#bex talks to themself

[crippledanarchy]

I'm at the part in House where they pretend psychiatric incarceration works and that denying pain control of any kind to chronic pain patients is helpful and I'm losing my fucking mind because they know ketamine infusions give house 3-4 months pain free and fully functioning, and then they just never bring it up again. 4 ket infusions a year could give this guy his life back but no he has to just suffer if the vicodin has too many side effects

[theycallmeratt]

Snippet Saturday?

Tagged by @redroomroaving . Tagging @beesht @coreene @fistfuloftarenths @lolliputian @aviatorasharak

A snippet from Touch & Transformation, a SFW fic about Wyll and the Tiefling refugees at the celebration party.

"Great work today," Asharak said. With the goblin threat gone, the tiefling had taken a break from training the children and dipped into the celebration for a pint. He gave a tight lipped smile. "It was inspiring, seeing you fight up close."

Flattery, Wyll was certain, and a little thickly laid on. Asharak was nearly twice his age. Nearly his father's age. Still, there was a starry-eyed-ness to Asharak that suggested this might be the truth, and Wyll would be lying if he claimed the words didn't soothe him. Soon he found himself pouring it all out: how he couldn't sleep because of his horns, and when he did the flailing from his nightmares meant his horns cut and bruised his arms. How his teeth ached and kept cutting his mouth, how his skin and bones felt bruised from his new ridges rubbing against them.

"But listen to me. Talking to you as if you don't understand," Wyll said. "Oh, no, insulting you, too! I didn't mean it like—there's nothing wrong with horns. I only… damn. I'm sorry."

"I don't understand," Asharak said. "I was born this way. Well, my horns were smaller, and I was shorter—a bit, only a bit—but I've been a tiefling forever. My parents were tieflings. My sister is–was one. It's who I am. You've had horns for…"

"Eight days."

"Gods. Right, well. This is my body. That is the body you were forced into. But I've put together an entourage for you, if you're willing. We have Guex here, horns nearly as big as yours."

"I have an excellent method for preserving headboards!" Guex said. "It's called: do not use them, ha ha!"

"And Alfira, to help with the fangs."

"We'll have you back in your old voice in no time," grinned the bard. Wyll nodded gratefully; even though his teeth looked the same, each was razor sharp, slowly turning his tongue into a fringe.

"Bex has offered to alter your clothing, make it easier to take everything on and off," Asharak said.

"I'm not the best," Bex said, "but I did all of Danis's, and I think he looks great! Although, that might just be Danis."

"And finally… myself. For support." Again, Asharak gave that tight lipped smile, like his help was a thing that was inevitable. Wyll gave up.

He listened as Guex outlined various sleeping positions and showed him the easiest ways to get a shirt on and off. Lakrissa showed him how to oil his horns and ridges, and massage his neck. Cal and Lia delivered knitted covers for him to wear at night, the base padded with rabbit fur to protect the sensitive skin, the tips padded with old wine corks.

"If you're petty," said Rolan, refilling his wine, "Take pleasure in knowing that she gave you horns any devil would eat themself for."

"She really did," Dammon agreed. He gifted Wyll a set of cuffs with matching combs and ornaments for his hair, and a mouthguard to use at night. In a low voice he said, "A lot of us use them when our adult fangs come in. Wax can help it stay."

Wyll popped it in then popped it out, fumbling it into Karlach's pint. She laughed until she coughed and dared him to chug it.

Alfira nearly got his teeth handled by the end of the evening, and Wyll only nicked his tongue once saying "salutations". Lakrissa, with a wink, offered to teach him how to kiss, but Alfira whacked her on the horn until she apologized. The kids gave him a bag of hard candies they said could help his mouth heal. All the tieflings held flame behind his horns until they were convinced that it had a core and not a root, and thus wouldn't shed, then Zevlor himself taught Wyll the best way to avoid bleeding out from a broken horn, Karlach chiming in about her own experience losing one.

[saysike-skedoodles]

Smiler [Ride Souls]

FINALLY. YOU GUYS GET TO SEE THE SPOOKY SMILEY CAT THEMSELF! :D

This right here is Smiler, one of the characters from my short story series, "Ride Souls". They're a Cheshire Cat capable of invisibility, hypnosis and being spooky to those that are easily spooked (if that counts as an ability). They mainly hang around by the forest part of the realm. Hiding up in the trees until someone were to end up lost in there, to then reveal themself to that unsuspecting someone and either confuse that person with Smiler's "logic" or to just scare them away with their spiralling eyes. They're actually pretty harmless despite the hypnosis, and even then it only can put someone to sleep or make them see things that aren't real, almost like living in a dream in a sense. They tend to rely on fear and if someone is actually scared of them to be extra spooky, if not, they'll probably act annoying knowing Smiler.

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If you can't already tell, "Ride Souls" is inspired from those old bronze/silver age Disney films, so think the likes of "Alice in Wonderland", "Robin Hood", "Dumbo", all of those. I really wanted to show that in Smiler's updated design :D Obviously, they're based off of the Cheshire Cat from 1951 Alice in Wonderland. He's my favourite character, he's just so fun and cool :] Not only that, but remember my Alton Towers AU I made with my OCs Bex, Silly and Stacy? Yeah, Ride Souls exists BECAUSE of Alton Towers. I made this WAYYYYYYY before TMM, which will explain why so much of the characters are inspired from/ have names linked to the rides at Alton Towers. I can't wait to talking more about this, but yeah, if you wanna see more I have a LOT more stuff about RS on my DA alongside some short stories I've posted :]

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(also please please PLEASE I beg of yall to not be weird about Smiler or any of my characters, but SMILER ESPECIALLY. I'm aware that their main ability is an um, interest, to certain individuals online. So just respect my boundaries and not be weird about them <:] )

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-- 'Ride Souls' Short Stories --

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[all content I post is automatically 13+ if not stated in the title or the content itself]

[stones-x-bones]

Your Princess Is In Another Castle || Mina and Frank (And Bex)

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @drowningisinevitable and @inbextween SUMMARY: Frank comes looking for Bex, but finds someone else instead. CONTENT: Domestic abuse mentions 

Frank was a reasonable guy. And by and large so far he’d felt that he’d been more than reasonable with Odelia. But ever since that fae had come into her life, he’d noticed her slipping away. Yes, their agreement had been mutual at first-- it benefited him as well to have it look as if he were interested in normal human things, and it appeased his parents enough that he didn’t need to spend time pretending to chase girls in order to satisfy them, and he could focus more on his hunting and his schooling. But, damn, had that backfired. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint when he’d started actually feeling things for Odelia, but he knew it’d been for a while now. And at first, it seemed like she might reciprocate them, but now, well-- now there was something in the way. Something insidious.

She hadn’t come home in over a week, and she hadn’t messaged him, either. Something was wrong, she’d never stayed away this long. He hadn’t even seen her around campus, which was the most concerning-- last time Odelia had missed a class was because she’d been sick and it had only been one class and she’d had a near meltdown. So to miss nearly a month of classes was overly concerning. He needed to talk to her, now. He needed to save her.

He’d tracked her down via rumor on campus that she’d been seen with Professor Beck, as well as her messages online seeming to confirm this. Her address was easy enough to find, and so now Frank stood outside the large estate, his senses going wild. There was a fae inside, possibly more than one. He needed to be on guard. Going up to the front door didn’t seem like the best idea, so instead, he crouched around to the back, where he found a screened in pool and a porch. And there, the back door. But before he could reach it, his senses lit up like a firecracker, and he swiveled, turning to see that same brown-haired fae Odelia had been with at the movie theater. “You!” he hissed. “What are you doing here? Where’s Odelia?”

It was a nice enough day, all things considered, and Mina had been doing her homework outside to enjoy it while she could. She had music coming in through her headphones, pausing every now and again to replay a note that she liked before she started the song and her work back up again. In addition to the classes she taught, she still had classes that she attended, and she had no intention to fall behind like she had in the previous semester. Plus… since she was no longer avoiding the other girl because she was mostly certain she’d want to see her, Mina had planned to ask Bex if she would want to watch another movie later. Purely for Mina’s own educational purposes, of course. She smiled a bit at the thought before she was startled by a harsh voice. Jerking her head up, Mina met the eyes of Bex’s warden boyfriend. He clearly hadn’t been invited; he looked like he was sneaking about, especially coming in the back like this, and his words were even more telling. “Me?” she asked, baffled. “What are you doing here? This is someone’s home! You can’t just-- just sneak about!” She stood up, then, arms crossed. She felt petulant, an unusual feeling. “If she didn’t tell you, then she must not want you to know.”

“I heard she was staying here,” Frank snapped, hand already poised on the iron blade sheathed on his belt. “I came by to check it out, but then, well--” he simply nodded at Mina. “I can feel you a mile away, fae. What others are here? What are you doing to her?” A house full of fae could only mean bad things, and Frank had always had a strange hunch about Professor Beck. The rumors that flew around the school about her were warrant enough to draw suspicion, and that was even before the classroom incident. “She’s not talking to me and she hasn’t been home. That’s not like her.” There was a genuine concern in his voice, but the anger he felt towards the fae girl seeped through it. There was no way Odelia was staying here willingly. His father had taught him rightfully that all fae were monsters, perhaps the human looking ones most of all. They were the devious ones who tried to blend in with human society so that they could find their meals and prey more easily. He’d be damned if he was going to let that happen to Odelia. “She needs to go home, where she can be safe. And if you’re the one keeping her from that, then you know what I have to do.”

“From who?” Mina frowned. She wasn’t aware that many people knew where Bex was staying. She thought it was for the younger girl’s safety; something had happened to her. Just as well; Mina didn’t want Bex to ever end up in a situation where someone hurt her ever again. She looked at the knife strapped to the warden’s side. Frank. His name was Frank. She should use his name, at least in her head. “Yes, yes, you can sense me, you’re a warden. I knew when you burned my hand. I’ve spent my entire life around wardens.” You’re nothing new. She could sense other Fae, too. It wasn’t that special of a power. “I’m the only one here right now.” She wasn’t going to let his attention be directed towards anyone else on the off chance that he decided to use that knife, but perhaps Mina could keep it from escalating to that point. Maybe she could talk him down. “I’m sorry she’s not talking to you. She’s-- been in a bad way recently. She’s recovering, though.” She couldn’t stop the look of shocked hurt from crossing her features. “I’m not keeping her here. I’m not hurting her. I don’t hurt humans, people. I was raised not to do such things.”

“None of your business,” Frank shot back. Though his body remained tense, he lowered his hand. There was no major threat right now, and if there were others in the house, inciting something right here and now would be a death wish. He knew how tightly knit fae communities were, and they took their kinship seriously. “You what? But how? You’re fae, we kill your kind.” Mercilessly, his father had taught him, indiscriminately. She claimed to be the only one here, but Frank knew there had to be others around, otherwise his skin wouldn’t be boiling like it was. Just in case, he let the iron in his blood shift to his hands. “A bad way? Like what? What happened? And what makes you think I’d trust you? I know how your kind works. Trickery and clever wording. You can stand there and tell me all you want about how you don’t hurt humans, but I know your kind. All you do is hurt people,” he growled. He just wanted Odelia back, the image of them holding hands burned into the back of his mind. “Just give her back to me and I’ll walk away, no harm done.”

“Of course not,” Mina said, trying not to roll her eyes. “I am Fae. My dad was a hunter. I was raised to hunt Fae. The best people to do that from are other wardens, right?” The way he lowered his hands gave her the hope that she could reason with him. “His name was Eric Fitzroy, have you heard of him? Beast hunter, rather prominent in the UK. My name is Mina Fitzroy. Wilhelmina.” She made herself appear as nonthreatening as possible, something that Mina was very, very good at. There was nothing more dangerous, she’d been taught from a very young age, as an unassuming weapon. But she wasn’t going to hurt this boy. She had no reason to hurt this boy. Harm no humans, she’d always been taught, especially not other hunters. “A bad way. She was asleep, she was hurt. It’s not my place to explain.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, seeing as how I cannot lie well, and I’m not trying to be clever, I think you can at least take some consideration into my words. I don’t hurt people, and I would certainly never hurt Bex.” She hated the way he spoke, and she couldn’t help that she showed it in the way that her lips twisted momentarily. “She’s not an object to be given or taken,” fool. “I’m not keeping her here. No one’s keeping her here.”

Frank balked. That was impossible-- a fae raised to be a hunter? He’d heard horror stories of wardens falling in love with fae, but to do that was to think them human, and they were anything but. Most of those stories ended in death, anyway, and Frank wasn’t about to let that happen to Odelia. “Fitzroy…” He’d heard the name before, his father had made sure he knew all the local names the most, foreign ones later. Beast hunters weren’t exactly up their alley, but Frank was aware of them and all manner of beast, as well. Being in White Crest required it. He would slay a vampire or werewolf if the situation called for it, though tentatively, granted he had no immunity from them. “I heard he died.” Sharp eyes turned on Mina. “I don’t care for your name, fae,” he said through clenched teeth, “a lie you believe is still a lie.” He knew how devious fae could be, and if they’d convinced themself of a truth, then they could speak it as if it were not a lie. “Then why won’t she talk to anyone? Why isn’t she going to classes?” He knew the fae had something to do with it, he just needed to get her to admit it. Then he could focus on how to save Odelia.

“It’s been six months,” Mina said, and the information still shocked her. It still felt fresh. She still saw her father bleeding out, still felt his blood. The weight of that would never properly go away, she didn’t think. “He was killed. Hazard of the job.” She gritted her teeth a bit. “Okay, then don’t believe me, though I’m a bit confused as to what I’ve possibly been lying about? My father? It’s a bit hard to fabricate my entire childhood, and I don’t know why I would.” She needed him to leave. Or perhaps she needed to leave. But, with Bex inside and him trying to do who knew what, was that wise? She couldn’t just allow him to break into Morgan and Deirdre’s home. But she also couldn’t confront him into leaving.”I don’t know why she won’t talk to you, but perhaps she simply doesn’t want to?” Her eyes met his and matched their intensity. “I remember that you grabbed her, that you hurt her, at the movie theater. I remember that. I’m sure she does, too. No one’s keeping her here. Maybe she just doesn’t want to leave.”

“It’s not a hazard,” Frank said, “that just is the job. You’d know that if you really understood what it meant to be a hunter.” His voice grew lower, and even though he straightened up, he stayed poised, eyes glancing over the property before landing on the fae girl in front of him again. “I don’t pretend to know why you do the things you do, you can keep those to yourself.” But her next words threw him, and before he knew it anger was coursing through him and he was drawing his knife as he rounded on her. “I would never hurt Odelia. All I saw was her, having what looked like a panic attack, and then you come out and she suddenly starts acting all weird. If anyone is hurting her right now, it’s you.” His grip tightened. “Whether you know it or not. Whatever happened to her, it was your fault. And I swear to god if I find out you’re doing something to her, I will end you, hunter or not.”

There was no point in arguing the technicalities of being a hunter with some self-righteous boy that didn’t even hear any of the words coming out of Mina’s mouth. Instead, she started packing up her things. She’d had more pleasant conversations at actual knife point with people who were actively trying to cause her harm. Talking with Frank was worse than pulling teeth. “It is against everything in me to hurt human beings,” she snapped back at him, unable to control her temper, albeit only momentarily. Mina recovered quickly. She looked at this warden and his iron knife with cool, unaffected eyes. “You’re clearly going to see me however you see fit, which is your prerogative. I won’t fault you for behaving as any good hunter should when faced with what you perceive to be a threat.” She hated his words, hated how she questioned herself briefly even when she knew he was wrong. And he was wrong. “However, I must ask you to leave, or I’ll call the police. I’m not going to hurt you, but I’m not going to let you harm anyone else here, or myself. I don’t want to deal with iron burns today.” Frank may have been a warden, but Mina had little doubt that she was equipped with most of the same training as he was, only, from the look of him, she learned in harder ways. 

Frank stayed stiff. He hated this girl and it wasn’t just because she was a fae. “You might not have harmed her physically, but ask yourself this-- would she be in the position she is now if it weren’t for you? Would she have had to run if it weren’t for you?” He knew something had happened between her and her parents, otherwise why would she had left home? He knew they were strict, but they had to be. They were just keeping her safe in this harsh world. “I told her parents about you. And then all of this happened. Coincidence?” Maybe if he appealed to side of this fae that thought she was somehow helping Odelia, he could get her to admit the truth. He just needed Odelia to see it, too. Somehow. Some way. “Do you really think she’s better off with people like you? She’s just a normie. She needs to be where she’s protected. You can’t do that. We both know that.” The threat of the police didn’t bother him-- how many times had he been taken in? His father held esteem in this town, none of the charges ever stuck. “Go ahead,” he said, nodding at her phone, “call them. I’m not leaving until I know Odelia’s okay.”

Cocking her head slightly, Mina considered Frank’s words. Was she the cause of all of this? Slowly, she answered, “Yes, I think she would have. Whatever happened between you and her and I at the movie theater wasn’t the only thing going on. This is bigger than you, and it’s bigger than me, too.” This had to do with Bex being put to sleep for way, way too long and almost dying. This had to do with whatever had gotten her hurt. This wasn’t about the two of them, not really. “You told them about me? What I am? You would tell non-supernaturals what I am?” Or did he just tell them she was a danger of some kind? Did it even matter, in the end? “I-- I think-- She should be able to decide what she wants to do herself. She’s been exposed to all of this, for better or for worse, and there’s really no going back. She should make her own decisions. She’s not a child, nor is she a soldier.” Not like him, and not like Mina. “She doesn’t have to take orders.” She picked up her phone but hesitated. “Leave, please. Try and call her again, or something else, but what you’re doing now isn’t right. Just because you don’t think I’m a person doesn’t mean the law won’t, and all you’re going to do is make yourself look bad and possibly end up with a restraining order from the owners of this house.” Mina couldn’t imagine Deirdre being okay with trespassers, especially not a warden one.

Frank put the knife down, because she was right. He would never admit it, but she was. “They might be non-supernaturals, but they’re not blind. They’ve lived in this town long enough to know what it means for someone to be a danger.” The truth was, he hadn’t told them what Mina was or what she was capable of, only that she was a threat to Odelia. That she was a monster. In his eyes, she would never be anything else. “FIne, let her make the decision. But that means you have to tell her first, doesn’t it?” His eyes narrowed in on the fae. “Have you even told her? Have you even considered telling her the truth? About what you are, what you do?” He knew he had, and he knew how frightening that aspect was. “At least I’m human,” he pointed out, voice low, “and I can keep her in the human world. Do you even know who she is? What her name holds? She may not be a soldier like you or I, but she has responsibilities, too. And you’re holding her back by keeping her here, you’re--” But in the next moment, a voice cut him off, and Frank looked up only to see Odelia standing in the back doorway of the house.

“Frank!?” Bex exclaimed, stiff in the doorway. “What are you-- how did you--” her eyes fell to the knife in his hand, pointed at Mina. “Why do you have a knife!?” She was racing down the yard in the next moment, planting herself between him and Mina. He wouldn’t hurt her, right? “Frank, put it down,” she said firmly, even though her legs shook and her eyes wavered. She’d never really been the brave sort, but she’d be damned if she was going to let Frank hurt Mina. Or anyone, really. But that was irrelevant right now. 

“Well, that’s well and good, isn’t it? Do they know that you being in her life is a danger as well? After all, wherever you go, wherever you hunt, that brings a lot of terrible things about, right?” Maybe Mina shouldn’t be asking such questions and making things worse, but she was finding it hard to help herself. If this boy wanted to be arrogant, fine. But he needed to understand that he was just as much a risk to Bex because of his lifestyle as Mina was because of her nature. Both of them would always be dangerous things that dealt with dangerous things. If he couldn’t see that, then he was a fool. She clenched her jaw tightly. “What I am hasn’t come up, nor do I plan on allowing it to ever need to.” She realized how hypocritical it sounded, she did, okay? Mina just… didn’t want to be subjugated to Bex looking at her the way that Frank did: like she was something horrible and disgusting and wrong. “For the last time, I’m not--” She jerked her head to where Bex was standing and watched with wide eyes as the girl put herself between Mina and the warden. “Bex, hey, it’s fine. Everything’s fine, okay?” The words felt acrid in her mouth, but she said them anyway.

“Fine!?” Bex gaped, exasperated. “He’s holding a knife to you!” Her head was spinning, she didn’t understand-- what the hell was going on here? Why did Frank hate Mina so much? She remembered his words, his anger, when they’d talked after the movies, but he hadn’t been able to tell her then, and she doubted he’d tell her now. She turned to look back at Frank, but froze at the way he was looking at her. 

Because all Frank saw were the bruises and the bandages lining Odelia’s body, and the fae behind her. She had done this, he knew it. He needed to get her out of there, now. He reached for Odelia, a hand clamping a vice grip around one of her wrists and tugging. “We have to go,” he said to her stiffly, but she fought. “Odelia, we need to--”

Bex jerked, raised a hand, and smacked Frank hard across the face. She shoved against him. “Let go of me!” she said, tears already in her eyes. “You’re hurting me, Frank! Let go!” She shoved him again and he stumbled. His grip released a moment later and Bex stumbled back into Mina. She was shaking from head to toe. “Leave!” she snapped at him. “Leave, right now!” 

This would have been a bad time for Mina to point out that it was just a knife, and that, really, she’d dealt with far worse. So she didn’t say that, instead went from worried about Bex putting herself into this situation to almost murderous when she saw Frank put his hands on her. He was lucky that Bex slapped him. If there was anything in the world that would let Mina believe in luck over statistical analysis and predictions, it would be that. Because Mina would have hurt him if he hadn’t let go. As she steadied Bex as gently as she could, she looked Frank in the eyes and hoped that he could see that. Then she felt guilty for it (or maybe she was feeling guilty over the fact that… she didn’t feel quite as guilty as she should). “You need to leave,” she said lowly, her voice measured where Bex’s had been pitched. She forced herself to be calm before she did something that she would regret. Deep, even breaths. She kept a comforting hand on Bex, not just for the other girl’s sake but for her own as well. 

Frank did not sheath his knife, but kept a steady eye on the two of them. He couldn’t believe what was happening, but that was how fae worked, wasn’ it? They twisted your words, your mind, until you believed they were your friends, until you believed you loved them. He’d heard of this type of fae before, and they were some of the most dangerous. A simple touch could render a human useless. A weapon of saliva. His eyes narrowed. “This is far from over,” he said under his breath, knowing the fae could hear him. Perhaps even Odelia, too, but she needed to know what was happening. “I’m not letting go so easily. I know what you are, what you’re capable of.” He backed away, firm grip on his knife. His eyes turned to the monster. “Next time,” he said, “you won’t be so lucky.” 

Bex’s heart felt as if it might beat from her chest, but she refused to move. If there was only one thing she knew in this moment it was that she was the only thing keeping Frank from hurting Mina, and she would not allow that to happen. Even if it meant she might get hurt. But Frank was backing off, and walking away now and even with his threatening, ominous words, Bex felt relief. Only once his figure was completely gone, did she turn around to face Mina, hands reaching out to brush over her as if looking for some sign that Mina was hurt or okay or perhaps both. “Did he hurt you?” she asked, voice small. “A-are you okay? Why was he here? What did he want?”

Nothing the boy said warranted a response from Mina. If she could ensure it, there wouldn’t have to be a next time. There was no need for a next time. She could avoid that boy for the rest of her life if need be. He simply had to make sure he never hurt Bex again. Otherwise, she’d make him regret being born. Mina wasn’t used to such dark thoughts lasting more than a moment. She’d never wanted to actively hurt anyone, though she knew she would have for the people she was close to, her friends. And, even though they’d only known each other for such a short time, Mina considered Bex a very good friend, one who she greatly enjoyed spending time with. Speaking of, she looked at Bex and gave her a soft smile. “I’m fine. He didn’t even get near me, I assure you.” She showed Bex her hands, free of any fresh cuts or scrapes. “See? I’m alright. He--” she frowned. “He was looking for you, actually. He found me while I was doing my homework, and I… scolded him a bit for breaking into private property and told him that if you wanted to talk that you would. We were only talking. He wouldn’t have been able to hurt me.” 

Bex took Mina’s hands gratefully and folded them into hers, sighing with relief. Maybe this really did prove that she had no idea who Frank really was-- she’d never expected him to be so violent, so angry. So...jealous? “He-- was looking for me?” She blinked, a bit taken aback. Though, what else would he have been here for? It still surprised her. Why was he trying so hard after telling her to figure herself out first? “I-- I’m sorry. I should-- I should probably talk to him. I never meant for him to-- I don’t know why he hates you so much,” she stuttered, shaking her head. “He won’t tell me and I don’t understand.” What she would give to just understand, then maybe she could fix this. She wanted to fix everything. “I’m sorry, this is my fault.” And it was, and god how her parents would scold her if they knew. The thought reverberated like a bad nightmare in her head and she swallowed. “I’ll make sure he never does this again, okay?”

“He wanted to talk to you. I think he was mostly concerned for you, really.” Mina didn’t really know why she was defending someone who would gut her like a fish if he was given the chance, but there she was, defending him. “I wasn’t you. Or it wasn’t just you. He’s been able to-- to recognize me, since the movie theater. He recognized me and, rather justly, didn’t like me. It happens, it’s happened before, it’s really not just him.” She gave Bex’s hands a squeeze but looked down a bit, unable to meet her eyes. “Some things are a bit hard to explain,” she said quietly, thinking about how Frank had goaded her about not telling Bex what she was. The truth, completely and utterly unavoidable, was that Mina was frightened, and she dealt with fear similarly to how she dealt with most uncomfortable things: not well. “I don’t blame you, Bex. I don’t. I mean that.” She didn’t say anything to Bex’s next statement, just thinned her lips a bit and squeezed Bex’s hands again. There was no way the younger girl could ensure that the warden wouldn’t find her. Mina would simply have to be on guard in case he did.

“Yeah,” Bex sighed, “he seems real concerned for me lately.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Guess I’m just confused considering he’s not technically my boyfriend…” Both Mina and Frank were making things complicated, and neither of them seemed to want to tell her why it was that he hated her so much. She felt a sting of annoyance, looking away. What did any of that mean, anyway? People so often treated her like this confused, fragile doll that would shatter if they told her something strange or distressing. She wasn’t as fragile as all that, she endured so much more than anyone could ever imagine. She didn’t squeeze her hands back. “Right,” she finally muttered, “complicated.” Her eyes flicked back to where Frank’s figure had disappeared around the house before she turned back to Mina. “You might not blame me, but it is my fault. I-- should have let him know I was okay. I--” she paused, crinkling her brows, “should let my parents know I’m okay.”

“He seems to have trouble expressing his emotions,” Mina said, trying to lighten the mood. “Perhaps he just needs a better outlet, like yoga.” So he wasn’t her boyfriend? He seemed to think he was still something. “Does he-- does he know? That he’s not your boyfriend? Because I don’t know if he knows that.” She sighed a bit when Bex looked away and muttered. This wasn’t what Mina wanted. She preferred when things were easy between them, when she could answer questions about colors and food and only think about things a little bit carefully. Not telling Bex that she was Fae was like walking around a landmine. “I wish it wasn’t. Complicated,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes followed Bex’s, and she wondered if the boy was still around, even if she could no longer see him. “Well, he knows now, whatever the case.” She turned back to Bex, worried. “Do you want to let them know?”

“He’s--” Bex started, then stopped. “It’s--” she started again but froze, realizing what word was on the tip of her tongue. “Yes, he knows. He-- wants to be, though. We sort of...were faking it. For our parents. But now he...wants it to be real.” The smallness of Mina’s voice made her heart clench and she suddenly felt a wave of guilt for being so annoyed before. She skirted around her feelings, brushing them away. “Yoga. Maybe. Or anger management, I guess.” She wished she’d known him better, she could have seen this coming. But she supposed she was just drawn to those with anger. There was a study that said that children often sought out partners who were like their parents. She hated that study. “What? Oh--” she refocused back on MIna. “No. No? No, don’t-- don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. This isn’t-- because of you. If he’s the one with the problem, he should have the balls to tell me why.” She frowned. “It’s not about want. I-I owe them at least that much.” But the hesitation in her voice gave it away. She looked down at their hands intertwined. “Don’t I?”

“He wants it to be real, and you… don’t,” Mina said slowly, making sure to clarify. Fake dating was a thing, apparently. She supposed she’d done similar things in the past in order to keep up appearances with children of her dad’s colleagues, but it never lasted long, and the people that she’d been partnered with had never, under any circumstances, wanted the endeavor to be real. She hadn’t either, or she hadn’t allowed herself to, not when they made her feel so wrong. “Possibly anger management.” If he’d been a bit more level headed, Mina probably would have had more cause to be wary of him. As it was, too many emotions led to carelessness. She knew that first hand, especially after the wolf that first time. “Well, it’s no more your fault than mine. I assure you, he would likely have been just as antagonistic with me had we met on the street.” She scrunched up her nose a bit, frowning. “It’s hard to tell people things. I’m-- I don’t think I’m trying to defend him? But it is rather hard. Especially when you don’t know how someone will react.” Did Bex owe her parents? Truthfully, Mina didn’t care for them, for the way they seemed to make Bex feel. However, she was no stranger to the concept of duty. It was different with her dad, though. “I don’t know. I think… you’re not obligated. If you don’t want to. If you really don’t want to.”

“I--” Bex started, but suddenly admitting that that was true made her heart seize. “I don’t know.” She felt the answer climbing its way through her body like poison. She didn’t, she didn’t want him like that. So why was that so hard to say out loud? Why did she care that Mina knew that? “He was good to me, before. But now I just--” there were those answers again. Those non-answers. All it really did was confirm to Bex that Mina was hiding something from her, too. But who was she to judge? Mina had no idea who Bex really was, or about her secrets. Secrets her parents had paid very high prices to keep. “I feel like I don’t know anything, anymore. Everything was so easy before. When did it all get so complicated?” she was mostly just thinking out loud now, adjusting herself to not look so lost and confused. Did it matter what she really wanted? Wasn’t she obligated to them? Wasn’t she theirs? “Let’s go inside,” was all she ended up saying, “I don’t want to be out here if he comes back.” 

“That’s okay,” Mina said quickly. “Perfectly okay thing not to know.” She wished that she could help with this. Mina had little to no experience in these kinds of things, and it was obvious most of the time. “Things are usually easier when you’re not getting hurt all the time,” she said, looking over Bex’s bandages to make sure none of them needed changing. “And I imagine things got rather complicated around the time that you went on a campus tour and ended up encountering a cockatrice, maybe a bit before.” Her tone was a bit dry, but she couldn’t help the worry in her eyes. Had she brought all of this supernatural insanity upon Bex? The girl had probably had a shot at a normal life, away from all of this. Honestly, she probably still did, if she cut ties with many of the people she met, specifically the ones in that house. But that was the last thing Mina wanted, and people were telling her to pay attention to her own wants, weren’t they? Shouldn’t she? She wanted to tell Bex that she highly doubted Frank would be back that night; it would be pointless to attack Mina while she was still on guard, and he had no idea where she stayed in the house, if she stayed in the house. Instead, she said, “I’m following you. I decided against finishing my work out here anyway.”

But I do know, Bex wanted to say to Mina. She wanted to reach out and shake her-- and maybe herself?-- and shout But I do know! I don’t want him. Or any of that life! But instead she stayed quiet. She always just stayed quiet, like a good little girl. “I don’t mean to,” she mumbled, “it actually started a long time ago.” Long before she started having strange dreams, and long before she started shattering windows when she cried. “Though things did get admittledy weirder after that incident.” Seeing Frank here certainly counted as weird, considering she’d never thought their relationship would even get this far. It wasn’t even a relationship. Her hand subconsciously tightened in Mina’s. “Sorry your studying got interrupted,” she murmured, as she turned to lead them back inside, “maybe if you finish early, we could watch another movie together?”

Mina was curious, more than curious, really, about what Bex could possibly mean about her complications starting a long time before the cockatrice incident. Which was both concerning and relieving to not have the weight of such things directly on her. “I know. You don’t need the bandages on your hands changed, do you? I wouldn’t mind if you did.” It was the least that Mina could do, after all. She gave Bex a smile. “It’s really alright. I was almost done, anyway. I was just making a quiz, which… I was planning on making it a bit challenging, but now I don’t think I will. So, really, perhaps it was a good thing, right?” She liked the idea of another movie. She’d been thinking about that earlier, anyway. If she made the test more challenging, she’d have to go through all of the steps to the various ways to go about getting the right answer, which was tedious. No, she was going to make a simpler quiz to get it done with as easy as possible. And, if the statistics class that she taught got an easier week of classes than they were used to? She was feeling generous. “I think I’d like that a lot, actually. Give me five minutes.”

“Oh, um--” Bex started, looking down at the bandages on her free hand. She didn’t actually remember the last time she’d changed them. Hadn’t Morgan changed them recently? She couldn’t recall. She glanced back at Mina and felt her cheeks burning. “I...I think I could use some new ones.” The way Mina smiled, soft and encouraging, would have made anyone think things would be alright. It certainly made Bex feel like everything could be, at least. One never would’ve guessed she’d just walked in-- or out?-- on her fake boyfriend brandishing a knife at her friend. One of her best friends, at that. Or maybe something more. Did Bex want something more? She was just happy having people in any capacity, really. Was that why her answer had felt so sour? About Frank? No. She couldn’t let that thought run away with her mind. She might not have been under her parents’ microscope at this very moment, but it was still there, somewhere, waiting to observe her. And it would be until she did something about it, wouldn’t it? Trouble was, she didn’t know how to do anything about it. She didn’t even know if she wanted to. And so she let the thought be buried in her heart, where the ache from the last girl still was. “Five minutes. Got it,” she answered, “I’ll go make tea.” 

“If you’d like, I can redo those while we watch the movie.” Mina was almost positive that, at this point, there wouldn’t be enough fresh blood to irritate her skin, so she should be able to perform the first aid just fine. Besides, that was something that she knew how to handle that wouldn’t end up going poorly. It was rather hard for even her to mess up simple first aid. She nodded, gave Bex a smile, and opened up her computer program quickly, ready to make a short quiz. She could probably do this in less than five minutes, really, if she made it easy. She considered, for just a moment, whether it would be detrimental to her students. Surely, they could use an easy quiz. And this was her doing something that she wanted. She had to keep telling herself that. She finished making the quiz in three minutes, all the questions relatively simple so that it wouldn’t take her students long to do and it wouldn’t take her long to grade. When she was done, she saved it and made herself a note to print it off in the morning when she got to campus. She looked up at Bex, “Alright, what are we watching?”

[at-the-exd-of-everythixg]

✩ ][Rhys and Sal][

@blind-mutant

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice?

Sal,,,,he just,,,has no inside voice. He's the guy to run into the room screaming Rhys's name and Rhys just slowly looks up from where he's sitting right next to Sal.

Who threatens to leave but never actually does?

Rhys does because sometimes Sal actually listens a little to him! But as if he'd leave his Starshine.

Who actually keeps their word and leaves?

Sal ups and flies off for a bit to cool down. A bad part of him kind of wants to come back to Rhys being worried and actually wanting him back.

Who trashes the house?

Both of them do but mostly Rhys since Sal is gone by then.

Do either of them get physical?

Sal unintentionally if you count exploding as getting physical.

How often do they argue/disagree?

A LOT at first but they eventually get into a rhythm, Rhys learns how to deal with Sal and Sal learns to soften around Rhys so they definitely end up fighting less.

Who is the first to apologise?

Rhys! And u know what? It definitely makes Sal want to apologise more because goddammit don't be a good person Moonie.

Sex:

Who is on top?

Sal. Physically? Also Sal.

Who is on the bottom?

Rhys. As Sal likes to say, "There's no end ta' dis bottom Moon!" (He's drunk and horny when saying this).

Who has the strangest desires?

Rhys does for sure. But those two weeks in August? Sal's pulling a Magni and begging to be bred and to hear Rhys talking at all times.

Any kinks?

Rhys,,,it'd be easier to name what ISN'T his kink but he loves the lingerie, bondage, spanking and being shoved into his place by Sal. Sal's kinks include lingerie, admittedly he enjoys both ends of spanking and does being serenaded count as a kink? It definitely gets him wobbly in the knees.

Who’s dominant in bed?

Definitely Sal I'd actually laugh at Rhys being dominant to him.

Is head ever in the equation?

Always. I'm really shocked tha we've never written any kind of sixty-nining(?) With them since Sal adores sucking Rhys off and I wouldn't be too surprised if Rhys liked giving Sal head. The chance to have both of their faces buried and squeezing around each other's thighs? Maybe we don't write it because we know the boys would nut immediately.

If so, who is better at performing it?

Oof that's a tough one...honestly? No idea. Guess the boys will just have to have a contest over it ;)

Ever had sex in public?

Yup, over or under the bar counter.

Who moans the most?

Rhys does.

Who leaves the most marks?

Rhys also does because Sal is a peach and bruises ridiculously easy.

Who screams the loudest?

Rhys.

Who is the more experienced of the two?

Sal is since he does more men while being with Rhys and Cecil was rather longtime and constant while Rhys had some moments to himself and other patients.

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’?

Fuck always. But y'know, Rhys can always turn it a bit mushy at the end and Sal can't dare get away.

Rough or soft?

Rough. Same gig with the fuck and mush stuff.

How long do they usually last?

I assume 30-20 minutes for Rhys? Sal can usually go 15 minutes for most dicks but advanced ones take more energy before he needs a few minutes to breath. Though this is due to the fact that Sal strains his powers and doesn't take care of himself + light poisoning over time. Fully powered and healthy? Two hours baby.

Is protection used?

Nah, not needed expect for two weeks ever August.

Does it ever get boring?

Nope, both of them are VERY infatuated with each other. If being vanilla was a kink then these two would be it.

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex? 

The bedroom of one of Sal's scams. But hey! When there's a heart shaped bed and valentines treats...

Family: (Going on the kid meme where Sal gets pregnant, plans to keep it a secret, but immediately blurts it out and starts crying as soon as Rhys walks into the room)

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children?

Absolutely not but sadly a lack of alien biology means they were not prepared for what those two weeks of August meant.

If so, how many children do your muses want/have?

Just one since its....already an emotional thing enough. Rhys can't handle Sal crying for 11 months again.

Who is the favorite parent?

Sal is because oh god he's softer than melted butter on his Lucky Star.

Who is the authoritative parent?

Rhys is but honestly? Not that authotive. He's melted chocolate.

Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school?

Sal is. He's never been and he turned out fine!.....ish.

Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around?

Rhys. Their baby is just as bad as Sal and now he has two short gremlins pawing at him for snaccs.

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children?

Rhys will. He's a soccer mom.

Who goes to parent teacher interviews?

Both of them since they'd both mess up equally. Together??? A mess. But a hot one!

Who changes the diapers?

Sal does unfortunately. Luckily? Baby also does not use the bathroom as much as a normal human.

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby?

Rhys will but Sal does in the early months since he just gets instincts up and going at first. ("The baby buzzed." "Oh she's hungry.")

Who spends the most time with the children?

Rhys will. Absolutely takes more time off in order to just spend time with his beautiful baby and mush about how it's his little piece of Sal all for him.

Who packs their lunch boxes?

Sal will because that's parent stuff!! He saw it on TV and that's the most parent thing he could do!

Who gives their children ‘the talk’?

They probably get Bex if I'm honest? Neither of them had a good experience with sex for the first time and I doubt an alien and a gay mutant catholic Irish boy would have been given a sex talk at all.

Who cleans up after the kids?

Rhys will.

Who worries the most?

Sal and Rhys both do but in different ways? If they get into a fight then Rhys will worry about their baby facing the bully without help and Sal will worry about teachers abandoning his baby.

Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from?

Sal 100% Swears to the kid when putting them to bed and that's the first thing baby greets Rhys with. A big ass swear out of their smol baby body.

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle?

Rhys does,,,and Sal.

Who is the little spoon?

Sal. Not intentionally!! But when you're that smol....Rhys love his little hot water bottle man.

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places?

Sal does and he isn't sorry.

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself?  

Sal must make things dirty or he will die.

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable?

It all depends on what can distract Sal or how long he's tired. Rhys's best bets are podcasts because Sal is amazed by them and will actually lay in his arms for fifty minutes to listen (and konks out halfway but shh).

Who gives the most kisses?

Rhys!! Sal's never been smooched so much in his life!!

What is their favourite non-sexual activity?

Probably flirting arguing over a podcast or Rhys explaining a book to Sal. Rhys's is trying to convince Sal that napping is a cool hobby but nah he ain't buying it old dusty man. ("Did yer really have t'add dusty?")

Where is their favourite place to cuddle?

In bed! With their blankets and pillows!!

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other? 

Both of these weenies.

How often do they get time to themselves?

Often, they have good working schedules so there's a lot of mornings and sometimes afternoons to themselves.

[mikaelson-imagine]

Temporary fix

pairing(s): Klaus x reader and mentions of Rebekah x reader (as friends)

Summary: Klaus hears the reader and Rebekah talk about some her feelings for him, tries to play it cool but failing because he’s wrapped around reader’s fingers // I changed a request up a bit and it turned into this

Warning: mentions of light smut, please read with caution or don’t read it at all if you feel uncomfortable x

(Y/N) and Rebekah have been friends for over a 90 years. They met in a club, and Rebekah realised this girl was exactly like her. So they became friends, and soon enough Rebekah changed (Y/N) herself.

As if Klaus’ life wasn’t complicated enough living with his sister by his side, but now her best friend lived with them too. Over 90 years he made himself believe that having a crush on your sister’s friend was wrong, but he still couldn’t help it. Eventually he grew closer to her too, and she and Rebekah became his two favorite girls.

He was reading a book in the living room, while he heard them talk about things he did not want to know. Until, his name came up. This immediatly caught his attention.

"(Y/n), come on! You have never thought about hooking up with my brother? I mean, you like him, he likes you.." "Well, yes I have but I wouldn’t because that would surely ruin our friendship! I mean, every girl he meets drools at the sight of him." He heard (y/n) tell his sister. If only she knew how badly he wanted her. Wants her. Because his feelings still haven’t changed. "Bex, can we go out? I wanna get black out drunk." He heard her sigh and before he realised they invited him to make sure that ‘they would stay safe’ in the club because who’s insane enough to touch the two girls that belonged by the big bad hybrid’s side.

Saw your body language and I know how you're feeling. You look like the kind of girl that's tired of speaking. Standing with somebody but he doesn't know what you like.

Klaus found himself in the crowd on the dancefloor with his sister. The booze was starting to effect his way of thinking, and if he kept drinking he wouldn’t be able to think at all anymore. As he looked around the way too crowded room for his liking, he saw (Y/n) talking with some man he’s never seen before. She looked bored, and he felt pity for the man because she was hard to please and even harder to take home. "Nik, can we get another drink?" He heard his sister ask, so he grabbed her hand and guided her through the crowd. "Two more please." The bartender got their drinks ready and handed them over to Klaus.

You caught my attention, you were looking at me first. All that I can see's you waking up in my t-shirt. If you're not hooked on anything right now, I can be your vice.

After finishing his drink he looked for (Y/n) again. As his eyes found her, turns out she was already staring at him. He saw that Rebekah had found her own entertainment by now, so he walked over to (y/n) who was now standing lonely with her back against the wall.

"I see you have been quite busy with all these men, love." She took a sip of her drink and smiled. "They’re nothing like you tho." He could smell the alcohol on her breath and he didn’t know who was more drunk between the two of them. They’re nothing like you, shit, what did she mean by that. His thoughts were all over the place and all the thoughts about taking her home kept repeating themself.

"If they’re nothing like me, love," he started inches away from her ear and one hand next to her head on the wall, "let me take you home." The famous Klaus Mikaelson smirk made it’s appearance on his face.

The night is on your lips and I feel like I'm locked in. There's a million lights, I don't care if they're watching. Your body is saying everything, I don't have to read your mind.

It felt like forever before (Y/n) finally gave an answer to his proposal. In reality, only a minute had passed and he couldn’t help but keep looking at her lips. She grabbed his face and kissed him. Klaus was never the type to care if people were watching him. Not when he was on a killing mission, or moments like this. He felt her whole body respond to his touch which was the answer he was waiting for.

Feel you on my neck while I'm calling a taxi. Climbing over me while I climb in the backseat. Now we're taking off, now we're taking it off tonight.

"Nik. Home. Now." He grabbed her hand and guided her through the exit. He decided to tease her some more by calling a taxi to drive them back instead of just going there themselves. Her lips were all over his neck, leaving bruises that would fade right after.

His plan failed and decided to not wait for the taxi but to go by themselves. Not even 5 minutes later they were at the mansion.

We can roll in the darkness. Let me touch you where your heart is. And if you're feeling the weakness, well, I told you, baby, that you can call me. I'll be your temporary fix, you can call me.

When he woke up the morning after, he found (y/n) sleeping on his chest. He couldn’t stop thinking about last night, and why he never decided to make this happen earlier. Carefully he decided to get up out of bed. He grabbed some clothes out of his closet and put them on. He also put one of his shirts on the chair in his room, so (y/n) had something to wear when she woke.

He walked out of the room and walked around the mansion to see how much of damaged they have caused. Here and there he found some broken bricks, and torn pieces of clothing. He picked them up and threw them away because there’s no use to torn clothes anymore anyway.

He made two cups of coffee and returned to his bedroom. He found (y/n) sitting on his balcony and handed her the drink.

You can call me when you're lonely, when you can't sleep, I'll be your temporary fix. You control me even if it's just tonight.

"So.. will it be even harder to find someone like me now?" He asked her. "There is no one like you, Niklaus Mikaelson." She laughed, making him smile. As much as he tried to play it cool, she had him totally whipped.

"Rebekah told me you liked me" she broke the silence. He looked up from his now empty cup and smiled. "Like. It hasn’t changed love." Now it was her who looked down at her coffee cup. "My sister has also informed me that you like me." She raised her eyebrow, knowing he was lying because Rebekah wasn’t the one who’d tell Nik about her friends’s secrets.

"Okay fine, she did not. I heard you two talk before we went out." She looked up again, "I do." "So.. you are telling me that we waited 90 years for whatever you would like to call this.. to happen?" He asked, pointing his finger between them.

You can call me when you feel like I'm your good time. I'll be your temporary fix. You can own me and we'll call this what you like. Let me be your good night.

"It was worth the wait wasn’t it? I had a good night atleast." She confessed. "Then let me be your good night more often." "I like to be taken out for dinner first. What happened to the gentleman I knew?" She smiled again. He got up and kissed her cheek, "tonight. You and me. Dinner at 6, love."

[s-cornelius]

Congratulations, You Played Yourself

OR Why we shouldn’t be having this conversation about Adam

I’ve seen a lot written in the past few days about Voltron not deserving the hype it got for revealing that Shiro is queer, both on this platform and Twitter, and on geek news/opinion sites. Most arguments revolve around Shiro’s ex-boyfriend, Adam--both Adam’s brief screentime and his death--or the conversation between Shiro and Adam in the flashback in 7x01, and it not being explicit enough.

I am of the opinion that the conversation between Shiro and Adam was explicit confirmation of Shiro’s sexuality, and I treat it as such in this meta. I also won’t deal with the widely circulating idea that because Adam and Shiro don’t reconcile, the representation is bad. This just reinforces the idea that queer people are defined by their relationships (and sexual activity), rather than all of the other parts of their personality. As a queer person, seeing these criticisms is very frustrating.

So, I’m not going to focus on those things, because I think that they are more subjective. Instead, I am going to talk about the major complaints I’ve seen regarding Adam’s brief appearances in the show, as well as Adam’s role in the wider story Voltron is telling. 

The major complaints I’ve seen are that Adam is an example of queerbaiting, and/or the Bury Your Gays trope (see #VoltronLegendaryQueerbait on Twitter, for example). These complaints seem to stem from an expectation that after 7x01, Adam would play a larger role in the story, and even might be the endgame romantic partner for Shiro. Then, when that expectation was not met (because Adam barely appears in the season), the complaints of bad representation began.

In this meta, I discuss queerbaiting and the Bury Your Gays trope, and show that Adam is not a good example of either of these issues, through examining his character and his role in the story. Also, this is my take (after long conversations with @messier51) as a bisexual woman and as someone who thinks a lot about how stories are structured/executed.

What is ‘queerbaiting’?

Queerbaiting, as I’ve always understood it, is the practice of ‘promising’ LGBT+ content, but not following through on that promise. The ‘promising’ part is usually nods and winks from the show, but then the characters end up in relationships with members of the opposite gender, etc. The important assumption behind the idea of queerbaiting is that showrunners and production companies want to cash in on LGBT viewership, but don’t want to alienate the majority straight audience. Therefore, the showrunners get as close as possible to a same gender relationship, but never intend to follow through.

I’ve always been skeptical of the whole notion of queerbaiting, to be honest. I think in order to make an argument about queerbaiting, you have to know the motivations and intentions by the showrunners/writers/directors/cast. You also have to assume bad faith; the showrunners are thinking more about ‘tricking’ their fanbase, than trying to tell a coherent story. (sidenote: I think the bigger issue at hand is that queerness is still not normalized in fiction, and consequently, characters are straight until proven otherwise. Therefore, close same gender relationships that never become romantic are more of an issue of lack of imagination, than an willing attempt to hurt people.)

So, let’s think logically for a moment: If queerbaiting is hinting at a relationship between same gender characters, but never intending to follow through, Voltron does not qualify as queerbaiting. If the showrunners of Voltron intended to queerbait, they would not have fought for the dialogue between Shiro and Adam that makes their romantic relationship explicit. Similarly, Bex Taylor-Klaus, a queer person themself, championed explicit, in-text confirmation that Shiro was in said relationship, and then was proud of the fact that that confirmation was included.  Are those things not the opposite of queerbaiting?

Voltron promised, metatexually (i.e. showrunners in interviews, at conventions, etc.), to include LGBT+ representation. In 7x01, Shiro was revealed to be mlm, and had a mlm boyfriend. Therefore, Voltron is not an example of queerbaiting.

What about ‘Bury Your Gays’?

Bury Your Gays is a trope in fiction where queer characters are not allowed to have happy endings. Historically, this trope has referred to the practice of killing of wlw (which is why it was called Dean Lesbian Syndrome before Bury Your Gays gained prominence) going back to pulp wlw novels in the mid-twentieth century. Bury Your Gays was a staple of stories about queer people because homosexuality was (and still is by some) considered to be immoral; characters cannot be rewarded with a happy ending, because in doing so, queerness is being rewarded.

This trope has been in the zeitgeist in recent years, following the death of the wlw character Lexa on the show The 100. The anger and frustration in 2016 stemmed from the deaths of queer female characters. GLAAD notes in its annual Where We Are on TV Report:

“Since the beginning of 2016, more than 25 queer female characters have died on scripted television and streaming series. Most of these deaths served no other purpose than to further the narrative of a more central (and often straight, cisgender) character.”

This is not to say that the death of queer male character can’t be an example of Bury Your Gays, but that this trope historically refers to dead wlw in books and film, and in recent years, outrage with the this trope has concerned dead wlw on television. 

So, where does Adam from Voltron fit in? Well, he is a dead queer character, but whether or not he qualifies as an example of Bury Your Gays is questionable. He didn’t die to further the narrative of a more central cis, straight character. He also wasn’t a well-established character, and he died in a scene where many other characters also died. For these reasons, I’m hesitant to claim that Adam is an instance of Bury Your Gays.

Just because a queer character dies does not mean that it is an example of Bury Your Gays. In an article from SYFYwire, the author argues that: “as the criticism moves forward, consistently reducing our stories into binary tallies of whether we live or die does a complete disservice to the potential for three-dimensional, nuanced characters within genre storytelling that we yearn to see more of ourselves in. “

I understand that the death of any queer character on TV is upsetting to some fans, because there are so few queer characters overall. However, as we get more queer characters (and GLAAD has shown increasing numbers of queer characters in the past few years--up to 6.4% of regular characters in 2017), it’s important to question whether good representation is just a matter of a living or dead character, and if the death of an LGBT+ character is just that character’s demise, or part of a bigger trend (see 2016 and wlw deaths). 

Therefore, I think we have to evaluate whether or not the trope is in effect depends on the context of the death. I think to really decide whether or not a death of a queer character is Bury Your Gays or not, it’s important to answer the following questions: What is the purpose of this character’s death? What are the genre conventions? Are there other queer characters and what happens to them? Are queer characters dying on other shows in large numbers?

In the next section, I will discuss Adam’s role in the story, and try to answer these questions.

Adam, the character?

Before addressing these questions, I think it’s important to discuss who Adam is as a character, and his role in the overall story.

All told, Adam appears in two short scenes, totaling no more than a few minutes of screentime. While on screen, we learn that a) he was Shiro’s boyfriend, b) he broke up with Shiro due to a culmination of issues in their relationship, c) he was a pilot, and d) he died in a Galra attack. As far as characterizations go, it’s pretty skimpy, but ultimately who he was as a character is unimportant. Adam does not exist on the show to explore any big ideas about gender and sexuality; Adam is a plot device, and he serves two purposes:

Adam confirms that Shiro is mlm. By showing Adam and Shiro’s breakup in a flashback, the show is telling us that Shiro is mlm, without having Shiro say “I am gay.” (sidenote: This is called good storytelling, by the way. Shiro’s story is not a coming out story, so if everyone in canon knows that he’s gay, why would Shiro tell anyone his orientation? Since we have no reason to think that other characters don’t know he’s gay, introducing Adam does the work of confirming Shiro’s sexuality to the audience in lieu of Shiro stating his orientation in dialogue.)

Adam puts a face on the casualties of war during the first attack by the Galra. By killing off Adam in this scene, the stakes have been raised. Volton (both the show and the robot) kills faceless, nameless characters in space battles. I know that the paladins mow down robots all the time, but when Voltron destroys a Galra cruiser or the like, I find it hard to believe that there are only robots on board. But since we, the audience, and they, the paladins of Voltron, don’t know who those people are on board those ships, it’s hard to get emotionally attached to their deaths. The same is true when we see the Galra attack Earth: there is no emotional attachment when the Galra raze major cities, but there is narrative weight to Adam’s death. Now, it’s not just the case that the Galra have killed humans, but that they have specifically killed a human that was important to one of the main characters. The same effect is achieved with Hunk’s family in the work camp.

Ok, so back to those questions: What is the purpose of this character’s death? What are the genre conventions? Are there other queer characters and what happens to them? Are queer characters dying on other shows in large numbers?

To answer the first question: Adam’s death is representative of the end of an era. Adam represents the past: both Shiro’s past with the end of a relationship, and the Garrison’s past with his death as the result of old Garrison defense tactics. His death marks the end of that time in Shiro’s life, and for Earth pre-Galra attack. As mentioned above, Adam’s death also raises the stakes of the Galra attack. Once a character the audience knows dies, that signals that other characters could die too. After Veronica doesn’t get back on the train, the audience genuinely thinks she died. This doesn’t work if the only characters who have died so far are faces on a screen or in background explosions.

To address the second question: Voltron’s genre is part action-adventure comedy, and part war story. The second half of this season feels more like a war story than any part of the previous seasons, despite the fact that Voltron (and the Coalition) has been at war against the Galra since the first episode. In a war story, anyone can die, so it’s not terribly surprising that characters we know end up dying. For example, the Blades of Marmora have had four named characters die (before the timeskip): Ulaz, Thace, Antok, and Regris.

As for the third question: Adam was not the only queer character on Voltron. In explicit text, we have Shiro, one of the main characters, is an Asian mlm with mental and physical disabilities. In less explicit text, we have Pidge, who at the very least could be considered gender non-conforming, and Zethrid and Ezor, who’s relationship appeared to lean romantic.

And the fourth question: LGBT+ representation is really making strides in shows aimed at children and teens. However, there is definitely still a place for questioning whether TV more broadly has a Bury Your Gays problem. In this respect alone--that deaths of queer characters is a trend--could Adam’s death be considered problematic. It’s unfortunate that a queer character was killed in a general media landscape full of dead queer characters, but in the next section, I discuss why I am not so upset by his death.

So what?

What conclusions can be drawn from the context of Adam’s role and his death? Adam is a emotional connection to the toll of the war, both for the audience, and for our mlm main character, Shiro. I do not consider Adam’s death an example of Bury Your Gays, and I don’t think we’d be having this conversation if a heterosexual character had filled Adam’s role in the story. Ultimately, Adam is not the LGBT+ representation fans have been clamoring for, and the showrunners promised to provide--Shiro is.

So, why doesn’t Adam get a happy ending? Because it does not matter if he gets a happy ending or not; it has no impact on main characters or overall storyline. The showrunners could have introduced a different character from the Garrison that we (the audience) cared about, and then kill them in that first battle, but using Adam streamlines this process.

I know a lot of people wanted Adam and Shiro to reunite, and they’d be each other’s happy ending, but this would be Bad Storytelling. Shiro and Adam’s break up is at least 2 years in the past for Shiro. During those years, he has not pined for Adam, regretted his decision, etc. that would indicate that their relationship is not 100% over. In the lead up to season 7, Lauren Montgomery said: “until Shiro made the unfortunate decision [to leave], and they drifted apart and that was the end … for their relationship.”

As I mentioned before, Adam represents the past for Shiro. Shiro has been through so much since their break up, and we have no idea how Adam would have even reacted to the Shiro that makes it back to Earth. If Shiro does get a happy ending in the form of a romantic relationship, it does not make any narrative sense that he would go back to his old boyfriend. Shiro has grown and changed and matured, so a satisfying end to that arc is not going back to where he came from, but forging ahead with a partner who has witnessed that growth and change (if Shiro does get a love interest).

At the end of the show, it will matter if Shiro lives or dies, and whether his ending is happy or not, because he is our explicit LGBT+ representation, the one that was promised to us. But I honestly have complete faith in Voltron. Time and time again, the showrunners, writers, directors, VAs, etc. have shown their commitment to a diverse cast of characters, and representing diverse experiences. There has never been any indication of bad faith on the part of TPTB; they want to make the best possible show for us, and give us representation not found in other television shows.

So, Who Should We be Talking About?

Shiro.

I do think it is important to discuss how harmful tropes manifest in media and why queer characters keep ending up dead. However, I don’t think the solution to this problem is immortal, flawless gay characters who get happy endings just because they’re gay. The best thing we can do is normalize queer characters, and normalizing means creating characters who show the full gamut human experiences. Queer characters can be good and bad people, and have good and bad relationships, so (as long as we don’t get one version of queer people), I think there’s room for a wide variety of queer characters, who have a wide variety of ends to their stories.

So, then there’s Shiro, a heroic leading character the likes of which we haven’t seen before. Shiro is a main character on a non-queer-focused show Asian mlm with mental and physical disabilities, and his presence is normalizing queer characters for a whole new generation of fans.

Shiro is groundbreaking representation, and not just on a show aimed at younger audiences. As GLAAD notes in their report:

“The LGBTQ characters who make it to TV screens tend to be white gay men, who outnumber all other parts of our community in representation on screen ... It’s long past time for television to introduce more diverse LGBTQ characters on multiple levels: more queer people of color (who have long been and remain underrepresented), characters living with disabilities, stories of lesbians and bisexual women, trans characters, characters of various religious backgrounds, and characters who are shaped by existing at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities.”

Shiro is that intersection of multiple marginalized identities, and a main character. By showing experiences of queerness and disability and the intersection of the two, and not relegating him to a supporting role, Voltron is telling Shiro’s story, not someone else’s story with Shiro along for the ride. 

We should be asking of our media “whose stories get to be told?” On most shows, the answer is white cis-men and women, and maybe a token minority, if you’re lucky. Voltron is telling the stories of people who usually don’t get their stories told--women of all kinds, people of different ethnic backgrounds, queer characters, and intersections of these categories. Voltron has not settled for tokenization, but rather given us multi-faceted representation, crossing these intersecting issues.

[forkskidshq]

ADMIN NOTE: I’m so sorry for how long this has taken, hopefully they still wanna join our group of dumbass teens. It’s been hard after my first week of uni to find the motivation, but there will be a couple more updates to come. 

ACCEPTED! Congratulations, Eri, Harper Case is our JOURNALIST. Please send in your character account within the next 24 hours and IM us for the discord link!

Name/Alias, age, timezone, pronouns: Eri, 22, CST, they/them

Chosen Skeleton: The Journalist

Character Stats: Name: Harper Case  FC: Bex Taylor-Klaus* Age: 18 Grade: Senior Year Gender: Nonbinary Pronouns: They/Them + traits: trustworthy, friendly, intelligent - traits: stubborn, loud, (slightly) paranoid

Character Bio: 

- Harper was actually born and spent the first few years of their life in southern florida, before their parents divorced, and their father chose to move to the west coast, spending a few months of the summer bouncing from town to town before the pair settled in Forks, Washington, just a few weeks past the start of the school year, when Harper joined the third grade.  

-Forks was quite the change from the sunny south Florida they were used to, and the adjustment wasn’t the easiest. Talkative since the moment they learned how to, Harper never exactly had trouble making friends, but keeping them tended to be a different story. Once a avid beach comber and swimmer, the young Harper dove into the library instead, reading anything that was on the bottom half of the shelves, and therefore accessible. Due to poor shelving choices in the library before the 2011 renovation, this meant Harper read their way through a steady diet of young adult fiction, stephen king, agatha christie, and pulpy romance novels while their father took advantage of the rare opportunity to get some work done without a eight year old asking constant questions. 

-It should be noted, of course, that Jackson Case having a chance to work on his clients financials without hearing Harper ramble did not, in fact, mean anyone else was spared from that fate. Eager to replace the friends they’d lost in the move, and desperate to prove themself amongst children that had known each other for at least three years already, Harpers main way of making friends was to simply sit themself down next to someone, ask them a few questions, and then enthusiastically run down the reasons they suspected their teacher was, in fact, stealing from the school 

- ((Harper would, two years later, be vindicated when the school did indeed fire that third grade teacher after accusations of embezzlement - Take that Mr. Brown!)) 

-While the first year they spent in the town of forks was rocky, to say the least, over the next few years Harper managed to find something that, if you didn’t look too closely, would resemble calm. They made friends with the other kids, and the children of parents their father befriended, they stayed on the sidelines, and meticulously recorded the drama between classmates, using it on the odd occasion they felt the need to keep themself from slipping too far towards the outskirts of their classes social hierarchy, and didn’t even try to break into that one pottery shop on main street that was only open for three months, and whos owner was totally in a cult - if only because their dad would have grounded them for years, and they really wanted to go to the movies that weekend. Even world class journalists can have fun once in a while, right?

- Another bump in the road came in the form of their mothers remarriage, and with it, a step sibling, taking away Harpers title of “only child” that they’d held for fourteen years. While Harper would never had said anything bad about their mother, three weeks in the summer and two phone calls a month did not, in fact, lead to the closest of familial relationships. The first visit after the wedding, with Harper and their new brother Seth being left alone for “sibling bonding time!” (thanks mom) was tense - right up until Seth pulled out a map of bigfoot sightings, demanding Harpers help in figuring out the cryptids natural habitat. 

- As high school has continued, Harper has settled into their own skin somewhat - figuring out they were nonbinary, and then coming out, was a relief to have the words that described them at last, and as they’ve grown, Harper has learned how to actually talk to people, instead of just accusing them of random crimes - at least, most of the time. Most people in forks can tell you that if the Case kid is coming at you with a notebook and a certain look in their eye, don’t make eye contact, or else hope that you’ve got an hour to spare. 

Extra Character Information: Harper resurrected the long dead Forks Highschool Newspaper and Journalism Club when they were a sophmore. They had a screaming match with the president of the photography club at lunch on the final day of junior year so now the newspaper club (them and three freshman that didnt know any better, plus anyone harper can drag in) has the darkroom on tuesdays and fridays afterschool to meet. Harper is editor because there was no one else brave enough to challenge them AND the secretary in the office likes them so they can use the good printer - Harper does not, in fact, believe in bigfoot, or mothman, or the jersey devil, or aliens. All facts that often lead to half joking, half shouting down the phone conversations with Seth, and the occasional rolled eyes at the more wild of the theories people bring to them. In Harpers view of the world, its people, not monsters or ghosts or aliens, that cause the harm you have to look out for. 

[killingdoll]

Warnings: spoilers (but I guess by this time most viewers have already watched the season finale), inappropriate jokes, careless language, messing up the order of events

Let me begin by saying that I’m not OK with the season finale, much less with the fact that it was intended to be the series finale. It’s emotional, yes. It’s heart-wrenching, yes. It concludes the story in some way but still leaves the door open for future possibilities, yes. Putting them aside, there’re several things that I’m not OK with.

I’m not OK with the way things are crammed into a 40-something-min episode while it should have been two-hour long. As a result, it seems rather rushed and even some crucial scenes are cut off (I’m talking about the Marcel-Vincent and Marcel-Josh scenes that are in the stills but ain’t in the episode.)

I’m not OK with the way the Hollow is subdued so easily as if she was a mere joke (what? Pixie dust in the face?!). I expected a more epic and an extensive show of her powers combined with Hope’s. Should have been something massive right? But she just… what? Resurrected Dominic (only to be killed some screen time later – Hello Dominic. Goodbye Dominic.), a few light bulbs, sent a few sparks and… that’s it.

I’m not OK with way the Hollow’s followers are destroyed so quickly and effortlessly. They’re all witches for God’s sake; they’re not even putting a little fight, all lambs waiting to be baked. Geez.

I’m not OK with the siblings not having proper farewell to one another (except Klelijah and Freybekah – sort of). Should have given them more screen time since they’re supposed to be separate always and forever.

I’m not OK with Klaus having been away from his daughter for five fucking years, only to be with her for a few short weeks before having to stay away from her for another decade.

I’m not OK with Hope and Klaus not having a proper goodbye. Damn it, if the man’s not going to see his daughter for ten years at least let him hold her and kiss her.

I’m not OK with this being the series finale. They cannot start a series with “Family is power” and end it with the family disintegrated. It’s disrespectful to fans who’ve fallen in love with “Always and forever” and stayed with this series even though at times it ripped our hearts in two. They’d better fix it in the next season. How about a grown up Hope find and smash the Hollow piece inside each sibling so the family can be together again.

Ten years is a long time. I’m gonna miss Vincent.

I’m not OK with the episode spending a significant portion of screen time angsting over Freya’s turning and then not actually doing it. I guess it’s necessary to cement Freya and Keelin’s relationship but can they shorten it a little so there’s more for whichever I’ve mentioned above.

I’m not OK with Hayley sending Hope to the Salvatore school. Firstly, as I’ve mentioned in my earlier rants, there’s currently no legitimate witch at that school and we shall not pretend that Alaric and Caroline have sufficient knowledge regarding magic. Secondly, sending Hope there for safety is a marvelous idea because Mystic Falls is the safest place on earth, where just happened to have Hell’s gate, cannibalistic sirens, not to mention the ‘Devil’ himself. And let’s not forget for the span of eight seasons Mystic Falls has been a beacon for supernatural mayhems. Yup, utterly, totally safe.

  I still don’t care about Alaric and Caroline.

I’m not OK with Elijah’s forgetting his memories of his family. That’s like erasing the very core of his existence – a way of killing him without killing him. Seriously, do the writers hate Elijah so much not only did they kill him and wipe out his entire sire line now they have to erase his memories?! I’m all for Elijah to be happy and free from burdens and to find peace but imho, true peace has to be realized by the individual themself, like they’ve either vanquished or made peace with their demons and come to terms with their condition, not by magical memory wiping. It’s picking the easy and lazy way, which is a method that shouldn’t be employed by any dignified writers.

  I’m not OK with how in the end, Klaus’s worst fear is realized. He’s utterly alone, without his family or his soulmate. And this is how the writers intended to end the series. Why must they torment Klaus so? What has he done to invoke their wrath?

I’m not OK… actually I’m OK with Haylijah They were doomed the moment Plec made that ‘feminist’ statement. Now that Elijah has pretty much forgotten about Hayley, let’s hope he finds a (or a few) new love interest(s) and maybe create a new sire line.

I’m low-key not OK with Marcel nor learning that his adopted daughter has come back to life and nobody bothers to fill him on it. Not even Davina. At least give him a call, will you?

Now, onto the things that I find OK about this season finale:

At least the unnecessary love triangle between Rebekah-Marcel-Sofya officially ends. I was low-key hoping for a threesome but am actually glad Marcel chooses to be with Bex.

Kol and Davina have their happy ending with neither of them getting killed again. Now if Kol’s engaged to Davina, things can get a bit awkward since Bex is with Marcel (engaged, likely?), since y’know, Kol and Bex are siblings while Marcel and Davina are father and adopted daughter. Nope, totally not weird.

Elijah’s thriving in his new career as a musician playing in a bar for tips. Although it’s not genuine peace he’s enjoying, seeing him indulging his hobby gives me a smile.

Looks like I’m contradicting myself here. Can’t help it. I’m contradictory by nature.

The sheer amount of Klelijah in this season finale makes my Klelijah heart nearly burst out of my chest. Every line, every gesture between them is beautifully heart-wrenching. It hurts, but in the fantastic way, to see your ship both doomed and propelled by the writers. Doomed in a sense that they’re not allowed to be in the same room again and Elijah’s taken drastic measures so he will not instinctively run to Klaus. Doomed in a sense that he does not even recognize his little brother to whom he’s basically dedicated his whole life. Propelled in a sense that despite Vincent’s warning, it’s Klaus that runs to Elijah just to see if his beloved brother is doing OK. Propelled in a sense that this episode was meant to be the conclusion of the whole series and of all the various relationships in this show, they chose to end it with a beautifully crafted Klelijah Not Klamille, not Klayley or Haylijah or any other romantic ships, it’s this ship that is endgame. It comes a full circle that in the pilot, Elijah came to look for Klaus and in the finale, Klaus finds Elijah. And that smile. My words will not do that smile justice.

—

Since this is the last rant for this season (don’t know if I’m gonna do a weekly rant for season 5), let’s go over a few plus and minus things:

Plus (+):

“I will carry you with me” promise realized

Mentions of Cami throughout the season and Klaus’s reaction

Hayley’s full wolf form

Freya getting a love interest

Hope as a little girl who is “7, not stupid”

Hope’s interactions with Hayley, Klaus, Marcel, Freya

Hope doing magic

Davina’s resurrection. Funny that both she and Kol have died and been brought back to life twice.

Origin story of the Werewolf curse

A decent villain who poses a constant threat to our ‘heroes’ (and manages to kill one of them), whose defeat requires the heroes to brush aside their differences and unite to fight against her

KLELIJAH RISES!!!!!

Minus (-):

The season only has 13 episodes.

Klaus still not showing his full wolf form. Come on, how long do we have to wait?

Freya’s love plot is bordering on Stockholm Syndrome and seems a bit rushed (like they thought it was the last season and had only 13 episodes so they had to speed things up).

Lack of interaction between Hope and Elijah as well as between Hope and Rebekah while the former was the first one to fight for her life and the latter took care of her during her eight first months

Decent as she may be, the Hollow lacks the charisma to be a great and memorable villain. True to her name, she’s rather ‘hollow’ in terms of personality – or let’s say she has no personality whatsoever. She also has no clear motive aside from wanting more powers (for what purpose?). Moreover, she seems to be a bit overrated by Vincent’s constant warnings that she’ll destroy New Orleans (and the world for that matter) when resurrected but when it does happen, she just goes around wrecking some (minor) havoc like killing a bunch of witches and then dying.

The untied plot thread involving Eva and Vincent’s unborn child. It is introduced in third episode as a potentially important plot thread and never mentioned again after that.

Unnecessary ties to The Vampire Diaries

Elijah’s death and the eradication of his entire sire line

Elijah’s magic-induced amnesia. Elena Gilbert anyone?

Elijah’s treatment in overall, which is steadily becoming Stefan-esque

The end of “Always and Forever”

Hope and Hayley moving to Mystic Falls

Haylijah We all know what the real reason is.

Where’s Aurora? What happened to her? At least give us some conclusion about her fate.

[Rant] The Feast of All Sinners – The Originals 4×13 Warnings: spoilers (but I guess by this time most viewers have already watched the season finale), inappropriate jokes, careless language, messing up the order of events…

[grumpy-old-fandommom]

It's Bex we're talking about. I'm sure they wanted at least this week to themself before getting told they're a bad queer for having unpopular opinions. Because Twitter throws a fit anytime they sneeze in the wrong direction. 😐

That said, this level of commitment silence is unusual. Either way, I doubt anything said by anyone will be any sort of comfort to most.

Well ummm Bex out of all people just posted on her instagram story that she loves the Shiro wedding...rip. But then again there are some lgbqt people who actually do like what it represents in general for animation despite it not being ideal. It's just too shocking for fans, especially Shiro fans. Just because some lgbqt members like it doesnt mean ALL of them should have to, they have the right to be angry and hurt.

Welp and after I just reblogged something saying Bex hadn’t reacted yet lol

There’s some confusion to exactly what Bex posted. They reposted someone else’s instagram story of the Shiro wedding along with their commetns. The only comment Bex made was: “I can’t tell you what it took to make this happen. It means the world to have it so appreciated.”

The “I love this ending” comment is from the person they reposted it from. I’ll post caps in a second to clear it up

Edit:

Here’s the op instagram story, as you can see they tagged Bex

Then Bex screenshot and reposted it and added the green comment

No “I love it,” just “it’s great this is appreciated” (which is even what some people who hated the finale said, they acknowledge that two men marrying and kissing is still a big deal) just saying :3

And I don’t mean anything by my :3 I’m just being silly. But it’s still interesting that it took Bex of all people so long to say something (idk maybe they’re just busy and we’re looking too into it), and it’s just this comment so far so… make your own conclusions. I’m glad they said something finally and I agree but… yeah everything’s still fishy to me

[cityandking]

5, 14, 17 + 21 for vesper/cullen and bex/liara?

ty!! // otp asks 

VESPER + CULLEN 

5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight? 

vesper’s the couch person. cullen once tried to insist she take the bed after an argument which made things far worse; he has since learned his lesson and gives her space when they fight. though really, it’s less sleeping on the couch and more returning to their separate beds where they toss and turn for hours before bumping into each other somewhere around skyhold and apologizing and returning to someone’s room to get at least a little sleep before the next day’s duties. (afterwards, when they are living together, vesper is still the couch person, but the same scene plays out most nights after their fights. this sometimes ends with them both on the couh, vesper splayed on top of him, which is hardly comfortable but the sore neck in the morning is a good reminder to talk shit out sooner rather than later. and it’s always nice waking up together, no matter where that is.)  

14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops? 

neither of them are much for PDA, but on the rare occasion there’s something as scandalous as hand holding, cullen usually initiates. in the privacy of their own space, and as they grow more comfortable with each other, they’re 50/50 on stealing little touches: a hand at the elbow, light cheek kisses, knees bumping beneath the table. they both tend toward discreet but meaningful touches. (vesper once drunkenly grabbed his ass in the Herald’s Respite and neither of them lived it down for weeks.)

(around their house, all bets are off. they’re incorrigible, and have years of dancing around each other to make up for)

17) Who is more protective? 

both of them know the other is perfectly capable of protecting themself (and plenty others besides) but that doesn’t stop them from worrying. cullen is the worst about it, mostly because he has a desk job most days and vesper is out in the field; sometimes it’s impossibly difficult to let her go. (he does anyway; she does not need him pulling at her skirts, keeping her from the fight. he just prays she returns to him when she has finished her work.)

21) Who cuts the others hair? 

neither of them, in the beginning. vesper likes the curls but has no idea what to do with them and cullen doesn’t really trust himself with scissors (or her hair). he starts cutting if after she loses her arm, because she can’t and they’re pretty isolated. neither of them are totally sure about it, but turns out he’s not half bad and she enjoys it, so it’s all good (and ridiculously domestic).

BEX + LIARA 

5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight? 

bex. mostly because her big mouth is what starts the fight, and also because liara deserves the very best which means taking one for the proverbial team and doing the couch thing

14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops? 

bex, when it’s allowed, is super touchy, and will absolutely grab butts/hold waists/find belt loops. liara sometimes pretends to complain about it, but bex knows she likes it because her eyes will glint and the corners of her mouth with turn up. (liara can give as good as she gets, but tends to restrain herself so that when she does make a move bex gets all flustered and grins that ridiculous grin of hers, which liara also likes no matter what she says.)

17) Who is more protective? 

it’s like they’re in a fucking competition to one-up each other (liara probably, barely. bex will of course lay her life down for liara in an instant but turns out liara will go into buisness for an incredibly shady information broker to get bex’s dead body back and give it to a super sketchy pseudo-terrorist organization just to bring her back to life so like. yeah.)

21) Who cuts the others hair?

liara obviously doesn’t have hair to cut and bex usually cuts her own, but it is kinda nice to have liara do it, when bex can talk her into it. plus liara can see the back while bex, uh. can’t. (all her upgrades and she still doesn’t have eyes in the back of her head. what’s the fucking point.)

[crippledanarchy]

Since "avoid it like the plague" is painfully incorrect as a modern turn of phrase, I think we should change it to "ignore it like the plague" for when you disregard the blaring alarms and huge waving red flags and willingly endanger yourself and everyone around you completely unnecessarily

[theycallmeratt]

The transformation hurt, Wyll's skin screaming as ridges stretched it from underneath, as horns burst through, the fire of his contract burning like it had just been set. Worse were everyone's faces, the horror, the disgust. Even Karlach stepped back, revolted by what Mizora did to him. But what did she expect? She knew devils. She knew how well they took a "no".

Even after he caught his breath and managed to stand upright, the pain remained, flickering over the underside of his skin and across his organs at random. Any hope that Wyll had of returning home burned away with his humanity. His father couldn't accept him with devil's magic in his veins; he certainly wouldn't accept him with a devil's horns on his head.

Wyll tried to stay positive. No one wanted to hear him whine. No one cared that this brought him right back to his father's rejection, that his nights were filled with dreams of their last hug. Nightmares. Broken promises. He needed to put this old anger aside and save the duke.

He held his head high, neck and shoulders sore and shaking from the new load, and he did what he always did: he saved the day.

Read more on AO3 or below the cut

"Great work today," Asharak said to him. With the goblin threat gone, the tiefling had taken a break from training the children and dipped into the celebration for a pint. He gave a tight lipped smile. "It was inspiring, seeing you fight up close."

Flattery, Wyll was certain, and a little thickly laid on. Asharak was nearly twice his age. Nearly his father's age. Still, there was a starry-eyed-ness to Asharak that suggested this might be the truth, and Wyll would be lying if he claimed the words didn't soothe him. Soon he found himself pouring it all out: how he couldn't sleep because of his horns, and when he did the flailing from his nightmares meant his horns cut and bruised his arms. How his teeth ached and kept cutting his mouth, how his skin and bones felt bruised from his new ridges rubbing against them.

"But listen to me. Talking to you as if you don't understand," Wyll said. "Oh, no, insulting you, too! I didn't mean it like—there's nothing wrong with horns. I only… damn. I'm sorry."

"I don't understand," Asharak said. "I was born this way. Well, my horns were smaller, and I was shorter—a bit, only a bit—but I've been a tiefling forever. My parents were tieflings. My sister is–was one. It's who I am. You've had horns for…"

"Eight days."

"Gods. Right, well. This is my body. That is the body you were forced into. But I've put together an entourage for you, if you're willing. We have Guex here, horns nearly as big as yours."

"I have an excellent method for preserving headboards!" Guex said. "It's called: do not use them."

"And Alfira, to help with the fangs."

"We'll have you back in your old voice in no time," grinned the bard. Wyll nodded gratefully; even though his teeth looked the same, each was razor sharp, slowly turning his tongue into a fringe.

"Bex has offered to alter your clothing, make it easier to take everything on and off," Asharak said.

"I'm not the best," Bex said, "but I did all of Danis's, and I think he looks great! Although, that might just be Danis."

"And finally… myself. For support." Again, Asharak gave that tight lipped smile, like his help was a thing that was inevitable. Wyll gave up.

He listened as Guex outlined various sleeping positions and showed him the easiest ways to get a shirt on and off. Lakrissa showed him how to oil his horns and ridges, and massage his neck. Cal and Lia delivered knitted covers for him to wear at night, the base padded with rabbit fur to protect the sensitive skin, the tips padded with old wine corks.

"If you're petty," said Rolan, refilling his wine, "Take pleasure in knowing that she gave you horns any devil would eat themself for."

"She really did," Dammon agreed. He gifted Wyll a set of cuffs with matching combs and ornaments for his hair, and a mouthguard to use at night. In a low voice he said, "A lot of us use them when our adult fangs come in. Wax can help it stay."

Wyll popped it in then popped it out, fumbling it into Karlach's pint. She laughed until she coughed and dared him to chug it.

Alfira nearly got his teeth handled by the end of the evening, and Wyll only nicked his tongue once saying "salutations". Lakrissa, with a wink, offered to teach him how to kiss, but Alfira whacked on the horn until she apologized. The kids gave him a bag of hard candies they said could help his mouth heal. All the tieflings held flame behind his horns until they were convinced that it had a core and not a root, and thus wouldn't shed, then Zevlor himself taught Wyll the best way to avoid bleeding out from a broken horn, Karlach chiming in about her own experience losing one. She even apologized to him–to him, the sword who nearly killed an innocent tiefling at the command of a devil!–for her reaction to his punishment.

"I should've done something more," she said. "Just, seeing Mizora after all that time? All I could do was sass her. I'm sorry, Wyll. I'll make it up to you."

Somehow Wyll kept the proper decorum, assuring her she didn't need to, before slipping off into the forest.

"Wyll," Asharak called, following him. "Where are you going? Mirkon wants to give you something he wrote."

"It's too much," he said. Overwhelmed, touched, Wyll found himself tearing up. His voice went thick, his new ridges hardening with emotion. "Everyone is far too generous. I haven't done anything to deserve this."

"You saved the Grove," Asharak said, patting his shoulder. "Twice. But even if you hadn't, you're a person. Something awful happened to you. We can help. You deserve to be helped, saer."

"I…" Wyll's words got lost somewhere in his throat.

"You don't believe me." Asharak threw an arm around Wyll, and for a moment Wyll was in two embraces: Asharak's and his father's. Wyll closed his eyes. "You're a good man, Wyll. They say to never meet your heroes, but I'm glad to know you. Now, you don't need to go back to the party, but Mirkon will cry if he doesn't get this story to you. And, er, try not to laugh, but he spelled your name wrong the entire way through. Wyll with an i. Can you imagine?"

[bexcsx]

bex&tj

@tjxmoore​

Who is a night owl: Both, smoking a joint and talking until they both fall asleep.

Who is a morning person: Tj, who then tries to wake her with kisses.

Are they cuddlers: The annoying kind, yes.

Who is the big spoon and who is the little spoon: Tj is always the big spoon, since she’s more dominant in other areas and likes to feel protected.

What is their favourite sleeping position: Cuddling like two koala bears.

Who steals all the blankets: They fight for them, which mostly results in sleeping without them because they end up on the floor.

What they wear to bed: Usually nothing, rarely he wears boxers and she wears one of his ridiculous logo t-shirts.

Who likes seeing the other wearing their t-shirt: Tj, because it’s hilarious.

Who falls asleep mid-conversation: Sometimes neither, sometimes Tj, because Bex can talk for hours about the most random things.  

Who wakes up in the middle of the night with nightmares: Bex, who then wakes him up and they end up watching Harry Potter.

Who accidentally punched the other in their sleep: Bex, sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose so he’d wake up.

Who can’t keep their hands to themself: Both.

[hermosahq-blog]

BLAKE LLOYD DAVIS is TWENTY-ONE and is a JUNIOR who is a UNIVERSITY STUDENT. They look just like BEX TAYLOR-KLAUS and are TAKEN.

♫ Use Somebody – Kings of Leon ♫

“OFF IN THE NIGHT, WHILE YOU LIVE IT UP, I’M OFF TO SLEEP.”

Being born in a rough area like Oakland wasn’t a good start to life. Blake had a terrible mother and absent father, neither of them cared much for their daughter and their mother preferred to go out with her ‘friends’, drinking a lot and doing whatever drugs she could get her hands on. It made Blake more responsible in a way, but also gave them a terrible view on life. They saw themself as the only person they were able to rely on and even got emancipated at the age of sixteen after their mother had been missing for almost three weeks and hadn’t paid the rent, or her drug dealers.

Even throughout this hard time, Blake went through the exact same troubles every teen does. Am I gay? Do I like girls? Am I even supposed to be a girl? They eventually learned through a social support group that they could be whatever they wanted without having label themself, so they chose to go by Gender Fluid, adamant about not making people around them have to understand it. They could like Blake or not, at the end of the day, this was who Blake was and wanted to be.

They put themself through school and got a part time job to pay for a room at a local hostel. When Blake was accepted into Hermosa, they couldn’t have been more excited and proud of themselves. They originally applied with their art work, knowing that they could stun anyone with the talent they had, but eventually decided on taking Fine Art as a minor and sticking to catering and hospitality as their main focus. After working in so many bars, cafes, and restaurants, they’d like to open their own restaurant.. but who knows. For now, they’re just trying to make something of themself.

“I’VE BEEN ROAMING AROUND, ALWAYS LOOKING DOWN.”

Blake looks a little rough around the edges but acts as if they are very mature and practical. (Even if they do like to party and mess around… a lot.) They’ve been supporting them self for years and has put them self through college whenever they can and it’s made them a very intense person. Recently they had to take some time off and went down to Texas as part of a work placement programme, attending a few classes at their local college. Texas was fine, but the best part was the girl they met. Technically, they didn’t meet. But she looked adorably lost and Blake was intrigued from the first moment they saw her. The one time they got up the courage to speak to her rather than cat call and be a general nuisance, it was at the birthday party of one of her friends, but they both seemed a little drunk and Blake couldn’t help but kiss her. By that time, they learned that her name was Jadeen but neither of them got a word in before they were interrupted, and Blake was kicked from the party.

They never got to see Jadeen again and didn’t know enough about her to be able to contact her, but there was little point. They are in California again after being called back by the courts- Their mother wanted to see them, but when Blake hesitantly agreed to a formal meeting, she never showed. Blake hasn’t heard from her since. Being back in California brought up a lot of old problems and feelings for Blake, and they aren’t doing so well right now.

PERSONALITY

✔ Ambitious, Compassionate, Talented

✘ Distractable, Messy, Troubled

LAST TEXTS

Text to [ ✉ Ro-boss ]: Hey, still need someone to shift that gear?

Text to [ ✉ Miguel ]: Maybe we should be because she doesn’t seem like the run away type, I don’t know.

Text to [ ✉ Savannah ]: Sure, can’t tonight, maybe tomoz?

PUZZLE PIECE

➳ Blake used to know Robin well, although they weren’t known to be friends. The two hadn’t talked in a long time but Blake remembers seeing Robin on the day she disappeared.

CONNECTIONS

❤ Jadeen Warren - Jade met Blake back in Texas when they were studying there for a short time. They hadn’t spoken until the last night she saw Blake at a party, they kissed but got caught. She doesn’t even know Blake is here at the university, they haven’t crossed paths yet.

❤ Shaun De La Haye - Blake started going to the LGBTQ+ group meetings last year and got close to Shaun through those. They’ve hung out a lot ever since, with their mutual friend Savannah.

❤ Savannah Anderson - Blake has been a good friend to Savannah, they helped show her around campus on her first day because she forgot where she was supposed to be going and they stayed pretty close ever since. It was nice to immediately have a friend around.

[rotten-games]

Since it’s pride month & something I’m curious about how/when did the ROs & the Dads realize they were you know *limps wrist*?

I completely forgot about pride month omg. Anyway!

Wolfe: He was the middle child of a lesser noble family, he wasn't exactly expected to take on the title so he was given a certain amount of freedom to explore himself. Ultimately, the realisation that he was gay came somewhere in his teens.

Azden: Eh, he had an isolated life, not really being interested in relationships very often; you could probably count the ones he's had on a hand. That said, he never really fully thought about it, he has much more important things to dwell on.

Ardwen: It wasn't really something he discovered about himself as elves are pretty fluid in most everything regarding sexuality and gender. It was simply neither a surprise nor expected when ultimately he nabbed himself his first boyfriend.

Arke: he thought he liked girls for quite a bit before he realised what he felt was purely platonic. He always felt differently with other boys but he didn't think it was because he was attracted to them. Until about age 13/14 or so.

Bex: He was sort of like his sister in that he wasn't particularly paying attention as a teenager to what it was he liked. Unlike his sister it was mostly because he was too busy running around after her to put out the fires she started. He became more self-aware and figured himself out by his mid-twenties

Calyssa: She sort of always knew from a young age but it never became an issue or anything. She never really came out either, she just told her parents she was getting married to her roommate and, well...

Druvel: Some called him a late bloomer. Honestly, he just wasn't interested in romantic relationships. He didn't really settle on any labels, not for a long time, he was just a kid who didn't really come into himself until his late twenties.

Emil: He was always growing up meeting potential suitors of all types, twas simply the way for a young king-to-be, but he never really looked at other boys until maybe mid-teens.

Ettia & Gwyn: bisexuality was always pretty much a given with the gods, so neither of them so much figured themselves out than they simply accepted it as a part of who they were immediately without any thought. Ettia had a bit of trouble with this later on.

Herron: Oh, he figured out his own sexuality at quite a young age. Then proceeded to not tell anyone for the next twenty or so years.

Keller: She realised she was different when all the other kids were talking about crushes and she had no idea what they were on about.

Korrin: They explored themselves and their identity on and off through their teens, mostly with the help of Micah. It was more of a casual thing for them, something they always sort of knew about their gender and certain attractions.

Lokeira: He knew only so much as he was aware he felt wrong. The polyamory wasn't an issue, it's what the majority of Infernals in his particular community did anyway, but the trans thing wasn't something he realised until after he left. And then later he realised, maybe, he could start thinking about attraction too.

Necrolym: He's... still figuring that part of himself out, but he only realised that maybe he likes people other than women after the Queens' deaths. (Unrelated events, obviously)

Nox: Her father didn't want her with anyone as an infuriatingly rebellious teenager. She decided she wanted to be with everyone. It was only later she actually realised she liked it.

Qora: She fell into a relationship with another girl one day in her early teens and realised only then that she was a lesbian. She'd never really thought about it until that point.

Severa: Looking at hot people wasn't really her thing until she joined up with the army proper. Cohabiting with soldiers regardless of gender gave her an appreciation for the tougher things in life. So this was probably in her early twenties.

Spotter: It was a gradual thing for them; they tried on a lot of different labels, but just generally didn't have the time or energy growing up to dig too deep into themself as a person. It was probably around sixteen that they cemented themself as not cis or het.