#evil and sinister attraction........

[raptorrobot]

leaning into my newfound aroace identity by figuring out that instead of romantic or sexual attraction i experience a secret Third thing

[vampiremogai]

[Image description from alt text: The middle image is a five striped flag with a repeating dripping blood pattern on the edges. The top stripe is a bright red, followed by a darker red. The middle stripe is a reddish off-white. The fourth stripe is a light reddish grey, and the bottom stripe is a dark reddish brown like dried blood. The off-white stripe has fangs that point down, and the dark red stripe has smaller fangs that point up creating a bite pattern around the grey stripe. The second stripe has a pair of ears that are catlike. End description.]

[Plain text: Sinister Aromantic. End PT.]

[PT: Alt. flags under the cut! End PT.]

Copied from under the cut with image descriptions from alt text:

[Image description: The left image is a five striped flag. The top stripe is a bright red, followed by a darker red. The middle stripe is a reddish off-white. The fourth stripe is a light reddish grey, and the bottom stripe is a dark reddish brown like dried blood. The off-white stripe has fangs that point down, and the dark red stripe has smaller fangs that point up creating a bite pattern around the grey stripe. The second stripe has a pair of ears that are catlike.

The middle image is a five striped flag. The top stripe is a bright red, followed by a darker red. The middle stripe is a reddish off-white. The fourth stripe is a light reddish grey, and the bottom stripe is a dark reddish brown like dried blood.

The right image is a five striped flag with a repeating dripping blood pattern on the edges. The top stripe is a bright red, followed by a darker red. The middle stripe is a reddish off-white. The fourth stripe is a light reddish grey, and the bottom stripe is a dark reddish brown like dried blood. End description.]

SINISTER AROMANTIC

For individuals who are aromantic in a sinister way -- this can be associations with the occult, with vampires, with beasts, with demons, or anything of the sort! Individual may also have connections with xenogenders of the same type, but it is not required.

Alt. flags under the cut!

Coined by me + requested by no-one!

[nereidprinc3ss]

haunted

in which spencer reid takes you to a haunted house and you're being very brave about it... sort of.

fluff! warnings/tags: reader wears a skirt, reader is a scaredy cat!!, established relationship, kithing, my favs derek and penelope featured, haunted house stuff, talk about the physical composition of human eyeballs and mentions of harvesting them/eating them but it's not serious, FAKE very fake Halloween gore, I know those tags just escalated so quickly my bad, mention of a spooky clown, just haunted house stuff ok!! but its really not a scary fic I promise!!!! a/n: this is for my bff @gublersg1rl !!!! I hope u all like!!!!! Also yes the title was extremely creative I was feeling divinely inspired and revolutionary let’s not talk abt it

“Okay, no, no—maybe we don’t have to go in. I don’t think it’s gonna be that good.”

As you say it you’re wearily eyeing the crowd of screaming teenagers who are sprinting from the haunted house attraction’s exit, leaving a trail a swirling leaves and candy wrappers in their wake. Spencer laughs, gently hugging you back to him as you subconsciously begin to drift away from the line. 

“I knew this would happen.”

“Nothing’s happening.”

“You’re scared. You want to chicken out.”

“I don’t,” you snap, stepping back and adjusting your sweater. “I’m just… I’m cold. I wanna go back to the car.” Spencer does some adjustments of his own, coming close and reaching around you as if going in for a hug but instead tugging your skirt down slightly in the back. You let him finish and then bat his hand away. “Would you stop that?”

“You said you were cold! I’m trying to help you.”

“By making my skirt one inch longer? That’s not going to help.”

He holds his hands up defensively. “Okay. Sorry. I won’t touch.”

Immediately your serrated edge is dulled and you lean against him, barely steering clear of a pout. “No, please. You’re warm. And you’ll protect me.”

He smiles down at you, cheeks and nose nipped sweet pink by the chilly breeze. His hair looks very nice today, his eyes are extra sparkly in the dark, and he’s framed by mostly bare tree branches scattered around the fairground—nothing more than dark palms clawing at the sky, a full white moon cradled in between black branches. The autumnal night is perhaps too cold for the tartan mini skirt you’d chosen, but Spencer told you it looked nice. Of course he doesn’t put up a fight when you slip your arms around his waist under his coat—only wraps his arms around you in return.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect you. But between us Derek and Penelope will bear the brunt of the jump scares.”

“Who said my name?”

You look over your shoulder to where Penelope is shivering despite wearing her own and Derek’s coat, and Derek is eyeing the two of you, enjoying a bag of caramel corn like he doesn’t have a care in the world. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Spencer says, and you laugh to yourself, pulling him even closer like you’re trying to leech the warmth from his body. “Okay, you do have to face forward though. I don’t want you to trip.”

“No, Spencer!” You argue, but he’s already unlatching your arms from his middle and turning you in place. 

“You’re fine,” he chuckles, holding onto your hips. “I’m right here. Be brave.”

The line has begun to move forward again, and this time, it’s not stopping. Your heart pounds as at the behest of a teenaged bloody scarecrow you follow Derek and Penelope into the dark mouth of the red clapboard facade—a sort of farmhouse design that had seemed charming from afar and deeply sinister up close. Speakers play a loud creaking sound over spooky music and your eyes slowly adjust to reveal a foggy corridor lined with doors and creepy paintings.

As soon as the first evil little girl pops out of a doorway, you scream right along with Penelope. 

“Oh, my god,” Spencer laughs under his breath as you stop dead in your tracks, holding the group behind you up. When Penelope and Derek move on, you stay stuck, knowing that the threat has disappeared for the moment but still looms. Spencer gently ushers you forward. “Stay close behind Penelope, and it won’t be as scary. Come on, we have to keep going.”

“I hate this so much.”

But he ignores your comment, guiding you forward down the shadowy hallway and whispering the beginnings of a tangent over your shoulder. 

“You know, the first haunted house attraction was in London in 1915 at a fairground just like this. They picked up in America during the Great Depression as an attempt to distract young hooligans from resorting to property damage for fun.”

“Hooligans?” You mutter, teasing him even while terrified, carefully eyes the suspicious staircase leading up to a fenced in landing, shrouded in darkness. “We’re not going up there, are we?”

Just then a man with a sack over his head and bloody axe emerges from the black, launching himself down the stairs. Again, you scream, this time sprinting out of Spencer’s hold and through a cobweb veil into the next room. 

“Jesus fuck!” You gasp, clutching your chest as someone made up to be a sweet old grandma gone mad and soaked in blood and viscera turns around to greet you with a manic grin. 

“Oh, a pretty girl! Is that you, dear? My long lost granddaughter? Or did I put her in a pie?”

The acting is subpar at best, the script even worse, but what really discomforts you are the bloodied rubber limbs swinging from the ceiling and the fog machine in the corner that keeps burping out thick white clouds with a little hiss. You turn around, running directly into Spencer’s chest. He catches you by the waist and you cling to him, digging your feet in to try and stop either of you from proceeding any closer to your new friend. 

“And your lover—so handsome! Mm, what a delicious pairing you two’ll make! Maybe in my specialty cream of eyeball soup?”

She cackles. Spencer pushes you carefully forward as you peer over his lapel, and he actually stops to look into the woman’s pot as she stirs it. 

“Spencer—”

“You know—the human eyeball is by all accounts difficult to harvest without essentially popping the outer wall of muscle and connective tissue and then you’re losing the structure of the sphere—and stop me if you know this—but water constitutes about 98 percent of vitreous and aqueous humor which in turn make up eighty percent of the total volume of the eye so to say your soup would be cream of eyeball is—”

“Buddy, you’re holding up the line!” Someone shouts from behind, and Spencer offers an awkward apology to the grandma who was beginning to look more and more uncomfortable, hurrying you along through the kitchen from hell. 

“I cannot believe you just did that,” you hiss, still clinging to him. “That poor woman probably thinks you’re a serial killer now.”

“I was trying to humanize her for your benefit—”

Another scream from someone else, another cheap jump scare, cuts him off, and by this point you have your eyes squeezed shut, squeaking at every noise, and Spencer is damn near carrying you through the haunted house, walking you awkwardly backward through the various rooms. 

He cradles the back of your head and presses his lips to your ear as a chainsaw revs somewhere nearby and you hear Derek and Penelope yelping just ahead. “You’re being so brave,” Spencer murmurs, though you don’t miss the smile in his voice. "If I was a malevolent spectre I would definitely steer clear of you. I'd be too intimidated."

“Shut up. Ah!”

“Baby, that was a plant. You know the actors can’t touch you, right? You’re not in any danger.”

“I don’t like being scared, Spencer.”

“Then why did you suggest the haunted house? I said we should do the maze.”

“I don’t know! I—” another man popping out of the wall, another roar that you only hear, sequestered safely against your boyfriend’s coat. “Oh my god, are we almost done? I can’t do this anymore.”

“Yeah, the entrance is right ahead. No more actors, okay? I can see the whole room, it’s totally empty.”

“I bet that's what they want you to think, they lull you into a false sense of security and then—”

Cold air kisses the back of your legs as Spencer walks you toward the door, and the stifled soundscape widens again as you exit the house breathing air that doesn’t smell like sawdust and fog machine juice and fake blood. 

“Nope. We're really all done, see?”

“You survived! Oh my god, I survived!” Penelope calls, and you lift your head from Spencer’s chest, looking up at him. He’s grinning, brushing his thumbs over your cheeks. 

“You honestly handled that better than I thought you would. I actually think I saw the guy dressed as a clown jump when you screamed.”

“If I ever say I wanna do something scary again please don’t listen to me. I hated that so much.”

He examines your face for a moment before determining that despite your rattled nerves, you’ll be okay, and comforts you with a quick peck. “Do you wanna go get caramel apples now?”

“Yes, please. And then can we do the maze, and just like—I don’t know, sit there and… meditate for a little while?”

He chuckles. “Yeah. Just… don’t think about what could be lurking in the corn.”

You give him a little shove. “You know, I only did that haunted house thing because I know how much you love Halloween. I’m being a good girlfriend and what do I get?”

He pulls you close again and kisses your hand. 

“You get a caramel apple,” he says, like it’s obvious, and more than that—worth every trouble in the world. “Come on.”

You give him a begrudging smile and allow him to lead you, hand in hand. Maybe it is. 

[misseviehyde]

GHOST BUSTY

Katie groaned as she massaged her sore aching breasts. They were so big now... so full and firm. She needed them to be groped. She needed a man to grab them whilst he fingered her dripping wet pussy and got her tight pink hole ready to fuck.

Her eyes fell hungrily onto her best-friend Joe sitting in the corner who was massaging his engorged and ridiculously large cock. He gasped and groaned in frustration too, his dick getting bigger by the second even as her boobs grew. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

Katie's boyfriend Matt sat in the corner sobbing and trying to fix something in front of him. Katie ignored him, her hungry eyes locked onto Joe's delicious cock. It was what she wanted now... not that loser.

"Mmmmh... come fuck me Joe. I fucking need it. Take me right here. I know you want it to. Become who you are destined to be."

She felt a feral grin appear on her face, she had never felt so fucking horny. She had never felt so fucking EVIL. She needed that cock inside her... pounding her tight virgin holes and making her into a slut. She wasn't a nice girl anymore, she was a fucking cumslut and she wanted it badly. She needed to lock in this transformation permanently.

She wanted his cock, but Joe's body was nice too. He had muscles now and he'd grown in height and width. He could probably snap Matt like a twig and the thought excited her.

To think, only 30 minutes ago they'd entered this house as very different people...

How had this even happened?

***

Matt grinned as Katie and her friendzoned bestie Joe rolled their eyes at his latest invention. It looked like a hoover with loads of weird wires and gadgets on the side.

"What is it meant to do?" asked Joe in puzzlement as Matt tinkered with the buttons.

"It's a ghost catching device. It can suck ethereal bodies out of the air and safely contain them within the cylinder. With this... I can finally prove that ghosts are real and we'll be rich."

"Is that why you brought us here? To the old frat house?"

"Yeah," grinned Matt excitedly gesturing to the boarded up windows of the old frat house. Ten years ago some sort of gas leak had killed everyone inside it. It had been a terrible disaster and all the Frat boys and their hot sorority girlfriends had sadly been killed. There were rumours that the place was haunted as a result. Full of the bratty spirits of the vengeful dead.

"Let's go inside and give it a go."

***

The air inside the creepy old mansion was cold and sinister. They had prised a wooden board away from a window and snuck inside. The insides were dark but they had torches.

Powering up his invention from a powerpack he'd created, Matt grinned as he held up the nozzle of his device and switched it on. Katie watched unimpressed as her dumb boyfriend literally held a hoover tube up in the air like it was going to do anything.

Then her scepticism faded. She gasped as she began to see vague shapes in the air. Ghostly outlines of girls, swirling and dancing in the air drawn by the hoover. Pulled into reality by Matt's invention the ghostly spirits took on form and substance. Katie drew back in fear as she saw wicked envious eyes looking down at her and coveting her flesh.

"Hmmm weird. The invention seems to be energising the ghosts and drawing them into our world more fully - it's making them more powerful but I can't seem to attract them into the device."

Suddenly one of the female spirits lunged towards them and Matt gasped as it flowed into Katie with a pop. She groaned.

"Ughhh what the fuck? That thing just went inside me."

Suddenly more spirits were darting down and Katie moaned as more and more of them flowed into her body. She shook and groaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as the ghosts got inside her body.

"Ohhh myyyy Godddd it feels soooo mmmmmpphhh good," she gurgled as the spirits melded into her and their unearthly energies flowed through her.

As each ghost entered her, Katie changed. Her nerdy outfit became a tight black corset. Her short hair lengthened and her body became more feminine. Her tiny breasts began to grow. Bigger and bigger. Swelling up to become enermous ripe boobs. She threw back her head and laughed in glee - stretching her curvy body and exulting as she became even sexier. "Fuck yes. Fill me up girls."

The remaining female spirits surged down and Katie welcomed them, screaming in pleasure as they flowed into her body and she absorbed their toxic energies.

"Ohhhhh fuck yesssss," hissed Katie. "I can feel it. I can feel all their combined bitchiness becoming mine. These girls were evil sluts and they want to live again. My body is the perfect host for their essence. I'm becoming a fucking Goddess."

With a giggle she snatched the hoover decice from Matt and making an adjustment switched it on. "You should try this baby."

More ghosts began to form, but this time male ones. The spirits of the frat boys gathering round ready to have their turn.

"No, we have to get those ghosts out of you," gasped Matt and he and Katie began to fight over the hoover.

A ghost surged down and Matt ducked. Katie snarled and grabbing him held his arms behind his back.

"Hurry up boys. Get inside this loser and make him worthy of the new me."

"No!" screamed Matt as the ghosts surged down. Katie's eyes shone with excitement. "Don't fight it Matt. Soon you'll understand how good this feels."

With a superhuman effort Matt broke free and dove to the ground crushing the hoover and causing it to break. The ghosts wailed- their energies beginning to disapate.

"NO!" screamed Katie in rage. "Joe. Come here baby. I need your help."

Joe had been watching from the corner of the room and now he gasped as Katie turned her new sexy gaze on him. "Come here. Come to me."

The male ghosts flowed around Katie, sustaining themselves in her energies. Joe gulped as she walked towards him.

"That's it baby. Just hold still."

Joe screamed as Katie leapt forward and pinning him against the wall kissed him hard. The male ghosts around her surged forward and he thrashed and moaned... jerking as each one entered him. Clothes ripped, muscles swelled and Katie moaned in pleasure.

Meanwhile a sobbing Matt desperately tried to repair the broken invention - he had to suck the ghosts out of Joe and Katie before it was too late.

Katie groaned as her breasts got even bigger and she felt the energies within her corrupting every inch of her hot perfect body. She shivered in glee as the ghosts burned out all her innocence and warped her mind to make her a perfect vessel for their evil.

But they weren't fully part of her yet. Only sex could do that. Once she got fucked, the orgasm would lock everything into place. Just as it would for Joe.

The once nerdy Joe was now an Adonis and Katie laughed as she walked over and grabbing his throbbing barely contained cock began to pump it.

"Yesssss don't fight it Joe. Let the evil corrupt you. Together we will be unstoppable. The power inside us will keep us young and strong forever. All you have to do is fuck me right now. I'm wet and ready for you."

Katie slid down her black panties to reveal her tight dripping slit. She spread her stockinged legs enticingly and stood over Joe. Slowly she began to lower herself.

"Ugggh noo if we fuck we'll become permanently corrupted," groaned Joe. "We have to resist."

"Why resist Joe when it feels so fucking good?" laughed Katie as her pussy lips teased Joe's massive cock.

"Embrace your new role as an Alpha and take me big boy."

Joe growled in lust and grabbing Katie's hips pulled her tight cunt down onto his giant cock. She sighed in pleasure and satisfaction as he filled every millimetre of her pussy up and she began to slowly slide up and down his shaft, her massive tits bouncing up and down as she rode him.

Matt watched through wet eyes as Katie rolled her hips and began to bounce faster and faster on Joe's cock.

With a grunt he suddenly picked her up and she screamed in pleasure as he effortlessly held her up in his strong arms and began to hammer her harder and harder.

"Hahah see loser. See how powerful I have become?"

Joe and Katie laughed together as they fucked. "Hahah he can't stop it baby, make me cum them pump your seed deep inside me and let's make this a permanent arrangement."

The corrupted couple moaned and gasped. Dark energies crackled around them as the ghosts that had invaded their bodies merged and melted into them. A gestalt awareness becoming one with their own. Wet slaps and moans of pleasure filled the air and the scent of hot sex.

"Yessss. Fuck yessss baby. I'm gonna cum and I'm gonna be an evil bitch forever. Oh yesssss I need it so badly. Fuck meee!"

Katie screamed and wet squirt erupted from her pussy raining down over Matt and his invention. Moments later with a shuddering moan Joe cummed deep inside Katie too and as he drew out of her with a wet pop his own cum dripped down and landed on Matt too.

The couple laughed and Katie squeezed more cum out enjoying how it looked on her former boyfriends crying face.

Sitting amongst the broken wreckage of his invention Matt whimpered as Joe and Katie used him as their personal cum rag and cleaned up. Then laughing the new evil power couple left ready to start their new life.

Matt lay weeping amongst his broken dreams. The house was no longer haunted at least... he was the only ghost here now and he would never see Katie or Joe again.

[silverskye13]

Etho looks down quietly at his basket, making sure everything he needs is inside. He knows it is best to only make one trip down to the water. The water is treacherous. He is strong enough to withstand it, but of course, everyone who ever drowned thinks they're strong enough until their lungs are bursting. So. He double checks. He makes sure.

He has a week's worth of laundry. Some dishes he needs sand from the river to scour. A bucket, so he won't have to make this trip for another few days. There are a few pieces of leather armor in need of a quick rinse before they're polished. Also, he's thirsty. He tries not to drink his rain water. He needs it to last.

Finally, Etho belts on his sword, hefts the basket over one shoulder, and the empty bucket with his free hand. He looks to the short path that leads down to the dock. The water is blue as the diamond sky above, edged in gold from the slowly gathering sunset. Birds are singing. Breeze whispers through the willow branches and cattails. Across the river, a small herd of deer is moving through the rushes. One breaks apart from the others to drink. Etho sighs out a long breath, steels himself, and walks down the trail.

The water is cursed. Very few people still come to the river for chores. Most only dare to run down for a few buckets of water when the well is running dry.

_____

When Tango saw him gathering his things earlier, he'd shaken his head and made a warding gesture with his hand. Protection. For himself. For Etho. Or just to ward away the idea of evil.

"Scream, I guess," Tango had told him. "I doubt we'll make it in time, but yanno, we'll know what happened."

Etho had only offered a tense smile behind his mask. Everyone would know what happened, scream or not.

"I'll be fine," Etho said. "I've been fine before."

He said it a lot more confidently than he felt, and Tango wasn't reassured. Tango had a good nose for things like that. He sniffed the air, and made the chagrined expression of someone who could smell a coming thunderstorm.

"Yeah. Sure." Tango sniffed again, and then tapped the side of his nose with a knowing finger. "On second thought, maybe save your breath."

_____

Etho walks out onto the dock, his footsteps silent as he can make them. He took his boots off by the dock's edge. They're heavy when they're wet. He sets the basket down gently on the aged wood. He fills the bucket first. In the neat and tidy plan of his habits, he thinks the bucket is the one he least wants to be left last with. It's heavy and cumbersome, and requires leaning over the water's edge. So he fills it, trying to disturb the water as little as possible, and pads back to his boots to set it down gently beside them. Then he's back to his basket, and getting to the louder work, what he know will attract attention.

He grabs a shirt and dunks it into the water, wringing it out a few times before scrubbing it against the dock's edge. Someone nailed a washboard here, probably to make it easier for everyone else who needed to scrub up -- one less cumbersome thing to drag to the riverside. Beside it, Etho can see long scratches in the wood, vanishing off the side. He has large hands, so they don't line up to him, but the unmistakable look of nails scratching, clinging, is recognizable even still. He wonders idly who made them. Probably someone playing, before the water was cursed. Or an animal that swam across the bank and needed help scurrying out.

He is tempted to think it's something more sinister, but he knows better.

The water turns from diamond blue to sunflower yellow, then to blazing orange with rusted and bleeding edges. The herd of deer on the other side of the water wanders off, sated. A fox calls in the wood somewhere, an uncanny, very human scream. The bird calls twitter into silence, replaced by chirping frogsong. Etho wrings out the last of his clothes and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. He checks how far the sun has dipped in the sky, and decides he has an our yet before dark settles in.

With his clothes washed, he sets them back in the basket, neatly folded. They'll wrinkle probably, but when he puts them out on the line, the wind will straighten them out. His knees are sore from kneeling, his back from leaning. His armor will be easier to clean if he can settle in, brace it on his crossed legs.

Etho looks around the water, at the deceptive stillness. It's a slow, lazy river, hardly pushing the water fast enough to put ripples on it. There is one place near the opposite bank where a long shadow stretches from a stone, broken by the reflection of red sunset. It's the kind of image he would expect to see on a lake on a windless day. He's heard before that quiet rivers make for deadly waters, that there is a current in holes in the riverbed that will devour someone.

But Etho isn't in the water. He's on the dock, and the dock is safe. Nothing will drag him off it. Nothing in the water is strong enough. It doesn't have to be. There is some comfort in that, in knowing he can't be devoured against his will. It is why he still comes to the river. It is why he dares. Etho sits back and crosses his legs, bracing his leathers against his knees. He scoops a palm full of water onto them and scrubs, trying to get blood out of the small cracks where it will settle and rot. His chainmail is back at the fort up the hill, where its heaviness can't encumber him. It cleans itself reasonably well, all the links clattering together, just so long as he doesn't roll in any mud.

There is shuffling on the dock behind him, the creaking of old wood. Etho tilts his head, breathes in deeply through his nose. His pulse doesn't quicken. After a momentary pause, he resumes his work.

"Hey BDubs," he says conversationally. "Trying to sneak up on me?"

"Wh-- no. Of course not." There is mischief in BDub's answer, a grin in his voice. "The great Etho? Never. You probably heard me coming from a mile away."

"Maybe not a mile," Etho chuckles humbly. "You going to join me?"

"Well, I don't know," BDubs laughs, leaning over Etho's shoulder. "Is it safe?"

"I don't know why it wouldn't be."

"Water's cursed," BDubs reminds him. "There could be boogiemen about."

"You trying to tell me something BDubs?" Etho asks slyly, peering up at his friend.

"What? No of course not," BDubs laughs. He sits beside Etho, plunging his bare feet into the water beside the dock. "Even if I was, you know me Etho. You? Kill you? You'd kill me first."

"I don't know about that," Etho hums, splashing another palm full of water on a buckle clasp and scrubbing at a rusted stain with his thumb. "You made pretty efficient work of Grian."

"Grian had it coming," BDubs shrugs. "Got too caught up listening to the music."

Etho chuckles. "The music was very good."

BDubs kicks his feet in the water, humming the tune momentarily under his breath. It's a haunting sound, not really meant to be sung. Not by anything human. Etho shudders in spite of himself.

"Man, don't do that."

"Sorry! Haha! Sorry. Couldn't help it," BDubs grins a gap-tooth smile in Etho's direction, his eyes bright and gilded by the setting sun. "It's probably one of the coolest kills I've ever gotten."

"I'll make sure Tango knows you said that."

"Oh, Tango's fine." Bdubs waves a hand dismissively. "He's just upset 'cause I scared him."

"You did more than just scare him."

Dark room. Dark water. Tango screaming and running, scrabbling at the walls with his nails. If they ever went back to that little cave, Etho wondered if there would be marks on the walls like the docks, played, desperate fingers, digging.

"Well he's alive, isn't he?"

"I guess he is."

"Then he should get over it!"

Etho shakes his head, laughing. BDubs' voice is over-loud on the quiet lake, but its a good sound. Full of intensity and joy, and revelry. It made the silence between his words stark and empty, and Etho was always loathe to fill it.

Bdubs suddenly wraps an arm around Etho's shoulders, pulling him into a conspiratorial embrace. "Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you, by the way."

Etho suddenly has goosebumps on his neck, his spine, his arms. BDubs' arm is cold against his shoulders. He smells of bracken and standing water, and his eyes are bright as sunset. Etho takes a long, slow breath in and holds it for a moment.

"Uh... Yeah, BDubs?"

"I've got a plan, you know, for the others," Bdubs continues, his voice dropping to something near a whisper. There is something on the edge of his tone like the ringing of bells. Excitement. Thrill. Hunger. "But I'll need some help. I mean, I'm good at redstone, you know 'ol BDubs knows his stuff. But I need an expert. Someone good at traps."

"You know you've always got me Bdubs," Etho laughs, and it is hard to keep the nervousness from his voice. He's not sure he succeeds. "I'm happy to help. Just uh--" He shrugs his shoulders, and BDubs' arm falls away. "You know. Keep your distance."

"You're not scared of me, are you Etho?" Bdubs laughs, and it's loud and boisterous, and perfect. It echoes off the water like glass. Bells and ringing. He gives Etho a prideful, knowing look. "No, you're not scared of little 'ol BDubs. I know what you're scared of."

BDubs suddenly turns and slips into the water. Not all the way. His hands are still clinging to the wood, his elbows resting on the dock like it was a pool side. But the splash hits Etho's side and makes him shudder so hard, he drops the armor he'd been polishing. In a flash he's on his feet, backing away two, three steps. His movements feel too slow and heavy, and there's an instant of panic in him.

"Woah man!" Etho snaps, startled. He reaches for something, anything-- "I said keep your--!"

But BDubs is laughing, kicking his feet, stirring up the mud at the bottom of the river. "Oh come on Etho. It's water."

Etho takes three long breaths, filling his lungs to bursting before pushing the air out again heavy through his nose.

"You're fine you big baby," BDubs grins, resting his head on his crossed arms. His legs stop kicking, stop stirring up the mud, and Etho can see the water is shallow enough that he's standing on the bottom. He'd thought-- he'd thought-- "You'd think I tried to drown you, jeez."

He thought it was deeper.

Etho held his breath for a moment, counted slowly. He wanted to reach his hand to his neck, to check his pulse. To see how fast his heart was beating. He moved his hand to, and at a mocking glance from his friend, decides instead to stoop to pick up his dropped armor. He walks carefully to his basket and places it inside.

"Why'd you come down here, anyway?" BDubs asks. "If you're so scared, I mean."

"You know me, BDubs. I always come back," Etho answers, almost a reflex. A rehearsed answer. "Who else would I go to?"

"Tango and Skizz?"

"They won't keep me safe like you will." Etho points out. He shudders again, the cold from BDub's touch had seeped into him more than he thought it had. He's acclimating though, like jumping into a pool. It's a cold that seeps out of him, warms as it settles. "It's me and you to the end, right buddy?"

"Of course Etho. I'd never betray you."

Etho looks through his things one last time, then frowns. He turns the basket with his foot. He glances at BDubs, who still watches him from the water's edge. Then he takes a chance and crouches down beside his basket, rifling through with both hands.

"Lose something?" BDubs asks, standing on his tiptoes to get a better look.

Etho looks around, checking first the dock, and then the water beyond. In the deeper water over the side, he sees the flash of a buckle in the dying rays of the sun.

"Oh, huh," BDubs hums disinterestedly. "Guess you'll have to get that."

"BDubs," Etho scowls.

"Fine! Fine. I get it. You don't wanna get wet." BDubs puts up his hands, as though surrendering. "The water really isn't all that bad." He offers Etho a quick little salute. "Be right back."

He takes an exaggerated breath and splashes beneath the dock, stirring up mud and river plants. He breaks the water's surface shortly after, holding up the fallen armor piece triumphantly. "Ta-da! Hold your applause. I know I'm great."

Etho, in spite of himself, chuckles. He shivers again -- the evening is getting cold -- and reaches a hand out. BDubs places the buckle in his hand, then reaches his other hand up to clasp Etho's gently. It's awkward and off-balance, Etho leaning precariously over the side of the dock, and BDubs on his tip-toes, holding him in place. It isn't a hard grasp. At any moment, Etho can take his hand away. He has always been stronger than BDubs.

"Hey, Etho, I really have missed you, man," BDubs says, smiling fondly, his voice soft. It isn't a whisper. It simply isn't loud and brash like he normally is. Heartfelt. The kind of tone that beckons, that wants to be listened to. "I mean-- I've missed us doing things together. It reminds me of the good 'ol days, you know? NHO and Mindcrack. We make a good team."

"We do," Etho agrees. He takes a long, slow breath. He shivers.

He frowns.

Etho pulls his hand out of BDubs, and BDubs offers no resistance. Etho looks down at his hand, at the wrinkled, waterlogged skin. He rubs his thumb across his forefingers, feeling the odd texture, grounding himself on it. Etho takes a deep breath in, lets it out again slowly.

"How long have I been in the water, BDubs?" Etho whispers.

Etho is still holding the belt buckle in one hand, still looking down at the wrinkled fingers of his other. BDubs is still in front of him, only his head and shoulders above the water. Etho looks back over his shoulder. The dock is startlingly far away, the basket sitting on the very edge. Beyond it, his boots and water bucket are sitting in the grass beside rushes and willow branches.

"Does it matter?" BDubs asks, smiling gently.

Etho takes a long, deep breath through his nose.

"Oh, don't be scared," BDubs says, moving silently closer. He reaches out his hands and grasps Etho's arms, a gentle touch, reassuring. A friend trying to assuage fear. His eyes are blazing red and orange with the setting sun, but the sky is black and salted with stars. "I didn't drag you down here, Etho. You came to me, remember?"

"BDubs--"

"You know I'd never betray you," BDubs continues, taking a slow step backwards. He pulls Etho with him, and Etho, by habit and familiarity, takes a step forward. The allure of BDubs' voice tilts his vision. He's on the dock, holding the buckle that fell in the water, and BDubs is clasping his hands, and the sun is setting. The water is up to his chest, and the world is dark star-filled, and BDubs is taking another step backwards, and Etho is following. "I could have betrayed you day one, and I didn't. I'm just asking for your help, Etho. You and me together, right?"

"BDubs--"

"It's the deep water, isn't it?" BDubs croons, like he's speaking to a child. "The deep water scares you? It's okay. You're fine."

Etho is fine. His breathing is slow, his heartbeat even. He wants to be scared. He should be scared. But BDubs is his friend.

BDubs reaches up to Etho's neck, not to strangle or to threaten, but to gently cup his hands around him. He pulls gently on Etho, not to drag Etho down, but to raise himself up, so they're nearly eye to eye. Etho feels water around his shoulders, and shivers.

"It's okay," BDubs says. "I would never hurt you, I promise. We don't have to go any deeper." His voice even and calm, inexorable. Etho's pulse doesn't quicken when he says, "You know how many people drown in shallow water? It's easy. I'll be with you the whole time."

The water is around Etho's neck, and BDubs is above him just slightly. One hand raises slowly to the back of Etho's head, fingers gently tangling in his hair. It is the caress of someone who cares for him deeply, someone who wants him to stay. The feeling is wholly dissonant from the words being spoken. Water? Drowning? How could someone who loves him so much drown him?

"You want to stay with me, right?" BDubs asks. "You and me together, we'd be unstoppable, Etho. The best duo the Life Series has ever seen."

BDub's hand on Etho's neck moves just slightly, the thumb pulling around to rest on his adam's apple. The hand in his hair clenches just a little. A warning. "You're not thinking about betraying me, are you?"

Etho shivers again. He wants to be afraid.

"You know, Grian said some things before he drowned," BDubs's hand on his neck tightened just a little. Etho could feel his pulse against BDub's thumb, finally, finally beginning to quicken. "He said you were a survivor. He said you'd leave me -- heh -- high and dry. You wouldn't do that, would you, Etho?"

Etho's pulse quickened more. There was a cold numbness in his limbs that he hadn't even noticed gathering, and his sluggishly awakening panic pushed it from him.

"BDubs," Etho said, his voice small and hoarse in his throat, "let me go."

"Etho..." BDubs said warningly.

"Let me go!" Etho shouted, planting his hands on BDub's chest and shoving backwards away. What he felt, in that brief second, was neither skin nor flesh, nor the softness of fabric. He felt tangled river weeds, and fish scales, slimy and cold against his skin. The cursed thing that looked like BDubs but wasn't, released Etho spitefully. His claws tore from Etho's neck, scraped along the back of his head to come free with pale strands of his hair. Suddenly there were arms around him, and Etho screamed and thrashed as he was dragged.

"I've got you dude! I've got you!"

It was Skizz, his voice a thunderous bellow in Etho's ear, his arms feverishly hot against him where they clamped like vices around his waist. Skizz dragged Etho from the water like he weighed nothing. Etho got his feet underneath himself and clung to Skizz, staggering out of the water as quick as he could. He heard feet pounding on the dock, and glanced over to watch Tango sprint across the wood. He stooped, grabbed up Etho's basket, and sprinted back with it, the reaching, clawed hand of the thing that looked like BDubs snapping for his ankles and missing.

"I got him!" Skizz shouted to Tango, scrambling onto the grass, refusing to let Etho go until they were well up the path. "Did you see how close he was?!"

"Yeah I saw!" Tango snapped, choking on his own fear, gulping in air and coughing it back out again. "It tried to drag me in!"

"Oh my god, are you okay dude?" Skizz demanded, and, when Tango nodded, he turned back to Etho. "Are you okay? I didn't see you go under. Can you breathe?"

Etho, who had collapsed into the grass the moment Skizz released him, lay there gasping like a hooked fish. He shivered, pale and cold from how long he spent in the water-- how long had he been in the water. He could still feel the thing's burning claws in streaks across his neck, and a tickling of blood at the back of his head.

"Etho?"

"I'm okay," Etho gasped, "I'm sorry I just-- I needed-- I wanted--"

"I know what you wanted!" Tango snapped angrily, the anger of someone who had risked his life. The anger of someone who thought a friend of his was dead, or dying. "But it's not him, Etho."

"It sounds like him," Etho whispered. He threw an arm over his eyes and shivered again. "It sounds like him, though."

"I know it does buddy, I know," Skizz said, his voice full of sympathy and pity. He waited with mountainous patience as Etho pulled himself together, and then helped Etho stand.

Together, they walked back to the fort.

Behind them, something cursed and hungry in the dark water, sang, and its voice was sweet and familiar.

[taragreenfield]

The old gargoyle and the missing opportunities

Baghra's "reveal" of Aleksander as a "villain" doesn't make any sense and ctually makes the plot worse. I suppose the intention was: a young protagonist is charmed by an attractive and powerful man, believes that he is a brave revolutionary and a justice fighter with noble goals, and gets entangled in a relationship with him only to find out that his motives are much more sinister and he actually uses her as a pawn, tricking her with talks about "greater good". She feels betrayed, devastated, heartbroken, and disillusioned with the man she thought she knew and runs away to take revenge on him and ultimately stop him. Except it falls apart right from the start. The narrative tries to retroactively gaslight you by including Alina's lamenting about "how long she lived with his lies", but, considering that we still remember what actually happened, it makes her sound delusional or outright dishonest.

The Darkling is not charming. He's not that typical abuser who plays the role of a sociable, likeable, caring, and upstanding guy who secretly beats up unsuspecting women in his dungeon. He has a dark reputation, a dark image, and a whole swarm of semi-mythical gossip surrounding him. And he doesn't seem to mind. That's not how a charming manipulator acts - he doesn't cultivate a socially popular image. Nobody is charmed. Alina isn't charmed either: she initially recoils from his powers and believes he is going to torture her when he simply asks how her day was.

They actually barely interact. They have 5-6 brief conversations, mostly about her powers and amplifiers. Alina herself mentions he's barely present in the palace, and even when he is, he's not in a hurry to meet her. That's not enough to manipulate someone. It's not enough to build trust. It's not even enough to say that you know something about each other.

He interacts with her for political purposes. He doesn't manipulate her to enjoy the power he has over her and her feelings, like an abuser and manipulator does. He doesn't love-bomb Alina or try to convince her that he picked her for her delightful personality. He needs her power; that much is absolutely clear from the start. He doesn't try to humanize himself to her or get her to feel sorry for him; there is no moment of shared vulnerability between them. When they kiss, he seems almost annoyed with the fact he couldn't separate his business from unnecessary feelings. Playing on Alina's insecurities? No, he only encourages her and even defends her against Baghra's attack. Isolation? Also no, she has a full palace of Grisha and non-Grisha to talk to.

Moreover, Alina doesn't act like a victim of manipulation either. The danger of a skillful manipulation is that it's notoriously difficult to get through to the victim, even for their closest friends. The manipulated person is inclined to dismiss any warnings, get defensive, believe that it's just a misunderstanding, find excuses for their manipulator, and get angry at the person who tries to warn them for meddling with their relationship. Alina does none of that. She immediately believes the old abusive hag with no evidence and runs away.

If Aleksander is manipulative, why not continue manipulating her when he captures her after her escape? Baghra didn't provide any evidence; it would be easy to say she is just a demented old liar whose brain was damaged by the wasting sickness. He could also tell her that Baghra abused him as a child to make Alina feel guilty for trusting her over him. All the opportunities were there.

So Baghra's reveal works to the detriment of the plot because:

Alina is basically told that a guy she and everyone else assumed was evil is actually evil. There is no reason to gasp or feel betrayed; the act of a wronged wife who found out her husband is a serial cheater after 20 years of marriage is completely out of place.

The fact that Baghra delivers all the gossip in one go makes Alina's outrage against the Darkling's methods forced and performative. A day ago, Alina was happily swanning around the palace, not questioning Aleksander's goals and strategy once, not even asking questions about him, and as soon as Bahra told her, she suddenly became a staunch opponent of his "tyranny"? Sounds fake. If her discomfort with his actions was a result of her own moral reflection, that would be at least more honest and gave her a more believable conflict.

It robs Alina of any agency, as she doesn't discover information about the Darkling herself, doesn't start noticing disturbing signs and discrepancies in his behavior, and is getting infodumped by a Baghra-shaped deus ex machina instead. Once again, the conflict would be much more meaningful and impactful if Alina actually put some effort into discovering the Darkling's "true nature".

If Baghra truly believed Aleksander was going to manipulate Alina, why wait for months to warn her? It makes more sense to do it straight away, before the alleged manipulative tactics take effect.

Baghra shouldn't have even been there. If Aleksander was truly such a brilliant strategist and manipulator, he should have known that his mother, the only person knowing his Black heretic identity, could betray him. It's not like she ever made it a secret she didn't support him. So he should have made sure his mother didn't meet the Sun Summoner. Instead, he sends Alina to Baghra for training himself. Not very mastermindful of him.

If you think about it, Baghra works as a big bad manipulator much better. She has a more suitable role—that of a wise, grumpy, but well-meaning senior mentor. Who's going to suspect an old lady of plotting devious plans? Besides, Alina has already been brainwashed by a similar old abusive hag - Ana Kuya—so for her, Baghra's attitude seems familiar. Baghra does play on Alina's insecurities: rubbing in her face her humble orphanage upbringing, shaming her for her attraction to the Darkling (the idea that it's unbecoming for a young virtuous lady to lust over a man is probably already hammered into her by Ana Kuya), belittling her for her poor command over her power, and instilling the belief that Alina is stupid, foolish, naive, and can't make any decisions for herself. She also redirects any possible accusations of manipulation onto Aleksander: he is a centuries-old manipulator who knows how to fool naive young girls, apparently, not her. And if shifting the suspicion onto the person you try to discredit is not the most popular manipulative technique, I don't know what is.

[mayatheserpent]

Jyestha-the nakshatra of jealousy🧿🔥

On a recent study done regarding themes of jealous friends, obsessive enemies and psychosexual attraction (where your enemy literally tries to be you and remove your existence- to exist as uni), the name of Jyestha kept coming up. This research was done by Claire Nakti (check out her YouTube) and I wanted to summarize the points she made. I hope you like it 💖 (my instagram: keyakks)

Jyestha nakshatra (Indra- the king of heaven)✨

1. constant mode in life: attack, win and defend.

2. high material success, never in a peaceful state of mind.

3. as they grow to be more successful, they also become lonelier.

4. ability to separate from the mass, be distinct. this will attract copycats who want to become exactly the Jyestha native.

5. same sex relationships - the copycat (or Jyestha's enemy that often pretends being a friend) has intense sexual desires for the Jyestha native, and also wanting to become a twin of the Jyestha native. this fuels competition to be the "one". 👯‍♀️

6.The Jyestha native pushes away the obsessed copycat- provoking them to become more sinister. The creepy copycat tries to remove everyone from the Jyestha's life to become the only remaining person. Thus, the Jyestha native has no option but to rely on the copycat.

7. The other option the copycat may take is to steal the Jyeshta native's social position, friends, family and/or love interest to have a constant presence in their life.

8. Jyestha's ability to dwell in solitude and individuality attracts people who are unstable. The admiration turns into the evil eye.

9. Trusted friends may betray the Jyestha native which arises from envy.

10. Every extremely famous person has a prominent Jyestha placement. (Taylor swift, Elvis Presley, Donald trump, Kim Kardashian, etc. in their top 3 placements)

17. Jyestha- dry, empty, angry and mentally irritated. (These natives claim that jealousy and anger is what fueled them to achieve their goals completely)

18. Jyestha ends STAGE 2 of the nakshatra list, which signifies the height of material power and success. They realize their purpose in this incarnation is to conquer the physical realm. 🤑

19. This desire for power may result in two faiths; one being successful in this lifetime or two, obsessing over someone else's achievements and becoming mentally unstable.

20. When the Jyestha native fails to garner attention or wealth, they fall into delusions of the evil eye where they believe that everyone else is jealous of them.

21. Jyeshta is the epitome of conquest, life being a battlefield instead of being sucked into the collective mass.

22. Jyestha naturally brings an obsession over their own achievements; self-proclaims and talents. (Andrew Tate and Donald trump claiming that they have mastered their realms) .

23. When Jyestha fails to evolve through self-discipline, they try to tear others down being consumed by jealousy and instability.

24. Jyestha (Alakshmi) has an inseparable connection to Rohini nakshatra (Lakshmi), who are sisters. Jyestha being the eldest, lacking juices and containing loneliness, Rohini represents being the youngest, in a state of plumpness.

25. Rohini, which is so internally and energetically abundant and satisfied, is only fixated on union with others. Distracting and teasing others to pour their energy into energetic exchange, is what they truly enjoy. This may be harmful to Jyestha since Rohini will tempt Jyestha to lose energy through interactions and stop the Jyestha native from seperation and self improvement.

If you enjoyed my post/s and want me to discuss CERTAIN topics Ur interested in (suggestions for my next post) feel free to say so! I'm accepting offers to research on for like 5 dollars 🤪❤️

[book--brackets]

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (2012-2016)

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab (2015-2017)

Kell is one of the last Antari--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.Kell was raised in Arnes--Red London--and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski (1992-2013)

For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf. 

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as the Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world -- for good, or for evil. 

As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt's responsibility to protect them all. And the Witcher never accepts defeat. 

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986-2008)

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle.

To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl--and herself--than first meets the eye.

In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle?

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (2000-2020)

As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don’t play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he’s the best at what he does. Technically, he’s the only at what he does. But even though Harry is the only game in town, business—to put it mildly—stinks.

So when the Chicago P.D. bring him in to consult on a double homicide committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name…

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (1911)

Peter Pan, the book based on J. M. Barrie's famous play, is filled with unforgettable characters: Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up; the fairy, Tinker Bell; the evil pirate, Captain Hook; and the three children-Wendy, John, and Michael-who fly off with Peter Pan to Neverland, where they meet Indians and pirates and a crocodile that ticks.

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1966)

One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him. What ensues is a novel of in exhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (2012-present)

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (1995-1997)

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. 

 As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968-2001)

Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world.

This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.

[ianthewife]

im a liar that lies so okay here it is by popular demand of like one and a half people

Ranking the silt verses characters that i find attractive and why (nobody look at me insane addition):

1. Val — every time she talks or does anything at all, all the blood rushes away from my brain and i fall unconscious hitting my head on the way down that’s honestly probably why i am this way. the gruesome mess and utter devastating tragedy of her existence is so hot to me. she can turn me into a chair whenever she wants to. all this to say: Val please please please please just one chance—

2. Mercer — a nasty obsessed honestly insane woman with zero hinges? ummm yes please? the way she says “mine” before a kill is doing some certain things to me but i shan’t say. love when she is cackling wildly going insane and murdering people. which means always. mercer call me back

3. Sibling Rane — always smiling when i think of them, their laughter has saved my life. cultist of the month the year the life and my heart. fuck it, ill convert to the Trawler-man bullshit even, im down. we are having a spring outdoor wedding with shrimp cocktail bar and everyone is invited. the ceremony will be wonderful and if they want to drown some people during it well whatever my beautiful spouse says

4. Carpenter — no explanation needed i think. she is everything to me on every single level, my love for her is vast and endless and soaring high in the sky. she has never and i say NEVER done anything that i would think is unattractive. i will forever and ever hold her in my heart. also DAMN her voice-

5. The Saint Electric — id fuck her. straight up. please don’t ask me why she is so high on the list

6. Hayward — when he is extremely pathetic or extremely goofy. he makes me laugh that’s all i need from a fictional man. also that one occasion in the end of s1 when he was screaming wildly i think that’s was hot i mean who said that-

7. Paige — putting fucking hayward over paige feels like blasphemy but i can’t help the way i feel. Fighting against doom is so hot. Yes baby quit your marketing job to birth a god. Can i run away with you? Also when she is angry and determined and her voice is sharp with frustration and- well you get it

8. Faulkner — when he is being insane or using that ridiculous goofy ass evil cult leader voice. i said what i said.

9. Shrue — when they are in the middle of a mental breakdown or beating the shit out of Carson. i love how they sound when they are distressed and at the end of their fucking rope<3

10. Cross — yep. you heard me. i won’t even apologize or deny this. baby, are you perchance looking for a 4th ex-wife? tbh would love to ruin this man even further. he is 1. hilarious (big time) 2. pathetic (BIG time) and that’s all i need to like a fictional man

11. Charity — idk i think we could have fun, she’d chase me through the woods and then… well, i digress

12. Carson — now NOW everyone STEP BACK and put your rifles down let me explain— this poisonous slug of a man is the most disgusting, sinister, sleazy, inhuman, heartless, cruel, reprehensible thing i have ever witnessed. i want to garrote the living shit out of him and smash his head through a concrete wall. and maybe in this unrepentant desire for violence against this man there is something slightly sexually charged?.. i… honestly don’t know and i will not examine it. also he talks as if he is constantly whimsically kicking his feet which makes me want to kill both him and myself.

[aspoonofsugar]

The Devil's Cake

I have just finished One Piece's Whole Cake Island Arc, I loved it and I wanna analyze its major themes and ideas. Still, keep in mind I have only read this one arc of the series, so I won't be able to connect what happens in this storyline with everything else going on. In any case, here come my thoughts!

As @hamliet highlights in her meta, One Piece is a story, which follows the Fool's Journey:

What is the Fool’s Journey? It’s the “Major Arcana” of the tarot deck, consisting of 22 cards that follow a particular order and tell a story that is supposed to represent a journey through life. (from hamliet's meta)

In particular, the Whole Cake Island Arc alludes to the 15th card, the Devil:

The Devil is not an evil, sinister figure residing outside of us. He is the knot of ignorance and hopelessness lodged within each of us at some level. The seductive attractions of the material bind us so compellingly that we often do not even realize our slavery to them. We live in a limited range of experience, unaware of the glorious world that is our true heritage. The couple on Card 15 are chained, but acquiescent. They could so easily free themselves, but they do not even apprehend their bondage. They look like the Lovers, but are unaware that their love is circumscribed within a narrow range. The price of this ignorance is an inner core of despair. (Meaning of the Devil from learntarot.com)

In other words:

The Devil represents ignorance, raw uncontrolled instincts and slavery to the material world. All of these ideas are explored in the arc. In particular, they are embodied by Big Mom.

The card has three characters on it. The Devil itself (usually an ermaphrodite) and the chained lovers (usually a man and a woman). Similarly, the Whole Cake Island Arc's premise is that Big Mom (the devil) forces Sanji and Pudding (the lovers) into a wedding against their will. Moreover, the arc has masculinity and femininity as secondary themes.

Let's go deeper.

BIG MOM, THE DEVIL

Big Mom is the Devil, as her introductory song Bloody Party makes clear:

Let's all eat a tasty cake! It's the sweetest deal to make! The tea party from hell! Is it strawberry jam? (Or someone's blood?) Either one is fine! If you're invited, you have to come! A demonic sacrifice for our sweet pastime! This is... our beloved... land of dreams! A country where all peoples come together! It's... Totto Land!

She tricks people with the sweetest of deals, but eventually traps and consumes them. This is shown both when it comes to Sanji's plotline and to the way she manages her kingdom:

She makes Sanji and his family believe she is gonna give them what they want. She is letting the Straw Hats leave. She is supporting Germa 66 in their quest to get their land back. However, it is soon revealed she has no intention of keeping either promise.

She offers her subjects peace and acceptance and welcomes them into a land of dreams. After all, Totto Land is gorgeous: it has many races living happily together, it is made of sweets and it is so full of life even inanimate things get a soul! Isn't Big Mom kind of like a God, who grants life? Except she isn't really giving life to objects, but rather she is objectifying life:

The condition to stay in Totto Land is for people to give up their life-span. As a matter of fact Big Mom's Soul Soul Fruit lets her steal souls, which is precisely what the Devil does. Not only that, but she masks her Hell as Heaven and baits people with sweetness, which is why her territory has a food motif. She seems nice, until you realize you can't really leave her:

If you stay, you have to give up a part of your life. If you wanna leave, you have to die. There is no way out. At least until one realizes what's really keeping people prisoners of Big Mom is their own minds. Just like the lovers in the card could easily free themselves, leaving Big Mom isn't impossible:

All you have to do is not to fear the Devil and its threats disappear. Similarly, Big Mom is a big fat lie herself: her dream, her country, her family and her power are all fake.

SANJI AND PUDDING, THE CHAINED LOVERS

Sanji and Pudding are the chained lovers:

Greedy Mama's false plot was both devious and smart! Matching fairy tale prince and princess fair, in a sham that was meant to keep them apart.

In particular, they are forced to play Prince and Princess in two different ways.

On the one hand Sanji and Pudding are chained together against their will in a fake wedding. They are the handsome prince and the beautiful princess getting married on top of a giant cake:

They are not even the protagonists of their own marriage, but merely cake toppings in Big Mom's tea party.

On the other hand Sanji and Pudding are prisoners of their families, which push gender roles on them:

Germa 66 is a patriarchy, which values strength and violence. Its ruler Judge represses his emotions and wants his children to do the same. They must be emotionless killing machines. As a result, Sanji is expected to embody hyper-masculinity and to hide all his feminine traits, like his kindness and even his passion for cooking. After all, he is Germa 66's Prince.

Totto Land is a matriarchy, which values superficial harmony and beauty. Its queen Big Mom gets dangerous when upset and is very emotional. So, everybody has to conform to her wishes. As a result, Pudding is expected to embody hyper-femininity. She must be Big Mom's doll, so she masks her ugliest parts, like her bloodlust (psychological) and her third eye (physical). After all, she is Totto Land's Princess.

So, both Sanji and Pudding are asked to compartmentalize themselves, so they can fit in simplistic boxes for their parents to use. Sanji has to be a super-soldier to win Judge's war, whereas Pudding has to be a seductress to advance Lin Lin's political schemes. They are even both the result of eugenetics. Judge uses a powerful drug to steal his sons' humanity before they are even born. Big Mom instead gets together with a three-eyed, so that she can have a child able to read Poneglyphs.

The two families may seem opposite, but both are abusive and force the kids to repress parts of themselves:

Happiness (Sanji's love for food is symbolically negated by the iron mask).

Sadness (Pudding's tears are symbolically negated by her third eye being covered).

At the same time, Sanji and Pudding's reactions to their abuse are opposite, just like their standings in their families.

Sanji is the scapegoat, as he can't be who Judge wants him to be. He refuses to fit his father's ideal and is punished by the rest of the family because of it. His brothers bully him and his sister is too scared to openly show affection for him. The situation gets so bad he is forced to cut all ties with his family and leave. He is abandoned and cancelled.

Pudding is the golden child, as she is one of Big Mom's favorite kids. She is the perfect good girl and could potentially lead her mother to the One Piece. As a result, she is beloved by her siblings and people. However, she gives up who she is in exchange. She always wears a mask to the point nobody knows the real her. She is trapped and with no autonomy.

The end result for both Prince and Princess is that they have to lie to survive. Sanji hides his origin from his crewmates and in Totto Land he pushes them away to protect them. Pudding instead hides her real self and tricks others to hurt them out of repressed anger. More importantly, Sanji and Pudding are deep down tricking themselves:

They tell themselves they are happy as prisoners, but that’s false. Eventually the truth comes to the surface:

Pudding finds out the Straw Hats know Lola. This has her remember something painful, which leads her to vent some of her frustration. This is why she reveals her true colors to both Reiju and the Straw Hats. This lets Sanji and the others discover Big Mom's true plan.

Sanji finds out Pudding hates him and Reiju loves him. He also realizes his family is in danger. In the face of these terrible revelations he stops lying to himself. He runs to where Luffy is and expresses his real feelings:

Just like the lovers on the card, Sanji and Pudding are trapped because of their ignorance, both of the world around them (Sanji) and of who they are inside (Pudding). In general, the whole arc is full of lies in its first act and things only get better once the lovers start unraveling the truth. Still, there is also someone else who helps in this process. A Fool, who is able to draw out people's most genuine selves.

LUFFY'S JOURNEY

Luffy is the Fool, so the protagonist of the journey. He is the individual with infinite potential, who goes through an adventure to grow up and self-actualize. So, the Whole Cake Island arc ties into his development, as he both matures and proves himself different from Big Mom. As a matter of fact our Fool is the opposite of the Devil Queen on multiple levels.

First of all, the two captains' attitudes towards a crew memeber quitting don't match. Big Mom won't let Jinbe leave her, whereas Luffy is ok with Sanji getting married, if this makes him happy.

As the arc goes on, it becomes obvious Big Mom embodies peace and conformity, while Luffy represents freedom and individuality:

Big Mom wants a place where everyone can eat while at the same eye-level. However, she wants to fulfill this by making everyone big like her. It is others, who must change, not Big Mom herself. Everyone can live in Totto Land, but only by becoming who Big Mom wants. It is "whole", but "individuals" disappear in this totality.

Luffy likes people's individuality and encourages everyone to follow their dreams, even if he might disagree with them. He wants people to grow into the best and most genuine version of themselves. To do so he is ready to fight and enter conflicts.

This difference is expressed through the main motif of the arc, that is food. Big Mom and Luffy both eat a lot and fast throughout the arc:

However, Big Mom does so out of selfishness, while Luffy does so out of selflessness. In particular, Luffy eats and fasts to discover the truth about others:

He eats Cracker's biscuits to unmask his opponent physically.

He promises to fast until Sanji cooks for him to unmask his friend psychologically.

Finally, Luffy eats to better understand himself and grow. This is the point of his fight with Katakuri. This battle happens in the mirror world and Luffy faces off against a better version of himself. This is indicative that the Straw Hat's captain is really conquering a part of himself, so he can evolve. Moreover, throughout their conflict Luffy both:

Eats Katakuri to dispel his power.

Sees Katakuri eat in a relaxed demeanor.

Luffy and Katakuri draw out the best in each other. Katakuri helps Luffy evolve his observation haki. Luffy helps Katakuri accept his real self. By the end of their battle, they both can see better:

Luffy has now a metaphorical better vision of himself and of the kind of future he wants to create (observation haki)

Katakuri can now show his most instinctive and weird part to others (his laughing and eating mouth)

Finally, Luffy proves that the important thing isn't to never touch the ground (not to lose):

But rather, it is to always get back up (to change for the better):

This is something Katakuri himself acknowledges by the end, as he decides not to fall face-down, but rather to have his back touch the ground. Symbolically, he is accepting his imperfection. Just like Luffy does.

This is something Big Mom can't do, as she is an adult stuck into the mentality of a child. She is a person who could never face herself.

A RISKY CAKE

LinLin is the Devil, not only because she lies to others, but also because she herself is trapped in several lies:

She is lied by her parents when they leave her on Carmel's island

She is lied by Carmel about her parents' abandonment when she is welcomed at the orphanage

Finally, Carmel's whole personality is a lie:

Carmel presents herself as a "holy mother", but she is neither "holy", nor a "mother":

Her miracles come from the Soul Soul Fruit's power and her desire of peace is a scam to gain the trust of the giants

Her motherly side is a facade she uses to mold children into soldiers for the World Government

So, Carmel isn't as sweet as her name may imply. She is a fake nun, so she fittingly gives birth to the Devil herself. As a matter of fact LinLin's life is spent in an attempt to emulate Carmel:

She tries to fulfill Carmel's dream of a peaceful world, where everyone is equal

She makes sure to have a big family, so that she can replace the Sheep's House

She calls all her children after food, just like Carmel was named after a dessert

Carmel's dream and family are lies, but they end up defining the Pirate Queen's existence. Even LinLin's anger towards who leaves is a projection of her own abandonment as a child. In her mind, she was left behind twice, so she can't bear for it to happen a third time. The result of this mix of lies and delusions is none other than Big Mom.

She is a child, who never had a mother, so she is now a mother, who isn't a real parent. She is a person who received a lie instead of love, so now she gives fake love.

Big Mom's inability to truly love is shown once again in the motif of food. Let's compare these two scenes:

On the one hand Luffy savors Sanji's bento. The food is soaked with water and covered in dirt, but he still appreciates it. He realizes his cook made everyone's favorite food, so the bento becomes symbolic of Sanji's love for the Straw Hats. It might be ruined, but its material appearance does not change its spiritual meaning. Luffy can see it, so he can enjoy the meal. It is as if by eating it, he is celebrating all his crew members by showing he loves them as wholes, both qualities and flaws. Just like he can forgive Sanji's lies and behavior.

On the other hand Big Mom devours Sanji's cake. Big Mom opens the arc by wishing to eat the wedding cake and she ends it by eating it. The cake is perfect, even better than her wildest dreams. However, Big Mom can't understand the cake is so tasty because Sanji put love in it:

That is because Big Mom herself doesn't understand true love. And maybe she doesn't even want to understand it:

It's sweet, it's milky (Milky) It's very rich and… (Very rich and…) Risky!!

The flavor of the cake is "risky" because love itself can be risky and complicated. To love someone means to let them free. Like Luffy does with his comrades. Like Pudding does with Lola and Sanji. However, Big Mom will never do it because she only enters relationships, where she risks nothing and the other party risks it all. This unbalance is the root of every bond she forges.

This is the meaning behind Bad End Musical. This song is the perfect conclusion for Big Mom's character in the Whole Cake Island arc.

First of all it is a "bad end", but it is a lie. Throughout the song it seems the Strawhats' boat is destroyed, but it is just a ruse and they successfully escape. It is a delusion. A sweet lie Big Mom's army enjoys for a brief instant before they are faced with the hard truth. They lost.

Secondly, it conveys beautifully what "love" and "lies" mean for Big Mom:

1)Love - Throughout the song, Big Mom eating the cake is cruelly juxtaposed to the Straw Hats being attacked repeatedly. As a result, it appears as if Big Mom is eating Luffy and his friends, rather than the cake. This is a metaphor of how Big Mom "loves" others. She eats them. Just like she ate Carmel and the other orphans. She wants to love the world, but she doesn't know how. As a result, she tries to assimilate it in her stomach, so that it becomes a part of her. Still, this isn't real love, it is just consumption. This is why Big Mom is destined to forever be hungry.

2)Lies - At one point, Big Mom is on the verge of having a revelation:

She confusedly realizes that the cake tastes the same as the one her family gave her in the happiest day of her life. That is the taste of true love. Still, this intuition does not lead to any deeper self-reflection. As a matter of fact, to do so, LinLin should admit what she did, while blinded by hunger. And she can't. She can never know she killed her loved ones. Just like she can never aknowledge the destruction she brings, while affected by her hunger pangs. Instead of this painful reality, she chooses a happy illusion:

That's why the musical ends with the juxtaposition of the ideal world LinLin dreams of creating with the cruel reality she in fact made:

A deal with the devil Makes Totto Land Serene Here we're all a family Thanks to our loving queen Big Mom!

This reality is the result of a pact with the Devil. A pact with ignorance, which does not let people mature. Big Mom is still a kid deep down and her children can never develop their own individuality, as they are stuck in their mother's shadow forever. Everyone is trapped and unable to evolve. The Queen who dreams of a Kingdom of giants ironically prevents her subjects from growing.

END ROLLS - COOKING AND EATING

The final chapter of the Whole Cake Island Arc is called End Roll, which fits Big Mom's musical motif. After the big finale, the curtains close, with a last song playing. The song is Soul Pocus, which once again highlights Big Mom's satanic symbolism:

Soul Pocus, Soul Pocus, Such self-centered words. When tempted by the scent, of that sweet cake slice. The first step is to ask about, the nature of its price. For this is not the good kind of surprise. Will you suffer her trick or hand over your treats? Sweets can be so very bad for the soul. Soul Pocus, our Mama so material. Will it be years off your life? Or your life itself? Soul Pocus, the song of our Queen. (Life or dead?)

At the same time, the chapter itself juxtaposes Big Mom with our true lovers.

1)Big Mom stays a prisoner of her own delusions. She sees herself as a kind and loving queen, but is really an abusive monster. Pudding is instead able to finally face herself.

When we meet her, Pudding is on the verge of turning out like her mother:

She is a manipulator, just like Big Mom. Her mother manipulates souls (hearts), whereas Pudding manipulates memories (minds).

She lies to herself to the point she has divided her whole personality into two distinctive sides. A kind and cute persona and a cruel and rude hidden self.

So, Pudding is the Devil's apprentice. She is on the path of becoming a liar, who lives in a lie. However, thanks to Sanji, she defies this destiny. She shows her real self, who is neither her good girl act nor her villainess mask. Rather she is a lonely girl, who loves deeply, but believes che can't be loved. Not only that, but her final act is to use her power to have Sanji forget their one kiss. She lies to him, but she does so to let him be free.

Ironically, she starts the arc by telling the Straw Hats that if she were to seriously fall in love with Sanji, she could never let him go. However, by the end she reveals herself to be even more selfless than her "good persona". She finds the strength to admit her love for Sanji (the kiss), but she also realizes he needs to be free (the erased memory). And yet, the fact she is finally facing her true emotions is her first step into adulthood and self-actualization. Pudding is not goinG to be stuck as a child, like Big Mom. Rather she is blooming into a beautiful woman.

2) Big Mom and Sanji are opposite. She eats (takes life) out of gluttony. He cooks (gives life) to dispel hunger. At the same time, they are also far more similar than one might initially think.

For example, both of them are abandoned and risk to die of starvation. Still, they both get adopted by a foster parent. However:

Carmel is a fake mother, who never truly educates LinLin nor teaches her how to control her instincts. As a result, she is eventually devoured alive and symbolically becomes LinLin's Devil Fruit herself (after all, LinLin gets the Soul Soul Fruit through consuming Carmel).

Zeff is a real father, who both takes care of Sanji and educates him. He eats his own leg, so that Sanji can survive. He teaches his son to never hurt a woman, so that he can become a true man. He is Sanji's father and his mentor, the one who made Sanji the exceptional cook he is today.

In other words, LinLin is both an unloved child and an unloving mother. Sanji and Zeff are instead a loving son and a loving father. This is why their bond is really at the heart of the whole arc. Zeff might not appear, but his presence is strongly felt:

The threat to kill Zeff is the reason why Sanji steps into Big Mom's territory to begin with.

Zeff's teachings are the reason why Sanji chooses to save his family, despite the pain they gave him. He wants to be a son Zeff can be proud of.

Finally, Zeff closes the arc together with Sanji, as they both serve food to hungry people. Both friends and foes. After all, everyone deserves to eat, everyone deserves to live, everyone deserves to be loved. Even the Devil herself:

[windbelle]

Perhaps Astarion looks like Cazador's friend

I have seen a lot of people headcanon Astarion looks like Cazador's former master Vellioth, which does make a lot of sense. However, I've always had another headcanon:

Perhaps Astarion looks like that friend of Cazador who was drained and killed by Vellioth.

Here are my thoughts:

In the 5e DnD Monster Manual, vampires have the nature of Dark Desire, and it says "Whether or not a vampire retains any memories from its former life, its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns into hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave, so that a vampire seeking love might fixate on a young beauty. A child might become an object of fascination for a vampire obsessed with youth and potential. Others surround themselves with art, books, or sinister items such as torture devices or trophies from creatures they have killed."

And it seems evil aligned creatures in lore always see friendship as vulnerability and weakness. Vellioth punished Cazador for his connection to his friend by draining this friend to death, and taught Cazador to never let anyone be his equal. This friend must be really special to Cazador to lead to Vellioth doing this.

We know that Cazador is a pretty good student for Vellioth's lessons. He learned the lesson and killed Vellioth. And he's begun to see the friendship he once possessed as his vulnerability and weakness. He probably hated being punished by Vellioth for his vulnerability and he wanted to vanquish his weakness by torturing someone who could serve as a symbol of his vulnerability, someone who looks like his friend.

He might still have some special emotion, even some kind of love, towards his dead friend but his dark desire has turned his emotion into hungry obsession. So, when he saw Astarion, who looked a lot like his friend, Cazador couldn't help being attracted to Astarion but also he wanted just to possess him, belittle him, and torture him.

That explains why Cazador has this special favoritism towards Astarion in terms of torture and punishment. In fact, I somehow believe that Cazador chose all his spawns because he had some affection towards them all. But his feelings are totally twisted so that he would torture them and use them, while insisting they are a family.

I don't know whether it's true that Cazador sent the Gur to attack Astarion, but I think he did savor the moment when he turned Astarion because he now had the power to "save" him from death, and to turn him into his own possession.

His torture is not merely some sadistic hobby but quite calculated and cold according to his journal. It's only when Astarion got away that he showed emotion. It seems like he was subconsciously training Astarion as a potential successor, just like Vellioth taught him and trained him to be the vampire master of the Szarr family.

This reminds me of the 5e DND module "Curse of Strahd". In "Curse of Strahd" if you role play as Strahd, he has an objective to find a successor, because he thinks if he can find a successor to replace him then he can get rid of the eternal curse and get his freedom.

After you defeat Cazador without Astarion you can detect his thoughts, and you will find that he also thinks he is forever trapped in this immortal curse. He cannot rest and he's in grief. He wants to break the curse, and that's why he sought the profane ritual so that he could gain the ability to finally "live" like a mortal.

But apart from becoming the vampire ascendant, there's another way of terminating his grief to finally put him to rest, that is, to be destroyed and replaced by a successor.

In some way, he was subconsciously expecting Astarion to succeed him and replace him. I think his former master, Vellioth, knew it even more clearly that he would be replaced by Cazador somehow, and Vellioth was training him to do that by intention. Cazador was doing this similarly but more unconsciously. In his subconsciousness, either he would consume Astarion at last, or Astarion would end him and replace him.

Finally, and this is purely headcanon: according to Astarion's age, he was probably born after Cazador's friend was killed. If this friend was also an elf, then when Cazador saw Astarion, for a moment he might think Astarion could be his friend's reincarnation.

[astrolovecosmos]

Aries Haunted House: Devils, hellish landscapes, fast-paced, flames and/or explosions, maybe dragons and slashers, loud and vivid, jump scares galore, made for thrill-seekers and the brave.

Taurus Haunted House: Luxurious hotel or place gone haunted, creepy woods, ancient or earthly monsters and powers, themes around materialism, vanity, lust, and gluttony may exist, pretty, comforting, and attractive enemies, be enticed and disturbed.

Gemini Haunted House: Mazes, mirrors, twins, doublegangers, tricks and pranks, fae-inspired horror, getting lost, haunted libraries or schools, dark vs. light, angel vs. demon, good vs. evil themes, a wild ride.

Cancer Haunted House: Ghostly ships, mansions, lighthouses, specters, chains, doors, winding corridors, family or romantic horrors, vengeful spirits, moonlight, curses, a haunting atmosphere.

Leo Haunted House: Otherworldly theater, haunted palaces or castles, fires, radiation, urgency, dark knights or anti-heroes, massive monsters, gold, crooked royalty, temptation or seduction, blood pumping, filled with warnings and feelings of DANGER, opulent, has appealing mystery or overpowering suspense.

Virgo Haunted House: Haunted hospitals, mad scientists and their labs, possibly gore or filled with body horror, themes of innocence vs. corruption, detailed and drawn out, curious yet upsetting, watch out for cobwebs and surprises from the floors and walls, sights you can't forget.

Libra Haunted House: Unexpected creepiness, whispers and strange voices, haunting melodies, whimsical or romantic settings, beautiful, delicate, and horrifying all in one, masks or many faces, shapeshifting, calming or attractive and then it bites you, deception with lighting, a little flirty, a little playful, a little smart, and a little dreadful.

Scorpio Haunted House: Psychological horror, all about the environment, suspense master, creepy crawlies, you don't even want to enter, howling, power plays, thrills, blood and bone, possibly vampires, the occult, stalking and obsessions, very observant and opportunistic monsters or actors, will push you to the edge.

Sagittarius Haunted House: Circus or amusement park themes, twisted games, traps, feeling trapped, frenzies, unexpected beasts and monsters, bad luck, hope vs. despair themes, lots of storytelling, maybe a little humor or teasing, glowing and dimming, shaking of things, loud bangs, feel like you are being hunted, unbelievable events or ending.

Capricorn Haunted House: Very cold or very hot, likely to make a moral statement, may have themes of torture or punishment, dark, intimidating, insanity, chains, sinister vibes, horns, goats or goat heads, may have an historical inspiration, feelings of disempowerment or being controlled, underground, skulls and skeletons, greed and selfishness themes, cruel and relentless.

Aquarius Haunted House: Spooky and fantastic, space or scifi themes, plays off fears of the unknown, will go to the extremes and/or unusual, may be innovative and trendy, could mess with group dynamics and/or separation, cults or secret organizations, odd monsters, you won't believe your eyes.

Pisces Haunted House: Isolation or imprisonment themes, feel like you are being watched, looming shadow in the corner or under your bed, feel upside down or dizzy, haunted lakes and pools, sirens (both the noise and creature), the undead, graves, sacred or cursed places, sea monster, ill fate or dangerous destiny, con artists characters, this house/experience sticks with you.

[furiousfinnstan]

The thing is villain x heroine IS interesting at it can be done well(honestly bad tropes are rare imo the execution is what makes or breaks them)but the way heterosexuals are going about it is all wrong.they keep skipping to the good part so to speak,you need right amount of time to build up the romance AND more importantly you need the heroine to be able to match his evilness,but they can never do that.

genuinely so tired of running into this trope just to see yet another scaryevilhypermasculineguy going after a super dainty small girlie who couldn't hurt a fly and it's like what are u doing??making gender roles 2.0??what is this?why do you want to protect her imagined innocence so bad,if she truly wants him the heroine can't be that good of a person.I get that "opposites attract"is a super common trope but I find it really nonsensical in hetero writing because it's always taken to such an extreme.so if u sit down for a second and really think about the relationship there is no way the characters in question would ever be into each other...

and when it comes to the osha/qimir ship yeah the chemistry is there-but it's mostly because the actors have strong chemistry not because the writing set it up well.ever since the last episode and the interview where the creator confirms the r*ylo inspiration dropped all I could think about is "man,osha is too independent for this shit".

Like that's one of her main characteristics/flaws that's why she couldn't handle the coven setting and honestly I bet it's partially why she left the jedi.she REALLY wants to be her own person but qimir REALLY craves codependency/strong loyalty which is way more of a mae's thing than osha's.but that would require an audience willing to empathize with a female characters that isn't """perfect""" and all of this is not touching how qimir seems so interesting/sinister and beyond whatever silly projection fans have of him idk idk idk we will see how this goes I guess 🫠

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket: Round 2A

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are pushed together and are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence.

Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1620 witch trials, The Mercies is a feminist story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization.

Setting: Norway, 1617–1620

Historical fiction, early 1600s, adult

A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander

Endorsement from submitter #1: "Trans love story. Christopher needs to get a wife to inherit his title, manor, etc. So he must go to London for the season. Which means he needs to hire a valet. Romance ensues."

Endorsement from submitter #2: "Trans historical romance with different titles in US and UK. Lord Christopher needs a wife, so he needs to go to town for the season, and so he needs a valet. But he does not want or need a valet, who could discover his secret. He hires a handsome valet; hijnks ensue."

The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make” and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live as far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton as possible, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler, Plinkton, than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station.

But Christopher's pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family's fortune and the Eden's End estate. Christopher cannot imagine a worse fate: as he isn't attracted to women, his chances of making a wife happy are slim. Furthermore, if his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff.

Enter James Harding, Christopher's new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship amid the throes of the London Season . . . a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping.

With its heady combination of dry wit, slow-burn romance, and a nuanced, complex portrait of trans identity and relationships that’s as relevant now as it was during the Regency era, A Gentleman's Gentleman stands to transform the historical romance genre as we know it.

Setting: Regency England

Historical fiction, romance, Regency, adult

[the-crooked-library]

Hello! I just read you amazing Nosferatu analysis on Agency and Victimhood, and I was just wondering what you think about Ellen's role in Anna Harding and her daughters deaths?

After she and Anna is snuggled up together, she gets up, opens the window (invites) Orlok into the Harding household, tying into one of the Harding girl's line at the start of the film "Don't let her feed us to the monster"

I see that on a meta level their death, as a conventionally perfect family by the standards of the same society that repress her, as a form of revenge. But in story I don't see why she just served Anna and her children on a platter for Orlok when they have shown her nothing but kindness, even if they can't understand her, and she is clearly upset when Orlok says he'll kill those she loves unless she comes to him. Also why did she let him in, putting them in certain danger, only to refuse him anyway?

I don't understand Ellen's motivations here. Sorry about my english!

hi! That is a wonderful question, and don't worry about the English. Yours is great, and it's not my first language, either!

One of my favourite aspects of Nosferatu is that Ellen's motivations are complex; there are multiple layers to everything she does, both in the plain-text and metaphorical sense. In this case, we are looking at a particularly interesting situation, rooted in desire, shame, public perception, and lifelong internal struggle - so I'll try to go over all of it as systematically as I can.

Ellen lets Orlok into the house

The plain-text reason for this is that she cannot resist him any more than he can resist her. They mutually fascinate and hypnotize each other; she is drawn to that window, as if possessed, and he cannot refuse her call or her blood. That connection between them is the primary motivation for their actions (hence the romance bit of the gothic horror romance).

The metaphorical reason is that she cannot resist herself. Orlok is representative of Ellen's repressed desires - and it is no accident that he manifests directly after she cuddles up with Anna. Ellen's queerness, while implicit, is classically gothic (for a similar dynamic, see Jane Eyre, chapter 9 - in which Jane shares a bed with her dying friend Helen). In fact, it is evident enough that even Friedrich is aware of it!.. Throughout the film, he's jealous of Ellen's connection to his wife, he sees her as a threat to his own status as Anna's husband, his masculinity, his family - which actually brings us to the next point.

Orlok destroys the Hardings

Plain-text reason for this is that Orlok's relationship with Ellen is rooted in what is, essentially, a fairytale dynamic. He follows the same motivations and plot beats as a folk depiction of the Devil, or Koschei the Deathless, or any other sinister figure that adheres to a rigid set of rules. In denying him here, Ellen has broken the covenant they agreed upon before; and in the world of fairytales, that sort of thing comes with Consequences - which Orlok immediately delivers (in classic fairytale fashion, escalating over the course of three nights).

At the same time, metaphorically - despite knowing that she has done nothing wrong in "following [her] own nature," Ellen still feels crushing guilt and shame about her abnormalities - simply as a result of living in the world that raised her. It sees expressions of queer love/attraction as something deviant, evil, and undesirable; thus, Ellen - a sexually dominant queer woman - sees herself as an aggressor (even after an interaction as innocent as the one she shares with Anna) and as a direct threat to Anna's well-being. Even if Anna was to reciprocate her affections, it would've jeopardized her social and financial security, torn her children away from her (for a similar situation, see Anna Karenina - after leaving her husband for her lover Vronsky, Anna is categorically denied all access to her son), and effectively destroyed her life - figuratively, killing her. Orlok manifests these fears physically, the same as he does all the others. I've got another post diving into this topic here.

Intention

Plain-text: I don't think that Ellen intended anything more than a confrontation. This is her Vegas husband suddenly in town, arguing that the Elvis impersonator was, in fact, ordained, and their marriage is legally binding, and her current guy signed the divorce papers already anyway, and also come on, please, honey, I know there's still something between us, I know you feel it too - you get the drift. For a similar, if more comedic, situation, I'd recommend Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. My point being, regardless of whatever danger Orlok presents to literally anyone else, Ellen knows him, and she isn't scared of him! She even appears to be shocked by his threat toward Thomas and the others, as if she didn't expect him to actually do anything after she insulted and denied him. Her fear, throughout the film, is largely rooted in the incompatibility of him (and herself) with the world she had been taught to see as Right and Moral. If she is to follow her nature, she has to let go of her society entirely. Even Von Franz, who is an educated, socially well-established man, is forced from his academic position into a dingy flat (in a less-than-proper part of town) once he expresses an interest in the occult; Ellen, who is an uneducated woman, wholly dependent on her husband's benevolence for her continued survival, is risking a far more precarious situation. There would be no possibility of straddling both worlds, so to speak; her choice has to be final, and that is why she is so afraid. Torn between what she wants and what she must, she genuinely overlooks everything else. The conflict is between her and Orlok; so it doesn't occur to her that others might end up getting caught in the crossfire, even after everything that's happened to Thomas.

Metaphorically - this is two-fold. Firstly, by allowing Orlok (thus, her true nature) into the home, Ellen invites the destruction of the Nuclear Family (here represented by the Hardings - rich husband, pretty blonde wife, 2.5 kids); as previously addressed, this narrative is directly tied to her queerness and her incompatibility with polite society. Secondly, this storyline emphasizes that no matter how afraid she might be, she cannot escape from herself, and neither can the people around her. Orlok is directly representative of the way Ellen views herself - a monster demanding to be acknowledged, respected, and loved.

Overall, this is an absolutely fascinating sequence. There are so many layers, so many narrative lines all happening in tandem - I can only hope I've done some of them a modicum of justice.

TL;DR - in a plain-text sense, Ellen allows Orlok into the Hardings' home because they share a well-established familiarity, and as such, she didn't think that the Hardings would become collateral damage to their confrontation; in a metaphorical sense, her invitation and his subsequent destruction of the picture-perfect family is the manifestation of her inability to fit into the society around her, as well as the fear and shame she feels as a result (in particular, in regards to her queerness).

[gritsandbrits]

The Impostor (Chase Young Selfship)

During a tryst with Chase, my self insert notices something odd about him. Did he really have a makeover as he claims or is there something else sinister brewing behind the scenes? Chase Young x OC/Self Insert. Contains a LOT of Chronicles bashing and creepy behavior. You have been warned.

Moonlight fell upon the temple roofs, a gentle breeze making the trees sway softly as a lullaby. The monks had retired for the evening, all except one. Being a part of faculty she had her own cottage away from the main quarters so she didnt have to worry about disturbing the students. Despite this, she was very careful not to make too much noise, which wasn't easy when she couldn't barely contain her excitement.

Miss Nia sat on her vanity finishing her hairstyle. She had on a deep purple quipao dress with a golden dragon on the skirt. Her face and bare arms shimmered with homemade glitter lotion make her skin glow like polished bronze. She was getting ready to meet a certain someone for their weekly tryst in the forest. They had only started dating a few weeks ago, and had agreed to meet in the forest every week. She even put on her favorite perfume. He said he had liked it after they had faced each other in a showdown.

Nia giggled. To think it was possible to date someone on the opposite side of good, especially someone as infamous as Chase Young.

When they first met they were purely enemies. He'd say something to get under her skin and she responded in kind. She took great pleasure in referring to him as a geezer on magic steroids. In time it became very clear that the differences in morality wasn't immune to the natural instinct of human attraction.

The immortal villain was intrigued by the woman, her quiet strength brimming with a fire that refused to be extinguished. It culminated with Chase capturing her along with Omi to make her his dark bride, this was when he and wuya had very briefly taken over the world, but a soccer game managed to win their freedom.

Since then, and more encounters after that, it became obvious to everyone on both sides that the two had a thing for each other.

Like, liked liked each other.

The flirty looks they'd shoot each other before during and after a scuffle. The time when chase got injured and he let her touch him so she coulf tend to his wounds. The inside jokes about Tai Chi.

There was more than enough proof there being something more than frenemies.

As much as Chase and Nia tried to deny it, eventually they decided that it was better to act on those feelings now then wait until things get too out of hand. So they decided to meet in secret, away from prying eyes and a jealous duo, on the condition that neither bring weapons or shen gong wu. No evil business or attempts to sway him to the light side. Where there was no heylin or xiaolin. Just two adults doing what normal people their age did when they had time to spare.

Once she figured out a style that she felt looked the best (a twist out) she grabbed her phone, a ratty blanket, and headed out of the cottage. She looked around for a moment ttaking sure no one was up before walking into the forest. She had her phone to check the time. She didn't want to wake up to an unwanted search party. A good ten minutes later she made it to the pond she dubbed "swan lake." It was a gorgeous body of water teeming with lotus and waterlilies, the water sparkling under the moon like stained glass in a church. A wooden bridge arched over the water decorated with vines. According to xiaolin legend, it was created by a pair of previous Dragons of Water and Nature as a declaration of their love.

Nia spread the blanket on the grass and waited for her darkhaired lover. It was only the lullaby of the trees and lake that kept her company. She checked the time on her phone and frowned. Usually he would be here popping up beside her or levitating from a perch above. He may be an evil warlord but he was also punctual.

Time passed and after a bout of Dessert Break, Nia was starting to feel frustrated. No way he could've forgotten about their date. "Or  maybe he's too caught up in evil busines," the Xiaolin mistress muttered to herself. For a second she was afraid that he might have ghosted her. Love had no place in the Heylin. Perhaps Chase decided a few weeks of entertaining her fantasies was enough to get it out of his system. He could have at least sent one of his big cats to tell her the news.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard something rustling in the background. Years of training instilled an immediate response to noise. She jumped into a boxing stance. "Chase is that you?"

Suddenly she heard a deep rumbling noise, as if somebody was laughing at her. She wrinkled her nose her frustration glowing. "If your doing this to scare me Chase then you could've brought Wuya without her makeup," she groused. Again the laughter got louder as if getting a sick amusement from seeing her upset.

"Im warning you you'll be wishing you never eaten that godawful soup when I'm done with you," Nia snapped.

"My dear you look so much lovelier when you're... all worked up." Said a deep voice that sounded nothing like the one Chase had.

"Who are you?" Nia asked.

As soon as she spoke a figure stepped out from the shadows. She gasped when she saw who it was.

"Ch-Chase?"

Chase Young, the Heylin Prince of Darkness and her bedtime buddy, stood in full view smiling wickedly at her.

She was like a present on a holiday, catered just for him. And the choice of dress wasn't too bad either. Fit for a Heylin Bride. He licked his lips but forced himself to contain his urges. He didn't want to frighten away his pawn.

Nia stared at Chase, her mouth agape until she took her hand and closed her jaw. "You look different," she stammered as he slithered towards her. Once he got close enough she reached out to trail her fingers down his face. His jawline was slender as if he has gotten plastic surgery from someone who based their knowledge on youtube makeup tutorials.

"I thought... it was time to give myself a makeover, for the new year of course," the draconian warrior purred as he nestled his face into her hands. His tongue peaked out to lick at the tips of her fingers. Nia drew back suddenly. Chase would kiss the back of her hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Im sorry it's just, your new look is gonna take me some time to get used to," she said, leading him to sit down with her on the blanket. He sat down next to her laying back with one arm propping his face. Thanks to the light she got a clear look at him. His armor looked the same except the gold lining were thinner.

"You have nothing to worry about my dear," said Chase as he wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her close. He buried his face into her neck getting a good whiff of her perfume. Jasmine. He poked his tongue out again to lick at her pulse point. Nia shuddered. Chase continued ravishing her neck with kisses, growling at the slight hitches she would make. Nia clung to his shoulder pads. "Since..hah...since when did you get so, bold-ah!"

"Let's just say you are absolutely ravishing tonight my darkeyed beauty," Chase mumbled into her skin. As he continued his feast, Nia couldn't shake of her lingering sense of dread. Maybe he had changed his looks with magic but that still didn't ease her mind. Him getting right into making out wasn't like him, most nights she had to work for it by fighting him in a duel. Or maybe his dragon side was in heat. Still she couldn't really enjoy his kisses as much as she usually does.

When she had enough she asked him to let go, but he refused. His kisses only increased with greater passion. She pawed at his armor notso gently

"Okay stop-hah~" she choked on her sentence as she felt his teeth nipped the area between her neck and shoulder blade. God how was she going to explain this to her kids tomorrow?

"Mhmm, delicious." The green male pulled her closer until her breasts were completely smushed into the metal plating of his chest. He even snaked a hand down her back and pinched her butt!

Nia jumped. "Okay that's enough!" Her shout cutting through the quiet of the forest. Her lover drew back, His amber eyes burning with lust, mouth shimmering faintly from being buried in her neck.

"Oooh somebody is getting feisty," he moaned as he licked traces of body glimmer from his lips. "I can smell your desire for me."

"Can you give a girl a little warning next time?" Nia asked, feebly trying to play off her discomfort with a laugh. Chase started laughibg his deep voice echoing through the forest and sending chills done her spine. Not the good kind of chill but one that made the pit in her stomach worse.

"Forgive me for being so...rough my dear but i could not help but be entranced by your bewitching scent," said the Heylin warrior. He leered over her as if eager for seconds. She leaned away from him. Either she was tripping or did he change more than his looks?

"I think its getting late," she spoke up suddenly. For a second thought she saw a look of disgust on his face before settling into an arrogant grin.

"And why? I've just got here," said the heylin prince.

"I have to get back to the temple, i need to get some sleep or i might fall asleep in the middle of teaching," she said. She adjusted the neckline of her dress before gathering her things. "Besides I don't know if youre in heat and I dont know if we take it too far you might lose control-"

"Darling Im always in control."

Nia fixed him a look before nodding. Maybe this was the real chase and she was just being paranoid. "It was nice being with you again."

Chase leaned back against a tree. "It was good getting a real taste of you. Perhaps next time we can have a full banquet." He licked his lips at the thought of devouring her like a real man should. The Xiaolin teacher blushed at his words and scamper back towards the complex.

As Chase watched her go he began cackling to himself. "Oh yessss, you have nothing to worry about indeed, my new bride," he muttered. He was feeling very pleased with himself. Soon he will have not only full control of the world but a hot babe at his side too! His minion had already taken of those filthy beasts.

At the mountain fortress, a woman with long teal hair and wearing purple and black armor smirked as she looked over the unconscious felines.

"Not so tough now arent ya?" She taunted them. "Oh wait you cant hear me." She cackled. Thanks to the sleeping spell she put them in, the so called army of ferocious warriors were as harmless as kittens. She looked up at the other man sitting in the sphere of yun. He was quiet but eyes were burning with a rage that could melt the glass around him.

"Oh dont give me that look," she mocked, feigning sympathy. "You should be happy we're only sparing your life."

The legitimate prince of the Heylin seethed then calmed himself. Clearly he made an error in judgement when the two scam artists showed up at his door and blindsided him and his army. They might have won this round but he wasn't going to let them enjoy victory either.

"And someone should spare you from the ugly clothing. At least the insect puts an effort to coordinate his outfits." Chase smirked at the look of offense on her face. She hissed at him then turned away with a pout. She hoped her master can get back here soon so they can deal with his other self.

** this ends the first chapter in a story that might not not ever be completed. The idea came from my recent rewatch of the og show, which also brought back my negative feelings for the awful reboot. Seriously Chronicles butchered every single good thing about the original. Espcially my f/o Chase Young. So I will not be kind to it. Plus I was disappointed with the lack of Chase young x OC/reader, and i got tired of seeing Chack all the time, so think of it as my way of filling in the gap. And if anyone says im writing xc!chase and shadow ooc: i am writing then exactly how they are in the show, only now they have their mary sue license revoked, so their creepy relationship is treated like the garbage it really is.**