#Later realized my theory was wrong but IMAGINE

[worm-in-a-trenchcoat]

*Chaos Theory Spoilers*

-

-

-

So am I the only one who thought that freaky lady with the dinosaur whistle was Brooklyn at first?? 💀

[the-necromancer-wife]

Skully J. Graves and a personal reflection about what respect should be really about:

(And also a not-so-small slightly anthropological analysis about the importance of the work of cultural promotors)

This person was here long before I came to NRC...

A graduate of hundreds of years ago.

Before, Halloween was a minor event, but now it's known all over...

Hes said to have laid the foundation for today's Halloween

His name is Scully J. Graves.

Known as... "King of Halloween"!

(Translated by: @MostroLoungeVIP on twitter - X)

I was wrong. Since the very beginning when i thought Skully was neurodivergent, and also when i wrote about a possible traumatic event. Nothing of it was depicted in the event story and even if my expectations were very high, i am not disappointed. I would like to share my thoughts with you:

Hundreds of years ago, before all of us were born, there was this person known as Skully J. Graves. A young man with a unique perspective, one that no one knew where it was originated.

But a valid perspective nonetheless.

You see, sometimes we don't really know why a person thinks and acts in certain ways. We don't know why people do what they do.

This is what happens with Skully. The truth is that we don't know what happened to him or where his opinions came from. Certainly we can make theories and imagine everything we want. Was it that he was raised in a secluded and conservative enviroment? Was he neurodivergent? Did he lost someone by his own hand on Halloween's day?

Every point of view is valid and we don't really need to know the whole truth to acknowledge how valid his feelings are. Personally, I didn't understand him very well at first and that's why i wanted to justify his actions so badly. Skully was feeling alone, left out and rejected for his different opinion, and my only question was "Where this opinion originated from?" instead of "How can I understand what he stands for?" and ultimately, of course, accept him as he is.

I realized I was trying to make him fit into the reasons I would use to explain myself if I had that opinion.

And Skully himself has (had) a similar conflict. To his eyes, things had certain purpose and that purpose had to remain unchanged. Halloween was about fear, thinking about oneself's actions in silence. There was a post here on tumblr that explained how his idea of a perfect Halloween coincided with different festivities.

But all this was not about Skully only. It was also about every single NRC student that couldn't respect Skully's opinion. About a bunch of people that the first question they asked themselves was "What is wrong with him?"

The same question i was asking myself before, trying to find a source for his "quirkiness" as if there had to be an explanation for his different opinions. Even the act of calling him "quirky" was a mistake itself because i labeled as such based on my own judgment.

This was a story about a kid that learned to see beyond his own judgment and teached others to do the same. Skully teached me a valuable lesson that will be useful to me for the rest of my life. I learned how easy it is to dismiss others even if I think I'm being respectful.

Respect should be about understanding, not about justifying.

Otherwise, I'm just being condescending.

And that's the reason why I was not disappointed in the end, even if i was waiting for things to end differently.

...

When I saw Skully's portrait in the end, I noticed his glasses were missing. I read that they fell after Sebek and him fought. Skully himself was upset about the tainted glasses broke, as anyone would be when their opinions are being judged. But we were able to see his eyes and he was able to see beyond his nose. I mean, it was the moment he snapped, but also what I think it is a very subtle metaphor on changing oneself's point of view.

And this was the Skully that was known years later, hundreds of years later. When there was nothing left of him to remember but the fact that he was the one responsible for making Halloween a world-wide known celebration.

Yes, a celebration.

Another valuable lesson this event taught me, was how crucial are those people with different points of view, historically and culturally speaking. Skully's beliefs were different, yes, but he was also extremely passionate. And that passion was what impulsed him to dedicate his life entirely to promote Halloween culture everywhere he went.

He traveled and learned and shared and ultimately popularized Halloween. If he hadn't, Halloween would be a forgotten celebration, like many others. This happens even in real life. Different cultures, small cultures often struggle as the time passes to keep their traditions alive because there is no one there to pass the knowledge to the next generations. There is no one to promote them outside of the small town where they were originated.

In Twisted Wonderland, is safe to assume Halloween Town was the origin of Halloween. And it was a small town. So small, even the name Jack Skellington dissolved in the modern world.

But Skully's name remained, and was even known as "King of Halloween"! And even if his ideas were a bit (a lot) different from modernity, you can't deny the impact he had on the popularization of Halloween.

Twst managed to explain a very complex historical process that involves not only cultural promotion, but also appropriation. As Halloween is celebrated in many many forms depending on the time and place. A lively halloween or a quiet halloween or a Samahin, they're all valid and unique! And they were all possible thanks to the work of Skully J. Graves, as well as the work of Jack Skellington before him, and many others before and after them both.

It is heritage, cultural heritage.

And seeing this event from that perspective, it is clear the amount of respect we owe to historical figures. Even if their thoughts seem a bit...archaic (or barbaric!!! as Jamil refered).

Revolutionary ideas in the past are often considered normal and "the obvious" in the present, as well as many "barbarics" (yes, Jamil, i'm looking at you) acts in the past are now considered well...just that.

And the reason why modernity is able to see some points of view as archaic /obvious is because those were thoughts that evolved by being constantly analyzed, criticized, modified and/or teached to newer generations.

So, yeah, thank you Skully J. Graves.

There was something breathtaking about his portrait: A young man with a unique perspective, one that no one knew where it was originated. But one that impulsed him to preserve and spread a celebration...

...hundreds of years ago, before all of us were born.

[vbecker10]

Language (Part 2)

Part 1 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

Pairing: Loki x female reader (Y/N)

Summary: Captain Rogers thinks you curse far too much at work so he came up with a way for each word to cost you fifty cents no matter where you are in the Tower. You are desperate for it to stop and go to Loki to see if he has a spell or trick that can help you outsmart J.A.R.V.I.S.

Warnings: swearing lol... obviously?

A/N: I'm so sorry @soubi001 lol and you know why. I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a while because I'm very aware that I swear way more often than a normal person lol hope you enjoy it 💚

"I found a few spells I would like to try when we finish eating," he changes the topic a moment later.

"Think one of them will work?" you ask hopefully.

"I certainly hope so," he says. "Of course, I could accidently turn you into a frog if something goes wrong."

"That's not funny," you tell him.

"I wasn't joking," he smirks.

You take a bite of pizza and as you chew, you respond by giving Loki the finger. In turn J.A.R.V.I.S charges you another fifty cents and you roll your eyes.

"Serves you right," he says and you can tell he is trying to sound serious but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "You are quite rude to me when all I am trying to do is be helpful," he places his hand over his heart, pouting to appear hurt by your gesture.

You ball up your napkin, throwing it at him but he deflects it easily back towards you, a smile spreading across the god's face. You stick your tongue out at the prince when the paper ball hits your shoulder and he laughs light heartedly. Loki's hand rests gently on your knee for barely a moment and he removes it almost before your mind can register the action.

He gets up abruptly, clearing his throat and you feel a sinking sensation in your chest at his sudden shift in mood. You had what you imagine is a rare glimpse of Loki's playful, mischievous side and you can't help but wish he wouldn't return to the cold, overly sarcastic demeanor he had when you first knocked on his door. Closing the pizza box, you decide to clean up the table and put the leftovers in Loki's fridge. It's a small but welcome distraction, keeping you from thinking about how much you enjoy Loki's company when he allows himself to relax around you.

"Thank you for the food," he says without looking up from his book. He sits crossed legged on the floor and holds the book a bit closer as his fingers trace the text across the page.

You smile then sit back on the couch, "You're very welcome... and thanks for trying to help me." He nods quietly in response as he continues to read.

Loki stands slowly a few minutes later, his eyes lowered as he reads the book in his hands. He walks towards you with the book still open and you suddenly become nervous as you realize this is actually going to happen. You are actually going to let him put a spell on you.

"Okay... so what's this supposed to do?" you are almost afraid to ask.

Loki sits next to you and places the open book on the coffee table. "Well, in theory it should-" he starts to explain, his eyes meeting yours as he glances up from the book.

"In theory?" you ask, your voice shaking.

"Yes," he answers seriously. "This is not what the spell was originally intended to do but I should be able to adjust it slightly so that it will fix your issue."

"So... I'm starting to think maybe having someone put a literal spell on me is a really fucking stupid idea," you say and shake your head, ignoring J.A.R.V.I.S.

"I am not just someone," he says, it is clear from his tone he is trying to sound offended but he doesn't hide his smirk as well as he thinks he does.

"Right, you're an actual trickster god," you reply, gesturing towards him. "The title doesn't exactly inspire trust, you know?"

He shrugs, "It's not too late to change your mind and either give up swearing or simply ask for a raise."

You groan and sit back, crossing your arms against your chest, "Just promise me you won't turn me into a frog." His lips curl into a smirk and you sit up, quickly adding, "Or a snake or a bug or anything else not human. Please?"

"I promise you will remain a Midgardian," he says in a sincere voice. His eyes flicker from yours to your hand and his fingers move slightly towards you but he pauses then places his hand on his knee. He shifts a few inches closer to you on the couch but keeps his eyes focused on the open book. "Do you still want me to do this, Y/N?" he asks, glancing back at you.

"Yes," you take a deep breath and nod. "Yea, lets do this. What's the worse that can happen?"

He chuckles and without thinking, you put your hand over his mouth before he can say anything. His eyes widen when your palm touches his lips and for a split second, your brain registers how soft they are. Loki has a look of utter confusion on his face when you remove your hand quickly with a nervous laugh.

"Sorry, I just don't really want to hear all the horrible stuff that might happen if this goes wrong," you tell him, lowering your eyes to avoid looking at him.

"Nothing will go wrong," he promises, touching your arm lightly but he moves his hand the moment you look up. "Are you ready to start?" he asks.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," you tell him with a shrug, feeling slightly more confident in Loki than you had moments earlier.

He flashes you a small smile then leans forward slightly towards the book, his fingers tracing the lines of text as he mumbles to himself. He nods confidently when he is satisfied with the spell and looks at you. "Stay still," he warns you gently then he holds his open palm inches from your neck. Your heart beats faster as he begins to read the foreign words, his voice just above a whisper. The green glow of his seidr slowly reaches out from his fingertips and you feel it's warmth wrap around your throat loosely. You force yourself to remain perfectly still, keeping your eyes focused on Loki.

When he finishes reading, he closes the book and looks at you. "Care to test it out?" he asks, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice unsuccessfully.

You clear your throat and say, "I hope this *silence* spell worked..." You look at him in shock when your voice goes suddenly silent as you swear. "What the *silence* was that?"

"Interesting," Loki says, opening the book again.

"I really *silence* hate when you say *silence* like that," you tell him, trying not to feel worried as your voice cuts in and out.

"The spell was supposed to block J.A.R.V.I.S from being able to hear you swear but it seems to have silenced your words completely," he explains, running his fingers through his long, dark curls as he leans closer to the open pages. "Ahh..." he nods as he flips the page.

"What the *silence* does that mean?" you look at the page over his shoulder.

"I seem to have misjudged the potency of this part here," he points to a passage from the book that you have no way of understanding. "Still, it seems as if it was successful," he forces a smile as he can tell you are unhappy with the results.

"Successful?" you ask, sitting back you put your hands over your face.

"The computer is not charging you," he reminds you. "Was that not the goal of this whole evening?"

"Yea," you agree. "I guess you're right."

"Than you should be thanking me," Loki smirks proudly. "Feel free to throw in as many compliments as you would like."

You can't help but laugh, "Thank *silence* *silence* *silence* *silence*..." Your heart sinks and you fill with dread as all of your words are soundless but Loki doesn't seem to notice as he closes the book again.

"I am waiting for the flood of complements I am owed and then you are free to leave," he chuckles and you swat his shoulder with the back of your hand. He looks at you with a confused expression and you gesture towards your throat as you open your mouth to speak but no sound comes out.

"Oh, no..." he shakes his head as he realizes what you are trying to tell him. "Okay, don't worry Y/N, I can undo the spell," he assures you as he opens the book. He mumbles under his breath as he flips through the pages quickly and you can only imagine he must be swearing in Asgardian. He finds the page he had been on previously and pulls the book onto his lap.

You tug on the sleeve of his shirt nervously and he looks at you. "I am going to fix it," he promises again, taking your hand and squeezing it gently. "I just need a moment to think," he explains and you can't do anything but nod.

"So that was awful," you laugh nervously a few minutes later when your voice is fully restored. You rub your throat gently and Loki frowns, holding your gaze for only a moment before he looks away.

"I truly am sorry," he says, shaking his head. "I have no idea why that went so wrong," he skims the page again, his fingers comb through his hair as he thinks.

"Do you think it's cause you messed with it too much?" you ask as he closes the book heavily and stands up.

"It may have been," he responds, placing the book in the pile of useless ones. He sighs and looks around at the books still remaining on the shelves.

"Can I ask you something?" you tuck your legs under your body and pick up one of his pillows to hold against your chest. He nods but doesn't face you, his eyes searching for the next solution. "How come you have to alter the spells? Wouldn't it be easier to just use the right type?"

"Ah yes, why didn't I just look in my hundred year old book of spells that deals with artificial intelligence?" he says sarcastically.

"Okay, that's fair," you roll your eyes. "I guess I didn't really think about that part. I just figured... well I'm not really sure how I thought your magic worked honestly."

"No one on the team is concerned with how my spells are created," Loki says over his shoulder then he picks up a thick, leather bound book and quietly adds, "So long as the spells work properly, my magic rarely interests anyone."

"I think it's cause you make it look so natural," you try to explain as you get up and walk towards him. "Like when you are on a mission, you don't sit around a read a ton of books or recite all these spells before doing anything, you just sort of," you wave your hand towards a stack of books and mime moving them to the table, "and stuff happens. Am I making sense?"

He chuckles, "Yes."

"So how do you do it?" you ask.

"Do what?" he looks at you confused.

"Make it look so easy?" you respond with a shrug.

"Roughly nine hundred years of practice," he answers.

"Nine hundred..." you say quietly and he nods. "I forgot you're like a thousand years old."

"One thousand fifty three," he smirks, "And I will assume you forgot because of my stunning good looks."

"You're not unfortunate to look at," you laugh, unable to admit he is completely correct.

"You wound me, truly, Y/N," he shakes his head but can't contain his laughter.

There is a loud knock on Loki's door and you turn towards it but Loki makes no move to answer it. He opens the book in his hand and you shrug then walk to the door.

"What are you doing?" he asks without looking up.

"Answering your door," you tell him. "It's what normal people do when someone knocks."

"I am still dealing with the consequences of the last time I opened my door to someone," he says followed by a heavy sigh but you can tell his annoyance is faked and you fight to hold back a smile.

"Oh... hello Y/N," Thor says slowly, unable to hide his shock. "What are you doing in my brother's room?"

"Um..." you hadn't thought far enough ahead to come up with an excuse when you opened the door. "We were just- we're hanging out. Do you need him?"

"I was just wondering if he had seen my wallet," Thor says. "Or have you?"

"Brown leather wallet with a big script 'T' embossed on the front and a picture of Jane in the little plastic picture space?" you describe the wallet Loki had given you money from earlier.

"Yes, that's it," he says excitedly.

"No, sorry I haven't seen it," you tell him and instantly have no idea why you lied.

"Oh, okay well if you do, let me know. I had about two hundred dollars in it," he says.

Minus the money Loki already gave me, you think. "Will do Thor and I'll check to see if Loki's seen it," you tell him.

"Thank you, goodnight Y/N," he says as he leaves.

"Your brother is gone," you tell him when you close the door. You notice Loki is now sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the stack of books with one open on his lap.

Loki nods in response, his eyes scanning the open pages in front of him.

"He was looking for his wallet but I told him neither of us had seen it," you inform him.

"Mmhmm," he mumbles and nods again.

"Thor asked why I was here so late so I told him we've been secretly dating for months and we're madly in love," you say as you walk closer to the prince.

Again, Loki nods slowly, turning the page he hums, "Mmhm."

"I told him you are a really good kisser but you never know what to do with your hands," you smile as you stand right behind him.

Loki turns the next page and without looking up says, "I know exactly what to do with my hands."

"Oh-" you say in surprise. "You were listening to me."

"Yes," he chuckles. "I can read and listen to you lie at the same time."

"Right well..." you fidget with your fingers and try to think of something to say.

"Why are you standing so close to me?" he says finally looking up to see you reading over his shoulder.

You take a large step back and giggle nervously, "Sorry. I- Umm... Did you find anything useful?"

"Possibly," he says as he gets up.

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!

@soubi001 @mochie85 @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @animnerd @cabingrlandrandomcrap @icytrickster17 @mischief2sarawr @mjsthrillernp @holdmytesseract @lulubelle814 @goblingirlsarah @alexakeyloveloki @siconetribal @lokidokieokie @kneelingformyloki @jiyascepter @eleniblue @loreniscrying @muddyorbsblr @alyeskathewave @loz-3 @firedrakegirl @javagirl328 @princess-asgard @morally-grey-variant @soulpiercing @km-ffluv @glitterylokislut @biodegradable-glitter-fest @wolfsmom1 @simone818283 @hopefuldreamers-world @blackhawkfanatic @lokikell8 @dracoswhorexx @sunglasses-in-the-bentley @anukulee @free-llama-arcade @michellewgrt @scrumptious-finicky-illusion

[captainhotch]

This Love | Roy Kent

note; random ted lasso imagine for the girlies who are in love with roy kent (me). not proof read as per usual

masterlist

There was no such thing as right person wrong time, you reminded yourself for the twentieth time in the past two months as you turned off your tv— absolutely tired of seeing your ex boyfriend blasted all over the football channels.

You had broken up about mid way threw his last season— well, he had broken up with you. You had been together for about a year and a half. A beautiful, really happy year and a half. Sure the man was an absolute grump, preferring more to groan than talk half the time, but he had the largest heart of any person you had ever met. His love was so pure and so kind.

The breakup was a bit of a blindside. He had been playing poorly, slowing down as a consequence of his age catching up. He was making mistakes. And Roy Kent did not make mistakes. So he did what only made sense to him in that moment and cut out all distractions. And you, well you were the biggest distraction of them all.

So you packed all of his things in a cardboard box and marched through the halls of the Richmond FC clubhouse, heals echoing across the lithium floor. Your head was high but your heart was in your stomach as you willed the tears to wait until you were safely back behind the tinted windows of your car.

You smiled at Higgins as you passed him outside of the locker room doors, receiving a sheepish wave back. You didn’t realize it at the time, but your smile paired with the dead look in your eye was absolutely terrifying. Next thing you knew you were dropping the box down on the floor in front of him, whipping your hair over your shoulder, and walking away with a sway of your hips that you know had his eyes glued to your admittedly amazing ass.

It was, of course, an act, cause there you were two months and a retirement later, heart still aching every time you saw the unfortunately handsome man across your screen.

Apparently Roy Kent did, in fact, make mistakes. Maybe not on the pitch, but literally everywhere else. Going home to a bed that didn’t have you in it? A mistake. Not having you by his side through the most difficult decision of his life? A mistake. Watching as you laughed along with Jamie’s flirting across the bar? A horrible, terrible fucking mistake.

Roy Kent was an angry man, but my god did he think he was going to explode in that moment. He wouldn’t be surprised if steam was comically coming out of his ears. He could only be brought to tear his eyes from you at the sound of the seat beside him being pulled out, and an insufferable American accent ordering a whiskey from the bar tender.

“You know Roy— you’re about as subtle as a hot pink convertible driving through a south Georgia suburb.” Ted nodded, eyes following Roy’s to you standing beside a smirking Jamie. “You know you breaking up with her hurt more than my own divorce.”

“Fuck off.” Roy muttered, throwing back the rest of his own whiskey.

“I’m serious man. Y’all two love each other— and no amount of pretending like your don’t will change that. That right there,” he paused, pointing to you—“that is a mighty fine woman. One who loves you. You don’t let something like that slip away if you can help it. Take it from me.”

You couldn’t help but to laugh at Jamie’s jokes. It was a good distraction from being in the same room as Roy for the first time since you had dropped off your stuff. Still you could feel him watching you without even glancing in his direction, like he’d never left. You had to be begged by Keeley to even show face, your dear friend insisting that everyone missed you loads. You had a feeling that she was just testing her theory of the two of you not being able to stay away from each other once you took away the distance.

The back of your neck burned, the same way it would when he’d kiss it in passing. Your stomach, once filled with butterflies, was now heavy with lead. You knew Jamie was only speaking with you to piss Roy off. You didn’t care. Or maybe you did, and that’s why you let it keep going.

You watched with confusion as Jamie’s eyes grew wide peering over your shoulder, “I’ve got to run now love.” He muttered, his thick accent mixed with both of your alcohol intake leaving you in confusion.

You could feel that burning feeling getting worse, palms slicking with nervous sweat. You turned around to to met with a wide chest clad in all black, tipping your head back your eyes danced over a familiar bearded chin up to a set of dark eyes that set you on fire. The familiar, gruff man grabbed your wrist, taking your drink and throwing it back himself before dragging you out to the porch.

Your feet were moving faster than your brain, still struggling to process if this was that recurring dirty dream you kept having, or a much more frightening reality. The cold nipping at your bare arms answered that one quickly— you were always on a beach in that dream.

Before you know it Roy had your back against the railing of a porch, body warmed from where it was trapped against his own. He brought his head down against yours, eyes screwed shut like he was in physical pain. You brought your hands against his chest, fists closed tightly around the material of his overpriced black suit jacket. He smelled familiar, like the cologne you had gotten him for his birthday.

“I’m such a fucking prick.” He muttered against your hair, bringing his hand to cradle the back of your head.

“Damn right.” You responded through a teary laugh against the side of his neck. “Proper fucking idiot you are.”

He let out a gruff laugh, hands coming up to cradle your face— pulling you back gently so he could look at you. His eyes were soft, that special look that he saved just for you painted across his face. You loved him so much that it physically hurt. Even after he took a knife and stabbed you in the chest.

Right person wrong time didn’t exist, because even through everything, Roy never stopped being your right person.

“I will spend every last day of my fucking life making this up to you. If you’ll have me back.” He muttered, eyes scanning your face with such sincere regret you might’ve fallen over if he wasn’t holding you up.

Maybe it was stupid to take him back, but you hadn’t realized until that very moment that Roy Kent owned a very large piece of you. And standing there in his arms, you had finally gotten it back.

[kataraslove]

as someone who has recently read the reckoning of roku, it’s really not the anti fire nation propaganda that a certain subsection of fandom is making it out to be. yes, gyatso says those words to roku, but he’s angry - at both the world and at himself for the death of his sister. he later apologizes to roku. the book does not paint gyatso out to be in the right, and neither does it paint all fire nation citizens to be in the wrong. the narrative even makes a distinction between the good fire nation citizens (ta min and roku) and prejudicial fire nation citizens (sozin, primarily), and some morally ambiguous ones like dalisay, but they’re more or less abolished from any accountability for partnering with sozin.

avatar the last airbender does not do a good job at displaying much of the context associated with the crimes of the fire nation, aka the climate and perspectives that justified sozin eradicating the air nomads and many of the benders in the southern water tribe. we know from avatar that sozin wanted to conquer the rest of the world for fire nation domination and expansion, but we’re not given much insight into the causal factors that allowed him to conduct genocide and colonialism, beyond “he was able to do it all in one day with the power of the comet,” and “he was a very bad man.”

the reckoning of roku provides the context for all of that, the factors that contributed to sozin’s blood-thirst. which means seeing sentiment from sozin that view the air nomads - and their pacifist ways of life - as inferior and below human. the novel doesn’t particularly attempt to humanize sozin, not in the way that other medias do when exploring the backstory of their villain. at the end, the takeaway from the novel is that sozin is on the road to becoming the ultimate fascist we all know him for, but this time we’re provided more context into how he became that fascist, and why roku hesitated to kill him.

is it more critical of the fire nation than most of the franchise? yes, i would say so, and having a filipino author be the one to offer that commentary is an excellent decision by avatar studios. but the extent of the critique is still more or less along the lines of “this one guy was truly the operations behind it,” which is still consistent with what we’ve seen in atla. there’s nothing too radical introduced in terms of colonial theory, unlike what parts of the fandom are saying.

which leads me to my final point: if this is how badly a subsection of fandom (aka fire nation worshippers and zutara shippers [not mutually exclusive]) are reacting to the simple notion exploring how sozin committed genocide, then they’ve hit further rock bottom than i can imagine. not only that, but this type of reactionary behaviour risks alienating other parts of the fandom; for instance, fans of the avatar novels who otherwise would have given the ship and the shippers grace.

in other words, many of these hardcore shippers “criticizing” the roku novel have no one to blame but themselves if their behaviour leads to the alienation of regular fans. this loud subsection of fandom is so caught up in their one-sided, imaginary fantasy where everything in the franchise somehow revolves around aang/kataang vs zuko/zutara, that the Evil Bryke are always targeting them, to the point that they’ll fail to realize that the fire nation and fire nation characters are often absolved from accountability across the IP, and the fire nation is explored much more than the other nations are.

[livwritesstuff]

I've had a consistent thought in my head of the girls learning more about the upside down.

Like they know a bit: uncle Dustin still lives in Hawkins doing research on something, they've seen their dads and they know about the scars and their disabilities. They know something happened to their entire family and they know there was an earthquake that wasn't really an earthquake. But they've never learned more than that and they'll never know the details as long as Steve and Eddie have a say.

But at some point, each of them realizes that the monster hunter jokes that their dads make aren't really jokes.

In general, I think Steve and Eddie’s sentiment surrounding how they address the not-so-pleasant aspects of their past with their daughters is that they won’t lie (because that’ll only come back to bite them in the ass later), but they’re also only going to tell them as much of the truth as they literally need to.

Not that Moe knows any of this.

All Moe really knows is that her dads went through some scary-ass shit when they were her age and they don’t really talk about it.

Still, Moe has eyes. Maybe she didn’t realize it when she was little, but even just the sheer amount of scar tissue her dads have isn’t exactly normal. When she asks where they got them, though, all they ever say is that a monster tried to eat them.

Moe also knows that the reason Pop doesn’t usually join them on shopping trips at the mall is because they can trigger bad migraines, and she knows the reason he gets migraines in the first place is that he’d taken too many hits to the head in too short a time, but when she asks how he’d gotten a concussion and then a TBI and then two more concussions in the span of four years he always just says something like picked a fight with the wrong Russian spy, or something like that.

And it’s public knowledge that Dad was accused of murder when he was in high school and nearly died before the charges got dropped, but when she asks about what happened, he gives her some spiel about curses and demons and portals to alternate dimensions and monsters (again, with the monsters).

They’re kidding, Moe knows. They’re giving obviously fake answers because…well, for a lot of reasons, she can imagine– not wanting to relive whatever actually happened, not wanting to put their own trauma onto Moe and her sisters.

Honestly, Moe doesn’t really even bother asking about it anymore because they clearly don’t want to talk about it, and if it really was that bad, she can’t even blame them. Besides, she’s pretty sure that dads are supposed to be total mysteries to their kids, so…whatever.

The story of what happened in Hawkins, Indiana starts to gain some public attention again while Moe is in high school – one of those true crime conspiracy theory-type stories people make Reddit threads and YouTube videos about, and apparently (because Moe has no interest, but Robbie likes that kind of stuff) Dad almost always comes up in them, Pop sometimes.

Around that time is when Moe’s dads start to get all kinds of media requests – not that Pop had any idea. He’s basically chronically offline, so no one is really able to track him down other than finding his work email on Psychology Today, but he’s got filters set up to send that shit to spam so he doesn’t even have to see it. Dad, on the other hand, is (supposedly) well-known for his books or whatever, so he doesn’t have the same kind of anonymity. He got all sorts of calls and emails from people wanting his first-hand account, but he always refused to participate, told them to lose his number and never contact him or his family ever again.

That’s the kind of thing that really rattled Pop – Moe didn’t like that. He’s kind of an immovable object in that way, so seeing him rattled just seemed wrong.

They’d even needed to threaten legal action against one online tabloid who just wouldn’t leave them alone – not that Moe is supposed to know about that, but she’d eavesdropped on a phone call between her dads and Uncle Dustin, who seems to exist as a central point in it all even if Moe doesn’t know why (maybe it has something to do with how her dads always complaining about how he still works for that lab, whatever that means).

“Are you ever gonna tell us what really happened?” Moe asks one day, when it’s just her and Pop in the car on their way home from a basketball tournament in Connecticut.

He sighed, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Hon, can I ask you to stop and consider that maybe we have been?”

And for her dad’s sake, she does, she makes herself run through the mental log of all the lore or whatever she’s unlocked over the years.

Monsters, Russian spies, superpowers, demon-animals, curses, portals to alternate realities, government corruption, evil scientists.

Bullshit, she’d always thought, but…her dad had never bullshitted her before. Why would he choose to start with this?

Moe looked back at him, some kind of question on the tip of her tongue even though she had no idea what to ask, and this time, Pop spared a glance back.

“I’m not telling you everything,” he warned her as he looked back at the highway stretching out endlessly ahead of them, and Moe tried to keep any signs of disappointment off her face, “But I’ll tell you some.”

[seriousbrat]

How do you think others perceived Lily and James' relationship once they started dating?

Many people seem to believe the main obstacle was that Lily hated James, but both the author and other characters clarify that this wasn’t true. It’s more likely that she found him too immature at first, but not that she actually hated him.

What I like to focus on, however, is the idea that the real challenge in their relationship may have been tied to blood status and the societal pressure that came with it. I can see how some people who weren’t purists themselves might still harbor biases against Muggle-borns, leading them to distance themselves from them in an attempt to evade the attention of real purists. People might see it as foolish for these two to be together. Others, especially those who had crushes on James, might wonder why he would choose a Muggle-born when he could easily be with someone who is half-blood or pure-blood. The most extreme ones would gossip and say hurtful things that no teenage couple would want to hear.

It’s been mentioned multiple times that Harry, at his core, takes after Lily. We see how he broke up with Ginny to protect her, so I can imagine that, while Lily may not have wanted to break up with James in the same way, she might have been hesitant to enter relationships. During the time they lived in, being friends with a Muggle-born is one thing, but dating one is another.

There isn’t much information about the Potter family, but James’ black-and-white woldview likely came from them. To him, you’re either opposed to blood purity, or you’re on the wrong side. The Potters have a long history of being open toward Muggles, and there’s some great meta on Tumblr that explores James’ grandfather, Henry, and his support for Muggles during World War I. The theory suggests that if Henry lived in Godric’s Hollow, surrounded by Muggles, he might have formed friendships with them and watched as generations of men he knew were lost to the war. This could explain his disappointment with the Wizengamot’s ignorance to Muggle suffering. That frustration may have carried over to his son Fleamont, who later passed it on to James. Therefore, I think that James's parents were more familiar with Muggles than Weasleys, and that's why they had no problems with Lily

Another thing to consider is that Lily and James were asked to join Voldemort when they came of age, which in wizarding society is 17. This would place them in the latter part of their sixth year at Hogwarts. While it’s harder to pinpoint exactly when Lily was approached (and even more puzzling as to why Voldemort would recruit her), we know from the prequel, set in 1977, that James and Sirius were already being pursued by Death Eaters at that time.

On a subconscious level, James likely felt a sense of security in his status, which would have been completely shattered by the attempt to recruit him, especially since Voldemort had a habit of killing those who refused him. Moreover, it would be a harsh blow for him to realize that the Death Eaters even thought someone like him could be persuaded to join them.

the real challenge in their relationship may have been tied to blood status and the societal pressure that came with it.

I mean, I think this was something that was definitely operating on some level in their relationship, as well as class-- the Potters were very wealthy, while Lily was from a working-class Muggle family. I think these two things caused some difference between them and possibly some friction or argument, but I don't think it was a HUGE challenge in their relationship, exactly.

I had another anon mention recently that they thought Lily would have been very careful around dating purebloods because of her Muggle-born status (and I didn't address it because my reply was long enough lol) but I don't see this as particularly true, honestly. Not for how I see Lily's character-- generally trusting, determined to see the good in others-- but also not for the way I think the general culture at Hogwarts is in canon, even during the first war.

Similarly, I sometimes find it a bit exaggerated in fics when everyone at Hogwarts, including Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, openly despises and shuns Lily for being Muggleborn and goes around insulting her. Not only do we know she was popular at school, personally I think that's also a bit of an oversimplification of what we see in canon. That's not to say bigotry didn't exist among non-Slytherins; I'm going to try and explain this as well as I can because I think it's quite complex, and also quite complex to portray.

The way bigotry against Muggle-borns functions in mainstream wizarding society appears to be in general quite subtle, largely rooted in apathy and a sort of seemingly "benign prejudice," the "Cornelius Fudge Mindset," if you will. Unless you're in a very particular pureblood supremacist context, it's not socially acceptable to openly call someone a Mudblood, as we see in the Gryffindor team's reactions to Malfoy using the slur in CoS. Your average Hufflepuff is likely not going to be actively hostile towards Muggle-borns-- remember that those three houses include and have always included plenty of Muggle-born students.

Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbott, both purebloods, are very fierce in their defence of Justin Finch-Fletchley in CoS. In OotP we learn that Ernie's family, who definitely lived through the first war, has similar views to his, which is where he probably learnt them. I think simply growing up in a house alongside Muggle-born kids helps with this immensely.

Open bigotry has festered so acutely in Slytherin because Muggle-borns are NOT allowed to be sorted into the house (ik people differ on this but I understood it as the Hat physically cannot sort them into Slytherin by design.) Any half-bloods like Snape probably learn quickly to downplay their Muggle side.

As I said, though, bigotry still exists, even among non-Slytherin purebloods, and the subtle nature of it doesn't make things any less difficult for Muggle-borns. I brought this up in my fic when a pureblood girl on the Gryffindor team, who has a crush on James, can't understand why he'd date Lily because 'they don't have anything in common.' But James has to drag this confession out of her, and she's (rightly) very, very ashamed of herself immediately upon expressing it in public. And this sort of prejudice can be much harder to see and combat, because it usually goes unspoken. It exists, though, and it's the reason why anti-muggleborn propaganda was accepted so easily in DH. (though per Arthur, not by everyone- most are just too scared to do anything about it.)

Many purebloods might assume that Muggle-borns are less talented at magic like Slughorn does, but I think most normal people wouldn't generally say this to a Muggle-born's face, and on some level they'd recognise that this belief is shameful (as Slughorn appears to do: "You mustn't think me prejudiced!") Even if they believe it, it would simply be impolite. These people wouldn't consider themselves bigoted, they might even have Muggle-born friends and colleagues. But ultimately they wouldn't do anything to actively address the struggles that Muggle-borns face (especially out of fear during the war,) nor would they stop to question the world around them. They might not question, for example, why Muggle-borns are passed over for job opportunities, because it works in their favour.

After the Ministry coup in DH, Voldemort puts a great deal of effort into a propaganda campaign against Muggle-borns, but this hadn't been done previously, at least not on that level. As I said, he's able to take advantage of existing "mild" prejudice very easily, which is precisely what makes it dangerous. But even during the first war, I don't think Voldemort's or the Blacks' view on Muggle-borns was supposed to have been the mainstream-- not at Hogwarts under Dumbledore, and not wholly at the Ministry either-- and I think expressing such views publicly would be generally considered impolite. Outside of Slytherins, I don't get the feeling that admitting that you think Muggle-borns and purebloods shouldn't date would be very socially acceptable at Hogwarts, even if it's what you secretly believe. Now, obviously Slytherins would be saying this, but at the point that James and Lily got together, they're not setting much store by what any Slytherins think.

James is VERY openly pro-Muggleborn, as is his family, as is everyone he surrounds himself with. He and Lily were both popular, they were Head Boy and Girl, so largely due to social pressure (also knowing how strongly James and Sirius feel on the subject and how jinx-happy they are) I'm not sure that many Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, or Ravenclaws would really dare comment, especially not to their faces.

All this being said, I can imagine certain people, maybe even acquaintances of the Potters, thinking that Lily's 'taking advantage' of James for his wealth and the safety of his pureblood status, especially as she probably wasn't working while in the Order. I will actually deal with this in my fic too, though it appears to have more to do with class than blood status. Of course, we can't forget that those things are in many ways intertwined in the wizarding world, so there is an underlying bigotry there even if it's not intentional. I can definitely see Lily struggling with this a bit, especially because James would be more than willing to support her financially and buy her things, which might make her uncomfortable. And James not really understanding this (because he wants to make her happy and has never struggled with money himself) might be a bit of an issue, but one they can overcome I'm sure.

I know this reply is already incredibly long, but I wanted to say that, like you, the fact of Voldemort trying to recruit Lily has always puzzled me. I've dealt with it in a way that makes sense, I think. Perhaps if Voldemort really wanted James onside he'd realise that James wouldn't join without Lily, so he made a concession, especially since Lily is also a capable witch herself. I've no doubt it would have bothered James to be asked, but his immediate reaction was probably to loudly, clearly, and angrily refuse, and to spit in Voldy's face basically. I had a lot of fun writing that scene actually heehee

[eyesteeth]

my thoughts and theories on fionna and cake

so from the trailer alone i’m pretty sure this is going to be very Simon-centric. as established in the main series, Fionna and Cake is genderbend fanfiction written by Ice King. however, it seems likely that the Fionna and Cake focused on in this series will not be the one within Simon’s mind - not fully, anyway.

i initially believed that the Fionna and Cake we see in this series would be entirely figments of Simon's imagination - fanfiction used as a coping mechanism. Fionna's world is realistic and bland and mundane because Simon's "lost the magic in his life", and Fionna's world gaining magic would be a sign of changes in his mental state.

i no longer believe this because i took too many screenshots of the trailer. however, i do think that the Fionna and Cake of Simon's mind will be relevant, and Fionna's world mirroring Simon's is an intentional comparison.

my take is this - Fionna and Cake is going to have an overarching a-plot of Fionna figuring out what's gone wrong with her world and defeating the threat, and a b-plot of Simon facing his mortality and his trauma and coming to terms with both.

that's my tl;dr. long post below.

Simon’s a character with a lot of depth to him, but none of the Distant Lands specials focused on him, so it’s his turn to hold the Trauma Ball. we know that he isn’t immortal anymore with the crown gone. he’s visibly aged in the trailer, growing some white hair, and is wrinklier.

(Tom Kenny also said in an interview that this is the most emotional thing he’s worked on, and Tom Kenny’s been in fucking everything, so you know it’s gonna be big. i cannot for the life of me find the source for this so you're gonna have to trust me on this one.)

aging is clearly gonna fuck Simon up for multiple reasons - beyond the normal stuff, aging means he's going to look like Ice King, making himself a visual reminder of the worst time of his life. he also spent a very long time as an immortal, and adjusting to the idea of death after centuries of being the same age is probably gonna fuck with him.

he’ll also be dwelling on his past - there’s shots in the trailer of him and Marcy together right after the Mushroom War, likely filling in some gaps from that time. we already got a whole episode dedicated to their time together in the main series, so there's no need to tread that ground again - this will likely show new moments with them or recontextualize things with the state Simon's in now.

(there's also a shot of both of their feet but i couldn't fit both sets of shoes on one frame)

then there’s a shot of what’s very obviously a musical number from the in-between state of Simon and Ice King. this could be the first time he puts on the crown (or an early time), resulting a darkly upbeat moment of juxtaposition, or it could be an equally dark current-day moment along the lines of “wasn’t it so nice when you had the crown on and you didn’t have to think about anything? when you were immortal and too out of it to realize how bad of a spot you were in?”

or it could be a secret third thing. keep this image in mind, it'll be relevant later.

as for some miscellaneous screenshots, takes these two:

Simon's coat is missing in the first but he still has it in the second, so either he goes on two separate adventures in Ooo, or the first image takes place after the second. i stand by this being Ooo in the first image because of the trees in the background. as for the second image, that's Finn in the top right, and the treehouse on the left. because of how old Finn looks in the big promo image, i assume this takes place between Obsidian and Together Forever - Jake is dead but Finn is not. Finn and Simon might have a talk about death and dying if the mortality thing gets brought up, or Finn might just be here to help Simon get where he needs to go.

to where they are going, one can only speculate. it might be Prismo's cube, but i'm a little iffy on that. the cube is massively relevant by the way and is likely how Fionna and Cake end up crossing paths with Simon.

because Prismo's whole deal is alternate universes (gestures at Farmworld Finn) i believe that this is how Fionna and Cake come to Ooo. Prismo's cube is even in the logo for this show, it's that important.

(Simon is no stranger to Prismo, we got the above moment in the Adventure Time finale, so him traveling to Prismo with Finn's help is a possibility.)

anyway, time for the people the show is actually named about!

for their side of the plotline, the description of the trailer is quite enlightening:

"Based on characters from the beloved “Adventure Time” franchise, this brand-new 10-episode series set in the land of Ooo follows the alternate universe versions of Finn & Jake on a multiverse-hopping journey towards self-discovery. When Fionna and her sidekick Cake find themselves in the crosshairs of a powerful new foe, they have no choice but to seek the help of former Ice King Simon Petrikov." (emphasis mine)

notably, they are referred to explicitly as alternate universe versions, so they are indeed their own people. i also find it curious that Fionna's life is somehow mundane enough to lack magic, yet wacky enough to have a "powerful new foe". unless that something is actively sucking the magic out of their universe, this particular foe is a mystery to me.

however, because multiverse hopping is mentioned, i believe that the big foe is gonna have ~some weirdness~ about it, possibly attacking universe after universe for its intended goal ala [insert your preferred bagel-based multiverse movie here]. i'd also like to present the following screencaps to the court:

the use of line color, color choice, and shading in between the two on the left and the two on the right are like night and day. so, given the multiverse theme, i propose that these are two different Fionnas - the Fionna and Cake as presented by Simon on the left, and the real magicless Fionna from her universe on the right. alternatively, the one on the left could be Fionna after she comes to Ooo, and she just gets a costume change.

(also, the musical number shot has coloring similar to the set on the right, potentially indicating that scene takes place in the same location/episode/universe/etc as those shots. this is the third secret thing.)

(also also, this is probably way too off the wall to be true, but the ones on the right look incredibly similar to Bee and Puppycat in terms of color, and given that Natasha Allegri is responsible for both Bee and Puppycat and the creation of Fionna, this series could get into ideas of creation, using Simon's Fionna vs the real Fionna as an allegory somehow. i will be shocked if this happens, i think it's just visual flair tbh, i just wanted to get this thought out of my brain)

if this wasn't a spotty post before here's where it gets Real Spotty:

i believe this is Fionna in Ooo, she's in a bunny hat and she's with a kid in Finn's clothes. i believe this is Ooo because of the fire people at the bottom. Fionna is also still wearing the outfit she had on in the bus in the beginning of the trailer, leading me to believe that she gets to Ooo after that set of scenes.

i further believe this is Ooo, because we see the same kid in this shot. that's Simon's leg on the right, muddied up, so this could be after his adventure with Finn. on the left is the Fionna and Cake script in the bin, this being the Fionna and Cake Simon came up with. my guess is that this kid is a fan of the Fionna and Cake Simon came up with and this outfit is a cosplay. maybe he published his fanfiction. good for him.

as for the city behind the closing door...

... maybe it could be this? i'm not sure if this city is on Ooo, frankly. the trees are different. maybe Fionna, Simon, and this kid all went to an alt universe together by accident? and that's why the kid looks so distraught in the shot with the bin?

for my last image-based comment, simon's sleeve has been torn off here (bottom of his-right-our-left arm) so it's possible that whatever muddied his pants in the bin shot also got his coat messed up, possibly his adventure with Finn.

to recap this meandering post

here's an extremely weak guess of plot points from the previously proposed concepts

Fionna lives a normal, bland life, realizes something is wrong, and ends up in Ooo over the course of a day. within this day, she does her job on the bus, sees something's up with Cake, experiences some dimension weirdness, chases Cake at some point, her and Cake end up falling, and then it's Ooo time.

in Ooo, she meets a kid that's a fan of Fionna and Cake - from the stories Simon wrote and published.

Fionna decides she needs Simon's help, possibly because he's apparently written books about her, so they go to get him

meanwhile, Simon's had a bad mental health day and is spiraling.

he ends up in the woods with Finn for some reason, possibly to death talk, and they have an adventure that takes the length of the day. by the end of it, Simon's clothes are torn up and he just wants to go home.

he goes home and sits down for like A Minute before Fionna and the kid show up at his place.

(there is no evidence for this but i feel like seeing the character you made up in your genderbend fanfic irl would be freaky so Simon's like "wow i've fucking lost it i'm hallucinating my oc")

situation gets explained to a very non-receptive Simon

the three/four of them head off onto a multiversal quest with widely varying levels of enthusiasm

over the course of the quest shenanigans ensue and Simon has many moments of contemplation on his past and future

Fionna gets the situation with her home universe figured out

You Will Cry Your Eyes Out

the end

that's all i got. feel free to go crazy in the notes.

[coffeesleep-ooc]

I wish we had more than that one extra that talked about LBH’s experience with SQQ growing up. Like I understand why more of the book doesn’t reference the more casual end of white lotus era…but…I would’ve loved to see it refrenced more…actually nvm I think I would’ve gotten creeped out if done the way I’ve seen some people write it

Omg, thanks for sharing your thoughts 👀👀👀

I thirst everyday for what could have been 😔🙏

Honestly though, one of the few things that disappointed me in sv was the lack of disciple days shenanigans! It would have made the story x3 longer and it’s true that the contrast of a happy white lotus LBH and the consequent betrayal and miscommunications would have taken a hit but!!!! -insert whining dog noises-

i need it!!!

actually i thought that even that kind of content could have been played of as nostalgic and even heartbreaking in the right way, especially if it’s LBH reminiscing, but I also doubt he would avoid those kinds of thoughts a little bit bc he doesn’t want to question SQQ and his love ig? Maybe he is scared that if LBH demands answers SQQ will suddenly decide he doesn’t love him anymore and leave…LBH couldn’t take that

idk, that is my theory but i agree it would have been nice to have more of that content? Maybe crammed in before the IAC? But again, that would have made the novel longer -sighs-

Idk why you would have been creeped out? So im wondering! I mean…i’ve read a lot of fics including smol bunhe, from the horny simping LBH ones, passing through the ambiguous pining-LBH nothing is wrong here-SY and even the platonic end where LBH does have feelings but SY is snagged by someone else (imnot crying you are crying) and i believe that all takes are interesting even if a couple ones are a bit questionable…fiction wise

i do think that LBH growing up would slowly go from ‘Shizun is my god and my role model’ to ‘Shizun is my most silly man who i want to wife up and squeeze as soon as possible but he is still so good and peerless and im a bit potato but if he thinks me pleasing to look at I’ll maybe have a chance if I’m super explicit with my intentions…maybe’. And i think that process has a lot of potential??? Bc like, he puts SQQ in a literal pedestal at first but I imagine that living with the man makes LBH realize that SQQ is a human being with likes and dislikes, with a thin face and silly behavior underneath, who shows LBH more kindness and humanity than anyone else, and this is interesting bc other ppl did it before and after him, but LBH is stuck on him??? Also, we see sv from SY!SQQ’s pov, but again, LBH has suffered and known some of the darkness of the world before meeting SY, i believe his method of protecting himself is either to act cute and be super nice, even manipulative about it, while SJ’s was to be a prickly man with the ‘i hurt them first so they can’t hurt me later’ method, and this is why they are conflictive, different protection methods and different levels of blackening. When LBH realizes there’s nothing for him to cling to in a place, he will go silent like a shadow and endure until he can do something about it, if there’s something about SJ and LBH is about their parallels being breathtaking in the ‘im trying not to cry’ way and both endure and endure beyond their breaking point until something happens. SY transmigrated just in time to show LBH that the place he lived in still had some salvation, that the person that hated him and punished him still was capable of humanity!!! We don’t know what LBH thinks of SQQ changing like that, if he believes SQQ lost his memories or smth, but what he concerns himself with is basking in the light he thought was lost, and this makes him a naive character…he hasn’t lost his experience, he knows still what is to be scorned, alone in the world, treated like a street rat, but hopes that his current situation stays like this forever (except he starts getting greedier for SQQ’s love and affection in other ways)

i digress, LBH starts falling for SQQ bc the man shows him humanity underneath the kindness, later on he will be Shizun’s favorite (the dream for him, truly) but first SQQ shows him that he can make mistakes (skinner incident) and that he can be incredibly stupidly selfless (without a cure poisoning) and finally that he is a silly man, with a kind soul and with a lot of dignity and self-assurance despite his obliviousness of lots of things

On that note…idk why i’ve seen a lot of ppl saying that LBH would have fallen for the first person that showed him kindness? Like yes usually kindness is the base for love and interest, but as i see it, LBH didn’t fall for SQQ right away but gradually, not even knowing it himself until it was a tender devotion he couldn’t even try to suppress. LBH didn’t fall for NYY in sv? And she was kind to him, not helpful at all, but kind and human and flawed, but SQQ was such a bright light, such an imposing and beautiful being to him that he couldn’t feel anything for anyone else! Novel-canon LBH is just too obsessed with Shizun, and even PIDW LBG wanted to take him back with him, i mean…

And even if he did fall for someone kind and human like SY, that’s how life works, and i think that if a character deviates from his original narrative and manages to stay in character then it means it’s well built!

LBH is a very good character in my opinion and BingQiu is a very interesting dynamic full with nuances and hysterics (hehe), i do love reading about white lotus bunhe and i could only imagine what SQQ felt like when he thought that the person LBH was before the conference was dead TAT

and this is getting long hahaha sorry, hope some of my rambling is pleasing and answers your comment at least a bit! Thanks for asking(commenting? Talking to me?) <3

[multifunctionalnitroglycerin]

Heaven is not entirely on the wrong – a Hazbin Hotel theory #1 - Adam

Alright fellas, before you start shooting and cursing at my name with the most colorful strings of curses, hear me out.

But first let me get this out of the way, heaven not infallible no, I am not going to paint them as the perfectly good guys, no flaws whatever. And yes, Adam is still an arsehole. A big one. A heartbroken one, but still a royal arsehole. One that is one of the most memorable characters in Hazbin.

I mean imagine being the first man and having two women made for you. The perfect pieces to complete your puzzle. You know, as soulmate-y as it goes. And then both of them, one after the other end up leave you. For the same dude. And said dude is the reason you were cast out from the garden of Eden in the first place. Yup, that hurts. And I can only imagine it creates a bunch of insecurities, a hint of inferiority complex (How can one complete with an ANGEL – fallen or not?) an a very healthy misogynistic view.

Because hey, the first man was created, given a purpose, and given a partner to carry out that purpose with. A partner tailored specifically for him. Made for him, made to complete him in every way. And he is ecstatic.  And she cheats on him. With a fallen angel. His purpose is now null. And when given a second chance, IT HAPPENS AGAIN, WITH THE SAME DUDE.

And allow me to believe that Adam cherished Eve much more than Lilith. After all you don’t fully realize how much you love something, util you lose it. And Adam had lost a wife once. So, it is not difficult to imagine that he was much more devoted and caring to Eve. Consequently, when Lilith “corrupts” her, and Eve cheats on Adam with Lucifer – AGAIN, well he loses it. And here we are 10000 or however many years later, and he is a royal arsehole. Because how can you look at any woman the same way again, when the two women made for you, hurt you that way.  

And the heartbreak kinda bleeds out to his personality. His whole demeanor practically screams “Hey bitches look, I have been through shit, cheated on that way twice – with all the implications that come with it – and I am still here, standing and triumphing like Heaven’s very own Hollywood celebrity. And I have a bunch of badass women under my command that love, admire me and follow my every order, that cherish me like my two wives never did.”

And that last bit, is an important plot point, cause here comes Lute. Lute that was his second in command and cherished him and followed him right to the very end. Lute the only woman that did not betray him. And Adam dies with a smile.

Given all of that, I would think it is safe to assume that Adam is pretty jaded, as far as both women and second chances go. Because he got his second chance, after the first one was squandered – not out of his choice, but Lilith’s – and the second chance as well did not work out, because Eve ended up betraying him as well. For Adam, second chances amount to another chance at failure. We can all see why he wouldn’t be all unicorns and rainbows for Charlie’s plan to rehabilitate sinners and give them a “second” chance, when his own second chance amounted to nothing but a repeat of the first failure.

All in all, Adam is a major pain in the neck, and a misogynistic asshole yes, but he is also someone that has been hurt, and that in his own way conquered his trauma and heartbreak and made something of himself. That is not to say he is an altruistic goody-two-shoes hero, far from it, but he is a bit of an unintentional hero, that while following his own agenda and self-interests, freed many souls of their eternal torment.

And before you come at me for the nonsense that my last sentence is we move on the next part.

#2 – Exterminations

[the-impala-is-my-home]

I saw ur prompt about Wilmon and thought I'd give you the following, bc it feels so them ☺️

20. a third person pointing out how beautiful they're and suddenly you're seeing them in a different light (shalalallalaaa)

Hiii! thank you so much for the prompt! Remember how I said I'd write something pretty short? Well it's at 1.2k words now, so a bit more than I'd originally aimed for but oh well haha

I'll put this on AO3 later, but for now you can also read it under the cut! :)

“Is Simon single?”

Wille barely hears the words over the noise of the party, even though Elias -or maybe his name was Lukas- has leaned in so close that Wille can smell the drink he just ordered on his breath. “What?,” he chuckles and sips on his own drink.

“Simon. Do you know if he’s single?” Lars-or-whatever repeats. “It’s just that he’s like, insanely beautiful, so I thought I’d shoot my shot if he isn’t taken.” At the mention of his best friend, Wille’s eyes shoot up to search Simon in the crowd of people and find him talking to Felice. She must have said something funny, because Simon throws his head back and lets out a laugh that Wille can’t really hear but his imagination gladly fills in the sound from memory.

Ignoring the drink swishing around angrily in his stomach, he turns back to Petter. Maybe he should have just gotten a soft drink instead. “No, I don’t think he’s seeing anyone right now, so uhhh… go ahead I guess.” His voice comes out quieter than he’d intended and he clears his throat. Johann seems to have heard him well enough anyway because he gives Wille a grin and a double thumbs up before disappearing back into the crowd, though curiously into the entirely wrong direction. Well. He’ll probably find Simon at some point. Maybe. Wille doesn’t care either way.

Shaking his head, he grabs his drink and walks into the direction where Simon actually is. He thinks that if Per believes Simon to be ‘insanely beautiful’, he should be better at spotting him in a room full of people. Not that he’s wrong with that description, objectively. Simon is obviously attractive, everyone knows that much. He’s wearing eyeliner tonight as well, Wille realizes as Simon spots him and waves him over. No wonder he caught Noah’s interest, after all the eyeliner frames his eyes in a way that makes it harder to look away from them than it usually is.

“Wille! You have to hear this!”

As Wille leans against the wall next to his friends, Simon and Felice both begin to launch into a retelling of a story, the both of them switching between who is talking so often that Wille gets a bit dizzy with the way he keeps moving his head. When Felice jumps in to clarify a detail that Simon apparently has gotten wrong he doesn’t bother moving his eyes away from Simon again. He’ll probably be the one talking in a few seconds again anyway.

There’s a tiny piece of confetti stuck in Simon’s hair that captures Wille’s attention. It feels like it would be rude to disrupt his friends’ conversation because of something that unimportant but he can’t stop staring at it, pictures himself picking the offending piece of paper out of Simon’s hair. Maybe one of his curls would wrap around Wille’s finger. They’re probably pretty soft, Wille thinks and finds himself wanting to test that theory. He doesn’t though, because who just sticks their hand into their friends hair?

Simon’s eyes crinkle as he giggles. Belatedly, Wille realizes with a stab of guilt that Felice has just finished her retelling and he has no clue at all what she’s been saying for at least two minutes because he’s been busy zoning out and staring at Simon. What is wrong with him? He gives his friends a smile that he hopes looks like the smile of someone who has definitely been listening and then mumbles something about getting another drink. Only after walking into the kitchen does he look at his paper cup to realize it’s still half full and slightly soaked through at the bottom.

He busies himself with looking through all the available drink options someone gathered in this too small kitchen in some flat he’s never been to before that belongs to someone he only barely knows from his literature classes. In the end, he settles on drinking a simple coke, recalling that weird feeling in his stomach earlier.

Simon is dancing when Wille comes back, curls messy, skin painted with purple and blue light and so so beautiful. Wille wants, stumbles a little with the intensity of the sudden certainty. Of course Simon is the most beautiful person in the room, of course Wille can’t keep his eyes off of him, of course Simon is more than a friend to him.

His hand comes up to his chest to rub at the tight sensation there and he turns on the spot to walk to the front door. The fresh October air allows him to relax a bit as he sits down on the stairs. How could he have possibly missed his own feelings for his friend? It all seems so clear in hindsight and Wille can’t help but feel a little stupid for having convinced himself Simon was nothing more than a friend to him.

What is he supposed to do now? Somewhere in there, Simon is probably being asked on a date by Oliver or whatever.

The door behind him opens and he almost gets up to let whoever is leaving the party pass when he glances backwards to see Simon closing the door.

“Hej,” Simon says, shooting Wille a small smile. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just had to get fresh air.” He shuffles with his shoes, fixating on a spot of dirt he notices on the right one. “Did that one guy find you?”

A pause. “Do you mean Jan?”

Ah, so that had been his name. Wille hopes he doesn’t have to remember it. “Did you…” he trails off but Simon seems to understand anyway.

“He asked me for my number.” Simon sits down on the step besides him, resting his arms on his knees. “I didn’t give it to him. He seemed nice and all but…”

“Not your type?”

“No, I guess not.” From the corner of his eye, Wille can tell that Simon is looking at him now. He turns towards him too and thinks that this must be the closest they’ve been all evening. Simon is even more beautiful up close and Wille can’t believe he hasn’t realized this sooner.

“What is your type then?,” Wille hears himself asking even as he knows he should just keep his mouth shut. He doesn’t want to hear Simon talk about a list of traits he’ll never have.

Simon just shrugs, looks at Wille still and Wille doesn’t know what to make of that. When Simon sighs, his breath is visible in the cold evening air and suddenly Wille can’t tear his eyes away from his lips.

“Wille?” Simon’s voice is quiet and unsure and he’s so close. When did they get so close?

“Simon, I…” God, he can smell Simon from here, feels warmth where their knees are pressed up against each other. “You’re beautiful,” he says, like an idiot without a brain to mouth filter.

There’s a sort of desperate noise coming from Simon and suddenly Wille feels a hand on his cheek tugging him forward until they’re kissing. He blanks for a second, his eyes still open and his hands by his side, but when Simon moves backwards, a nervous yet hopeful expression on his face, Wille pulls him back in.

When they both start to shiver and Wille can feel his legs starting to fall asleep, he rises from the step and holds out his hand to Simon.

“Will you come home with me? To talk,” he hurries to add.

“Sure.” Simon lets himself be pulled up. “As long as there are breaks for kissing involved.”

Simon’s grin is bright and beautiful and feels warm on Wille’s lips.

[everythingblackblack]

You know how the first KID called himself Shinichi's younger brother (courtesy of Yuusaku reading 1412 wrong after Shinichi was born)? In a world where they aren't related how do you imagine this impacting KaiShin dynamics?

I had the funny thought of Conan scolding Touichi as the elder brother for being a bad adult.

My girlfriend and I have a whole au about this.

Well, specifically Kaito and Shinichi meeting each other as children, in that au Shinichi and Toichi get along very badly. I like to think of it as the AU where a 40 year old man with a single mother complex has a rivalry with a weird 5 year old boy. But back to your question...

Well, let's imagine Shinichi asked Yuusaku about the brother thing, knowing Yuusaku he would say something like:

"Oh yeah, you have a very troublesome little brother."

Shinichi is perfectly fine with the idea, he likes being an older brother, however, this makes him start asking Yuusaku a lot of questions.

Shinichi is smart, but he's still young, so he assumes that "he's the older brother, because the other young man came later into his parents' lives", he assumes that his "younger brother" is adopted, and the reason he doesn't live with them is because the "younger brother" must be 17 or something (he'll be going to college soon, he assumes). Shinichi only accepts this fact because his parents are weird, something he confirms over the years.

He keeps the memory of “having a younger brother” deep in his mind. And he doesn't remember it at all until, years later, he realizes who his “younger brother” really is and discovers that his deduction was wrong.

But because he finds the fact funny, in the next heist he attends, he calls Kaito his “younger brother”, and Kaito takes it as a funny joke but is confused.

“Apparently, it's something your predecessor had with my father.”

“I see, I had no idea about that, I assume my predecessor called you that way because your father was the one who named 1412 right?”

“Yes, although I thought your predecessor would tell you.”

In a moment of confidence, Kaito dares to reveal a secret.

“I wasn't supposed to take his place.”

Shinichi certainly never thought about KID's predecessor until that funny coincidence happened, but he also didn't expect this revelation, which started to make everything even stranger.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The world works in very curious ways, but you know that better than me, don't you? Little detective."

This only makes Shinichi have doubts about why KID steals.

That "I wasn't supposed to take his place" thing haunts him and brings up questions, like, "What happened to KID's predecessor? Why was there an 8-year hiatus? Was someone other than the KID he knows and (loves) going to be the new KID? Why did (his) KID have to take his place if that was the case? Does KID even want to be KID? So they would never have met if he never became KID?" The last two thoughts make him want to investigate.

He needs information, so he decides he first has to find out who KID's predecessor is. He searches for skilled magicians from 8 years ago and comes across Kuroba Toichi, who is deceased and then finds out that he was married and had a son, a son who is almost his age.

It's not hard to figure out who the current KID is.

Neither is it hard to figure out that KID isn't looking for something, but for someone.

Finding out that KID is actually seeking revenge gave him clarity and concern. While KID has never killed or seriously injured anyone, “What about them? With the people who killed his father, he might not be so forgiving.”

Shinichi doesn’t have the full picture, so he has to ask KID. It’s risky, but the next time they meet and are alone, Shinichi calls him “Kuroba Kaito,” KID simply laughs and says, “Is that supposed to mean something?” Shinichi continues and replies, “I know why you steal.”

“Well, what’s your theory?”

“It’s not a theory, you want revenge.”

“Have you told anyone about your theory yet?”

“No, I want you to tell me what you’re planning.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“…”

“Please tell me.”

“Aren’t you going to threaten me with arrest?”

"You'll disappear if I do."

"I'm not going to stop you… unless you're planning on killing someone."

KID laughs, this doesn't seem funny to Shinichi, who is genuinely worried, there are people who kill for revenge. He doesn't want KID to end up like that!

"Oh, don't look at me like that, I'm not making fun of you, anyway, you don't have to worry, I'm not going to kill anyone, I've never had that desire, but you're not wrong, I'm looking for revenge."

All this text, to say that I think that if Shinichi had a clue about Kaito's reasons for stealing he would probably be more understanding of him (and he would be very worried, I mean, the mysterious and nice guy he sees once a month and who has mostly only provided him with help could be planning a murder). He doesn't want KID to be another criminal.

Anyway, I think that Kaito noticing Shinichi's good will would lead him to open up to him, telling him the truth, although omitting details: "that he is looking for a jewel to destroy it, because the people who killed his father want it, and that is his way of revenge" and perhaps more explicitly how "he feels he has to do this, because he never got over his father's death and hopes that this will help him move on."

Shinichi offers to help, and in the middle of the way, as they get closer, he realizes a somewhat dark truth.

Kaito's father never died.

Maybe it's because of the way Kaito talked, so melancholic, so happy, with so much adoration, that something inside him twists every time he's mentioned.

And of course, he can't help but yell at him the first time he sees him. Kaito has to hold him down so he doesn't punch him in the face.

"Shinichi, stop, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"Okay, okay, I'll calm down…"

Once Kaito lets go, Shinichi lunges at Toichi again.

"No, Shinichi…!"

Lmao, I'm amused to think of Shinichi being angrier than Kaito himself for that. And god, sorry for all the text, I just started typing it.

[smoshsfavoritepizzaplace]

I really hope this won’t come off as parasocial!! But given the reveal that Courtney was down bad for Shayne, I think partly the reason why I believe those who are saying/theorizing it’s a “she fell first” situation is because Courtney met Shayne when she was really young.

If you think about it Courtney was about 19 when they joined Smosh. When Shayne joined he was already in a committed relationship and probably only saw Courtney as a little sister. Of course Courtney got into a relationship and they were committed to their partner, but then it ended so maybe feelings resurfaced since they were single at the same time Shayne was. It also kind of shows in older videos because looking back, Courtney was pretty smitten around Shayne and admitted to being the person who can easily make her laugh.

What I’m saying could be disproved later on but this is my understanding from what was publicly put out. Courtney and Shayne have nothing to owe to the public but I do find it wholesome for them to finally share a few love bites without having to hide their relationship.

I really do think their situation was right person wrong time. Because like you said, she was 19 (very close to 20) years old and he was around 23/24 when they met and Shayne was in a relationship. Then I could be wrong but I think when he was out his relationship, or close to it being over, Courtney got into hers. Idk the exact time frame but presumably they were both single starting around 2018/2019 (maybe 2017 but I’m unsure)

But yes of course the last thing we wanna be is parasocial and since this is more of information that they both technically have stated, I just think we’re making connections from “evidence” given to us? Idk how to say that better lol. But in all seriousness, don’t worry I don’t think you’re being too invasive of anything considering these are things we heard from the horses mouth and not things we dug through the pits of the internet to find.

I’ve mentioned this in a comment on one of my posts, but I really feel like shipping may have also had a lot to do with the conflicting feelings. Imagine working with someone who you originally see as a friend and even when you’re in your own relationships, people still think the two of you are soulmates. When you both are finally single at the same time, you realize more and more that you’re starting to fall in love with this same person. Love is an INCREDIBLY weird thing to deal with already so just imagine being in love but you also don’t know if it’s because fans want you to be, or if you genuinely are.

This post is starting to get long but to conclude, I 100% agree with everything you said. If you guys have more theories or anything, my inbox is always open. I don’t really get many too often, but I love getting asks. The main reason why I started this blog honestly. So if you have more thoughts, I highly encourage you to share them here, even if they’re random lol :)

[paganwitchisis]

Vampiric Antidote

Here is my own original work! Not Beta read.

Rated E (Explicit) Words:8,733

Warnings: Explicit sexual content, porn with plot, vaginal sex, creampie, aftercare, excessive porn and sexual content, fuck or die, sexual healing, PiV sex, and etc...

Relationship: (AFAB) Female Tav/Astarion

Summary: After a visit to the House of Hope, Female Tav is infected with a poison from the Incubus inhabiting Raphael's room. This poison makes Tav lustful and in a state of distress. 2 days later, they reach camp and Astarion sees her condition. Being familiar with this particular poison and the effects, he knows he is the only one who can save her. This is after Cazador has been eliminated and Astarion has chosen to stay a spawn and not sacrifice his brethren. Established Romance. Fluff and smut ensue. 3rd person POV, no descriptions on Tav so you can imagine your own character in their place.

STORY IS 18+ ONLY

AO3 Main

AO3 link

She knew something was wrong the moment the blade graced her skin. In actuality it was a small cut but she could tell something was off. Now was not the time though as Gale used Magic Missile on the foes, Shadow Heart close behind with her radiant damage. Karlach swung her great sword and finished off the incubus before them, the disgusting creature. It took little time to kill the remaining imps and to loot the bodies. They cleared the room, found the safe and left to steal the hammer…knowing another fight would await them. Before leaving however they enjoyed the rejuvenating spring but Tav still felt off. Her skin was warm to the touch and her nerves seemed electrified. She wasn’t sure how to explain it but she was slightly short of breath and these symptoms didn’t seem to quite add up.

Some time later they had finished a rather difficult battle with Raphael and won. The devil was finally slain yet Tav was not ok. Tav was dizzy, breathing heavily and felt like her flesh was on fire. She was sweating, and clutched her sword tightly as she slumped to her knees. She was covered in blood and visceral from the fight , her panting began to become gasps of air as she clutched her chest. The corners of her vision began to darken. What was wrong? Karlach, she suspected, was with her in a second as she felt herself raised up from the floor before her world turned black.

Time began to become distorted as she remembered brief flashes of faces and conversations. Gale and Shadow Heart bickering over what to do as her sweat soaked her clothes. Shadow Heart attempted Remove Curse but to no avail. Gale was going over books with little to no possible answers. Karlach was telling them that they needed a professional and to stop guessing. Tav blacked out shortly after and awoke some time later being carried in Karlach’s arms while on the road. How much time had passed was unknown to her. All she knew was the new symptoms that started to appear. Symptoms that had she been in her right mind she would have been very concerned but her mind was not fully her own at the moment. It started with the smell of vanilla.

Tav looked up to see that she was close to Karlach’s chest as she breathed in deep and realized the smell was coming from Karlach. Tav bit back the feeling deep inside her body as she felt heat stir within her loins. This was ridiculous, right? A cold draft of air bristled up Tav’s neck and chilled her heated flesh. She was lusting intently for Karlach of all people. This couldn’t be! Tav didn’t want to let this show but she couldn’t stop her hand ghosting her right breast and the moan escaping her parched lips.

“Uh…guys?” Karlach stopped walking and looked towards the two companions.

“That confirms my theory” Gale mentioned matter of factly. “It’s from the fight with the Succubus”

“Incubus” Shadow Heart attempted to correct.

“Whichever is correct! It doesn’t matter. We need to get back to camp. Someone there may know what to do.” Karlach interuppted.

Another moan escaped Tav’s lips as she thrust her hips upward in an attempt to alleviate the issue.

“And fast” Karlach added and walked more briskly towards camp.

Meanwhile at camp Astarion was frustrated. A few days prior Tav had told him she was invading the devils house and would not be taking him along! Of all the places to be going without him and she would choose Raphael’s own home, one of the most dangerous places she could go aside from Cazador’s. This would of course put Astarion on edge. A week past Tav had helped him defeat Cazador and earn his freedom and since then he had cemented his relationship with Tav. She was the first and only person he truly cared about. She never pushed him to do anything he was uncomfortable with and stuck with him from bloodlust to bloodshed. She rationalized that she needed Gale for his magic, Shadowheart for healing and Karlach for her expertise with Avernus. She wanted him to protect the camp. From what he asked as Orin was killed to protect Yenna sometime ago! All Tav said was that she needed him safe and she didn’t have much time to invade Raphael’s home.

Astarion never showed anyone he was worried of course but he was. Who knows what the devil had in store for them and the what if scenarios would plague him during his long nights alone.

When Karlach came back with a look of terror on her face and an obviously compromised Tav in her arms with Gale and Shadow Heart closely behind her, it seemed Astarion was correct. Astarion was before them in an instant to asses the situation. Tav was in her underclothes as her armor and pack was with Gale. She was drenched in sweat, her hands lightly teasing her body outside her clothes and moaning occasionally as she panted in delusion. Her eyes opened half way and she reached out towards Astarion.

“Help me, please!”

Astarions heart almost broke. He knew what was afflicting her as it coursed through his veins many times.

“She was wounded by a demon wasn’t she? A sexual demon.” Astarion demanded

Karlach gaped and questioned him “How do you know?”

“It is a poison native to them. She is poisoned and you never thought to cure her?” Astarion was secretly happy that it was late at night that the trio returned and the others were sleeping because his demeanor was blown the moment he saw her situation.

“We didn’t know! How…how do you…” Gale stepped forward to defend Karlach

“Do you think Cazador tortures his spawn with just knives?” Astarions tone was ice cold as he drew near Gale so he was within his personal space “Do you know what this poison does?”

Gale didn’t know how to respond because frankly all he knew was from his readings. It was more speculation at best.

“Enlighten me”

“Let’s just say it will kill her. Cazador used it on us because it couldn’t kill whats already dead but she wont be so lucky.”

“How do we cure this?” Shadow Heart questioned.

“How long has it been since she was infected?” Astarion snapped his patience wearing thin as he could see her condition was dangerously close to grave.

“Why does it…” Gale started

“How long!” Astarion cut him off, his eyes shinning more red than usual. Astarion almost snarled, showing his fangs.

“Almost right away when we got there. 2 days ago” Karlach offered the information.

“You let her suffer for 2 days?” Astarion closed his hands into fists, his temper rising. He tried to calm himself

“How do we cure her?” Shadow Heart chimed in, eager to see her friend no longer suffering.

“Cure? It’s too late to make a cure now! Hand her to me”

Karlach was apprehensive to hand the woman over to the snarling vampire before her.

“What are you going to do if there is no cure?” Gale asked.

“You can only let it run its course at this point.” Astarion held his arms out asking silently for Tav but Karlach did not relinquish her.

“But you said that it will kill her” Shadow Heart worriedly mentioned. Astarion took a breath and calmed himself before smirking at their inquiry.

“Darling…what I will be doing is between us but don’t worry, she will not die. I will not allow it…also I will not harm her. On the contrary, she will very much enjoy it” Astarion smiled still holding his arms out “but from what I can see, her condition is deteriorating fast and I wont be able to take her somewhere special. Things may get a bit…loud” Shadow Heart and Gale blushed knowing what Astarion meant while Karlach was already helping to transfer Tav into his arms.

“You know…maybe if we use the spell called Globe of Invulnerability, it may block out the noise. It wont last long though and there are no guarantees.” Shadow Heart offered. “Never used it for this reason before so not sure if it will work”

“That’s sweet of you Shadow Heart. Now if you don’t mind, she doesn’t have much time left.”

Astarion hurriedly darted towards his tent, gently put her down on his bed roll and turned around. Astarion dropped the flap on the tent to seal it and knotted the rope on the top of the flap and the bottom. He made sure no one was getting in, especially because he couldn’t have any interruptions for the adventures he was going to get into shortly.

“Astarion. Help me!”

“One moment love” Astarion grabbed a vial and held the back of Tav’s head with one hand and helped her drink the potion with the other. “There you go. I want you clear headed for this. Not that it will do you any good for what I'm about to do to you” Astarion smirked.

It took moments for the potion to take effect but Tav’s disorientation slipped away and she blinked a few times to reorient herself.

“Astarion?”

“Hush love.” Astarion put a finger to her lips as she took both of her breasts into her hands and she toyed with her nipples, moaning in frustration. Astarion smiled “You’re ill my sweet and it’s too late to cure it.”

“What? But…”

“Let me finish…”Astarion continued “I can help you through it as it runs it’s course darling. This illness will kill you without my intervention and you don’t have much time left.”

“How…”

“I’ll make love to you my dear.”

“No, I don’t want to force you to do anything you…”

“Did you not hear me?” Astarion interjected “I never said I would fuck you or have sex. I want to make love to you. I love you and having sex with you is not the same as what Cazador made me do…or what he did to me.”

“What he did to you?” Tav questioned

“How do you think I know about this love? Cazador would infect us with it, force us to want so badly and so deeply and the only relief we could get would be from him when and if he willed it. It was a sick and twisted game and I hated it but with you….it’s different. Hells…everything is different with you!” Astarion chuckled. “Also, in addition to making you scream my name all night, you should know this poison can last for days. I can also help with that. It’s in your bloodstream and I can…”

“I don’t want you to suffer too….I mean Cazador…he….” Tav stumbled on her words attempting to express her feelings.

“I wont suffer…not with you. Please consider it. I can make it feel really good, heighten the pleasure.”

“Astarion….it’s so hot.” Tav started to pull at her shirt and claw at her skin. Her pants came as gasps and she had such a deep ache between her legs. Every nerve was on fire, every sensation increased, her chest hurt and her head throbbed. Astarion looked at her and frowned.

In one feel swoop he tore her clothes off her to leave her bare but unscathed. The heat of her flesh staving off the cool night air as Astartion took her lips to his own. Passionately and deeply he drank of her before pulling back briefly.

“You’re running out of time.” Astarion traveled south to his prize and spread her legs wide. “I’ll be damned if I lose the woman I love to this wretched poison.” Astarion took two fingers and placed them at her already wet entrance and looked at Tav who was watching Astarion curiously. “May I?”

“Are you sure?”

Astarion smiled and plunged two fingers inside of her sweet peach, quickly adding a third as Tav rocked on the digits.

“I’m sure.” Astarion nipped at Tav’s left nipple. “Already this wet for me dear?”

“My chest…it hurts!” Tav cried out and Astarion changed gears. He acted in a more rash manner to help the woman he cared for.

“Cum for me. We need to blow off some of this tension you're having” Astarion curled his fingers in, finding a familiar patch inside that he knew would drive her crazy before he brought his lips down to her clitoris. Astarion under normal circumstances would take things much slower in bed but she didn’t have the time to do so. She needed this relief as soon as possible. Sure he could have jumped to this and not spoken to her but after being a slave to Cazador’s whims for so long and no having a voice with his own body? He knew how important consent was. Astarion alternated between sucking and licking just how he knew she would like it on her nerve cluster and pumped his fingers inside all the while he stroked that tiny patch of flesh just inside her core. She was going mad with lust. She tried to rise her hips but Astarion held them down with his free arm and devoured her.

This wasn’t the first woman he gave oral sex to but it was the first woman who he found he enjoyed doing it for. It was the first woman he enjoyed the taste of. Astarion found himself plunging deeper into her womanhood, moaning as he made her scream his name (and made Astarion secretly hope the spell worked on noise).

Tav dropped one of her hands to the back of his head and threaded her fingers in his silky white locks of hair as he worked her supple flesh.

Her orgasm crept up on her and without warning took hold. Her body shook in the pleasure that exploded inside of her as she gasped Astarion’s name. Astarion pulled back and smirked as he wiped his mouth and sat back on his heels.

“Now my sweet, with that out of the way we can do things the right way.”

“What do you mean? That isnt it?”

Astarion laughed before replying, bringing his hand gently up to Tav’s cheek.

“Far from it. It will keep ramping up until it is out of your system which can take a long, long time. I can shorten it if you will let me.”

“You mean by…” Tav sat up and felt the words ring true. She could still feel the effects and she lusted for Astarion still even though she just found such a sweet climax.

Astarion drew close and encircled her in his arms, dipping his head towards Tav’s neck, grazing his fangs against her skin.

“Im not Cazador. I wont put you through that again.” Tav responded.

Astarion started kissing her neck and slowly made his way north, kissing her chin, kissing her lips and pulled away to reply, his forehead touching hers and his breath ghosting her skin.

“You’re right, you are not Cazador. You wont make me beg for relief. I can trust you and we can enjoy a wonderful time in each others arms. Please let me end your suffering. We can have so much fun together” Astarion pleaded in his usual sing song voice before kissing the side of her cheek and making his way back to her neck.

A deep ache developed between Tav’s legs and she tried to close her legs to relieve the pressure but Astarion wouldn’t let her.

“I don’t think so my dear. I’ll fill you shortly but first you deserve more than that. Let me worship your body, lay back.”

Tav did as commanded as Astarion started to kiss her neck, collarbone and chest. He brought his hands up to fondle her perfect soft breasts as his tongue encircled her perked up nipples. Tav tried to close her legs or do anything really to relieve the pressure so Astarion brought his clothed knee up to the crux of her thighs and would grind against her core. Tav moaned, brought her arms up and clenched the bedroll fabric in her hands.

“My precious treasure” Astarion whispered as he brought her legs up and kissed the outside of her knees.

“You’re overdressed”Tav commented.

Astarion chuckled and took off his shirt with ease before getting up and slipping his pants to the ground along with his undergarments.

“Better?” Astarion asked?

Seeing his manhood being limp Tav frowned slightly, partially ashamed in thinking that her body didn’t inspire as much as she thought it did. She tried to cover up her concerns but Astarion was quick to notice. Tav knew he had a past history of abuse so she shouldn’t have expected much but she couldn’t help how she felt.

“What is wrong my love?”

“It’s nothing.”

“My dear…” Astarion kissed her passionately and slipped his tongue against hers, he brought his hand to the back of her head and delved deeper. He couldn’t get enough of her. He was engrossed in her feel and taste, he loved her with all his heart. His chest felt warm with how he felt towards the woman he was engaged with. He never felt this way before. Not even when he was alive.

He may be dead but in this very moment he never felt more alive.

Astarion apprehensively pulled away and continue to speak.

“You can tell me anything. Please be honest with me”

“You’re not…well…you’re limp. I thought you’d be hard with everything we've been doing” Tav admitted.

Astarion smiled. “That’s all? My dear, I guarantee you I want you, I need you in fact. It is just a fact of my…condition. I will be hard when I’m inside you but make no mistake, I want you and you are sexy as all hells.”

Tav smiled and dropped her hand towards Astarion’s manhood, taking it into her hand.

“Oh yes” Astarion called out

Tav began to stroke his cold skin, bringing it to life. Tav pushed Astarion back who yelped in surprise as she stalked up his body. Astarion usually was the one to stalk his prey but this power play was a nice reprieve and was curious to the vampire. Tav stopped above his now hard length and looked at Astarion.

“Can I touch you….can I make love to you?”

“Only a little love, tonight is about you as you’re the one poisoned”

Tav leaned down and took his cock into her mouth. Tav ran her tongue up the underside of his penis and sucked on him passionately. Astarion was moaning audibly and put his fist into his mouth to stifle his voice. Tav took his balls gently in her other hand while she took her right hand and stroked what she could not suck on. Whenever she twisted her head right, she would stroke left and give him a whirlwind of different pleasure. Astarion was lost in what Tav was doing to him. Astarion had a hard time doing it but he pulled away. He couldn’t lose himself. He needed to take care of her needs. He wasn’t going to lose her. He couldn’t.

Astarion smiled and pushed her back as he loomed above her.

“Im going to make you feel good. Trust me”

Astarion kissed her while he settled between her legs and spread them further. He grabbed hold of his cock and lined himself up before submerging himself inside of her. It took a moment for her to adjust to his rather large girth but once she did, it felt wonderful. Astarion rocked himself into a gentle rhythm while he brought his fangs to Tav’s neck.

“May I?”

Tav was breathless and in ecstasy, she held on to Astarion like he was a life vest in a sea of pleasure.

“Please.”

Astarion sunk his fangs into the side of her neck like he did all those times before. The initial pain was overcome almost instantly by pleasure that went straight to her groin.

The muscles inside of her moist, hot pussy clenched around Astarion’s dick almost right away which made it difficult for Astarion not to spill himself right then and there.

Astarion felt the rush of blood hit the back of his throat and the familiar taste of the loathsome poison. He drunk it all the same. It didn’t take long for him to feel the affects, his skin getting flush and the familiar pang of desire welling up inside. The woman of his dreams lay before him, naked and his fangs in her throat. His cock laid nestled between the silky wet folds of her hot muscles in her most private places and he felt in that moment the luckiest vampire that was…well…not alive.

Astarion felt like a predator in that moment and reluctantly pulled away from her throat, licking the wound a few times lovingly. All the while Astarion was ramming himself inside her. She gasped and brought her hands to Astarion’s backside, gripping intently to help him drive home. Astarion growled and ducked down to take her one breast into his mouth, his hands on both sides of her head to brace himself as he pounded her tight womanhood. Astarion pulled his head back up and roughly took Tav’s lips once again, slipping his tongue deep inside. Astarion moaned into her mouth as Tav locked her legs around Astarion’s waist.

Astarion pulled back from her lavish and lush lips to comment.

“You feel so good. You’re a Goddess my love” Astarion huskily whispered in Tav’s ear as he started ramming into her more deeply. Tav started screaming in pleasure. As she moved her hands to Astarion’s back. Astarion moved his right hand from balancing himself to the area where two bodies become one.

“You’re going to cum for me” Astarion whispered and started to encircle her clitoris with his thumb. Astarion started changing how he made love and instead of simply going in and out, he ground down and up to hit a special place within. Tav became speechless. It was like pure electricity exploding inside after every stroke. It went from the tips of her toes to the ends of her lips. Electric heat of pure ecstasy drove her eyes back and her toes to curl. Her orgasm was growing with every stroke but when Astarion dipped his head down to bite her again, extreme heat exploded inside of her and everything went white.

“Astarion!” Tav cried out, her nails digging into his back involuntarily. Astarion grined while his fangs were still embedded in her vein. Her muscles clenched around his phallus and it was like it pulled him in deeper. Like Tav’s body kept wanting the vampire and encouraging him to spill his seed. It didn’t take much of course as a few more strokes in such a hot and tight, throbbing environment became too much to bear and Astarion was soon filling her.

Astarion dipped his head on Tav’s shoulder as he caught his breath, his cock still hard and ready due to the poison.

“You ok?” Tav asked concerned.

Astarion chuckled. “My dear, Im better than ok. That felt amazing and just think, we still have a long night ahead of us with a lot more debauchery left”

“Still? It isnt gone?” Tav asked although she knew the answer, she could still still feel it inside her.

“Im sure you know the answer to that. You can feel it as much as I do” Astarion pulled his cock out as a show of what he meant.

“ARE YOU TWO DONE FUCKING YOUR BRAINS OUT YET?” screamed a voice from outside the closed flap, scaring the lovers. Astarion quickly threw on some clothes and didn’t care that he looked disheveled. He looked around at her destroyed clothing and threw some of his clothing towards Tav so she could be decent.

After a moment he unlatched the flap and ran his his fingers through his hair to fix it a bit, thankfully due to his vampirism he was able to will his erection to subside temporarily but it wasn’t a permanent solution. He clasped Tav’s hand after she was decent and stepped out to face the vexed party member.

Before them stood Lae’zel who stood arms crossed and and fairly upset. Not just her stood before them but quite a lot of eyes who should be asleep.

“I guess the spell didn’t work” Astarion commented dryly. Tav blushed but never unclasped her hand from the vampire next to her.

“You could say that. Carnal pleasures are fine but I would like to get sleep tonight if it is all the same to you.” Lae’zel chastized

Tav, thinking she could talk her way out of it, had the bright idea to question Lae’zel.

“What makes you think we were enjoying ‘carnal pleasures’?” Tav questioned

Astarion laughed at the attempt. At this point Wyll had commented from somewhere in the back

“You’re wearing his clothes…”

Tav blushed further and looked down. “I guess you have a point.”

At this point Shadow Heart, Karlach and Gale had come forward with their concern. “How are you feeling?” Karlach asked.

“You gave us a scare” Gale commented “although I see Astarion got a little hungry”

Tav looked at herself and was secretly happy that Astarion thought ahead to wipe away the blood smears from their activities. The puncture marks were still visible.

“Im just fine, although not out of the woods yet. Thanks to Astarion of course” Tav squeezed his hand

Astarion smiled, exposing his fangs as he chose his next words carefully. “She still needs….treatment. If you don’t mind, were going to get away from camp and let you all sleep but she will be fine”

Astarion surprised Tav by picking her up but before he could leave, Shadow Heart stopped him.

“Here. Take this”

It was a backpack full of supplies and a bedroll. Astarion smirked “How thoughtful of you. Thank you”

“I figured that with the night time…snacks that she may need something to eat” Shadow Heart acknowledged.

Astarion took the backpack in hand and Tav with him as he made his way to a clearing nearby but far enough away that it would not bother the camp. It was a lovely clearing next to a shallow clear lake, lit up by the full moon.

“Now my dear, are you ready for more? I want the world to know you’re mine” Astarion started his sentence close to her lips but drew close to her ear when he growled the last two words “You’re mine”.

A chill ran up her spine as he let her down and a familiar feeling flourished between her legs again. She gazed at him and realized how terrified she should be of him but out of all her companions, she felt the safest with Astarion. He was a predator, fast, able and agile. He was always hungry and hunted, a stalker of dusk and a pale lethal killer. A killer who she was safe with no matter what comes their way.

“You ok my love?”

“I love you, you know” Tav admitted while looking at the man before him

Astarion gave a sly smile and chastly kissed Tav before replying “I love you too….and I think you’re the first person I can honestly tell that to”

Tav tossed her shirt off before Astarion could rip them off and drew forward towards her lover. She look his lips and kissed him, running her hands up his chest under his loose shirt. Astarion responded in kind as he drank he up, his hands finding her beautiful perky breasts.

“Mmm” Tav moaned into Astarion’s mouth who smirked before pulling back.

“Get undressed before I make you undressed” He warned. He yanked his own shirt off and disrobed as Tav slipped off the last of her clothing. She turned to put the clothing on a log when she felt calloused hands grip her hips and soft flesh pushed against her backside.

Tav braced her hands on the log in front of her and spread her legs before him. Astarion loved the view. Astarion grew hard but he wanted to make sure she was ready for him so he dropped to his knees and devoured her womanhood.

Tav moaned loudly to Astarion’s ministrations, her special space long since been ready to be invaded by Astarion’s engorged length after all the love making they had made previously. Astarion pulled back from his meal to speak.

“Mmm, you’re body knows who it belongs to” Astarion calmly mentioned with a quick harmless slap of her ass. Tav yelped at the surprise slap and pushed back against Astarion. Astarion stood up and lined his cock up again like he previously did just minutes ago in the safety of their tent. Astarion pushed in chuckling about the memories he would be thinking about the next time he slept there, the memories of the rampant sex and the love they shared.

Astarion wasted no time pounding into his lover. Astarion rose his hand and slap her ass once more leaving a slight pink mark. Tav push back against Astarion in response and met him thrust for thrust. Astartion growled and leaned forward, brushed her hair to the side and sank his fangs into her neck once again. Immediately he felt her tighten up around him and push against him once again. Astarion felt so warm as he drank some of her blood. Fearful of drinking too much he pulled back and licked the wound clean. Tav’s arms collapsed on the log and Astarion grew worried he took too much and the effects of the poison had weakened her. Astarion knew the poison would be lethal if he stopped so Astarion looked around as he made love. He viewed the shallow lake and had an idea. Pulling out, Astarion heard the faint mewl from Tav of the missing appendage. It reassured Astarion she was ok.

Astarion pick his love up gently and made his way to the lake. He stepped into the water and it was cool and crisp to the skin. It was a nice contrast to their heated embrace. Astarion held Tav by the backside, her chest was against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. Astarion sat down in the shallow area where the water reached their mid level and entered his lover again. Tav moaned into his shoulder as he did. Astarion held Tav up and began kissing her, whispering for her to wake up.

“If you want me to move, you need to wake up dear” Astarion kissed her cheek

“Youre so comfy” Tav whined

“If you don’t open your eyes, Im going to make you” Astarion snarled, worry starting to prevail.

Astarion dragged his fang gently against her ear lobe.

Tav opened her eyes and leaned forward, taking Astarion’s lips to her own which startled Astarion.

Astarion pulled back and commented “ Cum for me my love and after this you can sleep and eat. Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll even cuddle with you”

“Please! I love it when you cuddle with me” Tav was slightly embarassed asking for such a thing but after the passed few days she had, she didn’t care. Her body has been battered and been through hell. It deserves rest.

“Make love to me dear and I will.” Astarion requested and started thrusting into her while she rode on top of him. Tav rode him hard, moaning and grunting as she adjusted in the water while Astarion met her thrust for thrust. He played with her breasts and took his right hand to wrap around towards her back. Astarion smirked and thought he would show her something new. He brought a finger and dragged it slowly down the cleft of her ass, startling the woman.

“Astarion?”

“Trust me dear. You will love this” Astarion took his finger down the crack of her ass to the puckered muscle he sought. Astarion kissed her before snaking the finger inside of her.

Tav was surprised as she never had anything go inside her backdoor. She was no virgin when she slept with Astarion but this was something new completely. She did trust Astarion but she was unsure what to expect.

“Your ass is a virgin huh? You’re giving me something precious my dear. I’m a very lucky man” Astarion smiled and kissed her cheek “There is a spot right inside that will make you feel so good”

“I trust you” Tav commented before Astarion kissed her.

Astarion snaked his finger inside slightly deeper and pressed a patch of flesh inside and Tav closed her eyes in pleasure.

“Maybe we can try some ass play one day. I can show you so many ways to cum” Astarion brought his other hand to her clit so he was pleasuring her in every sense of the word. Tav was gasping at this point as she rode and ground into Astarion who was equally in bliss. Astarion was unaware he could reach such heights with someone he could emotionally connect with. Normally he would disassociate during the deed and afterword to deal with the act he was forced to perform. With her? He loved her. After Cazador he knew she was the one. It was ironic that he was her antidote when in a way, she was his. Sex wasn’t a performance with her. It was love and even though he was still learning how to show it and understand such feelings, he knew that she was his soul mate…a concept he never believed in until now.

Before Astarion was aware of what was going on, he found he was close to spilling his load but his lover had yet to quake.

That would not do.

Astarion ramped up his actions in an attempt to get her to finish with him. Astarion was many things but he was not a poor lover. Astarion took her lips to his own and deeply drank of her as he went to town between her legs. Tav’s legs shook and she was struggling to ride her lover’s cock appropriately so Astarion took that over. He made love to her at a punishing pace, forcing her to fall back a little which put more pressure on the actions Astarion was doing to her backside. The pressure, the actions to her clit and the love they made was a fever dream. Tav arched her back and came hard, the walls of her womanhood closed in tight and throbbed around his swollen appendage, forcing Astarion to spill over quickly. Astarion came loudly, something he rarely does but the pleasure was overwhelming. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the poison or if it was because of the woman he was with but something about this night was different. Astarion knew he would have to consider this further and figure out what was going on but for the moment, he was enjoying the feeling of being alive for the first time in a very long time. Astarion didn’t want to give that up. He would rather die than have anything happen to the woman who brought him back to life. The woman who stuck by him through everything and claimed his heart. Astarion had a lot to chew on but he would never leave her side again. Not after what happened during the incident at the House of Hope.

Astarion pulled his hands free and seeing that Tav was only semi conscious, he helped to bath her in the water they were in. They were absolutely filthy. Between the battle scum that was on her from the fighting days past to the actions of that very night, a good bath, rest and food would do wonders. Of course Astarion was already full. He had already found a boar prior to Tav coming back to camp and then between that and the few nips he had? He was content. Now he had her to take care of.

He bathed her gently and took care of cleaning himself efficiently before returning to throw the bed roll out and open the back pack that Shadow Heart had given him. Inside he found provisions and surprisingly, clothing for himself and her. How far in advance did she see them needing such a thing? Astarion figured that come morning when they returned to camp, assuming the poison had run its course, they would have a lot to talk about. Between embarrassment and insight, there would be a lot to gleam out of speaking to their companions. Astarion wanted to know especially what happened with the demon that had infected his beloved. They usually make deals rather than fight so what was the trade off and why was it so bad?

Astarion managed to wake Tav up long enough to eat a few basic provisions before they cuddled up together on the bedroll.

In the morning, he found that the effects of the poison did not in fact wear off.

He remembered he had a vivid dream. He remember being hot and sweating quite a bit which of course is highly unusual for someone who is dead. He remembered feeling the cool air on his body, a blanket removed perhaps? All he knew was he was uncomfortable. He felt a cool tapping to his cheek which woke him up. Groggily he focused on the image before him. His beloved was above him asking a question but he couldn’t quite make it out.

“Huh?”

“You’re still ill. Can I suck you off?” Tav requested “I don’t want to assume and with your past I mean…”

Astarion felt like he hadn't had anything to drink in days and was parched. Tav brought a dead rat to him. Astarion was befuddled. How did she know?

“How?”

“I don’t like rats. It was a win/win. I figured you would like some breakfast”

Astarion wasnt a fan of eating the creature because of his history with Cazador however the rat was at least fresh and he was hungry. Astarion gritted his teeth and feasted on the rat and drained it dry, quenching his thirst but not his raging hard on

Astarion then noticed he was naked. He could have sworn he went to bed clothed in case anyone stumbled upon them.

“Where are my clothes?”

“You’re drenched in sweat. I took off your clothes to make you more comfortable. I hope that’s ok. You’re still sick. I'm ok Astarion, but I want to repay you.”

Astarion scoffed. “My dear, you are not repaying anything. I loved every minute of it. I wasn’t forced into anything.” Astarion started to stroke himself to relieve the tension.

“I want to suck your cock Astarion. If I’m yours, then you’re mine” Tav commented as she got eye level with his pulsating length. “Please”

“I guess we’re stuck with each other then” Astarion smirked devilishly “And I mean for life. Can you accept that? Vampires have a long life span…”

“I can. Can you accept I’m still mortal and will die long before you?”

“We’ll see dear” Astarion smiled like it was a challenge he just accepted.

Tav licked her lips as she glanced at the cock before her that Astarion continued stroking , pre-cum forming at the surface. Astarion stopped stroking and brought his hand to her cheek, guiding her to his wanting length.

“You never have to ask permission to make love to me, to suck me. I appreciate you asking but only you and just you are free to touch me. I mean it when I say youre the only one for me. I…” Astarion nervously chuckles and continues “ …I don’t understand it myself. I would fight the world for you. I love you.

“Let me make you feel good. I love you too and I cant stand to see you hurting. It is because of me that you’re still poisoned.”

“I told you…” Astarion commented “…you never have to ask. Please suck me off”

Tav wasted no time and started to relentlessly devour his rock hard cock. Astarion let his hands mingle into her soft silky hair as he encouraged her to deep throat his engorged member. Tav pulled back for air, kissing his cock as it rested against her cheek. Astarion normally wouldn’t be permitted to enjoy pleasure except to seduce others but it became a way of disgust. He had no voice. No control over his body. He wouldn’t let that taint this encounter. He was damn well going to enjoy it.

Tav licked the large vein on the underside of his penis before the head of his cock disappeared inside of her mouth. Astarion was watching everything happen and it was incredibly erotic, his pants became heavier as drawing his breath became difficult. The air around them seem to be humid.

Tav resumed her previous technique she tried on him that seemed to have a positive result. She brought her hand back up to his cock, clamped her lips tightly around what she could reach of his rather lengthy member and twirled her tongue around him. She cupped his balls and gently massaged them. Astarion rocked his hips into her as he chased release.

“Ahh” Astarion moaned as he rolled his head back in pleasure.

Tav moaned as she worked him, enjoying the feeling of her lovers most intimate parts entrusted into her care. The vibrations of the moan enhanced the pleasure he felt, Astarion clenched his hand around Tav’s hair as it rested on her head. It didn’t pull on the hair, just add a little pressure as Astarion was losing what little control he had. Astarion felt his balls tightening and his sweet release coming to conclusion. He was so close, just a little bit further…

“I’m going to…” Astarion started to comment and warn Tav about his impending orgasm

“Let me drink you” Tav huskily commented before resuming her work on his beautiful cock.

Astarion found himself turned on further by her words and with a cry, he came into his partner’s waiting mouth. Astarion waited until his member stopped spewing semen before he pulled away from Tav’s mouth who disconnected with a slight pop. A slight amount of cum dripped down the corner of her mouth unbeknownst to her. Astarion sat up slowly and leaned forward to lick the dribble of himself off the corner of Tav’s mouth. Tav chuckled at Astarion’s grimace.

“You drank that stuff? That’s vile!” Astarion remarked

“You taste wonderful” Tav remarked as she made her way up to Astarion’s level and sat next to him.

“You my dear need your taste buds checked. “ Astarion leaned over and kissed Tav regardless “All the same. Thank you. I feel a lot better”

“Do you think we’re in the clear?” Tav questioned in regards to the poison.

“I think so my love….although we’re going to have quite a bit of explaining to do when we return to camp” Astarion remark as he stood up, still naked.

“Dont remind me. Where are you going?” Tav would be lying if she didn’t admit how hot her lover looked. Although was he her lover? What were they really?

“Im getting a quick bath. Im not going to stay sticky and sweaty if I can help it my dear. Feel free to join me if you like” Astarion winked.

Tav laughed and replied “I don’t think I’ll be able to walk straight as it is”

Astarion stepped into the water until it was waist high and began to bathe.

“ The feeling is mutual. What I mean is we can do other things. Maybe sort out a few details”

“Details?” Tav began to remove her clothing as she made her way to the lake.

Astarion turned to face her and smirked at the naked woman before him as she gingerly got into the chilly water.

“Astarion was dripping wet and made his way towards her before replying.

“I would like to know how you got sick.”

Tav smiled “Alright, but I have a question too”

“Hmm…”Astarion pondered before dipping forward to kiss her, an offer that Tav eagerly reciprocated. Astarion looped his arms around her back and lazily kissed her. He kissed her on the lips, on the cheek, the forehead, the neck and the chin. Astarion pulled back “Now my pet, how did you get hurt, or better yet, why did you get into a fight with a sex demon?”

Tav blushed but figured one way or another he would find out about the deal she spat on during their latest mission.

“At one point we stumbled upon a bedroom where we found what looked like Raphael in skimpy clothes…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa….skimpy clothes?” Astarion interrupted and questioned.

“The better question is if you could classify the strips of cloth as clothing. He was practically naked. Then it talked and we came to find out that the demon was not Raphael but rather a gender changing….or swapping I guess you could call it…sex toy for the devil.”

Astarion sat down in the water and with a yelp he dragged Tav down with him who landed on his lap. Astarion wrapped his arms around Tav and waited for Tav to continue.

Tav rested her head on Astarion’s shoulder and continued the recollection.

“The demon asked that I could play along with it. It requested that I get undressed…..in front of Karlach, Gale and Shadow Heart. It got very upset that I wasn’t stripping naked….”

“Id have killed them all where they stood if I was there with you for even suggesting you fuck the visage of Raphael.” Astarion drew close to her ear by turning his head as she rested on his shoulder, his hand came up from the cool water and cupped her breast. “I won’t let anyone take you” Astarion’s voice made Tav shudder.

“So what did it want?”

“It apparently wanted to have sex with me….in front of the others for one. Secondly the offer was to give it a vow to copy my body….to let it use this copy of my body to have sex with all matter of beasts in hells. Every time my body would be used, I would know” Tav admitted. “I elected to kill the bastard and the imps instead. I got cut during the fight. I knew something was off but I was unaware as to what until we got to camp and you informed us”

Tav buried her face into the crook of Astarion’s neck. Astarion possessively tugged Tav out of his neck and claimed her lips deeply as he pined Tav against the edge of the lake. Astarion pulled back “Im very happy dear that you chose to kill it rather than fuck it. Before committing into a relationship, I would have said you could satiate your hunger any way you choose but you chose to be with me and only me. Especially the image of the devil for gods sake. Of all things to fuck, who would choose that?”

Astarion leaned forward and they claimed each other’s lips again but this time Astarion let his hands wander to her breasts and her thighs. Tav pulled back to warn him “Careful. If we go down this route we really will be walking funny back to camp”

Astarion chuckled and pulled back.

“So what question did you have my pet?”

Tav ran her hand down his hard chest muscles and looked him in the eyes before answering.

“What are we…to you?”

Astarion thought for a moment. Sure he could tell her the usual line about her being the first person he truly cared about but there was more to it now than that. They were lovers but Astarion never was thrilled about that term. He felt it was too casual for what they were now but what were they?

“Hello?” Tav waved her hand jokingly in front of the vampire’s face

“Hmm?”Astarion replied “Oh. Well, about that, I have a crazy idea that kind of just popped in my head.” Astarion smirked and chastely kissed Tav before he continued “If we plan to be with each other eternally, why not make it official?”

“Im not sure I follow” Tav confessed

“I mean, how would you like to be my wife?”

Tav was stunned into silence. Astarion was beautiful, strong, agile and fearsome. He was persuasive and cunning, not to mention very intelligent. This wasn’t even mentioning everything else that attracted Tav to Astarion when they first met. Tav has grown to care about him a great deal since then and has invested in his happiness, his future. She still couldn’t believe it though. This man, this vampire was proposing to her?!?

“Of course! If you’re willing to have a mortal” Tav enthusiastically replied.

“Will you knock it off about that” Astarion chided “I’m not going to lose you but that’s for another time. For now…”

Astarion picked her up abruptly with a yelp from Tav. Astarion chuckled and walked onto the land with his fiance who clung to him due to the dampness and the cool breeze. Astarion sat down on the bedroll with her and covered them both in a thick sheet as Tav let herself relax on the man before Astarion tipped her head up and kissed her languidly.

“You should eat. Then we must return to camp” Astarion muttered, his head draped down to rest on her chin after pulling back to speak.

“I don’t want to. They know we…you know”

“So?” Astarion retorted. “I have seen many people entering other people’s tents during our journey. Were not the only ones”

“How did you…” Tav asked.

“I’m a Vampire my love, I don’t need as much sleep as the rest of you.” Astarion drew the covers off of them and grabbed some new clothes from the pack inside the backpack. He tossed it toward Tav before donning underwear and his clothes himself. He didn’t want to be caught in a compromising position should enemies befall them. Astarion then grabbed some provisions and came back to where he left her.

Tav did as Astarion had done and gotten dressed as well. She sat down on the bed roll when she was handed some provisions by Astarion and began to eat.

“You’re cute, you know that” Astarion commented making Tav blush “We have to go back to camp because we need to get rid of the tadpoles in our brain. Once that is done we can rule the Underdark as partners…together!”

“The Underdark?” Tav questioned

“Well, when the brain is out of the way, I wont be able to walk in the sun any longer my sweet. But do not feel bad about that. We will be ruling over and guiding the 7 thousand spawn Cazador abandoned and be leaders of a new age. Build a new life as equals! How does that sound?”

“What about marriage? We cant get married in the Underdark, I don’t think you will find anyone to officiate it there” Tav giggled.

“The we do it before we deal with the brain, with our friends around as witnesses. This way we can enjoy the sun one last time before I must give it up forever” Astarion lamented

“Tav reached over and gently cupped her hand around Astarion’s cheek to pull him closer into a kiss”

“That sounds wonderful. But wont the other spawn have a problem with a mortal being…”

“My darling…” Astarion cut her off intentionally “ They would not dare lay a finger on you. I also told you, we will find a way to keep you with me….forever….but that is neither here nor now. What do you saw we head back?”

Tav looked down at the last bite of her provisions and ate it before repying.

“Yeah, we should go. “ Tav dejectedly said.

“Good because the sooner we are on our way, the sooner we can go looking for an appropriate ring my sweet.”

“Ring?”

“You are my betrothed arent you? It is only appropriate so everyone knows you’re off limits.” Astarion growled

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Tav smiled “Let’s go”

With that, the couple left the privacy of the secluded forest to walk back to the camp…or rather they limped partially in a way from their adventures the night before. If only the couple knew of what further adventures await them.

[cloti-strifehart]

Who We Are

Title: Who We Are

Author: KristinaMarie

Chapters: 1/?

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Rating: M (will be E in later chapters)

Pairing: Cloud Strife/Tifa Lockhart

Summary: Cloud is racked with guilt after nearly killing Tifa under Sephiroth's influence. He carries her limp body back to the village, and as Tifa sleeps, Cloud realizes that he feels most himself when loving and protecting her. The story explores Cloud's anguish over nearly losing Tifa, his steadfast devotion to her, and his commitment to fight Sephiroth's memory to regain himself.

Read on AO3

Notes: This storyline in Rebirth is so beautifully done, I can't help but explore it more deeply. Cloud's psyche has always been so interesting to me, and I'm convinced that without Tifa, he'd become a shell of himself once again. Cloud's self-purpose started with Tifa. I think Sephiroth knows the influence Tifa has on Cloud, and the theory that he's aware of that and wants to corrupt Cloud against her to help himself succeed is so good. So, here's my imagining of how Cloud will figure it all out.

I have one more chapter in mind which will earn the E rating. I'd like to continue this, depending on how that goes and if inspiration hits. Let me know what you think! Unbeta'd.

There may be discrepancies with canon in this story. My apologies!

Tags: How i wanted it to go // The scene was perfection don't get me wrong // But why not? // Cloud Strife Needs a Hug // And to get a grip // That's where Tifa comes in // The gang just wants to help // Trauma // Angst // Guilt // Promises // Cloud tries to figure things out // Thought she was dead again // Promptly shuts down // 404 Error Cloud Not Found // Canon Rewrite // Canon Divergence - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth // rated M for now // Just barely M // Rating May Change // Will be Rated E in future chapters

______________________________________________________________

I was supposed to protect you, no matter what's to come.

Somehow forgot when they told me we hurt the ones we love.

- Friendly Fire, Linkin Park -

Sephiroth didn’t kill her. 

Liar.

I killed her.

Imposter.

I killed Tifa.

Who is she?

She’s my… she’s…

Another streak of white hot pain screams through Cloud’s temples where he sits, elbows resting on his drawn up knees.

No.  Not his temples.  Across his face, his cheekbone against the hammer that is Barrett’s fist.  Cloud takes the punch unfazed, deserving, because he did this.  He’s the reason she…

She’s dead.

Cloud killed Tifa.  He backed her up against the mako pit, swung at her with his blade.  All because he listened to him.  So sure she wasn’t who she said she was.

But it’s Cloud who’s not himself.  If he ever was.

He felt like he was, around her…

Barret roars.  Will he punch him again?  Cloud hopes so, if it’ll help. 

“Hey, get your shit together!  Tifa needs you!” 

Cloud stands with knees daring to buckle.  She said she needed me once.  Made me promise.  Each step toward the pool of mako feels like he’s trudging through cement. 

I’m no hero.  I’m not anything, anymore.

That’s it.  He’s not anything.  That’s why his bones feel like jelly, why his blood feels cold and sluggish in his veins.  Moments ago everything was a blur around him, like looking through heat rising off concrete, pressure behind his temples.  

Something laughs.  Laughs.  Then Cloud’s thoughts clear, his head gloriously empty to match his chest.  If there was a pulse beneath his armor, he’d be surprised.  Ashamed.

Without Tifa, what was the point?

But that clarity… it came and went.  Both strongest and weakest around her. 

Something roars.  The Weapon.  It looms over them and when Cloud looks up, the light is blinding. 

Then … she’s there.  Somehow she’s there.  And the silence in his head is so forgiving.

Cloud falls to his knees for the second time that day, palms on the ground as he hovers over Tifa’s soaked, still body.  Pain flickers in his chest, now; flows out through his limbs, stokes his heart to beat at an infuriating pace. 

She sputters wet coughs and her eyes flutter open and everything inside Cloud hurts so much…

It makes him want to smile. 

Cloud carries her the whole way back to the village.  Like a cross to bear.  Like he should have done back when…

When I killed her.

She sleeps in his arms, head tucked between his chin and shoulder.  Cloud maneuvers her only when he has to in order to cross the terrain, keeping his voice low and his words short each time he needs to wake her. 

“Tifa, listen to me.”

“Tifa, put your arms around me.”

“Tifa, hold on to me.”

She does what he asks each time, arms moving languidly, heavy with exhaustion.  She’s so strong.  She’s a big girl, always has been. 

She’d been right back in Kalm.  He hadn’t been there for her.  He should have, but…

It’s hard to think back to the mako reactor in Nibelheim.  His temples throb when he does, but he does it anyway, because… because…

He can still feel the rage that flowed through him in Nibelheim.  But before that was the emptiness.  That hollow nothingness that echoed throughout every tainted cell of his being as he’d carried Tifa, just like this.  As he’d nearly lost her, just like this.

You know she's dead. 

No.  She’s warm in Cloud's arms.  Her breath whispers against his skin.  The scar peaks at him from under her top.  Tifa.  His Tifa.  She’d waited for him; found him at the train station.  She’s been here all along.  And where was he?

He’s here for her now.  And look at what it’s done - nearly cost her her life.  Nearly lost her again… Without her, there’s nothing.  Nothing left but the other part of him he doesn’t recognize, or maybe recognizes too well.  The part of him that feels so wrong when Tifa isn’t with him, that pushes out all that feels painful and perfectly right. 

The part he wants to remember, but fights against him when he tries… except when she’s with him.

When the party finally arrives, the group buzzes about, busying themselves with ways to help Tifa.  Barret leads the way, clearing it, still grumpy that he didn’t carry Tifa back himself.  Cloud should have let him, he thinks, but the moment he picked up Tifa’s limp body, his head and chest screamed not to put her down; to keep her warmth close to remind him she’s alive.  Not dead, by his hand or by Sephiroth’s.  Aerith announces she’ll grab blankets, water, food, the kitchen sink too, probably.  Yuffie nips at his heels chirping away, how can I help, what can I do, is she okay?  

Cloud almost feels bad when he crosses the threshold of the bedroom and kicks the door shut in Yuffie’s face.  Almost. 

“We’re here, Tifa,” Cloud murmurs against her forehead.  This time, despite the commotion in the next room, she doesn’t stir.  The familiar chaotic bustle of doting friends makes her feel safe, he guesses. 

He wants to be that for her.  He’s tried to be that, so many times.  When they were in the village as kids.  On Mt. Nibel…

Carefully, Cloud lays her atop the bed over the blankets, kneeling one knee on the mattress as he sets to work.  As gentle as he makes sure to be, it all feels mechanical, what he’s doing.  Pulling her red boots off her feet.  Sliding her thigh highs down her legs.  Undoing her gear from around her waist, wrists, and arms.  Even the ponytail holder has to go.  It’s all dirty, tainted.  Like him. 

Cloud knows what has to come next, and he knows the girls just outside the room are better suited for this job.  But he has to do it.  He has to be there for her.  He’d promised.

Pushing off the bed, Cloud moves with quick determination to the door where Yuffie is still yammering and Red still scratching at the wood.  Cloud yanks the door open, effectively quieting them all.  Except Aerith who simply stands there with those sad eyes of hers, always sad, a blanket folded in her arms. 

Cloud can’t bring himself to look into her eyes.  He knows.  He knows he’s the cause of all this. 

He’ll apologize later, he decides, as he yanks the blanket from Aerith’s arms and shuts the door again, this time twisting the lock.  He…. They need privacy.  He needs to do this.  He’s known Tifa his whole life.  No one knows Tifa like him. 

Right?

Cloud returns to her bedside, letting that thought distract him as he works. 

I know Tifa better than anyone. 

First he removes his own heavy gear, leaving only his sweater and fatigues. 

And she knows me better than anyone.

He coaxes Tifa into a sitting position, slumped against him, forehead against his shoulder. 

Better than I know myself.

Her suspenders were easy enough to pop off.  Gripping the back of the fabric, Cloud rolls her white top up and over her head, then the black one next.  It all needs to be washed after being in the belly of the Weapon.  He keeps his eyes trained to the wall and lets his touch guide him.  She feels so warm against him, and he finds himself thanking whoever’s listening for that.  She’s warm.  His one arm wraps around her waist to keep her body pressed against his, ensuring modesty, while his other arm pulls Aerith’s blanket around her.  Leaning forward, he guides Tifa back to the pillow, then straightens the blanket around her before reaching beneath it to undo her bottoms.  He know it’s awful of him, but his fingers yearn to feel more than the smooth, warm glide of her skin as he pulls off her skirt, her underwear…

He only ever feels warm around Tifa, he thinks.  Like his blood suddenly remembers how to move through his veins. 

Her clothes neatly set aside for later washing, Cloud kneels beside the bed, hands on his knees, shoulders straight as he checks over his work.  Tifa is still sleeping, none the wiser, every bit of her covered and her dignity intact. 

A smile hints at the corner of her lips, and Cloud buckles, shoulders slumping forward while his fingers dig into his knees. 

What had he done?

He chokes against the sobs racking through his body, swallowing them down so as not to wake her.

You tried to… you almost…

What is she?

Cloud fists his hands in his chocobo hair and doubles over, his tears falling onto his fatigues and wetting it there.  “Shes Tifa,” he hisses.  “My Tifa.  You… you tried to take her from me.  Take everything from me.”

He knows Sephiroth is kneeling behind him, grinning, whispering into his ear.  But Cloud can’t feel nothing like his former hero wants him to.  Not this time.  Because Tifa needs him.  She needs him, and the anger is raw and lawless within him. 

This is when he feels most like himself, he thinks.  This, and when he’s loving Tifa.

Cloud’s eyes snap open.  His hands slowly leave his hair, moving to the mattress to grip the hem of Tifa’s blanket.

When I’m loving her…

That’s when everything makes sense, he thinks.  That’s when he feels like… like Cloud. 

Years of hiding feel forgotten as he climbs onto the bed, easing himself down alongside Tifa’s still body.  Unsteady fingers brush her stray hair  behind her ear, then trails down to the nape of her neck, holding her there so he can press his forehead to hers.  He knows he doesn’t deserve this; shouldn’t let his nose slide along hers, his blonde eyelashes flutter against her long, dark, whispy ones.  The arm under them curls under her neck so that his forearm can cradle the back of her head, and his free arm moves from her nape to her waist, wanting nothing more than to crush her against his chest like he did in Aerith’s garden.  Instead he insistently shows restraint, but only enough to satiate himself with the rise and fall of her chest against him.  He needs this. 

Needs her.

Cloud tucks the blanket more tightly around Tifa, though his hands tremble where they hover over the hem overlapped across her front.  Years ago, days ago, hours ago, he couldn’t imagine himself doing this, but now… His fingers part the blanket just enough to smooth his hand under to her stomach, following the dip of her navel up until he finds it - the raised edges of the scar.  The very thing he’s denied, burning into his fingertips and scarring there as proof. 

He’ll never doubt her again, he swears.  Another promise.

Cloud lets the tears come until he slips into dreaming, where he finds Tifa on the tower in her blue summer dress, smiling at him and asking for promises he’ll always, always keep. 

[x-manson-annotated]

X-Manson Annotated Chapter Three - Part 9 - THE ACCUSATION

I'm going to level with you. If you weren't already put off by this story, this section might seal the deal for you. This section deals with Emma Frost being placed at the center of a scandal where she is accused of sexually abusing her students. It's awful, but it is integral to understanding the world of this story. This will be the last section of Chapter 3.

tw for that, and tw for mentions of attempted suicide.

I'd like to know who this "Weedy Looking Man" is. My assumption is it is the X-Manson version of Trevor Fitzroy.

Like i said, this section isn't pretty. I am of the mindset that nothing happened, but this section will bring to the mind of some people the Satanic Panic and Q Anon conspiracy theories popular among the right wing.

Shinobi Shaw, the son of Sebastian Shaw.

*also, Doug and Marie-Ange are insufferably cute.

**Pot's legal in the United States as of 1990.

This feels like an outlandish parody until you realize that conservative media is exactly like that.

"She knew what could happen to teenaged girls" What the fuck does that mean? That feels close to "Well, you saw what she was wearing. She probably wanted it." It's a cryptic, weird thing to say.

This feels like a reflection of something you would see a lot of later in the 2000s. Ultimate Marvel used to do this thing where psychics would read minds and there would be a joke of "Oh, stop thinking about me naked." or "I wasn't thinking about it until you told me not to think about it." Shit like that. This feels like a more realistic take on how that might feel with someone with psychic powers. It isn't some kind of fun jokey thing for them. It's horrifying.

*I'm detecting a reoccurring argument between them with this line from Marie-Ange.

**That's an incredibly strange way to speak about someone, Douglas.

***She's not wrong for thinking that.

But let's focus on the thirteen students who put forward accusations against Emma.

I can't imagine who they might be. Possibly this world's version of the Hellions, sans Marie-Ange?

What were they arrested for?

Holy shit, Disney is not pissing around when it comes to copyright in this universe.

This makes sense about why Xavier kept his class sizes on the smaller end. Easier for him to be more personable and manipulate the students.

I wonder how much of that is coincidental and how much of it was orchestrated by Xavier.

The system failing to work.

She finds it difficult to maintain romantic connections if she doesn't have access to her psi-ablities? Difficulty reading the emotions of others? Autistic Emma Frost?

A full lobotomy with a gun killed her psychic abilities?

It's interesting that there are still mutant education systems in place in public schools.

I have no idea who this man is meant to be.

Also the "Roy Cohn Professor of American History" Roy Cohn? like the lawyer and all-around bastard who adored Joe McCarthy.

The Hinckley Law. This immediately puts me in mind of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. Reagan was never Presiden in this Au, so is it possible that Hinckley attempted to assassinate him when he was running for Governer of California?

Furthermore...Did Ronald Reagan destroy Hinckley's personality?

You can tell this is fantasy because the American Left is presenting a unified front against Conservatism.

Mary Jo Kopechne was a mutant with gills!

The pear-shaped man is Sebastian Shaw. This feels like an accurate way to describe the man.

I feel like the molestations stopped around when Emma took over the school. Good god.

Sebastian, his nose heavy with clotted phlegm and coke: how can any red-blooded American man learn in the company of disgusting WHEMEN!

This feels like something from the McMartin Pre-School Scandal where kids were essentially coerced by law enforcement into making up bigger and bigger lies about satanic ritual abuse.

Example Below from the McMartin Preschool Trial's wikipedia page:

Some of the abuse was alleged to have occurred in secret tunnels beneath the school. Several excavations turned up evidence of old buildings on the site and other debris from before the school was built, but no evidence of any secret chambers or tunnels was found. There were claims of orgies at car washes and airports, and of children being flushed down toilets to secret rooms where they would be abused, then cleaned up and presented back to their parents.

The Cuban cigar angle feels like a nod to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.

*This reads like a modern day Trumper losing his shit.

**If you cared about your family's "Good Name" you wouldn't have named your son "Shinobi" you insufferable goddamn weeaboo.

Sebastian: the rich of america are entitled to live as kings! We are not unlike gods!

The mad philosopher Scalia. Is Antonin Scalia a supervillain in this universe?

*Again, you can tell this is a fantasy because we have the misfortune of having had Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Insane.

"That he knew of". I want to know more about what kind of Anti-Psi protection exists in this world.

All this kind of bums me out. I mean, i guess i'm happy about an au where Doug's doing kind of alright after a tragedy. But him becoming this big tech bro kind of sucks to me.

It's kind of cool that he turned Apple into a co-op. I guess.