#but it also absolutely destroyed her and it took her so long to put those pieces back together

[snakerdoodlle]

The fact this song could go to so many of the RQ characters because pretty much all of them were forced into a war the moment they were born and they never knew how to let it go

[raayllum]

Why Callum Made His Choice (7x02)

Or choices, and why I think each of them were a long time coming. The according choices down below:

Defending Runaan

Betraying his brother

Leaving with Rayla

Resigning as High Mage

Let's go, because sections of this have been sitting in my drafts since the season aired because I thought it'd be fun, but now it's been long enough that now there's Dreaded Discourse (???) over the topic; this meta is not mean to be a rebuttal to any version of critique of events, merely an explanation behind Callum's actions/characterization, and why he did like... absolutely everything in the exact manner I'd always thought ahead of time that he would with his reasonings, processing, framing, and actions. Okay? Okay.

Just a warning: this got really long, do not read it in one sitting, there are sections for a reason. Or if you are, grab a snack and a drink first. Stay hydrated.

Okay now we can go.

Why does Callum defend Runaan?

This one is, I think, the simplest to answer in some ways, purely because 3x06 gave us the answer a long time ago.

I hate him. He's the one who took my mother. Looking at him, seeing him... It makes me sad, and angry, and... confused. See that spear? It was her spear, my mom's, and my stepdad put it into his heart. How am I supposed to feel about that? Glad? Happy that we got revenge? Or maybe regretful, and sad, because... Because that was Zym's dad. I feel so sorry that this all happened.

Callum is a deeply relational person. He aligns himself with Rayla in 1x03 because of Ezran and then trusts her because she's willing to lose a hand for his little brother. He does dark magic to save Rayla and free the dragon because he knows she won't leave without it. He forgives and works/trusts Soren in 3x08 because the man helped save his little brother. While Runaan's bow initially throws him, it ultimately does not matter to him because that's Rayla's dad and she loves him, and that's enough for Callum. His extreme relational viewpoint is also why he's so loyal to Ezran and to Rayla, and why crossing/putting either of them at risk (hi Viren, hi Claudia) cause those relationships to continually and rapidly deteriorate without looking back.

Callum has also had practice with Avizandum and Zubeia. As he points out to Ezran:

You forgave Zubeia. Who did you think gave the order for Runaan to kill Dad? But somehow you got past that. You forgave her, because everything was complicated. Humans, dragons, elves. We've all made mistakes. That doesn't mean we have to keep making them.

Callum also cares a lot about fairness. At first, he defends Runaan because he's being blamed, in Callum's eyes, for something he didn't directly do (destroying Katolis). Then they discuss things more directly, and Callum says the above. And while Ezran isn't wrong that killing Harrow would be enough on its own, I think we can clearly see that Ezran's anger and despair at feeling wildly out of control needs somewhere to go. He's not angry at Runaan solely because of the destruction of Katolis, but the destruction of his home is absolutely a contributing factor.

He wanted to kill/destroy Sol Regem in order to let out anger and exert control, but couldn't because the dragon was already dead. He was so focused on forgiving Zubeia and putting his feelings aside regarding Avizandum ("Everything Avizandum did was to protect Xadia" including murdering your mother) that the majority of his anger got channeled at a safer target: the assassin who directly did the deed (because Rayla defected, and Zubeia changed her mind). Who was already dead.

Basically: Callum points out that Ezran is holding Runaan uniquely responsible, and in a way that isn't particularly helpful or in line with Ezran's previous values: "This is exactly the cycle of violence you worked so hard to end." The cycle they both worked to end. If Callum had any complicated feelings about Runaan (as indicated in TTM) or about Zubeia / Avizandum, he worked through them a while ago, and given that Ez had done the same for 2/3, it's not an unreasonable expectation that Ezran would do the same. Harrow was Callum's dad too, after all.

Furthermore, Ezran is so angry that, according to Callum (who in many ways knows Ezran best), he isn't himself right now, either. Punishing Runaan by imprisoning him is not what Harrow would want and only serves to exacerbate Ezran's own worsening mental state and Rayla's to boot.

It's also not like Callum says that what Runaan did was okay, but that the situation was complicated, and Callum has faith that Ezran will do the right thing eventually in letting Runaan go. Literally, Callum just wants the man to not die and for Rayla's family to be together again because they can be. Especially in 7x02. He's not going to let Runaan die (because it'd hurt Rayla) anymore than he'd let Zym (because it'd hurt Ezran).

This is especially true given that the first shows of loyalty Rayla ever displayed towards either of them was 1) turning on her family (father) in order to protect him and Ezran, and 2) offering to fight against her family/people in order to save Harrow when she had literally only known these boys for a few hours, AND Callum's statement from 2x07 of "If we really want to change things, we can't just keep watching while humans and Xadia hurt each other." (More on 2x07 and 7x02 parallels here.)

If Callum (and Ezran) had chosen in 1x03 the way Ez is choosing in 7x02, they never would've left to return Zym to Xadia, period. After all, "why is there any moral confusion at all" about reuniting a family, a parent and child and allowing them to live their lives, when the parent has committed such terrible acts that took your father away from you? Kids shouldn't have to pay for "the choices their father made" (3x02) but "a life for a life"—one dead and one in jail forever while the person who ordered him to never faced any of your ire—is just "justice" after all.

That said, the slightly thornier decision (especially to Callum emotionally), I think, is his choice to betray Ezran as a result of defending Runaan, so let's get into it.

Betraying his brother

While on a certain level betraying Ezran means siding with Rayla, I do think that's a simplification. It's one both Ezran and Rayla tug at ("So you're on Ezran's side now" / "High Mage. We need you at this council meeting") with poor Callum in the middle, but I don't think it's a good reflection of the situation on either end because it's too simple, and both Ez and Rayla's framing/judgements are heavily clouded at first by their emotions.

I think Callum coming to bail Rayla and Runaan out, and offering to help her on the bridge, is far less about choosing sides as it is about Callum's fixer tendencies, which I've discussed before (in Nov 2021, christ it's been a while).

He is very solution oriented, sometimes to the point of obsession (leaping after Ezran in 1x06 and 4x01; forgetting Sol Regem is there in 3x01 in running to Rayla) and his anger most commonly comes out directed at the person he perceives as being an obstacle to Fixing the problem for himself/his friends. This fixer tendency is is also why he's such a caring considerate guy most of the time, manifesting in his desire to nurture and care for those around him, and closely tied to his pursuit of magic (so he can have agency/the ability to help).

He's devoted himself since learning about the coins to giving Rayla back her family, regardless of who that family includes, and regardless of what else is on the line. We see this repeatedly in 5x04 wherein he risks all of their lives to stay at the Great Bookery because once he gets fixated on finding a solution, he does not have an off switch, regardless — just like in 7x02 — of whether Rayla is asking him (never mind directly telling him not to) to help her.

Now, Runaan is trapped again, but it's not at Viren's hand (though Ezran, snapping at Soren to arrest someone despite the crownguard's hesitation, and his focus on security/power, isn't not acting like the former high mage) but his brother's. That's no good. And Rayla is more likely to fumble the bag without his help; this, plus the fact that Callum does agree with Rayla that Runaan deserves to be free, is why he willingly offers aid even before the situation escalates. It is also a parallel to Claudia ("You do anything for family." "It's too much to ask" "It's love" / "You don't have to ask. I would do anything for you") so no, I don't think it's meant to be entirely healthy either, because Callum's intensity often times gets people into more trouble, not less, but I digress.

As for the escalation itself: he can't just let get Rayla and Runaan on the boat, when the crownguard plus Soren and Corvus are actively chasing after them, and neither Rayla nor Runaan know sky/ocean magic or how to wield it, which is the only reason they get successfully away at all. He had to go with them to ensure their escape, for more reason than one.

But as stated: He is always going to pick the thing that gives him a solution to a Problem, and therefore pick the person with the problem that he thinks he can solve. And he tries, with Ezran to be clear, though more on that in a bit.

This fixer tendency is also why he's willing to repeatedly do dark magic, and why he's willing to sacrifice the simple quiet life that he wants if it means his loved ones get to live ("If you love them, Rayla, Ezran, all of them, you'll do anything to save them [...] It's not about you, is it?"). Rayla needed saving in 7x02, she was the one at physical risk, Ezran was not. Rayla was the one with an emotional problem Callum could easily solve (free Runaan = happy Rayla) and Ezran's was not (because it was more complicated).

And this is also why even once Ezran comes in with the Nova Blade in 7x09, presenting another way to defeat Aaravos, Callum is willing to through with doing dark magic even though he no longer needs to in the same manner, because if Ezran kills Aaravos, then:

AARAVOS: Your window is closing, dark mage. Act quickly, or the brave king and Dragon Prince will seal my fate, and set the world on fire. (7x09)

AARAVOS: Very soon, your brother will embrace dark magic to save those he loves. [...] I have seen it written in his eyes. (7x07)

This is also why he picks going to Ezran over trying to save Harrow in 1x03 ("I'm coming, Ezran!"—book 1 novelization), because he had no skills at the time to use to save Harrow, but he could get Ezran out safely.

He will always pick the person he can physically save, who needs saving in that moment, with whatever tools he has at his disposal, in whatever way he thinks is most likely to work. And no one comes above Rayla or Ezran to him. It's that simple.

Callum is also incredibly personal; he is rarely truly politically motivated. Ezran constructing the betrayal as "he betrayed all of Katolis" I can guarantee is not something that heavily factored into Callum's headspace as a concept, but he does frame it as a political betrayal (hence his resignation) rather than a personal one:

I'm sorry, Ezran. I can't be your High Mage anymore. But I'll always be your brother.

Whether that framing is correct is debatable, but given him and Ezran's talk at the end, I do think Callum comes to conceptualize/understand it as both. That said, Callum isn't the first one to disavow their 'brotherly' bond; in some ways, Ezran is, because he says that he needs his High Mage, not his brother. This is an important sticking point in some ways because Ezran and Karim are also being deliberately paralleled, and have been for seasons:

EZRAN: Sometimes it's hard, but when I struggle, I think about the people I love who are counting on me to do the right thing. Not the harsh thing, not the strong thing. The right thing. Do you love your sister, Prince Karim? KARIM: Wha-? I... Of course. She is leading our people down the wrong path, but she will always be my sister. EZRAN: Then you can still choose love. It's not too late. (6x07)

It's also worth noting that Ezran offers Karim and his people—blatant traitors to the crown of Lux Aurea and people who have tried to kill Janai multiple times—the option to "leave, and build your own future far away from here," which is what Runaan was planning to do befor he got arrested. That Ezran "looks into the face and hears the words of those he judges" (7x07) for Aaravos before he gives Runaan the same opportunity.

Furthermore, Karim is someone who completely disavows the personal to only focus on the political. His sister becomes a traitorous queen who he looks at only with contempt, despite stating "I love you sister, I always will"; his baby is not his child, but his heir. Ezran is not acting like himself/Callum's brother, but as his king, and that includes reaffirming/pulling rank ("I have to stop you. I'm sworn to King Ezran" / "Well, King Ezran, how determined are you to stop me?").

But Callum always treats Ezran like his brother, and does try to fix things, on Ezran's side. He goes to him in 7x02 and advocates for setting Runaan free and—as the person who first identifies the cycle in the series (1x02)—if Callum says something is perpetuating the cycle, he's probably 99% right. He is there to understand, accepts Ezran's anger, but also challenges it. It seems like maybe Callum is getting through to him (with Callum and Zym's framing being paralleled like, so incredibly on the nose) but then Runaan and Rayla are caught.

Ezran has the chance to do what Callum considers "the right thing" (and what Ezran does throughout all prior seasons) and let them go. He doesn't. Instead, he moves to arrest Runaan and Rayla and drag them back to the Banther Lodge by force... for what? Would that actually make him feel better? Or is it just giving him the means to feel control after feeling wildly out of control? He doesn't even go down to see Runaan at any point to see him suffer; he just wants to know Runaan is in jail and separated from his family.

Ezran is then also paralleled to Claudia further, specifically when Callum betrayed her by immobilizing her, because she didn't want her prisoner (the egg) to be taken and reunited with its family, either.

CLAUDIA: Callum, what are you doing? CALLUM: The right thing, I hope. I'm sorry Claudia. (1x03)

EZRAN: Callum, what are you doing? CALLUM: The right thing, I hope. (7x02)

Then Ezran threatens to kill him / risk killing him if Callum doesn't move out of the way, in an even more direct Janai-Karim and Soren-Claudia parallel. (Claudia's rage in the finale also lampshades this with Soren attempting it even less tbh, with "Were you really going to go through with it? Kill me, your sister? I could kill you both!"). The background guard lady even looks surprised after Ezran raises his hand, so the threat is more than apparent even to the characters within the setting.

AANYA: My next shot will be more than a warning.

But Ezran decides trying to kill/wrangle back Runaan is not worth killing or possibly his brother, and Callum reaffirms they are brothers and always will be, and leaves it at that.

This shift from political "king and high mage" to "we're brothers" is also directly stated/reaffirmed in their reconciliation scene as being the most important thing: "Because we're brothers." "Brothers," leaving whether Callum will be high mage again up in the air, but his place as Ezran's brother—and Ezran as his—is not. Callum is wiling to betray Ezran on one front, but refuses flat out to entirely relinquish the bond on any other. He hopes he's doing the right thing, and he hopes that even in doing so ("I know it was hard, but it was the right thing. You know that. I know you do") they can reconcile.

EZRAN: Callum. High Mage. We need you at this council meeting. (7x02)

CALLUM: It was okay to be angry, but I couldn't let the bad feelings stick. Because we were going to need each other. Because we're brothers. I still need you, Ezran. I know it's been a hard time, but I really hope— EZRAN: I need you, too. (7x09)

We also do see Callum support Ezran throughout both 7x01 and 7x02 (until he can't/won't)—embracing him (which Ez, in shock, does not return), following his orders to investigate with Corvus, explaining his side to Rayla, attending the entire meeting even after Rayla leaves, though he regrets it. What Callum is doing, therefore, is living in the moral confusion — the complicated nature of their complex lives of hurt and breaking the cycle — that Ezran is refusing to now that he's been set with a new challenge, willing to inflict pain on others because of the pain and loss Runaan had inflicted on him, and Callum knows this.

EZRAN: Violence, loss, pain. More violence. Stop! Stop. I just want to yell stop. But that’s not enough. It won’t work. I think about a positive vision, a faith we can all share, that we might build a future together in hope. A future where we can be safe with each other.  But… It’s not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and they are still angry. We can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away. Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again.

CALLUM: No, that's not what I'm saying. It's just... It's complicated. (7x02)

CALLUM: The three of us have been through a lot together. We'll get through this too... right? [...] Give Ezran a bit of time to process all this. [...] Ezran will do the right thing. He just needs a bit of time to get there. (7x02).

CALLUM: You forgave Zubeia. Who do you think ordered Runaan to kill Dad? But somehow, you got past that. You forgave her, because everything was complicated.

AARAVOS: Childhood innocence gives way to something complicated. (7x02) / I have seen generations of humans and elves accept the darkness that lurks in all of us beside the light. There is no black or white, only shades of gray. We must all carry complexity. (7x04)

CALLUM: Dear Ezran. A few days ago, I started writing you a letter about how sorry I am that I hurt you, about how sad I am that there's a rift between us, and about how certain I am that somehow we'll find a way to repair things. (7x07)

EZRAN: I'm going to forgive you. I don't know how, but I have to try. (7x09)

So yes, Callum betrays his brother to protect their father's killer — the same way Callum betrayed his friend to reunite the person who ordered the hit with her child; the same way Ezran defended the murderer and explicit murder of his mother — because that killer is person is your best friend's father.

REX IGNEOUS: Or is the Dragon King too busy picking fights with little humans at the border? That was always his favourite sport: stomping on ants and calling himself a conqueror.

EZRAN: Everything Avizandum did was to protect Xadia! (4x08)

So just to sum up, Callum betrays Ezran for 4 main reasons:

If he didn't help Rayla break Runaan out, it was more likely something was going to go wrong (and he was right). If he didn't save her with the ice spell, she and Runaan were going to end up hurt and/or arrested or worse.

Callum is determined to treat her like family (even if Ez is not) and to break the cycle as they were instructed by Harrow, and as Ezran has done himself many times.

Rayla had an emotional and then physical problem that Callum Fixer McGee could fix; Ezran had an emotional problem that he was basically stonewalling Callum on.

Ezran had numerous other people in his corner to rely on (Zym, Aanya, Opeli, Soren, Corvus, Barius, his general guards, etc). Rayla had literally no one but her imprisoned father, all of her former friends and allies (Soren and Corvus) turning on her without question because the boy she was willing to lose a hand for told them to.

Rayla had greater need of Callum in the situation and in the moment, so his loyalty to her won out; if her and Ezran's situations had been reversed, Callum would've picked Ezran in that moment and situation without question, because that who he is. He picks whoever he thinks needs him more—over others, and over his own potentially hurt feelings.

None of this means, however, that Ezran didn't need his brother in S7. So let's talk about:

Why did Callum leave with Rayla?

There's the practical and the emotional ones, I think.

Practical:

As discussed, Rayla and Runaan wouldn't have made it in the boat without him. There is no way anything other than magic would've made it move fast enough to get away, and neither elf is inclined or aware enough of sky or ocean magic to make the boat go that way. Callum literally had to go with them.

If Callum had stayed, he would've likely been arrested himself, putting Rayla in a difficult situation of either sending Runaan off on his own to then bail Callum out, or leaving without him when he was in a bad situation. He wasn't going to do that.

If Ezran had arrested Callum, it also wouldn't have made him much happier or actually fixed anything. Callum might've (as in canon) apologized for hurting him, but Callum wasn't going to take back what he'd done, and this was probably just going to exacerbate Ezran's issues further.

At the time Callum left, Ezran wasn't focused on rebuilding Katolis and had made this plain. He was instead focused on collecting weapons, travelling to Duren and back to do so, and we only see him return to the castle's immediate surroundings when Aaravos shows up.

The emotional ones:

After 2 years of separation, and the only times they are separated usually being when Rayla is the most in danger, yeah, Callum doesn't want to be separated from her. She's his best friend and his life partner, and he and Ez have willingly & happily led far more separate lives for a while now (more on that in the next section). He wants to go with her. Sue him.

Callum believes that Ezran needs time to process his anger. He knew he wasn't able to get through to Ez, and that the betrayal would hurt him. It's not unlikely, then, that Callum thought time and distance would help, and that they could try to mend things later.

Katolis did not factor in (but I'll get to that in a bit).

Callum rarely experiences regret unless it puts the life of someone he loves directly in danger, and rarely questions the validity of his actions, especially when he think someone is wrong. (This is also why he'll never regret using the torture spell on Claudia, for example.)

Callum also knows Rayla and we see that, without him, Rayla would've dropped Runaan off at the Silvergrove and then immediately dipped. He wanted to go with her to emotionally support her and also knew that Rayla would let him vs not letting anyone helping her. Until Rayla is reunited with her family and let back into the Silvergrove, she does not have a support system outside of him; Ezran does.

As for having a good time at the Silvergrove... We see Callum's first day there, whereupon he's mostly focused on what Rayla and her family's situation is going to be. Runaan and Ethari make up for failing Rayla by giving her unconditional support and forgiveness, literally binding their fates to hers for the trial and supporting her when it doesn't go well and they think they'll be banished too. Callum has come all this way to reunite her with her village/family and considers her his family; yes, he's going to join in on the group hug and be happy when he's encouraged to. The next time we see them in the Silvergrove, it's been 2 weeks, and Callum is still a little awkward/nervous, but again, mostly focused on giving the family time to spend together and wanting to be integrated, because well...

CALLUM: Be with you. [Kisses her] Yup, I could do this. Pretty nice life. (7x05)

He wants a life with her; he likely has plans to marry and have children with her. It'd be like if Ezran wanted to have Zym around always and had issues with Zubeia constantly; it wouldn't exactly jive. Secondly, Callum's feelings about Runaan were always something I'd figure he wouldn't deal with directly right away, instead focusing on peace/Rayla, and then it would sneak up on him that it bothered him / was something he had to confront ("I just hoped, if I didn't think about it, maybe it wouldn't be true"). Less than one month passing in-show time with no real issues, especially with an entirely repentant Runaan? Yeah that's completely on brand to not be on screen because it'd only happen later.

In regards to Callum making peace and engaging more happily with Runaan... He's definitely not going to do anything else when 1) Runaan's not provoking him first and 2) in front of Rayla. Callum needing to adjust in the fic cited below (written by me and thosefiveadoraburrs in January 2020) semi-early into his relationship with Runaan is exclusively because Runaan is being a prickly asshole. Barring that, and even with that, the integration going smoothly is pretty easy for Callum at first because he's so focused/driven by his love for Rayla. Period.

"The point is that while I don’t care what you say about me, as I’ve heard far worse from other elves like you, Rayla does and you are still her father and she deserves to have you in her life and to have a good relationship with you. So when she’s not around, you can say whatever you want, even to my face. I don’t care and I don’t plan on rising to it anyway. But when she is around, you keep that shit to yourself, because it’s only going to upset her, and she’s been through more than enough.” [...] "You were so young," Rayla said, "so young, when you lost your family. And even if you’d been older, I don’t think their absence would hurt less, but I’m not surprised you notice it more because of how you had to grow up largely without them." [...] "It’s just… on any side," Callum said, "I can never just move on from what I’ve done, or what people think I’ve done, and I wish they would just let us be , sometimes. Without knowing that people think I should be regretting whatever decisions I’ve made, because they’re wrong. I never regret what they think I do.” 

Furthermore, from my pre-S6 fic:

Halfway through [their chess game], though, Ez rubbed at his temples again, and this time Callum asked about it. “You okay?” “Yeah.” Ez frowned as he surveyed the board and then moved his rook. “It’s just Zym. Normally when we’re far away, our emotions don’t blur too much... But because we’re both stressed about the same thing...” “It’s a lot?” Ez nodded, picking up a pawn and then setting it down on the same square, considering. “There is one thing you and Rayla could do to help, maybe.” Callum thought of the Summit that would be a few days’ long trip to Duren and tried not to squirm in his seat. “Oh?” Please not... “Well, we finally got the go ahead for the Summit next week. And the rest of the Pentarchy might take the urgency of hiding the prison more seriously if you and Rayla came along,” Ez said. “Since you’re High Mage, and Rayla’s Xadian. Since we don’t have Zubeia to rely on.”  “Yeah.” Callum focused on the board rather than Ezran’s expectant face, waiting for a yes he didn’t want to give. And what excuse could he offer, really?  Ez would probably pushback if he just thought they wanted to make a beeline for the Starscraper because of the Nova Blade. Ugh. Two secrets at the same time was the worst. And he wasn’t about to drag Rayla out to Duren just to be a token Xadian when he’d spent that morning trying to convince her that putting her parents above other missions that weren’t hers was actually okay for her to do. “Well, let’s see,” he said, hoping that’d be enough. “Don’t have to rush into anything.”

“He saw the egg and he would’ve still killed both of us!” “You think I don’t know that?” “Then how you can not care?” Ezran cried, voice cracking. His nose was runny, eyes stinging again. He bit something back. He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t lose this argument just because he was crying. There was a fire in his chest that couldn’t be doused. “I do care, but I also care—I care more about Rayla,” Callum countered, because of course that’s what he’d fucking say. Ezran turned away from him, rolling his eyes and not in the mood to see Callum gesture at him. “She’s our family, why isn’t that—” [...] “You had Opeli and the rest of the council,” Callum said. “Don’t you get it? We’re all she has, we have to be on her side, she doesn’t have—she loves him. And that's enough for me."

“[About betraying and abandoning Ezran to free Runaan] What’s done can’t be undone. We can’t take it back.” Rayla chanced resting a hand on his shoulder. She had to accept his honesty if she was going to ask the question. “Do you wish you could?” “No.” He finally looked at her. “But I wish it could’ve gone differently, I...” Softening, he took her hand from his shoulder, running his thumb over her knuckles. “You’re family,” he said resolutely. “I won’t forget that, even if Ez has.” [...] “So you think it was the right thing?” she prompted more softly. Callum sighed, angry again—but not at her. “I don’t know if there’s always a right thing to do, anymore,” he muttered, sitting in the spot she’d vacated on the bed. “You just... make the choices you can in the situations you’re in, because the alternatives are so much worse. Other paths that you won’t—that you can’t live with.” 

But the big thing, I think, is that in Callum's head... nothing is more important than your closest interpersonal relationships. He's devastated by the loss of Katolis in general, yes—"Katolis was destroyed and that... that is devastating" and his sobbing before Soren finds him—because it was home, even if it was a home he never felt entirely at home in, due to his uncertainty with Harrow and place as a prince. But Callum also cries in 7x01 when he sees the king's tower has collapsed, and thinks he's lost Ezran.

In 1x06, Rayla gives her reason for travelling with the boys, yes, citing:

RAYLA: I could take it any time I want to. CALLUM: Then what's stopping you? RAYLA: Cause it as to come from you. Human princes returning the egg of the Dragon Prince, that's the gesture that matters. That's what could stop the war and change the world.

And it's not good enough for him (hence his angry little face persisting even after she explains) because that's not the reason he wants to hear. He wants to hear that she cares about them. That they're her friends, which is why that's precisely what he says to her on the ice before handing over the egg: "We're lucky to have you as our friend. I do trust you" even before he knows the truth about her binding. He wants the personal. Needs the personal. That's what matters. But that's not what Ezran draws on for any of their interactions. And if it's unfathomable to understand how or why Callum could walk away, then the good news is that said perspective ALSO made it into the fanon s6 fic through Corvus:

Corvus pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can understand why the assassin would want to be free. I understand why Rayla would want him to be, too, and she loves the boys immensely. But I cannot understand Callum’s hand in it, the lengths he’s willing to go to. It is not as though he is the only one who could ever free the man. And Ezran is his brother and his king. His baby brother. [...] His responsiblity. It’s our duty as older siblings. He’s a sorry excuse for an older brother to just walk away like and abandon Ezran like that.” 

Because in the "family member picks breaking the cycle even if that means leaving their younger sibling / more emotionally distressed family member behind (often with others to support them): The Show", such as Janai marrying a human + sparing the architect who had every opportunity to think about the pain she'd cause by putting out the soul flame of Yonnis' parent even when Karim thinks she's not focused enough on the destruction of their home; Soren leaving his abusive warmongering father and killing him even if it devastates Claudia; Astrid abandoning her brother/family to warn everyone about Aaravos; Rayla fighting Runaan on the battlements; Viren leaving Claudia on the beach show, surprisingly, there's going to be patterns that Callum and co. will fall into.

If you're interested more in Ezran's side of things, his emotional processing throughout the season / construction of his identity, and how/why he was perpetuating the cycle, you can check out this meta here.

For now, let's finally talk about the final real section of our meta, which is

Why did Callum resign as High Mage?

On the one hand, Callum's resignation shows that he does conceptualize what he's doing as a betrayal, as noted, and as something that would cause a rift, as verbally stated in 7x07. He "knew my leaving would hurt you" just the way that Rayla leaving him did so. He also knew that at this time, to him, it was necessary. He knows that he can't do this and stay on as High Mage. He also knows, at this point, that he doesn't want to be high mage.

Because "that was devastating, but that wasn't Runaan." Because Callum doesn't personally care about Katolis as a kingdom/castle, and quite honestly, he never has. Post-S3, when things would've been politically terse, as shown in Through the Moon, he was willing to leave Ezran in Katolis on one day notice to go have a vacation exploring Xadia.

And it's not the first time he's left Katolis on short notice with zero concern, doing so in 4x03 (whereas Soren goes as Ezran's sworn crownguard, and Ezran hesitates) solely because Ezran is leaving. It happens again in 5x01 when Ez is away with Soren and Corvus on his dragon diplomatic mission, with Callum making the plan to leave for the Great Bookery the night before and leaving very early in the morning, even though he's currently the highest ranking person at court. We see Callum's discomfort at court first hand in his opening scene in 4x01, showing immediate wariness about his position as High Mage and his lack of mind to political matters:

GUARD: High Mage Callum, the King's council is assembling in the throne room. CALLUM: Oh, pfft, you don't need to call me that. I-I know it's my official title but all that high mage stuff is so... stuffy. Just call me my normal name, Prince Callum. Or just, y'know, just regular Callum. [...] Okay, I'm sorry, now I don't remember what you came here to tell me.

After which he immediately delays going to the meeting to check in on his magic book coming in from Xadia, though it hasn't arrived yet. Rayla's arrival causes Callum to oversleep and be MIA for Zubeia's greeting, leaving Ezran to momentarily flounder till Soren steps in, though no one seems surprised or concerned that Callum isn't there, just awkward. He doesn't go with Ezran to deal diplomatically with any of the dragons either, leaving it entirely in Soren and Corvus' hands, and he has no concern over leaving in 6x01 either, while Ezran hides his sadness about all his friends leaving to go elsewhere (Soren and Zym for Zubeia, and Callum and Rayla for the Starscraper). He and Rayla go rogue over Janai's orders as well, leaving Janai to reflect, "I may be queen, but even I don't have the power to stop those two once they set their mind on something," which is such blatant foreshadowing it felt like neon lights were flashing in my face.

We see this thread steadily even from 1x01, whereupon Callum only reaffirms Harrow is the king as a wall up to thinking of himself as his son. Harrow being royalty was a hindrance to Callum being comfortable of thinking about him on an interpersonal level, not a help:

EZRAN: Why don't you just call him Dad? CALLUM: Because he's the king. And I'm his stepson.

which is also why Ezran talking about the burden of kingship with him in 7x02 goes over Callum's head, because Ezran isn't actually focusing on the fact their father is dead; he's focusing on how it forced Ezran to be king, and being king is so the opposite to how Callum operates, it was never going to click.

EZRAN: Our king. Our father. [Takes off his crown] I never asked for this. I wasn't ready to be a king. I'm just a kid.

And one of the reasons I say the opposite is because of everything laid out above, patterns wise, but also because of his Tales of Xadia bio, which states:

I'm beholden to my inner circle, not some silly kingdom.

There are also scenes from Dreamer's Nightmare which help reaffirm this, where Ezran states that "As princes of Katolis, it's our duty to put you all [citizens of the town] first," only for Callum 1-3 pages later argue for the complete opposite, because:

EZRAN: [When Callum wants to wait for their dad / the adults to wake up and solve things for the town] I'm going either way, but I'd really like to have someone come with me. Someone who's good at solving mysteries. CALLUM: Fine, I'll go. But only because I'm your big brother.

EZRAN: The whole town is in danger, Callum! Let me go! CALLUM: No! I have to keep you safe! I promised King Harrow [...] but I keep failing, and I'm just so scared you'll get hurt.

I don't think either of these supplementary materials are necessary though, to get this aspect of his across, given that scenes like this were written well before the latter came out, and Callum's entire Tales of Xadia bio just reaffirmed exactly how I and many others have seen him since S1 came out:

"And Ez doesn’t need my help,” Callum added more cheerfully. “If he needed me, he’d say so.” He said it with so much confidence it took Soren a second to tell if it was a joke or not, but no. The young mage honestly believed it. How was a good question, and the answer would’ve been more so, given everything. Those first few months after the war were crystal clear in Soren’s mind: Ez weathering the political waves alone, wearily drafting peace treaties and legislations while Callum scoured Xadia, searching for Rayla and growing more and more irate every time he returned home empty handed. The way Ezran had single handedly held him together, Callum unable or unwilling to truly confide in anyone but his brother. How Ezran had let Callum hole up with that stupid mirror for hours on end rather than eliciting magical solutions to everyday problems, because at least he was focusing on something other than heartbreak. How many council meetings Callum had skipped or been late to, never operating as acting-king when Ezran was away on diplomatic business. Callum’s temper on his 16th birthday reigning summer storms down on the castle for weeks straight. His lateness to Ezran’s meeting with Zubeia that Soren had stepped in for; the way it had been him and Corvus, not Callum, accompanying the young king to his entreatment of the dragons and Domina Profundis. Ezran’s steady, strong nature, the way he could be so silent and quiet it was easy to forget how young he was sometimes and how much he’d been through, how much he’d missed their friend and father and his childhood. It’s not fair you have to struggle through this alone.  “Yeah,” Soren said quietly. “Sure.” 

Callum does not care about being crown prince or high mage. He isn't focused on supporting Ezran as king; he's focused on supporting Ezran as Ez, as his brother. Those are separate things from being Harrow's son and Ezran's brother, even if they can overlap. He cares about Katolis on a certain level, yes, but not on a big one; he cares about it because he cares about Ezran. And Ezran asking Callum to stay in the meeting as High Mage was never going to work. If Ezran had asked him to stay as his brother, maybe — but Ezran doesn't.

CALLUM: I'm sorry, Ezran. I can't be your High Mage anymore. But I'll always be your brother.

And in typical Callum fashion, whether he goes back to being high mage remains to be seen, but he does put in the majority of the effort in their actual reconciliation. He approaches Ezran first, he's the one walking over, and the one who speaks first.

CALLUM: Hey. EZRAN: [Uncertainly] Hi. CALLUM: So I've been thinking about this toy banther I had when you were just a baby. I loved it more than anything in the world, and you broke it. EZRAN: And... you're bringing this up now? CALLUM: I was so mad. I said I hated you, and I would hate you forever. And Mom said that it was okay to be angry, but I couldn't let the bad feelings stick. Because we were going to need each other. Because we're brothers. I still need you, Ezran. I know it's been a hard time, but I really hope—

Callum loved that toy more than anything, and Ezran broke it, and he got over it, because he loves Ezran more. He's saying it's okay for Ezran to be angry (x2) and it's okay if Ezran hates him. Just that even if Ezran is, and even if Ezran does, Callum still loves him and needs him and considers him his brother. That he hopes they can reconcile.

And Ezran accepts it—much to Callum's surprise and then relief— because he never needed his high mage. He needed his brother, and that's what Callum still is—what they'll always be.

EZRAN: I need you, too. CALLUM: Brothers. EZRAN: Brothers.

Conclusion

Back when they were both children, Callum and Ezran didn't have anything to put above each other and the immediate proximity of their bond. However, the events in the first 3 seasons change this forever. Callum finds magic and falls in love, and Ezran returns home to be king, and gains Zym and his council as constant supports.

Ezran puts going home to be king above continuing to travel to Xadia. From there, they spend more and more time and seasons apart. This is similar to Soren and Claudia, who have an increasingly fractured bond, but who also know aren't doomed to be miserable because of their separation or betrayal; they forge new friendships, bonds, and sources of laughter. But neither set of siblings ever forget their love for each other, even if they grow and their priorities expand to include other things. For Ezran, Zym and his kingdom are incredibly important to him; for Callum, Rayla and the life they're building together, as well as stopping Ezran (or anyone) from causing permanent unnecessary harm to one another in their little family is also a priority.

None of this is to say that Callum's way of dealing with things is flawless, or that they won't have more conflict again in the future (I'd love it, although I expect there to be more of a focus on Ezran-Zym conflict going forward) but being a little flaky/unreliable in a political sense is just who Callum is, even if he will always come through on the personal manner in the end.

Sibling relationships are complicated, and they can both mutually fail each other and Rayla, and then still come back together in the end. And I'm very glad that they do.

Other fun details:

Callum's letter refers to the dragons as big help, a gentle nod to how Ezran described them in 3x08

Callum confirming that he babysat Ezran regularly growing up, which fits with Callum's tug of war between being a parentified older brother with his own immature / peer adjacent sides

Callum sits closer to Ezran at the council table once he's no longer high mage, whereas before he always sat further apart

Ezran is symbolically embroiled with fire throughout the season (king of ashes, the fire ruby plan, the Nova Blade having the risk of setting the world on fire, the fire in his eyes that are meant to parallel Aaravos' etc). Callum is associated with water, nabbing Rayla's water reflection motif in later episodes, and with greater emphasis on his connection to the ocean arcanum in spell usage and its links in dark magic. The two then meeting in the middle is interesting symbolically, to say the least.

[madschiavelique]

Hello!

Sorry if you don't write for halsin, I didn't see bg3 characters on your list of who you write for on the pinned post. I was wondering if you could write a Halsin x fem reader where she is the leader of the tieflings at the Grove. They could be competitive or just learning how to work together for their people's interest. I think that could be a really interesting dynamic to explore. SFW or NSFW both sound good, so whatever inspires you.

Thank you so much!!

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ pairing : halsin x tiefling fem!reader

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ content warning : a bit of angst but mostly fluff (with some hurt/comfort), kagha being an absolute bitch, mentions of blood and wounds (healer gets hurt but don't worry halsin heals her), other than that lots of fluff, fem!reader, tiefling reader, no use of y/n

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ words : 8,8k

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ author's note : okay so just to say i did not intend this to be as long and if it wasn't for me having life happening i would have made it longer by writing a smut, but hey if u guys want smut from this one i'd GLADLY write it. it took me time to write it also because i had another idea originally but it would have been way too long and have much less tension and would develop the reader too much rather than her connection to halsin SO YEA enjoy hihi

( proofread by the lovely @gracethyomen ☆)

Your people were watching you with concern as you walked down the slope towards the druids' quarters. The little ones had come to you in a panic while you were talking to Zevlor.

All you'd managed to decipher was ‘Arabella, druid, snake’, and you were on your way to sort things out.

You and your group of tieflings had been living in the grove for barely a week. At first the druids welcomed you with open arms, Nettie even allowed you access to the basements and other caverns of the place.

It was an ideal place for tieflings. Although the majority of the grove was outside where you could spend time close to nature, much of the area was sheltered by the shade of the rocks. Your race had become accustomed to living in underground spaces, so what better place to stay than here.

What's more, there were enough cellars and basements to house everyone. Plus, you didn't just stand there and do nothing, you took part in the life of the grove. Whether it was Mattis and his rings to sell or Dammon and his weapons, you were helping out with the trade, and you'd ordered that you and your people should take part in the life of the grove so that everyone didn't look like a green plant in the background.

However, the druids had become bitter of late, and the hospitality you so cherished seemed to be fading as tensions rose. On the one hand, the druids were casting evil glances at the tieflings, claiming that the latter were destroying the larders by their mere presence and that they were an evil people ready to destroy the peace of nature for whatever reason linked to their nature.

On the other hand, the tieflings were defending themselves as best they could by providing manpower for the security of the grove, not lowering the prices of their trade under any circumstances, and getting angry at the treatment they were receiving.

And out of those sides, in the centre, only two people managed to calm the situation: you and Halsin.

You didn't see much of him, as he seemed more preoccupied these days with the problems affecting the area around the little haven of peace, so he was frequently absent. But it had already been more than two days since Halsin had disappeared, and the conflicts in the grove were escalating.

Locke and Komira came towards you as you approached, the tiefling woman suffocating between tears and panic:

“It's Arabella, they took her and they won't let me see her,” she managed to say.

You put your hand on her shoulder to reassure her, ‘I know, I'll take care of it, okay?’

You walked down the few steps towards the fountain where a meditation session was taking place around an idol. Suspicions of a ritual aimed at closing the grove to the world ran from one mouth to the next, a further sign of the descent into ostracism of the latter. Angry druids acted as smugglers, dictating who or what could pass through.

“Stop right here, step back and join the other tieflings”, Jeorna said mechanically, arms folded defensively.

“Let me through, you and I both know I can solve this without any blood baths.” You weren't necessarily strong, nor did you have an innate talent for fighting, but if there was one thing you knew how to do it was to be eloquent, enough you hoped to allow all these worries to be sorted out.

Jeorna pouted, chewing the inside of her cheek as she gave you a simple nod towards the druids' stone door.

“Thank you,” you thanked hastily as you hurried towards it. 

You felt the heavy gaze of all the druids on your back, the weight of your responsibility and your difference in this environment becoming almost suffocating.

You walked past the wall, down the small staircase to the druidic quarters. Kagha was there, next to Arabella, who looked simply terrified. Your eyes fell on the rock beside the girl, the glint of the druidess's vicious pet snake ready to attack at any moment.

“What's going on?” you asked as you approached. 

All eyes turned to you, Arabella's filled with hope while Kagha's face contorted as if a pestilential smell had suddenly taken over the place.

“What are you doing here?” she stormed.

“And what are you doing here ?” you asked back, maintaining a firm tone.

“One of your kind has tried stealing the idol of Silvanus, a punishment is required for such an act.”

“So you'd be ready to threaten a child's life for a... piece of rock?” you asked, confused.

Kagha parted her lips, preparing to reply something, but the very simplicity of your sentence seemed to bring her back down to earth. This little affront, though, which in her eyes seemed designed to belittle Kagha's credulity in the eyes of the druids, made her boil internally.

“I maintain, a punishment will result for her.” she grimaced, her face bitter and twisted with anger.

“If anyone is going to be punished, it certainly won't be a child.” Your eyes lowered to Arabella, her eyes full of tears, “Let me receive what she must receive.”

The other druids took offence in murmurs, a cloud of low whispers encircling you all as you kept your eyes on Kagha.

“Nonsense,” she laughed, a touch of panic and surprise taking over her tone, “she's the criminal in this instance.”

“Since when do we judge children as criminals in this way?” You raised an eyebrow, shrugging your shoulders in incomprehension. “Kagha, this goes against every principle of your order.”

“Don't talk to me about principles, you vermin.’

Any diplomacy you might have shown was slowly fading as Kagha showed her true colours.

“Kagha,” Rath said as if he'd just been punched in the stomach by hearing her speak like that, “stop this nonsense.”

You took a step towards her, then a second, approaching her slowly and never taking your eyes off her. Some people see the underworld in the horns and tails of the tiefling, but your gaze burned with the fires of the Nine Hells.

“And what are you going to do, hm?” you asked as your face came so close to her you could feel her quick breath against your cheeks, “trap me in vines ? get your little pet to bite me wherever you please ?”

“Don't give me ideas,” she added in an evil, mocking tone, “my judgement will be-”

“What is going on?”

All eyes turned towards the entrance to the room, except yours, which remained riveted on Kagha. You hadn't seen much of him, but you knew his voice well enough to recognise him: Halsin.

Kagha took a step away, quickly whispering to her snake to come back to her before saluting, full of surprise: 

“Halsin, you're back.”

Arabella ran towards you, gripping your thigh tightly with her little arms as you felt the fabric of your trousers dampen with her tears.

You tilted your head to the side, still watching Kagha. You had this deep longing, this need for her to remember your gaze, to remember for all the days to come of her eternal life that she would know the anger you bore for all your kind nestled just in your eyes.

Halsin came down the steps, his two arms tensed by the two huge baskets he was carrying. He came towards you, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched Arabella's back twitch. You put your hand on her hair, stroking it gently as she turned her head and her teary eyes met Halsin's. 

He turned to Kagha, who still looked as surprised as ever.

“What is the meaning of this ?” he asked, confused.

Kagha fixed her gaze on yours, expecting you to reveal everything in your embittered state. You stared at her for a long time, then turned to Arabella, exhaling in relief.

“Nothing,” you managed to say calmly, “Arabella just got lost and was scared by the wolves.”

The druids' animals were a perfect excuse for the moment, and Kagha was looking at you with huge eyes. You weren't trying to fuel the fire of hatred, you were trying to calm it down and eventually extinguish it so that you could live together in peace. Throwing her to Halsin’s wrath wouldn’t help either of your peoples. 

Halsin smiled, his eternal gentleness spreading across his face as he knelt beside Arabella. She sniffed, clutching tightly at the fabric of your trousers.

“I can see how they might frighten you, but they've got a good heart,” he said.

He lowered his hand to one of the baskets, taking a handful of wild strawberries that he'd gone to pick along with some other medicinal herbs. He took a small brown cloth bag and poured the red fruits into it. 

“Here,” he said, handing the small bag to Arabella.

She took it in her hand, smiling at him as she sniffed from the tears.

“She should thank you,” said Kagha.

Her venom clearly knew no bounds, and the acrimony you felt towards her was not about to subside.

“She's had a great scare, I'm not going to ask her to be polite,” asserted Halsin.

“Come on sweetheart,” you said, taking Arabella's free hand, “let's get you back to your parents, okay?”

She nodded, squeezing your hand as you headed for the exit. You gave Kagha one last dark look, her eyebrows furrowing as she bit the inside of her mouth.

You took the little girl back to her parents, who took her in their arms. They dried her tears and asked if she was all right, if anyone had hurt her.

“This needs to stop,” said one of the tiefling, “we can't live in fear of what they'll do to us all the time.”

And he was right, you had to find a way to keep your people safe. When evening came, you went up to the telescope that Nadira was occupying, assuring her that she could go to sleep.

You needed a break from all the pressure. You were trying to prevent a conflict breaking out between two completely different peoples who had to live together. The prejudices of your race didn't leave you with an easy task, and this supposed ritual that the druids had started...

You watched the stars, hoping they would give you advice and answers to your questions.

“Beautiful, isn't it ?”

You almost jumped as you turned your head towards Halsin, who came to sit across from you on the cut log.

“Nature has always brought beauty everywhere, in the skies, on the grounds, even in people,” he smiled, resting his forearms on his knees.

You sighed, watching the skies. “If only all people had the beauty you speak of within them.”

"It's a part of nature to be as deadly as it is beautiful.” he said, shrugging as his eyes drifted to the sky in turn. “Plants will make their poisons, predators will make their prey, roses will make their thorns. It's a part of it, just like within each and everyone of us lives a part of light and a part of darkness. We're made in nature's image, after all.”

You leaned back on the rock against which you were sitting, looking at him. He was so serene, so gentle. It seemed impossible at the time to consider that he had any darkness in him.

“What can a rose do against a sheep and its hunger?” you asked, curious.

He laughed softly, his eyes landing on yours as he faced you. “I guess she can't do much, she can try her best with her claws but... nature is as beautiful as it is cruel.”

There was a melancholy in his sentence, hidden behind the softness of his smile.

“Has nature disappeared in the Shadowlands?”

His smile slowly faded, his honey-coloured eyes illuminated by the moon watching you.

“It has not disappeared,” he said, “it has... shifted, been turned into something dark, something undead that defies the laws of nature itself.”

You nodded, your tail coming to rest on your lap.

“Maybe the shadowlands is the only place where the rose can sting the sheep,” you said, gently brushing away the dust that had settled on your skin.

You could feel him looking at you, and you didn't know whether you wanted him to go on forever, or for your eyes to meet his and for him to look away.

“Is that why you're so absent from the grove?” you asked as you finally found the strength to look up and meet his eyes again. “To search for a way to cleanse the land?”

He nodded, smiling gently. “Indeed. The shadows of the past haunt me, they have been doing so for the last hundred years.”

You sometimes forgot how wise he was, how many lives he'd lived, how many lovers he must've had… You find yourself thinking about the question for a moment. His kindness was unparalleled, his generosity and selflessness boundless, and to top it all off: By the Nine Hells, he was handsome.

You wondered if he had a partner, if he had vowed never to love again after his one and only love, or if he wasn't interested.

You straightened up, kneeling before him as he looked at you with surprised eyes.

“Halsin,” you began as you looked into his eyes. “I know that you try to do good in every place that has suffered, it is a noble goal I can't deny it.” You sighed, the despair of the last few days weighing on your shoulders as you loosened them. “But you have to understand that I am starting to be the only one trying to keep the grove at peace.”

His lips parted. You stood up, wiping the dirt from your knees.

“And the grove is not part of the past,” you said to him as he stood, “it's now or never.”

You waved goodbye for the night, leaving to find your sleeping bag in the subterranean caverns while you hoped that your words would have brought him some clarity.

The next morning, ready to take part in the day's gatherings and help in the grove, you learned that Halsin had left earlier that morning, and that once again there had been no news from him.

Your hopes were gradually crumbling.

The rumour that a druidic ritual to close the grove off from the rest of the world had been set in motion under Kagha's orders was well-founded. You sighed, hoping that Halsin would return during the day and not be absent any longer.

Another member of the grove seemed to be missing. Old Auntie Ethel was nowhere to be seen near her stall of potions and other health elixirs. So it fell to you to supervise it during the day.

Night came, and just as you were about to go to bed, Arabella and the other children came running to you, screaming.

“Do you want to wake the whole place up?” you shouted in a whisper.

“You've got to come and see, quick!” urged Arabella as she pulled you along.

The children crept towards the fountain, and you followed them, wondering what they had been up to. You passed the stone wall, descending the steps to the druids' quarters.

“Are you insane? Do you want to get yourself killed coming here?” you scolded them in silence.

“We've found something you really must see!”

They took you to the centre of the room and made you wait there, passing behind some vines to open what you recognised as a chest in the half-light.

They came back to you with a letter in their hands, holding it out to you insistently. You took the letter in your hands, and what you read in it made your blood run cold.

Shadow druids. Kagha had allied herself with them.

“What are you doing here?!” 

Kagha's furious voice echoed around the room, the little ones next to you flinching.

"Go back to bed,” you said firmly to the children as your eyes locked on Kagha's. 

“But-”

“No buts, you're going back. Now.”

The kids didn't wait a second longer, running for the stairs.

“You're not going anywhere,” Kagha shouted as she came towards them, but you blocked her path.

“So you’ve chosen the Shadow Druids,” you said bitterly, pointing to the letter.

Kagha's face broke, realisation washing over her face with a meagre transition to raw anger.

“You'll never understand anything,” she spat.

You frowned, a flash of destructive malice shining in her eyes.

“Always getting in the way where nobody wants you,” she said, looking at you with disgust and contempt, starting to circle you like a wolf around its next meal, like a predator around its prey, like a sheep around its rose. “You think you have every right here. You and your kind think that you can steal anything you can get your hands on, destroy the order of the grove, intrude on the tranquillity it offers, and you think you'll never have to pay anything in return.”

She chuckled, watching your gaze darken. “You'll never be welcomed, and I'll see to it personally.”

Kagha drew her scimitars, and you braced yourself for whatever injury it might cause.

It was an unfair fight, you had no weapon, no spell, nothing to protect yourself with. All you could hope to do was dodge. She sliced an arc through the air towards you, and you stepped back. She made another strike that split the air, but still couldn't reach you. You were agile, and that worked in your favour.

You ran the length of the room, jumping and trotting to avoid her attacks, but you didn't have time to read the labels on all the potions on display, or the contents of the parchments lying here and there, which could have been of great help to you.

Kagha got fed up with chasing you soon enough, and her voice boomed through the room when she said: “Flagellum!”

A bramble whip wrapped itself around one of your ankles, knocking you off your feet and taking your breath away as you hit the ground. The thorns of the whip dug deep into your leg, and you could already feel the blood spreading under the fabric of your trousers.

You tried to get to your feet but Kagha punched you in the face and cut your lip, rolling you onto your back as she knelt on your arms to stop you doing anything.

“Did you honestly think everything was going to work out?” she said through clenched teeth as she pressed the tip of her scimitar into your arm, “That everything would work out perfectly and we'd find a balance?”

The blade of her sword dug in past the fabric of your shirt, the pain slow and making you grunt. “Never, never would both sides have emerged victorious,” she growled as she withdrew the blade from the flesh of your arm, coming to place it under your throat.

You held your breath, were you going to die like this?

“The shadows were always the answer.”

And as you tried as best you could to shake off the thorns tugging at your leg or to lift your arm out of her grip, you felt the metal covered in your own blood pressing against your neck.

“Kagha!”

Halsin's voice echoed around the room, Kagha turning and letting her attention wander enough to loosen her hold on you. You kicked at the ground to push yourself away from her, the brambles wrapped around your leg making you grunt as you managed to put some distance between you and her.

She sat up, panicking. Halsin was with Rath, the children must have alerted him and found Halsin on the path.

“Halsin, I can explain-” Kagha stammered.

“Your fate will be decided tomorrow. You let yourself be devoured by power, and for that you will be judged,” Halsin said, trying to restrain his anger. “Rath, take her to one of the cells.”

His eyes fell on you on the floor, bloodied, his fist clenching until his knuckles were white.

“I'll look after her,” he said, walking slowly towards you.

You tried to calm your breathing, to take your mind off the fact that you'd just had a brush with death and it had left its scarlet signature on your throat.

He knelt down beside you, examining your leg, surrounded by brambles. He brushed away the thorns and the vine, letting his hand fly over it, but leaving open wounds all the same.

You watched him as he examined you, and noticed that he too was injured. Blood was beading from his forehead and his salient arms were covered in scratches. 

His eyes came back to you, and he brought his hand to your chin. Your body instinctively recoiled, and his eyes softened. Tenderly, he ran his fingers over the drying blood on your throat, his eyes drifting to the arm you were holding, which was staining your hand red.

He sighed, and the muscle in his jaw tensed, your cheeks warming at the sight. He turned towards you again, wrapping one arm under your knees while the other encircled your back.

“Hold on to me,” he indicated as your able-bodied arm came around his neck.

He lifted you as if you weighed absolutely nothing, pressing your body against his and making sure he didn't hurt you.

He began to walk, taking you towards what appeared to be his own quarters.

“What happened?” he asked softly.

You pressed your head against his chest, sighing as you gradually came down from all that emotion.

“The children brought me back here to read a letter. Kagha has joined forces with the Shadow Druids, and she intends to perform The Rite of Thorns and cut the grove off from the rest of the world.”

“The Rite of Thorns?” repeated Halsin, not quite believing it.

“Mhm,” you hummed, sighing, a nervous chuckle running up your throat, “she doesn't fancy us.”

He walked through the doorway into his room, which was deeply filled with plants, bags of herbs and a bookcase full of nature reading. He set you down on his bed, which was absolutely huge. It was strange that an elf should grow so tall, and the bed reminded you of that. You looked round the four corners of his room, filled with plants climbing the walls and unvarnished wood.

Halsin didn't ask you any questions at the time, suspecting that your mind was wandering between what had just happened and the present moment. However, as he closed the door to his room to avoid any further worries, he couldn't help asking you a question: “You seem surprised,” he asked as he turned to his shelves to prepare his remedies. “Why?”

His question snapped you out of your reverie, and you turned to face him. His back was facing you, and your thoughts took a different turn for a moment. Enough, however, for your cheeks to heat up.

“It's just... I thought you were so connected to nature that you would just sleep outside on the grass.”

He chuckled softly, turning to the table that was to serve as his desk as well as his workbench.

“Most of the time that's the case, but you have to admit that the comfort of a bed is sometimes more pleasant than the rock, or a rod that ploughs your back.”

“Don't you sleep in bear form, though ?” you asked, trying to adjust your posture so as not to let drops of blood fall onto his sheets.

“I do, but I can't stay in its shape forever.” he stated, pressing herbs, fats and other ingredients into a mortar. “Going back to instincts at all times can do no good to us all.”

You hummed, nodding in agreement.

Your eyes fell on your ripped sleeve, the light glinting off your open wound as it drifted down your leg. The fabric of your trousers was speckled with black spots, the blood taking precedence over its original colour.

You wanted to apologise, for the blood, for your presence here, for the trouble your people had caused. But could you blame your people for simply living? Sure, children pilfered, and the history attributed to your race didn't help prejudice, but to the point of closing down an entire place simply by your presence? No, you couldn't apologise.

Not when you were helping them, not when you were doing your best to contribute to the serenity of the grove.

Not when that crazy Kagha had almost taken your life on the sole pretext of your appearance.

“Why did you leave ?” The question escaped your lips, a little more shakily than you had hoped from the tightness in your throat.

Halsin turned to you, frowning. 

“Last night, were my words flat of meaning?” you could feel an intense knot in your throat.

He came towards you slowly, bowl and leaves placed on the ground as he knelt in front of you. Even so, he reached your sitting height. His lips were parted, his gaze soft and attentive.

Your heart broke, and your voice cracked as the beast of sadness clawed at your eyes and throat.

“You left me, after I told you I needed help,” you cried, hot tears of anger and exhaustion running down your cheeks.

“I-” began Halsin.

“You left me.” you repeated, your lips and chin quivering as you saw the reflection of your demonic eyes in Halsin's. You lowered your head, closing your eyes as you brought the back of your good hand to cover them.

All of a sudden, everything fell apart. The quarrels you had to watch over every day, the hard work you put in to make yourself look right, your escape from death tonight and the constant insults and hatred took their toll on your strength and made you break down.

Your face twisted with fatigue, tears trickling down your nose to your chin. You twitched, you were so tired.

Then, like someone covering you with a warm blanket, Halsin came and took you in his arms. He wasn't afraid of your dark eyes, or of being pierced by your horns in his arms, or of your claws that could be used as a weapon. His arms wrapped around you, and you felt so small and safe in them.

“I'm sorry,” he said softly as one of his hands caressed your back.

You began to sob again, your hands coming to rest on his broad back and holding him close to you as if this candour were going to vanish at any moment. You didn't know that you needed this embrace. To be held, to be comforted, to be safe in his arms. He didn't say anything, just stroked your back and hair gently, letting your tears and emotions flow into the silence.

When it seemed that you had no more tears to shed, and that you had calmed down, you remained like that against him.

“I'm sorry,” you mumbled against his shoulder. “for the blood, and for screaming at you and... for the trouble of my people.”

Halsin pulled away from you, and you regretted his action. Part of you wished you'd stayed there, in his arms, talking softly with an open heart.

The thought that your reaction would have been different if it hadn't been him who had embraced you came to mind, and your still swollen eyes met his, full of tenderness and understanding. He took your face in his hands, and your head seemed very small at that moment.

“This is far from being your fault, little bird,” he assured you, his thumb brushing away the remnants of tears on your cheeks. “I left you alone in the face of the fiercest of enemies: ignorance.”

“Yes, but I could have probably done better, at keeping the peace of the Grove in one piece.”

“Look where this led you,” he said softly as he eyed your leg, your arm, and your cut lip for longer than the previous two before coming back to your eyes. “You'll never stop compromising your own well being to help others, will you ?”

“I guess that makes something we have in common.” You smiled, and it was contagious enough for Halsin to mirror you.

“I cannot deny it, but I cannot deny the fact that you having been hurt because of my mistakes and blindness fills me with intense dread and guilt.” One of his hands ran along your shoulder until it came to the cut of your arm, his fingers pinching the fabric as his second hand came to hold your arm. ”May I ?”

You nodded, and Halsin waited no longer before tearing off your sleeve with total ease and setting the fabric aside. He stepped back slightly, placing both hands just above your knee, his gaze on you as he waited for you to confirm. You nodded once more, and the fabric, stronger than your shirt, tore like the transparent film covering the egg yolks. 

Your leg and arm were burning, tolerable of course, but that didn't stop it from being extremely unpleasant. He took a basin, placing both your feet in it, and conjured up water which ran down your legs and cleaned your wounds.

Halsin watched the wounds, muttering under his breath words that you didn't fully understand. The only thing you could translate from him at the moment was his frustration.

“It's going to be a bit cold,” he warned, almost in a whisper.

He took the green goo he'd concocted, spreading it with his fingers over your wounds as you shuddered and breathed in through your teeth.

“Why not simply use a healing spell?” you asked as he placed a leaf on the poultice.

“Kagha fights with poison, her scimitars can be coated with it by occasions, and I don't doubt that her link to the Shadow Druids might have altered her magic to the point where these thorns could be poisoned as well.” He turned to the next wound on your leg, “And I prefer to use real remedies if that's the case.”

You watched him at work, carefully applying the mixture and then pressing a leaf onto it.

“Are your wounds related to the reason you left today?” you asked.

His eyes drifted to the scratches on his arms, as if he'd forgotten about them.

“Yes, it so happens that one of the druids came to warn me in the morning of a problem not far from the forest. I suppose you see who Madame Ethel is?”

“I replaced her today at her stall,” you replied.

“We went to her house, it seemst that the Sunlit Wetlands have been profoundly changed by an evil that Ethel spread. She was a hag.”

You frowned. “Was?” the past tense made you doubt things had gone as planned.

“I went there on my own and as I entered the swamps I realised that something was wrong. It was when I got to Ethel's cottage that I realised her true identity, leading me to tracking her down deep underground to get to the bottom of it. She poisoned this land, I couldn't let her get away with destroying nature forever. I ended her henchmen and took care of her right after. A hag knows how to defend herself, she left me with a few meagre memories that will be gone soon enough but she was a tough opponent.”

Halsin had been out all day, investigating and risking his life to flush out a Hag who was deceiving the people in the grove into thinking she could help them. Who knows the next person she would have picked out and brought back to her cursed shack?

You also knew that Halsin preferred to avoid bloodshed as much as possible, and that he had spent a whole day killing creatures in the marshes. The guilt was creeping up your cheeks and up the back of your neck.

“And I screamed at you for doing something right, by the hells I'm so stupid,” you sighed as you brought your hand to your forehead.

Halsin smiled, regaining your eyes as he finished with your leg. “You had your reasons to be angry. I don't blame you, I don't know how I would have reacted either if I were in your situation.” He straightened up, dipping his fingers into the cup again before gently spreading the contents over your wound. “I never thought you had so much to endure by yourself. Between us both, I am the one that should be sorry.”

You said nothing, simply watching him at work. Once the last leaf was in place, he looked at your split lip, and your cheeks heated up like the inferno.

Halsin hooked your chin, his thumb pressing just below your lip as he watched the cut with a look you couldn't quite make out. Your cheek had swollen slightly, Kagha hadn't gone easy on you.

“Punch?” he asked simply, without taking his eyes off your lips.

“Mhm,” you simply hummed, hoping with all your heart that Halsin wouldn't feel your frantic heartbeat on your lip.

His thumb flew over the skin of your lip without ever touching it, murmuring: “Te curo.”

Your lip sealed, painlessly, with the electric sensation of magic emanating from his fingers.

He moved away, preparing to clean his utensils, but you stopped him. “May I?” you asked, pointing to his wounds. You wanted to help him in return, to do something, anything.

“It's just a few scratches,” he reassured you, “I can take care of those myself.”

“You took care of me,” you said as you tenderly took the bowl from between his hands, “Let me look after you.” He sighed, knowing you wouldn't flinch. He sat down properly in front of you, almost between your legs, placing his hands on the sheets not far from your hips, ready.

Just as he had done before, you said the incantation: “Aqua Pura.”

The water ran down his arms, cleaning his wounds until it ran up his temple to clear the cracked blood on his forehead.

“I didn't know you practised spells,” he said, surprised, “How did you learn?”

You dipped your fingers into the generous remains of the mixture, straightening up to gently apply it to his wounds.

“We were travelling during a summer so hot it felt like the underworld had swallowed us up again,” you began. “Hunger was an agony and madness we could endure, but the lack of water was starting to genuinely affect us. Luckily, some druids took us in for a few days in their temple. While some druids-to-be were training to learn spells, I was allowed to learn some of them alongside them. Nothing really extraordinary, just some healing spells, but above all a spell that would prove indispensable if the thirst returned: the creation of water.” You placed a few leaves delicately on his wounds, feeling his attentive gaze on your face.

“I told myself that, by coming here, I would find the precious help that had been given to me and my people,” you moved on to his second arm, “but I don't know if I was right.”

You felt an electrifying warmth settle on your thigh, Halsin's hand having rested tenderly in compassion on it.

“I'm terribly sorry that my absence and ignorance led you to doubt the help you were entitled to receive. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to put an end to this nonsense.”

You gave him a tender smile. You trusted him, after all he had just saved your life. You tilted your head to one side, your fingers tucking behind his pointed ear a stray lock of hair that must have fallen out of his bun during a day full of fighting. You applied the last of the poultice to his wound.

“I'm grateful that you came tonight,” you said. You cupped his face, looking into his eyes before placing a kiss on his forehead. “Thank you.”

Halsin seemed surprised by the touch, but smiled softly, straightening up and turning to face a wooden chest of drawers. He pulled out a shirt and trousers which, from what you could imagine just by looking at them in the half-light, would be far too big for you.

“You can take my quarters for the night-” He paused for a moment, watching your arm, and clutched the clothes in his hand. “Would you... need help putting these on ?”

Despite Halsin's care and attention to help with your injuries, your arm and leg were still hurting intensely. You couldn't find words that wouldn't make you sound desperate, so you simply nodded, your heart racing again.

He came to kneel beside you once more.

“Can you stand up for me?”

You tried to stand up, pushing on your good leg to keep yourself upright. You almost lost your balance, but Halsin took hold of your waist to keep you in place. Keeping his eyes on you, he took one of your hands and placed it on his shoulder.

“Hold on to me,” he offered.

He brought his two giant hands to your belt buckle, loosening it and unbuttoning your trousers, sliding them gently down your legs, taking care not to move the poultices. His fingers brushed against your skin, under which little fireworks sparkled.

Once the trousers were off, he took the ones he'd pulled out for you in his hands, a sort of sirwal pants that was loose-fitting and wouldn't touch your wounds too closely. 

The fabric was thin, and his warm hands running up your legs sent shivers down your spine. You hoped he wouldn't notice them, that the half-light and the cold on your bare skin would be enough of an alibi. You wrapped your tail around your leg so that it didn't stick out too far from your pants.

He tied the lace of the latter around your waist, not tightening it too much. Then he raised his eyes to yours, his hands still on your hips, gently pulling you back onto the bed to sit up.

“May I?” he asked again.

And again you nodded.

His hands moved up from your hips to your waist, gripping the sides of your shirt and helping to pull you out of the fabric. The cool night air spread over your back, but its freshness couldn't quell the fire in the back of your neck as Halsin's eyes bore down on you.

There was a moment of hesitation, of expectation almost. Waiting for a gesture, a sound, a look that would mean yes.

But Halsin inhaled deeply, taking the shirt between his fingers, rolling up the sleeves so that you could slip it on without worry. The shirt seemed as long as a dress, reaching halfway up your thighs.

He pulled the covers over his bed, opening them so that you could slide under them.

“Get some sleep, if you have a problem, I won't be far,” he said as he tucked you in properly.

“Okay,” you assured him.

He looked at you for a moment, his hand coming to brush a strand from your face.

“Sleep well,” he said before standing up.

“Thank you,” you murmured.

And he left.

Your lungs let out a breath they'd been unconsciously holding. You took the duvet and covered your head as if it could hide you and mute your heart.

Your duties as leader had, for most of your life by now, forced you to put aside advances or the idea of romance to keep your head on straight. But Halsin was getting in the way, shattering the wall of protection you'd built for yourself.

You could feel the fabric of his shirt on your body, a caramelised smell of wood, tall grass and warm stone permeating the fabric. His smell.

You surrendered yourself to its comfort.

It didn't take you long to fall asleep. The long day's work and your near-death experience had made you very tired.

It was the sun streaming through the windows that woke you up, its warm caress on your arm and face providing a pleasant morning kiss. You had no idea what time it was, you didn't know how long you'd been asleep, but it had been more than restorative.

Swapping the sensation of rocks and gravel scraping your back every night for sleeping on a straw mattress with a real bed worked wonders. What's more, your arm and leg weren't hurting so much any more. Halsin's poultices had sucked out all the poison they could, and the wounds had largely healed.

You tried to sit up, then to stand up. You took off the trousers, turning them the other way round and putting them on again to let your tail slip under the lace so that you didn't have to keep it wrapped around your leg.

There was still a little weakness and numbness in your leg, but fortunately it wasn't unpleasant enough to stop you from walking.

You rolled the fabric around your ankles to avoid tripping over the length of the pant legs, and walked out of the room. The place seemed deserted, so you set off back outside the Druid quarters to find your people. They must have been worried, and you feared that the absence of their leaders had led to a catastrophe while you were resting.

The druids' cave was empty too, which was most unusual.

You reached the stone door, passed through it and fell silent.

Around the fountain of Silvanus, the druids had gathered. The rite had stopped, much to your relief, but there was a real sense of tension.

Kagha was on trial before her entire circle.

You didn't move any further, not daring to violate this sacred and serious moment.

“Kagha,” Halsin spoke as he stood in the centre of the fountain, high up where the idol of Silvanus once stood. “During my absence, two papers representing evidence of your connection with the Shadow Druids were found. The first,��� he pointed to the letter you had read the day before, “was found in your chest here in the Grove. And the second,” he held up a second letter for all to see, passing these two to the other Druids so they could all read them, “in the swamps.”

You crossed your arms, attentive.

“Yesterday, following rumours that proved to be true, I began a cleansing of the sickness that had taken over these lands. During this operation, however, on my way to one of our ancient sacred trees, I found this paper in a hole in a false bark.”

The druids' eyebrows furrowed one by one as they read and heard Halsin's arguments.

“The hatred and contempt of others for Kagha led her to join the Shadow Druids.”

There were shocked murmurs and surprised looks were directed at Kagha, who seemed to be dying of shame and guilt.

“These ideas and behaviours led her to want to perform The Rite of Thorns,” he turned to you, his gaze resting on yours, “and to come to violence.”

He called your name, and in an instant all eyes were on you. 

He came down the steps of the fountain, coming to you so that you could lean on him and walk to your people.

“Kagha even went so far as to attack the leader of the tieflings and deliberately wound her in an attempt to kill her.”

Shock was rising among the druids, and your people all came to you as soon as Halsin had brought you close enough to them, who were waiting on the steps leading to the fountain.

Halsin turned back to the druids.

“Many stories were relayed to me during the night by the Tiefling, accounts unworthy of the status of druid and protector of nature. Kagha was prepared to kill a simple, frightened child in need of help.”

Kagha looked down at her feet, her face contorted with guilt. 

“Every druids in our circle will exchange as to your fate, Kagha, for we cannot remain indifferent to your actions.”

Two druids came and grabbed Kagha's arms, leading her towards the stone door. The rest gathered round, chatting frantically amongst themselves.

The children hugged you, tears in their eyes as they asked you what had happened. The parents and the others were furious that this pest had had the audacity to touch you. Zevlor pushed them aside, insisting that you were hurt and needed some air after all that had happened.

“You scared the hells out of us, are you alright ?” he asked.

“Everything's fine, more fear than harm,” you reassured him. “I've spoken to Halsin, things are going to be alright.”

Halsin walked towards you, and Zevlor took the opportunity to move all the tiefling away so that he and you could have a private conversation.

“Slept well I presume?” he asked, a charming smile gracing his lips.

“Best sleep I've had in ages,” you confirmed, leaning against a wall to keep yourself upright and not put too much weight on your leg.

“How are you feeling?” he questioned, placing his palm on your forehead to see if you had a fever, then taking your arm in hand to roll up the sleeve and see the state of your wounds.

“Better than I expected. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up.”

“I'd rather not imagine,” he assured. “I spoke to Zevlor and the others last night to explain the situation, and their explanations were very surprising. I honestly had no idea what was going on here.”

“I think we came very close to a catastrophe,” you confirmed, your eyes riveted on his.

“Why did you lie,” he began, “when I came back and Arabella was crying?”

“I thought... blaming each other wasn't going to solve anything. I just hoped that Kagha would understand that she had made a mistake.” you say, your eyes drifting over the fountain which, until recently, was an object of constant torment. “Besides, I was alone in a whole room of druids who were supposed to obey her, I didn't know how things could develop with so much tension.”

“I understand why you did what you did, but I beg you: if ever in the future any incident of this kind should happen again, I ask you to come and see me and tell me about it. What do you say, little bird?”

The nickname for the second time made your heart leap into your chest.

“All right,” you assured him.

“Good,” he turned to the group of druids still chatting. “I must get back, but be assured we will have a long discussion necessary for the balance of the grove after this.”

“I'll wait patiently,” you smiled at him as he turned to leave.

The verdict came, and Kagha was exiled. Halsin came to find you, and a long conversation about recent events ensued.

At the end of it, he came to the conclusion that he had to ensure that his presence was  in the daily life of the grove until you could all leave peacefully.

You and Halsin looked after the harmony of the Grove between the druids and the tiefling, while you helped him with the purification of the land.

There were many things you and Halsin didn't say, glances that lingered, closeness that went beyond the merely professional, and a tension in the air that needed to be broken.

The goblin camp that had so far caused problems was deserted thanks to some travellers, and soon a party was organised for the tieflings' departure.

The evening before departure came, and the Bosquet fountain was decorated as if in a real fairytale. Garlands of magical fireflies hung in the air, butterflies fluttered everywhere, and the dishes scented the night air.

Alfira played her lute with other druids for music, Vollo told the children fantastic stories, and everyone danced and enjoyed themselves.

You were wearing a dress sewn by the druids in gratitude for peace, with a relaxed, elegant cut, made from their own fabrics and detailed with lace made from spider's webs. Your horns were adorned with jewels, your eyes highlighted with make-up and perfumed with delicate flower essences.

It was Halsin's turn to arrive at the fountain, wearing a superb suit in shades of brown and green that blended perfectly to underline his elegance.

He greeted a few people, his gaze roaming over the crowds before finally settling on you, his eyes roving up and down your silhouette in what seemed like a trance. You smiled, bringing the cup of your drink to your lips.

He moved towards you after greeting most of the people.

“I almost didn't recognise you,” he admitted, “I'm glad I haven't been drinking yet, if I had I would have choked uponseeing you, and I wouldn't have had all my wits about me to properly appreciate this rare opportunity to see you like this.”

Heat rose to your cheeks.

“I hope my glass will let me hear and understand all the lovely things you have to say to me.”

“Then I can start with the most serious part,” he smiled, facing you, “I wish to travel with you.”

It was you who nearly choked at the announcement, turning to him, confused.

“Travel with us?”

“Only if you agree to receive me,” he continued, not wishing to impose this idea in any way. “The Shadow Lands still haunt me and I know that you must inevitably pass through them to get to Baldur's Gate. I simply ask to travel with you, to give you my help if need be, and…” his hand along his thigh came gently to take yours, “to spend more time with you.”

Your heart was racing in your chest, and you grinned until your cheeks ached and you started to laugh.

Halsin looked deeply confused, had you had more than one drink already, or had he simply said something ridiculous ?

“What is it?” he asked, smiling.

“Nothing, it's just," you composed yourself, pressing his hand in yours, "I was wondering when you were going to ask me all that.”

His face relaxed, relief lowering his shoulders.

In the distance, Alfira and the orchestra were now playing softer music. 

He raised your clasped hands.

“Could I have the undying honour of dancing with you?” he asked.

“It would be my greatest pleasure,” you confirmed as you joined the group of dancers. You put your free hand on his shoulder, and his came to rest in the hollow of your waist.

“How long have you been thinking about asking me this, to travel with us ?” you questioned.

“Since the trial of Kagha, when things started to get better at the Grove,” he said, waltzing gently with you.

“And,” your smile widened, tilting your head back slightly, ’how long have you been thinking about wanting to spend more time with me?’

He couldn't help but smile back. ‘Since our discussion under the stars.

“About the sheep and the rose ?”

“Precisely the sheep and the rose,” he agreed. He moistened his lips, his eyes falling on yours. “And then the next night, after Kagha had wounded you.”

You remembered that night as if it had been etched in your memory forever. As well as the fear, the pain and the fatigue, you could never forget the feel of Halsin's hands on your body, or his smell, or his eyes on you.

“I have to admit I could barely refrain myself from keeping my touches polite,” he admitted, lowering his lips to your ear. "My hands were aching to linger on you."

“I wish you had never left them from me.” you confirmed in a whisper, his voice and breath on your neck making you shiver.

Halsin hummed, his chest vibrating against you. You were aware of how close you were, how the air you shared had thinned.

“Fortunately,” he murmured, his hand roaming over your back and bringing you a little closer to him, ”this is something I can remedy for both of us.”

Your breaths spread across your cheeks, your noses brushing.

“I want to have you by my side, in every land we roam, in every place we stay, under any sky that covers us.” he whispered as you felt the warm, tender skin of his lips graze yours. “I want you.”

Neither of you waited any longer to kiss, abandoning yourselves, to the feelings, to the envy, to the sweetness of the night.

Cheers of joy echoed around you, applause resounding throughout the grove. Halsin smiled against your lips, his hand cupping your face as he continued to kiss you.

Everyone celebrated your love, which had no intention of waning.

[specialagentlokitty]

Rossi x reader - trust in you

hi, I hope you’re doing well 🫶🏻 I was wondering if I could please request something where reader desperately wants relapse with sh but instead winds up talking to her father figure hotch or Rossi (or both)? No pressure if you don’t want to write it. I absolutely love your writing 🥰🥰 - @twwobsessed 💜

TW: mentions of self harm and negative thoughts

Some cases hit people harder than others, usually you were able to remain objective about the cases, put all those normal thoughts of sadness, despite, hatred for people to the back of your mind.

But your most recent case had you finding it hard to do that, it hit a little too close to home for you, and no one on the team knew that, you carried on going through it.

You saw the case through to the end, but it was hard, and you couldn’t stop thinking about it as you flicked through the book in your lap, pretending you were reading.

You didn’t really talk to anybody when you got back, instead of doing your paperwork like normal you went straight back home.

You went for a bath, made a cup of tea, tried reading a book but nothing was helping you relax.

You had resorted to pacing back and forth along your hallway, pinging the elastic band around your wrist, trying to resist the unbearable urge you had to scratch, to try get rid of this itch that seemed to be buried deep within your skin.

You knew scratching wouldn’t work, no matter how much you scratch you would never be able to get rid of that itch.

Your brain was running a million miles an hour with all the thoughts, feelings and urges you had worked through a long time ago.

But they came back.

It was like you could never escape, no matter how well you seemed to be doing they always came back, always haunting you.

Your own mind begging you to inflict pain on yourself.

You didn’t want to, you had been clean for nearly a year, you had fought this all by yourself, you had never told anybody about your struggles.

Everybody struggled, dealt things their own way and this is how you had been ever since you were a teenager, even when you went through the academy, even as you joined the BAU, where you had been for the past three years.

You kept it all to yourself.

It was destroying you.

It was going to destroy you and you knew that.

You didn’t want to do this anymore, you didn’t want to go back into that life, you didn’t want to slip into old habits.

Grabbing your keys, you pulled on one of your hoodies and went to your car, heading to the person you knew would most likely still be up at this time.

You didn’t have your phone so you couldn’t call saying you were outside, so you settled for just knocking on the door until you finally heard somebody coming over.

Lowering your hand, you watched as the door was swung open, showing the worried and confused face of your coworker.

“(Y/N) what’s wrong?” Rossi asked.

You took a shaky breath, running a hand down your face.

“I.. I.. I need help…” you whispered.

“Come here, come on.”

Rossi held his hand out for you and you took it, letting him pull you in for a hug as he closed his front door.

Tears fell from your eyes, and you quietly sobbed, gripping the back of his shirt tightly.

“I.. I can’t do this anymore…”

Rossi held the back of your head, running a hand up and down your back.

“I need you to tell me what happened…” he whispered.

“I can’t.. I don’t… I can’t.. I can’t do this alone anymore…”

Rossi pulled away, placing a hand on your shoulder to lead you to the couch, gently sitting you down.

“Wait right here.”

He rushed away to get you a glass of water, and he came back, handing it out to you and you set it on the table.

Rossi also get down a box of tissues for you, and he finally sat down, taking one of your hands in his.

“I need you to talk to me (Y/N)…” he whispered.

You sniffled a little bit, running a hand down your face as you took a deep breath.

“This case.. I.. it brought back memories…”

Rossi slowly nodded his head.

“I.. I lived the same way as the victims…”

“(Y/N) the unsub chose his victims because he believed they could never recover, he believed they were sick, and they needed help to die. You know this. He targeted people who used forms of self harm as a method to get through every day life.”

You sniffled a little bit, slowly nodded your head.

“I know… that’s why I.. I.. I couldn’t help you…”

“You said you were called away on an urgent matter.”

You shook your head.

“I lied…”

“We would have known.”

You left out a weak laugh, burying your face in your arms tapping the back of your head a few times.

“I got so used to lying that I… I learned how to tell the perfect lie…”

“(Y/N) did you do something? Did something happen?” Rossi asked.

“No.. no that’s.. that uh.. why I came here…”

Rossi slowly nodded his head and you sat up, carefully rolling the sleeves of your hoodies up.

Rossi reached out, hesitating before he gently took one of your arms.

He ran he thumb along the rigid scars that were embedded deep in your skin.

He could tell they were old, and he didn’t need to ask in order to figure out what they were caused by.

“How long were you doing this to yourself?”

“Years…”

He nodded, pulling your sleeve down for you, and he did the same to your other arm, letting you go ahead and hide them once again.

Rossi held his arms around for you.

You shuffled over, letting him hold you, resting your head on his shoulder.

“I need you to tell me everything (Y/N), okay? You can’t leave anything out.”

You nodded in agreement.

You told Rossi everything, from how and when it started, to when you managed to stop and everything in between.

Rossi didn’t speak, he quietly listened to you, and when you stopped talking that’s when he spoke up.

“Was it something in the case that trigged this emotions for you?” He asked.

You nodded again.

“Going through their lives, seeing how they all had the same trauma, the same feelings of wanting to just disappear.. knowing I had the same thoughts.. it.. it made me realise that could have been me…”

“What makes you think that?”

“Rossi he was the third therapist in my list in case I couldn’t get to the other two…”

You felt his grip tighten around you, and he ran his hand up and down your arm.

“I got the second one on the list…”

Rossi slowly nodded his head.

“I.. I can’t do this alone Rossi…”

“You’re not alone (Y/N), you’re never alone. You know this. You have a whole team, a whole family behind you, willing to support you if you asked them.”

You shook your head.

“No.. no I.. I don’t.. don’t tell them…”

“Alright, I don’t have to tell the team anything. But I need you to promise me something.”

You sniffled a little, nodding your head.

“You keep coming here, to me, if you get these feelings again. You never harm yourself again, can you promise me that?”

You nodded again.

“Good, now, I just so happened to be getting ready to cook. Your favourite in fact, would you like to help me?”

You sat up, looking at him as you wiped the tears from under your eyes.

“Do you get that funky cheese I like?”

This made Rossi chuckle a little bit.

“Yes, I got the mozzarella, and I got everything you need to make your own mozzarella sticks since you seem to enjoy them so much.”

You stood up, sorrowing up your sleeves as you followed him to the kitchen and he got everything you needed to make your favourite snacks.

Rossi noted the elastic band around your wrist, and he said nothing about it.

“Thank you for trusting me.” He said quietly.

You smiled a little at him.

“Thank you for always being there for me…”

Rossi smiled, placing his hand on your shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

“I’m always here for you kiddo.”

You nodded your head, going back to making your snacks while he began cooking the actual meal itself

[cobrabobra]

you only do this if ur comfy with it<3 okay so Enid has a big crush on Carl's gf(reader), and he notices they way that Enid looks at her, so he lets her eat out the reader then fucks her in front of Enid<33 sorry if this is too much

I know that y'all probably already forgot about me, really sorry for the long break, but writers block is a bitch. Anyways, I'll try to post more often now, during my break I watched a lot of stuff so I will post something other then twd (hopefully) soon.

gosh, i really hope i did well and you like it, thank you for the request, I'm really sorry this took so long!

Kind of Enid centered?, cunnilingus, vaginal sex, jealousy, possessiveness, no condom

English us not my first language so there might be mistakes!

"His"

Love was a complicated thing, it was cruel and fucked up, it destroyed the very person who felt it yet there was something addictive about it, something that made you want more. And loving a person that loved somebody else was even worse, Enid experienced it herself, the feeling, the need for somebody who would never look at her the same way. It was absolutely destroying, devastating and still so perfect and sweet. It was a drug that gave you the best high, but left you in pieces, crying into your pillow about being so stupid.

  Enid was convinced that (Y/N) — Carl's girlfriend, was the prettiest girl in the world. Her hair was soft and healthy, which seemed impossible during the apocalypse, her skin flawless, angelic face, beautiful long lashes, she was a true goddess in Enid's eyes.

    It wasn't a strong feeling, it wasn't anything major, just a simple crush, an admiration. Maybe it was because her options were very limited and a beautiful girl was better than a sweaty dick-brained boy, maybe Enid's hormones kicked in and it was just lust that she felt for (Y/N) or maybe it was a real feeling, something that could've developed into something beautiful if only given a chance.

  It didn't really matter what it was because Enid knew that acting on her feelings would only destroy their friendship, her and (Y/N)' as well as her and Carl's. She kept her feelings locked in somewhere in the deepest part of her brain, allowing it to resurface only when she was alone.

   It also didn't matter what Carl felt, maybe it was a weird fetish, maybe his risky, experimental nature took over, maybe his possessiveness over his girlfriend or simple pity he felt for Enid. It didn't matter why, it didn't. What mattered was what those fings led to. And they led to Enid sitting on Carl's bed, in front of (Y/N), eyeing her plush, pink lips.

   "Hey, it's okay" she smiled, tearing the brunette from her thoughts. "I'm kinda nervous too"

    Enid swallowed, Carl's words echoing in her head as she braced herself for what was about to come.

  How about you eat (Y/N) out?"

A bold suggestion that seemingly came out of nowhere messed with her head until the only thing she could think about was warm, hopefully, wet cunt she was about to dive in head first. Her mouth started to salivate as she imagined sweet taste of (Y/N) 's pussy on her tounge. Her body tingled with anticipation as she simply nodded her head and carcassed the lace of her crushes panties.

(Y/N) twitched nervously beneath her touch, it probably should've made Enid rethink her actions and slow down a little, but it only drove her mad even more, she was too drunk on the feeling to slow down. The girl's uncertainty only made Enid want to corrupt her even more, destroy her innocence until the only thing left would be her wet pussy throbbing, begging for more.

   Love was an ugly thing, it filled you with need to destroy the very person you cared for, fuck them up in the most horrible way and leave them wanting more. At least that's the kind of 'love' Enid felt right now. She wanted to completely and utterly destroy (Y/N) for everyone else, leave her in pieces only she knew how to put back together

    Carl acted as he'd heard her thoughts, because he grabbed (Y/N) by the hair and pulled her close. Their lips met in a heated, aggressive almost, kiss, it seemed like Grimes felt threatened by her. He kissed his girlfriend deep, keeping eye contact with Enid as if he tried to show that (Y/N) belonged to him and only him, he was only lending her to Enid, but she still was his possession. They played a dangerous game that could only end badly.

    "Enid..." (Y/N) whispered, like she was embarrassed, like she didn't want for the other girl to know how good she was making her feel with just a couple of touches and her breaths right against her soaking pussy.

    That one word, her name said in such a desperate way lit a fire inside if her once again. In this moment she realized how much she needed this, it felt like she was starving and there was a delicious three course meal right in front of her. She gently nudged the wet spot on (Y/N)'s panties with her nose, when she got another whimper in return she couldn't control herself any longer, she liked a stripe against the material, finally getting a faint taste of her crushes juices.

  The girl arched her back, her soft thighs wrapped around Enid's neck, almost suffocating her. If that was her reaction now, how would she act later? What kind of noises would she make? Will she scream Enid's name or will she get embarrassed again and let out only quiet moans muffled by her own hand? Will her legs start to tremble when she'll be reaching her climax? She had to know. She had to know right now.

    Her hands were shaking with anticipation, but she still somehow managed to pull her underwear down. When she finally saw (Y/N)'s cunt, soaked, clenching against the air, ready for her, she could swear she could see God himself as she ascended to heaven.

  She put her mouth on the other girl's pussy and an absolute divine taste reached her, the scent was overwhelming, she couldn't breathe. She lapped on her pussy, like she was starving, like she would die if she stopped only for a second. It felt like the entire world was in her hands with her tongue between the swollen folds and her thumb in her clit, teasing slowly.

   What took her back to reality was a sigh. Carl's sigh to be exact, only now had she noticed that he had his mouth on (Y/N)'s plump breast, sucking on the nipple, while his hand teased the other one. Oh, how she dreamed to have her face burried between those, especially when the girl wore something a bit more revealing.

They both acted like predators feeding on their prey, like they were fighting over her.

Fingers joined Enid's tongue soon enough and (Y/N) let out a loud moan of approval. She wanted to absolutely destroy that pussy, to feast on it until there was nothing left. She closed her eyes and hummed enjoying herself, the girl's legs trembled and her thighs squished Enid's neck even harder. They were in the moment, only them counted, the whole world consisted only of the two of them on this bed.

Suddenly Enid's felt (Y/N) move back and she looked at her confused, only to find Carl impatient and annoyed at being left out of the fun. His arm wrapped around his girlfriend's waist, pulling her close.

"That's enough" his voice raspy and unusually deep, dripping with arousal. (Y/N) let out a disappointed whimper, like she didn't want her time with Enid to end. "No need to whine, I'll take good care of you. As always" he said, confident, like he wanted to show off, make Enid's understand that he was the one that pleasured the girl every night.

He unbuttoned his pants and slid them down with ease, throwing them off the bed, his shirt was already unbuttoned, probably (Y/N)'s work.

"Spread your legs for me" he commanded and the girl obeyed, Grimes only looked around her, pleases to have such an obedient girlfriend. "Thank you for preparing her for me, Enid" he smirked at his friend.

She only watched as his cock slipped inside of (Y/N)'s swollen, wet pussy, the same pussy she was eating out mere seconds ago, it seemed like her moment has passed and she could only watch from now on.

Carl's hips moved slowly, his dick disappeared inside of the girl and all Enid could do was slide her hand down her pants, and touch herself. She should have felt pathetic doing this, but all she felt was excitement as she watched Carl's cock slip in and out of (Y/N)'s cunt. It looked beautiful, her pussy glistening with her slick as he fucked her, it truly was mesmerizing, she felt hypnotized, she couldn't look away even if she wanted to.

"Enid" (Y/N) choked out, her hand reaching out to the other girl. Her body moved without her knowledge, her long hair tickled (Y/N)'s neck. Their lips locked together in a kiss, the sweetest kiss she ever had, she could still taste (Y/N) on her tongue.

They kissed greedily as Grimes pounded into her, she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him closer as she stroked Enid's hair gently.

Unfortunately there isn't good without bad and everything good has to end eventually. (Y/N) came first, overwhelmed by the pleasure, memory of Enid's tongue, Carl's cock deep inside of her, she couldn't last long. Next was Enid, looking deep into the girl's eyes as she reached her climax. Carl came last, painting (Y/N)'s insides white with his cum, further claiming her as his. Because that's what she was. His.

[piebymesstuff2]

Hi! If it's okay to ask/request, could you do hcs of TFP Decepticons and Autobots with S/O?

S/O, who's a cybertronian and had been raised on earth and adopted by a human family/community, since they were a sparkling/baby, and also being a celebrity (like actor, model, idol, performer, YouTuber, or others, you choose)…

S/O is aware of being different from her human family and an alien, but unaware there's a conflict, bots vs cons war, until S/O meets them, the Decepticons/Autobots.

What would be the cons/bots reactions/interactions to S/O ?

Decepticons

Megatron

He first found out about you when Soundwave was searching the web for some information.

He found you on a platform called YouTube. At first, he didn't care but was surprised to see you here, especially without a faction, but he figured he could get to you before the Autobots

So down he went to retrieve you, only to see you mingle with ugh humans. He’s not happy.

When you two talked, he asked you to join him, of course, leaving out the part where they were the bad guys. You wouldn't be too happy to find they were willing to destroy humans and plan to take over Earth.

So he bent the truth and told you about the Autobots coming to take over the world and other shenanigans.

You of course believed him and joined the Decepticons

Megatron felt you were useless; you didn't know how to fight; you didn't even have an alt mode. What have you been doing this whole time? How have you survived?

But after much training, your results pleased him, and he grew such interest in and thus began your relationship a secret to the Autobots but not on the ship

You would try to convince him to join your videos not successful.

Doesn't like the fact that you make videos he feels like the Autobots would find them out

His favorite thing about you is your puns surprisingly. He saw one of your videos of you making a bunch of jokes his favorite

He won’t admit it, but he's dreading the day when you find out he’s lied. Would you still stay? Probably not, but if you do leave, he will probably just take you back against your will.

Starscream

HE despises you when he was sent to retrieve you for whatever reason Megatron didn't tell him

You were useless and disgusting for mangling with the low lives, but when he found your famous his thoughts changed

He figured you could help him get the fame he needs to announce to every human that he is now their new king, but of course, you refused.

But he had a plan. He gets the trust of you and your mangy humans, by joining in your videos, he won't admit it, but he enjoys them.

Even when he took you aboard the ship he still did videos with you thus began his feelings for you

He tried to impress you by making his having his own famous YouTube channel it's a flop but oh well he has other talents

He figured he could do one of those couple channels, and of course, he would ask you out, so he did it in a totally non-insulting way, but you accepted.

You began the couple channel, and it was chaotic and fun, and lots of people liked it. Starscream had a little recognition, but people still don't like him.

He also likes that you are interested in him and gets jealous when other people try to get with you, but he won't admit it.

Knockout

Knockout has been following you for a long time. You were a model, mostly for cars. He absolutely loved your shiny coat, and when you put out a tutorial video, he’s been using it since.

So when you were aboard the ship, he was freaking out, though no one knew why, and was even more ecstatic when they assigned you to him.

He didn't show you how nervous he was

Then you asked him to be in one of your videos. He was so happy after getting too close to each other in a beauty video that he realized he had feelings for you, as did you. The feelings came out when fans started shipping you two together.

Megatron doesn't like the action you two get; it feels like it would draw the enemy to them, and Starscream is as jealous as ever.

You two have been the best cosmetic power couple and even got some trophies for the hottest couple ever.

Shockwave

The first time he’s ever heard you was when you came on a radio you had in the lab. You had such a soft and angelic voice.

Hides the radio away so Knockout and Starscream don't tease him for it

Wasn’t surprised to find out your cybertronian he doesn't believe a human could have such a beautiful voice like that.

And when you joined the Deceptions, he volunteered for you to be his assistant. He doesn't make you do anything besides sing.

Is now in a secret relationship, you know, besides Soundwave and maybe Megatron?

He decided to be in a relationship with you so you don't leave him to go sing to someone else. He can have you in his berth and sing to him.

Honestly, he doesn't think you're useful; you can't fight; you've been raised by humans for Primus sake, and your mind has been tainted by such useless human information.

He is determined to cleanse your mind

Soundwave

He first saw you in a movie and thought it was weird that you would rather spend time with humans than your own.

Told Megatron about you and that's how it got on the ship

Has watched every movie you’ve been in and recorded his favorite lines from you

Went and got an autograph from you Starscream doesn't understand why you're so special

One day, he overheard you talking to Knockout about your feelings for him, and that's how you two got together.

He found out you could sing and record your voice when you do.

When you propose a movie night to him he always makes you two watch one of your movies or shows

He would play some of your insults and direct them to Starscream what fun

Autobots

Optimus Prime

Saw you on a Magazine the kids brought one day at first he thought it was Photoshop but it was the real deal

He decided it was better for you to join them so Megatron doesn't get to you

Totally not, because he thought you were pretty and totally didn't take every magazine that had your face on it.

When he gets feelings for you he won't tell you you have to be the one to tell him, Prime won't risk you getting hurt

When you ask him out, he’s hesitant, as he doesn't want you to get it, but you reassure him and even offer to train to ease him.

Thus began your relationship, though it was hard to be active in the relationship since you both were always busy, so you proposed a date night. He would send someone else on patrol, and you wouldn’t answer any calls from the agency.

What a great but awkward date maybe you can more in the future.

He also got Meet your Human family also awkward

Bumblebee

He first saw you on a tv show the kids were watching he thought it was fake but then when Prime brought you aboard you were actually real

He all over you he was so excited Ratchet had to pull him back but he tries very hard to not look nervous

Bee feelings bloomed when you started flirting with him. He didn’t know how to react, so he did nothing but make a few beeps.

Then he asked you out and now you two are the most chaotic couple (besides you and bulk)

He offered to drive with you to the studio, and he got to meet your human family. He got along with them great.

Makes everyone watch your Movies and Shows you even offered for him to join you in one but he got camera shy so he just watches you instead

Ratchetttt

Saw you on a tv show and has been watching it secretly

When you joined the group you were so clueless about the war he was a bit annoying but took you in and taught you things

He would secretly ask you to say lines from his favorite movie/show

He then realized he liked you but won’t admit it so you have to say something

Doesn’t like how much you work so he would tell you to take breaks doctor's orders

When you two finally date he wants to keep it low but that's unsuccessful

He won't admit it but he does get a bit jealous of your fans hitting on you

You sometimes would ask him to judge your acting of course he always it's great in his most grumpy way

Arcee

Saw a video of you dancing one was memorized by moves and even tried to do some on her own

When you came aboard she couldn't believe how detached from the world you were

Found out you learned some of your dance moves from your human family and offered to teach her

When you guys got closer she had feelings but like Prime and Ratchet she wouldn't say anything she didn't wanna risk heartbreak

You reassured her took some (Great) amount of time

So now that you two are dating, you will probably openly but discreetly dismiss the fans and their flirting.

Likes to join you at your studio and dance

Has met your family and they have mix opinions of her

Bulkhead

First heard you on a song Miko played

Was surprised to find out you're a Cybertronian.

He has been following your music ever since and was happy when you joined them

Wasn't as excited as bee

When you went to talk to him, you guys found out they had a lot in common, and his feelings arose.

He with the help of Miko asked you nervously out and now you two are the most dangerous chaotic couple

You two(three) always got yourself in trouble

And when you showed them to your family it was fun but dangerous considering how big he is

You two would always sing and play loud music much to Ratchet’s annoyance

And he’s offered to train you which causes some repair

So I tried my absolute best with this; some of them might be inaccurate; I'm not really good at remembering personalities; and if you don't see any of the other bots there, I haven't gotten that far in TFP, so I don't want to mess it up for you guys, but enjoy.

[theexit392]

IT COMES IN WAVES

First, let me be clear. I have always been, and always will be...into it.

Pants pooping.

Or watching women poop in their panties. I'm always ready for it. However the level of my personal activity seems to come in waves.

Since I started to shit my pants for fun around age 5, I have gone weeks without shitting my pants.

I have also gone a month straight pooping my pants, at least once, every single day. I was really really focused on setting that personal milestone, and took some risks to do it....but more on that in a moment.

I feel free to destroy my underpants under 2 common circumstances which are mostly equitable in the comfort department. Either when I am alone, and know I'll be alone for at least a few hours. Or when its just my wife and I home by ourselves. Pooping for fun is not really her thing, but she is a really accepting, wonderful woman who somehow understands that for some reason I like to poop my pants. Poop my pants, and subsequently jerk off to completion. Then hit the showers. When she suspects I've been up to no good (the odor is a pretty non-subtle giveaway) she'll usually sneak up behind me and pat the load and giggle. Despite this not being her kink, she is very sexually open and I am one of the lucky ones whose wife will participate with me and my kink on occasion. Not always. But she does it. She knows fucking up her panties is the surefire way to make me explode like...right now!

Showering directly after climax is one of the many things that fascinate me about my kink. (after Why? Really? and Weird?) I could stay in dirty underpants for hours and hours. Sleep in it. Wake up. Poop some more. Just hang out by myself as long as I can in a pair of filled up undies. Those times are, ironically, a great time to clean the house and organize. But as soon as I get my dick in my hands and make the thing squirt. I need to get clean.

Another thing that fascinates me is during periods of high activity, I WILL take the risk that I might get caught. For instance, during that every day for a month run? I let deuces run wild during times I normally would not feel comfortable shitting myself. I typically will not risk it when my wife's kids are with us. A catch there would be super-duper awkward. My stepson (if you saw us together you'd swear there was some biology there)..would never ever let me live it down. It would be a running joke until the day he puts me in a nursing home. Don't get me wrong, I would laugh with him. During that fateful run for the record, there was a morning where urge came before they left for school. Normally I would punt and sadly wave goodbye to the misplaced turds in the toilet bowl This day, there was a record at stake. So I hid away in the bathroom and shit my pants. I feigned taking a shower until I absolutely knew they were gone.

Another risk of note we have a lady that comes to clean our house once a month, and she usually comes early in the morning. Right about prime time. She is an attractive woman and it would be a major embarrassment if she found out. She is also friends with many of my in laws. None of those jokes would be fun. BUT! There was a record to chase. So, I slinked away to a bathroom that I knew she'd clean later in job. Give it time to air out, I figured. So, cheeks clenched, i close and lock the door and hit the fan. I stood there in front of the toilet and loaded my pants. I stood there for about a minute to savor the sensation before dumping the load into the potty, wiped up really good...tossed the underwear into the washer, put on a fresh pair while she was mopping the kitchen. I have to say, it was a major naughty turn on to hear the noises of house cleaning by someone who's not my wife while filling my underwear behind a door 15 feet away. There wasn't any time to crank one off, but the streak was in tact. Winning.

That was probably a few months ago and today, I have apparently entered into a period of high activity with double plus risk-taking.

My step son frequently has friends over and they will hang out and sometimes a couple of the kids will sleep over. This past weekend was one of those times. An absolute fucking NO NO of a situation I normally wouldn't ever consider to try and get away with some "shit" right?

Wrong. Apparently.

It was past 11 and the get together was winding down. My wife had gone to bed and I stayed up to ensure there was no high school grade hijinx. I was standing alone outside on the front porch having a beer and enjoying the summer night weather when I felt....a little something. I am usually a morning pooper, so a night poop is always a bit of a pleasant surprise. I took a swig of my beer and just let my asshole relax to evaluate what I might be dealing with. 50/50 its a fart. As I relaxed I felt the lovely sensation of a turtle head just beginning to crest the anal threshold. You'd think, considering the risk, I'da just sucked that thing back up into my ass and gone in and done business the way civilized people do it. Nah. Not this time compadre. I just kept staying relaxed and let that snake flow out as I leisurely sauntered back in the house and into the bathroom. Savored for a minute. Dumped it out. Wiped up semi-okay, pulled up the stained drawers and went about the evening.

Nuts.

Thinking about it this minute I seems inconceivable that I would have ever tried such a thing! Except, yet again...last night. Watching some naughty movies hidden away on the couch in the upstairs lounge, while quietly stroking I made a small push into my underpants. I could hear frequent activity downstairs. What do those kids do in the middle of the night?? What am I doing in the middle of the night!!!?? So I'd hear a bedroom door open. I'd freeze. Breathe shallow. Pause the moaning on my phone. And wait until I hear the activity in the kitchen stop, listen for the door close on the return trip, then I'd go back at it. Stroke. Push a little more. Freeze, pause, don't breath, stroke, push, freeze, pause, don't breath, stroke, push, freeze, pause, don't breath, over and over until gooey fireworks. Then the trick of not falling asleep before I could sneak back downstairs, clean up and crawl into my proper bed.

Sigh.

So that brings me to today, and the current situation. Early this morning I had a very moderate, nothing monumental, morning poop. Did it in the usual way. On the throne, playing cards on my phone, drinking the morning Cup O' Joe. It was the kind of poop you think, might not have been enough for the day. I was suspicious that another could come knocking at some point. So, about a half hour later my wife leaves for pickle ball. Step-daughter still sleeping in her room on the other side of the house.

On a very rare occasion, I will wear a pull up. I'd probably wear them more often if I could find a brand or style that really fit what I like to do in them. They don't seem to be well engineered for man sized dumps. But, when I feel so inclined to indulge, I keep a package tucked away in our walk in closet.

So after my wife left, I put one on without any real urgency to do anything in it. And just put on clothes. I don't think the pull ups are noticeable at all with the gym style shorts I wear around the house. I always put on a pair of boxer briefs over them so they don't make "the noise". So kind of just going about my day at this point. My wife comes home a couple hours later. I'm still clean and dry at this point. She picks up her daughter and they go on a little shopping trip. I NEVER leave the house wearing one of these things. Except never say never. Left the house. Went to a store. Piddled a little bit, just to feel that rush. Came home and immediately after lunch I feel the need to poop! Yay. Push. Awesome! I do change out of that one before anyone gets home. But usually a poop would be the main event and i'd seal that fucker up in 2 trash bags and bury it in the outside can. Then I'd go back to undies and have an otherwise normal day. As I sit here typing, I have had to change my pull up because I've leaked from pissing 3 times . This one, is currently wet, and I think there may be a blessed night poop in my future. The whole house is up and I've been walking around like nothing is unusual.

But I know.

And it makes me a little crazy.

And I think this is just the tip of the iceburg for this period of activity.

P.S. if anyone knows a great pull up with padding all the way up the back for a, slightly larger, than an average guy. My waist is 38. My thighs are muscular. If they fight leaks well then...bonus! Let me know in a comment what I should look for and where I can get them.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Is that an apology? Yes. All right. No! Look, because you never would've let me work my magic if I had told you, and then I would have ended up transferring to another station to save you from yourself, and…this worked out so much better. And if you can't see that, I'm sorry not sorry. Okay. I accept your non-apology.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 5.16 - Exposed

I'm not going to lie… this is one of those scenes that I wish I could fully love… It has so much potential, but, unfortunately, it feels like something is missing. Like, say, a deeper conversation between Tim and Lucy… one where he gets to explain why he is so upset with her in the first place. Is it because she went behind his back to orchestrate the five-player trade, as suggested here? Is it because he worries about how this makes him look, as he implied earlier in the shop? Those are not mutually exclusive but since he never get to properly voice his thoughts on the matter, we never really find out which is it (or if it's both for that matter). Instead, it is skimmed over, as if it was an argument just for the sake of it.

Now, there's nothing wrong with that in itself… Not everything needs to be an arc. But as this 'fight' is connected to two storylines, it needed more depth. And this is where I, personally, feel a bit let down by this. I absolutely loved how Lucy didn't hesitate to put her career on the line to help Tim find a more suitable job, just like he did when he decided to take a desk job for her… They are prioritising the other, which is something neither of them ever had before… And that is extremely special for them, to have this unconditional support and love. In Tim's case, he was asked twice to sacrifice his career. And this time, he has someone who does everything in her power to make sure he can have it all, a job that he loves and a relationship. But none of this is truly acknowledged. We saw Lucy being grateful and appreciative when he transfered for her but not Tim… And I have a hard time believing that he wouldn't be even a little, once the sting fades. That is not to say he doesn't have any reason to be upset… And that's my second issue with this : this could have been used as a setup for the coming angst, the one that is brewing with Sava and Jake, Isabel's return, Lucy's undercover mission… All these episodes have one main theme : how secrecy and lies can destroy a relationship. How this is what actually started to break Tim's marriage with Isabel, long before her addiction drove the final nail in the coffin… So this could have been the perfect opportunity to have Tim confide in Lucy why her going behind his back, no matter how good her intentions were, is triggering some bad memories. Why their promise not to lie to each other is that important. This could have tied this whole arc altogether in a more organic way.

That said, I love how unapologetic Lucy is. She gets where he's coming from - to an extent. But she still stands her ground, simply explaining why she did it. After all, this all started because of the decision he unilaterally took, when he went to Grey and accepted a desk job, without consulting her first. So her worries that he would end up resenting her, their relationship or even just his situation are natural. Honesty works both ways. And that's the thing with them : while they are usually really good at communicating, they can also be selfless and impulsive when it comes to the other, ready to sacrifice themselves so the other can be happy. That, and they're both used to being independent. They just need to find a balance in their personal relationship. And as upset as Tim appears to be, it's quite clear that he is ready to move on right after her first apology. They might be good at arguing but he doesn't like being mad at her, that much is clear. He can't even stay that way too long, even after she turns the tables on him #sorrynotsorry. His smile… He's just so amused and disarmed. He can't even hide it anymore. So much for not being a softy...

(To be continued...)

[honkceasar]

Hi I have an absolutely insane amount of random ass pd headcanons that I’ve decided to unleash onto the world today so here’s part one of my insanity!!!

-Ashe plays guitar, can’t remember if this is canon or not honestly

-Will taught himself guitar after Ashe got possessed, tries to learn his favorite songs (absolutely CANNOT play my famed disappearing act, much to his dismay)

-Will collects and cures bones as a hobby, has a necklace with Henny’s skull on it and a couple bones from Vyncent’s world

-Ashe is that genre of autistic person that doesn’t make a lot of facial expressions, so the most uncanny part of the trickster is seeing these over the top expressions on her face that he personally would NEVER make

-William is a horrible driver because he has glasses and refuses to wear them (this is also why he doesn’t yell at Dakota to wear his, he’d be a hypocrite)

-William likes to sew but he’s so unbelievably slow at it. He wants to have like proper patch pants, but it takes him too fucking long to put that many on there so instead his pants only have a couple patches on them made with old jeans and fabric paint

-Vyncent would def do horseback riding as a hobby, he probably misses when he would do it at home

He’s also definitely brought the boys with him to do his horse girl shit

-Ashe is really good at drawing!!!! I feel like she’d be one of those people that has a killer marker collection but doesn’t use them that often cause he does digital art

-William is absolutely addicted to caffeine you can’t tell me he isn’t

-While Ashe was gone Vyncent took his beanie and William stole like all his fucking clothes. They’re all too big but he doesn’t care, nor does he plan on giving any of them back

-Dakota definitely has chew necklaces but they don’t last long cause he fucking destroys them

-Vyncent and Dakota both vocal stim so fucking loud dude (I can’t decide if I think Will does too because Charlie does irl or if William actually would)

-Dakota gets night terrors about Williams death

-Dakota struggles with reading but he likes audio books, he’d probably listen to some with Ashe’s headphones when they’re on a particularly long road trip. Idk what type of books he’d like though. I could see him liking the Percy Jackson series but I can’t explain why

-Vyncent’s one of those guys that wears layers no matter the weather and somehow never gets too hot

William also wears layers when it’s hot out but he’ll be sweaty as a motherfucker and like. Dying

-William was a tech theatre kid, definitely ran lights and got very specific about color washes

-Dakota used to be a babysitter before the hero stuff to make some extra cash, he’s always been good with kids

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #20: Reach and Flexibility

Prompt: duel || Master Post || On AO3

A/N: Mild spoilers for Dawntrail.

---

“You know, Wuk Lamat,” Rereha drawled, “your father has incredible stamina.”

Wuk Lamat paused, cheeks bulging as she chewed her taco, her brow furrowed in brief puzzlement. Then her face went slack and her eyes widened in horror.

Heron sighed quietly into her juice. Synnove bit down hard on her lower lip, staring skyward as if not making eye contact with anyone would save her. Alakhai’s expression flashed into evil delight too quick for anyone eyes save that of her sisters to catch.

Rereha’s smile was close-lipped but wide, and her gold eyes glittered beneath the brim of her ever-present hat.

Wuk Lamat very carefully finished chewing, and swallowed. She took a sip of juice, visibly gathering her thoughts. “Papa is a seasoned warrior nearly a hundred years strong,” she said at last, managing her tone into something politely flat.

Rereha hummed in agreement. “Absolutely awe-inspiring how he was able to keep his strength up one at a time,” she said cheerfully.

Wuk Lamat stared at her for a long moment before pointedly turning her gaze on Heron. “Papa fought each of you one on one, not as a group?” she said with genuine curiosity.

Heron slanted a Look towards Rereha, eyebrows flat as she wiggled the pinky of her hand holding her glass of juice. Behave. Out loud, she said, “He did. He also insisted that those who hadn’t yet fought him wait outside so as not to give any of us an advantage from seeing the previous bout.”

“That’s Papa all right,” Wuk Lamat said, relaxing slightly and smiling. “Fairness doesn’t exist on the battlefield, but in the practice ring when first facing an opponent, it’s important to know as little as possible. How else can you learn to adapt to an unknown foe? What order did you—”

Too late she realized her mistake, her shoulders once more going stiff as she slapped her hands over her mouth.

Alakhai said, ever so mild, “Rere went first. Took a while.”

“Your father’s reach is incredible,” Rere said gleefully. “But I’ve got the flexibility!”

Wuk Lamat shrieked and slammed her hands on the table, ignoring the startled looks from other patrons. She leaned in close to Rere’s unrepentantly grinning face and said, “You did not—” she paused, and bit out, “—do that with my father.”

As Synnove slid off the bench, whole body shaking with the force of trying not to laugh like a Thanalani hyena, Heron made a series of rapid hand-signs, expression thunderous. Alakhai ignored her and said only, in the same mild tone as before, “She was in there a while.”

Rereha smiled. The noise that escaped Wuk Lamat was high-pitched and pained, and the Xbr’aal turned to look at Heron desperately.

Heron paused, and grimaced. “Her bout did…take some time.” She turned a vicious glare on Rereha. “Because she’s a ranged combatant with a bow.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Rereha said.

Beneath the table, Synnove lost her fight with her self-control, and her cackles began to fill the air. Heron put her head down on the wood and sighed heavily. Alakhai and Rereha exchanged a fist bump. And Wuk Lamat covered her face with her hands and groaned.

“There is not enough mezcal in the world to destroy these mental images,” she whimpered.

[oonajaeadira]

For the Love of Fic: November 20

Heyo! I've been just parking read fic here for a while and didn't realize how long it was getting! And then I used my wait times in Disney to read a bunch more.... anyway. I've got a long list of fun for you!

Also, I'm really sorry, this is the dumbest header I've ever made but it made me laugh so here we are.

🪐 = Year of Themed Creation Fics!

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DIETER BRAVO

Dieter, Dieter, Pumpkin Eater by @coulsons-fullmetal-cellist I can't decide what I love more: Dieter getting frisky in a bouncy castle or his gleeful exclamations when the goats take to him. I want this. I want all of it. Sign me up. Crocs and all.

Tip Your Server by @nothoughtsjustmeds I love love love this fic. I love Dieter needing to get reader all hot and bothered while wearing fancy clothes, I love the banter, I love the obvious love these two have, the cavalier throw-away of a precious object, every gesture of affection and its tie to absolute, loving sass. And the prose is so great. This is a masterclass fic.

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JOEL MILLER

Strong Enough To Stand by @the-blind-assassin-12 Oof. This both hurt and was satisfying. Joel has a habit of holding onto love and hurt. It's definitely detrimental at times. But damn if it doesn't illustrate how fiercely he loves. Alyssa's lead up story to this--It Pours From Your Eyes--nearly destroyed me, but this one thankfully helped to soothe.

Surrender Chapter 13 and Chapter 14 by @ezrasbirdie Birdie gave us a beautiful reunion and ending for Daisy and Joel and I'm just so proud of her for putting her heart into a wonderful OC. There's so much in this series about learning to love and--even more interesting--learning to BE loved, and both Joel and Daisy are wonderful for that. I know there's an epilogue coming and I will patiently wait for my desert while this meal of a fic settles in my heart.

Saying I love you through an accidental kiss by @songsformonkeys Listen. Joel Miller's got a lot going on today and it's chaotic and you made him food and took care of Sarah and you...you reached for him first. SOFT! CUTENESS!

Spend All Your Love Making Time by @haylzcyon Sub!Joel is my new favorite obsession. He's just so in LOVE with reader, so in thrall and this is hot hot hot.... Those baby browns are certainly made for puppydog wants....

Something Soft by @keldabe-kriff 🪐 Everyone knows what you do with dandelions, right? Until an apocalypse wipes off even the tiniest things from human culture. Then kids like Ellie may not understand the simple joy of making a wish on one. Good thing there's folks like Joel who remember and help her out.

Joel, Interrupted by @iamskyereads This is both melancholy and warm, and that is such a welcome taste. It is quiet and lovely and the last line gave me so many feelings. If Joel was a ghost in his own house, this is exactly how he'd be. <3

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MARCUS MORENO

Not All Heroes Wear Capes by @all-the-things-2020 🪐 I love "fandom crossovers" as a year of tropes offering. ST:TNG was one of my big fandom obsessions, so it's nice to return to some of those characters. Putting a Pedro boy in there is inspired, and this was handled so well!!!

If It Wasn't For The Nights by @simpingcowboy 🪐 Marcus is just made for angst, isn't he. It's obvious how much he loved his wife and how much he loves their daughter. Going inside to examine that is just asking for a heart twist....

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JAVI GUTIERREZ

The Last Blockbuster: Bump in the Night by @blueeyesatnight I love these two slacker filmophiles and am always happy to see them return to my dash. This time it's a test of readers' spine, to see if she can handle the scary movies like she says she can. I appreciate the appearance of another movie memorabilia piece...🦇🦇🦇

IRL part 1 @ nickcage_numerouno and part 2: of festivals and food by @grogusmum I love that both these dopes are so insecure about meeting one another. Javi is sweet and wonderful like always, and it's nice to get his POV here and there as our plus-size reader deals with her own assumptions. But oh my gosh he's smitten and if there's gonna be a part 3 I'll lose my mind.

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COMANDANTE VERACRUZ

When it Comes to You... by @flightlessangelwings 🪐 I mean, if anyone's gonna get violently protective over his girl, it just might be Veracruz. I mean, to make you his priority during an ambush? To come back victorious and rail the crap out of you afterward? That's the dream....

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DAVE YORK

First Kill by @hopeamarsu 🪐 Holy balls, this is a beautiful little character study on Dave. Hope goes inside his head during a therapists' session where he's asked about his first kill, and it is menacing AF. Take a look at this piece, because it is bomb.

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EZRA

Gravity by @insomniamamma 🪐 J has a way with Ezra that I'm just addicted to. I know she loves him deeply, always takes so much care with him, gets his soft side just right. She makes me yearn so very hard for this man...his physical gracelessness a grand contrast to the gracefulness of his devotion. My goodness, I love this fic.

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PERO TOVAR

untitled by @writeforfandoms Listen. It's a little mixed trope drabble about Pero as your bodyguard that might not mind being mistaken for your boyfriend and I could take 10K of this thanks.

Bangathon fics Cowgirl and Missionary by @prolix-yuy I may be a broken record, but I just cannot get enough of a solem and sour protector who only shows his vulnerability behind closed doors. I knew better than to read LJ's take on him and expect to remain unmelted.

Grumpy Pumpkin by @sirowsky This is just the very cutest. Of course Pero knows his way around knives, but pumpkin carving doesn't go exactly as you planned. In fact, it goes much sweeter.

Seed by @perotovar I love a Pero that is hot for his wife whether or not she can concieve. And that the want for a baby that hasn't come yet doesn't make them sad...it just makes them want to try harder! Soft and sweet and spicy all at once. Just like I like him.

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FRANKIE MORALES

Ring Toss by @morallyinept Look. It's a simple concept. Frankie brings you donuts because Frankie loves you. You're resisting because you're on some silly diet. Donuts have holes. Frankie's got something that will fit in that hole. One temptation is bad enough, but two sticky treats together? Resistance is futile.

Questions and Stories part 1 and part 2 by @never--doubt 🪐 I love this concept of Frankie and reader's daughter asking them how they met and functioned as soulmates, how love takes work, and the mechanic of not being able to see one particular color until your aoulmate finds you....

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EDDIE THE VAMPIRE (WITH MAX PHILLIPS)

An Act of Kindness by @missredherring This is a very sweet intro to a really lovely dynamic between a vampire reader and a fledgling. Oh my balls, Eddie needs help and she's such a good teacher. And he's so smitten with her in the cutest way... And of course, Max being Max, which is to say, Max being a douche.

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JAVIER PEÑA

Summer Kiss Prompt - Apology Kiss by @something-tofightfor I cannot deal when strong men recognize thier trauma and try to do better. It's clear here that Javi hasn't learned how to let someone else take the lead with him yet, but the growth that's comes is beautiful.

Summer Kiss Prompt - Lazy Kiss by @something-tofightfor Rachael does slice of life so well. There's something very wonderful about Javi's focus on his work to the point where he forgets to take care of himself, and maybe even lovlier about the woman who makes sure he eats something and has himself a break now and then...

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TIM ROCKFORD

Rockford and Roan 4 by @littlemisspascal I am so in love with Rae's soft soulmate stories, she always knows how to warm my heart. This one has some darker elements what with Tim investigating crimes....BUT THERE'S ALSO A DOG THIS TIME.

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DIN DJARIN

Ambrosial by @spacecowboyhotch A soft and lovely story staring a black reader, wherein Din learns about the ritual and culture of her hair, how it links her to her family, how much a part of her it is...and therefore how much a part of himself. I just wanna curl up in this, it's so cozy.

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SPECIAL GUEST CORNER

FENNEC SHAND

A Different Way of Life by @ghostofskywalker 🪐 Yes. Yes this is what I want. To run away for adventure only to find I really ran away with the love of my life...who just happens to be a bounty hunter and a ton of fun.

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DICK GRAYSON

Seasons of Love by @captainsophiestark 🪐 I don't know much about this character, but he seems very sweet and loving. A jump through time in a relationship involving ties to the Wayne family.

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[lady-bess]

Hiii!!! I just wanted to quickly hop into your asks to say that I totally binged your Jack Daniels/Agent Whisky (not anymore ig, lol) series, "Fallout" and holy shit, it's so SO GOOD.

I really liked those first chapters of sort of world building, trying to establish where we were in comparison to canon. I loved the way you wrote Ginger, there are very few moments of her and Whisky interacting in the film, and you took that and expanded it a billion times more. There are hints of a loving relationship between them in the movie, but you made it so evident, and it absolutely broke my heart how worried and involved she was in getting Jack back.

Your Tequila is another character that I love immensely, he's so funny and his southern charm jumps out of the words. I cannot stress enough how good of a job you've done in taking an already existing world and adapting it into this wonderful story that you've made. Every choice, every OC fits perfectly in the crazy world that is that of Kingsman, and it is amazing to witness as a reader. (#1 Eve fan, right here)

Don't even get me started on Jack. Dude. Seriously. I love him. You destroyed him and build him back up again, without losing his essence. It's been so interesting to see him change and evolve throughout the story. Mimosa (or Whisky, now ig) is absolutely incredible too, she's funny and strong and smart, but also stubborn and hot headed, that's what makes her so cool to read, and what makes her fit with our wonderful Jack (tho tbh that also has the potential to blow things up).

Sorry if this got too long or if it makes no sense, there are just a lot of thoughts in my head rn and needed to scream into your ask box!!!!!

Anyway, tl;dr I've loved your fic so so much and I cannot wait to see where it goes next 🫶🏼🫶🏼.

Oh, and PD: I will reblog every chapter with my thoughts soon enough.

I hope you have the most wonderful day!! 💗💗

My dear, sweet, reader...🥰

It's been a couple of weeks since you sent this beautiful ask in, and I won't lie it's taken me a while to put into words just how touched I've been by your words. I won't lie, it made me tear up a little bit the first time I read it! 💖

So first of all, THANK YOU for not only supporting this series, but for taking the time to leave such wonderful feedback ✨ I've seen your reblogs too, and it makes me smile immensely to watch a reader piece things together and ask questions as a plot unfolds!

Secondly, I am SO glad that you are enjoying Fallout! It's been a little brain worm of mine since September 2023 and it took a long time for me to get pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, I guess...), BUT I am so glad I did and that it's a story people resonate with 🥳

I'm so touched that you think I've done justice by this existing world. It is through hours of watching Kingsman that I had hoped I nailed it, haha! But I am so glad that this comes across. I've always said I write for myself, and while this is true it is so heartwarming when someone takes time out their day to say "hey, you. I see what you wrote. Good job!". ❤

And lastly, the OCs! I'm glad you're loving them, but I can't take all the credit for Eve - she has been generously donated by my dear friend @avastrasposts! I fell in love with her Eve, and we joked saying that her and my reader would get along well, especially in a Kingsman universe. So, she's hopped across into this fic for now 🤭💖 Thanks again Mel for letting me nab her!

It's been a while since my last chapter, but I'm hoping to have something out soon - the goal is a couple more chapters before the New Year, so stay tuned for updates!

Thank you again for leaving such wonderful comments, which have had me smiling any time I remembered them 💕

Much love,

Bess xxx

[ipoxcky]

🕷️

spider-verse_headcanons

MILES MORALES:

whenever he gets nervous/embarrassed, he'll turn part of himself invisible, like maybe he'll stick his hand in his pocket and make it go invisible

SCENARIO: at the college admissions office, rio would tell the lady, "he makes sure that he recites his time tables every night so that he can't mess up on those challenging calculus problems!" and then he would do the invisible thing and go "stop, mami, she doesn't need to know that..."

he'll also put his head on the desk with his hood up and turn his face invisible in school if he's bored

he would probably also do that when he's crying

did the invisible hand thing with fake blood to prank ganke on april fools, ganke freaked out and almost called an ambulance before miles told him it's a prank

had a shoe-collecting phase at some point

aggressively tender headed bc his hair is always nappy from putting on the suit and his mom goes CRAZY with the comb

got little twists in his head when he was younger, but now he keeps it out. his mom will still twist his hair occasionally just for fun and he hates it

secret SoundCloud rapper whose account has like 20 followers and it's him just freestyling. the only person he told about the acc was uncle aaron who's his number one fan

PAVITR PRAHABKAR:

always pulls the "is it bc i'm _____?" card, ESPECIALLY with hobie just to mess with him and hobie would go "don't chat to me mate i don't even like the u.k. myself"

talks with his hands definitely

has seen every romance movie known to man and forces the others to watch them with him if they can

VERY facially expressive, throws the STANKIEST faces at people he doesn't like, yes he's good at reading others but it doesn't take much to read him

falls over when something shocks him bc it's like his little joke

laughs to himself a lot but doesn't tell anyone why

knows a bunch of horror stories on command, the first spiderpeople sleepover he freaked everyone out and miles couldn't sleep without the light on

just dance GOD

can raise both eyebrows individually

GWEN STACY:

had an agressive minecraft phase when she was 8 where she got the creeper hoodie and never took it off

definitely had a full pixie cut at some point

theater kid, definitely goes to watch broadway shows with her dad every so often, has met famous people because of it, her favorite one is probably dear evan hansen (idk i haven't seen it)

ben platt worshipper

drums on anything she can get her hands on

music blaster

tried electric guitar for a blip of a moment

morning person, stretches anywhere and everywhere

her favorite thing is DESTROYING pointe shoes because she can take out all her anger. this one time it got to a point where after her shoe destroying sesh she started crying because she didn't realize she had so much pain built up inside her

tutu hater

takes french and already knows a ton from ballet

wheeze laugher

pastel note taker

really pretty handwriting when she tries, chicken scratch when she doesn't

HOBIE BROWN:

surprisingly good american accent

knows a bunch of magic tricks to entertain kids experiencing homelessness on the street

headphones always on so they're absolutely demolished and holding on for dear life, too bothered to get a new pair

REALLY good with kids, does anything to help them preserve their childhood because he feels like his was gone too quickly

good whistler

beats everyone in board games

knows a lot about politics for someone who doesn't rlly like them

can judge people's character based on first glance

black nail polish never leaves his fingers

goes on really long rants about the state of the world

reads self help + philosophy books

hops the subway/metro thingy

lips always moisturized, but his hands and knees r lowkey ashy sometimes (i'm blk it's okay y'all)

doesn't drink soda

tries to be vegetarian because of the stuff he's seen (worked at a fast food restaurant and was grossed out about the stuff they were serving), that and he loves animals so

natural remedy kind of guy who would drink chlorophyll water

dreams of being a tattoo artist

uses sound effects of random things in his music, raps/sings his poetry about capitalism and stuff

keeps tin jars and cans

doesn't kill bugs and instead lets them go free

[beelsbignaturals]

Are requests open? I'd like to ask for Purgatory Hall (Simeon, Solomon and Luke) with a Diona!MC. Either GN or Female, I don't mind.

time to copy and paste Wikipedia info muehehe

Diona Kätzlein is a playable Cryo character in Genshin Impact.

Despite being a bartender at the Cat's Tail, she loathes alcohol and will stop at nothing to ruin Mondstadt's wine industry — a feat easier said than done when her patrons absolutely love her drinks. She is the daughter of Draff, a hunter in Springvale.

The incredibly popular bartender of the Cat's Tail tavern, rising star of Mondstadt's wine industry, and the greatest challenger to its traditional powerhouses.

A feisty feline young lady from Springvale, any drink mixed by Diona's hand tastes delicious beyond belief.

Yet given her extreme distaste for alcohol, is her talent a blessing or a curse?

According to her father Draff, Diona is in a bit of a rebellious phase. While Diona adores her father and idolized him in her youth, witnessing his change in personality while drunk shattered the pedestal she put him on — and started her vendetta against alcohol. She despises just about anyone who indulges in alcohol, apart from Lisa and Eula.

Although Diona has the option of literally destroying the industry, she chose not to, instead opting to do so by plummeting the industry's reputation by becoming a bartender and serving terrible drinks. Unfortunately for her, her long-forgotten childhood friend, the Spring Fairy, blessed her with a magic touch that makes all of her drinks delicious, regardless of how noxious the ingredients used are, and she herself is unaware of this.

In her voiceovers, Diona proves to be a classic tsundere and is very naïve. She worries over the Traveler's ability to get home safely without night vision and offers to escort them home until they remind her that street lamps exist, after which she quickly denies ever having offered escorting them. She blames Diluc for her father's problems, even though the Dawn Winery had existed well before him or his father, and fails to see why the fans she and Barbara gets are drastically different. She also appears to have attachment issues and craves companionship, implied to be a result of Draff neglecting her when he's in his drunken stupors. She genuinely enjoys the company of those who have earned her trust, such as Klee and the Traveler, finding comfort in the Traveler's touch even begs them not to leave her and "become another dream". Although she displays many cat-like mannerisms, such as her love for fish, naps, hatred of vegetables and water, and tendency to meow, purr, and bite when angry, she hates being referred to as a cat in this regard. Also true to her feline nature, she is implied to be astraphobic, as well as aquaphobic.

Diona's center bangs are pulled into a stiff, upwards pigtail at the front of her head.

Diona wears a large dark indigo cap, along with shorts of the same color with gold paw-print decorations. She also wears a dark midriff-baring sleeveless turtleneck shirt with an orange-yellow scarf, pale pink sleeves, a vest of the same color, and white gloves with light pink paw-like patterns on the undersides. In addition to this, she wears a cat collar with her initial written on the tag and an orange handkerchief tied around the base of her tail. Hanging from her waist is a cold drink canteen, attached to which is her Cryo Vision.

-

It's completely fine if you don't want to! (I'm so anxious because this is my first request ahahaha)

🐈🍷❄️

AN: Hi!! I love how your first time requesting is the first request I've gotten on this blog. It's like we are on a cute lil journey together! Sorry it's so short and that it took so long, I was really busy for the past month. Also, I wrote this as platonic because I'm pretty sure Diona is a child, and you didn't specify otherwise. Regardless, I hope you like it!

TW: alcohol mentions

🪽Simeon✒️

Simeon has basically adopted you. He thinks you are the cutest damn thing in the three realms.

Apparently your… attitude reminds him of how Mammon acted when he was an angel about the size of Luke.

You bring him drinks when he is writing and Simeon has begun to look forward to your little interruptions.

He's always willing to listen to you complain about your father. The advice he offers is usually pretty sound, if not a bit cryptic.

🪄Solomon🔮

First of all, you have saved many lives. Somehow your drinks are always the perfect cure for whatever the fuck Solomon has cooked.

He thinks you just like cooking with him. But no, you are on a goddamn mission.

Honestly he is really intrigued by this.. blessing of yours. Solomon wants to study you… he will try and replicate your strange power with… mixed results.

He tried to recreate your drink making abilities and… somehow ended up with cat ears instead. None of you let him live it down.

🍰Luke😇

Besties. You are 100% besties.

Tea parties where Luke bakes and you make drinks! Non alcoholic but still.

Your collective nickname is"the chihuahua and the cat". Neither of you are happy about this.

One time, you fell asleep in a pile of pillows, your tail wrapped around Luke's wrist. The two of you have stayed up past your bedtime to watch a new baking show, and it was only 20 minutes in when the pair of you dozed off. It took Simeon another 20 minutes to figure out how to take a picture of you guys. But with Solomon's help, this adorable moment is immortalized on Devilgram.

[coffeeandmagicaltales]

The Auror&The Devil part 21

AesopSharpxadultMC

Angst: feel warned

"Hello!" Isidora's portrait said uncertainly, but the tone of her voice was very warm. She seemed to be very excited and at the same time tense by Morana's presence. She gestured down the corridor. "Please sit... there used to be a chair here somewhere, maybe if you use Reparo..."

Morana nodded and with a wave of her wand, after uttering the spell, a chair formed from the wood pieces eaten by worms. She sank into it, staring at the portrait, which was trying to say something, but was consumed by nervousness.

"So many years... So many years in solitude... Forgive me. I have so many questions... My portraits were destroyed, but I could still hear a bit through them, in the Undercroft... Your name is Morana, Mr Gaunt&Sallow's friend, right, you can also use Ancient Magic?"

Morana nodded and tried to organize her thoughts.

"Why are you... here? Since Parcival and the Guardians destroyed all...?"

"Well, that's quite a long story... it started with dreams, just before I was struck by the deadly curse, I saw this place, I saw my portrait and well... A black-haired girl standing in front of it... She was dressed differently than anyone I knew... I guessed it must be the future... I knew Parcival planned to end my research and hide the magic, I knew I had to secure at least a trace of my existence... And wait for... You."

"I saw in the memories what you did," Morana growled. "I absolutely disagree with you and I don't intend to continue anything, if that's what you mean..."

"And yet, if you sided with the Keepers... You wouldn't be here, would you?" Isidora said in a calm tone, then she pondered, lowering her head. "Parcival knew very well how to destroy what I created... However, he didn't do it when I was no longer in his way. I heard you talk about goblins... They wouldn't be at Hogwarts if it weren't for Rackham's greed - he didn't want to give my knowledge to anyone, but he also didn't have the courage to destroy it... He put you in danger... From the beginning, he counted on a student passing his 'trials,' because why else would he gather everything under Hogwarts? A teacher wouldn't participate in his games, and a young person is easy to manipulate by promising adventures and 'eternal glory'... Believe me, I had a lot of time to think about it all... Although I'm just a portrait, a mere reflection and can't call myself her, I'm not entirely 'myself,' if you understand what I mean... I have fragments of knowledge and memories, I can think.... I went astray. I went astray thinking that pain could be 'removed,' that it was something 'bad,' something that could be calculated..."

"What do you think it is?"

"A part of life. It is neither good nor bad. Taking it away from someone doesn't mean 'healing.' Maybe I did take it away, but I didn't protect anyone from death, nor did I make life better, on the contrary, I forcibly took away an important part of it."

Morana nodded and listened to her words with increasing interest.

"Magic always requires a price..." she murmured under her breath, quoting Witch from Gymes.

"Those are very wise words," Isidora admitted. "I paid dearly for its abuse..."

"I still don't know what you are doing in Durmstrang?" Morana shook her head.

Isidora laughed nervously.

"Well... I traveled, searched a lot about dark magic, about how it could be turned into good... What better place to learn the secrets of all magic than Durmstrang? Besides, I knew Parcival wouldn't venture here, despising this school..."

"But... But that spell... that strong magic that erased you from history... Why didn't it work?"

"Well... There are things stronger than any spell, which wizards forget, thinking very primitively that their abilities are exceptional and 'powerful.' And magic is everywhere, even Muggles have a bit of it, though not as strong as we do. But they can predict the future, they can do things that surprise us, and their minds race (unlike ours) towards technology, which we don't understand. Magic is knowledge. Magic is love. Magic is faith. It doesn't belong exclusively to wizards, but to the whole world... I believed I would meet you, even though you were just a dream, which I could have ignored. Maybe that somehow protected my portrait and made it literally invisible, or maybe it was fate..."

Morana remained silent, staring at the floor. Her thoughts swirled around her mother, who probably saved her, making Morana, like Isidora's portrait, an exception to the rule.

"Well..." Isidora broke the silence. "I doubt there are 'perfect' spells that can 'completely' erase someone's existence, since we are part of this earth, intertwined with magic that no mortal can simply 'cut off.' The truth will always come to light, if not now, then in a thousand years..."

"These dreams... do they show the truth?"

"Yes and no..." Isidora explained enigmatically and grew sad. "I studied them and they resemble... forgive the comparison... Observing clouds to predict the coming weather... They are partly based on the desires of our hearts... A bit like the famous Mirror of Erised... The real future is a small part of them, mostly built by our desires, fears... Visions change with the decisions we make... they are not coherent... You see them, right? What was it?"

"Ehmm" Morana blushed at the thought of the naked, more than excited Professor Sharp. "Well... once I saw the death of thestrals... I ran for help to Aes... Professor Sharp, we arrived at the scene at the last moment and saved only one youngling... I saw runes, dark magical artifacts, possibly someone was using ancient magic..."

"Hmmm." Isidora pondered and on the board behind her, she drew several symbols with her wand. "Like these?"

Morana shook her head. "Those are likely the only pain-inducing runes of ancient magic I know of... And if they aren't, they must be something else."

"They didn't cause pain, but... they seemed to literally tear the magical essence from within magical beings, their life. Werewolves, thestrals, hippogriffs... They leave torn wounds..."

"Is that why you are here? Do you want to find out where they come from?" Morana was surprised by Isidora's question.

"I..." she hesitated. "I came to Durmstrang because I wanted to learn more about what resides within me, what I absorbed in the repository, what you created... That maybe through magic, I could find out what happened to my family, why they died, who did it, why I was also likely hit by a spell meant to erase my existence, that someone would help me learn more... Someone told me that I would find answers to my questions here..."

"What are you really looking for here?" Isidora interjected with a calm, almost motherly voice, hearing that Morana was reciting sentences as if she had memorized them. Morana's eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know... The further I search, the more lost I feel. The more I know... the less I understand..."

Isidora looked at her kindly.

"Well... Sometimes, certain desires cannot be fulfilled when things are unresolved here," she touched her heart with her hand. "It's like trying to fill a leaky cauldron..."

Hmm, Aesop would love that comparison, Morana thought, while Isidora continued:

"I never came to terms with my brother's death, just like my father, but we both experienced it differently. He fled into grief and solitude, and I fled into study, trying to fix what that death had brought. The more I tried to fix everything... the more everything fell apart. I kept searching, searching, but I didn't understand that I was simply running away from the obvious but painful thing - mourning, accepting my brother's death and... moving on with life."

Morana stood up abruptly. She began to tremble. In her mind's eye, like a flash of lightning, she saw Mr. Dimm when he found her, Mrs. Dimm carrying her in her arms, singing lullabies to make her sleep... She saw in her mind the moment when she and Aesop left their meeting with Mrs. Juno Sharp, standing in the moonlight, and Aesop telling her about his father and John, when she wiped a tear that had rolled down his cheek, when she saw thousands of twinkling lights in his eyes, when she was a step away from touching his chest with her hand, brushing her lips against his beard and mustache, to feel the intoxicating scent of the oils he used for grooming...

"I must go..." she said quietly, in a frightened tone, as her disobedient thoughts began to drift towards Scotland and everything she had left there.

"Will you visit me sometime?" Isidora asked shyly. Morana smiled slightly and nodded.

"You are no longer alone," she said softly before leaving.

ISIDORA!?

By Merlin's beard, how is this possible... This is incredible. Hmm, I think that maybe both she and you are exceptions to the spell that struck you both... Ah, yes, now I see that's what you're writing about. So my detective mind is still Sharp... It looks like she really has thought through many things, and the quote about the cauldron is definitely something I'll remember, it's exceptionally wise. Well, considering she was from Ravenclaw and one of Hogwarts' Best and Brightest despite her young age...

What do I think about all of this? Hmm, I believe the portrait won't harm you and it's worth listening to, of course, while maintaining a healthy dose of common sense. Well, it's just a portrait. A magical echo of the person, a reflection of her traits, some knowledge, emotions, and nothing more... I do feel a bit sorry for the real Isidora, she didn't have to die. Not in that way. The corridor behind the bookcase... I understand everything except why you wanted to climb it. Well, nevertheless, that coincidence helped you. From experience, I know that often, when we let go of a case and give ourselves a break, such revelations come to us out of nowhere. You never know where fate will lead us, and since it gave you the opportunity to talk to someone who practically knows all the answers to your questions... Your knowledge will surely flourish at Durmstrang.

I wanted to congratulate you on your promotion. I think that although it will be tough at first in such a responsible position, you will be a wonderful Deputy Headmistress. You are attentive, sensible, brave, and you will bring a lot of good. Don't be afraid.

Aesop

P.S.: When I visited Sidó in disguise, I immediately knew that you had also been there. A child who had no contact with the English language suddenly couldn't learn words like "silly," "bird," "boop."

He packed the letter and handed it to Holub, who immediately darted through the open window of his apartment.

Morana won't return.

He realized that now. She had too many responsibilities, too much work to visit Scotland... Why would she? Sirona took care of the Dimms' buisness, and he, well. He was just her former teacher.

Sharp laid his head on the desk, and small puddles began to form on the wooden surface from his tears. He made no sound. He had no strength to lament. Completely powerless, he just stared ahead, with drops of despair pouring from his eyes.

Why did his life have to be such a series of misfortunes? When his career was at its peak, he lost it. When he finally fell in love with the most wonderful woman he had ever known, he lost her. He no longer wanted to write to her, just to have her in his arms. He hated this tears, this distance between them... this emptiness within him.

In ten minutes, he had to replace Professor Hecat, who had something to handle at the Ministry. He had to pull himself together, suppress his emotions, don the hardest armor forged from indifference and gruffness... and somehow survive the day. No one could know what he was going through. He was alone.

He walked as if in a dream. Suddenly, he found himself at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, not knowing if he responded to the students as he passed them, their voices coming to him from afar, completely detached from reality. It wasn't until he entered the classroom and saw the questioning looks of the students, who didn't necessarily want to see the grumpy Potions Master instead of the charismatic Professor Hecat, that he somewhat came to his senses. There was silence, he sat down at the desk and glanced at the note the teacher had left him.

Professor Sharp!

Today we were supposed to cover the Patronus charm. Thank you in advance.

prof Dinah Hecat

"Oh, the irony." He smiled sadly to himself, thinking once again about Morana, which tightened his throat. He cleared it. "The professor had some matters to attend to. Today, we will work on the Patronus Charm... Can anyone kindly remind me what it is used for?"

The silence that greeted him was extremely irritating. He crumpled Professor Hecat's note in his hand and with a flick of his wand, it turned to ash. The students shuddered in fear.

Aesop stood and hobbled to the board, writing out the definition. "What a pity. Fear is actually a part of it," he muttered icily. "Without it, this spell would be pointless... But what you need to learn is that even in its face, you can't have your mouths shut, is that clear?"

He finished writing and turned to the students.

"Today's task is to create a list of your happiest memories. That's where we will start. This seemingly simple exercise will prove crucial for conjuring one of the most powerful spells. Begin now, work individually, and do not disturb others..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone's hand raised. "Yes, Miss Longbottom?"

The girl pressed her lips together, unsure if she could speak. When Aesop urged her with a nod, she quickly mustered the courage. "Is it true that the spells take the form of an animal?"

"Yes, but that requires some skill and experience. First, focus on the task I've given you. Does anyone else have any questions?"

"Professor Sharp, can you conjure such a Patronus?" Miss Longbottom asked again. Aesop rolled his eyes. The entire class was looking at him pleadingly; everyone wanted to see him cast the spell.

"Ugh," he grunted. He was not at all in the mood for summoning his "happiest thought," but the students' curiosity needed to be rewarded. He drew his wand, focusing on how proudly he carried a Niffler larger than himself when he found the family jewelry. "Expecto Patronum!"

The room was flooded with light. The sound of the spell suddenly brought an image of Morana to his mind, who sat frustrated on the classroom floor, glaring angrily at a mannequin that hadn't budged from a few sparks from her wand... And then he was with her again in the courtyard, she- transformed into a raven, tickling him, repeatedly saying, "Silly Aesop," as he tried to catch her, laughing.

The students gasped as a silver raven shot from Aesop's wand, soaring to the ceiling of the classroom. It swooped down, teasing the children, who laughed and jumped out of their seats, chasing the magical bird around the room until it vanished.

Aesop collapsed into his chair, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the Patronus that wasn't his.

It couldn't be. This was a mistake.

What sorcery was that?

"The children told me you put on quite a show," Matilda said, scribbling something on parchment. Her office was bathed in pleasant afternoon light, its glow illuminating Aesop's slouched figure, who shielded his eyes, resting his forehead on his hand, which was propped on the desk as if he were suffering from a severe migraine.

"Mm-hmm," he grunted, stirring his tea with his free hand.

"They talked about it the entire lesson... Only one thing didn't add up... I've always been sure that your Patronus is a Niffler, what else could it be, and they surprised me by saying they saw a bird."

"A raven," Aesop corrected her morosely. "You're not mistaken, my Patronus is a Niffler," he admitted in a gloomy tone, not taking his eyes off the teacup he now held with both hands, brushing it with his fingers. "At least it was until now... I specifically went to the library to make sure and... well. It seems, my Patronus has changed."

"But supposedly only strong emotions can change it..." Matilda set her writing aside, looking at Sharp questioningly. "Emotions like joy or love..." She trailed off.

She understood what was going on. She knew. Of course she bloody did.

Aesop remained silent, nervously tapping a rhythm on the porcelain saucer, feeling Matilda's probing gaze on him, focusing all his strength on not looking at the old newspaper in front of him, with Morana's image as the new Deputy Headmistress. Matilda glanced at it.

"Isn't Morana an Animagus? She asked me about it for a while..."

"She is. And yes, she transforms into a raven," he interjected in a calm but very sad tone, taking a sip of tea, still avoiding her gaze.

"Aesop...?" There was worry in her stern voice as she nervously shifted in her chair, studying Sharp with a demanding look.

"What do you want me to say, Matilda? Hm?" he replied, resigned, feeling cornered with no escape from confessing the truth. "That I fell in love with my own student, who is currently at least 20 years younger than me and thousands of miles away?"

Matilda's mouth fell open in surprise, and she was about to say something when Aesop immediately cut her off.

"Nothing ever happened. I'm an idiot, but I have my dignity. Morana doesn't know about my feelings for her, I never told her. She was always treated equally to other students by me. Now she's happy where she is, thriving, and she'll surely find a love worthy of her. I know my place and my duties. End of discussion. Period." His voice grew increasingly irritable, and he practically spat out the last word through clenched teeth. "I've already paid the price and humiliated myself enough before you. If you want to lecture me on this subject, spare me. I know I'm an old, pathetic fool. And I don't want anyone else to know about this."

Matilda looked at him with sadness. So that's why he had been sleeping poorly and was a complete wreck lately.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, surprising him, then stood and hugged him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again. The stone walls Aesop had built around his emotions crumbled into fragile sand and fell away. He clung tightly to his friend's shoulder, soaking her sleeve with his tears.

"I'm such an idiot!... I didn't mean to, Matilda!... I'm so sorry..."

"Shh..." she soothed, stroking his hair. "I kind of suspected... But... I'll tell you honestly, seeing how happy you were in the company of that young woman... Eh, maybe I'm losing my mind, but deep down, I wish she reciprocated your feelings."

"I-I doubt it... I feel so te-terrible... You have n-no idea..." Aesop sobbed, and Matilda hugged him even tighter.

Morana arrived in Trondheim well ahead of time. The sight of tidy, colorful houses pleased her eyes, but her thoughts were mainly in Izydora's corridor, where she came every day to talk with her. She had learned a lot about Ancient Magic and practiced her skills with her teacher, developing them.

Isidora told her about times when there were no Muggles or Wizards, when everyone lived together in harmony, and magic was an everyday occurrence for both. There was no division into Black and White, good and evil. Ancient magic was a remnant of those times, something almost tangible, but Wizards, driven by pride and greed, wanted to keep everything for themselves and cut off their world from "non-magical" people. Ancient Magic, seemingly having some form of consciousness, then withdrew and only revealed itself in difficult times such as the plague. Izydora spoke of healing methods, of how people often formed pacts with magical beings, like dragons, who agreed to save someone by giving up half of their heart, or how symbiosis between a human and a magical being could be created when someone was incurably ill. Nearly forgotten rituals, which Isidora explained to Morana using the example of a cracked wall patched with cement. One would gain a host, the other strength and vitality, even in trivial matters like potency... All this today would be considered Dark Magic. Just like Morana's tattoos, which she used, unknowingly at first, Blood Magic—Suffering for suffering—making her way of perceiving pain much more refined than Isidora's. The accumulated pain no longer posed a threat but strengthened Morana. Izydora envied her greatly for this, but even so, Morana had no intention of repeating her mistake and falling into the madness of saving others, even against their will.

She walked back and forth through the narrow streets, mostly pondering this topic, and suddenly in a shop window reflection, she saw the figures of three women across the street, who caught her attention. Not wanting to be intrusive, she didn't turn around, pretending to admire the latest collection of duck decoys.

The women had to be witches.

Two, chatty twins younger than Morana, trotted ahead in white dresses with puffed sleeves, standing out from the crowd with their pointed hats perched on elaborately styled sun-colored hair. The woman walking very slowly behind them leaned on a cane. She was incredibly thin, seemed tired or very sick, but whenever the girls turned to check if she was alright, she responded with a broad smile. Despite moving with great difficulty, there was an extraordinary grace and pride in her movements, something Aesop also had.

"Shall we help you, Mom?" they asked in unison, to which the woman shook her head.

"Go to your papa, I know you miss him, I will manage... Oh, here he comes! Go on, quickly!"

From around the corner emerged a man with a long gray beard and spread his arms wide.

"My dear ducklings!" he shouted, and at the sound of his voice, the teenage girls squealed with joy and ran into his embrace. "I missed you so much, what have you been up to, taking care of Mom?"

"Yes, yes, they did a great job," the woman assured and waved her hand as she slowly approached. The man, breaking free from his daughters' embrace, took her with the utmost tenderness and looking lovingly into her large, dark-circled eyes, kissed her on her dry lips.

"Are you feeling alright, dearest?"

The woman grimaced and looked meaningfully at the girls.

"We're not alone, Vincent, we'll talk at home in private..."

Vincent... Morana froze. Could it be?...

"I see Miss Dimm is already waiting for me, I'll see you later, take it slow, don't overexert yourself. I'll brew you something to strengthen you when I get home." He kissed his wife's lips gently again, then the tips of his daughters' noses impatiently waiting for their turn, and headed towards Morana.

Damn, damn, damn... she thought, panicking.

"Hello, Vincent Ærinbjørn Fromm," he bowed slightly and gestured towards the nearest inn.

Before the waiter came to their table, he asked about small things: the journey, the weather, current affairs at Durmstrang. He had a very pleasant voice with a noticeable accent, whose tone did not match Morana's idea of him: in no way did it resemble the manner of Professor Black or Victor Rookwood, for in her imagination, she considered him a mixture of the two. There was no trace of pomposity or condescension in his manner of speaking... On the contrary, he was very humble, spoke quite softly... His appearance also differed from what she had expected... At first glance, he looked like a neglected vagabond dressed in roughly patched clothes... Upon closer inspection, it turned out that every crooked seam was made deliberately in a given place, the shoes only seemed old—they were rubbed in a decorative way, made to measure by a shoemaker. The materials he wore were not cheap either: silk, wool, dragon skin on the shoes... He had a kind of "eccentric style," which despite the typical regional features: blonde hair and blue eyes, made him stand out among wizards, let alone Muggles.

When their coffee and cake were served, he took out a pen and notebook and handed Morana an envelope.

"Here you will find a list of duties, I hope I haven't made any mistakes, although I live partly in Britain and partly here, sometimes I have trouble with spelling..." he admitted, smiling slightly.

"I was sure you were British..."

"No, just like in your case, my fate was tied to the Islands, although I am a Norwegian through and through, and you are from Austro-Hungary, a Slovak. It is an honor to be appreciated in another country enough to be offered a great job there, and the Floo network allows me to be home before 6 pm and prepare dinner for my family. I no longer have so many field tasks, mainly sitting in my office and coordinating everything remotely."

Morana thought that Aesop, being the boss, would never sit behind a desk...

"Don't you miss it?"

Fromm looked at her with pity. "Miss Dimm... I am not one of those Aurors who don't know when to stop, deluding themselves that they will be forever young, indestructible, and see nothing but work." Morana felt a strange sensation that this was a subliminal jab at Aesop. "Since my daughters were born, I know I am needed by them and my wife in one piece, so I tried at all costs to get promoted so that I wouldn't have to perform the old duties anymore. I succeeded. Soon I will retire, tired of the ineptitude of the Auror office... Recently, I had to intervene personally in the case, you won't believe it, of a Muggle woman from your homeland who was muddling the minds of wizards and her kind alike... Charging fees for card readings, we relocated her far from here. The office's ineptitude in such trivial matters tires me, as does the Ministry's inability to know what to do in such cases, while unlike the USA, Muggles can contact Mages... I believe that the States' policy, though harsh, provides both worlds with greater security, but that is just my opinion." He fell silent for a moment, studying her closely. Morana knew that the Muggle woman was the Witch of Gymes... She was secretly glad that at least nothing bad happened to her. "You probably aren't very pleased with your new position... Hogwarts Defender... protégé of Professor Aesop Sharp... the amount of 'safe' paperwork must be tiresome now, isn't it?"

Morana blushed, surprised by the question. She felt that with this man, every word had to be weighed.

"Well... I certainly didn't expect the position of Deputy Headmistress, which was given to me without my knowledge..."

"I was also surprised... That you agreed..." he interjected very calmly, with a gentle voice from which nothing could be read. Morana remained silent. He finished his coffee, then, patiently waiting for Morana to finish her dessert, called the waiter and paid for the two of them, then invited Morana for a walk.

"The way you speak... Please reconsider your decision, you have time..." he broke the silence as they walked slowly along the harbor, overlooking the mist-covered colorful houses. "Ambition has led many people astray... Blinded by it, like my best friend once was, they hurt their loved ones and then usually bring misfortune upon themselves... Justice has a dark sense of humor..."

"Professor Sharp was that one friend, wasn't he?" she asked.

"Did he tell you that?"

"No." Mora shrugged. "I figured it out myself."

"Ah, yes." Fromm smiled broadly. "So he is still consumed by shame... well, well, after all these years... But... In shame, there is hope. Through it, I know he regrets what he did to me."

Morana grew sad. Aesop had said he did many bad things, but it was different hearing it from someone he had truly hurt.

"We met when I was in my seventh year..." he began to tell, although Morana hadn't asked. Perhaps he saw somewhere in her body language that she was dying of curiosity. "I was a bit older because dragon pox had made me skip school for a few years. Fate had it that my name was picked for the potion tournament. We were neck and neck, until suddenly, at the final task, we joined forces. We weren't after 'winning' but solving the puzzle.

"We accomplished that together and the schools received the prize ex aequo, the first time in history. We practically saw each other every weekend. Then I was quickly offered a job at the Ministry, with Aesop assigned to me as a junior partner... He probably didn't mention that to you either? He probably talked a lot about our dear Sholto..."

Morana just nodded slightly, feeling bitterness within her that Aesop hadn't been entirely honest with her.

"It doesn't surprise me, Aesop likes to sweep his little sins under the rug and pass off as a saint," he shrugged. "It was the same in our case. I saw that his father had an increasing influence on him, slowly falling into megalomania, which drove me crazy, and I sometimes liked to put him in his place, showing that he wasn't the only talented Auror and instead of being partners, we became competitors in some imaginary race... Until one day it became dangerous. During one of our pathetic quarrels, out of distraction, we fell into a trap. Aesop narrowly escaped death, and I saved both of us by cleverly dealing with a dark wizard..." He paused, looking troubled. "He took all the credit for himself in my absence. I saw him in the 'Prophet' photo: basking in the limelight of Jupiter, talking to the press about his outstanding solution to a difficult case, he grabbed a not insignificant reward, which his father immediately cashed in to pay off his debts, Aesop was left with nothing, of course, like always... heh, Aesop knew I needed funds for treatment, even then, for my fiancée, incidentally Sharps' friend, I met her through them... It stabbed me in the heart, I asked to be assigned to somebody else and begun to hate him. But now, after all these years, I don't wish him ill – he taught me to watch over my own affairs. I've achieved everything I wanted: I have a wonderful wife and daughters, for whom I would sell my soul to the devil just to ensure their well-being. You see, I work hard to make their lives as good as possible, which many mistake for imposture and ruthlessness. Ingrid's illness changed a lot, she had to leave work, and then after Jord and Sága were born, everything rested on my shoulders..."

"I'm sorry..." Morana whispered.

Fromm smiled gently. "Why? Sometimes it's hard for me, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy." He paused, looking at his watch. "It's time for me now, thank you for the meeting, Miss Dimm. If you need anything, I'm at your service. It was nice to meet the Hogwarts Defender, hope we'll see each other soon."

End of part 21, thanks for reading!

[nzoth-the-corruptor]

Can we get the Xal'atath rant next plz 👁👁

so the full text on that one was "Whatever they're gonna do to Xal'atath and Azshara in the Worldsoul Saga" but that was too long so the spinner truncated it.

And look: we all know about Blizzard's track record of writing female (or female-presenting, in the case of Xal'atath who is a void entity of unclear origins that has a feminine voice and elected to possess, of the several corpses available to her, Inanis' out of the belief that it was 'pleasing') characters. It's bad. Raszageth was a rare W where they were really putting their all into it and then killed her off on a strong note before they had the chance to fumble.

We know Xal'atath is going to be the big bad of The War Within. Azshara is speculated to be the big bad of Midnight due to its stated focus on the elven races & the Song of the Depths indicating that Azshara and Xal'atath are in cahoots and that Xal'atath will bring about her return to Azeroth from wherever she's gone after portaling away in Ny'alotha. The Last Titan's logo is in Iridikron's color scheme, features a titanic prison like the one he was kept in, and he has repeatedly stated he intends on awaiting the Titans' return to Azeroth to culminate his vengeance against them; all of which point to him being present in TLT.

So the Worldsoul Saga is being set up to have a triad of villains: Azeroth's OG Baddie with over 20 years of buildup; a fan favorite Void entity that's been built up for several expansions and implied to be an Old God but also implied to be something else; and the new guy who was, in all honesty, probably supposed to die in Dragonflight until they started rewriting it partway through to build into the Worldsoul Saga instead.

It's fairly rare that we have an expansion we don't kill the big bad in, so Xal'atath and Azshara are already facing grim odds of making it through to the Last Titan.

Those odds get even worse when there's a male character that riffs off a writer-favorite classic cool dude without the same Old Lore Baggage standing right there. Iridikron's cool and all but it's also incredible clear that he's the writers' chance to retread a lot of the cool elements of Neltharion/Deathwing that ended up suffering from a lot of neglect with the direction they took in Cataclysm (such as turning him into an insane husk instead of the suave but sadistic manipulator he had been established as in the lore) & as well as what a fundamental and intrinsic connection to Azeroth looks like in the context of the more modern lore with her.

So unfortunately I think the odds are extremely high that Xal'atath and Azshara are ultimately going to get hard shafted in the Worldsoul Saga to build up Iridikron as the apex of the saga, particularly with the fact that he has contrasting goals to Xal'atath and likely Azshara: Iridikron seeks absolute freedom for Azeroth, whereas Xal'atath wants to see the Void Lords brought into reality (according to her Legion lines) which is a cataclysmic world-destroying event (see: Dimensius (who, funnily enough, Xal'atath is the Harbinger of according to Voidsong's flavor text) and the destruction of K'aresh), and the fact that Azshara probably intends to become the Divine Autocrat of the Cosmos or something as an extreme megalomaniac who does, factually, wield godlike powers.

And it's gonna leave a bad taste in my mouth, because as much as I like Iridikron, it's not great that he's being put in this position and we damn well know that if Raszageth had lived or if Vyranoth had stayed evil that the writers would never let either of them have that position.

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Also I fully expect that Xal'atath and Azshara will have plenty of shallow 'sexy girlboss' moments that don't really contribute meaningfully to the plot or to their characterizations and clearly exist primarily for fan service or for Blizzard to point at while they say 'see? we're so much better at writing women than we used to be!'

like Xal'atath is already a potentially-murdered-and-cannibalized-amorphic-void-entity possessing a literal corpse who is just a hot floating elf woman. Her design is cool, but it's neither gross nor scary despite the character being gross and scary, and while I can cross my fingers she gets some absolutely disgusting moment where she sheds the corpse and turns into something truly monstrous...

I think we all know she's either gonna Stay Sexy or just turn into a big Voidwalker.

Azshara at least was always established as being a sexy girlboss lounging on her couch in all-white lingerie sipping from her bedazzled stanley cup, but damn I'd still like her to do something other than just Be Sexy for the Gamers. I dunno. Punt a kitten on-screen or something. Mutate into a horrific monstrosity that doesn't still have tits and a pretty face.

Suffering through Alexstrasza's super modern e-girl makeup and freckles should allow us to have several female characters who do NOT have full makeup and conventionally attractive traits.

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finally they're all asexual and this is my truth.

Azshara has actual textual evidence for it insofar that she literally never fucks and doesn't want to fuck anyone. Her perceived sexuality is only a tool for her and never anything she actually engages with. She hears about Sargeras and wants to marry him because only a God could be worthy of her, but actually fuck him? unclear.

that's not a rant but it is relevant and something i've needed to say.