#but it was fun to write and i loved the concept

[ladytemeraire]

#honestly the idea of this made me genuinely tear up #we humans put so much of ourself into that recording #we worked so hard to make sure it was full of our humanity and our planet and so much love and effort went into that #the idea of it being appreciated is-- #and RECIPROCATED-- (via @seeingteacupsindragons )

YES MARR EXACTLY!!! So many of the greeting messages recorded on those discs are basically "hi from Earth, we hope you are doing well, feel free to visit if you're ever in the neighborhood, wishing you all the best", like we're writing a new pen pal for the first time.

My personal favorite is the Amoy (Southern Min/Hokkien) message, because asking aliens not just if they are well but if they have been fed is so incredibly tenderly human. Are you doing alright? Have you eaten recently? Come visit us (with the implied follow up of "and we will make sure to feed you"). I know sacred hospitality and feeding guests is a concept found in many cultures, but the idea of humans fussing over aliens like a bunch of concerned aunties to make sure they're eating enough just delights me.

And then we followed it up with so many pieces of ourselves and our home, because we wanted to share not just humanity but our world and the other living beings here, and just, UGH, I'm getting emotional all over again myself.

And the idea that it not just found someone among the stars but they wrote back? I love that. "Earth is space Australia/humans are space orcs" is a fun concept in its own right, but I equally love the idea of aliens going "NEW FRIENDS!!! =DDDDD" and being equally excited to meet the small hairless primates.

(For anyone wondering what we're going on about and what the original microfiction is referencing, go take a gander.)

A spaceship landed in the park. A door dilated and a robot rolled out, holding a golden disc in a transparent sleeve.

"Greetings! We found your sound recording. We enjoyed it, and have made one for you in return."

It placed the disc on the ground and returned to the spaceship, which took off.

[barrenclan]

May I ask how you decided on creating the oracle concept and making Pinewing one for the story? I loved the writing in PATFW and am super interested in hearing about how you came up with these ideas for the narrative if you're alright with sharing

I didn't go into the story with Pinepaw having a power - in fact in the original video, I don't think I ever mention it at all - but I have always been fond of prophetic characters and futuresight powers. It was fun to write and I thought it added a little flavor of the supernatural to an otherwise very grounded story.

On the Issue 41 post, I listed my inspirations for oracle powers, which I'll copy here. They are: the Eye's powers from The Magnus Archives, shining from The Shining, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, and greensight from A Song of Ice and Fire. It's also named after ancient Greek oracles, and some of Nightberry's character was inspired by the mythic figure Cassandra.

[amalthea-13]

just curious what would you say is the most frustrating take on stolas you've ever come across?

meaning an argument an anti made that bothered you the most?

The Self Victimization Argument That I Loathe

Firstly, thank you for the ask! I always appreciate it since it gives me sort of a "prompt" to work off of! So truly thanks!! Also I noticed in my recent notifications you recently started following and omg I am so thankful.

You all make me so happy and make this so fun with how intellectual and smart you all are!!! Your responses and questions make this my favorite part of my day!

But enough gushing about my lovely followers! Back to buisness!

To anyone new to my page or essays, Hello! I am Amalthea the Ultimate Stolas Kin and Stan and write waaayyyyy to much about Stolas for my own good. He's like everything to me! My page focuses on Stolas defense, and one of the main arguements I hate are the ones that even imply he "self victimizes" for the sake of getting out of his "bad behavior".

What is Self Victimization?

Having to explain this concept at all was very frustrating since I first encountered this argument back on my Tiktok page. It was what inspired the Stolas, Miscontextualing his Words, and Boundaries essay where I discuss at lengths how the Helluva Boss fandom misrepresent Stolas's statements from Apology Tour. For a baseline I will be putting a definition below; UNLEASHING POTENTIAL - PSYCHOLOGY VIDEOS their video Psychology of SELF Victimization helped informed this definition;

Self Victimization is the act of manipulating ones situation to take victimhood from the affected group and make themself out to be the "actual victim". They usually blame others for their circumstances taking no responsibility on their part and often target people of lower self-esteem or those of a kind heart. They are usually incredibly codependent and utilize victimhood to get their way. They also like to be perceived as "good people" despite being terrible.

If anyone wants to add to this definition and has studied psychology on this specific field, please feel happy to DM me a better definition or any information to make this more accurate.

However, usually what people mean is that Stolas is using is abusive circumstances to get what he wants out of Blitz and is targeting him to get what he wants. Whatever, that's a bag of fully packaged horse shit and I can prove it with ease.

Does Stolas Feel Remorse for His Actions?

I consider Full Moon to be Stolas's apology. Anyone else who disagrees with me can kiss my Puerto Rican ass, because that was a heartfelt apology and genuine taking accountability if I've ever seen one. I do not think you have to say the words "I'm sorry" to genuinely apologize to someone you have wronged. If you disagree, again, kiss my ass.

(Not you asker, I am speaking to antis, you're blameless for their stupidity. UwU)

Moving on, Stolas goes into great detail about how he was wrong and how he messed up in their relationship.

Stolas: Blitzo, I'm giving you this because I care.... very deeply for you. And I have for some time. [He places the crystal onto Blitzo's glove, embedding itself into his hand.] But this transactional thing we have, it's not right anymore. It hasn't been. It never was. And now all I can see is how wrong it is to be so tethered to someone in such an unfair way... and not know how they feel. But I want you to continue to be who you are, your business. You don't have to stay here with me. [He removes his hat.] But... I want you to. I want you to stay here with me because you want to. Only if you want to.

Stolas here takes accountability for his actions and part in this entire arrangement. Hell, Blitz holds at least half the blame, but Blitz isn't put into a position to take any accountability or responsibility. Stolas takes the sole blame and doesn't put Blitz in a position to feel guilty or be blamed.

Stolas takes blame purely because he feels at fault and like he put Blitz into a position that was unfavorable.

This is not "self victimizing" behaviors at ALL. In Sinsmas Stolas proceeds to continue to take responsibility for his choices.

Stolas: *calmly* It's okay. Saving you was the right thing to do. And you have risked your life for mine in return. *takes puff from cigarette* You don't need to feel any guilt for my situation, it was my choice. *sadly* It was all my choice. I caused all of this.

Stolas does not ever exhibit self victimizing behavior, but he sure as hell exemplifies the behaviors of an abuse victim. Yet people like to miscontextualize these moments as "self victimizing" instead of the very real context for who he is and how he acts.

He never boasts about being a "good person" then cries wolf for when he needs to be held accountable. However, Stolas has never been seen to display this behavior in the show.

Does Stolas Target Blitz because of his Low Self-Esteem?

I'm probably gonna get dunked on for this part, but Blitz targeted Stolas, not the other way around. While I ain't sitting here tryna go after Blitz every 5 seconds, I may as well go into this for a moment.

Since I sure as hell got time to do it, but Blitz literally during The Circus realizes how sexually inept Stolas is and utilizes that to his advantage to get the book.

I ain't saying Stolas is an angel, but if anyone is "self victimizing" at all, it is Blitz. He acts like Stolas made the terms of their relationship when he realistically could have ran away. I mean he ran from Verosika and everyone else in his damn life so he couldn't just fuck off for once?? No, because that didn't benefit him at all.

Stolas's vulnerability with Blitz is abused against him quite often by Blitz since he knows Stolas cares about him.

For example the Ozzie Ep, why would Blitz call Stolas for a "date" if he truly believed he was just a "royal fuck"??? That's the question many people don't ask and I don't get why we act as if Blitz is a fucking idiot. He literally knows Stolas will bend to his will.

Stolas stopped asking for sex and still gave him the fucking grimoire on multiple occasions.

If anyone was "targeting" anyone, it was Blitz targeting Stolas.

Is Stolas Codependent?

Not one bit. Despite being a victim of abuse, Stolas is incredibly independent and doesn't depend on Blitz to solve all his problems.

Often Blitz isn't vulnerable enough for Stolas to really "depend on", especially since during Western Energy, Stolas felt like he couldn't really depend on Blitz afterwards and onwards pulls away from Blitz slowly but surely.

Stolas takes care of himself and his problems and therefore is not codependent.

Conclusion

I do apologize to you, Asker, I was kinda going off about this, but genuinely anyone claiming Stolas is "self victimizing" are usually the most annoying ass people in this fandom. As much as I adore talking about Stolas and easily debunking people's arguments, this one is not only constant in the fandom, but it reeks of victim blaming rhetoric and mishandling of real psychological terminology.

It also takes no more than a few seconds to piece together why this argument makes no sense and therefore stupid as all hell.

Of all the arguments in the fandom, yeah this one is the worse.

Thank you for the ask! <3

[ducksido]

First off, I have known you for around 10 minutes, but now I’m a dedicated fan, your writing is absolutely amazing! And love that you include EPIC in it, if it doesn’t bother you, could you do a Mexican!Yuu? Like a little Mexican chaos gremlin who insults with every insult known in South America, you can totally ignore this message btw, no problem, have a nice day!

(Combining these three) [Also thank you very much c0ralrubi and childofserpents[❁´◡`❁])

Grim: "You mean to tell me tamales come in different flavors?! And you make them for Christmas?! Gimme one!" Grim is obsessed with Mexican food but underestimates the spice levels. After one bite of a habanero salsa, he refuses to trust Yuu’s food recommendations. He also thinks alebrijes are real and keeps asking if he can have one as a pet.

Crowley: "A culture so rich in history, legends, and celebrations! Why, I must host a NRC Día de los Muertos event in your honor!" Crowley 100% butchers the execution of it and makes it look like a spooky Halloween party. Yuu threatens him in Spanish while wielding a chancla.

Crewel: "Your homeland embraces bold colors and statement pieces—how absolutely divine!" Crewel admires traditional Mexican embroidery and charro suits. He’d love to make custom traje de charro-inspired outfits for Yuu, with a modern twist.

Trein: "Mexican folklore is filled with such intricate tales… Tell me more about La Llorona." Trein is fascinated by Mexican horror legends. Yuu tells him about Nahuales and El Chupacabra, and he starts using them as cautionary tales in class.

Vargas: "You mean to tell me your people run with BULLS for fun?! That’s the kind of strength I admire!" Vargas is shook when Yuu tells him about Mexican rodeos and charreadas. He tries to challenge Yuu to a physical competition, but Yuu just smacks him with a lucha libre mask and runs away screaming "¡Viva México!"

Sam: "Ooooh, you got all kinds of magical folk legends? Tell me more about these aluxes!" Sam sees Mexican myths and traditions as an untapped business opportunity. He starts selling calaveritas and copal for "spiritual balance" at his shop.

Heartslabyul:

Riddle Rosehearts: "You celebrate by smashing a piñata?! How… reckless." Riddle is horrified by the concept of piñatas. He gets hit in the face during a birthday party, and Yuu just yells, "¡Le pegaste al cumpleañero! ¡Córrele!" (You hit the birthday person! Run!)

Ace Trappola: "Wait, you have, like, a WHOLE holiday just for bread?! That’s sick!" Ace tries to get Yuu to share their pan de muerto. He also loves Día de los Inocentes, especially since he can pull pranks and blame it on a cultural holiday.

Deuce Spade: "Hold on—you have a whole fighting sport where people wear colorful masks?! That’s so cool!" Deuce becomes obsessed with lucha libre. He asks Yuu to teach him insults in Spanish so he can sound like a rudo (villain wrestler). He’s bad at them.

Trey Clover: "Wait, you put chocolate and chili together?! That actually sounds amazing." Trey loves Mexican desserts like churros, cajeta, and tres leches cake. He tries making mole and is deeply confused by the mix of chocolate and spices.

Cater Diamond: "Okay, but Magicam aesthetic—can I take a pic with your Día de Muertos ofrenda?" Cater is obsessed with Mexican aesthetics. He starts using phrases like "¡Órale, güey!" incorrectly and gets roasted by Yuu for it.

Savanaclaw:

Leona Kingscholar: "Hmph. Your people have strong warriors and deep traditions. I respect that." Leona admires Mexican fighters, from Aztec warriors to Lucha Libre legends. He’s also highly interested in the jaguar symbolism in Mexican culture.

Ruggie Bucchi: "Wait, wait, wait—you guys eat grasshoppers for snacks?! That’s actually kinda genius." Ruggie loves chapulines (fried grasshoppers) and asks Yuu for recipes. He also steals tamales and learns the hard way not to mess with the Rosca de Reyes baby.

Jack Howl: "Your people are really into loyalty and family, huh?" Jack deeply respects how important family and tradition are to Yuu. He’s super intrigued by Mexican legends about wolves, like El Cadejo.

Octavinelle:

Azul Ashengrotto: "So you’re saying these… alebrijes… are spirit guardians? Fascinating." Azul is intrigued by Mexican folklore, especially alebrijes and their meanings. He wants to see if he can profit off of them.

Jade Leech: "You honor mushrooms in your culture? How delightful!" Jade adores that some Mexican indigenous traditions view mushrooms as sacred. He asks if Yuu has ever tried special ones.

Floyd Leech: "YOU GUYS HAVE FIGHTING MASKS?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME SOONER?!" Floyd immediately challenges Yuu to a lucha libre match and makes up his own wrestling persona.

Scarabia:

Kalim Al-Asim: "Your celebrations sound so lively and exciting! Can I join?!" Kalim is absolutely in love with posadas, piñatas, and mariachis. He tries to dance to jarabe tapatío and nearly trips.

Jamil Viper: "Your food looks delicious, but I sense a dangerous amount of spice." Jamil is deeply suspicious of Mexican chiles. Yuu pranks him by telling him habanero salsa is “just tomato sauce.”

Pomefiore:

Vil Schoenheit: "Your people emphasize beauty in tradition? I respect that." Vil admires the bold colors in Mexican clothing and makeup. He wants to create calavera-inspired makeup looks.

Rook Hunt: "Ah! The poetry of your culture! The passion!" Rook is obsessed with Mexican poetry and romanticism. He dramatically recites Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz poems.

Epel Felmier: "Y’all have weird apples, but I kinda like ‘em." Epel falls in love with tejocotes and ponche navideño. He gets super into Mexican cowboy culture.

Ignihyde:

Idia Shroud: "Mexican mythology inspired, like, half of my RPGs…" Idia geekily rants about Quetzalcóatl and Xibalba. He thinks La Llorona is the best horror story ever.

Ortho Shroud: "So… Día de los Muertos is about remembering loved ones? That’s beautiful." Ortho loves the sentimental side of Mexican traditions.

Diasomnia:

Malleus Draconia: "You respect spirits and traditions? You are wise." Malleus deeply respects Día de los Muertos and wants to experience a Mexican graveyard celebration.

Lilia Vanrouge: "Ah, I remember the battles of your ancestors!" Lilia claims to have met Aztec warriors. He’s probably telling the truth.

Silver: Falls asleep mid Mexican legend.

Sebek: "YOUR PEOPLE RESPECT ANCESTORS?! FINALLY, SOMEONE SANE!"

RSA + Noble Bell:

Chenya: Steals pan dulce. Neige: Thinks Yuu’s culture is magical. Rollo: Disgusted by how loud Mexican parties are.

Extra Mexican!Yuu Chaos:

Randomly yells "¡No mames, güey!"

Calls everyone "cabrón" or "mijo."

Fights Leona with a lucha libre mask.

[callistocalavarni]

Your account is so beautiful and so poetic, the way you write when you respond to anons sound like handwritten letters for some reason 😭💕 maybe it's because I read them with a soft poetic voice in my head idk but I'm wondering.. When you shift to so many different realities for such long periods of time to escape this current reality, there have been many shifters that said that you could feel big detachment or even more misery when you come back here. I wonder though, when you come back from a shift, especially when you've been in your DR for years.. Does it affect how you experience relationships in the current reality? Have you ever felt detached, or distant from friends, family members, or probably just distant relatives, classmates / co-workers, and etc. ?

And could it be because you outgrown them, (because your soul must definitely feel aged when you have immortality living thousands of lives in the realities in your mind, right?) or could it be that some relationships become unfulfilling? Orr..?

Or have you ever experienced the opposite? And end up being happy seeing close people either because you've missed them or have scripted them into your realities? I'm really curious, as someone who tried to shift just last night as a fun act of self-love and fun place to spend a vacation on another planet 😭😭😭

You are the sweetest, I can't describe how happy your words make me. Thank you so much!!

Whenever I come back It's a feeling of relaxation, or the feeling of being awake in the middle of the night when no one else is. I feel alone but it doesn't bother me. Usually in the moment I’m recounting what happened in my head so I don’t forget about it. I definitely feel more mature, I try to help my mom out as much as I can, force her to do certain things that will help her mental health; I didn't used to do this but now I feel like I can teach her things I didn't know before. She’s a very pessimistic person, it seems like everything that she says is negative and I’ve found that it's hard to relate since I’ve come back. Sometimes I feel out of place but it’s never gotten to the point of misery. I’ve grown up with a lot of anxiety and now that I have experienced what I have I realized I should never feel shame about leaving here. 

I shift to experience a different life, I personally don’t script it to be perfect and happy all the time. I want to experience all of it. I‘ve suffered in every reality I’ve been in, including this one and I don’t see it as a bad or good thing. I just see it as something to learn from, so detachment from here is not a problem for me. I do get sad sometimes that I can’t relay what I’ve been through to my family. Sure, I can shift to a reality where they understand the concept and would console me, but a part of me doesn't want to.

I had a child in my Kirasia dr and that's the reason I ended up leaving there. Though I was happy, I didn’t think I was ready. I was sitting on my bed and kind of dissociating in that moment because the thought of raising a whole entire human being scared me. I will go back, maybe re-live my life there and continue on instead of leaving but I don’t know when that moment will come. A couple of months ago In this reality I was sitting on the couch with my mom and baby sister and was so overcome with emotions when I looked at her. I just started to cry, I said it was because she was being cute, a part of it was, but In that moment I was reminded of my own child. Here I’m a couple months from graduating, and there I am a mother.    

My relationship with my family has gotten better here though. My step dad apologized to me and I was finally mature enough to have an actual conversation with him. My mom wants me to live with her for a while and tells me I shouldn't have to work myself to death. And I finally cut someone off who I didn’t need anymore; so yes I have outgrown people. I don’t know if these things would have happened if I never shifted. I think after shifting my subconscious reworked itself and that's why those moments happened. 

The only detachment I really feel is noticing how immature people are. Before I shifted I tolerated it but now I don’t put any energy into it. I can’t believe I didn’t notice how many grown adults are fucking insane, sorry for the bluntness it’s just crazy seeing how stupid people are. I’m mostly talking about how weird relationships are here, and how some people will find any excuse to be abusive. Not even physically but just mentally. Some of these people aren't even aware of their own actions either - I’m ranting… but I think you get the idea.

When I come back here It's like I've learned a whole new outlook on life and I feel happy to view the world through that lens here. I’ve never felt regret about shifting, someday I’m going to choose not to come back here and I’m fine with that. 

These were such good questions and because of your ask you gave me a new idea on what to write about! I’ve been trying to think about what to write about that isn't a storytime so I’m happy I finally have a small Idea.

[alisdarkwrites]

hey hey could you maybe make a part two for that yandere fic with shidou and sae? one where mc finally manages to escape and enjoy the freedom she has until they eventually find her and punish her.. i jst love the concept of mc running away from yanderes !

WAHHH!! YES OFC!! I wasn’t expecting people to like it very much since I don’t think I’m very good at writing

Also, sorry for taking so long to get back to ya anon I’m just not the most active person on tumblr

Tws: noncon, drugging, kidnapping

Run pt2

They were playing that cruel, cruel game again. The one where you had to hide and pray they wouldn’t find you, the one where they’d fuck you if you were found. You were so scared.

But this time you hadn’t turned and hid, you’d escaped through a window. Sae and Shidou never thought to lock the windows since you were usually cooped up in your tiny room. Plus, they never thought you’d think of escaping during this.

You gently pushed opened the window, making sure to not make any noise. If you made even a peep they’d figure out and catch you. You opened the parlour window, looking over your shoulder just before jumping out. The drop was only a foot, the window hadn’t been too high up so you made it easily.

You ran as fast as you could, running and running until the house was completely out of sight. You were overwhelmed in the city, you’d been stuck with them for so long that you weren’t used to all these people being around.

But you felt better here. You felt better being free, being able to do what you wanted when you wanted.

The police wouldn’t take you seriously. Those two were famous soccer stars and you were just some nobody they’d kept in a cabin. No one would ever believe you. You’d be written off as someone who just wanted to get fame off of their names. So you stayed quiet.

You got a job, and after a few months of living in a shelter you even got an apartment. Despite the apartment being small and cramped, having barely any room for even a couch in the living room you still felt better. You were free. You had escaped.

You hadn’t made any friends in the city yet, you weren’t ready to open up to people. You just wanted to lay low for a while, especially since those two still might be on your tail…

Despite not making many friends you enjoyed every second. You had even loved going to work at first, because it made you feel more free. Despite it just being your average grocery job it was better than being cooped up in a house and stuck with Sae and Shidou.

One night when getting out of your car after work something felt off. It was pitch black outside, and the closest light was a dim street lamp. Almost like someone was following you. It was pitch black outside, and the closest light was a dim street lamp. You wrote it off as just trauma from when you were kidnapped, thinking it was just lurking fear. But before you could get close to the door to your apartment building, someone grabbed you.

You were pulled away from the door and away from the light, whoever it was had pulled you into the alley way beside the apartment building. Then you saw him. His blonde and lick spiked hair, it was undeniably Shidou.

You kicked screamed and thrashed but you couldn’t do anything against him, and he just silently laughed at your kicks and punches. “Took you long enough to finally get back on our radar” Sae said; he’d practically emerged from the shadows, you hadn’t seen him at all. “We missed you a lot. Did you have fun out here in the wild, hm?” His voice was cold with a hint of anger.

“It wasn’t easy to find you either, that fake name only shared one letter and it wasn’t even the first one. So annoying…” shidou said, pulling you even closer into his chest. “Now it’s time your you to go to bed and come back to your real home…” *Shidou brought a cloth up to your face after saying it, the cloth was soaked in some sort of drug. You screamed and kicked and thrashed, but he didn’t let go. It didn’t take long for you to pass out.

“Goodnight sweetheart, we’ll see you in the morning.” Sae said, gently petting your hair. You could tell the sickly sweet tone of his was all a facade; that in reality he was fuming. You were in for hell when you woke up.

When you woke up you immediately felt it. The air was freezing cold but you could also feel warmth on either of your sides. Sae and Shidou were cuddling you. They had taken your clothes from you while you slept. Your tried to squirm, to get them off but all you did was wake Shidou up.

“Look who’s finally awake!” Shidou said poking you. He squished your face and poked your cheeks while giggling. “Now that you’re finally back, you know we have to punish you right…” he trailed off, he found more excited than remorseful.

His hands started to move lower and lower until he found your clit. He gave it a pinch beige shoving two fingers inside of you. He relished in the fact that you were in pain. You already started crying from it.

You were pathetically hitting his chest, trying to get him off of you. “Awh what’s wrong, don’t like it?” He laughed. “Your lucky dad isn’t awake yet, you’re lucky that I’m preparing you for what he has planned.” Shidou was cackling as if all of this was just a joke; as if he wasn’t torturing you.

He thrusted his fingers faster and faster until you came, but he didn’t stop. “Well that’s one point for me! Me and Sae are gonna fuck you until each of us have 25 points!” He was laughing while staring down at you, he could see the fear in your eyes. “Which means we’re going to make you cum 50 times.” His voice had changed; something deeper, something much more sinister.

“Don’t worry sweetheart! We’ll make it a bit easier on you for using a vibrator for 10 of them! The others will either he done with our cocks or something else, but I don’t wanna think about that right now…” The bastard was still laughing. You kept hitting his chest, pleading with him to stop. “Please! This is just heartless!” You begged. But you felt someone cover your mouth from behind. Sae had woken up.

“Did you really start without me? I thought we agreed that we’d decide who went first with a fair game.” Sae didn’t have any remorse in his voice, only anger. But you couldn’t tell if that anger was more directed at you are Shidou.

Sae reached his hand down, squeezing and rubbing your clit while Shidou finger fucked you. You were screaming but Sae’s hand was muffling it, you couldn’t even understand what you were trying to say. You came again, both of them snickering as you did. “So does that count as a point for you, or for me?” Sae asked, still rubbing your clit. “My point. You’re only rubbing her clit while my fingers are almost fully inside of her… so it’s mine!” Should sounded proud as he said it; proud of torturing you.

You could hear the squelching noises as shidou kept pumping his fingers in and out. It felt good but it was also so painful. You threw your head back and screamed as another orgasm was forced out of you. “Mine this time, I’d pull on her clip right before she came.” Sae left no room for argument.

“Fine, fine, I’ll let you have this one, but it’s still 3-1” Shidou said, sticking his tongue out at Sae. All you could do was pray that they’d stop early, that they’d have mercy on you. But deep down you knew that would never happen.

[withlovemark]

“...is that my hoodie?”

synopsis -> “the reader and mark are roommates and mark finds the reader masturbating in his room while wearing one of his hoodies then fucks her” [requested]

an: this ended up longer than i intended so im posting it separately

warnings: smut! mutual masturbation (both male and female), rough sex

-

your roommate mark! has just left for the weekend, excited to finally go on a trip with his group of friends which meant you had the whole apartment to yourself — which also meant, you could masturbate in peace and be as loud as you needed, not having to bite down on your pillows, hiding under the covers as you fingered yourself to oblivion.

so when mark walked back into the apartment, the sound of spongebob playing on the tv hitting his ears, nothing out of the ordinary, he never expected to burst into your room and see you seated perfectly in the middle of your bedsheets, legs wide open, a perfect view of your fingers going in and out of your pussy. 

“hey dude, have you seen my hood-”

“oh my god!,” you yell crossing your legs together and grabbing the nearest pillow in an attempt to cover yourself up as mark turned into a mumbling mess, frozen in place, staring at you  with wide eyes “i uhm -i -uhh s-sorry i didn’t know i-,”

“mark!,” you snap him out of his daze, cheeks bright pink as you assess what just happened, “can you please leave?,” you ask, the embarrassment eating you up alive. you were so lost in trying to chase your own high that you didn’t even hear him enter your shared apartment. maybe you shouldn’t have blasted spongebob on max volume.

“i-uh yeah, sorry,” he smiles sheepishly getting ready to turn around and leave when he remembered why he was even in here in the first place, “wait...is that my hoodie?”

still clutching the pillow between your legs, you were now very aware of the hoodie that clung way too big on your body, “i-uhm yeah, must’ve gotten mixed in the laundry,” you wince, the awkwardness taking over you as you refused to meet his eyes, looking everywhere but him. 

mark’s eyes narrow, his pupils darkening at the thought of you touching yourself in nothing but his hoodie, all his blood rushing to his cock. he takes a step towards you, catching your attention, “what are you doing?,” but the words seem to catch in your throat, leaving you unable to speak.

“i came back here for my hoodie,” his voice an octave deeper than you’re used to. 

“oh i-um, can you wait outside? i’ll change real quick,” you mumble, but instead of stepping away, mark takes another step closer.

“no its okay, you can keep it…if you let me watch,” he smirks, casually heading toward the chair across from your bed. it almost feels like you’ve set the stage for an audience – for him. 

“what?,” you ask, eyes wide, not sure if you heard him properly. 

“-or would you like it better if i finished what you started,” he teases, a smirk curling at the corners of his lips. 

"i-mark, what? we don’t have to do anything just give me a sec-,”

he lets out a low, dark chuckle, cutting you off mid-sentence, “touching yourself in my hoodie and you don’t expect me to care?”

"you’re gonna be late for your trip,” you say, words lacking conviction. 

"fuck that, they can wait…c’mon pretty girl, show me what you were doing,” he taunts and you can feel your arousal leaking onto your pillow. you have never seen this side of mark before and it’s turning you on more than you would like to admit. you had no control when your fingers slipped back down to your core finally giving in to his request, body hitting the headboard behind you, pillow being tossed to the side like you were in some sort of trance. 

“just like that baby, you’re so sexy,” mark hisses, settling into the chair, making himself comfortable. the pet name makes your pussy twitch as you stare right into his eyes, lust completely taking over, "say my name," he orders.

“mark-,” his jeans feeling more and more restricting as your moans hit his ears.

“that’s right baby, you can be as loud as you want,” he orders, reveling in your moans, “you don’t think i hear you at night, muffling your moans against your pillow?,” he continues earning another moan of his name from you, lips falling in an exasperated sigh. 

“you don’t think i don’t touch myself to the sounds you make?,” he groans, the sound of his zipper echoing throughout your room, cool air hitting mark’s hard cock,  “we have thin walls, y/n, i hear every whimper...every sigh,” he grunts, pumping his member as he watches you fuck yourself, fingers slipping in and out of your hole, your juices glistening under the lights, inviting him, “you don't think i hear you moan my name?,” he growled, grip on his member tightening, "always pictured how you'd look like pretty girl, but it really doesn't beat the real thing," he compliments, eyes gazing all over your figure, drinking you in.

mark’s pretty pink cock makes you salivate, frustrated whines slipping from your lips, fingers not reaching where you want it to, “fucking yourself on vibrators and dildos when you could’ve just knocked,” he chuckles, teasing you, “i could’ve helped you any time you wanted, pretty girl,” he continues and you’re not entirely sure what possessed your roommate to act like this but you needed to feel him. 

“mark, please come here,” you beg, “please help me now,” you whine, his cock twitching in his hold.

mark wastes no time, immediately making his way over to you, hands wrapping around your thighs as he pulled you to the edge of the bed, making you yelp at his dominant behavior. he takes hold of your chin, tilting your face up to make you meet his gaze, “im gonna fuck the shit out of you, baby,” a devilish grin on his lips, “gonna make sure i make you moan myself,” he grunts by your ear before sucking on your neck, wet and red, tongue marking you.

the vulgarity in his words and actions makes your stomach jump as you grab his shirt, pulling it over his head before pulling him down for a messy kiss, mark quick to respond, teeth clashing as his hip grinds into you, cock swiping at your wet folds, collecting your juices, moans spilling into the kiss. 

your hands find its way to the bottom of mark’s hoodie, ready to remove it off of your body when his large hands stopped you, “keep it on,” he grunts against your lips as he aligned himself within your core, entering you with no warning, “—fuck!,” you cry out at the stretch, back arching. mark doesn’t give you any time to adjust as he starts pounding into you. 

“god, you’re so fucking tight,” he says, clutching your hips so tightly you were sure it’s going to leave bruises, “so fucking warm,” your moans fueling him to go faster as your hips started rutting against his, matching his tempo. 

“you look so fucking sexy in my hoodie,” he grunts, one of his hands making it’s way to your stomach, making sure the hoodie doesn’t ride up as he pushed down on the fabric, cock hitting you deeper making you cry out in pleasure, the bed frantically squeaking below you, hands gripping your bedsheets trying to hold on to something. 

“d-dont stop mark, fuck, f-feels so good,” your praises go straight to his head as he lifts one of your legs up to his shoulders and you swore you could feel him in your guts, the tension in your stomach feeling intense, "holy fuck, mark!,” you cry out, every thrust hitting you exactly where your fingers couldn't. 

"yeah baby, scream my name,” his name the only thing you can mutter out, feeling your orgasm coming to a close. 

“only i can make you feel this good, huh baby,” the sound of skin slapping against each other bounces off the walls, your eyes rolling back, back arching, hands finding their way to his shoulders, nails coming in contact with his skin as you tried to last.

mark kisses you again, hiding his hisses in your moans as your pussy tightened around his cock, the tension in your stomach breaking, heavy breaths slipping past your lips as your orgasm completely washed over you, “yeah that’s it baby, so good for me,” he coaxes you through it, continuing his brutal pace, desperate to reach his own high.

pleasure quickly turning into pain as he continued chasing his own orgasm, “h-hurts mark,” you whine under him, tears brimming in the corner of your eyes, hands gripping his bicep.

“you can take it baby, i know you can,” he charges, hands grabbing your ass as he brought you further into your bed, raising both of your legs above his shoulders, cock jamming right into your cervix, muffled, unintelligible sounds escape your lips, tears falling down your cheeks but you don’t stop him, falling in love with the pain, your stomach coiling once again, heat traveling throughout your entire body down to your toes.

“mm-gonna come,” mark groans above you, cock twitching inside you, as his fingers squeezed your clit immediately sending you over the edge, making you see stars, toes curling, pussy sucking in his cock so tight. mark struggles to not come right inside you. he quickly pulls out before finally reaching his own high, body landing on top of yours, cum messily landing all over his hoodie, down to your sheets. guess he can't use that hoodie now.

it takes him a while to catch his breath, looking at your fucked out state under him, hoodie still hugging your body, tear-stained cheeks, lips flushed, juices leaking out of your cunt and he can’t help but land another tongue filled kiss on your lips, bringing you back to reality.

“god, we should’ve done that a long time ago,” he says, breaking the kiss, making you giggle.

"yeah, we really should’ve,” you sigh happily, fingers tracing the outlines of his cheekbones. 

he smiles at you sweetly, your own features mirroring his, “you okay pretty girl, it wasn’t too much?,” his voice much gentler from his previous actions as he softly wiped away your tear stains.

“i'm okay, mark, that was perfect,” you nod quickly, kissing him again, feeling him smile through the kiss. before it could go any further, his phone rings from his jeans on the floor, making the two of you jump.

he picks it up, flashing you a sheepish grin before answering, putting it on speaker, “bro, where the fuck are you? we’ve been waiting for 30 minutes now, if you’re not here in 15 we’re leaving without you!,” chenle yells through the phone, hanging up right away.

“chenle’s kind of scary,” you laugh, making him smile.

“yeah, he really is,” he responds, chuckling.

“go,” you say with a grin, your eyes flicking to the door. 

“do i have to?,” he pouts, making his way back to you, head settling on your stomach, arms wrapping around your waist, making you giggle. 

"mark, you’ve been planning this trip for a month…just go,” you say sternly, fingers running through his hair, attempting to make him look presentable. 

he sighs before leaning up, chasing your lips and kissing you deeply, "we’ll talk about this when i get home." 

"ill be here…watching spongebob," you giggle, pointing to the t.v. that was still playing.

he rolls his eyes, a small grin on his lips, “no playing with yourself until i get back,” he whispers, earning a playful slap on the chest from you. 

once he finished getting dressed and you slipped on your shorts, you walked him to the door, hands lingering around the other, the sweetness of the moment hanging in the air, completely opposite from the crude behavior that was happening in your bedroom, until his fingers pinch the cheeks of your ass making you yelp in surprise. 

“hey!,”

"what? i don’t think you realize how insane it drives me every time you walk around in this tiny thing," he groans cheekily, pulling you against him, his head resting in the space between your neck, laugh vibrating through his chest, making you squirm in his embrace, a smile tugging at your lips.

it takes all of mark’s willpower to pull away from you, you practically had to push him out the door. 

“oh and feel free to wear all of my hoodies from now on, roomie,” he says before kissing you goodbye and leaving the apartment, your giggles ringing in his ear. 

[benevolenterrancy]

hi!! I think your art is *so cool* o(≧∇≦o)

do you think you could draw more moshang? either post canon or that au you did last time?? (baby mobei has my heart and all I own)

(˵ •̀ ᴗ •́ ˵ ) oh! how about return to childhood—moshang flavor?

don't question this king, shang qinghua, he knows what he's about

[duu-kiwi]

I bet aziraphale wrote about the day the universe was made, about the angel whose voice recited the words that created the stars, about how bright they shone, and still shine, in those angel eyes✨🪐

Here you have some detailss and a cropped version with just!! them!!!

edit: prints link !

[gossippool]

so i do think it's very interesting how, at least from what i've observed, people see/depict worst logan as kind of different from the x men logan in terms of their propensity for violence, or rather how this violence is released. i think it has to do with a couple of things:

as many have pointed out, wade is the only one who has ever been able to match him in a fight. so it makes sense that people would headcanon their relationship as involving fights on the regular. but also;

most of what we see from him in the movie is him fighting, and so we assume that he has a tendency towards it, especially since the past he's trying to escape from is exactly that: him being violent towards others, including those who don't deserve it. i think this has definitely subconsciously shaped some people's perception of him in some way.

but i think it's good to remember that what we are shown isn't proportionate to who he is, because the movie necessarily can't develop his character much outside of the plot. i don't think worst logan and x-men logan are different at all in the sense of x-men logan being "gentler", because not only have we just not had the chance to see worst logan act otherwise, but x-men logan also has this same animalistic violence in him. we can see how quickly he unleashes himself in the movies when the situation calls for it, and even when he's doing it to protect, there's still that rage underneath it all.

worst logan is violent towards wade because 1. he's projecting, and 2. wade can take it. but also it's a symptom of something else that he hasn't worked through, possibly decades of trauma he hasn't worked through. i'm working on a fic that explores this rn, but my headcanon is that his post-x-men rampage was a sort of addiction for him because of the release it gave him, which he then replaced with getting shitfaced, and finding someone who could take him in a fight (wade) could be a reversion to the former addiction if he doesn't work on it. (i think that especially with superhero movies, it's so easy to brush off violence as just another normal thing, but realistically, a failure to unpack all that baggage could escalate his problems into something way worse.)

so imo i think worst logan is practically the same, if not very similar, to x-men logan, just that he's a variant that was dealt the worst card, but we interpret his character differently because all we're shown is what he became because of it. we all know logan is gentle with his lovers, and i think that unless wade shows that he enjoys it, logan would not be violent towards him just because wade can take it. just because you can doesn't mean you should, and i think he of all people would understand that

[twilightkitkat]

OK QUESTION with the one series with the different universe we see how you think the X-Men would react to a similar Logan being so close with Deadpool.

BUT

How do you think our main universe reacts to the relationship especially when they compare this new Logan to the fallen hero?

This is such an interesting question that I thought about it for a while before answering because I wanted to do it justice. Firstly, I want to clarify that my answer takes place in a world where all the X-men are miraculously alive somehow except for Logan (maybe by some time shenanigans or just twisting the plot).

---

The world at large would be shocked to see The Wolverine again, especially after he was confirmed dead and his bones were buried. The TVA wouldn't want the entire world to know about them, and Logan and Wade would probably be the type to never really formally address his existence (since they aren't actually official heroes or a government body).

His resurrection would likely spark a lot of conspiracy theories and people wondering if he had a secret mission where he pretended to die or if he had a reason to stage his death. It's almost like the urban legend of Bigfoot with how rarely he shows up (somehow always next to the same red vigilante).

Aside from the initial shock, the public reception would be very positive. Who wouldn't want to see your childhood superhero back in action again? People would be excited to see him rejoin the X-men only to be extremely confused when he showed no interest in returning to his superhero work (especially when they assumed he either died and came back or was on a mission and so would naturally want back his spot).

As a matter of fact, after initial sightings of him in his suit, he just sort of... fades away. He never really makes public appearances or is involved in much of anything. He looks different than he did before and he always dresses casually. This combined with the lack of media about him after the initial outrage means that he only occasionally gets recognized in public.

(Something he's secretly very grateful for. He disliked being reminded of his past, of a world where he wasn't a failure. Of the version of him that was revered instead of feared and hated. He has to stop himself from flinching sometimes when people loudly yell out, "It's The Wolverine!" He lays low for a while in Wade's apartment, only accompanying him sometimes on covert missions until people mostly stop caring about his existence.)

But more than public confusion is the confusion of the X-men. They heard the truth through Colossus that this Wolverine was from another universe than their own and that he'd helped save their timeline.

(And most of the X-men were very confused because... why does Colossus know this of all people? Why didn't Logan just come to tell them himself? They knew Colossus was in cahoots with this vigilante vaguely from the time he visited the mansion, but they didn't know he was actually close to him. And why did being Deadpool's friend give him exclusive access to The Wolverine and his situation?)

They expected Logan to show up at their doorstep, one day. He apparently had the X-men in his own world, and while Colossus never really elaborated further (despite their prodding) they could surmise something happened to them if Logan was staying here. It's a perfect fit: the X-men who lost their Wolverine and the Wolverine who lost his X-men.

But he never does. At first, they chalk it up to him going on one of his solo trips. He liked to do that—to go out into the wilderness or disappear on some unspecified mission. He never really stayed in one place too long. (It was his personality, wasn't it? He got antsy being tied down to commitment and wanted to be free from everyone. It was fine even if it was inconvenient, it was just how he was.)

But then he never makes an effort to get involved. To reach out to them. He doesn't show any interest at all in returning to his old life or taking up the helm of an X-man again.

This Logan couldn't be all that different from theirs, right? Even if he was a lone wolf type who kept up his guard and acted gruffly, he only really had them. They took him in and fed him and clothed him and he showed up when shit went sideways in return. A perfect, neat, package with a bow on top.

But then a month passes. Then two. And even if he was the type to do his own thing, this was a little ridiculous. He'd just come back to life and didn't even bother showing up?

They all cornered Colossus, one day. Asked him about his well-being and what he was doing. Why he wasn't reaching out and when they should expect him to come back.

His answer shocked them. Apparently, Logan wasn't out on a mission at all. Instead, he was staying with Deadpool at his apartment and just... living there. Existing. He wasn't even particularly busy, he just hadn't visited. When they inquired further, Colossus smiled slightly and said that he seemed happy there. Content. That Wade was good for Logan and Logan was good for him, too.

It was... hard to wrap their heads around. Logan—fierce, closed-off, restless—just staying in one place? Content to just live with someone and accompany them on mercenary jobs.

Since when did Logan prefer teamwork? He always tried to turn joint missions into solo ones, and went out of his way to brush people off.. More than that—Logan, a mercenary? He'd rather pick up illegal work for some extra cash than return to being a hero? To being with them? Why did he decide to stay in a shitty apartment taking shady jobs for rent instead of just staying for free at their mansion? It made no sense.

It all came to a head when Laura (who'd been staying with them but largely kept to herself around the X-men) had her birthday party. They had parties often for the children in the mansion, that wasn't anything new. Except for the fact that the Wolverine was coming. She'd been excited when she mentioned that both Logan and Wade were going to show up (they didn't even know she'd stayed in touch with them).

(Why was the first time they saw Logan at a birthday party for someone else? Were they not enough? They'd taken him in despite his... difficult personality. What more did he want?)

And Logan comes. But he's entirely different than their Logan, the one they remember.

He's more... relaxed, somehow. He looks less hostile and cagey, letting his muscles relax and his head lean back. He looks like a man content with life instead of the guy who ran away the first chance he got, who always had an itch under his skin to move and never stayed too long.

He sticks to Wade like glue. They're always touching, somehow. An arm around the shoulders, a hand placed firmly on Wade's waist, fingers intertwined, legs pressed together. Logan is touchy in a way he never was with them.

And the way he looks at Wade—like he hung the stars and the moon and the sky itself. Even when they try to catch his eye from across the room, to get him to come over, he doesn't pay attention. His eyes are firmly locked on Wade's face, a warmth there (a softness) that they'd never seen before.

Wade gawks at the mansion and its decoration, flitting between Colossus and Negasonic and Yukio, gleefully grabbing some of the food. And Logan stays by his side the whole time, only watching him, murmuring in his occasionally which makes Wade either jab him in the elbow or cackle.

(And Logan lets him. He doesn't even retaliate aside from a grunt when Wade punches him in the arm, rolling his eyes and flicking his forehead in return but entirely content to let Wade at him. The trust there was so obvious it was painful. The familiarity. The warmth.)

The first time Logan takes his eyes off Wade is when Laura comes up to them. His eyes soften as he looks at her, almost imperceptibly if not for the fact that in their memories, his eyes were always hard. Guarded. They could count on one hand the number of times they saw even a semblance of that expression, normally involving Jean or Rogue.

Laura hugs him, grinning as she prattles on about whatever she'd been doing lately. Logan hugs her back, arms coming to wrap firmly around her. Easy affection. She pulls back and Wade hugs her too, spinning her around in the air as she laughs and hits him and asks him to put her down.

When Logan looks at them, the fondness is so obvious it's painful. They were used to seeing Logan show emotion—anger, sadness, fear, arousal. But never softness. (Especially not for a tumor-ridden mercenary and an experiment built off of his DNA.)

The party continues like that, with Logan leaning against Wade and basking in his presence. Hiding in his shadow when he's tired, leaning his forehead against Wade's shoulder.

Until they finally decide to approach them. Scott and Jean hold hands as they approach him for the first time, tired of observing him all night. Storm follows closely behind.

"Logan, nice seeing you man. It's, uh, been a while," Scott smiles crookedly at him. He expects Logan to respond how he normally does. To grin back, insult him, and start up their typical banter.

Like a well-oiled machine, they kept their rivalry going. Logan and Scott would act like they hated each other in public and fight like children over Jean until she inevitably chose Scott (and then it'd repeat). Sometimes, in the quiet of the night or an emotional moment, they'd become more. But that was rare, and Scott preferred the comfortable rhythm they normally kept to.

But Logan barely looked at him, nodded, and then turned back to Wade as he talked about some kid's show.

"Logan, that was a little rude, don't you think? We haven't heard from you in a while, it's good to see you're doing well." Jean lightly scolded him before letting her face melt into a smile. It was meant to be welcoming. Kind.

Scott tightened his arm around Jean. He knew Jean would always choose him, in the end, but it was annoying to see Logan flirt with her. She'd entertain him enough, and occasionally the three would wind in bed together in a moment of passion. But Jean was his, in the end.

Except, Logan didn't react. He just grunted in response. When his eyes met Jean's they were completely devoid of any attraction. He didn't flirt with her or pay her any attention. His eyes were solely on Wade.

It was only when Wade's eyes flicked toward them and he waved that Logan bothered to acknowledge their existence.

"Oh, hey! You guys are the real deal! The original X-men! The ones that took the 2000s by storm and made Marvel a shit ton of money," he rambled. His face was... interesting, to say the least.

Logan snorted. "Did you not expect to see the X-men in the X-mansion, bub?" The first time he verbally admitted they were even there.

"Considering the budget on my previous movies? Fuck no. It was too expensive to even have a good cameo, let alone actually have them on screen for more than a minute to have a conversation."

...What the hell was he talking about? He sounded clinically insane. And Logan was living with this guy?

But Logan laughed, genuinely, and it was like the world stopped spinning. He smiled and his eyes wrinkled, forming crescents. He teased Wade back in response, but they were stuck in that moment.

Logan was never like that. Never open, never soft. He cared, in a distant way, but he never really stayed. (Was it really that? Was it that he never tried to stay, or that they never gave him reason to? That they never gave him the chance before shutting the door in his face.)

But here it was. Physical proof that he was capable of looking at someone so softly. Of melting his hard exterior and becoming someone softer. Someone capable of cherishing the person they loved, of being domesticated.

Because there was really no other way than "domesticated" to describe him. He used to be like a wild animal—all sharp edges, jagged teeth, and razor-sharp claws. He snarled and growled at anyone who got too close and cornered him. He'd drop by for food, but snatch it and run off.

(But that's the thing about wild animals, isn't it? To get them to calm down, to stop seeing you as a threat, you need to be patient. To reach out. To prove you're safe. Did they ever really try?)

And now he even looked different. His hard muscles had filled out with a layer of fat. He looked healthy, like he wasn't just a tool built to fight and gnaw on the scraps he was given. He looked like a person who went home and ate a warm, balanced dinner at night. Who got adequate sleep and had all of his needs taken care of.

They thought that Logan's personality was rough, sharp, and jagged. That he was just Like That, and that it was useless to try to change it.

(After all, the bad boy is just someone you flirt with. Not someone you take him. Jean had said that, hadn't she?

And Logan had told her he could be the "good guy." Tried to show that he was capable of being more than just how he acted when he was hurt and alone. But she brushed it off. They all did.

And yet here Logan was. Soft and entranced by Wade in a way he never had been, even with her. Looking at him with something so much deeper than lust or attraction or infatuation. Looking at him with devotion. Reverence. Complete and utter love.)

But Logan wasn't Like That. He had always wanted to be soft. To be able to curl up next to somebody and trace the curve of their spine with his fingertips. He'd always yearned for a home he could feel genuinely warm in, where he'd be accepted and allowed to be vulnerable even if it wasn't pretty.

He'd only been hard because he had to. Because if he wasn't, the biting words and indifference of everyone around him would cut so deep he'd never recover. Because if he let himself love and be vulnerable with the X-men and they still viewed him as a passerby, as a tool, as an outsider, as just someone to sleep with—he'd break.

But Wade gave him a home. Gave him the chance to finally love and be loved and not feel afraid. To finally relax and open up. To show his emotions without fear of being scorned and to know he'd always be taken seriously. To not just be seen as the bad boy, but as a broken man desperate for anyone to cling to and feel cared for.

He was finally seen as more than just a stereotype. He was seen and loved for he was.

He was used to being hidden. Like a shameful secret. Jean was embarrassed to like him. Scott hid him away during the night and fought him during the day. He was a temptation, but that was it. They'd always choose each other first. Every member of the X-men had their person, but he was nobody's.

But with Wade, for the first time in his life, he was the first choice. He was the priority. He got to eat at the table instead of being fed scraps thrown onto the floor.

Logan thought it was natural to be treated as lesser. To be an afterthought. But with Wade, who cradled his face like he was something precious and was willing to die for him, he realized that he could be loved just as fiercely as he loved Wade. As an equal. As partners.

And so when he saw the X-men, he reacted the same way they had all those years ago: with indifference. With the same detached care he'd grown so used to. He spared them the effort of a few words, of reluctant acknowledgment, but that was it. If they never wanted to look closer at him or care about his needs, it was fine. But he'd do the same.

After all, there was so need to scramble to collect crumbs when he was well-fed. There was no need to look for a shitty room in an empty-feeling mansion when he already had a home.

[gale-force-storm]

Ok, new headcanon I've been playing around with for a bit, and I like it so I figured I'd share. The gist is this:

Morena Dekarios: Bard

Gale's always felt like he has some theatre kid energy to me. He's dramatic, grandiose, expressive, he quotes Shakespeare, he writes poetry, he loves telling stories, he comes up with a little rhyme on the spot if you cheat at that chess puzzle, he's just got That Vibe. Now, he could have come by this energy naturally. Some people are just Like That. However, please join me in imagining little Gale, listening with rapt attention as his mother performs a ballad, or tells a story with such skill that the entire room is enthralled. Imagine her trying to keep baby Gale entertained with some dancing lights, only for him to swiftly pick up the spell himself. Maybe one of the reasons he likens magic to art is because, well, that's what it was to him, when he was young.

Maybe Morena was an up-and-coming bard, travelling around the Sword Coast. Maybe she started a fling, as bards often do, with some handsome adventurer, and they traveled together for a bit. Maybe they found out she'd accidentally become pregnant, and after some discussion her partner agreed to return to Waterdeep with her, because, Morena insisted, the road was no place to raise a child, and she'd rather have her family nearby for support. So they went and found a house to settle in, and things were ok for a time. A bit bumpy, but they made it work, her partner taking odd jobs around the city and her taking gigs in taverns and inns and feast halls for as long as she was able. Even the first year or two of Gale's life things went relatively smoothly. But then his magic tendencies started really manifesting, and while Morena was initially excited, the chaos that quickly followed threw her relationship even further onto the rocks. They kept trying for a few years, but eventually, when Gale was 4 or 5, the partner decided enough was enough. He never wanted a kid to begin with, and all this? It was too much. He was out, and Morena and Gale never heard from him again.

Morena still did her best after that, of course. She was still proud of her brilliant son, despite the chaos and what anyone else might say, his father included. He was with her constantly, including often sitting by and watching her performances when no one else was able or willing to watch him. Luckily he always loved watching her play and sing and tell stories, so he caused relatively little trouble when he came along. She even started teaching him to cook, and to play a few instruments, which he picked up as quickly as everything else, though the piano seemed to be his favorite. She considered getting him into bard college in the future, following in her footsteps, but then Elminster came along. And while she'd been doing her best to help Gale with his magic, it was a bit of a relief to have someone so skilled, so practiced and renowned, be willing to help. A relief too, to have someone who saw Gale like she did (or so she thought): as a gift. Someone special, rather than a nuisance or possible danger. She adored Gale, doted on him, taught him as much as she could, but she could admit that she was a bit out of her depth with him.

By the time she started questioning the wisdom of having him go to Blackstaff at such a young age, started questioning the messages he might be getting, Gale was old enough and had inherited enough of her willfulness that there was no stopping him from diving headfirst into whatever he wanted to do, including more formal wizard training. She was still proud, of course, but she did worry about him. She was glad that he at least had Tara around to keep an eye on him, and that Tara was willing to report back to her. As long as Gale was happy, Morena resolved, that's what mattered. Her little storm. Her darling son with the mind of a wizard and the heart of a poet. A heart like her own.

[witheredgardenparty]

Drowning myself a bit in the concept of a yandere who prides himself on being the boogeyman of underground circles but as soon as he is face-to-face with his darling, dissolves into a bumbling mess of graceless stammering and cumbersome limbs. A tripping-over-air, tongue-tied loser who has lost all sense of cool.

In the witching hours, he is a deadly force with unyielding claws and nimble words. The daylight finds him kneeling at the alter of your every spoken phrase.

What a blessing that darling is gracious to this poor helpless sap. Such a "harmless", if occasionally clumsy fellow. And -- oh! You dropped all of your papers! Here, let me help! No, really, it's no problem. (Did he just sniff my hair? No, I must have imagined that... right?)

To the other monsters that roam the shadows, he is a heartless, shapeless void of terror. To speak the dread name is to summon him and whatever fate the wheel so spins that day.

To you, he is a perfect gentleman. A, perhaps slightly, awkward acquaintance who could never hurt a fly. Literally. You think he might be a little afraid of bugs?

You cannot help but notice things have been changing since your new friend has shown up, though. New movements in the neighborhood. Not bad necessarily, but different.

That asshole next door has definitely been treating you nicer. Suspiciously nicer. And these numbers on your bills... have they gone down? You will have to call the bank to ask about it. You are pretty sure you owe more than this.

As soon as you figure out what happened to your favorite sweater...

[starry-bi-sky]

pouring one out for luo binghe in my disciple SQQ fic, poor guy has taken a backseat here. we're nearly 30k words deep and he hasn't even shown his face once. it'll be much longer before he even actually talks to Shen Qingqiu.

(i say im pouring one out but in reality im sitting in my director's chair chewing on a cigar and wearing a beret as he tearily and unsuccessfully pleads with me for more scenes with Shen Qingqiu)

[quazikam]

half-baked concept for a despair disease shuichi thing

basically just been attached to the idea of a overconfident and egotistical saihara due to the disease practically flipping their personalities :v

[marlynnofmany]

February Fiction Fight

The easiest writing challenge, on the shortest month! The only goal is to write "a bit of something" each day.

Something. Anything. A cool scene that doesn't have a full story to fit into yet. A plot twist that would be great several books into a series. A description of the visuals in that one cool movie. A conversation between your favorite characters about an unlikely food combination.

A page, a paragraph, a sentence. What's that cool story you're going to write someday? Jot down what you know so far. Maybe you'll know more tomorrow. Or maybe you'll be off and running with some other fascinating concept.

No limits, no minimum wordcount! Just write a bit of something.

You play February Fiction Fight by writing each day (or as many days as you can; no shame in being busy).

You win by having more fun than everybody else.

I plan to have an absolute blast!