#i feel like it's been so long since i've drawn lili

[technovillain]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Lili deemed Raz's sparklers not enough of a fire hazard, so they upped their game this year.

[cyripticchronicler]

Ink and Destiny - Part 3

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I've had a hectic week. Thank you for all the support with my writing, I love you all ahhh.

@lilianelena39 Thank you for asking to be tagged! I hope you like it.

Masterlist

Part one Part two Part four

The days that followed were filled with shy touches and hidden smiles. It’s only been a week since you went on that date with James, and it hasn’t left your mind since. 

After eating, he’d ask you to read to him, you spent the rest of the date muttering the love story to James as he lay on his back, making comments now and then. 

The awkwardness of the first date was long gone, and you found yourself growing comfortable around him. He seemed more comfortable around you too, with the way he gripped your hand tightly in his or the way he relentlessly teased you. 

You were still quiet, barely muttering a few words but James filled in the silence. 

He was holding your hand now, you two having run into each other whilst you were on your way to the owlery. James had decided to ditch Sirius and Remus, claiming you were much nicer than them- earning a giggle from you and a scowl from Sirius. 

“You never finished that book,” James muttered, breaking the peaceful silence. 

“I didn’t know you wanted to know the ending,” You said honestly, James looked genuinely offended and you had to bite back a smile. 

“Of course I do, the letter was heartbreaking.” 

You grinned, “Well if you must know, he proposes again and she accepts.”

He let go of your hand, placing his hands over his ears as if it could erase what he just heard. “Spoilers!” 

You couldn't help the laugh that burst out of you, “The book came out years ago! There are spoilers everywhere!”

“Yes, but I was trying to hint at another date where you read to me again but I guess that’s not possible since you’ve told me the ending.” He grumbles, feigning anger as he reaches for your hand again. 

“Well…I never told you what happened to the others.”

He took the bait, “I am dying to know what happens with the others, so maybe if you’re up to it we could go on another date, say, this Saturday?” 

You pretended to think for a moment, “Saturday, hmm, I’m not sure.”

You both stop at the entrance of the owlery, James pulling you into him slightly. You couldn’t stop the blush painting your cheeks.

He’s never touched you like that before.

“I’ll beg if you want,” He whispers, laughing when you playfully hit his arm, cheeks redder than a tomato. 

“No begging is needed. Saturday is fine.” It left you three days to plan your outfit and mentally prepare. 

James grins triumphantly, following you around the owlery, hand still gently placed on your waist. 

—

You stared at the wobbly heart drawn on the inside of your wrist. You hadn’t noticed when it appeared but your eyes can’t look away. 

Not all soulmates are together romantically, sometimes they are platonic soulmates, hell, on rare occasions they’re enemies who despise each other. 

But there’s a part of you that hopes you and James are romantic soulmates. There’s also a part of you that’s still unsure about him. You two are complete opposites, you’re quiet, he’s loud, and you shrink away at any attention on you whereas James thrives in it. 

“Opposites attract, it’s basic science in the muggle world.” Lily had reassured you when you voiced your concerns. Maybe she was right. Merlin, you hoped she was right. 

But you push those thoughts away for now, noting you only have half an hour to finish getting ready. You’ll talk to James about your thoughts. If there’s one thing you hate most in romance books it is the miscommunication trope. 

You hastily draw a sloppy heart back before returning to your makeup. You keep it simple, applying a couple of coats of mascara and some concealer before adding lipgloss. 

Your outfit is simple, black jeans and the top you feel most comfortable in, paired with a thick coat to keep out the cold weather. 

You reach The Three Broomsticks in no time, relishing in the warmth. Noting James isn’t here yet, you find a secluded table in the corner.

A minute later James walks through the door, nose red from the cold. He perks up when he spots you, smiling warmly and he takes the seat across from you. 

You notice the heart on his wrist as he sits, his coat pulled up like he was staring at it just a moment ago. 

“You always seem to be here earlier than me, perhaps on our second date I’ll arrive an hour early to beat you.” Your heart flutters at the thought of him already planning a second date.

You’re silent, mind racing for something snarky to respond with. James doesn’t seem bothered by your silence, instead asks you if you’d like a butterbeer and you nod your head gratefully. 

You take the time he’s gone to calm your thoughts. It seems as if you haven’t pushed those thoughts from before down far enough.

“The weather has changed drastically since our first date, don’t you think?” James asks as he sits back down. You nod your head. Just two weeks ago you were wearing dresses but now it seems as if it’s going to snow at any moment. 

 “Climate change.” You respond dumbly. 

“I hope you brought the book with you, maybe we could find a quiet place for you to read for me. Or we could head back to the common room and you read to me there.”

You shake your head, “I couldn’t bring it, I didn’t want to risk bending it by putting it in a bag but didn’t want to risk getting it wet either.”

James seemed disappointed, “Later then, when we get back.”

You nod your head dumbly. 

“Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet.” James’s eyes shine with amusement, a hint of concern peeking through. 

“Do you think we’d be happy together?” You blurt, taking a sip of the butterbeer to busy your fidgeting hands. 

“Yes,” James answers honestly, with no hesitation. “Do you not…think we’d be happy together?” He asks rather nervously. 

“We’re quite different from each other.”

He ponders for a moment, “Different isn’t always a bad thing, Love. We balance each other out.”

“Oh.” You’ve never thought of it from that perspective. Awkwardly taking a sip of your drink, you meet James’s eyes. “I just… I’m not used to attention- I hate it actually- and you’re popular so I can’t help but think once everyone finds out we’re dating they’re going to pay more attention to me.”

You’ve only met a couple of times since the first date, and besides the walk to the owlery, it was in secrecy. 

“We don’t have to tell people straight away- whatever this is. It can be our little secret, for now, Love. Is there anything else worrying you?” 

You shake your head. “It’s not very secretive if we’re sitting together in broad daylight in one of the most popular stores in Hogsmeade.”

He drains the rest of his drink, “I guess we’ll have to find somewhere else to go. Come with me.” You don’t miss the glint of mischief in his eyes but go to follow him anyway. 

“Where are we going?” You whisper, desperately trying to catch up as he runs through the snow. He stops a few minutes later and you attempt to catch your breath as you examine your surroundings. 

“Where are we?” You ask when you don’t recognise the place. There's nothing and no one around, just the path you came from.

“You’re not going to murder me are you?” 

James laughs, stalking closer, “I don’t plan on it, no. I’m rather fond of you.” 

Your heart skips a beat, “Even if we’re so different?” 

He nods, a small smile painting his face as he wraps his arms around your waist. “Of course, my Love. It would just be boring if we were so alike.” 

You nod your head in agreement, “It would, wouldn't it?” Ever so slowly, you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer as one of his hands go to hold your jaw. 

His lips touch yours and like last time they’re soft and warm but unlike before, the kiss is filled with hunger.

He pulls you closer against him and you moan, tangling your fingers in his hair. James immediately deepens the kiss, tongue swiping across yours and you pull away in shock. 

He doesn’t let you go far, nose burrowing into your neck, “I’m sorry, Love. You just taste so good.” 

“Oh,” you whisper, breathless.

He laughs, “Yeah, Oh.”

—-

“That's how it ends?” James asks you, peering up from where his head lays on your lap, your hand threading through his soft curls. 

You’re laying on your bed. The common room was too busy and James stated the boys would just bother them if they went to his room so you shyly offered to read to him in your room.

The girls were all doing their own thing tonight, thankfully giving you and James time alone. 

You immediately thought of other things you could be doing alone but James seemed determined to hear the rest of the book and you weren't sure you wanted to do those activities with him yet. 

“I don’t get why that’s your favourite book,” At your offended look he continues, “Sorry, Love, but that's such a bad ending.”

You laugh incredulously, “It’s not a bad ending! They end up happy and in love.”

“You’re such a hopeless romantic,” He jokes and you roll your eyes. 

“If you’re not a hopeless romantic then I want you to leave right now.” You point to the door playfully and James leans up, face inches from yours. 

“I’ll become a hopeless romantic for you,” He mutters, looking at your lips. 

“Good.” You push him off the bed and he groans in fake pain. “Go to bed, the girls will be back soon and I’ll never hear the end of it if they spot James Potter in my bed.”

“Fine. I want to see you soon though, maybe after the Quiddich game next week?” 

“Won’t you be too busy celebrating the win?” 

“You think we’re going to win?” He asks, happiness and shyness clear in his voice. His cheeks turn red when you nod, “I can think of other ways to celebrate the win with you, Love.” 

You roll your eyes, playfully pushing his shoulder. “Go.”

He taps his lips and you can’t help but blush. You mean for it to be a quick peck but James has other ideas, tilting your head as he kisses you deeply. 

He places an open-mouthed kiss on your neck before leaving with a quick wink. 

As soon as the door closes you let out a squeal, kicking your feet as you hug your pillow to your chest tightly. 

“I heard that.” James’s voice resonates through the door. 

Your cheeks flush, “Go away.” 

His footsteps fade and you relax into your bed.

It’s only until the next morning that you notice the words on your wrist.

I’m kicking my feelings and squealing about you too. Not so different after all.

[satureja13]

Ji Ho asked Jack to help him to get rid of that single bed Vlad was sleeping in - and Jack was all in. Anything that brought his best friend closer to Ji Ho was a good thing! But of course they didn't throw the bed in the trash compactor. It's not their ship - and destroying perfectly fine stuff is bad karma. Since they only use three of the four available quarters, they thought they'd just move the bed into the unoccupied one.

But this is the quarter of B.D's kids...

Ji Ho and Jack looked at each other. They are more determined than ever to bring him back to his family. This is so sad. (For me too. I haven't visited Great A'Tuin II since B.D got arrested. And seeing all the remnants of their happy times here is breaking my heart. One of his kids had even been born here on this ship...)

Jack and Jeb are busy checking - and if necessary, securing - the venitlation holes, so Jack had to get back to work. And since Ji Ho has no special task on this ship, he's the Ji Ho of all trades ^^' Today he's supposed to make an inventory of the smaller storage. To see for how long their Dilithium and supplies would last them. He was still so sad when he got there, and deep in thoughts. Ji Ho is the most sensible of them all, he can't just shake this off.

But then his attention was drawn to something... Oh no - someone (thing?) has stolen food from the containers! Metal containers at that! It seems Jack was right! There must be an alien creature on the ship! One that is able to crack (or bite ö.Ö') open sturdy metal containers!

None of the Little Ones is capable of doing this. Not even Evil Malfoy! Ji Ho was just about to flee from the scary storage, when he noticed the metal cages. Maybe the creature had escaped from them? o.o

Only one place he feels safe and secure came to his panicking mind, and that was Vlad. So he ran to their quarters. Then he heard a rustle from the ventilation shafts and he ran even faster! Oh gods!

Vlad sensed through the Bond that something was wrong with Ji Ho. He darted to the door to get to him, but Ji Ho was faster. Ji Ho was panting, his heart beating fast: "Thank the Gods, you're here." Then he told Vlad what happened.

Vlad pulled Ji Ho in his arms: "You're safe." Vlad would make sure to secure the ship together with Jeb and Jack. But later. First, he has to make sure that Ji Ho calms down. His fear and panic is shaking their Bond and Vlad can't think clear with Ji Ho being so frightened.

What Ji Ho also didn't notice in his shock state was, that Vlad moved their lily plant to their quarters.

TMI: The Lily represents beauty, purity, transformation, rebirth, and devotion.

Since awkwardness is still the main factor in their relationship, and Vlad has no idea how to calm Ji Ho (he knows very well that he makes Ji Ho only even more nervous), he went with Jack's tactic: distraction. Vlad: "I've noticed you removed my bed." Ok, that was working. Just in the wrong direction... Ji Ho's thoughts immediately went from 'omg the alien will kill and eat us all!' to 'omg Vlad will scold me because I removed his bed without his permission!'.

Vlad noticed Ji Ho's hands were still shaking and took them in his. Vlad: "Come." Ji Ho was utterly confused - is Vlad leading him away from the entrance and deeper into their quarters so the others won't hear when he yells at him? But he still followed him...

Ji Ho was so out of his head, he didn't even notice that Vlad had redecorated their quarters while he was away. He'd set up their hobby stuff - Ji Ho's music station and his easel. He'd even painted a cute mural on the wall for Ji Ho.

Vlad: "And? What do you think?" Only then Ji Ho took it all in: "Oh! That's wonderful!" Now Vlad's hands were shaking a bit, he's nervous: "So. Uhm ... we could spend time here together. If you like?" Ji Ho thought maybe Vlad didn't think it through. Vlad also has his computer here, to write on his stories: "Won't it disturb you when I do my music stuff next to you while you paint and write?" But Vlad did: "No. You use headphones, right? That's no problem." Vlad is too shy to tell Ji Ho that he is his greatest inspiration and muse.

And after the ventilation holes were secured, they spent their free time together. Without having to have awkward conversations and stupid misunderstandings. Boosting each other's creativity to new hights.

'We know how to fly Far away We’ll fly about the whole world We got used to the clouds Woo no Yeah Everywhere is already Our home'

My Zone - Block B A song from real Ji Ho's group :3

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[dream-moonlight]

Maybe next time, maybe in the next life, maybe never.

Warnings: Angst, James being clueless, James Potter x Lily Evans, James Potter x Reader, unrequited love

Was i a fool for falling in love with James Potter of all people? Maybe. Maybe i was. But how could i stop myself when he's so kind and funny to me? How can i resist him when he keeps helping me with my schoolwork despite the many times i told him there was no need? I couldn't. That's the answer. From the moment I've met him, he's been nothing but welcoming, even if i was skeptical of him at first. But it didn't take me long to warm up and see him as the amazing young gentleman he was. That was for me, but not for Lily who hadn't liked him at all because of his loud and way too cheerful personality. I kinda understood her. James could exaggerate at times, but he was trying his best to make everyone around him happy. I appreciated it. I knew he had a crush on Lily. I mean, it was obvious from the way he acted around her. It didn't bother me until i realised i felt something more for him, something way stronger than friendship, so strong that it made my heart beat faster than when we had a test on transfiguration. Lily didn't seem interested in James, rather disturbed instead. So i thought to myself.. why don't i try? I don't need to get straight to the point, I could just try to get closer to him and see where this goes. Maybe it can end in us together? Or maybe i was dreaming too hard.

"Hey, James! Mind coming with me to the library today? You know, for the erbology we have tomorrow. We could just.. review some things. Study some more."

"Ah.. sorry, i can't. I was planning to go ask Lily on a date.. Maybe next time? You can ask Remus to help you! I'm sure he'll be glad to have some company while studying. Wish me luck!"

And with that, he'd run off, not even giving me a chance to say 'bye' or wish him luck in this quest of his. I sighed before turning and walking off in search of Remus. Let's hope he didn't have someone to conquer as well. I really needed help for this test. But hey.. maybe next time we'll be able to study together. Just me and James.

Maybe.

"Good morning, James. Are you feeling alright? I haven't seen you at breakfast and me and the others got a bit worried. Is something wrong?"

I asked after finally finding James outside the castle when he did not show up for breakfast that morning.

"Oh, good morning. Sorry i wasn't there. I had to get some of these flowers for Lily. What do you think? She'll like them right?"

My body stiffened a bit, but I still smiled.

"I'm sure she'll love them, James. They're beautiful."

He chuckled and nodded, looking down at the flowers he had taken with a slight hint of blush on those squishy cheeks of his.

"Just like her.."

He mumbled dreamily as my heart sinked further into darkness.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to Hogsmade with me this weekend to-"

He didn't even give me time to finish that his attention was drawn to something behind me. Or rather someone.

"Sorry! Gotta go! I see Lily over there! Uh- maybe we'll go another time, okay? Next week?"

He said with an excited smile, again, not leaving me the time to answer before he stormed off to Lily.

Alright.. maybe.. maybe next week.

It's been.. how long as it been since this stupid crush started? Way too long, I'll tell you that. I tried everything. I swear.. everything i could possibly think of. But nothing. James was so damn stubborn and set on conquering Lily that he basically ignored all my attempts at hanging out with him. It was like he was obsessed with her. At this point i was getting tired. I didn’t want to hide anymore, i wanted him to know. Even if he rejected me, it didn't matter. At least he would finally get it through his thick skull that there wasn't only Lily in this world.

"James, i need to talk to you."

"Not now, i really need to-"

This time i was the one who didn't let him finish.

"No. Please, it's serious. I need to talk to you now."

He looked at me kinda worried, but he did stop and listened.

"James, i don't really know how to approach this any differently. I've tried many times to make you understand, but you just don't get it."

His worry increased, but now his eyes were filled with curiosity.

"I like you. And not in a friends way.. I really, really like you. I want you to be my boyfriend, James. I want to go on dates with you, give you the love and respect you deserve. I admire you for who you are and i want to show that i appreciate all you've done for me."

His eyes widened, his body stiffening and his heart stopping for a second before his expression turned to.. honestly, it hurts to even say it.

"I'm sorry, but i do not like you that way. I appreciate what you said, but.. listen, i haven't really told this to anyone because i didn't want to ruin my chance, but I've been going out with Lily for a while now, and.. it's really going well, so.."

He stopped, not really knowing if to continue, afraid to hurt me even more than when i was. But i just laughed. I laughed.

"It's fine! I'm not mad at you, James. I'm actually happy."

Liar.

"I'm glad you finally achieved what you desired. And hey. Maybe in the next life we'll be together! Who knows."

I said in a joking tone, letting out a small awkward laugh. How I wished it could be true.

"Yeah.. maybe in the next life."

He said with a small laugh.

"I need to go now. Lily is waiting for me at the black lake. Oh, and.. I'm sorry."

He didn't look sorry at all.

"It's fine. Just go get your girl."

I watched him leave with a smile before it disappeared as quick as it came, replaced by a sad frown.

Maybe in the next life.

Maybe never.

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

CELEBRITY | chapter 7

rúben dias x original female character [+18]

SYNOPSIS: The protagonist has tried everything: acting, modeling, singing. But what got her a front page cover was being seen with a Premier League player. Unfortunately, that’s currently the least of her worries. WARNINGS: smut; kind of dom!ruben; social media post; minors dni.

|[previous chapter]| — |[masterlist]|

CHAPTER VII — THE BRACELET

The air in the apartment feels heavy as Lily and the protagonist stand facing each other. It had been months since they had last spoken. 

The protagonist clears her throat, the effort to speak almost tangible.

"Lily, listen, I... just want to say that... it's okay for us to live together." Each word is a struggle, the bitterness of their past still lingering in her voice.

Lily's expression remained unreadable, her gaze piercing. "Of course it is." She replies, her tone cool. "I've never had a problem with it."

The protagonist feels her anger flare at Lily's nonchalant response. "Really? Because I seem to remember things differently." Her voice is sharp with sarcasm. "Like the time you 'borrowed' my bracelet and conveniently forgot to return it."

Lily's eyes widen as she claims innocence. "You're still on about that old thing? You know I never touched it!"

The protagonist feels a surge of frustration. It was clear that Lily was not interested in reconciliation. And the bracelet was just one example of the many complaints she held against her former friend.

With a deep breath, the protagonist tries to keep her composure. "Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree." She says icily. "But let's be clear, I won't tolerate any more of your games. We're roommates, nothing more."

Lily's smile falters briefly, a hint of uncertainty crossing her face. But it was quickly replaced by a facade of indifference. "Fine by me." She replies, her tone dripping with insincerity. "After all, it's not like we were ever really friends, were we?"

With that, Lily turned and walked away, leaving the protagonist alone with her conflicted emotions. Anger, sadness, and a profound sense of loss washing over her.

It's late, the city is quiet outside. The protagonist stands outside Rúben's apartment, perplexed by his persistent calls. They haven't discussed their relationship, but she goes every time he calls. Before, Rúben used to find any excuse to see her, but now he simply calls, and she comes running, drawn to him despite the unanswered questions between them.

As she enters his apartment, she's reminded of the need for caution. They can't risk photos of her here, not with looming threats. 

So, it's not like it was with Kevin, she tells herself. 

And it isn’t. Rúben's touch is gentle, his kisses soft. He holds her hand as they sit on the couch, watching TV. And it never progressed further than that.

So this time it’s different in many ways.

The protagonist feels respected, like Rúben is giving her time, like he wants to get to know her better. Despite his respect, her mind wanders, consumed by longing. Rúben is respectful, but she knows he would give her more if she asked. Does she dare?

The protagonist shifts subtly, repositioning herself closer to Rúben on the couch. She leans in, her body language conveying a subtle invitation. Rúben notices, his eyes meeting hers with a hint of curiosity.

Without breaking eye contact, she reaches out, her hand finding his and intertwining their fingers. Rúben's expression softens, a silent understanding passing between them. He leans in closer, his lips brushing against hers in a tentative kiss.

The kiss deepens, becoming more urgent, more passionate.

Rúben breaks away long enough to pull her closer, then presses his mouth back down onto hers, deepening the kiss even more. 

Their bodies pressed together, each seeking comfort from the other's warmth. His hand slides up her thigh, squeezing gently at first, but gradually increasing pressure. His tongue pushes into her mouth, tasting her as his hand inches up her skirt.

In the mirror across the room, the protagonist watches herself melt under Rúben's touch.

“I want you.” She whispers breathlessly. "So much"

“Yes, yes, I want you too.” He responds huskily, his hands gripping her hips, pulling her against him. “Let me take care of you."

He pulls off her panties, dropping them on the floor beside the couch, then yanks down her skirt. He's a bit rougher than she was expecting, but she's so horny she'll let him do anything he wants. He unbuttons her blouse, then unclasps her bra and tosses it aside, leaving her completely naked. His eyes wander over her body, lingering on legs, then her stomach, her breasts, finally coming to rest on her face. 

The protagonist moans when he brushes his thumb across her lips, then tilts her head to the side, encouraging him to go further. With a deep groan, Rúben leans forward and presses his lips to hers again.

She closes her eyes and his hands move over her skin, learning her curves. His hands are firm on her breasts and when she makes eye contact with him again, he has a proud smile on his face.

"You're so fucking hot."

His hands slide down to her thighs, gently lifting them, opening her legs wider, until they are spread open in front of him. She moans as he kisses her body, pausing at each breast to kiss and lick, sucking on her nipples, teasing her with small nips before retreating. 

As he kisses his way down, his hand moves up her inner thigh, making slow, deliberate circles. The more he touches her, the wetter she gets.

"I want to see you too. Please." She pleads.

"Yeah? Want to see if you can take it?" He asks, grinning down at her.

The protagonist bites her lips and coyly nods, begging him with her eyes.

"I'll show you." A lustful grin spreads across Rúben’s face as he starts to undress. 

Her eyes grow wide as he lifts his shirt over his head, revealing his lean muscles and athletic body. He bends down and pulls off his shoes, socks, and pants, tossing them aside. Then he steps out of his underwear, his cock already erect.

The protagonist watches with growing arousal as Rúben's hands roam over his muscular chest, down his belly to his cock, which points straight toward her face. She licks her lips nervously. He climbs up on the couch, kneeling in front of her, his hard cock bobbing just inches from her mouth.

"Open your mouth." He says, reaching out and stroking her hair with one hand. When she does as he asks, his member touches her lips and he begins to push it in. The tip slips past her teeth, only barely grazing her tongue. Rúben grins.

"You got it."

Slowly, Rúben moves his cock in and out of her mouth, going deeper each time. The faster he goes, the harder she cries out. She opens her mouth wider, trying to take all of him inside. 

She grips the armrest of the couch tightly, a single tear running down her face. Rúben’s hand is soft on her hair, as he pets her. When he feels her throat start to constrict around his shaft, he puts his hands on her shoulders and slowly eases out of her mouth. She moans loudly as she takes him back inside.

"Take it like a good girl." He breathes.

The protagonist struggles for air as Rúben thrusts himself into her mouth, harder and faster than before. Her eyelids flutter closed.

Finally, Rúben stops thrusting.

"That's good, that's good." He tells her.

When she opens her eyes, she finds him smiling down at her, an approving look on his face. He continues to stroke her hair, looking down at her with such affection and adoration. The protagonist tries to catch her breath, taking deep breaths through her nose as she strokes his cock.

Rúben smiles. "Now come here."

He sits back on the couch and takes her in his arms. As she straddles him, he gently kisses her forehead. He fingers her shortly, claiming that she's wet enough, before lining himself on her entrance. She gasps softly as he pushes himself inside.

It hurts slightly, but he keeps pushing in, until eventually, she sinks all the way down onto him. His eyes close and he sighs.

Rúben rests his hands on her hips, letting her control the pace. She keeps her rhythm slow and steady, moving back and forth on top of him, rocking her hips back and forth as she rubs her clit against him. Every few minutes, she slows her movements and leans forward, rubbing her lips and tongue against his skin, biting his ears, causing him to moan in pleasure.

They stay this way for several minutes, neither saying anything. Finally, Rúben grabs her hips and pulls her up and down faster. She clenches around him, pushing herself down onto his cock, enjoying every sensation. Soon, she can feel her orgasm building, and she doesn't want to hold back any longer.

As she continues to ride him, she grinds her pussy harder, squeezing him tighter. Suddenly, her climax overtakes her. She grits her teeth and shudders, tightening around him. Rúben moans in pleasure as he comes too. They continue to move together for several seconds before finally collapsing on the couch, still joined together.

When they finally get their breathing under control, Rúben looks into her eyes. She blushes slightly.

"You were amazing." He says.

lilyymargaret

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long story short, it was a bad time

sarahck hey, that's my old bedroom! 😭 ⤷lilyymargaret i miss you too 😭 alanejjone baby face mseeker girl, you're an inpiration!

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[commander-rahrah]

Talking to the Moon: Part VIII

Pairing: Astarion x GN!Reader Word Count: ~5950 Warnings: swearing, mentions of blood, mentions of trauma, abuse and possible death, some borrowed in game dialogue, suggestive, slight NSFW, canonical warnings apply!

archiveofourown: here

masterlist: here

part I: here part II: here part III: here part IV: here part V: here part VI: here VII: here

Summary: Set in end stages of Act III. Astarion spends the day alone to gather his thoughts and prepare himself on how to make yet another confession - his love for you.

Notes:

Hi folks ♡ This is my take on non-ascended Astarion's romance scene in Act III, where I've continued to give him some more scenes between the Cazador fight and the romance scene -- because this poor vampire needs some time to decompress and breath and think! I daydreamed about a few of these scenes, and the dialogue was stuck in my brain and played on a loop until I finally got to write it down! I hope you enjoy the chapter and the culmination of all the little, patient moments between Astarion and GN!Reader/Tav that lead to this scene for them. I think there will probably only be a few more chapters for this series too! Crazy!!!

Thank you so much for reading! As always, kudos and comments are very very appreciated ♡♡♡

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Astarion’s pale fingers were twitching against the inside of his palms as he studied the busy cobblestone street.

Pairs — that’s all he could see. The pair holding hands as they weaved through the crowd. A man gently tugging a woman to his side, out of the way of an incoming carriage, before tipping their heads back and laughing. Two men flashing each other nervous, flirty smiles as they picked out rings together. His eyes had been drawn to pairs for months now — ever since he’s realized he done the unthinkable and actually fallen for you. But usually they were pairs that he could only assume the stories of. Couples that were long gone, dead and forgotten about. Skeletons with intertwined fingers, or love letters from decades ago long lost to the Shadowlands. He hadn’t seen couples with futures — honest to god living, breathing, hopeful pairs. Whispering and sneaking glances and kisses. Gentle casual touches as they picked out fresh fruit and matching jewelry. People so full of hope and love. It made his half-dead heart ache for you. Wherever you were right now. He had remained behind today, not quite ready to face the world as the supposed “heroes” you all had become to the city. No, he wanted more time to figure out what all this meant for him. For you.

You had offered to stay with him after his morning feeding, your voice low and gentle as the others still slept. But he insisted you go — as much as that little voice in his head argued to not let you go. Someone had to be there to make sure nobody took advantage of your kind, selfless heart.

But if he had another moment with you he would probably blurt out some rambling, befuddled love confession. Which isn’t the way Astarion wanted to do things.

You both had done everything so backwards from the beginning. He wouldn’t mess this up too.

So, here he was — meandering through the busy market of Baldur’s Gate. Eyeing flowers and jewelry and goods as if they could adequately describe how he felt about you.

Roses and chocolates and dramatic passion in bed. That’s what he thought this was supposed to be. What he’d read it felt like, what he’d faked it to be.

But no.

You were sweet lilies and midnight orchids, honey and delicate pastries, the deep night sky and moonlight. You with your gentle, patient and maddening touches that turned everything he knew upside down.

Astarion never really got any of it — even with his broken concept of love. He didn’t understand the point of it.

Because it was never with you.

No, no flowers or chocolates or jewelry would really capture how he felt. None of it could dare come close to explaining the fluttering, buzzing, electric feeling that went through him at just the thought of you.

He wouldn’t rely on theatrics either — no perfectly placed blanket and bottle of wine in the middle of the woods. No practiced lines or trained movements that were practically a ritual at this point.

The vampire would speak from the heart. His cold, half-dead heart that was… well, feeling quite the opposite as of late.

Shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, the vampire took the long way back to the Elf Song Tavern — relishing the feeling of the sun heating his white hair, freckling the back of his neck. Memorizing the sights in the daytime colours, the different sounds of the busy streets.

Who knew how much longer he’d be able to take them in. That was part of what he gave away.

Another thing to come to terms with.

At least he got to make the decision for himself this time. Unlike most of his life.

The worn wooden stairs of the tavern creaked underneath Astarion as he went up to the group’s room. He marched through the ornate double doors before any nervousness or doubting thoughts slipped in at the prospect of seeing you.

But the room was quiet — the only sound a small crackling fire that must have been freshly set by housekeeping. There was no usual bustle of the dozen of you all — everyone still out in the city, doing whatever quest or do-good-ing someone insisted on today.

His pointed ear quirked slightly at a sound, and he turned his head towards it. The balcony doors were wide open, the sound of something lightly thumping the glass pane of the doors reached his ears. But he couldn’t see anything from here.

Moving heel to toe carefully to not announce himself, Astarion craned to see who it was before letting out a small sigh of relief. It was Karlach — her red tail hitting the glass softly as it swished back and forth. The rest of her was leaned up against the railing, with something hanging out of her mouth.

He let out a fake cough to get her attention, and she craned her head over her muscular shoulder to look at him. Her clawed fingers pulled a cigar out from her mouth, her lips pulling into a grin. “Hiya Fangs.”

Ugh, cigars. Astarion loathed the disgusting things — they reeked. “Karlach,” He greeted with a nod, leaning against the frame of the balcony door away from the smoke. “Back already?”

“Ah, never left.” She admitted a little sheepishly. “Wasn’t quite ready to face the world just yet.”

Right, Gortash. Gods, he’d been so wrapped up in everything that had happened to him that he’d almost forgotten. She’d asked for time to decompress after all of that too. Not that he blamed her.

The barbarian had even pulled herself together for his benefit — she was one of the first to jump to his defense when he announced to the group it was time to face his old Master.

He wondered if she got as much catharsis from killing Gortash as he did from killing the ancient vampire.

Probably not. Even with the lord dead she would still die. Not like him.

No, he'd get to live with that, like this, forever.

Sometimes he couldn’t decide what was worse. Cursed to die after finally seeing the sun and trees and ocean again. Or cursed to live forever with only fading memories of those things after longing for them for two hundred years.

It was a difficult question to answer. And now even more impossible with the added variable of his love for you — his very mortal, very breakable lover.

Astarion realized he had been silent for way too long then socially acceptable and blinked his red eyes back to reality.

Karlach had put the cigar out now thankfully, tossing her black and red hair over her shoulder as she braced her elbows on the metal railing. The rogue stepped forward to join her, pushing his hip against the railing as he looked down to the streets he had just been walking.

“I’m proud of you fangs, I hope you know that."

He raised a white brow at her as she continued. "I know it wasn’t easy… turning down what you did. But gods, are we glad you did.”

The vampire took a steadying breath, “I know… Now I just have to live with it. I’m not sure what will happen now, or once the tadpoles are gone.” He admitted with a twinge of fear in his voice.

Her amber eyes betrayed her, flickering down before she forced a smile on her face. “Whatever happens, you won’t be alone.”

“For now. I’m sure everyone will be called off to their own business." He ignored the giant, waving red flag of her impending doom. "And besides, they’re bound to get sick of avoiding the sun just for me after sometime…”

“What, Giggles?" She scoffed, "You have to know they aren’t going anywhere by now, Fangs.”

His heart squeezed tightly, “How can you be so sure?”

“Astarion. They talk about you like you put the stars in the fuckin’ sky.”

He swallowed the lump crawling up his throat. Not only had he finally noticed you actually did love him, apparently he was one of the last ones to see it too.

Karlach said it with so much conviction, that even if he hadn’t come to the same conclusion last night… he certainly would have now.

“If you’ll have them, they’ll be there.” She smiled tenderly, the corners of her eyes wrinkling. She reached out her large red hand, squeezing his shoulder before she grimaced. “Oh fuck, sorry!” She wrenched her hand back, “Touching! I forgo—“

“It’s ok, I didn’t mind that.”

“Still, shoulda asked. Gods, I gotta get better at that. Just couldn’t do it for so long, heh—“

Astarion gave her a sad smile, nodding his head.

If he was honest he used to loathe Karlach. Not that she deserved it. But she was handed shit cards just like him, and she insisted on being so fucking bubbly and positive and optimistic. It drove him mental.

And the touching. Gods, the touching.

In the beginning how she moaned and mourned physical touch, all while Astarion felt like he was going to chip a molar if another person touched him again.

And then the pure elation on her face when she got her engine upgraded and could hug, kiss... grab people’s wrists and shoulders and fingers so casually. But Astarion’s face had to be a perfect, numb mask so he could hide the fact that bile was rising in his throat and his skin was on fire anytime someone grabbed him.

He hadn’t meant to hate her. And he knew he didn’t now. Actually, he felt like he was already mourning his friend a little bit. He would miss her.

“Thank you,” Astarion’s said softly.

Karlach’s eyebrows raised high on her forehead, a little stunned at the gratitude. “For what?”

“For being my friend. Even when I didn’t deserve it.”

“You deserved it, Fangs. The whole time.” Her voice was unusually soft and low, like a whisper. “Every good thing that’s happened to you — including them. And there’s more to come, I know it.”

The smiles they shared after was bittersweet.

Hope in times like these was a dangerous thing.

• • •

Your shoulders instantly relaxed as your eyes settled on Astarion’s form. He was lounging near the fire in your room at the tavern, a a book face down over his leg with his knee acting as a placeholder. His striking red eyes watched your every step as you swayed on tired feet over to him.

“Hello, sweetheart.” The vampire said softly, looking up at you from the settee.

“May I?”

His pale hand tapped the spot next to him. Your legs all but gave out as you sat down on the soft cushions, your muscles finally finding some relief after your long day. Before you could you even think to ask him, Astarion was wrapping his arm around your side – pushing you into him.

You relished in the feeling, losing yourself in his scent and the feel of the pads of his fingers on your soft waist. Then his strong nose was pressed into your neck, pressing the smallest of kisses to the sensitive skin that caused a wave of emotions to crash through you all at once. “You’re alright?” He asked quietly in your ear, before pulling away to look you over.

“Alright. Tired, glad to be back.” You gave him a meek smile, “And you, love?” You couldn’t help but study him, your eyes falling to his other hand that was not holding you – playing with the stitches on the sides of his pants. The anxious habit had made him go through a couple pairs of pants by now.

“Yes. No. Hmm… It’s hard to verbalize.” He finally admitted.

Your eyes locked and a silent conversation transpired in those seconds. His blinks and flash of his red eyes was confirmation enough. “I understand.”

He licked his pink lips as he slid his hand from around you, his fingertips dragging across the small of your back as he instead laced his pale fingers in yours. “I do feel guilty that I ended up lounging around here in the sun while the rest of you were out being heroes…” Then he swallowed, staring out to the windows just beginning to turn golden pink with the slowly setting sun. “I guess I should probably start getting used to the shadows again. Who knows how long I have left in the sun?”

You gave him a sad smile, feeling your chest tighten at the look on his face. “I think you did the right thing. Stopping it. Stopping him.”

Never again would you say that name. Never again would you give the bastard vampire master an ounce of power, even in death.

“I know. So do I. Though that doesn't mean it stings any less.” You felt your eyes burn as his voice broke slightly, getting thick with emotion. “Maybe never seeing the sun again is just the price of freedom.”

You looked down at your intertwined hands on your lap, “I'll be with you either way. I hope you know that.”

“I think I do,” Astarion said, his eyes turning soft and round as he looked over at you. Then he rolled his neck with attitude, a smirk spreading across his lips. “Assuming we survive, of course. Because a horrible death is always just around the corner with you.”

You thought about your adventures today with your companions and couldn’t help but agree. “We do love to find trouble, don’t we?”

A small chuckle escaped him, shaking you both slightly on the settee. Then he took a steadying breath, his fingers tightening their hold on yours for a moment. “There's something I'd like to show you, if that's alright. Something out in the city.”

Your brows met in the middle, “What is it?”

“Something I haven't shown anyone else,” He admitted with an odd look on his face. “Tonight?”

“Tonight,” You agreed, squeezing his cold hand back gently.

• • •

“This way, it's not far.” Astarion said softly, his hand stretched back as he led you forward.

It took all of his willpower to stop his other hand from trembling as you both walked through the graveyard. The over-grown grass and long forgotten tombs were bathed in the moonlight from above, casting shadows across the space.

He risked a glance behind him to look at you, but you were as quiet and composed as ever as you took in the sights around you. The vampire had never seen you be so quiet as you had been in the last few days – he knew it was for his benefit. Usually his lovely moon was as sharp-tongued as he was, as eloquent and flowery as Wyll or Gale. But no, these past few days you had been listening and watching so patiently. You’d given him both comfort and space in a way he’d never thought possible.

He would have to add that to the never ending list of why he loved you.

His half-dead heart crawled up his throat as he approached the familiar sight of his own tombstone. It seemed so simple just sitting here in the overgrown grass – clearly untouched all these centuries later. It had held so much power over him for so long — this haunted place that was marked as the beginning of this existence.

This hole in the ground. This slab of stone.

“Nearly two hundred years and I never came back. Not since the night I woke up down there. I had to punch a hole in the coffin and claw my way through six feet of dirt.” He croaked, his fingers slipping from yours to form fists beside him. “Then when I finally broke the surface, retching up dirt and congealed blood, Cazador was waiting.”

His master’s name made his mouth feel wrong, his tongue heavy and swollen.

“From that day on I was his. Until yesterday.”

“You were never his.” You said quietly, “Whatever he had, he took by force.”

“Maybe, but he did take it. There's almost nothing left of the person I was. Just a name on a rock.” His bottom lip trembled, before he steadied himself. Turning to the side, he moved his gaze from the tombstone to you. “For nearly two centuries I stalked the streets like a ghost while the person I was, lay here dead and buried. Now I need to figure out who I am. What I want.”

You took a deep breath, looking at him with your eyes wide, “And what do you want?”

Astarion’s heart stuttered, he was doing this. That’s what the whole point of all of this was, wasn’t it? Why he had that nervous fluttering in his stomach all day. “You... I want you. You were by my side through all of this. Through bloodlust and pain and misery. You were patient. You cared. You trusted me when that was an objectively stupid thing to do!” His throat worked soundlessly, before he spoken again. “I feel safe with you. Seen. And whatever the future holds for me, I don't want to lose that.”

“You won't. Whatever comes next, I've got you.” You said it so softly, but with so much conviction he couldn’t help but believe you.

Then your mouth spread into a radiant smile that he couldn’t help but match. “Thank you.”

It took all of him to tear his eyes away from you. “Well... I should probably fix this.” Kneeling down, he pulled a sheathed dagger from his boot. He took the tip of it, pushing it into the weathered stone as he added the current year. The year he woke up from the evil nightmare that was his life. The year he met you.

Sheathing the dagger, he fell back onto his heels and he admired his work. You dropped down beside him, close enough he could feel your warmth radiating around you. And you were so quiet again, giving him time to process.

“I've been dead in the ground for long enough, it's time to try living again. With everything that life has to offer.” Taking a deep breath, he swiveled on his knees until his was face to face with you. The moon was backlit behind your head, illuminating your silver hair with an ethereal halo. His fingertips couldn’t resist reaching out and tracing the soft line of your cheek.

Taking a steadying breath, he let his hand fall back onto his lap. His lashes casting a shadow down his face as he looked down for a moment before he spoke again. “Months ago, on that bed in the last light inn... you asked me how I saw you.”

You nodded as you remembered, “You told me you needed time.”

“Ask me again.”

You licked your lips, “How do you see me?”

“I look at you, and I see everything. The moon and stars. The world. A future.” His pale fingers reached out for yours, intertwining them carefully. “I was petrified when you asked me before… because I knew, even back then. But I’m not afraid anymore.

Being with you is about more than lust or manipulating you into a tactical alliance. I love you. I love this. And I want it all.” Astarion confessed before his other hand pale grabbed the side of your face, holding you steady as he pressed his lips to yours gently — to give you time to pull away.

The vampire didn’t have to wait very long for you to kiss him back. Your lips meeting his almost instantly, your hands pressing tenderly into the lapels of his jacket to hold you steady as you both balanced on your knees. Your soft lips, your scent, the feeling of your fingers bunched on his clothes — you were the most intoxicating thing he’d ever had.

You pulled away just long enough to whisper back in a husky voice, “I love you Astarion, irrevocably so.”

A feeling gripped his heart so tightly, spread through every pore and crevice of his half-dead body that he felt it bring him back to life. Astarion had been manipulated, coerced, abused and forced into acquiescence for over two hundred years. He had felt the physical control that his Master had over his body and soul. But this — you, you possessed him another way he had never felt. He could barely process it, let alone articulate the way you were making him feel right now. He opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to get the words out.

Instead silver lined the bottoms of his eyes and his bottom lip trembled, “What ever could I have done to deserve such a beautiful creature as you, my heart.”

But you shook your head, your silver hair bouncing with the movement, “I have never once questioned my love for you. You… you’ve never made me feel like I’m too loud, too much. You made me feel easy to love — and you did make me feel loved, long before you ever said the words. You make me feel like my blessing is something to be grateful for… not a thorn in your side. That I’m not a burden.”

“A burden? Never!” Anger flared through him at the people who made you feel this way. “A burden is something forced upon, against your will. I know that feeling. But you – you aren’t a burden. I choose you. Do not dilute yourself, or hide yourself away. Not from me.”

It was your turn to have happy tears fill your eyes now, your freckled nose crinkling as you smiled wide, “I love you.”

“Say it again.” He breathed, pressing his forehead to yours. His red eyes flickered down so he could watch your lips move and form around the words.

“I love you.”

A broken noise escaped from Astarion’s throat as he grabbed onto you. Euphoria and arousal and light flooded through him like never before. “Hells, the things you do to me. Just those words alone.” He hissed as his hand slid down the back of your neck, pulling you into him so he could kiss you more deeply then ever before.

Gods, did he want you. He wanted to taste every inch of you, re-discover your entire body. He wanted you breathy and panting as he swirled you with his mouth. He wanted his name on your lips and your hands on his body. He’d waited for this, waited for you for centuries.

Astarion gently pushed you into the long, soft grass and your eyes widened slightly with surprise. He lowered himself carefully on top of you, his hands bracketing either side of your head before asking in a whisper, “Is this okay?”

You nodded with a swallow, before opening your mouth. “Yes. And for you?”

“Gods, yes.” He purred into your ear before pressing his body flush to yours and capturing your lips again. Almost instantly one of your hands was at the nape of his neck, swirling his curls and massaging his scalp to the rhythm of your kisses.

The vampire slid his knee between your legs, stretching them apart so he could settle in between them deliciously — a hand moving underneath your shoulder to support you as you stretched your neck up to keep up with your kisses. He felt himself harden in his leather pants, rutting in the soft muscle of your thigh to get any kind of friction. Then his other pale hand slipped between the two of you and cupped between your own legs, feeling your arousal through the thin fabric of your trousers.

“Astarion,” You hummed in approval, bucking into his hand that sparked the fire in his belly to heat even more. He buried his face into your neck, nipping and sucking the delicate skin before pressing his tongue and lips to it in a soothing touch. If he didn’t stop here, he wasn’t sure if he could. The whole point of this was to do things the right way...

As if the cosmos heard his thoughts, the sounds of crunching steps nearby caused both of you to pull away in a flurry. You were both breathless, your chests heaving and skin flushed from your touch. Then quiet chuckles escaped you, shaking your bodies as your foreheads touched.

“Do you see what you do to me?” Astarion whispered, before detangling himself from you. You brushed each other off, before standing up and moving into the shadow of a nearby tree as incoming torch lights suddenly appeared.

“Hello?” A gruff voice called out, the clink of chained armor ringing as they walked closer to where you two were just laying.

“It was probably a ghost, Ryder.” Another voice teased from behind.

City guards. Well, that could have been awkward.

“OooOOOooo,” They mocked again.

“Eh! Stop it, you know this place gives me the creeps.” The first voiced huffed, before turning on their heel. “You owe me a pint for that.”

Astarion waited until their voices and footsteps faded away before peering around the large tree trunk. Another laugh escaped him, “What was it that I was just saying about you and trouble?”

You shook your head but joined his laughter, “That one is all your fault, you instigator.”

“Pardon me for finding you absolutely irresistible.” He licked his lips as he stared at yours, before blinking his red eyes back to reality. “Now what, my love?”

“Perhaps, now I can show you something I’ve never shown anyone else?”

He quirked a white eyebrow before letting a smirk spread, “Lead the way.”

Leaving the graveyard behind, you walked with your fingers intertwined and stepped in time with each other as you wandered down the cobblestones streets of Baldur’s Gate. You led the way confidently, a soft smile on your face as you snuck glances over to him. It made his heart thrum and stomach twist.

As you turned the corner onto a residential street, Astarion’s steps slowed. He looked around, blinking as he realized, “I know this street.”

You cocked your head as you kept walking, pulling him along with you, “Do you?”

“Quite well. I would use it to get to the little tavern nearby as a bit of a shortcut. But there’s this lovely little townhouse, tiny. It’s lavender with—”

“Flower boxes?” You finished for him.

“Yes, lilies.” Astarion walked forward before stopping in front of the townhouse. The narrow house was sandwiched between two others, painted a pastel lavender that shined brilliantly in the moonlight compared to the darker colours around it. “This one,” He pointed a long, pale finger at it.

You frowned slightly as you looked at the planter boxes, “The poor flowers.”

He followed your gaze, “They will bloom again, I’m sure of it.” Stepping closer to the little townhouse, he pointed up to the second floor window. “You know, there’s a piano in there.”

You perked up at that, your eyes darting from him to the window at back, “How do you know that?”

“I would hear it sometimes, faintly. Soft little melodies.”

“Really?”

A small smile spread across Astarion’s lips as he remembered the tunes — how sometimes he would stop underneath the window just out of sight in the dim light of the evening and listen. The harsh tug of his master’s orders would usually snap at him for the delay, but it was worth it to hear the joyful sounds.

“Every so often they would sing too. Such a lovely voice. I actually… l used to come this way when I was in the area — hoping I would hear them.” He admitted, wringing his hands together in front of him. “And I would try so hard to commit it to memory, so I could remember it when... Well, you know when.”

You looked over to him with the softest line between your brows. “Astarion, when was this?”

“Oh, time is so hard for me.” He tapped his chin as he thought, “Recently though— the last year or so I’d say.“

You worked your throat silently before pulling out a silver key out of your pocket, holding it out in front you. “When I realized I was going to stay in Baldur’s Gate, I started looking for a more permanent place to stay instead of the inns.”

You turned on your heel, and began to climb the narrow stairs on the side of the townhouse, “I saw an ad in the paper about a tiny room available at a discounted rate...” You slid the silver key into the painted wooden door that matched the rest of the house, and pushed it open. “Because the previous tenant had passed away and left behind a piano that was would cost them too much to move.”

Astarion followed you in wordlessly, his mouth falling open as you continued speaking. Until both of you stood inside the tiny lavender townhouse. It wasn’t very lavish — it was actually quite quaint, a little outdated. Some of the furniture looked well-loved and worn — a double bed pushed in the corner underneath the window to make space for the large upright piano taking up the majority of the room.

“I thought the piano was a selling feature, I loved it… I would play almost every night.” You said breathlessly, spinning around to face the vampire again.

His red eyes stayed on you, his voice thick with emotion. “It was you?”

“One year I’ve rented this room.” You admitted.

“It was you.” He breathed, crossing to you in a few steps and grabbing onto your fingers gently. The soft fingers that could play the piano so beautifully. “Play— play for me?” He asked, gesturing over to the dusty piano.

Your lips curled up as you nodded, pulling out the cracked leather piano bench and sitting before it. You stretched your fingers over the ivory keys, the dim light from the windows catching on the rings adorning them. Astarion could tell you must have taken lessons, your posture almost perfect as you straightened your back at the edge of your seat. He felt a tugging in the back of his mind of someone trying to teach him the same once, hundreds of years ago as a child.

But then your fingers pressed into the keys, and the emotion that crossed your face could not have been taught. You closed your eyes as you struck the first few chords, not needing to look as your hands glided between positions.

He was transfixed watching you, listening to you. Somehow you picked the tune that he remembered most clearly — the one that would slip into his mind the most when he was desperately looking for any kind of reprieve. It was more beautiful then he remembered, his memory of it was really a disservice to how exquisite it truly was.

Your posture laxed slightly as you began to hum, harmonizing with the melody you played on the piano and your voice drew Astarion in. He stood behind you, his fingers trailing the ends of your silver hair as he listened, brushing down the nape of your neck before squeezing it tenderly as you played the last note.

“I can’t believe it was you, this whole time. Your tunes, your voice kept me from madness some nights. Staring up at the moon, and you—” His voice broke, as tears broke free so instead he bent over to place a kiss on the crown of your head.

You turned to face him, standing up to reach his height. You gave him a sad smile, before asking, “May I?” He nodded with eyes closed, unsure of what he was even agreeing to. But then he felt the pads of your fingertips wipe his tears away, as gracefully and practiced as you had just touched the piano keys.

Astarion opened his eyes and grabbed your hand before you could pull it away. He held onto it before kissing your fingertips closely, tasting his own salty tears. “Just when I thought there was no possibility of loving you more.”

You mewed at the statement, the most beautiful smile he had ever seen spreading across your lips. “Do you believe me now?”

“About what?” He whispered.

“Fate.”

A breathy laugh escaped him as his heart lurched forward like it would thump right out of his chest, “Yes, my moon. I think I do.”

Leaning his face down, Astarion kissed you softly as he moved his arms to wrap around you. You matched his movements, circling your arms around his waist as your fingers grabbed onto the fabric of his jacket. Even with the long, drawn-out kisses, without requiring air like a mortal did, Astarion felt like he could finally breathe – fully and deeply for the first time in centuries. The darkness of his eternal immortal suffering suspending for a moment as his heart thundered alongside yours.

His lips became fervent on yours, kissing you harder and deeper than ever before. Your fingers moved to the front of shirt, knotting in fists as you pulled him into you. He groaned at the sensation of your chest pushed into his.

The vampire was sure he had never wanted anything so bad in his life — no other person, or blood, or freedom. Everything about this, about you, was making his mind swirl and heart pound like he had never experienced. Your scent — the sweet aroma of your bouquet, and the soap from last night. Your taste, like the richest wine and sweet honey pastries. The dichotomy of your gentle, tender kisses and the powerful, all-consuming ones you bestowed to him now. The little lavender house with the soft melodies and songs that had quite literally saved him for the past year, belonging to you.

“Starry,” You moaned out breathlessly as he trailed his kisses down your chest and throat, collarbones and sternum.

“Mmm, I can’t decide.” He purred into your skin, keeping up his touches with his lips and hands between his words.

“Decide what?” You panted slightly above him.

“Where I want you. The bed. This piano. Right here on the floor.”

You pulled away, your eyebrows furrowing softly, “Astarion, we don’t have to do anything you don’t—”

But he grabbed your chin with his thumb, catching your bottom lip slightly, as he made you look at him. “Are you going to make me beg?”

“What?”

“I want you — desperately. I ache for you, darling. And you are so sweet and considerate and have been so, so very patient. But I will beg if you want me to. Will that get the point across?” He sank to his knees in front of you, kneeling on the worn wooden floorboards of your rented townhouse. The tips of his fingers trailed down the back of your thighs delicately as he steadied himself for balance. “I love you. I need you. Please—”

You stopped his rambling as you bent over to kiss him, cutting off his words before pulling him off of the floor. “You don’t beg or kneel anymore, not to anyone and especially not to me.” You held either side of his face, staring intensely at him. “Do you truly want this?”

“Yes,” He said simply, his red eyes round and soft. Putting his hand on the outside of yours, stilling holding his cheek. His voice dropped an octave, barely more than a whisper as the building sensation of arousal and bliss started to form all over again. “Yes, my moon.”

Your lashes fluttered as you looked down to his lips and back up to his eyes. He knew they were a mirror to his own, shining with deep, true emotion. “Anything for you, my love. I am yours.”

The sound that escaped him was cut off as you pushed your lips back onto his.

Read the next part here

[teddywormwood]

12th July 85

Dear journal,

Remember when I used to address these to mum? I was just thinking about that as I opened this entry. I'm not quite sure when I stopped doing that. Or why. Grew out of it, probably.

Today was slow. Summer has been slow. It always feels that way now I'm not in school - ask Elias and he'd tell you the opposite. He and Toni have been out almost every day since school finished. I don't know how they haven't run out of things to do yet, and how they're not bored. I suppose it passes quicker when you've got someone to spend the time with.

Lars is so occupied with his music, and Lily with her parents and the library, it's hard to not be a little alone lately. Not to mention Nancy's hardly on the island. It's nothing like when we were all Elias and Toni's age. I miss that summer we spent the four of us. I miss

I've been working on Elias's birthday present. I know it's still a month away, but I'm gonna need the extra time. He's always talking about how he misses when I used to draw with him, so I dug around for my old pencils and I've been practicing. I'm gonna draw some of the guys from his comics. I'm thinking a poster. I'll need to ask dad to put in an order for bigger paper (or maybe the school has some? I'll make a note). It's been ages since I've drawn much, but it's oddly calming, even when I'm struggling with proportions. I'll try and do it more often after I finish the poster.

My birthday is a long way off, but thinking about Elias's has made me think about mine. I'll be 21. Isn't that strange? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with this information. What was my dad doing at 21? Probably a lot more than me. It seems like everyone's doing a lot more than me. What if everyone suddenly moves on and I'm still stuck here on the island? I can't leave dad and Elias behind, but what else am I supposed to do? I can't work at the pub forever, can I? What's out there for me?

Dad's calling for dinner.

Yours,

Teddy.

[athenasparrow]

How did you get into jily?

Hi anon, thanks for the ask : D

This turned into a rather long answer, but that's rather unsurprising since when I edit a chapter it seems to jump 3k, right? 😅 😂

How I Got Into Jily Reading

My journey into the world of Jily began, like many of you, in the captivating realm of Harry Potter fics (about a decade ago). My initial foray into Jily failed to capture me – I don't know if I was reading in the wrong space (I'm looking at you ffn.net) or if this was just popular at the time – but a lot of what I read fixated on James' persistent pursuit of Lily (often depicting harassment) and "missing moments" that revolved around teenagers (nothing inherently wrong with teenagers, I just found it difficult to relate).

So I ventured beyond the familiar pairings, exploring all sorts of HP characters before being drawn back into Jily during covid. It was then that I discovered authors (@ghostofbambifanfiction @bcdaily @theesteemedladydebourgh @missgryffin & fetchalgernon ) who wrote muggle au's and canon divergent fics that portrayed Lily and James in healthy, enthralling, adult relationships (or very mature teenagers!). The relationships and characters are all magnificent! These authors enveloped me in the warmth of their craft and anchored me in the Jily world. I am still obsessed with all of their writing and happily forsake whatever I'm dong to inhale their latest chapters : D

How I Got Into Jily Writing

I've jotted down a few fics over the years, but never published anything. I impulsively signed up for @jilymicrofics Valentine's Gift Exchange this year. I was a very passive part of fandom before this and had no tumblr account, no AO3 etc. I kind of just signed up to everything on a whim and then @charmsandtealeaves invited me to join all of these servers and suddenly I was in, people seemed to like my Valentine's Fic and in the throes of enthusiasm I committed to a micro a day for March. That month unlocked a flow of creative inspiration and I've been delighted that the writing has kept coming.

Becoming active in the Jily community has not only provided me with a plethora of new (to me) talented authors, but also allowed me to put names to stories that I read many years ago. I now have a vast TBR list and am eagerly looking forward to reading every single one of them : D

I'm going to share the authors on my TBR List so you can read their work too : D

@practicecourts @oneofthesirens @charmsandtealeaves @annabtg @wearingaberetinparis @gryffindormischief @annasghosts @ginemrys @itsjamespotter @writtenonreceipts @mppmaraudergirl @winryofresembool @abihastastybeans @arianatwycross @startanewdream @bookeatingbean @ohmygodshesinsane @uncertainwallflower @kay-elle-cee

Feel free to drop a rec in the comments - I'm always up for more reading : D

[inklver]

just because i feel like it:

some random thoughts about the art i made for ironstrange week + the very rough thumbnails for each piece (putting this under the read more so this doesn't take up too much space bc this is a Very long post)

day 1 - red/wrath

first fanart for this fandom! there are a few things i don't like about this piece (questionable anatomy, use of values could be improved, + stephen's hair makes him look like a wet cat /hj) but i do like the lighting and the theme of red spider lilies. i've always wanted to draw them and i love their symbolism of death and final goodbyes—feels very fitting for these goofs :b

i started working on this a good amount of time in advance, and i'm glad i did—this was one of the only pieces i used a painterly style for despite it being my preferred style; it takes me a lot longer than lineart + color, so i didn't get the chance to use it again throughout the event (with the exception of day 6)

day 2 - nervous/orange

i struggled with the anatomy on this one—i don't draw back views often (or, at all really) so the first panel was pure pain. the second panel wasn't much better; it took several attempts to pose the hand in a way that looked somewhat natural. pretty pleased with how this turned out all things considered, though! my only qualm with this is the rushed shading, but that's what happens when you're a slow artist on a time constraint :,)

day 3 - yellow/cheerful

i think this may be one of my favorites from this event. i'm very very happy with the lighting and overall atmosphere of the piece :)

i realize now that i used flowers as a theme for every color prompt—anyways, like i said in the tags of the original post for this, i very loosely referenced yellow primrose (symbol of happiness, warmth, & love, conventionally given to those in long-term relationships or someone who has always been there for you through thick and thin)

day 4 - intrigued/green

i ended up liking this better than i expected to! i had to play around a lot with the lighting/color scheme before i was satisfied with it, though that's on me for not having much of a plan for it beforehand (with most pieces, i already have an idea of the color scheme when i start working on them). not much else to say about this one except surgeon stephen my beloved <3

day 5 - blue/serene

this was the first time i've properly drawn a kiss and holy hell how do ship artists do it. that shit is so difficult. i struggled a lot with the anatomy and ended up changing the poses a bit; i also flipped the composition because 1. it looked slightly better that way and 2. i could include tony's ring <3

and yes stephen's mug says 'cunt' (with the handle being painted in black to form the 'c'—very much inspired by jacksepticeye's mug); for tony's i had to search for funny mug designs lmfao

i was going for a very domestic/warm atmosphere, which i think was more or less accomplished, so i'm pretty happy with this overall :)

also, not really pertinent but i was listening to sweater weather on loop while drawing this so. make of that what you will.

day 6 - grief/indigo

ah, this piece. definitely my favorite of the 7, love how this turned out despite ripping my own heart out a bit while making it :,) listening to hyacinthus on repeat didn't help

my initial idea for this—the thumbnail in the top left—was going to be one of them bleeding out in the other's arms, but i had another idea that i felt more drawn to so i chose that instead (this was a very last minute change so the thumbnail is pretty much just a couple of stick figures pfft).

i decided to go back to the painterly style since it felt more fitting for this & i'm glad i did, although it was a little rushed towards the end when i was adding in the final details (the butterflies are pretty much just lasso tool + glow layer). this was also my first time drawing stephen's robes and. man that was a pain to figure out. get a simpler outfit stephen.

day 7 - purple/disdain

had to end the event on a happy note! this was very rushed but i still like how it looks, though the bg petals are a bit janky.

the prompt 'purple' immediately made me think of violets, which were used as gifts for newlyweds so. here we are (they also happen to be symbolic of faith, mystical awareness, and spiritual passion—pretty fitting for our favorite wizard)

i didn't dedicate as much time i should've to actually making the violets look like violets instead of some generic flower but again, slow artist under time constraint. i did spend a lot of time with the expressions in this one though! i really wanted to convey a sense of pure joy and love, and i'm very happy with the result in that regard :)

something that i noticed was that it had become a lot easier for me to draw these two by this point. suppose it makes sense considering i'd literally been drawing them nonstop for 2 weeks lmao, but it was still pretty cool to see how quickly i managed to finish a sketch i was happy with, compared to when i was working on the first few days (good lord was it difficult drawing stephen in the first piece, especially at that angle)

anyway, prepare to see more of them in the near future because the brainrot is far from over. if i am this attached to them without having seen the majority of marvel movies featuring them (i'd literally only watched ds1 until yesterday when i watched im1—yes i started shipping them without knowing who tony was, i don't know how either), i think i'd be a puddle by the time i catch up on everything :D

whoo that was a lot—if you've read this far, thank you and have a cookie 🍪

[aceofwhump]

Hey ace! I was wondering if you had any recs for me for a somewhat specific whump. I was looking for Good Omens fics where Crowley gets whumped post s2 while Aziraphale is in heaven. It's okay if Aziraphale still ends up showing up (I'd prefer it actually) but ideally Aziraphale is still more or less unaccessible to Crowley at first. Wips acceptable

Than you!!

I do have a few recs for you to check out. Not sure how much they fit what you're looking for but they are post season 2 Crowley whump focused. Most are emotional whump. Sad depressed Crowley. After watching season 2 when it came out I immediately went looking for hurt Crowley post season 2 fics lol. Here's what I've found:

So Someone With Your Eyes Might Come In Time by risetherivermoon Summary: Really, Crowley has changed since Aziraphale returned. He wasn't expecting any different, he expected that Crowley would never speak to him again, actually. He had been more shocked when Crowley had gone back to their old routine, but Aziraphale went along with it. He didn't want to push him, if that was how they’d go about it, then well…he’d wait another 6,000 years for Crowley to be ready. But, after the conversation today, Aziraphale understands more. Crowley is…scared.

If You Need To, Darling, Lean Your Weight On me by risetherivermoon Summary: Crowley doesn't think, he doesn't even question why he does so. But he's standing in front of Aziraphale’s bookshop, with not a particular reason as to why. Outside, on the sidewalk of the busy London street, he glances a bit around, folding his arms to his chest. It's cold, the middle of fall, about to be winter. He's never taken a liking to the cold, he's a bit sensitive to it if he's honest. He's tired, even though he doesn't need to sleep, he feels exhausted. He really could go for a good nap in the Bentley right now, but for some reason, he's standing here, on the sidewalk. He looks to the coffee shop, ‘Give Me Coffee Or Give Me Death!’ He can see Nina behind the counter, talking to a customer, the usual mildly pissed off expression on her face. She meets his eyes for a moment and waves politely. Crowley looks away, scowling at the ground. He glances at Maggie’s record store, and he doesn't see anyone inside, so he just shakes his head out, as if to shake any of the feelings left inside him. or; A post s2 ep6 fix it fic, with crowley coming into the bookstore after having a nightmare and aziracrow finally talk to eachother

the adventures of mr crowley and his new angel friend by enbymegumi Summary: Crowley doesn’t leave the sofa for three days. His mood gets suctioned into the weather and influences it to become a non-stop torrential downpour, lights flickering throughout all the shops on the street. Even the lilies Muriel had so lovingly decorated the bookshop with are wilting into messy heaps of rotting plant matter by the windowsills. “Anthony J. Crowley!” Muriel yells, on the morning of the fourth day. Startled out of his stupor, Crowley finally looks up from his pile of blankets. Muriel cracks a smile. “We’re having a holiday.” or, the author very violently and aggressively projects onto crowley, shakes him like a maraca and then holds him at gunpoint to find at least one other friend who isn't aziraphale. it works. kind of.

Meanwhile the World Goes On by lineslines Summary: Crowley looked at him. He was still wearing his suit, there was tartan in it, but it had become polished, the worn edges returned to pristine, boring perfection. He looked too prim. Proper. Perhaps this hurt most of all. (Crowley is on earth, Aziraphale is not. Meanwhile the world goes on. Plans, great and possibly ineffable, are set into motion. They are--always, inevitably--drawn back together. Long before reconciliation, long before they can bear it. The only thing they can bear less is staying apart. Oh, and Heaven seems to have misplaced Jesus.)

Growing Pains by hope_in_the_dark Summary: “So if he comes back, you’ll… what? Take him into your arms, let him back into your life? No questions asked?” Crowley grunted. The therapist — Mark, Nina had said — was sitting forward in his chair, looking at Crowley with a kind smile and wide eyes. He was what the humans would call ‘emotionally intelligent.’ Crowley was looking to tap into a little of that.————Crowley goes to therapy, because he needs it. This is a story of healing, learning, growing, and an eventual happy ending. Post-Season-2.

How's the View by Etheostoma Summary: “May I come in?” Crowley blinked. “No,” he declared, and slammed the door in Aziraphale’s face. “May I come in?” he mimicked, scrunching up his nose and raising his voice. “No you bloody well may not,” he yelled at the door, before dropping the glass to shatter across the unforgiving concrete floor.

Innocence died screaming (honey ask me, I should know) by dreadfullypanicked Summary: “Care about me? What a dumb thing to do, to care about a demon.” He grumbled, body going limp against the floor. Nina crouched beside him, attempting to look him in his serpent eyes. “We care about our friend, you dense fool. Demon or otherwise.” She stated, reaching up to grab the glass of water from the side table. Crowley’s head slowly rose to look at the group around him, taking in each of their worried expressions before turning to Nina. “Friend?” It was the only word he could force his blank mind to form. “Yes. Friend. Reverted to caveman days have we? Here, drink this.” Or, Soho residents try their best to make a local sad-boy demon learn how to live for himself before he sleeps himself into oblivion, but how will their efforts affect the ineffability of Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship?

[shera-dnd]

I LIVE!

Thanks to the help of the wonderful @saint-lily I'm back in business!

And I'm returning in style with my first Madoka fic

Honestly I can't believe it took me this long to write something for this fandom. Like I've been into Madoka since I was 14... jfc that was so long ago

anyways watch as Hitomi fumbles her way into a lesbian awakening and in the process discover the magical world of vampires, angels, demons, and so much more

Things have gotten strange since Hitomi started college.

It was all normal at first. Just her and her best friends, Madoka and Sayaka, enjoying their new life at campus. But then things started to change.

Sayaka began to act more possessive and protective of Madoka, in a way she hadn’t since the girl had been bullied in middle school. Hitomi worried that someone was trying to hurt her.

That’s when she saw who exactly Sayaka was protecting their friend from.

Three strange girls who followed Madoka wherever she went.

The first of the three had long dark hair, and impossibly pale skin. She seemed to avoid sunlight whenever possible, and had an unsettling smile that made it feel like she always knew more than she was letting on.

The second girl was tall, blonde and… well, busty for the lack of a better descriptor. Though she dressed in bright and cheerful colors, and carried a welcoming smile, there was still something unsettling about her. Maybe it was the way that beneath that smile, she always seemed so gloomy and low energy, or maybe it was the fact that she always kept her neck covered.

Then there was the last girl. Loud, brash, and always reeking of smoke. Her hair was long and dyed a bright red, with her sides shaved. She was always either eating, drinking, or partaking in some sort of vice. Hitomi was certain this girl would die of a heart attack at any moment; but no matter how many excesses she indulged in, she always stayed as skinny and healthy as ever.

Each girl alone would have been a little weird but no reason for alarm, but all three of them for some reason seeming to obsess over Madoka at once? There had to be something going on there.

Hitomi had shared her worries with Sayaka - she had shown a similar worry after all - but was quickly dismissed.

“Let me handle this,” Sayaka had said, “you should stay away from those girls.”

Now, Hitomi had always prided herself in being a sensible and responsible young lady. She followed the rules and avoided trouble as much as possible. But how could she just sit around and do nothing while her childhood friend was being harassed by these strange women?

The worst part still was just how friendly Madoka was to all of them; how she was spending all of her free time with them instead of with Hitomi. This, of course, had nothing to do with why Hitomi suspected them, no, it was just proof that Madoka was too sweet and innocent, and couldn’t tell that those girls had ulterior motives.

That was it. Hitomi had to interfere. She couldn’t just leave Madoka alone, no matter what Sayaka said.

And that’s how she found herself stalking that pale girl across campus one night.

Homura was her name, from what Madoka had told her, and she lived in an apartment just outside of campus. How some random goth girl could afford something like that was beyond Hitomi’s deductive skills, but it definitely didn’t make her any less shady.

As she followed after her, Hitomi found her attention more and more drawn to the woman herself. There was an unsettling ethereal beauty to Homura. Her every movement was both graceful and measured, with not a single motion or breath wasted. Her long, flowing, dark hair practically glowed in the moonlight as it flowed down her back like a pitch black waterfall.

And her smell.

Oh, Homura smelled like lilies!

Wait! When did she get close enough to smell her? 

Hitomi stumbled backwards and shook her head. She was in a dark alley now, just her and Homura. At some point, in her trance, she had stopped stalking Homura and had begun to follow behind her instead.

Her abrupt motion must have warned her of her presence, because Homura giggled and turned around.

The way her hair whipped in the air, glittering white light reflected off black strands, it was almost enough to distract Hitomi once again. But, as mesmerizing purple eyes met hers, she knew she had to steel herself and focus.

“You know,” Homura commented as casually as one would bring up the weather, “it’s impolite to follow people like that.”

“You…” Hitomi tried to speak, but the way Homura’s eyes studied her made her falter.

“What is it, little mouse?” she teased, stepping closer to Hitomi.

“Y-You…” she tried again, but that only got Homura to step even closer, now looming over her.

She smiled the toothy smile of a predator ready to pounce on its prey. All at once, Hitomi’s suspicions were confirmed.

“You’re preying on Madoka!” She accused, shoving Homura away.

Homura only chuckled. “Oh, is that why you’re here? You’ve come to save poor Madoka?”

“She’s my friend!” Hitomi shouted, trying to seem more confident than she felt, “it’s my job to protect her!”

“You sound a lot like that little blue angel,” Homura mocked. Blue angel? Did she mean Sayaka? “So, I’ll tell you what I told her. I care about Madoka, and she doesn’t need anyone else’s protection.”

“No! I don’t believe you!” Hitomi challenged, even as she stepped away from Homura, “I know what you are!”

It was like something shifted inside Homura. Her expression hadn’t changed at all, and yet it felt like the amusement in her eyes had been replaced with unadulterated malice.

“Is that so?” Homura closed the distance between them in a single lunge, backing Hitomi against a wall.

Hitomi squeaked and screwed her eyes shut.

“Say it!” Homura commanded.

“Y-You are…”

Steel yourself. You have to do this, Hitomi, for Madoka. She braced against the wall behind her, opened her eyes, and shouted as loud as she could.

“A lesbian!”

Homura froze in place at the accusation, something Hitomi would have taken as a victory were it not for the position she was currently in.

Homura was hunched close to Hitomi, mouth barely an inch away from her neck. Her white teeth shone in the night, with two in particular, long and sharp like needles, threatening to pierce her skin.

Oh no.

Homura hissed and stepped away, her fangs shrinking back into her mouth. “Really!?”

“You’re a vampire!?” Hitomi yelled.

“You’re a homophobe!” Homura yelled back.

That caught her off guard. “N-No, I’m not.”

“You thought I was preying on Madoka just because I’m into women,” Homura accused.

“B-But you are,” Hitomi tried to argue, “you’re just entrancing her with your vampire powers!”

That's it! That’s why Hitomi couldn’t take her eyes away from her, why her mere presence seemed to entrance her, why she felt so disappointed that Homura hadn’t sunk her teeth into her neck and made her scream.

“Is that what you think I do?” Homura asked with a twinge of disgust, but before Hitomi could answer she turned away. “Your repression has ruined my appetite. Goodbye, little mouse .”

And just like that, she walked away into the night, leaving Hitomi frozen behind her.

What had just happened?

Was Homura… hurt?

Why did she feel guilty?

How was she the villain now?

And why the heck did she still want Homura to bite her!?

[quinn-styx]

Okay, okay, so, idea- it is angsty so feel free to pass if you're uncomfortable writing content for...I guess reader death? and I'll try to think of something more neutral. I won't hassle you for a specific character since I'm not sure which creators you watch for 3L/LL, but I'm a sucker for characters avenging a pacifistic reader's death (someone who just tried to help others, no matter how many lives they were on), like completely seeing red or holding them as they die/disappear (not really sure how the fandom perceives death in Minecraft haha.) I'm not ashamed to say I've watched every perspective for 3L and LL so go wild and choose whoever you feel like writing for! Reader can have any gender identity or romantic orientation, it's not important to me <3

Sorry this took so long! There will be a part two because I got a bit carried away and want it to be more drawn out <3 anyway! Here's part one :)

Warnings: Reader death, violent thoughts/blood lust, this is mostly just angst honestly, out of character 3rd life characters (I'm working on that)

Summary: You just got kicked out of the renchanting crew on suspicion of being a spy, so you go to the desert people for refuge.

Your alliance didn’t form immediately. It took time to plant itself and slowly bloom into a precious saguaro flower, rather than the black dahlias and orange toned lilies that used to surround you in the mountains of renchanting. You tried not to think about it too much, but it was hard when there was so much quiet in the sandy biome surrounding you in the late night as you walked to the house atop monopoly mountain. The argument played on repeat in your head, the accusations echoing a bit louder than the rest.

The other people of dogwarts called you irrational, a liar, a cheat, but most of all they accused you of being a spy. You had done nothing but help them in their times of need, brewing the best potions and even helping people outside of the faction when their red lives would befall them, even when you swore yourself to pacifism after finding yourself on your yellow life. Or at least as close as you could get to it in a death game. People you once knew had died in your arms, people who had no relation to the factions, people shot down with the enchanted bows made in the very settlement you found yourself in.

You had been cast away for defending the sand people. While it was simple enough, the impact hit a lot harder than you ever could have expected. You were all friends before this. And you especially were friends with Scar. You met on hermitcraft, and you grew close rather quickly. He was kind, he always had a positive spin on the issues that arose, but most of all, he made you laugh. And, with no fail, when you laughed he would smile that same accomplished smirk that always seems to show itself whenever he does something he set his heart on. Now being so far from each other felt almost painful, and him being dubbed an enemy to your faction of dogwarts certainly didn’t help. 

You rotated the thoughts in your mind, you knew that they wouldn’t like it, but this felt so extreme. Being kicked out so suddenly was bad, the fact they made you leave right at sundown was considerably worse. You trudged forward regardless, slowly going up the stairs and finally reaching the door. You were met with music, a disc of some sort must be on, meaning they were hopefully still awake. 

With a heavy breath you knocked three times on the door. The disc stopped and you heard muttering inside, though it was nothing you could make out directly. After what felt like forever, the door opened. You looked up, trying to find the right words only to be met with your eyes starting to gloss over slightly.

“Y/N? What happened?” Grian asked as you were ushered through the door, he quietly muttered for you to come in as led to a small sitting area. You were pretty sure this was your first time to not just admire the house from afar.

“They kicked me out,” You stated, while you had thought about everything that happened, what you would say when you got here barely crossed your mind. “Where’s Scar?” was the next thing you had said.

“He went out on a walk, I was prepping some early breakfast.” He looked at the boots you had on, they seemed more worn than the last time he’d seen you. “How long were you walking? It’s nearly morning,” Concern laced his voice. Before you could respond the door opened again revealing Scar as he held up a small bouquet of flowers. 

“Grian! I got more flowers for the rooms,” He walked to the kitchen area before coming back out and looking around, “Y/N!” He walks over almost immediately and you get up and open your arms, in which he holds you in one of those bone crushing hugs he always does. He pulls away before lightly cupping one side of your face and noticing the small cuts from accidentally running into a few more branches than you’d like to admit on the walk over. “What brought you here?”

A sad smile graces your face as you tell him how you just wanted things to calm down, and how much it backfired a hit you right back just a few hours early. He smiles and pulls his hand away, the cold of the desert attacking just as it had before. “Well you’ll always be welcome here, do you have a bed? We can get you set up in the room,” He held your hand as he led you away and Grian followed, this would only be the beginning of the better half of these god forsaken death games.

It took only a few weeks for Dogwarts to go completely off the rails. Threats made left and right as the Red army’s possible intentions settled themself deep in your uneasy heart. You loved living on monopoly mountain, but as you had a mob death dropping you to a red life you felt afraid. And over time this fear led to a deep paranoia. You barely left the desert, sheltering yourself in what made you feel safest. You relied much more on the others, and tried to push away that blood lust that crept in in the middle of the night as you lay in bed tossing and turning. Nobody told you it would be this hard. You knew just how much you had to lose now.

Your hands shook lightly as you layed in bed, it was always so cold now. You heard a knock come to the front door, Grian and Scar had already left to go do something, leaving you with the job of looking after the desert for the time being. You get up, wobbling slightly as you steady yourself before another knock comes to the door. “I’ll be there in a sec!” You shout, trying to not hurry yourself too much as not to put pressure on the scars that still burn from the creeper explosion that landed you here. 

You walked quickly to the door and opened it, finding yourself face to face with Martyn. A mountain of apologies spilled from his mouth as it mixed together with something or other about orders and requirements. You saw a shining sword in his scabbard that was brandished in enchantments, the thoughts you pushed to the back of your mind ran forward, etching themselves into the very crevices of your brain. Everything began blurring together as you saw him reach for the sword. You grabbed the closest thing to the door, an iron hoe that was left sitting in the entryway and blocked as the sword swung down atop you.

“We could have stayed friends, Y/N,” Martyn said as you swung the tool forward, he threw himself back as he saw the deep red in your eyes. “We could have,” You retorted, progressing forward as he continued to try and swing his sword. “But that's not how it worked out, is it?” 

Before you could even think, he hit the iron tool out of your hand and you fell into an embrace, the sword pierced your stomach as you heard a melancholy “Sorry, Y/N.” fall from his lips. He pulled away as you fell to the ground, he left without another word. Your thoughts were racing, unsure of which would be the last. A message was sent out on the communicators in the server chat. 

<InTheLittleWood> Desert boys you might wanna go check on Y/N

[mynotsohealthyobsession]

Unexpected bond

Book: Bloodbound (between book 2 and 3)

Pairing: Adrian Raines x Lily Spencer (friendship) / Mention of Adrian Raines x MC

Words: 1.960

Rating: Mature

Warning: Angst / Mention of violence, death and harassment

**Tags in the reblog**

His jacket was on the floor, where he had thrown it a couple hours ago. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up as his forearms rested on his knees. He had his eyes shut and his back against the wall. His breathing was erratic and faltering, incapable of calming down. The powerful aura that he used to have, had completely disappeared, leaving him broken and defeated, looking as terrible as he felt inside. Whoever knew him beforehand and saw him at this moment, would doubt that that was actually the same Adrian Raines.

His hands had remnants of dried blood, the same that had coloured his white shirt, red. His body was still healing some wounds, cuts and a few broken bones, and bruises as result of their confrontation with Gaius. Every time he breathed, he felt a stinging pain in his chest but he couldn't care less. He had decided to not move from there no matter how long it took. Maybe she woke up before the expected, scared or disorientated. Maybe her bloodkeeper condition made it different for her and she needed some kind of help. Or maybe… Simply, he just couldn't leave her side. Whatever the reason was, he had decided to stay there, in Raines Corp.’s basement, near the sarcophagus in which, and he desperately hoped it was the case, Amy's body was changing, slowly transforming into a vampire.

As a couple of tears slipped on his cheeks, passing through the bloody print that her hand left on his skin as he held her, he couldn't avoid thinking how afraid he was of losing her, to face the world without her. Amy had saved them, after he had promised her he would protect her, she sacrificed herself for them. For him.

He squeezed his eyes tightly, letting his head fall back, against the wall. No matter how hard he tried, the images kept replaying over and over in his mind, in a horrible and constant loop. Amy taking the branch, getting close to Gaius. Her pained gasp as the sword went through her chest and emerged from her back. How his throat hurt from yelling her name, incapable of doing anything else but watch. The fire in her eyes, using the last of her strength to stab Gaius as her blood slipped down in the hilt of the sword onto Gaius' hand. Her little smile before she noticed that her knees gave up and hit the floor first as the rest of her body fell down. How quickly her skin became pale and cold as he held her, knowing that there was only one thing that could save her. How, mortally injured, she cupped his face, almost happy that they had 'won', even if right now it felt like he was about to lose everything that was important to him.

"Adrian?" His eyes flushed open, seeing Lily down the stairs. Her eyes puffy and bloodshot, all her usual energy and almost childlike happy mood, had disappeared. For the first time since he had met her, she seemed like an elderly woman who had lost against life itself. She sat beside him and offered him a pack of blood and what seemed to be a clean shirt.

"Thank you Lily, but I don't need it."

"You do." She gave him a broken look. "You think she would be okay seeing you still hurt?" She placed both things between them. "You are important to her, Adrian. She did what she did to save us. To save you."

"She shouldn't have done it! Now she's--" His voice abruptly cut, incapable to even put into words his fears and torments.

"I know." Lilly replied, distractedly fiddling with one of her rings. "But she's brave and her heart is bigger than anyone I've ever met." A pained smile lifted her lips a little. "Amy would never watch us die if she could avoid it. You know that." She fixed her stare on him, her voice a bit shattered. "Exactly like you or any of us would have done for her if the rolls were reversed."

"But I couldn't." His mind returned to the night before, when they had sleep holding each other. It felt so far away. "I promised her I would protect her no matter what and I couldn't. I failed her." It was the first time they shared this kind of conversation and time alone. It was obvious that Lily had a stronger relationship with Jax, like Adrian had with Kamilah. But, even if they were worried and sad too, right now, the pain Lily and Adrian were feeling, was different from theirs and had brought them together. "I should never have allowed her to get involved in this." To his surprise, she giggled.

"If you think you could have told her what to do, I'm sorry but you don't know her as well as you think." Adrian chuckled a bit alongside her. Lily was absolutely right about that.

"Did she ever tell you about the first time she saw me transformed, on her first day of work?" He wasn't sure why he asked her that. Probably because it was the moment that he realized that she would be special for him, even if he didn't know how much.

"Only a few parts."

"In almost 300 years a lot of people had learned the way she did about all this. And most… If not all of them, begged to forget, to return to their old lives." Despite himself, he smiled at the memory. "Amy… She just stood there. For a little while, she got scared, of course, but… She didn't run or scream. She started to ask me questions, curious, looking at me the exact same way she did all that day. Before her eyes, I was still… Me. She even joked about Nicole being dramatic during the feeding." He let out a sorrowful and shaking sigh. "I took her to Priya's fashion show and she told the security that she was my partner instead of my assistant." They both softly laughed.

"I think she had a crush with you almost instantly." Lily crossed her legs under her. "That night, before returning to the office, we chatted a bit. When I asked her about how you were, her answer was, and I'm quoting here 'super hot'." She said smiling at the same time that her palm dried her cheeks. "She was so happy to be able to stay in New York."

"It was an absolutely mutual feeling." Adrian passed his fingers through his hair, feeling an ache in his heart as his memory returned to the first time he saw her, that she had given him one of her beautiful smiles. "That night, she cut her hand with a glass. All the vampires around were drawn towards the fresh blood, to her."

"I know the feeling." She sadly murmured. "She mentioned that part actually, that you helped her and stood in front of her."

"I will never forget how she hugged me from behind. How when she was scared, she trusted me." His eyes started to burn with fresh tears. "She not only didn't allow the debriefing, but also convinced me to show her around the library." The tears ran free on his face and he didn't try to stop them. "She's brave and stubborn in the most wonderful way."

"I think you are not aware how important you are to her." They stood in silence, lost in their thoughts and memories until Lily talked again. "Amy had always tried to watch over you."

"I know she did." His voice was a low raspy whisper.

"Actually, I suspect you don't know how much." After a pause she sighed, as she had made a decision. "Amy is going to kill me for this…" She muttered. "There's something that she never told you." Adrian noticed the subtle change in her voice. "But I'm convinced you deserve to know." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "After the trial where Vega framed you and they declared you guilty, everybody started to discuss how to divide your stuff and..." She stood in silence, her eyes filled with doubts.

"What happened, Lily?" He shifted his gaze to look at her, taking his attention from the coffin for the first time.

"Priya grabbed her from the throat and 'claimed' her for herself." Lily shivered a bit beside him as his blood seemed to boil and freeze at the same time. "She said that she wanted to break her. And after forcing her to watch you die, maybe kill her."

"Was she hurt?" Adrian frowned, clearly disturbed as a new wave of anguish went through his factions. He was conscious of all the times she had been in danger because of him but discovering that there were occasions that she hadn't told him to protect him, it felt like a powerful hand grabbed his heart and squeezed it slowly and extremely painfully.

"Kamilah stopped her almost immediately but she had a bruise around the neck for a couple weeks. She covered it with makeup."

"Amy never told me about that." He lowered his face, both of his hands holding it, seeming overwhelmed as his fingers ran through his hair.

"I know. She didn't want you to know. She was sure you would feel guilty even when it wasn't your fault." Lily stared at his eyes, he never had seen her gaze so intense. "What do you think was the first thing she said, when we left the temple after that?" Adrian stared at her back, unsure if he wanted to know. "She asked Kamilah how we could help you, to save you." Lily sadly smiled at him. "Even back then she didn't wanted to lose you. That's why she did what she did tonight."

He remembered the deep sadness and concern he saw in her when their eyes locked to each other as he was dragged away. The softness of her hand and words when she had found him in The Baron's dungeon. The happiness he felt when he saw her in front of him. "I didn't want to lose her either." He forced himself to say the words that couldn't stop repeating internally. "I don't want to lose her. I can't. I need her, she just can't di--" The lump in his throat cutted his voice, incapable of ending the last word.

"I don't know if she had heard you but… If it's worth something, I know she loves you too, Adrian." Lily murmured, her voice gruff. "You are the most important person to her." Her hands dried her cheeks. "Well, the second more important at least. Best friends and roommates rights, you know."

"I'll take it." Adrian smiled before his face fell again. "And it's worth more than you can imagine." His eyes fixed again on the sarcophagus. "I just hope to have the chance to tell it to her like she deserves. And maybe hear her say it back."

Lily took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, standing up. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

"Yes." She nodded and headed to the stairs. "Lily." He called her and she stopped to watch him. "Thank you. For the blood and everything afterwards."

"You are welcome, Adrian." She leaned against the wall for a minute. "I just know how sad she would be seeing you like this." She stared at the sarcophagus one last time, thinking the same thing that has been in Adrian's mind the last two hours and couldn't dare to face it: how silent the coffin was, without even a faint heartbeat or shallow breathing coming from it. Almost like it was empty.

✨

[danpuff-ao3]

Hermione, Luna, Fleur 🧡

Hi there Anon! Thanks for the asks! 😄

Hermione Granger: A subject you know a lot about.

Gotta be ASTROLOGY, am I right? 🤣 That shouldn't surprise anyone here. Harry Potter, also. (Those books came out when I was 5 and I've basically been reading them since then.)

But for a little extra...astrology is, essentially, a language of symbolism and storytelling. (Also more math than I like to think about, so let's not get into that bit of it.) Well I, as a writer, am very drawn to the storytelling bit, but I'm also pretty well-versed in symbolism in general.

Color symbolism. Animal symbolism. Flower symbolism. I'm very fascinated by symbols, and history, and stories, and sort of tying it all together. The idea of there being deeper meaning, and deeper power, in all things. Seeing beauty and magic all around us.

That's what made Orange Blossoms so fun to write, just fully leaning into floriography. It's why I have a deep fondness for rhapsodizing about eye color; color and meaning and what all I can compare it to, and the meaning behind that. And in astrology, the elements, and the symbolism there; I blend the elements into my work where I can, too, using what I know of its symbolism.

There was a bit I was writing once where Severus was reflecting on his feelings for Lily and Harry, and I was aiming for a lot of airy comparisons for Lily (an Aquarius) and fiery descriptors for Harry (a Leo.) Fully self-indulgent and I never quite finished it!

Anyway, there I go babbling, per usual, LOL.

Luna Lovegood: Something about you other people find weird.

Hmmm. Probably a lot. But people don't generally tell me what they think is weird about me. 🤣 My laugh, maybe, or at least that's what I'm self-conscious of. I think it's loud and obnoxious, and I also happen to laugh way too much.

I also take great pleasure in very simple things. Which maybe sounds nice until I'm raving about how sweet Eddie is for bringing home a Midnight Milky Way and everyone else is like "wtf why are you telling me this." Cuz I'm HAPPY. I'm VERY HAPPY. I love dark chocolate and that was so nice!!! (Eddie is my partner btw for those who dk.)

I also have OCD and ADHD (bad combination that), so my brain is very weirdly particular about things. I'm 1000% sure people think many of those are weird. I also have tics which I hope to god no one notices but if they do, I'm sure they think that's weird, too.

Aaaand...Well. My level of obsessiveness and enthusiasm. I live in the South (U.S.) where everyone religiously follows football, wears merch for their favorite teams, and even play Fantasy Football, but I'm weird for wearing Hufflepuff t shirts and writing fanfiction. 🙄

Also I babble/ramble a lot, but I've gotta be feeling pretty comfy to talk at all so...🤷‍♀️

On the whole I embrace my weirdness so while I can be a bit self-conscious and overthink, I also love all of what makes me unique! And best of all...my weirdness brings in other weird people, who I'd rather hang out with anyway!

Fleur Delacour: What physical attribute do you like most about yourself?

MY. HAIR.

If you know you know. 😂 I'll thank my Leo Rising for great hair (Or I could thank my dad for the genetics, but...I'd rather not. I'd rather thank my Leo Rising, which means I can thank my mother instead for giving birth to me at the optimal time for great hair.)

(Okay we're getting off track, and probably oversharing a bit.)

AHEM.

I don't think I'm especially pretty, and I'm a bit insecure about a lot, but one thing I have never doubted is my hair. Dark brown (I dyed it red for years, but I went back to my natural color some years ago!) LONG...as in, nearly to my butt when fully dry. And best of all: SUPER CURLY. I have 3B hair, to give people a better idea.

I love it even more since my partner likes to tell me that I have so much chaos and liveliness in me that it sprouts out of my head that way. My hair, the ultimate representation of all my...[gestures wildly]

Anyway, maintenance is a pain in the behind. I braid it every night for bed and let me TELL YOU...getting to the end of the braid is a pain, worse still if I have to redo the braid. My arms get TIRED. Also curls tangle like crazy. I could not move at all after brushing it and somehow all of my curls start making friends.

But you know what? It's soft. It's pretty. Having long curly hair makes me feel like a fairytale princess, I won't lie. Flipping it around? Charm. The wind whipping it all over? Magic.

Also fun fact, when it's shorter, it's super springy and has a lot more volume. (The length weighs down the curls a bit.) So when my hair was short it actually kinda looked like a lion's mane. Which was cool. Especially relating to my Leo Moon and my Leo Rising (which is to thank for said hair to begin with.) Leo...lion...lion's mane. Get it?

Okay, I'll see myself out.

If you've not had enough of my babbling, you can send me more HP Name Asks.

[theesteemedladydebourgh]

2021 in review: fanfic writer edition

thank you @missgryffin for tagging me! the past year months (since i started writing fic in August) have been crazy and wonderful, and i can’t wait to dive into 2022!

i’m pretty sure everyone’s done this by now, but if anyone hasn’t, feel free to consider yourself tagged! 🥰

BY THE NUMBERS *as of 12/30/21

words written: 370,993 

words published (AO3): 344,537

# of published one-shots: 2

# of completed multi-chaps: 2

# of one-shots in progress: 1

# of ongoing multi-chaps: 4

# of fic ideas waiting their turn: Oh...14

longest work: Jingle—Holy F*ck (130k+ words)

shortest work: The Last Sad Love Story Ever Told (6,410 words)

most chapters in a fic: 24 (Jingle—Holy F*ck)

highest # of kudos: 481 (Jingle—Holy F*ck)

highest # of hits: 15,454 (Jingle—Holy F*ck)

top 3 fics by kudos: Jingle—Holy F*ck, Good Old Fashioned Love Letters, When We Lost One Another

top 3 fics by hits: Jingle—Holy F*ck, Good Old Fashioned Love Letters, When We Lost One Another

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

most challenging fic to write: When We Lost One Another

fic that came easiest to write: The Tale of You & I

most true-to-the-outline fic: The Tale of You & I stuck exactly to its outline. my most well behaved child.

most unlike-its-outline fic: Jingle—Holy F*ck decided about 1/6 of the way through that it wanted to do something completely insane and i went along with it. (yes, it’s the sequel)

favorite reader freak-out: the fight scene in GOFLL 5, when everyone was screaming ‘James wtf are you doing???!!’

most controversial scene: not necessarily a scene, but basically jily’s entire 2008 breakup in JHF (so james)

hottest ask box topic of the year: people mad at 2008 JHF!James 😂

most loved OC: I think the only two true OCs I’ve written are Olivia and Roger from JHF, so by basis of least-hated...we’ll go Roger

most hated OC: Ms. Olivia Briar has several hit squads out on her currently 👀

favorite things about writing our heroes: getting to explore how these two fell in love. we know that they were in love and extremely compatible, but that’s about it, and it gives us so much creative freedom (and fun!) to explore all the ways it could’ve happened. 

favorite villain to write: I’ve got to say, I do enjoy writing Olivia’s scenes even when they’re super angsty for Lily and James 

favorite marauder to write: obviously the answer to this is James, because i (shockingly) love him to bits. if he’s out of the question since he’s 1/2 of jily, definitely Sirius. He’s just so easy to write with anyone, because he’s always got something to say 

most i've cried while writing a scene: well, the most recently I’ve cried is the ending bit of JHF ch 20, but there’s a scene quite a ways on in my jily Normal People AU to love, softly that just made me sob like a baby while I was writing it.

most i've laughed while writing a scene: all of the GOFLL scenes with Trelawney 😂i had such a fun time writing her chaos.

smuttiest smut scene: JHF Ch 9 (the car scene 👀). I had a moment while writing it where i was just like...wow this is rated E. like, so E.

favorite jily kiss i wrote: ohhh. probably the first kiss from to love, softly. I love this line: “All I know is one second there I stand there, seventeen years old, wearing a yellow sundress and un-kissed by James Potter, and the next second I’ve kissed my best friend.”

hardest trope/thing to write: anything drawn out! which is why i’m so surprised that JHF was super drawn out and long, because normally i like to skip over the waiting to get to the good stuff 😂

easiest trope/thing to write: smut is very easy to write for me, as long as i’m not thinking about it. as soon as i start trying to focus, it just won’t come. i also find love declarations/falling in love so fun and sweet to write.

proudest fic moment: finishing GOFLL, because i’d never finished a fic before and that was huge for me! (also...that i successfully kept The First Time Divorcees Club a secret until the last chapter of JHF)

any fic regrets? i don’t tend to dwell on fics once they’ve been published, because i feel like they’re out in the world and people have read them and i can’t do anything, so best not to panic. i think i might’ve liked if I’d waited to post to love, softly until it was all written because it’s a fic that goes best in one flowing piece and this long break wasn’t in my plan 

2021 fic habits to break: starting a million different things. 

2022 fic habits to make: finish things before i post them! i'm very good at keeping to deadlines once i’ve set them—if I post that something will be coming out on x date or x time i will definitely do it, but it causes me a lot of stress and there was a point towards the middle of JHF where I was midway through exams and i felt so mentally and physically exhausted keeping up with the chapters 😅preferably i’d like to do less of that. 

[singofsolace]

Oh my god!!!! The intimacy of this chapter steals my breath!!! Them waking up soft and warm, the feelings of safety and comfort that they feel even with an intimacy that is unfamiliar to both of them, the realness of blushing bare faces and messy hair!!! It's all so beautiful!! They both trusted the other enough to let their walls down and to lie there with each other without the masks that have always used to protect themselfs!!!

Lilith watching Zelda sleep and holding her close to feel her breathe!!! I am melting!!!! Her darker thoughts about the pregnancy fit the very complicated and painful scenario. You perfectly write the moment to reinforce that Zelda's pregnancy is tied to trauma and pain (and reminds Lilith of her own abuse), but at the same time you cut it off in time to keep the chapter from delving back into painful territory.

Zelda as a cuddler is so precious and really suits her. She is a tactile person who hasn't been shown a great deal of gentleness. She seeks out gentleness from Lilith because she feels safe with her and seeks to give gentleness to Lilith because she loves her (even if she hasn't said it yet, she shows it). Her embarrassment and shame when she pulls away, thinking she has done something wrong breaks my heart! She cares so much for Lilith's comfort!! And then Lilith lets down another wall when she shares with Zelda how unfamiliar she is with this intimacy and Zelda understands and wants to hold her hand if she is comfortable with it!

Their banter is so cute and shows how they resort to humour and teasing as a way to diffuse the tension that comes with this new and unfamiliar intimacy. It also shows just how in tune they are with each other that they can so easily slip into a teasing, flirty banter. (Also I too would like to see Zelda at her most wicked! 🔥🔥🔥)

Leticia is the most adorable baby!! She can't be kept from her mama for long and seeing her and Zelda together melts my heart every time! And 'Miss Lily" being drawn closer and closer into their little family by both Leticia and Zelda is so sweet to watch! I want Leticia's beautiful dream to come true!!

Ending with the teasing giving way to an unspoken, but very real love is so perfect! Their love being communicated in little looks and touches and smiles is everything!! I love grand gestures, but there's something so relatable in the little moments of love! It isn't about 'doing' or 'giving' to the other person, you're able to show their love in the simplicity of sharing a quiet moment which is such a powerful thing! The comfort and softness in this chapter has warmed my heart on this cold, blustery day! I just want to read it over and over!! It's the sort of scene that brings such a calm and comfort, especially since it follows such pain and trauma in the previous chapters. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful, comforting chapter!

Thank you so much for this truly wonderful and insightful comment on Chapter 21 of Sir, Spare Your Threats! It always makes me feel overjoyed when I read your comments, because I trust that you just "get" what I'm trying to say, without me having to explicitly say it. It's so validating and exciting and inspiring to have someone reading my work who truly understands what each "beat" means and why it was put in the story.

I've always headcanon-ed Zelda as an extremely tactile person, and I do think we see elements of that in canon, but I wanted to take it a step further and show that it's not just sex that she's seeking when she reaches out to someone. I see her "love language" as being a combination of acts of service and physical touch. Zelda doesn't need to say anything to show her love for someone, and what's quite remarkable about that is how vulnerable it makes her to miscommunications and even abuse, because people can very easily withhold physical touch and/or abuse it when they know it's something you rely on to show your love and to feel loved in return.

The banter is always some of my favorite moments to write! Shakespeare is full of great banter and word play, and while I certainly don't liken my fanfiction to the level of Shakespeare, I think basing the foundation of this story on his work gives me the freedom to write these characters as "heightened" versions of themselves (although, let's be real... RAS has already made them pretty, ugh... what's the word? melodramatic? soap-opera-like? cartoon-ish?), which makes moments where they can have witty, sassy, *intelligent* banter all the more meaningful, you know? Neither Zelda nor Lilith is lacking in education or intelligence, which is why I always wanted to see more of them in canon having intelligent conversations, outsmarting people, and always being one step ahead (at least of the goddamn teenagers? like, why was Sabrina always fooling Zelda? Why was she able to run circles around Lilith, a witch with almost 6,000 more years of experience under her belt? Why was Sabrina always getting away with shit that Zelda should've seen coming a mile away?!? I know Sabrina is the protagonist, and RAS needed her to always come out on top, bus seriously?!? How does Zelda never seem to know when Sabrina is lying to her?!).

This is all to say, I like being able to write them as "real" people, who have chemistry and very much enjoy engaging in sharp-witted repartee! I felt like the writing of the show rarely got past the "insult" stage of witty banter. And that's no fun! That's just insulting each other! True banter is done between people who respect each other's mind and intelligence, even if you don't agree with them. It's no fun to read or to listen to if the banter is malicious or mean-spirited, you know?

I'm glad you enjoy Leticia being in this story! I've never written a child before, so sometimes I struggle to capture her voice and mannerisms, but so far, I think she's a delightful presence in the story, and I'm glad that you agree. I hate that Roberto introduced the idea of Zelda stealing/adopting Leticia, and then completely wrote that element out of the story, as if it never happened. Actions should have consequences! You can't just pass a baby off to a character who exists largely off-screen to wait for the child to become useful again? No...?

Sorry this is becoming sort of a rant / roast of Roberto's writing. I guess I'm feeling a little fiery today! I'm glad you enjoyed the love being communicated in small ways, instead of grand gestures. Sometimes all it takes is a shared look or touch and you just know you're smitten! When someone you're falling in love with takes your hand, or just smiles at you through the mirror, it can feel just as breathtaking as something far more elaborate, like slaying a dragon, or returning from war to get married, or something... (lol those aren't the best examples). I completely missed the opportunity to say "or distract a mother bear while the object of your affection takes your child and runs" ...but I've said it now 😅

Anyway, I can never tell you how much your comments mean to me. All I can say is "thank you!" and hope that you continue to enjoy this story of mine. Cheers!