#burn the sorcerer

[astaroth1357]

I just learned that Solomon is the root cause of Mammon's gambling addiction, thanks I hate it-

[symphonyofsilence]

What drives me even more insane about this scene is how you'd expect Gojo to imagine High school era! Geto in the crowd. Or at least not the cult leader, worst of all the curse users Geto Suguru. But no, it's the cult leader Geto. It's Geto as Gojo last remembered him. As Geto last was. Whatever choices Geto made, wherever his choices led him and them, however he was, whoever he was, traumas and messed up ideas and bad choices and ill reputations and scorns and all. Gojo wanted Geto Suguru there. Not any ideal version. Not any "what if" version. Not any "at some point in time before things went downhill" version. Not any "when your hands weren't stained with innocent blood" version. He knew very well what he wanted. And he wanted it all the same. He wanted Geto Suguru. However he was. He just wanted him to be there. He just wanted him to be.

And he didn't want him to help him, he didn't want him to fight with him even if they were strongest together and always fought together for a while. He just wanted him to be there in the crowd and cheer him on. He just wanted him to stand there and give him one of his sweet, heartwarming smiles that shaped his eyes into crescent moons. He just wanted him to be. Then even if Gojo had died in the end anyway, he would have been satisfied. It would have been worth it. Only if Geto was there.

[fyllophobia]

[justaz]

s1ep13 merlin, believing he will be dead by morning, goes to say goodbye to arthur and he leans against the door of arthur’s chambers and watches the glow of the fire light his skin golden, full of color and life that it had been sorely lacking while the prince was injured. he stares at the softness of arthur’s features and pressed the line of his profile into memory for while he passes he will wish for nothing more than to see arthur one last time, his smile and blue eyes one last comfort before he passes on to the otherworld. arthur turns to stare at him and frowns at whatever expression merlin is making. the prince kicks a weak foot out at the chair next to him and motions for merlin to join him. merlin slowly shuffles over but ignores the chair completely. he stops in front of arthur who watches him with wary confusion. the tug of his lips and the furrow of his brow sickeningly endearing and merlin allows himself to be selfish and leans down to press his lips to arthur’s.

the prince is sat frozen under merlin’s touch but he can’t find himself to care much about that, not when he finally knows what it feels like to kiss arthur. he hopes that will be his last sensation before the ever consuming nothing, he hopes he will close his eyes one last time only to find arthur grinning at him and calling him an idiot before leading him into paradise where he can watch arthur smile, hear him laugh, and feel his touch for all eternity. he pulls away and leaves before arthur can gather himself to form a response, dropping the letter explaining everything on the table as he passes. so he allows himself to be selfish twice - to take from arthur and to give, to let himself know what is feels to kiss the man, to embrace his feelings for him, and to have the man know him for who he truly is. he wishes to pass peacefully with no regrets. somehow that revolves entirely around arthur.

only…he survives the whole ordeal and yeah has a gnarly scar on his chest but is otherwise fit to return to his duties. which include taking care of the prince. of arthur. who he kissed. and who most definitely know about his magic by now. yeesh.

[dailykugisaki]

Day 327 | id in alt

Both the first and the last survivor of idle transfiguration.

[theelizamanelli]

Tengoku

(ongoing)

Reina Iyashi wants a normal, mundane existence until Satoru Gojo takes a special interest in her uncanny ability to bring people back to life (or so Itadori says) and offers her a job as his assistant at Jujutsu High. Tags: 18+, satoru gojo x female oc, boss x assistant, golden retriever x black cat, forced proximity, slow burn, eventual smut, romance ao3 link chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven chapter eight chapter nine chapter ten chapter eleven chapter twelve chapter thirteen chapter fourteen chapter fifteen chapter sixteen chapter seventeen if you want to be notified when a new chapter is posted

[strangersteddierthings]

Porcelain Steve - Part 6

Part One🦇Part Two🦇Part Three🦇Part Four🦇Part Five🦇Part Six🦇Part Seven🦇Part Eight🦇Part Nine

Even though he's expecting company, Eddie still jumps and yelps when his front door flies open without so much as a knock, revealing Dustin and Will.

"I know I said to let yourselves in, but a warning knock would have been nice," Eddie shoots them a glare, not bothering to stand from the couch where he'd been pretending to watch whatever terrible daytime movie was playing.

"Sorry," Will apologizes sheepishly while Dustin just laughs.

"Which of your moms dropped you off? If it's Claudia, I'm filing a complaint about how you were raised."

"Har har," Dustin says, swinging his backpack off and knelling down to unzip and dig into it. "We biked here."

"Lucky you, then. The complaint will wait."

Dustin wrestles a blanket from his backpack. Unwrapping it reveals Steve, hair rumpled but otherwise unharmed. "Alright. Delivered safely. We gotta go meet El and Mike now but we'll see you on Saturday, right?"

Eddie sets Steve on the couch, angled towards the TV. "Yeah. I get the feeling if I don't show for the barbeque that Joyce will show up here and drag me there by my ear."

"She would," Will confirms with an easy shrug. The boys turn to leave before Will exclaims, "Oh! Almost forgot!" before digging into his pocket for something, turning around to give it to Eddie.

"What?"

"El and Steve spoke again. He had a lot of things to say. I spent a good portion of the last three days writing down everything as El repeated it to me. This is your letter," he says, having successfully pulled out what looked to be a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Oh," Eddie takes it, and realizes it's not just one folded piece of paper, but three. "Wow."

"Seems you are Steve's second favorite," Dustin grins at him from the doorway.

"You are first, I assume?"

"No. Robin is. She got five pages."

That tracks, actually. Eddie's not surprised Robin got the most pages.

Soon enough, the boys are off and Eddie returns to the couch, pulling his legs up to sit crisscross. "Alright, Stevie, let's see what you have to say."

He unfolds the pages completely and is met with Will's now familiar penmanship scrawled across the sheets of wide rule paper that has clearly been ripped from a composition notebook. He's seen Will's handwriting plenty over this last year, quickly scribbling notes during DnD sessions and on the little item cards Will makes himself to hand out when he DMs.

Will's handwriting isn't always the neatest, but this looks like Will took time, wanted his writing to be legible. Flipping through the papers he sees it is two pages, front and back, of a letter, and the third page is a list of questions in a different, neater handwriting. He gets the feeling that Will probably didn't paraphrase anything. How many people got letters? How much of Will and El's time was devoted to doing just this?

Eddie feels emotional over this, misty-eyed and a lump in his throat, and he hasn't even read the damn letter yet.

"Shit, Stevie, do you even realize how loved you are?" Eddie asks out loud, turning to look at Porcelain Steve like he might answer him this time. Blank hazel eyes stare forward. Eddie shakes his head, to clear away his thoughts, and gets to reading. Not out loud, because he doesn't want Steve to hear how wet his voice will sound.

Eddie,

I guess the first thing I want to say is thank you. I was kind of freaking out when I first woke up like this. It was calming, that day on the lawn, after Robin and Nancy found me. You were so chill and just chatted my ear off like you would have if I were, like, there. I mean, there there and not like, doll-there, if you get what I mean.

Shit, man, being stuck like this would have been a hell of a lot worse without you, I'm certain. Everyone's been great, of course, and, like, no offense meant, Will and El, but you act most normal. Helps me feel, well, I don't know how, exactly. Describing emotions is not something I'm like, good at. Robin's great, too, but she catastrophizes, you know? And since I can't speak back, she can get herself pretty worked up about this and I hate that. Hate that I can't do anything to help her.

Shit. This isn't your issue. Don't include that. No, wait, do. Sorry, El. (It is here, off in the margin, that Will has added 'I wrote everything word for word. Enjoy the asides to El and me.) Hanging out with you helps her, I think. She seems less anxious on days we spend with you. So, I guess, I also want to thank you for that. For being there for Robin when I can't.

Eddie has to pause there because he had no idea. Robin has been a grounding force for him this whole time. He had no idea he was doing the same for her. She never said, or let on... well, that was probably her goal and now Steve's spilled the beans.

This is getting easier to say, even if I still don't know how to feel about the other two people who are going to be privy to everything said, or I guess from your end, written here. (Here, Will has transcribed a conversation they seemed to have had in the middle of writing this up.) Oh. He means us. - El Yes. Don't worry Steve, we'll do our best to forget everything you've said once it's written down. - Will Steve laughed and says thanks. - El I appreciate that but- well, being honest there's some things I want to say but I don't want anyone else to hear. Those conversations are better left face to face, anyway. So, uhh, what else did I want to say?

Oh! Yeah, I told Robin she could drive around the Bimmer, so she can have a car while I'm- so she doesn't have to bike everywhere but knowing her she probably won't take me up on that offer. Maybe you can talk her into it? Or, maybe she'll be willing to drive your van around and you can take the bimmer.

"Jesus, Stevie, can't you just be okay with existing?" Eddie says it under his breath and tenses instantly. For a moment, he forgot that Steve was right there on the couch with him, could hear him. Now he has to explain himself because Steve's already heard, and without the context of how Eddie really means those words, they can sound judgmental. "Shit. Sorry. I just read the part about your car and, dude, you just don't know how to not try and be helpful, huh? I bet it's destroying you on the inside that you can't do anything. But Steve, you gotta know, we don't care about you because you're useful."

Steve, of course, can't reply, so Eddie goes back to the letter.

Uh, what else was there? Oh! Yeah! I don't get migraines here. Or, in this body? Or, whatever it is. I haven't had one since this happened. Also, no hearing issues. Though I find myself wishing to be completely deaf sometimes. I get that Max can listen to Kate Bush for a week straight, but I'd like a little variety. God, what I wouldn't give to listen to the Top 40 again. Don't say anything, Munson. I can already see your judgmental face at my music taste. Unlike you, I have the ability to like multiple types of music. The Top 40 AND that one song from, uhh, shit. Might not have migraines or hearing issues at the moment, but the memory is still as it was. Which means it is shit. That one song by that metal band where their name sounds like it's metal? You know who I mean. (In the margin, Will has just written five little question marks in a row ?????)

"The band you were thinking of, it's Metallica," Eddie says.

Not important. But, uh, the reason for telling you this. I was hoping you might smuggle me to a show the next time your band plays at the Hideout? Last time I tried to go it was too loud and gave me a migraine, you remember, but I think that I could listen to your whole show like this. We might as well take advantage of the perks of this shit situation, right? So, uh, I wouldn't mind if you did that. Or, like, had Robin or someone else bring me. Whichever.

Actually, wait, I lied, I do care which way. I've already had them pen down Robin's letter, so you'll have to pass this on, but I want Robin to take me. So, I can also watch the show, not just listen. That was the part I liked most, when I went last time, before I had to leave. Wait. Scratch that. Ask Argyle. Other than you, he seems like the only person willing to be caught holding me in public, mostly because I don't think he even knows how to be embarrassed. Jesus that was such a weird sentence to say. Holding me in public. Such a weird thing to experience, too.

Uh, anyway, I think that's it for now. Thanks for everything, Eddie.

"I think you're handling this loss of bodily autonomy rather well, Steve. This letter is a lot more positive than the one I would have written if our roles were reversed," Eddie says with a sigh. He can't help but wonder what Steve would have said in this letter if it hadn't had to be filtered through two teenagers first.

He looks to the last page, the list of questions, and is surprised to see that, mixed in with questions about which sports team is winning (he is not going to watch Sportsball for Steve. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and this is it. He will ask Wayne about it later and hate the glee he sees in his uncle's eyes because now he's going to have to pretend to like sports for the unforeseeable future) and for honest updates about their friends are questions about Eddie's campaign that he's rambled on about since Steve can't escape. Steve wants spoilers, wants to know what Eddie has planned.

Steve has actually been listening. He'd been operating on the assumption Steve just tunes him out when he gets going, unable to stop his brain to mouth filter when it comes to talking about Dungeons and Dragons and his current campaign.

"I'm at your list of questions now. I can't answer anything about sports, and don't think I'm unaware of how you asked me and not Lucas. I see what you are doing and I'm not going to fall for it. So, your first non-sportsball question here; How is Dustin doing, really? Well, that's a whole thing but overall, okay."

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

Morgana Pendragon

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

[ninapi]

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Better Half ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

Premise: Nobara forced Yuuji to stop by a food stand every time they came back from a mission. The girl working there always entranced the youngster, causing his teammates to tease him more than usual. An odd encounter brings her a little too close to Sukuna who ends up just as smitten as his counterpart with the young beauty. Which half will get her heart? Only time will tell.

Word Count: 2381

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Old sweet Nobara…

She might be a good friend, sweet, loving teammate, yeah all that and more…but Yuuji had reasons to hate her, as much as he had reasons to love her.

Nobara loved the colorful streets of Tokyo more than anything in her life, she lived for the very little time she had to indulge in the magic of the alleys, though, every time they came out of a particularly tough mission, she would beg her loving teammates to stop by her favorite crepe stand.

“Oh c’mon! Like you don’t like going there as much as I do…More even…”

“I beg to differ…” Megumi plopped on a near by bench hoping that would stop her from walking any further.

“Ok, maybe you don’t. Cuz you’re a grandpa. But Itadori is a different story, isn’t it mate…?” her suggestive smirk made Yuuji uncomfortable to say the least.

“I mean…their crepes are really nice…so fluffy…and…flavorful…” his voice was low, so much more than his usual boisterous one, it was comical.

“Oh yeah, fluffy…definitely…” this made his cheeks turn crimson, his fidgeting getting in Megumi’s nerves.

“Gotta pee or something?”

“NO!”

“He’s just eager to see his lovely crush.”

“So he does like her, huh? I guessed as much to be honest...” heaving a defeated sigh, he got up from the bench being the one leading the team now on their way to the delicious smelling food stand.

“W-where are you going Fushigoro?!” Yuuji trailed after his friends that were currently sharing a mischievous grin like a lost little baby duck.

“Kinda hungry, man…”

“You should try the chicken one, it blew my mind…”

“GUYS! Can you stop for a second?”

“Of course not.”

The sigh that left the pink haired male made them burst into a flush of evil laughter, his sad puppy eyes and frown making him look adorable which just made it all worse for him.

“Aw, baby Itadori needs a hug. Shall we communicate his needs to the cute lady crepe chef?”

“Her name is (Y/N).”

“What? How do you know that Fushigoro? Do you like her too?”

“Too, huh? She has a name tag you moron…”

“Oh….really? I mean…”

“You mean to say you haven’t even glanced at her boobies? Wow, this is worst than I thought, I think he’s in love~” Nobara skipped her way over to the stand, dramatically moving her hands as she was a maiden in distress.

“I hate her…” his puppy eyes turned watery as he shared a look with Megumi.

“Nah…you don’t. Let’s catch up before she really tells her to hug you-“ he hadn’t even finished his sentence when Yuuji was already behind Nobara, a desperate look on his face.

“Ugh, HI!” a high pitch little scream left him, making him even more flustered, your cute giggles making him feel ridiculously happy for some reason.

“Hi~ You want the usual?” He had a usual? He realized he’s never really ordered anything, he just stares at your face from the moment he arrives until he leaves.

“Sure! It’s the best flavor ever!”

Nobara looked up with a raised eyebrow as she adds his order on the screen, “Strawberry cheesecake?”

Is that what he always ate? It was certainly good, girly as hell, but good. “Yeah, I mean is so fluffy, you should try it too, Kugisaki.”

“If you say so, I’ll get one of those then. How about you, Fushigoro? Chicken?” he just nodded, staying silent in the background assessing the situation from afar. He noticed how you’d smile at Itadori a tiny bit brighter than you did to Kugisaki, your pretty eyes sparkled so much that it made him blush, and that, was weird.

Your hands brushed Yuuji’s when you handed him his crepe, then placed the other two in a carrier and gave it over to Nobara. It was very unnecessary, yet you seemed to know how he’s always so hungry and eager, like you knew he wouldn’t wait until he arrived at a place to eat it peacefully, as if he was dying to bite onto it as soon as possible.

And right you were, his first bite was something else… his nose ended up full of wiped cream and that dorky smile of his full of crumbles.

You didn’t have to do anything about it, but you did. You leaned over the counter window and got it off his face with a wet tissue, the adoring smile you had on your face not easily missed by both of his friends.

“Sorry to break the lovey-dovey moment, but Gojo-sensei is waiting for us. We must eat them before he finds out we’ve been eating sweets without him.” she grabbed onto Yuuji’s elbow, dragging him with her like a dog on a leash.

“Ugh…(Y/N)! Thanks! It’s as good as always and I’m so clean now! Feels great! You're the best, your boss should give you a rise or something!”

“Oh for fuck sakes…shut up Itadori…you're embarrassing...”

He was now being dragged away from you by both of his embarrassed friends. His smile though, never leaving his face, just like yours didn’t for the rest of the day.

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“You went where??” Gojo was pacing back and forth in the classroom, lack of sugar being pretty evident in his current behavior making them feel even guiltier.

“We just made a little pit stop on the way, gotta eat too, you know?"

“You didn’t just make a ‘pit stop’…you went to my favorite crepe stand…and didn’t bring me anything….you’re such a soulless bunch of brats…it’s unbelievable…I’m so good with you all and you just…” his sulking increased even further, making Nobara giggle.

“You’re such a drama queen, sensei…”

“King, you mean. King of the world~”

“Ugh, I’m out of here…”

“So what’s wrong with Itadori?” stealing the last bit of his defenseless student’s crepe, Gojo sat on his chair, feet resting on his teacher desk.

“He’s in love…with an older woman…”

“She’s not an older woman!” the little snarl he gave Nobara was one that would rival a feisty tiny chihuahua, but it gave Gojo a pretty good idea of how serious this whole thing was.

“So, who’s this older woman?”

“The crepe stand girl.”

“Oh, ok Itadori’s right, she’s not an older woman…maybe a couple of years older than you at most. She’s a part-timer I believe.” the look in Yuuji’s eyes changed immediately, turning into a soft dreamy one.

“Though, you might want to keep yourself at bay, Itadori. Must I remind you the king of curses lives within you? Just thinking of sweet little (Y/N) being in danger makes me feel sick…” his words were harsh and made Yuuji recoil, he knows this, all too well, but there was no need to worry as much, is not like he was planning on confessing or something.

Without giving as much as a reply to his superior, Yuuji just left the classroom and hid himself in his own room for the rest of the day.

It was so frustrating to him how he couldn’t even have a crush, how much this curse has affected his life and how much he sometimes wished he would get to be a normal teenager once more.

To make things worse, Sukuna has been listening all this time…

Falling in love made Yuuji weak, his defenses were slowly disappearing and his mind was just somewhere else, the perfect timing to go for a little ride.

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Another mission came along the next day, it was an easy reckoning one, over after an hour or so, there was no excuse to go for crepes and for that Yuuji was grateful.

However, Sukuna himself had other plans.

Yuuji’s depressed aura as they walked past the street you worked at was the final push necessary for him to take full control of his host’s body.

“Itadori, how about we get some ice crea- 

Itadori?

Fushigoro…Itadori’s gone-“ looking around desperately there was no sign at all of their teammate.

“What? What do you mean gone?” turning around just as desperate, all he could see was a dust cloud, proof he had been there not long ago, but not just of that, but also of the fact that he had left at an incredible speed.

The amount of cursed energy coming from down the road overwhelmed the young sorcerer, his face paling instantly. “Kugisaki….Sukuna…he’s…he’s here…”

“Tch, of course, he loves coming out when Gojo-sensei isn’t here…What do we do now?”

Megumi’s face was worrying her, he’s not someone to show fear easily, it also meant he had no clue of what to do next and she wasn’t great at this sort of impromptu life saving plans.

“What’s wrong, Fushigoro? Is he going too far this time?”

He just nodded, swallowing his anxiety down, “The crepe stand…”

Now that was playing dirty…he would for sure harm you if that meant getting full control of Itadori’s body, the perfect token for blackmail.

With a frown and unshared words, both ran towards the direction emanating the ridiculous amounts of cursed energy.

Though, what they found at the scene was beyond their expectations.

You were leaning on the window, like you usually do to get closer to Yuuji, like if nothing was out of the ordinary, like he didn’t have a completely different appearance and voice, making Megumi frown with distaste.

While he was fully concentrated on your safety, Nobara had her eyes on Sukuna. Saying his demeanor was odd, would be an understatement.

His smirk was wide, his eyes mischievous, his elbows were leaning on the same windowsill as you were, his face inches from yours. “My lovely angel, would you be willing to go to the depths of hell with me? I mean, hypothetically of course…” his words made you giggle and blush.

In all honesty, you did notice the change, though you didn’t question it much, is not like you had knowledge of curses, therefore the idea of your crush being possessed by an evil curse never crossed your mind.

“Is hell a nice place?”

“It isn’t. But I would make it comfortable for you if you do agree to come with me…”

Megumi’s blood ran cold and without thinking much he grabbed Sukuna by his elbow pulling him away from you, “Itadori…you’re scaring (Y/N)…”

Truth is, he wasn’t though. 

You had a delighted face while talking to him and the flirting has been mutual the entire time.

While Yuuji’s real and sweet persona made your heart skip a beat with his cute shyness, Sukuna’s assertive and even commanding self made your knees weak. 

You didn’t really understand his change in demeanor and you even considered him having double personality, but the truth was simple, you liked both sides equally, and didn’t mind one bit if he indeed had it, he at least seemed to remember you in both states.

But you went along with Megumi’s act, as he looked quite disturbed and worried, he did know him better than you after all.

Megumi’s words seemed to stir something inside Itadori, his eyes switching from a harsh scowl to a soft worrying misty look. He was struggling to gain control back since he really didn’t want to harm the woman he loved and he knew very well what Sukuna was capable of.

“What are you talking about, brat? You like this side of me much better, don’t you gorgeous?” his playful wink made you swoon, causing Itadori’s stomach to sink just a bit.

“I like every side of you. Though, why the face painting? Are you guys performing art students?”

“Something like that…now If you excuse us, we won’t be getting any crepes today, we need to take him home, he needs a bit of…ugh…rest.”

“Think about it babe, alright? If you so wish to, I’ll make you my queen.” 

After his last statement, Yuuji finally managed to wake up and gather his bearings, he felt like crap and had no energy left within his body. With an arm around each of his friends, he was able to get back to the academy in one piece, though, his heart had taken a harsh blow. 

You liked Sukuna…but you also liked him?

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Masterlist

[bacchuschucklefuck]

bard!riz is so important to me bc the kind of character he would be if the truth-fear balance tips all the way to fear esp. bc he takes so much pride in canon in the fact that his parents are brave badass people and he's following their footsteps. but also bc I have so much fun thinking abt bard!kipperlilly

[anxiously-awaiting]

hi his outfit is a fucking MESS rn but <3 bedi alter for your thoughts

[vertigoartgore]

2016's Doctor Strange Vol.4 #6 (LGY : #360) cover by Chris Bachalo & Tim Townsend.

[glitter-stained]

Here are the the DC Princesses we have in the Neverafter AU and their powers so far!

> Talia al Ghul as Sleeping Beauty

Although currently trapped in magical slumber, Talia retains a level of awareness over all that happens to her body and the magical thorny vines wrapped around the ruins of her castle. Her control over her vines grows day by day as she uses them to sense her environment and tangle around her enemies. The vines spread all over the castle and into the surrounding forest, an unsuspected guardian that guides or harms whoever may wander in her nest.

> Mia Dearden as All-Kinds-of-Fur

Mia owns three magical dresses (sun, moon and stars). Before every fight, she will tear off little threads off of each dress and tie them around each arrow in her quiver, giving her enchanted trick arrows with various abilities. The sun arrows creates blinding bursts of white and golden flames impossible to extinguish through non-magical means that fade out on their own after one minute or after running out of matter to consume. The moon arrow induces a violent psychic attack which traps the victim in a dreamless sleep or, fail this, vivid nightmarish hallucinations. The star arrow induces a state of compliant euphoria that can drive the victim to consider the first person they see upon being hit as the most extraordinary, perfect and worthy of adoration and worship creature for up to a day.

> Rose Wilson as Cinderella

A powerhouse of a trained fighter, Rose fights with a magical glass armour that allows her to turn invisible and a dagger made from the glass shard that broke when she snapped her glass slipper. Later on, she also gains a large diamond sword, the sword of Clairvoyance which can cut through anything. She also used to have precognitive abilities granted to her by the artificial eye the Stepmother (Slade Wilson) gave her, which allowed her to glimpse into the Narrative, but she took it off because it was destroying her mind.

> Koriand'r as Rapunzel

A magical princess, Koriand'r's powers were first assumed to come from her fiery, magical hair, which was largely experimented to increase its power by Mother Gothel; however, after an earthquake damaged the tower she was trapped in and sunlight touched her, she escaped and realised she drew her pyrokinesis, empathetic healing, and newfound flight, strength, resistance and starbolts from the Sun due to having been fed the magical healing sunflower herb as a baby.

> Cassandra Cain as Princess Elisa from The Wild Swans

Having learnt to defend herself from the youngest age, Cassandra is a fierce fighter, who defeats her enemies with her martial prowess and two sharp-pointed, magical knitting needles gifted to her by the Fairy Queen. She also carries around a broken, magical lantern granted to her by the Fairy Queen, which, once repaired, allows her to trap magical fires and release them on her enemies. Sometimes nicknamed "the cemetery witch", she wanders through graveyards and battlefields in search for little fires only she can see, remnants of the lives of the revenants and the dying which she can trap in her little lanterns to grant them peace in the afterlife and cradle this fire.

[mungeon-disaster-writes]

Caught in Rage, Goddess Stained

pairing: astarion x fem!NamedOC

cw: 18+, sexual dysfunction, trauma, self-harm ideation

notes: slow burn, long fic, eventual smut

Excerpt:

“How … likely is it we can chalk this up to a naughty dream?”

Dropping her hands to her lap, she squints at him. “Well, now that you’ve said it—not very likely.”

He’s still half on her bedroll where’s she’d left him, propped up on one arm, other hand massaging at his throat. It takes her a while to process the wariness in his eyes—a length of time where her silent observation of him only seems to heighten his unease.

With a weary sigh, Mal pushes herself up to her feet and turns away, hopping one of the rounded stones barricading her tent from the riverbank. At the water’s edge, she drops into a deep squat, cupping her hands together to splash her face. There will probably be no more sleep for her tonight. Not with her heart still thrumming with adrenaline, forcing her body and mind to wake despite her fatigue.

Just to be thorough, she briefly touches her fingers to either side of her throat. When she feels only smooth skin, she sighs again, shaking her head.

“… What are you going to do?” Astarion asks in a low and quiet voice, evidently having followed her—soundlessly in the way she knows he can be when he wants to. “What are you … What are you going to tell them?”

Mal remains in place, letting her arms dangle over her knees, fingers grazing the cool surface of the water. She stares ahead into the darkness past the woods, not quite sure what she should be doing.

… continued on ao3

wc: 630k (complete)

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations: queer adult SFF

It's been a while since I did one of these posts but I'm thinking of doing more regularly. I have read a lot more new books that I hope some of you will pick up and I've made another selection. I'm reading more and more adult SFF lately because lots of YA is getting a little too young for me. But I also find that transitioning to reading more adult can be difficult, and it's not always easy to find what you're looking for. I found YA a far easier market to navigate, so I figured I'd make a post featuring some of my favorite adult SFF books.

The Unbroken & the Faithless I read recently.

This is a trilogy, with book 3 coming out most likely in 2025? Not sure actually. The series focuses on Touraine and Luca. Touraine is a conscript in the Balladaire army, stolen from her homeland and trained to fight from a young age. She is originally from Qazal, a country colonized by Balladaire, but doesn't speak their language or understand their customs. In the first book, she returns home for the first time since she was taken, to stop a Qazali rebellion.

Luca is the princess of Balladaire. Her parents both died when she was young, and her uncle is ruling as regent, refusing to allow her to be crowned Queen until she proves herself. She too is sent to deal with the Qazali rebellion. What makes Luca interesting is that she often means well and is definitely more benevolent towards the Qazali, but she's also very power hungry and wants her throne, and no matter how much she does to help the Qazali she is still the princess of the empire that colonized them, and the author continues to hold her accountable for her role in the empire and some of the choices she makes.

Luca is also disabled, she injured her leg when she was young and uses a cane.

There is a sapphic romance between Luca and Touraine. It is not really the focus on the series but at the same time it is what shapes much of the negotiating between them since Luca has a very obvious soft spot for Touraine and Touraine has to use that to improve things for Qazal.

The world is inspired by North Africa and French colonialism (in Balladaire they speak French so I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be France), and the author themself is Black and North African. The series as a whole is very political.

Next is Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans

This is the first in a duology (I think?) with book 2 coming out this November.

This is set in a world where there are four different planes, and Siyon is a poor man who can delve into the different planes to get ingredients for wealthier alchemists. He wants to be an alchemist himself but can't afford the education. There's also the problem of magic being technically illegal, which means rich people can do alchemy but poor people can't.

Then one day Siyon accidently unleashes wild magic and is thrust into the world of alchemists where he wants to belong but doesn't. And there's also the matter of the four planes being instable and at risk of collapsing, and Siyon might be the only one capable of stopping it.

Siyon is bi/pan and his main love interest is a man, though this is not the main focus of the series.

Then Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

I think I had this one last time too, but not enough people are reading it so I'm going to discuss it again.

Check out the summary, but honestly not sure if that does it justice. Some Desperate Glory is the story of a girl who grew up in a fascist cult and was raised to believe in everything this cult stands for.

The earth was destroyed before she was born, and the Majo, aliens, were responsible. Kyr has been training her entire life for revenge. She wants nothing more than to be the perfect soldier for earth. As a result, she is a terrible person and everyone hates her.

Kyr first starts questioning Gaea station when she is assigned nursery to have babies even though she is the best fighter in her mess. When her brother disappears, she teams up with his friend Avi, a queer genius who works with the station's systems and was always aware of how fucked up Gaea station is. They discover Magnus has been sent on a suicide mission and go after him, and Kyr is confronted with the outside world, including a Majo she grows close to, and has to unlearn everything Gaea station taught her.

This book has a difficult to stomach mc at first, though it is very obvious what she believes is not what you as the reader are supposed to think. But there is some wonderful character development going on in here. It's hard for her to change, and she's thrown into lots of difficult situations before she gets there, but in the end you can see she's nothing like the person she was before.

There's an amazing cast of side characters, though not a very big cast. There's her twin brother Magnus who never wanted to be a soldier and is actually very depressed, which Kyr never noticed. Yiso, the cute non binary alien Kyr develops a weak spot for even before she comes to realize Majo are people. And my personal favorite, Avi, who is an unhinged little guy who is way too smart for his own good. He's a great example of how a cult can affect different people in different ways. He doesn't believe in Gaea station like Kyr does and is aware of how fucked up he is, he experienced that first hand as the only visible queer person on the station. But he did internalize their messages of revenge and violence which plays out in interesting ways.

This edition is the Illumicrate edition of the book from April's box, which has the UK cover.

Witch King by Martha Wells is next

This is a confusing book for people who do not have a lot of experience reading adult fantasy. It has a lot of world building that is explained gradually, the book doesn't really hold your hand, so be prepared for that.

Kai is a body hopping demon. He has been betrayed, killed and entombed under water. When he is freed by a lesser mage hoping to hone his power, he kills them and frees himself and his friend, the witch Ziede.

Together, they have to uncover what happened to them, who betrayed them and what is going on with the Rising World coalition. He's not going to like the answers.

Alternating is a past timeline in which Kai and his band of allies rebel against the tyrannical rule of the Hierophants, which happened decades before the present timeline.

The strenght of this book is really in the characters and how they grow and the bonds they have with each other. I loved the relationship between Kai and Bashasa, who is the rebel leader in the past timeline in particular. It's not quite clear what the nature of their relationship was, though it is implied to be romantic and I do think Kai is supposed to be queer. He is a body hopping demon after all, and spends his early life in the body of a girl. There's also a sapphic side pairing between Zieden and her wife Tahren, who they spent much of the present timeline looking for.

The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach

This is a science fantasy set in a world inspired by New Zealand and Maori (I think? The author is Maori and a trans woman herself)

The main character is a police officer from a poor background who believes she's making the world better for people like her. She's already been demoted for being queer but believes she can make the police force better from the inside.

Then she's murdered by fellow officers and thrown into the harbor. Unfortunately for them, she comes back from the dead with new magic powers.

She teams up with a pirate crew with similar powers and has to stop a plague from being unleashed on her city.

This book focuses on how police functions in many modern societies to protect the wealthy and harm and restrict poorer, non white communities. The main character doesn't believe this at first but it's obvious to the reader that they're not helping anyone doing their job. Next book is coming out next year.

Last is the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Two books are out and book 3 is coming sometime in 2024.

This series is set in a world inspired by India. Priya is a maidservant with a secret. She is one of the few surviving temple children and still has some powers from being once born.

Malini is the princess of Parijatdvipa, the empire that conquered Priya's land. Her religious zealot brother has taken the throne and imprisons Malini because she refuses to be burned alive.

Priya is one of the maidservants sent to take care of Malini in her prison, which is the old temple where Priya grew up. Together, they can change the fate of an empire, but they can never quite trust each other.

This is a sapphic fantasy with magic but also lots of politics and I think if you like this series you'd also like the Unbroken and vice versa. I've talked about this one before but it should definitely be included on a list for adult fantasy.

I hope you can find something you like on here. All these books are not super well known and deserve a bigger audience

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @aliandtommy @ikissedsmithparker

[theelizamanelli]

Tengoku

Reina Iyashi wants a normal, mundane existence until Satoru Gojo takes a special interest in her uncanny ability to bring people back to life (or so Itadori says) and offers her a job as his assistant at Jujutsu High. Tags: 18+, satoru gojo x female oc, boss x assistant, golden retriever x black cat, forced proximity, slow burn, romance, smut, emotional content, mention of death link to all chapters link to ao3

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Note to reader: an emotional chapter, took a little longer than usual - enjoy!

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Chapter Thirteen

Satoru Gojo

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Leaning back in his chair, Satoru stared out the window admiring the cherry blossoms swirling in the wind. His thoughts naturally drifted to images of Iyashi clutching onto the brick wall, trembling. Her eyes soft with lust as she stared into his. 

He had to admit that he had been…intense. 

It wasn’t his original intention in taking her out there. The first years had proven their ability over the last few months but he naturally worried about their skill in the field. 

He had genuinely wanted to ensure their safety.

What he hadn’t factored into the equation was the possibility that Iyashi would come to his swift defense and mumble sweet compliments into his ear. 

The true nail in the coffin had been her submission, her desire to do whatever he asked once he had shoved her up against that wall. 

He groaned at the reminder, stretching his neck in a circular motion before standing.

He ventured across the campus, enjoying the warmth. The spring air tumbled through the trees, shaking the flowers.

Satoru hoped that he hadn’t scared her off with his vigor. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if she wouldn’t let him touch her again. 

The thought depressed him. 

“Iyashi, I’m here to save you!” shouted Satoru as he opened the door. She sat in her office chair, typing diligently at her computer. 

“From what?” Iyashi inquired, not looking up from the screen.

“Boredom.” he replied, walking over to the desk. He perched on the edge, appreciating the fullness of her lips and the deep brown of her eyes.

“You know, I do have a job to do,” she fixed him with a glare. “One that you pay me for, just as a reminder.”

“And you’re very good at it,” he complimented. 

Satoru burned to touch Iyashi again, he wanted nothing more than to take her over this office desk. If she thought that play in the alley was good, what he had in store for her was going to prove overwhelming.

“No to whatever you’re thinking,” Iyashi said flatly.

“You don’t even know what it was!” Satoru whined.

——————————————————————————————————

“Another assignment?” Iyashi asked, peeking over his shoulder to read the letter.

“Yes, another one,” he replied with a sigh. He stood up from his desk, the first years were outside practicing hand to hand combat with the second years in preparation for the exchange event. The low grunts and frustrated shouts carried on the wind to the classroom.

“Well, we should get going then,” Iyashi stepped towards the door before turning towards him. “Are you coming?”

Satoru grinned before following, he had been reassured by her behavior that he hadn’t ruined their progress. He treated Iyashi as a fickle stray cat, he wouldn’t pick her up and force affection. If he gave her time she would eventually feed out of his hand and follow him home. 

Despite how enticing the idea of coating his fingers in her was.

The two opted for driving due to the weather, the rain had begun to pound the concrete. The town car pulled up to the location, parking in the allotted space.

Renchoku Girls’ Junior High

Satoru faltered, his fingers wrapped tightly around the door handle. 

“Gojo?” Iyashi asked softly, her gaze flickering to his hand. “Gojo?” she reached out and pressed her fingers over his - pulling the handle and pushing forward.

He turned his face towards her, a weak smile spreading as he responded, “Yes, Iyashi?” 

She scanned his features, her brows furrowing, “Are you okay?”

He wrapped his fingers over hers, her body leaned across his to get to the door. He could feel her breath on his jawline. He inhaled slightly, her citrus scent crowding his senses. 

He leaned towards her, squeezing her hand, “Just wanted to feel my fingers again, Iyashi?” 

Pink spread through her cheeks as she yanked out of his grasp, smacking his chest. He chuckled as he exited the car, Iyashi a few steps behind.

His smile slowly dissolved as they neared the entrance of the middle school. Memories of a long black braid swaying angrily flashed in the back of his mind. 

The school had been cleared for a trip to Kyoto so it sat empty, he slowly scanned the area.

“Emerge from darkness, blacker still. Purify that which is impure.” he stated with his hand in the air, black oozed down from the sky in the shape of a dome.

“What is that?” asked Iyashi, taking a step closer to him.

“A veil,” Satoru responded as he entered the main floor. “It serves as a curtain so that the non-Jujutsu sorcerers can’t see.”

“Why haven’t you used it before?” she mused, her head darting around to analyze her surroundings. 

“There wasn’t a reason before,” he shrugged. “The curses were so isolated that we didn’t run a huge risk. Plus, they were all kinda weak.”

“So, is this one not?” Iyashi sped up to match his strides down the corridor. 

“This one…is a little stronger,” he responded. He turned to her with a smirk, “Not stronger than me, though. I’ll protect you.”

Iyashi scoffed, “I can protect myself.” she increased her speed so that she was in front of him - whipping around, “Go find a helpless maiden if you’re so desperate to play the savior,”

A loud snap ricocheted through the air, a crack splintering across the concrete. Iyashi looked down at where it had ended - in between her legs.

A rumble shook the building, Iyashi took a tentative step backwards as the fractured concrete opened below her. A large figure exploded through the ground - shards scattering through the hall. 

Iyashi had jumped at the last second, landing behind the creature. She peeked around its form to meet his gaze.

Satoru grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets, “You were saying?”

“Shut up!” she shouted. 

Iyashi began to run up the stairs as the monster burst through the ceiling into the levels above. It resembled a large goldfish but with multiple rows of sharp teeth. 

Satoru watched as her figure disappeared around the railing, he slowly ascended through the hole left behind by the creature.

The rain dripped from his limitless effect as he landed on the roof - the creature slithering through the air. 

You idiot, I thought I told you not to show up!

Satoru sucked in a breath, turning in the direction of the voice. 

Iyashi was soaked, “You idiot, I thought you had him!” she pointed into the sky. 

He shook his head slightly before turning his gaze upwards.

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“Where’s Iyashi-senpai?” Yuji leaned over his desk, staring at Satoru. 

“How do you know she’s not here somewhere?” he asked, his eyes trained on the letters in front of him.

“Because we haven’t heard her yelling at you,” replied Nobara, concentrating intently on balancing a pencil on her finger. 

“She’s sick, resting at home,” he replied. They had exorcized the curse at the Girl’s School and the prolonged time spent in the wet had gifted Iyashi a cold. 

He sighed, his thoughts had turned to memories of the chapel and the beach in Okinawa. His brows furrowed, his eyes closing slightly behind the blindfold. 

He clapped his hands together and stood, “Class! Let’s go cheer up Iyashi!” 

They entered the apartment, hands full of bags that contained sports drinks and various cold medicines. Satoru turned to the three and held a finger to his lips - willing them to stay quiet. 

The living area was dark, a small mound of blankets sticking out of the far corner of the couch. The television blared a daytime soap opera, the light from the screen illuminating the tissue box and trash can sitting parallel.

“Iyashi?” Satoru sang softly, placing his hand on the part of the blankets closest to him. 

The mound moved slightly, a flash of red before her face came into view. Her eyes had a tinge of blood spreading from the corners, a stain of pink on her nose, and her lips were splotched as if she had been biting them.

“What?” she growled, piercing him with an annoyed glare.

“We brought you stuff to cheer you up!” shouted Yuji, lifting his bag in the air.

“Blue gatorade!” yelled Nobara. “The best flavor!”

“No, the best flavor is the red one,” refuted Yuji.

Iyashi sighed and leaned back into the arm of the couch, Satoru sat on the cushion nearest her outstretched feet. 

Megumi walked forward, handing her the drink and medicine. Iyashi paused, her face softening. She took the items and thanked him - she moved to sit upright, gesturing for him to have a seat in between her and Satoru.

He scoffed as Megumi sat next to him, staring ahead at the soap opera. 

They all visited with Iyashi until it was evident that she needed rest, Satoru ushered them all out the door before heading back towards the couch.

Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling slowly. He smiled, pulling the blanket to cover her. He turned to walk towards the kitchen, Iyashi gripped his shirt tightly - fixing him in place.

This felt oddly familiar, in an emotionally vulnerable state Satoru had done the same to Iyashi. 

He slowly turned her way, she gazed up at him, “Stay,” she mumbled.

Iyashi averted her eyes before whispering, “I’m cold.”

Satoru’s heart throbbed, “Of course.”

He took his blindfold off and set it on the table, emptying his pockets before gesturing for her to sit up. Iyashi leaned forward and Satoru slid in behind her - she hesitated.

“Lean back, Iyashi,” he insisted, lightly rubbing her shoulders.

With a sigh she softly fell into his chest, he wrapped his arms around her torso. 

“Why were you so sad yesterday at that Girl’s School?” she said, her cheek resting against him. 

Satoru paused, considering his words before responding, “It reminded me of my old friends.”

“What happened to them?” Iyashi asked, her finger lightly tracing his forearm.

“They died,” he replied. 

“Oh,” Iyashi leaned forward to turn to face him. “I’m sorry. You really miss them, huh?”

Satoru scanned her eyes, not a single ounce of pity but rather a quiet understanding. She gave him a soft comforting smile before resting her head back on his chest. 

He sighed, “Yeah, I really miss them.”

Soft snores floated from Iyashi as she nuzzled into him, Satoru squeezed her tightly. 

——————————————————————————————————

The sun ushered the clouds in the sky out of the way as the afternoon arrived. The students were running laps on the track as Satoru sat on the steps, watching.

Iyashi took the seat beside him, leaning forward to rest her chest on her thighs - she turned her head towards Satoru.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she turned her attention back towards the field. The high pitched shouting of Maki sliced through the air as Megumi made a mistake - stumbling. 

“Anytime you want me to touch you, Iyashi, just let me know.” he replied, his smile not reaching his eyes.

“Your friends, I bet they would be really proud of you,” Iyashi kept her gaze on the students.

“I don’t know about that,” he let out a breathy laugh.

Iyashi sat quietly as Satoru recounted his mission with Riko, he paused. “So, really, I let her down.”

“I think the only way you would let her down is by allowing her death to keep you from living.” Iyashi sat up slightly, crossing her arms over her stomach. 

Satoru stared down at the track as she continued, “And Geto? Do you think you let him down?”

“I spent a lot of time alone as a kid,” Satoru leaned back, resting his arms on the steps behind him. “There weren’t a lot of people that wanted to get to know me, mostly because they were scared.”

“Geto was my first real friend. He called me on my bullshit when I needed it but also,” he paused, reflecting. “In his own way, I think he really cared about me.”

Iyashi mimicked his stance, her head falling back to look at the sky.

“What happened to him?” she asked.

“I didn’t recognize the signs and he slowly burned out.” he replied softly. “Before I knew it he had become the villain.”

Satoru sighed, “And isn’t the villain always disappointed by the hero?” 

“The hero gives the villain purpose. Without you, he was nothing - whether what he did was right or not,” Iyashi stated. “So I don’t think you let him down - I think he let himself down.”

“I would say that your friends, as you remember them, would only want Satoru Gojo to be happy. To live his life without carrying their burdens,” Iyashi angled forward, placing a comforting hand on his knee. “Are you happy, Gojo?”

Satoru leaned his head back, finding himself thankful for the cover of the blindfold.

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chapter fourteen