#complicated feelings from trying to balance adoration and feeling used

[dissapointu]

I was wondering if your requests are still open could you do how would the arcane characters be with a ditzy s/o headcanons

If they are not just ignore this lol

Of course! Here’s how each of the Arcane characters would interact with a ditzy S/O:

Jinx

• Jinx adores your ditziness because it keeps life interesting for her. You might misplace things or say silly, nonsensical things, but she loves it.

• She’s always teasing you in a playful way: “Did your brain take a vacation again?” while laughing.

• If your ditziness gets you into trouble, she’s quick to intervene—whether that’s helping you out of a jam or turning a minor mistake into a wild adventure.

• She finds it hilarious when you confuse her chaotic gadgets for random junk. “No, no! That’s a grenade! Wait—don’t press—oh, too late!”

• Secretly, she loves taking care of you because it makes her feel needed, even if she pretends to be exasperated.

Vi

• Vi finds your ditzy nature both charming and mildly concerning. She’s protective and often tries to keep you out of trouble.

• “What do you mean you got lost on the way to the bar? It’s two blocks away.” She’ll roll her eyes but escort you home anyway.

• She’s surprisingly patient with you, though. If you forget something important, she’ll gently remind you and laugh it off.

• Sometimes, she uses your cluelessness as an excuse to mess with you. “Yeah, totally, that button shuts down the whole system. Try it.”

• Despite her teasing, she thinks your scatterbrained moments are part of what makes you so lovable.

Sevika

• Sevika is equal parts amused and exasperated by your ditzy tendencies. She’s the type to sigh dramatically but still help you out without hesitation.

• “How do you even survive out here?” she’ll mutter while guiding you away from danger.

• She’s fiercely protective, especially if someone tries to take advantage of your naïveté. They’ll quickly learn not to mess with you.

• At first, she might mistake your ditziness for weakness, but over time, she realizes it’s just part of your charm—and that you’re stronger than you seem.

• She secretly loves your silly, lighthearted energy because it balances out her tough, no-nonsense personality.

Silco

• Silco is initially baffled by your ditziness, wondering how someone so absent-minded caught his attention. But he quickly grows fond of it.

• He has infinite patience for you, often stepping in to fix your mistakes before they escalate. “Honestly, how do you manage to complicate the simplest tasks?”

• If you wander off in Zaun and get lost, he’ll drop everything to find you, scolding you gently but relieved you’re safe.

• Your airheaded moments amuse him more than he’d admit, and he’s surprisingly tender when helping you navigate things you find confusing.

• He values your innocence and lightheartedness, seeing it as a reprieve from the darkness of his world.

Vander

• Vander thinks your ditzy nature is endearing and reminds him of the younger kids in the Lanes. He’s always ready to help you out.

• He’s quick to guide you back on track if you get distracted or confused. “Alright, let’s try this again. Step one…”

• He’s incredibly patient, especially if you’re trying to help around the bar but end up making more of a mess.

• Vander loves your optimism and how you can brighten his day with your goofy mistakes. He can’t help but chuckle when you get flustered.

• He sees it as his responsibility to keep you safe, especially in a dangerous place like Zaun.

Ekko

• Ekko finds your ditziness cute and funny, though he’s always keeping an eye on you to make sure you don’t accidentally hurt yourself.

• He’ll tease you, but it’s always in a lighthearted way: “You’re lucky you’re cute, because that was not your smartest move.”

• If you forget something important or wander off, he’s quick to come to the rescue. “Where were you? Don’t scare me like that!”

• He loves how carefree you are, and your absentminded moments often inspire him to slow down and laugh at life’s silliness.

• Ekko thinks your energy is contagious, and he admires how you never let your ditziness get you down.

Jayce

• Jayce is endlessly entertained by your ditzy moments. He thinks they’re adorable and never makes you feel bad about them.

• He’s quick to help you when you get confused, patiently explaining things (sometimes over and over). “No, see, this is how it works!”

• If you make a silly mistake, he’ll laugh but also reassure you: “Hey, it happens to the best of us.”

• He enjoys your lighthearted nature because it balances out the pressure he’s always under. You remind him not to take things too seriously.

• Jayce often finds himself doting on you, making sure you’re okay and subtly double-checking your work when needed.

Viktor

• Viktor is amused by your ditzy tendencies, though he struggles to understand how someone so absent-minded manages in daily life.

• He gently corrects you when you make mistakes, his tone always kind and patient. “No, no, my dear, you’ve got it backwards again.”

• He secretly enjoys your quirks because they make him smile, especially when he’s stressed with work.

• Viktor is extra cautious if you’re around his lab equipment, often guiding you away from anything dangerous. “Careful—don’t touch that!”

• He admires your ability to stay positive despite your scatterbrained moments and finds your innocence refreshing in contrast to the harshness of his world.

Caitlyn

• Caitlyn is endlessly patient with your ditziness, often stepping in to help you without making a big deal out of it.

• She finds your airheaded moments endearing and will gently tease you about them. “You really are one of a kind, aren’t you?”

• If you get distracted or wander off, she’s quick to track you down and make sure you’re safe.

• Caitlyn loves your lighthearted nature and how it brings a sense of levity to her otherwise serious life.

• She’s always there to support you, whether it’s reminding you of something you forgot or helping you navigate a confusing situation.

[yourlocalmissingtexture]

Unhinged “trust me, I’m a doctor” scientist & their partner whom they perform questionable experiments on is my favorite dynamic

[itsaship-literally]

It’s A Ship - Literally Revisited

As many of my long-time followers and friends know…

THIS BLOG supports the POTENTIAL FUTURE of Beetlejuice and Lydia.

In the past, I have written posts about WHY we ship Beej and Lyds, specifically here on this blog, when there are so many controversies. It needed to be cleared up many times because, with every new piece of media, there comes opposition, which is totally understandable if you are not used to supernatural or horror-themed romance tropes.

I am here to help break it down for all the new fans sitting back and trying to figure out the ship's where, what, why and whens.

Here we go!

Movie verse:

Many of us were young when we met Beetlejuice and Lydia for the first time. Some latched on to and related to a young Winona Ryder. It was a vibe, and while we are well aware that in real-life terms, a teen is not ready to be involved with a 600+ ghost (cuz that’s an option 🤣), we couldn't help but find the allure in the Living Meets Death dichotomy. As you will undoubtedly see, this is a running theme in the fandom.

We had countless reunion fics featuring an older Lydia (sometimes by years, sometimes by months) reconnecting with her villain/antagonist. Many were dark fic, some light and fluffy and some off the wall chaotic, while some crossed over into the MoToon verse (yes that is a thing)

So here we are, more than 30 years later, and our pair reunited legitimately on the big screen. It was beautiful and, without giving away any spoilers since this new piece of media is still fresh, it gives us more to play with because, let’s face it, he is not done haunting her.

With this movie universe, there is still potential for this ship to thrive. (And that’s not just because Winona and Michael are down. I still am in shock over their revelations)

Toon Verse:

Yet another oldie that many grew up on. This one is a hotbed for both friend-shipping and Relation-shipping.

Here, we have a long-term bond that can be wholesome, platonic, romantic, complicated, or, on occasion, dark and twisted.

Stories have ranged from childhood crushes to outright possessiveness. The fanart from cute fluff to… well… rule 34.

Lydia is young in this cartoon. We are aware of that and in any cartoon fandom, aging up is par for the course. It is expected (and preferred by many) that any stories of romance happen in circumstances outside of the toon cannon.

Age issues aside, we cannot deny that BJ adores her. The man has an entire shrine in his head, idolizing this twisted, weird girl that, once again, many older fans related to. He would do anything for her and has proved it many times. The chaotic dead man with no shits to give will give up freedom and wealth and go against his nature to make her happy.

How can we not find the potential for a future of these two goofballs?

Musical Verse:

This universe combined the goofiness of Toon with the antagonism of the movie—a nice combo that I and those we call MusicalBabes enjoy.

Regardless of what the cast believes or feels about the shipping subject, they are working with a pair of unseen, attention-starved, chaotic nut jobs—a compliment, not disparagement.

Beetlejuice and Lydia need each other. They were miserable before they met and would have continued to be so had they not entangled themselves in the other’s existence.

Living and the dead, once again, need each other to balance their lonliness.

Does musical verse have ship potential? Hell, yes, it does. (Also, this is the only piece of media where the wedding actually went through)

Just a few Common Tropes In This Ship: (there are so many more than this)

Mayfly/December Romance (also see: May/December and Age Gap)

Reincarnation Romance

Death and the Maiden (also see: Monster and the Maiden)

Beast and Beauty

Ugly Guy, Hot Wife

Boy meets Ghoul

Why the name Beetlebabes?

Read: Beetlebabes: A History

To find more ship related content use: Beetlejuice x Lydia, Betelyds (alt. Beetlyds), Beej and Lyds, Beetle and Babes, Beetz and Deetz (or more simply Beetz) are the original ship names. BeetleBabes, MovieBabes, ToonBabes and MusicalBabes are all relatively new.

This blog often uses Beetlebabes but it’s not a hard fast rule that it will be on every post.

The goal of Its A Ship - Literally...

I created this blog many years ago (around 2016) to collect all the goodness in the fandom. Memes, art, fics, fan theories. I picked up the ship names and used them as tags. Gathered as much as I could from Tumblr posts, in all universes, and tried so hard to stay neutral amidst the internal fandom drama. (give or take a few misteps, iykyk)

The only goal I have here is to collect and share and boost all universes. Movie, Toon and Musical, including the mini verses of MoToon and Graveyard Revue if I can find it.

I do this for fun, to destress and play internet magpie with shiny beetle stuff while I stuff everything into the queue.

Lots of love to you guys. And as always, please show love to your fan creators. Credit them and boost the signals. These creators do so much hard work.

- 🪲 - 🪲 - 🪲 - 🪲 - 🪲 -

Previous Posts Like This: Because It Needs to Be Said Yet Again (2017) | One More Time (2019)

[pablitogavii]

Holaa, can you write about a scenario where the reader makes a diy bracelet for Gavi using beads in his favorite color and with his initial too, as a gift. Gavi really likes it and wears it all the time, and the reader is so happy. However, one day when Gavi is at an international match, the reader sees one of Gavi's teammate's Instagram stories and notices that Gavi is no longer wearing the bracelet. This makes the reader feel hurt and they start to think a lot of negative thoughts. :((

Actually, the reason why Gavi doesn't wear the bracelet anymore is because one of his teammates accidentally pulled it during practice, causing it to break. Gavi tried to fix it himself, but was unable to do so. When Gavi returned home, they tried to make it up to each other. I prefer a lot of fluff after, thank you so much anyway! Te amo 🩷

"Um..I have something for you Pabs.." you said when he sat down on your couch having just came back from the national team training session absolutely exhausted.

He asked you to fly out and spent his days with him in Madrid while he practices for his first national game and you agreed really missing your best friend in the past few months.

"What's that princesa?" he said using the usual nickname but ever since your crush intensified as you grew older, you started reacting a lot more to it.

"It's for good luck on the nationals..do you like it?" you said putting it around his wrist and he smiled looking at your adorable blushed face. Pablo secretly had a crush on you as well but he didn't want to complicate our life by ever admitting it. Truth be told, he doesn't feel like he deserves you...not with all the negativity people label him as.

"It's pretty. Gracias princesa! I'm always going to wear it!" he said playing with the beads while you looked at him dreamily. He looked so beautiful without trying that you found your eyes focusing on his lips for a little too long.

"Everything okay? Do I have something on my face?" Pablo teased and you looked away shyly shaking your head and continuing to watch the movie on the TV screen.

Since you gave it to him, Pablo really wore it non-stop and started to believe that it was really a lucky charm because he never played better. During trainings he would get praises by coaches, and during games he would never be more efficient and get less yellow cards.

Whenever he would get angry, after being provoked, he would look at his wrist and take a few deep breaths before continuing the game without getting in trouble. Your face would pop into his head and he didn't want you to watch him get in trouble no matter where you were in that moment.

One day during the training, Ansu jumped on his back making him loose balance falling and pulling on his bracelet breaking it in process. Pablo almost cried while collecting the beads packing them up and putting them all into his wallet.

He wasn't home since then, so he couldn't ask you to fix it for him and had to play the next game without it. He was never feeling more nervous feeling like he lost his luck charm. This won't be good..

"What's up with you Gavi?" Ansu asked seeing his friend shaky and anxious standing in the corner alone while the rest of the team chatted like usual before heading to the pitch.

"Your fault cabrón! I don't have my good luck charm now!" Pablo said and his friend rolled his eyes already having apologized thousand times for pushing him and breaking his bracelet.

"Who gave it to you when it's so special?" Ansu teased not thinking that it was anybody in particular but when he saw Pablo's cheeks blush he knew that he poked the right spot.

"Wait! Did Gavi finally get tamed by a girl?? Who is she hermano??" Ansu said and Pablo talked about your long friendship since school and how you've always been there, through everything never leaving his side. Ansu could tell that what Pablo felt for you was something special..something more than simple attraction he had for other girls since the fame arrived.

During the same time, one of Pablo's teammates took a video and posted on his story catching he glimpse of Gavi and Ansu talking. What caught your eye tho is that there was no bracelet on Pablo's wrist..you thought it was because he was still wearing long sleeves?

When he came out on pitch, you realized that he really was not wearing the bracelet..why would he take it off?

You thought about all the recent rumors about him and this other girl from Sevilla who kept hinting their relation and in return gain quite a fame. But Pablo said she is a fame chaser and that he was never with her..maybe he lied? Maybe he found someone else?

Your heart was braking as your eyes kept checking on his wrist hoping that the bracelet would suddenly appear but it never did. Did you really think he would end up with someone like you? you thought to yourself feeling like you wanted to cry.

Close to the end of the game, Spain was still winning but Pablo didn't seem to play as well as he did in the past games. He looked like he was lost on the pitch and he was also easily agitated. In 90th minute someone slid down collecting Pablo's legs and hurting him badly in response.

You gasped moving closer to the screen while they tended to his wounds and carried him off the pitch. You were so worried texting Aurora to see if they had any information. Thankfully it wasn't permanent damage but he will need to miss the next match so he is coming back home.

alejandrobalde

Come back stronger hermano! @pablogavi

liked by 50K others

Comments:

pablogavi: gracias hermano! coming back with my lucky charm ;)

alejandrobalde: we're waiting for you!!

sefutbol: waiting for the Golden Boy! <3

aurorapaezg: proud of you hermanito! <33

pablogavi: <3

pedri: get your but back to the pitch quickly cabrón!! jajaja

pablogavi: look who's talking jajaja only you can cover my position so get to it!!

ansufati: get that luck back ;)

pablogavi: !!

Pablo was partly happy that he was going back home, that was he can get his lucky bracelet fixed and see you while he was there. He really missed your adorable face..

When he came home, you weren't staying with his family like you said you would and Aurora told him that you've left a few days ago..same time he stopped wearing the bracelet. He knew that you must have seen it and he wished that he texted you about to so you don't make assumptions. Mierda Pablito! You're so stupid sometimes!

pablitoo: are you home princesa??

amotcito: i'm not, sorry

pablitoo: don't lie to me. i see you through the window!

You looked through the window smiling involuntarily when you saw that he was indeed standing down there looking up at you while holding his phone.

"What do you want?" you asked through the window

"Let me in princesa" he said pointing at the door and you sighed nodding your head and letting him through nervously waiting for him to arrive to your apartment. He knocked and you opened saddened when you saw his leg being wrapped in gauze.

"Hola princesa.." he said

"Hola.." you moved so he can come in letting him sit down on your couch asking if he needed anything but he shook his head opening his arms signaling that all he wanted was a hug.

"I don't know if we should do that now.." you said gulping using last bits of your strength not to hug after missing him for a whole month.

"What's different now?" he asked and you blushed looking away which made him curious what you were thinking about.

"Um..you have a girl don't you?" you said and he sat up quickly raising his eyebrows wondering where did you get such nonsense from.

"What!? Who told you that?" Pablo said and you met his eyes again wondering if you really assumed everything wrong. But if he wasn't with another girl, why would he take a bracelet off so suddenly??

"Um..you took the bracelet off so I thought.."and Pablo chuckled grabbing your hand and pulling you closer before you were sitting besides him and he pulled you into a hug.

"You're so cute when you make up scenarios like this princesa..but no I don't have a girl..and I did not take the bracelet off" Pablo spoke as you looked up at him with wide eyes.

"But you weren't wearing it on the last game?" you said as he pulled out his walled opening it and reveling the beads inside.

"Ansu jumped on me and I broke it..I couldn't fix it on my own and you weren't there to do it..so I had to save it here until I came back home and let you fix it for me" Pablo explained and you blushed feeling so silly for assuming something so quickly and telling him about it too. Now he must think you were jealous..which wasn't far from the truth..but still..he was just your friend!!!

"I feel so stupid now.." you admit and he raised up your chin making your heart jump in your chest while you looked into each others eyes.

"Don't feel stupid princesita..I think it's cute how you were worried some other girl will take me away from you..but that could never happen" he whispered the last part before finally placing his lips onto yours softly.

When he pulled away you face was bright red and you were in utter shock. Did..did he just kiss you? So he felt the same for you!?

"Would you be a good girl and fix it for me princesa?? I really need my lucky charm back.." he smirked when he saw how stunned you looked and you looked down at the beads nodding and taking his walled form his hands.

Before you could get up to grab what you needed to fix in his hand grabbed your chin again and pecked your lips like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

"Um here you go Pabs.." you put it back around his hand when it was fixed and he smiled playing with the beads before looking back at you like he expected something else. You knew what he expected but you were too nervous to do it..it was still so fresh and you've been crushing at him for years.

"Come here..I won't bite" he pulled you closer kissing you a few times and you smiled into the kiss finally relaxing into the kisses "unless you beg me to princesa.." he whispered into your lips and you swore you could die in that exact moment.

"Pablo!!" you said hiding your hot face into his neck and he chuckled at how easily you get embarrassed kissing the top of your head and holding you tightly against him.

"I don't just need the bracelet for luck..I need you princesa..so be my girl..and come with me to the next game?" he said and you were so happy you could scream but instead you kissed him passionately letting go off all your nerves.

"Yes! Yes!" you said and he chuckled nodding his head and kissing you back sweetly before pulling you closer and letting you rest your head on his chest while he played with your hair. He was content..you were finally his..he had his lucky bracelet back..and he was ready to win this national league with you by his side!

pablogavi

My luck is back <3 @y.n.bebe

liked by 100K

Comments:

gavigavigavira: wait!!!? girlfriend!???

gavipablo: she is his old friend..that's so cute <33. liked by 12K other

pedri: what!?? lucky cabrón ;)

pablogavi: yeahhh ;)

ansufait: glad luck is back hermano!

pablogavi: she is backkk!!

y.n.bebe: hehe <33 liked by pablogavi

alejandrobalde: vamooss españa!! you're girl is beutiful!

pablogavi: yeah MY girl is beautiful jaja liked by y.n.bebe

y.n.bebe: hehe good luck cariño <3

pablogavi: you're here amor..we are winning <33

y.n.bebe

My best friend..my campeon <3. @pablogavi

Liked by 50K others

Comments:

pablogavi amor <33 only won because of you!!

y.n.bebe: te amo cariño!! liked by pablogavi

gaviraaa: i might be sad that he is not single but I'm happy it's with someone who loves him for him and not for his fame <33

gavithebest: yeahh this girl has been his friend for years too

gaviraaa: they are so cute!! <33

aurorapaezg: lindooos! ahhh!

y.n.bebe: you always knew this would happen Rora jajaja

aurorapaezg: my hermanito is head over heels in love with you!!

pablogavi: Rora!!! That was a secret!!

belengavira79: take care of my boy princesa <3

y.n.bebe: promise <33

gavifanss: aweee my heart!! this is so adorable!!

It's longish but I enjoyed writing it A LOT! Hope you like it :)

[angstyantoinette]

Yandere alucard please with a fairy darling?

wrote this while in college and severely sleep deprived :))

to the anon that requested this…very sorry for the delay ^^

Yandere! Alucard x GN Fairy Darling

As a Dhamphir, Alucard has a very confused and conflicted view of his own humanity; how his parent’s’ marriage shaped his life and beliefs, which is evident in his own personal experience in the story.

He is part human, “part monster” (as he puts it), and constantly uses both of his sides to try and compensate for his perceived weaknesses and strengths in order to create a balance.

This obsession with balancing his own personal interests, with the ones that he deems unsafe or safe to everyone else years him apart, and Alucard just doesn’t see the point in continuing his act of doing ‘the right thing’- he has nobody to do it for other than himself and the times that Sypha and Trevor come for a visit.

They keep him grounded, his dear friends and comrades; they help him remember the good times and deeds he has given to the world, to the people who were so close to losing their lives. They help him remember and remain alive in the memories of his sacrifices and pains that he had to overcome to murder his own father- the only one left from his childhood. A time that was idyllic, but secluded, kept away from the world and the rest of the scum that had stolen his mothers life.

Things are getting better, that’s what he thinks, as he sweeps through the rubble of his childhood home, it’s sloping walls and crumbling tapestries serving as a testament to a life long past that he can move on from. Things are getting much more complicated, as he tries to sort though the rubble and the familial ruin.

Alucard tries to move past his hurt and past betrayals, but they somehow always come back to bite at him some more, gnaw at his memories of his childhood and turn them into something beyond his control, beyond his pained comprehension.

It doesn't help much that much of the memorials of his past betrayals lay outside of the castle walls, staring out into the vast woods that surround him; and this isolation is a huge part of precisely why he becomes so attached to his darling.

However you meet each other, whichever way that you sweep into Alucard's life you just may as well be signing yourself away to the devil himself-a fitting analogy given the context of the story.

Alucard himself doesn’t mean to cause harm, not in any sense of the word. Everything that he says, does and thinks is the complete opposite, but while he may not be obviously setting out to cause you harm as a person…it doesn’t mean he realises his actions aren’t always right. He may even be self-aware of that fact, and be greatly pained and paranoid about how he makes you feel.

He doesn’t like the fact that he feels this urge to lock you up in his miserable, spindly castle, keep you and your fairy goodness all to himself. He knows it’s selfish, he knows it disgusting of him and yet he reasons and battle and negotiates with himself to try and justify his feelings and actions towards you.

You can beg, you can plead, you can sob and cry but whatever you do will not save you from this fate. You belong to Alucard, and he loves you so deeply, so dangerously that it makes the both of you feel sick. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make him feel sick enough for him to let you go. Let’s face it, who else will love you like he does?

He doesn’t exactly know how to love you right, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t adore you enough to know that you need to be kept away from the rest of the world. You need to rest, to stay with him whilst he admires your beautiful face, your spectral wings and their incredible patterns and own beauty that can only be described as otherworldly.

His kisses are always so desperate. Like he has never tasted anything like your fear Love before. Alucard knows that you get a bit nervous sometimes, but that’s just because you’re shy, isn’t it? He knows exactly what that’s like, the gut-twisting and the rampant heartbeats that he feels.

He’s probably one of the better yanderes to have, in all likelihood, but Alucard isn’t without his flaws, not in the least. He’s paranoid, deathly. He almost trembles at the idea of you getting out of your room to eat something, as he is insistent in bringing it to you. Just so he can double check those windows again.

And you sit sadly on the bed, in all of your finery and wondrous glory, trying your hardest not to sob as your blonde captor strokes your head and whispers his love for you until the moon is high in the sky and you can hear the birds coo outside. Your pointed ears twitch in tired anticipation, silently begging for the birds to come back, help you out of this nightmare.

The birds keep cooing and each night they get further away. They do not come back to help. You are stuck here, with him, forever.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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[ladyiristheenchantress]

Anniversary Witchcraft

As you all may or may not know, I am a married witch! I have spoken about my husband before in our motorcycles and car magic post, however I felt now would be an amazing time to talk about some of the rituals we do on anniversaries coming up! (September 17th to be exact) First of all, Happy 7 years darling, I am so proud to be your wife every day, and I am so grateful you have been my raven, my rock, and my partner in crime. I so adore you, and I cant wait to spend the rest of our time on the Tellus Mater together. Till death do us part, but even then we will remain ghosts on our record player. With that said, lets get started!

What is magical about an anniversary?

Much like any holiday, we create personal celebrations like birthdays, celebrations of life, and anniversaries to keep track of the time that has been spend together. It should be a celebration of love and strong living together! The first instance of a wedding anniversary comes from ancient Rome, where on each year of marriage the spouses would crown each other with things (more traditionally, the husbands to their wives) and on their 25th anniversary they would be crowned with a wreath of silver.

Later on, in 18th century Germany, people started a tradition of gift giving, and eventually created a yearly symbol you gift to someone as a tradition each year to ward off spirits, people looking to harm the bond, and even in some cases death itself!

Today we celebrate anniversaries around the world, whether you are recreating Armenian balance bread, or trying out Japanese senbazuru, however you choose to celebrate may it be unique and full of love!

Magical Ideas

Now we may need some spell and divination ideas for our anniversaries so here are some of the ones my husband and I love!

Follow the yearly gift guide! - This fun tradition is actually celebrated and honors world wide cultures because a lot of them had their own yearly traditions adapted into one! The old saying goes on your first year you give paper, the 5th you give wood, 10th you give aluminum, 25th you give silver, and 50th you give gold! These guides are a fun way to get connected to your relationship but also honors tradition which can strengthen your relationship magically!

2. Create a protection ritual for the year on your anniversary - when you start thinking about how to preserve your relationship you get a lot of factors you have to plan for. Every year my husband and I put obsidian arrowheads in the corner of our bedroom as a way to protect our sacred relationship! this process can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be

3. Petition and honor deities of marriage - Each year my husband and I honor 3 gods, Hera, Aine, and Zepar! This is because we wanted to honor our pagan practices and heritage in our marriage, so we picked one hellenic for my history, one irish for both of our ancestoral line, and one infernal for my husbands history! We do also petition elemental spirits, and update them as we do our yearly river walk

4. Create a shrine to your relationship - We created an altar to dedicate all our gifts to each other, and important works of art we have created, when we put together a shrine for our love, it really helped up to feel connected, so we like to renew it every year

5. Do some divination about the year ahead - Feel free to use this custom spread I use each year! Its awesome if you can do this together! Additionally, you can use cafe astrology to create a free "birth chart" for the day and time of your anniversary

Other ideas?

For my 18+ friends, design a sensual ritual that involves all 5 senses to link yours together

Create a magical meal together to protect and honor the relationship

Create a joint journal or scrap book for memories

Exchange cards, gifts, and sweets to make the other person feel special

Enjoy a nice time out getting coffee or exploring a garden

Make the bed together, and do chores together during the day, then rest and relax at night

In general anniversaries are special! I will be making an age restricted post about sexual magic very soon so stay tuned for that! I hope all of my friends have enjoyed this post, and from our family to yours, happy anniversary!

Tip Jar

[thunderstomm]

HWLR: Future AU ✨

Cooper “Coop” Feng is the current Hot Wheels City racing champion, having held the title since he was old enough to join the city’s biggest racing cup! Still charismatic and confident, Coop is finding it a little harder now that he isn’t around all of his friends 24/7, but his spirit is yet to be extinguished. Coop is trying his best to balance professional life- being in the spotlight, chased around by fans and brands yearning for more of him, as well as his changing relationships, including feeling isolated from his friends, and his ever-complicated bond with racing rival Cruise.

Cruise Rearview is Coop’s greatest rival on the track- she’s fast, determined and undeniably talented, but still yet to best him. Her relationship with her father is strained at best, after she made the decision to pursue racing full-time, against his wishes. (Perhaps he should have thought about this before training her to be a racer!) Cruise is trying her best to turn a fresh page, and be a better person, but that is hard when people expect her to play the racing persona of “villain” even when she’s off the tracks.

Mackenzie “Mac” Caliper loves his job as a stunt driver. Rather than racing, he gets to show off all of his best stunts and tricks to arenas full of adoring fans. From cars, to monster trucks, and even a bike or two, he’s tried it all. When he’s doing stunts, Mac feels his best. In his spare time, Mac has picked up a bit of mechanic work, learning some skills from Spark. He loves to work on his jump trucks to make sure they are in top shape.

Samantha “Spark” Turner has become an inventor, putting her bright mind to use at every chance she can get. She makes everything, from new Power-Ups, boosters, and even cars! Spark also has a tendency to isolate and overwork herself to a concerning degree, disappearing into her lab for days when she’s especially invested in a project. She insists, everything must work perfectly, and she won’t rest until they do!

Feel free to ask questions regarding this AU!

[whamss]

Ok I have to ask because you have such based takes on rose as a character,

1) do you read fan fic/ if you don’t what’s your general take on fics interpretation of Rose and other characters in homestuck

2) if you do, please I am begging for any rose character study / rose&kanaya pieces you like, anything will do I just would adore to hear your thoughts. Ao3 is like a drought of mischaracterization of Rose & Kanaya and it hurts my soul.

Oh man, I don't read nearly as much fic as I wish I did not gonna lie, I'm so lazy! (And I suffer from chronic daydreamer disease, where instead of reading fanfic I walk in circles in my room and put Rose Lalonde in Scenarios). I have a few that I've read over the years that I've liked a lot though, so I can try to compile a general list:

the ennui of too late and too little

Starting with this one because it was just posted (and I just read it) and I think it's fantastic! Kanaya POV but Rose-centric, with a particular focus on Rose reflecting back on her childhood with her mom as Kanaya and Rose wander through the wreckage of her childhood home. There's a lot of sweet Rosemary banter in here, and I think the characterization is fantastic. It's a good one if you're like me and want to see Rose actually go through the motions of understanding her mother, balancing her newfound sympathy with her Mom's situation and the things she actually put her through. Her feelings are complicated! And I think the author captured the nuances of how Rose might deal with that very well

And, trying to unfold for you, was brittle

Following the theme of fics about Rose and her mom is the Vampire Slayer Rose AU. This one has slightly less of a Rosemary focus (although it's still there), but explores Rose and her mom's relationship more directly in a way that I think is fantastically developed. It's a very interesting read, albeit a little hard to describe Why it's good unless you read it (read it! It's good!!!). I know you're not asking for Kanaya-centric stuff, but if you like this fic (and are okay with reading or skimming over a tiny bit of smut) I think that this author writes a lot of very solid Kanaya fic. Particularly recommending We Face Back All The Way, a Fallen London AU where Kanaya tries to save Rose's soul from a contract with Dr Scratch, and Where the River Narrows, a fic where post-game Kanaya deals with the precarious future of her race, and wanders the dreambubbles in hopes of solutions (and deals with Some Bullshit along the way. And yes, there's Rosemary. Who do you think I am!!!). From there I also think this is a pretty good author to scroll through in general, lots of bangers in there

Yarn Interpolation

This is a Rose-centric series of two fics that I think is very good. Doomed No Sburb AU where there's no game but Rose's powers develop enough for her to know what she's missing. I don't quite remember the exact specifics of this, but it's a very good beta kids fic with Rose mourning the wife she never met and platonic JadeRose marriage. It's cute and sweet, and I remember it being a fairly cathartic read

Show the Lights

Grimdark Rose comes of age and deals with some internalized homophobia along the way. Fun stuff! This was one of the first Rosemary fics I ever read so I hold it close to me, but I think it's a pretty good fic where Rose reckons with her feelings for Kanaya against the prospect of procreation and the continued survival of her species (in between the desire to feel useful to her group as her friends embark on an Egbert rescue mission). Some smatterings of a very fun pitch Vrisrose dynamic in here as well, as a bit of a bonus

love left her screaming at the screen

Speaking of Rose dealing with internalized homophobia, if you spend enough time shifting through Rosemary AO3 you've probably already read or at least heard of this one but I still think it's good enough that I should include it. Very reminiscent of what it was like to be a lesbian teenager in the 2000's, Rose deals with these preconceptions at the end of the world, through an unrequited crush on Jade and Slightly More Requited feelings for Kanaya. This fic was good for me specifically as someone who was always urked by the fact that Rose's sexuality is never really discussed in depth in Homestuck proper (compared to characters like Dave, Dirk, and Jake), and beyond that I think it's a very interesting exploration of how the bigotry and politics from Earth might stick with the kids, even when everyone who would judge them is long dead. This is another author who's fics I think are fun to sit through as well, lots of good Rose and Rosemary stuff in here (will give a particular shout out to think about staying alive, a Rose Strider AU, which is great for those of us in the Put Rose In A Situation camp who also love good gen fic with Rose and Dave)

Reviews Of Young Adult Novels, Mainly Those Prominently Featuring Vampires, And Containing At Least One Love Triangle

This one is just plain silly, but it's one of my favorites. Rose is an alcoholic who writes young adult novels, and Kanaya is her greatest online critic. Sort of an Urban Fantasy, more of an alternate No Game timeline, with a lot of canon elements sprinkled in (classpect powers are still a thing, Dave's that played the game timeline jump, things like that). This one has a very fun Rosemary dynamic, and in general I think Rose's characterization in this is wonderful. It's unfinished but I think it stands very solidly as is, so if you're looking for something goofy and fun to read this is a great fic to turn to

Vermeil Tarnishing

A shorter one shot AU where Rose is a Derse priestess captured by Prospit. This is a fun one I think, lots of fun dialogue with little glimpses into fictional politics, which ends with a bit of a bang. Not a massive Rosemary focus, but the bit of them that we do see is very fun!

> Rose: Reorient

What kind of mutual would I be if I didn't recommend @awellreadmannequin 's Rose fic? Post-game Rose, dealing with her addiction and the mounting threat of a relapse, visits Roxy and Calliope. Very good characterization, Rose's thoughts are rambly and meandering and she is very much Going Through It, but things get better, you know? Good Rose angst, great study of her character with little discussions of philosophy sprinkled in. A look at how Rose's more ironic childhood interests might grow into something more genuine, and take her down a more hopeful path, with some very sweet Rosemary moments near the end of the first chapter and little hints of vrisrosemary in thoughts and dialogue (in Rosemary's hearts). It's still a work in progress, but I think that the first chapter alone is a great read with a very hopeful conclusion, and I look forward to seeing how it pans out, and I think that other people should read it!!! (Best read on a computer or horizontally on a tablet)

[lunaslovelyrambles]

“you’ve got your products and reactants mixed up.”

you swear your eraser nearly rips a hole through your paper as you fix your mistake. who decided that organic chemistry had to be so goddamn hard? and complicated? and stupid, and-

“and the solvent is wrong, polar aprotic works better for SN2.”

and why did you decide to study with the world’s number one chemistry nerd?

“thanks, kuroo, got anything to say that’ll make me feel like i actually do know reaction mechanisms?”

he chose to not say that your skeleton structure was off by one carbon. or that the fluorine should be on a dash bond and not a wedge bond.

“well,” he pointed to the problem before that you had just completed, “this one’s right.”

you gave him an unconvinced look.

“mostly right.”

“ah, there it is,” you sighed and leaned back into your chair. you were tired. more than tired - exhausted. but ochem was your worst subject. it was even worse because there was no way that you’d actually use chemistry given your career goals.

it was merely one of those classes that you “needed to take” for your major. and it was brutal compared to the other chem classes you’d taken beforehand.

kuroo has been your friend for as long as you can remember. he was your neighbor growing up, and best friend ever since then. and now, your study buddy as you struggled with chemistry.

again.

“well. the product is only slightly off. you’re just not thinking about chirality when you’re doing SN1 reactions,” he narrowed his eyes at you as he watched you nod off.

“mhm. chirality, yup.”

“‘cause that can change your products,” he trailed off. your eyes had completely closed and he could’ve sworn you fell asleep because you barely noticed your chair tipping back further and further-

“ah-AH!” you lost your balance and felt yourself fall backwards, thankfully not hitting the ground due to the much more alert kuroo tetsuro.

“i think we should call it for tonight,” he went to go close your textbook. you sprung forward to stop him.

“no, no wait! i promise i’m awake,” you pleaded with him. he sighed and shook his head.

“you’ve done this before, y/l/n. with every other chem exam i’ve helped you study for. remember when i helped you study for your first gen chem one exam?” he had a teasing lilt to his voice.

“umm.. no?”

“exactly,” he full on smirked at you now, “you fell asleep for it.” you huffed, moving your arms to cross over your chest.

“well, it’s not my fault chemistry is so.. sleep inducing.” he mocked hurt and held his hand to his chest, as if the mere thought of chemistry being talked badly about was offensive.

“how dare you speak that way about chemistry?”

“oh come off it, deep down inside your science-loving heart you know this can get a bit boring.” he hummed in response, sliding your book off the desk and into your bag.

“maybe, maybe you just don’t understand how amazingly fun and super rad it can be.” that got a laugh out of you.

“but even with how fun it is, it’s not good to study for,” he broke to check the clock, “four hours? with rarely any breaks.”

“i know,” you sighed, head resting on the desk. even as you tried to relax your brain was still filled with ochem, and stupid reactions. your eyes fluttered shut and you sighed.

kuroo smiled affectionately at your sleepiness. it was cute, and he admired how much you effort you were putting into the class despite your hatred towards it.

he nudged your shoulder to jostle you awake slightly.

“don’t fall asleep at the desk,” he gently helped you up and over to your bed where you finally felt your body decompress. kuroo tucked the blankets around your body.

he took one second to unabashedly admire how adorable you were when you got tired. kuroo couldn’t help the small smile that rose to his face.

but he soon turned, shutting off the light on the desk and gathering his stuff. he assumed you were asleep until you spoke up again:

“night, tetsu,” you yawned sleepily, the sound of the nickname from his lips made him smile.

“g’night y/n, try not to dream too much about chemistry.”

— • — • —

-> masterlist

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

You said that you're wary of the enemies to lovers trope cause you think it's usually executed more like a victim and abuser to lovers, so was there a fictional couple based on this trope that you liked and you thought was executed well ?

I wouldn't say that enemies-to-lovers usually glorifies abuse as that makes it sound like it's the standard form the trope takes, which isn't true in my experience. It's simply a common enough problem that I'm wary when someone uses those words to describe a couple. I can think of several enemies-to-lovers stories that I actively adore. I'll give a short list to show off the variety starting with the show I'm currently watching. Don't worry, I'll avoid major spoilers:

Chillin' in Another World With Level 2 Super Cheat Powers - the main couple in this anime is utterly adorable, one of the best I've seen in anime, but they get together after a battle where the female lead tries to kill the male because of racial differences. He defeats her soundly, but refuses to kill her if he doesn't have to.

In her culture, this means she's basically his slave now. He refuses because he has no interest in slaves, but agrees to let her stay with him to take care of each other. That all happens in about 20 minutes, so it's hardly the most drawn out enemies to lovers arc, but it's still a good example of one of the setups I like.

You can have your main couple fight each other, but generally speaking, if you want to avoid writing abuse, the fight shouldn't be personal. If character A is delighting in trying to murder or hurt character B while character B is just trying to protect the people they love, then character A is probably being written like an abuser. You may be able to make it work if character B is equally delighted in causing character A pain, but it's hard to do that setup while keeping a couple that is remotely healthy and I simply don't enjoy unhealthy couples. I might read/watch it once as a guilty pleasure type of thing, but I can't think of any story with that dynamic that stuck with me in a positive way.

Chillin' in Another World also has a more drawn out B couple that is another flavor of enemies-to-lovers, but I totally ship it. I'll keep this vague to avoid spoilers, but this second couple consists of two people involved in an inter-species war. The more you learn about the war, the more you understand that both sides are fighting for understandable reasons, so it's hard to know which side to route for. In the end, what I'm routing for is for these two to get together and end the war with their marriage. They're enemies-to-lovers from the star-crossed point of view and also because the woman in the couple is seemingly interested in the man, but also hates him because what he represents: the harm he's done to her people. Along similar lines, he's very clearly interested in her, but that love hasn't changed his willingness to fight for his people. So they're 100% enemies, it's just not a personal conflict where they hate each other as individuals.

I'm a total sucker for this kind of star-cross-lover setup where the thing keeping them apart and complicating their feelings is a very understandable conflict that needs to be resolved before progress can be made. I can think of a lot of stories that do this setup, but most of them are duds I don't enjoy. The reason I really like the version I talked about above is that the characters aren't doing that obnoxious thing where they keep kissing or whatever while dramatically pinning that they can't actually be together. That's too melodramatic for my tastes. I vastly prefer a couple that stays apart until being together is a true option or even a couple that gets together, but keeps it a secret while trying to figure out how to make this last. Anything but the obnoxious wishy-washy back and forth!

I will note that you have to be careful to keep the power balance equal in this kind of setup. That doesn't always mean that the characters have to have the same power. You can give one character a stronger power set or political position, but you have to be very careful to make sure that they never come across as forcing the romance assuming that you're going for my desired healthy romance situation. If you're looking for dark romance, that's a whole different beast.

The enemies-by-forces-beyond-out-control setup is similar to another trope that I'm a huge fan of: the arranged marriage trope where the two characters have to get married for political reasons or the like, but they don't actually like each other and see this as a necessary evil. Then they fall in love with each other either post marriage or during the lead up to the marriage.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik does this one decently well. The romances in that book are incredibly complicated, but ultimately kind of fun once you learn why the characters are doing what they're doing. The book is more of an adventure story than a romance, but I did come to enjoy all of the couples and was sad when the book ended because I really wanted to know more about their lives post crazy magic war. Quick warning for this one: one of the main characters is Jewish and the story does not shy away from the topic of antisemitism. It's discussed openly, but not graphically. Child abuse is also present in a similar manner. It's up to you if you're in a head space to deal with those topics.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson isn't an arranged marriage setup, but it is in a similar category because it's about two characters who don't like each other, but are forced to work together by circumstances beyond their control. Those circumstances just lack the romantic undertones that I think a lot of us add when we hear "marriage." I'd say that this enemies-to-lovers dynamic in this book is pretty similar to:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin and who doesn't love this one? I'll read anything like it, but will be disappointed if the story takes the rivalry too far. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are rude to each other, but rarely ever cruel and that's very important in my eyes. When you go from snarky banter to insults meant to hurt, you can turn a character into a bully and that's much harder to come back from in a believable way.

A few other additions:

The film Whisper Of The Heart is an adorable Ghibli classic that has a tame Darcy & Lizzy vibe to it

The Devil is a Part Timer is a hilarious anime that never fully commits to a romance, but has a fun romantic tension between the leads that I really enjoy.

The film You Got Mail is very sweet, does that whole enemies-because-of-a-greater-conflict element, and has excellent identity shenanigans

There you go, a few of my favorites that fit this trope! As you can see if you know any of these, I don't need perfect pure couples or anything like that. I'm just sensitive to stories that paint abuse as romance, especially when it's a main focus. An example that comes to mind is the book To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods which upset a lot of readers because of how messed up the romance was. Imo, it was a pretty standard example of why I'm wary of the trope, the issues were just more blatant due to a colonization element and a lack of sob story to make the abuser a sad little uwu who can't be held responsible for their actions and totally deserves to be with their victim because we have to make the sad uwu happy! I really do wish abuse-to-love and enemies-to-lovers were separate categories, but I get that there would be a lot of gray area so 🤷‍♀️

Feel free to send recs if you think that you know one that I'd like and I'll let you know what I think! Hopefully my rant gave you an idea of what I look for and why I'm so picky about this trope. To be fair, I'm picky about stories in general, it's just that a bad enemies-to-lovers is more likely to actively upset me instead of just disappoint me due to the abuse issue.

[purble-turble]

Azure in a fit of desperation tries to use a love potion on wukong to get his love.

Macaque is accidently the one that drinks it and goes wild for azure. Now azure is running and hiding from macaque's affections, trying to calm down a pissed off peng and wukong from beating him up (and they dont even know its his fault!), and trying not to get wildy jealous at wukong desperately showering macaque with adoration in an attempt to woo him back

Oh yes, now this is a fun idea! Not only do I freakin LOVE the whole concept of love potions and the absolute chaos they can cause... but the whole dynamic of the sworn brotherhood is already kind of chaotic by nature. It's just that at some point they kind of stabilized by falling into a very specific form of relationship all with each other, and despite it being a complicated mess, it seemed to be unlikely to change drastically.. which is probably why Azure went the route of love potion. And when he accidentally bumps a cornerstone piece out of balance (ie. Macaque being in love with Wukong) the whole brotherhood kinda topples down like a Jenga tower on top of him.

Also I'm definitely in love with the idea of Macaque swooning over Wukong one minute, then after taking a sip from his drink (the wrong drink) his head whips around and he just looks over at Azure with the biggest, sparkliest eyes ever.. Wukong feels the absence of Macaque's fawning immediately, and follows his partner's gaze over to Azure also, but his eyes are not sparkling. And Azure knows he has made a mistake 🤣

[asha-mage]

WoT S2 Premier - The Good, the Interesting, and the Messy

Now that I've had a chance to sleep on it and become half way coherent again, I want to say that I really really liked what their doing so far in season 2. You can see the seems of course, the places where COVID era production and changes had to shift things around, but the show is continuing it's central ethos of adapting the heart of the series and characters, even while having to shift the details to suit their limitations and medium, and that to me is far far more important then one-to-one accurate book scenes.

I don't have anything bad to say about the show, so instead I am going to split up my more general thoughts into three broad categories: The Good (stuff I adored), The Interesting (Things I'm very very curious to see where they are headed), and the Messy (the places where some of their working within limitations has created complex problems for further down the road, or might inform certain things more directly).

The Good

Every actor so far has knocked it out of the fucking park. I have to give special shout outs to Rosamund Pike, Joshua Stradowski, Zoe Robins, Natasha O'Keeffe, and Ceara Coveney for really clearly managing to convey the nuances and complexities of their characters in ways that just blow me away. The show's writing continues to get these characters on a fundamental level and every actor is turning in a performance that conveys their heart so well.

The visual look of the show still rules, but channeling especially has taken a huge step forward in how it's depicted. I didn't mind the way it looked in season 1 the way some did, but I appreciate that they've decided to hew to something closer to what the Darkhorse Comics did, especially as we have so many characters now trying to figure out how to actually channel the One Power.

I also like that we're seeing sharp differences already in the different groups channel, just visually. The Aes Sedai use sweeping graceful gestures, the damne sharp, short gestures, with little wasted energy, all clearly rehearsed as if drilled into the military style.

In other ways the visuals of the show, especially in it's art direction, also rule. The way Cairhien has a mix of Versailles era France and Han Era China in architecture and fashion. The way the Seanchan feel alien, strange, and other, and yet how key parts of their Empire's culture come through even as their conquering and destroying.

The use of the Texan/American accents hits the PERFECT balance I was hoping for to add to that level of strangeness. It's not heavy enough to be a joke, but it's so stark in comparison to everyone crisp vaguely European accents. On that note- the sheer brutality of the village's subjugation, this tiny nowhere village probably somewhere on Almoth Plane, just one ant being smushed by the huge fingers of the Empire. Talk about effective introductions.

The Interesting

I was admittedly a little skeptical of the choice ot have Rand working a asylum but having seen the show I'm glad I reserved judgement because it fits in perfectly with hie Messiah vibe. Here is the savior of the world, and is he staying in palaces and toppling cities? No (well not yet). He's spending his time caring for the sick and the mad, doing menial back breaking work for those society rejects and wants to forget. And of course, it's more complicated then simple altruism: Rand is being driven by his own fear of going mad, his own desire to know what he's facing, and yet that compassion still shines through.

I also really like that, since Rand can't be Lan trained in the show, they decided to do something very Jordan: take a classic trope (cooky wise old master) give it a shine of realism (he's got dementia and PTSD from being a vetran soldier) and dig at the humanity underneath (Rand is letting the old man train him as much to help the man as to learn the sword).

Liandrin is a character I'm shocked by how much I am enjoying her in the show. The decision to explore her depths more, to dig into her anger, her arrogance, her desire for control and power, is fascinating, and her relationship with Nynaeve and Egwene even more so. Her scene with Nynaeve where she gets Nynaeve to channel (an adaption of Siuan scene from the books) especially kicks ass. It's got the same fundamental point as the book: Nynaeve is limiting herself, holding herself back, but the show lets it be starker, crueler, because it IS Laindrin, not Siuan.

The choice to have Perrin be solo with the Shienarans, even if was basically forced on the writers by Barney Harris's departure. They don't waste any of that time, using it to explore Perrin's growing sense of isolation, his grief at Lalia, his relationship to Loial, and his growing fear of the wolves. I've always felt that Perrin, who is very introspective and quite, was the hardest of the main heroes to adapt, and the ways their bringing his conflict out and literalsing continue to be very smart.

The Messy

Some of the merges have caught me off guard, even though I knew they where coming. Elays and Hurin makes a great deal of sense. I have a strong fondness for Hurin, but I can admit he's an easy cut. It does raise the question though of how they are going to incorporate the element of noblesse oblige, which is an important part of how the series explores it's themes of government, nobility, responsibility, and duty. Of course, even if they had kept Hurin the party splitting means he'd probably be no where near Rand right now, so this was almost certainly the right choice.

Nynaeve's Acceptatron Test. Having sat with it, I still like it a lot, and I understand the choices they've made. I wish it had been a little bit more clear that her decision to go back in the final arch was her decision, having a scene of her forcing the arch to appear with the Power, but overall I think they had a good job otherwise. The first test was always going to have to be different since they've cut Aginor and Balthamel from the show, and the important part was Nynaeve choosing to go back over her own anger and desire for revenge, which they kept. The second arch probably would have required half the run time of the episode if they wanted to do it in full, so I don't mind them condensing it down, and again the important thing is that Nynaeve choose to leave the role of Wisdom behind for good, to seek the power to truly make a difference in the lives of those she cares about. The third arch is the big one, and the point of that sequence was always Nynaeve rejecting paradise in order to go back and protect those she loves. She is offered everything she could possibly want, but it isn't enough because her friends, those in her charge, are still at risk, and nothing has changed. She has to go back to save them, because that is the essence of who she is. The show takes the plank of showing that paradise would be hollow anyways, doomed to fall apart because the world needs Nynaeve, she is called to duty, and she can not reject it. It's....actually moment very reminiscent of Rand's Portal Stone journey/his arc in TGH which makes sense since they've always been parallel characters, and the closest thing to a male and female lead the series has.

Verin being merged with Vandene. This is one that it will take far more for me to decide on. On a very practical level it makes a lot of sense, but it has long term implications for Verin's arc in the series that wont be apparent for a very very long time. How will Adeleas factor into Verin's scheme? Does she know? Is she in on the plan to bring down the Black Ajah? Is she ignorant and Verin has been carrying this off in secret while her own sister had no idea? A lot of how this merger goes hinges on how those questions swing. Also, there is Adeleas's murder to consider. It's likely to be kept, but the circumstances being different, and Verin being Verin, the vengeance she seeks will likely be a great deal more dramatic and direct then what Vandene could do.

Past that though I mostly just have gushing and nitpicks, and far more gushing then nitpicking all things considered. Overall....another banger start. I probably liked the opening to season 1 a little bit better, but I suspect season 2 is going to go to some Interesting Places that I am Ready For.

[preciouslittle-bhaalbabe]

MOAR HEADCANNONS lol Listen I love Tempest and Astarion for my resist durge and they're lovingly camped in act III where they can snuggle and eat good food but now it's time for Cirrus and Astarion to take centre stage because the world I'm making for them is SO compelling. Cirrus was already a fleshed out DND character that I used for a few games with friends so it's not hard to translate her to durge in BG3. If not a tad rule breaky. Anyway lets go!

Cirrus:

Has no problem killing people, but animals? Absolutely not. She has to have someone else do it. Even if they are enemies.

Has the capacity to be Astarions patron, should he choose, but was very clear about it being a last resort.

Despite her large wings, she has incredible balance and agility. Moving with almost otherworldly swiftness and grace

Bhaal made her into a cambion so people would fear her and blame the hells for her carnage instead of the cult, but post bonk with Orin she has a very gentle, almost intoxicating presence where people want to be around her without understanding why.

She switches to her elven form without realising it when she feels unsafe.

Immediately thought Raphael was a wet sandwich and wanted nothing to do with him. Even though he clocked her as a fellow cambion in her disguise.

Karlach immediately tried to kill her when they both explained their situations mid fight, and spent the rest of the evening apologising profusely to each other.

Barely speaks above a soft, almost whisper most of the time, if she's shouting you KNOW you fucked up.

Astarion:

Her skin has alot of texture with the dragon scales and spines along her ribs/back and he enjoys running his fingers along them

Easily addicted to her blood so she has to let him bite in moderation, as a treat :3

Finds her elven form annoying and constantly tells her there is nothing wrong with embracing her true nature

Makes little wire wrapped ornaments for her horns

Her powerful presence scares him sometimes but he doesn't view her as just a devil like he does the others they've encountered. She's more...Complicated.

He's not the biggest fan of flowers but knows that she adores them so he will pick the occasional wildflower from the paths they walk down and put it in her hair

Her kisses are unlike anything he has ever experienced. He melts into her every time

Still trying to convince himself this is just manipulation to keep her on his side but every day that passes he finds himself more infatuated. He just doesn't know if it's infatuation with her or the powers she possesses.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 96: The Stressies

The structured class on fatherly responsibilities made Luigi more comfortable about his future, but things soon began to go sideways for the couple.

It started when he clumsily told Noemi about his past relationship with Amaya. While trying to apologize for complicating their lives as they were preparing for the baby, he wound up suggesting that she couldn’t keep hanging out with Amaya because of her history with him.

That sounded far too self-centered and controlling for Noemi to put up with. “Not everything is about YOU, Lu!” she shot back, angrily mirroring Beau’s sentiments. “I’m not giving up a great new friend, just because you had a prior failed claim on her.”

“Suck it up and deal with the awkwardness of seeing her around, because I don’t make friends easily and I really like her!” she said, leaving for class.

Luigi picked up a carton of Noemi’s favorite ice cream that evening as a peace offering, but the chilled treat wound up making more trouble for them.

From the very first bite an issue Luigi had been neglecting came back up with a vengeance. The toothache that had started the day they announced the pregnancy to his family had been getting progressively worse, but he’d been “way too busy” to see a dentist. He’d recently been doing his best to avoid chewing on that side, but the mouthful of melting ice cream hit his sore tooth like a thousand icy, stabbing, needles.

When he cursed loudly, tears springing to his eyes, his startled girlfriend pried the whole story out of him.

“You have to take better care of yourself!” she chided, pulling out her phone to make them both an appointment with the dentist. Her own teeth had been a bit sensitive to their snack, and if she had to babysit him to make sure he got to the clinic, she might as well get checked out too.

At the dentist it was discovered that the couple was, once again, in sync. Both sims had a cavity that required filling.

Noemi’s dental decay had been caught early on and she didn’t even need to be numbed for her quick procedure, but Luigi didn’t get off so easily.

He’d let his issue linger too long, and the erosion of his enamel had reached the nerve, causing his severe discomfort. His filling required a big dose of local anesthetic and a marathon session in the dental chair, during which the dentist told him he was lucky he didn’t need a root canal!

Luigi was feeling quite sorry for himself when they got home, half his face still numb and feeling uncomfortably like a block of wood bolted to his skull. Noemi set aside her irritation to plop down next to him and break his bleak introspection with a joke. “Oh, that’s so much better. Where they really need to be handing out painkillers is in the waiting room! That “couch” was awfully uncomfortable, especially for those of us sitting for two!”

The stress of balancing baby prep and schoolwork came to a head for the pair as finals approached. While Noemi was revising her final presentation for her programming class, racket from the apartment across the hall kept distracting Luigi from the studies he felt way behind on.

Eventually his control over his temper cracked and he stormed out into the hallway, pounding on their door and screaming “Keep it down, some of us are trying to study!” Not wanting her baby pictures to feature a proud papa in a nose splint, Noemi dragged her boyfriend away from their unrepentant neighbor and the couple took a short study break (featuring some VERY loud forest sounds) to recapture their zen.

Things went from bad to worse when Luigi returned home one afternoon to find Chubbs dead on the kitchen floor. Noemi, in the office doing homework, heard him sobbing and came to what to see what was the matter just in time to catch Grim whisking their furry friend away to the nether realm.

She took Luigi into her arms for a comforting hug, her heart breaking for him as he sobbed out that Chubbs had been a present to him from his papa, who’d adored cats. He’d always intended to start doing a better job showing her love and making time for her after graduation, and now it was too late!

That concept of running out of time followed Noemi into her nightmares that night, as she dreamt of literally running from a wave of darkness that was slowly turning her into a withered crone. She jerked awake with the vivid memory of a painful stitch in her side.

Noemi gasped, sitting up and clutching her stomach. The pain had not been her imagination. To make matters worse, the baby was wiggling and kicking like he too was in distress.

Panicked and terrified she woke Luigi. Seeing Noemi’s distress, he kept quiet about his own nightmare, in which he’d went home to visit his father only to find him, like Chubbs, cold and still, a cake to celebrate his grandson’s birth sitting unfinished on the counter.

Instead, he quickly got them dressed and headed for the hospital, hoping fervently as they went that both Noemi and their son would be OK.

[livlepretre]

I adore FE, and while I was rereading the last chapters my mind just wondered: does Klaus regret (as much as he's able to) all the years he left Elena alone in the mansion, especially considering it just pushed her to Rebekah's arms? Like, he was "punishing" her and I don't think Klaus would have allowed her to get impregnated, considering how jealous and possessive he is. He was brooding about his ex lover, whom he sees as his, and then he learnes his sister "stole" her from him.

It just makes me so mad he was whoring around with Stefan and Rebekah while Elena was depressed and alone 😭 (tho I'm glad about how pathetic he is now with his feelings for her, serves him right)

So, Klaus will eventually choose to spill all of his ugly dark secrets and thoughts on all of this, but in the mean time: he is unwilling to regret that decision. Like, yes, there are all sorts of feelings Klaus is having, but he has decided that they are the worst possible feelings to have and he has decided not! to! have! them!

This is complicated by the fact that 3 years just isn't that much time for him. Like, Elena really broke his heart, because he sees it totally as she betrayed him when she daggered him, and he was pretty serious about needing to kill Tyler to forgive her, but also: he found out that everything he thought he knew about her was part of this elaborate deception. He completely lacks the awareness to understand how he forced her into it. He just sees that she played him totally false, and the woman he was in love with didn't actually exist. Reckoning with Elena herself after that-- after thinking he had fallen in love for the first time since he was mortal and then finding out it was not real from his perspective-- was not an option. He left, and he went on a bit of a bender, and maybe in a few more years he would have come back to Elena to hear her side of the story, but he definitely wasn't ready for it yet. Like, imagine someone gets into a terrible soul-wrecking fight with their lover and then ghosts them for a few weeks. That's what this is from Klaus's pov. Literally the equivalent of just a few weeks. He's still so upset about it all. He's decided to swear Elena off as The Betrayer.

The thing with Rebekah is both a thorn in his side and a relief. A thorn, because he has feelings and attraction for Elena-- he really does respect her cunning and her intellect and thinks she is a useful and helpful ally-- but there is just a lot of left over/unresolved stuff that keeps sucking him under. So it stings every time Elena is like, but wait, I love your sister! But it's a relief, because it creates distance between him and Elena, and lets him regain his composure whenever he slips up and put some distance back between them.

It's obviously a huge balancing act.

He only accepts Rebekah as Elena's lover so long as they are both in his court. He ultimately views Elena as HIS, his most prized, most necessary possession. He tenuously okay with Rebekah romancing her, but really on his terms-- Elena has to remain human, and she has to remain wherever he wants to put her. That means either with him, or in isolation in a spot of his choosing (I'm not sure he would trust Rebekah alone with her-- he's right that she would just turn Elena if she were left totally unsupervised over a long enough period of time).

But I wouldn't call what he did with Stefan and Rebekah during the interlude as whoring around. More like depression sleeping around. Trying to return to how things were before so that he could take his mind off of the real issues. Coping mechanisms, used poorly.

[anonymousfoz]

The Earth, Stars and Moon (Part 6)

Taglist: @quinnharperwrites, @holdmyteaplease, @yesireadbooks, @teacupsandstarlight, @vite-poh, @theoracleofgiana, @writeblr-of-my-own

Part 5 | Part 7

The gang had been travelling for days now. Neptune was quickly getting adjusted to the new life, but the heat was too much today. No towns had tried anything, meaning their warning had worked and they would be available to stay in Mexico with Wolfie's family. Brother Bear had went ahead leaving Sister Wolf and Neptune behind.

"Give me a minute." Neptune stopped to catch her breath. Sister Wolf didn't have the patience, but she knew this was what she was like years ago.

"The longer you keep going, the better you get." Neptune looked up, using her hand to block the sun out of her eyes. "It's what helped me when I was in your position."

"I know." Neptune took a sharp, but deep breath before continuing to talk. "I just am not built for the heat, despite my dad's job. I prefer to stay in the water or cool of Mexico. When it was cool." Sister Wolf went quiet before picking Neptune up. The teenager quickly got confused before Sister Wolf began talking.

"We would never get anywhere with you slowing down... besides, I too miss the cool of Mexico. The nights of cool or spending the hot days by the coast at mi mama's casa. That's where we are headed now."

"You know your mother?"

"Yes. She's going to adore you like she does to Beary. I don't talk about mi familia mucho, but I care about them. They just don't fully understand what I do. Like, they are mostly supportive, but they don't get it other than I'm killing gringos who keep stealing our people."

"Shouldn't you be happy then?"

"I should, but some family members have issues with it. Issues with me not being catholic anymore and speaking mainly English. They make me choose a life, when I want to balance both, mi hermano Juan is one of those people. He hated me since I came back. He believes I ran off, when I was taken. It's hard to have a family member hate you. It's another for it to be your hermano. He doesn't get along with Beary."

"Does the rest of your family get along with him?"

"To them, he is one of us. No matter what he was raised as or where he was raised. He's pretty much just another hermano to me. His Spanish could always use work. I think he understands it, but can't choose the correct way to say what he wants."

"Dad was like that in Mexico trying to raise me, we had to stay at this large house by the shore. He didn't speak Spanish, he could write and understand it. I would work for one of the older children while he raised the sun and then at night he would help cook and clean. He just can't form the words he wants to say. Takes him a while to think about it, when he can just write down what he wants."

"I never knew that he knew Spanish."

"He is fluent in French but he typically keeps quiet about it." Neptune looked up to the sky before pushing hair out of her face. "He always talks about how he would speak french to Mother Moon back when she was nicer. Do you know what changed her from that?"

"Conflict." Sister Wolf voice took a quick tonal change to one that was more serious than before. "There was a third with your father and Moon. They were always jealous of Moon's relationship with your father and tried to kill her to get to your dad. It caused the tribes to fight and to get others involved. Moon was never able to get rid of them, they are out there somewhere. Doesn't excuse anything she done, but it sometimes makes me feel sad for her. She had to act serious until one day she was no longer acting, she became a hollow vision of her past."

"I never knew that, I always assumed she just changed one day. That makes thing more... complicated. Do you know anything about the third person?"

"Only the myths, they vanished or got turned into a star. Only person who fully knows is your father, since the two were on good terms after the wars. Your father after all was the negotiator, Moon just isn't one who ever forgave people. The story could always be wrong, I only know parts I was told from Beary and Moon. I don't trust her side of it."

"You don't?"

"The tribes she said fought never existed. One did, but they claimed to had never been in a war since they are a peaceful society. Makes me think she's hiding something, she always is. But that's a story for another day, besides we are getting closer."

"You're just a fast walker."

"I been doing this for years and have to deal with a pack of wolves." Sister wolf stopped as she hit a fork in the road. She could either take the shortcut which would have salt spray and unpredictable waves or take the longer path which was safer but they would be there by sunset. "Are you okay with waves?" Neptune got off Sister Wolf's back and walked towards the water.

"Of course. I love the ocean." Sister Wolf smiled and the two began to walk.

Brother Bear walked to the back of the casa. Mamá had told him that someone was there for him, it was strange but he didn't seem to mind. Walking through the large lit home filled the grisly man with a sense of belonging and warmness. He walked through the doors and went onto the porch where Sapphire was waiting. She looked much different since the last time the two had met.

"Sapphire? What's going on?" Brother Bear joined her looking over the coast. The crashing of waves seemed to captivate Sapphire. "Sappy?"

"Would you still... love me even if I wasn't who I said I was?" What? Brother Bear stood confused for a minute, he didn't even noticed she was looking over at him. He thought about it for a minute before realizing that he really didn't know a lot about Sapphire, compared to Father Sun or Sister Wolf. Yet, she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. It raised a lot of questions he hadn't thought of before but he had to respond.

"It depends. I fell in love with you for being yourself, just depends how much of yourself is truly you." Sapphire let out an exhale before her gaze returned to the waves, always rising to crash before receding in an endless cycle. "Maybe tell a story? I love stories. They tell a lot about a person and makes you feel better."

"Long ago..."

Three gods lived in peace. One controlled the rays of the sun, his personality shone as bright as the celestial ball of fire. He brought the day, shining light over all before setting it. He was a gentle god and well beloved, but also taken by his counterpart. His counterpart was a lovely woman who was in charge of the night, protecting the innocent sleepers and guiding lost wanders with the stars she placed in the sky. She was know for being sweet, but cruel and manipulative. Her relationship with the gentle god was healthy but signs of conflict arose with the third god. The third god painted the sky with clouds and washed the earth with rain. All weather was in their control, no matter if it was a wispy cloud or a violent hurricane. The third god and gentle god were as close as siblings, something the second god couldn't understand, she grew envious over their close bond. She decided something would have to change to keep the gentle god to herself. All she wanted in her life was the one thing she never had, control. She set a trap, started a war and removed the third god from history; Myths remain, but only her side of the tale while the third god was casted out. Hidden with the aid of the gentle god, one day things would change and vengeance would be gained. But until then, the third god remains in the background casting storms to help the people they cared about.

Brother Bear looked up at the sky as clouds had suddenly formed during the story, he remained silent from all the new information. The story seemed familiar but he couldn't remember where he heard it from before. More questions arose but it was for a later time. Brother Bear went over and hugged Sapphire, holding her in his hands and refusing to let go. Time seemed unimportant to the two as they stood on the porch overlooking the shore. The silence meant the world to them as they would never have another moment like this where they would remain fully alone. No missions, no murder, just them and the shore.

"Do you have to go?" He already knew the answer. "I- Uh... te q... te-te am.. te amo, mi amor."

"You need to work on your Spanish, Beary." Sapphire kissed his cheek and like that she was gone. All that remained was Brother Bear and the misty clouds in the sky.

Sapphire walked through the hills of sand before seeing a bright glow of light.

"A little dimmer next time, Aelius?"

"It's Father Sun to you, besides you looked like you needed a light." Sapphire let out a smile before he continued. "Don't worry, I told her you had a favor to run for me. You can take your time… but you know she's going to find out eventually."

"I'm surprised she hasn't yet." The two began walking, their marks leaving prints in the sand that soon would disappear. "I want to escape but, I don't want to leave Beary."

"Faking your death, would leave him alone. Is it because you two have feelings for one another?"

"There is romantic feelings between us, but I don't know if he loves the true me or the side that has to be present. I want to tell him, but at the same time… I cannot."

"I see. So you put up with her, to spend time with him? He is really worried, he tried to tell me something Moonie does to you. I assume it's not good due-"

"It's not." Sapphire interrupted. "He doesn't want to ruin your relationship with her, he doesn't know how bad it already is. I can deal with it until Neptune gets accepted by a tribe."

"Because of the prophecy? I mean it's the only reason Moon does anything anymore out of fear."

"I doubt it's true anymore, that was set thousands of years ago. But if true, we will have to see." Sapphire had the strangest feeling they were being watched, but Father Sun reassured her.

"Moon isn't listening. And if she sent someone, no one really is as loyal to her anymore. It's a shame how much she changed, but the signs were already there." The disappointment in Father Sun's voice was heavy. "I always think that I had a chance to stop everything, but I was slow to noticing until it was too late."

"It's not your fault. No one could had known what was coming, not even oracles knew." The rest of the walk was more cheerful but these were all thoughts Sapphire had. The walk was enjoyable and very therapeutic as Sapphire loved long walks in the night. Eventually she reached her destinations as she had to a favor for Father Sun, one she was happy to do. It was a perfect night, like the ones Brother Bear used to be scared of, summoned a shovel and began to dig as the rain began to pitter patter on the sand.