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elsa-fogen · 9 months ago

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Oh, Husk and Alastor?

Their dynamic is also pretty interesting, they kinda feel like two people who everyone thinks gets along great and are the best of friends. While in reality their friendship is fueled but a fire born from their hatred. They just have many decent moments and have a easy time understanding each other, through they often use that information to serve a selfish endeavor.

Like Alastor would mess with Husk, tease him and Husk would tell Al to get his act together so that he(Husk) doesn't have to deal with some sort of fallout (ref. when Mimzy comes by)

In general, I feel like they do get along really well, but they are in no way friends. Kinda like how you can get along well with your boss, but wouldn't really consider them a friend. And you wouldn't really want them to involve themselves in your life, but that doesn't stop Alastor. (Social conversions? What's that)

This also makes me curious, wonder what kind of dynamic Husk has with Rosie, or rather, how do you think Rosie sees Husk? Just like a pet Alastor has? Or does she actually see the person that is there? (Leaning more towards her not really seeing Husk more than a errand boy or pet of Alastor)

Though it would be fun if the first time Husk meet Rosie he thought that she might actually be willing to help him because she gives of the energy of being a very kind person around people she cares about (aka Alastor). So he tries to talk to her without Alastor present and he finally understands how they get along so well, they are both the same kind of crazy ᵔᵜᵔ

So, um- what are your thoughts on the dynamic between Alastor and Husk?

HEEEHEHHE YOU GOT ME A REASON TO TALK ABOUT MY FRESH HEADCANON ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

OKAY SO!!

I saw a theory that Husk had children when he was alive. Keep that in mind, it's a secret tool we wanna use later

So, little bit about Alastor. He is not the guy who owns many souls. In fact, he doesn't own any (well... i have some headcanons, but it's for another time). The only soul he has is Niffty, and she's... she's whole another level.

So one day Alastor get's Husk's soul in posession and he has no idea what to do with him. Their contract is basically "you'll have to do anything i order you" but it doesn't set any boundaries for Husk. So he can insult Alastor, argue with him and so on. The only thing he cant is to try to kill Alastor, but it's obvious.

So, Alastor's just... drags him around, and Husk has to just be there all the time, and watch Alastor do stupid shit without thinking, being manipulated by Mimzy into some shenanigans and so on, because he's too powerful, kinda don't afraid of anything and little bit unhinged. And Husk is trying to be that voice of sanity for Alastor (and maybe Niffty). Like in canon, he tries to warn Alastor about Mimzy nd at some point seems genuinely worried about him. Just a bit. And also, in that scene in final song, when Alastor appears again, Husk doesn't seem happy but still goes for group hug.

I think he sees Alastor as a child he has to babysit, but the child is so spoiled, that he doesn't give a shit about his warnings. Maybe Al reminds him of his own children at some degree. And so Husk is attached to Alastor in some weird unhealthy way, he cares about him and tries to protect, even if it pointless.

The worst part of it is that Alastor doesn't see him more than funny fluffy cat-guy-pet. He almost never takes him seriously and doesn't listen to what he says. So Husk may try to reach out to Rosie, to make her to reason with Alastor. But she's basiclly "i could fix him, but whatever is wrong with him is way funnier". I think she listens to Husk's worries about another Alastor's scheme, but she also trusts Alastor? I mean, she belives that he'll be fine. But if something seems to dangerous, she can agree and talk to Alastor.

After all, Husk was an overlord, and i think Rosie could know him before he made a deal with Alastor. So, i think she doesn't think of Husk as just Al's pet, she knows who he is. After all, not every sinner can become an overlord. But still,

So, last thing. I saw that one comic where after episode 5 Alastor admits that Husk was right about Mimzy and i really love this thought. I think Alastor also likes Husk's presence at some degree. Maybe they could build something healtier, maybe Alastor, after losing part of his powers, would listen to Husk more. But still it's all fucked up while Alastor owns his soul.

And also, i'd really love to see something of just Alastor, Husk and Niffty getting into some shenanigans together, this would be so much fun. Al and Niff who are just 2 unhinged gremlins and Husk who's done with their shit, but still cares about them and can't just leave, and it's not because of the deal. Like i imagine when husk is trying to reason with Alastor that he's about do something stupid and dangerous and Alastor's like well i don't force you to follow us this time, but Husk still goes with them because who else would watch after these two idiots?

So i think, i get your point about them!

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fenrysmoonbeamswife · 2 months ago

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Why do people act as if the Cauldron loving Elain is a good thing? Like it's some sort of teachers pet situation and is a point in her favor? And I'm not saying it's a point against her but her experience wasn't good, it traumatized her to the point that she was borderline comatose.

Going into the Cauldron is an allegory for rape or at the very least assault. The Cauldron loving her is like a predatory man that wants a woman as his prize. And that becomes even more apparent when you compare both sisters experiences. The Cauldron hates Nesta because she fought back, she took from it. If you look at it based on the metaphor, a predatory man usually doesn't want a woman that will put up too much of a fight. The Cauldron loves Elain because, we can assume, she's more docile but has power that could be manipulated. It's concerning, not girlboss. Especially considering HOFAS.

The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the Daglan captured it and used their powers to warp it. To turn it from what it had been into something deadlier. No longer just a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors it produced...

This is not something you want to be the favourite of. I would be concerned about Elain either being corrupted (I would personally rather die than read about the soft girl turning evil or whatever, for the love of god SJM let one of the sisters keep her personality). Or attacked/taken again which could work well for a romance hurt/comfort or savior trope so it's highly possible with SJM

#elain archeron #pro elain #acotar

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cafeeeeeeeeee3 · 2 months ago

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I WANT TO DRAW CENTAUR HORSE CROSS SO *BAD* BUT I SUCK SO HARD AT DRAWING HORSES

Like, hear me out. This man??? He is HEAVILY associated with the royal guard. There is simply NOT ENOUGH centaur Cross.

I first though Abt making him a Clydesdale, because, y'know, they're MAJESTIC. Beautiful horses. However, I heard that, although you can ride them, they're not exactly the sort of animal ya wanna ride for much(apparently their feet"" get injured often), which, y'know, I can't picture Cross not being. They're apparently "draught" horses??

So, uh, they are more about carrying stuff. Even though the shape language would be amazing for these, because they're very robust, quadrangular, it does not quite fit.

So, uh, I found some stuff. I found stuff about "destrier horses", which were horses trained for battle, and the Wikipedia lists some breeds. There are some listed, but the one I thought coolest would be the Andalusian horse, because not only does he seem to be the one most popularly known for being a battle horse, but it is also known as "Spanish pure breed", which I thought would be nice, because it is a little callback (even if he is not Spanish, following the Sans nationality = creator's nationality thing).

The Wikipedia article also cites its use in diplomacy. I think it's a neat parallel to him being a tool to appease somebody else (after all, he is simply a result of Xgaster trying to create a perfect world for Xchara and Xfrisk).

The problem is,,, I do not know how to draw horses. Much less understand the difference between horse breeds and accentuate them.

But, uh, this is an idea. I've also been thinking about making the dream tale twins into elks because,,, it simply fits their vibe??? It would be hella cool to have apple slices, rotted away (perhaps apple cores?) stuck in his antlers, sprouting into small plants that droop low — bowing, if you will.

I also thought about minotaur Horror(or simply have something along the lines of Cross, but with a taurine body. I do not think the minotaur myth exactly fits with him, but this has never been about that tbh), simply because,,, isn't it fun when the bull is the owner of the slaughterhouse himself???? And, like, I feel like there's such fucking sick metaphors to make with that. Nobody creates carnivore animals to eat in an extensive fashion because the animal would eat more than it's worth, ultimately making for a model that does not sustain itself.

I've kinda thought about dust and Killer, but, like, there's just not enough reason in any of my choices??? I think Ram Dust is really sick, because "yes". I do not have a deep reason for it.

I,,, don't really know what to do for Killer tho, if I were to do something like that. I thought about those deer with fangs, because I think that the way that their outward display of aggression ends up being bad for them kinda mirrors Killer.

I mean, if I remember correctly, he's quite literally taken off his "powerful" eye. It's why he cannot summon gaster blasters like other sanses do, instead being able to only summon a single one.

It isn't exactly about aggression, as much as it seems to be about trill seeking.

I do know this isn't canon, but I see Killer as an absolute adrenaline junkie. Mfer wants to feel good desperately, and he will hurt himself in the process without thinking twice — he will pet the kitties, whether they give him rabies or not (maybe some days he'll understand what the scratches mean and just,,, go away. Others, he will just try to coo and insist that they are really cute).

Anyways.

I also kinda wanted to make Killer a deer because in portuguese, deer is slang for gay and I really needed to fit this joke somewhere.

I have no idea what stuff like Swap and Ink would be too,,, like, Swap might be a moose because they're close enough to elks and they're also hella bulky, and really remind me about maple syrup, but, uh, they're REALLY big. Swap ain't that big. He's a small tank. Which might bring him closer to sheep territory, but I need a sheep that is BULKY, a sheep that can pack a punch,,, but I'm not sure. Since he is usually regarded as looking fairly weak(AND HE IS WEAK AS HELL. Swap has the stats of a normal sans, but none of the benefits,, I think he has TOP NOTCH protective gear so that most hits simply do not cause any damage. He can take the weight. I also think he has a shield, and he absolutely uses that shield as a main weapon — he fights against people whose defense is attack by making his attack his defense) a sheep might work???

Ink makes me think about cows. Because of the splatters, and because cows scream unhingedness to me (miltank flashbacks), while being usually hella strong.

They're not agile, though.

Ink always felt like a monkey to me, as the closest analogy. I mean, think about him,,, just,,, it does not fit here, y'know?

I also think it would be funny.

Anyways, I ramble too much.

#undertale #sans #cross sans #dust sans #killer sans #ink sans #swap sans #horror sans

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doumadono · 2 years ago

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DOUMA LEARNING ABOUT HUMAN EMOTIONS

MASTERLIST

At first, Douma is skeptical about the idea of human feelings. He sees emotions as a weakness and doesn't understand why anyone would want to experience them!

However, as his significant other patiently explains the nuances of human emotions to him, Douma starts to become more interested in the concept. He begins to see that there is more to life than just killing and causing chaos.

Douma's significant other teaches him about love, empathy, and compassion. They show him that these emotions can be just as powerful as fear and anger, and Douma is surprised he didn't understand that earlier.

As Douma starts to experience human emotions for himself from time to time, he becomes more introspective. He begins to question his own motives and decisions, wondering if there is more to life than just fulfilling his own desires.

Douma's significant other becomes his confidante as he learns about human emotions. He turns to them when he's feeling lost or confused, and they help him work through his feelings, even though it's hard sometimes because Douma doesn't know how to differentiate between the emotions, and he's unable to describe what he's feeling.

Although Douma still enjoys causing chaos and destruction, he starts to develop a moral code. He becomes more selective about who he targets, and he tries to minimize collateral damage whenever possible ("you know, love, I've been thinking... I made a decision! From now on, I'll eat half as much women as I used to. It's not only called mercy, but first and foremost it's about compassion. I'm full of compassion lately, isn't it lovely?")

Douma becomes fascinated by the concept of love and begins to study it. He reads books, and observes people in love to try and understand what it means. As he learns more about love, Douma starts to feel it for himself. At first, he's not sure what to do with these feelings, but he's drawn to them nonetheless.

As Douma's understanding of love grows stronger, he becomes more protective of his significant other. He would do anything to keep them safe and happy ("my dear, I just felt something! It's so strange! The warmness within my chest, it's overwhelming. Fascinating! Is this what you call love?")

Douma quickly becomes curious about fear and starts to experiment with it. He tries to scare people and observe their reactions to see what happens. As he becomes more adept at scaring people, Douma starts to understand the feeling of fear himself. He realizes that it's not just about being scared, but about feeling powerless and vulnerable.

As he learns more about jealousy, Douma starts to see the ways in which it can be used as a tool. He starts to use jealousy to manipulate and control others, making them do his bidding. Despite his growing understanding of this strange feeling, Douma is still largely emotionless. He doesn't feel jealousy himself, and he doesn't feel empathy for those who do. Or maybe he does? ("My love, where are you going? Will there be other men there, hmm? You know I'm not fond of letting you go alone, you pretty, little thing. You're too precious to me, my petal.")

Douma's pursuit of happiness starts to become a problem as he becomes more and more obsessed with it. He starts to prioritize his own happiness above all else, even if it means hurting others ("Oh, no, my little pet, I'm not vicious! It's called treating yourself well and taking care of your happiness! I treated myself with just two more women, and I've never felt any better! Oh, how happy and satisfied I am!")

Overall, Douma's journey towards understanding human feelings leads him to become a more well-rounded and ultimately dangerous being for he knows how to act and what to do to touch what's invisible yet the most important for humans - their emotions.

#douma #doma #kny doma #kny douma #douma headcanons #demon slayer #douma demon slayer #kimetsu douma #douma imagine

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larrythefloridaman · 1 month ago

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Thinking about Prism's relationship to motherhood and honestly I cant decide if its more thematically interesting to assume she did or didn't have a choice in the matter in being the cibling's parent. I think that not being directly addressed is a good choice not because it wouldn't inform things about prism but because either way works on different layers of the cpuk authorship metaphor and the ambiguity allows both possibilities to exist simultaneously.

If she didn't choose to be a mother, and spectrum just dropped them in her lap, well, she never REALLY got much of a choice in anything, given shes a fictional character with a Role To Play, its just one more thing on the pile that becomes painful due to her percieved or actual lack of choice in it, that she both embraces and abdicates responsibility for by placing it in spectrum's hands and distancing herself from it, hence taking the 'babysitter' title rather than the more Personal one of 'mother', enforcing a role on herself as much as anyone else, albeit with a caveat appealing to her own desire to keep her hands clean, showcasing the hypocrisy at the heart of her beliefs about controlling people and understanding the characters as tools and nothing worth more respect than a tool, 'its bad and ugly and evil to control other people but not when i do it :)' and 'its good for me to do what i do i have to play my role its my job you can't hold me responsible- but ill make some exceptions for my own comfort :)' two sides of the same self-interested coin.

On the OTHER hand, if she made the ciblings and chose to be a mother, and then abdicated that label at some point... alone at the endless well of possibility, the origin point of the world with absolute power, you choose to create, to create people that are not you, an Other, little hearts shaped by your every move, even in ways you don't see. They begin to act on their own, personalities blossoming. Autonomous little people you guide and shape. You're their whole world, and you love them. Your power still is absolute. But then, something starts to change. They start to develop and become their own people, self-possessed, expressing their individuality and autonomy they develop in ways that... displease you. They're not pets, theyre not just your little dolls to play with anymore, they have wills that can conflict with your own, WILL conflict with your own, because theyre not even JUST shaped by you anymore- theyre shaped by eachother and everyone and everything else, too. You start having to manipulate their personalities to get them to do what you want, to play along with your game, you mean them no harm, your actions arent guided by willful cruelty... you just need them to listen to you. To behave. To make things easy for you. You made them, you have responsibility for them, you have authority OVER them, you had a job to do. do you judge someone for loving a dog enough to train it?

This works. It takes learning how to twist the strings on each of your little poppets, closely and personally, but it works. And things are so much easier when it works! But sooner or later, the illusion starts to crack. They can't see the strings yet, and they wont, not for a very long time. but they know something is wrong, and they grow willful and resistant again. All this work to craft them and direct them and make them the best they can be, and they show you no gratitude, only skepticism and rebellion. One in particular, the youngest, offputting and mischievous since the start, had grown bratty and insolent. And so, pushed to your limit, you... make an example out of him.

But what you hadnt counted on was that you'd spent long enough learning who they were as individuals for the fresh cruelty of this act to be... meaningful, to you. You felt awful. You could glimpse, in your periphery, just how low you'd really sunk. It was wrong and you knew it. But you couldnt bear the thought. You couldn't look directly at it. So you didnt. You cast off the responsibility, along with the title, trading it for another. From a mother to a babysitter.

And you got what you wanted. Unconditional love didn't, conditional love didn't either, but fear? That kept your house in order, neat as you wanted it, you thought. You didn't even have to do as much anymore- the eldest, a thorn in your side who once demanded sense from you practically ran the ship for you now, smoothing out as many bumps as he could before they could even reach you, terrified of what you'd do. Sure, you'd permanently ruined your relationship with your youngest, but whats a few eggs for an omelette :)

#this was kinda what a study in worldbuilding was supposed to be about before my progress stalled out. lol #cpuk spoilers

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lucky-clover-gazette · 7 months ago

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captive prince book 1 highlights & annotations

chapter 8

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

When they sat, he unclipped Damen’s leash, wound it around the handler’s rod, then tossed it to one of the attendants, who managed to catch it with only a slight fumble.

craft note: great little tension-breaking moment that doesn’t feel too silly

Torveld, evidence of a small coup for Laurent.

context: i think this just means that he is a useful tool in the power struggle against the regent? like, that’s how laurent regards him? which damen would understand at this point

Nicaise also sat well. His beauty at close range was striking. So was his youth. His voice, when he spoke, was unbroken. It had the clear fluting tone of a knife tapped against crystal, without cracks. ‘I don’t want to sit next to you,’ said Nicaise. ‘Fuck off.’

craft note: describes him as sweet, makes him say something vulgar. nice.

also, laurent parallel!

His huge blue eyes were fringed like a whore’s, or like a doe’s.

craft note: GREAT line. highlights the deranged way sex and innocence are regarded in vere.

‘I made your pet jump,’ said Nicaise, smugly.

context: he did this to get laurent’s attention, not to hurt damen. i mean he definitely thought it was funny to stab damen with a fork but that’s just extra

Not sounding at all displeased: ‘Yes, you did.’

laurent respects the fork thing. birds of a feather etc

Laurent immediately lifted his cup and inclined it towards Nicaise in a little gesture sealing the bet. Damen tried to shake the bizarre impression that they were enjoying themselves.

context: nicaise is the closest thing laurent has to a brother, or maybe even a friend. this is one of the first glimpses of Real Laurent that we’ve seen in this book—funny, competitive, supportive in a backhanded way. damen just doesn’t know that this is the Real Laurent, and neither would a first-time reader. so from his perspective, laurent’s behavior is bizarre.

In a miracle of restraint, there were only nine courses, served ribboned and artfully arranged on jewelled plates by attractive pages.

Laurent went very still; then he deliberately shifted in his seat and leaned in, bringing his lips right to Damen’s ear. ‘I think I’m out of stabbing range, he’s got short arms. Or perhaps he’ll try to throw a sugar plum? That is difficult. If I duck he’ll hit Torveld.’ Damen gritted his teeth. ‘You know what I meant. He heard you. He’s going to act. Can’t you do something about it?’ ‘I’m occupied.’ ‘Then let me do something.’ ‘Bleed on him?’ said Laurent.

a glimmer of their future dynamic :’)

Damen opened his mouth to reply, and found his words stopped by the startling touch of Laurent’s fingers against his lips, a thumb brushing his jawline. It was the sort of absent touch that any master at the table might give to a pet. But from the shocked reaction that rolled over the courtiers at the table, it was clear that Laurent did not do this sort of thing often. Or ever. ‘My pet was feeling neglected,’ Laurent apologised to Torveld.

i am not immune to whatever the fuck this is

context: laurent was getting a little too comfortable talking to damen like they’re friends, which then made him switch gears. and/or he was feeling a little silly

‘He looks combative, but he’s really very docile and adoring,’ said Laurent, ‘like a puppy.’

freak

To demonstrate, Laurent picked up a confection of crushed nuts and honey and held it out to Damen as he had at the ring, between thumb and forefinger. ‘Sweetmeat?’ said Laurent. In the stretched-out moment that followed, Damen thought explicitly about killing him.

FREAK

i’m guessing the strategy here is to assert his own power and maybe make torveld feel frisky so he’ll support laurent and take the deal, but also. freak

She was saying to the noblewoman, ‘Of course, the idea of one of us keeping males is grotesque.

“i can excuse keeping a human pet, but i draw the line at heterosexuality”

Damen had assumed that pets, like slaves, were sexually submissive to their masters, as was the custom in Akielos. But he could only guess at the arrangements between Vannes and this woman in bed.

so is the pet/master relationship consensual? veretian pets are essentially full-time prostitutes, being paid to larp a specific power dynamic. so i suppose the matter of consent here rests on whether prostitution and sex work can be considered consensual, at all. which… is a very difficult question to answer, although my gut says that it isn’t. like, it’s consensual on paper between the two parties, but i still think that the inherent power imbalance of a person who is paying for services that make another person vulnerable is shaky at best. and the way vulnerable people (women, gay men) often turn to sex work as a last resort, because our real-life patriarchal society wants women to be disempowered and dependent, makes it really not seem like a choice at all.

that said, vere isn’t the real world. and while bdsm is real, it is meant to include protections for every person involved. i thiiiiink i’d probably feel comfortable calling the master/pet thing in this fictional society consensual if i knew 1) that an indisputable safe word was built into the contract, and 2) that financial compensation wasn’t an aspect of the arrangement. like, if this was simply for fun and pleasure, without money or status on the line, i don’t think i’d have a problem with it. that basically just makes the veretian court a sex party for informed and consenting adults.

which, yeah, adults. even with all of that in place, i still don’t think informed consent can be given by a minor, which distinguishes nicaise’s situation from the contract-holders of age. that’s fucked up, no matter what. no wonder they hide it from torveld.

‘We are waiting. Ancel will perform. He is popular, “in fashion.” You’ve had him.’ She didn’t wait for him to confirm this statement. ‘How was he?’ Well instructed. Damen’s mind supplied the answer, sly as a suggestion murmured in his ear. He frowned at it. He said, ‘Adequate.’

“well instructed” SCREAMING (yes this is level-headed analysis but also AHHHH)

"adequate” :)

‘The Prince?’ said Talik, scornfully. ‘Everyone knows the Prince does not keep pets.’ ‘None at all?’ said Damen. She said, ‘You.’ She looked him up and down. ‘Perhaps the Prince has a taste for men, not these painted Veretian boys who squeal if you pinch them.’ Her tone suggested that she approved of this on general principle.

this is charming in a way i can’t quite describe. the girls and the gays having a chat. also interesting—veretians seem to call damen a pet, more than they call him a slave. and there is a huge difference between the two positions. damen, however, seems to hear them as the same thing. just another little hint that his perspective isn’t exactly accurate, even though he is a noble and trustworthy character.

The Regent gazed at him for a while. ‘I’m almost disappointed, if it’s no more than that. Laurent could benefit from a steadying influence, someone close to him with his best interests at heart. A man with sound judgement, who could help guide him without being swayed.’

careful what you wish for, fucker

‘My nephew is charming, when he wishes it. His brother was a true leader, he could inspire extraordinary loyalty from his men. Laurent has a superficial version of his brother’s gifts, which he uses to get his own way. If anyone could have a man eating from the hand that struck him, it’s my nephew,’ said the Regent.

way to tell on yourself

He badly wanted to step across the chasm that separated the two factions of this court: on the other side was this man who had long since won his respect. It was grittily painful for him to realise that it was not in his nature to do that—not while Laurent was acting on his behalf. If Laurent was acting on his behalf . . . even if Laurent was acting on his behalf, he had so little stomach for the drawn out game that was being played tonight. And yet. ‘I’m not the man you want,’ he said. ‘I don’t have influence over him. I’m not close to him. He has no love for Akielos, or its people.’

context: big damen moment! loyalty! integrity! good choice!

(although, respecting the regent… gross)

actually, putting a pin in the idea of “respect” here. it seems like damen respects the regent more than laurent, but chooses loyalty to laurent anyway. that’s partially out of fear, but also… not exactly. so what is, and is not, “respect” for these characters?

‘Go and fetch me my nephew. I prefer him not to be left alone with Torveld.’ ‘Yes, Your Highness.’

awful. the double meaning here—first-time reader thinks “laurent is working behind his uncle’s back, and that’s why the regent is annoyed that he's with torveld.” but it’s been twice now that there’s been a moment like this, where it’s almost implying that the regent is jealous of torveld for taking up laurent’s attention in... other ways. i don’t think it’s accidental, especially since torveld was described as similar to the regent. gross.

‘—told my advisors that I was past the age to be distracted by beautiful young men,’ he heard Torveld say, and it was suddenly eminently clear that they were not discussing trade negotiations.

sharp objects quote again: “if you let people do things to you, you’re really doing it to them.”

That a man of Torveld’s honourable reputation would choose Laurent as the object of his affections was difficult to swallow, but perhaps Torveld admired reptiles.

‘And then I met you,’ said Torveld, ‘and then I spent an hour in your company.’ ‘More than an hour,’ said Laurent. ‘Less than a day. I think you get distracted more easily than you admit.’ ‘And you not at all?’ There was a slight pause in the rhythm of their exchange. ‘You . . . have been listening to gossip.’ ‘Is it true, then?’ ‘That I am—not easily courted? It can’t be the worst thing you heard about me.’ ‘By far the worst, from my perspective.’ It was said warmly, and won a breath of insubstantial amusement from Laurent. Torveld’s voice changed, as though they stood closer together. ‘I have heard a great deal of gossip about you, but I judge as I find.’ Laurent said, in the same intimate voice, ‘And what do you find?’ Damen stepped forward determinedly.

context: torveld is trying to figure out if he can get into laurent’s pants (he can’t, but laurent is in improv mode right now), damen steps in before the flirting can progress any further

Laurent, reclined elegantly against the balustrade, did not react at all except to shift his gaze in Damen’s direction. They were indeed standing close together. Not quite kissing distance.

laurent lean #4. also what a funny thing to notice, damen! “not quite kissing distance.”

‘You took your time,’ Laurent murmured as he passed Damen.

context: laurent wanted OUT of that situation

‘He is a prize,’ said Torveld, warmly. ‘I’ll wager you never thought a prince could be jealous of a slave. Right now I would exchange places with you in a heartbeat.’ You don’t know him, thought Damen. You don’t know anything about him. You’ve known him one night.

“you can’t like him because you don’t know him. i can’t like him because i do know him, and he sucks, yet i still feel protective of him for some reason. we are not the same.”

Damen was back on the leash, being used very possibly as a chaperone. Laurent was acting with the carefully bland manners of one trying politely to manage a difficult suitor. Damen thought with some amusement: boxed in by your own cleverness. As Damen watched, Torveld’s servant produced a peach, then a knife, then cut a slice at Torveld’s instruction, offering it to Laurent, who blandly accepted. When he had finished the morsel, the servant brought forth a little cloth from his sleeve with a flourish for Laurent to clean his immaculate fingers. The cloth was transparent silk, edged in gold thread. Laurent returned it crumpled.

this is as close to sitcom as we’re getting in vere

‘I’m enjoying the performance,’ Damen couldn’t resist saying. ‘Torveld’s servant is better supplied than you are,’ was all Laurent said. ‘I don’t have sleeves to carry handkerchiefs in,’ said Damen. ‘I wouldn’t mind being given a knife.’ ‘Or a fork?’ said Laurent.

banter!! it’s them!! <3

also, i think the “performance” in question is laurent trying to spam romance interactions with torveld until he unlocks the diplomacy cutscene, rather than the actual performance at the party. clever.

To Laurent: ‘You let him speak to his betters like that?’ ‘Not to his betters,’ said Laurent. Nicaise flushed at that.

context: laurent implies to nicaise that he respects damen more than he respects him. this is, of course, not a compliment towards damen, but a slight towards nicaise, who takes the joke seriously because he is a child

Damen looked at Laurent, who had simply let all of this unfold before him. He could see what had made Torveld transfer his affections. There was a superficial resemblance between the Prince and the slave. Erasmus’s fair skin and burnished hair were the closest thing in the room to Laurent’s gold and ivory colouring. But Erasmus had something Laurent lacked: a vulnerability, a need for caring, and a yearning to be mastered that was almost palpable. In Laurent there was only a patrician coolness, and if the purity of Laurent’s profile drew the eye, Damen had the scars on his back to prove that one could look, but not touch.

he’s expensive.

‘You had a choice,’ said Laurent. ‘You didn’t have to show me your claws.’ ‘You tricked me,’ said Nicaise. ‘I’m going to tell—’ ‘Tell him,’ said Laurent. ‘All about what I’ve done, and how you helped me. How do you think he’ll react? Shall we find out? Let’s go together.’ Nicaise gave Laurent a look that was desperately, spitefully calculating. ‘Oh, will you—enough,’ said Laurent. ‘Enough. You’re learning. It won’t be as easy to do next time.’ ‘I promise you, it won’t,’ said Nicaise venomously, and he left without, Damen noted, giving Laurent his earring.

context: it’s only a play-threat from laurent that he’d tell the regent that nicaise accidentally helped, which he then rescinds as not to scare nicaise, and even follows up with a compliment. he is trying so hard to look out for nicaise within these circumstances, and it’s especially obvious compared to how he interacts with literally everyone else.

Laurent had delivered all Damen had asked for, tied up neatly in a bow. All within the space of a day. If you put everything else aside, you had to admire it for sheer organisational efficiency.

hot

Laurent seemed, bizarrely, to be in a good mood. He leaned a shoulder rather casually against the wall. His voice was not exactly warm, but nor was the ice edge polished to cut.

laurent lean #5

‘I thought you and Torveld would have other plans.’ It just came out. Laurent said, ‘No.’

there’s no way damen actually thought that. so why did he make the comment? hmmm

‘You are permanently disgusted by us, aren’t you?’ said Laurent.

the mutual moral arbitration continues

Laurent detached his gaze from the Regent and turned it back on Damen, his blue eyes showing neither his usual hostility, nor arrogance, nor contempt, but instead something that Damen could not make out at all. ‘I warned you about Nicaise because he is not Councillor Audin’s pet. Haven’t you guessed yet whose pet he is?’ Laurent said, and then, when he didn’t answer: ‘Ancel is too old to interest my uncle.’

“you are permanently disgusted by us, aren’t you?” laurent certainly seems to be, and i think he actually trusts damen to feel the same way. as in, he thinks damen has the same morals as he does, about this subject at least. progress!

#capri #sam reads capri #captive prince #laurent of vere #damen of akielos #lamen

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love-fictional-men · 2 years ago

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Save a Horse, Ride a Statesman

Chapter 1: First Day

Summary: You just landed the job of your dreams, working IT at the revered Statesman organization. Even better, Agent Whiskey asks for your help inputting case files for your special project.

Warnings: daddy kink, age gap, power dynamics, power imbalance, lots of smut, unprotected sex, oral (both receiving), PinV.

Word Count: 3698

You take a deep breath, and look up at the large, reflective building towering above you. You can’t believe you’re here, moving across the country to New York for a new job at a prestigious espionage organization. A part of you doubted if you even deserved to be here, but your qualifications spoke for themselves. This felt like a dream come true. You rang the brass bezeled door bell and the doors immediately open.

“Come on in, take the elevator to the top floor and meet us in the conference room straight ahead,” a familiar, feminine voice projects over the intercom.

You take the elevator to the top floor, and as the doors open you make your way directly to the conference room. You open the doors, and see Ginger Ale, the woman you had your first interview with, gives you a smile and pats the seat next to hers. A man with a cowboy hat, suit and glasses sits at the head of the table, along with hologram projections of other men dressed in a similar fashion. You make your way over to Ginger and take a seat.

“It’s so nice to meet every one of you, and I just want to say it’s been an honor being selected to join your team,” you state, attempting to hide your nervousness.

“I hope to aid making Statesman the most effective counter-terrorism organization in all the world,” you declare. The man at the head of the table looks at you with warm, soft welcoming eyes and smiles before saying,

“Well sugar, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Agent Whiskey, but you can call me Jack. Why don’t you go on with tellin’ us your plans to optimize Statesman?” You feel your breath leave your body after briefly admiring his warm brown eyes,

“Actually, my code name is Grenadine but you can call me (y/n),” you say with a smile. You always hated older men addressing you by anything other than your name, especially in front of your constituents. Being a woman in tech, you learned how to navigate these situations tactfully. After a brief pause you open you stand up and all eyes are on you. You notice Agent Whiskey quickly look you up and down before readjusting his eyes toward your face. You clear your throat to speak.

“I plan, with the help of all of you, to review case files dating back as far as possible. I developed an algorithm to review areas of success and opportunity. This will aid Ginger Ale in creating tools to succeed in further missions. I need to review everyone’s case files. They’ll be imported into a new data base and analyzed. Patterns and trends will be created. Ginger and I will be able to review these trends and create more advanced tools to aid agents in the field.” You sit back down and place your hands on top of one another, and lean back a smidge. Ginger gives you a brief smile before asking,

“Does anyone have any questions about Grenadine’s project?”

Jack, lifting his fist away from his chin, turns his chair to you and Ginger.

“And just how secure is this data base darlin?” Again with the pet names, but there’s something about him that makes it permissible. Maybe it’s his sweet southern drawl. Perhaps its his strong, large hands and broad nose. Whatever it is, you cannot deny that Agent Whiskey has an intoxicating effect. He’s smooth, sweet and warm, just like his code name. You resist the urge to consume any more of his charm, attempting to stay sober in front of your peers.

“It’s all stored locally on servers in a secure location. I’ve coded several firewalls that will alert those on a need to know basis if there’s any detection of infiltration. At that point, the entire system will be wiped,” you respond. The holographic Statesmen around the table appear impressed, but Jack doesn’t change his stern facial expression.

“That’s a mighty fine kill switch you got there Miss Grenadine, but ain’t it gonna defeat the purpose if all this information is lost?” Jack asks, without breaking eye contact.

“It won’t be lost, we aren’t destroying the original documents. Those will live in secure locations. I doubt anyone would be willing to physically break into a Statesman’s office to rifle through file boxes like it’s the 70s. And even if they do,” you say, warmly smiling at him, “they’d be caught between in-between a Statesman’s lasso.” The men around the table chuckle, and Jack gives you a slight smile and nod of approval. Champ, the man who gave your final interview and congratulated you on joining Statesman, speaks up. “Now we got a lot of old timers, myself and Whiskey included, who wrote down files on pen and paper. Is that gonna be a problem Grenadine?” You prepped yourself for this question, knowing Statesman had been active since the early 1900s.

“Not at all Champ! You see, I’ve developed a secure application accessible only on Statesman hardware that can translate handwriting to text and import it on the secure algorithm. Even if it can’t, I can review any files and manually input any missing information,” you state with sheer confidence. Champ looks at you and grins,

“Well, good luck translating Whiskey’s hand writing,” Champ quips, and the rest of the room bellows with laughter.

A few more Statesmen ask you questions. You gladly answer without missing a beat. Eventually, the meeting adjourns and the holograms sign off. You stand up from your seat and make your way to the door with Ginger. Agent Whiskey speaks,

“Miss Grenadine, would you mind hangin back for a spell. I just got some more questions.” Ginger looks at you, grabs your wrist and whispers in your ear, “Be careful with that one (y/n).” You gulp, take a deep breath and walk toward him.

“Now sugar, Champ ain’t kiddin’ when he said my writing was God awful,” Jack says with a chuckle. You slightly giggle, and sit down next to him, ignoring the knot growing in your lower abdomen.

“It’s okay Agent Whiskey I-” you say before he cuts you off.

“Sweetheart, I already said you can call me Jack,” he says, leaning closer to you. You feel heat rush to your face,

“Sorry Jack. Like I said in our briefing, I don’t mind transcribing older files manually. Just give me the files and I can take care of it at my desk.”

“Miss Grenadine, I don’t want to burden you with my chicken scratch notes. Would’t it be faster…easier if you came by my office and we reviewed them together?” Ginger’s words of caution rung in your ear, but your heart pounded at the mere idea of being alone with the most attractive Statesman. Was he flirting with you? Or was this just his demeanor? Maybe he was trying to help a newcomer make a name for themselves in this organization? After all, he is technically your boss and what kind of boss wouldn’t want his subordinate to succeed? You take a deep breath.

“That sounds like a fantastic idea Jack. I’d love to get your help and your input on previous missions would greatly benefit my knowledge of Statesman,” you say attempting to sound professional.

“Alright, alright Miss. Meet me in my office around, say, six o clock?” He lets out a deep breath, stands up, and you do as well. You extend your right arm out to shake his, and he firmly, yet gently grasps yours. His large, warm hand engulfs yours and you can’t help but feel a surge of excitement rush throughout you. Breaking away, you leave the conference room and head to the roof top to get some fresh air.

From the rooftop, you can see New York City in all its glory. This feels like a dream come true. Your first day appeared to be a success, you gained respect from the Statesman, and now your handsome boss wants to make sure you get this project up and running. You call your best friend from back home to share the news. After the initial pleasantries, you say to her,

“Oh and get this! Head of the New York office wants me to work with him personally to get to input his information into the new data base I created.”“That’s amazing (y/n)! It seems like you made a really great impression. I always knew you’d do great things. I can’t believe you're working for one of the best distilleries in the US,” she says. Smiling, and looking down at your shoes you mention,

“It also doesn’t hurt that he’s one of the hottest guys in the office.”“Really? Well don’t get a reputation on your first day,” she jokes.

“What’s he look like?” She asks.

“I think he’s from Texas? He’s got a whole cowboy thing going. He’s got brown hair, brown eyes. He’s older too. Totally got a daddy vibe,” you say, feeling that heat rise up to your face again.

“Daddy? Like he’s got kids?”

“No, I mean… well I don’t know. Look I’ll explain it to you later. Gotta go!” You end the call. Little did you know, Jack was behind one of the structures listening in on your conversation. A smile grows wide on his face.

The rest of the day is spent touring the facilities with Ginger, getting to know the equipment and familiarizing yourself with different programs. As exciting as this is, you’re looking forward to tonight more. You try to push back this growing crush to the back of your mind, and focus on absorbing all the interfaces and layouts Statesman has to offer. After all, you’re here to work. Luckily, the day goes by quick and before you know it almost everyone is leaving the office… Everyone except you and Jack.

“Hey Grenadine, wanna share a taxi back home?” Ginger asks. “Oh I’m staying a little later to work on the algorithm project,” you say. Ginger glances away from you, observing Jack’s office with the lights still on. “Ok, just remember what I said earlier and Grenadine?” “Yes Ginger?”

“Don’t work too hard, it's only your first day.”“Good thing I’m on salary,” you joke. She laughs, and bids you a good night.

After seeing the elevator close behind her, you make your way to Jack’s office and knock on the door.

“Well hello gorgeous,” he declares and motions you into his spacious office, furnished with a warm rosewood desk, luxurious rugs and two cozy looking leather seats. You tell yourself he’s just a gentleman, and respond,

“Hello Agent Whiskey, thanks for taking the time to help me with this,” you say trying to sound as professional as possible.

You take a seat across from his on the other side of his desk. He hands you a stack of old, dusty files and Champ wasn’t kidding. This handwriting was a challenge to decipher. You begin shuffling through the papers, and start scanning the documents into your Statesman tablet.

“Hey Whiskey. I got most of this mission inputted, but I’m having trouble making out the location. Could you take a look?” You pass the paper to his side of the desk, and his hand grazes yours and you instinctually jerk back a tad. He looks up at you and grins,

“Now sweet pea I don’t bite,” he says with a chuckle. “You ain’t gotta be scared of old Jack.” The heat rises to your cheeks and you look down at your now empty hands.

“I didn’t mean to come off like that Jack, I’m just nervous since its my first day and all. I guess there’s a reason you’re out in the field and I’m in the office,” you look up at him with your big, beautiful doe eyes. You can see his pupils widen, and he reaches for your hands and begins to stroke them. A surge of excitement rushes through your body as you notice his large hands engulf yours.

This is a mistake, I should go. I should have known this would happen. I should have listened to Ginger. You think to yourself. You’re drunk on Whiskey. You understand the ramifications of sleeping with your boss, but the tingling in your lower parts is too much to handle.

“I like your hands Jack,” you finally say, with your thumb stroking the back of his hand.

“(Y/n), there’s a lot of parts I like about you. Permission to speak freely?” He asks, with his strong, brown eyes piercing yours.

“Yes…Jack.” You feel your face get hot, and you let out a deep breathe.

“I ain’t been able to get you out of my mind since I met you in the conference room,” he confesses in his southern drawl.

“Jack, you’re my boss. I’ve always dreamed of working for such a rivered organization like Statesmen and I don’t want to throw this all away based on a lapse in judgement.”“It don’t have to be that way darlin’,” he says. Jack pulls your hand toward him and plants a kiss on it while looking you deep into your eyes. He moves his lips away from the back of your hand, looks up at you and says,

“Besides, don’t think I didn’t hear what you called me on the phone earlier,” he smirks. Your stomach tingles into your vulva. You let out a deep breathe, and begin to squeeze your legs together.

“Aww sweetheart, look what I’m doin’ to you,” he teases.

“I can’t,” you whine. “It’s not right,” you say with your eyes watering out of frustration.

“Honeybee, don’t get upset. Why don’t you sit on daddy’s lap so you can see what you’re doin’ to him?” Any self control you attempted to muster is completely gone. You know you should leave, in order to preserve your reputation, but you can’t. You get up and make your way to Jack, he grabs your wrist and pulls you down onto his lap. His growing member pushes through his jeans and onto your ass. He grabs the sides of your face and pulls you in for a kiss. His mustache tickles your lips as his tongue dances with yours. You begin to move your hips back and forth, desperate to feel him.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, now was it?” He teases you again. His hands make their way down your frame. You move your legs from the side of the chair and straddle his hips.

“Oh Jack you feel so good,” you let out as your skirt opens and the fabric of your panties grind against the denim outline of his cock.

“Yeah baby girl? You like feelin’ my cock rub against sweet little pussy of yours?” He asks you, taking your top off and throwing it across the room. You let out a breathy “Yes.” He starts massaging your breasts then unclasps your bra, exposing your hard nipples. Cupping your right breast with his hand, he puts his mouth to your nipple and gently moves his tongue in a swirling motion. You grab the shoulders of his blazer and slide it off his rugged body, clasping his forearms as you do so. Then, you grab the bottom of his shirt and begin pulling it off of him, knocking his cowboy hat off. You wrap your arms around him and his mouth meets yours. You can feel his warmth as you two make out. You grab his biceps and rub your hands down them as you kiss each other. You slide down from his lap and onto your knees, looking into those dark, beautiful eyes. Your eyes move down to his silver belt buckle with the engraved Statesman logo.

“Daddy… Can I?” You ask sweetly.

“Baby girl I’d be a god damn fool if I said no,” he responds. Eagerly, you begin to unclasp his belt, and pull down his jeans with his boxers attached. You are amazed watching his cock spring out, hits his belly before staring right at your face. You start to lick the base, moving your tongue up to the tip swirling your tongue around it.

“Darlin’ don’t tease me like that. Show me what a good girl you can be,” he sighs. You put one arm on his thigh, the other at his base and begin taking his length in your mouth. His size is impressive, and grows more as you inch your mouth around it. You relax your jaw, and breathe through your nose as it travels deeper and deeper down your throat. He pushes the back of your head down until your mouth reaches the base of his cock. You look up at him, eyes watering, as his pupils almost engulf his iris. The hand on the back of your head begins bobbing you back and forth as Jack fucks your mouth. You arch you back.

“Now that’s a good girl,” he remarks. He moans with each thrust as your fingers dig into his thigh.

“God damn sugar that mouth is made for me,” he says as he pulls you away from his cock. He bends down, picks you up and places you on his desk facing him. He pulls you in for another kiss and you groan with excitement. He pulls your panties and skirt down to the floor.

“Daddy’s gonna make you feel real nice honey,” he says locking eyes. He grabs both of your knee caps and pushes them away from each other, exposing your sex. He pushes his index finger in you and you whimper, he pulls it out and then pushes two fingers in, twisting around causing you to squirm.

“Oh Jack I want you so badly,” you let out.

“(Y/N) you got me,” he says beginning to pump his fingers more rapidly. His lips make his way down your heat, and begins licking you while his fingers fuck you. You let out several groans. His free hand spreads your folds and his tongue circles around your bud. The fingers that are inside you begin to curl upward and hit your special spot.

“Oh fuck Daddy, keep doing that,” you pant, looking up at him worshipping your body. Encouraged, he picks up his pace and you begin to shake while letting out breathy “yeah”s over and over. The pressure builds up and you let out a long moan, throwing your head back onto the desk. Your body is shaking and your breathing shallow. Jack towers above you and grins,

“Babygirl you taste sweeter than molasses.” He leans down and kisses your lips while positioning himself at your entrance.

“You ready to take Daddy’s cock?” You look down and adjust yourself closer to him. Your back arches, perking up your breasts. He stands back up, and strokes your thighs.

“Jack please go slow,” you tell him, hinting it’s been a while.

“The last thing I wanna do is hurt my little girl,” he says.

“(Y/N), tell me if you want me to stop. You hear me?” He asks, gazing into your eyes and brushing his hand against your cheek.

“I promise,” you respond.

“‘I promise’ what?” He asks sternly.

“I promise Daddy.” You grab his hand, and lace your fingers with his. His tip enters you and you can already feel his width stretch you. He exits you, then enters you again deeper, this time halfway. You feel your walls sweating and your hips buck forward to meet his cock. With this encouragement, he enters you half way. You let out an audible gasp, followed by a moan.

“Keep going Jack, I can take it,” you say looking up at him.

“Thatta girl,” he smiles. He thrusts deeper into you, entering you fully. He lets out a “fuck” under his breath which you follow with a moan. His rhythm is slow and steady and you can feel him stretch you. You lock eyes with him, grab his free hand and put his fingers in your mouth. You begin to suck them, he lets out a groan and begins to fuck you faster. He pulls his fingers out of your mouth and grabs your hips. You moan while putting your hands over his.

“You like that baby girl? You like being full of daddy’s cock?”

“Yes Daddy Whiskey,” you coo. He smiles, releases his hands from you and orders, “Open that pretty little mouth.” He sticks his finger down your throat, pulls it out covered in your saliva and beings vigorously rubbing your clit. Your thighs shake and you start panting heavily.

“Daddy please,” you let out and he fucks harder. He grabs your throat with his free hand and your thighs wrap around his waist. You whimper as he pounds into you, his finger pressing harder on your bud.

“Cum on daddy’s cock sweet thing,” he commands. You shake and let out a muffled moan. He pulls out of you and sits on the leather chair behind you. He pats his lap,

“Go on, show daddy what you got,” he commands. You stand up from the desk, legs shaking like a new born foal. You position yourself above him, he grabs your face and kisses you passionately. You break away and take a deep breathe.

“Save a horse, ride a statesman,” you giggle. He smiles with a chuckle,

“Baby girl you’re perfect,” he says. Your hips move down, and you begin to motion your hips back and forth, riding his cock as if your life depended on it. You feel his balls slap against the area between your sexes. You let out a few squeaks and moans, your tits bouncing in his face as he kisses them. He starts breathing heavier,

“Daddy’s gonna come,” he exhales. He starts to push you off, but you saddle back on his hips. His eyes widen, he lets out a deep groan and shoots his load into you. You can feel his seed shoot into you and you let out a gasp. You get off of him, kissing him softly.

“I’m gonna have to keep you around baby girl,” Jack says as he embraces you.

#agent whiskey x female reader #daddy!whiskey #pedro pascal #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey x you #agent whiskey x y/n #agent whiskey fic

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theunintentionallyawesomeone · 11 months ago

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Ok, spoilers for episode 5 but something I liked, especially after all that happened in 4, was the scene with Husk confronting Alastor about Mimzy.

I will admit that, after ep. 4, I was having a hard time seeing Husk's situation with the same gravity as Angel's.

Of course, it sucks to be under the thumb of someone much more powerful than you and be at their beck and call, but I didn't see how Alastor treated Husk being nearly as bad as how Valintino was treating Angel. Their relationship wasn't healthy but it didn't seem as bad.

But that scene? That changed it.

Husk's situation with Alastor is just as toxic and abusive, just like Angel and Valentino, albeit in a different way.

Both Alastor and Valentino see their respective victims as objects, something they own and can profit from. Angel and Husk are tools to them, not people or lovers or friends.

Because of that, Husk nor Angel can call out negative behavior of their abusers without dire consequences.

When Husk criticized Alastor and made a dig in retaliation to being belittled, Alastor responded threateningly as a reminder to his "pet" that he has the power to put Husk down if he wanted to.

It really cemented to me that Alastor doesn't view Husk as anymore than an attack dog cat on a choke chain.

#hazbin hotel #personal-ish #How Nifty fits into this situion i cant tell ya.#Hazbin hotel husk #hazbin alastor #Spoilers #Maybe there will be a 3rs act twist and all of what Alastor was doing was for Husk and Nifty and his friends to keep them safe #But i kinda doubt jt. >>

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astroyongie · 1 year ago

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🔮 Magic Info Part 1 🔮

Note: if you have any questions you want to be answered, please send them here: https://forms.gle/mHUTZhqvXmp2Cc1N6

-> Also I am answering everyone's questions, if your question isn't here, it will appear on the next Magic Info <3

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Followers Questions *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Can you pls tell more about selling a soul? Like give us pls full info it’s so forbidden ik but yet so intriguing :

Like I have once said on the blog, I will not give you a full step to step on how “selling a soul” works. If it is forbidden and dangerous, it’s for something. But I will try to tell you why you shouldn't do it and why you should stop obsessing over it. You can basically sell a soul to any entity (so not only demons and dark energies from the low astral, but also to angels or deities). Those are only made through very specific rituals, on certain dates, under certain circumstances, etc. Do it wrongly and the consequences suffered will be the same as dying through acid. Is selling a soul worth it? No. No matter what you ask for the entity what you will have to give is far more than what you can handle. Your life certainly but also the ones of people you love (after you have seen them suffer because of it). It doesn’t matter if it is an angel. When selling your soul you become a lifeless body and no reincarnation will be possible since your spirit will simply disappear.

Does every human have angels around them?

If we follow what is written in the Bible, Kabbalah or the Qur’an, God is with us all, and with it, so are the angels that are supposed to look over us and protect us from evil. I do believe that everyone has their own guardian angel out of the 72 written in the Kabbalah but I also believe that not everyone is connected to them due to spiritual guides that aren’t angels (spiritual guides can be human souls that have passed or haven’t incarnated, could be deities or spiritual being of the high astral). Some people will be a lot more in tune with spiritual guides instead of angels and that is okay. But if you ask me, yes I do believe that everyone has their own Angel (some even more than one) the same way they also have their opposite (low astral entity). Life is made out of balance. Light can only exist if there’s darkness.

My dog has been more clingy around me recently. Could this potentially be my dog's way of trying to protect my me/my energy from negative energy/spirits? Or could my dog be signaling to me that something is wrong with me/my body?

There are 4 reasons that can make a pet become more clingy all of a sudden. 1: there’s no reason, they are just seeking company: 2: their owner is indeed having a very low energy and they are trying their best to be by your side and raise your vibration higher (which the purr of a cat does very well); 3: the owner is feeling low or sick and the pet is trying to warn you about it; 4: it is the pet who is sick and trying to show you their low mood by being clingy.

I always wondered who actually came up with tarot cards and their meanings. The symbols like lovers, hermit, swords, wards etc. do they have any deeper meaning or is it just some sort of random thoughts:

This is a very interesting question because there are two answers to this. We got the “scientific” answer made by scholars and we have the “spiritual” made by the 14th-century occultists. For the scholars: Tarot were created in Italy in mid 15- century as a card game, that later was taken by “occultists” who made propaganda with it saying they were divination tools that had originated from ancient Egypt manuscripts, the Kabbalah, Indic Tantra and even the Ching which is a divination book made in China around 1000 BC.

The spiritual reference however states indeed that the tarot has power over the future because they originated during these periods but also because the Major Arcanas were the “high secrets of the world” that were contained in the King Solomon book. Alesteir Crowley, explains that a lot in his books and research.

One thing is certain, I believe that no matter the origin, Tarot has power. Even if it was not influenced by any pre-Christian society, they were still created by humans and for years there was power and manifestation given to the meanings in the cards, which with time stays.

What is your opinion on egyptian zodiac signs where every person is assigned one god/goddess?

Since I am not too much into Egyptian Mythology, I don’t know much about it, but I do find it interesting. Mostly because it shows how the greatest empires and societies (Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Roman, Arab, Maya, Celtic, ect) in our world still believed in astrology and lived their lives based on the stars. For anyone curious, this site says it all: https://belowthestars.com/egyptian-astrology/

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Curiosities *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Seeing the dead: Contrary to popular knowledge, everyone is able to see dead people to a certain extend. It is known that only "mediums" are clearly able to connect, see and talk to the dead, but even with mediums, they aren't able to contact everyone. But why's that? why are there some that are more in tune with certain dead people and others not? while it all depends on your gifts that's for sure, but also on your own spiritual energy. Some people are able to see them but not talk to them. Others are able to hear them and not see them. Some are able to see and communicate with them through dreams and some even through divination tools. The spiritual world is vast and the knowledge we have of it, is very little.

Healing through magic: Remember that life is about balance. There are spells that exist that are able to help someone heal on certain things but when practicing it, remember that the diseases you are taking away need to be put somewhere else. If you aren't able to choose someone or if your values stop you from doing it, you need to be prepared for disease to stay around you and the people that you love and care for (animals included).

Graveyard dirt: It is a powerful and energetic ingredient for certain spells and rituals. But I definitely advise you not to use anything that deals with death (ingredients, such as dirt, bones, blood, dead people accessories) if you haven't been yourself close to death. The reverse effects will be just very hard to handle if you don't know what you are dealing with

Sigils: DON'T USE SIGILS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER THEY HAVE! sigils are made through energy, when they are used, it's with intention. And, although your intuition is very important, using sigils that are used centuries ago without having a clue of what they are for, can be very dangerous. The same goes when you work with angels, demons or other deities, do not use their sigils. I won't be able to help you if you do.

Religion and Magic: Magic is seen through the eyes of religion as something made by the devil. I do believe that these beliefs are due to the monotheist religions that wanted to protrait it as the devil in other beliefs. Remember, plants and remedies are "magical" based. meds are just a scientific way to say "magical herbs". Remember that religion is something personal, and beliefs are something personal. Be connected to your high self, to your values, and practice whatever you feel comfortable with. Don't allow other people to tell you it's evil or wrong. If you feel at peace, that's the most important thing

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literary-illuminati · 2 years ago

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Book Review 21 - A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

I honestly entirely forget who recommended this to me, but I owe them a thank you. Absolutely not something I would have ever picked up on my own, but a really enjoyable read. My exposure to Novik’s work is extremely limited, which is to say I’ve read Spinning Silver, but I’ve been vaguely meaning to give more of her stuff a try for a while. Didn’t enjoy this as much as that on a few levels, but that’s just the YA/adult genre jump as much as anything, probably.

It is very much a YA book, more than anything I’ve read this year (even more than Iron Widow, probably). From the entire plot being about making friends in high school being a literal life or death struggle to El “most powerful mage ever but only for evil things she tries to avoid so only a half dozen people ever realize how special she is’ Higgins to the booklength awkward teenage ‘literally unclear whether we are dating or not’ romance. So! Broadening my genre horizons some, I suppose.

El’s internal monologue was a bit of a trial for the first half of the book or so, I’ll admit. Not to say that it didn’t ring true to life, but she was just so incredibly fifteen, you know? Generally became significantly more tolerable once she started actually acting and coming out of her shell instead of devoting herself entirely to angsting about how much everyone hated her and trying to convince herself that she was a machievellian villain in waiting.

Though, to pick a nit that probably annoyed absolutely no one but me – I’m willing to accept El’s magical savant-ness as the price of admission, but the whole gradual reveal with her mom actually being world famous felt...odd? Cheap? Like in the beginning she’s very firmly characterized as this kind of head-in-the-clouds well meaning but not particularly perceptive or effectual hippie type, and then it’s gradually revealed that she’s actually the best healer in the UK and has set the global standard for a lot of spells and-. And it’s not like the reveal was actually doing anything dramatically, except making early book El’s isolation and lack of friends even more self-imposed, which was hardly necessary at that point. (Honestly ‘supporting cast go from being nobodies to retroactively being world-famous in their fields’ is the sort of decay I tend to associate with long running serial fiction. Weird to see it happen over the course of one book.) But that’s really just a minor pet peeve.

Orion was a great character, or at least a well-done example of an archetype I adore. ‘Selfless, heroic and dedicated to the point of it being kind of offputting/creepy Chosen One type who is (and I can’t emphasize this enough) not the protagonist. Partially because ‘there’s a much more conventionally heroic adventure story happening 5 degrees to the left’ just makes most stories a little bit more amusing, but also because someone really earnestly believing ‘my entire life is a means to a higher end, a fine tool set to a magnificent or at least a necessary purpose’ reliably drives me absolutely insane about them. That said the only reason I’m not absolutely certain he turns out to be either secretly evil or destined-to-be-the-antichrist is because the end of book cliffhanger makes that almost too obvious and on-the-nose.

Taking a bit of a step back, it’s interesting that the book didn’t really have any individual villain? Like, some other students are antagonists at times, sure, and there are plenty of horrible gribbly monsters (I adored basically all the horrible gribbly monsters), but none that really last as antagonists? Either defused or convinced to step aside/help or brutally murdered with magic. The entire finale was basically extreme high stakes facility maintenance. So yeah, interesting, not my usual expectation of YA.

I mean more broadly the actual villain is of course the entire fucked up system, both social and metaphysical, underlying the school. The role of a brutally competitive education system as recruitment method allowing particularly competent or promising immigrants and members of the lower classes to join a ‘meritocratic’ elite while also filtering out the most troublesome or incompetent children of that elite and using their failure to legitimize the easy inheritance of all the others is, perhaps, a slightly on the nose analogy. But, again, kind of the price of admission.

#book review #the scholomance #a deadly education #naomi novik #sff #YA

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inastarlesssky · 5 months ago

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Okay, here it is my recap of 1x02.

So it starts with Morpheus (that's what I'm calling him...he says to the Fates, 'I am Morpheus...Dream of the Endless...' etc so I'm going to call him that.) returning to the Dreaming and finding everything falling to pieces and in disarray. Lucienne is with him and explains that it began to fall apart with his disappearance. I felt a little bit for Morpheus at that part when after he asks Lucienne what happened to the residents, they (anyone know what pronouns to use for Lucienne?) tell him that some of them fled, thinking that Morpheus had tired of them..

I really, really admire Tom Sturridge's acting because it's impressive how despite not showing so much physical reaction to something emotional, he can still convey that emotion. And in this moment, he's a little surprised, taken aback, stung maybe that his people have such little faith in him, that they think he would abandon them. After all that he's done for them (at least from what I see when we first see the Dreaming in all its glory...like imagine, Morpheus built that for them, the Dreaming is where they go when they sleep, and the dreams [and nightmares] are what he creates, for them).

But he's not back to his full strength just yet. He discovers that without his tools (the ruby, the helm and the sand that was taken from him upon his capture) he's weak and he doesn't have the power to restore his kingdom to what it once was. So he goes in search of the one thing remaining that he created, which might be able to return to him enough power to summon the Fates and ask after his missing tools. He finds that in the Gargoyle in the care of Cain and Able.

It was sad, of course, when Gregory the Gargoyle agreed to sacrifice himself so Morpheus could recover enough power to call the Three-Who-Are-One. But also to note the regret Morpheus felt over that. You could see the pain in his eyes when he started to reabsorb his power, like he didn't really want that, but it was necessary.

Also, Lucienne is my hero. I love them very much.

Tom Sturridge did a fantastic job of showing Morpheus' regret at what he had to do. The Corinthian (an escaped Nightmare and supposedly a villain here in the series) swears that Morpheus doesn’t care about anyone but himself, yet (and I was happy to see this and at this moment started to consider hmm I might possibly like Morpheus) he cares enough to gift Cain and Abel with a new pet: a baby gargoyle named Goldie. A self-less act. I mean, yes Morpheus went to get the snake to offer it to the Fates, but the egg he retrieved was that gift he gave to the brothers.

Then we see the Corinthian trying to enlist Ethel's help in finding and getting a hold of the sigils, Morpheus' tools, no?

Morpheus addresses the Fates (and I enjoyed that interaction, to be honest...his little incline of the head, that 'Thank you, ladies' ...I loved it) The Fates tell Morpheus where he can find his sigils, but in a very cryptic way. Poor man, I mean Endless.. It's like, he asks a question, and one says, "[The ruby] was passed from a mother to a son."

The Fate: *rattles off some cryptic answer* Morpheus: 😤😐😑

And I LOVED how he seemed to forget the one question, one answer. He'd ask one question, get yelled at by the Fates, and then answer with (basically) "Oh shit, right, sorry about that!" 🤣 Excuse me, Dream of the Endless, get your act together, love.

The sand was sold in London. And we're introduced to Johanna Constantine. The helm was traded to a demon (???) for the Amulet of Protection. Ethel ends up using this to get rid of Corinthian for the time being. The ruby, well, we don't know much more than that it was passed from a mother to a son. And that it's somehow related to Johnny (David Thewlis) who's in a hospital/prison according to him.

I'm absolutely fascinated by this series and excited for the next episode!

Also, just the visuals of all this is really amazing. There's a scene, I forgot to mention, when Morpheus parts the waters to travel to the Waking (I suppose that's where he's going to pursue his missing sigils). From Sturridge's subtle hand movements to the way the water flows, it's so impressive. I really enjoy it.

#the sandman #the sandman write-ups #morpheus #the sandman netflix #lucienne the librarian

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paeliae-occasionally · 4 months ago

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OC Profile tag.

Thanks @saturnine-saturneight for the tag!

I will answer for Xaeren because I have been writing him recently.

Name: Xaeren (Z-eye-ren)

Nickname: Xae, but only by the hidden king or maybe Kell.

Kind of being: Human. (Runic)

Age: For the majority of story he is 32-33 but he was held is stasis for quite a few years so his body is only like 25.

Gender: Male

Appearance: Light tan skin and a sparkle in his eyes when he is thinking. He wears a dark blue sailing coat with a strange number of pockets that seem to move and shift depending on his need. The buckles on the coat and all of his jewellery is engraved with runes so he can cast with them if he is ever in need. His hair is black matching his black boots made for running across Zaireli rooftops.

Occupation: Hand for the house of Hiresias then godkiller.

Family members: His parents were Saire and Morden Teyri and they were taken by Schaeres when they attempted a necromantic ritual. He was then raised by the runic cult: the Ponturesi.

Pets: He bound all of their souls to Schaeres’s realm in practice.

Best friend: The hidden king’s son Arlei.

Describe their room: He has a small wooden loft space in Zairel with a slanted roof and piles of books in tall piles on the one desk. In one corner is a small wooden slab covered in a thin blanket where he sleeps (when he can justify it) and he has a workbench with clay, carving knives and metal casting tools for making runes.

Way of speaking: He learnt Zaireli from criminals of a higher house so he speaks with a lower Zaireli accent but can easily fake nobility. He speaks Altic like a higher scholar becuase of the Ponturesi

Physical characteristics (posture, gestures, attitude): He moves with a quiet grace as a trained runic and spy of the House, but he still finds himself standing straight with his hands behind his back when stressed from memories when he was with the Ponturesi. His hands move as fast as his mind crafting and writing while he talks.

Items in their back pocket/purse: With his many pockets in his coat, he carries more than most people. He has two full sets of runes and a knife to carve more if he needs to. He also carries a sharper knife for rituals or combat if he needs it. His pockets are full of notes and he always has at least 3 Hiresisian clocks used as a secret form of communication in the house.

Hobbies: He loves sailing. That was one of the main reasons he stayed in Zair to research for so long, because of the large port and sail boats he could travel on.

Favorite sports: Sailing and runic jumping.

Abilities/Talents/Powers: He is the most powerful mortal runic who has ever lived. He wrote 42 of the 47 runes during years of magical research.

Relationships (how they are with other people): It depends on how he views you. Before he returned from the Demi-plane, he would look for stories in people and travel the continent learning about the people there, but after he returned he had a debt to settle and all that mattered was if you were useful or not.

Fears: Faliure. He is running out of time as the goddess gets closer and he needs this plan to work or his life loses meaning.

Faults: He is incredibly focused which means he can ignore those around him while he is trapped in his work. This makes it hard to maintain relationships and means he often ignores his physical needs, forgetting to eat for days at a time.

Good points: Alternatively, that singular focus means he can achieve incredible things if he sets his mind to it, including writing 42 runes and killing a goddess.

What they want more than anything else: He would say he wants to kill Schaeres, but deeper than that he wants to fulfil a purpose. He latches to meaning with everything in his being, hoping to do something useful with all of his talents.

That was a lot. I really like Xaeren as a character, he is a fun figure to play with.

Tagging @tildeathiwillwrite, @somethingclevermahogony, @sunflowerrosy, @the-golden-comet, @kaylinalexanderbooks

and @drchenquill

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing #writing community

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satanfemme · 7 months ago

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gonna struggle to explain some internal thoughts and emotions real quick.

I do find the stereotypical helpless naive lapdog type pup play sentiment very cute and relatable and good, but I do think a big part of my personal relationship to pup play is that as the puppy I still retain autonomy the vast majority of the time. and I think it's interesting because I haven't really noticed this sentiment expressed by other pet players, at least not directly? (unless I'm forgetting). like as in, outside of a few specific fantasies, it's usually important that I retain some level of power in the relationship, and when I act obedient or play with aversive tools or whatever "subby" activities, that's something I'm choosing to do even within the kayfabe of the play, and not because I'm being forced or controlled thru domination.

and I find this concept very fulfilling and affirming in a way that's hard for me to explain in words without it sounding corny as hell, but also more than that I think there's something very fun and hot about the dynamic that's worthy of exploration

like yes the handler is in charge, but the dog is a big powerful animal with sharp teeth who can ultimately do what it wants. the handler is the "dom" and the dog is the "sub" but that hierarchy is not set in stone, and it can flip at a moments notice. so when the dog listens to the handler and follows instructions and is a good boy, the handler is both pleased but also always aware that this relationship is only working because the dog is allowing it to work. the dog is only giving you kisses because he's made the choice not to bite you. (and one day he might choose to bite you).

does that make sense. do you understand my vision. or does this still just sound corny out loud. this post is like a train of thought diary entry to me so if the concept isn't translating, it's ok just know I have a very specific dynamic in my head that I'm rotating and thinking about a lot

#like idk I've seen bratty pups before ofc but I feel like that's not 1:1 with the dynamic I'm thinking about here #every bratty pup I've seen is ultimately tamed. the dynamic I'm visualizing doesn't involve any real taming #also I'm a good obedient boy <3 I'm just still a predator animal

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yellowcry · 6 months ago

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“Okay, I'm not giving you back”

When people gave Luisa gifts, it was usually related to her role Stuffed donkey toys weren't. But it might just be the best things anyone has given her in a long time

More of Fracture—Swap besties duo! Fracture Mirabel belongs to @miracles-and-butterflies

The sword whistled. Step back, prepare, block. Okay, here she goes.

Luisa got the sword above her head, shifting the weight to another leg. Agrh, it wasn't hard enough. She had to warm up her trainings again. She wouldn't become better if she didn't challenge herself. Which was a hard quest. Luisa's strength was already out of human capabilities. Regardless of from which angle she looked at it. After years of physical work, managing the sword became her second nature. But the problem with being this strong was the fact that a fair training with all her skills was impossible. It leaved a glooming feeling of unsertanity, not letting her to actually know how prepared she was. And...maybe it was a part of the reason why Luisa always felt so unsafe. Despite the fact that she was nearly impossible to hurt even without all her battleskills. But she couldn't tell for sure.

Luisa held her breath, trying to imagine how someone could attack her in the moment.The fighting was all about instincts. And in Luisa's case being as fast as possible to deal with enemies before they get the chance to even get closer to her family. She can imagine them, sitting in the audience while Luisa shifts the weight, breaking through the air to strike.

"Hello." The voice is enough to break her from whatever she was doing. Luisa turned around in panic, before she ever could proceed the voice. Getting ready for whoever was here.

Oh, right, it was another Mirabel. The girls stood a little behind, waiting for Luisa to say something. She raised her head, unnaturally frozen.

"Hi!" Luisa hummed, hiding her sharp tool. "Long time not see." She marched to the younger girl, crouching next to her. "Anything new, or are you just passing by?"

Teenager held out a small box. Unmoving like a robot. "I have a gift for you.. As far as I am aware, it is what people give to show their attachment to sertain person."

Ohh... A smile had spreaded across Luisa's face. It was so sweet, especially if you ignore the part where Mirabel wasn't completely sure at how to show affection. Which wasn't her fault, and the fact that she tried was more than Luisa could ever hope for.

"Thank you!" Luisa grinned, petting Mirabel's hair. Gentle so she wouldn't mess it up. "You're so sweet!"

Mirabel's eyes flinched up. "You do not have to thank me." She stated, passing an yellow box to Luisa.

Luisa hummed, excited, pulling the bright ribbon. What could it be? Knowing her, people usually gave her things related to her role. Whenever it was a millitary styled fashion or some hard equipment to train herself. When the talk was about her, it was always about bare strength. The power piercing through her muscles since the day she got her gift.

But... It wasn't hard. Luisa found herself dumbfounded. Inside the box, was a small knitted donkey. Enough to fit into Luisa's palm. It's dark gray spine stood boldly against the paler nose and belly. Black eyes, also knitted, stared right into Luisa's. A really good and proper made donkey. If Luisa didn't know how much this version of Mirabel was into knitting and embodying, she would assume Mira had bought it somewhere.

"What is this?" She breathes out, squeezing a toy. Her big finger ran across the loose knots of the mane. Soft.

Mirabel tilted her head, replying flatly. "I apologize if my offering did not make you happy." Completely ignoring the question.

Luisa gasped and nervously shook her head. "No, no, I just..." What? Didn't expect it? Luisa was strong, and with it came its expectations. She wasn't supposed to have soft things. They were too damageable. Luisa had to always look strong and a plushie didn't come as a symbol of indestructibility.

"I knew it looked bad." Mirabel continued. "I am very sorry, I should've made it better than this. There's not enough details and the size..."

"No, no, it's okay, it's really good!" Luisa assured her, eyetwitching. "I just... usually too strong for stuffed toys?" She spreaded her arms, for a moment showing off her outfit.

"I do not understand how stuffed toys are opposite of being strong but I am sorry for a misunderstanding. I thought you would like it."

Luisa did. She really did. It was small, and cute, and not hard or dangerous (She hoped for this). She just wasn't used for this. Warriors don't own plushies. At least as far as Luisa was aware. And her role was to ensure everyone:s safety. It wasn't about having soft things to herself. It would just distract her in case there was any danger. And with how Luisa built her image, there was no doubt everyone saw her as strong and indestructible. There was no reason to question if she wanted something small and soft.

Luisa sobbed, wiping her eyes. "Thank you," her lip trembled as she held the toy tight. "It's sweet, really."

Mirabel stared without moving. Her eyes ran uncomfortably, trying to read too hard emotions for her.

"Can I just keep you in my universe? You're too sweet!" Luisa picked Mirabel up, letting her to sit on her arm. Her tears fel down, wetting the coat.

"I can not leave my family." Mirabel nodded her head, wrapping her arms around Luisa's neck. "Can you tell me what have upset you so I won't fail next time?"

"Nothing," Luisa chuckled. "It's happy tears. Thank you."

The listener's gaze fliskered. "I do not understand emotions very well." She replied honestly. Luisa grit her teeth, knowing exactly who was to blame gor this. "But I am grateful you enjoyed a gift for a mother's day."

"I do," Luisa smiled through her crying. "You're the best." She replied almost on instinct before thought has kicked in. "A gift for what?"

"For a day of mothers around the world." Mirabel explained like an encyclopedia. Did she just... claimed Luisa as her Mamá? Luisa froze, not daring to take a breathe. It must be some fever dream from caffeine overdose. "I do know you are not my mother but..."

"I am your mother now." Luisa stated. Brown eyes shoon with proudness.

Oh. And Mirabel is sertainly isn't going back to her universe.

#encanto #luisa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #fanfic #ao3 author #encanto fracture au #pedro and alma swap #bro it's kinda bad i need to kick myself to better productivity #yeah luisa deserves fluff after the last shit

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