#Cordelia does not take this well <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[helenofblackthorns]

ok maybe this is just me BUT hear me out. the murders of shadowhunters are one of the few plot points that did in fact make it way from tmh to tlh right? but while their purpose in tlh is Belial bring Leviathan to earth, in tmh they are heavily implied to be for Jesse's resurrection. and immediately after this its revealed Grace is quite skilled as a warrior and this kinda suggests that Grace will be the one to kill the shadowhunters. which is idea I think you do so much with like think of the possibilities.

like imo I don't think Grace is the type to just kill five innocent people. Tatiana would, but not Grace. so when deciding to undertake this task, I think she would select people she deems deserving of it, who aren't innocent and instead are bad, people nobody would really miss, not nice etc. so yes Elias still dies <3 also I think it would be a given that while Tatiana is under the impression Grace is doing all this on her account, that she will end up being the fifth and final death needed. like the inverse of Valentine and Jace in tmi. this also ties into Grace being Heaven with the whole idea of a Avenging Angel. also this would create the messiest love triangle in existence like wouldn't even be about James anymore lol

[thepunkmuppet]

yes tara willow and kennedy are amazing barrier-breaking representation and I adore them with my whole entire heart forever and ever, but also here’s just a friendly reminder that:

spike and angel have canonically had sex, as have darla and drusilla

lorne just straight up shamelessly asks angel out that one time (and is. you know. lorne)

I was gonna split it up into like ten different points but honestly just faith and buffy’s entire relationship you know exactly what I mean

also self explanatory, lindsey’s complete and utter obsession with angel that literally ends with his name being his last words. he is not normal about that old man like “it’s not me you wanna screw it’s him” “I wanna know the details, everything he did to you” UM HELLO WHAT

fred canonically has a crush on willow

buffy has a sexual and romantic relationship with a woman in the comics

lorne mentions picking up demon girls in pylea, meanwhile his mother has a whole ass beard and more testosterone than a bodybuilder (also he’s. you know. LORNE)

xander thinks having sex with spike is understandable because he is strong and mysterious and sort of compact but well muscled

illyria exists outside the gender binary

the visions are canonically passed by what is essentially true love’s kiss, and will only transfer if the person romantically loves the other person. in a universe where cordelia didn’t join angel investigations, doyle gave the visions to angel. I am so incredibly normal about this fact

“recently I’ve been wondering what it would be like to share the slaughter of innocents with another man. that doesn’t make me some kind of deviant, does it?”

vampire willow is very intensely bisexual, and angel confirms that vampires hold the same attractions as their human selves

faith “doesn’t take the guys she has a connection with very seriously”

lilah is canonically attracted to cordelia

CANON GAY ANDREW AND HIS DEEP AND HILARIOUS OBSESSION WITH WARREN XANDER AND SPIKE I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

angel has no problem spanking men <3

so yeah basically hey don’t cry all your favs are raging bisexuals :)

[graceraindrops-blog]

How much of a terrible mom was Cordelia? A full explanation.

It's a shame that the first post of my blog is dedicated to a rather ''interesting'' take @yuikomorii showed me, but taking into account that I've done my research involving the mothers, I find it a perfect opportunity to make a full explanation of Cordelia's abusive behavior.

Before I start, I would like to talk about why Cordelia acted the way she did (I AM NOT JUSTIFYING HER ACTIONS).

We know that Cordelia's father was neglectful towards her after the death of her mother which made her lack the ability to understand love.

Karlheinz manipulated Cordelia into marrying him and giving him children FORCEFULLY (because Cordelia did not want to have children). He also convinced Cordelia that it was okay for her to have many lovers and to have sexual relationships with FAMILY members

Cordelia's abusive behavior towards the triplets also comes over the fact of her jealousy and obsession with Karlheinz and surpassing Beatrix and Christa.

Getting this out of the way I will now start explaining why Cordelia was NOT a good mother despite her traumas.

It's not strange to view Cordelia negatively if she's one of the antagonists of the franchise. NEVER did Diabolik lovers ever paint Cordelia as a good person and constantly tell us about how shitty she was towards her children and how much it affected them.

2. I'm not denying the fact that around those times parenting was more strict, however, you're forgetting that Cordelia didn't just slap, ground, or yell at her children, she put intense waves of pressure on Ayato, and drowned him, she sexually abused Laito, manipulated him and groomed him when he was a KID, forced Kanato to sing until he bled and made him watch her have intercourse with other men. This was the abuse the triplets went through until they finally had enough and attempted to kill Cordelia, which they succeeded.

3. Yes, it's true that Beatrix wouldn't give the triplets much attention or love, she would probably neglect them due to not being her biological children and belonging to her rival, however, Beatrix WOULD NEVER do the messed up stuff Cordelia did. Yes, she was a terrible mother to Shu and Reiji, yet she would've never stepped down at Cordelia's level.

4. A normal mother doesn't drown and threaten her child due to personal issues, A normal mother doesn't sexually abuse her child and grooms him to make him depend on her, and a normal mother doesn't force her child to watch her have sex with men and doesn't use his singing voice to get horny. If she was an affectionate mother ayato wouldn't have found the need to HIDE himself from her and the triplets wouldn't have considered killing her.

5. I would also like to add, that no matter how badly influenced Cordelia was, and no matter how much childhood trauma she went through, that would never be a justification for the way she treated her children. This does not only apply to Cordelia, this applies to every character and to real people as well. It's a reason why they behave that way, but never a justification. Also, Cordelia doing the bare minimum and behaving like an actual mother for a few moments does not mean she cares about her children. I don't think this is explicitly told, but I believe in those particular scenes she's grooming Kanato to become dependent on her like she did with Laito and Ayato.

6. ''She never spoke that way to her children'' I'm sorry but I have to laugh?? I would've understood if you were an anime only (not really) but taking into account that you do know about the games this is really really wrong lol. I don't why it's difficult to understand that Cordelia didn't love her children. Cordelia is such a bad mother that when she was resurrected in Ayato's DF route, she didn't even apologize to him or to his siblings, and yet he still forgave her! She even told Ayato to APOLOGIZE to her and continued to insult him

(Credits to @dialovers-translations)

I understand (I think everyone in the fandom does) that Cordelia had her reasons to behave this way (childhood trauma and manipulation) but that doesn't excuse her actions. I don't agree with people hating on Cordelia and loving Karlheinz but I also don't agree with people defending Cordelia and saying she did nothing wrong when she did.

Cordelia isn't a black-and-white character and she's not a bad character either, she's very well-written for her purpose (an antagonist) but she's not a good person or mother. She never regretted what she did and if she was still alive during HDB she would've still been abusive to the triplets.

This is my problem with morally grey characters/Evil characters. They can't exist in media if people ignore their wrongdoings and actions and try to justify said actions. I'm not saying that they shouldn't exist but I'm tired of people painting them as good people or justifying their actions when their whole purpose as a character is to show that they're not good people and their actions are/were wrong.

To finish off the post I would like to say that I love Cordelia's character and I consider her to be one of the best-written characters in Diabolik Lovers. In my opinion, I would've liked to know more about her in further games but even if I feel this way about her I don't justify her actions and that's something we should all do. I'm glad the fandom no longer justifies the actions of the characters (with some obvious exceptions). And even if I like Cordelia as a character I don't shame others for not liking her, at the end of the day she was a horrible person lol.

[gilverrwrites]

Michael/Reader, 1.6K words Established vee dynamic: Michael/Adam & Adam/Reader, which will evolve into a triad. [1/3] Four things you explain to Michael, and one thing he explains to you. [X][2][3]

Chapter 1: Buffy, Bussin', and Kiss-Cams.

It took a while to get there but telling the differences between Adam and Michael had been easier than expected. Like now for example. If Adam was manning their body he would have slouched beside you on the couch, helped himself to your snacks, and asked you about your day. Instead, Michael stood, looming in the doorway of the living room. His stance is like a soldier at attention, head high, shoulders straight, watching you with no expression. 

“Hello, Michael.” You greeted. “How are you today?” 

“I am well.” He approaches, situating himself between you and the TV screen. “What is this?” 

“I’m good too, thank you for asking.” Social queues will likely never be his thing. “This is a TV show.” 

“I am aware.” His shoulders sag briefly, unamused by your sarcasm. Whether he understood that you were teasing is a mystery, he likely thinks that you’re an idiot who thinks he’s an idiot, which is arguably funnier. “I meant, what television show is it?” 

“Buffy.” You answer. “It’s actually really good, it’s about a teenage girl who is the chosen one-“ 

“Chosen?” He interrupts, but you let it slide. You wonder if he’s thinking of how he was once ‘chosen’, and now he’s here, metaphorically sandwiched between his partner and his partner's partner in a tiny apartment in Minnesota. He could leave at any time, commandeer their body, or escape it entirely and take off, but he doesn’t, he hasn’t. Which really speaks to how much he cares for Adam. 

“Yeah, she’s the one true slayer, kind of. So, she has to juggle killing vampires and stuff with normal high school things, like homework and boys.” 

He’s looking at the screen, not at you, but you can see his eyes narrow. You think he might be scrutinising your choice in vapid human media, but his response surprises you. 

“Yes, I recall Adam used to watch this show with his mother.” His probing glance falls back to you now. Adam is there, they’re both always there, but it still feels like you’re discussing him behind his back, so you awkwardly attempt to move on from the subject. 

“Oh, well… Would you like to sit and watch it with me?” You shuffle over, making space for him beside you and patting the pillow. 

“No.” Michael is just a blunt person? Being? Angel. So, you don’t take the sting of his rejection to heart. 

But despite his rebuttal, he makes no attempt to move. Instead, standing stock still in the middle of the room. Occasionally asking questions as the time passes. 

“Who is that?” 

“That’s Angel. Buffy’s sort of on again off again boyfriend.”

“Angel?”

“Yeah, he’s not an angel, he’s a vampire.” 

“How paradoxical.”

-

“That one reminds me of you.” 

“Who? Cordelia?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“She talks too much.” 

-

“Why does Willow simply not confront this Xander boy about her, albeit inadvisable feelings for him?”

“Teenagers are stupid.”

“Humans are stupid.” 

“Thanks.”

Four episodes later he remains unmoved, you’d tried not to speak to him unless spoken too, afraid you might scare, or more likely annoy him away, but your stomach is starting to grumble. 

“I’m gonna order takeout, do you want anything?” It’s not addressed to Michael, and he knows that. 

Their posture falters as Adam takes over. Adam also moves with confidence, but his is far more relaxed, comfortable in his own body. The couch pillows dip under his weight as he sits beside you, arm casually draping over your shoulders. He greets you with a familiar boyish grin that makes your heart flutter. “Pizza?”

Something is wrong. That much is evident by Michael’s uncharacteristically expressive face. He’d been silent when he’d returned home from the store, a chore he and Adam had taken up since their return from the cage, a familiar, easy task that helped to ease them into modern society. 

You could tell it was Michael because he’d been ignoring your presence since he returned home, quietly, and strategically putting away the shopping bar a solitary; “Hello.” 

Now he was eyeing a single can of Monster Energy Drink that sat alone on the kitchen counter. The intensity of his stare had you worried it might explode. You certainly would not be cleaning that up. 

“Something on your mind?” You ask, keeping your tone calm, and pleasant. Not letting on to your amusement at his one-sided staring contest. 

He spares you a scornful glance, before looking back at the can. Then he seems to have a light bulb moment, body perking up as he turns to you once more. He might actually think you’re useful for something other than Adams's enjoyment. 

“Yes. What is ‘bussing’?” The word sounds so comical coming from his lips, and you suppress a laugh, not wanting to patronise him or dampen his curiosity. 

“Bussin’?” You repeat, ensuring you heard him right. 

“Yes. ‘Bussing’. We heard a boy at the store use the word to refer to this. Adam nor I have heard the term used in this context before.”

Adam had filled Michael in on a lot of modern and pop culture things, but having been locked in a cage for the last decade meant that he was a little behind the times. You made a mental note to ask him later if not understanding the latest slang terms made him feel old. 

“It just means something is really good.” You explain, and his face drops.

He picks up the can, swaying it back and forth as he examines the label. It hisses as he eventually cracks it open, and his face scrunches when he gives it a sniff. 

Adam only eats and drinks to maintain a feeling of normalcy, Michael’s grace dissolving any actual need for human bodily functions. Michael never eats or drinks, so the prospect of his first taste of human food being a sip of Monster excites you greatly. What a terrible introduction. 

He must sense your anticipation because he turns, body shifting completely to face you. His face remains stoic, excluding his eyes which watch you hopefully as he extends the drink to you. “Would you like a taste?” 

“Uh, sure.” You take the can from him and allow yourself a mouthful before handing it back to him. It’s sugary, and sour, and abhorrently fizzy, just as you’d expected, but you try not to let your face give anything away. “It’s fine. Your turn.” 

“Fine.” He repeats under his breath, hesitating as he brings it to his lips. He takes a quick sip before slamming the can forcibly back onto the table, gritting his teeth, clearly repulsed by whatever is going on in his mouth right now. “That is not bussing.” 

Michael hadn’t exactly taken to human pastimes like a fish in water, preferring to take a back seat and let Adam enjoy himself. He had, however, found a great appreciation for war films, books about astronomy, and sports. Particularly, sports that had a strategy aspect to them. Which is how you’d found yourself in the bleachers of an ice hockey match beside him. 

Adam liked sports too, but not to the same degree. Michael sat, hunched over, weight on his knees as he watched the players glide across the ice, batting the puck this way and that. The match was tense, and the atmosphere lively, so you didn’t really mind his silence. You knew he wasn’t ignoring you, just focusing on the game. Even the quarterly breaks were filled with music, the big screen displaying funny accidents and lookalikes, which kept you entertained. 

All in all, you were having a good time, and when the kiss-cam popped up, you watched, amused as the camera crew zoomed in on different couples. You watched an array of different kisses, some cute, some awkward, some a little R-rated. It was all fun and games until you recognised yourself on the screen. 

Panic rushed through your body as you turned to look at Michael. You’d come around to the fact that Michael was always there. Always. Even for the intimate moments. But there was a massive difference between Michael being there during a kiss, and kissing Michael. 

You’re not sure if your sudden nervousness or the cheering crowd watching him from every angle clued him in, but Micheal takes notice, looking up at his own face on the display and asking; “Why are we on the screen?” 

“It’s a kiss-cam. They want us to kiss.” You hope that filling him in will bring Adam front and centre, but to no avail. Adam doesn’t want to play right now it seems. Probably revenge for implying he was old. “I’ll wave them away.” 

“Don’t.” He instructs, and before you can process what’s happening his lips are on yours. 

He tastes like Adam, like sugary cereal and cheap cola. He feels like Adam, clean-shaven and soft lips. But he does not kiss you like Adam. 

Adam kisses you like he might never see you again. Like it’s been a thousand years since he’s last laid his lips on you and he wants to commit every micro-movement of your body, every inch of your mouth to memory. His kisses are intense and passionate.

Micheal is the opposite, surprisingly. This might be the gentlest he’s ever been, he presses his lips to your delicately, like he might break you if he uses too much pressure. A hand cups the side of your face with the tenderness one would show a wounded animal. He kisses you like you’re made of glass and must be cherished. 

When he pulls away you feel completely flushed and unsure how to proceed. The kiss-cam is gone, and the screen counts down the seconds until the game continues. Micheal, in preparation, has resumed his watching position, leaving you to stew in your own emotions, likely oblivious to the many, many thoughts flooding your mind. 

Please remember: Being sensitive is not a weakness.

[coraniaid]

There's an interesting symmetry in the pattern of Faith and the Watcher's Council appearances on Buffy.

It's perhaps worth noting that neither Faith not the Council are ever quite as integral to the show as fandom likes to suggest.

Faith only appears in twenty episodes across the entire show (plus six more in Angel), and is only mentioned in just over a dozen more. That means she appears in fewer episodes of Buffy than Daniel Osbourne, Riley Finn, Jonathan Levinson or Andrew Wells, all of whom can also boast of having somthing something Faith never had during her time on the show: a last name. ('Lehane' is a post-Chosen reveal to support a tie-in RPG.) She never appears in the opening credits, suggesting she has less of a claim to be a major character than any of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Spike, Anya, Dawn, Angel, Cordelia, Riley, Tara or Oz. Faith isn't the first Slayer other than Buffy we meet, and she isn't the last. There is a run of over forty episodes in a row (starting from Blood Ties in Season 5) in which Faith's name is simply not spoken by anybody on screen.

It would be very easy for a casual fan of the show to completely forget that Faith ever existed. Pick a random episode of the show and there's a more than 75% chance she won't be mentioned in it.

The Watcher's Council are first mentioned by name in Season 3's Faith, Hope & Trick (the first episode in which Faith herself appears), though there were occasional references to Watchers other than Giles before that. We hear about Giles's father and grandmother having been Watchers before him in Season 1's Never Kill A Boy On The First Date; we're told about Kendra's Watcher Sam Zabuto in Season 2's What's My Line?; and we briefly see Buffy's unnamed first Wacher during a flashback in the same season's Becoming.  (Perhaps most notably, when she hears the prophecy of her own imminent death in Season 1’s Prophecy Girl, Buffy wonders what the Slayer after her will be like and asks Giles: “will you train her, or will they send someone else?”.) But the Council themselves, as a group capable of giving Giles orders, are only mentioned in a total of twenty episodes, and (other than Watchers like Giles and Wesley), representatives of the Council only appears in six of those twenty episodes. Buffy quits the Council in Graduation Day (the same time that she tries to kill Faith), and they never really feature much in her life after that.

It would be very easy for a casual fan of the show to completely forget that the Council ever existed. Pick a random episode of the show and there's a more than 85% chance they won't be mentioned in it.

And yet, if you pick an episode with Faith in it, the odds of the Council being mentioned increase from less than 14% to exactly 60%. If you pick an episode with the Council in it, the odds of Faith being mentioned jump from under 23% to over 83% (the only episode to feature the Council which doesn't mention Faith is their last appearance in Never Leave Me). This isn't just because both of them feature heavily in Season 3, either.

Giles refers to the Watchers' Council by name for the first time when he tells Buffy that "the Council has approved our request" for Faith to stay in Sunnydale. Faith does not appear in Helpless (she couldn't, or the episode wouldn't work) but unlike in previous episodes where she isn't around her absence is noted. Giles convinces Buffy in part to spend time staring at the crystals he will use to hypnotize her and drug her by favorably comparing her to Faith: "since Faith is not interested in proper training, I must rely on you to keep up with yours". The Council come to Sunnydale in Consequences and This Year's Girl and Who Are You? to abduct Faith and either kill her or take her away to England. The one time Buffy says Faith's name in Season 5 -- the one reason that run of forty episodes I mentioned earlier isn't a run of fifty-two episodes -- comes when the Council visit again in Checkpoint and she remembers that "when I was Faith" the Council tried to kill her. (Buffy also brings up the Cruciamentum for the first time since Helpless in this episode; another time that the Council tried to kill her.) The Council's last ever mention on the show comes in Dirty Girls, which is also the episode in which Faith returns to the show.

None of which, of course, is a coincidence. While the show doesn't care about Faith or the Council as much as the fandom does, they do both have a very clear and deliberate metaphorical meaning. Faith is Buffy: the Buffy we see in When She Was Bad and in Anne and the Buffy we later see clawing her way out of the grave in Season 6. A Buffy with no friends or family, a Buffy who desperately wants some sort of parental figure in her life but refuses to listen to anyone who she thinks might be trying to control her or stop her enjoying being a Slayer. And the Council are an embodiment of all the worst parts of Giles we see in the first two seasons: Watchers who only see Buffy as a weapon and refuse to let her have an ordinary life, who risk her life and her mother's life for no good reason, who give her orders and offer scraps of information but are revealed ultimately to be hollow and powerless.

(I've complained a lot before about fandom trying to pretend there isn't this sort of complexity to Buffy and Giles's relationships in the early season -- that Buffy doesn't have nightmares about her Watcher secretly being one of the monsters who wants to kill her, or that he doesn't make unjustified and hypocritical attempts to contol her personal life while shutting her firmly out of his, or that Joyce isn't justified in being angry at Giles for what he's been putting her daughter through for years -- but it's only fair to note that this is something the writers do too. The Cruciamentum of Helpless becomes, in Buffy's later retelling in Helpless, something that "the Council" did to Buffy, as if it wasn't Giles who drugged her and lied to her face about it; as if Giles really had made the conscious decision to choose Buffy over his career as a Watcher and not been forced into it by being fired. But remember what Giles says in Helpless: how he justifies the need for Buffy to study the crystals he shows her -- to undergo the preparation for the Cruciamentum in other words. This is a part of a Slayer's "proper training", and since Faith is "not interested" in that he has to rely on Buffy.)

Faith is the part of Buffy who stubbornly rebels against all authority and the Council exist to be an authority that Buffy is justified in cutting all ties with. No wonder then that the Council spend so much time trying to capture or kill Faith. No wonder that their fates are intertwined so thoroughly.

No wonder that Buffy's early Season 2 nightmare of being murdered by her Watcher ("I mean, I've killed you once: it shouldn't be too difficult to do it again") becomes, by Season 5, a memory that "when [she] was Faith" (or When She Was Bad, you might say...) "the Council" tried to kill her. No wonder we never see Faith go through the Cruciamentum: Faith does not have anyone in her life she trusts enough to be betrayed like that. No wonder that, since Faith is the part of Buffy who refuses "proper training" from the start, Buffy is forced by the Council -- and by Giles -- to symbolically undergo the Cruciamentum in her place.

[ushsblog]

Why Calista Has Such a Good Relationship with Cedric: An Analysis and Headcanons on Calista's Family Dynamics.

I’ve been thinking about why Calista likes Cedric so much and I’ve come to some interesting conclusions. I’ll break it down into points to explain my ideas.

(Long post)

1. How the world perceives Cedric.

For this, I think it’s very important to consider the interactions between Cordelia and Cedric before resolving the incident. It seems that despite their animosity, they have reached a truce for Calista’s sake.

Of course, they still have their conflicts, and Calista knows this because neither of them tries too hard to hide it. In reality, I think they do try, but both have short tempers that lead them to end up arguing.

In this scene, I like to believe that Cedric is afraid to say "No" to Cordelia because he tries to maintain the little peace they have created. Cordelia, although condescendingly, treats Cedric somewhat better in this episode.

If you notice, their arguments become more accusatory when they are alone. Like the scene before Calista and Sofia arrive with the mirror in "Through the Looking Back Glass"

In front of Calista, Cordelia limits herself to dismissing Cedric with small comments. For example: "Don’t be embarrassed to admit you forgot the spell" or "Don’t bother, we have delicate things and we don’t want... anything to happen to them" (Well, she doesn’t say exactly that, but that’s the vibe).

Anyway, these comments certainly have an impact that Calista does not overlook. She is aware that her mother sees Cedric as incompetent, as a failure.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, visiting her grandparents, Calista also heard similar comments from Goodwyn. Because he doesn’t seem to mind dismissing his son in public either: "Cedric the so-so" (Goodwyn about Cedric in Mystic Meadows in front of Sofia).

That’s why I like to believe that Calista says: "Any friend of my uncle Ceddy is the bestest best friend of mine."

Because, in reality, there are few people she knows who have a good image of Cedric. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sofia (besides Winnifred ) was the first person Calista knows who gets along well with her uncle.

Now, where does this lead us? Well...

2. The pressure that Cordelia inadvertently puts on Calista.

With this point, I’m not trying to say that Cordelia is a bad mother who pressures Calista to be perfect. No, at least not exactly.

In fact, I think Cordelia is a good mother. She cares about Calista and knows her perfectly. I like the next scene because it shows a bit of what I’m saying.

Despite being in a hurry, Cordelia doesn’t scold or yell at Calista. She gets down to her level to talk and make her understand that she can’t take her agenda without permission, and she kindly asks her to return it.

Of course, like any person, Cordelia has flaws as a mother. One of them is that often, unintentionally, she generates pressure on Calista not to fail. Let me explain.

By saying it’s unintentional, I mean that Calista, seeing how her mother treats Cedric for being a poor sorcerer and making mistakes, might get the idea that if she make mistakes, she would be treated the same way by her mother. Even if it really wouldn’t be like that.

Certainly, Cordelia asks her to behave, but she doesn’t scold her directly as she does with Cedric, because her issue with him is completely different. But, at least before looking in the mirror, Callista didn't know that.

3. Calista’s internalization of the fear of disappointing others.

That said, I believe that if Calista really thinks that if she fails like Cedric, she will be treated the same way by her family, it explains a bit of her anxiety to get along and prove herself in front of the witches in "Too Cute to Spook."

Now, although I said that what Cordelia does by generating this expectation for Calista is inadvertent, the next scene really catches my attention.

I always wondered why, at that particular part of the song, Cordelia caresses Calista in such a way. To me, it seems a bit like a kind of warning for Calista.

It’s probably not intentional, as I said, but I find it curious.

Anyway, continuing with this point...

It’s not very well explained in the series how complicated the spells that Calista does are, but it seems to me that for a child, she can do an incredible amount of things. She can make herself float, create illusions, create objects out of nothing, and, more interestingly, she can undo spells from a more experienced sorcerer (Cedric).

I say this because of that scene in "Gone with the Wand" where Calista frees Cedric from the nets he created for Morgana and ended up trapping him. I doubt that Cedric, wanting to trap Morgana, would have cast an easy spell to break.

What I mean is: Calista is a prodigy. At least, she seems to be.

Surely Cordelia must feel very proud of her, as must her grandparents, knowing how much Goodwyn cares about the magical ability of his descendants. So, wouldn’t that feed the fear of disappointing them?

This phrase, although it can be understood in the context of that episode, gives us a glimpse of how Calista perceives herself.

And, Who can understand that feeling better than anyone? Her dear Uncle Ceddy.

4. The relationship between Calista and Cedric: why Calista loves him so much.

Cedric loves Calista, that’s not in doubt. He listens to her, comforts her, and makes her understand that certain things are wrong in a compassionate way and not through scolding or mistreatment. His first instinct when they are in danger is to protect her (and Sofia), which undoubtedly shows Calista how much he cares for her.

If Calista feels that fear of disappointing others, Cedric could be the only person Calista sees who won’t abandon her if she turns out to be a failure instead of a prodigy.

If, in some way, Calista feels pressured by her mother’s expectations or the people around her, she finds a safe place in Cedric because she knows he won’t judge her, he won’t demand perfection from her.

Calista can be totally herself with him, I'm not saying she isn't with Cordelia, but if she's taking care not to have any flaws...

In the same way, that idea could fuel the empathy she feels for her uncle. She feels bad that Cordelia is hard on him because, even on a very different level, she understands what it feels like.

I should also add that Calista has a good image of Cedric; she has seen him perform spells perfectly. She believes Cedric is a great sorcerer, but if that great sorcerer is not enough in the eyes of his family, What fate awaits her?

Well, that’s basically all I have to say. Thank you for reading, and as always, I’d be happy to hear any comments!

[summercreolefanfictioner]

diabolik lovers modern college au general headcanons (sakamaki brothers)

��� the sakamaki bros don't live in the same house, except for the triplets bcos cordelia is the only legal wife of karl in this au (she's the first wife after all)

• shuu lives in one of beatrix's old condo unit while reiji in one of karl's mini house (yeah he has that house all by himself bcos kaaaaarl)

• subaru lives in the university dorm bcos he doesn't like relying on karl (well except for christa's meds bcos she went insane and all that sht so karl might as well pay for that)

• despite going to the same university, the six of them don't cross paths often (except for the triplets and subaru bcos they like to rile him up and tease him endlessly like a torture)

• since this is modern college au, all characters are aged up (shuu is 22, reiji is 21, the triplets are 20, and subaru is 19)

• despite being the oldest, shuu is stuck in his second year bcos he kept repeating most of his law electives (he would rather slack off than pass his law course wtf and it usually takes around 4-5 yrs to finish)

• all bros were mandated by karl to take at least one business elective per year bcos they might be working under his corporation in the near future (ayato's major is business so he has no escape)

• reiji is an exception to this rule bcos he had been granted by karl to focus only on neurosurgery since "he's the only son who doesn't disrespect me" (tbh it was only a ruse by karl since he has no reasons to make reiji his heir despite him being a genius 💀💀💀)

• ayato is so famous in the university like his red hair stands out and his status as the university's most popular basketball player made him the school IT boy

• but bcos he's a varsity player, he's not often at school so he had to take weekend classes (this is also another reason why most of his exes are either girls who watched his game or they're students from other univ or college)

• his famous relationship tho was with a rich girl who's also the main dancer of a popular cheerleading squad from a rival school (ayato broke up with her due to the immense pressure of social media and her fans)

• ayato is also the eternal chauffer of his two bros like hello let him flaunt that red sports car baby (laito and kanato have their own cars; they just don't like driving that much)

• kanato studies forensic mortuary in the same bldg as ayato and reiji; the law bldg is a separate institution from them so they have no idea what shuu was doing

• except for kanato bcos he likes lounging in the music room singing scarborough fair and bcos his voice is so relaxing, shuu listens to it for free (kanato secretly hates that shuu does it tho bcos it reminds him too much of cordelia and her shtty ways of traumatizing him)

• laito is studying hotel and restaurant management on another bldg and it's the farthest one from all his bros (like you have to pass by 4 or 5 larger bldgs before you reach their institution)

• this is bcos ryoutei university has their own dedicated hotel and restaurant for students with courses related to said industry

• so yeah maya (aka my oc/kanato's s/o) sees laito more often than her own boyfriend in the campus

• laito always has exes in every course like there would be 3 or 4 girls under the same course that have already slept with him what a slut

• and yes there is a huge possibility laito, subaru, and shuu have dated the same girl bcos these three would only date the same type of girl (the pure looking one who secretly has lewd desires and digs bad boys like them)

• it was a shock for yui when she found out half of the girls from her class have slept with laito

• then laito told her he likes corrupting pure girls and toying with their minds until they become insane and dependent on him (sounds canon, no?)

• there was a time when laito dated one of kanato's professors and she ended up dealing with kanato's incessant and murderous glares every time she teaches their class. his reason? bcos "she reeks so much of that perverted laito"

• the sbros actually had this same english prof who randomly fails someone despite their intelligence bcos he likes exerting his power like that

• while some of them threaten him using the sakamaki name, kanato had to disguise as a girl and seduce the sht out of this perverted teacher (the old geezer was so hooked he just believed this girl was kanato's twin substituting for his bro bcos he was 'sick')

• speaking of which, subaru got attracted to kanato's alter ego like once upon a time he saw her daintly pick up her bag and tuck her hair behind her ear and boom heart arrows everywhere

• afterward, subaru asked kanato who was that one chick at his class with the long black hair dressing like a sexy lolita

• "oh, you mean me?"

• subaru had nightmares after that

• and yes kanato uses that info to blackmail him to do his bidding

• "if you don't do what I say, I'll tell everyone you fell in love with my alter ego"

• oh btw subaru's major is more on athletics? like he wanted to be a PE or sports instructor/coach in the future bcos accdg to him "fighting is the only thing I'm good at"

• his allowance is mostly spent on repairs on the dorm tho (guess punching walls ain't limited in the family house)

• the reality of his dream is beginning to weigh on him tho bcos some students are scared shtless of him and his violent tendencies

• laito became one of his students one time when he was assigned to be an assistant coach

• "waaahh subaru-kun your expression is so scary pls be gentle"

• reiji actually dated someone from ayato's class bcos her father has huge connections with famous neurosurgeons

• shuu keeps a video of one of his exes doing some cowgirl sht on him (he likes her moans that's why)

• all of kanato's exes studied in the same bldg as him; and yes, they are all from yui's course but each of them from different years and classes (he is picky like that)

• up to this day, reiji looks down on this one female classmate who dated shuu like what does she see in that good-for-nothing (well uhh his huge d-)

• accdg to both kanato and laito, yui is the loudest girl ayato has been with (kanato swore one day he'll stuff her mouth with socks until she chokes if she keeps moaning so loud while he's watching his fave murder docu series)

• ayato keeps teasing both reiji and subaru as virgins (they aren't tho; but despite their tough facade, their experiences are quite hmmm minimal so there are things they don't know)

• shuu almost dated this one classmate of kanato (almost bcos she keeps talking abt those dead people she handled with formaldehyde which is gross so he was turned off a bit)

• the triplets are usually the representatives of karl during his corporate and family parties (sometimes the other three will drop by... well mostly reiji but the other two must've been forced by karl somehow)

• there was a drunk scandal video of the triplets and subaru where subaru was driving while kanato and ayato kept making fun of him

• then kanato was video calling maya and asking her to come over and "watch a movie with him" while ayato was making delusions of aliens flying around the car, almost causing subaru to drive the wrong way

• laito was sitting beside subaru, reprimanding ayato to stop his delusions bcos there were no aliens but only flying trees (ayo what?)

• there's a part 2 but this time shuu and reiji were in the car and shuu kept laughing at ayato bcos subaru's driving is getting messed up bcos of the alien shenanigans

• and reiji was crying bcos apparently all of them are going to die and also bcos kanato is finally talking "properly" to a girl (what do you mean properly he is being a pervert)

• he also said "laito has finally seen the light and started being the good son"

• yui is actually the one filming all this videos tho

ps. I might make memes abt modern college au later on

[zoeysdamn]

Bloodied petals - Xavier Thorpe x reader | Epilogue

A/N: /!\ Hold up! did you read Part.8?? Also, bonus aesthetic to celebrate the last part of this fic!

[Masterlist] [Part.1] [Part.2] [Part.3] [Part.4] [Part.5] [Part.6] [Part.7] [Part.8]

Three weeks later

Nevermore closed its doors sooner than usual. After the passing of Principal Weems, the semester had to be cut short, which meant a longer spring break for the students. Most of them were secretly glad of it, and to be fair Xavier was among them. The reason for this elongated holiday was dreadful, but a break from school could do him some good. Standing in the passageway of the first floor above the quad, he gazed at the crowd of students getting ready to go home. He made a mental note to bid Ajax goodbye before his friend left. 

 “Hello Xavier,” greeted a voice beside him. 

He turned his head to the side to be greeted by the sight of a woman cladded in a very sophisticated black outfit, dramatic black hat and sunglasses. She looked intimidating, but he knew better. “Hello Miss Cordelia,” he greeted your aunt. “I didn’t know you were picking up Y/N.”

“I’m not,” she said flatly, “but I wanted to make sure of a few things.”

 Approaching the ledge she followed Xavier’s eyes fixated on you, currently hugging Enid goodbye, no doubt promising to text her during the holiday break. 

 “Does she remember anything?” asked your aunt in a surprising soft tone. 

“Of the disease? Most of it. About me, she remembers more and more every day,” said Xavier, not tearing his gaze away from you. 

Aunt Cordelia hummed pensively, in appreciation. A long moment of silence followed, before Xavier spoke up again. 

“How is that even possible?” he asked your aunt, “I thought removing the flower with a surgical operation would make her forget about me completely.” 

Your aunt sighed, indicating how little she knew about this too, “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to come here, the doc had said that during the surgery, the flowers’ roots were already not clutched around the lungs and heart anymore.”

Xavier frowned, not getting where she was getting at, “Why does it matter?”

“It’s the forceful removal of the roots that triggers the memory loss,” explained the elder witch. “Or we think it’s the source of it. But given that he hadn’t to tear it out…I’m wondering if that’s why she still has some memories of you.” 

At her words, Xavier’s eyes widened slightly, “You think she can actually remember everything one day?”

“It’s possible,” shrugged Cornelia, “after all, you said it yourself, her memory is recovering day by day.” 

 His heart thumped in excitement at the prospect. Xavier had dared to imagine this possibility but…hearing someone else confirming his theory was something else entirely. 

 Fixing her sunglasses on her nose, your aunt continued, “I’ve spoken to a certain Miss Bianca Barclay, I assume you’re familiar with her?”. At Xavier’s nod she continued, “She told me what she had done for Y/N with her siren’s song; it’s most likely that’s what caused the flowers and their roots to retreat from around her heart.”

“You mean that Bianca might actually have saved Y/N?” said Xavier in surprise. 

Aunt Cordelia eyed him from head to toe and let out a small laugh, “Well, her, you, Miss Sinclair and that new roommate of hers. So thank you, Xavier.” 

 His eyebrows rose up in surprise. For as long as he had known your aunt, Xavier couldn’t remember the last time she had actually thanked someone. Witches’ pride or something like that. 

 “I must go,” she said sharply before Xavier could add anything. “Take care of my niece Xavier.”

“I will,” he assured. 

She offered him a thin smile before rummaging in her hand bag, “Oh one second, here,” she said, handing him a small vial, “as a thanks.”

“What is this?” he frowned. 

“It’ll help to get the last petals out,” she explained and let out a small snort at Xavier’s expression painted in surprise. “You must be in the end of the healing process now, according to the petals you cough.”

“How did you…?”

“Oh honey, you’re not half subtle as you think you are,” she said with a sweet voice, before turning serious again, “At least I can content myself at the thought you had a taste of what she went through for you.” Xavier’s wince made her brush away her last bitter comment with a vague gesture of her hand. “But you’re healing; the more she remembers how much she loves you, the more you heal. Knowing her,” she said, casting one last fond look at your figure downstairs, “it won’t be long.” 

 With that, she disappeared to a nearby corridor. For a few seconds Xavier stood on his spot in astonishment, but then chuckled at your aunt’s antics. Grabbing his backpack he walked down the stairs, where he saw you talking with Wednesday from afar. He couldn’t hear what you were saying but you both seemed cordial to each other. You even handed her a wrapped box, giving her a phone. Wednesday didn’t hug you, but a tiny smile definitely crept on her face before she turned and walked away sharply. Taking this as his cue, Xavier strolled next to you, sliding an arm around your waist and dropping a kiss on your forehead when he came by your side. 

 “Hey,” he said softly, “you’re good?”

Smiling at him you nodded, “Yep. I think that Wednesday and I needed to bury the war hatchet.”

“Did it work?” 

“She did try to kill Crackstone to save us,” you admitted. “And she apologized, the counts are even. And maybe I’ll miss my creepy roommate after all,” you added with a playful nudge on his side. 

 Xavier let out a laugh, and the two of you made your way to the school’s gates. While you packed your bags in the trunk of the car Xavier’s dad had sent for the two of you, you stopped for an instant and looked back at the school. It had become your house over the years, but more importantly it had brought you a sense of normality even among werewolves, sirens and vampires. It has brought you friends, and so much more. 

 You felt Xavier’s hand sliding into yours. 

 “You okay?” he asked softly. 

 Looking up at him, you gazed deeply into his brown eyes. This, this place, this moment, was what made everything click altogether, and all the things that have seemed fuzzy fall into place. 

 “I love you,” you breathed out. 

 The grin on Xavier’s face was everything. 

 “I love you too sweetheart,” he said before kissing you softly. 

 The annoyed honk from the car made you pull away a few seconds later, giggling like kids and you tugged on Xavier’s hand to the vehicle. In your newfound euphoria, you missed the faint cough coming from him, but it didn’t matter. As the car led the both of you away from the school, the last petal Xavier would ever cough laid on the cobblestone of Nevermore.

A/N: Aaaand there it is! The last part of the fic finally out! :DD I hope you enjoyed it and that the ending didn’t disappointed you too much! 

I really want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you, finishing a fic is always like a sort of sad goodbye and I swear I’m crying a little by writting those words. 

I loved writting every parts, but more than that I loved exchanging and talking with you about it, whether for crack thoughts, or theories! You were incredible and the kindest readers I could ever ask for, so thanks a billion time for your support and you kindness! (especially your tolerance for my crappy English, it’s the first time I’m cristing something this long in such a short time, in a language which isn’t my mother tongue!)

Thank you for the laughs, the cry, the crazy demands to be tagged (we have 119 tagged people!! This is insane for me!!), and if you ever want to rant or talk about the fic, or anything in general, I’m always here! 

Hope you’re all doing okay, take care of you ♥

-Zoey

Taglist: (no need to ask at every chapter, you're added once, and you're added for the whole fic :D)

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[hyenagurl]

“so jungian psychology is a long standing theme that occurs from the first season of buffy the vampire slayer all the way to the very end - the integrating of your shadow self to become an authentic adult is integral to the shows main premise of, “how does a girl become a young woman”? as well as the recurring element of all characters being symbolic extensions of buffy herself. in season 1, the shows simplest season and arguably the blueprint for the plot and symbolism in the rest of the show, has meangirl cordelia chase as buffy’s shadow self, her path not taken had she not been Called as the Slayer, which is fitting as being the Slayer is the show’s metaphorical call to Adulthood. in the penultimate episode of season 1, episode 11 “out of mind out of sight”, buffy finally reconciles with cordelia after catfighting all season. this is extremely appropriate as this precedes the finale and best episode of season 1, “prophecy girl”, the episode where buffy must face certain death and confront The Master, the villain of the season. The Master thematically represents both buffy’s fear of growing older and what she thinks adulthood is - becoming ugly and wrinkled and cruel. in this episode she must also face The Anointed One, the child vampire who represents what she will become if she doesnt take up her slayer role and thus metaphorically “grow up” - permanent stunted childhood. so it is fitting that she must contend with cordelia in the previous episode - in order to live an authentic, examined life, to “grow up” we first have to acknowledge our shadow selves, our darker halves, our negative traits. and then of course in season 3, the season where buffy turns 18 and graduates high school, cordelia is phased out as the Shadow Self and is replaced by faith, the Dark Slayer; this is appropriate, because as we mature and become more complex, so too do our shadow selves -“

[becomingbuffypodcast]

Who get the biggest passes from Buffyverse fans and can you give examples of the worst things these characters do?

Well this is a juicy question.

Spike, and Cordelia.

Interestingly, at some point, both characters were given the role of calling Buffy out on her "crap." James Marsters even talks about how he was brought in as a replacement for Cordelia in season 4, but then was replaced by Anya when they decided to do something else with him.

With Cordy being the mean girl, and Spike the soulless vampire, the writers had the freedom to use these characters to say and do some incredibly cruel things towards Buffy in the name of "brutal honesty," while also excusing their behavior because they weren't meant to be the hero...at least initially.

This worked a little too well, as Charisma and James were amazing in their roles. Each character is charming, beautiful, multifaceted, and extremely funny.

The problem is, you can't keep your characters stagnate, so the writers were forced to give Cordy and Spike character growth, but also find a way to retain who they are. This is incredibly difficult when your character was literally written to clash with Buffy, and is popular for saying mean, biting things in the name of "tough love."

-Cordelia-

While Queen C is more than the resident mean girl, her cruel words and selfish behavior are praised as "truth" and confidence, with her belittling nearly every member of the Scooby gang. She is constantly pitting herself against Buffy; (Homecoming, Halloween, etc) demeaning and belittling her when Buffy has personally saved her life several times. She begins to show signs of character growth in season 3, but once Xander cheats on her, reverts right back to blaming Buffy for everything. Instead of holding Xander accountable for his actions, she makes a wish that Buffy never came to Sunnydale, and then never sees the consequences for her own actions.

Even after her move to LA, she calls Buffy a cry-Buffy, blames her for turning Angel into Angelus, emasculates Wesley, victim blames and shames a SA survivor (Untouched), and is generally just careless about what she says or does, with no thought about how her words effect others.

Personally, while I do see some growth over her time on Angel, I do not buy her characterization in the later seasons where she is drastically changed to become a Champion, and then shoe-horned into a relationship with Angel. On top of that, she never atones for or even recognizes her need to change for her awful behavior, and that makes it very hard for me to forgive her for her past sins, let alone root for her.

It's possible that with better writing and without Joss being a horrible person, that her transition would have been more organic and believable.

-Spike-

For a show about feminism, the writers really spend a lot of time on this man. He steals Buffy's underwear, stalks her, makes a sex robot that looks just like her, attempts to kill her multiple times, boasts about killing and torturing other slayers, justifies it by saying they wanted it, ties her up, then spends a season belittling her just so that she'll sleep with him. THEN when she refuses sex with him, attempts to force himself on her.

And for those of you who say, "oh he just didn't have a soul yet." Fine.

After he had a soul, he boasts about assaulting her, shames her for using him for sex when he knew she didn't love him, shames her for not loving him, and blames her for the reason he's tortured with having a soul. (Beneath You)

He nearly kills Robin Wood, and then mocks him for not being loved by his mother (which is proven to be false in "Damage"), all while wearing the coat that he stole from Robin's mother after he killed her.

Not once does he apologize to Buffy or attempt to hold himself accountable, even after he has a soul. It is not until "Damage" on Angel that we see any sort of unselfish remorse.

Then to add insult to injury, season 7 has Buffy spending so much time taking care of Spike, rescuing Spike, training with Spike, reassuring Spike that he is a good man...all to the detriment of her other relationships. People like to blame the Potentials for why season 7 is as clunky as it is, but I blame the focus on Spike.

Even worse, the show doesn't seem to want Spike to change, as there's hardly a difference between pre souled and ensouled Spike. And that goes against the show's core tenant of choice and growth.

From the very beginning, vampires represent the opposite of adolescence in that they are stagnate and do not change. "Fool for Love" very clearly establishes that Spike's persona is created to compensate for his lack of an identity. Cecily's rejection of him deeply wounds him and he is shown to create a facade to mask his insecurities. So he takes from powerful women and forms a false identity around them to prove that he is not beneath them. The episode emphasizes this pattern with Cecily, Dru, and the two Slayers, continuing in present day with Buffy.

In order to be consistent with the lore and message of the show, ensouled Spike needed to look a lot different from un-ensouled Spike, but the writers knew he wouldn't be as popular.

And so we're left with a half baked season where we're supposed to believe that Buffy is distant from everyone but Spike, who looks the exact same as he did the season before when he tried to force himself on her.

It's just icky. It's the opposite of empowering. It blurs the lines of the lore. And it sends the wrong message.

We can like these characters and even root for them, but we need to be honest about their flaws, and not justify awful writing and problematic characterization.

[pzyii]

i love dawn and willows relationship like- so much. So honestly one of the things i spend most time thinking about is like times theyve bonded in the fake memories.

you want examples? well, i will provide:

the first time they met. willow is over at buffys house for the first time. she has no clue buffy has a sister cause buffys embarrassed. dawn has heard all about willow cause buffy thinks willow is fucking awsome. dawn pretty instanly very much agrees. Willow eats dinner at the summers, the whole family is bickering and apologises for it but willow being used to quiet and cold or just lonley dinners adores it.

Halloween in s2. Joyce is out of town (like in canon) and buffy sure as hell doesnt want to take dawn. and joyce doesnt want her with a stranger so willow offers to take her with the rest of her kids. Dawn who hasnt hit her growth spurt can wear the same costume as last year(a witch) and stays herself the whole night. When willow leaves the group to talk to giles she puts dawn in charge to make sure no one gets themselves or anyone else killed, her included. cause with slayer princess, shooty xander and cordelia, shes the most reliable and she knows dawn can be responsible if it calls for it, sometimes. Dawn loves willow more than ever and when its all over she quietly admits she was terrified and willow says she did wonderfully.

the end of s2. dawn is staying over at the hospital while willow is in her coma (and that way misses buffy and joyces fight). Shes as terrified as the rest. shes there when willow does her first spell, she thinks its so much cooler than being a slayer.

between season 2 and 3. joyce is depressed and spending alomst all her time looking for buffy. willow is guilty cause she thinks she failed the soul spell, and therefore caused buffy running away. she comes over with cookies and realises dawn is kinda being neglected, so she offers to babysit. Joyce appreciates it a lot. willow thinks its nice too, takes her mind of her guilt and this way she can get out of her empty house and almost pretend she has a family.(she does, the scoobies, dawn and joyce included, but like yk what i mean, normal family)

gingerbread. MOO never tried to kill dawn but they stopped her from interfering and kept her close saying stuff like "were doing this for you, the children". She doesnt talk to her mom to at least a week and when she bumps into Sheila in the street she spits on her.

[vampandvisiongirl]

My Angel (The Series) Rewatch

I'll start by saying this:

This is the first time I have seen these episodes since they originally aired.

I rewatched all of seasons 1-3. Because season 4 is….season 4, I rewatched 4x1 - 4x6, 4x10, 4x17, & 4x22. I’m skipping season 5 except "You're Welcome". I read the gist of season 5 for my memory and I remember snippets of it when it aired.

Angel & Cordelia were my OTP back then & that remains (probably even more so now that I have finished the rewatch and I am an adult now lol)

NOW (This may be lengthy, but I have alot to say)

We all know now (as much as we can know as outsiders) what really went down between Charisma & Joss. I think David Greenwalt's departure didn't help things. Lots to be said about the season 4 storyline for Cordelia (& Angel) vs its original rumored intent. LOTS. But that's neither here nor there. I'd like to shine a light on the following from what was actually aired.

Seasons 1-3 built up an incredible story for Angel & Cordelia that turned from acquaintances/semi-friends (on BTVS) to coworkers to friends to falling in love with each other.

Angel identifies Cordelia as his home. Almost the second he returned in 4x01, he told Connor "What you deserve rests on one answer. Did you do something to Cordelia?" This man, who holds his son above everyone. He tells Fred & Gunn he kept telling himself "I gotta get home to Cordelia."

He returns and he does everything to find her. In "Awakening", he dreams of being with her, together, and being okay with Connor and you realize that, underneath the terrible circumstances of season 4, there is a theme here. Home, for Angel, is with Cordelia & Connor.

He was a second too late in killing "Evil Cordelia" before she could give birth. And I wonder if that's something he really would have been able to do. Because he didn't do it, did he?

In 4x22, Wolfram & Hart offer the deal. He's not buying it. Lilah mentions the first assignment would be visiting Sunnydale and providing the amulet. He says "Buffy can take care of herself" and that he's not taking the deal. As soon as Lilah mentions they can find Cordelia & Connor, Angel stops. Now Connor endangers himself and Cordelia (Angel's' face when he sees Cordelia is strapped is heartbreaking). Angel & Connor fight. He takes the deal to give Connor a new life and to save Cordelia.

Season 5, he loses his way. He's lost without Cordelia. A shell. Unhappy. Guess who comes back to him? Connor & Cordelia, even for flitting moments. And who brings him back on his path? Cordelia. With a kiss. Because she loves him. "She set me on the path."

With the absurdity of season 4, I am so grateful we got Charisma/Cordelia back to fix it, even for one episode. Of course, I would have loved more and I probably would have watched all of season 5 if she was in it but, alas, can't change the past.

All this to say, Angel loved Cordelia and he loved Connor as he would love his wife & son ( Well, Connor is his son but you know what I mean).

He holds Connor & Cordelia as his most dear & don't you ever forget it.

And I choose to believe Angel & Cordelia got their life after the finale, with Connor involved a teensy bit maybe, we just didn't get to see it.

“Can’t fight Kyrumption, cinnamon buns. It’s fate. It’s the stars.”

*Lorne voice* That's all, folks.

*drops mic*

[greensword101]

Connor Adopted AU

Okay, this idea came to me a few weeks ago with a little idea for a one shot that has now developed into a large idea.

So, we all know what happens in "Sleep Tight" in Angel, Season 3, right? Wesley decides to not tell anyone about the prophesy involving Angel potentially committing filicide and tries to kidnap Connor for his safety. What happens as consequence is Connor getting kidnapped by Holtz, growing up in the worst hell dimension possible, and Connor returning as a teen and ultimately becoming (in my opinion) the most tragic character in the Buffyverse.

Instead of doing the good old fashioned Poor Communication Kills route here, Wesley decides that Angel has a right to know about the dreaded last line: The Father Will Kill The Son.

Angel...does not handle it well. He insists that Wesley could have mistranslated, is pulling a prank, that he was reading the wrong scroll. In the end, he is forced to accept that it is true. Connor is just a baby. He has only begun to taste life and there are so many things Angel had wanted to do, so many steps he was eagerly looking forward to.

All of it gone in an instant.

"Not quite," Wesley says with a determined light. Angel is despairing that his son will die by his hand. But Wesley has already decided that it will not happen. You don't get half a miracle.

The biggest threats to the baby's safety are Holtz, Wolfram and Hart, and all of the cults obsessed with 'The Miracle Child.' They have to take priority.

"And Connor?" Angel dreads the answer.

Wesley looks close to crying. "We can't keep him..."

No one is happy with this decision. No one. But no one is happy with Connor dying, either, and so they begin making plans to find a home for him. Wesley and Cordelia work on creating a new identity for the baby and finding a foster family. Fred buries her grief in packing up what the baby is going to take to his new forever home. Gunn and Angel channel their rage and own despair into hunting down every last threat to their son/nephew. Lorne is working with the Furies on getting the best protective spells available to hide Connor from enemies and hide him under the radar.

Holtz realizes that he can't move forward with his revenge plan as word of Angel's rampage spreads throughout the underworld. His followers slowly abandon him as their fear for their lives overpowers their lust for blood. Even Justine leaves him, seeing it as a lost cause and there's nothing to be gained from fighting a losing battle.

A family is found, Cordelia fills them in on only what is essential: the baby is in an unsafe environment, the baby's father wants him put into a safe and loving home. Lawrence and Colleen Reilly already have a daughter that is ten years old, and they're too old to try passing the kid off as their own. But all it takes is one picture of little Connor for them to fall in love instantly.

And so, the day the Fang Gang had been expecting and dreading arrives. Angel kisses his son on the forehead one last time before disappearing into the night, unable to bear watching his son be taken away.

"Sleep tight, son. Daddy will always love you..."

Cordelia makes the journey to the Reilly's home with Wesley acting as the decoy in case Wolfram and Hart try anything. She's holding back tears as she hands Connor off to his new family, wishing them well while Lorne is in the car finishing the last of the spellwork to protect Connor and the Reillys. Wesley gets his throat slit when one of Lilah's security team thinks he has the baby. She's furious at being made a fool, but still ensures that Wesley is taken to the hospital because s̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶o̶f̶t̶ ̶s̶p̶o̶t̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ she wants to send a message to Angel.

Angel is the first to see Wesley in his hospital bed, unable to speak and unable to move from his spot. He awaits judgement several feet away.

Angel is quiet. "Did you really think I had it in me to kill Connor?"

Wesley looks at him hard, silently saying You could have become Angelus.

Angel nods. "Do you think I'm Angelus now?"

Wesley doesn't blink.

"Well, I'm not. You believe me, don't you?"

Slowly, Wesley nods.

"Good." Angel stands up and moves to the bed. His hand reaches for the pillow underneath Wesley's head...and gently fluffs it. Then, Angel readjusts his chair so it is right next to Wesley's bed.

"I'm staying here all night whether you want me to or not. That's the least I can do for you."

Wesley reaches out to Angel's hand and squeezes it tight. Gunn is waiting outside with Fred, who is sobbing into her coffee. Every last trace of Connor is out of the hotel, as if he were never there. They stay there the entire night, later joined by Cordelia and Lorne a few hours later.

While one family mourns the loss of one child, another family welcomes the introduction of another into their home. Connor Francis Reilly kept only several things from his old home: his name (including his middle name), a few teddy bears and a duck-printed blanket. Thanks to the efforts of the Furies and Lorne, no supernatural forces come near him. He grows up understanding that he was adopted, that Lawrence and Colleen are not his biological parents...and not thinking any less of them.

Of course, he wants to find his bio family. But only out of curiosity. His mom and dad (his parents) only told him that his mother (or who they think is his mom) worked hard to find a good home for him. He doesn't feel abandoned. He doesn't have any traumatic experiences (other than the one time he got lost in the store when he was five). Connor grows up relatively normal.

He watches Charmed with his big sister when he's a toddler (and connecting with the fourth sister, Paige, cause she was adopted too and loved her parents too), goes camping with his friends, is drawn to a lot of fantasy books like the Anna Rice novels. Mainly the ones that have vampires, for some reason. But never Stephanie Meyers, though. He gives up before he gets halfway through the first chapter in that series. That Bella girl is such an ungrateful brat!

His family goes out camping a lot, which was something Connor loved! He could almost imagine living off in the wild like Tarzan or Robinson Crusoe. Larence laughed at this and said. "You might just become the local menace in the woods."

He also loves to dance. Connor doesn't realize that he is just as artistic as his father and mother (well, Darla could sing well, and Angelus saw murder as an art form, but that's another story). It's mainly because he used to do boxing until he was 8 and punched a bag so hard that sand spilled out.

So, his dad suggested dancing instead. He could be like Billy Elliot and the chances of him punching someone's head clean off their shoulders would drastically decrease. Plus, dancing was fun! He didn't have to wear a tutu (thank God, his sister would never have let him live it down), and his instructors were amazed at how effortlessly he moved on the stage.

That's also how he met his future boyfriend (he's bi, his parents accepted that when he came out), Marcus. Marcus is on the football team and loves watching his boyfriend dance. He can't get over how graceful he is, it's almost inhuman.

Connor Reilly has an amazing life, and he can't think of how it could get any better than that.

About two weeks after he thinks this, the protection spells that were cast to protect him from the supernatural realm and hide him from enemies finally breaks. Connor gets hit by a car and crashes into the garage of his family's home without a scratch on him. His parents, now well into their fifties, get an anonymous tip that they might find answers with a certain investigations company.

They trekked to L.A. and get accosted by a vampire cult. Connor is too stunned to do anything as they pull him away from his parents, screaming their heads off in terror as their only son is ripped away.

Vampires are real. He thinks over and over again as he's dragged underground into what he suspects is connected to the sewers. Vampires are real and I'm going to die.

He's stripped naked save for a loincloth. The man (or vampire) that he suspects in their leader looks euphoric as he looks Connor over in his cell.

"At long last, the Miracle Child is among us once more."

Connor doesn't understand how he could be a miracle. Well, other than how it was a miracle that he wasn't killed by that car. And the other stuff in his life that he is conveniently ignoring for the sake of his own sanity.

"You shall be freed from this human prison and be worshipped among your kind."

Connor doesn't like the way the creep looks close to kissing him just then. He's a minor and already has a boyfriend, thank you very much!

Too soon, he's dragged out and tied to an alter where the Head Creep suddenly changes his face and bares his sharp teeth. Connor tries fighting, but the bindings are too strong and he's frozen with fear.

And then the Head Creep is dust. Literal dust. One of the other creeps is behind him wearing that same Scary Face, but for some reason, Connor isn't afraid of that one. The sword in his (savior?)'s hand shines in the torchlight and slash at the bindings. Before Connor can react, he's swaddled in the robe the Scary-But-Not-Scary Guy was wearing and witnesses all of the other vampires being hacked and staked until there's no one left but him and the other guy.

Then, the face goes back to normal and Connor finds it funny that the guy looks like he's brooding. Well, he would if he weren't half naked and still possibly awaiting death by fanage. Suddenly, a bundle is tossed his way and Connor realizes that it's his own clothes. His savior has the decency to look away while Connor changes, which pushes him further up the Guess You're Not Really A Bad Guy bar in Connor's book.

"Are you hurt?" His savior asks.

"No." Connor says honestly. Then, he realizes that there's a scratch on his cheek (probably from when the sword was cutting off the rope).

For some reason, this seems to get his savior upset. "Oh God, Connor, I am so sorry, I wasn't looking! I wasn't trying to hurt you and" -

Connor cuts him off before he continues to ramble. "How did you know my name?!"

Then, he sees the guy's face. It looks so much like his own, except...broodier and his hair is short. Connor lost his hair band keeping his man bun in check and he has to brush away the bangs going over his eyes.

Connor then realizes that he's meeting his biological father for the first time ever.

[valiantstarlights]

Omegaverse Lore: Blue Fingers Disease

As with the previous omegaverse lore post, I talked about this on @mr-sadman discord, and I'm also posting about it here because sharing is caring. 😊 Again, feel free to use this in your omegaverse stories, as long as you give credit/tag me. Thank you! 🥰

Huge thanks to @sleepsonfutons for coming up with the official medical term for the Blue Fingers Disease, and to @arialerendeair for reminding me to post the lore! 🙇‍♀️

Thermal Dysregulatory Sensorineural Myocarditis (TDSM), or as it's more commonly known, The Blue Fingers Disease, is a Secondary Gender Disease that can happen to anyone, regardless of their secondary gender, as soon as they reach their majority.

CAUSE

Rejection (or apparent rejection) by one's potential mate.

SYMPTOMS

1.) Low body temperature and unnaturally cold skin

The longer the person is experiencing this disease, the lower their body temperature gets.

This symptom is easier to spot in alphas, whose body temperature run hotter than betas and omegas.

2.) Discoloration of the fingertips

Fingertips during early stage TDSM are a shade paler than the person's skin, while later stages of TDSM sees the person's fingertips turn into shades of blue that grow darker the more the disease progresses.

Fingertips that are almost dark blue are advanced cases, as the person could literally die at any time if not provided with immediate care.

(A sure sign that a person's cause of death is TDSM is when the person has blue-tinged lips immediately after their death, along with dark blue fingertips. The blue shade does not fade over time.)

3.) Intermittent tremor in the hands and poor grip strength

4.) Lethargy

5.) Memory loss and/or confusion

6.) Tendency to space out

7.) Lack of appetite

8.) Vulnerability to seasonal diseases

These include, but are not limited to: the common cold, influenza, and pneumonia, as well as mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and malaria.

TREATMENT

Receiving care from other sources, such as family and friends, is a tried and tested way to cure TDSM. But the recovery is slow (taking months or years) and the person is still considered at risk until the blue on their fingertips fade completely.

The quickest way to fully cure the person, of course, would be if they fall in love with someone else, or if the person who initially rejected them returns their love. If this is the case, then it is not unheard of for the person to be cured of TDSM in a single week, though it would still take a couple more weeks for the symptoms to fade completely.

That being said, it is important to note that multiple studies conducted worldwide show that it is more common for TDSM to be cured by the care of others versus the person's feelings changing or their feelings being requited by the person who had initially rejected them.

DURATION

There is no set time for how long this disease lasts until the afflicted person dies. There have been cases where the person only lived for a couple weeks more after the rejection happened, while in rare cases, the person lived for decades after the rejection, before they finally die around the same time as their beloved.

One of the most famous long-lived cases of people who lived with TDSM is St. Francesca,* which caused early Christians to start referring to TDSM as St. Francesca's Disease.

(*It is said that St. Francesca fell in love with a married man and, realizing that it was against the teachings of the church, prayed to God to let her live so she could serve Him all her life.

However, recently discovered evidence suggests that Francesca was actually in love with her fellow nun, Sister Cordelia, who was one of her childhood best friends. When devout Cordelia decided to enter a convent upon her reaching her majority (a decision supported by her religious parents), Francesca allegedly ran away from home to join her.

She had written a note to her older brother that she made the decision to run away 'with both eyes open,' knowing that Cordelia will never return her affections, but willing to suffer TDSM (she used the term The Internal Winter) if it means still being a part of Cordelia's life.

Multiple sources write about how the two remained best friends until their later years, often claiming that Francesca and Cordelia are 'true sisters in the eyes of the Lord,' and that it is rare for one to be seen without the other.

St. Francesca died less than a day after Sister Cordelia did, at age 79, after having TDSM for more than 60 years.

Due to this, people are now theorizing that Sister Cordelia is an aromantic asexual, but that she still loved St. Francesca as her dearest friend, so Francesca did not succumb to the illness or get too sick, as others with TDSM do.

People from their hometown have asked for Sister Cordelia to be made into a saint as well, and they have commissioned statues of the two women to be made. The statues will be placed in the town square, and will depict the two sitting by the fountain, with Sister Cordelia warming St. Francesca's hands.)

There have been claims that the stronger the feelings of the person are, and the harsher the rejection was, affect the time in which the disease accelerates. And while this is a trope often used in literature and popular culture, there is no scientific basis for it as of yet.

STATISTICS

The Blue Fingers Disease is one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide, with more than 80% of the people who died being betas and omegas.*

(*As TDSM is more easily detected in alphas, it is possible that betas and omegas often get misdiagnosed with depression during the early stages.)

SECONDARY GENDER DISEASES AWARENESS MONTH

February is Secondary Gender Diseases Awareness Month. The month was chosen primarily for easy recall, as it is the second month of the year. However, February is also the month when new cases of TDSM spike worldwide, due to everyone everywhere celebrating Valentine's Day.

--

Note: In the original discussion, this was supposed to be an alpha-only disease, but for the sake of all the delicious angst, I say it's up to you to decide in your stories who can have this disease. 😊 Enjoy!

[coraniaid]

Do we see anybody that we knew as a human turned into a vampire after The Harsh Light of Day? Do we see how the others react to that?

(I know we see Sandy from Doppelgangland as a vampire later, but that's not what I have in mind: I'm talking about characters that Buffy or the rest of the Scooby Gang actually knew as people.)

I've complained about this before at least a couple of times (although Tumblr's search feature wants me to believe otherwise), but the way the gang react to finding out that Harmony is a vampire in that episode just feels iike such an abrupt tonal shift. And I'm wondering whether it marks a genuine change in how the show deals with newly sired vampires completely, or if it's just the last time the issue ever comes up.

Yes, Buffy's vampire lore isn't particularly well-developed, but prior to this point the show had been pretty consistent. You don't 'become' a vampire, there is no true continuity of self. You die, and a vampire with your memories takes over your corpse. Yes, that vampire's personality is often based on yours -- even if the show isn't explicit about it until Season 3, that's obvious from the first time we see Jesse become a vampire in The Harvest and continue his obsession with Cordelia, and it's the only reason that can explain why Giles keeps telling people that various vampires were hardened killers even "before" becoming vampires, which he does as early as Season 1's Never Kill A Boy On The First Date -- but the show maintains a clear distinction between the vampire's victim and the newly risen vampire. You do not become a vampire. You are not them, however similar they are to you in appearance and behaviour and desires. You are dead.

So we have Giles talking to Xander about Jesse in Season 1's The Harvest:

"Listen to me. Jesse is dead! You have to remember that when you see him, you're not looking at your friend. You're looking at the thing that killed him."

And Buffy talking to Ford in Season 2's Lie To Me about his plan to "become immortal":

"That's not how it works. You die, and a demon sets up shop in your old house, and it walks, and it talks, and it remembers your life, but it's not you."

Even in Season 3's Doppelgangland [which has the gang treating Willow's vampire alter ago very oddly at the end] everyone's reaction to seeing Willow as a vampire is still to be shocked and saddened and speak about Willow in the past tense.

Here's Angel breaking the bad news:

"Something's happened ... Willow's dead."

And earlier, Buffy blaming herself for her friend's death:

"I-it's [my fault]. She must have gone out and gotten attacked [...] And now my best friend is..."

Or Willow when she walks in on them mourning:

"Jeez, who died?"

As late as the Season 4 opener The Freshman we have Buffy's reaction to finding out what happened to her new friend Eddie:

"I was worried that something had happened to you ... and of course it has, 'cause you're a vampire.  I'm sorry."

Not explicitly saying that Eddie's dead, sure, but certainly acknowledging that something bad happened to him (and completely consistent with the take on vampires that goes all the way back to the beginning of Season 1).

Then we get to The Harsh Light Of Day, just a couple of episodes later, and the collective reaction to finding out that Harmony is a vampire -- Harmony, who Buffy's known for years and the others have known for longer, who it's at least strongly implied was killed during the battle against the Mayor in Graduation Day, meaning that unlike Eddie or Theresa or Jesse or whoever else Harmony's death actually is Buffy's fault, at least a little bit -- and how does Buffy react?

She laughs.

"Harmony's a vampire? She must be dying without a reflection."

And I know none of the gang like Harmony -- I know Harmony was very hard to like -- but isn't this just remarkably callous? Harmony isn't "dying" -- she died months ago, helping them all fight against the Mayor's Ascension. She didn't decide to "become" a vampire on some fickle whim. She died saving the world. The Gang could at least pretend to be sad about that for five seconds.

[lanawinters-ily]

The Arms of The Angels

The stressors of life take over, and you try to cope alone. But, your girlfriends aren't having any of that. How do they make you feel better?

Pairing: Billie Dean Howard x Cordelia Goode x Reader

Word Count: 2000

Warnings: mentions of struggling with mental health

Happy Birthday my sweet @oh-mydarling I love you <3

“I’m worried about her.”

Billie Dean Howard put down her phone (from which she was reading about the latest Kardashian drama) and turned to her girlfriend who had just entered their room.

“Worried about whom, darling?”

Cordelia Goode sighed deeply and flopped onto the bed beside Billie. She began to massage her temples with firm fingers, a tell that she was stressed.

“Our girlfriend, Billie Dean.”

Billie raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at Delia, knowing how much the woman fretted over little things. Most of the time Cordelia could be found stressing out work, her girls, or even news events that had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Once, you had to talk her down from a breakdown over bad weather where Madison and Zoe were holidaying, because she wanted them to have a good time. Every minor inconvenience seemed to send the Supreme into a state, and had so ever since she was a child.

Though this time, she was quite valid in her concern.

“What is it sweetpea?” Billie Dean said gently, taking Delia’s hands away from her temples and holding them in her own.

“She’s not well, and I’m worried she’s going to spiral again.” Cordelia sighed.

“Why baby?”

“She’s going that avoidance thing again, you know, the one she does when she’s starting to struggle.”

Indeed, Billie Dean did know.

Whenever your mental health started to decline, you would separate yourself from the people in your life who you care about. Your excuse would be that you ‘didn’t want to burden them’ but really, it was so you could suffer more in b your own company.

Billie and Delia had dealt with this once before, when you had been only working at the Coven (as Cordelia’s assistant, of course) for 2 months.

Both women had taken interest in you and you had begun joining them for lunch every day. Until one day you ended this tradition, went quiet, and then eventually stopped coming to work altogether.

If it wasn’t for Delia’s concern and Billie’s intrigue (and slight annoyance), they never would have seen you again.

To be honest, you weren’t sure how you would have made it out of that never-ending spiral.

This was why Cordelia was so anxious, because it is almost impossible to tell when you are struggling until you are too far gone.

“Alright love.” Billie said, pulling Delia into her and stroking her back. “Let’s talk to her tonight, together.”

Cordelia nodded and tucked her head into the crook of Billie’s neck, breathing in her calming scent of vanilla and freesias.

She felt so grateful to have two girlfriends who listened and validated her worries.

That was what was so beautiful about the love the three of you shared. It was all equal - respect, support and adoration.

Now, it was their time to lift you up.

------

Time seemed to hold no meaning to you anymore. The hours, days, weeks all merged into one continuous blur.

The stress had taken a physical hold on you, butterflies stampeding within your stomach and a permanent thrumming settling over your head.

You couldn’t even remember the last time you relaxed your shoulders, or took a deep breath.

It was all because of a job interview. Not just any old job, your dream job, the sort of career you dreamed about since childhood. The idea of the interview looming on the horizon, determining all your future, was too much pressure for you to handle.

You knew that avoidance as a coping mechanism was unhealthy and unnecessary, but it was comforting. If no one found out that you failed, it wouldn’t exist. You could go on with your life and pretend that nothing had ever happened.

Except you hadn’t failed, yet.

The interview was tomorrow, and you were running on no sleep or much food. But most of all, you missed your girlfriends.

“Sweetpea?”

The voice, however gentle and soft, made you jump. You were so caught up in your mind and your isolation that you hadn’t expected anyone there.

“I’m so sorry sweet girl, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Cordelia apologised, taking a step towards you carefully.

You had taken over a tiny room in the east wing of Robichaux, turning it into a makeshift office so you could cram for this interview.

For the last week, you had basically not left the room except for late at night. Even when it was time for bed you couldn’t switch off, laying in between your sleeping partners with eyes wide, thinking of the worst.

“It’s okay Delia.” You spoke roughly.

Cordelia took a deep breath and slightly clenched her fists.

Oh no, an intervention.

“Sweetpea. My love.” Delia said softly. “We’re so worried about you.”

And that was all it took. One show of care, of love, and you burst into tears.

It was as if the weight had been released from your chest, the pressure of having to hold up the stress on your own.

“My baby love.” Cordelia shushed rushing over and grasping your cheeks with careful hands.

Without words, she ran her fingers over your tears. The Supreme didn’t have healing powers, but the care that she brushed your cheeks with felt more soothing than any spell.

The love in her eyes could cure all the ailments in the world.

“Come with me, sweetpea. We’ll take care of you.”

Despite your anxiety, you complied. You would follow her anywhere she asked, and do whatever she wanted.

Walking up the stairs tucked under Cordelia’s arm like a wounded child felt humbling, yet relieving. You hadn’t actually realised how bad things had gotten so quickly.

Suddenly you felt exhausted beyond belief, and every muscle in your body groaned.

Your legs buckled beneath you, but luckily you had reached the top of the stairs. With no energy left to walk even a step, you fell into Billie Dean Howard’s arms.

She led you to your bed, and the three of you sat, intertwined.

“What’s going on, baby?” Billie whispered, hands combing through your hair.

Instead of answering, you took a shuddering breath. You were so overwhelmed, yet still held on to that tiny semblance of control that was left.

“You can talk to us sweet girl. Take a deep breath, you’re safe.”

Summoning all the will you had left, you took an inhale through your nose, and let out a shaky breath through your mouth. Instantly, you felt a little tension release.

After a few deep breaths, you turned to your girls and sighed.

“I’m sorry for doing the avoidance thing again. I know I promised to come to you when things are too much, but I’m still learning.” You sniffed.

Cordelia kissed your temple, and Billie smiled sadly, nodding to encourage you to continue.

“I’ve got an interview tomorrow, and it means the world to me. I’m terrified that I won’t get the job and I’m scared I’m failing you and I’m a burden and-“

“Sh honey, sh. Keep breathing.” Billie guided your head into her chest to feel her heartbeat.

“Listen to me sweetpea. Never ever will you be a burden to us, or fail us, or disappoint us in any way. You’re our little angel, and everything you do is a blessing to us.” Cordelia gently spoke.

“You’ve got this babygirl.” Billie said with conviction. “But even if you don’t get the job, there’s other ways of doing what you love.”

“And we will be here, by your side, whatever you do.” Cordelia finished.

Unconditional love was not something you were used to, and it choked you up every time that your partners showed you support.

“I love you both so much.”

“You’re safe sweetheart. We love you.”

This was repeated until you fell asleep, tucked in between the women that you adored the most. Soothed with loving kisses and a newfound hope in your heart, you slept better than you had in a while.

Everything was possible here. Everything was possible in the arms of your guardian angels.

------

Never in your life had you had such a positive interview.

You went in feeling empowered, not just because of your preparation, but also from words of encouragement that your girlfriends provided as they dropped you off.

Knowing that they were both waiting outside, there for you whatever the outcome, was a game-changer. With the tension and the pressure fully released, you were able to enjoy the interview and to talk about what you were passionate about.

Even though the interviewers weren’t planning on doing so, they offered you the job on the spot.

So, practically skipping out of the building, you decided that this was the happiest you had ever felt.

Two beautiful girlfriends and a new job. Could things get any better?

(Yes, they could! But more on that later)

“Baby! How was it?”

“How are you feeling love?”

Both your girlfriends spoke in unison as you entered the car, anxious to hear how you had done.

You fake-pouted, making a sad face.

“Honey, I’m so sorry you-“ Delia started.

Billie Dean bursted into laughter at how gullible Cordelia could be.

“Sweetheart, she’s clearly joking! So, does this mean it went well?”

“Better than well! They offered me the job!” You beamed.

Your girls screamed and practically tackled you into the backseat, squashing you with hugs and smothering you with kisses.

“Woah woah woah,” you said cheekily. “Save that for later ladies, we’re in a busy car park!”

“Idiot!” Billie Dean exclaimed, slapping you fondly on the shoulder.

“We’re so proud of you sweet girl.” Delia spoke, giving you a gentle kiss.

“And we’ve got a surprise for you, waiting at home.”

------

One of the surprises turned out to be a long, luxurious bubble bath with both of your girlfriends.

Your tub was practically the size of a jacuzzi, so there was plenty of room for the three of you. Big soapy suds filled the room, as well as the comforting smell of Billie Dean’s vanilla body wash, and Cordelia’s lavender diffuser.

It smelt like home.

You laid back on Billie Dean, whilst Cordelia sat with your legs in her lap, lightly massaging the skin.

Billie placed kisses from your hairline, down to the bottom of your neck, whispering affirmations of love and adoration as she went.

When you all got out, you all dressed in pyjamas, and settled to watch your favourite movie, with your favourite dinner and snacks, of course.

“We’re going to take you on a picnic in that tulip field tomorrow, sweetpea.” Delia spoke.

“I’ve already got your favourite books packed, my darling!” said Billie.

“Thank you my angels. Today has been perfect.” You sighed happily.

“Not so fast sweet girl. We have one last surprise for you.”

“Yes love, close those pretty eyes for a second.”

You complied, wondering what they could possibly be scheming about now.

“Okay!”

“3”

“2”

“1”

“Open!”

You opened your eyes as something warm and squirming was placed into your lap.

Squinting at the light, you peered closer.

It couldn’t be?

A little black kitten!

“Oh my Myrtle!” You shouted, exited beyond belief.

“It’s a girl!” Billie smiled.

“She’s so beautiful.” You choked out tearfully.

This furry baby was the perfect completion to your little family.

“We knew you wanted a cat for a while sweetpea, and we found this tiny girl in the greenhouse last week with a poorly foot. Misty has fixed her up, and she’s all yours!” Delia spoke.

“What are you going to name her, baby?” Billie Dean questioned

“Hm…I know!” You said.

“I’m going to call her Bean.”

And so, Bean Stevie Howard-Goode (Misty insisted on picking the kitten’s middle name, of course) became the newest member of the coven.

Not a day went by when you didn’t lean on your girls again. Times could be rough at points, but you all got through it together, as a unit.

As a family. Forevermore.