It was too much. I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened, and I took a shaky step forward, torn between wanting her so badly, but knowing it wasn’t enough.

Instead of sinking to my knees for her, I started to walk away. I needed air. I needed space. My heart was a mess, and my mind was a war zone. Never in my life would I even consider kneeling down for a woman, but there she was— she was kneeling for me. The thought hit me like a punch to the gut.

I never let anyone have power over me, but here she was, holding my heart in her hands and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

I could hear her cry. The sound of her nails scraping against the wooden floor of the porch, desperate to reach me. It was killing me inside, but I had to be strong.

“Asshole.”

“Coward.”

Each word sliced into me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. My lip twitched in a half-sneer, half-smile. Some of the old Y/N was still there, and that thought both relieved and terrified me.

Maybe she’d hate me for this. Maybe she’d get back to her old self—the one who could look at me with nothing but disgust and distance. That would be easier.

But the part of me that wanted to see her whole again, that part kept me walking.

It was easier to keep her at arm’s length. It was safer. Because once I let her close again, I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull away. And I was afraid, terrified even, of what I would become. What we would become.

**Y/N’s POV**

I screamed. "Coward!" The words escaped my lips with a fury I couldn't control. My chest ached, the anger bubbling up so fast, I could hardly breathe. My nails scraped against the floor beneath me as I stood, trembling with the force of my emotions. The heat of the anger within me only made the chill grow stronger.

The cold... it spread through me, and I couldn’t understand why. My cheeks felt wet, and when I wiped them, I realized something was wrong. My tears—they were frozen. Ice clung to my skin like a bitter reminder that something was off. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

I looked down at the floor beneath me, and what I saw made my heart race. The wooden boards, where my fingers had touched, were covered in ice. It was like the cold was emanating from me, creeping along the floor, up to the railing, and down the steps outside.

What the hell was happening?

I turned and rushed inside, my heart pounding in my chest. I needed to understand, to make sense of this feeling, of this strange, overwhelming sensation I couldn't control.

I found myself in front of the mirror. My reflection stared back at me, but it was wrong. My eyes—they weren’t the same. They were a glowing, icy blue, unlike anything I had ever seen before.

"What is happening?" I whispered, my voice trembling as I struggled to make sense of the impossible reality around me. It felt like everything I knew, everything I thought was true, was slipping away from me.

My heart pounded as I touched the mirror, and it immediately covered in ice. I jumped back, my pulse racing. My breathing came in shallow gasps as I stared at the glass, now frosted over like a winter morning. The cold—it was seeping into me, like a part of me was breaking free, but I didn't know how to control it.

Panicking, I reached out and touched the wall, hoping it would be different, but the result was the same. The wall cracked with ice, spreading like a wild fire through the surface. I jerked my hand back, horrified. What was happening to me?

I looked at my hand, and my fingers—they were turning white, the frost creeping up my skin. But... it didn’t feel cold. No, it felt... oddly numb, as if the ice was part of me now. A part I couldn't stop.

A surge of panic hit me. I needed to get away. I needed to understand this, to find control before I destroyed everything around me.

I rushed outside, each step leaving a trail of frozen ground beneath my feet. Everything I touched, every surface I came near, it froze—faster than I could even process. The shed was my destination, the only place I thought I might be able to hide, to think, but the cold wasn’t stopping. It was growing, spreading like a wildfire I couldn’t contain.

The door to the shed was no different. The handle froze solid the moment my hand wrapped around it. I pulled away in horror, feeling the chill seep into my veins.

I was scared. Terrified. What was happening to me?

**Ben's POV**

I barely took a second to breathe before rushing inside. The moment I crossed the threshold, the cold hit me—an unnatural chill, like the house had been abandoned in the middle of winter. I stopped, eyes scanning, trying to find her.

“Y/N?” My voice echoed in the stillness. No response. But the air... the air was thick, charged. I was starting to realize what had happened.

I froze as I passed the bathroom. The mirror—shattered. Anger surged through me, mixing with guilt.

"Fuck!" I cursed under my breath. I had left her alone—alone at the worst possible time. Her powers. They had been dormant for so long, and I let her think she was safe. But they were back. They were always going to come back.

I grabbed the doorframe, unable to think clearly for a second. I shouldn't have let her stay here. I should've protected her more. But now, I had to fix this, whatever it was.

Running out of the house, I followed the trail of frost that marked her path. The cold had a strange, suffocating presence, like it was feeding off her fear. When I reached the shed, I burst the door open, desperate to find her.

“Y/N!”

The sight of her stopped me dead in my tracks. She was there, standing in the middle of the shed, the ice already creeping up her body, the entire shed frozen. Her breath came out in sharp, visible gasps. Her eyes—those icy blue eyes—glowed with panic and fear.

“Don’t come closer!” she shouted, her voice shaky, fragile. "I'll hurt you."

But I couldn't stay back. I couldn't stand seeing her like this, even if I knew how dangerous it could be. This was my fault. I had pushed her too far, forced her into a life she didn’t ask for. She was manifesting again because of me. I had broken her and now her powers were coming back with a vengeance.

“I did this,” I muttered, guilt weighing me down. “I hurt you. I—I made this happen.”

I took a tentative step forward, but her icy gaze froze me in place. The power emanating from her—wild and raw—was almost too much for me to bear.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” I said, my voice softening. “I’m here. I’ll fix this. I’ll help you. Just… just let me in.” But she didn’t move, didn’t let me come any closer. She was a storm inside, and I was the one who had lit the match.

I saw her panic, her hands trembling as ice shot out from her, freezing everything in its path. I flinched, a cold shard grazing my arm. The fabric of my shirt ripped.

“Y/N, stop!” I shouted, but she wasn’t listening. She was too scared, too caught up in her own fear. She didn’t know how to control it, didn’t know how to contain it. And I knew, deep down, she thought it was her fault. That all of this was because of her.

"Don’t come closer," she repeated, her voice full of desperation. I didn’t listen. I couldn't.

I took another step forward, and she screamed, the sound cutting through the air like a knife. Ice flew toward me, slicing through the air with a speed that would’ve hurt anyone else. I blocked one with my arm, but it tore through my shirt further.

“Y/N, I’m fine,” I said, holding my arm out to show her. “See? It can’t hurt me, sweetheart. I’m OK.”

I could see the confusion in her eyes, the flicker of doubt. Her breath hitched, her chest rising and falling with panic.

Then, without even thinking about it, I closed the distance between us. Before she could push me away, I pulled her into my arms.

She stiffened at first, but I didn’t let go. I just held her tighter, feeling her cold skin against mine.

“Listen to me,” I murmured into her hair, my hands resting gently on her back. “You’ve been through this before. You can control it. I know you can. You’re stronger than this, Y/N. You just need to breathe. Just breathe.”

Her body was shaking in my arms, but I didn’t let go. I wouldn’t.

“You’ve got this, sweetheart,” I said softly, my voice rough with emotion. “I’m here. We’re going to figure this out together. You’re not alone. Tomorrow i call Annie she'll help you control it,ok? ”

For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. She just clung to me, her body still trembling. But slowly, the ice stopped. It didn’t stop completely, but it receded, like the tide pulling back from the shore.

--

Taglist:

@jackles010378 @libby99hb @winchesterwild78 @suckitands33 @mostlymarvelgirl @deans-baby-momma @ancles @tulipsvanilla @thesilmarillionblog @jays-bonnie-on-the-side @kr804573 @kamisobsessed @hobby27 @globetrotter28 @kindollss @muhahaha303 @shadysoulangel @lyarr24 @spxideyver @impala67rollingthroughtown @panickedbitch @deansimpalababy @livya99 @yvonneeeee @ladykitana90 @stoneyggirl2 @imsiriuslyreal @roseblue373 @n-o-p-e-never @ariasong11 @lmpala1967 @sherlockstrangewolf @writtenbyhollywood @spnaquakindgdom

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Three Kings Divination Spread

After rounds of testing and refining, I present to you, the completed Three Kings Divination Spread! This is a spread used for getting advice (which, in my opinion, all good tarot spreads should do to varying degrees).

Feel free to use this for yourself or for free readings, but do not use it for paid readings and do not claim that you invented this particular spread. I went through a lot of trouble to figure this whole thing out and troubleshoot it over on @jasper-tarot-reader. Other than that, I don't care what you do with it. Print it out, eat it, shit on it, I don't care.

Finally, if you independently decide to invent your own Three Kings-inspired tarot thing, great! More of us should be poking at Creepypastas for inspiration, and there are a shitload of other ways to approach this ritual-story and turn it into a spread, some of which I worked on before I narrowed down to this. Get silly with it.

The Story

The Three Kings Ritual was originally posted on Reddit's r/NoSleep under the title "Please don't actually try this." by FableForge. This is a ritual creepypasta focused on helping you tap into (but not travel to) a place that the OP calls the Shadowside in order to ask questions and have them answered, sometimes with more questions.

It's a very short Creepypasta and it's worth reading in full to understand this spread in its entirety. You need the context of the source for the reading to help it make sense, even moreso than the average pop culture tarot spread.

We are not going through all that trouble to tap fully into the Shadowside. Instead, we are using the general theory of this ritual-story as a framing device for a standard advice-seeking reading, potentially tapping into other entities (pop culture or not) for their perspectives.

The Setup

There are several things you need in order to get started:

three tarot decks

a strong appreciation for and decent understanding of the elements that line up with the tarot suits

a large surface to do the readings on, ideally with you sitting facing the north (or north-ish) so you have plenty of room for cards

something to prop up the Kings/Queen and Fool so that they can "see" both you and the other card

Ideally, you will want to use two decks with incredibly established "characters" for the Court cards, and one deck with unestablished "characters" for the Court cards for the querent.

You will then sit roughly as seen below:

The red cards are your significators, which we will talk about more in the next section, while the white cards with the black details are the actual ones you draw for the reading. I usually cap it at two cards each. You will be sitting facing the north (as is seen in the original Creepypasta) at a table or desk with plenty of space for the cards and reading to spread out.

This spread is broken up into two categories: In Court and Out Of Court. It is entirely up to you about whether or not your question is for within your Court or from outside of it. Regardless of the version, you choose the Court whose element you are most connected to.

In Court readings are typically best for questions in which you are the primary decision-maker but would like advice. This version has you as the King (represented by the King/Queen card) and grants you the Queen (represented by the other Queen/King of the same suit) and the Fool (represented by the Knight/Page of the same suit).

Out Of Court readings are typically best for questions in which you are on equal decision-making footing with others (typically spirit guides or deities) or you need advice from someone who is an equal. This version has you as a King (represented by the King/Queen) and involves picking two equivalent Kings (if you use a King card yourself, use two more Kings; if you use a Queen card, use two more Queens) from other suits.

If your tarot deck has renamed the Court members, choose from the "top two". For example, in the Transient Light Tarot, I would choose from the Crown (King) or Keeper (Queen) instead of the Champion (Knight) or Apprentice (Page).

(Since my practice with the four elements involves them having an allied element, an enemy element, and a neutral element, I typically pick the allied and neutral elements to the querent's element.)

This is why you need three decks - the Querent deck, the Queen/King deck, and the Fool/King deck - to represent their respective advice. Fandom decks for pieces of media you enjoy can actually be useful for this even if they otherwise suck as divination tools, since you already know the characters quite well.

I tend to work clockwise - the querent in the middle, the Queen/one of the Kings at the northwest/11 o'clock position, and the Fool/the other King at the northeast/1 o'clock position. But I've also accidentally reversed it a few times and it still came out fine as long as the cards were in their right spots.

The Reading

This is the most standard part of this reading. You are going to refer to yourself as King [Querent Name] or Queen [Querent Name] and use the formal titles of your Queen and Fool/other two Kings (if they have them) while asking your question. You will also have to repeat your query and any background information three times.

Do not belittle yourself in the reading - you are the querent, you are the one with the most agency in this reading, you are a King getting advice from your Court or speaking to Kings of other Courts, and there is nothing to fear. You are merely getting advice from beings that you respect the opinions, thoughts, and advice of.

When drawing cards for the reading, keep it balanced. Don't draw one card for yourself, three for the Queen, and two for the Fool. Everyone gets equal say in this spread.

Don't be surprised if the "advice to yourself" portion (the Querent part) just reiterates the problem. This is helpful too, because it gives you a good look at the situation in the context of the rest of the cards. You are both reading the cards separately (as advice from the different Court members) and together (as one giant clusterfuck reading, just separated into understandable chunks).

Finally, expect this to knock you on your ass if you pour energy into your readings. Three decks and an average of six cards plus searching for the three Court cards beforehand for the reading and, if you're me, tapping into the pop culture entities involved (even accidentally but I keep doing it) will wipe you the fuck out. At the risk of using a metaphor, you are not examining already-identified patches in your tomato garden, you are getting lost in the woods and fighting a coyote with nothing but a plastic water bottle and a stick you found on the ground. And sometimes that's what you need in life to get some good advice.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

putting the poly back in polytheism

something that I've noticed in neo-pagan/polytheist spaces is this focus on one or a few deities. while this is a valid approach and seems to be working amazingly for many people, i wanted to write a short defence of a different form of polytheism that, while maybe less visible on social media, is equally viable.

the poly in polytheism necessitates the belief in multiple gods however modern forms of worship take many different forms on top of that. from my years being in pagan spaces on social media I have noticed that to many, being a polytheist means worshipping one or a handful of gods and having very close relationships with them. which deities someone chooses to have this kind of relationship with stems from multiple possible sources, for example, personal interest, the deity's domain being somehow related to a person's life or an inexplicable draw to them.

to me, this seems to be the dominant view on social media of the form that neo-paganism takes, however, after years of exploring my spirituality and practice, I have come to the conclusion that this is not how I want to worship. I am writing this post for more people like me, who are interested in exploring this often less mainstream approach.

an ancient template

reading about Ancient Greek and Roman civilisations I was always struck by the number of minor deities with hyper-specific domains and associations. as a modern pagan, I could not understand the appeal of worshipping such a deity, ie. using so much time and resources to build a relationship for only a handful of niche issues that you could approach them with.

but as I kept reading and exploring, I realised that I was approaching polytheism completely differently than the ancients did. they truly did live in a world full of gods and they did not require a relationship built over days, if not weeks or more, to approach a deity and ask for their aid.

as long as you followed the rules of reciprocity, you could approach any deity that was relevant to your situation because they were the best equipped to help you with your problem. now this is not true for all of the population all the time, there were definitely also for example, people devoted to one deity, but from my understanding, this seemed to be the general form that polytheism took in those ancient civilisations.

the influence of monotheism

I think another feature of online neo-paganism is this expansion of the major deities' domains which then removes the need to worship the smaller deities. now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for expanding the domains of deities, especially if this is done from a revivalist perspective in order to modernise them for the contemporary worshipper. but sometimes I feel like completely unrelated domains are added for the sake of convenience more than anything else, ie. so that someone can keep worshipping the same deity(ies) without approaching others.

this, in my opinion, goes against one of the core aspects of polytheism which is the idea that different gods rule over different domains and have power over them. following this idea, it would make very little sense to pray to Neptune during air travel as he has no influence over the skies. yet, I sometimes see the deities be treated more like monotheistic gods which are all-powerful and can influence anything in the world.

if this is your view of how the gods work, that's fine, but I feel like sometimes people accept it without questioning it much or thinking about their view of theology at all. after mulling this idea over for some time, I realised it made much more sense to approach those specific deities, even if they are much less known or minor because this fits into my beliefs about polytheism much better.

a poly-practice

so, how would a poly-polytheistic practice look like in the modern day? well, there are many ways to go about it but I will just share bits from my own experience.

what I have ended up doing is focusing on different deities as they become relevant in my life - I focused on worshipping Janus at the beginning of the year while also taking the time to pray to Fortuna in moment when I needed her aid. I then did some extra reading on Jupiter, but didn't forget to thank Mars every time I went to the gym. I no longer felt the pressure to have some sort of special "connection" to every deity or "feel their presence", just trusting that they are there and then catching glimpses of divinity in my daily life.

looking into which Roman festivals I wanted to celebrate also opened my perspectives to more deities I would not have otherwise worshipped on my own. like this, I feel like I am building an arsenal of deities I can turn to when I need and of course, it is also vital to remember that I can call on multiple ones at the same time, just like the Romans saw the gods aiding one another in their tasks.

I only have one altar, which is practical and thus quite minimalistic, but there is space for my prayer notebook as well as other supplies that I need for my rituals.

conclusion

of course, this kind of practice results in a much more "impersonal" relationship with the gods, but I never really felt the need to communicate with them directly or things like that, so it fits me well. I find comfort in imagining a world full of gods, who may only know me in passing but who look out for me nevertheless.

in the end, the goal of this post is not to change anyone's mind about how they worship, but to present an alternate perspective which you can learn from but also completely disregard. in the end I am just happy that you were interested enough to reach until the end of this post. thank you for reading!!

[anomaly-076]

The specific color of the envelope immediately leaves little to no space to guess who the sender is. And sure enough, the letter reads:

'Hey Y/N, I have an R&R for Valentine's so if you maybe want to go on a walk or something(maybe even a date, haha), we can :) - Haku ♥'

With Haku it's hard to tell whether he is flirting or not, and in a similar mood also went your planning interaction. There are only so much winks and flirty remarks one can make before it really turns into a date instead of two friends going out together.

In the end the two of you have decided to visit one of Tokyo's parks that you haven't been to, but wanted to.

As you're getting ready a message from Haku pops up: 'Y/N, I'll be a little bit late than agreed on. Subaru needs some help with paperwork that Moby dumped on him last second.'

You can't help but sigh and roll your eyes. Not as Haku, but at the professor. He always does this.

Sadly, you're already fully prepared and ready to go, so the thought of taking some of your layers of again, only to put them on again makes you annoyed. Maybe you can just go to Hotarubi to wait for Haku to finish there.

As you walk through the campus, you notice a lot of paired students doing various activities that couples usually do. Holding hands, giving gifts or shyly kissing each other on the cheek. It makes you smile for some reason. The season of love.

Then you think back to Haku. Will people pass you by and assume that you're also a couple? Will the sight of you having fun together bring a smile on someone's face?

When you finally reach the expansive grounds of Hotarubi, you note that it's raining harder than usual, to the point where you're uncomfortably wet by the time you finally reach the main building. For some reason you always forget to bring and umbrella.

Quietly searching the halls for your date, a message startles you, but before you're able to read it, two warm hands cover your eyes. You don't need to guess twice to guess whose mischievous chuckle fans your ear.

"Quite eager to see me, aren't you?" Haku smiles as he steps in front of you.

"I thought I'd come here to wait for you since you were busy and I was already fully dressed up." you awkwardly answer since you're not entirely sure how to respond to his flirtatious tone.

"And you still forgot to bring an umbrella so you're now soaked through." his mismatched eyes scan your unknowingly shivering form.

"I-uh... Yeah..." for some reason you feel guilty and your eyes look for something else than Haku's face to look at.

"Oh well. Guess we're gonna have to spend today in my room instead. I'm not letting you catch a cold." he winks and shrugs, holding his hand out for you to take it so he can guide you to his bedroom.

[enodia-polymorphous]

DIRT PATHS, CREEKS, AND CROSSROADS A crossroads reflection following a visit to a local reserve's creek.

Beyond the backyard of my partner's house, it's possible to move from one world to another.

Where one is white and grey townhouses built in an estate, fit for modern domestic architecture, the other is just down a set of wooden staircases, mismatched in shape and height, approaching a natural world that sings with the water-flow of a nearby creek.

A nature reserve — somehow more accessible now due to the residences built in this area, that came with infrastructure such as staircases and pathways — and it's so much more vast than what you'd imagine just by looking out the window.

I take the stairs down, and I walk the white, measured concrete paths. I take a turn towards a barbeque and seating area, and then I'm met with a crossroads. I could continue along the concrete, or I can choose the path drawn in dirt.

I take the dirt path.

Crossroads exist pretty much everywhere. Spiritually, mentally, and physically. Though, I think my very favourite to look for are dirt crossroads. Ones spotted in the absence of the green grass that surrounds them, or those recognised as desire paths. They are created from use, from preference, for purpose.

There is safety in walking a dirt path many-times-walked. They tell us: "Someone has walked here before, now you do. In the future, yet another will walk the path, and perhaps one day it will be you again."

Whether from my love of crossroads or by the influence of my goddess, I always feel this sparkle of happiness when I approach a nature-based crossroads. I praise Hekate in this sacred domain.

What I love about this path to the side of the concrete is how it leads to a beautiful creek. It takes about forty minutes to an hour to make the entire journey around the reserve, and you can see the river that the creek runs into most of the trip.

Creeks and rivers are considered liminal places. They are also crossroads, even if they don't appear as the usual T or Y shaped road.

When you approach a creek, you have a choice. You can go over the creek at that moment, you can walk along the stream and find another way, or you could turn around. It is a place of transition, and more.

This creek in particular has a bridge from one side to the other formed by large boulders. They're easier or harder to climb across depending on how high the water is. When I visited this time, the water was lower than usual, easing my anxieties of crossing.

Balance and being confident on my feet, especially in situations where I can "fall off", is something I'm working on. I get to just before halfway across the rocks before stopping. It's better than other times.

As I stood there, overlooking both sides of this river, I noticed how still the water was in the distance. It hardly looked like it was moving. But when I looked down, to the water rushing between the rocks, it was a completely different scene, which came with an understanding.

Being in this space and honouring Hekate, I thought about the Six of Swords. There are many ways to interpret tarot cards, though some of the ways I see the Six of Swords includes:

Moving into calmer water, or into turbulent water. It can go either way.

A transition.

A rite of passage.

A requirement to take what's most important while leaving the rest, and moving on.

And...

How the water may seem still at times. How we look out into the distance and grumble about things not happening, things not changing. We want things to happen, good things! And we get frustrated. We lose patience.

Until the next moment when the seemingly slow water breaks into tens of rushing streams, making their way through river grass and over rocks, reaching the other side of the bridge and then we see it.

Our progress, how everything has come together, how being still and contemplative at these crossroads have allowed for life and our path to move with us and around us.

We don't realise just how far we've come until the rushing water has become still again in the distance.

Hear me, Hekate! Goddess of liminality, of transitions, and of the crossroads. I praise you for the beautiful natural dirt crossroads that I come across and acknowledge in your name. I honour you with libations poured where three paths meet. Please sit with us when the water is still, and remain with us when we finally realise how fast things are moving. Khaire, Hekate.

divider credit -> @enchanthings-a