#he fully expected willow to be normal

[duckwnoeyes]

The most insane part of the 'rank, arrogant amateur speech' is Giles telling Willow 'of all the people here, I expected you to respect the laws of magic.' and it's like what? On what grounds would you ever think Willow was ever going to be normal abt magic?

And then I deeped a bit it more, and actually, maybe the statement has some merit, but only bc the bar was on the floor.

Xander Harris is simply Xander Harris, and did use and butcher a love spell on every woman in Sunnydale. Dawn, bless her heart, tried to resurrect her Mother a few months prior. Spike is a vampire. Anya is an ex-vengeance demon who spent a millennia doing God knows what to the fabric of reality. The only person who is facing an injustice through this statement is Tara. And I suppose Giles doesn't really know Tara well enough.

Which begs the question: why tf did Giles think leaving these people alone on a hellmouth with no slayer would be a good idea???

[thevalkyriesshadow]

@azrielappreciationweek

Day Seven: Free Day

Knot Just Friends

"Azriel had never rushed over to a female’s house faster. When his shadow, who had taken a liking to staying at Gwyn's, dropped a note on his lap, he was out the door in mere seconds. Are you in Velaris? I need your help. With what? He wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but he’d drop anything to go see Gwyn." A little omegaverse written for Azriel Appreciation Week 2024 Day Seven: Free Day!

Read it here on ao3 or under the cut!

NSFW/Words: 3,804

Azriel had never rushed over to a female’s house faster. When his shadow, who had taken a liking to staying at Gwyn's, dropped a note on his lap, he was out the door in mere seconds.

Are you in Velaris? I need your help.

With what? He wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but he’d drop anything to go see Gwyn. She was his best friend. His confidante. He’d even brace the snow storm they were expecting that night. It was predicted to be a brutal one with high winds and at least three feet of snow. Still, he’d fly around the mountain to see her. 

Not able to winnow through the shadows due to the protective shield of magic Rhys put up, Azriel took to the skies. Wishing for a brief moment he would’ve thought to at least grab a jacket, but no time to turn back, not when Gwyn needed him. Instead he braced the frigid cold in nothing but cotton pants and a sweater. 

It was a quick flight, less than ten minutes, but the air was arctic and he was nearly frozen to the bones by the time he landed on her front porch. 

Her scent hit him like a ton of bricks warming him against the cold. Sweet willow and a cozy musk dancing in the winter air. He clenched his fists and knocked on her door.

It opened only a moment later. Gwyn's bright copper hair fell in curtains framing her freckled face, which at the moment looked a bit pale and tired. Her bright teal eyes were harried as she greeted him.

“Az! Hey – huge favor to ask you.” She didn’t open the door fully for him, blocking most of her body, but he could see the light blue of her cotton loungewear.

“It’s why I’m here,” he replied, coolly. “What do you need?”

“My heat is due –”

Azriel stilled. Was she about to ask him to…help her…with her heat?

His stomach and chest did all sorts of somersaults and twists but then she said, “-- And I was so busy I didn’t get groceries and I only just got back from a mission and don’t have time to go out and get any. I really don’t want to go into heat in public, you know?” She huffed a breathy laugh and tucked her hair behind her pointed ear.

Azriel should expect to feel relieved that she wasn’t asking him to help her during her heat, but…

“Oh – yeah of course. What do you need?” He schooled his features, trying not to show the twang of disappointment he felt.

Gwyn produced a list containing pretty standard heat needs such as food and medicinal teas. 

“Thanks, Az. I, um –” Her lips parted as she held his gaze and she said, “-- I appreciate it.” She swallowed hard and pressed her lips together, her nose scrunching. Like she was trying not to take in too much of his scent.

“Anytime,” He said with a smile. Then he was off.

When he returned, Gwyn was much the same, but when she opened the door this time it was with determination. “Az – I normally wouldn't do this, but –” She paused, looking him up and down. Her fingers brushed his as she took the bag from his hand and asked, “Would you help me – with one other thing?” 

Az swallowed, “What's that?”

“Usually I'd just use a – uh-toy-but –” 

Gwyn bit her bottom lip, her brow scrunching as she blurted out, “You just smell so nice and I was wondering if you'd help me…with my heat?” Her voice cracked on the word ‘heat’. 

Azriel blinked. He heard her, but he had to be sure…“What?” He asked.

Gwyn took a breath, “Will you help me through my heat?”

“Are – are you sure?” Gwyn has surprised Azriel many times before, but this? Helping an omega through their heat was a big task. Huge task. Gwyn would be wholly dependent on Az for much of it. He’d be bringing her food and water, both simple tasks, but he’d also be cleaning her up, intimately. Mopping sweat from her brow and slick from between her legs. Then of course there was the knotting…how she ever did it alone in the first place was beyond him.

She nodded, “More sure than I've ever been. I was going to ask when you first came, but I admit…my nerves got the best of me, but – I need this…I need you.”

The door opened wider as she stepped aside, inviting him in.

He didn't hesitate. He knew when Gwyn was sure of something. As sure as the day she signed up for Valkyrie training, asked for dagger lessons, left the library to see Emerie and Nesta. Sure as all the decisions she made to get her and her sisters to the top of Ramiel. And every other decision since.

Inside her cottage smelled even more like her. It overwhelmed all his senses and settled deep in his bones as he gazed around her living space. Gwyn liked a modge podge of colors, not necessarily sticking to one color theme, but in a way that they didn’t clash. The pops of color offset the deep mahogany of her towering bookshelves. There were little bits of Gwyn everywhere he looked as Gwyn showed him around. Little stacks of books were scattered across tables and counters. He spied a couple spools of white ribbon on one shelf and a basket of bracelet making supplies. 

It was all so Gwyn – and he was about to spend the next few days here with her helping her through her heat. Something that was an intimate, private thing for an omega.

He'd never helped an omega through their heart before and feeling unsure of what to do next he turned to Gwyn who's cheeks were flushed and her eyes roaming over him with…desire? 

He cleared his throat and asked, “What do you need from me first?”

Gwyn’s gaze quickly flicked up to his as if she was a child caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

She wiped her brow and said, “Um…well I never finished my nest and –” she took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes as she rested her hand against her stomach, “And once we do that, I just need to curl up and be tended to…” 

Curl up and tend to Gwyn?

His insides did flip flops in the best way possible. 

He followed Gwyn to her nest in a spare room with low lighting and white, billowy curtains. This room was small and simple compared to the rest of the house. There was a small bookshelf and a bedside table next to a large circular bed that even he could fit in, wings and all. The mattress sat cupped in the gently swooping shape of the bed. 

Gwyn turned and handed him a pile of blankets, “This is my nesting room. I like to keep it separate because it’s just easier to clean afterwards –” she blushed as Azriel took the blankets from her, their fingers brushing together.

“I can help you clean afterwards too,” Az said, approaching this like it was a normal everyday occurrence. 

Gwyn only blushed deeper and thanked him. “Fair warning, it can get pretty messy.”

It was Azriel’s turn for his face to heat. His cock twitched as he imagined the amount of slick she’d produce. How he’d be tending to it…covered in it himself…

He chuckled and said, “Noted. What else do I need to know?” If he was going to do this for Gwyn, he was going to be thorough and thoughtful and respectful. He needed to know everything. She smiled up at him and told him everything he needed to know.

And Gwyn did not hold back.

As they continued setting up her nest she explained, “Well, I sleep a lot and when I’m not sleeping I’m rubbing up against everything. I don’t like to eat meat during my heat, just eggs – that bacon in the ice box is for after so don’t even think about cooking it –” Azriel held his hands up. He wouldn’t dream of it. Gwyn continued by adding, “You can certainly help yourself to the food too, of course. You’ll probably have more of an appetite than me anyway. Oh and I’m drinking the tea so you won’t have to worry about, you know – cuming in me…”

Gwyn went on, describing what her normal heat day looks like when she’s tending to herself. It was a lot of sleeping or knotting herself with a toy, and by the way she would describe it, it would be quite the process. For one, omegas are so out of it when they’re truly into their heat that doing anything, even lifting a finger, was an arduous task. Imagining Gwyn struggling to be comfortable during hers made him bristle. 

She consented to being knotted, an electric currant of excitement shot through him as she described what she usually liked, showing him her toys. Az was on a whole other level of pure bliss. What surprised him most was how open and honest Gwyn was being. How detailed she was being. When he woke up this morning, he didn’t think he’d learn how Gwyn liked her clit to be touched while she was knotted.

Despite the subject of their conversation for the better half of an hour, Azriel and Gwyn worked around one another as if they were talking about the weather in the training ring. It was easy – sexy, but easy.

“I think you need one more blanket,” Az joked as he added the tenth blanket to the pile. 

Gwyn tilted her head, “You think? I might have one or two more somewhere…” she trailed off, wiping her brow again and leaning on the bed post for support. 

Azriel was at her side instantly. “Why don't you lay down. I'll fetch you more pillows,” he offered. Gwyn leaned into him, nuzzling her face into his chest. 

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders in response and she melted into him. “I'm glad you're here, Shadowsinger. Thank you.”

Az smiled and said, “I'm glad I could be here for you.” He stroked her hair, the silkiness of it like cool spring water against his scarred hands.

He really should force her to lie down, but having her in his arms…having her scent envelop him, mixing with his…her glands right there where he could lick and bite and – 

Wait. This is Gwyn. His friend…he couldn't – shouldn't –

But…

Gods he wanted to…

Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him down to her, keeping them locked together. Azriel tried not to inhale as the heavy scent of her slick drifted up to meet him.

Gods she smelled incredible. Intoxicating. 

“Az…” She breathed. A small moan escaped her lips, her hips rocked into his. “I need you.”

He tightened his grip, “I'm here.” Gently, he lifted her in his arms and cradled her to his chest, savoring the feel of her in his arms before placing her in her nest. He had every intention of grabbing more pillows, but her fingers curled into his shirt, keeping him in her orbit.

“Stay,” she said with a whimper. Her voice strained as she shivered and curled in on herself. 

Az reached for a towel Gwyn had set up on a table next to her nest and patted her forehead and neck. Her scent was everywhere, driving him mad.

He knew when he agreed to help her, that there was a possibility of him succumbing to the pull of her scent. It did, after all, drive him crazy outside of her heat. But now? 

Now it felt like fate. Like there was nowhere else he was supposed to be, than with her.

Brushing back her hair and patting the sweat from her skin, Azriel hummed to her, soothing her through the hormonal fever that raged through her. She squirmed and moved in her blankets, cuddling in closer and closer to him until she was practically in his lap. Her arms around his middle, her flowing copper hair fanned around his legs as her head rested in his lap. Her eyes were squeezed shut against the cramps.

She didn't speak much. The room was filled with her whining and groans as she moved into him. Eventually, she started pawing and pulling at her clothes in her heat-induced haze until Azriel couldn't watch her struggle anymore.

He stopped her from trying to pull her shirt down rather than up. “I'm going to help you, okay?” She let out a long, low moan and lifted her arms, allowing him to slide her shirt off. Her pants came off next, then her socks and undergarments until she was lying in a panting tangle of naked limbs in his arms. Her skin was flushed pink from the heat.

Azriel recalled her instructions from earlier. She liked to be stroked, soothed. So he did just that. With one flat hand against her back he slid down then up in big swooping circles. His other hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking against her brow. It was the most intimate he’d ever been with Gwyn, and it all happened so fast, so suddenly he didn’t have enough time to process that sudden change in him.

A primal urge to bite to mark surged in him. He took a deep breath in, thinking it would quell the urge, but it only fuelled it as he breathed in the scent of her pungent slick, unmasked by clothing.

Gwyn rose up on her knees, the abrupt movement causing Az to jump slightly. Her glazed teal eyes found his gaze and his breath caught in his throat. He couldn't stop his gaze from sliding down down down…

Gwyn didn't speak as she crawled into his lap, her knees on either side of his thighs. Her hands slid across the soft fabric of his shirt, caressing his abs and chest, until her fingers were curling in the hair at the base of his neck. His scent permeated the air and Gwyn purred in response. 

She stared at his mouth. Her tongue darted out to lick her own pink lips before her gaze flicked up to his, “Can you…” She sighed, her body rolling against his, “Can you knot me? I need it, Az…I need you.”

Az's heart raced. His cock, already hard and straining against his pants, throbbed. His knot already swelling.

“I know you consented before, but are you sure?” He asked. She nodded, her lips brushing dangerously close to his. His breath hitched. “Things might not be the same between us…if I do. Gwyn –” his hands roamed across her bare back, coaxing a low moan from her, “I don't know if I can stay away – resist you – if we, if I knot you.” 

Gwyn pressed closer. Her breath tickled his cheek as she whispered against his skin, “I want you, Az. I always have. Please –” her hips rolled against his, her nails dug into his skin. “Please.”

She was desperate, panting. Her eyes were wild with want. With need. A growl issued deep in his throat, his stomach clenched, and his cock throbbed as his hands roamed lower.  

“I can touch you?”

“Please do – Everywhere,” She mewled. 

His hands slid down to cupped her ass, “Can I kiss you?”

She whined and brought her lips to his, “Az, I want you to knot me. Of course you can kiss me.”

He huffed a laugh and tipped his chin up. For so long he wanted to do this. Wanted to touch her, caress her…kiss her. 

For so long he wanted to show her how he could love her, beyond their friendship. 

He savored the still moment before their lips touched – sensed the shift between them.

And when they kissed, everything aligned. Every out of place sensation, every feeling of incompleteness, was replaced with an all encompassing warmth.

Their lips moved together, slowly. Exploring. Tasting. Learning. Even as Gwyn’s hands touched every inch of him they could, teasing him. Even as he hummed deep in his chest with contentment. Even though they were hungry for each other. They took their time. 

Fire burned through him as he let Gwyn set the pace. Let her decide when she would run her tongue along his lips, begging for access. He let her decide when their tongues would dance. When she'd bite his lip and suck on it. 

And when she pawed at his shirt, pulling it off, he let her. He let her explore his pecks, her fingers causing a cascade of goosebumps to form across his skin.

When she bowed her head, nuzzling her neck to his. He let her. Allowing their scent glands to rub and mingle together. Azriel hugged her close as she writhed against him, needing her touch. Her scent. He moaned her name and she his, their bodies and voices begging for each other. 

Gwyn let out a rolling growl. “Now Az…I need your knot now.”

He pressed his lips to her neck and kissed her freckled skin as he heeded her command. 

With a tight embrace he rolled them over, his hips settled against her dripping, bare cunt. Her slick coated her thighs and soaked through his pants before he pushed them off and tossed them to the side. 

He knelt before her as her legs fell open for him. Her scent hit him fully, both of them bare and needy for each other. 

“Az…” she breathed.

As if his name on her lips was a command, he bent down and without hesitation dragged his tongue up her thigh, lapping up her slick.

Her taste was more divine than her smell and when his mouth came to kiss her slick folds, her sounds were his downfall. Moans and whimpers. Sighs and gasps. All of them mixed together in a lewd cacophony as he teased and licked, sucked and devoured. She had told him she liked to be thoroughly seen to. To Az that meant licking her dripping cunt until she was pushing her sex into his face, forcing his tongue to lap further inside her. To him, thoroughly seeing to Gwyn would mean circling her clit with the tip of his tongue, over and over and over and…

He stopped, moments before he brought her over the edge and came to hover over her, his lips wet with her, his tongue tingling with her taste as he reached down and lined the tip of his pulsing cock to her entrance. Her legs spread further as her hips reached for him. 

Gods he didn’t realize how much he wanted her. How his need for her was more overwhelming than anything he’d ever felt before.

Azriel savored the moment. Committed every part of his body that touched hers to memory. He never wanted to forget the way her teal eyes glowed with desire, the way her body moved for him. The way she touched him.

He never wanted to forget the way she fit around him as he sank into her. 

Oh gods.

Gwyn arched into him, angling her hips to take more as her mouth fell open in a silent cry. 

He pushed in further as an animalistic urge to claim came over him. 

“Look at you,” he said, the words and their tone taking him by surprise. His voice was not his own. It was gruff, and darker. Deeper. Filled with primal desire. “How much of me can you take, Priestess?”

Gwyn groaned and pushed her hips into him with determination, proving she could take more. “All of you,” she replied. Her heels dug into his lower back pulling his hips into hers until his knot was pushing against her cunt that pooled with slick.

His fingers curled into the blankets beneath them. Her nails scratched at his back. 

Gwyn let out a shuttering gasp as he rolled his hips, pushing the slight swell of him into her, rutting against her until she was completely filled.

Then he pulled out slowly, feeling every sensation of her around him as he did so. 

In and out. Slowly. Coaxing. Savoring.

Fuck every sensation was perfect. Every sound she made. Every nail mark she left behind. Perfect.

Heat coiled hotter and stronger with every stroke of his cock, and whimper that fell from her lips. 

“Harder,” she moaned. 

And he obliged her. Immediately. His hips snapping faster and quicker into her and her hips started moving, rocking into him. Her face quickly fell into a twist of pleasure and pain, her whines long and low.

“Yes Gwyn…so beautiful,” he whispered before placing kisses along her neck. He breathed in her scent, nuzzling his face into the silky freckled skin of her neck. Then his mouth was on her, bruising – his tongue soothing and tasting as their bodies slapped together, slick dripping down Gwyn’s thighs as he filled her with his growing knot over and over – 

Her walls tightened just as he rocked into her one more time, his knot swelling to its fullest. It pressed against her squeezing walls as it popped into place inside her, drawing guttural roars from both of them. Their orgasms cresting and exploding together as he knotted her. Tied to her forever. Bonded in a split, cosmic explosion of a second.

His body quaked as his seed spilled into her. 

Gwyn gasped out loudly, her cries echoing around the room, “Azriel…Azriel…unngghh,” she stuttered against him, her walls tugging at his knot. “Fuck…Az…” Her orgasms rolled, one after the other. And he felt every sweet swell and push of her against his cock…his knot, until finally she stilled, hugging him close, their bodies sticky with sweat. 

Gwyn was a song, a beautiful melody he could listen to for hours.  And he never wanted this music to end.

Az settled against her, his elbows on either side of her head. He caressed her cheeks and temples with his fingers and kissed her gently on the mouth as they waited for the swelling in his knot to go down.

He rested his forehead on hers and listened to the sound of her breathing. From its quick rising and falling, her chest pressing against his, to the slow rhythmic sounds of her falling asleep. After he was able to pull his cock out, he wrapped his body around hers, covering them in her blankets.

Azriel fell asleep too with his chest to Gwyn’s back, their fingers entwined together. His face buried in her hair, breathing her scent. 

He spent her whole heat with her. Tending to her, feeding her. Knotting her.

As expected, it changed some things between them. No longer were they just friends. They were now bonded by forces greater than themselves. 

A mated pair that started out as just friends.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Could we have main 10 with a kid who surprises their dad by writing about them being the kid's hero for a school assignment or something?

Undertale Sans - Aw. Sans cares a hell lot than what people think and never asks the same for other because he thinks he doesn't desserve this. It's like getting hit by a car honestly, he didn't expect that from his child and maybe he can authorizes himself to cry a little for once. It actually feels nice to have someone showing him unconditional love for once.

Undertale Papyrus - Honestly, no one can hear anything during the presentation because of Papyrus' loud sniffing in the background lol. He's really trying his best to stay cool but the more his kid is going, the harder it gets. Undyne is kinda playing moral support, mainly trying to make him shut up because her kid is supposed to talk next and now she's terrified she will break down like Papyrus lmao.

Underswap Sans - He knows it's not very fair of him to be flattered as he never really wanted that child in the first place. He feels guilty he was never there, almost always working, and that their child still doesn't care and sees him as a model. He wants to be better for them, but it's hard to accept he's actually a good dad when he told himself he's terrible for so long.

Underswap Papyrus - Honey is a mess lol. He doesn't see clear anymore because of how much he cried and his kid's presentation is still not over. He's not sure he's going to be able to see the whole thing, he swears he's going to break down completely in a few seconds and just bursts in loud sobs. That's kinda the best gift his kid could give him. He's just a little too overwhelmed at the moment to appreciate it entirely. That's his baby on the stage and he's so so proud of them.

Underfell Sans - He doesn't know what to feel about this. It's touching, but... It feels wrong. He's not a good guy, he did a hell lot of mistakes in his life, he let monsters stepped on him a good part of his life and he doesn't fully understand how his child can see him like a hero. He's just weak. He smiles to his child, but his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. Time passes but he still has a lot of insecurities. He's still happy at least one person doesn't see him like a total loser.

Underfell Papyrus - He's so damn proud right now. It's Edge longest dream to be a hero, and ok, he maybe failed to be that Underground because the Royal Guard was not exactly like he imagined it was, but he at least is a hero for someone. He's going to cherish that little letter for a very long time. He can't even tell his child how much it's important to him. He guesses he moved on for good of all the suffering Underground, now it's time to finally accept he's not that bad.

Horrortale Sans - He puts the small letter in his notebook so he can never forget it. Oak doesn't know what he did to desserve a child like this, but it's for sure nice. He is finally under the impression he's moving on, despite all the guilt and the hard years that followed his arrival on the Surface. He's just glad he can be a normal father despite all his traumas and weird behaviours. He's proud of his kid, and maybe a litte proud of himself for getting better. Hopefully, he's going to be fine.

Horrortale Papyrus - Willow is not ok. He was not ready to be absolutely destroyed by his child who somehow managed to hit him in each and every of his vulnerabilities. It's still hard to accept he's a good dad after everything he did, and how bad his health is, but here he is, his child reading a list of all the nice things they think of him and he can't take it. He can't stop thinking that if he didn't live through what happened Underground, he would have feel very good to be loved that much. But it's just bittersweet. He doesn't desserve any of this. He's glad he taught his kid to see the best in anyone, but he never thought that could comes back to his face some day. He's happy, and embarrassed, and sad, and happy. He's so lost right now.

Swapfell Sans - That's a beautiful revenge. He's looking Toriel in the eyes as his kid says he's the best dad ever and all the nice thing he did for them. Toriel tried all she could to make him drop that child and his S/O, sending monsters to his door, and then, when he didn't work, she tried to convince him he would be a terrible dad, that his child would hate him when they see he's just a cold blood killer. And all of this because he refused to be her heir. Nox can't stop smiling. He doubted, he even almost believed her at one point, but here he is. He's his kid's hero, and there's nothing the Queen can do to change that. He didn't messed up this time. And soon enough, the Queen will have to accept he's not scared of her anymore and to let him go. He's not a soldier anymore, he's a father. He won.

Swapfell Papyrus - ... He reads the letter a second time, really suspicious. Ok, what's the deal? You want something? You broke something and you need him to cover up in front of his S/O? You can say it you know, he won't get mad. Sure, his ego will hurt for a little while, but he understands. But when his kid says it's genuine, actually, Rus is just a little in shock. Uh... You know he's not a model, right? He's a loser and he messes up all the time. What do you mean he's your hero? He's no one's hero. You had the wrong guy. Rus doesn't know what to say. He's so used to people faking loving him that he struggles to believe it. He cries a bit that night, thinking about all this. Shit, someone actually cares for him and it's real. He's so confused.

Fellswap Gold Sans - Please go on, continue. The more flattering you are, the better. Wine obviously knows he is the best, and the fact his child is confirming it makes things a lot much better! You swear you heard something that vaguely sound like a purr, but he quickly hides it so you can't tell. Wine loves when people say nice things about him, and especially his family. It's good for his huge ego and it feels nice. It changes. Maybe he should make more children so it happens more often.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He was a little sad because all of this sounded like a praise to Uncle Wine and he thought you chose him as his family hero. So when you end your speech saying all of this is your dad, he is in complete shock. He's paralyzed, his brain not able to process what just happened. What do you mean it's him? That's not him. He's not that special. He's barely able to work as his own being. Coffee is a bit overwhelmed, and runs on stage to hug his child. For once, he doesn't care everyone is looking at him (for now at least, thanks adrenaline), he's just so happy. No one told him he was special, except Wine, but it was always to justify his bad actions. So it feels nice to have someone considering special for once. He doesn't want to let go. He loves you too.

[lollytea]

Pouring one out for Gus during the huntlow situationship era when Willow is like "yeah 😎 everything's chill 😌 why would you ask 🙂" as her balcony creaks dangerously under the weight of all the flowers growing there. meanwhile Hunter's on the floor listening to Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE on repeat like "do you think it's too early to add this track to our wedding playlist"

He's hanging out at Willow's house and for the most part, she's semi-normal. She can keep a conversation going about Gus and what's going on in Gus's life and everytime he asks why all the walls of her room have been devoured by big fat blooming flowers, she waves him off like "Don't worry about it :)"

And then when he lounges back against her bed, he discovers something familiar stuffed between the pillows and curiously picks it up.

"Willow, how did this-?"

"OH! How did that get there?" Willow blurts out, her attempts at keeping her voice casual failing miserably, as Gus' ears catch the obvious spike of panic. She snatches Hunter's wolf shirt out of Gus' hands and babbles away about how he probably left it behind at their last sleepover.

Willow then falters, staring intensely at the garment as she rubs her thumbs against the fabric. And that's when she's suddenly inhaling the fucking thing, like it's been doused in witch cocaine.

Now Gus has seen a lot of strange behaviour from Willow but somehow she manages to make something as innocuous as sniffing a shirt to be very high on the deranged scale. It's all about the presentation. The sound she made while sniffing was loud.

And just when Gus thinks she's gonna shove it in a drawer somewhere and move on, Willow rubs her upper arm. "It's kinda chilly, don't you think?" She asks, not waiting for Gus' response before she's throwing the accursed t-shirt on over her tank top. And then she moves on.

Willow recovers swifly from that. She doesn't mention Hunter or make any reference to his existence for the rest of the hangout session. But the flowers are still big and bright and the wolves are still stretched across her chest. Gus opts to ignore it.

He heads home a few hours later, expecting to wind down for the rest of the night and get some progress done on this article he's working on.

"GUS!!" He hears the urgent cry before he even fully swings open his bedroom door. There is a creature of some kind perched on the edge of his bed. But before Gus can process what that creature is, he gets his answer in an explosion of golden flash and suddenly, there's a pair of hands gripping his shoulders and he is nose to nose with the usual wearer of Willow's cocaine shirt.

"How long have you been waiting for me to come home?" Gus asks, not nearly as startled as he should be.

"Doesn't matter" Hunter makes a one handed dismissive gesture, as the other hand is holding a notebook. "I've been thinking about Cosmic Frontier,"

"You've officially gotten my attention," Says Gus with a waggle of finger guns, crossing the room to land on his bed.

"Alright. So!"

Hunter suddenly blips from Gus' doorway to his bedside. He's hurriedly reading aloud.

"O'Bailey met the talented botanist Jun in book 1, chapter 4 and showed the first signs of attraction to her in chapter 12 and vice versa in chapter 15..."

He had successfully lost Gus' attention.

"Uh huh," He says anyway, because he can see Hunter's tiny cramped handwriting coating across every inch of the page. He has clearly put a lot of thought, time and effort into this.

"However!!" Hunter blasts from the bedside to the doorway to the desk to the window to back to the bedside again. When he continues his spiel, Gus is blinking back stars from the assault of bright gold light.

"They don't begin an official romantic relationship until book four and aren't married until book five. Let's talk about why that is. Why all the waiting? Why all these emotions left unspoken? I've written a comprehensive essays on what I believe to be the reasoning behind this and hopefully, we will leave here tonight with a better understanding of their relationship as a whole!! You excited, Gus??"

Hunter is grinning, gripping his notebook beneath his chin. But Gus doesn't miss the way his hands are shaking.

Gus doesn't hesitate.

"Fuck yeah!!" He declares, not really feeling the enthusiasm, but putting enough chutzpah into it that it's got Hunter wagging his nonexistent tail.

Hunter clearly needs this. He needed to write that essay. And now he needs to read it aloud to someone. He needs to channel everything that he's feeling somehow. And if Gus didn't realize how well O'Bailey helps Hunter figure his emotions out, he wouldn't have introduced him to the books in the first place.

Gus lays back against his pillow and half listens to Hunter spit out a 7k word essay.

He was meant to be writing his article on the Russian Sleep Experiment for the Human Enthusiast Magazine that he founded...but well....guess he's doing this instead.

[dreamsontheirway]

Bait | Ch. 3 | S.R. x OC

Story Summary: Willow Brooks is a kind-hearted, but spitfire red head who treats each case with the upmost compassion and care. But when an unsub is targeting women who look just like her, she’s faced with the dilemma of acting as bait for the unsub. Spencer Reid, her boyfriend, is absolutely not keen on the idea. Warnings: mentions of the murder case Word Count: 0.9k

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It's almost time...

Duct tape and rope and scissors, all for my crime...

I'm doing this for you, magpie. Please fly back to me.

Please, my dearest, think of how happy I'll be.

-----

The ride on the jet was mostly silent and uneventful, except for Spencer’s hand on Willow’s leg. Spencer seemed to be doing alright, but she knew better. He had been on the same page of his book now for nearly five minutes. He would have normally read at least ten pages in that time. Willow chose not to say anything about it. She rose and made her way to the small kitchenette area on the jet.

“You okay?”

Emily Prentiss’ voice was an angelic break in the silence that had encompassed the atmosphere for nearly an hour. Willow smiled at her.

“Yes, I’m fine. Spencer on the other hand, I’m not quite sure.”

Emily frowned slightly, and nodded in understanding.

“He’ll be alright, he’s just scared. I think he’s mostly processed everything with Maeve and with, well me, but that trauma response is still there. He just needs time to process.”

Willow nodded. Emily Prentiss was wise beyond her years, and Willow appreciated the clarity and the advice.

“Thanks, Emily,” she spoke, and flashed her a solemn smile.

“Anytime.” Emily smiled softly at her before taking her coffee and taking her seat.

Willow prepared her own coffee consisting of cream and two sugars before making her way back to her designated seat beside Spencer. He looked up from his book, of which he had finally made it to the next page, and smiled at her. She could see fear and sadness behind his eyes, and it broke her heart.

"Hi sweetheart," Spencer cooed, using his pet name for her. He often did not use pet names when they were in public, and Willow picked up on this, noting it.

Willow smiled, and curled up next to him. Spencer placed his book down, and enveloped her in his sweater-clad arms. He craned his neck and reached down to place a soft kiss atop her head.

"I love you," Spencer cooed. "So much."

-----

The jet landed safely in Rochester, and everyone piled into the SUVs to drive to the local police department. Upon arriving, the team got set up in a large roundtable room, to which they began setting up the materials. Hotch began reviewing the information that they had gathered thus far.

"What we know is that this unsub cuts off a strand of the victim's red hair in the same location; behind the ear. We also know that so far, they have dumped the bodies in alleyways."

"The sentimental value of the hair could suggest a woman, but the harshness of leaving them in alleyways, especially near dumpsters, is inconsistent with that of a female unsub," Spencer chimed in, his brows furrowed in thought.

Agent Hotchner nodded in agreement before continuing.

"We can only assume that he finds his victims in a social setting, like a bar or nightclub. That's where we'll start." Hotch looked at Willow then, nodding curtly. She nodded back, acknowledging her involvement in the developing plan.

She could see Spencer's jaw tense and pulsate from across the table. As soon as Hotch motioned for everyone to be dismissed, he spoke up.

"Hotch, can I please talk to you?" Spencer's voice was poisonous, and Willow feared what he was going to say to their boss, but she exited the roundtable nonetheless.

"Yes?" Hotch spoke, fully expecting what Spencer was about to say to him.

Spencer merely looked at him, pleadingly, at first. His fists resting at either side clenching and unclenching in frustration.

"How can you do this?"

Aaron Hotchner sighed in exasperation. He had expected this. Aaron resonated with Spencer's wanting to protect Willow. Spencer didn't have a lot of people in his life aside from the team, and Hotch knew how precious she was to him.

"Reid, you know this isn't personal. As your unit chief, I have to do whatever it takes to catch this unsub, and this plan is not an unreasonable one."

Hotchner's brows furrowed in a thick line and he did not break eye contact with Spencer. The young genius maintained his scowl, his jaw tensing, before he stormed out of the roundtable room, slamming the door in his fury.

"Spence!"

Willow exclaimed, surprised by her boyfriend's harsh outburst when he stormed into the center of the police department. Spencer continued straight past her and out the main doors.

Willow followed suit, having to pick up a light jog due to her boyfriend's long legs carrying him much quicker than her.

"Spencer, please!"

He stopped then, hearing the anguish in her voice. Willow suffered from extreme, sometimes debilitating, anxiety and Spencer tried his best to never be the cause for it. He was disappointed to think he had failed today.

He turned then, seeing light tears prick her eyes, from both the anxiousness and frustration.

"Spence," she cooed, and reached out to place her palm on the side of his face. Her eyes searched his frantically, trying desperately to find the source of his outburst. She had an idea, of course, but she was didn't know what him and their unit chief had talked about.

"I'm sorry," Spencer mumbled, looking into her eyes. "This all just pisses me off."

"I know it does, and I'm sorry."

Willow and Spencer stood there, in the hallway of the Rochester police department, and enveloped one another in a tight hug.

-----

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[coraniaid]

I think that "Buffy's friends and family often treat her very badly and say or do things to her that -- if they were real people -- would be pretty difficult or even impossible to defend" is a valid claim in as far as it goes. You can definitely find examples of Willow and Xander and Giles and Joyce acting in ways that I really don't think sit easily with the idea that the show wants us to believe that they care about her and have strong positive connections with her. I do think, pretty strongly, that that latter reading is the way the show wants to (and should) be understood, but I also think that it's worth acknowledging that often (either because of poor or hurried writing or because the show is prioritizing plot or metaphor over consistent characterisation) that the individual episode-to-epsidode writing is sometimes in tension with that.

Willow does frequently try to push Buffy into new romantic relationships she's not ready for instead of letting Buffy recover from her latest heartbreak; she did unilaterally decide to restore Angel's soul despite Buffy very much not asking for it or expecting it; she did push Buffy into getting a job while staying at her house rent-free; she did try to 'fix' Buffy's depression in Season 6 by using magic on her without her consent.

Xander does often talk to or about Buffy in ways that are weirdly possessive or judgemental (not just in Dead Man's Party and Into The Woods either, though those are perhaps the worst offenders); he did lie to her about Willow's attempts to restore Angel's soul; he does more generally often behave in ways that make me question why Buffy or Willow would want to be his friend at all (especially in Season 2).

Giles does have a habit of trying to control Buffy's personal life, often in deeply hypocrtical ways (for example, according to Giles Buffy can't even tell her mother about being the Slayer, let alone boys she's dating, and in fact she probably shouldn't be dating at all; but of course Giles can tell the first pretty girl he meets that Buffy is the Slayer with no problems); he did willingly participate in a conspiracy to drug her and rob her of her powers; he did abandon her and flee the country at the time she needed him most.

Joyce is worryingly quick to believe the worst of Buffy in the early seasons; she does react terribly when Buffy finally tells her about being a Slayer, and it's pretty clear she spends Season 3 at least still wishing Buffy wasn't one. (I think the Normal Again retcon that she had Buffy sent to 'a clinic' the first time she told her about vampires is almost impossible to square with the rest of the show, but yes, technically the show claims this happened as well.)

But the frequent follow-up claim of ".... and therefore Buffy should ignore these people in favor of Angel/Faith/Spike" (well, let's be honest, it's normally Faith or Spike, at least on the bits of Tumblr I see) is simply bizarre. The unspoken justification here has to be "because unlike her so-called friends, these characters would never hurt her or treat her badly", and that just ... isn't supported by canon at all?

I mean, what are we saying here? "Sometimes, Willow pushes Buffy into romantic relationships too early: this is very bad so, instead of being friends with Willow, Buffy should spend time with the people who canonically sexually assualted her?" "Xander sometimes lies to Buffy and gives her bad advice, so instead of hanging out with Xander anymore she should spend time with the people who worked with her enemies to literally try to end the world"? "Giles is sometimes very blunt about telling Buffy she won't be able to have the normal life she wants, so she should spend time with people who tell her she's not even fully human"? "Joyce once told Buffy she shouldn't come back home if she left without permission, so instead Buffy would be better off with people who once chained her up and threatened to torture and kill her"?

"Every bad thing a character I don't like does is canon and should be interpreted in the worst light possible, but sometimes (in fact: surprisingly often) the evil writers slander my favorite and pretend they did bad, out of character things that they would never do in my fanfics and we should not accept that this happened"?

Just a deeply unserious position to take.

[buffyandwillow]

buffy and jenny season six fic prompt? mayhaps?

Alternate Jenny-is-alive s6.

Buffy kicks a stone with her boot, looking anywhere but in front of her, where her friends are debating the best place to stop for takeout to bring back for movie night. They'd planned a whole evening: Scooby patrol, fast food, martial arts movie madness. All in an attempt to make her feel better, to make her think that things are normal and safe and OK.

"What do you want, Buffy?" Willow asks. Buffy glances up just long enough to see Willow's wide-eyed smile, earnest and open and a little bit apprehensive. "We're thinking Chinese, or shawarma?"

"I-I don't know, you guys," Buffy says. She doesn't know. She can't think about this. She can hardly stomach the feeling of the pavement, hard and unforgiving, underneath her feet. "I mean, on one hand you have noodles, and on the other..."

"Big pile o' meat," Xander says with approval. "I know."

Buffy doesn't need to look up to know the way her friends are looking at her: with a mix of concern and hope. No, not hope. Wishfulness. They're wishing she could be the way she was. The way she used to be.

Once they got back it would be another three hours, at least, before she could excuse herself to sleep. It's too much. She can't pretend for that long. She can't--

"You know, I think I saw that last vamp doubling back. I should go check, make sure he doesn't cause trouble."

"Oh... Well, if you think--do you want us to come with?"

Buffy lifts her head slowly, dredging up her last vestiges of energy to force a smile onto her face. Willow's lip has turned downward into a disappointed little frown.

"Nah, I'll be fine." Buffy gives a little shrug. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."

After a few more back-and-forths of persuasion, Buffy watches them go.

It's easier this way.

•

Buffy hears the soft rustle of a leather jacket and sighs. "I just want to be left alone."

"I know," a voice that isn't Spike's says.

"Oh--it's you."

Jenny comes to sit on a nearby headstone, using both hands to boost herself up. "You were expecting someone else?"

Buffy points her toes together, looking down at the grass. The grass is much softer under her feet than the paved streets. She feels more at home here. "Not really." They're both quiet for a minute. Buffy breaks it first. "Did Willow ask you to look for me?"

"After six years, I know you well enough to come looking on my own," Jenny says wryly.

"I'm fine," Buffy tells her, more out of habit than anything.

"I didn't ask." Jenny's words have a hint of a smile to them. "I wouldn't. I won't ask you to lie to me, Buffy. You don't need to pretend you're okay."

Buffy doesn't have a rote response to that, so she says nothing. She taps her feet against the headstone. Her mind, never fully present lately, drifts off between the rows of graves.

"Buffy..." Jenny hesitates for a moment, but continues. "You're allowed to not be okay. You don't owe it to anyone to feel okay."

"Don't I?"

Something deep within her twists and turns like a knife. With another kick to the headstone, Buffy turns to look at Jenny for the first time since she'd sat down.

Jenny's eyes are so unlike her friends'. No hope-wish-want-fulness. There is only compassion there.

"My friends brought me back," Buffy says. "They gave me my life back. Don't I owe them something?"

Jenny looks steadily back at her. "Of course not."

Buffy holds her gaze for a long moment, and then--with a shiver--she looks away. This world that was once hers is so much colder than where she's been. She wraps her arms around her, and speaks now to the ground in a quiet voice. "Why couldn't they let me go?"

"They love you very deeply," Jenny says. Her voice is quiet, too. "Sometimes that makes people do impossible things."

"Jenny, I don't think I'm supposed to be here. I feel... wrong." Saying it aloud lets Buffy breathe a little more deeply, a little more easily, just for a moment. "Please don't tell the others."

"I won't."

"I'll tell them when I'm ready."

"I know."

Jenny hops down from her perch and touches Buffy's shoulder, very briefly. Buffy feels a little warmer, somehow. Warm enough to uncross her arms and let her feet come back down to the ground.

"I'm glad you're here," Buffy admits, as they begin their walk back home.

Jenny smiles. "Me, too."

[of-beasts-and-blood]

Character Intro

☘Basics: Name: Clifford Gu Pronunciation: Cliff-fird Gu Meaning: Clifford ~ "lives near the ford by the cliff" Gu ~ “to care for”  Birthday: May 1st, 1952 (Taurus) Age: 31 Gender: Male Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: Pansexual Siblings: None Mother: Diu Gu Father: Feng Gu Other Family: His father’s family live in America. Clifford has a grandmother, aunt and uncle, and their branches of family.  Languages: Cantonese, English, American Sign Language, Medical Latin Current Residence: London, England Hometown: San Francisco, California

☘

☘ Wizard Fun: School: Ilvermorny House: Pukwudgie Year of Graduation: 1970 Occupation: Botanist/Herbologist Pet: None. Unless his plants count? They’re living beings and he feeds and cares for them. Blood Status: Half-blood Patronus: A phoenix. Both a symbol of rebirth and his family’s crest, it feels fitting. He jokes that it’s a Mandrake though.  Boggart: A hospital hallway, lined with sick and dying patients who call for him and cling at him.  Amortentia Scent: Petrichor, citrus, strong chinese green tea, fresh nail polish. Wand type: Willow, dragon heartstring, 12 inches Affiliation: True neutral

☘ Appearance: Face Claim: Simu Liu Height: 6’0 Hair Colour: Black Eye Colour: Dark Brown Typical Hair Style: Neatly trimmed, often swooped over to one side. Sometimes it forms a little curl on his forehead.  Fashion Style: Well-tailored. Clifford has a sense of style from his childhood years of being dressed by his family, which has followed him despite himself. He’s just moved on from Zhongshan suits to simple sweaters, waistcoats and long coats. When he’s in his garden, he wears comfy clothes and a gardening apron as well as the ugliest wellingtons. He tends to dress in more muted colours normally, but wears bright and patterned socks to make up for it. He also wears ear cuffs and other decorations on his deaf ear.  Distinguishing Features: Incredibly easy aura. A hearing aid or jewellery on his right ear. Sometimes, dirt smears on his forehead when he’s been working and has only popped out of the house briefly. 

☘ Personality and Interests: Positive Traits: Gentle, steadfast, patient, hardy, non-judgemental  Negative Traits: Reserved, apologetic, detached, naive, self-deprecating, aloof Quick Facts: Can dance. Talks to plants. Has a full Healer’s qualification. Has studied a fair amount of non-magical medicine too. Can do non-verbal spells to an extent. Makes a killer broth. Is agile. Uses chalk boards to make notes in his home. Reads sci-fi books.  Hobbies: Gardening. Sketching plants. Spending time in Suavis Gardens.  Skills: Good at lying on paper. Bad at lying in person. Good with plants. Good with medical magic. Okay at non-medical magic. Good at playing the fool.  Theme song: “Plant Life” by Owl City

☘ Headcanons:

Voice: Warm af. His words come out a little swallowed sometimes due to his disability, but years of practice and speech therapy have helped him through the worst of it. 

Handwriting: While one is tempted to make Clifford’s handwriting the typical doctor’s mess, he actually has pretty neat handwriting. He writes a lot of notes about his plants, often curled around drawn diagrams of them, so he forms small, curled letters that are easy on the eyes. 

Clifford’s birth name is Chaoxiang, meaning “expecting fortune”. His mom chose his American name because it had a lot of nickname potential for him.

When Clifford was young, he never understood the true purpose of talking to plants. He didn’t understand the exchange of carbon dioxide. Instead, he thought they genuinely needed the verbal encouragement. Despite now knowing the truth, he still converses with his plants and encourages other inanimate objects while using them. 

Ask Clifford to draw a flower, and he’s great. It’s fully detailed and to scale and worthy of being in any of his botany books. Ask him to draw literally anything else? It’s terrible. The worst. This is the kind of man who would draw horses how they appear in old artworks. Awful. 

Once he and Enes became friends in school, Cliff became the worst person to get up to shenanigans with. Not only was he terrible at lying to teachers, but they also tended to believe he was innocent himself, leading to a remarkably low detention count. 

Cliff is surprisingly built. He lives a healthy lifestyle and probably exercises, because there is no other canon justification for him to be as buff as his FC. 

In another life, Clifford would’ve liked to go to a muggle university for a proper degree in botany. 

He isn’t sure where it came from, but Cliff has a love for independent sci-fi novels. Something about life on a spaceship reminds him of life at school. He also likes the guesses at what futuristic medicine could look like.

[seanosims]

Seven Strangers: Season 1

Location: Willow Creek

Cast:

Cindy C.

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire

Traits: Muser, Hot-headed, Art Lover, Erratic

Bio:

"I blame my parents for everything wrong with me," is how Cindy normally begins to form an explanation for her actions. Fostered and adopted by a pair of hardworking, blue collar parents who ran their own local business, Cindy never learned the truth of her biological parents. While hardworking and studious, Cindy would throw her adopted parents for a loop when she decided to not pursue Science and Mathematics - academics she strived in - in order to pursue her love of art. With nervous reluctancy, her parents allow her to embark on her own, living with several strangers and hopefully gaining a clear sight of the path in which she truly wants to pursue.

Frankie W.

Aspiration: Bodybuilder

Traits: High Metabolism, Bro, Party Animal, Cringe

Bio:

Grade-A study, top of the class, study body president and a standout athlete… Just a few of the accomplishments registered under Frankie’s personal resume. Growing up the youngest of three siblings, Frankie always felt that he was in the shadow of his two older brothers. One would grow up to become an incredibly talented surgeon at a remarkable young age. The other to be well on his way to an abundantly wealthy existence with real estate investment. Frankie, however, with very little consequences or expectations from his parents, decides to pursue a lifestyle of athleticism, bodybuilding and influencer clout. How will his brand new roommates react to a man who is seemingly great at, well, everything?

Jane H.

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Traits: Animal Affection, Vegetarian, Outgoing, Animal Enthusiast

Bio:

There are no better words to describe Jane other than the ideal “girl next door.” Growing up in a modest suburban household with two loving parents, whom have been married for almost 40 years, and a very wise older brother, Jane thinks of her family as the embodiment of the “all-American dream.” However, that has not kept Jane from wanting more out of life. As a teenager, Jane would witness a devastating accident when a vehicle collided with a deer during a rainstorm. The incident would lead Jane to pursue a lifestyle caring for and protecting any animal she encounters.

Jeb H.

Aspiration: Soulmate

Traits: Alluring, Good, Gloomy, Socially Awkward

Bio:

Growing up in an eco-friendly farm was one thing. The debauchery and the uncertain circumstances of growing, caring for and selling questionable products was another. Jeb Harris had a very unconventional upbring. Although loved and cared for, he always felt a certain degree of shame when it came to his family matters. "Please don't discuss this," or "please don't give Mr. Lothario a hard time for how much nectar he recently purchased" were frequent requests  before exiting the house. This would affect Jeb to the point where he wore a paper bag over his head - mostly in shame - but also for the purpose of not wanting to be seen or recognized by the rest of the world. Now a fully grown young adult, Jeb has the ability to be on his own and start a new journey. With the love and support of his mothers, Jeb graciously accepts an offer to live in a lavish mansion with several strangers who will hopefully introduce and embrace him to the life he is not familiar with.

Jesse R.

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Traits: Muser, Mean, Loyal, Romantic

Bio:

"The Rockstar Rebel," is how Jesse chooses to describe himself in a nutshell. Placed into the foster care system shortly after birth, Jesse was forced to move from family to family, household to household, for the majority of his upbringing. These circumstances would disallow Jesse from ever forming true bonds with any family or friends. With a thick exterior and a heart of gold, Jesse considers himself a self-taught survivor who quickly learned how to fend for himself and rely on the comfort of music to sooth his inner conflicts. As tough as he is romantic, Jesse tends to seek affection wherever - and from whoever - he can.

Simon B.

Aspiration: Friend of the World

Traits: Gregarious, Cheerful, Creative, Goofball

Bio:

Coming out is never easy... especially when you have been raised by a strict Buddhist household with 7 other siblings in less-than-wealthy circumstances. Simon's parents always brought him to temple and made sure he and his siblings practiced their religious responsibilities every few hours of every day. Simon, however, never felt the connection with this faith, as his true feelings and desires spoke ill against the messages of the direction he was given. Now fully emancipated as a young adult, Simon has chosen to embark on an adventure of finding sexuality, compassion, and - most importantly - humor, which kept him looking forward for the rest of his days while hidden behind a cloak of shame and self-resentment.

Tamika W.

Aspiration: Nerd Brain

Traits: Quick Learner, Self-assured, Neat, High Maintenance

Bio:

"The grind of life never stops and neither do we," is the motto in the home where Tamika grew up. Raised by very strict parents, Tamika would learn that they had face much adversity before becoming two of the top renown and cherished litigators of their community. As she faces adulthood, Tamika's primary focus is to carry on the family name with high regard and stature. However, does she have the ability to allow others in, in order to focus on her own personal needs? She hesitantly signs up for a social experiment with several strangers in order to find out.

[skullfck]

He freezes, glitches, startled that she brought it up at all. He’d been thinking about it, of course, and wondering, but really he’d half-expected that they would exchange stilted, forced niceties until he made his exit. Maybe, if she was exceptionally energetic this morning, there would be nuclear fallout, another argument where one or both of them ended up hysterical. He couldn’t have guessed that she would pick things up right where they left off.

Hawk knows what he’s supposed to say. He’s sober now—mostly, at least—and fully functional, cognitive of what he’s doing and saying. He has no excuse now, no reason to say anything other than no, of course not, and promptly get the fuck out of here before he makes anything worse. But he doesn’t. He’s frozen in place, stricken by how serious she really seems to be. 

The only question, then, is whether he’s serious or not. He thinks about it. The initial answer is easy enough; of course he doesn’t want to be here, everybody knows that. It’s no secret that he’d rather be dead. But he’s chained to life by responsibility, by love. He needs to go home and make sure Tallah takes her medication. He needs to fix breakfast for Lillie and Casey. He needs to feed the rabbits, the cat. He needs to go to work.

Still, he’s quiet, flirting with the possibility of freedom. Somebody else taking the wheel and putting him out of his misery is an incredibly soothing thought, one that he’s never had the luxury of considering before. Giving up that control and just closing his eyes, waiting for the end, would be a good way to go. But is Willow really the person to do that? Willow, of all people? How is she supposed to carry that burden when she can barely even hold a normal conversation?

It’s a comforting idea, sure. But it’s not realistic. Now that the sun’s out, he can see all the cracks in the logic, the absurdity of the whole thing. He doesn’t want to live, but he sure as hell can’t die in Willow’s house. If he wants to die, it's his own fucking problem, his own responsibility. He never should have come here last night. He should know better than to go anywhere when he’s that fucked up and miserable; it never leads to anything good. What the fuck was he thinking?

          “No. That’s an insane thing to ask of somebody,”          he says, sounding a lot less convincing than he wants to.          “I was—I was just high.”

Her head aches too - less from whatever he was on and more to do with dehydration. She stares out at that window, listening to the birds, eyes glazed and completely miserable.

"What you asked me to do yesterday... What you asked me to do was probably the worst thing anybody has ever asked me to do," She says quietly, her voice a rough and low rumble. It sounds like she's about to tell him off. Another verbal lashing, let him feel worse than he already does... But she shuts her eyes and continues, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. "I know you probably won't want to ask now, in the-- now that it's daytime, but I-- that's not why I wanted to wait. I just really need to know that it's what you want, even now... So, is it?"

She's had all night to think about what to say, but what comes out is unplanned, stuttered and broken. She's squandering the out the sunlight gave her. I made you a promise, do you want me to keep it?

[loveronlineee]

The Metal Head and the Material Girl Part 2 (Eddie Munson x Reader)

Masterlist   All Parts

Eddie Munson x Reader (She/Her)

Warnings: swearing

Synopsis: As Y/N settles into her new school and her new group of friends, the boys prepare for her first D&D session

ITS HERE ITS FINALLY HERE YALL CAN STOP REQUESTING NOWWWWW.

Okay I’m really fuckin scared to post this one because I can feel the expectations for it to be as loved as part one but I tried my best!! Thanks again D&D peeps for helping me out. I cleared out my DMs cuz they were getting messy but y’all know who you are!

Also uh, this.

Okay okay I’ll shut up now. Go read.

- Willow x

Wanna be on the Eddie Munson tag list? Look here!

Wanna request something? Look here!

Two weeks in, Y/N had fully settled into Hawkins high. She had established herself as part of the outcasts and the window of opportunity for her to be one of the popular kids had officially closed.

The jocks and the cheerleaders tried multiple times to get her away from the Hellfire club, but every glare and mean comment they threw at her friends cemented in Y/N’s mind that they were not people she wanted to be around.

Eddie and Y/N seemed to be inseparable. Eddie would pick her up and drop her home despite the location of Y/N’s house being in the opposite direction of the school. They’d walk to classes together, sit together at lunch… it was uncommon to see one without the other.

The weird looks from most were slowly turning from a look of surprise to a look of oh, them again.

Eddie noticed it more than Y/N. Of course he did. He was used to being looked down upon, he knew all the signs. But he could feel the slight shift too. Y/N was like a buffer for all the hate.

People seemed to have backed off a little since Y/N joined their ranks. Seeing a pretty girl with Eddie made him seem less threatening, less of an outcast. Others didn’t know what to do when Eddie did something weird and Y/N would just laugh, like it was completely normal.

She was disrupting the social hierarchy without even knowing it.

The metalhead spotted Y/N walking into the lunch hall from his table. She waved enthusiastically at him before pointing to the queue for the school lunch. Eddie waved back and gave a thumbs up.

“So when are you gonna ask her out?” Eddie whipped his head around at Dustin’s unexpected question.

“What?” Mike rolled his eyes.

“Dude. You two are pretty much already a couple. She links her arm with yours when you’re walking, she plays with your hands, she laughs at everything you say even when it’s not funny.” The younger one complained.

Eddie wasn’t blind to these things. He felt himself going giddy every time Y/N touched him or beamed at him. But a part of him wouldn’t believe that a girl like her would actually be interested in him.

He shrugged it off.

“She’s just friendly. Y/N’s like that with everyone.”

“She doesn’t act like that to us.” Dustin argued. He looked around the table to see the other boys agreeing. Y/N was always nice to them and enjoyed being their friends but they could all see the difference between that, and how she acted with their dungeon master. “Listen Eddie, I love Y/N. She’s great. She’s like the older sister I never had. I love Y/N. But I don’t love Y/N.”

He raised his eyebrows up, seeing if Eddie understood. He did, pulling a face. He didn’t like his use of that word.

Love.

Eddie thought he didn’t believe in love up until very recently. But Y/N decided to come into his life and completely destroy that ideology.

He hated that Dustin used that word because it was the only word that accurately described what he was feeling. And it made him feel stupid.

Two weeks. This girl had been in his life for two weeks and he was head over heels for her.

But how could he not? She was beautiful and bubbly. She actually listened to him when he rambled on about his interests. She didn’t look down on him for repeating senior year. She genuinely enjoyed spending time with him. And every once in a while, Eddie would let himself believe that she loved him back. Just a little.

Before the boys could say anymore, Y/N dropped her tray on the table. She took her usual seat next to Dustin and Eddie.

“Hey guys. What’d I miss?” She looked around with a smile as she tucked her chair in. Eddie reflexively put his hand out in front her. Y/N liked to see what rings he decided to wear every day. She slid her own hand underneath his and began straightening out the jewellery.

“Uh we were just… taking about your first D&D session coming up!” Dustin saved. He gave Eddie a nod which the dungeon master returned.

“Oh right! Have we decided on a date yet?” Y/N looked up. Eddie huffed a little in annoyance, pulling his hand away from Y/N to fold his arms. This had been a problem for him since Y/N joined Hellfire.

“We can’t decide on a date until we decide what we’re actually doing for it!” He slammed his hands on the table, looking around at everyone “We can’t just do any D&D session! This is Y/N’s first. We gotta do it right.” He stated, tapping his pointer finger on the lunchroom table.

“I’m sure it’s gonna be amazing no matter what Eddie. I sat in on last week’s session and that was so fun already!” Y/N reassured. Eddie made a frustrated whine, leaning back.

“Yeah but it’s gotta be something special!” He stood up on the chair. “We are in the presence of a PRINCESS PEOPLE!” He shouted, before jumping back down. Y/N laughed.

“Hey don’t some people dress up like their characters?” She asked. The boys looked at each other, liking the idea.

“We haven’t done that before.” Dustin commented. “Right Eddie?”

“Yeah. Yeah I like that.” A smile slowly creeping on his face.

So it was decided. On Friday, Hellfire were gonna take their immersive fantasy experience a step further.

———————————————————————

The boys ran down to their club room the second the bell rang. Setting everything up and taking putting on their costumes. Eddie sat in his throne and looked through his notes as the others scrambled around.

Dustin noticed the dungeon master’s leg bouncing up and down. He chewed the end of his pencil, eyebrows furrowed as he read what he had written.

“Eddie, you okay?” Dustin called out. Eddie didn’t look up.

“Yeah yeah I’m fine Henderson just keep doing what you’re doing.” Dustin could tell he was nervous. But it wasn’t like he could ask for anyone’s help, everyone else was a player. It would ruin the game if they knew what was gonna happen ahead of time.

There was a knock at the door.

“Hey guys? Am I allowed to come in now?” It was Y/N.

“We’re not ready!” The chorus of boys replied. Y/N giggled.

“Okay let me know when I can come in.” Eddie ripped the piece of paper he was looking at out of his book and stuffed it in his jean pocket. He frantically flicked to another page and looked back up. All the others had taken their seats and everything was ready.

“Princess you may enter!” Eddie’s voice echoed around the room as Y/N slowly pushed the door open. He could feel the excitement of everyone building and building. Eddie rose from his throne, coming into his dungeon master persona. “Today you will officially join us as part of the Hellfire club! Are you-“

Eddie’s train of thought stopped as Y/N came into view.

She had put glitter and gemstones around her face. Elf ears added onto her actual ears. A dainty tiara on top of her head.

If she was ethereal before, now she was celestial. Seemingly otherworldly.

Eddie gulped as she floated over and took her seat at Eddie’s right.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” She replied with an angelic smile. She noted the look Eddie was giving her. “You okay Eddie?”

“Fucking hell Y/N you coulda warned me.” Eddie mumbled as he rubbed his hands over his face. She didn’t quite hear him. He composed himself. “Never better. Let’s get started, shall we?”

———————————————————————

The session was a massive success and Y/N had a great time. She managed to keep the princess alive, with Eddie giving her hints he probably shouldn’t have.

“I’ll pack up guys. See ya on Monday.” Eddie said as the others got up. The boys said their goodbyes and left the club room. “You still need a ride home?” He asked Y/N with a smiled.

“Yes please.” Y/N smiled back, beginning to help Eddie clear up. The dungeon master breathed in then out slowly before speaking again.

“Uh hey why don’t we do a quick little epilogue, just before we go?” Y/N frowned a little in confusion.

“But the others have already left?”

“Y-Yeah just- just us two.” Eddie began to feel his nerves building.

“Okay then.” Y/N agreed, sitting back down. Eddie composed himself once again and sat down too. Y/N watched as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, putting it down flat on the table. The pair stared at each other. Y/N in anticipation.

“Princess, you find yourself walking around town that night. After the harrowing journey you had been on, you wanted some quiet time to yourself to reflect on all that had happened. The streets were almost silent, only the occasional villager still out, making their way home from the tavern. You turn a corner, heading towards your horse. Walking through the stables you spot the stable boy, hard at work.”

Y/N smiled. The princess had met the stable boy before, early on in the adventurers’ quest when they needed horses. She managed to charm him into letting them borrow the horses with the promise of retuning them, which they did.

He was the only character Eddie didn’t put on a voice for. The stable boy was surprisingly charismatic and charming himself, seeming to favour the princess out of the group of adventurers.

Eddie tilted his head to the side, still smiling. “What do you do?”

“Hello again stable boy. You’re up late.” Y/N said, being the princess.

“Your highness. He bowed in respect at your status. My day is just starting actually. I heard about your quest and I thank you for saving us and keeping your promise. He patted one of the horses.”

“Of course. What kind of a princess wouldn’t keep her promises?”

“Not one as good as you your highness.”

Y/N watched Eddie as his smile faltered for a moment. He took another deep breath in then out. She leaned forward slightly, awaiting whatever was to come next. Eddie stood up and came to kneel on one knee, on the left side of Y/N’s chair. He kept his head down, unable to look up at her as he spoke.

“Princess. I know I am nothing more than a lowly stable boy, and I’ve got some nerve asking someone as high and honourable as you anything… but I must ask you.” Eddie gulped as he slowly lifted his head. He found comfort in Y/N looking at him. Of course he did. She always made him feel at ease. It was silly to think she would fill him with fear, even in this situation.

He continued. “Would you find any pleasure in accompanying me one night?” Y/N’s smile grew wider and wider. Giving Eddie more and more confidence. “We could go to the tavern. Or perhaps a walk around the town? It doesn’t matter much to me, as along as I am in your company.”

Y/N didn’t answer in game. Her hands went to the sides of Eddie’s face as she crashed her lips onto his. Eddie slowly stood up, making Y/N stand too. He found is hands wrapping around her waist and hers moved to the back of his neck. The two could feel the other smiling against the other. Y/N began giggling which ended the kiss, their foreheads touching.

“Did you plan that all out for me?”

“…maybe.” She giggled again, finding his lips.

“My silly stable boy.”

“Princess.”

Tag list: @Mikinyi @justaproudslytherpuff @angelicjinwoo @k12baby @spiderman-berries @ruhro7 @justanotherhappyidiot @dontcallmesavvy @kenzi-woycehoski @gh0stm3g @lagataprrr @spencersbookbag @ygrworld @ambernicole90 @alwaysbeenfamous @angelsarecallin @voteforevilthoughts @iameddiemunsonshair @hellf1reclub @phobles-world @isshecleverorisshecrazy @olrjmarvete @b-bella9 @ultraoliviajeromethings-blog  @beatlebeesstuff @korescomaactually @bilesxbilinskixlahey @darkened-writer @nightless @gnkkstarz @cullenswife @killergoddessmm @preciousbabypeter @uselessbutinteresting @frogtits1 @lotus-es @padfootpottah99 @siriuslysmoking @enoumen-t @marrigold-2002 @nightless @the-mysterious-miss-s @olrjmarvete @evie-119 @rand0m—fangirl @felicityofbakerstreet @lotus-es @v0idl1nq @stv-1-ncent @eiviea @iheartcb @grumpyy-bearr @purple-flamingo @eddiessoulmate @violetrainbow412-blog @mcueveryday @marauders3rawh0re @ravenhood2792 @dragonalpha54 @slytherinintj13 @pastel-abyss-x @missscarlettangel @charli123456789 @henhouse-horrors @erikaar @golden-hoax @fairynamjoonie @caramelkatsukis-bitch @sun-faced @somerandomasgardian @helensophie @avobabe87 @s-u-t @superheavymetalunicorn @low-keyyyyy @carliuxima @avarose06 @ticharluv @ijustfndamilldllrsthatsmnefgt @gia-maybank @takemetoneverland420 @notbeforelong @lovepity @falling4uke @emiijemii @chocolatestudentllamabanana @milkiane @montgomery-fucking-gator @girl-in-the-chairs-void @ourheartsofsteel @simp4fictional @sakurarou @nyctophiliiiiaaa @just-that-bi-girl @ieatrocks1 @beautifulrunwaymodelwombat @geeksareunique @chiggennuggie @levylovegood @eddie-swhore @char1389 @chaerwithluv @annikin-im-panicin @mmmxmo @cestlavie03 @selenelouvel @thanatophobiawilldestroyme @unicorntrooper @jmj-1312 @nxrdamp @funn-sizedd @idblamekate @miraakswhore @7myoi @vintageleather @lemongirl5910 @hermie62 @tuskjohnny @madcosss @vinnielovesmel @michaelfuckinglangdon @bbyharlow @bakugouswh0r3 @bookswillfindyouaway @im-a-nobody-101 @jellyfishbeansontoast @steph88w @kendallpaige @strawberrykittey @abbyeey @rocking—and—rolling @dragons-dejavu @ghoulsgraveyard @spiderstyles04 @piratedelusion @your-mom-is-smoking-hot @lxffy-icon @kaiya3333 @my-obsession-spn @eddiemvnsongf @bicallison @rivuh-stone @summeritalyrain @hanihans @noa-keselman @hangel0veb0t @xbreezymeadowsx @official-maddibrown @sugabops @shoutokozume @joyfulstar81 @dontwaistyourtime @wintersdarling @gnkkstarz @pleasantlycrazyworld @oinomniaparatuso @magnet-girl @e-girl-on-the-server @antisocialthat70sshow @ma-tara @golden-thv @shamidreamer @crypticlxrsh @squishymochiuwu @kovieky @existentialjams-blog @caelin32212 @kissmyquill @lunar-flwr @whiskeypowder @vhscillian @alisslahey @prongs-girlfriend @afs1 @lilsubbysblog @melodiclovesong @same-panic-different-disco @stormyparker @madnessismylover @obi-wanakenobi @nerdboylover @waterfallpussyprincess @cailaif @cherrybean1116 @cal-is-not-on-branding @dragqueen-scully @underrailed @elrose1532 @anxiously-sad @haroldpotterson @nicodoesntexist @ruckusbowzeus @liviav @eddiemunsonlomlll @moonbeampillgoth @seiphira @sweethearteddiemunson @ahoeforharlow @stcrrjoon @tnu-ree @dootys @rengokuiloveu @findleynovadachs111 @reincarnationoftheparty @friednickelfestivalwolf @capybergara @wolflover384 @othermonsters @chibipeachu 

[justschneesbutnotreally]

This might be a hot take, idk really, but personally I don’t want Whitley to forgive Willow. I feel like a lot of people, myself included for a while, wanted Willow to make amends with her children and have them forgive her, because she’s a good person and deep down does love her kids. But stuff is complicated, and I think not only would it be an interesting avenue to follow, it would make sense too.

Willow is a bad mother, we all know this. She was incredibly neglectful and enabling, and if the comics are assumed canon(which I hope not), she was verbally abusive too. Even if the comics aren’t assumed canon, I’m still willing to bet she was, because alcohol AND feeling trapped would definitely cause misdirected lashing out. In my experience anyway. So, I want to see her actually go through a redemption arc, maybe not right away even, since what happened to Weiss might lead her to drown her sorrows in her normal coping mechanism, or it would make her want to be there for her mourning children, maybe a bit of both. It’s not like alcoholism is just gonna go away after one terrible night.

I think it’d be neat if, should she get a redemption arc at some point, that the show doesn’t paint her as entitled to forgiveness, just because she’s bettered herself. I’ve always thought of the Schneeblings with a five year age gap between each one, which would mean that on Weiss’s 10th birthday, when Willow seemed to fully fall into her alcoholism, Whitley would only be like 4-5. Weiss and Winter would likely be more inclined to forgive her because they’d have more memories and experience with a Willow that was still there for her kids, before her downfall. Whitley however likely wouldn’t have much experience with earlier Willow, and hardly any memories of her. All he really knows is the abusive, neglectful, alcoholic mother. So not only would it make sense if he didn’t forgive her even if she become a better person, but, personally, it’d be refreshing to see. People don’t have to forgive their abusers just because they’ve changed.

A lot of times people will treat abusive characters who were also victims at the same time, in a light of there victimhood being an excuse for their behavior, instead of a reason. And so after bettering themselves, they just kinda get forgiven. Because I guess they went through so much they deserve a happy ending? Or in the case of RWBY back when the whole “Blake being abusive to Sun” plot was happening, it will never be treated as abusive by the show and everything will be forgiven with no effort to change on the characters part, they just sorta will.

Idk, I think it would be a happy ending if Whitley found his own little family like Weiss and Winter, instead of being stuck with the Schnees like he seems to be expected to be. (Weiss has her found family but the rest of the Schnees are sorta expected to patch up all that mess they got, which can be endearing when handled right but so is carving your own path. Just a little weird and unfair is all)

Well okay, actually that’s not entirely true. I absolutely want Winter and Whitley to mend their relationship because it’s an extremely interesting dynamic because they’re very similar and also very different, and we know so little about how they’d interact. Hell, they probably don’t even know each other that well because of the age gap between them. So they’re like operating on what they can remember or have heard about the other. Idk I really hope their relationship is explored and they become close. Because neither of them really have any friends from what we’ve seen. (Winter kinda has friends but not any close ones that didn’t literally just die)

Do I think RWBY will properly execute the Schnee storyline? No absolutely not. Forgive or not forgive doesn’t matter too much when it’s a constant gamble to see if they’ll handle something good or not.

[korra-the-red-lion]

TOH s2e8: an character analysis.

Omg, that episode of the Owl House. That was just outstanding, start to finish. There’s a couple of major things I want to talk about in terms of Eda, Luz, and Amity. There will be spoilers ahead, so you’ve been warned.

When we first met Amity, she was bullying Willow. Quickly after that, Luz wormed her way into the little witchling’s heart and got her to open up. Throughout season 1 and 2 so far, Amity has faced a lot of her trials as a character already. In Understanding Willow and Wing It Like Witches, Amity finally choses for herself the people she wants to hang out with. She likes Luz, and she never stopped liking Willow, but her parents forced her to end the friendships they deemed unworthy of the Blight name. In Escaping Expulsion, we see Amity finally stand up to her mother. In the episode Through the Looking Glass Ruins, Amity takes further control of her life by cutting her hair and dyeing it a different colour than the green that her mother always makes her do. Amity has become dorkier and more true to herself as the series has progressed. She’s no longer hiding behind the façade of a mean girl to protect herself from getting hurt by her parents. She’s goofy, nerdy, and kind. But there was one thing that Amity hadn’t overcome yet until this episode:

Her fear of being rejected.

You can see Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door how more heartbroken she becomes as Luz destroys all the goofy Tunnel of Love stuff, because again, Amity is a huge nerd and she actually likes these kinds of things. But it’s at the very end when Luz (understandably, more on that in a bit) just derails the entire date due to her own insecurities that we see:

Utter heartbreak, because she thinks that Luz doesn’t feel the same way after all. She ends up tearing up when she says, “Us? Dating? That is stupid, right?” Amity never wanted to face that rejection, but since Grom, Luz seemingly (obviously she was) giving signs to Amity that perhaps she felt the same way. After agonizing about it, Amity decided to be brave enough to give it a shot. She finally faced that fear that held her back at Grom and thought that it all crashed and burned, like she feared it would after giving Luz that kiss. It all turned out in the end for the better, but Amity was so scared that it wouldn’t.

Next up is Luz.

One of the consistent traits of her character has been the fear of letting those around her down. Luz agrees to go to the crappy summer camp her mom wants her to go to because she doesn’t want to let her down. She is so scared to face her mami when the Grom beast turns into her because she was afraid of letting her down. She goes to steal the Witch’s Artifact because she wants to help Eda and it ends up backfiring horribly. So, Luz had finally let someone down. It was Eda, and it was heartbreaking for her. She blamed herself for everything that happened at the Owl House after that, which is why she behaved do recklessly in Separate Tides. The fear of letting someone down stems from the fear of messing up. Because when Luz thinks she messed something up, it relates back to her letting someone down. She messed up at school because she was “too weird” and end up letting her mom down.

So, Luz wanted to ask Amity out in the perfect way that would leave no room for failure. She needed everything to go as smoothly as possible because she didn’t want to mess up and have Amity not think the world of her. Luz is harder on herself than anyone has ever been on her. 

Amity says “if we could just forget about the whole thing...” and Luz instantly starts to panic because “no no no this can’t be happening I need this to go well” is probably racing through her head as she stumbles to get the proper words out. Of course, there is the disaster of the Tunnel of Love and Luz realizes afterwards that she (thinks, because again, she is her own worst critic) messed up, and she is shattered:

Because now her chances are gone. Luz probably thinks there is no hope left after this. Remember that kiss on the cheek? Luz reacted by staring at Amity before her eyes flickered to her lips, and Amity left in a hurried panic after that. Luz isn’t reading the signs wrong, but I suspect that past experiences left her burned on Earth and she is trying to be extra careful in expressing herself. But Amity likes the chaos that Luz brings. Luz thinks outside the box and is her own person, something Amity really wants for herself. So here, Luz faces her personal demons of the fear of messing up (again in her mind). But she didn’t really mess up at all, she was just so embarrassed that Hooty did this for her and reacted as she normally would, by doing everything she can to take back control of the situation.

Then we get the beautiful confession scene from the two of them and it really was beautiful to watch. I loved it, every second of it. Amity blurting out first before Luz could finish, the little hand hold at the end with Luz wondering why it felt so scary, it was so amazing. Also shout out to Sarah for voicing Luz with little voice cracks for the highly emotional moments for Luz.

Then there’s Eda.

So what is Eda’s character arc? Well, it’s a lot of things but I think the major one we see in play for the most part is the fear of her curse. But more specifically, the effect it has on Eda and her loved ones.

Eda never told Luz and King about the curse until she was forced too. King mentioned in the Intruder that he’s never seen Eda like that before. In Echoes of the Past, King was found by Eda when he was very young and she was a lot younger too. I think it’s been 8-10 years since Eda found King, so that’s a long time to hide something from someone you live with. But, Eda has always been ashamed of her curse (and the curse itself is a disability or a chronic illness, which a lot of people are ashamed to admit sometimes they have). Eda doesn’t want to burden people with that knowledge and goes to get lengths to manage it. But something that I think is important is in some way, Eda never learned to accept it herself. She tells her mom off for trying all these stupid pyramid schemes that were never going to work for her. The elixirs are the medication, but Eda knows it’s not going to stop her from hurting people if she loses control. She has hurt people she cares for, which is why she won’t tell Raine how bad it is. Eda’s curse gets worse the more she’s stressed or upset or startled.

The moment Eda realizes she hurt her dad because of the curse, she most likely made the decision to not let people get too close to her again. Raine breaks up with Eda because Eda won’t be entirely truthful with them about the curse. Raine is aware of it, but it seems like Eda never told them the extent of how bad it was. Eda blames the curse for hurting her dad, Eda blames the curse for pushing people away. But that wasn’t the curse who did those things, that was all Eda. Eda pushed people away because she was scared of what would happen to those she loved if they got too close, so it was easier for her to live her life out in solitude and away from everyone else because no one would get hurt by her. But once Eda finally realizes that she can’t only blame the curse on its own, because it is a part of her, she finally is able to accept that this is a part of her now. The curse isn’t something to be feared and ashamed of, it’s something that is a part of Eda and she must learn to live with it fully. Now that Eda has done this, she can finally start to live in a healthier way that allows to her to interact with people she cares about again. Because having a disability isn’t something you should ever been ashamed of. Using medication (like the elixir) is helping manage it, but you have to make lifestyle changes to accommodate the disability as well. 

Also she looks amazing. 

All three of these women have finally faced major fears that were holding them back. I never would have expected it from this episode, honestly, but that goes to show what an amazing writer and director Dana Terrance is. This episode pulled off some amazing feats and really brings home a lot of the development we’ve seen for them. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this season. It’s been pretty stellar from the start so far. 

[vitalphenomena]

"Richard Hayes," he says smoothly. He doesn't expect her to recognize him. Only academics, scientists, high-ranking government officials would. He considers Willow remarkably normal. (It's a bit rude, to be honest.)

He accepts his drink with a nod. He takes a sip. His attention, then, fully returns to her as well. It's almost unnerving.

On that note. "Do I unsettle you, Willow?"

"Oh, it's-- um, Willow. My name's Willow. What's yours?" The clapping, the pointing, the staring -- it makes Willow shrink just a little bit. He reminds her of her father, which is not such a crime in a world where many older men tend to remind her of him, but it does make her a little shy. She smiles a bit, her chin tucks in as she tilts her head to the side.

At this point, their drinks arrive. She gives a little nod of thanks to the bartender, but her attention remains centred on him.

[random-snippetss]

Whumptober 2022

Day 15: New Scars

Inspired by the heartbreak that was the newest episode. Enjoy!

Every time he thought he was done, Hunter found himself dragged back to Belos. Sure, at one point, he had been proud of being the Golden Guard, of being Belos' last remaining family, but now he just wanted to be a normal kid. He wanted to worry about getting good grades in school, about making plans with friends. He didn't want to worry about being possessed by the monsterfied goop that had once been the man he'd believed was his only family.

As he stared at his face in the mirror, he mulled over the fact that it was something he needed to worry about. What had his life come to? He turned his head, trailing his fingers over the scar on his cheek, where the one he had grown used to had once been, now covered by a much larger one. Just under his eye, down over his jaw and further, over the side of his neck before it disappeared under the collar of his shirt. He stopped there, a sick feeling swirling in his stomach at the thought that it went on.

He'd been avoiding mirrors for days, afraid of seeing just how far Belos's poison had reached. He didn't remember much of the fight, of the days leading up to it either. Blackouts had become common, doing a task he really liked, then coming back to awareness somewhere else. He'd thought about mentioning it to someone when they had started lasting hours, but had ultimately decided not to, not wanting to give them something else to worry about.

Looking back now, those thoughts had been Belos, trying to stay hidden until he had regained enough strength to fully take control. His eyes, now brown, so strange and new, filled with tears and he scrubbed them away quickly. He'd cried enough the last few days, according to Luz, though he didn't remember. The trip to the cabin, down in the basement, was absent from his memory, having happened during a blackout.

Luz had gotten a strange look on her face when he confessed to the blackouts, had rushed away when he'd revealed he had no memory of the basement. He hadn't seen her in hours, though the others had reassured him that she wasn't upset with him.

Still, he felt guilty about making her worry like that.

There was a knock on the door, making him flinch and drop the scissors he'd grabbed with the intention of cutting his hair once more. Especially that Titan-forsaken lock that always flopped in his face when he least expected it to.

"Hunter?" Camila called through the door. "You've been in there a while. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he answered, wincing at the rushed words. "I'll-uh-I'll be out in a minute."

She was quiet and he held his breath, praying she wouldn't ask anymore questions. "Okay. Dinner's ready when you're done."

His breath went out in a rush. "Okay, thank you." He listened silently as her footsteps faded and sighed, meeting his eyes in the mirror once again. His hair would have to wait. It had been a disaster the last time, though he was significantly less panicked this time. Maybe Willow would be willing to cut it again. Or maybe Camila? Hadn't Luz said something about her cutting her hair the last few years?

He shook his head and scooped up the scissors from the floor, tucking them back into the drawer. All of that could wait. He had a meal to eat with a family who actually cared a out him. He smiled at that thought and opened the door, ready to face them.

[prose-for-hire]

UC Sunnyhell: Part one

Welcome to Sunnyhell! ☀

Next Part

Pairing: Spike x reader

Request: Series idea: College AU where Spike is the campus bad boy who secretly is a softie that writes poems and reader is the new transfer who just moved into Spike's apartment since it was the only available room on campus (no one wants to willingly live with Spike). Spike constantly having one night stands over, reader always trying to study. The Scoobies take reader under their wing but warn her about Spike's reputation. Slow burn enemies to friends to lovers?

Originally requested by: @sunflower-stan​

Warning: sex references. Swearing.

A/N: This is a college au !! There was a second part to this request but I didn’t have space to include it (just know I am using your ideas for the roles people would have on campus). This is part one of eight !!!!!! 🖤💜

You had been nervous for starting college. You weren’t even sure you wanted to move away from your hometown until the last second. This is why you ended up losing out on anywhere you could live on-campus. You were instead directed here.

To a little shared house just on the outskirts of the college. You had all of your stuff packed up and waiting to be moved in and you were just staring at the house. This would be your new home for the rest of the year. Your stomach flipped, a mix of nerves and excitement.

You were naturally more bookish. You enjoyed the theatre and musicals. Literature. Now, if you were honest upon looking back, a little sheltered. You were hoping this might change and that you could start fresh now that you were staring college. There were so many experiences and people that you were sure you would enjoy meeting.

You tentatively knocked on the door. You had packed up your little car and driven to UC Sunnydale the day before your course would start. You were assured that your roommate had your key and would tell you all about your new house.

You waited for a while before knocking again, a little louder. The door swung open almost immediately this time and you stepped back at the force of it.

A woman opened the door she was blonde and had rosy cheeks. Her skin was pale and she had plump, full lips. But you didn’t notice any of that. Because she had opened the door to you half naked. She stared at you as if to hurry you up. Cursing you with every breath you took.

As you managed to form words again, you began to ask.

“Oh... a-are you... Will-?”

“Do I fucking look like my name’s William?” She asked before shouting over her shoulder, “Spike one of your sluts is at the door!” her face was sullen as she grabbed up all of her stuff, slipped on some leggings and what you had thought was a bra as she pushed past you. Your eyes widened at her tone and you stepped out of her way less she body-slammed you in that direction anyway.

Your first impression of Spike was what one might call, a bad one. For one, you weren’t accustomed to meeting anyone for the first time fully naked.

He just raised an eyebrow as you stared open-mouthed “oh, right” he muttered, turning away slightly.

He wasn’t even embarrassed, his unlit cigarette hanging from his lip as he opened a draw and grabbed your key. He moved and handed it to you and you took it.

“Thanks” you squeaked, trying your best to act as if this was normal. You tried your hardest to keep your eyes trained to his face. He smirked, knowing exactly what you were trying not to look at. He sized you up for a moment, scanning his eyes over your body before shrugging and looking back up to your eyes and launching into his more formal greeting.

“Rules: don’t bloody touch any of my shit. Don’t start making me clean up, there’s a system oh, and please don’t start thinking we’re gonna braid each other’s hair and paint our nails - I didn’t want a bleeding roommate in the first place” He warned, pointing for emphasis. This gave you a flash of his already painted nails.

He rattled off a few more rules, as he lit up his cigarette. Rules such as don’t talk to him Monday through Friday, don’t speak to the people he brought back to the house ever and definitely don’t complain if you can smell alcohol and cigarettes.

“You’ve been warned. Right, your rooms the crap one on the left” he shrugged his head, before slamming the door to what was apparently his room as he spoke (to put some clothes on, you presumed). You started to walk towards the room he had pointed out, a little shell-shocked.

But you had barely stepped in when he opened his door again and popped his head out of the door, “Welcome to Sunnyhell!” He announced before slamming the door shut once more.

You moved everything into your room, you spent time making your room feel more like home. You spent a long time making it look cosy and yours.

To begin with, you and spike mostly kept out of each other’s way. You weren’t used to people being so blunt or hostile right off the bat. Still, you tried your best to be nice to him on the rare occasion that you did pass each other in the hall.

Your first day of classes had you feeling the way you always did. Lost. Both metaphorically and unfortunately you were also genuinely lost. You had taken a turn and you didn’t know where to go next. You checked your map but it didn’t make any sense.

You were just going to walk in a random direction until a kind voice spoke to you.

“Hey, you’re lost right?”

“Big time” You smiled sheepishly, noticing only now that your map was upside down. The blonde girl introduced herself as Buffy and seemed to take an instant like to you. She could tell you were a little out of your depth and it showed on your face as much as she had felt it inside on her first day.

You both started walking in the vague direction of the campus. She asked you what class you had and what room and she was determined to help you find it. You kept thanking her almost every other step for her kindness. But she just shook her head, showing that you had no reason to. She wanted to.

You got to know her and she asked about you. She explained that she and her friend Cordy were part of a sorority and that her and her friends had found it hard when they started college last year. As you rounded the corner and Buffy saw the room you had been looking for, she became slightly side-tracked. She saw one of her best friends.

You smiled at Buffy. You liked her, she seemed really friendly. She appears to be really popular too, she stops every other step to speak to someone.

“Oh, Will! Hey!” Buffy raised her hand as she did her voice to catch the redhead’s attention, “Y/n, this is the resident genius and science club president!”

The girl, Willow, was wearing  lab coat and smiling sweetly at you. Her aesthetic and Buffy’s didn’t really match so after greeting the new girl, you had to ask.

“And you two are friends?” You ask a little confused. You were still used to how cliquey high school had been so seeing lots of different people mixing and being friends was strange. But, you decided you really liked it.

“Best friends”

“Yeah! We all sit together at lunch and just hang. Why don’t you join us?”

“Oh, well-”

“Great, we meet at the canteen at one!” Buffy called, linking arms with Willow and leaving you at the door of the lecture room you needed.

You entered your class, trying your best not to feel so overwhelmed. You actually really enjoyed it and just hoped that this would continue through the rest of the year.

After class was over, you tried to familiarise yourself with the campus again. Looking at different stalls that had been set up for the new arrivals advertising clubs.

You felt a little out of place and so sort of stayed to the side lines, not really interacting with many of the students. You hung around by the noticeboard and something caught your eye. A bright pink flier. You took it down, staring at it.

It read ‘Open mic night – held by the Poetry society and the theatre club’ You folded the flier and stuffed it into your pocket with a little smile. Maybe you wouldn’t feel so left out here after all.

You looked up from your feet as you needed to try and find your next class. As you did, you managed to directly catch someone’s eye. Spike’s. You lifted your hand to awkwardly wave at him and give him a little smile at him but he just glared at your action and ignored you completely.

You watched lamely as he just stalked away. That stupid leather jacket of his whipping around his heels. Everyone moved out of his way they all scattered as he just walks wherever he likes.

You sigh, extremely embarrassed at the way he had blanked you. You shove the hand that had still been slightly raised into your pockets as you walked away towards your next class.

Eventually lunch came and you decided that you could go to the canteen. You stood awkwardly on the side looking around for a face that you recognised in the sea of bodies.

As soon as Buffy saw you, she called you over immediately and began to introduce you to her group of friends. It was quite the mix of people. You learned a lot in a short space of time.

There was Xander, he was on a basketball scholarship. Apparently he was the sole reason that the college team won so often. Although, how true that was you weren’t entirely sure. He was immediately friendly and invited you to sit. You had expected him to be unwelcoming and kind of arrogant but he was the complete opposite. He smiled and cracked a few goofy jokes upon your arrival to put you at ease.

Sitting next to him was Cordelia, but she preferred ‘Cordy’. She was Buffy’s sorority sister and head cheer coach. She was dating Xander, only in the sense that they shared sodas and the backseat of Cordy’s new car. She could have quite a biting attitude but she did this as a term of endearment you found… to the lucky few.

Then there was Willow, who you had already met. She was a proud nerd and she had more extracurriculars than you could count up to it seemed. She was incredibly sweet and good-natured treating you as if she had known you her whole life. You also learned she had a girlfriend.

Tara, who was sat braiding Willow’s hair seeing as she had finished her lunch already. It appeared like she needed to do something when she was sat in a group. She appeared nice although she didn’t speak as much as everyone else so it was

Usually, someone called Angel would show. Everyone on campus knew him apparently as he was a member of one of the frats. He was kind of hard to get hold of you discovered. Buffy was a little disappointed when she explained that he wasn’t coming to lunch today. She appeared to really like him.

After the introductions were made and everyone started to eat again, the focus turned to you briefly. Buffy said you should totally join their cheerleading group or one of the fraternities or sororities. But this wasn’t really your kind of thing. You explain that you’d rather find something else. As you said this, you felt the corner of the flier in your pocket. You hoped you would find at least someone that shared your interests. That you could bond with over the things that excited you. Form a connection with.

Not to say you weren’t already feeling a welcoming vibe from the table you were sat with. They were friendly but appeared to be holding back slightly upon your arrival. You got it, you were new. But it did make you feel like you stood out a little.

You stared into the distance as they chatted, until someone spoke to you.

“Where are you staying, y/n?” Willow’s girlfriend, Tara, asked kindly. She seemed quiet and so probably knew how you were feeling. You smiled at her, appreciating her effort.

“Oh, I applied late so I got what was left. I’m in a shared house just off campus, I’m living with this guy – Spike”

There was a collective intake of breath and some shared looks. They appeared worried for you. You looked up in confusion at their shocked faces.

“He’s bad news”

“Yeah, hot off the presses – Spike is a total no-go. Nobody else took that room for a reason, there are rumours” Buffy warned you, her voice going quiet.

“And that Billy Idol wannabe hair? I get vintage, but that guys totally stuck living in the eighties” Cordy commented, the resident expert in style you would soon discover.

“What are the rumours?” You asked, bracing yourself for the reply.

“Well, apart from the superficial stuff-”

“Yeah, Cor’s got that part covered” Xander teased which made Cordy stamp on his foot under the table. He yelped and they glared at each other before they began suddenly launching themselves at each other and making out.

“Anyway… he’s horrible to everyone. He once got into a fist fight over a half pack of cigarettes he found on the sidewalk”

“He has a new, uh, sex buddy every week and he’s on constant probation. They threaten to expel him from college all the time” Willow had whispered her warning which had made Buffy smile fondly.

But you weren’t smiling. You were starting to worry. You knew you should have checked the place out before you signed the agreement. Now you were stuck there.

“I can’t stay there if he’s gonna fight me! I can’t throw a punch” You said, not quite believing that he would try to hurt you.

“We have self-defence class on Thursdays, we can sign you up” Buffy said, patting your hand that was resting on the table. Your eyes widened, they really thought he might fight you.

“Buffy’s the teacher” Willow explained before telling you not to worry.

Since this conversation, you were even more cautious around Spike. The tension began to rise between you. His attitude was unforgiving and he had taken one look at you and immediately judged you as being ‘one of them’.

You tried to be his friend to begin with, being naturally friendly and wanting some kind of approval from him that you didn’t understand.

But it soon became apparent you were almost complete opposites.

He kept the kitchen in a mess where you liked to have some sense of cleanliness. He had become really annoyed with you when you had cleaned up. You had a spare couple of hours in the afternoon and thought you would make it look tidy. You had done it to be kind but he had snatched the bowl you had cleaned for him and stormed away.

The tension was beginning to rise between you. You spoke to your new friends about it when you sat with them at lunch and they fuelled your feelings. You were starting to realise just how much you didn’t like Spike.

You and Spike, apart from the odd hello from you and the irritated grunt from him, didn’t communicate. He had ripped up your note suggesting a rota system for keeping the house tidy. And he all-out blanked you if he ever stumbled onto some lame corner of the campus that you were hanging out in.

The tension moved from apparent indifference to an increasing distaste for the other and their opposing nature. Spike assumed you thought you were better than he was. Because you studied. And slept early and had friends that were ridiculously too clean-cut.

He had seen you hanging out with Buffy and her gang of losers. He instantly decided you were just some bland prep like them. He was waiting for the day you tried to bring one of them over so he could have the pleasure of kicking them out of his house the way they shunned him in public.

One evening, a few weeks after you had met Buffy’s friends in the canteen for the first time, you were home alone. Spike had gone out as he usually would to get drunk and you were staying in just like almost every other night since you had moved to Sunnydale.

You couldn’t sleep and so you had sat in the shared living space watching some boring late-night show for company. You hugged a cushion to your chest and just stared blankly at the screen. Feigning listening to the low buzzing of the set and hoping you could fall asleep this way.

It was at a time where you hadn’t started meeting your new group of friends outside of the canteen at lunch yet. You didn’t have people to talk to, you wouldn’t want to bother them anyway.

Suddenly the front door swung open and there was what sounded like some kind of scuffle happening through the doorway. You frowned confused. Until you saw that it was Spike shoving his tongue down someone’s throat. It was the third different person Spike had brought home that week. And it was Wednesday.

You had been sat in the dark and Spike was otherwise occupied so he dragged your houseguest to the sofa that you were sat on and tangled against them with an urgency fuelled by loneliness or alcohol – you didn’t stick around long enough to care why he did it.

You were fixed to the spot, your face contorted in horror as you had unwittingly become a part of his one night stand. But as their bodies rolled and pressed against yours, you screamed. They smelled as if they had brought the entire brewery home with them.

Spike barely even registered that you were there, he just cast an eye towards you and raised an eyebrow. As if you were the one in his way. You saw his hand lowering, groping his new friend and your eyes widened and you scrambled to remove yourself from the area and get to the solace of your room.

You scowled. He was so inconsiderate.

As the weeks went by it was apparent that you were never going to get along. You were annoyed that he wouldn’t acknowledge that the house was now shared. He treated you as if you were damp seeping into the walls. Tainting everywhere he turned. Bubbling and creating a problem in the corner. Spreading and ruining his mood with your stubborn insistence to stay in the home.

And you were starting to treat him the same way. Which, he knew you would eventually. He had guessed your friendliness had been an act.

You were just too different. You liked to study to stay on top of your work. Whereas Spike didn’t ever seem to be doing any work. You were always in his business, making comments and singing those musical songs around the house that bugged him so much.

It was as if you were living in a better way than him. You were trying to ‘improve’ him and he felt as if you were suffocating him with all of your little ideas about changing the house around. You were really starting to get on his nerves.

He kept irregular hours and this was okay by you, so long as it didn’t affect your sleep schedule. But, unfortunately it often did.

You had leaned over to turn your bedside lamp off and settled into bed. You closed your eyes, smiling at the day you had. Cordy and Buffy had taken you shopping. They insisted they would find you a new college wardrobe. You gave them a budget and your style ideas and they worked their magic.

You were so grateful they had kind of started to take you under their wing. You weren’t entirely sure if it was to get dirt on Spike at first, but they had gotten bored of the topic as the weeks went on and were more interested in getting to know you.

You began to drift into sleep as you recounted your day. Until all of a sudden you were jolted awake. Loud music had started playing. You checked the clock it was nearing midnight – you had gotten in much later than you usually would after your friends had taken you for a drink to celebrate a successful shopping trip.

The pounding of the music and the screaming vocals were so loud it was as if the band was playing a live set directly beside your bed. Your entire room appeared to be shaking because of it.

You got out of bed, your anger bubbling dangerously higher with every step you took towards the source of the noise. He was sat in the shared living area, drinking liquor from the bottle and nodding along to the music.

“I have a really important class tomorrow, can you keep it down?” You asked, trying to make your voice sound level.

“Don’t know. Can you keep your hands off my Weetabix?” He asked snidely. You had seen one of his friends or… whatever they were eat the last of it. But you were too embarrassed to bring up his promiscuity. The rumours had made you cautious of him and so you just didn’t say anything.

He quirked his eyebrow as if he had caught you out and turned to the cd player he was using. You sighed some relief but rather than turning it down he twisted the dial so that the volume was at its fullest.

This was it. You stalked towards the Cd player and turned the volume right down. He got up from his seat immediately, grabbing your upper arm to pull you away. His grip was firm and his body was extremely close to yours. His eyes were hard and unforgiving as he spoke.

“Did you forget the rules already? Don’t. touch. My. Bloody. Stuff”

You snatched your arm away and gritted your teeth. You couldn’t think of any witty comebacks. You wished you were Buffy or Willow – they would have known what to say.

Instead, you just expelled air through your nose and stormed off. The punk song now blaring out of the speakers again as you slammed your door shut.

You were so angry you were shaking. You stomped into bed, putting a pillow over your head and tried, and mostly failed, to get some sleep.

You were a zombie the next day. Completely running on caffeine. Your new friends helped you out, tried to wake you up before class and Cordy swore that when she saw Spike next she would give him a piece of her mind. You appreciated them so much.

You were worried because you didn’t seem to have as much in common with the others. Cordy and Buffy went to their cheer club and their sorority. Xander was the basketball star with a goofy, soft heart. And Willow was this complete sweetheart genius who had a love for learning and found the work here all so easy. Her girlfriend was really sweet too, although a little quiet. You had only met her once that time in the canteen but you decided you could probably call her a friend too.

You didn’t have much in common, you were more bookish and you had to work a lot harder to grasp what was being taught. Despite your love of learning, it didn’t come naturally to you. You had to work at it to maintain an average grade. This meant you would study even harder to achieve those grades that you truly desired.

But luckily, despite your suggested lack in commonality, they really liked you for some reason. You and your new friends had all just clicked. At least you had them to be accepting of you.

Either way, that still didn’t solve a problem like Spike.

He infuriated you. He made you want to scream. You wanted to move out. A dark part of you wanted to sneak into his room at night and smother him with the pillow he had forced you to cover your ears with.

You just hoped through the rest of the year that things couldn’t get any worse than it already was. That you could just ride it out.

You were sure there was no way to bridge this gap. No way you could possibly ever get over what a complete pain he was. You couldn’t stand him. He was smug and didn’t care about anything. He was selfish and he didn’t even acknowledge you in public.

You just wanted to get this college year done and get out of there. You had decided that if you ever saw Spike’s face again after this year – it would be one time too many.