ecrystalica

[rafeandonlyrafe]

normal procedure

words: 2.1k

warnings: 18+ only!!, dubcon, gynecologist!rafe, patient!reader, virgin!reader, gyno exam, fingering, p in v sex, protected sex

a/n: we can pretend that this is a roleplay scenario because obviously no real doctor would do this, lets all take a breath and remember this is fanFICTION aka not real or an endorsement by me (or my readers) of anything in this story

“oh, um-” you gulp, blinking as the fluorescent lights shine down on you.

“your feet ma’am.” he repeats, tapping the stirrups. you lift your legs, well aware that you're lacking any sort of underwear underneath your hospital gown.

your doctor secures your legs in the straps before his eyes drift to your center, now on display with your parted thighs.

you gasp and pull your gown down to somewhat cover yourself.

“ma’am, i assure you this is all part of the normal exam.”

“i-i-” you swallow thickly, blinking again, swearing the lights are only getting brighter, hotter, as a bead of sweat forms and falls on your forehead. “what's your name?”

“im doctor rafe cameron. certified gynecologist. you can just call me rafe though.” he explains softly. “and there is no need to be nervous.”

“okay… how long have you been a gynecologist?”

“asking all these questions is just going to delay what we need to get done.” rafe says. “shall we begin?”

“i suppose.” you nod. you know usually girls wait until after they have sex for the first time to visit, but with your twenty first birthday coming up as still a virgin, you decided you might as well stop delaying the inevitable.

“im just going to lift your gown.” rafes hands are slow and gentle as he brings the hem up, revealing your bare cunt to him.

“does it all… look okay?” you question. 

“you look perfect.” rafe says, his voice lowering in tone as he reaches for his gloves, pulling the latex over his long, slender fingers.

“okay.” you nod. surely a doctor would know. it lessens your anxiety the tiniest bit.

“im going to touch you now, okay?” rafe looks up at you, and his eye contact holds you still, blue eyes gleaming with intensity as they look into your brown ones.

“y/f/n?” 

“oh, yes.” you nod quickly. “yes, that's fine.”

rafe hums, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smirk. “so if i read your chart correctly, you haven't had sex yet?”

“no, s-sir.” you shake your head, eyes moving to the ceiling to avoid that captivating gaze, even if the fluorescents make your eyes hurt.

rafe mutters something under his breath, but you're sure your ears are just playing tricks on you. no way he would whisper “perfect” to himself. surely he's a professional.

rafe lays two fingers on your inner thigh and your entire body jolts, the gloves cold against your bare skin.

“it's okay.” rafes other hand rests on your thigh, rubbing gently with his thumb. “im going to begin the exam, if you feel any discomfort at any point just tell me.”

“okay.” you nod, and you swear despite the chilly gloves, his touch leaves a trail of fire as he brings his two fingers closer to your pussy, before suddenly swiping through your folds.

“oh!” you squeal out, hips lifting slightly before pushing back down.

“it's a normal bodily reaction.” rafe assures you before you can even feel embarrassment.

rafes fingers swipe through again, but at least you're expecting it this time. you blink quickly, trying to keep yourself calm as his other hand moves to join in examining your cunt.

“just going to use my thumbs to look around. let me know if it gets to be too much.”

just as rafe said, his thumbs begin to pull and poke at your skin. you move your gaze from the ceiling back down to rafe, seeing the same intensity in his eyes but now focused on your pussy.

“im going to touch you some place that may make you feel… fervent. please know that any reaction your body may have is normal and all part of the exam.” rafe places his thumb directly over your bud, and your body lights up like a firework.

you don't even realize you're moaning until the side of rafes mouth quirks up again into that signature smirk.

“oh!” you squeal again. “oh my god, im so sorry.”

“it's all normal.” rafe assures you. he gives you a moment to get used to the pressure on your clit, simply touching it with the pad of his thumb before he begins to swipe over it, stimulating your clit while his eyes move back and forth between your pussy and your face contorted in pleasure.

“is this supposed to feel so good?” you question. you didn't do much research on what actually happens when you get in the gynecologists chair, but you swear what you've heard from friends is that the exam isn't comfortable.

“yes.” rafe says simply, and you have no reason to not take his word as truth. “my thumb is going to stay there as i insert a finger.”

you nod, glad to have the distraction of his thumb moving around your clit, even if your cheeks flush with embarrassment as you grow wetter.

“hm, looks like i won't need any external lubricant.” rafe looks up at you. “sometimes i have to with virgins. but your pussy is perfect.”

“thank you?” your thought process is quickly shut off as rafes finger prods at your entrance, getting his gloves significantly wet.

“sorry if this is cold, but i have a feeling you'll warm me up quickly.” rafe pushes his finger inside slowly, and you have to tilt your head back and squeeze your eyes closed to keep more sounds from coming out of your mouth.

“does it all feel normal?” you're well aware at your voice must sound strained as rafes finger rubs against your inner walls.

“yes.” rafe says, this time his voice having an air of shakiness to it. “you're tight, but it's to be expected from a virgin.”

“s-sorry about that.” you can't tell if rafes emphasis on the word is negative or positive. “i didn't see myself losing it anytime soon so i scheduled my appointment.”

“and why is that darling?” rafe questions, his voice a purr as he begins to move his finger in and out in slow strokes.

“why am i a virgin? uhh…” you trail off. “i guess just haven't found the right guy yet.”

in truth, the whole idea of sex gets you nervous. hopefully after getting assurances that everything works okay down there, it'll be one less thing to be anxious about.

“we can take care of that today if you'd like.”

the thumb stroking over your clit flicks upward suddenly, making your hips jump up, legs straining in their spread position.

“what do you mean?” you ask, feeling and hearing rafes finger speed up, your slickness making it easier and easier for him to move.

“i can take your virginity. it's part of my duties as your doctor. only if you'd like, it's an optional part of the exam.”

“you mean like… insert something in me?”

“yes, my cock.” rafe smirks as he pulls his finger out, tapping against your wetness and letting the sound spread through the exam room.

“oh!” you look at rafe to make sure he's serious, but his expression doesn't convey any sort of joking around. “gynecologists do that?”

“for our virgin patients if they'd like. id wear a condom of course and take your virginity so it's less of an ordeal for you. and i can assure everything is working fine.”

“and by everything you mean…”

“making you cum.” rafes thumb applies a bit more pressure to your clit. “although you're already not far off, are you?”

“wouldn't know.” you can feel something growing in the pit of your stomach, an unfamiliar feeling you can't quite place.

“what do you say y/f/n?”

“s-sure.” you nod. “if this is all normal, i guess it's fine.”

“great.” rafe smiles, before looking down at your cunt. “ill have to work two fingers into you before fu- helping you lose your virginity.” he explains.

thankfully, his thumb keeps tapping and pressing down on your sensitive bud as a second finger lathers itself in your wetness, sliding through your folds before dipping into your cunt.

his finger are barely an inch inside before they're back out. “you'll have to excuse me for going one handed for a second.”

rafes thumb moves away from your clit, and you're about to cry out for more, immediately missing the feeling, when rafes mouth drops and his tongue takes its place.

“doctor!” you shout.

“all normal.” rafe assures you, his lips already shining with your juices. “taste is an important part of the exam too. and you're very sweet.”

you watch as rafes head dips again, his mouth working on your cunt as his two fingers that you hadn't even realized have been pushed inside of you begin to move.

rafes free hand reaches for his pants, pushing them down to get his already hard cock out. he begins to stroke as his tongue licks at your clit, fingers opening you up.

you feel another jolt of pressure when his fingers spread to scissor and close, scissor and close, working your gummy walls open for him.

rafe presses a series of wet, sloppy kisses over your cunt before restraining himself and pulling back, licking greedily over his lips to not waste your taste.

“are you ready?” rafe asks, reaching into a drawer to get a condom.

“yes.” you nod quickly. you're more than desperate now for his cock, especially as his fingers slide out and leave you empty to squeeze around nothing.

rafe stands up, bringing his cock up into your sight line. your eyes widen when you see he's much longer and thicker than his two fingers that were already a tight fit inside you.

“don't worry.” rafe says as he tears the foil of the condom before getting the rubber out and rolling it down his length. “im gonna take good care of you.”

your hips already sit at perfect height as rafe steps between your legs. you would close them out of shyness if it was at all possible.

rafe taps his tip over your clit, making you moan out, but you don't bother to hold back, not when rafe lets out a moan as well.

“the room is completely noise proof, and sounds are nothing to be embarrassed by.” rafe assures you as he rubs his cock against your pussy, thoroughly wetting himself before pushing against your entrance.

it's a slow push to break the ring of muscle, and then an easy slide once he's in.

“h-holy shit.” you whine out, hands gripping the side of the bed as rafes hips immediately begin to swing in and out.

“any pain?”

“none.” you answer quickly. there's no hiding the intense pleasure being brought to your body, especially when rafes thumb retakes its place on your clit.

“there ya go.” rafe smiles as he feels your cunt flutter around his cock. “i can tell you're getting close.”

rafe glances at the clock, wishing he could fuck you for longer, but if he extends the time for the exam too long the nurses will surely get suspicious.

“how does it f-ffffffff-” your ability to speak briefly lapses when rafes thrust speed up. “feel for you?” you manage to complete your sentence.

“your pussy feels amazing. you're so tight and warm. any guy would be lucky to be inside of you.” rafe says, his hips moving faster, desperate to cum. “perfect.”

you are practically glowing underneath the praise and impending orgasm, rafes thumb moving faster with real purpose now.

your head tips back and before you know it, a wash of light and pleasure has taken over your body, and you're moaning and twitching as what you're certain is your high breaks.

“that's it.” rafe smiles, feeling your pussy flutter around him, clit pulsing with the strength of your orgasm as he thrusts harder into your pussy, putting all his might into helping you ride out your orgasm and spur on his own.

rafe lodges his cock as deep inside of you as he can as he cums, briefly cursing the barrier of the condom from preventing himself from flooding your womb.

“very- good.” rafe pants, pulling out extra slow despite the clock ticking down, watching as your hole squeezes back tight as he pulls out.

rafe discards the condom and then his soaked gloves, sticky with your wetness before tucking himself back into his pants.

“take all the time you need.” rafe undoes the stirrups and let's your legs flop down. “ill come check on you in five minutes, i need to see if my other patient is here.”

and just as quickly as he entered, rafe leaves the room, leaving you with your pussy a sloppy mess and heart beating fast.

[adrianasunderworld]

For me, I think the worst part of the Skully being dead theory being true is the fact that Yuu and Company don't remember what happens in the book adventures. They can carry on like nothing happened except for the vague desire to go to the beach or something that they can't explain, but thats about it.

Skully is gone, and has been for a long time. He's an obscure figure in twst, any portraits of him are super rare now. There is no one to remember him. And yeah, it's because he didn't want to be in the spotlight, but it's not about circulating his story and image. It's about remembering our friend, being happy he lived his dream and the mark he left behind. Funerals, memorials, doing things to honor the people that passed aren't for the dead, they're for the living that misses them. And Yuu doesn't really get to do that, they can't really celebrate/do something on Halloween to honor Skully because it's like he never existed to them. There's no one to remember him on this day he made so beloved by the world over. And that's so sad.

@mangacupcake @writing-heiress @fair-night-starry-tears @the-weirdos-mind

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buddie: "Evan" vs. "Buck" - Parallels of Margaret & T.K. 1.0 vs. Phillip & T.K. 2.0

The video below includes a few examples of Phillip, Eddie and Tactless calling Buck "Evan" and IT'S EASY TO HEAR THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY THEY SAY IT. Phillip and Toy Story sound like they're scolding him while Eddie said it with love, emotion and caring. ALSO, I ADDED THE PART WHERE BUCK TOLD HIS DAD TO CALL HIM BUCK! That's why it's interesting Buck hasn't told Tree stump to call him "Buck" in CANON yet.

In a recent post I completed about Buck's "In Another Life" journey being continued in Season 8 (linked here), I mentioned I would do a separate post that included details regarding the parallels between Phillip and Timbuktu that would illustrate how their wardrobes are similar and their clothing in the different episodes proves it. The same way Phillip calls Buck "Evan" Transparent does it too and like I mentioned in my original post, I believe he's doing it because he's supposed to be teaching Buck something.

Reminder both Phillip and Margaret are TEACHERS! However, the audience didn't learn this information until 6x11 when Bobby said it at the end of the episode. Well, I said Tyrannosaurs Rex is supposed to be a GUIDE/ADVISOR to Buck and people in those roles are there to teach and support the person they're assigned to. Therefore, it makes sense that Phillip's and Temu's clothes are similar.

While watching 8x5, I kept trying to figure out why Tonka Toy's wardrobe looked different from the way it did in season 7 and when I realized he wore a plaid shirt twice, I immediately remembered who else wear's them. It's Buck's dad, Phillip. He wears them ALL THE TIME! Usually he has a sweater, cardigan or a blazer on top of them and they always cover most of his shirts but THEY'RE ALWAYS THERE and they're in plain sight. Reminder, Phillip calls Buck, "EVAN" and he usually does it with so much disdain that anyone who hears him whenever he says it can tell he's aggravated or annoyed with him.

I've placed pictures of Phillip from different episodes beside one's of Toy Story to illustrate this point.

In the first picture, Phillip and Margaret are talking to Maddie because she told Buck about Daniel. They told her she had no right to tell him and Phillip just let Margaret become unglued the same way she always does when she's talking about Buck and Daniel. It's also the part where he explained Buck being born was the reason why he packed them up and moved them to Hershey. In the second picture, they're in the hospital looking at Buck but reminder, they weren't in the room when Buck's found family entered later in the episode. In the third picture of Phillip (at the bottom), they had just arrived in L.A. because Maddie asked them to come and in the fourth photo, it was a flashback and it's when Margaret told Buck, "Don't be stupid, Evan." The pictures of Tinseltown are from 8x5 and 8x1. He wore plaid shirts in both of them. The one at the top is of him visiting Buck in the hospital after he dislocated his left shoulder and the one at the bottom is of him at Eddie's house before Chris' online birthday party.

Additionally, in 8x5 (below), Tree Branch was wearing another shirt that matches a color Phillip wore on two different occasions. It's a dark red almost burgundy color and Tonsilitis wore one in 8x5 while he was supposed to be helping Buck after he dislocated his shoulder. Reminder, it's the part where he told Buck he'd had enough screen time and it was time to turn off the computer. Also, he turned the lights out on him.

The first picture of Phillip is from "Buck Begins" and it's a flashback from the night Buck INJURED his arm after he crashed his motorcycle. Phillip asked him, "Evan, what were you even doing in that part of town?" It's also the night Maddie gave him her Jeep and told him to go and be happy. In the second picture, Phillip is at the firehouse with Margaret (they showed up unannounced) and he's telling "Evan" that it wasn't his fault that he couldn't save Daniel. It's when BUCK TOLD THEM, "It's BUCK! The people who know me call me Buck!"

I did a post a few years ago about the way Margaret and T.K. 1.0 spoke to Buck and I included some information about the way their wardrobes were similar too (linked here). It's the same story with both T.K.'s because in the pictures below, Margaret is wearing a reddish color sweater over her blouse but reminder, she was yelling at Buck for almost dying. In the picture of Taylor from 4x8, it's when she called Buck, "Needy". In the second set of pictures, Margaret is wearing a purple shirt and she's yelling at Buck because he was sitting in a tree. After she did, he fell down and broke his left arm. Taylor is talking down to Buck while wearing a lavender (shade of purple) blouse but reminder, she was upset with Buck because he climbed up the crane after Eddie was shot.

The point of this post is to illustrate what the show has been doing this whole time with T.K. 1.0 and T.K. 2.0. They're paralleling both of them with his parents. Taylor used to yell at Buck the same way Margaret did and now Trespass is talking to Buck and calling him Evan the same way Phillip does. Everyone who's ADMITTED that Buck prefers to be called "Buck" and not "Evan' fully understands that Tree branch calling him by his legal name is JUST PLAIN WRONG!

The one-time Eddie used his legal name, it was to let Buck know he is needed and that his life is NOT EXPENDABLE. (Related post linked here.)

THERE'S A REASON WHY THE SHOW ONLY LET'S TOMBSTONE CALL BUCK "EVAN" INSTEAD OF HIS CHOSEN NAME WHICH IS "BUCK".

Just saying!

[sgiandubh]

... oh, and Moo...

Sorry to come back to this topic: you are not worth my attention and I had a very busy evening. But I was so disgusted by your gratuitous hatred thrown at an almost random person, that I realized I forgot something important.

@bat-cat-reader, an absolutely spectacular friend, whose integrity and honesty I never questioned, does not need a lawyer. However, for the sake of fairness, here is what I forgot to tell you:

No matter what your feelings might now be towards someone who once showed you kindness and trust, there is no excuse for calling that person 'a whore'. I can be a 'bitch and a stupid whore', all the way: cynically speaking, it's almost understandable. You hate me? Fine. I don't - I simply despise you: I would have to know you, in order to hate you. Not the case.

Many people in here remember how you once were one of the most obsessive investigators on this side of the fence. How you explained that your long 'experience' in the Friends Spanish fandom can help. I can only imagine you were sending this same kind of Anon to people whom you currently call your.. oh, well.. your friends (pun totally intended)?

Since your instantaneous turncoat moment, you have repeatedly stated you have now 'seen the light', maybe in an attempt to bury this dirty little secret of yours and further ingratiate yourself to them. To do so, you never hesitated to criticize the fact that your former friends have poor English, something that is immature, tasteless and spineless. So let me tell you, Moo: despite what you might like to think of yourself and your bajillion evening classes proficiency certificates, your English sucks big time. It almost sounds as if Barbara Cartland had a child with 50 Cents, that rapper.

Anyways, look at you, now: it must be very hard to lick the very spot you spat on, as we say in Romanian (I think it's clear enough what I mean). The day you realize that you are probably nothing more than those people's pet troll will probably be the day you set yourself free and start to live your life, Moo.

[ashomodeus]

How the OM bros + Dateables react to walking in on M!Mc in just a towel after a shower.

Notes: Bad grammar, I haven't written in 2 years, I'm rusty. Though the Mc in obey me is gender neutral, or advertised as such, I just wanted to write about a M!Mc. Probably smut warning- actual smut warning. Milking mentioned and other kinks as well, probably. Sorry, it's all over the place. I'm writing this with a killer migraine and whilst at work. Consider this an I'm backkkk. PLEASE SEND REQUEST IM SO UNORIGINAL. Or even send a request on a full story of one of these scenarios.

Part 1: Lucifer, Mammon, Levi

Part 2: Satan, Asmo, Beel, Belphie

Part 3: Solomon, Diavolo, Barbatos, Simeon

I would like to thank Beyonce for everything...

Lucifer

●He was interrogating everyone after a prank gone wrong (right)

●He opened the door with full force calling Mc's name.

●He looked around the room and saw Mc holding his towel that was not so modestly placed on his hip.

●Procceds to walk in the room and close the door. He stares at Mc taking in the lovely view.

●Luci... FOCUS... He pretends as if there's not an almost fully nude MC in front of him.

● "Mc do you know about this prank?" He questions, Teasing Mc now knowing Mc wouldn't know about the prank since they were showering.

● Mc tries to explain that they were showering Lucifer smirks. He takes one good look at Mc’s body and grabs the door handle.

●"Mc please be aware that if you are changing or anything else to lock your door. I don't want anyone else to look at you like this. You're mine after all. That being said, please remain like this I will be back shortly.

● Lucifer locks the door behind him. He finds the culprit and punishes them accordingly. Lucifers mind is normally full and a single thought was the impossible but here he is. Thinking about Mc's perfect body. How every droplet of water made him just sparkle.

● He walked into Mc’s room and sees that Mc’s is still in the same part of the room that Lucifer told him to stay in.

●He walked over to Mc and removed the towel. He observed every part of him, Admiring his beauty.

●"Now let me show you all the things I want to do to you" Lucifer pulls Mc close to him.

Mammon

● Was running away from Levi. He darts into Mc’s room Hiding on the bed. Mc stares in shock at his bed. Levi bangs on MC's door.

●"Come out her Mammon I know you're in there." Mc walks to the door and opens it slightly.

●"OmgI'mSoSorry" Mc closes the door and sighs.

●"Why was he scared of ya-" Mammon was too busy hiding to realize Mc is in just a towel. His ears felt as tho they were burning. He was trying to act cool. "Are you not scared... Mammon." Mc walked closer, teasing Mammon.

● Mammon was mesmerized by his body. He couldn't stop. Mammon's pants felt tighter and he realized his dick is practically begging to come out of his pants. He let out a soft pout as he covered his lap with something nearby.

●"Mammon what are you doing with my boxers..." He looks down at Mcs underwear laid out on his lap. He turned bright red and ran out the door.

●He took the boxers with him.

● Mammon ran to his room his cock just begging to be let out.

●Poor boy came after a few pumps but it wasn't enough for him. After he got over his nerves Mammon returned to Mc's room with his boxers. "You think I'm just gonna let ya walk around naked like that. Remember, I'm your first" Suddenly the greed took over as he kissed all over Mc's body.

Levi

● He planned a game marathon with Mc and was wondering why Mc was running behind, He decided to check up on him.

●He opened the door. Mc is in a towel. His face. BRIGHT RED.

●"I'm so sorry I'll leave you alone" He panics but Mc pulls him by the arm inside.

●He turns his head away to give Mc privacy. He's not sure what to do. No amount of predictable anime or video game could even prepare him for this. Zombie apocalypse? Done. House burns down? Yeah. Late to anime school with toast in his mouth? of course.

●"I'll be done in a second. Then I am so kicking your ass" Mc drops the towel.

●Levi couldn't help but turn his head in Mc's direction seeing the back of him. Levi is so going to masturbate to this for the rest of his life. He's a flustered mess and Mc teases him for it.

●It's not fair that Mc got one up on him. He'll try to change that.He even decided to send a picture of the mess he made to Mc.

[phoenixcatch7]

Petition: Sephiroth doesn't have a father.

Half of his dna? Lucrecia

The other half? Jenova

None of this Hojo vs Vincent argument I humbly propose we get far more symbolic mileage out of a corrupted version of an immaculate conception via Jenova as the 'angelic' presence.

Mad science IVF, essentially.

This lasted about ten seconds as a crack theory but now I think I'm actually going to add that to my belief system

Like Jenova is generally given female pronouns and called 'mother' but we do need to remember it's an alien megafauna virus (often referred to with 'it' pronouns in multiple translations of the original game, including the original Japanese). Its cells do not work like human animal cells. It's entirely feasible that it was used in place of a father donor, and would explain why sephiroth has such strong Jenova characteristics (white hair, slit eyes) where Angeal and Genesis don't (and also just. The rest of him. Where you'd put the genes for halos I don't know).

Sephiroth does have huge issues, just, in general, but his real weak point was his mummy issues where he'd been primed by hojo and that was where Jenova squarely hit. And it's generally agreed no matter which side of the 'sephiroth is in control/a puppet' spectrum you fall on that she was preying on him in nibelheim.

And also, just in final fantasy in general, there is a LOT of religious symbolism and icons (as is fairly typical of rpg games of that type. Just look at the Persona or Shin megami tensei series!). The summons, the church, etc. Sephiroth, aka the paths of sephiroth, is taken from what Wikipedia calls 'esoteric Jewish mysticism' and describes, I quote, 'channels of divine creative life force or consciousness through which the unknowable divine essence is revealed to mankind' or 'the ten structural forces of nature'. No guesses for how that tied into Project S' original intent to re-establish the extinct cetra and lead shinra to the promised land of infinite totally-not-afterlife-compost mako.

And I'm sure there's been plenty of essays done on the meanings and themes in ff7 (not that I can find them under all the sephiroth character analysis) but sephiroth very clearly went the demi urge route where he should have been a saviour and guide so why not throw in some immaculate conception as well?

Disclaimer: this tumblr user does not think of IVF as corrupted mad science nor do they think children born of it are any less human, we're talking about Hojo's experiments with Jenova on an unborn child here.

This would also mean that any 'Jenova is not your mother!' dramatic reveal could be followed up with 'she's your dad!' which is hilarious and we know Sephiroth's opinions on father figures.

[aziraphales-library]

‘Ello ‘ello ‘ello!!!

Would you happen to have any fics where the ineffables celebrate their birthdays? No human AUs please, just timeless entities celebrating existence the human way.

Thank you, much love!!

HI hi hi! There are a lot of fics like this, here is a selection for you...

Get One Every Year by his_infinitevariety (G)

Angels and demons don’t have birthdays… until Crowley gives Aziraphale one.

Happy Birthday, Angel by skim_milkk (G)

Crowley throws a surprise birthday party for Aziraphale

worth celebrating by darcylindbergh (T)

"Good morning, darling," Aziraphale says, taking Crowley's hands in his and kissing his cheek with an enormous, delighted smile. "Happy birthday." Crowley sputters. "Happy--angel, we don't have birthdays."

Birthday Cake by GroovyNightStrawberry (M)

“Why have you brought me a cake?” Aziraphale asked, still blank. “Do I need an occasion? You like cake.” “Yes, but...” Aziraphale wondered if it would cause offense if he mentioned that he liked good cake, not a cheap Madeira covered in sugar sprinkles from Sainsbury’s. Which Crowley knew, obviously, having spent a not insignificant portion of their centuries on Earth watching Aziraphale eat cake. “Although it is an occasion,” Crowley went on, apparently taking pity on Aziraphale’s inability to form a sentence. “Happy birthday!” “Crowley...” The look Aziraphale gave him suggested that perhaps they should watch their footing, lest they trip over the marbles that Crowley had clearly lost. “I don’t have a birthday. Neither of us do. Days didn’t exist yet, when we were created.” Crowley decides to indulge Aziraphale's love of correct paperwork.

Ineffable by LUC1FORM (G)

“I’ve decided it’s your birthday,” explained Aziraphale patiently, settling down in one of the armchairs. Crowley started. “What? I don’t have a birthday. We both existed before days were a thing.” In which Aziraphale decides Crowley needs a birthday, Crowley hates being called nice, gets a pet plant, and Aziraphale mildly disapproves of inebriation. Also, cake.

Happy Birthday To You by pootje (T)

Angels and Demons don't have birthdays, of course. But in the aftermath of the world failing to end, there's nothing to do but make new traditions and break old boundaries.

Crowley’s Birthday - A Winter’s Tale. by in_a_pickle (T)

It’s a cold day in late December. A lonely demon returns to the empty bookshop, as he does every year on this day, to remember happier times spent with his angel on Earth. Would he ever have a Happy Birthday again?

- Mod D

[pluralescentmoon]

as promised, the "pearl is a system who doesn't know it (yet)" propoganda totally-an-essay for @thecoolerliauditore

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ABOUT THE CHARACTER. NONE OF THIS IS ABOUT CC!PEARL. I ALSO DO NOT THINK SHE'S DOING THIS INTENTIONALLY. this is just how I'm choosing to interpret her character, because it makes things a LOT more interesting. this also works under the assumption that life series pearl and Hermitcraft pearl are the same character, so if that's not your vibe, that's fine! this is just your warning. I am also not saying all alters in every system has specific roles, or triggers. and if you dont know what im referring to at any point in this post, please let me know! I'm just trying to explain my thought process in a clear and concise way, even for those who don't know specific details about those under the plurality umbrella.

mild wild life spoilers ahead as well! you've been warned!

so! pearl has a bit of an unusual habit of how she refers to herself. she tends to do it in parts. she gives them identities, names. roles. example of this being, post master pearl, the cleaning lady, scarlet pearl, editor pearl (yes this one too i PROMISE I promise it'll make sense). each of these are like specific "characters". they're masks she puts on, to play the part of that specific pearl. they have their purpose, their roles, their clothes (separate skins). each of them are similar, but still unique and distinct from each other.

each one of these pearls has a purpose, a specific role they play in her life. they're specifically called upon for their tasks. for certain things, there's a pearl for it. it's almost as if these pearls have triggers that pull them out for specific reasons that seem important to helping their shared body…

an example of this is, there was a point recently in Pearl's season 10 where she was rebuilding her storage room. and, she found herself in a familiar set of clothes. taking care of the mess, as the cleaning lady. which leads to interesting implications! c!pearl feeling like she needs to change into another set of clothes to do something like organizing her chest, and call herself a specific title while doing so

cc!pearl has even said she sees her character as having phases (like the moon lol). and that she likes wearing specific skins (clothes) for them.

I think these specific pearls, these segregated parts of pearl, are her alters. alters that have specific clothes they prefer to wear, triggers to pull them to the front, and roles they fill in the system.

now that brings up the question, what are their roles exactly?

we'll start with the easy ones!

Normal Hermitcraft Pearl - Host. the silly. she's a goofy gal, the one we see the most. she's also given these other parts of herself names, based on the tasks that they carry out. she just thinks she's putting on a few different masks for each of these characters, and does not realize what's going on at all.

Post Master Pearl - this would be the one who works in the post office, the one who wants to deliver the mail. she's their work alter! she mainly does stuff with the mail system, including building the top part of some mailboxes or retrieving the lost parcels

Cleaning Lady - this one feels pretty self explanatory. she likes to clean and organize, and I think she could be contributed to a caretaker, as I'm going to contribute the SOUP thing to her, since it was season 9 more than anything else. she's here to clean and make sure they have good meals, but gets stressed about it sometimes. she also absolutely has nightmares about Grian's storage prank lol

Scarlet Pearl - abandonment/trust issues given form, scarlet would be a protector/trauma holder. we saw her forming in double life! she's the reason pearl seems to go from being fine with Scott, to snarking him. i think host pearl is, consciously or not, trying to suppress scarlet pearl from fronting in wild life, as host pearl does want to be friends with scott again… because she doesn't remember the extent of her trauma from double life. not the full of it anyways.

I have a lot of thoughts about protector scarlet pearl ngl but we'll get back to that. there's one more alter to talk about first.

I also have some thoughts about her having a Santa Perla introject because of Sausage's influence, but that one is less solid. still, she gets an honorable mention.

and now the biggest one. somehow the silliest one, and also the one I feel the strongest about. editor pearl.

editor pearl is of course, a silly OOC joke… but the implications of her existing are so very interesting. if we take the videos to be how pearl remembers things, if we take them as how she would tell things to others, then this means there's things that are purposefully… cut out of what she remembers. things that change context, or that are even almost… too much to remember. it's like she has someone there, taking snippets of her memories away. making her forget them, making her retell events in different ways than others.

that's what editor pearl is.

editor pearl is the alter that takes care of their memories. she cuts out the parts she doesn't want pearl to remember, because they're too traumatizing, they arent important, or she doesn't sees them as worth remembering.

this affects how pearl sees not only herself, but everyone else around her. conversations are forgotten by her, but not by the other side. the way certain memories are framed change drastically when you can only remember the parts that someone else WANTS you to remember. editor pearl is a memory holder, who just wants to help their system out by keeping the Good parts. she's gives pearl what she thinks pearl will want to remember, which means pearl only tells the parts editor pearl approves of.

I think, with everything going on in wild life, pearl is well on her way to discovering just what's going on inside her mind. whether she wants to, or not. scarlet pearl can only be held back for so long, and pearl has been doing that for two sessions now.

oh, sure, scarlet was allowed to snark in the first episode. but the second episode, comparing it to Cleo's POV… there's things missing. things cut out. entire conversations left completely out of Pearl's version of the story.

I think editor Pearl and scarlet pearl are working together a bit. cut out the memories of scarlet saying she wants to throw up at the idea of being family. and so many other little lines. cut it all out, make it easier to remember, easier to deal with.

because, after all, they just want to do their jobs. they just want to help, to make life more bearable. to make everything okay. host may not want them to, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her…

but this isn't built to last. not with host pearl keeping scarlet locked away as tightly as she is. sooner or later, something has to give. and sooner or later, they'll figure out what's going on. I have a feeling it's going to be messy, because pearl (scarlet) doesn't like feeling like people thinks she's crazy. and this will only make her feel crazy before the end.

but it can't last the way it has been. eventually, something is gonna break. or, maybe instead someone.

this isnt going to go well for host pearl.

[starberry-cupcake]

GUESS WHO'S BACK IN THE HOUSE???

I don't know how frequent these will be but I'm gonna try to pick this back up now that, at the very least, I am done with having to read stuff for mandatory academic reasons.

But before I go back and start over with chapter 33, I'm going to do a little recap of where I think everyone was when I left them, as far as my own notes and my memory allow. I'm probably going to make less sense than before now that I had a 5 month hiatus and I'll probably guess even less of what's going on, but such is life.

This character recap should be read with this song in your head because that's the energy I picture.

she's going through it

doesn't remember shit

thinks ortus was her cavalier

is constantly targeted by alleged gideon aka ortus the first

who actually also told her how to defend herself from him (them? he said "us") (use blood, not bones, of course)

is seen as "lyctor lite" because her cavalier slurping thing "didn't work"

(we think this might be good because of gideon reasons)

improved her necro abilities to "make up" for it

can't really hold the sword

everyone expects her to die

I think she's stronger than they think and that's their mistake

sent letters to herself that she hasn't yet fully read

like I made these recaps that now I'm re-reading, life parallels

gave yandere twin her arm back with necro sex or something

is dealing with an inner chad who is as difficult in death as in life

misses her sister who she thinks is still alive

I also think she's alive

got a new arm through necro sex or something

is kinky as well as yandere

thinks too highly of augustine

wants to be a good lyctor

has issues with her self-perception because she was always the ignored twin, even if she had the necro abilities

sleeps in a room with a lot of nudes

wanted to kiss harrow but was rejected (the second time, the first time was some harrow conspiracy theory thing)

I hate this guy

is very bad at his job

or very good, if his job is to be awful

supposedly he's gonna be killed, but so far no results on that front

had a thing with ice cube barbie aka AL aka annabel lee, allegedly

undetermined what kind of "thing" that was

gets into orgies with his lyctors, apparently

is always reading stuff

has created a system to destroy planets and their energy

this has brought them issues

who would have thought

there are now energy things that are wanting to destroy them

they killed some but have, I believe, 3 still trailing them

claims that what they did was a good thing

doesn't take responsibility for things that are clearly his fault

isn't disturbed by harrow's origin story of baby blending in a necro magic bullet to make her

probably because he has committed genocide himself

is also being hated on by a bunch of rebels whose leader disappeared about 20 years prior

my running theory is that gideon's mom might be related to that

aka Senior Chad

don't like this guy

he's training yandere twin, if we can call it that

dislikes mercygirl a lot but isn't above getting dirty with her and the emperor

you can't convince me there weren't other ways they could have distracted him, but he went for that, so

wanted to help kill alleged gideon aka ortus the first

thinks too highly of himself

explains things in a convoluted way

is treated very poorly

can help people with wounds

thinks harrowcita is very smol and always claims her to be younger than the last time

was involved in the plan of getting emperor reverend doctor john Distracted with Capital D to get alleged gideon aka ortus the first killed

idk how much she knew of the plan before getting into it tbh there wasn't a lot of discussion prior

insists she's not moving not!dulcinea

argues with people all the time

his name is up for debate at this point but I'm sure it's actually gideon

may or may not be involved in things beyond the planet situation

seems to be sort of possessed or something because, in a moment of maybe lucidity or not wanted to protect harrowcita from "us"

maybe he's not the kind one, maybe it's his cavalier, but idk

is probably who the note in book 1 was referring to

wants to kill harrow to protect the emperor, apparently

was about to be killed by not!dulcinea (who doesn't get a section but is STILL wreaking havoc because nobody listens to me)

harrowcita saved his life like in toy story 3 with the incinerator

was seen doing Stuff with not!dulcinea prior to this

emperor john alluded that he may be aroace though

we stan him for that

doesn't get along with the rest

also we stan him for that

has been trying to kill harrowcita the whole time

we don't stan him for that

aka AL aka annabel lee, I think

it wasn't stated but that's what I'm going for

is the body that was in the locked tomb that harrowcita saw

but now is haunting harrow and going around with her but only she can see and hear her

her eyes though are like gideon's maybe

harrow claims to love her

she's also present in the gideon-less past we keep seeing as well

we don't know much about her but if the emperor imprisoned her, we're on her side

canaan house but with a lot of events differently set

starting with gideon not existing and ortus being harrow's cav

ortus is also in a polycule with the fifth

dulcinea is the real one in this one and protozoa is alive

regina george twin was pushed to her "death???" by mayonneise uncle, before he also threw himself

palmolive and camilla are dead in this one

the second house has 1 alive and 1 dead

abigail seems to know a lot of stuff

maybe hadn't she died immediately, book 1 would have been shorter

everyone keeps saying "is this how it happened?"

IT'S NOT

harrow reads a note only she can see that keeps getting longer about someone ranting to some guy and there's a potential triangle situation going on and also eggs

I'm thinking it might be a fertility thing but idk

there's a waker/sleeper that behaves like a slasher villain

it's hidden in a coffin nobody can open and kills with a rifle

it also has a gideon-like sword?

not sure how this connects with what's going on in the emperor's bolthole because not!dulcinea doesn't exist in this one, apparently

even though camilla is very much alive and slaying and palmolive is currently a skull in a bag, I'll leave that for the next recap once I've caught up with the entire chapter

[goldenshrikecomic]

Your most recent response about not really having an overall message for your stories and how some stories don’t need simple messages or themes kinda put some thoughts of mine at ease.

I’ve been developing my own webcomic and I never had a message in mind for it. I’m not much of an experienced writer and when I remembered messages and themes a while back, I was worried about mine not really having any. Cuz I thought a theme or messages would be needed for a coherent story, and I just didn’t really have any in mind. I have a hard time boiling stories or characters down to just simple words to describe them. I’m not aiming for perfection in my story obviously, there’s nothing really deep about it and it’s not meant to be a commentary on something or anything like that, but I want it to be at least somewhat decent and enjoyable so I’ve been worried about this for quite a while. Worried that not having an intended message or theme would make my story inconsistent or something.

So to hear that Golden Shrike wasn’t made with a message in mind, and that that’s not a bad thing, helped ease those worries for me. So thank you. Also I like that Corpse’s messages and meanings are up to interpretation. I think it works best that way.

I've never ever been worried about messages in my stories. It's not a thought that has ever crossed my mind even, I just trust that if I make something, it'll mean something. I don't like explaining art, or character motivations, I don't like putting in words what I'm doing in other ways. A lot of my musing happens subconsciously, and often I don't even care to explain it to myself. It's a feeling! I follow the feeling. You know the solution to the math problem but you don't want or know how to write down the calculation.

If you want to make a story and feel it's worth telling, it won't be empty. Stories don't have to be deep, just like they don't need to be sad or happy either. Sure you'll have to give it enough context for others to enjoy it, but I find the thought of having to come up with a theme or message, and then building from there, distressing.

Though of course, if there's an edgy person there who thinks hehehe i'll make this horrible story very clearly glorifying a horrible thing and then I can just say there's no message, you can take it as you want! It'll just tell more about the person than their work.

Again, I don't really feel qualified enough to give advice you should take straight to heart. These are just things I believe in.

[thejockout]

New File Time | Jock Possession

[Read this description carefully; in many ways this is the weirdest, most sinister-vibe piece I've made! Perfect for Halloween. But do be cautious...]

Here it isss, the file you were all so excited about.

Jock Possession is my first real stab at a body-snatch kinda kink. Except instead of being overtaken by something external to you, what if... you were taken over by your own Jock desires?

Enjoy. I recommend listening through wakefully to see if you enjoy the content before committing to experiencing them hypnotically; be safe, and remember you can always take a break from the file for a while to let any suggestions weaken/fade away.

Nothing in hypnosis is forever, so don't worry unduly; the only reason I'm being so cautious here is I'd feel bad to trigger a panic attack in anyone as a sufferer myself, and I want you to know what the experience'll be like before entering it in a susceptible state.

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Discussion here of "possession" by your jock side - this is the biggun, and the dealmaker/dealbreaker for many of you. I am careful in this file to explain that the Jock who'll possess you isn't SOMEONE ELSE but another facet of you, a self previously unnoticed. But it's suggested that you will feel him "possess" you in contexts it would be appropriate for the Jock to emerge; gym, certain social circles, in masculine-coded environments... you'll feel puppeted, a little out of it, maybe a little fuzzy-headed. It will be pleasurable, and you have an emergency button to regain control if desired, but it may not be for everyone.

The Jock persona described in this file is very classic jock, without EXPLICIT dumbing but would be compatible with that if it was your goal.

Slight suggestion of your enjoyment of being the Jock creeping over time, for the sinister edge.

---------------------------------------------------------

When I'm not dropping myself or others, I'm off being a mystical forest bro in the wilderness of Ireland. But I am always available for commissions if you reach out via DM. My flat rate is currently $65-120, but you can check my pinned Tumblr post for more up-to-date info. Keep listening, bros.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hello nalyra, how are you?

I wanted to ask your opinion on something.

So insofar in iwtv s01 and s02 we have had the portrayal of lestat as the villain let's say that was meant to be shown as incorrect by the episode 8 reveal.

However let's say that the "clues" that we got such as the letter still hold a sinister undertone. Many said that they saw the letter as romantic but it also could sound as a threat. Louis in season 1 ep 6 is seen to be tense verging on scared post drop when lestat yells whereas in ep 2 the jonah incident he yelled back furthering this view.

From the way I think of it, season 3 lestat cannot explain all these events from his pov making himself look misunderstood bc then inadvertently it makes the trial (lynching) version of him and the things he said there be justified and that is too much of an ask from the audience after what ep 7 put louis and claudia through.

On the other hand if he straight up says these things are not true that's not what happened then that would negate most of two seasons and I don't think rolin wants that.

At this point I'm not sure how this would work out without making lestat seem like the repentant abuser and louis the victim of both lestat and armand.

And that sort of sucks cause I'm a huge lestat fan!!

Hey, I'm good, thank you!

Nonny... you have been fed a tale for an effect. An edited (by Armand, who has his own history with Lestat) tale.

Not everything of that tale was false, and Lestat won't go and contradict it, that is not what happens in TVL. Also, the trial was a "show trial", literally. Almost everything they said on that stage there to accuse was BS. When Louis tenses in episode 6 (I assume you mean after the chess game??) it is because he cannot with the aggression, yes, but he also turns the radio louder, because he does not want to hear Lestat's words. Because Lestat knows what they're doing wrong, and Louis does not want to hear it.

Lestat was "presented as a monster" (JACOB's words!!), in order to make the murder of him seem inevitable.

The letter was romantic, Sam has said in an interview that Lestat wrote it as a bit of a contingency plan.

Season 3 will provide context. And Louis will understand after.

That won't resolve everything. But It will clear things up.

Nonny, I know the season 2 reveal was a bit... let's say rushed. It flew over a lot of people's heads, unfortunately.

But the latter half of the season, and especially 2x08 was supposed to make it clear, that

The tale has been edited with - by Armand

Not all of what Louis remembers can be the truth because of it

Louis misremembers, for example Claudia not dreaming, which was 2x01

Louis feels guilty, and his own inner thoughts make it clear he finds Lestat needing to be killed "debatable" by now, wants Lestat back, hallucinates him regularly, and Lestat is still the only on he trusts(!)

Louis wants to go home (to Lestat) in 2x01

Louis has been kept like a proverbial Stepford Wife for decades - by Armand. Mind controlled, mind-edited, words and phrases put into his head, for decades. Because Armand only sees Louis as something that can be used, a vessel.

Unfortunately the long hiatus, certain statements by podcast guests, and the show using DV to add more gravitas led to a certain unwillingness by the (show only) fandom to follow that reveal (is my impression at least). Or at least some are unwilling to follow the narrative.

This is no accusation. The show is very high level and a lot may fly over people's head.

The "audience" will (have to) follow the narrative with what season 3 will show, as the official release statement said, here by The Wrap:

The renewal announcement promised a “sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma,” now told from Lestat’s perspective. “In season three,” the synopsis reads, “resentful of the perfunctory portrayal in the trashy bestseller ‘Interview With The Vampire,’ the Vampire Lestat sets his story straight in a way only the Vampire Lestat can—by starting a band and going on tour.”

And that will be what happens.

Some will not like that, since they like to see Lestat as the uber villain. It's easy and practiced by now, I guess. And going to get very stale, very soon.

Because we have not seen Lestat yet, that has been also said again and again.

We have seen an edited tale, a tale edited on purpose.

I can only recommend to keep that in mind.

[ns1108]

Spying in the library

Moment: AzrielxOC Level Fluff Aurelia strolled through the library, her arms already loaded with more books than she could reasonably carry, and yet she kept scanning the shelves with greedy eyes. Back in the cosy sitting area she'd claimed, a towering stack of books and piles of loose papers sprawled across her table, evidence of a study session more ambitious than practical. She frowned slightly, noting the unusual quiet of the library; she'd hardly seen a priestess since she arrived. A strange, thoughtful calm settled over the aisles, and she couldn't help but wonder where they had disappeared to.

Then she felt it—another presence. Just on the other side of the bookcase. Aurelia paused, stiffening as she sensed it shifting with her, a figure moving in time with her own subtle steps. She took five measured steps backward, and the presence mirrored her. Then she took seven steps forward, and still, it remained, unrelenting and patient.

Between the cracks in the shelves, she caught a glimmer of hazel eyes, a flicker of mirth dancing within them. She stifled a laugh, shaking her head. Raising her arm, she reached two shelves above her head, plucking out two thick volumes to peer through the gap. There, on the other side, stood Azriel, eyes sparkling, as if this little game were entirely normal.

Shaking her head, she replaced the books. She heard the soft huff of his laughter, muffled by the wood and leather spines, and soon enough, Azriel's hand reached in on the other side, removing two books at her eye level. As she leaned forward, his face came into view, and he lowered himself slightly to meet her gaze.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she took in the amused smirk on his face.

Azriel didn't reply. He simply smirked, and a dark tendril of shadow slipped through the open space, its soft edges flicking toward her stack of books, snaking around to lift a few off the top with casual ease.

With a soft shake of her head, Aurelia crossed her arms, leaning slightly as Azriel rounded the bookcase and stepped into her aisle, standing directly across from her now.

He gestured to her stack of books, eyebrow raised. "I remember you never could take a reasonable amount of books. Some things don't change." His tone was light, but he extended his hand, offering to carry them for her.

Aurelia let out a half-smile, watching as his shadows continued to take up the task, lifting the weight off her arms and carefully arranging them in a neat pile by his side.

Aurelia raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at her lips. "Do you really have nothing better to do than spy on my reading habits?"

Azriel's expression didn't shift, but his eyes gleamed with something softer, more open than she'd expected. "I didn't come to spy on you," he said simply. "I thought I might join you."

The words caught her off guard, and she froze, her gaze instinctively flicking over his form, assessing him from head to toe as they began walking back toward the cluster of books she'd gathered earlier. She noted the familiar, worn-in training leathers, the soft edges where leather met skin. Her smirk returned as her suspicions took form.

"Running away, are we?" she accused, eyeing his attire with raised brows. "Hiding out in here with me when you're supposed to be working out with Cassian?"

Azriel's mouth tilted into a rare, fleeting smile as they continued down the quiet aisle. "Actually, I was with the priestesses today. Not Cassian."

That made her pause, a flicker of curiosity sparking in her eyes as she gestured to the unusually silent library. "Ah," she murmured, glancing around at the eerily empty shelves. "That would explain it. I was beginning to wonder why this place felt abandoned."

Azriel only gave a slight shrug, his shadows swirling just above his shoulders. "They're having a self-defence lesson this morning. I thought I'd come by afterward, check in on your... collection," he said, gesturing to the stack of books they approached.

Aurelia reached out to pick up one of the books from her towering stack, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Who's teaching today?" she asked, keeping her tone casual.

"The Valkyrie," Azriel replied, his voice carrying a touch of pride.

The name hit her like an unexpected blow, a pang of old sorrow threading through her heart. She kept her gaze fixed on the book in her hand, masking the flicker of pain. The Valkyrie—warriors who were legends even in her time. She remembered when she had once trained alongside them, centuries ago, before their numbers dwindled and faded, leaving her with only the memories of a time long gone.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice when Azriel took a step closer, settling onto the narrow couch beside her with a smoothness that belied the vast span of his wings. It was a sight that might have made her laugh if not for the ache still lodged in her chest, but somehow he managed it, wings folding just so, finding space that hardly seemed available. The realisation surprised her, and she found herself watching him with a faint touch of wonder.

Azriel seemed focused elsewhere, his sharp gaze scanning the pile of books and scattered notes she'd amassed. His fingers brushed against the edge of a few pages, taking in the titles, his curiosity more open than she'd seen before. Noting the way he took in each one, she couldn't help studying him in return—his quiet attentiveness, the way he seemed completely at ease here in the library, sharing her small corner.

"Doing some heavy reading," he murmured, glancing sideways at her with a glimmer of intrigue.

Aurelia lowered her gaze to the book in her lap, suddenly feeling like a schoolgirl without a friend to sit with—a wallflower on the outskirts of a world everyone else seemed to fit into. "I've always liked studying," she said, her voice soft, almost shy.

Azriel's surprise flickered across his face, his golden-brown eyes warm as he watched her. "I know," he murmured gently, as if the admission were a shared secret.

After a moment's pause, he tilted his head, studying her. "What are you reading up on this time?" he asked, his voice easy, though the curiosity there was real.

She blinked, taken aback. "Why do you ask?" Her brows knit, the tiniest bit of suspicion tinged with intrigue in her gaze. "You never have before."

He gave a faint, almost wistful smile. "I'm just curious."

But the truth, he kept to himself: he was curious about her, drawn to seeing the woman she had become, yet still catching glimpses of the girl he had known long ago, glimpses that intrigued him more than he wanted to admit.

Her initial wariness faded, and she began explaining, her face brightening as she spoke. "Magic bending through the elements," she said, a note of wonder threading through her voice. Her hands moved expressively as she elaborated, fingers brushing against parchment notes and old sketches that mapped out theories, spells, and illustrations of the elements intertwining.

Azriel heard her words—each one clear, vibrant, as her voice carried her excitement—but, in another way, he heard nothing at all. All he could see was the light that came alive in her eyes, a spark he hadn't seen before. Her features softened and animated as she spoke, her movements graceful, expressive, yet entirely unguarded. It was as though the years of restraint, the reserve he'd grown accustomed to in her, slipped away to reveal someone else—someone he found himself wanting to know deeply.

The beat of his heart softened, an unusual warmth spreading through his chest. For once, Azriel let himself simply relax, a smile lingering on his lips as he watched her, feeling himself slip deeper into the pull of her voice, the energy that she radiated.

She was beautiful, yes, but it was more than that. She was intriguing, alive with a passion he hadn't seen before, her love of knowledge woven into every word. Sitting there with her in this quiet moment, Azriel felt himself falling, drawn in by her light, her laughter, the enchanting way she brought her world to life.

Azriel's gaze drifted back to the book only to realise, with a jolt, that Aurelia had moved closer. Her arm brushed his, and his shadows had, without his conscious intent, slithered between them, holding the pages open for her as though they, too, were entranced by her enthusiasm. He let himself take in her profile, her intent expression as she explained some intricacy of elemental magic, and the faint light dusting her cheeks where the afternoon sun cast through the library's tall windows.

Then a subtle scent reached him—strawberries, rich and ripe, mixed with the warm allure of chocolate. He felt his breath hitch, a primal part of him unexpectedly captivated by the sweetness. There was something else, something wild and intoxicating, underlying the scent, and an unbidden thought surfaced, primal and unguarded.

Edible.

Azriel's mind swirled with the strange realisation, a hint of colour rising to his cheeks. His shadows curled back, retreating slowly as though caught in a secret they hadn't intended to share. He wanted to lean closer, to understand how he'd never noticed this about her, to let the sweetness settle in a way that felt both instinctive and undeniably captivating.

For a moment, he glanced at her again, letting his gaze linger as she moved her fingers along the text, her expression thoughtful. The book had vanished from his mind; all he could think about was how close she was, how perfectly her presence filled the space beside him.

A low, amused voice broke through the library's stillness. "Well, doesn't this look cosy."

Aurelia sprang back, almost jolting upright as her eyes snapped away from Azriel. Azriel's calm softened expression hardened instantly, cooling into a smouldering anger as his gaze landed on Cassian, who approached them with a sly grin, clearly relishing his timing.

Cassian strolled closer, unfazed by the sharp glare Azriel sent him. He gave Aurelia an exaggerated bow. "Princess," he said with a wry smile, his voice full of mock formality, "mind if I borrow our wayward friend here? Seems he's sneaked off from his duties."

Aurelia's eyes drifted toward Azriel, a hint of surprise in her expression. "I thought you were finished training for the day," she said, brow raised in faint accusation. Realising he'd likely skipped out to spend time with her, she saw the glint of mischief in Cassian's eye.

Cassian shot Azriel a wink, his gaze lingering too long on the two of them. He looked downright pleased with himself, amused at breaking up their private moment. Azriel clenched his jaw and rose to his feet, his shoulders taut with barely restrained tension. Cassian was making a habit of stealing time he wasn't willing to let go of so easily; it would take nothing to have him on his knees.

Outtake from my story on Wattpad: Poly story 18+ SMUT

The Moon's Embrace: A Tale of Night's Light

[potterandpromises]

OMITB 4x10 liveblog. Who lives? Who dies? Did Marshall / Rex act alone? Will Theo show up in the background for seven seconds? Does it all have anything to do with who poisoned Winnie? These are the questions.

I love seeing the Brazzos reboot again ikjuiknbgh

They're getting smarter, seeing the patterns

Okay so it's not going to be Loretta

I don't know how they're going to do what they need to do in 35 minutes

Ooooh I'm remembering someone said something about someone walking on the ledges of the Arconia in an interview

"All he does is let in murderers." Is there a REASON for that line?

Love the crazy television logic. 'Gotta move to New Zealand the day after tomorrow. It's in my contract all of a sudden.' ijhfcgyhujk

I love the touching ledge shenanigans and I love the Westies

THE MULTITOOL

"Sazz was kind to everyone." I like the flip with that all and all the other victims being assholes

I really like the cinematography with Marshall / Rex explaining Sazz' killing

Oh god, is he the next victim? I'd prefer not watch a season about him tbh

Oh never mind. Hi Jan!

Love that no one thought to check the secret passageways

Interesting that Jan is Charles' long term love interest

"We're endgame" lol

Oh Oliver, they don't always die, sometimes they just get catastrophically injured (the 12 mermen)

I feel so much more stress looking towards the last eight minutes of this show then to all the stuff with the guns and the ledges

That's sweat. Though I don't know when Will and Loretta and Dickie would have had a chance to meet in the first place

Ooooh so it is Nicky the Neck

She killed him. Investigation over.

It's obvious they added Oliver's line in post lol

Annnnd the fountain is spitting blood

I knew there was something to my suspicions of Lester as the next victim

And the person on Reddit who figured out the next victim would be in the fountain based on the soundtrack is so clever

[blueishspace]

Double Life Remixed p.10

*Beginning of session 2, Pearl's pov*

All things considered Scar was a pretty good soulmate, she had expected him to fall of a cliff or something but building the Panda enclousure had kept both of them pretty busy.

Speaking of the enclousure, it had turned out great and it hadn't been hard to convince Scar to add a big watchtower looking over it.

You even gotten to tame a dog, named it Tilly, and started your new dog army in said enclousure- huh, you shift your focus awwy from your thoughts as you see BigB walking by followed by a very distressed Martyn far in the distance...You climb down the tower and approach him.

Pearl: B! Mate! What are you up to?

BigB: Pearl!

He detours from wherever he was going and comes closer to you with a large smile.

BigB: Nice. Nice place you got here.

Pearl: Thank you, Scar helped...So, what's with Martyn? Saw him running after you.

BigB: Oh! He's my soulmate.

Pearl: Mate. That doesn't explain anything.

BigB: Last session he came to me last, can you believe it? He checked everyone else first!

Pearl: Huh I see...

You remember doing the same exact thing, luckily Scar was too distracted to care. Still, you nod as BigB recounts it.

Pearl: So, what? You're playing hard to get?

BigB: Something like that... Well, now I have to go! Bye Pearl!

Pearl: Bye! Good luck with... whatever this is!

Martyn comes by a while later... looking very tired and stressed.

Pearl: Oh you look terrible mate.

Martyn: ... ...Thank you. As kind as ever.

Pearl: I'm very kind thank you very much. So, having trouble in paradise?

Martyn: It's BigB! We're soulmates but he pretends he doesn't know what soulmates are! Or he doesn't believe in them? I don't even know anymore!

The kind thing to do in this situation would be revealing to Martyn what BigB told you earlier... however...

Pearl: Hmmm... What's a soulmate?

Martyn's expression is worth everything that lead you here.

Martyn: ...No. No! Not you too!

He steps back with an horrified face and runs away from you screaming, as he disappears from your vision you begin to laugh so hard Scar hears you.

Scar: Pearl? What's going on? Did something funny happen? Oh no, did I miss it?

Pearl: No, no. Just thought of a funny joke.

Scar: Ohh! Ok! Want to feed Jellies with me?

Pearl: Sure thing!

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[saturnine-saturneight]

Teeth

Dear Mr. Caradoc,

this is me emailing you so you have this in writing, just like you asked me to. I'm nervous to leave a paper trail, for obvious reasons, but I also trust that you aren't going to use this against me. On the other hand, I am grimly excited. Like this, nobody will be able to say that I didn't ask for help before it was too late, least of all you.

Which brings me to my point: please, for the love of God, help me. I've tried everything by now, dentists, doctors, family, friends, nobody can help me. They are all itching to send me to a therapist, or better yet a closed institution, and as fast as possible too. But I am telling you right now, if you call the police on me for a wellness check and I am locked away, my blood is on your hands.

With that out of the way: Here is what you didn't want to hear from me the other day at the coffee machine, properly and in writing.

It all started early one morning. I usually wake up around five these days, but I remember it being even earlier that day, I think around 3am or 4am. Did you know that we feel pain stronger at night than during the day? I looked it up. It peaks exactly at 3am. But even without looking that up, I could've told you, because the pain I felt that morning was something I'm never going to forget.

Have you ever gotten a root canal, Mr. Caradoc?

I did, two years ago. It was my lower molar, the first on the right side. I can still see the filling, I think, when I pull my lips back—well, I could, anyways. My dentist did a pretty good job all around, not just with the actual procedure, but also in explaining to me how it works. When a tooth is infected or inflamed down to the pulp, the very inside underneath enamel and dentin, what they will do is, they will bore a hole in the respective decaying tooth, and then hollow it out completely, removing everything within it that's alive, and then fill it with something dead and inert, with rubber and cement. And although it is a dead man walking from then on, surrounding tissue is able to keep such a tooth alive, as my dentist told me, almost indefinitely. He did an excellent job hollowing me out, but it was a bad day to find out that I don't properly respond to the anesthetic he used.

It was that same pain that I felt again that morning, at 3 or 4 in the pain hour, and that was what I was looking for in the mirror as I was standing there in the dim grey light and pulling my mouth open with a finger. A sign that my root canal had to be redone.

But what I saw instead was, and I know how difficult this is to believe: a tiny, tiny dark door, hollow, maybe more of an archway, smaller than the pin of a needle, carved right into the enamel of my tooth.

The first thing I did was of course to call my mom up in a panic. She had to spend twenty minutes calming me down before I'd stopped crying for long enough to take a picture of it, and then when I did and sent it to her, I could immediately hear the pity in her voice. She told me that it was a very normal thing to have nightmares like this during pregnancy, and that she had gone through the exact same thing when she was pregnant with me. I have to admit that I got very angry at her for it. I know what a nightmare is, I am not a child. I was wide awake. People all around me have taken on this patronizing air towards me ever since I've started showing, as if carrying a baby somehow negates everything I have accomplished and everything I am, and has turned me into some fragile stupid thing.

I hung up on her. I'm not proud of it. We haven't been on the best of terms anyways, and I'm sure this didn't make it better.

Four hours later, I stood on my dentist's doormat, practically banging at the door to be let in. I was overjoyed when he opened my mouth to inspect the molar and immediately agreed to give me a filling, but it only struck me why he'd told me to take the day off as I was inspecting the molar in the rear view mirror of my car, and all he had done was to fill in the archway, leaving the intricate carvings around it alone. And they were intricate now: It was as if somebody was miming pillars around the hole in my tooth. I stormed back into his office in distress, and found myself set up with a blanket and some hot tea in the waiting room as one of the dentist's assistants patted my knee, instead of just filling the damn structure in.

I went home. What else was I supposed to do?

The next day, the pillars had been carved.

It went on like this. First there came windows, rows upon rows of them, with ledges and flourishes. Then, the next tooth showed a hole. Then the next. Archways started to grow steps to lead up to them. Windows became larger, more opulent. And the pain—I never saw the actual carving happen, not even once, but I felt it. I felt every single chip, every last line in them.

I saw dentist after dentist, convinced family to look into my mouth, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, even my boss, but there was always that same goddamned look of pity. The woman is going crazy, their faces seemed to scream, as they even stopped being able to see holes at all. But I am not crazy. This is not phantom pain. I know what is happening to me, and I need it to stop. I am being made a home for something, and I want it out.

My parents have asked me to move back in with them. I will be packing my bags next week, but I'm afraid that they aren't planning to help me with the pregnancy. If my suspicions are true, these bags will be on the floor of a mental hospital very soon.

I am asking you for your help because you have always been on my side, even back when I was fighting for accommodations for my morning sickness. I don't know who else is left to ask. I also don't know what I expect you to do about this anymore, but I need it to be something.

My jaw has started hurting.

Please.

Yours,

Kalinka Czajkowska

If you liked this, don't miss the continuation in the next chapter of Particle Decay! Ms. Czajkowska isn't going down without a fight.

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