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shenanigans-and-imagines · 1 year

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I Want It All: Part 3

Part 1, Part 2

Astarion x AsexaulBard!Tav Masterlist

Astarion x Reader, Astarion x Tav, Astarion x Asexual!Reader, Astarion x Bard!Reader

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Soft!Astarion, Allusion to Astarion's Past (Sexual Assult/Dissociation)

Summary: You and Astarion had been playing this little game of yours for a while; he pretends to care, you pretend not to fall for it. It’s easy, even fun at times. The trouble is, what happens the moment you can’t pretend anymore?

A/N: Holy shit! It's done! Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and reblogged and just...everything. I cannot tell you how much it means to be to know this story has resonated with so many people. I don't have any plans to continue this as a larger story (I still haven't played the game); however, if anyone would like to send requests for small one-shots or headcanons involving Astarion and this Asexual!Tav, feel free to send me an ask.

Also, sorry if I didn't tag you. There were a lot of request, so I stuck to those who asked on the previous chapter.

And as always REBLOG AND COMMENT IF YOU LIKE THIS! I NEED VALIDATION TO SURVIVE!!!

Word Count: 5.2K

You didn’t sleep that night, but what else did you expect?

For hours you simply lay in the dark, staring at the window. The patter of rain was the only source of sound besides your own breathing. Even that small comfort didn’t last as the storm passed leaving behind cloud covered silence.

No tears came to you. What had you to grieve over? Everything you felt had been a product of your imagination. You knew that.

Still, it ached. There was a throbbing in your throat you couldn’t swallow down and a constant pressure behind your eyes. You almost wished you would cry, just to get it out of your system. If you could have a nice little breakdown, there was a chance you could get over this. It would be the slap in the face you needed to accept reality. Maybe then you’d stop doing this to yourself.

All the same, it stayed there, pressing heavy on your chest until the sun teased the edges of the clouds beaconing morning.

You groaned, burying your face into the pillow. You couldn’t lie and wallow the rest of the day. You had things to do, places to be, worms to destroy. The sooner you had something else to occupy your thoughts the better.

With an effort you pulled yourself out of bed and slowly made your way to the dining room.

You were a bit surprised to see everybody already up. Wyll, Karlach, Lae’zel, Shadowheart, and Gale were already seated with plates of half eaten food in front of them. Two seats were still empty, settings ready and untouched. A quick look around confirmed the rest, Astarion had yet to make an appearance.

“Morning everyone,” you said, trying your best to be cheerful as you sat yourself between Gale and Wyll.

You could feel all their eyes on you, no doubt noticing the dark circles under yours.

“Morning,” Gale greeted. “I trust you slept well.”

He let out a small yelp of pain.

You looked up to catch him glaring at Shadowheart as she shot him a disapproving look.

You frowned. Did she just kick him?

“I mean, ah, did you lie comfortably?” he amended.

“Seriously?” Karlach questioned.

You swore you could feel the heat of Gale’s blush, as he grumbled into his toast. “Damn it, you know what I mean.”

“Do I?” you asked.

“We just hoped you spent the rest of the night…pleasantly,” Wyll tried, and ultimately failed.

Your stomach flipped, as harsh, dreadful realization washed over you. Yes, of course they would.

“You don’t look well,” Lae’zel noted. “After all his boasting, I had thought Astarion would leave his partners more satisfied.”

You didn’t say anything, deciding to take a bite of egg as an excuse. Now would be a great time for the ground to open and swallow you into the hells. Gods knew it would be an improvement.

“She’s right,” Shadowheart said, sounding a little annoyed to admit it. “You do look tired and not the good kind. Did something happen?”

“Did he hurt you,” Wyll said, his brow furrowing in sudden concern.

“What?! No!” you said quickly. “Nothing happened.”

“How’d you mean nothing happened?” Karlach put in. “We all saw what we saw. How could anyone turn down all of that?”

Fresh embarrassment washed over you, making you wish you could erase the last twenty-four hours and crawl into the nearest, deepest hole. You had spent the whole night worried about what Astarion would make of your vision, you had all but forgotten you had shared that part of yourself with all of your companions. Of course they would have their own interpretations.

“It wasn’t like that.”

A quick look around the table gave away the doubtful thoughts of all.

You took a deep breath, willing yourself to calm. They weren’t going to believe you if you were emotional about this.

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. As I said, nothing happened. We talked, and it became clear that we just want different things. That’s the beginning and the end of it. Now are we done or are you all going to keep chattering on like a bunch of fishwives?”

The silence at the table was palpable as everyone exchanged looks.

Alright, maybe being calm wasn't a realistic expectation, but you hadn’t lied. Sure, there were some details you neglected to share, but that really was the long and the short of it. He hadn’t done anything wrong and neither had you. It just didn’t work out.

The plain truth of it settled in your heart carving out a hollow space for it to lay in.

Gale was the first to act, clearing his throat. “Fair enough, the matter is closed. Please, accept our apology. With such an intimate group as ours, it’s sometimes easy to forget that one’s personal matters can be well and truly personal.”

He looked at the rest of the group, each nodding in agreement to various degrees of reluctancy.

“Just for the record though, if you need someone to knock some sense into that pretty boy’s head, you just need to ask,” Karlach offered.

Despite yourself, you had to smile. “I’ll think about it.”

You then turned to Gale, who met you with kind eyes and a comforting smile. You let yourself be warmed by it, even if you still felt a little guilty for snapping. He really did understand. It was easy for heartbreak to recognize heartbreak.

“Thank you,” you murmured.

To your surprise, his first instinct wasn’t to reach for words, but rather your hand as he gave your fingers a gentle squeeze.

“Anytime.”

“Good morning everyone. Gossiping without me?”

You whipped your head around to find Astarion standing near the head of the table, a sardonic smile on his lips and a hard glare in his eyes. No doubt he had heard everything.

Everybody shifted in their seats, glancing between you and Astarion. You averted your gaze, focusing hard on the table in front of you.

Gale’s hand still rested over yours. Whatever comfort it had given you, faded as something akin to panic flooded your veins. In the next second, you rose from your chair, scraping it hard against the floor in your hurry.

“I’ve still got some packing to do,” you said. “Be back down in a few.”

Coward’s way out? Yes, but after the night you had, you figured you were entitled to it.

Keeping your head down, you slipped past Astarion, feeling him watch you as you made your way back up the stairs.

If you had lingered a moment, you might have caught the flash of hurt in his eyes. You might have noticed how his clothes were more rumpled than usual. You might even have seen his hand twitch with the instinct to reach for yours. But you didn’t see, and anything that might have happened disappeared in a brush of air.

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

The next several days carried on in much the same way. Not as torturous as that first morning, but still a drudge of avoidance and awkward silences.

In your defense, Astarion seemed just as keen to keep his distance. Where he used to be your preverbal shadow, filling the hours of travel with idle teasing and conversation, now he kept to the back, his mouth decidedly shut.

The others caught on and seemed determined to make up the difference. Karlach, Shadowheart and Wyll especially made a point to walk alongside you, telling stories and jokes in an attempt to make you smile.

You did your best. They meant well, but in some ways they only served to emphasize the absence of another.

Gale, on the other hand, had the foresight to try a different approach. He made it clear he didn’t expect you to talk, but always made sure you had the best spot by the fire and a little extra of whatever he made for the camp. You had to wonder if Tara had provided a similar comfort to him after Mystra. It was obvious he had the practice.

Even Lae’zel offered to help you train it off, something about how your, “objectively weak body had left the rest of you vulnerable to attack”. A part of you felt the insult, but the gesture was appreciated.

Honestly, all of this care was starting to make you feel guilty. None of them were giving Astarion the same courtesy. He wasn’t being shunted exactly, but the message was loud and clear; they were on your side.

This was met by him taking a step back from the late night conversations. His interactions with the others were kept short and lacked his usual humorous flare. He took his shifts on watch alone and he spent even more time either roaming the forest or in his tent.

The only person he consistently spoke to was Gale, which should have raised some alarm bells on their own, but you never caught what they were discussing. All you knew was Astarion never appeared especially pleased while Gale gave a look of someone begging the gods for patience.

All of this was your fault. You just wanted things to go back to normal. Even if you couldn’t be with Astarion the way you imagined, you still valued his friendship. If this kept up, there was a chance he might decide to leave all together. An olive branch was needed, something to signal you didn’t hold a grudge or expect anything more.

The answer came to you one early evening as you took note of his haggard looks and less than graceful steps out of camp. He hadn’t fed on you in a week and there was only so much deer and boar could do.

You considered simply offering up your neck, but that felt too forward. Besides, you weren’t sure if you were ready to have him that close. The only other solution you could think of was to bleed yourself somehow.

This proved more difficult than you first imagined. Astarion seemed to have an instinct for where to bite, balancing enough blood for himself without causing any permanent damage. You couldn’t boast the same. It took more than one cut to fill an empty goblet with what you hoped to be the right amount of blood. You’d ask Shadowheart to heal you properly later. Hopefully she’d accept a poorly executed knife trick as an excuse.

You wrapped your wrist as best you could and, watching to make sure the others weren’t looking, slipped into Astarion’s tent.

You were immediately hit with the scent of bergamot, rosemary, and aged brandy. A sense of calm washed over you at the familiar combination, settling comfortably in your lungs as you took in the space.

A single candle remained lit, allowing just enough light for you to appreciate the rich purple and red fabrics lining the walls as well as the sheer number of pillows littering the floor. How he managed to pack so many was a mystery you doubt you would ever solve. The whole set up was down right ornate, but considering this was Astarion you were talking about, you shouldn’t have been surprised.

It was only then you realized you’d never been inside before. He��d invited you more than once, but you’d always turned him down preferring to keep your feeding session in the open air. You had known, even then, any closer would give the wrong impression; all for naught it seemed.

You pushed the thought aside, pulling your attention back to the matter at hand. There had to be some place you could put the goblet where he wouldn’t knock it over. Why did he have to keep a side table outside the tent?

A shuffle came from just outside. Focusing your ears, you caught the tread of boots on grass transition to the nearly silent carpet just outside the tent flap. You turned using those handful of extra seconds to school your features into something passively innocent as Astarion ducked inside.

His whole body froze, his arm holding the fabric above his head as his eyes went wide. For a long moment, neither of you said anything.

You took advantage of his momentary shock to examine his appearance more closely. He looked…well, tired and more than a little confused. No blood marked his shirt or his lips. His pants appeared to have taken a tear or two from a bramble bush. Even his hair looked just a bit disheveled in a way so unlike himself.

“No luck hunting?” you said, unable to keep the concern out of your voice.

He stared, as if your words were coming from somewhere far away and required extra time to reach his ears.

“I’ve had better,” he finally said.

You nodded in understanding, shifting awkwardly as your eyes went to the goblet in your hands.

“Here,” you offered. “No offense, but you look like you could use it.”

He gave a tight smile. “I’d say no offense taken, but this is me we’re talking about.” All the same, he took the cup, sniffing it cautiously. He blinked hard, his brows furrowing as he stuck his nose further into the cup and took a deep whiff.

“Is this yours?” he asked.

You shrugged, holding up your bandaged wrist. “Whose else would it be?”

His mouth parted slightly as if to say something before closing it again.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, his tone oddly serious.

“I know,” you assured. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Once again, he opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead released a breath of a laugh, allowing whatever tension he had formed in those last few seconds to fall from his shoulders.

“I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but it seems I can’t help it with you.”

Before you could ask him what exactly he meant, he raised the goblet to his lips and drank.

The effect was instantaneous. Your blood met his tongue and any control he had slipped away. His pupils dilated to those of a predator as he guzzled the whole thing down in two deep swallows. He let out a gasp of air before returning to the cup, licking the sides so not to waste a drop. A low hum of bliss came from deep in his chest as he savored the rest, allowing his fingers to scrap the bottom before bringing it back to his mouth.

The sight should have left you horrified, but in truth, it was encouraging. Things would be different, but you could at least provide him this.

“Do you need more?” you asked.

This time his laugh was loud and genuine as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand before licking the remains; yet another thing you found inexplicably endearing. He really was just a big cat sometimes.

“Dangerous thing to offer me in this state, darling,” he said. “Luckily for you, I found a nice burrow of rabbits yesterday.”

Once satisfied there was truly nothing left, he set the goblet down on the ground before turning his attention to your wrist.

“Let me see,” he said, reaching out a hand.

“It’s fine,” you promised. “I’ll get Shadowheart to look at it later.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, give it here.”

Knowing there was no fighting him, you relented, allowing him to unwrap the bandages.

He visibly winced as he examined the litter of harsh scratches along your skin. “What did you use? A rusty spoon?”

“I had trouble finding a good vein,” you said, feeling the need to defend yourself. You hadn’t thought it looked that bad.

“Oh is that all? And here I thought you’d lost an argument with a displacer beast.”

You pressed your lips into an annoyed line, but Astarion was already digging around his pack, coming back with a salve and potion of healing.

“Drink this.”

You shook your head, ignoring the pleasant little flutter in your chest at the gesture. “I told you, I’ll just ask Shadowheart.”

“Oh this isn’t just for you,” he said, dryly. “Do you think I want her believing you’d willingly butcher yourself just to give me a proper meal? Neither of us would hear the end of it.”

A small flush of embarrassment worked up your neck. He was right, of course. The party really hadn’t been subtle in their disapproval. It was the reason you had tried for discretion.

Without further protest you accepted the potion.

This seemed to appease him as he quickly got to work on applying the salve.

He had bought it not long after you had come to your little feeding arrangement. It helped to sooth small cuts and bruises while minimizing the threat of scars. He had initially offered to provide…other services to relieve the pain, but you had declined. This was the compromise. You’d offered to do it yourself, but he insisted, claiming it was the least he could do. In truth, it was all very…transactional.

This felt different. The hesitation he so often held, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop, was gone. His touch was gentle, his expression focused and his body oddly relaxed. It didn’t feel like an obligation, but an act of kindness, one he was more than willing to give.

Any nerves that remained slipped away. You could find a way to live with this. Certainly it was more than others had given you in the past.

Once he was done, he pulled fresh bandages from his bag and began redressing your wounds with decidedly more precision than you had.

“I am glad you’re here,” he said, breaking the silence. “I was hoping we could talk.”

A sharp sting of anxiety pressed itself into your skin.

“Oh?”

He nodded, tying off the bandage. “I think it’s important.”

You swallowed. The instinct to run pulled at your feet, but you managed to keep it in check. You owed him that much.

“Well, I’m here so…let’s talk.”

He breathed out an audible sigh of relief, raising his hands up as he took a small step back.

“Just stand there a moment. Don’t move.”

He spun around, rummaging through various bags before letting out a cry of triumph. He stepped back holding what looked to be a violin string glowing with magical golden light.

Your head tilted to the side as your eyes narrowed. “Is that…?”

“Part of the violin, yes,” he admitted. “Bit of a story. Short version, Gale was able to extract one of the strings. It shouldn’t cause any permanent damage to the instrument, as far as I know.”

You raised a doubtful eyebrow. “And Gale just let you pluck this from his tent did he?”

Astarion shifted uncomfortably. “Not exactly. I, ah, may have had some trouble understanding how it worked and…inquired as to his assistance.”

“You asked Gale for help?” you asked, astonished.

“Don’t make me relive the experience,” he lamented. “He told me the strings themselves have different magical properties in order to create the effect you demonstrated the other night. Apparently this one alone compels people to tell the truth.”

He then took the string and carefully wrapped it around his wrist before handing the other half to you.

Your eyes widened, glancing between him and the offered cord. “What are you doing?”

“Leveling the playing field,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

You shook your head, taking a step back. “You don’t have to do that.”

His lips curved into a self deprecating smile. “I think I do though. I haven’t been honest with you and…while that’s not exactly unique to you, the regret I have is. So you see, it really is a selfish action. If I’m to be free of this, I need to know for certain you understand that what I say next is the truth…all of it.”

Your mouth opened to protest, but the words caught in your throat. The expression on his face was one you had never seen before. While he did his best to hide under his usual indifferent airs, his eyes gave him away. You’d never seen them so open and unsure.

Slowly, you took the other end, feeling a familiar tingle spread through your fingers.

“Alright,” you said, cautiously. “What’s your favorite color?”

Flashes of red shot across your vision, moonlit skies and a pair of eyes you only just caught to be your own before the image settled on something else entirely.

“Pink,” Astarion blurted.

Your eyebrows shot up as the start of a delighted smile spread across your face.

“And orange,” he amended quickly, “and dark blue and…honestly just the color of the sky at sunrise.” He pouted as if annoyed at the words that escaped his lips, but he shook it off. “Alright, you had your little test run. Give me something harder.”

You considered a moment. It was very tempting to continue on with some more embarrassing questions, but that wasn’t the purpose of all of this. Best to start at the beginning.

“What did you think of me when we first met?” you asked.

He grimaced, guilt evident not just through his averted gaze but the tug of the string between you. “You were a target,” he admitted. “At best a convenient meat shield. You were just so…open, ready to trust. Manipulating you would be easy.”

You took a deep breath, ignoring the stab of pain between your ribs. You should have expected as much. He wasn’t exactly subtle.

“And that’s what you were trying to do the other night, manipulate me?”

“Yes.”

Another stab of guilt, a flash of your own back walking out of a candle lit room as a hand that was not your own reached hopelessly outward.

Your actual jaw clenched. “I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity.”

“Then what?!” you snapped. “Hells bells Astarion, do you even like me?”

“You drive me to acts of insanity,” he said indignantly, raising up the glowing cord around his wrist as proof. “Do you think I’d willing subject myself to days of Gale’s passive aggressive commentary on my personal life for just anyone? Of course I like you. Gods below!”

You stared, unable to deny the waves of exasperation mixed with the sound of your own laughter as heard through another’s ears. Something warm and unfamiliar bloomed in the chest of the body opposite you making your mind spin, as you tried to re-establish the divide.

“Why did you ask me to come to you?” you asked. “What were you hoping to gain?”

Astarion took a deep breath. It was only then you noticed how tightly he was holding the chord linking you.

“I was hoping to get back on track,” he said, slowly. “I had a plan when we met. A nice simple plan. Seduce you, bed you, manipulate your emotions so you’d never turn on me. It was easy…instinctive.”

He met your eyes and for the first time, you felt him fight against the images threatening to breach the gap between you. You caught the barest flashes, memories of half forgotten faces passing by one after another. Shame and vile brushed the edges of your mind, and quickly faded as Astarion regained control.

“But, you seemed immune to my attempts,” he continued. “I could tell you enjoyed my attentions, but you never asked for more. My simple plan that had worked on countless targets, couldn’t get off the ground. And yet, you still gave me blood, protection…trust. I couldn’t understand it. I found myself wanting to know more, to know you. To anticipate what you would ultimately ask in exchange. And then that night, you showed me exactly what it was you desired.”

Something slipped through. You saw yourself in the center of the tavern with darkness surrounding you. A rise of fear entered your heart as you heard your name called from familiar lips. And then, the world shifted, light came back into the world and it was…beautiful.

“I thought I finally understood you,” he said. “A poor repressed urchin who had been hurt one too many times. All that was required was a more gentle touch. I could provide that. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

He paused, his expression softening. “And then you had to do the most inconsiderate thing and surprise me all over again: you asked for my heart, in exchange for yours. I should have been elated. It meant my plan had worked, not the way I intended, but you had fallen for it…for me. The trouble was, I hadn’t accounted for the possibility that I would fall for you.”

You stared, unable to say anything as a well of emotion threatened to burst from you. It was as if someone pulled a bow across your chest, creating a resonating sound that moved in harmony with your very soul.

It was true, all of it.

By some miracle, you wrestled back control over your lungs and tongue.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t know how,” he admitted. “Even if I had, would you have believed me?”

You averted your gaze. It was answer enough.

“It’s alright,” he said, offering a wry smile. “Smart really. I wouldn’t have believed me either.”

You nodded in appreciation, your mind still reeling from everything he had just confessed.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

You frowned, unable to shake a question that had been stirring for some time.

“Do you even want to have sex with me?”

His eyebrows shot into his hairline, his mouth falling open. “I’m standing here baring my soul to you and that’s what you ask?”

“You asked me what I was thinking,” you defended. “Besides, it’s a relevant question.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but let it go just as quickly with a huff.

“Well?” you prompted.

He made a series of non-commital noises, his mouth half forming words before being wrenched in another direction. The chord between you glowed brighter, twisting just a little deeper into his skin.

“I…don’t really know,” he said, slightly stilted, as if surprised by his own answer. “To be clear, I do find you physically enticing. In that aspect at least, I’d hardly qualify bedding you a chore, but... I spent two centuries using lust and desire to lure people back to him. In that time I developed the habit of taking myself out of my body, looking at it as if it were happening to somebody else. Even in those rare times it could be pleasurable, I still walked away feeling nothing but disgust and loathing. I don’t want those feelings associated with you. At the same time, I can’t help thinking that if we were together, it would be different. But, don’t take that to mean I expect it. Like I said, I don’t even know if I want it. Honestly, before you said it, I didn’t know saying no was an option.”

You took all of that in, your heart clenching as the full weight of what Cazador did to him settled on your mind. Red filed your vision, the sympathetic ache replaced with a rush of fury. He was a dead man. One way or another, you would see Cazador bloodied by the end of all of this. But as quickly as it had come you let the emotion pass. This wasn’t about him. You wouldn’t let him intrude any more on this moment.

“What do you want from me then?” you asked, softly.

To your relief, something familiar and teasing flashed across his face.

“I thought I’d made that obvious.”

With his free hand, he cupped your cheek allowing his thumb to lightly caress your skin. His scarlet eyes burned not with lust, but something warmer and just as desperate.

“You showed me the chorus of your heart. How could anyone look upon that and not desire it? The trouble is, the price you asked. I…I don’t know how to pay it. I don’t know how to be with someone that way, but I’m willing to learn. I want it all. I want you to have it all.”

The connection between you burned hot in your hand, but you couldn’t let it go. It felt so warm, so real. It filled every empty part of you to the point of bursting and still you wanted more. You were insatiable.

Astarion looked just as lost as you, his eyes glazed over with too many emotions for you to name. His body began to tremble. It was becoming too much.

In an instant you pulled his hand away, unwrapping the chord from around his wrist and tossing it aside.

He took a sudden deep breath as if coming up for air after being submerged in deep water.

“Shit,” he cursed, gulping for air. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand down his face as he tried to calm.

Your eyes widened as you caught the angry marks left behind on his wrist.

“Are you alright?”

He blinked hard as if clearing spots from his vision. “I’m fine. Wasn’t expecting that is all.” He turned his focus to you with a bewildered expression. “Does it always feel like that?”

“That’s admittedly a first for me,” you confessed. You reached out your hand, glancing at his injury. “Let me see.”

He followed your gaze frowning, as if surprised to note the welts forming on his wrist. Still he stepped closer allowing you to examine them without protest.

“Does it hurt?” you asked.

He shook his head. “Sort of numb, honestly, tingly.”

You nodded, swallowing hard to keep the rise of guilt and fear at bay. It didn’t help.

“I’m sorry,” you said, quickly.

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t think a little thing like this is going to scare me off. I meant what I said. I intend to give you your fill.”

“You don’t have to give it all at once,” you promised. “I can be patient when it counts.”

A sly smile turned at his lips. “I almost hope you won’t. You’re not the only one who's starving.”

Heat spread up your neck, something Astarion undoubtedly caught as he gave a low laugh.

“Well, now that we’ve cleared the air, what happens next?” he asked.

“I’m…not sure,” you admitted. “Nobody else has ever given me the chance to figure that out.”

He nodded slowly, before taking a small step back. His head tilted as if to examine you from every angle. A question started to form on your tongue just as the start of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He suddenly straightened before placing a hand on his chest and regarded you with a deep bow.

You grinned, matching him with a curtsy of your own.

He then offered his hand, which you easily took before he pulled you just a little closer. Your other hand found his shoulder while his pressed lightly on your waist. And then you did what was only natural. You danced.

It wasn’t anything elaborate. There was no fire or sparks of magic. You simply moved together to a song of your own imagination. It stirred in your chest, the barest pluck of a melody, but it was yours and his; the promise of a symphony to come.

Tag List:

@ambrolyer, @cassiecasluciluce, @tamwritesstuff, @hallowedandhungry, @mangomonk, @amefuyuu, @righteous-scamp, @starved-kitten, @tinystarfishgalaxy, @twinkliker3000, @unrestrictedbyreality, @screechingphantommaker, @becksynthetic, @black-sapphic, @dicenete, @isharaneith, @sarcasticlittlebook, @catsandskyrimcafe, @sora-o-kaku, @catching-fire-in-the-wind, @ka-du-trur, @baldursgateslittlestar, @rakilein

#astarion #astarion x tav #astarion x reader #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #astarion bg3 #astarion baldurs gate #asexual #asexual!reader #asexual!tav #bard!tav #baldur's gate iii #astarion x ace!tav #astarion x evie

1K notes · View notes

marlenesluv · 1 year

Note

heyy i was wondering if u could write a max, daniel, or carlos x super southern (like from the DEEP south/not texas) dallas cowboys cheerleader (kleine powell fc plz shes so gorg) smau and everyone is surprised that theyre together. or alternatively same premise but with an lsu tiger girl (fc darah haidet) and shes a lot younger. us southern girls get no rep lmao and ily

Unexpected. (DR)

hi! thank you sm for the request. i absolutely love this sm!! i went with daniel for this one, he’s too cute. i genuinely never see any southern girl stuff, so i hope you love this! and ily too!!also, y/n is a dcc, but she’s from louisiana. i never mention a state tho so you can imagine a diff one!!

pairing: daniel ricciardo x dcc!reader

fc: kleine powell

warnings: none!

note: i went ahead and made this not a soft launch (im limited with photos lol) also age gap is 8 yrs in this one!

masterlist here -> masterlist link

^ check my list for all posts! ^

liked by: y/n.user, pierregasly, and 1,872,055 others

tagged: y/n.user

danielricciardo: hiked a bit, and picked up this pretty lady along the way

view comments…

landonorris: you have a girlfriend? i never thought i’d see the day

|> danielricciardo: you’re talking??

y/n.fp: is that our girl?? our cowgirl is dating a man that makes cars go vroom!?!?

|> f1.fp: when worlds collide

y/n.user: wouldnt have wanted to hike those 12 miles with anyone else :)

|> danielricciardo: :)))

dcc.fans: does this mean daniel is gonna come to games?

charles_leclerc: is she converting you full cowboy?

|> y/n.user: of course i am🙃🤠

yourbsf: awwww, you guys are so cute. pls let me meet him

|> y/n.user: soon, honey🫣

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liked by: danielricciardo, francisca.cgomes, and 862,274 others

tagged: danielricciardo

y/n.user: who’s going to tell him that these are not the dcc colors….💙🤍

view comments…

fanpage.dcc: UNEXPECTED RELATIONSHIP

|> y/n.fanpage: LOVE IT THO??

danielricciardo: sugar, it’s texas’ colors…..

|> y/n.user: i’m not from texas daniel, we’ve been over this😐

|> danielricciardo: let me grab my blue and white before the game

|> y/n.user: thank you, hun☺️

pierregasly: have fun with his annoying ass

|> danielricciardo: HEY. she loves my ass, thank you very much

|> y/n.user: 😇

formula1fp: this was not on my bingo card for this year. i’m not mad about it tho

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twitter:

Formula 1 Wag News @formulaonewags • 2d

New Wag: Y/N Y/L/N has been posted by Daniel Ricciardo recently, saying that he “picked up this pretty lady” referring to Y/N. She is a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, at 26 years old. They have yet to officially announce their relationship, but with both posting, daniel going to games, and not denying their friends, we have strong reasons to believe they are dating.

DCC Updates @dccupdates • 2d

We think thet have been seeing each other or talking for a while. Y/N has stayed away from guys at parties (via her friends posts) and Daniel has been posting a lot at home. Maybe this has been going on for a while?

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liked by: y/n.user, carlossainz55, and 2,109,240 others

tagged: y/n.user

danielricciardo: first date, kinda nervous. do you guys think she likes me? 🙁

view comments…

y/n.user: i do i do i do🫠🫶

|> danielricciardo: i like you too🤭🫶

dallascc.updates: pls pls this is way too cute but i’m shook

|> f1updatepage: aren’t we all?

georgerussell63: theres no way you’re dating a dcc-

|> carmenmmundt: they’re so cute!!

|> georgerussell63: yeah, but how?

|> danielricciardo: im very charming

yourbsf: actually adorable asf. i’m soso glad you’re both so happy together :’)

|> y/n.user: thank you, babes🙁🫶

maxverstappen1: i hope you guys had a good date!

|> danielricciardo: we did ☺️

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liked by: y/n.user, oscarpiastri, and 1,982,140 others

danielricciardo: another hike, another race sunday

view comments…

y/n.user: you’re gonna do so amazing ☺️

|> danielricciardo: wear my cowboy hat?

|> y/n.user: i’ll be there with the hat and boots on 🤠

|> danielricciardo: 😊

f1.wag: new y/n content? yes plsssss

carlossainz55: i’m still confused on how you got a girlfriend

|> maxverstappen1: we’re all confused

dcc.posts: our favorite hikers 🥾

y/nfanpage: i livveeee for them

_______________________________________________

liked by: landonorris, danielricciardo, and 1,027,174 others

tagged: danielricciardo, landonorris

y/n.user: p2 for daniel = proudest gf today. although i would be proud no matter what. thank you for being such a sweet, funny, supportive, and entertaining bf. i am not thanking you for bringing lando on the same plane, jk

view comments…

landonorris: those tension headache pills didn’t help?

|> y/n.user: nope

|> landonorris: oops 🫣

f1.updates: trio we needed

danielricciardo: my favorite cowgirl❤️

|> y/n.user: my favorite cowboy❤️

|> wagsof.f1: i’m actually so lonely i’m sobbing

formula1.page: you😭 guys😭 are😭 adorable😭

lilymhe: cutestttt

|> y/n.user: you’re too sweet💓

|> lilymhe: 💓💓

y/n.fp: i am never getting over this relationship. f1!driver and southern cheerleader? k. my life is complete

yourbsf: MY PARENTS

|> danielricciardo: oh dearie

|> y/n.user: 😳

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(reposts, comments, and likes are appreciated!^-^)

#f1 #formula 1 #formula one #daniel ricciardo x female reader #daniel ricciardo fluff #daniel riccardo x reader #daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo x you #daniel ricciardo x ofc #southern fic

764 notes · View notes

heart4reigns · 1 year

Note

Is there anyway I could request an imagine for either Rhea Ripley or Roman Reigns? Where the Reader is a new star getting a really big push because they feel they have huge potential, and she’s a literal ray of sunshine. She’s always smiling and happy and colorful, and it shocks others that they are together. Then she ends up joining their faction, but the crowd just can’t hate her and even the announcers can’t hate her. <3 :) :)

PUSH AND PULL, roman reigns.

warnings: curse words

tags: tension between roman and rhea, you realize that i love making up stage names so... more stage names!

summary: it’s all sunshine and rainbows with you

"THE sunshine, (y/n), how are you feeling tonight?" you were backstage, doing a quick interview. "hello, hello! we're feeling great tonight, how are you?" you returned the question. "feeling good as well. so, how are you adapting to your new environment?" she asked, referring to your transfer from nxt to smackdown. "it's going well, i can't help but to thank all the people that support me! although i kinda miss the dark lighting, it's too bright here." you cracked a joke.

"right, any invitations to any factions?" she continued the interview. "no, but i'm open to any invitations. i'd love to work with anyone." she couldn't help but to smile at your reaction. "this has been (y/n), sunshine! it was so great talking to you." you nodded and gave her a hug as the camera stopped rolling. "thank you, you did a great job!" "you too, (y/n). it was so nice talking to you!"

the walk back to the locker room was filled with people greeting you left and right. you were well-known for your kindness. people grew comfortable with your presence. "yooo!" you saw one of your new locker room best friends, jimmy. "what's good, man?" you hugged him. "watched your promo earlier, you killed it!" your ears perked up in excitement. "really? god, i'm embarrassed!" you were blushing. "nah girl, you're killing the game. now let's go eat before we go back to the hotel." he gave you a huge grin.

"hope you don't mind but i asked roman to join us, not solo though. dude's been mia since this morning." you nodded at jey's sentence. you always loved meeting new people. this was also the first time you were going to meet roman. "i've always wanted to meet roman! this is gonna be fun." you grinned. "damn girl, are you always this positive? people are intimidated by him, yet you're excited?" jimmy parked the car. "nah man, i am only scared of paul. i swear that guy knows everything." the three of you laughed.

to say the least, people who met you thought that this positivity image was only for the cameras. but they were wrong, you weren't going to lose anything by being nice. denny's seemed like a good idea at 3 am in the morning. "yo man!" as the three of you entered the diner, roman was already sitting there–playing with his phone.

"hi! i'm (y/n)!" you sat in front of him, offering him a huge smile. he looked up from his phone, returning your expression. "hello." just a simple 'hello' made your heart flutter a bit. "i'm roman, finally glad to meet you. i heard so much about you from the twins." "they can't stop shit-talking me!" you frowned, lightly smacking their heads.

you always looked up to him. as the two of you came from the same background, a long reigning wrestling families. you were the only daughter of your family, so you had to continue the family business. "so wait, sorry. lost track of time, you just got drafted from nxt?" roman furrowed his brows. "yeah! i'm very very new." you chewed on your pancakes. "how come everyone has these locker room stories about you?"

"that's because she's different man." jimmy slung his arm over your shoulder. "no, no. those locker room stories are just exaggerations!" you shook your head in defense. "nah, she's too humble! she bought donuts the other week you were off. god, i swear, you're a blessing (y/n)." roman couldn't help but to smile at your little arguments with his cousins.

the 'locker room talk' was just a compilation of people admiring you for your kindness. "shit dude, gotta bounce." jey looked at his phone. "and where are you going?" you asked him. "bro and i haven't packed, y'all packed yet?" jimmy stood up from his seat, leaving only you and roman sitting down. "oh, yeah. packed earlier." "me too!"

"then, we'll leave you two. i trust her in your hands, bro." jey gave roman a fake warning, acting all 'big bro' moment. "she can beat your ass if she wants to!" jimmy continued. "okay shoo now! i'm trying to make friends!" they left and you continued your conversation with roman. "tell me more about yourself, (y/n)." his eyes sparked an interest in you. "really? you want to hear about my boring life?" you tilted your head in confusion. "there's no way your life is boring, you're a (l/n)."

and so the conversation went on and on. the two of you decided to leave denny's and drive around town together. it was never quiet. the entire ride was filled with laughter and jokes. "i actually look forward to my future. i'm excited for what life has planned for me." you parked in a random parking lot, still enjoying your talk with him. "and i'm excited for you as well, you're a good person, (y/n)." roman said, facing you. "i guess it's in my nature to treat people with kindness, i mean... it doesn't hurt anyone."

when the two of you went back to the hotel, you saw familiar faces going downstairs for breakfast. "and where have you been pretty girl?" you saw a certain black-haired girl greeting you with a sly smirk. "been around town with roman!" you hugged her, feeling her height towering you. "oh you're taking my girl now, reigns?" rhea raised a brow at him. "you're dating her?" roman was hella confused.

"oh no, it's a joke! i always call her my work wife!" you giggled, clearly not seeing that she was interested in you. "see you on the bus, wifey!" you waved at her, entering the elevator. "better watch it, bro." rhea whispered as roman followed you. he made a mental note that everyone was protective over you. being the new girl, your family thought that you'd be intimidated by the older talents–but in reality, everyone loved you.

it was clear that several talents took an interest in you, but being the friendly person you were, you saw everyone in a platonic way. "can i perhaps," he paused for a second. "get your number? you're a very fun person to talk to." you grinned and exchanged numbers. "if you need anyone to talk to, don't hesitate to call or text me!" you parted ways.

and on that day, the roman reigns too, took an interest in you. "fuck." he whispered, realizing that he was soon going to develop an actual liking to you.

you were sharing the ride with several stars in the second bus. road trips were always exciting, whether it's cody singing on the back of the bus, or seth trying to do a backflip while becky stops him–not wanting him to throw up, it was always a magical moment seeing your fellow wrestlers without their strong tv persona. "hey." rhea greeted you, sitting on an empty seat next to you. "this empty?" she asked. "indi is gonna be pissed to know that her seat is taken. but, it's empty." you replied.

"where did you go yesterday?" rhea couldn't help but to terrorize you with questions. "with roman? we drove around town, shared stories. we ate with the twins earlier, but they left because they haven't packed." you recalled the moment. "i see." she shortly replied. "there was a picture of you two circling around twitter, you looked very close." rhea pulled out her phone, showing you a picture of you laughing with roman. "aw, i look so happy!" she couldn't help but to smile at your cluelessness. before she could say anything, seth pointed at you. "BACKFLIP CHALLENGE?" "IT'S ON!"

you heard from the fans that the second bus was the party bus. everyone was always on their highest spirits. the seat next to you was empty, as rhea was dragged to the back by dominik. that left you space for you to stretch your legs. you were about to watch a movie until you saw a notification popped up.

unknown number: how's your bus?

(y/n): sorry, who is this :)?

unknown number: oh it's roman

(y/n): HIIIII :)

roman: and why are you up? everyone's knocked out here

(y/n): sorry to say but the second bus is the party bus! we're still going :)

roman: damn that sounds fun, the only entertainment we have here is jey freestyling

(y/n): that's sounds amazing!

(y/n): gotta bounce, rhea wants to watch a movie with me n dominik :)!!

roman: okay, see you at the arena

(y/n): :)

the arena was swarmed with fans. some of them were holding signs and pictures of you. one of them said '(Y/N) JOIN THE BLOODLINE!' and some said 'JUDGEMENT DAY IS WAITING FOR YOU, SUNSHINE!'. you took some pictures of the sign and posted them on your twitter. you talked to several fans, trying your best to greet everyone.

"you're quite popular." a familiar voice startled you. "roman!" "hi." everyone was looking at the two of you. "how was your trip?" you asked, still signing some pictures. "knocked out cold, can't stand solo's snores though." you chuckled. "mine was filled of seth jumping from seats to seats." he was obviously not surprised by one of his friend's antics. "you should ride with me, we can judge jey's freestyle together." you nodded in agreement. "that sounds fun!"

you walked away with roman, still chatting up. little did you know, people were still looking at the two of you. "they look cute together." one of your fans said. "nah man, she's with rhea." "nah, that's a long-running joke. (y/n) is obviously single." and they were right. you were single and maybe, ready to mingle.

you were hanging out in your hotel room with your manager, ethan. ethan went over your schedule. "you got quite the boost here, (y/n)." he muttered, still looking at his phone. "hmmm?" you tilted your head. "you and roman now?" he asked. "why does everyone keep on asking me that? we're friends!" you chuckled. "because everyone is apparently 'shipping' you guys now." "oh please, they ship me with everyone i interact with! remember when they 'shipped' me with balor? because we went to the gym together?"

tonight, you were fighting against dakota kai. you always looked forward to dance in the ring with her. of course, the company was going to make you win this fight. "good luck, sunshine." she hugged you as the training ended. "see you tonight, love!" you hugged her back.

the locker room was hyping you up. "LET'S GO, (Y/N)! LET'S GO, (Y/N)!" you were stretching your body, matching the energy of the locker room. your true hypemen were there; the twins. "go kill it, (y/n)!" jey said, patting your back. "thanks, i will do my best!" as the crew called your name, you went outside the locker room.

everyone was busy doing their job. you passed several crew, waving at them. you saw a similar face and immediately ran to him. "roman!" your high-pitched voice caught his attention. "(y/n)! you're up in 5." a crew said. "i'll be there!" you replied. "good luck." came out of his mouth. "i'm rooting for you." he joked, knowing well that he already saw the script. "thanks big boy." you jokingly punched his chest. "cheer for me!"

"and her contender for tonight, the rising superstar–sunshine!"

roman was looking at the monitor from his locker room, which was practically empty. "should watch her match tonight man, it's gonna be crazy." jey passed him a bottle of water. "watch this." jimmy pointed at the screen. the crowd went wild when they saw you do your signature move. with your colorful gear, you were definitely the centre of everyone's attention.

he saw immense talent coming straight from you. "this is wild as hell." roman commented. "you sure she's new here?" he asked. "i think creatives landed a goldmine when they decided they were going to push her." paul commented. seeing you do a super kick clicked something inside of him. "i want her in."

you were exhausted as you lifted your fist up in the air. you helped dakota from her position and took her hand. "you did amazing!" you mouthed. "you did great, girl!" she replied. you won but it was all because of the help of your opponent. the walk backstage was kind of painful as you were limping from your injuries. the smile on your face was still there, you didn't want to show people that your leg was hurting.

"you okay there, (y/n)?" as you took off your hand-wrap, the voice from earlier greeted you again. "you again?" you teased him. roman was also sweating from his appearance. "can't help but to see you limping." roman chuckled, sitting on the bench next to you. "i'm good, kinda botched the last move, but i lifted my leg so dakota won't land on her neck!" you explained. "you did that to save her?" "hey, i'll take a bullet for anyone!"

the next following days were filled with more road trips and endless training time. "(y/n)!" you were in the gym, staring the red punching bag. "hey, ethan! what's up?" you asked him, cracking your knuckles. "you have time?" "just say whatever you want, i can multitask!" you started your work out. "so, you're gonna want to hear this." punch. "yeah, what's that?" punch.

"you're going to be in the bloodline." another punch. "i am going to be in the what?" the punching bag fell on the floor. "I AM TURNING HEEL?" you grinned with excitement. sometimes people around you wonder about what goes on in your head–like your stage name, you were always the sunshine of the room.

"you heard the news?" roman and you were eating lunch together. it became a routine for the two of you. everyone couldn't help but to notice the two of you becoming closer than before. you shared the same brand, but you were never one to eat lunch with the tribal chief. "yeah! god, it's so thrilling... me? finally joining a faction? couldn't ask for more!" you took a sip of your water. "a bit too cynical for you?" you shook your head. "i can fit right in!" you pulled off a fake smug face. "okay, you don't fit this evil-like image."

as it became a routine, you took a liking to the champion. he was nice, returning the energy that you had for everyone. he also took you to several 'lunch dates' that ended on the two of you gaining more feelings for each other. there was definitely something going on between you. "are we going to the dog park this weekend?" you asked him. "whatever you want to do, princess." he smiled. "i'll bring my dog! god, a dog park date, that sounds fun!" your cheeks flared up as you mentioned that it was going to be a date.

"is it a date?" he teased you. "shut up, i didn't mean it like that!" you blushed. "damn, i'm disappointed." he 'cried'. "or do you want it as a date date?" you teased back. "i don't mind, princess." roman replied. the constant flirtings, the never-ending dates, or phone calls when the two of you weren't together, it was obvious that romance sparked in between. tension was there. he slung his arm around your shoulder, your bodies colliding with each other, it was already a muscle memory for the two of you.

even the staffs noticed that the kindness you gave roman was different. "but i don't mind if you consider it as a date, i'd love that." you confessed. "i'm gonna take you on as many dates as we can, baby." he smiled. "sorry for bothering you, but your gear is done." you looked up and saw the costume staff approaching you. they altered your gear to fit the bloodline's aesthetic. "oh really? thanks!" you replied.

"you wanna see it?" you asked roman. receiving a nod from the tribal chief. "let's go!" you took his hand and went to one of the locker rooms. "dude, this is amazing!" black and red–the bloodline colors. "wait, go out! i'm gonna change." roman quickly went out the locker room. "are you done?" "YES! GOD, THIS IS SO COOL!" roman went inside the room and saw you with the bloodline gear. you looked amazing, he thought. "y- you look good." he stuttered. "AND I FEEL GOOD!" he was really thankful that the two of you were going to work together.

there you were, in the backstage, with the bloodline. "how you feeling tonight?" solo asked you. you were jumping up and down with adrenaline in your veins. "SO EXCITED!" you spoke louder, due to the loud music. none of your fans knew that you were turning heel, it was the company's secret. the crowd was kind of worried because they didn't hear from you for days. it was going to be a huge surprise.

"the bloodline!" you huffed out the air, waiting for the grand entrance. as you walked out, carrying one of roman's title, you could hear gasps coming from the crowd. "is that- is that sunshine with the bloodline? why is she with them?" you expected everyone to boo at you, but they did the opposite. the crowd popped.

as soon as you got inside the ring, roman started speaking to the mic. "i know y'all are wondering about why sunshine is here." he spoke. "and you guessed it right, our newest member of the bloodline, my personal pick, sunshine." roman winked at you, only to receive a huge smile that didn't match the persona of the bloodline members.

maybe, just maybe, turning heel and being in the same ring as your crush was going to be a fun rollercoaster ride.

a/n: hi!! thank you for the request, sorry if it’s a bit underwhelming, but i hope you enjoyed it!! i decided this request would fit roman as i already have a similar draft for this… so yeah :) i have 2 more requests coming up, but requests are still open!!

#roman reigns #roman reigns imagine #roman reigns x reader #the usos #wwe #wwe imagines #paul heyman #cody rhodes #rhea ripley #jimmy uso #jey uso #solo sikoa #wrestling #wwe x reader #seth rollins #becky lynch #dominik mysterio #bloodline #bloodline imagines

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feyrescourt · 2 months

Text

This is a long and rambly discussion post for elriel nation btw so strap in

I want to preface this by kindly asking the elriel hive to not use any tags of #those ships if reblogged. I want to keep this in the elriel echo chamber. Please and thank u!

A huge part of fandom culture is to ship canonically compliant characters and crack ships. Everyone’s got them, and it’s totally normal, and it’s usually fun to engage with.

The majority of the time I have no issue with this (I am a wolfstar shipper and even though there is canonical evidence of them in the original HP books, they’re widely accepted online and balked at IRL usually due to homophobia and #that nasty, nasty woman’s bigotry), but over the last few years a certain group of crack shippers have taken it upon themselves to fly a little too close to the sun, and want to make it our (elriels) problem. I am talking about the Glees.

It’s late and this just popped into my head so I want to rant about it.

My friend who got me into ACOTAR gave me a breakdown of the ships (bc I read ToG first and went in blind. I became a doraelin shipper very early on and remained one halfway through QoS, it was a whole thing when I realized they were not end game lol), bc I asked her to after my ToG experience. She told me all the characters names and then told me about feysand and nessian endgames but didn’t mention az or elain’s situation. I asked her about it and she told me that she didn’t want to mention much about Az because “by the end of the series azriel has two options for how his story could go, elain or another way”. She shared some anti elain sentiment with me because she’s “boring and doesn’t do anything”. That went in one ear and out the other with me tbh.

When I started acowar, and feyre returned to the night court, I saw how elain and azriel were interacting and I concluded that mor was the second LI of az bc of acomaf. I was not apart of the fandom online at this point, so I was genuinely in the dark about everything around these two. I was just reading and talking to my friend about what I read. I also want to add that I still liked L*cien at this point in the series (it changed in acofas, I became apathetic towards him rather quickly when I finished reading that whiny ass convo with feyre…..I don’t play when it comes to her) but wasn’t sold on eluce because they had like one interaction and it wasn’t a great intro to a ship.

However this first meeting in acomaf….. :)

‘Can you truly fly?’ He set down his fork, blinking. I might have even called him self-conscious. He said, ‘Yes. Cassian and I hail from a race of faeries called Illyrians. We’re born hearing the song of the wind.’ ‘That’s very beautiful,’

“Rhys chuckled, Cassian’s wrath slipping enough that he grinned, and Elain, noticing Azriel’s ease as proof that things weren’t indeed about to go badly, offered one of her own as well.”

Well imagine my surprise when I finished acowar and it turns out mor (the person az has crushed on for 500 years) comes out to feyre before the book ends and she explains that she can never love az the way he loves her. After three books, and everything that happens in acowar it was clear to me that elain and azriel were being set up as each others love interests, despite the mating bond with l*cien.

After Acofas I was officially on the elriel train. I mean…

“Azriel strode to the lone window at the end of the room and peered into the garden below.”

“Azriel emerged from the sitting room, a glass of wine in hand and wings tucked back to reveal his fine, yet simple black jacket and pants. I felt, more than saw, my sister go still as he approached. Her throat bobbed.”

“But Azriel only took Elain’s heavy dish of potatoes from her hands, his voice soft as night as he said, ‘Sit. I’ll take care of it.’ Elain’s hands remained in midair, as if the ghost of the dish remained between them. With a blink, she lowered them, and noticed her apron. ‘I—I’ll be right back,’ she murmured, and hurried down the hall before I could explain that no one cared if she showed up to dinner covered in flour and that she should just sit.”

“Elain swept in, apron gone and hair rebraided. ‘Please don’t wait on my account,’ she said, taking the seat at the head of the table.”

“He [Azriel] was the portrait of relaxed, an arm braced against the carved mantel, his wings tucked in loosely, a faint grin on his face and a glass of wine in his hand. He slid his hazel eyes toward my sister without him moving an inch.”

“Azriel and Elain remained in the sitting room, my sister showing him the plans she’d sketched to expand the garden in the back of the town house, using the seeds and tools my family had given her tonight. Whether he cared about such things, I had no idea.”

(Damn the more I read elriel’s acofas moments the more I can’t help but conclude that they just hate/don’t understand introverts 😭)

Before I started SF, I decided to look at the online fandom and bitch……my jaw hit the floor with all the elain/elriel hate I saw on TT. And everyone was talking about a newer character in SF, and I was seeing the glee fan art and was like oh shit ok maybe elriel isn’t endgame.

Fast forward to SF……

‘What happened to Elain?’

“Nesta saw the blow land, like a physical impact, in Elain’s face, her posture. No one spoke, though shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike. Elain’s eyes brightened with pain.”

……and I’m thinking ok, az obviously likes her. Then comes az’s BC. When I finished the elriel portion of the BC I was actually crying bc I was like oh fuck I really love these two….I knew it was over for me, and I was freaked out bc I thought I was going to get got with this “new ship” involving az. Plus I was thinking about elain being left alone in the dark without any explanation and feeling like an idiot for finally showing her true feelings towards him😭. It was like 3AM when I read it so I was hyper emotional lol. But then I read the rest of the BC and was still confused because I didn’t see any romantic subtext with g/wyn. I read it and saw a hurt male who couldn’t stand what he had done to elain the night before, was pissed at his brother for stopping it and making him feel bad when he was finally willing to voice what he’s been feeling for the past year or so and hating that he was shut down because we know he never voices his emotions, and couldn’t bear keeping a gift he picked out specifically for her. A necklace…..for solstice……Then I finished SF as a whole, and still, was confused as to why glee is a ship. Nearly all of their conversations were centered around training, and Sarah didn’t use any descriptors in their encounters that elude to any romance or mutual interest. (Btw I have a whole take on rhys’ part in that BC and I think a lot of ppl are dense and don’t understand what he was going through in that book but I can save that for another time)

Cassian and Feyre have more chemistry than those too lol.

I then talked to my friend about the these ships (elriel, eluce, and glee) ((i didn’t talk about eluce much in this post but that’s a lifeless ship too. I mean…..she can’t stand that red head anyway soooo)), and I said “I’m an elriel through and through. Idc that eluce are claimed to be mates you can tell she does not like him. also glee makes no sense to me.” Not verbatim but you get the point. My friend is very sensible so by the end of our convo, she told me that she’ll accept whatever way Sarah goes and that she’ll give elain a chance when her book comes out.

But isn’t that what all of this shit is about in the end: unjustified dislike/distain/hate for elain? That’s certainly how is appears to me. You cannot look me in the eyes and tell me that you love elain if you ship her with a male whom she has expressed, on multiple occasions, zero interest in AND becomes a shell of herself when he’s around because she just doesn’t want to interact with him. (I want to reiterate that I don’t hate L, I don’t think he’s awful or anything. elain just doesn’t want to know him. And that’s her right.) The glees don’t like her bc she doesn’t fit their stereotype for what they want in an FMC and therefore, for azriel. Which is why they have been chirping that the next book will be azriel’s. Not elain’s….WHAT??? You sound fucking crazy. The eluces (even though they claim they like her) dislike her so much that they go on and on about how she needs to grovel and apologize to the male they like because HE deserves to be happy……the same male who she associates with one of the most traumatic days of her life. Who also has not apologized to her for the part he played in that day, but I digress.

I say all that to point out that Glee specifically is in the crack ship category. No canonical evidence in the text can be used to claim they are ‘mates’ or endgame or anything more than acquaintances. And that’s fine, but don’t act as though they’re to be taken seriously as a canon ship when there’s no evidence to support it. Don’t boldly claim that azriel “has two love interests” when he literally doesn’t. He can’t sleep because of elain. He can’t stop thinking about her. He’s short with his family and others around him the days and weeks following solstice. His shadows threaten to strike nesta when she hurts elain and causes her pain. He doesn’t assign his spies to watch L*cien in acofas because he doesn’t want to know if he’s trying to court elain. He goes full lethal when he hears she may have been hurt. He follows the sound of her laugh to see what caused it. He goes on a suicide mission to save her. They communicate through looks alone when their family is around. Have you read an SJM book before? This is how she sets up her relationships. Like, holy fuck.

You cannot claim elriel is a crack ship because they have had background build up that both FMCs in their respective books have noticed and commented on. Cassian has noticed it too DESPITE not being hyper aware of what’s going on with az in SF. (referencing the scene in SF where elain tells everyone at family dinner about nesta’s love for dancing and the ball story from when they were human).

This ship war shit is fucking crazy because really this should only be between elriel nation and the eluces. Anyway, I’m over dealing with the fever dream brigade and their hallucinations. They’re going to come crashing down like Icarus when the elriel bible release day arrives and all our suffering will finally come to an end.

Then after that I’ll need to defeat the tamlin redemption arch threats, bc that is not a claim, that’s a fuckin threat and I won’t stand for it. But let’s tackle one problem at a time.

Pink: side notes/thoughts that give more context to my points

Blue italics: convos I’ve had being referenced

Purple: elriel moments <3

#this post is really just for elriel nation and my moots #crack ships should stay as such #because they are a crack ship #I refuse to use their full names ever tbh #pro elriel #elriel #the side characters will never be her main focus #she just cares about the ic #I hope there aren’t any typos lol

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leafofkudzu · 6 months

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Happy Springtime, everyone! The first Saturday of a new month fast approaches, which means it's time for another art party hosted by my guild, [VS] Verdant Shield! This time we'll be in a place every asura has been at least once - the Golemagical Institute!

For those who aren’t familiar with art parties, they’re a concept carried over from Final Fantasy XIV - in-game get-togethers for artists/writers/creatives of all types to hang out, chat, and create together! Get your favorite character/look together, head to the location, find someone that catches your eye, and create! Afterwards, everyone posts their creations in a shared tag (ours is #VSArtParty) so others can see, interact, and share! Tl;dr: the ‘goal’ of an art party isn’t to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

Time and /squadjoin information is under the cut, but will also be posted again via reblogs as the squads go up on the day of the party!

Location Information:

I wasn't kidding when I said every asura has been to the Golemagical Institute - it's the setting of the final fight of the tutorial instance, and is accessible out of the instance via the exact same asura gate, no mounts or funny business required!

Time & Squad Details:

As we always do, we’ll be having two parties - one on EU servers and one on NA ones - with an hour break in between. People tend to arrive early and/or jump between accounts as soon as the break comes up, so don’t be surprised to see tags and announcements going up ahead of schedule!

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Summer Time (aka 3pm Eastern Daylight Time or 5 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting on my EU alt account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Paranomalous Plexxi for an invite.

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time (aka 1am Central European Summer Time or an hour before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting this one on my main account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Rettek for an invite.

Closing Words:

Sorry for the slight delay in doing up this announcement post - I spent longer than I should have mulling over locations only to realize there's been a perfect spot right in front of me the entire time. But we're here and the post is ready now, so everything's good! :P

I use this little section to say this every time, but it continues to be true so I'll continue to say it: thank you guys so much for coming out to these and making them such fun memorable times - you are what makes these parties what they are, and I hope everyone continues to enjoy themselves for long into the future! Take care of yourselves, and I'll see you all on Saturday! ♥

#hosting on an asura that isn't teekzi? blasphemy but not entirely unheard of lol #anyway rations of racial zones are somewhat more balanced now since we did a charr one so back to rats rats rats #gw2 #guild wars 2 #obnoxious tourist simulator #vsartparty #📢🎨

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within-your-eyes-if · 10 months

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A Few Updates

Hello everyone!

I have some exciting news and a few thoughts I want to share. Another long update, I'm sorry!

Codex Update: As you know, I've been working on updating the Codex. I've put a lot of thought into each entry, balancing new ideas with existing lore. While a lot of elements were already established, delving deeper into some topics has inspired some new ideas, and I want to ensure everything fits seamlessly. With this in mind, I'm considering releasing what I have so far while I continue to ponder over some of these newer concepts and refine older ones. In the next few days, I'll be going through more feedback to address some issues found before I plan to release the update.

New Story: I'm excited to share I've released a prologue and first chapter for From Here to Again! Writing something different is meant to help me grow as a writer and expand upon things I might not have considered before, especially when writing Twine.

I will not be making a Tumblr for this story right now, sorry!

I know I've shared other stories that I planned, and here are some updates on those:

Nautical Lost would definitely benefit from a later release as Within Your Eyes grows, as this story will expand upon the world lore and some events that will happen.

The Innkeeper (a working title), I decided to hold off on because I'm terrible at management games, it seems. It was meant to be a fun little story with shenanigans. However, I do want to revisit the idea later.

Short Stories: I've expressed I want to make some short stories, but I feel like there's a point in WYE I want to pass first before getting into them. But I do have one I'm working on that I want to release alongside Part Two that delves into the past.

Worries About Burnout: I know some of you are/might be worried about burnout, but I feel like I have a good system for myself. Writing is a journey I haven't explored much before. I did write, but it's something I didn't think I was good at because, honestly, I was told I wasn't. I know I'm not the greatest, but I want to grow and learn as a writer. I've been taking breaks to focus on other things I enjoy, even if it's still writing out ideas for other stories.

I appreciate all of the concern in this regard, not just for my well-being, but also for the love of my story. To see it abandoned would be heartbreaking not just for my readers, but for me as well. 'Within Your Eyes' has been an idea long in the making, shifting and growing. It's something I've always wanted to share, and I'm so happy I have!

Time for Questions: I'm ready to start answering some of your questions regarding Part One. Enough time has passed, I believe, to start delving into these. To respect those who haven't caught up yet, I'll include any spoilers under a 'Read More' tag. However, be mindful that some questions themselves might contain spoilers.

Regarding certain asks/scenarios, I think that discovering the answers through the story rather than in a post might be more rewarding. While I may still respond to these, I'll be thoughtful about placing them under a 'Read More' tag as well.

Regardless, I've been thinking more about how I should approach questions, not only in a way that's satisfying to you, but also benefits the story.

Closing Thoughts: Sorry again for the long update. I've been very reflective after releasing a second story, and I hope no one sees this as me diverting from WYE. I'm grateful for every one of you and for all of your words of encouragement and love. I hope you enjoy From Here to Again (if you decide to check it out) and continue to look forward to our Warden's journey.

Thank you!

#within your eyes if #wye progress update

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fordohyon · 1 year

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BEAR MASCOT...

PAIRING -

Kim Woonhak x GN! Reader

SUMMARY - (not really s summary but a preview(ish) thingy??)

You sigh as you remove the heavy mascots head, a cool breeze from a fan chilling your flushed cheeks. You notice one of the basketball players standing behind you. Number 23. "I never knew you were a girl," he comments. "Or pretty."

TAGS -

fluff, fluff, and…. fluff!!

WARNING(s) -

mistaking reader for a girl, calling reader pretty, Mutual pining? maybe being too short. English isn’t my first language so please expect grammatical & spelling errors 😭

lmk if i left out anything,, Not proofread!

WORD COUNT - 1.3k

A/N - should i make this into a series??? also plz tell me if there are any grammatical errors or what. I'd also really appreciate it if you give me feedback and reblog!!

It's been precisely two hours since you donned the bear mascot outfit representing your school. You only agreed to do it because no one else volunteered and thought it might be fun. However, the experience has been anything but fun. With only 30 to 40 minutes left in the costume, you are counting down the seconds until you can take it off.

The basketball jersey, hat, and shoes the bear is wearing are decorated with your school's logo, with the school's signature colors of yellow and green accenting the trim, number, and player names. You are thankful that nobody from other sections knows it's you inside the costume; otherwise, you would feel incredibly embarrassed.

You check the time and realize that 20 minutes have already passed. You hope the game will end in the next 10 minutes or so. A few students request a picture with you, and you oblige them. Five more minutes pass, and the game is nearly over. You can’t wait to get out of the mascot outfit and take a shower.

Sweat drips down to your ankles, causing you to shiver. This is the longest you have ever worn the mascot, 2 hours and 10 minutes.

After what had seemed about an eternity, the game finally finished. All of the players and spectators collected their belongings and fled. Except for a handful who freshened up or spent time with their friends prior to heading home, unfortunately for you, Kim Woonhak happened to be one of those individuals, for whom you were growing feelings.

Once everyone had left, you finally had the chance to rid of the ludicrous costume that had caused you to sweat profusely. Though you noticed a few lingering figures in the vicinity, you chose not to approach them, assuming they were likely teachers, janitors, or guards. As you removed the mascot's head, a cool breeze struck your face. you were taken aback to find Kim fucking Woonhak standing there, his jaw dropping and eyes bulging in what appeared to be an utter shock - as though he had just witnessed the most unbelievable thing in his life. "I... I never knew you were a girl, or uhm.. uhh... pretty!" Holy shit. This is extremely mortifying. You can't even begin to express the depths of humiliation you're feeling. The fact that it involves Kim Woonhak, the person you've had the most obvious crush on since sixth grade, makes it incredibly, excruciatingly, so intensely humiliating. Is it just you or does it seem like the fan isn't working?

"Thank... you?" The words slipped out of your mouth, your voice wavering with uncertainty. As you fidgeted with the bottom half of the mascot, your hands betrayed your nervousness. The expression on your face told the whole story - a mix of embarrassment, anxiety, and the discomfort of being caught off guard. Sweat trickled down your forehead, emphasizing the redness that flushed your face, a combination of the stifling heat and the overwhelming humiliation of the moment. Woonhak's unexpected presence only intensified your unease, leaving you at a loss for words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to catch you off guard. I-I was just checking if anyone was here since I was uh, gonna lock up the.. uhm... gym!" Woonhak stammered, his apology filled with genuine concern. He tried his best to shed the awkward tension that enveloped the air but fell short in his attempt.

"It's alright. No need to apologize," you reassured him, your voice trembling slightly. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here either. I assumed it was just teachers and guardians. Guess we both got caught off guard." You utter as you took hold of the lower half of the costume, a sudden chill in the air sent a shiver down your spine. The contrast between the hot and humid gym and the cooler surroundings intensified the discomfort, further adding to the already awkward situation.

Woonhak nodded in agreement, his eyes still fixed on you with an intensity that made you feel self-conscious. You tried to disregard it, but the emotion only grew stronger. You wished you could just evaporate- or at least get out of this sweaty, reeking costume.

As you struggled to remove the rest of the bear suit, Woonhak stepped forward to help. You were grateful for the gesture, but it only caused you to feel more exposed and vulnerable. You tried to focus on the task at hand, but your hands were quivering so badly that you could barely get a hold of the zipper.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, you were unburdened by the costume. You took a deep breath of fresh air and felt the calm draft wash over your sweaty skin. You turned to thank Woonhak, but he was already walking away, his head down and his hands playing with the fabric of his jersey.

You felt a pang of disappointment, but you couldn't blame him for wanting to get away from the awkward situation. You gathered your things and headed out of the gym, feeling fatigued and embarrassed. you couldn't help but replay the uncomfortable encounter in your head, wondering if things would ever be the same between you and Woonhak.

As you make your way out of the gym, you notice Woonhak and his group of friends looking at you. Just as you try to avoid their gaze, he rides up to you on his bike, beckoning you to join him. "It'll be faster if you ride with me. Don't forget to take a warm shower, wouldn't want you to catch a cold. I want to see you tomorrow!" His words catch you off guard, and you can't help but feel a mix of confusion and excitement.

Up close, Woonhak looks even better than you remembered. His endearing smile and delicate demeanor make him seem like a big teddy bear. You hesitate for a moment, recalling the events that happened earlier, but ultimately agree to ride with him. "Uh, okay," you reply, your voice tinged with nervousness. Despite your uneasiness, you're grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with him.

As Woonhak makes his way down the road on his bike, he suddenly turns to you. "Hug me, so you don't fall." he says with a smile. You're surprised by his proposal, but you don't hesitate to envelop your arms around him. As you hold on to him tightly, you feel a sense of warmth and comfort wash over you. It's as if all of your nervousness vanished at that moment, and you can't help but feel grateful for his presence. Being in his arms feels like a dream come true, and you can't help but wonder if this is the start of something special.

As you ride on his bicycle, you can't help but feel a sense of security and contentment. The wind rushes through your hair, and the relaxed breeze washes over your skin. You feel alive and free, and for the first time in a long while, Woonhak's company is enough to make you feel safe.

As you reach your destination, you shift to thank Woonhak for the ride. But before you can say anything, he leans in and plants a soft kiss on your cheek. You feel your face flush with warmth, and your heart races with excitement. You can't believe that this is happening to you - it's like something out of romance fiction.

"Thanks for the ride," you murmur, your voice barely audible. Woonhak beams at you, and you feel a sense of belonging wash over you. Maybe this is the start of something special, something you've been yearning for all your life. As you make your way back home, you can't help but let out a squeal of excitement. You're grateful for the unexpected turn of events, and you can't wait to see what the future holds. But for now, you're content just being in the moment with the person who makes your heart skip a beat.

do not translate, repost on other websites, or take my work. posts on tumblr, stay on tumblr. I do not cross-post my work unless I say so!

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lightofunova · 7 months

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Light of Unova’s 200 Follower Event!!

Reshi’s Slumber Party

Hello! I want to say thank you so so much for 200+ followers! It means so much that everyone really enjoys my story and characters! In the works for awhile now is my first ever hosted community event!! I hope everyone really enjoys it!

What is it?: Reshi has decided to host a slumber party at Dragonspiral Tower! Pokemon and Legendaries/gijinkas alike are encouraged to attend to have a fun night of games and relaxation!

Activities may include makeovers, gossiping, trying new/foreign snacks, musical chairs, and Truth or Dare*!

Guests are free to roam the tower as they wish, however are restricted from a few key areas. The Forces of Nature will be patrolling, the grounds as well! Rambunctious guests, or guests found in off limits areas will be warned once before being asked to leave. It seems like the trio are in a bad mood, and will not tolerate any funny buisness!

*Due to Reshi being able to tell if a character is lying, Truth or Dare is opt in only! (She also cannot lie herself tho so hopefully this balances that out haha)

When is it?: The event will begin on April 1st and last until May 1st. As needed, the event may be extended.

Who may join?: Anyone within the Pokemon Askblog community is encouraged to join! Paticipants are encouraged to wear their most comfortable pyjamas and bring snacks a la potluck style, and bring pillows/blankets aplenty!

How can I participate?: Interacting with anyone during the event nets you a ticket in automatically! If you would like to recieve a formal invitation, please dm me or reply to THIS post and I will send them out asap!

Extra info: This event will have plot relevance for Light of Unova. Premade backgrounds will be provided for the event upon the start! Along with those, a discord server will open for anyone participating to chat and discuss ideas!

The tag to use for the event will be #LoUsleepover

If you would like to participate in Truth or Dare then be sure to use the tag #LoUTruthnDare for your first event post!

As a thank you, the event will conclude with a raffle for 1 premade character design and 1 icon drawn by yours truly!

Thank you all so much for 200 followers! I hope to see you all there at the sleepover soon!

#LoUsleepover #ooc #mod #pokemon #reshi reshiram #event #important #blog info #thank you for 200!!#Event info post #I hope this answers any questions!!#Ik ive been talking about it alot lately but hadnt ironed out any details yet #Im workin real hard on assets so i cant wait to show it off!!#i got a few more posts to get out of the way before we officially start so

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highlordofkrypton · 2 months

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Tag game for fanfiction authors!

Thank you so much for the tag @angelosearch! I'm going to tag @goforth-ladymidnight @praetorqueenreyna @achaotichuman @yaralulu @goldheartedchaoticdisaster @thedickgraysons @chunkypossum and whoever wants to join pls! I'm really bad at remembering who are all the writers!

TELL US

The story you're proudest of

I have two fics that I'm especially proud of!

Wildflowers, which is my ACOTAR prequel. It's my first fanfiction written and posted online, and the first story I wrote start to finish. I tried my best to give depth to the world and the side characters. I do think some people are turned off by the main characters/ship, but it's so much more than that. It's also spawned so many side stories which is so exciting!

Regrets, which is my first SUPERBAT that I ever posted. I think it's a really good reflection of my style which balances emotion, humour and intimacy. I'm so happy my first attempt at writing my OTP turned out SO WELL.

Your story that's gotten the most love online:

The answers are the same as above, but for different reasons.

Wildflowers has gotten a lot of praise for multiple elements in the story, and I feel like those who read it all found different parts to enjoy. It's one of those stories that are really fun to talk about, and there's so many little nods here and there. It makes me happy to see that readers are noticing them. Wildflowers also has original additions (like family members of the main characters) that everyone loves as much as I do!

Regrets has the most kudos, but like mentioned above, it's a classic ship and a good balance of fluff and angst elements! I had so much fun writing it, and I think that came through in the piece.

Tease a current WIP or idea you're working on:

I've been wanting to tease NEEDLE & KING (wip title, subject to change), which is the prequel/side story for Rhysand's parents.

It was supposed to be a shorter, contained story about their romance, but now it's become a lore exercise, an exploration of cultural displacement in fantasy, starts off as a female-focused cast, etc.

Chapter 1 Flying

At the end of the world, Lilith thinks of nothing. No home to yearn for, no family to miss her—at least, not for long—and no future to look forward to. She stands on the edge of a mountain’s peak, one of two Wolf’s Fangs, and feels. The world comes into her through the howls of the wind and the bite of the cold against her barely covered arms. Clouds stand between her and the bottom, if she could even see that far on a clear day. Her life, until now, has been a series of instances that have happened to her rather than experience. The absence of her father, the death of her mother, the fear that looms above her—she is at the mercy of everything around her. Here, the ice demands her wakefulness. Here, the skies challenge her. Here, every breath is earned. The height of the mountain is the only time she feels alive, so what is that feeling when she steps off its edge and careens downwards. Down, down, down, she goes with a whistle—a force against gravity. At the bottom, reality will come crashing down, but she can solve that problem quite easily. Just… fall. Her black wings strain against the fall, and she grits her teeth. It’s not in her nature to fall; she will never accept her fate. Lilith wages war against nature itself, demanding her muscles to yield to her will. A loud flapping noise signals her success, the membranes of her wings cradling the air itself to take her in an arc, a low swoop and then up again. She glides through the clouds, occasionally drawing her dark wings to herself and allowing herself to plummet before catching herself again. Lilith had taught herself to fly. It was the only thing she can control in her small, small life. Her flights have no destination, and they are timeless. She flies for as long as she can. She pushes as far as she can go because she never knows when it will be her last time.

Like any draft, this may be subject to change. The first scene I usually write for any draft is the one that 'sets' the tone of the story.

Fun fact - Lilith is a name/character that pops up in all my stories either as some weird writing signature/nod, or as a main character. She's a hyperfixation that started with Diablo and never left, but she's become her own phenomenon for me and my writing.

Your top 3 fandoms: that I write in... ACOTAR & DC Comics. I currently don't have time to write in a third one, woops.

Your top 3 ships: If it's what I've written for, then the answers are Tamlin x Rhysand, Bruce x Clark and Orm x Clark. If it's what I enjoy personally, then it's all of the above + many, many crackships.

Rec someone else's fic: Without a doubt, the people I've tagged above have amazing fics. I haven't had a chance to read their works in their entirety, but I've participated in challenges with them, creeped on their works, and they are SO GOOD! Please go check them out! Their fics are on my to-read, but part of my writing process is to just write without reading, so once I'm done my current fic, I will be going through each work to add comments and properly devote the love and attention they deserve.

Pick one!

Fluff or Angst - I cannot NOT write angst, but I believe that both (one into the other) create incomparable emotional depth.

Oneshots or longfics - I prefer reading oneshots, but I cannot stick to one chapter for the life of me.

Canon compliance or canon divergence - I have the worst memory, I couldn't be canon compliant if I wanted to...

AO3 or FF.net

#tag games #my fics #rhysand #pro rhysand #rhysand's parents #tamlin #tamsand #superbats #clark kent #bruce wayne #superman #batman

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cookiesupplier · 5 months

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Run A Dagger Through My Chest

pairing: Noah Sebastian x ofc (Ellie)

warnings/tropes: racism/speciesism, post cheating anxiety, blood magic, weapons, soul bonding,

summary: A night out at the bar, Ellie overhears something from one of Noah's shadows that she wishes she didn't, and now she isn't the only one that has to deal with how it makes her feel.

author’s note: This is the very first proper outtake of the Hell-Verse that I've written. As per where it exists in the timeline, it takes place prior to Chapter 17 of A Friend Down In Hell.

For those that wish to catch up on what's going on in this verse, here is the Combined Hell-Verse Masterlist.

tags: @spicywhenspeaking @bngurngheart @cncohshit @valiantroeagleangel

@blackveilomens @dominuslunae @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747

@lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @jilliemiw86 @emmmm127

@badomensls @sorrowsofsilence @collapsedglasshouses @vinyardmauro

@4rtificialfolio @agravemisstake @sunsshinesunny @tearfallpixie @dsireland86

@notingridslurkaccount @laurpartyprogram

Okay so I've tagged everyone that has so far been on the ride for the Hell-Verse.. hopefully they get through.. fighting with my tags is exhausting, I know they are weird.. but they are working like this.. so.. Ima go with it!

Ellie knew what Ishtar was doing. She might feel bad that Folio was going out of his mind a little, considering he was not getting as much time with Ishtar as he would like. However, after years of the demoness trying to get him to meet with her outside of the bar so they could get closer, dropping hints and him not picking them up? She deserved to have a little fun, didn’t she? He needed to work to snag her. So yes, him wooing her, even if it was over text messages, with their flirty conversations, and stolen moments before and after work.. Sure they were barely there, Ellie knew that Ishtar was certainly making him work to get his time with her.

As it was, he certainly didn’t look remotely disappointed right then as he leaned across the bar, signature bright smile across his face as he relished the chance to talk with her. Ellie was thankful that the shot challenges weren’t a thing any more, at least, not to the extent that they used to be. As they say, boys will be boys, and Ellie had noticed, they would still get up and do stupid shit. Now, however, at least Folio wasn’t determined to push for the night of constantly pouring liquor down their throats until they were smashed so she could get closer to Ishtar.

Tonight, was one of those contest nights, only instead of shots they were playing darts, and that of course, put Noah at the forefront of the game.

“Can someone explain to me, who had the bright idea to think it was smart to try to compete against Noah using sharp objects again?”

Ellie giggled at Jolly’s complaining before he lifted his glass and drained the last of his current beer. Folio being at the bar as he talked to Ishtar, was supposed to be getting them another round of drinks. They’d sent him up there a little while ago, knowing he’d take some time to come back with their drinks once he got distracted talking to Ishtar. If there was one thing that was predictable on a night like tonight, was that folio would get preoccupied with Ishtar and spending time with her. The guys could tease him about it all they wanted, but, Ellie noticed that they also enabled him at the same time. Whether it was planning nights out specifically to the bar so he could spend time with her. Other times they planned boys nights to help distract him when they knew Ishtar was busy working, and he wasn’t going to be able to see her, they found ways.

Yes, between Jolly, Noah and Nicholas, they all enabled Folio, and then teased him mercilessly while doing so at the exact same time.

“At least he doesn’t have you trying to throw axes, do you have any idea how difficult that is? In saying that, pretty sure I almost took his head off last time he wanted to teach me something.”

Ellie grinned wickedly only to earn an, are you kidding me glance from Noah, before focusing back on the dart board.

“Never happen, BabyGirl. I knew exactly what I was doing. You didn’t even get close.”

Shrugging slightly, he said that, but she swore she’d seen a little bit of blood that time, and oh, it had been awfully close as well. Admittedly, she had been way off target to almost get him at all like that, which meant she had done horribly in that particular instance, but her argument still stood! The fact that Noah kept insisting on teaching her these crazy things was hilarious to her, but she did enjoy the time they spent together. Even if there were some days she just spent watching him train, one of her books in hand, glancing up as he worked on his exercises, whether with the other demons, or on his own. Ellie never watched him actually work with the souls he punished, never, just his physical training. His work with punishment another situation entirely, and one she was better off never touching at all. She had heard snippets from Folio about some of the horrible things that another lesser demon did, one that Noah had to keep in check, and she didn’t even want to think about it. In saying that, from the people she knew were in there, she knew they deserved it.

“I’m going to go and check on Folio, make sure he hasn’t forgotten our drinks.”

“You mean instead of making eyes at Ishtar.”

Shaking her head as the guys laughed in response, yes, she remarked on Folio forgetting their drinks, but the jibe that came at Folio’s expense as to the odds of whether he had legitimately forgotten their drinks was meaningless. She knew they didn’t really mean it anyway. They supported Folio as much as she did, otherwise they wouldn’t have endured his puppy dog starry eyed routine for the demoness as long as they had before he finally got this far with her. Finally being the word there!

Once she had stopped by the bar to nudge Folio, say hello to Ishtar and put their drink orders in, smiling when Ishtar seemed to have not received their order at all before now. Ellie got an innocent get apologetic smile from Folio. She nudged him with her elbow to let him know she’d forgiven him. As long as he got the drinks to the table, that was, she needed to go to the ladies room. It was on her way back that she heard them chatting away and gossiping among themselves, Noah's shadows, they were always hanging around the bar when they were there. At least, lately, they seemed to have learned to keep their distance. Mostly since the incident that have Ellie wanting to kill one of them for actually trying to kiss Noah in front of her, it had not been a night she wanted to remember. Apparently a few had heard about it, and less wanted to test her, at least, for now, she wondered how long that would last though. They had started showing up again lately. Probably wouldn’t be long before they started approaching him again.

She didn’t really want to know what they were saying, but the problem was, the way when you heard your own name, it was like your brain perks up sometimes. You tune in without being able to help yourself.

“Oh there she is!” “Ellie, she’s so pathetic.” “I don’t know what he sees in her. She’s so, so, human! It's disgusting” “Absolutely, she’s nothing. She’s worthless.” “I bet you all she's in it just to bond with him, what else would a human want from a demon.”

Ellie hated it, but she’d come to terms with how Hell wasn’t as different as she’d like in terms of human vs demons relations. Of course, in the land of the living, it wasn’t demons, it was humans vs humans, it was about the different races, but it was no different, and dealing with it here was just, it was sad. When she had first arrived, she had thought there were a lot more humans in Hell than there really were. However, the reality was that because demons could shape-shift, was that many of them chose to take human form, and yet, they still spoke of her like that. It would never make sense to her, never.

Hearing them talk about her so spitefully for no other reason than she was with Noah, and they wanted to be, was like a knife digging in. They didn’t even know her, and in truth, they didn't actually know anything about Noah either. All they knew about him was his position in Hell, which was why he did his best to avoid them. Yes, he admitted to his years of adoring fans so to speak, but he got over that before he’d even met Ellie.

She tried not to think about what they were saying as she made her way back to the table with the others, it was all too much right now. Ellie didn’t want to think about the way that word just seemed to stick in her brain at that moment. Bonding. Bonding. Bonding. Just the feel of it screamed another word, and it felt like a dagger twisting in her gut just thinking about that word… marriage. Ellie had long sworn off any thought of getting married years ago, along with that bastard Jeremy. After everything that had happened in seeing him again, that dark feeling in the pit of her stomach, she didn’t really want to deal with all of that again. Not marriage, not bonding, not any of it. No, no, thank you.

Noah didn’t know what to do, Ellie had started being distant for a little over a week now, and he was starting to get worried. It wasn’t like last time when she was avoiding him altogether, that at least was in his favour. But some nights when they were together, even when they were alone, she barely seemed to want to have anything to do with him. Trying to talk to her would get him one word answers, and yes, she still seemed willing, and open, and would smile and kiss him in the morning.. But..

She was pulling away..

He was terrified that something was going terribly wrong all over again and he, just, couldn’t do this again. The thought of losing Ellie, the thought of that loss when she had come to mean so much to him, he didn’t know if he could deal with that. His parents hadn’t been the greatest, even when they were here. Noah didn’t talk about them, not really, his parents were gone, into the abyss. No one talked about it, but there were ways for demons to die, permanently. Rare as they were, and do not ask Noah how to do it, any way that he knew, he wouldn’t speak of to a soul. Any self-respecting demon that knew, wouldn’t. He’d lost his parents not just years ago, but life times ago, the Ruffilo family taking him in, making sure he continued to come back to them each lifetime since that first time.

Now he was considering a different loss, and it was one he didn’t want to face. He would fight for Ellie, time and time again, and tonight he was determined to talk to her. It was going to be different tonight, because instead of trying to get her to talk to him, he was just planning on talking to her. Noah needed Ellie to understand, that no matter what was on her mind, what was upsetting her, not matter what it took, he would always be there, he would always listen. He would wait. He would be there when she was ready to finally talk to him, he was desperate for her to know that.

That was the plan.

He picked up their favourite pizza on the way home after a very long, frustrating day at work. Frustrating because, unlike some, no matter how many people he tormented, no matter how many souls he tortured, it was never going to ease the troubles on his mind. Noah would never understand how some would claim causing other people pain would make him feel better. Yes, yes, when he suffered, he rounded up those that made those he loved to suffer, and he would happily bring down his wrath, but did that truly ever take away his pain? No. Not even close. So yes, today was frustrating, because it was not nearly as satisfying as he would like it to be.

Okay, so he called it home, it was her apartment. Noah hadn’t stayed in his own apartment in months. At most, he went back there to get new clothes and things he needed from time to time if he absolutely had to. They weren’t living together, technically, but he had been staying with Ellie so often that him not being at hers just felt wrong. Even with her pulling away, had she told him to leave even once, no. Was there a part of him waiting for it, yes. Did it make him sick to the gut over it, absolutely. The look in her eyes, something told him everything was going wrong, and he couldn’t stand it, so tonight, he was going to lay it out for her. Him just staying there, wasn’t just because they were together, it was because she was his everything, and no matter what she had to say, he wasn’t about to walk away. Ever. Not after everything they’d been through.

Setting the pizza on the counter, he knew she’d spent the afternoon with Ishtar, who would be off to work by now.

“Ellie, you home, I brought dinner, pizza.”

“Did you for-”

“I’d never forget your garlic bread, I wasn’t born yesterday, BabyGirl.”

Seeing her coming out of her room then, at least he got a small smile from her, that was the majority of how their interactions had been going lately. There was little teasing between them, maybe he’d get a smile, and then she’d shut down. Noah would try to keep it going through the night, but to no avail. When they went out with their friends, she’d interact with the others openly, just not with him, and he was almost certain that the only person that hadn’t noticed was Folio. He couldn’t blame him, if he had someone to distract him, he might not have noticed either, Ellie was his perfect distraction.

As they sat to have dinner, though, Noah was going to take advantage of her quiet tonight.

“Ellie, I need to talk to you about something tonight.”

He could feel the way she tensed up, and whatever the reason was, Noah wasn’t going to let her doubts about whatever it was that was eating at her until there was nothing left, he wasn’t. She might not want to talk to him tonight, but he was hopeful she would talk to him, soon.

“You don’t have to say anything BabyGirl, just listen. I’m not going anywhere, I don’t expect anything, from you. I know most of your life you’ve spent with people in your life telling you that you should life your life a certain way, that you should do things in a certain order, but in truth none of that will ever matter to me.”

Tilting his head to try and catch her eye, to make sure that she was looking at him, and when she glanced away, he reached up and lifted her chin to make sure her eyes met his. Make sure she was paying attention to what he was saying. If she was looking him in his eye, she would pay more attention, it was a gentle touch, but it was effective, and he knew it.

“Furthermore, I don’t care if we never do anything but sit on that couch and watch movies. The single most important element of my life, is you. We can do anything you like, or nothing but sit around cuddled up on the couch.”

Ellie had been struggling, ever since she had heard about those girls talking about how she could only ever want Noah to bond with him. All she could think about was that bonding had to be the demon version of marriage. No how irrational it seemed considering it was not Noah that had brought it up, that Noah was not pushing the subject at her. It all just felt like a noose wrapped around her neck for the last week and a half.

Her eyes were wide, glazed as she looked at Noah right now,

“God, I love you, Noah.”

Seeing the way he sighed so heavily, oh, she knew the relief he was feeling, she was feeling it too. Smiling slowly,

“You knew just what to say, didn’t know?”

A soft shaky breath escaped her, she’d been so scared, never able to consider how to talk to him about it, and she still wasn’t sure how to. It all came down to at least starting with one question, she supposed. Then, when Noah explained it to her, then they could talk about what they were going to do, if they would do anything at all, or enjoy everything they already had, just as it was. As far as Ellie was concerned, it was pretty wonderful already, no matter what Noah’s shadows or anyone else might think about them!

“So um, I heard some of your shadows talking about something called bonding, from the way they made it sound they made it sound significant…” And that she would never be worthy of him for it.

“Could you, tell me about it?”

Two weeks, it had been two weeks since Noah had happily explained everything about bonding with Ellie, and expressed how it was absolutely not marriage. Humans tended to throw marriage around like it was the be all and end all. It was said to be a binding of souls in the eyes of God, said, that was done on human faith. While he respected faith, he did, but this was something that was distinct, and magically connecting their souls beyond death, connecting his soul to hers. When the day came, the fateful day came he passed, and demons did not live forever even if they lived far longer than humans mortal years. When he was reborn, he would still be connected to her, and as he aged, he would come to remember her, and love her all over again.

They’d talked more than once about bonding, Ellie wanted to understand it more each time. Coming up with more questions, about how it would affect him, her, about why demons could do it and not humans.

Today, though, there were no questions, today they were training. Noah was attempting to teach Ellie how to better aim and throw daggers at a target, and Ellie couldn’t help but smirk to herself at the thought. It was almost ironic thinking about it, the night she first heard of bonding, they had been teasing about him teaching her axe throwing and how horrible she had been at it. Dagger throwing, she seemed to be a little better at it so far, not that she had been all that better at fully getting the knives to stick in the targets as deep as Noah would like. Standing behind Ellie, holding her hands to adjust how she was holding the blade, to adapt the balance of her technique as she threw the weapon.

When she managed to finally get one of the dagger to stick into the target deep enough, the blade didn’t just fall from the board, that Noah actually had to approach and pull it out. After a moment, Ellie smiled brightly.

“Well, look at that, we will make a warrior woman out of you yet, BabyGirl!”

She rolled her eyes at him with a smirk before picking up another of the daggers, while demons could, potentially summon weapons directly to them with magic, in this training arena, the magic to do so, was banished. Noah explained it in a sense that it was a training technique to make sure they didn’t get lazy. There was also the added benefit to make sure that those that were not as quick to learn, didn’t accidentally get in the way of other, more experienced demons, and get sliced up in the wrong way. There were also those that he had unfortunately seen, that were purposely dismembered. The way he had said that, had Ellie thinking back to some of Folio’s remarks about the demon that had tortured him for part of his tenure in the punishment realms of Hell. She was more than glad to have avoided that experience entirely, not just because she was a semi-decent person. No, she would not claim she was good, like anyone, there were probably questionable things she’d done in her life, but obviously, not enough for punishment.

“I think I’m ready to be a different kind of woman right now.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“Bonded.”

Noah almost dropped the dagger he was flipping around in his hand. As far as Ellie was concerned, it was a miracle he didn’t just slice off any of his fingers off with the look of the way the weapon just whirled around. Not to mention how he was looking at her. Startled almost, awed was another way she might put his expression, and she smiled,

“Oh, BabyGirl, I can’t wait to get you home, and-”

“No, here, right here.”

That stopped him short, Noah glancing around, they’d talked about the ritual enough that she knew it step by step now, right down to memorising all the markings she’d need to make. Yes, she knew already that plenty of others chose to perform the bonding rite in private, but Ellie didn’t want to wait another second. The moment the spell took, he could whisk her away, teleport them home, and then they could spend the rest of the night together.

As late as it was, there wasn’t really else hanging around training as well, it tended to be why Noah would bring Ellie during this time to train her. It presented the least probability that another demon might accidentally miss their mark and risk harming her. Yes she would survive, but why would she want to get hurt in the first place?

“Alright, let me get what we need.”

Really what he needed was, something to mark the circle, and some he quickly sound some chalk for the training ring to do it.. After he marked the circle surrounding them, Noah stripped his shirt from his body. While Ellie was already wearing active wear, her tank top had wide straps at her shoulders and he needed to mark runes to her collar bones too, not wanting to leave to go home to do this, a slice of a dagger, and the back of the straps were cut and the tank top became a halter top, exposing her collarbones. Perfect.

Standing in the circle, each cutting their palms so they could mix their blood, marking the runes to their skin. Ellie had been thinking about thie for weeks. So fervent in her thoughts of how she felt about bonding, her hesitation had nothing to do with Noah, and everything to do with herself, she had the runes cemented into her memory. Dipping her fingertips into their mixed blood didn’t bother her in the least, between having to, at times deal with assaults in the office from souls coming through to punishment, to training with Noah, she was getting more used to a little bit of blood. Now, a lot of blood, that would be a different situation entirely.

Once they were both done, and Noah was sure they were right, Noah took Ellie’s hands and started with the demonic words of the ritual. It was a disappointment that she knew she’d never be able to speak or understand the language, but Ellie squeezed his hands as his words continued.. The blood runes tingling on her skin. She gasped as he continued. When he finally she finished, she watched on in awe as the ritual completed, the bloodied runes they’d both drawn onto their skin melting together and slither into one long line swirling band of blood over their skin. Eventually she noticed that the band of blood travelled all the way around her body, along one arm to Noah’s body, around his shoulders and arms and back to her body, again around her shoulders and arms. Wrapping them both up up completely, binding them completely in the ritual spell before the red string of blood sank into their skin and bonding their souls.

“And it’s done.”

Ellie shivered, lifting her hands to Noah’s face and pulling him down to her so she could kiss him, the softest whimper escaping her, they were bonded.. As she pulled back, she spied the small black tattoo on her index finger, it looked just like one of Noah’s. He’d told her this would happen, and she had wondered which of his tattoos she would receive, this one was tiny, and subtle, but she’d have it no other way. This was their bond mark, this was the mark from his soul.

“You are all mine.”

She giggled as she looked up to him,

“BabyGirl, I was always yours.”

Dividers by @saradika-graphics & @cafekitsune

#bad omens #noah sebastian #fanfiction #bad omens cult #bad omens band #bad omens fic #noah sebastian x ofc #hell au #demon noah #fic: hell aint so bad #hell verse #fic: dagger through my chest

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