#I just have very strong feelings about religious themes in DAI in particular

[herald-divine-hell]

And you're completely right. I think ultimately that DA has a lot of great ideas and concepts for worldbuilding, but a lot of aspects of it falls apart under heavy scrutinization, especially the religious elements. But then again, I think a lot of fantasy writers do have a struggle between implementing a complicated relationship with religion and especially institutional religion, especially because we have become far more aware of religious leaders corrupted acts and the abusive culture of many religious institutions and their religious frameworks. It is a lot harder to remove those biases, and I even will admit I do have extraordinary biases when it comes to religion, but the treatment of religious systems and institutions in the Dragon Age series has always been weird, particularly when you examine the most robust religious doctrine we do have - Andrastianism. It is definitely far more shallower than many religions within the real world, but also just fantasy religions themselves (writers like GRRM for example, and even think I think Andrastianism is a far better implemented religious faith than the Faith of the Seven or the Old Gods of the First Men.)

And I think that is what makes it more tragic - that BioWare has the ability to write such nuance characters and their perspectives on faith and belief such as Leliana and Cassandra, and even Mother Giselle to a certain extent, but the faith they believe in is so entirely devoid of hope outside a possible coming of Andraste after all nations and peoples submit to the Chant. But that is only after people accept the Maker as their God. The Chant gives no real reason to even give hope in this deity since He refused to actually aid His followers because of their sins. Despite my complaints about how Morrigan reacts to Leliana's religiosity, she is right to point out why should she believe in a God that allowed His prophet and supposed beloved to die in such a horrible way? Unlike the crucifixion of Jesus, there was no pardoning of sins - no sacrifice that warranted the need for her death. The Maker choose to allow Andraste to die because that is just what He willed, at least according to Andrastian theology.

And it just, I don't know, makes me sad for someone like Leliana? I so adore her as a character of strong faith and morals (and so adore the complexity given to her in Inquisition where we do find her in a crisis of faith), but I simply don't understand with the Maker we are presented in the game, how anyone can actually sincerely believe in such a god, especially as a divinity of forgiveness and compassion. Andraste, sure. But Andraste is not technically divine to the same extent as Jesus is (though I do notice some parallels to the humanism efforts made by the Quran and its interpretation of Jesus and Andraste, but even then the Quran gives conceptions to the Christian faith by declaring the virgin birth, him being born without a father, being a "sign", him being described as the Word and enforced by the Spirit (ar-Ruh)), so despite Andrastianism's clear devotion to Andraste, it is not like she could technically do anything about what is happening to her followers.

It is as you said, a pastiche and a weird veneer of Catholicism that does not really work once you actually contemplate its religious goals - and really I try my best to ignore that conversation because it is hilarious how the writers claim they will never confirm nor deny the Maker, but than essentially denied the Maker in Veilguard, and also because it ultimately means nothing in the end, at least in terms of stakes in the greater world.

And the fandom certainly does not help when it comes to discussions about Andrastianism. Obviously, people can have their opinions, and I will never shame anyone who is an atheist/agnostic or has religious trauma when it comes to Christianity or any other organized religions for their feelings, but it is not just "the Maker isn't real" or "the Chantry isn't bad". It just a really weird religion that simply doesn't make sense, even for a fantasy one. It's devoid, to me at least, of the ability for someone to have faith in it. It's just so...depressing? If that makes sense. And it's why I think the Inquisitor would have a much greater impact on southern Thedas - because to many Andrastians, they finally got a sign from their God and Savior. It makes sense why people would believe the Inquisitor is divinely-touched, because it grants them hope that they aren't alone, even in their darkest hours. The Chants do try to imply that those who are faithful are not alone, but again it is inconsistent because of the established religious doctrine of "the Maker has departed and turned from the World".

It's just ajksdandajdknasda

It still perplexes me why anyone in Thedas would have any reason to worship the Maker.

And this isn’t because He’s not real or anything of the like.

Listen, I’m fairly religious—or at least I do believe in God and all that—but more a significant interest in religious history and the development of specific religions within their historian context. A large reason why Christianity and Islam both spread early on was not through military conquest (though the later ‘Abbasid writers certainly did try their best to push Prophet Muhammad to a warrior-prophet), but from the poor, the needy, the slaves of society. The big reason why those two religions especially had such a strong pull was because of the inherent belief of a Divine entity being there to provide comfort and mercy when all social institutions. When no one else would, there was at least something out there that cared (rather than entity exists or not is another question entirely; and if its followers had continued such mercy is a different question that is not what my post is talking about)

In essence, the reason the conception of God in both Islam and Christinanity spread as they did was because God was universal, not bound to a singular state or people, but transcended, and perhaps more importantly all-merciful, all-compassionate, and all-loving.

Compared that to the Maker, whose mercy is entirely conditionally and He specifically chooses not to interact (supposedly) with His Creation for mistakes and sins, being almost entirely remote and disconnected with His Followers. Outside Andraste, who at least while the Maker’s Bride, is not entirely divine or made up the same transcendent presence as the Maker, there is nothing inherently there to draw any sort of respect interest to the Maker. Say what you will about the conception of God in the Abrahamic sense, specifically the Christian and Islamic conception, but at least They *are there* (theologically) for Their followers. The Maker can’t even do that.

It’s one of my biggest complaints and wishes from Inquisition—there is so much a person who is named Herald of Andraste with such a powerful force such as the Inquisition can do—but BioWare refused to explore these themes when it’s right there. It doesn’t matter if your Inquisitor does not believe in their prophethood. As Inquisition hits us over the head with Ameridan and Solas, people shall believe as much as they wish as they will believe the truth. Yet our Inquisitor isn’t bombarded with theological questions or inquiring over Andraste’s design. It’s just ahhh

Andrastianism deserved a better god than the Maker.

[taccobelle]

WELCOME TO MY BOOK CLUB 📚

First rule about The Book Club? talk about The Book Club!

Here in TaccoBelle's book club 📚 is where I will keep a collection of all my favorite recent reads and their authors, in no particular order!

I can't always help in more impactful ways, like commissions, but I can definitely share the content!

if you'd like to join my book club give send an ask! let's make a community of these awesome reads!!

Disclaimer: due to some suspicious and disgusting events happening on this site involving a minor, I feel the obligation to reinforce that most, if not all, of these stories are 18+. They contain content that is NOT suitable for minors, so please do not interact! Mature themes will/may be discussed in these stories that is definitely not appropriate for minors. I do not claim to be the author of any of these works, merely a fan

TaccoBelle's Book Club

Simmer: Jim’s Midnight Grill -line cook! Eddie Munson x Shy Fem! Reader

Author: @upsidedownwithsteve

Summary: welcome to hawkins' number one diner! where the staff don't wanna be there and the linecook is a grumpy metal head who likes to argue with his boss and ignore everyone else. but the new waitress can't hack the rude customers and the regulars can be a little... much.

What to expect: “serving up indiana heatwaves, slow burns, walk in freezer breakdowns, late night talks, shared shakes and food as a love language. order extra spice for $4.

141K, a linecook!au with eddie munson and shy fem!reader.”

My thoughts: I absolutely found this fic by chance, and boy am I glad I did! The writing for this fic is absolutely amazing, the way I feel every single emotion the author wrote was crazy! Eddie is this story is such a little grump and the contrast of the shy teacher was so adorable, my favorite moments were when she was being defiant towards him and he didn’t know how to act because no one had ever stood up against him in his kitchen 🥹 totally recommend, this is a slow burn and I thrive in slow burns, can’t wait to read more from this author!

The Breakfast Club - Eddie Munson X Cheerleader!Reader

Author: @radioactiveparker

Summary: Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently. And when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same. (A retelling of The Breakfast Club, written and directed by John Hughes.)

What to expect: Enemies to lovers / All Characters Are 18+ / Strong Language / Sex References / Mentions of Abuse (physical and emotional) / Cheating / Bad Relationships / Dysfunctional Families / Arguing / Materialism / Kleptomania / Stereotyping / Sexual Orientations / Drug Use / Mentions of Alcohol / Smoking / Pyromania and Fire / References to Demonianism and Satanism / References to Religious Beliefs / Social Alienation / Angst / Hurt-Comfort / Use of Y/N (like once or twice) / Eddie is a complete asshole

“A/N: This mini series is set in its own little world, so it does not follow the Stranger Things timeline, and I have taken some creative liberties with most characters. Yes, they are all still in high school (final year and 18+), and yes, some of the events don't match up - just forget everything you knew about Stranger Things, it's easier that way haha.”

My thoughts: I am in absolute love with this series and can’t wait for updates ! I am so obsessed with the Breaksfast Club narrative, the enemies to lovers, the popular girl x school freak. It’s so enticing and I am a sucker for it! But what the author does that I am loving is that they set themselves apart from the original movie, js the interaction of the reader with other characters, I won’t spoil it, but it’s a little heartbreaking 💔 from the little that I have read from the 3 chapters so far, it is great!

Not Very Noble

Author: @allthingsjoeq

Summary: Your kingdom is placed under threat of liquidation, the villagers crying out for help as each day they enter greater poverty. As their princess you have been chosen to amend the broken monarchy, creating a truce between the neighbouring royals, and fulfilling a marriage decided by the King. A low-ranking knight and Princess both from reverse backgrounds thrusted together against choice, they descend into a journey of Hate, Lust and Love all while caught in between a circle of lies.  

What to expect: Knight Eddie x Princess Reader Disclaimer: Enemies to Lovers, Angst, eventual fluff, light smut to come. Royal and medieval references but they may not all be 100% accurate.

My thoughts: I have a huge fascination with Medieval things, and think there isn’t nearly enough Eddie Munson Medieval themed AU’s and I think that’s a problem! This in particular is so well written, so beautifully put, it made me weep, and cry like a big baby from reading this, and it’s not even complete yet!!!!!! Y’all KNOW how much I buss down for an Enemies to Lovers trope 😩 I really hope they update this soon because I am patiently waiting 🥹

Not Wholly Evil

Author: @uglypastels

Summary: as the daughter of the Governor, there is quite a heavy prize set on your safe return home, and the captain will not let anything come between him and his bounty.

What to expect: "semi dark fic" - READ the warnings:. (gun/sword)violence. blood. minor character death. allusions to suicide. kidnapping. imprisonment. alcohol. open and deep sea. pirates are pigs: frequent mentions of non-con and allusions to assault, but it does not actually occur. malnourishment. abuse. manhandling.

My thoughts: I LOVE me some pirate au, I think it is so incredibly fitting for Eddie to be set in this role. It is still on-going so it only has 2 chapters, but that was enough to make me sign up for the tag list!! It’s is beautifully written, the descriptions are so good it makes me feel like I am IN the Hellfire ship. Super excited to see where this is take me, and I hope they update it soon because it’s my new obsession!

Turtle dove and the crow

Author: @blue-mossbird

Summary: You’ve known Edward Munson since he moved into the farm next door with his uncle - eight years old, odd, and utterly intriguing to you. For ten years, you’ve known him, and over that time, he’s become your best friend. But now, in the dreamy haze of August heat, you begin to know him in a different way. And in this process of knowing and becoming known, lives will be irrevocably changed.

What to expect: 1940s Farm AU, featuring bsf!neighbor!eddie x fem!reader18+ (minors dni). smut; true love; unexpected pregnancy; angst, angst, angst; parental issues; corporal punishment; scheming, plotting, and betrayal; hurt/comfort; period-typical stigma regarding unwed pregnancy; angst with a happy ending. oral (f!receiving), p in v, unprotected sex, breeding kink.

My thoughts: holy shit my dudes, I think I found my new hyper fixation, to add to the list of stories I will check daily for updates! This is only the first episode and it already has me in a death grip 🫥 I am in love with 1940’s due to Bucky Barnes, and mixing Eddie in with that aesthetic threw me for a loop!! This is not the fic for you if you want cannon content, it is clearly set in another world, a different decade, and seems to me like it’s Eddie’s personality adapted for a 1940’s farm boy view, and I think I’m in love. Plus my fantasy of being a southern Belle (that’s my name if you didn’t know) is in an all time high with this. I can already picture all of the angst and all the crying in my bed at 2am this story will bring me, and I’m so excited 🤩

June Baby

Author: @luveline

Summary: you’re a single mom living three trailers down. eddie thinks you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. queue smiley face oatmeal, grossly misused power tools, desserts on the living room floor, a haircut, and an abundance of nerd metaphors

What to expect: teen mom!reader, fem!reader, r is Junie’s birth mother, fluff, hurt/comfort, Eddie ends up being a total girl dad (<3), mutual pining, yearning, etc, tw for not having much money, general loneliness, mentions of a shitty/traumatic pregnancy, general mom struggles :(, slow-burn friends to lovers, you wash Eddie’s hair!!!! this was low-key requested by anon

My thoughts: Honest to god, this is one o the best writing I have ever read on this app. The way Jade uses her words to describe the scenes, ughhhhhhh I can't explain, but Jade writes like a scene of a movie. It does not feel like the supporting characters don't feel like they seize to exist as soon as the main characters move on to a different scene. I love how the supporting characters are all incredibly detailed, feel like real people, and have real people reactions to things; weird, I know, haha. I love how much I adore this story so much. it does not feel like a simple fic, like I would invest in a start-up for this to be published into an actual book. It is so good, so sweet. I absolutely adore this story. It makes my heart do three summersaults per second every time Jade posts a new chapter, the characters have my fucking heart 🥺

Meet The Munsons

Author: @mypoisonedvine

Summary: you were barely acquaintances in high school, but his reputation as a delinquent and freak didn't exactly endear you to him. now he's moving in. at the risk of being too literal: oh, brother.

What to expect: kind of incest, but not really? male masturbation, swearing, mentions/implications of a deceased parent, reader is a tad judgmental but that's what character development is for!

My thoughts: I have read and re-read this story about three times. If I'm not mistaken, this is the only complete one on this list. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! it made me so giddy. a grown woman giggling and kicking my feet like a little girl. I love the evolution of the characters and the way, slowly but surely, their feelings start to slip out, and by the end, you are totally like, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST HOLD HANDS, I BEG OF YOU. Not gonna lie, the "kind of incest" threw me off at first, but then you find out that they aren't actually related in no way possible; the reader's mom marries Uncle Wayne, and they are not raised together, so their not that weird situation of raised like siblings, which would make it really weird when they make out pretty heavily. Can't believe I'm defending incest.

The "Yes" Policy

Author: @pinkrelish

Summary: After a lifetime of questionable decisions, you moved from the big city to the sleepy town of Hawkins with your best friend and took the first job you saw: answering phones for the most boring auto shop in the dullest place on Earth. It wasn't exactly the adventure you wanted it to be.. but attempting to win over the jaded mechanic who insisted on ignoring your existence proved entertaining.

What to expect: slow burn, eventual smut, strangers to lovers, flirting, mutual pining, angst, drug/alcohol mention/use, depictions of poverty, sort of grumpy x sunshine, but Eddie's just tired, reader and Eddie are mid-late 20's

My thoughts: This fic singlehandedly made me fall in love with the sunshine x grumpy trope, the thought of Eddie being a girl dad makes my heart double in size. Him being a single dad, Wayne being grandpapi is too cute! them doing their best to provide the best for their little princess, and the relationship between Miss Mouse and Adrie has my heart.

To Have and To Scold

Author: @icallhimjoey

Summary: Your best friends are getting married, and who else can they ask to be their best man and maid of honour but you and Joe? It's just that... you don't really get along all that well, do you? At least, that's what you think.

What to expect: CW / disclaimer: sort of enemies to sort of lovers (very vague, im sorry, but you'll see), language, drinking, rpf, fem!reader

My thoughts: I don’t usually like reading real person fics, like when the character is actually a real life person, I much prefer a fictional character because otherwise sometimes I get weirded out. That being said, I decided to give this fic a try, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the story. I picked it up and couldn’t put the phone down till I finished! The characters are engaging, and story is so sweet 🫶🏼

Bad Idea

Author: @lunarzstarz

Summary: Not wanting to leave for college with your virginity still intact, you turn to your last resort that you know can only end terribly…

What to expect: NSFW 18+ minors dni, drugs, first Times, oral (F receiving), fingering, protected sex, nicknames (Princess/Sweetheart), Eddie being a goof but also an asshole (Slightly proofread) Fuckboy!EddieMunson x Virgin!Fem!Reader

My thoughts: smut, plain smut. And I love it. Eddie is kind of a dickhead, not gonna lie, but then he starts to show signs of falling for the reader, regular shmegular lowkey toxic trope, but I love it!!!!

Crayons and Cassettes

Author: @comfort-writing

Summary: You are a kindergarten teacher. Eddie’s daughter, Sage, is in your class. She bonds with you instantly, and Eddie is trying not to do the same.

What to expect: his fic will be 18+ in later chapters, so minors DNI! In this chapter, it is mentioned that rumors about Eddie still linger. no use of y/n. I can think of nothing else for this chapter because it’s just an introductory one, but please let me know if I missed anything!

My thoughts: I have not finished this fic yet, but s far it is amazing!! Eddie is so nervous and so sweet, but still nerdy, and charming.

Honey I'm Home

Author: @trashmouth-richie

Summary: you were desperate for a roommate after Nancy got married and moved out. An ad in the paper goes unanswered until someone comes knocking on the door.

What to expect: enemies to lovers trope, eventual smut, language, crude behavior, Eddie is a fucking menace.

My thoughts: I honestly fell in love with this story, it is so mysterious, and so touching, funny, endearing, and most of all, a big tease. I fell in love with these characters, and their personalities, how they are together, and how the interact with one another. The idea of an older protective Eddie, that is conflicted with the thoughts of seeing Tooty as a little girl, but now she is a grown woman is mesmerizing to read, and Richie does an amazing job at writing it all so well.

Disjointed

Author: @boomhauer

Summary: Nurse!Reader is reunited with her high school crush in the emergency room. Faced with a lifetime worth of debt, she helps Eddie in the only way she can.

What to expect: Fake marriage. Friends to lovers. Medical trauma. Lemon/Smut. Angst. Slow burn. No Vecna!!

My thoughts: This a new type of fic for me, I had never read anything in the nursing realm, an amazing first! I appreciate the reality of it all, from what I understand the author has personally experienced some of these scenarios, and im guessing has been/is a nurse practitioner, so makes for an extremely believable, and amusing plot!!

Twenty Four Hours

Author: @ghost-proofbaby

What to expect: modern!Eddie Munson x fem!reader, uses female pronouns on occasion. strong language, eventual smut, upside down does not exist, minors dni

Summary: in which Eddie Munson and you absolutely hate each other's guts. what happens when your friends make a bet that you can't spend more than twenty-four hours consecutively together? modern!college!eddie x college!fem!reader

My Thoughts: I love Enemies to Lovers trope!! This fic is full of stunning writing, amazing visual descriptions of feelings, and hot-ass characters! this made me cry on multiple occasions, in a good way! Though I am a crybaby. Eddie is such a sweetheart in this, and mean in some chapters, but it's all for the feels!!

Smoke Signals

Author: @eddies-house

What to expect: Grumpy!Eddie Munson x shy!reader, uses female pronouns on occasion, strong language, eventual smut, PTSD, trauma, talks about trauma, mentions of death, mentions of bullying, minors dni, set in a town other than Hawkings

Summary: Relocating to the small town of Knife’s Edge in hopes of leaving your old life behind and starting brand new solves all of your problems, right? Wrong. It only creates more and one of them may live right next door. Side effects may include blaring music at 3AM, a scowling neighbor, and one too many shots of tequila on several occasions. (That The Bourbon will not be comping.)

My Thoughts: I love Enemies to Lovers trope! That much isn't any news to you guys! This fic is so lovely written, I love how real the characters feel, and how immersed I was in reading this, I am so related to the character because I too am a crybaby. Eddie is such a sweetheart in this, I just want Bambi to hug and kiss him 🥹, and mean in some chapters, but it isn't in a toxic sort of way.

Begin Again

Author: @abibliophobiaa

What to expect: Eddie’s post-S4 trauma; panic attacks; nightmares; family member loss; grief; alcohol use; mild smut in later chapters, so 18+; additional warnings to be added. Eddie Munson x afab!reader, sunshine!reader x grumpy!eddie vibes

Summary: The year is 1988. After the loss of a beloved family member, you find yourself inheriting an old coffee shop. The quiet bartender at the Hideout across the street just so happens to catch your eye.

My Thoughts: you know that I love sunshine!reader x grumpy!eddie vibes! This fic is so nicely written, It has long chapters which I fiend for, I absolutely adore it when a fic has 20K words in one chapter, it only has 4 of them because it takes place as a chapter for each season, which is generous btw, wish I'd thought of this!

Beast of Burden

Author: @neonghostlights

What to expect: Fuckboy!Werewolf!Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader Eddie gets called a man-whore (not by reader), mates, cussing, mention of almost hitting an animal with your car (doesn't happen but almost does), parental and grandparent death (readers whole family is dead) 18+ only, minors dni

Summary: (doesn't really have a summary, but this post the author made pretty much sums up) "I’m thinking about fuckboy!werewolf Eddie. Let’s say he’s gotten around with every girl in Hawkins because he never thought he’d have a mate. That was until you, a human, showed up and proved him wrong. Now he has to find a way to prove himself to you."

My Thoughts: yeah! fucking sue me, I like werewolf fanfictions! I can't really blame it all on Twilight, except I absolutely will blame it all on Twilight. But I swear this is really cute, and I live for it!

[dogmetaph0r]

10, 13 (alfie - i mean i have to - plus one of your choice) and 14 for salty asks game 👉👈

OOOH HERE WE GOOO

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

I didn’t not like it narratively, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the whole arc of trying to get Linda and Arthur back together :/ I did appreciate it in a “fellas we are never breaking the cycle” way, but it kinda drove a wedge between me and my enjoyment of Arthur’s boyfailure arc at some points. Linda kinda reminds me of my adorable little WASP-y mom so seeing her threatened and upset because a man will do anything but go to therapy……eugh, hard watch.

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

Alfie - this is gonna maybe be a bit controversial (or not? idk it took a while for me to wrap my noggin around the vibes) but……I don’t think Alf is all that religious? He is very very involved in his community and seems to be a well respected member of Jewish society in Camden Town, but idk how much he really practices in his day-to-day. I could be entirely wrong (would be happy for a Jewish PB fan to correct me if I am, and honestly I much prefer the headcanons that imply it matters a bit to him because as you’re about to see….I love cultural exchange) but Alfie’s irreverence and self-deification don’t really come across as terribly devout to me. If you consider the non-TV works to be canon, he definitely seems to be of the impression that nothing really matters beyond the carnal. He does seem to believe in a God, but that God’s existence isn’t really consequential to him. So I think his Jewish identity is more forged in community than shared reverence! I can relate, in a way; I never practiced Catholicism, but because my entire dad’s side did and I grew up in a highly Catholic neighborhood, it impacts how I interact with the world. So that’s how I kinda see it: it’s not the religion that he practices, but more the identity of someone raised with the religion.

I also wanna doooooo……..

Polly - she wasn’t always a wise, rational woman throughout the show. There were plenty of times she acted out of anger, fear, stubbornness… and while I do love that we kinda treat her as our voice of reason, she’s still as flawed as the rest of them. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of fics fall into the idea that Polly knows everything. It makes for a good story driver, but I feel like that unfortunately just doesn’t encompass who Polly is as a person. I don’t wanna ramble super long AGAIN but I think a lot of her interactions with/about Michael kinda demonstrate that. She’s easily blinded by her fear of loss in particular, and in a way it’s very similar to Tommy’s motivations. I think that’s part of why they butt heads sometimes. I’d like to explore that more myself!

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

Oooh boy, this one is kinda tough to say. But I think we have a looooong way to go as a fandom in terms of cultural sensitivity. I know we’re working with source material that already has a pretty problematic and shallow way of going about Romani characters, but I think it’s our duty as fans to sorta….grapple with that a bit? Address it with nuance? Or at least listen to POC, particularly Romani, creators who take issue with the things done in the show and in fan content. There are SO many aspects of the show itself that play into racist stereotypes about Romani people, and I’ve seen a number of tropes and fic concepts that revolve around those stereotypes in particularly shocking ways (for example, maybe don’t have “sold to the Shelby family” or “magical g**** fortune teller” as a plot point??? Many levels of inappropriate to that). I do largely give people the benefit of the doubt because I know that not everyone knows what to look out for, especially if they themselves are not targeted personally by bigotry in their communities, and fewer people know where to go to figure that out…. but I feel like specifically Romanichal culture is a strong enough theme in the show to warrant SOME promotion of cultural research. Of course we all have work to do (I’m no exception, and I wholeheartedly welcome concrit if anything in the story seems off) but I feel like some people really lean into exoticism and stereotypes without any unpacking of why they’re doing it. And, when other people express discomfort, I’ve seen more than once the sort of response that sums up to “well so-and-so said it’s not a slur/bad trope/stereotype so I’m gonna keep using it”. Thankfully it’s less prevalent here on tumblr but it’s still a problem! Let’s rid ourselves of the idea that any one culture is a monolith! Cultural exchange and education are exciting! Decolonize your writing! Respect and an open mind go a long way!

BUT YEAH basically that’s it teehee :•)

[i-hold-horrors-hand]

I'd like your favorite instrumental track pls

Oooh....I can't pick just one lol. Here's 10, in no particular order.

1) Star Trek: TNG theme. It hits me right in the nostalgia (I started watching it when I was 11), and it's just very "spacey" and curious and lovely. Every time I hear it, I feel excited to seek out new life and civilizations and to boldly go where no one has gone before.

2) Hawaii Five O theme (reboot version). Not only because I enjoyed the show, but because every. Single. Time. I hear it. I get fucking PUMPED. Feel READY to take on the DAY as well as ANY CHALLENGE. Like, if I still used alarms to get myself up, I'd use this song. It's got this tone that promises ACTION and ADVENTURE and EXCITEMENT.

3) The main title from Beetlejuice. It just SLAPS. It starts off a little intriguing and spooky, then the "Daylight come and me wan go hoooome" (that doesn't make it not an instrumental though. I said so) that gets a little melancholy at the end. Then it builds TENSION. And keeps building then OOH THE CLIMAX AND THE CHORUS/CHOIR/WHATEVER that ADDS to the SPOOKINESS. Then it comes down a bit then...done. Sort of feels like a rollercoaster of a song, kinda. Also that oboe(?) just fucking GETS me and I love it! Danny Elfman can do no wrong, musically.

4) Lux Aeterna from Requiem for a Dream. I've yet to see this movie, but this song? Oh my god. It starts off sad, then it gets depressing. Then it feels like everything is spiralling out of control around you, and you're helpless to stop it. Helpless to stop yourself from falling into despair and melancholy insanity. You're losing your footing, you're losing your mind, you're losing everything. Everything is terrible. And all you can do is watch it happen. The final moments are the audio equivalent of completely and utterly giving up on your life. Absolutely POWERFUL stuff. Don't listen to it when you're feeling psychologically vulnerable, though. Too dangerous.

5) If I Had Words by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, from the Babe soundtrack. In addition to being nostalgic for me (I fucking LOVED this movie as a kid, and I still have the VHS tape somewhere), it's just such a nice song. It starts off gentle and even hopeful, then gets stronger, staying happy and chipper the whole time, even as it gets more strong and dramatic. Then it reaches a crescendo and calms down a bit, still retaining the good mood and tone, and even feeling a bit triumphant at the end. It's like a sunrise, happy and eventful day, then a sunset. Lovely.

6) In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt. Like many people, I've not heard the entire "soundtrack" or even watched a production of the play, but I have heard this song. Classic "tip-toeing around the place" music. Starts off sounding like we're being sneaky, careful, and not getting caught. Then it slowly starts going to shit, and we're bumping into stuff and making noise and oh fuck oh shit. Then we're caught, and we're in trouble, and well. Fuck. Oops. But in an amusing and upbeat way.

7) Dies Irae from Wolfgang motherfucking Amadeus Mozart. It's dramatic. It's religious. It's ominous. When you hear this, you KNOW some shit is about to go down (or already going down). This is peak "oh fuck, we're in trouble (but aesthetically~)" music. Also it's not really an instrumental, but I don't care. I'm including it because it's iconic and it slaps.

8) The prologue/opening (Sunrise) from Also Sprach Zarathustra. It's iconic, because of Kubrick, true. But! It's also very cool on its own. It starts out quiet then suddenly DRAMATIC and STRONG. It gives you the feeling of witnessing something very significant, something very big. Like, a new discovery of some kind. It gives you a moment to bask in the awe it inspires in you, then lets you down elegantly and lets you process what you've just experienced and witnessed. Excellent stuff.

9) Ride of the Valkyries from Richard Wagner. Holy shit. There's a reason this has been used so much. Starts off like THE CALVARY IS COMING. GET FUCKING READY BITCH. Then the calvary is HERE motherfucker. Look the FUCK out. And then there's clashing, and FIGHTING, and BATTLES AND WAR. Then TRIUMPH when the calvary fucking wins. The DRAMA. The EXCITEMENT. Richard Wagner himself was a racist and antisemite, but his music fucking SLAPPED and he can't profit off it anymore or gatekeep it because he's dead as fuck. We can reinterpret it and reimagine it and he can't do shit about it.

10) Beethoven Virus by Ludwig van Beethoven & Diana Boncheva & BanYa. It's Classical meets modern. And done EXTREMELY well. The energy NEVER tires, even when it changes for a bit, it just keeps up the whole time. It makes me think of an epic swordfight taking place in various rooms in a castle, one swordfighter chasing the other around the place, and one gets the upper hand BUT THEN. The other one gets their second wind, and keeps fighting. Then the dramatic end, where one swordfighter wins and ends things with a flourish. Fuck yeah.

[madscarypod]

Bonus Ep Recap: Spooky Season

Hello all. Rina and I share our picks for Spooky Season. These are not in rank order, ya'll.

Millie’s List The Stuff (1985) written and directed by Larry Cohen This movie is chock full of super fun satire. Way ahead of its time - it digs into the stronghold of viral marketing; our obsession with food and our want to fill the void w/a sweet treat, corporations selling their souls to make a buck. Well done Mr. Cohen. Also, if you have Michael Moriarity in your movie it’s gonna be a banger. 1 million corns up. Elvira Mistress of the Dark (1988) Directed by James Signorelli Written by Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, herself), John Paragon, and Sam Egan This movie is right up there with Beetlejuice for me but doesn’t get the same love. It has a lot of the same funny scary energy. Some really great jump scares, gooey monsters, and family drama. Not to mention Elvira is iconic - strong, beautiful and hilarious with some classic ditz. Gotta love her. Also 1 million corns up. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui Written by Joss Whedon This movie was life changing. Not only was it all the spooky things I love but I was introduced to one of the greatest female superheroes ever. I love the show but this movie has a special place in my heart. I love the early 90’s campiness of it. The love and reverence paid to the valley girl archetype and there’s some really classic Paul Ruebens post-Pee Wee that’s just the best. Rautger Hauer is both menacing and hilarious. All the corns. Babadook (2014); written and directed by Jennifer Kent Ok, like legit I haven’t been this scared since The Ring. I couldn’t sleep for days/maybe weeks after this movie. If you’re afraid of the dark - which I am - this is going to hit you like nothing else. Also, it’s also a “real” movie w/proper themes. It’s a wonderful play on the parent child relationship, especially parents w/neurodiverse kiddos. Amazing. All the corns, as well. The Color out of Space (2019); story by HG Wells directed by Richard Stanley You’ve already heard me talk about my love of this movie. It’s just great. Really gross. Really irreverent. Very scary. It has a lot to say and I’m here for it. You can never go wrong with a Nicholas Cage film. He sells the whole thing. All the corns facing up.

Rina’s List I was initially thinking of the quintessential fall horror movies that remind you of Halloween and the harvest and things like that. For that vibe, my list looked like this: Halloween, Sleepy Hollow, Pumpkinhead, Children of the Corn, Wicker Man. The Pale Blue Eye (2022) would be an honorable mention here (but ultimately a letdown). But I didn’t really feel like my heart was in that list. Although I fucking love Sleepy Hollow, and I definitely watched the Pumpkinhead series too much as a kid (shoutout to it ALWAYS being on on SciFi channel), what I really like to watch when the leaves start to turn and the days start to get shorter are movies that have a classic spooky vibe. What I mean by that is like movies that are foggy, and the character is basically alone. Maybe there’s a cool old creaky mansion (no longer in its prime/spendor), or a remote cabin. There are definitely scenes of the protagonist walking through a crunchy yard, or sparse, foggy woods.

With that in mind, here's my list of (fairly recent?) movie recs for the remainder of the Spooky Szn, in no particular order: The Witch (2015) - Robert Eggers’ full-length writer/directorial debut (sticking to our writer/director theme accidentally?) Also known as the V-Vitch. Maybe the ultimate harvest season, New England, spooky tale? It’s got it all: the unforgiving, remote wilderness; crops failing mysteriously; heavy religious overtones; creepy (and annoying) twins; virginal teen daughter; “is mommy crazy?”; goat. “Similar but different” bonus pick: Stoker (2013); also coming-of-age, teen girl story? The Awakening (2011) This movie is moody as hell! Fog; beautiful manicured grounds; cronchy piles of leaves; spooky boarding school; hollywood hunk Dominic West taking a bath; creepy lil kids; ominous warning from an old lady character; ghost hunting! “Similar but different” bonus pick: The Others (2001); also a story about a woman with a husband who went to (a different) war and wants to protect children? Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) I like this version over the 1973 original – it's a whole different vibe. This one is more, “parents not listening to the kid,” and the original is more, “is mommy crazy?” This one is set at a beautiful, old, Rhode Island mansion. Spooky groundskeeper; precocious little girl; new stepmom vying for approval; preoccupied dad; things going missing; things going bump in the night. “Similar but different” bonus pick: Silent House (2011); also a story where a woman is fixing up an old house to sell it? Deerskin (2019) Guy buys a deerskin jacket and goes off the rails. It was way too much money and he threw in a camcorder. “Similar but different” bonus pick: Creep Crimson Peak (2015) Gorgeous movie, saturated with color. The costumes, the house, the mysterious family secret. A little bit more of a late autumn/early winter movie but it fits the mood.“Similar but different” bonus picks: The Haunting (controversial hot/bad take: I prefer the 1999 over the 1963); also a movie set at a beautiful, haunted house with a dark and dangerous past?

Honorable mention: Not a Movie → The Haunting of Hill House Dishonorable mention: Sucked and was bad → The Lodge We asked ChatGPT to participate, as well. Here's what it said:

Then we were like - hit us w/a bonus.

Nailed it. Honestly, these are all just good. For any season. So, happy watching!

Have a rec? Add it up in our comments.

[black-rose-writings]

So, I'll avoid more doylist extensive analysis here, I'll leave that for when I get my references in order (by that I mean dig up a decade+ old books about Advent Saints me and my siblings got to learn about where our names came from - all of us are named after advent saints. It's also where I learned the czech word for "brothel" at the ripe old age of nine, and a 40+ year old book of Russian fairytales), and stick to what it means in universe.

Only thing I'll mention from a strictly out-of-universe perspective is that a repeated theme in the book is the blurry line between witchcraft and miracles, and how quickly one can become the other, in both ways, which I find endlessly fascinating considering other parts of the Grishaverse. (And it's a shame LB is too much of a coward to commit to a "Saint becomes a Witch" narrative for her main characters).

(I also apologize if this is a bit more rambly than usual, I am covering an entire book in one post, I have bees in my head, and it's Friday evening)

Again, the Ravkan Saints religion draws heavily from Christianity in an aesthetic sense, including but not limited to, and in no particular order:

Orthodox-esque churches (present outside of LoS)

Physical relics of Saints (only present outside of LoS)

Most aspects of the clergy

The use of prayer beads (mentioned off-handedly in Sankt Ilya's story)

Holy texts, including some supposedly written by the Saints, beliefs and tradition seemingly strongly tied to these books

Psalms/religious songs ("Psalms" mentioned directly in the Sankt Petyr story).

Burrial into consecrated ground vs unconsecrated ground for certain crimes (mentioned in the Sankt Valentin story)

Strong emphasis on chants/prayers as the main form of day-to-day worship

Sunday service/mass (mentioned in the Sankt Emerens story at least, possibly elsewhere)

Mass as a form of group religious activity (again, mentioned in the Sankt Emerens story)

Concepts of demons/witchcraft

The giving of Saints' names/infant christening equivalent

Marriage rites similar to orthodox traditions

I know basically none of these are exclusively christian or even Abrahamic, but their specifics are aesthetically very christian

However, I have come to the conclusion, that the theology behind those practices is much more pagan (which I have said before, but I feel it is a bit more solid, now).

It is clear that the Saints in the Grishaverse are higher in the divine pecking order than IRL Christian saints, probably closer to demigods of some kind, or maybe more accurately "enlightened" humans, at least from the outside perspective (most of them were likely Grisha).

The closest thing I can find as a parallel was ancient greek hero cults, however, those tended to be far more localized. (Something akin to hero cults could also give an explanation for why the Duke can just run his orphanage as a personal cult without seemingly any reprecussions)

As I said, I've listened to a lecture on ancient greek religion yesterday, and I'm seeing some interesting parallels between it and the Grishaverse religion (which makes me wonder if the precursor to the Saints' faith wasn't something akin to the Greek system - it would actually align nicely with the picture we have of ununified Ravka, putting the first Tzar to a role akin to Philip of Macedonia(father of Alexander the Great).)

Because the thing about the Greek religion was that there was actually very little set in stone. There was some "inspired poetry", but it was not treated as infallible. The role of the priest was mostly administrative, and with very few exceptions (like oracles) were not believed to have a super special connection to the God/Gods they served.

The emphasis on religious poetry (through Tolya in TGT) makes me think that Grishaverse Saints' religion may have a much stronger oral tradition component than Christianity. The way something became accepted as canon to the Greek religion was just "if the poem is epic in both the literal and figurative sense of the word, we believe it now". Something akin to divinely inspired poetry could play a role in the rapid spread of Alina's cult in TGT and even the proclamation of Zoya as a Saint in the later books.

I do think divinity/Sainthood are almost certainly not as widely controlled/formalized as they are in Christianity of any flavor.

Oaths/vows seem to hold a great deal of weight - there's an implication that the reason Sankt Lukin's head remained alive and conscious for decades after his beheading was specifically the prince's oath to keep him as an advisor, at least partially. That whatever the power of the Saints is, it has the ability to suspend normal rules of the universe to hold you to your promise (interesting idea - Tsar Anastas promised the Darkling a safe haven for Grisha. When he tried to back out, Sasha created the Fold, making the Grisha necessary to Ravka's survival).

The humanity - or near-humanity - of the Saints is absolutely on full display in the book, as is their living in the current epoch. There are places that are still on the map today. The domestication of wolves is also placed in the current epoch, which is also kinda interesting (if you're a nerd like me, at least). The reason I think that story is actually set in the "currect epoch" is because of Ulla's story - we know Kenste Hjerte broke within Aleksander's lifetime. We know Sankt Ilya's story is based on a real event. The stories of the Saints aren't myths or religious stories in the traditional sense - they're more akin to the accounts of Jesus - fictionalized accounts of events that probably happened in one way or another, maybe not within the writers' lifetime, but certainly close enough to it. Which is why it stands out that something prehistoric in our world would be placed alongside of these stories.

While martyrdom is present, interestingly, it is mostly applied to people who were already religious/spiritual leaders in life.

So, I've read through the entirety of the Lives of Saints and have come to the conclusion we've been looking at the Ravkan religion wrong.

It might be aesthetically Christianity, but the stories and how they are written are much more in line with various pagan mythologie (Greek comes to mind because it's very present and I also was at a lecture on the ancient Greek religion yesterday). Which we knew already, but it is super clear in LiS. I will go through the entirety of it and write down as much as I can gather about the Ravkan religion once I get home (as well as my compiled list of likely iconography for each of the saints, based on the stories from the book, with a few exceptions - namely Alina, Valentin and Sasha, because their stories aren't really about them and there's not much to draw from there).

I am still miffed about the total lack of a creation story, though. Like, the biggest reason for why religions came to be was to explain why the world is the way it is, which the Saints' faith is super bad at.

I will also need to look for the old Advent Saints book when I come home for christmas, to get a bit of a comparison for how this type of literature is handled IRL, though the book we have at home is from this century. And get pictures of the Krása Nesmírná illustrations for examples of russian children's illustration in particular.

(Because while some of the pictures might pass for a religious painting in theory, the artstyle is way too modern in all of them).

[always-andromeda]

NSFW Alphabet | Eli Sunday x fem!Reader

Eli Sunday x fem!Reader

Author’s Note | ugh, the amount of times that Sophia and I have brainstormed over this man in particular…I think too many things about him. So I hope y’all enjoy lol.

Warnings | smut (MDNI), religious themes, sprinkles of misogyny all throughout, nothing else I can think of!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Eli is naturally a very caring person. Aftercare--even if he's inexperienced--comes easily to him. He gets very sentimental and caring of you; definitely asks a lot of questions. He'll make sure you're not hurting anywhere and that if you're not in bed, that you can stand up straight. His hand stays planted on your hip, keeping you steady, even if his own knees wobble. He also likes kissing you deeply after each round. He worries too much (especially when he gets rougher) about sex becoming more of a chore for you. So he latches his lips on yours languidly just to highlight his connection with you. He can't let you forget how much he loves you, silly!

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Eli didn’t put much thought into his body until his later teen years. When all the young men around Little Boston started going out and getting married, he wondered why he didn’t receive any of the attention they did. He quickly concluded that it was probably his body. The years of working on his father’s ranch only made him leaner, not more built like many of the other men. But, he quite likes his shoulders and his arms. They’re not packed with muscles, but they’re still strong. He comes to enjoy being as slim as he is. Because even though not being perceived as an intimidating man can be troublesome, he much prefers being viewed as a gentle, compassionate man; one who will envelop any one of his congregation members into a warm embrace with his long arms.

He loves your belly. Loves the softness and how his lips sink into the flesh so easily when he trails kisses down it, preparing to go down on you. Not only does he like the softness, but he likes imagining it being full with his child one day. He takes special care to check if there’s something growing in there if you’re actively trying to have a child with him. He’ll lay his head across your stomach softly and listen, as if he’ll feel some sort of tremor beneath him. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Eli only ever wants to cum inside of you. He wouldn’t want to cum anywhere else because that would only be a “waste” of his seed. Don't worry, we'll be touching on the breeding kink later on! 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Our sweet little preacher boy fantasizes about you a LOT. Like way more than he would like to. And it happens during the most random points of his day. While he's preaching. While he's walking home. Having dinner. In bed. He gets the most vivid, sudden images. It takes him a while to act upon those visions. He's terrified of you thinking he's some sort of demon of a man; a man shouldn't want his wife in as many ways as he wants you, right? He suppresses a lot of it out of shame and god forbid you ever walk in on him handling those pesky visions on his own.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

This man has NO CLUE what he is doing. Of course he waited until after marriage. That doesn’t leave him with much of an idea on how everything works. And assuming you’ve been a good girl, you wouldn’t know either. But, if anything, Eli finds that more beautiful than anything else. It's a journey, getting to know you at the exact same time as you're getting to know yourself. It's full of trial and error but it doesn't get awkward too often. Eli is too intense of a man to let the little things shake his resolve.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Eli can go with almost every position but he will never turn down some good old fashioned missionary or a mating press. Because he's inexperienced, he knows nothing other than the standard idea of men leading. He would enjoy switching roles and playing the submissive, but it would take a bit of teaching to break down the barriers in his head. Being anything other than a top would have him worried that he's showing weakness. As long as you reassure him, he can get into being your sweet boy.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Eli is deadly serious about sex. He doesn’t make jokes. Nor is he the most smooth or suave about it. But he is extremely intimate every time. It isn't just simple pleasure. It's an act of devotion. It's him showing you how much he loves you. So of course he treats sex with the weight and respect he thinks it deserves.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Bright eyed and bushy tailed Eli doesn’t really care too much about grooming himself. But as he gets further into sin and worldly delights, it’s a must to keep his appearance as smooth as possible. That includes his pubic hair. He doesn’t go fully shaved but maintains a neat, trimmed little bush of sandy brown hair around his beautiful cock.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Eli is intense. Very intense. In his mind, the entire appeal of having sex is rooted in closeness and connection, not just pleasure. Yeah, the pleasure he feels on its own is fun. But being able to make you feel those things too? That's half the reason he wants it so bad. He whispers little prayers and promises to you. He's going to make you cum so hard tonight. You're going to be his forever. He's also all about peppering little kisses all over your body, cherishing every piece of you until you're well aware of how loved and appreciated and known you are in his arms.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Masturbation is a heavy taboo for Eli. I think the first few times he gets an erection, he has no clue what it means. Probably thinks he’s sick. And he finds out almost by accident what he’s supposed to do with it. He tries to press it down against his mattress. But that only makes it worse as he rustles in the night. He very quickly discovers that if he angles his hips just right and ruts into the mattress…that rigid problem softens pretty quickly after that.

He uses his hand every once in a while but it makes him feel too guilty. The first time he gets the courage to fuck his tightly clenched fist, he cums so quickly and so intensely that he cries a bit. And though the pleasure waves through his body delightfully, he has a hard time sleeping knowing how he’d just violated himself. So he sticks with the mattress whenever he absolutely can’t control himself.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

First and foremost, this man has a breeding kink. We all know this one. And if you don’t know, then how?? We should all know by now that this man of God would be DYING to impregnate you. Not only because he would love to see you pregnant, but also because being a father would be a total ego trip for him. He’d take pride in being a better father than his own. Abel was stupid. So he takes it as a challenge to not pass that foolishness down his genetic line. He’s extremely eager to make you all big and full of children. Would say in the heat of the moment, Be a good little wife for me, Mrs. Sunday. Give me a quiver full.

This man is a sucker for orgasm denial. He likes edging you and also being edged himself. Mostly because it takes him a bit of self control and effort in controlling his climaxes; so being denied the release only prolongs and intensifies his pleasure. He enjoys denying your orgasm because it’s a power and control thing.

Eli goes insane for cockwarming. This ties a lot in with orgasm denial. He loves the idea of holding you in place on his lap while he reads. Loves when you start to squirm so he can say, Patience, my darling. Patience. It gives him such a power trip. Because, yes, you’re on top of him but he has all of the control on the situation. And if you want to have a satisfying climax, you’ll have to follow his directions.

He also completely has a thing for free use. You are his spouse. That means being there for him in every way that you possibly can. Being a prophet, the weight of the world is constantly on his shoulders. So he needs the option of sex to be on the table at all times. He isn't completely selfish, however. He'd encourage you to come to him whenever your little heart desires as well. If you were nervous about it, he'd get the biggest kick out of encouraging you. It almost feels like he's corrupting you; making you more confident in your carnal cravings for him. But if you have no trouble with jumping his bones, he doesn't have any trouble either. Either way, he wants to see the fire in your eyes and hopes you can see his as well.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Truly, Eli could do it anywhere. He likes the risk of touching you in public, most definitely. But, more than anything, he's an old fashioned bedroom kind of guy. He worships you on your marital bed and that's the most divine thing for him.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

One word: domesticity. He doesn’t see himself as being a very powerful man. He's wiry and fragile. But, having a creature that--according to God's law--is to submit to him...that makes him go wild. Something about your undying obedience and dedication to him gets him going. He feels it most when you're doing some little task. Cooking dinner. Sewing. Cleaning your home. He gets possessive and wants you immediately.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Eli may like pushing the limits, but he wouldn't physically hurt you. For example, knives or any other weapons are completely off the table. Bloodplay is an absolute no. He'd never forgive himself if he lost himself in the experience (which can happen often) and lost your trust or your life in the process..

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Eli looooves giving. Truthfully, he is absolutely enamored by the well between your legs and loves exploring it. He’s very untrained though, obviously since he grew up very sexually repressed.

He won’t object to receiving but it takes him a little while to not feel guilty seeing you on your knees for him. As soon as he becomes more used to it, he gets really DEEPLY into it. It's another piece of control he loves to exert over you. How sweet you look, taking his twitching cock down that smooth, pretty throat of yours. He feels especially prideful knowing he is the only man who gets to feel the swipe of your tongue over his weeping tip.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Eli can easily slip from passionate lovemaking to being rough and domineering to submissively following your every signal. Eli is the definition of RANGE when it comes to the speed and the tone. It's mostly because he is so inexperienced? He's nervously eager to explore what paces might be most doable for him and most pleasurable for you.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Oh, this man isn’t a fan of quickies. He’s fine with the occasional one, just to release the tension, but he’s truly much more of a fan of taking his time. You deserve hours upon hours of foreplay and as many rounds as he can manage to give. He would completely wear himself out for you.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

In the beginning, he doesn't like taking risks. He's just starting to get to know your body and wouldn't want to risk causing any sort of damage. As he becomes more familiar with your body and your limitations, however, he is tentatively open for most anything you may want. But even if he's into something you want, he'll reframe it as though it was your idea and that you're just dragging him along for the ride.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Eli is super sensitive at first and will finish super quickly. He simply had no clue that this level of pleasure even existed. So now that he’s had a taste of it, he wants more and more all of the time. This is nothing like the shameful little climaxes he would have alone in his bedroom in the dead of night. This was connecting with another person in one of the most intimate ways possible. So even though he doesn’t always last long, he can go for four or five rounds. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

This is the 1900s. To quote my Percy alphabet, it’s not like they had Hitachi magic wands floating around back then. Even if they were around, Eli would see most toys as unnatural. And with sex being so intimate for him, he wouldn’t be into the idea of making you feel good with something other than a part of him.

It’s not that it makes him insecure of his own skill level. He could make you crumble in seconds, he's quite confident in that. Sex is just very intimate to him. He simply doesn’t feel as strong of a connection if it’s not his skin against yours; his flesh making yours shiver.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Eli is such a tease. Not in a silly, joking way, however. More in the sense that he wants to have you whimpering and crying for him, basically begging for him to let you cum. A common thread in a lot of his view of sex is the dynamics of control. So when he can adequately put you in your place and get you practically worshiping him...he is a very happy man.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Eli is still used to living under his family's roof and having to stifle the sound of his undoing with his pillow. When he's with you, he tries to bite into his fist to dampen the sound but of course you pry his hand away and convince him to let it all out. He's not too loud, but he's definitely vocal. He lets out high pitched whines, breathy gasps, and strangled groans that signal how terribly you ruin him. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Eli can’t help but put on his preaching lilt during sex. He channels all of his passion into a good sermon. He has a sense of drama and theatrics. Knows exactly how to keep his congregation on its toes with a simple shift in tone. So it’s natural that it comes through during sex. He sounds possessed by some higher power in those moments with the singsong inclination of his voice. His words are smooth and carefully chosen; all done with the purpose of easing the deepest, darkest demons from you.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

I imagine that Eli has the prettiest cock ever. He’s a good five or six inches when hard but his skin flushes such a pretty pink. And his tip definitely flushes a throbbing red. He's not particularly thick either. But it's a perfectly average, pretty cock.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

This man…he doesn't think he'd be that interested in sex outside of the purposes of procreation. But as soon as he gets a taste of you, he won't want to stop. Maybe it's the repression or the idea of this pleasure being something of a forbidden fruit for him. But he gets addicted quickly. Some mornings he wakes up with sex being literally the only thing floating around in his sweet little mind and he'll be inconsolable until he gets it.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Eli can get very sleepy. But he'd stay awake just to listen to you hum through the aftershocks of a climax. He'll ask a dozen little slurred questions from how exhausted he is. Eli will also rub your back until you fall asleep; tracing lazy patterns along your spine and pressing kisses on your shoulder than are so faint that you only feel the warmth of his lips instead of the pressure. His eyes flutter shut the second he hears your breathing steady.

[emerald-chaos]

Saint Like

Hey y’all! So, uh, I did a thing….let’s say there’s a particular someone who inspired this. They say that writing can be a way to get your feelings out, right? 😉 I’m only kind of ashamed.

HUGE THANK YOU to @bitchassbucky for beta-ing this for me 🥺. All mistakes however, are my own. Another HUGE shout out and thank you to @sgt-seabass for helping me pick a name and along with the whole chaos crew, urging me to live my whore dreams and write the content I want to see 😂. I love y’all very much. 💜

Pairing: Priest!Bucky x F!reader

Word Count: 4k (woof)

Warnings: SMUT, 18+ ONLY (MINORS DNI), fingering (vaginal), spitting, unprotected p in v sex, explicit language, sacrilegious actions, pet names (angel), mention of masturbation (m), mention of religious themes, this is my one way ticket to hell yall.

By clicking read more you agree that you are at least 18 years of age or older.

A/N: Priest Bucky - this is for you, Father.

The cacophony of voices that bellowed throughout the halls of the church had begun to dwindle to almost nothing. The bench you were sat upon outside of the clergy office gave you the perfect view of people as they entered and exited the building. Some you knew very well, others you had never seen before today.

That was one of the beautiful things about the church, you supposed, the fact that anyone and everyone was welcomed there to find refuge from the things in life that they were fighting. That is, after all, how you came to join this congregation as well.

Life had a history of not being all too kind toward you. This time last year you were isolated, depressed, unemployed, heartbroken, and practically at your rock bottom. Therapy, medication, strong will, and determination—none of it was enough to get you out of the rut you had been stuck in for what seemed like so long. You were at your wits end and there didn’t seem to be a single place you could turn to.

After a particularly difficult day you were walking home from another botched job interview when it began to pour down rain. Call it divine intervention, but the place closest to where you had been when the storm started was the old church that sat on the corner downtown. There wasn’t an intent behind your action to run inside other than to wait for the storm to pass so you could continue home. However, the enchanting timbre of the organ drew you into the chapel. Next thing you know, your body is planted into a pew and your eyes are glued on the man standing before you.

“In the name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Amen.”

There was something about the way the man spoke that made you feel at home, like you were meant to be in this exact spot at this exact time all along. You belonged here. For the first time in months, there wasn’t a sense of dread and sorrow that lived in your chest—instead, it was a blossoming feeling of hope.

You must have looked like a fish out of water, however, because as you were leaving the man who stood before the group of people and garnered your attention so quickly had stopped you before you could make an exit.

“You’re new here.”

You chuckled nervously.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Not necessarily. I just know I would never forget a face like yours.”

Father James, or Bucky as he had preferred you to call him, was somewhat of a blessing in disguise for you. When you were bruised and battered, down on your luck, desperate for something to turn to, to hold on to—you found him. It sounded cheesy, and you never thought that in a million years the church would be the place where you found your solace, and to be quite frank you still weren’t sold on it being religion.

No, it was Bucky.

Bucky was the one who allowed you time and space to explore the relationship you had with religion and what you expected to get out of the church. He was the one who quelled your fears, your insecurities, and who brought you back to feeling somewhat like the person you had been before. Bucky was an honorable man and an excellent priest—someone who you could listen to for hours as he droned on and on about the Holy Word.

There was one slight problem with Bucky, however, and that was that you were hopelessly, unequivocally, and desperately in love with him.

“Thank you for waiting for me, angel.” The low bass notes of the voice brought you from your reminiscing back to the present.

As you lifted your head to look at the man before you, it was impossible for a smile not to form on your lips.

Bucky stood before you, still dressed in his robes from the service that had just ended. There was a bible tucked under his arm and a kindness to his eyes that made your heart skip a beat.

After Mass ended, Bucky had caught your arm on your way out and asked that you stay around to speak with him after he finished bidding farewell to those who were leaving. Although your stomach began to do somersaults at the thought of him requesting a meeting with you, there wasn’t any way that you could deny him.

“Please,” he swept his hand toward the door, motioning for you to enter, “after you.”

It wasn’t the first time that you had been inside of Bucky’s office in your year-long residency at the church, but there was something about the air that felt different. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of the conversation, or perhaps it was the fact that things with Bucky had been...different, over the last few weeks.

The touches shared lingered a bit longer than usual, the glances of longing were met by a similar stare, and it seemed as though the priest was finding more and more reasons to get you alone.

“Have a seat, please. Is there anything I could get you to drink?” Bucky asked as he crossed behind his desk, removing his robes to reveal the sleek, black outfit he typically wore beneath it.

You cleared your throat and shook your head as you sat down in the chair across from his desk. Your eyes lingered on his form for a moment before tearing away to look at the ground.

Bucky walked around to the front of his desk, in front of you, and leaned back to rest against it as he looked down at you.

“I know something is bothering you.”

Your lips parted to speak, but the priest didn’t give you the chance.

“I saw you during Mass today, angel. The far off stare, the hesitancy to catch up in the song with those around you. You were somewhere else completely today.”

A heat began to creep into your face. Bucky was right, there hadn’t been one part of you that was present during today’s sermon. In fact, all your mind was able to think about was the sinful activities of last night’s dream.

The dream about your priest.

“I-I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t mean to offend you or come off as rude. I suppose my thoughts got the best of me today.” You didn’t dare to attempt eye contact with the man. There was no way that you could look him in the eyes at this moment without your brain returning to its place of sin.

Bucky’s palms went to his sides as he gripped the edge of his desk and his head tilted slightly as he looked at you. There had always been a pureness to you that Bucky had seen immediately. However, there was something about the way you sat in the chair before him, eyes cast upon the ground and hands nervously fidgeting in your lap, that made his fingers grip the desk a little tighter. Each moment he spent with you was one he could feel his resolve lessening.

Since the day he met you, Bucky knew that he was in trouble. The softness of your skin, the dangerous curve of your hips, and the fullness of your lips drove him toward sin immediately. Many nights he spent tossing and turning, praying to a higher power to help rid himself of the thoughts racing through his mind—the ones about you on your knees before him.

The priesthood didn’t necessarily mean a life of chastity, at least not in Bucky’s eyes, but of course that would mean going about it the old-fashioned way—marrying you, bedding you, having children with you, and so on. However, that isn’t quite what he had in mind when it came to getting you in his bed. In fact, it was becoming more and more difficult to not think of you in a compromising position whenever he looked at you.

Bucky prayed for absolution, prayed for self-control, prayed for strength enough to stay away from you in the manner in which he wanted you the most. The prayers came late at night, in between rounds of his thick fingers gripping his length, milking his cock at the idea of you spread wide open for him.

Bucky was going to find absolution alright, and it was going to be between your thighs.

“What’s troubling your mind?” Bucky finally spoke, intently watching the way you squirmed in your seat.

“I-I’d rather not say, Father. It’s kind of…personal.” You muttered out the words, beads of sweat beginning to form on your skin at the idea of him finding out your dirty little secret.

“You can tell me anything, angel. You know that.” Bucky cooed, reaching out to gently tap underneath your chin so that your gaze meets his own.

The moment your eyes met his cool, blue ones you felt your heart sunk into your stomach.

“Father, I can’t. Not this.”

“And why not, angel?”

“Because,” your fingers tightened their grip on the material of your dress, “because once I say this I can’t take it back and…and it could ruin things.”

Bucky stared at you quizzically, the way his lips parted slightly and breathing began to pick up you were certain he had determined what it was you were going to say.

“Go on, angel. Confess to me.” The priest’s voice dropped several octaves, desire dripping from his words.

“I like you, Father. More than just as my priest…I think about you and me together—a lot.” The words fell from your lips like nothing, unable to be held back any longer.

Bucky leaned back against the desk again, knuckles turning white from the force of which he was squeezing the edge with.

“In what way do you think of us together, sweetheart?” Bucky’s tongue poked out to wet his lips, making your thighs clench together. “I can’t help you if you don’t give me the details.”

Something had changed with Bucky. Perhaps to the untrained eye one might not notice the difference, but you could see right through it. The way his pupils had become more dilated, the hungry stare which took over, and the ever so slight bulge in the front of his trousers.

“I want you to fuck me, Father.”

The silence was deafening at that moment. The only noise present was that of the ticking clock and the rapid increase of your breathing. The muscle in your chest was beating so hard it felt like your ribs would explode at any moment. You had no idea where the confidence came from or what possessed you to say something so sacrilegious. His lack of initial response made your face even hotter, terrified that you had severely screwed up this relationship.

“Oh,angel…” Bucky began, lifting himself from the desk to a standing position.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

The next few moments came in quick succession. First, a pair of soft lips crashed into yours, enveloping all your senses at once. Following the meeting of your lips, you were turned quickly and pushed back up against the desk. Your hands desperately clawed their way to find home in his hair, caging him in with no intent of ever letting him go.

Bucky slotted a leg between your thighs, adding just enough pressure to your clothed core to make you moan into his mouth. Taking advantage of the moment, Bucky’s tongue battled against yours as his hands fisted around the material of your dress. The rush of everything paired with the way Bucky was devouring your mouth with sloppy kisses made your head spin.

Your eyes closed heavily as his lips left yours and trailed across your jaw down to your neck. The dress you were wearing was now fully pushed up around your hips and only the thin material of your panties separated Bucky from your soaked core.

“Still with me, angel?” Bucky mumbled against your neck, sinking his teeth into your pulse point and grinning as he earned another moan from your gorgeous lips.

Almost as if they had a mind of their own, your hips began rocking softly against his thigh as you chased any sort of friction you could find. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped your waist and hoisted you up to sit on the desk.

“Such a needy little thing you are…” Bucky teased, slowly dragging a finger up your bare thigh. “I’ll take care of you, don’t you worry about that.”

At his direction, you raised your arms above your head and allowed him to pull your dress the rest of the way off of you. You felt a little embarrassed, opting to skip the bra today because of the way it would make the dress look. However, with the way Bucky’s eyes were taking you in as though you were some kind of Renaissance painting, all feelings of embarrassment went out the window.

Bucky’s fingers wrapped around the waistband of your panties and began to tug them down your legs, leaning in to kiss you once more as he did so. As he pulled back to take you in, it dawned on you the situation you were in. Stark naked in front of your priest inside his office at the church. Although you should have felt immense shame, it was a different feeling entirely that surrounded you—one of passion and desire.

Your bottom lip caught between your teeth as you watched Bucky wrap his strong hands around your calves and slowly lift your heels to rest on the top of the desk. A low groan erupted from his chest that shook you to your core as he laid eyes upon your glistening cunt.

“Look at you, angel. Dripping with sin.” Bucky cooed, reaching out to drag two of his fingers through your folds and collect the wetness there.

“Who would’ve thought that being such a bad girl would get you all wet, hm? And here I thought you were my precious angel.”

You moaned lowly at his words and again as you watched him bring his fingers to his lips and suck the sweetness from them. The top half of your body began to feel heavy and your head faint. You slowly leaned back on your elbows to brace yourself while still being able to see what Bucky was doing.

Bucky released his fingers with a small pop.

“You taste fucking divine.”

Panting now, there were no words that came to mind. All you could think about was how badly you needed him to touch you again.

As though he read your mind, Bucky slowly began to rub his two fingers up and down your slit before stopping to circle your tiny bundle of nerves. It was next to impossible to keep your eyes open, lust heavily dragging them down.

“Is this what you needed? Me to take care of you?” Bucky teased, leaning forward to place a small kiss to your knee.

Whimpering, you nodded your head dumbly at him. It felt as though every muscle in your body weighed hundreds of pounds and it was impossible to hold anything up without feeling weak.

“P-please, Father. I need more.”

“My, my…poor thing.” Bucky tsked, adding more pressure to your clit as his fingers circled faster.

Your hips began to gyrate against his fingers, coil in your abdomen tightening faster than you’d ever known it to before. Bucky’s fingers slid down to breach your entrance, scissoring you open as he pushed them further inside. A sinful moan came from your mouth as you leaned your head back and closed your eyes, euphoria beginning to take over your entire body.

There was a thin layer of sweat that had built up on your skin, Bucky licking his lips at your shine as his fingers pumped in and out of you.

Here you were, a pretty little thing, spread open—pussy sucking in his fingers as though you never wanted to let them go. The sight of you alone made Bucky’s cock twitch, not to mention the pretty little noises falling from your lips.

“Such a good girl for me, angel.” Bucky praised.

As he twisted his wrist and began to curl his fingers upwards, he groaned quietly as your whimpers increased.

“Ah, shit, Bucky, I-“ Your words came out as small pants.

“I know, can feel you.” Bucky groaned, leaning forward to wrap his hand around the back of your neck and pull you toward him.

The two of you touched your foreheads together, breathing in each other’s air as you both watched the way his fingers sloshed in and out of your sopping cunt. You groaned loudly, using your eyes as the coil in your abdomen threatened to snap.

“I want you to look at me, angel. I want to see the look in your eyes when you fall apart.”

Meeting his gaze once more, the tips of Bucky’s fingers grazed that spot inside you as his palm bumped your clit—sending you hurdling over the edge. His large body kept your legs from closing although you tried with all your might to slam them shut as you rode out the waves of your orgasm on his fingers.

Bucky felt as though he could cum on the spot, watching you as your face contorted in bliss—eyebrows furrowed, lips parted, soft whimpers and whines falling so beautifully from your lips.

“That’s it, angel. Good girl.” Bucky cooed, slowing the pace of his fingers down to nothing as he retreated from you.

The loss of contact made you shiver but you felt relieved to have a moment for a break. This time Bucky’s fingers went to your lips instead of his own, which you greedily accepted. You held on tightly to his wrist as you swirled your tongue around his fingers, tasting your own essence.

Bucky’s jaw clenched at the sight of you, free hand going to his trousers to retrieve his cock.

A small gasp overcame you as his cock bobbed from his underwear—the tip red, swollen, and leaking pre-cum. It looked borderline painful but the sight of it made you lick your lips. You aren’t entirely sure what you expected, but he was definitely bigger than what you thought.

You lifted your tired body to sit straight up, your hand replacing the priest’s on his cock. The groan that he let out went straight to your cunt as you swiped your thumb over the head and pumped his length several times. Mirroring his earlier motions, it was your turn to grab him by the neck and pull him in for a kiss while you stroked his cock.

The kiss was different this time. It was full of fire and passion, as though the two of you could not taste enough of each other’s mouths. Like you would never be satiated ever again. Pulling away you look up at him from under your lashes as you allow a string of saliva to drip from your lips and onto his cock.

“Fuck’s sake,” Bucky grunted, hips thrusting into your hand as your tight fist gripped him harder.

Your heart swelled with pride at his praise. Ever since you began to imagine him in this way, all you could ever think about was how much you wanted to make him feel good, impress him, be good for him.

“Angel,” Bucky gasped, “Angel, please. I have to be inside you.”

Taking your bottom lip between your teeth you nodded, releasing your hold on his length. Bucky took a moment to compose himself, leaning forward on the desk, hands splayed on either side of you.

“You’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you?”

A small giggle was all you could respond with, still in awe that this moment was even happening to begin with. As Bucky stood up straight, you leaned back onto your elbows again and resumed your earlier position—spreading yourself open for him once more.

Bucky’s hand wrapped around his cock again, pushing it through your slick folds and grinning at the way your entire body shook. The head of his dick pressed against your sensitive clit in a way that made you whine and squirm.

“Stay still for me, angel. I’m going to make you feel so good.” Bucky tapped his hard cock against your core a few times before placing himself at your entrance.

The stretch that overtook your senses as he pressed into you stung delightfully. Never in your life had you ever felt so full. Bucky pushed his hips slowly until his pelvis was seated against yours. You could feel the way your walls clenched around him rapidly and the way his eyes fluttered closed at the sensation was erotic in and of itself.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bucky’s hands gripped your thighs as he began to move steadily in and out of you. The burn and sting from the stretch was now replaced by sweet, sweet catharsis.

“Father, please, faster.” You moaned, fingers digging into his forearms as you pleaded.

Bucky grunted, hips faltering slightly at your use of his title during this moment. That only lasted a moment, however, before composing himself and increasing the speed of which he pounded into you.

The obscene sound of skin slapping skin paired with the whines, moans, and whimpers was almost enough to push you over the edge alone. Bucky hiked one of your legs up and over his shoulder, turning his head to bite down softly on your calf as he continued to pummel your cunt.

Your high was very quickly approaching and there wasn’t anything you could do to get him close enough to you at that moment.

“Fuck, fuck!” You nearly screamed out. “Making me—shit—feel so good, Father, please. I’m so close, please don’t stop.”

A carnal growl came from Bucky’s chest as he grabbed onto your leg and pulled out completely, only to spear you back to the hilt in one swift motion. Your vision began to tunnel and your ears began to ring as the coil in your abdomen wound itself tighter and tighter.

“Feel like, goddamnit, fuckin’ heaven, Angel. Not gon’ last much longer with you squeezin’ me like that.”

Bucky’s fingers came down to circle your clit and in that moment you were over. The coil snapped so viciously in your abdomen that your vision turned white and it sounded like bells were ringing in your ears. You felt your legs shake around him as he helped you ride out your second orgasm.

Using the last of your strength and coherency, you began to ramble off things to help Bucky reach euphoria with you.

“Please, wanna feel you fill me up, Father. You and your cock make me feel so good. Please, please give it to me, Father.”

With a string of curses and one final pump of his hips, you felt his spend as it coated your walls. Bucky stumbled forward slightly, forehead coming to rest against yours once more as the two of you panted in tandem.

The room was quiet once more, aside from your labored breathing. Although perhaps the most erotic part of the encounter was over, there was something about the way the two of you looked deeply into each other’s eyes and shared breaths that sent a shiver down your spine again.

It was Bucky who made the first move. Pulling out from your heat to put himself back into his underwear and grab something to help you clean up with.

The two of you remained silent as he helped you back into your dress. After redressing, you looked up to meet his gaze and smiled faintly.

“What is it, angel?” Bucky whispered, reaching out to hold a stray strand of hair.

“Just thinking.” You spoke quietly.

Before Bucky could inquire further, you stepped around him and grabbed your purse. Bucky watched as you walked to the door and placed your hand on the knob. You stopped before turning and giving him a larger grin this time.

“I’m gonna have one hell of a confession for my priest.”

[blzzrdstryr]

Prima materia

Yandere!Kaeya & Yandere!Albedo x gn!reader

Wordcount: 4156

CW: Yandere themes, mentions of violence, death and NSFW

An angel.

That’s what Kaeya thinks when he sees you - he’s far from being a religious person, yet this word appears in his mind, vivid and burning, pushing out any other thought away. He stands here, starstruck and unsure what to do, devouring your visage with his eye alone.

Your first meeting is incidental - he walks around the Mondstadt, looking for the leads for the recent mass disappearance case. An alarming number of people went missing right before the Windrise festival. All are destitute alcoholics with no real importance, all except one - Javier Lawrence, who in this case is a rich alcoholic, and a reason why investigation even started. Mondstadt may be a nation of freedom, yet money and status still dominate most of its social dynamics.

Kaeya goes to Eula first - Javier was her twice removed cousin after all, she ought to know something. The spindrift knight is restrained in her speech, careful not to insult her missing relative, despite the deepening frown. She says almost nothing new, stating that Javier had a passion for drinking and wasting his days away, she also mentions his favourite places to wander while drunk - gardens, plaza and the forest outside the city.

Visits to the first two bear no fruits - Kaeya doesn’t find any eyewitnesses, but hears tons upon the tons of complaints and insults directed at the missing, so he heads for the forest, expecting to find the mangled body among the heaps of green leaves - being drunk in the forest deep is never a good idea, yet he finds none. He stumbles upon you instead.

You sit among the wild flowers and bitter herbs, head bowed, closely inspecting the plants in your hands and humming a light tune as you do so. There’s a certain serenity about you, some kind of magical elegance radiating off of every movement, it’s deliberate, yet relaxed. You remind him of the forest nymph from the paintings he saw - celestial and seductive, and totally unaware of the effect you have on him.

This feeling is further exacerbated by the simple white shirt you're wearing - the material is thin and half-transparent, already revealing the outline of your torso. Kaeya gulps when he imagines it getting wet and clinging to your body, your skin and nipples showing through the flimsy fabric. The only thing that spoils this otherwise perfect sight are small dark bruises both hands, blooming like two ominous roses.

“Hello”, he finally suppresses lustful urges and steps closer, distracting you from the herb picking. “My name’s Kaeya Alberich, I am the cavalry captain of the Knight of Favonius, and I want you to answer a couple of my questions”.

You turn unnaturally still upon hearing his voice, hands squeezing the plants, even your breathing is impossible to hear. You are terrified. Kaeya turns his head to the side at this picture, eyebrows raised - this is… a very interesting reaction.

“I am sorry, I am not allowed to talk to strangers”, you say, finally collecting yourself and raising your head to meet his eye, and Kaeya finds himself struck again.

Stars.

You have star-shaped pupils. Just like him.

He makes a step again, back this time, as his chest starts to rise and fall faster, breathing accelerating. Why do you have these eyes? He thought he was the only one left…

“Sir Kaeya, what brings you here?”he hears a familiar voice. Albedo comes from the forest deep, quickly striding to him and then stopping between you and the cavalry captain. Alchemist's face remains indifferent and his tone impassive, yet through the haze of confusion and shock Kaeya still notes how he protectively put himself between you two, as if shielding you from his gaze.

“Investigation. I thought asking… this lovely person a couple of questions might help solve the case”, he flashes one of his most charming smiles to Albedo, who predictably remains apathetic towards such displays. You, on the other hand, still sit on the forest ground and have your eyes shifting between Kaeya and Albedo, with fear and hope respectively.

“I am afraid you won’t find any answers here. They are under my care, and they don’t know anything about whatever your case is”. Albedo’s voice still remains polite, but Kaeya can taste the hidden hostility, he almost backs off from surprise.

“Well, that’s unfortunate”, he admits defeat and puts on a smile again - it’s a colder one this time, less genuine - and turns on his heels, throwing “have a nice day” as the afterthought, insides burning with the strange mix of disappointment and resentment.

He almost leaves the forest, as he hears Albedo talking to you: “It’s alright, [First], I won't punish you for speaking to him, he asked you first”. You reply something, but Kaeya is too far to make out any of your lovely voice, yet the things he witnessed today are enough to spawn a horde of questions.

Why does Albedo act so possessive? Why do you allow him to do so? What connects you two together? And most importantly: Who are you?

Thousand different theories fleet through his mind, as he mulls over new information. He doesn’t come back to that place, despite his curiosity nagging him to do so, he can’t - Kaeya is now acutely aware of the power Albedo seems to hold over you and returning might anger the alchemist.

Cavalry captain returns to the case of missing people, yet his mind continues to wander off, thought returning to your face and voice and body and the colossal mystery cloaking you.

***

Investigation progresses unbelievably slowly - if he was a gullible person, Kaeya would’ve thought that all of the missing just vanished into thin air - no leads, no traces, not a single clue of what might have happened, leaving the knights with nothing but straws to grasp at. To add to the severity of the situation after a week of receiving the case from Jean, Kaeya is notified about the new disappearance of two other people - Joachim and Luckas. They’re also a pair of alcoholics, the first one was last seen around the Angel’s Share, the second one was heading for the Dragonspine.

Kaeya goes to the said tavern - at first he just talks with the patrons, effortlessly fishing out the information about the missing person, which brings nothing new (again), then he gets a bit bored with drunk-interrogating others and decides to ask Diluc what he might’ve seen. And that also reveals nothing new (again) - Joachim has visited the tavern, ordered some wine and after a couple of bottles downed, left. Nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking, just a day of another Mondstadtian drunkard.

It seems that he isn’t destined to find whatever spirited Joachim away, so Kaeya leaves the city heading for the snowy mountain in the distance. He asks around the adventurers camp near the ruined tower, only to hear that Luckas was seen around the mountain.

Kaeya walks to the Dragonspine, already feeling the chill at the foot of the mountain, and his determination slowly melts - Dragonspine is one big freezing hellhole, full of monsters and Fatuis who for some reason decided to reside here, yet one particular face appears in his mind. Seeing you again might be worth the whole trouble - he noticed you a couple of times, always in the company of the certain alchemist, so if Albedo is in his camp, then you’re most likely there too.

Now inspired Kaeya quickly traverses the mountain, skillfully avoiding the hilichurl tribes and skirmishes altogether. After a short, yet frankly gruelling travel he finds himself finally arriving at the camp, your figure seen from the entrance. You sit near the alchemical device, tightly bundled up in layers upon layers of warm clothes, a book in your hands with no Albedo in sight. The alchemical apparatus is on, dyeing the whole room into scarlet shades, something red boiling inside of it, filling the air with the strange metallic scent. “Recent history of Teyvat”, Kaeya reads the cover and takes a step in. You remain still, too engrossed in reading to hear his footsteps, which he uses to take another good look at you.

Your face still looks lovely as it was on that day, yet there’s now a strong aura of frailness present - a greyish undertone of the skin, dry, chapped lips, pinkish-red rims blooming on your eyes, duller hair, even the fingers holding the books appear to be thinner. You look emaciated and exhausted, you must be sick.

“Hello”, Kaeya decides to pop the bubble of tranquility again - you quickly lift your head to look at him and almost drop the book: “We met before, in the forest, remember? I am here because of an investigation”.

“I am sorry, but I don’t think I can be of any help and I am still not allowed to talk to strangers”, you say and return to reading, pretending that he isn’t here.

“Well, that means we can introduce ourselves, so we won’t be strangers anymore and you will be able to talk to me without breaking any rules, right? Hello! I am Kaeya Alberich and I work as cavalry captain in the Knights of Favonius, pleased to meet you!”, he puts on his warmest smile and outstretches his hand to shake yours.

“I am not sure that this is a good idea, Albedo warned me to avoid outsiders”, you say, looking uneasy, as you throw a quick glance, past Kaeya, to the entrance of the camp.

“Albedo and I are coworkers, we both even had to work on some missions together, sure he doesn’t think of me as some outsider”.

“If you say so”, you sigh and cave in, your palm finally touching his. Kaeya feels the corners of his lips creeping up at the sensation, his heart skipping a beat or two: “I am [First} and I am… Albedo’s ward, pleased to meet you too”

“Now with introductions done, can I ask you a question?”, he takes another step and you nod - a step more and he might feel the warmth radiating off of your body, or hear your faint breathing, or smell your scent.

“Where are you from?”, your eyes widen at that. Kaeya finds himself almost hypnotized by this sight: the stars in your eyes shine with a renewed strength, the pale sunlight bringing out their warmth and radiance.

“I don’t really remember”, you admit, voice quiet and small: “Albedo says he found…”

“I discovered [First] in the heart of the mountain”, alchemist ends it for you, standing at the entrance of his camp with both of his assistants by the side, hands occupied by the local flora.

“Timaeus, sort and prepare ingredients”, he hands the herbs to the man: “Sucrose, you check up on [First] and give them.. the medicine, don’t worry I’ll just talk to sir Kaeya there”, Timaeus and Sucrose rush to the assigned task, with the latter taking out a red vial from the alchemical drawer, the liquid inside shimmering and glowing with an unnatural glitter. The last part is said to you, as alchemist gestures for the cavalry captain to go outside, quickly leaving the room.

Kaeya follows him as they both leave the camp - Albedo walks unusually quickly, not looking around even once to check if he’s still behind, and only when the both of them leave the camp far enough - so far that you, Timaeus and Sucrose turn into a small dots does he stop.

“What do you need? Why did you interrogate [First]?”, Albedo says, skipping all of the courtesies. His voice remains neutral, but Kaeya can feel the displeasure - it radiates off of his pose and faster speech, how Kreideprinz’s disinterested eyes suddenly turned cold and piercing.

“Easy, easy”, Kaeya half-laughs, raising his hands in mock defence: “interrogate is a strong word here, we two just had a friendly chat”.

Teal eyes narrow at this whimsical answer and alchemist’s face sours: “Leave [First] alone”, he voices, darkly and angrily - Kaeya almost backs off from surprise - it’s quite unusual to see Albedo express his disdain so freely and openly, yet he replies in the same carefree tone:

“I won’t, not until you say where they’re from at least. [First] has star-shaped pupils, we both know what it means”.

“I already have said that - I found [First] deep underneath the mountain, completely frozen. Cold must have trapped them in the ice and preserved their body for all these years, yet it also damaged their memory. They seem to be unaware of what happened to your homeland five hundred years ago, nor do they have any idea of the present world". Kaeya intently observes Albedo as he says that - alchemist is certainly hiding something.

"That's how.. Well, I wish [First] good luck in retrieving their memories", he decides not to press further - Albedo is already in a bad mood and won't tolerate him fishing for more information, nor will the alchemist agree to share what he hides. Kaeya asks him a couple of questions pertaining to the missing person and he gets the expected answer - Luckas wasn't seen by Albedo or any of his assistants either. Alchemist says it a bit quicker than he usually talks, Kaeya chalks it up to annoyance.

***

The first useful lead appears after the third disappearance this month - Masha Haedle, who was characterized as hardworking and passionate, yet troubled by her alcohol addiction, vanished on the way to her job. Her employer sent one letter after another, demanding her to visit her workplace, lest she will be fired. Haedle didn’t answer any of the messages, nor was she spotted anywhere in the next few days.

It was her concerned neighbours who notified the knights, who quickly connected her disappearance to the series of other missing cases and Kaeya was dispatched again - he decided to start by investigating her house and he was right in doing so.

Her place is barren, but tidy, Haedle's diligence and financial issues shining through the simple interior. Kaeya strides among the neatly cleaned house until he enters a small bedroom.

Unlike the rest of the place, the bed here is undone, sheets lay messily across the nightstand and floor, with a couple of plant pots knocked over, dry soil sprawled everywhere. He comes closer to this picture, taking in the small details - there's a trace of fingernails on the wood, as if the victim was latching onto the furniture as she was dragged back, a part of the sheets is actually burnt, with a small candle crushed on the floor - it could be knocked down when kidnapper attacked Masha, and the most glaring piece - an orange dimly glowing crystal.

It crumbles and disintegrates the same second Kaeya picks it up, but this short moment is enough to feel the warmth radiating off of it - it's a geo crystal, formed by the reaction with pyro.

Whoever attacked miss Haedle was using a geo vision to put out the fire, and might also be the reason of other disappearances. After all, a vision user kidnapping the drunkards is just as nonsensical as said drunks just vanishing into thin air, leaving nothing behind.

***

Mondstadt embraces the Windrise festival with the same warmth it always did, as citizens of all sorts start to prepare for the coming festivities. Some decorate their houses with dried and paper flowers that they consider anemones, others stock up on both sweets and wine, no doubt for a celebratory dinner, bards recite the new songs, praising the anemo archon and caroling the freedom that Barbatos gave them, and knights, both high and low ranks alike are piled with even more work.

Kaeya finds himself temporarily dispatched from the dead-end investigation, tasked to look out for any suspicious persons and possible lawbreakers, as a horde of tourists and traders flooded the city. He spends the entire day working, and catches a breather once the sun starts to set. This break, however, is swiftly interrupted, when Jean summons him, asking to deliver some messages to Albedo for the lack of workforce.

Unsurprisingly, the alchemist spends his time outside of the city in a temporary camp, preferring the fresh air and forest landscape to the human loudness and cheer. He finds you alone again, with Albedo nowhere to be seen. Seems that whatever disease has plagued you started to back off - your tone is still far from healthy, yet it stopped being so ashy and grey like the first time, and your starry eyes no longer look like you’ve cried all night non-stop.

You stand near the table, slowly sorting the alchemical compounds, with both sleeves rolled up, exposing the delicate, elegant wrists and the old bruising on the forearms. The setting sun almost lights your visage on fire - you look brighter, more vivid, than you did under the pale Dragonspine sun or the cool shadow of the forest. You look like you glow too.

Even with the fatigue, he still smiles - ah, you’re so easy on the eyes, he rests just by looking at you..

“Hello”, he approaches, distracting you from your task for the third time: “is Albedo here?”.

“He left some time ago, he wanted to sketch hilichurl tribe. Said it’s too dangerous for me, so I am just standing here, waiting for him”, Kaeya can sense a mild disappointment coming from you, which is not surprising - spending your time in the wilderness, while the city before you is set ablaze in the celebration can frustrate anyone. He gets an idea.

“I see you want to see the Windrise for yourself, am I right?”, your affirmative nod, “How about I accompany you to Mondstadt and we both have some fun?”.

“I would really want to, but Albedo asked me to stay here. I don’t want to disappoint him”, you reply, the hesitation in your voice clear as day.

“And you won't!”Kaeya retorts: “I will take all the blame, say that I spirited you away with my persuasion skills”, he adds dramatically and outstretches his palm in a theatrical gesture. You giggle at that, obviously entertained by his antics.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me”, you take his hand, before asking: “this is why you came? To invite me to a festival?”

Oh, he forgot about messages.

Kaeya leaves them in the secure box you pointed to, before taking your hand again and almost running back to Monstadt. Something tells him that Albedo will be livid once he returns to the now empty camp.

***

“Oh gods”, you gasp, looking at the burst of colors exploding in the night sky - some travelers have brought fireworks from Liyue and Inazuma and decided to set them off, creating a breathtaking scenery. Kaeya even forgets how to breathe, but not because of the fireworks, but you - you look so excited and amazed, and all kinds of colours reflect from your eyes, the stars in them resembling two large diamonds. He’s ready to kill for this sight.

The next half an hour are spent with him following you, as you excitedly run from one thing or another - turns out Albedo didn’t allow you much outside time, so even the main streets of Mondstadt are novelty to you. He drinks in your reactions, all the faces and sounds you make are stored away in his memory as you get amazed by the simplest things.

In the end, he decides to take you to the Angel’s Share, you’re already so cute and he can’t imagine how much more adorable you’ll become all drunk and giggly. He orders a bottle of a young wine for you two - made from the spring dandelions, it’s taste is perfect for the atmosphere of Windrise - it tastes of freedom and adventure, the spirit of Mondstadt encapsulated into a beverage.

“It tastes nice”, you comment, taking a small sip, “it’s sweet but not too sweet”, before your face suddenly contorts from pain and you bend in half, hands clutching your abdomen.

“[First]? What’s happening, [First]?”Kaeya rushes to you, his hands stopping your fall. You mumble something incoherent, before going limp in his hold - you are unconscious. He shakes your form to wake you up, yet you don’t respond, inner panic slowly rising - what to do, what to do, what to do?

“Did you give alcohol to [First]?!”, suddenly someone hisses near him. It’s Albedo again and it’s the first time Kaeya sees him so angry. “We need to get [First] to my lab quickly. Every second counts”, Albedo helps him to lift you up and almost runs out from the tavern, pushing others away to make way for Kaeya and you in his hands.

“Put them here”, alchemist point to the big wooden table, quickly knocking over all empty flasks down, uncaring of the equipment he might break, as he rushes into the further part of the room, taking out the already on alchemical apparatus from the depths of his cabinets.

The strange red liquid slushes inside, as Albedo swiftly opens the top and adds some hideous mix of blood and pieces of flesh into the device, the reek of blood and alcohol permeating the air.

Kaeya wants to gag. “What’s this?”, he asks, not bothering to hide his disgust.

“Medicine”, Albedo quickly replies, teal eyes shifting from the mix to your sick face.

Over time the stench subsides, and apparatus starts to glow and shimmer with that scarlet radiance Kaeya saw in the Dragonspine camp, replacing the stink with the same strange coppery scent. Albedo takes out a glass vial from his pocket and connects it to the faucet of the apparatus, collecting the fat drops of the produced liquid.

Kaeya takes a good look at the product, mesmerized by the strange glitter and shimmer - it looks alive, and then suddenly everything clicks - the origin of medicine, the smell of alcohol coming from meat and even the disappearances of the drunkards. He remembers the tales his father used to tell him, about khemia and the wonders and horrors it could unleash - artificial humans, endless gold and…

“Philosopher’s stone”, he breathes out, utterly shocked by his revelation.

“How? How did you know”, Albedo looks at him with scared eyes, almost dropping the vial with “medicine”.

“Why?! Why did you do that?!”Kaeya yells instead of answering the question, still shocked and horrified, a taste of bile appearing on his tongue.

Alchemist seems unsure and totally lost for a good minute, as his usually calm face rapidly shifts between different emotions: sadness, shock, horror, shame and even anger, until finally resulting into the expression of total defeat: “It’s for [First]’s sake”, he tiredly admits the dark secret: “The frost has severely damaged their internal organs. I’ve been trying to heal them, but to no avail”.

“So you decided to break alchemical laws and create the elixir of life”, Kaeya grimly concludes, face scrunching up from disgust.

“Yes”, an unsettling lips makes its way onto the alchemist's lips as he lifts his head and looks captain right in the eye: “I’ve broken the laws, killed people and used their bodies. All to save [First]. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same, I’ve seen how you stare at [First] and I know what you want to do with them”.

.Was he that obvious?

“I see”, Kaeya replies, sensing the growing headache and rubbing his temples: “I won’t tell others of what you’ve done”. He can’t just imprison Albedo and doom you to a slow, agonizing death.

“I knew you would agree with me”, alchemist sighs “[First] is getting healthier, they won’t need… medicine as often, yet their organs will never be in a top condition”.

“How many?”

“What?”

“How many people per year?”

Albedo turns quiet again, the creepy smile vanishing as quickly as it appeared, as his eyes adopt that contemplating look again.

“No more than three people. Once I fix that liver damage you gave [First] with your wine, they won’t need no more than three transfusions”, he says his verdict and Kaeya weighs his words - three missing people per year is a miniscule number.

“I make at most philosopher’s stones per year and you cover my tracks in exchange for time with [First]. Deal?”, Albedo extends his hand for a handshake and Kaeya takes it, yet doesn’t shake it, asking instead:

“Can I get to taste [First]?”, he smiles, remembering your face and imagining your body.

“If [First] consents to that, then yes”, Albedo becomes that inexpressive again, yet he can still feel the displeasure and indignation coming from alchemist’s answer.

“I am sure they will, I think they like me”, he finally shakes the other’s arm.

They sit in a silence for a while, before the vial gets completely filled by the “medicine” - Albedo takes out a syringe and injects the mixture into your bloodstream through the veins on the hands. Kaeya smiles even wider, looking how a healthy colour returns to your face - he can’t wait to reap the fruits of this agreement.

[jovnie]

The devil's desire | Yoongi

Summary;

You fell in love with a man of many pasts, however he desired more than a relationship. He wanted your soul for eternity.

Words: 13k

Devil yoongi! Demon au! Human reader

Very Dark themes

Warnings: religious concepts, gore, porn without plot, death, big dick yoongi, clubbing, kidnapping, non-con touching, blood, cnc, prey ( y/n ), stalker yoongi, drugged, drugs, chains, cutting, rough sex,

"She's almost ready sir!" a winged creature announced. Nodding in his throne, he took the mirror and looked through it. There you were getting ready to meet a mysterious guy at a club or well hoping to once again. He smirked devilishly knowing you remembered to come back to this particular club.

He previously brought you to this nightclub in Korea, hidden through an alleyway in the darkest part of Busan. There was danger and a constant fear of being robbed, kidnapped. Even if Korea was a safe place, things like kidnapping and murder still happen and even more so at night.

He remembered that you kept a knife and a taser with you, he liked the vulnerability you had going to a place not meant for angels let alone humans at night. He found it charming how oblivious you are to your surroundings as well. He was a man of darkness and hell for sure, but one thing was for sure. He only craved humans who were pure and light energetically. 'Suppose you did know that the Club was own by the devil himself, would that really stop you' he thought.

He watched her put on clothes and noticed how delicate she was in his eyes. No, this wasn't the first time he'd watch her. Not the last either, it seemed like a generational curse in his eyes. He wasn't mad he placed it on the females to feel tempted by his actions, however, each one passed the test. you however failed it the first two times, making it the third time.

Sighing, he put the mirror down and stood up. Stretching, he allowed his black feather wings to elongate and move around before putting them away. Looking at his watch it was a quarter past 11 pm, he'd knew you want to be early and try and catch a good table. However the little worry of what if someone wanted to take you before him, hurt you before him. The thoughts riled him up, making him grab his keys and wait by the portal. Besides the gate doesn't open until 11:59, so his intrusiveness can calm for now.

While waiting, he took out the cute little human hand mirror you'd gifted him a while back. He looked at himself and the scar over his left eye, "maybe this is what attracts them" he chuckled softly.

As time fastened, he waited for the lock in the air to appear. He waited long and hard for that little red lock and once it appeared, he opened all the portals from his underworld to the human world and the other one which lead stright to his club.

Formally known as 666 plaza to hadians, the chosen humans only knew it as void 218. To you it was just another club on the holy day of Sunday. Although you were never brought up with Christianity, you had the basics that everyone knew, loved, and hated.

Waiting by the gates or humanly known as "doors" you pulled out your phone to realize there was no battery or charge. Confused as you could've sworn it was full when you left, you herd the doors open and the mini line began moving. Your eyes wandered the room to find the stairs that led to the upper level where you would meet and see Yoongi. You knew it was stupid to keep doing this, but with yours and his schedule it wasn't at all.

Passing by the few people, you found upstairs and walked up seeing there were already people inside which confused you, but you paid little attention to it. Waiting by the usual black velvet seats and area, you head a familiar voice.

"Is this your regular peach vodka with light ice?" yoongi asked loudly over the now loud music playing. Nodding, you sat up and greeted him before getting your drink. Little did u know about his plans with you or what tonight was gonna be.

Smiling softly, yoongi was gentle eyes admired your beauty as he get down with his own drink. He took a sip of his own drink that was laced with a sleeping drug, one that'd do nothing to him and more to you.

"So what are you doing here?" He asked knowingly.

"Well, it's a Sunday and I have nothing planned so I thought I come by" you lied, hoping the white lie would slip. Nodding, yoongi put his hand on your thighs and moved closer to talk to you about life and each other week. You mentioned something about the campus or school you were studying and he lied about his "forensics" job and how hard it was to see how people died. Continuing, he bought the two of you more drinks and when the timing was right offered one of his. Thanking him for the kind jester, you took a sip. He smiled and also took a sip after you, then placed it back down.

"Good isn't it?" he said, reaching over to his phone and at the time. Noticing he did so you hummed and snuck another sip. Then another. Whatever was in had you almost drinking his entire cup down.

"Omg what is this, what's making it so good. I can't put my finger on it" she said as her words slowed down and her eyes blinked slowly. He watched her body start to feel tired, then at the right moment whispered in her ear "apple, cherry, lime, it's a light alchcolic drink and right, drugs."

Soon as her eyes closed and body dropped, he mustered enough strength to pick her up and sling you over his shoulder. "Another one taken by the devils favorite drink, poison apple," he whispered knowing nobody cared to stop him not could. Well not if they wanted hells punishment if not worse death, even if they were immortal. Walking up the last set of stairs he opened the portal and handed the keys to his servant and told him to look after.

Noting the girl, the servant nodded and knew the king was gonna take his time and would be in a long "meeting." Taking charge of the place, yoongi walked up to his Castle surrounded by blue flames in the middle of nowhere and walked in. He demanded for total privacy, meaning nobody in or even near the castle or be banished for eternity and with that everyone wondered what that soul did to get his undivided attention. From there gossip spread about you from one to another creature and it traveled fast.

Meanwhile, he laid you on the bed and looked at his watch. The drug last about 30 minutes and about 20minuets have gone. From there he requested one trusted worker with a list. The list was :

The devils list

Body Chains and rope

Salt and a black cross

2 Robes

Wipes

Black paint

Sheep's blood

Lube any flavor

Nodding the worker flew off and yoongi allowed his wings to expand out his back and eyes to turn a dark blue color as his hair contained white strips. He watched your sleeping body, before checking the time and seeing he has 5 minutes left before you wake up. Taking that in he stretched his neck and before activating his speed and undressing you, cleaning the area around the bed, making sure the chain locks are stable and if not changing them, turning off lights and lighting candals all around the room and the whole castle and finally sitting down at the edge. Checking the time once again, he had 3 minutes left and so did the worker before he'd get pissed and with that thought the worker came to drop everything off before yoongi told him to get lost.

With the activation of speed he quickly undressed, sat the cup near the bed and filled it with sheeps blood, put salt near the edge without touching it as it stung him, put the cross around his neck and began drawing a ritual circle around the bed then finnaly the walls. To end everything he placed the chains on your hands and feet then connected to each end of the bed. The rest of the stuff he just put next to the bed and laid naked above you waiting for you to wake up.

He knew the drug was strong, but he didnt think it was that strong so he checked the time again and 10 minutes had passed by. Sighing, he began taking the knife and cut a slit on his wrist and placed the wound to your mouth. After a few blinks, you began to wake up and within a second you panked and a minute later realised you were chained.

Weak, scared, targeted, blood covered lips, chained and his favorite vulnerability he finally felt aroused at the sight. With lust in his eyes and an aura darker than night himself, he slowly kissed your cheek.

"Welcome to hell baby" he greeted, confused you closed your eyes and for once prayed you'd be able to wake up in where you left to only get the image of him drugging you and making you pass out. To then opne them and see the same sight.

"Wouldn't that make you?" She paused trying to yank the chains.

"Hades, satan the devil or whatever you humans call me for ruling the underworld. Then yes that's me and as you see, you're caged like a bug trapped in a spider's web. How cute. How naive to trust anyone you've properly met either. " he whispered the last bit in your ear as his lips traveled around your chest and neck leaving hickeys as he moved.

Groaning, you tried yanking the chains hearing a noise and hoping it ment it broke to realise no he fooled you with the sound of his nails knocking on the wood.

"Got you" he chuckled as you began scared, moving his lips towards your breast he sucked softly getting slight moans from your mouth. "Mm good girl continue with it an d maybe I'll spare your soul" he joked, sucking and groaning your other breast with his hands. Ignoring him and forcing your mouth to close. He raised an eyebrow and sat up, he then looked at your mouth and then his length.

"That wasn't smart now was it dsrling?" He asked, as his crouch hovered your mouth and his length being rubbed on your face as the other hand rested on the wall. "Noe open wide and if not, I can allways just shove it. Dont think about biting as i can manually remove teeth of needed" he mentioned as tears rolled down your eyes as he slowly entered his length.

"Good girl, suck it like that" he groaned, slowly moving his hips all the way in and out. With doing so he admired the trlaclesnt salty wetness driping from her eyes that he took a finger and wiped it. Caressing her face as he continued thrusting and groaning till he felt hard enough and then pulled out. Wiping her eyes again he grabbed the lube and posed the non negotiable question of

"May I pretty angel, take this as mine?" He whispered softly as he leaned down to her ear. Nodding yes a tear ran and he licked it clean, causing a slight shiver down her body. "Good" he replied, putting lube around his own length and stoking it on.

"If you cum on me will I get pregnant?" You asked shyly.

"Mm, well yes and that's my goal princes or should I say queen. Your body is mine after all." he tells, taking his fingers and tracing a cross between your chest as he watches a dark mark appear in a mini cross between your chest.

Crying harder knowing you've not only been kidnapping, but there was an even little chnace of seeing your family friends and well your little pet. "I love when you cry my love" he said softly as his fingers softly rubbed against you clit and his lips attach to yours. Knowingly you kissed back and surprisingly it felt like comfort but tasted like sin and poison. One your body will soon adapt to. As your mouths moved in unison, his fingers rubbed softly around your bud and you were finally able to relax and enjoy the feeling. He had an undeniable hold on your body, one your soul started to grow a liking too the longer her rubbed and kissed your lips. Soon you became hungry for more and grinded against his hand and with the hint he rubbed quicker as you moaned down his throat and his free hand now snaking behind your back. Moaning more you called his name, in which he loved begging you to say again.

"YOONGi!"you moaned louder as his stomach and cock felt it making it twitch slightly. stoping his finger he guided his tip and put his chin on your neck and slid in slowly, taking his time as you adjusted before moving faster. You pulled the chains trying to hold onto him but he shook his head no and softly held your body up with the help of the chains and began pounding into you.

No it was not a speed nor length you were used to, but the feeling you could by a heartbeat. You legs became weak, your back arched hard, your mouth could only stay open and your head was in a daze as he fucked you without mercy. His length was big enough to make you scream from the top of your lungs and beg for more. He loved that and too started moaning which soon started to sound like deep breathes and heavy grunts. He loved the warm, pulsing feeling of your pussy on him as it dripped with cum around him.

"Ah, fuck, That's hot!" he moaned loudly. Moving his hips closer, he pushed his length in deeper and the sounds of his hips crashing into yours echoed the room. You were now at a point of no return, all you could do was moan and take him, which only increased his horniness and overall arousal.

"I'm close!" yoongi groaned and panted as his hips movements slowed down, but the deepness was still there. Shopping, yoongi's body out of tiredness fell on top of yours and he kissed your neck softly. Without enough energy to pull out, he came deep, groaning in your neck and laying still. Both overly fucked out and deep breathing, laid there until yoongi got enough energy to unchain your hands and drink from the cup of blood that started to reek and fill the room. The room that once smelt like lavender and vanilla now smelled like sex and sheep's blood. Leaning down to kiss you, you kissed back with your body begging to ache like hell and body starting to contort you screamed in pain. Whispering something into your neck, he held you close to his chest as you grabbed and scratched his back till the blood came from it.

"Submit and it'll go quickly." he whispered tired as can be. Taking his advice, you closed your body and let it take over. Suddenly your eyes and hair became white as a dove and the pain stopped. Not only did he claim you as his, the kiss of blood crowned you queen of the underworld.

They laid naked as each could no longer have the strength to get up, but hold each other in a soft hug. Comferting and relaxing, considering what had to happen. They slept wedded that night, perfectly times as the full moon was now full and the ritual circle could light up red as the two came into harmony.

[ignitification]

Midoriya Izuku - Green for Hope, Red for Burning Passion

I always asked myself why exactly Horikoshi has changed Midoriya's character design so drastically.

Indeed, we go from a character called Yamikumo who looks like a feral child with the bad habit of eating his nails off, and drinks more coffee than humanly possible to an anxious bunny who smiles awkwardly and does not know how to accept compliments.

To me, the difference is absolutely insane. Izuku's hair and eyes are uniform and reflect his character and surname. However, a thing that I find peculiar is how the dark (Black/Green) and the Red theme are a constant throughout particular tellings of his character.

The legendary red shoes are one of Deku's main features. It's part of his character. However, I just got to think why exactly (especially having an idea on why was green used for him) and I think that the answer might be very very banal. However, I do think that this is not the only reason.

First of all, there is the most simple reason which I could think of: Midoriya Izuku is described as plain. In my opinion, plain does not really define Midoriya but the concept of him being bland and capable of melting into background is fundamental to express him in the most little details (however, there are few things which inwardly contradict this description: first and foremost his freckles). But as it might be, and Midoriya is indeed considered not worthy look at for more than once (at least as described in the manga - which is also one of the reason why his design has been changed so much, as Yamikumo had literally zero chance to go unnoticed), it appears clear how this suppression of character, of wanting to relegate Mido to a background role is what instead pushes Izuku forward to make a bold choice of something like wearing red shoes. They are strikingly particular, and noticeable: which means that Midoriya is not happy about being an npc, but instead wants to be noticed and in some way stand out.

The second reason, which I mulled over if was relevant enough is All Might. A recurrent color in all All Might's costumes is Red (and Blue, which kind of reminds of Superman and the American Flag. A fact that I found interesting as well if how AM wears Blue, Yellow and Red while Midoriya wears Green and Red, and of course Blue and Yellow together form Green).

And finally the third and final reason (at least, for now) is that Red, as a colour reminds Deku of Kacchan (even if arguably, we see in the first panel of the manga how Izuku wore already his shoes so this might be false and instead it might refer to the fact that Red is Izuku’s favourite colour only), who we know he associates with victory. As the mental image of Kacchan, who was red eyes, is his substitute for him being able to stand proud, strong and capable to win, Izuku might want to express this strive to be strong.

But what do these two colours mean, stand alone ?

As for Green: this colour, in different cultures, is associated with "Hope" . I think here the main gist and general going is that Midoriya represents Hope for the Heroes, Hope for the Unwanted, the Broken and the Damned (the Villains). I talked about Izuku being a Symbol of the New Society here, but in short, with Izuku Midoriya being fundamentally associated to the colour green, I think Horikoshi wants to express two things: how Izuku never loses hope (to be a hero, to have a quirk, to be a friend to Katsuki who bullied him for years or Shouto who straight up challenged him even before getting to know him, to reach and to save everyone) and how he represents and spreads hope for others (Eri, Kouta, the same Todoroki and Katsuki).

Green indicates life, renewal, harmony and safety. Which, in this sense, points out Izuku's nature as a person and how he is bound to feel restless unless he provides comfort to everyone, and that desire to save desperately anyone who he can reach. Green is a calming and soothing colour. It also stands for prosperity, freshness and progress - which point out not only the conclusion of Deku being N1 Hero, but as well at him 'changing up' the society and becoming the Symbol of Hope and Change (on which I briefly touched upon here).

However, on a negative side it also stands for Greed (wanting to be a hero and follow AM steps even when he had a hard time adapting his body to his new quirk) and Envy (Bakugō first and foremost and the generally heroes and those who has time to wield their power properly). In this negative meaning of the colour, I think Izuku’s selfless nature comes to the surface even more: how he feels bound to feel negative emotions which spur his renewal and development (after all, he did unlock Black Whip after Monoma had insulted Bakugou), but at the same time use this emotion toward a bigger goal (him being mad at Shigaraki, but at the same time wanting to save him - I wrote about this too here).

Green, is, finally, the colour of the Heart chakra: an expression of how Midoriya puts everything before him, because his heart cannot take the selfishness of thinking of himself first, which also come hand in hand with his sacrificing nature and reminds of his name meaning and the association made with the number 9. Indeed, “Opening the Heart chakra allows a person to love more, empathise, and feel compassion” - which in short, stands for an externalisation of Mido’s personality.

On a shorter note, in Japan, the colour green represents youth, eternity, vitality and energy - which, in its own way is both a confirmation and a denial to other references made in Izuku’s character, such as his dangerous nature, him not being concentrated to live on for more than he is allowed to fulfil his duty (him being tied to number 9 and so on), and at the same time it reminds us of OfA, as it gains more power and energy and at his cheery, youthful persona.

As for Red, as the colour of Blood, it also stands to indicate '' Danger, Sacrifice, Courage" (which reconnects to his name's theory and numerology, of which I talked about here, in short).

In addition, red is usually used to professionally gain attention (it's hard to miss something so bright) and convey confidence. We know for a fact that Deku has been wearing red shoes since he was a kid (or at least, since he met Bakugō, which coincides with Izuku being four) and that despite being Quirkless, he always showed courage in standing out to people even when they thought of him as 'inferior' because on his unusual condition.

Among other negative meaning, there is an overflow of temper, anger, agitation, and overbearing, demanding and oppressive behaviours. As clear as day, these characteristics relate more to fiery Katsuki than Deku, but as stated before, Deku puts Katsuki as model and adapts his combat style to resemble Katsuki’s. So, this overflow of energy and action is a double-edged sword which affects both Katsuki and Izuku in different ways (and is mellowed out in Izuku’s character by his other soothing characteristics , but more on that later).

Also, Red, in Asia is a lucky colour which might (or not) hint at how, despite everything Izuku got his 'lucky' chance to inherit AM's power and follow his dream of becoming a hero. Particularly, in Japan this colour is associated and denotes strength, passion, self-sacrifice. A transmission of feeling as complex and empowering as the ones Deku fills while he is living his everyday life as a future hero, summed to his nature and inherited quirk.

Red is also a magical and religious color. It symbolized super-human heroism to the Greeks and is the color of the Christian crucifixion, which might be as meaningless as other things, but in this case it might greatly relate to the type of enormous power Izuku tries to reign in, and to the self sacrificing spirit which he proves again and again.

So far, the meanings of the colours which have been associated with Deku are in line with his name, his personality and even the storyline which has been drawed out.

Among other meanings red represents power, courage, energy, passion, and creates physical effects such as enhanced metabolism, enthusiasm, higher level of energy (which comes back to the initial reasons on why Deku chooses Red as a distinct colour for himself and his shoes).

The color red is linked to the most primitive physical, emotional, and financial needs of survival and self-preservation.

Finally is also the colour of leadership, determination and courage. So in short, the colours red, where it indicates energy, action and strong emotion-filled desires and aspirations, is also weak to overbearing aspects which transform empowerment into negative traits (which is what, in the end, is represented by Bakugou). It is also strong-willed and can give confidence to those who are shy or lacking in will power (the shoes in Deku’s case). 

Red is the colour of the First (or Spine) Chakra and usually allows a person to be grounded and connect to universal energies, while Green is the link between spiritual and material.

What do these two colours mean in association with each other?

Onto how these two colours are related to each other, especially considering the premises made, we see that Red (life-giving properties, trust, belonging and violence) and Green (health, eternity, youth and greed) are not only opposites, but they complete and balance each other out. Indeed, to reign over emotions and actions, to red is usually added green which indeed is a pain-relieving patch for red’s intensity (the theory of Bakugou and Deku being two sides of the same coin are thriving).

Midoriya Izuku is an intense person. His personality allows him to balance out his power with a selfless nature, and while he himself is sweet and caring, his fiery eyes (and shoes) express for him his utmost sincere feelings, which deep down are very telling. As mentioned before, Izuku responds to Monoma when he insults Bakugou and makes a jab at how actually Bakugou is the one who ultimately terminated AM, by unlocking a new dangerous and powerful quirk, which is so powerful and fiery, and red in his intensity, that they need Shinsou’s intervention to actually calm him down.

Izuku is a overly protective person: he has forgiveness as a foremost characteristic and even if he does mention how he will not forgive Shigaraki for what he has done, on second though he realises that even a ‘monster’ like Shigaraki deserves to be saved, and therefore his other nature takes over.

Therefore, the coexistence of these factors, and his personality are probably at the origin of why Midoriya has had such a drastic make-over before becoming Midoriya Izuku, and why the colours of Red and Green are fundamental in the description which lets us have a full picture of Midoriya as an individual: something who is full of hope and energy, striving to express whisk power and passion while trying to concern only himself with the danger that comes with his mission to save everyone.

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian Chapter 11; the rewatch edition

I have found a bit more enthusiasm for this one on the rewatch, so here goes!

- din snapping ‘I’m trying my best here!’ in a vaguely annoyed tone as his entire ship is going up in flames around him because he mostly doesn’t get angry as much as sulky... the height of cinema 

- I love frog husband’s clothes, because they’re in a very similar style and colour scheme to frog lady’s but also incorporate the knitwear we see on the people of trask, so it both underlines his belonging with her and implies that he’s been on this moon for quite a while, they may have been apart for some time  

especially his scarf is a darling detail and there’s a bit of contrast in texture to it next to his wife’s, it’s nice. he’s wearing a similar kind of vest to what we see on the fishermen later, too 

- I think my favourite part of this entire episode (well second after din cradling the baby against him after nearly drowning) is just the design and Vibe of the planet and especially this harbour

for one I LOVE that it’s shown that even in the middle of the day it’s dark enough that the electric lights are still on when it’s overcast (it reminds me a bit of norway during the winter, actually, when dawn just never quite breaks and then slinks off in embarrassment before it’s even noon). and there’s also the... sails? nets? hanging around looking almost like flags, which are very Aesthetic but god knows what they’re for. maybe for drying fish on in the summer? 

I think the building in the distance behind frog husband’s back here is a lighthouse? or it could be one of those towers for loading you see when they scout out the empire ship too, I suppose!

and one for my strange obsession with Texture on this show: these fabric-covered crates!!! they look exactly as dingy and moldy as you’d expect them to be in this climate, I wonder what they’re for (& I vaguely want to touch them) 

- from the sound of it din’s vibroknife is uh ‘on’ when he pokes the squid thing, and he also goes for the tentacle the furthest away from the baby <3

proof the calamari flan have been scratched up a bit during all that time in din’s pockets! (the attention to detail in this show sometimes istg) 

- this is 100% me reading too much into things again, call the overthinking police I’ll do my time meekly lol, but the boat looks a little bit like the mudhorn signet from this angle: 

again din keeps his hand on or sooo close to his blaster in this entire scene, he knows this is sketch as all hell 

a) once again I want to praise the effects team for how GOOD the aliens look in this episode holy shit and b) the hell is this dude wearing on the straps of his overalls tho 

- the dude mando (axe woves) uses his little... wrist launcher thing to shoot with to finish two off the fishermen, so my theory that they can be loaded with other things than the whistling birds for slightly less effective use (maybe without the level of honing we’ve seen din’s be able to do?) is looking good!

- din actually has quite good form when diving into the water, I’m guessing he can swim at least tolerably when not in full armour, being stabbed at from all directions, having just had his son eaten by a sea monster and also being trapped in with said sea monster (I’m a strong swimmer and I can tell you that there’s a reason they make you swim with clothes on from time to time to see how hard it is, it sucks. with metal plates strapped all over you as well? yeah good luck) people don’t tend to hit the water that gracefully without some kind of training in my experience lol. might be some of the training with the jet pack has carried over too, considering he throws himself off that cliff in chapter 12 with similar confidence?

it’s interesting that they’re once again showing us a threat where the armour doesn’t help and even hinders him. we’re so used to the ways it can make him near-invincible, but it can also drag him down (literally, in this case. aha ha ha. well if I’m not here for my own entertainment then what am I here for honestly)

- din’s voice sounding like he’s just on the verge of crying as he cradles the baby (and the sound he makes as he realizes the baby’s alive) is my kryptonite, turns out. fucking breaks my heart into tiny pieces every time, I would die for this man and he wouldn’t let me

- in support of din’s paranoia: so far this season we haven’t been able to go five minutes without someone talking about peeling the precious beskar off a mandalorian corpse, I can see why his mind was primed to move in one particular way there

- I think the fabric of din’s cape has been treated with something that makes it waterproof; the water seems to pearl on top of it rather than soak in! can you imagine how heavy it would get if it did absorb water tho christ

(a bit hard to see at this size but that’s what it looked like to me close up anyway! could also be that it’s wool and that’s why it looks that way but I prefer an elaborate sci-fi explanation here, because it doesn’t look particularly weighed down afterwards) might also explain why he doesn’t seem worried about it catching on fire when he uses the jetpack haha, maybe this is something the mandos do with fabric they’re going to use for a long time 

I also enjoy part of the gambeson/undersuit thing poking up from under the shoulder pauldron and cape; I think this is about as disheveled as we’ve seen him since immediately post-mudhorn 

- the sound mixing in this scene, where din’s breathing is layered a bit over everything else so you almost feel like you’re in the helmet with him listening to what the others are saying........ oh my GOD, it embeds you so deeply in his POV but so subtly 

- not to be biased or anything... but din and the armorer’s armour design is so vastly superior to these guys it shouldn’t even be a competition lol 

din looks like an honest to god knight in shining armour except also sci-fi western and the armorer looks like a fucking war goddess from a time beyond memory; the clone wars mandos look like high end cosplayers (eh maybe it’s just my dislike for the boobplates that has me so 😒 lol. also a lot of dudes were very shitty about that whole thing and I don’t say anything but the ‘vaguely-concerned will remember this’ telltale message pops up in the corner every time) 

moment of saltiness over: I do like the differentiation between their individual character designs 

the differences in body type and helmet design is nice! they look like a unified team, but with individuality. I suspect the ladies have those belts and their armour plates on the hips instead of the front of the thighs to emphasize the ‘female’ silhouette, which. okay fine whatever

- bo katan looks very pointedly down at the baby after saying ‘a group of religious zealots who want to return to the ancient ways’ which makes me VERY nervous for reasons I can’t quite articulate

- the mournful guitar version of the mando theme as din watches the sunset...... hmmmmngh (this might be some Symbolism happening to us folks strap in for the identity crisis he still hasn’t processed) 

- I Cannot get over din being so unimpressed by and uninterested in bo katan’s ‘retake mandalore’ sales pitch from literally the first moment dfhasdkjfhsad sorry lady kryze this man just does not do main quest shit, he’s all side quests all the time and that’s why I love him  

- as someone who after chapter 8 wrote a whole-ass fic that was wholly & exclusively about din telling the baby he’ll always come back for him... some of the shit he’s been saying this season does feel like it’s been written to mercilessly victimize me, personally and specifically 

- guessing this structure in the background is the traffic control tower! doesn’t really matter, I just thought it was neat

- this part of the soundtrack is called ‘ship o hoj, mandalorians!’, which I found incredibly charming haha (it’s ‘ship ahoy’ except how you write it in swedish, good one herr göranson)  

- bo katan is vague about who exactly the new mand’alor would be if they took back mandalore to begin with, she doesn’t specify she is planning to be the ruler until she’s already got din on the ship and in no position to refuse to help. gotta respect the grift at least lol  

I do love her voice, though, it reminds me a bit of jennifer hale as shepard

- “I need to get back to my ship, with the foundling” your honor I uh love him so fucking much 

- frog lady stroking the baby’s back a bit as she holds her hand behind him to make sure he doesn’t fall backwards while playing with the tadpole ;___________;

and also frog husband and frog lady reaching out to hold hands and frog smooching as din and yodito leave ;____________________________________________;

- when din says the exasperated “mon calamari. unbelievable” line, the baby makes that little blowing a raspberry sound he does as if to agree ‘uh-huh unbelu -- unbelly -- unbelievable dad smh’ and it is very very adorable 

- there’s quite a bit of Stuff in the concept art that didn’t make it in this time around; I wonder if maybe they cut some stuff for pacing or whatever and that’s why this episode is so short? water leaking into the cockpit of the razor crest, something that looked a bit like whaling going on on the docks and more spaceships taking off (maybe there were originally meant to be some smaller ships defending the big empire one?), there’s quite a bit here  

[whentheynameyoujoy]

Women in SPN—Is it Really That Bad?

TL;DR: Somewhat, yeah, it kinda is.

This is going to be a series of long ones, people.

Before I jump head first into this giant vat of weird toxic shit, let me say something:

The thing about most of the female characters is that on their own? They’re perfectly fine, ranging from serviceable to the occasional flash of thematic brilliance. Barely any of them qualify as “this is hateful on its face and incompetent regardless of context and the writers should feel bad for ever conceiving of it”, i.e. the normie benchmark for justified criticism. It’s only when you put these characters next to each other that a worrying pattern emerges;

Although discussions about sexism in the media were very much a thing in the mid-2000s, as well as shows with characters whose primary role wasn’t to serve a man’s needs, I can’t honestly claim that the flaws of SPN are out of the norm for its time; and

The first few seasons could really do with a PSA at the start of each episode, something along the lines of “A part of the reason why female characters are killed off or written out with such regularity is rabid superfans who couldn’t abide anything with tits brushing against J2, srsly, the writing team and the 2000s’ fan base were a match made in hell, except it wasn’t the writers who couldn’t do with bitching on their LiveJournals about the gall of women to exist in the show, choosing instead to harass the creators and actresses and wives and call them every sexist insult under the sun AND I MEAN WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE HAS THERE EVER BEEN A CESSPIT AS DISGUSTING AND NUKEWORTHY AS THE SPN FANDO—“

Anyway.

SPN has a legacy (as a posterchild for not knowing when to bow out gracefully, but legacy nonetheless) and isn’t watched in 2005 but in the year of our Lord Today. Meaning that as time goes by, the issues surrounding the show’s production retreat into the background and only what’s on the screen remains, to be judged on its own merits.

So let’s run down a list of the more noteworthy and relevant female characters of the first arc, focusing on their characterization, role in the narrative, and end. In the conclusion to this series of posts, the sum of characters will be analyzed as a whole to see if there are any unique tendencies in the show’s handling of women as opposed to that of men. I’ll do this for the original five seasons as the recent finale went out of its way to say that nothing after season 5 was strictly speaking necessary so why bother.

(Also because I died of frustration in season 8 and vowed not to subject myself to any more of the post-apocalypse fanfic era)

Angels, while strictly speaking genderless clouds of energy, will be classified as men or women depending on the apparent gender of the vessel they spend most of the time riding. The same goes for demons where I also take into account their stated gender while they were alive. That’s because although beings like Meg, Ruby, Anna, or Lilith can’t technically be considered women in the show’s present day, their consistent preference for conventionally attractive and/or female vessels throughout the original arc makes claims of genderlessness essentially meaningless. For all intents and purposes, we’re watching girls and women on screen.

Baby—the only true NB of the first run

All right, time to jump.

Say hi to our ladies!

Mary Winchester

Killed in the very first scene to give the story a reason to exist, she remains an active presence throughout the first arc where she has a wide-reaching influence on the plot and characters, driving the conflict on several levels. Fleshed-out more and more with each appearance to be more than just “the dead mom”, she’s portrayed as protective, pro-active, capable, and assertive, mirroring the duo’s desire for normal life and their inability to have it. Her story comes full-circle in season 5 when the personal tragedy of her fate is embedded in the wider tragedy of the Winchester family curse and the overall theme of destiny.

Status: Dead as of s5

Importance: Major

On her own: Textbook example of fridging… and that tropes aren’t bad in and of themselves.

Jessica Moore

Comparatively, if anyone doubts fridging can evolve into something meaningful, Jess drives the point home by having no personality and no point but to prop up her boyfriend before she ends up pinned to the ceiling, the reveal of which is the most interesting thing about her entire existence. At best she’s a symbol of Sam’s civilian life, at worst an obstacle to be removed for the story to happen.

Status: Dead as of s5

Importance: Major in terms of manpain, non-existent otherwise

On her own: A cardboard cut-out, barely qualifies as a character

Missouri Moseley

A psychic and the primary reason why John Winchester even knows to wipe his ass. Appears once over the course of the first arc yet everyone wants her to come back years later—that’s how awesome she is. Has this fantastic trait of being compassionate and empathetic while not taking a single speck of shit from anyone, especially when it comes from the two main dumbos who might just as well have been raised in a barn. Is very particular about the pristine state of her coffee table.

Status: Alive as of s5, killed in s13 (wait, what?)

Importance: Major…ly wasted potential

On her own: As strong a character as Bobby Singer, and as worthy of being elevated to the main cast.

Lori Sorensen

The writers can’t figure out why anyone in the universe would care about Jess either so they insert an intentionally awkward romance subplot to convince people the time’s not yet ripe for Sam to stop grieving and start slaying. The result’s… erm… well, awkward. Lori’s naïve, sheltered, devout though accepting of her non-repressed friend, and sort of on a religious crossroads because of her hypocritical preacher father. I guess the virginal power of her virginal virginity does… something in the plot? Primarily a vehicle for Sam to mark the stages of his moving on.

Status: Alive as of s5

Importance: Minor

On her own: A bit done. Like a bit lot. Like a “could be a trope namer” bit lot.

Meg

Boom, baby!

Arguably the chief antagonist of season 1 and one of the best things about it. The first one to point out the pervasive toxicity of the Winchester family business, so props for perceptiveness. Possesses the standard qualities of a lower-level henchman—manipulative, no-nonsense, and quietly sinister which, while not exactly groundbreaking, sets her apart from the other bad guys in the season as they tend to have no distinguishing characteristics at all. Plus Nicki Aycox makes the role seem more unique and “lived-in” by projecting a sense of understated amusement at the two main chucklefucks. Is one of S1’s turning points in blurring the lines between monsters and humanity. Has a face transplant twice—once to have revenge (good on her) and the other time to pursue someone else’s goals again before getting stomped into the ground like a mook.

Status: Alive as of s5 (?), killed in s8

Importance: Major

On her own: The actresses do most of the heavy lifting. Which doesn’t mean I don’t love watching the character burst onto the scene and announcing the end of the Winchester brand of bullshit.

Layla Rourke

A terminal cancer patient in a religious cult, she’s a more mature take on a Lori-type character and the themes of faith and doubt. Serves as a conduit for Dean’s budding survivor guilt, self-loathing, and sense of worthlessness. Is kind and cheerful, with strong hints that she’s relying on forced optimism to get through the days; also understanding of the circumstances of others while realistically freaked about the possibility of death. Weirdly, she enters the episode already in a state of acceptance and leaves it just as accepting when it’s confirmed that yeah, she’ll die soon. All expressions of anger at the injustice and senselessness are left to her mother which somewhat undermines the “struggling” portion of Layla’s character and renders the final scene where she makes peace with her fate a bit hollow.

Status: Implied dead

Importance: Minor in the overall narrative, major in the episode and Dean’s development

On her own: I want to like her, I really do, just… if only she were allowed to get pissed, once.

Cassie Robinson

Dean’s ex and that’s pretty much all there is to her. I struggle to pinpoint a single personality trait of hers—the 2000s idea of a “strong woman” and “not like other girls”, perhaps? Undermined as a love interest because TPTB don’t show the happy or any parts of her relationship with Dean so really, why should anyone care if two sniping assholes with little to no chemistry get back together? Memorable for being in a horribly scored softcore scene which YouTube tries to convince me lasts for shy over a minute, not the week I remember it to. Involved in the show’s first and last attempt at incorporating the issue of anti-black racism.

Status: Alive as of s5

Importance: Minor

On her own: She’s in the racist truck episode. ‘Nuff said.

Sarah Blake

A sophisticated people-person conversationalist with a love of high art and a deep sense of introspection. Ascends to the state of godhood by being able to pull off pigtails while adult. Bonds with Sam over responding to loss by crawling into a shell but deciding to move on. Doesn’t care for your fancy schmancy fine dining, Romeo. Isn’t ashamed to openly talk feelings which includes her explicitly asking Sam if they have a thing going on (honestly, this is such a breath of fresh air for a normcore romance). Despite being scared out of her wits, she refuses to be shoved into the helpless civilian box after learning about the existence of the supernatural; Dean creates a Pinterest wedding board in response.

Status: Alive as of s5, pointlessly dragged back to be murdered in s8

Importance: Minor in the overall narrative, major in the episode and Sam’s development

On her own: A great love interest that has enough writing behind her to fool you into thinking she’s something more.

Up next, whenever I feel like it, seasons 2 and 3!

[scrawnytreedemon]

sephiroth, hornet?

Sephiroth AND Hornet!

But yeah, I’m assuming this is about the ask meme.

Starting off with Hornet:

First impression: My dumbass when I saw her in clips of the trailer years and years ago thought she was a male rival; a stern one. As for in the game? A sharp, righteous, if rather callous opponent; someone to keep your journey in check.

Impression now: She’s hard as nails, and canonically I don’t see her as the begrudgingly-lovingly older sister we in fandom like to image as-- However, there is a solemness to her. She doesn’t love the Vessels, by any means, and I highly doubt she truly sees them as kin, but at the end of Dream No More, when she looks back at the Knight’s shattered mask, I think a small part of her aches. I feel even in a world without Hallownest’s fall, Hornet would’ve still been stern, cold, perhaps, but I doubt she’d’ve been driven to such militaristic ruthlessness. It’s tragic, really. She didn’t get a chance at a safe upbringing; with loving parents; with security. After all, she was born to save.

Favorite moment: When the Wyrm’s corpse is crumbling, and she rescues the Knight at the last moment. It’s such a potent act.

Idea for a story: Ohohooo, quite the question? Well, if I were to come up with one on the spot, one where she comes to terms with the Infection’s end, where she learns to live in a world with relative peace. Where she perhaps learns to open up a little more, let others support her, instead of standing completely on her own.

Unpopular opinion: Mmm, can’t think of any really unpopular ones. Most I can say is that while it is incredibly cute and I love it to bits, I don’t think Hornet is particularly affectionate-- Especially not toward the Vessels, whom she doesn’t even see as entirely people. I feel that Hornet is alot more emotionally constipated than assumed. Yes, she’s incredibly eloquent and expresses her thoughts with ease, but I think she struggles with truly connecting with people, due to her years of isolation growing up in a dying world where all whom she relied on either died or disappeared.

Favorite relationship: Hollow Knight doesn’t have alot of characters to ship, lmao, so I’m going with Lacenet romantically :) Love me some rivalry!

Favorite headcanon: Daughter of Three Mothers! Love that so much, man! Adds such a depth and history to Hornet; really ties her into the Kingdom she protects.

Now, getting onto Sephiroth:

First impression: Sephiroth is one of those characters that just slips into your consciousness without you knowing. Cool, strong, charismatic, mysterious, delightfully cruel-- Everything a villain could want. Oh, and very handsome~

Impression now: While Sephiroth absolutely has this cool, aloof, put-together exterior, underneath is a very messy, bleeding individual with little sense of self despite all his bravado. Born and bred in Shinra’s labs, Sephiroth was created to be the ultimate weapon. Growing up without a mother, and a barely-father who medically abused him for years on end, Sephiroth had little security. Depending on how you construe the timeline, Sephiroth was deployed to Wutai as a preeten/early teen. What few friends he had left him, and all the while he was paraded as a war hero. I would argue that when he finally snaps, it isn’t because he’s broken free and is running amok, but rather because he’s latched onto yet another, more destructive authority figure. Jenova gave him a semblence, a semblence of safety, of love. An answer for why he’s here. A purpose, a higher calling; one not owed to suit-clad presidents, cheering crowds, or the fickle affections of his peers. For all his talk of becoming a God without bounds, Sephiroth clings to others-- Hell, his revival in Advent Children was through his sheer hatred of Cloud. I could go on for much, much longer, but I think I’ll leave it here.

Favorite moment: Ohohoho, if I’m going to pick one, it’s the one just before he becomes Safer Sephiroth. Tried looking for the script to confirm this, and there’s a chance I’m remembering this wrong, but he says something along the lines of “Everything... Everything shall begin anew, with me.“ And bRO I was like like chjjkKHJHKJFFSDJ?????? Metal as fuck. Of course, if it was even there at all. But yeah, anything with religious imagery and/or themes of death and rebirth.

Idea for a story: Ooooohhhhh, honey, where does one begin? I feel like more works focusing on his dynamic with the Remnants, who are essentially his progeny, would be wonderful! Working on some myself, actually :)

Unpopular opinion: Not so unpopular nowadays, but sexgod Sephiroth doesn’t feel realistic at all lmaoo. Oh, he can be passionate! Deliciously passionate, if I may, and I feel like he’s very good at getting under your skin, but I feel like outside of anyone he truly clings to... Seph’s a bit awkward. Not in that dorky, nerdy way, but in this very deadpan, doesn’t know how to act around Normal People kind of way-- Y’feel me? If I may throw this in, too, I’m not such a big fan of his Remake facial features??? Just looks... off. AC’s my fave, so I suppose I have a soft spot for the more delicate features there.

Favorite relationship: Hah, if we’re picking ships, Sefikura. I’m a stickler for hero/villain dynamics >:) But, if I’m picking dynamics, again, him and the Remnants could have some great potential. Overall, though, I’m very flexible with this sort of thing, and have shipped Seph with all kinds of characters, in-and-outside of the Compilation. He’s a very interesting character to put in new situations.

Favorite headcanon: Goodness gracious, I have so many. For shits and giggles, the idea that he eats cleaning products as snacks is hilarious and I love it to bits. On a more personal level, and these are pretty niche as far as I’m aware, I have a soft spot for seeing him as genderfluid and autistic-- God, without any context, that has the potential to sound really, really stupid and perhaps a little offensive(???).

But yeah, I have alot of thoughts, like, so many. I could probably go on for hours about Sephiroth in particular-- Hyperfixations Are Like That, Man. This was lots of fun, thank you for asking!!!! Have a lovely day <333

[growup-gloup]

Ever since my childhood my feminity was constantly brought down, mocked & shamed. Now I struggle a lot with seeing myself as feminine, sensual or/and sexy. Everytime I dress up in feminine + sexy way, i absolutely love it but i can even embrace it. Its hard bc i know that deep inside i have a strong and powerful feminine energy that just want the best for me. Can u give me some and advices on how to overcome all this and be more at ease and in harmony with my feminine energy ? Thanks a lot 💕

Okay here’s the thing.

The sun rises and sets regardless of whether or not you’re outside. More than that, you say that the sun rises, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s actually the earth moving, and the sun hasn’t gone anywhere, right? The point is, no matter what you think of the sun, it exists as it does with or without your opinion. That’s the same thing here. You exist as you are. Some might find one trait appealing about you while others would not. That trait exists regardless. 

Now onto the specific theme of femininity, most women, and men who embrace femininity as well, are, like you said, shunned about femininity from a young age. “You hit like a girl.” “You’re not like other girls because all other girls care about are their looks.” “Bro, that shirt makes you look gay.” And so on. Even if no one said those specific words directly to you, you hear it being said to others. You see that the girl we’re all supposed to like in this book or movie is the one who rejects her femininity. It makes it really hard to embrace femininity when it’s considered so below us. 

But a dress is a dress. It did not actively seek out to make you shallow or whatever negative connotation that comes with femininity. It’s just a piece of fabric. 

I’m a firm believer of the fact that masculine and feminine energies exist beyond gender identities, and every single person, regardless of their gender and orientation, has a bit of masculine and feminine energy in them. But that’s a post for another day, if anyone is interested. What I mean in this case is that you, too, have that energy, even if you didn’t wear anything sensual or stereo-typically feminine. 

But the fact that you are dressing the part is a great first step. But don’t just pick up a dress because it’s the pinkest, most frilliest thing you’ve seen, unless, of course, that’s what you like. When you’re looking for clothes, look for things that make YOU in particular feel feminine. Here’s an example: I think bralettes are absolutely cute and feminine, and I love seeing it on other girls, but I always feel awkward wearing it. That means, that even if I wore this feminine thing, I wouldn’t feel feminine, and as such, I would not be able to exude the feminine energy that I want.

Beyond that, there’s the regular style rules that apply. Make sure the item fits you well. People think you have to be a certain size to look feminine, or at least good, but it’s more about the fit of the clothes than your body shape. Certain shades of colors bring out certain qualities in you while others wash out the qualities. You need to find the colors that work best on your skin tone. Also, the fabric should be comfortable. If you are constantly tugging at your clothes because they itch, you’re not going to look, or feel, good. Investing in higher quality fabrics and getting them fitted to your personal measurement is an  investment, but it saves money in the long run because they last longer, and you get more wears out of them rather than the $10 trendy piece you saw on sale.

If you want to wear makeup, get used to a simple “no-makeup” routine that is easy to apply, can last the day, and isn’t too cakey. I love the creativity of some makeup artists and amazing things they can do with the same palette that I have. That being said, the art of the makeup can often take away from your personality. That’s why, if you look at the feminine people you admire, their makeup is fairly simple, maybe a bold red lip or a sharp eyeliner as a defining feature, but that’s usually about it. Of course, if you like bold looks, this doesn’t mean you have to stop.

So far in this post, I’ve stuck to the realm of physical femininity, but if you’re doing all of that and you still don’t feel feminine, consider your actions. Start with the things we don’t often think about, such as the way you move and speak. Keep your posture straight and your head up. Move slowly and collectively. You have all the time in the world. Speak softly and without aggressive language. You have no need for such things. I know women tend to have a reputation of slandering and gossiping, but nothing is further from femininity than talking badly about others. Don’t start drama. You don’t have to run the other way, but detach yourself from it. You’re above the drama. You have more important things to focus on than who’s sleeping with who. A great place to start is the tabloids. A lot of our small talks have started resorting to the latest celebrity scandal. It really isn’t any of your business what they do 

Also, nothing feels as feminine as mystery. I don’t mean to say that you have to shut down every question someone asks, but you don’t have to go into detail either. Live your life the way you want without announcing it. Like use your quest to find your femininity for example. Yes, you’re trying to act more feminine, but does anyone need to know you’re trying to be more feminine? If you say that you are, then suddenly, they’re conscious of your efforts. Even when you do a great job exuding feminine energy, they’ll be like “oh, she’s just pretending; it’s not real”. Or, if you do something masculine after you’ve announced that you’re trying to be more feminine, they’ll call you out on it and act like it was some major sin, and you’ll feel worse whereas they wouldn’t even have noticed it otherwise. Let them notice for themselves. If you wear pants religiously and decide to wear a dress today for the first time ever, yes friends and family will ask you what is up with that. All you need to say is that you wanted to try something new and that is all. 

I suggest looking into Dita Von Teese’s suggestions on femininity. Very little of it has to do with looking a certain way. It’s all about the mindset and behavior. 

💋

[dandyvespa]

Hello everyone

Since the Produce series is now in shambles, I still continue to be survival show trash and would like some other mutuals to join my crackhead addiction. If you haven’t heard of Youth with You, it is the Chinese version of Produce that uses similar formatting. The judges of the latest season—which this time has girls competing to form a 9-member girl group—include Ella Chen, Jony J, Cai Xukun, and Lisa of Blackpink. Not only are the mentors astounding, but the participants are incredibly talented starting out that nearly all of them deserve to debut. In fact i would say it rivals with or dare I say is better than the original Produce series. In addition to this the show invites girls of different styles, weights, backgrounds, and androgynous looks making the show a lot more diverse and fleshed out from the typical female idol look. If you guys haven’t started it and are interested in something a bit more fresh to quell the pain of losing the Korean Produce series, I would highly recommend watching it. For those who are all caught up, please let us fangirl together over these competitors. Down below are my current top 9 and brief reasoning for each.

NOTE: It was very hard to pick a top 9 and honestly i would still rearrange this later on because it’s still too early in the game. I have way too many favorites for this season T.T. That being said I have no particular order for these gals.

——————————————————————

1. Xiaotang Zhao

The girl is hilarious so don’t let her resting bitch face fool you. She is so friendly and easygoing and I love her don’t-give-fuck attitude and because of that she’s so real and open to her thoughts regardless of backlash. She’s odd, but there is no doubt that she is talented. She’s been dancing since childhood and her skill shows on stage. Not to mention she is pretty good at rapping.

2. Yan Yu

Another “cold” looking person. But listen I would risk it all for her. She is beautiful, her body is goals, she is actually a goofabll off stage, is really caring of her teammates, loves her family despite teasing them occasionally, and her vocals are P O W E R F U L. She has the most stunning expressions and the way she stares into your soul when she gets into stage character? *dies* Plus she has proven to adapt to any concept, be it serving that cold girl crush look or a more delicate cute style. I hope people begin to realize that later on in the season.

3. Babymonster An Qi

This right here. This little pepper? She is fiery. She has incredible dance skills and charisma on stage. She is goofy and loves to eat a lot and nothing warms me more than seeing trainees/idols just eat well disregarding strict diets placed on them. She is also great at getting her teammates to familiarize and better their dance moves and has great leadership quality in that field. She is well prepared and knows what she wants and goes for it, and with that I know she will debut.

4. Frhanm Shangguan

Ohohoho Frhanm Shangguan is indeed the W H O L E fucking package. Miss most competent girl of Youth with You Season 3. I still watch her audition clip religiously to this day. The girl can not only sing, rap, dance, and possess a stage like no other, but she redefines the idea of how female idols should look. She loves herself, from her weight to her hair to her overall confidence. She screams positivity, acceptance, and big sister energy. She believes all girls can do anything they put their mind too and she is such a hard worker and motivator for all girls in the season. I’m straight up calling it out right now that if she doesn’t get to the final lineup—preferably as the team leader— I’m going to yeet myself out the window. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of what this girl is capable of and I cannot wait to see her adapt to whatever is thrown at her.

5. Shaking (Xie Keying)

Here is one of your rappers y’all. This girl is such a ball of fun energy and charisma. It amazes me she is considered one of the rookie rappers of the season. Her ability to ride the beat and change her vocal tone is great. Plus her expressions on stage are killer. She really shined in the rap group battle and rightfully so. She is so funny and knows how to get along and make other participants laugh. She also has some really good vocal skills and I can’t wait for her to showcase them more. And I also must agree with Cai and Ella. They were right in giving her an A , especially over Lil Jeta 🙄.

6. Xin Liu

Another girl who redefines how a female idol should look! I love her androgynous look and I think it’s hilarious how vain she is when it comes to makeup. That aside I need to point out how her and others with this similar boyish look had the option of wearing shorts or a skirt and I’m glad she addressed it as it is part of her identity and makes her comfortable. This girl happens to be the theme song stage center and rightfully so! She can sing, rap, and is a killer dancer with popping her main forte. She exudes coolness and I know she will go far with her stage presence and hardworking attitude.

7. Kiki Xu

Gah what a cutie. Another skilled dancer who definitely proved that when she battled with An and Frhanm in the auditions. I thought it was funny when she struggled with trying to look cool for the dance group battles but then absolutely killed it with this girl crush look that made me think “oh my god STEP ON ME”. Whew but like really she is a great performer, but I really wanna see more of her vocal skills. Good luck to Kiki and I hope she can show more sides of herself through the season!

8. Snow Kong

See this queen? She is trying to learn to be more confident in herself and has shown how much she really adores the stage through her hardwork and tears. It’s been a while since she performed but she wishes to start new and give it her all. This girl is fun, loving, and has powerful vocals and rap skills. Plus her dancing is amazing. Just everything about her screams well-rounded idol material. She is a lovely visual and also gives me Sakura vibes. And don’t mess with her hair it will attack you the way she whips it like a maniac on stage. I also love her dynamic with others, especially Xiaotang and Esther Yu lol. Here’s hoping she will develop and astound us more through the later episodes.

9. NINEONE

Nineone is, to me, a dark horse like Yu Yan. She is a professional rapper so naturally her rap skills are the best this season. She knows how to take charge and level with teammates. She is another type of person who has clear cut goals and gets them done. Funnily enough she also has this childish and shy side to her that may come off uncharactertic to her considering her swag and charisma on stage, but I think it is so real and fresh. The final lineup would need another strong rapper that know what she is doing, and after seeing her audition I think she also has some fantastic vocal skills that I’d love to see branch out later on if possible.

———————————————————————

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Zoe Wang, Sharon Wang, JU Chen, Yvonne Wang, Yu Zhang, Diamond, Lingzi, Jue Chen, K Lu, Duan Xiaowei, Flora Dai, Meddhi Fu, and omg literally too many all of these girls are too talented it would be easier to narrow it down to people I don’t want/don’t see debuting....

But I won’t pour that hot piping tea out just yet ☕️

———————————————————————

If y’all feel the same or just want to talk about the show hit me up because I need more people to rant/freak out with over these queens.